Once Upon A Mr. Goody Two Shoes

Chapter 33

I hurried down the staircase and hopped in the first auto I could manage to stop. I wiped my face and tried to think of... something. Something I could do that would miraculously make everything better. I tapped my feet relentlessly, trying to calm my nerves, come up with solutions and shake away the awful memories from the last half an hour. It was chilling to know what all could go wrong in mere minutes. Apart from the grotesque flashbacks of the incident, the only other thought running through my mind was to get to Abeer as fast as I could.

"Madam ji, boliye toh kidhar jaana hai?(where do you want to go?)" The auto driver asked me through the rearview mirror, waking me up from my reverie. In my hurry I had forgotten to give the address to Abeer's place. The auto-driver started his auto and took me to Abeer's locality. I tipped him extra as I was unable to find loose cash and hurried upstairs to his apartment, trying to come up with explanations for the fiasco and what could make it right. But nothing solid came to my mind. Even then, I waited no longer and rang his bell multiple times, just to see his face one more time. When no one answered, I banged the door, shouting Abeer's name over and over again. But there was no answer from the other side.

I took out my phone and gave Ajay a call. "Hello, Ajay? Are you at home?"

"No, I'm not. I'm out," he answered from the other end, making my heart sink.

"Is there any chance you might know if Abeer is at home?" I tried hopelessly, trying to grasp on to loose strings.

"I'm sure he's not at home. How would he be? He forgot to take his key when he went out today morning. Why, is there a problem Aashi?" Ajay asked, concerned. I wanted to cry, but Ajay's words gave me the tiniest bit of hope.

"Thank you, I'll talk to you later," I muttered haphazardly and cut the call before he could answer back. I racked my brains to come up with places Abeer must have gone to. It was a Sunday, so he couldn't have gone to his office by any chance.

Suddenly, I was reminded of the place he had taken me a few months ago, just after the airport incident. Everyone had their special place where they immersed themselves when they were at their low, and Abeer had his own place he had come across when he was alone during the time of the court cases against Taira's dad.

I booked a cab and rushed to Surajkund lake.

It was almost one in the afternoon when I arrived there. The sun that had managed to come out of the shadows of the clouds yesterday had again hid itself behind them. A light wind blew as I made my way towards the only silhouette sitting on the steps of the lake, his back hunched, wind gently playing with his curls. My throat felt numb; it won't utter anything. My footsteps had made Abeer aware of someone's presence, but he didn't turn around to acknowledge me.

My heart stopped as he suddenly sat straighter, perhaps realizing who had come. He did not turn around, simply leaned back and watched the clouds change their shape. I let my eyes travel to the north too, trying to make out the patterns of nature. The sky was beautifully calm today. Neither glaringly hot, nor shivering cold. It was just...there, living. My nerves calmer than they had been the entire morning, I stared at Abeer's back, hoping he would say something. Yell at me, perhaps? But he was quiet too long. Finally, when my heart could no longer bear the silence, I cleared my parched throat and spoke in a croaked voice. "Abeer..." His name came out as a whisper, or a whimper; I couldn't differentiate.

"Mrs. Jain, you do not go around following other men, it is not loyal of you. Go home and take a class or two on how to be an ideal wife and daughter-in-law, because you have already mastered the ideal daughter role," he turned his neck and smiled the most disturbing smile I had seen on his face. My heart clenched painfully.