Lamhaat - SidNaaz

Chapter Twenty Seven.

"Lekin tu kar kya Raha hai? Kyu jaa raha hai?" Maa asked, holding her head in her hand.

"Please maa! I need to focus. Aur ghar pe nahi hota mere se. Everything is so distracting." He groaned, packing his clothes into his bag.

"Phir tu upar chaleja. No one will come up. Tu akela rahega toh khyaal kaun rakhega tera baccha?" Maa sighed.

"Maa please!" He stressed and pleaded.

"Rita. Chodd doh usko aap! Let him be!" Baba sighed, grabbing her hand.

"Aap chodo! Kuch pada nahi hai. Baccha ghar se dhoor jaa raha hai aur aapko..." Maa argued.

"Come with me." His father sighed, pulled her out of the room. He watched as his baba wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her head. His maa never cried, no situation made her cry. But he could see the brokenness on her face.

"Jaane doh usko aap. Itna zyada rok nahi laga sakte hai hum bacchonpe. Let him do this... Agar takleef hua toh wapas aayega ghar!" He explained to his wife.

"Yeh sab aapke wajah se hua hai. You're the reason he pushed himself into all this aur ab apne aap pe itne pressure daal raha hai!" She said angrily. His father, tall, lean and handsome - he rested his chin on her head and chuckled. He shook his head, the voice in his head telling him to not go anywhere, to stay where he was, to stay home - but he couldn't. He had to leave.

"I love you both." He mumbled, walking out of the room.

"Sidharth, baccha yaad rakhna... Yeh bas ek phase hai. Don't be ashamed if you feel like coming back home Mera baccha. Yeh ghar ke darwaze humesha khule hai tere liye." His father said. He simply nodded, kissing his mother's cheek and walked away.

"Chalo! Itne saalo ke baadh phirse dono akele rakhenge!" His father tried to lighten up his mother's mood.

"Preeti aa rahi hai rehne, delivery ke liye." Maa snorted.

"Mood killer." Baba muttered.

****
Sidharth remembered his own phase of finding himself, leaving him, putting himself unintentionally into a struggle of loneliness and sadness. He turned aside in his bed and looked out of the tent at the boys who sat outside, sipping on cheap alcohol. He missed her. It had been 6 days since he had been in field, chalking out plans and drafting international level contracts. And he knew that she missed him even worse too. Because every night, he'd get a missed call... The phone would ring for less than 20 seconds before she hung up. Every single night. He never found it in himself to call her back ever.

Shehnaaz laid in bed, that room weirdly felt familiar. As if he had been there. As if he had set it up. She grabbed her phone and rang him. There was a hope that he would answer in those twenty seconds every time she called. She breathed deeply and clicked on his contact.

Sidharth watched as her name flashed on his phone, his thumb hovered over the green button, desperate to hear her voice. He felt angry, he was hurt, he was broken, and he really really wanted her.

"Sidharth..." She gasped. He had no idea when he had answered. But he pressed his phone against his ear.

"Sidharth... Aaj admission hui hai. Mai ghar bhi gayi. Maa se milne gayi." She gasped. He remained silent, he could hear the undecided sadness and happiness in her voice.

"Jaanta hai ki tu sunn raha hai..." She mumbled.

"Bohot miss karti hoon tujhe. Tera blue shirt pehen rakha hai maine."