Dreamy Red

Episode 33 - The Gap Widens

After a long conversation, I let him know why I doubted her and abandoned her. He wasn't convinced. He said the same thing as Vichu had said that I should have spoken about it. "Yes, I should have. But I was devastated because of your loss that I couldn't think straight and I lived with the same anger", I told him.

Viku told me that he accidentally fell into the waterfall while fighting with Chaitanya. "I landed unconscious somewhere in Toonga. The locals took me to the hospital. And due to the seriousness, they had to take me to Chennai where the facilities were good. I was hospitalised for 5 days. And when I recovered, I realised that none of you people found me. So I thought of meeting your Chachu first. But when I got there, I saw vichu. It changed my mind about coming to Jaipur. I felt bad to see the wrong side of you. We tried calling you several times, but you never answered. I waited and waited for your call because I thought you would realise your mistake sooner. But I never thought you would make it this late. It broke my heart even more. I never thought that you of all people would do such a thing", he said sadly.

But all the while he was not the Viku I had met a few days ago, but the Viku I had lost two years ago. I felt a little contented that he was still in love with me. "Your reason is not convincing. But if I think from your point of view, it all makes sense. I knew that my love is not a rude one. But you could have listened. It would have solved all the problems. It will take some time for us to be the old us. But I assure you I'll not let you go as you did with your sister", he said with a smile and hugged me. My heartbeat rose. I regained my love for him. Actually, I had never lost it.

My phone rang again. It was Karan. I should have avoided picking it up. But Viku said, "Speak with him, we can talk later. I'll come home with you." I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled too, took my left hand and clutched them with his hands. I could feel the warmth. I picked up the call using my free hand. Before even I could speak, Karan shouted excitedly, "What happened between you two after I left? Did you guys kiss??" I felt utterly embarrassed.

I cut the call at once and looked at Viku. He must have overheard because Karan was quite loud and Viku was sitting very close to me. Viku's face turned blue. I saw his eyebrows twitch. He couldn't control his emotion and he asked me, "Who two? Who did you kiss?"

"I did not kiss anybody!", I said embarrassed. "Are you seeing someone?", he asked me. "No!", I shouted hesitantly. "You are not saying it confidently. So it means you have found love when I was not here", he said sarcastically. "Not at all!", I claimed again. "Then who was Karan talking about?", he asked harshly. It was weird yet I had to be honest with him. "Rahul, Karan's brother. He proposed to me, but I didn't reply", I reluctantly told him. "You did not reply? Is that it? You didn't reject him as well! That means you like him!"

"No way", I told him though I knew that Viku was right. Viku wasn't convinced at all. He knew me very well. "Your eyes don't tell that you don't like him, Bibbi", he said sadly. "No, Viku. I haven't thought of anyone other than you all this time", I said as confidently as I could. I thought that if the conversations we were having at the moment had happened the day I survived the snake attack, things would have been so different. But as usual, I ran away from the situation and complicated things.

"Hmm. I'm sorry if I have come at the wrong time. Maybe you found a better soulmate. Someone who won't judge you as I do. Anyways, I did wrong to you and so did you. So it's never going to be the same again. So it's better that we part", he said with a sigh. "What? Part?? I can't part with you!", I stuttered sadly. "I have got you after such a long time and I get to see your old self and I'm sitting so close to you and I can even hold your hands and you want me to part??? Not at all!!", I cried as I spoke nervously. I got emotional.

Viku removed his hands from mine and said relentlessly, "Bibbi, it's not always about you!" And he left the room immediately. And it hurt me the most. I kept quiet as I was already dead inside. When I was finally happy that we were going to be together like in the old times, fate was messing things up for me as usual. My aching heart was torn apart again.

*****

I went to the crime spot around 1:30 PM straight from the hospital. The place was a little off from the highway opposite the side where Naveen and Arpitha's bodies were found. I realised that it was near the place where I had camped two days ago. Arush was standing near the body of Armaan with his baton in his hand. When I asked him for Ravi, he told me that Ravi had gone for a stroll through the woods to search for clues. I asked, "How did you guys find his body?" "Ravi sir got a call from Karan's brother, Rahul. He informed us that he spotted Armaan's body here", said Arush. What was Rahul doing there, I wondered.

Armaan's body had scars all over and his dress was torn everywhere. It appeared as though he had fought to live. When I observed closer, I noticed that he was choked to death too. There was a thick purple bruise around his neck as though he was strangled using a thick wild wine.

I looked around the area for clues, bootprints and wines that could match the bruise on Armaan's neck. A few trees away, I spotted a muddy patch with some bootprints. I had to click photographs but I didn't have my camera with me as it was in the agency. I had asked Karan to bring it to the spot. But he was not to be seen yet. So I stood there observing the bootprints. The pattern was unique. The depressions were of different shapes rather than just circles or just squares or just stripes. It was the weirdest bootprint I had ever seen in my life.

A while later, Ravi and Karan walked toward me. They both looked happy. They put hands over each other's shoulders like in the old times. Maybe they had sorted things between them. I felt happy to see their reunion and almost forgot my own grief. "Am I going to be kicked out of the friend's circle?", I asked sarcastically. They both laughed. Karan handed me the camera and I photographed the bootprints.

"Who would wear such a funny shoe? Of course, our Spiderman!", teased Karan. "I don't know why Bhaiya came to the forest but one good thing is that he saw Armaan's body and informed us! And by the way, you didn't answer my question yet, Bibbi. What happened between you two?", asked Karan enthusiastically. "Nothing happened. My life was going good. And then out of nowhere new relations started building up and old ones rekindling!", I said with a sigh.

"You just spoilt a good moment in my life and the rest of my life", I told him with my eyebrows raised. "Who? Me? What did I do?", he asked innocently. And then I explained to him whatever happened. "Oh my god. It is such a great thing that he forgave you. And I spoilt it for you. Very sorry Bibbi. I know how much he means to you. Terribly sorry", he said sadly. I said, "It's ok. I was the one who messed things up in the first place."

I and Karan then took the body to the lab for further investigations while Ravi and Arush went to the police station. It was around 2:30 PM when we reached the lab and Mamu was already present. "Bibbi, Viku told me everything. Are you sure you don't want to be with him?", he asked me with concern. I suddenly started crying involuntarily and I hugged him tightly. He hugged me back. "It's ok. You are just having a bad time. At least I should have broken the promise I made to Viku and told you about him being alive. We would have talked and sorted things out before you met him. He wanted all the drama and voila, he got it!", Mamu said innocuously. But I was offended anyway. I broke off from his hug. "So you knew it all along?", I asked abashing him. He nodded with a pout on his face. "Oh ok. I have work to do", I said blandly. Then I wiped my tears, straightened myself up and walked to my room. I had heard enough. I needed to focus more on my work and less on my messy life.