I Need You..

Chapter 17

Pia

"I am sorry Pia, I made you cry! I am sorry!! I... I... I am sorry! Why did you go? Don't go again! I missed you.. I missed you so much! I want you... I.. I... I want you ! I need you, Pia! I need you!!" Rishi held Pia close to himself, wrapped her around his arms and cried his heart out. Pia crossed her arms around Rishi's neck. She hugged him tightly, she was crying too, and never wanted to let go. All of a sudden she left a pull, something was moving her hands, her grip around Rishi was loosening, and she was being dragged away from him. "No, Pia, no... please don't go again... No, Pia.. please..." Rishi begged her to stay but she could not. "Rishi... Rishi.. I don't want to go.. Rishi...."  She was now an inch away from him. She could see Rishi fade, bit by bit, his entire body turned into dust and disappeared in the air. "Rishi!!!!!!!....."

Pia woke up with a jerk. She was panting heavily, soaked in her sweat, with teary eyes, she looked around, she saw her room; an empty room. No one was around her, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair, was a mess, she herself was a mess. She wipped her tears and stood up. It wasn't something new for her, she had been waking up to such nightmares since years. Everytime she had a new storyline, some other place, some other setup. But the separation was inevitable. The dream she had today, took her back to the day when Rishi hugged her in front of everyone, when he begged her to stay and never go away. She sat on the couch, with a water bottle in her hands. She recalled every tiny detail of that moment, which was far gone, something that could never be relived, but can only be cherished. She drank from her water bottle, still lost in thoughts.

The series of thoughts then took her to the day when she left India. When she was standing in front of Rishi, when she begged him to stop her. When she told him that she needed him. He did not stay, he did not stop her. He did not even check on her later. Never showed up, he blocked her, he left her alone. Well, it wasn't just him, but everyone. Her mother left her, when she was just a kid. When she was forced to leave India, her Dadi also left her alone. She could've stopped her. Her father too left her all alone. She sat at that place for an hour, sip by sip she finished all the water in the bottle, she did not even realize when the time passed. "Pia! What are you doing? Don't you have to go to your college?" Pia flinched at the sudden voice she heard, it was Kamla, probably the only one who stayed alongside her. It was like a daily practice. She would sit like that for hours straight, and wouldn't even realize when the time leaped ahead. Kamla would always be around and interrupt her from those dismal thoughts.

Rishi

"Can I atleast see her once? Like just for a few seconds? Please!" Rishi requested. "Rishi, we need to get to the office by 8, it's already 7 if we stay any longer, we'll be late." Shiv tried to explain him. "Yaar please! Try to understand! I waited for an entire night! I could not sleep! It's getting difficult for me to even breathe! Didn't you hear what Uncle said!? Haan? Can't you understand what she is going through!!? How can you be so cruel! If you want to go! You may please leave! Because I am not gonna go unless I see her!" Rishi said. Shiv knew how drained he was and also the fact that he won't listen to him. So, they decided to hide behind the trees in Pia's garden, to have a glance of her when she would come out of her house to go to her college. Even if it meant that they would be late for their office, and might even get fired. "But yeah, friendship comes first!" Said Wasim, fake wipped his tears, and smiled sadly.

The plan was set, all arrangements made, they had found the perfect place to hide, that is, a huge canopy tree, which would cover all three of them. They had the excuse ready, which they would give to their manager when he questions them on being late. "We were lost!" Is what Wasim came up with, and ofcourse, the city was huge enough for them to be actually lost, so that made the excuse a little more bearable. They were eagerly waiting to have a look of Pia, Rishi waiting to see the little girl, his best friend after 5 years, while Wasim and Shiv were wondering how beautiful their 'bhabhi' would be.