Tanhaiyan | neirohi

5. a start

If silent treatment was a game, the judges would've had a tough time selecting the winner. That is, if the competitors were a certain pair of chipkali and chamgadar.

The wind chimes clinked as the monsoon winds blew. The day was a bit sunny but not humid. Rare feat to achieve in a place like Bombay. What a pity to have people sitting with sullen faces in spite of the brilliant weather, what a pity!

It had been two days since the talk. Or better said, two days since they ever talked.

If communication was essential then sticky notes came to use. Why fear when sticky notes were here? Of course, a totally different matter that they were often stuck at strange places. Sometimes someone's forehead, otherwise attached to someone's hair strand. Not to mention, the lizard from the plant pot was enjoying as the scorecard kept ticking for both the players.

Currently she was sitting at the table reading her books while he chose to flip aimlessly through the channels. Settling on watching the ongoing WWE, Neil sat back relaxing.

Aarohi on the other hand, had Friday offs. Unless there was some emergency, she had no reason to go to the hospital. And she wouldn't even if she had a choice. But right now, the hospital chaos also seemed bearable compared to the volume of the second-hand television.

Oh how she wished she could strangle his neck right then and there. For heaven's sake, she was preparing for her Mch entrance exams!

"Mere exams ke dushman," she muttered, rubbing her aching neck. She put on her headphones, her last efforts. Since fate was on her side, the solution did work. Whatever be the case, she won't be the first one to break the ice this time. Neil watched her from the corner of his eyes.

"Ziddi chipkali," he couldn't help but whine. Even the noise was not forcing her to break her silence. What rock is she made of? Not an ounce of sympathy for a poor soul like him! If this was not awkward, he did not know what was.

Especially since she was staying home today.

The past few days were bearable cause when he was awake she was never at home. And when she was home, he would be busy snoring to his heart's content. Coming home and seeing him fall asleep on the sofa or the dining table rather than their bedroom had become more of a common occurrence for Aarohi. The youngsters were trying their best to get their heads wrapped around the idea of living together. But it truly was a real test.

Watching the clock, she realized that the dabbawalla was late today. Deciding to call up and enquire, she was about to step into the balcony. And that's when the doorbell rang.

"Food finally!"

Neil couldn't help but be relieved. He was worried that he might be forced to survive on fruits only for the day, since cooking was not something which happened in this house. He had gotten a hint of it when he saw the almost empty fridge. And the day she had left behind the post-it note asking him to open the door to pick-up the delivery, he was sure of it.

He terribly missed the smiley Kachoris. Terribly.

Running ahead of her to open the door, he was desperate. However, when she saw his smile falter, she was certain that it was not lunch for sure. Within a minute she joined him side-by-side, only to see a hysterical child.

Having assisted in the pediatric ward, she knew how children could be. The sweetest when they were asleep and a real terror when they were up. Her life couldn't scare her the way children could, at times. And this kid seemed to be another example.

Sporting puffed up cheeks and a red nose, the little girl no less than five, was bawling her eyes out. Her little hands carelessly brushed her face from time to time, trying to stop the streaming tears. Though Aarohi hid herself behind Neil, she was very much curious to know what happened. After all, children never popped out of thin air, that too at her doorstep. While the one who was shielding her resisted a chuckle, just because it was more important at the moment to attend the kid in front rather than the kid behind him.