Thikaana

Thirty Eight

Sana had been eagerly waiting for Sidharth to return since the whole day. Her excitement had no bounds. She had come back early from work and had cooked his favorite meals and was anxiously waiting for him to arrive back home so that she could jump up in his arms and stay there. Sana kept pacing around the living room, looking at the main door every now and then, anxiously biting her lip. She was a little nervous to see him since she had no idea how he'd react and what his mood would be like after their last detailed conversation.

She went up in the room one last time to have a quick glance over herself in the mirror and make sure everything was fine. She wore a simple reddish/dark pink salwar suit and had left her hair straight and open. She was just about to brighten her gloss when her phone rang. She jerked and ran outside in the lounge. It was Sidharth. Her heart raced and she grabbed the phone answering it, almost breathless.
"Hello? Sidharth?" she panted.
"Sana" he spoke quietly.
Her excitement instantly died down and she frowned thinking why he was calling her and not home yet. He should have been here by now.
"Sidharth? Aap kahan ho? Abhi pohnche nahi kya? Aap phone kyun kar rahay ho, ghar kyun nahi aaye ab tak?" she asked, still confused and scared.
"Sana, where are you right now?" he asked her instead.
Sana frowned harder, not understanding what he was upto.
"M.mai kahan hoon matlab? Mai yahan hoon..ghar par. Aise kyun pooch rahay ho?" she asked in a small voice, clutching the phone closer.
She heard him release a long breath and her heart raced again, this time for a different reason though.
"Sana? Please leave."
She almost dropped the phone hearing that. She didn't know what to say or think.
"Sidharth?" she almost whispered, holding onto the phone.
"I've reached back. I'm here at mom's. Please leave before I come back. I don't want to see you there right now" he breathed.
Sana was dead silent. It felt like his words pierced through her entire being and deafened her. Her heart sank deep inside her stomach and she could feel it dropping lower and lower.
"Sidh." She could barely talk.
"Sana please. I don't want to talk about any of it right now. Just leave, please"

*****
Sana's eyes shot open as her alarm deafened her and her heart pounded like it would fall out of her chest right that minute. His words were still ringing in her ears and she could feel beads of sweat throughout her forehead as her hand unknowingly hit her phone screen turning the alarm off. Her heart wasn't slowing down and she felt so disoriented. She closed her eyes again and started rubbing her chest, still trying to make sense of his words and everything. Her eyes remained closed as her breathing started to return to normal and her brain's fogginess started wearing off and she frowned, opening her eyes back. She stared at the ceiling and looked around. She was in her own bed, in her apartment. She frowned harder and it finally hit her. she had been in her home since yesterday.

She had come back here, spoken to Akshay last night and fell asleep. That means.. her eyes widened with realization, relief, and shock.
She was dreaming. She grabbed her phone from the side table and sat back up. She checked the date and time. It was just the second day of his trip today. He hadn't returned yet, neither had he called her and said that. Sana fell back on the pillow releasing a long breath and hugging the phone to her chest. The last few minutes had really taken a toll on her and she was now trying to normalize her breathing and silently thanking God that it was just a dream. It had felt so real and she was still kind of disoriented and shocked that it was a dream. His tone, his voice, it was still ringing in her ears. She finally kept her phone away, sat up and drank some water. That felt nice. She then grabbed her phone and without wasting another second, instantly typed him a quick message.

Sana
Good Morning Sidharthh! Kese ho aap? I know Abhi sou rahay hoge par I miss you. Bohat zada. Jaldi aao. I know naraz ho lekin mai bohat darri hui hoon, pata hai mene kitna bura sapna dekha abhi? Jaan nikal gayi meri. Please come soon. Love you.❤️

She sighed and put her phone aside. She was finally feeling a lot better now that she had texted him and she had finally realized that it was just a dream. It scared her nonetheless. She wasn't sure of how he would react or how his mood would be once he comes back. She knew that it had become a constant cycle for him and it had truly tested his patience to its brink. She was very well aware of the fact that he was still holding back on his anger and frustration just because of her and so that she doesn't feel scared but she knew how he felt inside. Although she had finally spoken to Akshay last night and had done the most important thing by telling him directly but she also knew that it would just be the start of everything falling apart at back home. She had no idea what kind of storm was going to hit her now & what all she would have to face. She was also scared about Sidharth.
She didn't know how he would react to all of this now & what his take on it would be. She knew he was there with her, standing by her side every step of the way & she also knew that once he comes to know about her talking to Akshay, he'd be very happy but what about everything that would happen after that? Would he still stand by her and not give up?
She sighed and got out of bed wearing her slippers half-heartedly. She had decided to immerse herself in work today and tomorrow and just pull through these two days before he comes. She decided she wasn't going to think of anything bad these two days and keep her as distracted and busy as possible. She was however expecting a call from back home. It was only a few hours now till everything would blow up.
****