Estranged | ✓

XV. bura na maano, holi hai

aise rang de tu mujhko
tere rang mein o piya
aur koi rang mujhpe kabhi laage nehi
aur koi rang daale bhi toh laage nehi
rang de o rang de mujhe o rangreza
°

anupamaa

I stared in silence.
Everything seemed to have numbed around me for moments.
The only thing I could hear was my wildly pacing heart.

I heard Kavya say, "Anu I am going!", And run, from afar, but I stood frozen.

He slowly touched his cheek, the red gulaal on his face.
His spotless white kurta too had specks of the red.
I knew he hated all of this.
He was probably just going to scream.

After all, the nature of a man remains unchanged.

He took the colour on his fingers and stared at it.
I looked down.
I was definitely not ready to be shouted at, at the moment.

What should I do?
Run away?
But he had seen me!
I felt my face go warm in embarrassment and so many other emotions.

This is not the kind of reunion I expected.

"Anupamaa!", I heard his voice as I barely looked up,
And I knew there was gulaal all over my face.

"As you guys say bura na maano.. Holi hai!", It was him.
I slowly opened my eyes.

Shocked.

He stood at a hand's distance from me.
The blue gulaal he had thrown at me still on his hand as he smiled cheekily.

Almost out of a reflex, I ran towards him.

No one could put colours on me.
No one.

He turned instantly and ran in the opposite directions.
For moments it felt like we had met for the first time.
For moments I forgot everything as I took a handful of blue gulaal, determined to smear him in it.

I had almost reached him.

But then, of course.
My leg twisted, and before I realised what exactly happened I tripped and fell into a water tub.
Thankfully there was no one else in it.

"Ouch!", I said as he instantly paused and turned.
I heard him break into laughter.

"How do you manage to embarrass yourself so casually?", He asked, laughing away.

Such an annoying man.
I was right, the nature can never change.
I looked at him with narrowed eyes.
I was absolutely drenched with water.

"How about helping a woman like a gentleman?", I snapped.
He stopped laughing, still grinning as he walked down to the tub and gave his hand casually.
I shifted slightly.
I clutched his hand and yanked it sharply.

Mister Vanraj Shah, the great, fell face front into the tub.
I couldn't help but break into laughter as the water splashed on me and around.

"OUCH!", he screamed louder than me.
Thankfully the park was huge, and people were too engrossed to notice is in our kindergarten fight.

He had definitely drank some water, I just knew it.
He sat up looking extremely annoyed, and I couldn't stop laughing.

"They call it Karma.", I said.
He gave me his classic death glare, but sorry, I couldn't stop laughing at his state.

His hair was wet from the front, fell all over his forehead and he looked so cute.

"Enough!", He shouted at me.
I stopped, placing a finger on my lips, stopping my laughter with magnanimous efforts.

I tried to stand up.
But today was definitely not his day as he slipped and fell back.

I placed my hand on my lips, laughing my silent laughter.

"Stop laughing!", He snapped.
"STOP LAUGHING!", He shouted.
"I can't! You're being so.. cute.", I said truthfully before laughing away.

For moments there was silence, and then I watched his lips curve.

He broke into laughter.
I paused, as I watched him.

He was laughing.
Such a rare sight.

I sat in the water, adoring him.
Only if I could call him mine.

•••

M

y favourite chapter is here 🥹