You Belong With Me

6. RADHIKA

I was running late, so I walked quickly till the faint sound of subtle aarti and ringing bells reached my ears. I was breathing heavily but by the time I reached at Temple premises, I was relaxed because inspite of being late I didn't miss much.

As I started singing aarti after joining my hands and closing my eyes, I got lost. Sacred sense engulfed me, solace, serenity, divinity, purity, ingenious, reverent all these words together could not define the kind of feeling I was going through.

I started coming to Govind Devji temple with mumma a year ago. After some months of regular visits, I realised that there's nothing beyond Krishna, Krishna is life, Krishna is love, Krishna is world, Krishna is everything.

Threads of my thoughts broke when I caught a glimpse of something. Someone. And the possibility of that someone to be Avyukta Bharadwaj was literally 100% because he's standing there but in a fraction of second he disappeared. Perhaps he was never there, you might have seen someone else, a voice echoed in my mind. Shut up, he was there. I saw him with my own pair of eyes, another voice said from inside of my mind.

While walking in temple premises, I busied my self in phone as I started replying Jiya's text in which she's saying 'when will you make your yummy cheese pasta for me' with a puppy eyes emoji. I don't know why she sends these manipulative texts when she knows I won't deny her.

Huh.

---

''By the way, did you tell me the reason for arriving late?'' Mumma asked turning back.

'' oh sorry, actually we were practicing for our freshers party introduction. '' I answered matching her steps.

''You didn't tell me earlier?!'' She inquired sitting on a bench.

'' In fact I didn't even know.'' I said taking a seat near her!

'' how can it be possible.'' she said eyeing me.

'' But it is, they suddenly called each and every student from first year and started telling us about function and all. And that we'll have to stay there for one more extra hour till the function.'' I explained.

She asked some more questions related to function and I filled her up with every necessary detail that is there will be two events first one in college which will be introduction event in which we'll have to perform a dance along with intro and second one will be party kinda thing in some club or whatever.

I was not so much excited for second event as much as I was for first one because of dance performance. I was so excited to listen that we'll have to perform in college. #omg #couldn'twait!.

I wast lost in my thoughts when mumma said

'' Should we go home now, laado?''

'' Yes mumma, let's go. '' I replied and we started walking towards exit. If you're wondering who's laado then let me tell you it's me! Mumma calls me laado since the day I was born.

I was walking behind mumma because I was busy in my phone again. I suddenly felt a rough hand wrapping around my arm and it pulled me in such a way that my hair strands were all over my face, as I was about to shout a hand nearly double the size of mine, came to stop me from shouting.

One hand on my mouth (which covered half of my nose also) and the other one gripping both my hands.

That person lightly freed my hands and I made a failed attempt to push the person away but as soon as he tucked my hair strands behind my ear, I fully opened my partially opened eyes to see that I was in a dark room, not so dark that I couldn't see who the hell was this person and as realisation sat in I found a pair of Dark brown eyes staring at me, beautiful black hair and face with sharp features.

I was about to faint because this room was giving me panic attack vibes. It's a kind of Store room which is usually unlocked for workers but that's not the thing, the thing is I'm not claustrophobic but his hand on my mouth was disabling the sufficient amount of oxygen that was required for me to breathe. My eyes were about to close but then he removed his hand from my mouth and I started breathing heavily.

'' Heyy, calm down. Breathe. '' he said in his bold voice and patted my back.

'' Are you claustrophobic? '' he asked once my breathing rate came to normal.

'' That's not the thing you should ask, rather I should have asked what the hell you're doing here? Are you stalking me? What do you want from me? And why the fuck you pulled me like that?''

'' No, I..No. why'd you think I'd stalk you? ''

'' because you're everywhere I am .''

'' Well that's the truth, I'm everywhere you are. ''

''Yeah whatever. Now I'm going, mumma must be worried for her daughter who's literally pulled by her senior in some dark room for literally nothing.'' I said

'' But you didn't answer my question. ''

'' Neither did you ''

'' I asked the question first, so perhaps I would like to get the answers too, Miss Junior. ''

'' I'm not claustrophobic. It was just your giant hand that shutdown the oxygen supply to my lungs that's why I trembled.''

'' Now answer my questions Mr. Senior.'' I said narrowing my eyes.

'' I'm here to pick my mom up. And I'm not stalking you and... Maybe I want ..um...never mind! And I pulled you because I felt like it was a good idea.'' He said and I saw a hint of smirk dancing on his face. He answered all of my questions in one go making me all gooey because he remembered each question I asked so accurately after our two minute talk. He answered just like Dante did to Vivian in King of Wrath & Levi did to Bee in Love on the Brain.

Oh god

'' Wait. What do you want? ''

'' I think someone's mom must be worried about her! ''

'' Yeah but first tell me what is that you want fro-'' he didn't gave me a chance to complete my sentence as his finger reached to my lips and for a moment I thought that my lips would burn with the heat that was released by his mere touch.

''Shh.. it's nothing. I just wanted to talk to you so-

'' So You pulled me like this, and here in this room with this much closeness? '' I said bringing my finger in between both of us and moving it in a way to indicate the amount of closeness we were having, he took a step back.

''Also, talk about what?''

''Talk about... about-

''About unnecessary things right?!''

''No, ofc not. I..I -

My phone vibrated, I asked him to keep quiet showing my index finger and narrowing my eyes as mumma was calling me. I picked up and she immediately asked me where I was and I told her that I stopped by gate-5 as I spotted a friend. I also told her to wait for me near exit and I rushed towards the gate of that room meanwhile Avyukta was enjoying all this like he's watching some kinda drama.

''I gotta go, mumma is waiting for me.''

''By the way..'' he spoke up when I was about to leave. I turned to listen to what he was saying

'' I didn't know you liked me that much, that you come to meet me daily!'' at first I didn't understand what he said but then I gasped and my eyes went wide and a smile covered my face.

''That was a good one but how'd you know I come here daily?'' I asked.

''Little Miss, please save some questions for later, or aunty ji would scold her laado for taking so much time.'' my eyes again went wide because he knew that mumma calls me laado but I don't know how. I need answers but I have to go. I will have all the answers some other day, I promised myself mentally.

''okay, bye.'' I waved him and he did the same but there's something about him that I'm unable to figure out. The something that makes me feel happy and comfortable around him. The way he pulled me, if it was someone else, I would have punch the hell out of him. I just don't know why didn't I do it to him.

Perhaps I should stop thinking about him and focus but I wish I knew why do I feel so different around him.