The Foster child

Chapter -11

Agastya stayed silent for a long time. He loved her and waited for her for 3 years. He tried hard in convincing his parents to win his love. Now she is asking him to wait for some more years. He can wait for her but if that waiting leads him to rejection then he can't handle the heartbreak. Its acceptable on his end to have his doubts so he asked Dharani.

Agastya:
“ I can wait for you Dharani but I need a commitment at least. If you reject me after waiting for 2 years I can't accept. Just think from my end .”

Dharani:
“ I hardly know you Agastya. How can I agree to your proposal right away?I need some time to think”.

Agastya:
“ Then let's date. Let's get to know each other.  When you feel that I am the right person for you, we can confirm our relationship with our parents. Then let's  get engaged if everything works out between us. I will convince my parents to hold the marriage until you get settled”.

Dharani felt this was a bit reasonable. She needs to give him a chance. He seems to be a genuine person. But she has her set of doubts bothering her.

Dharani:
“ We can get engaged even before marriage. Why do we need a commitment after we get to know each other”.

Agastya:
“ Just think from my end, Dharani. Will my parents agree if I have to wait for 2 years to get married to you even without getting engaged. No sane person will agree to that proposal. I can't think of someone other than you in my life and I can't go against my parents. Please give me a chance to  show my love.”

Dharani felt pity for him. She was in his place yearning for love . Now she was on the receiving end of someone whom she hardly knew. She doesn't want to disappoint him and she can't sacrifice her life for the love which she could never get. She made up her mind and accepted Agastya ‘s proposal to date him.

Dharani:
“ Ok. I accept your proposal. But can you keep it a secret? I don't want my grandparents to know that we are dating each other before we confirm our relationship. Please”.

Agastya:
“ Sure thing Dharani. Even I want our proposal to be a secret. By the way, where do you work?. Where do you live?” 

Dharani:
“ I work in R- info tech solutions., electronics city. We were given accommodation with a twin sharing a room. It's for two weeks.  So,  I need to start my hunt for a Pg or a hostel as early as possible”.

Agastya:
“If you are ok, I live in an independent house in Heelalige. It has a penthouse and the owner's are an old humble couple. You will feel like home there. You have metro service to Electronic City. If you are ok I will take you there, you can talk to them about rent and other details”.

Dharani:
“ Actually, I am staying with my roommate and we got along with each other. She is new to this city and I don't want to leave her alone. Can she stay with me in that penthouse?.”

Agastya:
“ I think that won't be a problem. I will ask my owner about this and let you know”.

Dharani:
“ Then I will ask my friend about the new accommodation . But as we are new to this place and the cost for the rent is a bit of a problem. Can we get a good room within our budget ? I am sorry to ask you this”

Agastya:
“ No , that is perfectly alright. I know you just started earning. So, I suggested a penthouse. It has only one room with a bathroom attached. Let me talk to the owner and then I will let you. Don't worry about your stay. I am here to look after”.

Later, Agastya insisted on dropping Dharani at the nearest metro station.  Later Dharani took an Uber from the metro to her room. Throughout her travel , Dharani's thoughts revolved around Prithvi, Agastya and herself. She can't stay out comparing  Prithvi with Agastya. She knew Prithvi since childhood but Agastya was only known for a few hours. Agastya wanted to help her with her basic needs and was ready to wait for her. On the other hand , Prithvi doesn't  consider her as his  life partner. He seems to be not bothered if she gets married. She was not sure if he would atleast listen to her , if she ever proposed to him. 

Thinking of this scenario brought tears in her eyes. She asked God why she was not given enough courage to confess her love to Prithvi. She asked herself whether she is that  weak hearted that she could not tolerate a rejection. With all these thoughts in mind she dozed off to sleep getting all nightmares on Prithvi. This made her awake with a jolt.

She was sweating profusely. Negative thoughts crossed her mind and she could not stay at peace. She needs to know about Prithvi’s safety. So she decided to call him.She only prayed to God that he should lift the call and his voice would bring peace in her mind.

Finally, she dialed his number and was waiting patiently for him to answer but no one took the call.  It's around 3 in the morning. He would be either on duty or at rest. She tried her luck the next time and she could hear his voice.

Prithvi:
“ Hello. Who is speaking”.

Tears leaked out of Dharani 's eyes. He is safe and sound. That's enough. She decided to cut the call when her roommate burst her bubble.

Meena:
“ Dharani are you awake. What happened to you?. Why are you crying?”.

Meena didn't give her a chance to speak. Without her knowledge she updated Dharani 's  condition to Prithvi, making her freeze at her place. 

Dharani could hear Prithvi’s voice from her phone. Seeing that there is no escape, she spoke to him.

Dharani:
“ Hello. Mama, how are you? Did I wake up?”.

Prithvi :
“ That's alright. But why are you crying ma.? Are you in some trouble?. Did someone bother you?. Do you want  my help?”.

Dharani:
“ No no Mama. I just called you randomly. I am sorry to bother you. I will cut the call now”.

Prithvi:
“ No Dharani. Stay on the line. It's 3 am in the morning. Why are you still awake? And why are you crying? Dare you cut the call before answering me”.

Dharani started stammering. She knew that she had to answer him or else the consequences would be different. So said what came to her mind.

Dharani:
“ I had a nightmare about you. That worried me, so I didn't think of the time and called you. I am sorry to bother you.”

Prithvi:
“Silly girl. Don't worry about me. I joined my duty and I am doing well.  If you are in any trouble don't hesitate to call me. I am there for you. I may not reach you in person but I will make sure that you are out of that trouble. By the way, is this your new number? because I already  have your number”.

Dharani:
“ Ha. Aa yes. That .. that is my number. You …you can save it.”

She has no other option. Earlier she used to call him with this number. If he lifts the call, she would just cut the call and switch it off. But now, thanks to Meena she got her identity revealed.

Prithvi:
“ Ohhh. This number seems to be familiar. I don't remember the contact name”.

Dharani’s heart came to her throat. She knew  that she couldn't fool Prithvi. He is not an ordinary individual. He was well versed with the   latest tracking systems in our nation. She would not be able to hide her identity as his secret admirer for a long time. So, she needs to think about another alternative.

Dharani:

“ Mama, it's late. You need rest and I need to go to the office tomorrow. So, shall I cut the call”.

Prithvi is tired and needs rest. So, he didn't notice her unusual tone. He just hummed and said

Prithvi:

“ Hmm.Good night ma . Take care”.

Dharani:

“ Take care mama. Bye.

Saying this she breathed a sigh of relief. She was almost caught. That was a narrow escape and she needs to start distancing  from Prithvi as she already made up her mind to give a chance to Agastya. 

Thank you.

Bye. Take care.

Stay safe and stay healthy

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