Hamari Raahein

Ch.43- The dance of longing and heartbreak

After sending Swati home, Someshwar adjusted his clothes and entered the art gallery. Surya was the one who stopped him and started asking questions.

“Oye! Kahan tha tu? Subah se gayab hai, duties kaun sambhalega?”
(Oye! where were you? You're missing since morning, who was supposed to take care of the duties here?)

Surya whispered, occasionally smiling at the guests around him.

“Kuch nahi, fass gaya tha kahin. Ab wapas aa gaya hoon. Tarini kahan hai?”
(Nothing, I was stuck somewhere. Now I am back. Where is Tarini?)

“Haan, woh na yahan se-”
Surya was about to tell him when something stricked him. He narrowed his eyes at Som and raised an eyebrow.

“Oho ho ho. Tari-Ni? Ab tak to badi akad mein ‘Miss Tarini’ bol raha tha. Utar gaya bhoot? Le liye maje? Tu reh hi ni sakta bhabi ke bina, mujhe to pata hi tha ke do din ka natak hai tumhara baad mein dono lovebirds katthe ho hi jane hain.”
(Tari-ni? Till now you were saying 'Miss Tarini' with great arrogance. Has the ghost left your body? Did you enjoy it?You can't live without my sister-in-law, I knew that this is a two-day drama for you and later both you lovebirds will be together.)

Kicked in his animated side and he began spilling his judgements on Someshwar who gave Surya the classic silent death stare.

“Don't know where she has gone. But Akarshan sir is about to arrive and the event is almost half over, it has turned from morning to afternoon. Must be busy with the event.”

Someshwar went ahead in search of Tarini. As soon as we entered the hall, the hostess again picked up her mic to make an announcement.

“And now it is time to welcome our special guest. Woh jinke liye art unki zindagi,unki mohabbat bana aur usi mohabbat se unhone ye duniya jeet li. Ladies and gentlemen please welcome Mr. Aakarshan Dixit!”

Gasps filled the room, claps thundered against the walls. Everybody was on their feet ,waiting for Aakarshan to make his entrance. And it was something that definitely made heads turn. Being a punctual man, he didn't believe in being fashionably late. He was expected to arrive before the evening and so he was here.

Someshwar cleared the path for him by quickly stepping inside, simultaneously shifting his gaze to find Tarini.

A man with wavy dark brown hair slicked back and he was dressed in a plain black jacket with a white shirt underneath and black jeans. Seeing him return after being MIA for ages was a huge surprise to everyone. But he wasn't alone, a girl nervously stood behind him, biting her lower lip.

Akarshan's brain was getting flooded with memories when welcomes like these were common yet heartwarming for him. This time he felt extremely anxious from within but the lady standing behind him whispered something to lift his spirits. He gave her a small smile and walked up to the stage after making sure that she had taken her seat in the audience.

“Good afternoon everyone. I…I don't know what to say here. I'm clearly out of practice so please forgive me.”

He started his speech with a light hearted manner. Some even shed tears of joy upon hearing him on stage today. People longed for him, they loved him to pieces. The audience cheered him up with another round of applause.

“Thank you so much. It is great to see you all again. I have stepped into my temple after ages today and all of this was possible because of a stubborn guy. Stubborn yet Dedicated. Nobody had my whereabouts, if I'm alive or dead, nothing. No trace. But he found me.”

He addressed Someshwar, making brief eye contact with him. When Tarini followed his gaze she found Someshwar standing next to herself and had clearly failed to notice his presence. Or perhaps he wanted not to be noticed by her but still stay close to her.