Anurakti

46: Heartbreak

It was about two in the night when Samidha switched on the lights, waking up Rhea.

Before her eyes could even adjust to the lights, Samidha quietly spoke

"Can we shift?"

"Shift, where? Why?"

Rhea asked, now fully awake. She took in her sister and it was heartbreaking to see her like that.

Her eyes were swollen and red. She had been crying, again.

Samidha opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Her eyes watered again and her throat felt dry.

"I can't live here anymore. I love him way too much."
She squeaked and fell down on her knees.

It had been 15 days since she had last spoken to Sahaj. He was ignoring her since then and she had never felt more betrayed.

If he was angry then he should shout at her, fight with her, yell at her. Why did he throw her out of his life?

It had occurred to her a long time ago, that she cared about Sahaj way more than she should, and in the past few days, she realised that she had somehow fallen in love with him.

It was the only explanation of the things she had been feeling.
Rhea hugged her as she told her the incidents that took place. From their first meeting to their last fight.

"I can't live like this Didi. I can't. I hate this feeling of being vulnerable like this. But it is the truth. I love him. Let us go away. Please."
She begged her sister and her sister kissed her forehead.

Samidha was fed up of feeling like this. She couldn't allow herself to be controlled by anyone else.

She was stone hearted. And she liked it that way. She couldn't allow herself to be on her knees, weak for someone.

Rhea's eyes watered.
Why did all this happen to her sister? Already they had many problems at home. She didn't deserve all this.

It also explained her constantly dropping grades. How could a teenager concentrate on studies when her life was revolving around a problematic boy. Sahaj won't have any problem in future, his father was rich. But their father wasn't.
They were just some normal people from a middle class family. And above that, they were girls. In this male dominated society, being financially independent is the only way to protect yourself and make some respect for yourself. No one listens to you if you aren't successful.

And for them, education was the only way to achieve that.

It was right that many roads led to Rome, but there was only one road open to them.

And if Samidha didn't study and get a good college, then she'll just end up being an average loser without any self respect.

Rhea had a new found determination in her. She won't let her sister suffer because of her own feelings. She will take her out of there, she will help her have a new fresh start.

She will make her sister successful.
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                   'ONE MONTH LATER'

Aditya Kashyap was late. He had a very important meeting and the legalities and formalities took so much time that by the time he returned home, it was already one.

He was passing by Sahaj's room when he saw light coming from inside. Checking his watch, he furrowed his brows.

Sahaj shouldn't be awake now.

He knocked on the door but there was no response, so he pushed the door open.

The room was a mess. Everything was scattered here and there. Vases were broken and the punching bag had a mountain of sand below it.

Sahaj wasn't there. Throwing his coat and case on the ground, Aditya ran towards the bathroom, but he wasn't there too.

Panick arose in his heart. Where was his son? He has been acting strangely for the past few days and it was already worrying him to death. Where did he go now?

As he looked around the scattered room, a particular photo caught his eyes. He quickly picked it up.

It was a photo from the teacher's day party. Sahaj was sitting on the bench and Samidha was hugging him. Everyone around them was cheering.

It was when he won the arm wrestling match and Samidha had taken a screenshot from the video.

He flipped it to find a very short note on it.
A note that made his breath hitch.

Dear Sahaj
I love you.

Aditya threw the photo and ran out of the room, shouting for the staff.

"Where's Sahaj?"

He should've known. Men of the Kashyap family love ardently. Their love is not a puppy love.

"WHERE IS SAHAJ! CALL THE POLICE, CALL THE ARMY! I DON'T CARE! I WANT MY SON!"

Men from their lineage get devoted to the love of their life. His father, grandfather, great grandfather, they all have been passionate lovers.

They become crazy in love. They become obsessed.
They become anurakt.

Sahaj was too.
Samidha was his anurakti

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After an hour long search, Sahaj was found sitting near the upper lake.

Aditya sighed when he saw his son safe and sound.

Upon hearing the dry sticks break, Sahaj looked up to find his father with worry etched on his face.

Smiling softly he greeted him, wiping tears off his face.

"Hey Pa. Miss me?"

Aditya's heart broke at his sight. He was covered in mud and extremely drunk.

"What are you doing here?"

"Me? I'm drinking."

"Why?"
He asked and Sahaj frowned. Looking at the water he tried to blink away his tears.

"I'm sorry Pa. I crashed your car in a tree. But I swear I wasn't drunk then! And nobody's harmed. There was this little girl who was playing, she suddenly came in front of the car. I took her back to her home and gave her parents a good scolding. I just had to save her because you know........."
He spoke loudly and his eyes watered again.

"She loved kids."

He whispered as tears spilled.

"You can tell me Sahaj. I'm your father."
Aditya gently consoled him when he saw his son hesitating.

Biting his lips Sahaj looked away.

"What should I tell you Pa? That she left me? That she's never coming back? That I couldn't even say sorry or tell her how much I loved her?..............I always knew she was special. Everyone knew she was special to me. I thought she wouldn't matter. But not having her near me, not knowing whether she's safe or not, or where she is, it's eating me alive Pa. I didn't realise how much I loved her until she went away. I never treated her well. I'm just a faliure."
He whispered and Aditya pulled him in a hug.

Crying, he buried his face in his dad's embrace.

"I can't live without her Pa. I'll die."
He sobbed and hugged Aditya tighter.

"Why does this happen to me? It's not fair. Why can't I have everyone at once? Why do I have to loose one person to get another? She said I deserved the world, didn't she know she is my world?!"

Aditya Kashyap rubbed his son's back.
He knows just how much it would've been hurting him. He had been there.

"That's life son. That's how life is. Unfair."

Rubbing his back, Aditya felt something wet near his neck.

"Saha-"

"It's just a scratch Pa. I'm glad I saved the girl."
Saying this Sahaj fainted and Aditya finally got a good look at his head.

He was covered in blood.

"SOMEBODY CALL A GODDAMN AMBULANCE!"

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