Beyond The Broken Chords

3. An Old Friend

HAPPY SUNDAY

𓂃ꕤ𓂃

Vihana's POV

It's been a week since that unforgettable evening on the beach; I was driving to my clinical office after a short banter at home with my sister & Bua (Aunt). However, they still make sure to taunt me for that night when I almost lost our 'Kaleje ka tukda' (The apple of our eyes). That night when I returned home with Zen and told Arti bua the entire story, my sister, Nishka was working late but when she heard about it after coming home, let's say I barely saved my life that night from the hands of the death reaper. I couldn't blame her for being mad; I was disappointed myself.

Nevertheless, I got Zen a new neck collar with my contact number inscribed on it, just as Mr. Stranger had asked me to. I know it sounds weird to call someone with a nickname like that but, what else can I even call him when I don't know his name? I was such a mess that night, it skipped off my mind to ask him. I felt pretty dumb when I realized it after he was gone. We chatted for briefly 5-10 minutes, and I didn't even ask what his name was. Moreover, we don't know if we'll ever come across each other, so that's probably how I will remember him.

Turning on the radio I took a left turn, "NAMASTE MUMBAI!" The RJ's overly excited voice blasted from the radio speakers, nearly deafening me and causing me to quickly turn down the volume to manageable frequency. I simply loathe high-pitched sounds. They cause me terrible headaches so mostly prefer music which is soothing to both ears and mind. The RJ continued with the show, 'Toh doston aj hai Monday,' (So friends, today is Monday) she spoke chirpily, 'New week ki shuruwat ho chuki hai toh kyu na is naye din ko aur is nayi shuruwat ka pyaar se swagat kare? Aaiye sunte hai India ke pop-sensation, Hridaan Sehgal ki awaz me yeh pyaar bhara rendition-' (New week has begun so why don't we welcome this new day and new beginning with love? Let's hear this beautiful rendition by India's pop sensation, Hridaan Sehgal-) Soon after, music started playing and within 5 seconds I knew which song it was.

Ishq Bulaava

It used to be my favourite song during my college days. I smiled at the nostalgic memory as the song played, and I turned up the volume just a bit more. Although I am a sucker for originals and it was a rendition version, I had to admit that this guy has an astoundingly beautiful voice. I have heard some of his songs although I am not much into pop culture, but I like his voice. There's a sense of longing and tenderness in his voice which is very rare in this new gen-music. No wonder he has such a huge fan following.

I hummed along with the voice playing on the radio. As the signal turned red applying the brakes I halted my car in front of a cafe as the road got jammed with various vehicles. 'Now I have to wait for another hour when I am barely five minutes away from my clinic. Just great!' Shaking my head in disappointment, I unlocked my phone to look at the wallpaper. It was an adorable picture of Zen when he was just two weeks old. He was playing with a blue-winged butterfly in the garden of our society which sat on his nose when I clicked it. Just looking at his picture brings a smile to my face and washes off all my worries, 'My baby...' I mumbled softly.

I looked over to check the signal and the flow of traffic when I spotted someone who struck me as oddly familiar. Although their face was barely visible from across the lane, something in my gut told me I knew this person. As the car crept forward with the traffic,  the fog of uncertainty lifted, and my eyes widened in disbelief— 'It can't be...' I murmured, stunned by the revelation of who it was.

Wasting no time, I steered my car towards the lane where she stood. I pulled over to the side of the road to avoid blocking traffic and quickly hurried over to her. She was on her phone probably calling someone when I approached her from behind, I placed my shaky palm on her shoulder before calling her name, 'Prakriti Di? '