Rab Rakha

Chapter 53

Shehnaaz found herself entangled in a web of conflicting emotions after Sidharth's puzzling behavior following their breakup. Initially, when he approached her to resolve their issues, she had been resolute in her decision to not engage with him. The hurt and disappointment from their breakup were still raw, and she believed distancing herself was the best path forward. However, despite her initial dismissal of his attempts at reconciliation, a part of her had secretly hoped he would persist, proving his commitment to fixing their relationship.

Yet, when she expected him to take the initiative and come to her, despite her anger and uncertainty about reconciliation, Sidharth's behavior was far from what she anticipated. Instead of approaching her directly to talk or apologize, he chose to stalk her from a distance, observing her silently. This unexpected turn left Shehnaaz feeling confused, hurt and increasingly angry.

Shehnaaz and Madhu were invited to dinner at Madhu's friend's place. Her new friend in the building, Mrs Walia, was celebrating her granddaughter's birthday. The birthday party was organized in the house club in the building itself, Shehnaaz bought a Barbie doll set for the baby.

At the birthday party, Madhu introduced her to her friends and their families and began to talk about their lives, some new tv shows and their sarees like typical ladies. Shehnaaz just smiled and nodded, not really taking part in the conversations. She tried to immerse herself in the celebration, but her mind kept wandering back to Sidharth. The laughter and chatter around her only served as a stark reminder of his absence. Even though her mother tagged her along all the while, inadvertently left Shehnaaz feeling isolated inside, with no one to share her thoughts with.

As she stood amidst the cake cutting, she couldn't escape the memories of Sidharth. She remembered the day she met him at Sheena's birthday party, they clicked and became friends instantly. The back and forth flirting was the limelight of their friendship.

Feeling a pang of loneliness, she excused herself from the crowd for a moment of solitude. In the quiet corner of the lawn outside the club house, she allowed herself to acknowledge the depth of her emotions. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized how much she missed him and still cared for him.

"Shehnaaz?" It sounded like him, she turned back to find him in his office attire. It looked like he had returned from his work now.

"Are you okay? Yaha akele kyu khadi hai?" He asked, he got worried spotting her in the garden area all alone. The fact that she was dressed up a little but her eyes had tears in them confused him.

"Mai thik hu, tu jaa yaha se." She replied, immediately tucking her loose strand of hair behind her ears and making her way back to her place. She stopped and glared at him when he followed her but then she realized he had to go through the same way for his apartment.

"Can we please talk?" He slowly asked.

"Kya baat karni reh gayi hai? Aise 3-3 din ke gap me kya tu points bana ke aata hai mere se baat karne ke liye?" She angrily asked.

"Actually, mai samajh nahi paa raha tha kya bolunga. I was-" he was replying when the elevator opened and a few people joined them.

Sidharth stared at her till they reached her floor because she couldn't stop him now, he noticed that the burnt patch on her hand had lightened a little but there were a few pimples on her face. Her usually vibrant demeanor had been replaced by a subdued and listless aura. Her eyes, once bright with laughter, now seemed dull and weary, carrying a weight of sadness that was palpable. Her posture, typically confident and lively, now seemed slumped and withdrawn, as if carrying an invisible burden too heavy to bear. Even her usual impeccable grooming seemed neglected, with unkempt hair.