Upto Chance (Tejran)

Part 36

Ragini was startled awake by a deafening thunderclap. The rain was pouring heavily, the wind howling through the gaps in her window frame. She instinctively got up to close the window, her hands fumbling in the dark. As she reached to latch it, her eyes caught a figure standing outside, drenched in rain, near the boundary wall of the house.

Her brows furrowed in confusion. Who could it be at this hour? she wondered, her pulse quickening. Squinting through the rain-soaked glass, she thought she recognized the figure—it looked like Karanveer.

No, that's impossible, she tried to convince herself, shaking her head. But the uneasy feeling in her chest didn't subside.

She closed the window, hoping to dismiss the thought, but her heart felt restless. It was past midnight, and the house was eerily quiet. Unable to shake off the sense of unease, she decided to call home and check if everything was alright.

Her hands trembled as she reached for her phone, but before she could dial, doubt clouded her mind. What if it really is him? What's he doing here?

Her growing anxiety left her no choice. Grabbing an umbrella, she threw a shawl over her shoulders and hurried downstairs. The rain lashed against her as she stepped out of the gate, her slippers splashing through puddles.

As she neared the road, the figure became clearer. Her breath hitched—it was him.

"Karanveer!" she called out, her voice shaky yet loud enough to cut through the rain.

He turned towards her, his face pale and drenched, his eyes heavy with fatigue and something unspoken. "Ragini..." he whispered, his voice barely audible.

She rushed towards him, her heart racing. "Are you mad? What are you doing here in the rain?"

"I..." he stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Without waiting for an explanation, she opened the umbrella over him and grabbed his arm. "Come inside. You'll fall sick like this," she scolded, her tone equal parts worry and frustration.

As she led him towards the house, she kept ranting, her words tumbling out uncontrollably. "What were you thinking? Standing in the rain like that—do you even realize how cold it is? Since when have you been out here?"

Karanveer remained silent, following her like a lost child. The only sound he made was a sneeze, which snapped her attention to his trembling form.

"Great! Just great" she muttered sarcastically under her breath, knowing for sure that he is going to fall sick.

Once inside, she pulled out a towel and began drying his hair, her fingers brisk yet gentle. "Go freshen up and change into something dry," she instructed, her voice softening slightly.

He nodded, still silent, and shuffled towards the bathroom.

As the door clicked shut, Ragini let out a deep breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Her emotions were a whirlwind—relief that he was safe, anger at his recklessness, and concern for his clearly deteriorating state.

She headed to the kitchen to make some hot kada to warm him up. 

Ragini returned to her room, holding a steaming cup of kada. As she stepped in, she found Karanveer sitting on the edge of the bed, sneezing incessantly, clad only in a towel.

Her brows knitted in frustration. "Why haven't you worn any clothes yet?"

"I didn't bring any," he replied matter-of-factly, looking at her with a mixture of guilt and exhaustion.