"Are Batuk!" Kalindi's voice lifted in mild surprise as she noticed him stepping inside the house. She straightened from where she was seated and gestured warmly. "Aao na, baitho."
"Nahi, Thaku Maa. Baithne nahi aaya main," Batuk replied, stopping a few steps inside. He adjusted the file tucked under his arm and continued, "Bas Dada ne yeh file bheji thi Aadhya ke liye. Wahi dene aaya hoon."
He stepped forward and extended the file towards Aadhya.
"Dada ne kaha hai ismein bahut zaroori jaankari hai," Batuk added, his tone serious, "isliye abhi ke abhi padhkar is par ek report taiyaar karne ko bola hai, shayad."
"Thik hai," Aadhya replied briefly, still standing where she was, her posture calm but attentive.
"Dada ne abhi ke abhi bola hai," Batuk emphasised again, tightening his hold on the file for a moment before releasing it.
"Haan, samajh gayi main," Aadhya said, finally taking the file from his hands. "Tumhare jaate hi sabse pehle yahi padhungi."
"Mere rehte hue kyun nahi padh sakti ho?" Batuk said, shifting his weight slightly. "Tum padh kar jawab taiyaar karo. Main saath le kar chala jaunga."
"Thik hai," Aadhya replied, then glanced at him and added lightly, "par tab tak kya khade hi rehna hai? Baitho, aaram se."
Saying this, she turned and walked towards her room. Reaching the table, she pulled the chair back, sat down, and opened the file carefully, her attention already settling on the pages in front of her.
As her eyes fell on the paper, her breath caught painfully in her throat. The words far too familiar stared back at her. For a moment, the world around her seemed to blur. Her fingers trembled as she lifted the page, and almost without realising, her thumb traced the outline of the word, as if touching it might make it disappear.
Why has he sent this to me?
She kept staring at the letters for a few seconds, her mind struggling to keep pace with her racing heart. Then, suddenly, something struck her. Her spine straightened. She pushed the chair back and stood up at once.
Walking quickly to the door, she closed it, the soft click of the latch sounding unusually loud. She turned the key, locked it, then crossed the room to pull the curtains shut. One by one, she checked the windows, making sure each was firmly secured. Only then did she turn towards the mirror.
Standing before it, she hesitated for a heartbeat. Slowly, she raised her hand to her shoulder and began unpinning the pallu of her saree. The fabric slid down gently as she removed it. With shaking fingers, she undid a few buttons and lowered her blouse just enough to reveal the side of her shoulder.
And there it was.
Written in Devanagari script,the very same word. Its reflection stared back at her from the mirror, identical to the one printed on the white page resting behind her.
YOU ARE READING
His Lost Heartbeat
Fiksi PenggemarPATI BABU!!!!. Her loud voice,filled with terror and pain rings in his ears .He looks up , only to find himself in the middle of the ocean , surrounded by the debris of wrecked ship, debris of his broken dream. "BONDITA" He shouted aloud, carrying...
