Ishqana Dil

Part 4

"You must be tired, Amaya. Your wounds haven't healed yet and we have been moving non-stop. I think we should sit down, rest and have lunch, then continue."

"Come on, Mantu, we just have three temples left. We could eat after that!"

"But Amaya-"

She pouted and shook her head. "No. If I give in to my weakness, I won't like it. I want to make this small sacrifice. It will make me feel that I have done this correctly."

He gave her an incredulous grimace. "You are not even making any sense."

When it comes to you, Mantu, nothing makes sense and yet, I find the most meaning there... "I told you, Mantu, there is something I want more than my life. And I have to prove myself worthy of it. If I get it, it's not going to be so easy to maintain and I want to show Mahadev that however difficult that is, I will have the strength to do it. I am a fighter and I will fight for it."

"Tum paagal ho, Amaya, poori paagal!"

Laughing, she skipped next to him for a few steps. "Voh toh main hoon hi! Superman ki Su-paa-gal!"

***

"Kahaan the tum ab tak?" He flinched and turned around. A fuming Uma strode to him with an ugly scowl. "Do you know how long I have been waiting for you, Mantu? I made so many efforts to prepare the dishes you like and I waited for you and you come back in the evening? Answer me, Mantu, where were you?"

Talking to her about Amaya would be futile. Uma did not appreciate Amaya at all. If she knew he had missed lunch with her to spend the day with Amaya, hell would break lose. So, he put his most apologetic face on and folded his hands. "I am sorry, forgive me, Uma. The thing is, I had gone to the mandir in the morning and the panditji told me today is a very auspicious day. If I visited seven temples before sunset today, I would earn 180 times the punya. So, I went for it. I will be starting two jobs as from Monday, na? I need all the blessings I can get."

"Arrey, haan, you were right to do that..." Mantu exhaled with relief when she turned her back to him to go into the kitchen. "But you could have told me, no? Hum bhi chalte tumhaare saath!"

"Tu thak jaati, na, Uma?" he called after her, trying not to smile. More than Uma, he would have been tired because most of his time would have been wasted in shutting Uma up rather than knowing Amaya more.

***

"Aagayi tum? How was it?"

"It was so exciting, Mom! I learned so many things today. About Banaras, about our gods, about our prayers... I never realised it was so interesting!"

Sneha gave her an odd smile. "Hmm," she looked at her daughter quietly for a few minutes. "I'm sorry I didn't teach you those things before, Amu. At first, I thought you were too young, and then you were no longer interested. But I am glad that now you are and that Mantu is helping you. He is such a nice boy. You know, these days a lot of boys are not interested in these things but Mantu gives me hope."

Amaya grinned at her mom happily. "Voh toh hai!"

***

Tumhein zyaada thaka toh nahin diya na maine?

He couldn't stop himself from smiling even though he knew he had to be careful with Uma around. He glanced up to make sure she was still washing the dishes before going back to his phone.

Kardi na wahi wali baat? Tum humaare saath aayi thi, hum tumhaare saath nahin. Yeh savaal humaara hona chaahiye phir.

Tumne poochha nahin, issliye maine kardiya. =P

Her prompt reply made him blush.

Sorry. Uma yahaan hai toh mauka hi nahin mila.

"Yeh battees ki battees daantein phone ko kyun dikha rahe ho?"

He jumped and slipped the phone back into his pocket. "No, I... It was just a silly joke Rano had sent me."

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Tell me."

"Chhodo na yeh sab," he said quickly. "I've already deleted it. Utna bhi achha nahin tha."

"That's why you were smiling like that?"

"Really, Uma, just leave it. It's just a joke!"

Her frown stayed in place as she gave him his share of rasmalai. "But Mantu, why did you have to take up both jobs? Why didn't you just leave the office?"

If he were mad, he would have told her why but he knew otherwise. "This way, I'll get almost double the money, Uma, so I'll be able to save up for Chicklu's education and your wedding much more easier."

"But that means you'll have more work."

Okay, maybe it was better to tell her about that bit already. If she came to know about this later, she would definitely kill both him and Amaya. "Haan, uske baare mein... I asked someone to come and help me..."

"Oh, that's good. Who?"

"Amaya."

***

"Yeh tumhein kya hogaya?" she gasped the moment she saw him.

Mantu subconsciously lifted his hand to touch his forehead. "Voh... kuchh nahin... Tum isski chinta mat karo."

Mahadev, how could she not worry about it? A gash had sliced about two inches of his skin open right at his hairline and he had even gotten stitches. She pushed him down into the nearest chair and leaned into have a better look at it.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

He shook his head with a smile. "Bilkul bhi nahin."

Gently, she pushed the hair out of his face. "How did you give yourself that cut, Mantu? Can't you be more careful?"

"It's nothing, Amaya." She glared at him until he sighed and gave in. "Uma and I... we got into a little fight on Saturday night and you know how angry she can get... She threw a vase at me. But it's okay! I am fine."

Now, Amaya could really use her fist to drill a hole in Uma's face. "Why didn't you tell me when you were messaging me, Mantu? And what was she so angry about?" she gritted out.

"Amaya-"

"Mantu."

"You," he admitted in defeat. "She doesn't like that as from today you will be coming home to help me."

Amaya nodded stiffly. "Good for her, but it doesn't mean I'll be scared of her. And she is definitely going to pay for this."

"Seriously, this is nothing, Amaya. She was terribly sorry. And-"

"Look, Mantu. She might be your friend but you are my  friend and if anyone hurts my friends, I will not tolerate it! Don't you get in my way or you'll see the worst of me."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Theek hai, meri maa. But please, don't be too harsh on her. She is a nice girl, she just doesn't know how to control her anger."

"I am going to make her learn!"

"Okay. But Amaya?"

"Yes?"

Mischief glinted in his eyes, which cause her heart to beat harder and harder in her chest. "You are so concerned about me that you are ready to pick a fight with my childhood friend. Why?"

She swallowed and raised her chin defiantly, fishing for an answer in her brain. "Because... Because..." Oh shit! Had he understood her game already? Was that what he was playing at? Amaya Mathur, you are so dead. "Because I am a friend who cannot see her friends hurt, neither physically nor emotionally, and whoever or whatever hurt them, I'll make sure they regret it! That's why!"

And before he could ask her any of those trapping questions, she snatched her bag from the table and scurried off to her own desk.