Ishqana Dil

Part 15

To say that he was restless would be a huge understatement. He had hardly been able to focus on his work in the office due to her absence and the problems she could be in. He had been thinking of taking a half-day but he hadn't needed to. Just after lunch time, they had been informed that a storm was coming, so it would better for everyone to return home. Even Chiklu had been sent back. He had tried called her so many times to ask her not to come in this weather but she was not picking up. Mahadev, what was happening?

Uma ran past him. She was closing the windows. He realised it had started raining very heavily. His heart picked up speed. Amaya... He could only hope she had not left her house yet. Mantu opened the door and tried to peer through the sheets of rain but it was almost impossible. With every ticking second, his worry for her grew. Uma pushed him aside and closed the door.

"What are you doing, Mantu? It's getting cold and you are letting the water in!"

Without bothering about her, he turned away and dialled her number again. She did not pick up. Instead, Uma chewed his brains, wanting to know what he was doing, but he did not have the time to tell her. He must have tried calling Amaya a thousand times already when there was a knock on the door.

Chicklu looked up from his book. "Who can it be in a weather like this?"

Oh, he knew. His heart knew. It felt like her heart was calling out to his from behind that door. He pushed past Uma to open it and there she stood, as he had known. But the state she was in almost killed him... She was completely drenched and dripping, her eyes lost, reddish and full of tears. She seemed focus on him with a tremendous effort. Her mouth opened and tried to shape some words but failed. She was trying to say something, she just couldn't. As he watched, unable to react, her breaths grew deeper and deeper until they turned into sobs and she crossed his threshold to him. She hid her face in his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist, and she let herself break down.

His heart aching for her, he put his arms around her too and pulled her tight against him, wishing he could banish all her pain. He didn't mind at all that she was wet and cold. That did not matter at all. But she had put herself in such a bad state... She was going to fall sick...

"Uma, tum Chiklu ko lekar jaao," he said quickly. He found her glaring at them hatefully but he decided to think about that later. Amaya first.

"Kyun? Isse-"

"Uma. Jaao." He glared back at her firmly.

Breathing fire, Uma grabbed Chiklu with one hand and her umbrella with the other and stormed out. Mantu waited until she had banged the door shut behind her to pull away from Amaya. She was still crying defencelessly. He made her sit on the chaarpaayi. "Wait, I will be right back, okay?" He ran to his room for a clean towel and returned. Her cries had slowed just a little bit but she was shivering terribly.

"Amaya..." he clenched his jaws together to stop himself from hugging her again and started drying her with the towel as much as he could. She froze and gazed at him until he finished. He took the blanket Uma had just folded and left on the chaarpaayi, and draped it around her snugly to keep her warm. "What's wrong, Amaya?" he whispered, kneeling down before her.

Once more, she opened her mouth to say something but couldn't. The tears came up again and she shook the blanket off to slide to the ground and hug him. She finally managed to utter one word. Just one. His name. She said it again and again... He felt as if his heart would burst. What could have happened to do this to her?

He shifted, carefully holding her, so that he sat cross-legged on the ground and she was in his lap. His arms tightened around her protectively. He closed his eyes and lowered his head into her hair, filling himself with the dampness and smell of fresh rain that emanated from her. Her sobs shook him, tore his heart but he kept his calm. Only for her. He rocked back and forth gently, waiting until she had cried her fill...