Ishqana Dil

Part 22

They sat together on the floor, hugging their knees to their chests, not speaking but silently supporting each other. Amaya was in the middle holding Rachita and Jazz's hands in each of her own hands. Jazz was resting her head on her shoulder and she was resting hers on Rachi Di's shoulder.

Downstairs, their maternal grandfather was raising a storm. They could hear him, but they chose to ignore it. Why wouldn't he just leave them alone? They had so many problems piled on them already. Why was he so obstinate on adding to them? They heard their Naniji try and calm him down but he went on and on with his rubbish. Amaya gripped her sisters' hands tighter. Where did he get all these words and all this energy to speak them?

"Rachi Di?" she murmured, straightening up. "Will you tell us what really happened? I want to hear your side of the story. I don't trust Rudra..."

"Yes, Rachi Di. Please," Jazz whispered cautiously as she moved so that he faced her two older sisters.

Rachita leaned her head back, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "You two know that Rama was helping me to find a job. I was just friends with him and he seemed to be a nice guy but... I don't know what happened... One day he proposed to me... I refused..." When she looked at them, her eyes were filled with tears. "You know that since Rohan..." Amaya squeezed her hand whereas Jazz rubbed her knee. "I know I might have been too rude to him since then but... he unknowingly hurt me where my wounds were still raw, you know? Every time I see his face now, he reminds me of that and... I just lose my temper... I requested him to stay away from me so often but he didn't listen. He followed me around almost everywhere and tried to talk to me so many times. He joined my English class too. I tried to be angry at him, I tried to beg with him but he just doesn't get it! A few days ago he promised he would stop annoying me but today... He said he saw I was upset and he wanted me to share my problems with him. I mean, why would I want to do that? Voh lagta kaun hai mera? I told him to go away, he held my hand instead. I slapped him and told him off. He didn't let go but I knew I could have dealt with him still, but Rudra came in and... Rudra beat him up, he didn't even defend himself once. He had the guts to get up and swear on god that I will have to marry him soon, though. You know, if he had not fainted right after and made me pity his delusional self, I would have gone and killed him!"

She gritted her teeth together when she ended, her eyes closed, and hugged her legs tighter. Amaya bit her lip hard. This was not her Rachi Di... The Rachi Di she knew was so gentle, never this furious. She threw her arms around her sister. "Have faith. Sab theek hojaayega."

"Kya theek hojaayega, Amu?" Rachita gave up and let cry. "Nothing has been right for us since we came here! Things keep getting worse! Kisspe bharosa rakkhoon?"

Amaya simply hugged her with more firmness. She felt Jazz wrap her arms around the two of them too. She knew that no words could comfort Rachita right now, but she had to try with whatever she could. She had promised to mend the damaged relationship between her mother and her sister but the circumstances were not letting her. On one side, her mother was shattered and on the other side her sister was falling apart. What should she do now?

As she was thinking, she heard the front door crash open.

"Gajanand Chaubey!"

***

She fell onto her bed with a sigh. It was almost midnight and the silence in the house was deafening. The complete opposite of the cacophony that had reigned over this house just minutes ago.

When the front door had crashed open with someone screaming for her Nanaji at a bloodcurdling pitch, the three of them had broken apart and rushed downstairs to see that Ramashrey's mother had broken into their house with a sickle. She looked demented. Who wouldn't be if their child had been beaten up so badly?