Ishqana Dil

Part 27

Until the morning, she kept thinking about it. She had given up on sleep for the night and it appeared that it had given up on her too. So, she sat in bed, her chin on her knees, watching as the rays filtered in through the window gradually with the rising sun. Amaya almost groaned with shame. She had been so stupid and judgemental. She had reacted so quickly and without thinking.

Mantu obviously did not know about Rachi Di's kidnapping and the pictures. He would never have accepted that. How could she even have doubted him for a split second? Maybe her sister was not completely right either? Maybe Ramashrey didn't have anything to do with that? And she had been so rude to Mantu the previous day... She was now pretty certain, after a sleepless but thoughtful night, that he had been talking about something while she had been talking of something else. And the misunderstanding had made her stop talking to him with unbelievable insolence.

Sulking, she hauled herself out of bed and trudged to the bathroom. Today she had to go to the office to meet Mukherjee Dada. She would also have to talk to Mantu now and apologise to him. Hopefully, he would not be angry. No, she was hoping for too much. She knew him. Of course he was going to be awfully angry at her.

***

He was still feeling angry as he pulled his jeans on and he did not even understand why. Amaya Mathur was not talking to him. Big deal? It should not have been. But it was. Mantu ground his teeth together. All because of his stupid feelings. It was already bad enough that he did not even know why she had stopped talking to him so suddenly. And that too, after what he had seen in her eyes... Had he made a mistake? Had he seen it wrong?

Something clattered to the ground as he pulled a shirt out of his wardrobe, making him frown. He crouched and looked for it. He found it under the bed. Mantu sat on the floor, holding the twisted piece of metal, with a small smile.

She looked bored to death. He bent his head over his work to hide a smile and to stop himself from looking at her overmuch too. She was examining her nails when he cast a glance at her again. He had to bite the insides of his cheeks. There was nothing for her to do anymore. The dishes were washed, the clothes washed and ironed. Chiklu and he would be having dinner at some prayer that night. She had just finished tidying his house and the work he was doing was too complicated to explain to her right now.

He heard her sigh. "What will you do with these wires, Mantu?" She was pointing at the little pile of old metal bits and pieces from the computers that had accumulated next to his work station.

"I will send them for recycling," he explained.

Her eyes lit up. "Can I take them?"

He chuckled and shrugged. "Go ahead." He kept watching as she slid to the floor, sat down cross-legged in front of the pile of wires and with her back to him. She did not look back once, so he went back to his work as well. Until several peaceful minutes later, a small screw smacked him on the head.

He looked at her with a scowl but Amaya was staring at him with those wide innocent eyes, biting her bottom lip. She raised her brows in question and he merely gulped nervously, shaking his head. A smirk stretched itself on her lips slowly. She raised her hand and threw something else at him. It hit him on the chest and fell at his feet. Keeping his work aside, he picked it up, his heart thumping. She had fashioned a letter by twisting the wires together. But what letter was it? It was either an 'M' or a 'W'. Like on the card he had found on her desk at the office the other day. Could he ask her?

Another piece of metal hit him. "Oh Mister?"

He tried to frown at her. "Kya hai, Madam? Yeh baar baar humein disturb kyun kar rahi ho?"