SanDhir - Along Came She

CHAPTER 10 : The Lull Before The Storm

"You never know when your perfect life may fall apart like a pack of cards. So hold on to your dear ones for as long as you can. Life is a gamble....Some days you win, while other days u lose!"

                                                                                                                                 -Ann

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"My parents didn't die in a car-crash. They were killed. And you just blew the one thing that could have led me to the killers..."

An eerie silence descended upon the clinic as Randhir finally let out his deepest secret after years of concealing it and Sanyukta tried her best to grasp the situation.

The former was still breathing fast, willing himself to keep his temper in check, while the latter just stared at him with a blank look.

Despite his efforts to calm down, his emotions were getting the better off him.

"Why did you read the letter? Why? It was marked to me...It was personal...Who are you to barge into my life?..." he spoke almost in one breathe.

Sanyukta's face cringed. She was at a loss. She couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Harsh sir & Renuka ma'am were murdered? Really Randhir?" she asked, in the softest of whispers.

He clenched his jaw and paced towards the clinic exit. He fisted the wall hard in an effort to not take out his wrath on the girl lying on the bed.

"Randhir...please..." she cried out, "Listen to me...Please...Give me one chance to explain..."

"WHAT IS THERE TO EXPLAIN SANYUKTA?" he bellowed, not caring about landing into trouble.

His yelling must have woken up the doctor, who came glaring at them and asked them to leave sternly.

"We're sorry.." mumbled sanyukta as she tried to get down from the bed. Her feet still hurt a bit. She limped out of the clinic to find Randhir already half way down the hostel road.

"Randhir...Please wait..." she called out in vain.

He kept walking without looking back. He knew if he stayed, he would hurt her physically. His rage was beyond his control.

Sanyukta however, badly wanted to apologize and explain everything to him. So even in an injured state, she tried to catch up to him. But instead, she stumbled upon a boulder in the dark and fell down injuring her knee.

"Ouch" she yelped in pain, "Oh God...yahi hona baki tha..."

She checked the bandage on her foot to make sure it hadn't come off. Then she slowly put all her weight on her non-injured hand and tried to stand up.

As she was trying to stand upright, she felt a tight hold on her wrist pulling her up.

"Go to your hostel straight and lie down..."

It was Randhir. He had heard her fall and had come back for her.

"But listen.." she started.

"No buts...Don't u dare argue with me....And in any case, I'm reporting u to the authorities tomorrow..."

"WHAT? U can't do that..." she spoke alarmed.

"Of course I can...Watch me..." came his cold reply.

Sanyukta looked away. She felt betrayed somehow. She knew it wasn't his fault. He was mad because she meddled in his personal affairs. But then she had almost died for him, right? She expected him to be a bit more 'understanding'.