The Anklet's Lost Rhythm #Wattys2017

CHAPTER 18

Siddharth

It was dark. Very dark.

I was running. It was a road, which had two paths at the end of it. At one end I could see Rupsha. She was calling me...

"Siddhartho... Come this way...
Don't look the other way. They are bad..."

I slowly walked towards her, taking one step at a time.
She smiled, laughed.

I took another step. The other way was open too, illuminated, isolated from the dark. But she was calling me. Some force tried to pull me back, towards the other end, from where I began originally. But I kept on moving. Suddenly, I heard a roar. I knew this roar.

It was the sea. The deep, dark sea. I could hear it. Rupsha's voice was dying out slowly. The more I tried to reach her, the more I heard the sea growl. Louder and louder.

As I walked closer to Rupsha, she... She suddenly looked back at me. She laughed. "Foolish." she said. Her words echoed, as though the roaring sea reverbrated them all over. I shut my ears. The sound was painful. Her voice was painful. And then... She moved away. She moved away and let the waves splash on me... And gulp me down. I screamed for help. Louder and louder, but Rupsha just laughed.

I spotted her bangles, her necklace, our photos together floating in the water. I desperately tried to grab them, foolishly hoping they could save me. They didn't. They floated away. I was drowning... I couldn't breathe.....

DADA????? DADA? DADA!!!!!!!!

I shot up at the voice.

"What the hell Dada. It's 10 already. Get up!" Rono said.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Thinking of the sea, I shook my head. It was nothing.

Ishan was waiting for me in the living room, as we left for office together everyday, sometimes in his car sometimes in mine. I got down quickly. We were leaving by 12 today, as we had a meeting to attend. Our salaries will be increased.

I came down with a grim face. "Hey. What's wrong?" Ishan asked.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream..." I smiled.

"Oh.."

I got into his car and he started driving.

"Sid, I wanted to discuss something with you." Ishan told me as we stopped at a signal.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"How.. How are things with Rupsha? Are you still visiting her frequently?"

I looked down. "Hmm. Sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

I nodded.

"So.. What do you plan? How to go about it?"

"Maane?" (Meaning?)

"Maane.. You can't keep on climbing upto her window every night bro. You need to... Umm..."

"Hmm?" I waited for him to finish.

"You need to decide.. Are you both getting back together?"

I kept quiet..

"Sid?"

"I... I don't know."

"Did you talk to her about it?"

I shook my head.

Ishan giggled. "You are looking like a baby choosing your flavour of ice cream. " he laughed.

I grinned.

"But I am serious... You should talk to her... It.. It won't work this way."

"What if it doesn't work out Ishu?" I asked, the question which had been in my mind since morning. I asked him.

Ishan looked at me.

"What if?"

Ishan clutched my hand. "Then, we shall reverse, and go straight back to where we were." He reversed the gear and parked the car.

"Come. Time for some money value increase." He winked.

I smiled to myself, and got in. We walked towards the meeting room. Atleast something good could come out of it. I sat in my designated seat in the conference room. Thankfully, we weren't late.

Aditi sat right across the table and stared at me from time to time. She was wearing red stilettos. She took one of her shoes off, and traced my leg with her toes. I shut my eyes. If I move my legs, then everyone's attention would turn to me. I did not want that. I didn't move, and Aditi took that as a sign of encouragement. She moved her legs upto my thigh and traced there, continuously and I knew what she was heading to. I knew very, very well.

"Excuse me!" I said, unable to control.
Everyone turned to look at me.

"Sorry but may I shift my seat, it is too warm here.." I pointed at the ceiling and it had no ACs on my side.

"Yes, Mukherjee. Sure."

I heaved a sigh of relief and sat next to Ishaan.

"Seducing game again, huh?" Ishan whispered. I nodded, and concentrated on the meeting for once.

My salary increased quite a bit. I was part of the HR department as well now. So was Ishan. This bettered my mood to a great extent. I came out and took out my phone to call Rupsha, but stopped.

I don't know why I stopped today, I wanted to give her this news first but... I don't know. Ishan's words came back to me. "You need to---talk to her."

I remembered the dream. Her laugh, the sea... I shut my eyes. It was definitely not a good time to call her. I dumped the idea, and went back to work.

That night, she called me. Thrice. I didn't pick up. Not that I was angry with her, nor was I in a bad mood, but I realized she was becoming an integr part of me, again. I couldn't stop her, or shut the doors of my heart up to her. It was beyond me. The only thing I can do is,

Push her away.

Like I did. Always.

I kept my phone away and turned to the other side. I tried sleeping, though it didn't work.