Astha lowered the racket as she was done playing today. Sojal sauntered over to her,''yeah,I won today.''
Astha winked,''until next time.''
Sojal,''we will see''Both laughed.
Suddenly Sojal lowered her voice and said, ''Omg, he is there looking at you as usual.''
Astha looked around,''where,where?''She was excited to know about this guy who everyone keep pointing to her but she always managed to miss.
Sojal,''Stupid, don't do that! he will know,oh no and he is gone back inside the building. You know he is a senior, we can't go over there.''
Astha,''I missed him again.''
Sojal,''I don't know who he is but i think he is in tenth standard or may be he is tall.''They discussed him all the way to chemistry class.
Time passed astha got used to her ''shadow'',she did not know who he was and he always maintained a distance. She was teased mercilessly about him by her friends,but it became a habit too.
Finally school finished and she started college, she still saw her shadow sometime on her way to dance classes, in shopping places. Why didn't he say anything,she thought to herself?Always looking, what did he look for?she was not that beautiful.
After giving her final exam for college she decided to go home early. She called home, driver was out with bro,so she decided to catch a taxi home but the cloudy sky chose that moment to open up and shower everything with rain. She ran and took refuge under the bus stop but her clothes and hairs were all wet, feeling like a drowned mouse,she used her book to shield her face from rain which due to wind keep blowing inside the bus stop.
Suddenly, he was there, she looked at him huge eyed,this was the first time, she was seeing him this close. He was so tall, at least a foot taller than her. He took off his checked shirt and gave it to her. she took it and wore it, its texture was such that even though it was wet it hid her body.
She probably should say thank you but she could not,she just stared at him, he stared back. He moved a step closer inside the bus stop,she felt almost caged,a feeling she did not like, he looked away from her and kept staring outside. It took sometime for her to realize that he was blocking out the rain from pelting her. The cage became a protective shield. she let out a breath and looked at him closely.
She did not know how long they stood there like that it could be few minutes or may be hours. Then a bus came and stopped. he stepped aside and motioned for her to go inside, she went inside and sat on an empty seat. Most of the bus was empty. He went and sat a few seats away. Now, she could not look at him without turning her head.She stared outside the window watching the rain fall.
Her stop came and she got off, he followed her down. Astha walked toward her house. He was walking few steps back. when she reached her house lane and turned back to him, he was no where to be seen. ''but his shirt?'' she thought, then went and knocked on door not ringing the bell as it was raining badly. As she waited for watchman to open the gate,she took off his shirt and looked back at the empty lane. she bit her lip,he came all the way to her home and she didn't even thank him.The gate opened and she went inside feeling miserable.
she kept looking for him everywhere she went but he was gone. Days turned to weeks and weeks into months and finally years passed, she did not forget him but she learned to think of other things. After completing her education, she started doing job. Now everyone wanted her to get married, she got many proposals but she refused but for how long. She could not spend her life in the memory of a shadow who didn't even told her his name.One day as she drove her car home, she looked out at the falling rain and decided to let go of the past. Its been five years since he was gone. She told her parents that she was ready for marriage and accepted the first proposal that came her way. The family was nice,rich, and guy was very well educated and had his own business.
She did not meet him or tried to talk with him,what was the point?she was going to see him and hear him for rest of her life anyway. These days before marriage were the only ones left when she could think about her shadow, after wedding, it would be sin to even think of him.
Her wedding day arrived,after wearing her bridal dress she took his shirt and stared at it for a long time, then threw it on floor,instructing the maid to throw it out. During the wedding,she was quiet staring at her hands, doing as she was told to do by pandit,she did not look at her husband, she didn't know why but she just didn't want to look at him.
when she was taken to his room,finally alone,she sat on the bed feeling drained and tired. She was planning to lay down and rest until her groom came because it would take time for him to get past all the girls waiting outside the door. But the room door opened very soon, she got back into traditional bridal sitting position.
She heard him close the door and come over to her.She didn't feel anxious, she simply stared at her henna covered hands. He came and sat down beside her. she heard him chuckle slightly and then ,''why are you pouting so much?'tired''
Astha slowly raised her face and gazed at her shadow in shocked silence. So many question in her mind,''why?why did you marry me?'' the question slipped through her lips,even though there were many other questions she wanted to ask but in shock she just asked him that.He replied in a serious tone,''To get my shirt back.''
Both gazed at each other and then burst out laughing, she punched him on chest lightly laughing as he pulled her into her arms.
