Simply Rebellious

Chapter 10 - Fan and Friend

Happy Reading,

Home is where the heart is but when the heart is at unrest, home isn't the place where you can find peace.

Naina's mind was clouded with thoughts related to her day. Swati's sudden announcement of love felt like a ball that had hit her out of nowhere, like a question out of syllabus. She had no clue what to do and in the middle of that there were her numbered days at her own home and that poem from an unknown writer.

She felt uneasy. She was someone who wanted everything planned and meticulous but life didn't always worked that way and Naina was yet to learn this lesson.

On top of that, Bela and Anand had fixed the dates of every function of the wedding. The engagement was scheduled in two weeks and the rest of the functions were going to take place in the coming month.

It felt like another sleepless night was on her way.

Mai jaag raha hu aur ye chaand bhi jaag raha
Iss sansar me hum dono jaisa koi udaas nahi

The words came rushing back to her mind. Why was a simple poem affecting her so much? She had been ambitious and straightforward all her life. Even if she had a Bollywood mania she wasn't a romantic. She used to brush all her worries away saying hawa aane de, then why was a simply worded but honest poem making her feel sad?

It wasn't the first time she had felt like sharing somebody else's pain. The first time when Sameer had opened up about his life and family she had this urge to caress his wounds.

Is this destiny? Is this what they call fate? Was meeting a stranger in the strangest way possible written to alter her life?

She walked out of the balcony and looked up at the stars and moons.

"Hi!" She raised her hand and waved.

Instead of calling it stupid and weird, this time she stayed outside and looked at the night sky a little longer. She gave her time to them. She marked out the constellations she had learnt as an elementary schooler, she noticed how you could clearly distinguish dark blue clouds from the darker sky. She saw how the moon's light pierced through the darkness and lit up the sky, not as brightly as the Sun but significantly enough to spread hope in the night.

She didn't talk to them but somehow got an answer to calm her heart down.

She was going to call Sameer.

"Hello!"

She heard his voice after several rings.

"Sameer?"

"Haan bolo Naina?"

But what was she going to say? She scratched her head.

"Hello?" He said again to confirm if she was still there.

"Tum kavita likhte ho kya?" She asked simply.

"Haan." He said, elongating the word. "Tumne padhi thi kya?"

"N-nahi ... Actually haan." She pressed her eyelids against each other. "Nahi padhni chahiye thi na? Personal hogi."

She wished they hadn't replaced the landline by a cordless phone. She was nervous and needed to intertwine the wire with her hands to engage herself.

"Kaisi lagi?" He said after a small pause. "Ab padh hi li toh bata do kaisi lagi?"

"I'm sorry, Sameer. Wo maine galti se-"