Bliss - Pranbir SS (Completed)

Chapter 2

"Pra..Prachi?" words escaped from his mouth unknowingly.

For a moment, Ranbir thought he is daydreaming, as he had been imagining her often but expressions on Prachi's face told him otherwise. She was looking at him with her eyes wide open, trying to confirm that he is real. He pinched himself for a reality check and then heard the most melodious sound of his life.

"Ranbir?" Surprise was evident in Prachi's voice.

"Prachi, hey, hi" Ranbir mumbled, too astonished to talk coherently.

"Hi, Ranbir, tum...yahan?.. kaise?" Prachi asked, being equally bewildered herself.

"wo, wo main, yahan..." Ranbir stuttered, still struggling to get a grip on himself.

"Ranbir, are you ok?" Prachi enquired, now watching him apprehensively.

"Yes, yes, I am alright, but what are you doing here?" Ranbir questioned, finally grasping the situation.

"I am going back to Delhi, but there is some problem in valley ahead, all the traffic has been stopped...and so..." Prachi started explaining when Ranbir cut her off impatiently.

"What? You are going to Delhi?, but...Aryan said...Shahana told him...that you have extended the stay..." Ranbir asked, sounding utterly baffled.

"Yes, maa aur Shahana ka important kaam hai, so they will be staying for two more days."

"aur tum?"

"Main kya? Mera koi kaam nahi hai. The work is related to Shahana's parent's property. Waise bhi mujhe office bhi to join karna hai Monday se, so main vapas ja rahi hoon." Prachi clarified his doubts.

"Oh..Ok..ok" Ranbir mumbled.

"Ranbir, kya ok, ye to batao ki tum yahan kya kar rahe ho?" Prachi was still puzzled.

"Wo main to tumse hi milne...." Ranbir stopped himself before blurting out the truth, as Prachi was now looking at him curiously. And then something struck him & his expressions changed suddenly.

"Wait a minute, tum akele travel kar rahi ho, wo bhi iss waqt, this is so risky, are you crazy Prachi? how can you be so irresponsible? you will reach Delhi late night, n you know it's not safe, subah jaldi nikalna chahiye tha na.. aise kaise tum..." Ranbir was going on & on. When it comes to Prachi, Ranbir is always way too much protective. Concern for her safety took all other things off his mind.

"Ranbir, wo.." Prachi tried to interrupt but to no avail.

"No Prachi, this is not done, tum aisi risk kaise le sakti ho..." Ranbir continued without giving her chance to explain as he was totally upset as she neither informed him about her travel plan nor called him to pick her up even after this delay which made her journey more unsafe.

"Ranbir, stop" Shouted annoyed Prachi.

"Ranbir, please calm down, I am fine" She continued in lower voice as finally Ranbir allowed her to talk. "My bus was supposed to start at 1 pm but got delayed, n now this problem occurred. And, I was going to call you to pick me up...."

And her last statement worked like charm & Ranbir relaxed instantly.

"Okay, okay, where is your bus? Let's go n get your bags. You are coming with me." Ranbir declared after taking a long breath, his expressions turning soft.

"But Ranbir..." Prachi tried to argue.

"No but Prachi, you are not going anywhere alone, that's final, let's go." Ranbir said in such an authoritative tone that it deterred Prachi from further discussion on the topic.

Prachi nodded at him once & they started walking towards the road silently. Both were thinking about the sudden turn of events, still wondering about the unexpected situation they have landed in.

Ranbir's mind slowly replayed the happenings of last 5 minutes. Just before sometime he was distressed about end of this journey and out of nowhere his destination came in front of his eyes. He glanced sideways at the girl, looking lost in thoughts herself & his heart leapt in joy. After subsiding of the initial pleasant shock of seeing her, he was immersed in anxiety, but now happiness gradually filled his heart. He could feel the enormous relief flooding through his body & finally after so many days of torment, he was at peace.

Prachi was engrossed in thoughts, observing him with a tiny frown on her face, when they reached the bus. After collecting the bags, they were heading towards garage where Ranbir's car was being repaired, but Prachi took him to dhaba instead, which was located nearby.

Ranbir was about to ask her the reason, when she spoke, "Tumne lunch nahi kiya aaj, hai ha?"

"What?" Ranbir was amazed at her question. 'How did she know?'

"Mujhe pata hai, chalo pehle kuch kha lo, baki sab baad mein." Prachi said while sitting at one of the table.

Ranbir followed her without any argument, dumbfounded. They both waited for the food quietly. Ranbir realized how hungry he actually was, when he started savoring the tasty food. It was as if the pain in his heart deprived him of every other feeling. After him having eaten almost double of his usual meal portion owing to his newfound happiness, they went to garage & picked up the car. As roads were still not clear, they parked the car near dhaba & once again sauntered to the lake.

Both sat under a big tree, resting their backs on its trunk, looking at the rippling water quietly.

"Are you ok, Ranbir?" Prachi asked in serious tone after sometime, watching him with immense worry in her eyes.

"I am fine, Prachi." Ranbir was little startled at both, her question & emotions in her eyes, but answered reassuringly, looking at her with small smile adorning his lips. 'I am much more than fine NOW, actually, I am the happiest.'

"Waise tumne bataya nahi, tum iss waqt yahan kya kar rahe ho..." Prachi asked tentatively, not yet completely satisfied with his answer.

"Wo...main" Ranbir mumbled, unsure about her reaction if he told her the purpose of his trip. He knew she becomes tense whenever he shows his affection. The last thing he wanted between them was discomfort, which would drive her away from him.

"Kahin ja rahe ho? Aur akele kyun? Office ka kaam hain?" Prachi questioned, slightly impatient, as Ranbir seemed reluctant to reply her.

Ranbir was hesitant to answer; he didn't want to make things awkward. But he knew he can't hide anything from her, she knows him too well & there was no question of lying, so he decided to tell the truth.

"Prachi, wo, Aryan ne kal mujhe bataya ki...tum log do din aur rukne wale ho Hoshiyarpur mein....mujhe nahi pata tha ki sirf Shahana aur aunty rukne wale hain...aur tum wapas aane wali ho...to bas...Main....umm...I just wanted to see you once...I was restless...We didn't even talk on phone in last 3 days...and I was.....I missed you, I missed you so much, Prachi." Ranbir confessed, his eyes showing the depth of his words.

"I missed you too, Ranbir." Prachi replied slowly, looking straight into his eyes.

To Be Continued...