Drafts Of Her Heartbeat

Forgiveness

It's been almost a week. A week, since he confessed his mistakes and promised to make her accept him back in her life. She has been unable to relax after that moment. Always anxious if he will keep his promise? Will he break her heart? What is going to happen? Her anxiety was not something hidden from her mentor, her team, and his mentor's wife. Everybody had started noticing something was off in her. She performed every task, hell they even won the quiz round this week, but something was missing. Her eyes held fear, tension, and anxiousness instead of usual fire. Her zeal was missing, her zest to live for best was missing, instead there was a sense of being unsure in her decisions. The captain was there, but their friend Arohi was missing.
She was sitting in the hall with her friends trying to act normal, take part in the conversations, but her mind was busy thinking about Dhruv. In this week he had successfully befriended all her friends, and apart from a few few flirty smiles and stares, he had not made a move.
"Arohi you have a parcel" Kashish said, entering the room.
"Parcel?" She said a bit confused, all her team mates staring at the box in her hand. It was first time in two years that someone had sent parcel for Arohi.
"Open it. Fast." Piya said excitedly. Arohi just spared a glance at her over-excited friend and the shrugged, smiling at her friend. There was no name on the gift-wrapped parcel, so she slowly unwrapped the gift. Inside it was a heart-shaped box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates, her favourite ones. On opening the box she saw a letter in it. Before she could even touch the letter, it was snatched by Abhimanyu, who was sitting beside him.
"So Arohi has someone sending chocolates and letters, let me see who is the one sending my munchkin letters?" He said dramatically, opening the letter.
"Read it aloud. She has done that with my love-letters, now it's my turn for revenge." Rahul said, blocking Arohi's attempts to take back the letter from Abhimanyu.
"Abhi.... I swear in devil, I will castrate you if you read it. Let me have a look and then you can..." Her voice halted as Abhimanyu started reading the letter.
"Until now it was your Chocolate uncle, who won over your heart by giving you chocolates. So I decided to use the same path to win over your heart. After all, if my dad can win your love with chocolates, I can surely gain a bit of forgiveness. Hope these sweets also brings some sweetness in our relation too.
Yours, truely,
Extremely sorry,
H" Abhimanyu finished of reading the letter, a frown forming on his face.
Arohi's movements were now on a stop, sitting there she just like a statue. Dumb-founded. One glance on the door, and there he was standing, his palms folded in a fist, an irritated scowl on his face, as he looked at Abhimanyu. The expression changed immediately as his eyes met her's, mouthing a 'Sorry, forgive me.' smiling at her, he left his place, leaving the room again.
"Who is this H?" Siddhant questioned her finally.
Turning her gaze from the door, where her H aka Husband stood seconds before, she looked at her friends, all looking at her with a question mark. Riddhi raised an eyebrow in question. She immediately took the note from Abhimanyu's hand and re-reading it, as if confirming what Abhimanyu read was the truth. Looking at chocolates and the note again, she contemplated her options, and then she left the room with them, and an angry expression etched on her face.
"What is going on with her? I am starting to feel scared for her" finally Arjun voiced his concern.
Nobody had any answer, but they knew to wait. That was the strength of their friendship, they knew to let each other have a space. Questions were on their mind but never on anyone's lips.
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Ever since the first parcel, another one kept arriving everyday, ceremoniously. Just when they would hang out after their lunch. Everyday he will be standing on the same spot, just looking at her opening the wrapped box. No more long notes were now in the box, just a simple 'sorry, ❤H' and that was it. This 'H' was still a mystery to her friends but she felt familiar now with the word H. It showed his acceptance of the title, now he preferred to refer himself, acknowledge himself as her Husband. She knew what he was trying to do. He could think that he can buy her forgiveness with chocolates? She wanted to throw them in dustbin, every single day, as they arrived. But aren't chocolates to be eaten? But she could also not show him that he was getting his way with her, so she would leave abruptly after the parcel of chocolates would arrive, feigning anger. Then go in her room, and eat them every night, keeping the notes safely in her file. She was storing the memory of him, his hard-work to win her back. Though she kept the boxes but she threw the wrappers, someday it was Ferrero Rocher, other day Dairy milk, another day a bouquet of chocolates, but surely their will be one everyday. She was getting used to receiving a box from him. She remembered the call she had two nights back with Yash and Beji.
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After exchanging pleasantries, Yash said, "Heard that idiot of a man, also known as my son is trying to win you back?"
Arohi kept quiet and just hummed in response.
"Also heard he is giving you chocolates?" He asked and again she just mumbled a quick "Yes"
"Theif. Stealing my ideas to win over you. But better something than nothing. And he is a fool, not intelligent enough like his dad, to think of something nice and romantic, something new. I am glad to help him, though I'll make sure that I receive my thanks." He joked and Arohi laughed.
"I won't pressurize you in forgiving him, but make sure you make him work hard to find his way again to your heart. I am waiting for my daughter and son to return home. Bharti di has already kept a plate of aarti ready to welcome you both." Yash said amused.
"But beat his ass before holding his hand again." Bharti added. That night the call ended with lots laughter.
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Today was tenth day and she was waiting for the parcel to arrive. It was nearly the time but no parcel was in sight. She kept looking at the door. Her team looked amused at her excitement over a parcel, on which she would fake an anger. They were getting to see a new side of Arohi, one that of an impatient child.