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This chap is affectionately dedicated to -
treasure_trove🖤✨

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"The thing that I miss the most about you isn't you..................... It's me. I miss who I am when I am with you."

"The number you're calling is either switched off or not reachable at the moment. Please call again later..."

Manjiri dejectedly removed her phone from her ear and looked at her Kaveri Dadi.

"Never mind, child, he must have not charged his phone." The senior Mohan lady attempted to pacify the situation even though she knew her words won't make any difference as her dear grandson was clearly at fault at then, "He'll call back soon. He must be busy. No issues!"

Manjiri nodded and got up to go back to her room.

While walking back, she felt even more conflicted than ever. Whilst trying to reach him through call, she went up the stairs and soon found her inside the room.

Sprawling lazily on the bed, she threw her phone aside and took an audible frustrated sigh.

Off late, his ignorance and indifferent behaviour were severely wounding her sanity. It had become his routine to be busy all day long and very carelessly ignore her existence every now and then. She was so done with him, his that friend and Chandigarh.

Reaching out to her phone, she thought to try her luck one last time,

"The person you're calling is not answering. Please try again later..."

At least, it got proven that he was safe. As now the call stated that the person was not answering unlike the previous times, when it used to state that the number was either switched off or not reachable.

After a short while, she again tried her luck. It was more than 24 hours since they last talked. Him not answering to her calls and texts was seriously bothering her senses.

"What is this behaviour, Shaurya? Can you even imagine how worried I had been when you didn't pick up my any call since morning?"

"Hello!"

Instead of his voice when a feminine voice reached Manjiri's ears, her eyebrows automatically got furrowed in dubiousness.

"Hello! May I know whom I'm speaking with?"

"Manjiri, it's me Priyal..."

If truth be told then Manjiri had already guessed it before Priyal could tell her. In no mood to exchange greetings with his that friend, Manjiri directly questioned,

"Oh! Where is he?"

"Shaurya?"

"Of course, he... my husband. Why would I ask for any other person?"

Rolling her eyes, Manjiri stressed the word - 'husband'. She herself didn't know what made her do that. What was she really trying to depict with that? It was so not her.

"You're cute."

Priyal chuckled. But before she could utter anything further, Manjiri inquired,

"Where is Shaurya?"

"He is busy right now. He's with some senior doctors..."

Cutting her in the middle, Manjiri put forward her assumption. Last night, he didn't inform her about anything. She felt too stupid to ask that from his that friend.

"Has he got a night shift today?"

"No, actually we all are partying. And his phone is getting charged here, in a corner, so when I saw your name flashing on the screen, I picked up." Taking a slight pause, Priyal added, "I just go and call him here."

"No, please, leave it. You people enjoy. I'll talk to him later."

Manjiri voiced in a low voice. Disappointment was apparent in her tone.

It was damn hard to care so much in a world that seemed to have stopped caring. Was she trying to give more than she should? But wasn't he only always accused her for not giving enough?

Soon she heard Priyal speaking.

"I'll ask him to call you when we'll get done from here."

"Thank you so much but you don't have to tell him. Cause he obviously will once he gets back to his room." Manjiri cursed herself for responding like that. What had gone wrong with her? Before she could embarrass herself more for her weird behaviour and responses, she concluded her talk by muttering, "Good night, Priyal!"

"Good night, Manjiri!"

It's said that distances are usually measured in numbers, something tangible, something you can speak out loud. But distance between two hearts is dizzying. And it actually was like that.

Manjiri didn't ever feel restless the way she was feeling at then. Especially after a having a word with Priyal. She just couldn't convince herself to like her. And she even was not liking herself for starting to dislike Priyal so much.

She had started feeling a huge distance between Shaurya and herself. The distance that was attached with an intense yearning, numerous questions silently seeking for answers and unfulfilled emotions all peeking through her tired eyes. And that was certainly intangible.

"I'll prefer explaining a maths equations rather than explaining, 'why I'm sad'......................"

_

_

_

"Don't ask me how many tears have I wept, ask me, how many smiles have I faked..................."

"Dr Mohan, why are you going on foot? Anyone of us can drop you..."

On hearing someone utter that, Shaurya turned around with a polite grin.

"Thank you so much. But that's not required, Sir. I prefer taking a brisk walk before going to bed whenever I've dinner very late at night."

"Alright then. We won't force you. See you tomorrow."

The man replied shaking his hand. Shaurya smiled seeing off his senior to his car.

"Good night, Sir."

He had barely started walking back to his guest house when someone called him from behind again,

"Hey! Shaurya, wait."

"You should have gone with them..."

Shaurya spoke out as he watched Priyal to fall into step beside him and struck up a conversation.

"I heard a wise man just say that it's good to take a brisk walk before going to bed."

Priyal giggled while Shaurya shook his head at her whilst unlocking his phone. No sooner did Priyal notice him clicking on the topmost contact appearing on his call log then she remarked smiling,

"Oh! So she was right."

"Who?"

Shaurya probed putting his phone against his ear. But much to his dismay, his wife didn't pick up his call.

Priyal saw him try calling his wife multiple times but perhaps none of his calls reached out to her. And when he slipped back his phone inside his pocket, she narrated him about the Manjiri's incoming call which she had picked up a short while ago. She even told him about how Manjiri sounded so certain that he would call her once he get done with everything.

"You're very important to her." Priyal concluded her narration whilst sparing a glance at Shaurya, "Oh my God! This is such a big revelation. Dr Shaurya Singh Mohan can blush too."

"Priyal, shut up and walk straight."

Shaurya said walking ahead of Priyal, for some reason blushing and dropping his gaze. Priyal had to kind of jog to match with his steps again.

"I've only met her a few times. 6 or 7 times probably. She appears to be a shy and very quiet one. Is she really?"

"Not really. When you see her you label her as quiet and reserved but you haven't seen her vivacity as she cracks jokes with the people she is comfortable around or when she plays with little kids. Or when she sees fireworks or talks and prays for the ones she love. She's kind a always up for having serious and raw conversations. She can go on and on about ponder-worthy metaphysical topics, her childhood memories and most importantly people who she really cherishes. One can easily sense the zeal in her voice when she talks about all those things that really matter to her and also find a little grief in her voice when she talks about her Dadi. And..."

Mostly smiling to himself, Shaurya didn't even realise when he had started speaking up his mind until he observed Priyal's smile getting slightly weakened. However, he too noticed her brightly smiling at very next moment whilst raising her eyebrows at him.

"And? Keep speaking, Shaurya, it's good to see you falling for someone who truly deserves you."

"Hey!"

Shaurya stopped to look at his friend's facial expressions properly. He was sure that she was masking something. After all, she was Priyal. Of course the one who he knew could fabricate anything, especially her thoughts and emotional state very efficiently.

"Tell me more! With what you told, it seems that you're graced with an introvert's companionship, right?"

Priyal asked, with the hint of an almost smile. A type of smile which instantly made Shaurya relieved. As he perfectly knew it was one of her most genuine smiles and he couldn't mistake that. Maybe, he was unnecessarily doubting her again. He was busy thinking such things when Priyal quizzed directly looking at him,

"What happened? Do you don't know about your wife or you don't wanna tell me?"

"Well, she... Not entirely she's an introvert. But it can't be denied either that she is more of an introverted person who would never tell you anything if you don't initiate or ask her on any things. However, when you do ask her genially she would eventually tell you everything and let you know that her Dadi was her closest one. Or why she loves Chinese so much or what all benefits does green beans and her favourite Masoor dal have got. Or why pastels shades are far better than vibrant colours. Which all new songs did Dev recommend her to listen and she liked. Why staying home is so much better than wasting time in hanging out in a social gathering.
And there will be times when you would barely hear her whispers in a conversation. You know, she has a misconception that she is very mature. She actually thinks of herself that way but her voice makes you feel like she is just a school kid."

Without any notice, a soft yet immensely contented smile had made it's way to Shaurya's mouth as he went on and on about Manjiri. And Priyal's smile only grew widened by taking a note of his smiling face.

"She's for sure cute! Does she really dislikes going out?"

He craned his neck to respond at her question.

"Dislike? She really hates it. She is the kind of girl who stands at the corner in nearly every party or function trying to read the room and never completely fitting in with any crowd unless it's me, Dev, Sam or my Dadi around. However, she never fails in artificially smiling at everyone who passes her way. Thus, not making anyone aware of how badly she wants to go back to her safe place at the soonest. She's so silly that she even sometimes gets lost in a crowd despite knowing that she least cares about her own phone. I wonder will she ever realise that she owns a phone."

"She has so effortlessly changed you and your world, Shaurya. I can see that. And I just hope she is equally smitten by you." Priyal gushed. And then started adding taking a few steps ahead of him, to not meet his face whilst speaking, "Though there's a confession which I want myself to make it to you. If truth be told, then today my soul isn't breaking whilst picturing you both together in my mind. And it's finally a positive sign, isn't it?"

Priyal casually asked when she sensed him coming forward to match his steps with her. She looked at him. He seemed to be too taken back to utter anything.

"Don't look at me like that. I surely was on a road of self-destruction but not anymore. And today I feel proud to admit it." Priyal muttered with a huge smile but her eyes had a layer of sheen which was shining in the light of the streetlights. "Shaurya, having feelings for you was like jumping into an abyss with no visible end but now I'm glad that I'm completely out of it."

"Priyal, what are you saying? Didn't I tell you to move on? And didn't you assure me that you had moved on? Then what is all this now?"

Shaurya anyhow managed to ask, on not knowing exactly what to say, what not to say, how to react and how not to react. He had started to believe that Priyal was over him after she herself assured that to him months ago. Then what was all that out of nowhere at then?

"People rightly claim that love makes us all fools. And I was a fool too.
A fool that gave birth to innumerable feelings for a 16 year old boy.
A fool that literally spoiled her everything when she was hardly 18 for that same boy to make him aware of her feelings.
A fool who senselessly waited for years for a marriage proposal to arrive at her door from that same boy's family. And it did come one day but God played a trick on that fool again.
A fool who wordlessly saw everything being snatched from her the same day.
And a fool who still kept on holding her aged same feelings for that boy despite him telling not to. Yes, I'd lied to you but now I'm not supposed to do that anymore. As I'm no more that fool now."

Priyal wiped a lone tear falling from her eye, still smiling. Shaurya felt an unease on beholding her like that and hearing all that from her mouth. In school, she was his closest friend alongwith Arsh. But then her one foolish lie distanced each of them from one another. He knew she had feelings for him but he only held grudges against her for all those years.

"Priyal, your love for..."

"No, no, no. Don't term my those feelings as love, Shaurya. Remember, you only once told me that - 'love is something if not shared, one shouldn't term it as love'. And we never really shared anything except a friendship and some bitterness. I won't lie to you this time in telling that it was definitely a hard thing to convince myself that you do not love me back and I should move on. I did break my soul each time whenever I thought of Manjiri holding that status in your life which I'd always dreamt of holding. You know, I'd been cursing myself for not giving a last try to get you to me but surprisingly, since the day I saw you both together in that marriage party that day, I'd inadvertently started to feel proud of myself for not giving that try. And I'm not lying."

Priyal finished with a soft sigh making Shaurya lower his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Priyal!"

"Sorry for what? For not loving me back or for falling for her this soon?" Priyal probed but when she received nothing but silence from his side, she added, "You don't have to be for anything. Cause now any of your words or gestures won't make any difference in my world. Although, I'm quite amazed by your wife's skills. She actually did something to you in a handful of months which I was unable to do over the past 9 years. Maybe, we were never meant to be or maybe, it was predecided that you would be booked for her."

Shaurya literally had nothing to speak up. He just looked away, unable to match Priyal's gaze. He had began to feel extremely guilty, though he wasn't sure that whether he should really feel that way or not. Soon he heard her utter,

"You must be wondering why am I bringing up all this all over again, right? Chill! I only shared all this with you as one should say affirmations aloud if they make you feel the right way about what you want to manifest. So here I, Priyal, manifest that I outgrew you completely."

"I... Umm... What am I supposed to say? I feel so blank..."

"Don't say anything, Shaurya. Everything's fine now. Everything's at it's rightful place, be it humans, minds or feelings."

In the midst of their not so harmonizing conversation, Shaurya and Priyal didn't realise when they reached at their guest house.

"Did Arsh invite you too to his wedding? I received his text today."

Priyal asked. Glad that she finally diverted the talking point, Shaurya responded instantly.

"Yeah, I too received his digital invitation today. It's on 7th, right?"

Priyal nodded and quizzed lowering her gaze,

"Will you be going there?"

"Of course, if he could let bygones be bygones then why shouldn't we? After all, he was the one who got hurt the most. So now when he's receiving happiness, the least we can do is to join him in there."

Shaurya muttered as they both entered the elevator to reach the fourth floor.

"That means you won't mind joining me too in my happiness." Priyal spoke and Shaurya knitted his eyebrows in confusion. Before he could put forward his confusion, she asked, "Are you free on 10th?"

"This 10th?"

"Yes, 10th of January. Are you?"

"Most likely. But for what?"

"I'm getting engaged."

Priyal informed and walked out of the elevator first as soon as they reached their floor. Shaurya took a moment to sink in whatever his friend just filled him with.

"Wow! Congratulations. This is such a great news." Falling in step beside her, he probed unhesitatingly, "Who is the lucky guy?"

"You probably know him as he know you too." Priyal replied with an unreadable expression. Unlocking her phone, she flashed a picture, "Dr Vinay Jadhav, a practicing neurologist at MedStar Hospital."

Taking a hold on Priyal's phone to view the picture properly, Shaurya voiced his query.

"Oh! I got it. I have met him twice. But where did you find him? I mean your fields and workplaces are very different."

"Ours is a arranged match. Mom, dad and especially Minal Dii were after me to meet him since the day they saw you with Manjiri at your reception. But I always managed to dodge away. And then I finally met him at my own place, a month ago, everyone really liked him a lot. So I said yes."

Priyal informed Shaurya taking her phone back and closing it but not before looking at that picture for a few countable seconds. Shaurya noticed that and grinned slightly on thinking of something. But soon his grin disappeared somewhere.

"You said yes just because your family liked him or is it something..." He paused to fetch some right words to speak, "Priyal, you like him, right? See, get married to him only when you're yourself sure about everything and him. There's no need of such rush if you aren't ready. Give both of yourselves some time to know and like each other."

His words made Priyal smile.

"Did you start liking Manjiri since the day you saw her first? No, right?" She explained, "If she can get her Shaurya through an arranged bond, then perhaps I can too. Moreover, Vinay seems to be a good person. So I'm ready to trust him with all my life."

Taking a momentary pause and smiling back at her, Shaurya muttered,

"I can't tell you how proud I am on seeing you becoming so optimistic and making such an important decision in your life without any second-thought. Congratulations on your new beginning!"

"Thanks a lot. Congratulations to you too for finding love in your better half. And trust me, I'm happy and proud of you too."

"When someone loves you, the way they talk about you is different. You feel safe and comfortable......................"

_

_

_

"I don't take hints............. Instead throw a rock at me."

Disrupting the sheer silence of the room, Manjiri's phone rang, vibrating against the surface of the night stand. It was still pitch dark all around and Manjiri, who was owning a peaceful slumber, stirred beneath the thick blanket.

But when the persistent incoming call didn't relent, she unwillingly dragged out her hand to reach out her phone. Not even bothering her eyes to view the flashing name, she attended the call taking the phone inside her blanket.

Coming out of a warm blanket in chilly environment, that too when you're still in a sleeping mode, has always proved to be a hard task.

"Hello!"

She sluggishly spoke picking up the call to only hear his greetings,

"Good morning!"

"Morning? It's still dark outside."

"So?"

"So, it's still night."

"6 a.m. is morning, Silly Head. And what the hell were you doing last night?" He muttered and she blinked. "What kind of hide and seek was that, huh?"

Manjiri's sleep instantly went away from her. She got up as soon as she vaguely remembered everything from last day. Why did she even attend his call? Hadn't she made a deal to herself of not talking to him last night?

"Just spare a glance at the number of missed calls in your phone. Had tried calling you several times last night but you never answered. May I ask why?"

He asked, discontent apparent in his tone. To which she replied in a curt manner.

"I was sleeping."

"Does a sleeping person's phone too sleeps with him that it forgets ringing?" Taking a soft disappointed sigh, he continued when she didn't speak anything, "I bet you weren't sleeping. You were just deliberately ignoring my calls."

"No, you're just being paranoid that too early in the morning."

She revolted. But he too had an answer ready for it,

"And you're very immodestly telling a lie that too early in the morning."

"I'm not a liar."

She asserted on getting offended. But he denied saying,

"I don't believe you." He quizzed, "Tell me what exactly had gone wrong with you last night?"

"Wrong with me, huh?" Taking a light humourless chuckle, she added, "What had gone wrong with you? A person can inform about his whereabouts, but no. What's the need? Cause enjoying a party is more important than any other thing."

"Excuse me. I wasn't partying the entire day. I worked for the whole day yesterday. And then joined the hospital staff's new year party."

He explained in his defence. But she was in no mood to get fooled by him.

"For your kind information, new year eve was not yesterday. It's today."

"Wow! Really? I didn't know about it. Thanks for telling." Shaurya remarked rolling his eyes. And then he didn't hear anything from her end, so he commenced clarifying, "A majority of staff members had their last working day yesterday. So before leaving for their respective hometowns for holidays, our seniors threw a small party. So, my presence was essential there."

She still didn't mutter anything which ultimately made him huff.

"Now, you got no answers, right?"

"Don't be mistaken. Not just answers, I've got too many questions too." Her voice instantly turned from low to stern. "Leaving a simple text to any of your family members doesn't count as an essential thing to do to you. Forget about me, you didn't even call Maa and Dadi yesterday. They too were equally bothered. And this is the third time you're repeating such negligence. All that matters to you is your work, your commitments, your that friend's works and party. Rest everything can wait but the things which matter to you should never wait."

"You're complaining?"

"Yes, I'm."

"You're behaving very childishly right now. You're freaking 23, Silly Head, but nowadays you've started behaving like a 3 years old kid."

He cooed, thinking of making the situation light. But it didn't really work. Cause she was all ready to pour her irked thoughts out of her.

"And you're freaking 28, Shaurya, but not just nowadays... You've always behaved like a 8 months old baby who throws tantrums every now and then. Shut eyes when others require your time and then stubbornly disturb others when they got no time."

"Am I really like that?"

He probed as if confirming. She retorted immediately,

"Yes, of course. Even worse than that."

"But I thought you love babies."

He voiced. She replied in an attempt to counter him.

"I do love babies but I don't love a super annoying baby like you."

"Mark my words that one day you'll end up loving all babies like me."

His no filter mouth spluttered making her brain to refuse thinking for a suitable reply for his that special yet awkward prediction.

Soon she heard him vocalising in haste. Sound of the closing door acted as a background noise as he spoke,

"Listen, I'm getting late for the hospital. I need to leave. Will call you once I get done with my morning shift but only if you're wishing to receive the call. So please don't ignore my call cause I'll not call you after that."

"Then don't do. I'm not dying to talk to you."

She sounded irritated. He sighed,

"Silly Head, now you're being extremely rude."

"As if you're being very sweet to me."

Manjiri countered him back. Defeated Shaurya helplessly muttered,

"Ok fine. Bye!"

And he cut the call. And she aimlessly looked at her phone's screen turning black.

What a good start to a new day! Arguments, accusations and silly tantrums. Though, it wasn't new as it has become their customary practice to at least have one heated argument per day.

Manjiri mewled burying her face inside the pillow. Why does he act so pricey at times?

Suddenly, her phone beeped repeatedly. She craned her neck. Her phone's screen lit up to inform her that she had received 3 unread messages from Shaurya.

She was sulking but her fingers itched to open those unread messages. Tapping her fingers on the screen, she clicked on his name.

Guess what I'm wearing right now?

The frown you gave me... 😏

You're weird... But that's okay cause I can manage.🩺🩹☮️

As she was going through his texts, she received a picture too from his side. She immediately downloaded that image and smiled goofily viewing and reading it.

It was a picture of his bus ticket. He was returning that too on that very same day. And that certainly meant that he would be home by the dinner time.

She kept on gazing those texts and picture until her fingers didn't agree to type out something in response.

Always waiting!⏳

"Patience is so closely linked with love that if I were to thank someone for loving me, it feels more correct to say - 'thank you for being patient with me' than simply saying 'thank you for loving me' because patience is the root of human love, and the deeper the gratitude goes, the more it touches their heart..............................."

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This is it for now. Hope you liked it. I am sorry for the mistakes.

In case if you want to share your views or suggest something, you are more than welcome.

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Love ♥️✨