#You may live in the present, but you will always have a peak into your past, for that has shaped your present and would be the base to your future#

"Hey!" I looked up at my friends who joined me in the backyard with drinks in their hands. "Hey!"

I looked down in my laptop, working on the file I had in front of me. I did not want to talk to anybody at the moment.

"Look..." I turned towards Mukti, who had her gaze fixed at me. "I'm sorry!" I stared at her emotionless. "Not for whatever I said because I meant everything that I said."

Keeping the laptop aside, I nodded at her.

"I know. But it's not like whatever you told me was an eye opening story for me. I knew that I was wrong. But I can't...I couldn't hear it from another person. Especially..my own friend." I looked up at her from little Annahita, who was playing with her cousin. "Bas usse sunnke aaya tha that she...doubted if I ever...loved her. Aur phir teri baathein..."

Mukti only stared at me, speaking nothing but only staring at me for a while.

"I don't know Manik..." she stared elsewhere, running her hands through her hairs. "Should I feel sorry for my friend or should I feel angry for what he did to my another friend."

And she stood up to leave, while I bent forward to get my laptop.

"It's simple, Mukti." She stopped to have a look at me, and I started to scroll through my emails. "You should only feel pity on me for whatever I've lost. Or better...whoever I lost."

I was met with silence, but I didn't look up at anyone. I was indulged in that thing which has always saved me from thinking about her. My work!

"Ath enna? En payyan kitt pes. Charan thaa adhk nalle. (What's that? You talk to my son about that. Charan will be a better choice.)"

I looked towards my left to see an elderly man standing at the entrance of the garden where we were gathered around.

I frowned.

I have never seen him here before. Who must he be?

"Ye kaun hai?" I shrugged at Cabir's question, staring at the man. "He seems to be someone important. Sab log uske baathon ko koi command jaise sunthe hai."

"Yeah, just like how they listen to Charan and Chaitanya Murthy." Dhruv added and I nodded at it. "So could that be their father!" I looked at Alya blankly, and my friends stared back at me surprised.

"Kya hua?" Mukti raised her eyebrows at me, and I looked at Navya who was also now staring at the man keenly. "Alaksundar Murthy?" She looked questioningly at me, and I shook my head.

"I don't know. Could be." And all of us looked back at the man who was talking to the guys.

"What? I am coming right now. No. No. No. I'll be there soon." I looked away on hearing her voice. Why was she here now?

But what if that's Alaksundar Murthy?

I looked up again only to see her stopping in front of the man, with a phone clamp to her ear.

"Yeah, coming." She moved past the man, without greeting him and I looked back at him again. Does this mean?

"Chellam?" I had my gaze at him, staring wordlessly on hearing the same nickname of Nandini given by her brothers. I looked at her, to see her standing still with her back facing him.

"Kahi jaa rahe ho?" She didn't reply to his question. She only stood there, before hanging up on the call and a subtle nod of her head was seen. "Tho akele math jao. Raath ho chuka hai. Selvam! Tu jaa Chellam k..."

"Apko mere fikar karne keliye mein aapki beti nahi hun." She was now staring at him, and her gaze was anything but soft.

And somehow I knew our guess was right. I looked at the man once again, but this time I knew the heat of my gaze might have matched hers.

***

"Night or morning shouldn't concern you. I can go wherever I want whenever I need. Filhaal apke liye yahi behthar hoga ki aap meri zindagi mein interfere na kare."

I did not stay to stare at his emotionless face. I did not stay to hear anymore advices from him. I just left the place, for she was more important to me right now.

I dialed Bhai's number again and hoped that he would pick my call again. I didn't want him to leave me pondering over what could be happening there right now.

Aiyappa! Please save her. Please! You can't take her away from me. Not her too!

I felt my heartbeat rising, and my forehead damp. My hands were all sweaty and I knew it could come any moment now.

"Chikki? What happened? Why did you hang up?"

"Just...leave that. Please talk to me." I mumbled to Bhai, on call, while getting in the car and started to ignite the engine.

"Wh? You're driving? No, wait. Don't! Stop the car. I can hear you breathing heavily. Chikki, stop the car now."

"Bhai!" I wet my lips before pressing onto the accelerator pedal and tried to keep my eyes open. "Talk to me. About her. Tell me...she's safe. I'll be fine. Please!"

I was met with his rapid breathing and all I tried was to increase the speed of my car, so that I reach the hospital before I get my another panic attack.

"Choti is fine, Chikki. And I mean it. It's not to keep you safe, but I'm being honest. Her heart rate has gotten better. There's no pain as well because we have sedated her."

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm my heart and nodded at my brother, though he couldn't see me.

He kept talking to me, like how a loving father would console his daughter that whatever has been happening to her life has been only a dream from which she would wake up anytime soon.

And I believed in it!

"I'm here!" I opened the door and moved out of the vehicle only to black out.

I'm sorry, Bhai!

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