"Sir...I want to meet you" said Randhir over the phone

"Sure...come tomorrow." "But anything serious" said comissionor of police

"Nothing sir...just a small request...and I hope you will get agree to it" Randhir said

"Sure...see you tomorrow" comissionor said

"Thank you" Randhir disconnected the call

He sprinted upstairs

He reached their room and found Sanyukta standing in balcony enjoying the moon light

"Sanyukta...why are you there?" "Come inside...and take rest" He said

"Sometime Randhir...I am loving the atmosphere..." She replied

"Thand lag jayegi na tumhee..." he wrapped a shawl against her frame

"You are there to wrap a shawl around me" She said

Randhir smiled

"What are you doing here?" He said

"Nothing...just felt like taking some fresh air" She said

He took her hand in his.

He wrapped their fingers with each other.

He looked up in the sky.

Moon was shinning brightly.

Then he looked at her.

He again looked at moon.

Again at her.

"What?" She said

"Hmmm...you are more beautiful than moon" He said

She smiled widely on compliment.

He left her hand and took steps closer to her.

He stood right behind her and took her in hug.

He rested his chin on her shoulders.

Sanyukta felt jitters all over her body.

He placed a warm kiss on her cheek.

She closed her eyes instantly.

She smiled and rested her head on his chest.

They stood like this for some more time.

Randhir's strong hands had engulfed her into his arms.

She melted in his arms.

"Can I ask you something?" He said breaking the long silence

"hmmmm..." she replied

"When did you realise that you love me?" He asked

She opened eyes hearing that.

"Hmm...its a long story...you'll get bore" "Leave it..." She said

"Bore?" "Impossible..." "Tell me na..." He turned her slowly

Now she was facing him

"Promise?" "You won't get bore" She said

"Ofcourse I'll not get bore, Sanyukta" He said

"Okay..." She chirped

He made her sit on swing while he settled himself on bean bag

"Hmmm...tell me" He said

"So it all started when...you started sharing your toys with me" "Use to give me a ride on your bicycle" "We were use to play together"

"Remember...how you use to protect me...from Kabir" "Whenever Kabir use to come here...to play with you" "Muje jaan bhuj ke gira deta tha...use to pull my hair...but you were always there to save me from him"

"Then ...one day...you were shifted to hostel" "Muje tumhari bohot yaad aati thi...I had no one to play with me..." "I was 7 years old...and you were 11..." "I still remember how badly you were crying that day...when Bade Papa and Renuka Mam were dropping you hostel.." "I rushed to Bade Papa..."

*flashback*

"Bade Papa...Bade Papa...don't do this to Randhir" "Dekho woh ro raha hai..." "Usse mat le jao..."

*flashback ends*

"You were gone..." "I felt lonely" "I stopped playing outside" "I use to hide in my house...whenever Kabir use to come at your place" "Because...my saviour was not there to save me"

"Time passed...tum vaccations main ghar aaya karte the" "You got completely changed" "You were not the same Randhir....I use to play with" "We grew young..." "You turned into young and handsome man..." "Tum meri taraf dekhte bhi nahi the..." "Na baat karte the..."

She laughed

"But I always use to admire you..." "You were saviour for me, my friend and unknowningly I started liking you" "Not that we use to meet everyday...but...I had an image of yours crafted in my heart...whom I started liking" "I thought its attraction..." "Our age was such..." "It happens..."

All this while he was listening to her keenly

"Bored?" She asked

He nodded in NO

"Then the day came...your 19th birthday..." "Next day you were going to leave for London" "Huge birthday party was arranged in Shekhawat Mansion" "Bade Papa and Renuka Mam...had invited all their friends for birthday party..."

"I was also invited for party..." "I made a card for you" "Ofcourse I didn't had money to buy a gift for you..."

"I came there..."

"I was searching for you..."

"Finally I spotted you...."

"You were busy with your friends..."

"I wanted to come and wish you personally"

"But I didn't...I can't do it"

"It doesn't look good"

"I can never be your friend"

"I can never match up to quality of friend...rich people look for"

"We were servents..."

"It was time to cut the cake"

"Your friends gave you expensive gifts"

"I wanted to give you card" "But didn't got chance"

"So I ran to your room....to keep my card there"

"When I was coming out...Renuka Mam saw me..."

"She thought...I came to your room...to...steal something"

"And then..."

Sanyukta's eyes welled up

"She insulted my father...slapped me..." "Without knowing the truth..."

"But thanks to Dadi..."

"I didn't knew where your room was..."

"She showed me your room"

"She knew...I came to place birthday card for you in room"

"She saved me..."

"I came back to my house"

"That day I decided...I will never talk to you from now onwards"

"That's why you used to run away from me" He said

She nodded

"Next day...I saw my card...lying on ground..." "Sweeper torn the card and threw it in dustbin"

"I didn't felt bad..."

"Cause...it was going to happen"

"I knew it..."

"My gift wasn't important and expensive to keep..." "It was just a piece of paper...with some random drawings on it"

"You left...you left for London"

"I got busy with my high schools...then college"

"But you were always there...in my thoughts" "In my prayers...in my every wish"

"When Dadu passed away...you came to India"

"You look young and handsome...like a prince charming...every girl wishes for..."

"I remember...you came my house"

"You bought a watch for Papa...and perfume for me"

"Yes I remember...I wanted to talk to you...but you ignored me" "Bhaag gayi waha se..."

"Even I tried to meet you again...but you didn't pay heed" He said

She smiled.

"By the time...I realized...my wish can never come true"

"I cared for you...I adore you...but...there is huge difference between us...our families"

"If I was earth...you were sky...and earth can never touch sky"

She said and looked at him

"Then...?" He said

"Then..." She giggled

"I want to listen more..." He said

"What more...?" "Only this much..." "I have already bored you enough..." She got up but he held her hand

He stood up holding her hand

"What?" She giggled

"Then...what happened Sanyukta?" "I want to listen it all..." "Say it..." He came closer to her

"No Randhir...nothing more..." She said

"How did you fell in love with me?" He asked looking straight in her eyes

There was silent prevailing between them

"Bolo..." he broke the silence

"Then we got married..." "It was unexpected" "Unbelievable"

"I knew were not the couple who got married out of love..."

"We were not couple...who will live life like husband and wife"

"On our first night...you left me alone" "Not that I had some expections from you...but...it hurt"

"Then...for many days...we behaved like strangers"

"I thought...this is not what I wished for..."

"A loveless marriage..."

"A forced bond..."

"But gradually I accepted it"

"I accepted it as my fate..."

"Deep down...in my heart...I had feelings for you"

"But I made myself very strong...not to become weak infront of you"

"I decided...I will never let you know my feelings"

"I liked you...but...unknowningly...I fell for you"

"I decided...I will never let you know this"

"I don't want you to feel guilty..."

"I knew...I can never be your first choice" "I can never match up to your standards..." "I can never be your love..."

"I stopped myself..."

"But...things started changing between us"

"We became friends"

"You started caring for me..."

"I can feel you affection for me"

"Somewhere I felt happy about it...but...I was afraid"

"I was confused"

"We became emotionally attached to each other"

"I started feeling your pain"

"That day you came home...you had fever"

"I felt your sufferings"

"I knew...something was majorly wrong with you that's why you took such a big steps"

"You took drugs"

"I thought...not a good wife...but at least I should have became your good friend" "I blamed myself..."

"I didn't realize my friend was in pain...and I knew nothing about it"

"Then...that incident..."

"It..."

But he placed his hand on her mouth

"Please don't talk about that incident"

"Please...I am afraid"

"Please don't remind me that incident"

He was in pool of tears

"I...I saw...you ...dieing..in front of me"

"You stopped breathing..."

"I thought I lost you forever..."

"No Sanyukta...lets not get there again"

"I want to erase that incident from our lives"

He said

She cupped his face and placed a kiss on his forehead

"Kyu karti ho mujse intna pyaar?" He said

She smiled amidst of tears

"Because...that is only truth of my life" "I live...to love you" She said

He took her in arms

She hide herself in his arms.

TBC

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