7

 

Read Chapter 6 Here!

SHREYA

It is my 9^th birthday.

But I am sitting on a slab in a temple and bawling my eyes out. To celebrate my birthday, my family along with Arjun’s, had decided to visit the new temple that has been constructed at the outskirts of the city where we live. Somehow, I got separated from everyone in the crowd and now I am panicking, finding myself in an unfamiliar place alone. I keep calling out Arjun’s name but to no avail.

Through blurry eyes, I see someone running towards me. I wipe my tears and see Arjun running towards me as if his very life depended on it. I break into sobs of relief. He comes and kneels down before me and wraps me in a hug.

“I am sorry I let you go, Kiddo.” He manages to say breathlessly while he runs his hand comfortingly over my head which is buried into his shoulder. We stay like that, I hiccupping over my sobs, until my parents and his join us and start comforting me.

My sobs finally subside and I get up, holding on tightly to Arjun’s finger. He looks down on me solemnly and says. “I won’t let you of my sight now, okay? Stay with me.” I nod.

While leaving the temple, I turn back and look at the pillars of the temple. ‘This is the guy I am going to marry.’ I send out a silent note to the deity, tightening my hold on Arjun’s hand. When I look up to him, he smiles and presses my hand with his slightly.

The loud horn of a passing bus brings me out of my reverie. For some reasons, I find myself living in two timelines off late – one in my past and the one in the present. Ever since Arjun said he is never going to marry, I find myself lost and disoriented. There is relief that I will no longer have to deal with the prospect of him meeting girls for alliance. There is also the heartbreak of my dream of marrying him fading away. He has been the only one for me ever since I understood the concept of love and bonding.

This is the third day since that fateful dinner at his home when he announced his plan of adoption. Today he has invited me to join him to meet the child he is going to adopt.

I am feeling ridiculously nervous about meeting the child. For reasons I cannot explain, I want him to like me. It feels important already, even though I am yet to see him. What if the child doesn’t like me and Arjun decides to go by his wishes and stop spending time with me? As it is, I literally live only for those moments when we spend some time together, which isn’t as much as I would have liked.

All of a sudden, he is before me, walking with a broad smile on his face. A gentle breeze blows then and ruffles the strands of his hair away from his face. For few precious seconds, the timelines blur and he is my Arjun, my childhood hero coming to my rescue when I am lost.

A wave of hurt and despair washes through my heart. This guy holds my heart and how!

“Hey Kiddo! Have you been waiting for long? I got held up in a last-minute call.” He says grinning devastatingly at me.

I want to tell him that it feels I have been waiting for him all my life. Instead I smile and shake my head. “I just came few minutes ago.”

“I will book a cab to the orphanage.” Arjun says, already logging into the app. I take the chance to observe the sharp planes of his face – the five-o-clock shadow that is always present, the dip in his chin, the hair that always seems to fall all over his face, the long and nimble fingers that I find so beautiful… he is a piece of art and I am lost in admiring him.

“Three minutes for the cab to come...” He says and looks at me. “Did you have anything to eat? Care to join me for dinner later tonight?”

I manage to nod, feeling all conscious and nervous suddenly. This has never happened before. He frowns at me.

“What is it? You look worried.” He says, scrutinizing me intensely. I fidget against his stare.

“Nothing. I am just nervous about meeting Abhimanyu. Hope he likes me.” I say.

He smiles at me and ruffles my hair. “It is impossible to not to like you, Kiddo. But are you sure that is the only cause of your worry? That boss of yours – is he giving you any more trouble? I can shake him up, you only have to say it.” He says tightening his jaw.

I love it when he gets all protective about me. But he has always been like this, ever since I have known him. I know that I should not read anything into this. But my silly heart!

I smile at him and say. “I know… really, I am fine." I see our cab approaching. "Come on, let us meet your kid!” I drag his arm and urge him to walk.

“All right, but one kid is already walking with me!” He says and laughs when I punch his shoulder.

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