You Are Missing In My Heart!

Thanks much for your lovely FB, dear PS!! In Writing for you, Pleasure is mine!!

 

Thanks dear Lata for the sweet FB

 

Thanks dear leena for your continuous support!! Will post now..

 

Thanks hai!! (does this qualify as hindi?)

 

Dear SB!! Thanks again for such a lovely FB!! Served next episode for your hunger!!

 

Arjun pathi poga poga theriyum!! Avar yen vandharunu avara dhan kekanum Thanks much Adharv!!

 

PART 16:

Arjun was the first to break the silence. With a faint smile, which did not touch his eyes, he said, “I am Arjun and I am here to meet Nethra.. Is Nethra here?” he asked.

‘No, you cannot meet her! Please get out of here’, Abhinay’s mind retorted but returning the same polite smile he said, “Of course. Welcome Mr.Arjun! Nethra has told about you!” and moved aside letting him in.

Arjun followed Abhinay into the living room. Nethra’s eyes popped on seeing the person walking behind Abhinay!

“oh my GOD! Ajuuu!!”, she almost shouted in surprise, her voice full of excitement. She got up from the sofa and rushed to him.

Arjun’s stiff manner relaxed on seeing her joy. He held her hands in his and said, “haha.. careful.. your eyes are gonna pop out!”, kidding as usual.

“Shut up! You didn’t tell me that you are coming! All the while I was trying your number”, she accused.

“I did tell you!”

“When?! In your dream eh?”

“Didn’t I tell you that I will talk to you in the evening?”, he asked raising an eyebrow at her.

“Uff! You are impossible!”

Samyuktha, though listened to all of the conversation between Nethra and the new person, had her eyes fixed on her son’s face. Her son did not seem to notice her eyes on him. His eyes were fixed on the two standing there hand in hand and his face was devoid of any expression. If she had any doubts, that expressionless face and his clenched jaw erased all those and confirmed her son’s feelings for Nethra! ‘I must have understood the moment he brought her home’, she thought and suppressed a smile. She had liked Nethra from the moment she saw her. She was happy and content about her son’s choice and overwhelmed that her wish to get his son married will be soon met, but she also became careful about the new man who had just arrived. She said a silent prayer for everything to happen on her son’s favor. She did not want him to be hurt – again!

Nethra realized that she had not introduced her friend to others. She turned to Abhinay and Samyuktha and said, “Oh, sorry we kept on talking! This idiot caught me by surprise! This is my Friend Arjun! We studied together from childhood!” Turning to Arjun, she said, “Aju! This is Abhinay! I told you about the architectural firm we are working with right? He is the Chairman of the firm! And this is his sweet mother!”

Arjun shook his hands with Abhinay and folded his hands in respect towards Samyuktha!

“Welcome Arjun! Please sit down!”, Samyuktha said in her usual cheerful manner.

“Thanks a lot Aunty! I was really happy and relieved on hearing the way you took care of her.. I can’t express how grateful we are”, he earnestly told Samyuktha and turned to Abhinay, “And, without you Abhinay, am even afraid to think of what would have happened to her! I can’t thank you enough!” he said. Abhinay with a surprise realized the genuine gratitude in his voice but he couldn’t appreciate that. Instead, Arjun’s utmost care for her scared him.

“I didn’t do anything great Arjun! I don’t even consider this a help.. She is not a stranger to us..”, he said and shrugged but his mind added, ‘she belong to me.. It’s the reason of my being to protect her!’

Samyuktha quickly joined in seconding her son, “of course! In fact, I consider her my family, she is like my daughter!” she said throwing an affectionate smile towards Nethra.

“I am glad you found such wonderful people, Neethu!” Arjun smiled politely.

Samyuktha then went into enquiring about Arjun’s job and his family. Though it was just a casual talk, one part of her wanted to know about her son’s potential rival and on hearing that Arjun was an Assistant Commissioner of Police; she couldn’t help being a tiny bit disappointed.

After answering Samyuktha’s questions, Arjun jumped into the issue at hands, “Now, tell me! What have you gotten yourself into?”, he asked and before he could continue, Nethra interrupted, “Aju! It’s just a burglary in one of the houses in my apartment.. we need not worry too much!” and gave him a meaningful look.

“Oh! Of course, but you can’t continue staying there.. what kind of safety that place has?! And also you girls were staying alone”, he got the message and instantly played along.

“That’s exactly what we were thinking too! That’s why Abhi didn’t allow her to stay there”, jumped in Samyuktha and now Arjun understood for whom the story had been prepared and threw a quick smile towards Nethra!

For all this, Abhinay did not join in the conversation. After politely answering Arjun’s note of thanks, he went into his silence wearing his previous expressionless mask, but his eyes and ears did extra work to compensate for his tongue’s strike.

His eyes noticed the evident happiness on Nethra’s face, which she didn’t try to mask. The care and affection on Arjun’s face whenever he saw Nethra and his eyes also vaguely picked up something similar to worry on his mother’s face – ‘what’s worrying her?’ he wondered. His ears, sincerely doing its part, registered the way Arjun addressed Nethra. ‘Neethu’ it repeated again and again and his jaw clenched slightly in response. All the while his rational thinking tried to break-in, insisting that he was over-reacting, that all his worries were baseless, but it sounded far away. His heart responded more to what his eyes and ears were registering rather than listening to the rational thought.

Slowly, once her excitement on seeing Arjun subsided, Nethra realized that she was missing something. At first, she did not understand what she was missing but, as she became more aware of her surroundings, she realized that it was only the three of them talking and she didn’t hear Abhinay at all. In reflex, her eyes found him and she was immediately shocked seeing his face. His face wore a stone-like expression and his deep grey eyes were like steel spears. She had never seen him like that. To her, he was always polite and charming. She had even seen him angry, when he shouted at her a couple of days before, but this stone face affected her in an unexplainable way! On the very moment she saw him like that, the happiness that was overwhelming her till then drained and a void replaced it. Abhinay’s playful mood a while ago, their secret exchanges and his smile flashed across her memory and she felt that void growing! She missed that Abhinay – more than she thought she was capable of missing anybody!

“Madamoiselle! Please come out of your day-dream”, Arjun tapped her shoulder and said.

“What happened Nethra ma?”, Samyuktha asked laughing at Arjun’s comment.

“It’s usual for her to get into such day-dream trances Aunty!” Arjun commented before Nethra could respond.

“Yeah Maa.. And this gentleman rushes every time to wake me out of it!” Nethra broke her silence and said sarcastically pointing Arjun. She was again disappointed when she noticed that Abhinay did not even smile for that comment. ‘why is he like this? What did I do?’ she asked herself.

Meanwhile, Abhinay noticed the change in Nethra’s face but he could not fathom the reason behind it. He became thoughtful and the stone-like expression broke but he still guarded his every emotion not wanting to show anything on his face.

Though Nethra listened to Samyuktha’s and Arjun’s small talks, her mind pondered over Abhinay’s sudden change. She recollected what had happened after their merry mood and immediately her instinct picked on the reason – Arjun! Abhinay’s this change was only after Arjun’s arrival! – She figured. She searched his face in her memory from the time Arjun stepped in and she realized that all the while Abhinay had worn a guarded expression!

This realization triggered her anger. Arjun was her friend and he had come all the way to see her. Any insult to him would be an insult to her! Though Abhinay had not insulted Arjun in anyway, though he did not even utter an impolite word towards Arjun, his change in behavior, the dislike she saw on his face were insulting according to her. The very thought that her friend was not being treated well, that too by Abhinay himself, made her furious and she immediately wanted to take him away from that place. ‘I owe him a lot for all his help but I will not repay it with Aju’s pride’ - she thought fiercely.

“See how stupid I am! Just kept on talking.. Sorry Arjun! I will bring coffee for you”, Samyuktha exclaimed bringing everyone to reality and went to the kitchen ignoring all Arjun’s denials.

As she disappeared into the Kitchen, immediately Arjun opened up the topic addressing Abhinay directly. “Mr. Abhinay what happened? Are you sure it’s not a break-in for theft?” he asked.

Abhinay admired how swiftly Arjun switched to his ACP self. “Please call me Abhinay – just Abhinay!”, he corrected and continued, “I am afraid it’s not for money or any material things”, saying so he explained all the things he noticed and how everything was left untouched.

Arjun’s police mind appreciated how Abhinay had paid attention to all the details and he said, “so, you mean it’s for…”, without finishing his sentence he looked at Nethra and Abhinay nodded his head in affirmation confirming the question in his eyes!

Samyuktha returned with Coffee and a tray of snacks and their conversation paused.

Post the Coffee and snacks Abhinay said, “Amma, you prepare dinner for Arjun, we will meanwhile go for a walk in the terrace”, and he casually stood up and stretched.

Arjun took the hint and added, “Yeah! We might see if we could talk to Sam also”, saying so, he stood up and walked behind Abhinay with Nethra at his toes.

“So, considering what you said, it looks like they came for one of the girls”, Arjun said reaching the terrace.

“Seems so”, agreed Abhinay.

“We are not 100% sure that they came for Neethu.. but at the same time we can’t take chances”, Arjun spoke more to himself and Abhi nodded absently. Somehow his instinct was 100% sure that it was for Nethra.

“I will talk to my connections here. I already spoke to the Chennai commissioner and he will interfere if required. We will conduct an undercover enquiry in parallel”, Arjun added and Abhinay could not stop himself from acknowledging how seriously Arjun took the matter and how he had already taken action. Whatever his fears were, he could not hate Arjun at that moment - after all he was trying to save Nethra, his Nethra! At this thought he turned to look at Nethra and was shocked to find her face fuming with anger!

“Meanwhile, I think Neethu you should come back to Chennai! Till we sort out who is behind all this”, Arjun added.

Abhinay jerked in shock as he heard those words of Arjun. ‘I know.. I should have known.. he came only to take her away..’ his heart accused. Arjun’s suggestion and Nethra’s angry face shook him and his heart pleaded, ‘Will you go away, my love? Will you leave me again?!’

(Contd.)