You Are Missing In My Heart!

Very happy New Year to you too, SB!! Will post one tonight.

 

Dear All.. Sorry for making you wait. Was held up with heavy work in office and also had some travels in between. Will try to post tonight!

 

Part 18:

Abhinay lazily opened his eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. The radium hands pointed 9:00AM and his eyes opened wide in disbelief. ‘How did I sleep so long?’, wondering he quickly stepped out of the bed and pushed the curtains of the French windows open. Immediately the room was filled with the bright light and his mind was filled with thoughts about Nethra. He prayed that she should be normal and in good mood that morning and in an urge to find out her mood he rushed towards the door but paused remembering he was just out of bed and had not freshened yet. He hit his head mocking himself and rushed into the washroom.

As Abhinay stepped out of his room, clad in his usual track pants and sweat shirt, he heard Nethra’s voice booming with excitement and he saw her and his mother sitting in the dining room. “Oh my Goodness.. how did I not know this? Aunty!!! Your name is Samyuktha!!!”, he heard her exclaim excitedly. And, in response to her enthusiasm, his spirits soared tenfolds and a wide smile spread across his face. He paused to find out the reason for her excitement about his mother’s name.

Meawhile, Samyuktha asked, “So what? What is so special about being named Samyuktha?”

“Come on Aunty!! You are Samyuktha! And uncle’s name is Prithviraj!! I am talking about that name match.. how romantic! I knew that Abhi’s last name is Prithviraj but I didn’t know that you are Samyuktha!! So I am sure there must be a love story involved!! Aunty tell me na.. pls.. pls..”, She continued in the same excited tone like a child.

Samyuktha laughed, “Look at your face.. no stories and all.. gonna kick you!!”

“Aww!! You are blushing!! So there is something.. Auntyyy.. tell meeee… Did Uncle come in a white horse and carry you away from your home?” asking she laughed and as she was laughing the white horse and the hand from her dream flashed in her memory and she stopped as struck by a lightening.

Samyuktha, who did not notice this, continued, “Horse eh.. you are like Abhi only.. he used kid his father the same way.. he will ask his father whether he kidnapped me in a horse..and his father will say, ‘carry her? Do you think it’s possible… with a horse? I took an elephant my boy’ ”, Samyuktha laughed lost in her fond memories and continued, “Prithvi is my Aunt’s son, that is, my father and his mother were siblings. We both were of same age; I was just three months younger than him. Our mothers were pregnant at the same time and my father and his mother, wished they should have a boy and girl and they should get married. So, obviously when we were born they named us like this”

As she finished, Abhinay walked in saying, “and their wish came true!! Not only these two got married.. they fell in love right in kinder garden and my father was always behind this beauty since then!!”, he finished in a dramatic tone pointing his mother.

Samyuktha blushed a little more, yet faking anger she said, “gonna kick you now.. so you woke up on time to say this eh?!”

Though Nethra smiled at both their comments, Abhinay could clearly see the child like expression and excitement on her face wearing off and her face becoming more guarded. ‘This is not a good sign!’ he thought as he looked at her face.

The door bell rang and diverted their attention. Abhinay opened the door and was surprised to find Arundati standing with gleaming eyes. Mithun stood behind her.

Arundati stepped forward and embraced her brother exclaiming, “Anna!”

Though Abhinay grinned and held her, he was little confused on her sudden expression of love, after all, they were not meeting after a long time. They do meet frequently.

Before he could think more about that, Arundati herself whispered the reason in his ears, “I have come to see my Anni (sister-in-law)”, winked at him and went in.

Abhinay’s smile froze and he stared at Mithun in anger. Mithun ran in to escape the confrontation from his friend.

“Hey Achu.. you didn’t tell me that you are coming”, exclaimed Samyuktha seeing her daughter and added, “anyway, good that you came! I can introduce you to Nethra”

Turning to Nethra, Samyuktha continued, “Nethra ma this is Arundati! Vaalu (mischievous child) of this house! A big chatterbox!” and turning to her daughter she said, “Achu, this is Nethra, Abhi’s friend. Not like you! Such a sweet and soft-spoken girl”

“Oh! Really? But what can I do Maa.. Haven’t you heard the saying – Like Mother like daughter!” Arundati replied in a calm innocent tone and Nethra laughed.

She turned to Nethra with a smile and said, “Hey Nethra! My husband told me about you! Actually I came today just to see you”

“Hope you heard good things?” Nethra replied with a smile.

“Hearing my Mom’s introduction, is it even possible that bad things exist about you?” Arundati asked and both the girls laughed together.

The girls chatted casually trying to get to know the other better and Samyuktha called everyone for breakfast in a while.

“We already had Maa.. you people were late”, said Arundati

“All coz of your brother only.. Abhu got up very late today!” said Samyuktha.

“Really? You were just sleeping like that when Nethra is here?” Arundati asked her brother and gave him a shock. Nethra looked up in confusion and both Mithun and Abhinay froze not knowing what Arundati was upto.

Before any of the men could react, she continued, “she is gonna think that I have brought you up as a lazy potato”, and winked at Abhinay who was glaring at her. Nethra giggled failing to control her laughter. Somebody calling Abhinay a potato seemed very funny to her.

“Come here, I will show you who brought up whom!” Abhinay threatened his sister playfully and they all sat around the table. Samyuktha insisted her daughter and son-in-law to have some food with them and they complied without much ado.

They all ate with small casual talks and suddenly Arundati exclaimed, “Your hair is very long and beautiful Nethra.. isn’t it Abhi?” she turned to her brother for his opinion and Nethra blushed faintly. Abhinay was equally embarrassed. ‘ Arundatiiii!!!’ he yelled in his mind as his mouth stammered, “Ah.. yeah.. uhmm.. long hair is always beautiful..”, he managed to say.

Immediately after the breakfast is over, Abhinay pulled Mithun secretly into his room and asked between clenched teeth, “Dei.. u fool.. who asked you tell Achu about Nethra.. didn’t u see? She almost exposed me twice by now”

“I had no option da macha.. She was very seriously planning to unite you with Anita!”

“what?”

“Yeah da.. she planned to call her here for dinner.. I tried talking her out of it saying that you might have something else in mind.. but you know your sister.. she will continue trying to put you and Anita together.. so had to tell her the truth to avoid further damage”, Mithun explained.

Arundati walked into the room asking, “All complaining about me over?”

Abhi rushed to her and tapped on her head, “what were you thinking? Are you planning to make her run?”

“Aiyoda! Your girl will not run away for these and all.. I am just helping you.. I bet next time your party combs her hair, she will think about you!”

“My dear sister! Already she is angry on me for some reason which I don’t know yet! So let me go in my own pace.. don’t mess up something in the name of help”

“Oh Madam is angry is it? That’s a good sign..”

“Will you stop confusing me now?”

“Aiyo Abhi! Whats there to confuse? Disappointments and anger come only when there are expectations! She might have some misunderstanding but that doesn’t mean she dislikes you. If she did, she would have left our home by now! These misunderstandings are also necessary for better understanding my dear boy!” she explained.

“Oh! Then does it mean she loves me?” Abhinay exclaimed.

“That I cannot say! She may or may not!”

“Achu!”

“Anna.. One may like someone or attracted to, admire or even infatuated on someone, but not always these feelings end up in love. You need all those feelings and something even more to fall in love!”

“Enough Madam! I am already so much confused about her. You please don’t fuel the fire! I will sort out myself”

“Anyways! I like Anni very much! Good choice bro!”

Nethra, who was sent by Samyuktha to call the others, heard the last sentence and froze near the door!

(Contd.)