Ehsaas-Scene XIII

When Nihaal returned from hospital, he was somehow feeling guilty about yesterday’s sudden onstraught of his feelings over Anjali and after that her everlasting silence. He yesterday somehow can’t stop himself. Plus after his coming to mansion, he hasn’t once seen her. He just then entered his room and saw it decorated with blue satin balloons and white roses. At the centre table was kept a scrapbook and a letter. The letter said:-

“Nicks,

             It was never there that I didn’t believe you but there was something that always missed and after your confession I was just in dilemma. I couldn’t sleep last night. I kept wondering about every word you said to me. I was not able to say anything at that moment so I just now want to gift you my most prized possession. Hope you understand its importance in my life.

                                                                                                                                           Any”

That scrapbook contained many articles regarding Nihaal which were printed in media. Each one had some special comments written by her. The most amusing segment was “Whether Mr. Rathod married?” In this segment most of people believed that he was bachelor as there was no pictures of his wife to media. Neither was he ever seen with a girl. The pages at first made him laugh initially thinking that why is Anjali so bothering about the media news but later made him realized his mistake and the pain of Anjali. As these pages contained his so called hook ups with female celebrities and world found this rejoicing as according to them, he was a bachelor. Each time he found some serious question there as a comment like “Was I am not worthy of Nihaal?” & “Whether he was happy with me or not”  

On the other hand, Anjali whose wounds were again open after yesterday’s encounter was crying bitterly in the mantel room and again seeing the photos of his and she didn’t knew when she slept over there only as after so many days she had empty mind at night.

Nihaal also was very upset and he also came out of his room searching Anjali. He at last found her in his mantel room where she had being sitting all this time, now soundly asleep. She was looking so angelic that made him more like he was a devil as the person whom he saw from his childhood and the person who was there in his all problems and solved. The person who never asked anything in return and he never gave her anything. So he started feeling guiltier. After sometime he felt that may be she is uncomfortable on flooring. He gently lifted her and took her to his bedroom and gently made her lie in his bed. He saw her and realized she was deeply holding a photo frame in fear that in might not hurt her in sleep, he tried to remove it. He saw it was his photo. He realized that that she was the girl whom he loves and she loves him.

After long thoughts, he also lied in bed. For the first time in life when circling his arms around her made him feel that how comfortable she was with him as she just relaxed herself and snuggled closer to him. He smiled to himself remembering their first night when he lied beside her she was feeling a bit shy and then he also left no space between them and slept. The next morning when Anjali woke, she was surprised to see herself in the bedroom of Nihaal and the last memories were of her sitting in the mantle remembering her last 5 yrs with him and now she is in his bed and he is somehow vanished. She looked at the table clock which showed 11 am. She banged her head with that clock. He must have left for the office and she was just sleeping. She just a damn idiot. She should have got early and should have seen that whether he is alright or not because his passion for work makes him overlook his health most of the times. She was getting up from the bed, when Nihaal entered and said “Good Morning, Sleeping Beauty. You sleep till really late. Ok now get up; I have some plans for us. Now get ready fast. Go” Anjali was quite shocked by his reaction but never-the-less she got ready and came down wearing a deep neck tunic. After coming down, Nihaal quickly took her out and first time, she saw him dressed casually in America. Then he took out Sports car and they started to go out after a long drive. They had a great day they went shopping in malls, having food in street side and at last they returned to the mansion. He directly took her to the room and said that he had brought a present and will like her to wear it till he also gets ready.  

Ehsaas-Scene XII

Anjali saw Nihaal waking up she just was so happy like just a disbelief that he was alright. She rushed to him and sat beside his bed, she was delighted to see him fine but long trains of tears did not stop she was just sobbing and feeling more and more guilty. She just felt that how can she be the reason for so much pain to him she just wanted to hold him forever. Nihaal who could sense her pain and just gave her a consoling shoulder. Her break-up made her realize the intensity of her love it cleared her doubts that rather diminishing the love, the distance increased it many folds. On other side it was pleasant sight for the drowsy eyes of him to see her though she was looking tired and exhausted due to sleeplessness and her eyes were red due to hours of crying but at that moment she was looking the most beautiful woman to him and then he was just to speak something when Anjali kept her finger on his lips to silence him saying him that there is no need and he is weak they will talk later. But he pulled her nearer to her and holding her both the hands he started:

“Any, don’t stop me today. 5 years of silence is more than enough. I remember this day, I proposed you in front of mall and in the joys of marriage I saw the sorrow in your eyes of not getting to complete the studies and your dreams. Then we got married and I wanted you to get all the happiness of life. So when you asked me the permission to study more, I agreed blindly not because that I didn’t loved you but you know what I have always loved like hell but then too I agreed to your wishes. For all these years I spent daily time alone in the mansion. I used to visit our room. See our photos. But in all these years I also found out a bad truth of the top corporate world that most successful businessmen had a worse married lives as their wives always left them and I also found that people opened who mingled with their wives left them much more early. See the example of ours dad. Didn’t he marry twice but none of the marriage survived. Shashi aunt died and Kajol aunt had a divorce and didn’t my mom died leaving dad alone. Same fear crept in my mind because you were the only one relation of my life. And to test you and justify my fears that night when I said I didn’t love you was a drama. But then also you stood beside me and I saw tears in your eyes. I realized that all these long years I was the hurting the person whom I need the most. What do you think I never visited you? I use to visit Rome every quarter and always saw you from a distance and the reason was that I never wanted to disturb you. That night when I made this mistake and realized it I was coming home that night to ratify it, I found you left me. And I saw that worst fear coming true as you left and I did maintain a line between my personal and professional life for that reason only. That moment I decided either I will bring back you to my life or I will suicide as I am not a human. I tortured the person who loves me the most who left her home to be with me who left her family to wait hours for me. Then I saw you in India, I saw your happiness and when you were once telling your friends that you are the luckiest person to have such a sweet and best husband. I realized that you loved me madly and your returning to America, to me and see this time also I left you tearful. I am not worth you. I was never but you always made me feel special. ”

There was complete silence in the room; Anjali was not able to say anything. She was too full to say anything. She just left quietly. Next he was discharged though there was nothing serious but he was advised to rest a week or so. So he returned to mansion. 

Ehsaas-Scene XI

Her father said that “Don’t worry Any. He may left for business trip he was telling me the last time when he came to me that he was going to Japan for work. He may left there only and he also didn’t knew that you are back so would have left any message in mansion. Now don’t get tensed and worried. Lets go his office, we can know where he is, from there. Now you cheer up and don’t bring negative thoughts in your mind. Lets go.”

They arrived in his office and the staff was surprised to see Anjali and Amar after so many years in office as Amar retired years ago and Anjali never visited offices as she liked her office more and here also nobody knew that she was married to Nihaal as he always liked to keep his professional and personal life sorted and so was expected by him for Anjali also. They directly went to his personal assistant and asked about his whereabouts. She confusedly told that yesterday it was a normal working day till 12 pm in the noon till there was a phone call from the mansion about somebody’s return she supposes so then he was very happy and he said her to buy some white lotus and red roses and a box of “Infant Fantasy” chocolates and then he gave half day to everybody and off day to his driver and drove away himself. As for morning not arriving here everybody assumed that he would had being busy with his somebody special so he took an off day, after listening she just left quietly leaving everybody confused. On the advice her father, she went to police station to inform his disappearance and while giving the necessary information, she came to know that there was a minor accident on the same road and the details of both these cases were matching highly. So she rushed to hospital to see whether it’s he? And whether is he fine?

After coming to hospital he came to know it was indeed Nihaal, when she arrived there he was unconscious and the doctors told her that they have given him anesthesia and will wake up in few hours and he is perfectly fine just had a minor operation with only two stitches, he will discharged till tomorrow. According to the experts the reason for his accident can easily be attributed to his was driving excitedly and exariration led to high BP so hence he lost control over the car and hit the car in the tree. Luckily the car didn’t hit that bad, though the car is damaged badly but due to modern safety equipments, his life was saved. Some pedestrians saw him and informed the police and the hospital so he landed up there.

All through this while when Anjali was talking to the experts and completing the formalities. Nihaal came into conscious and saw her.