Chapter 10

MuguetDScorpion

@MuguetDScorpion

[NOCOPY]Hi all,

I am suprised that you all loved my previous chapter but I am sorry this one is not that good.
In fact many of you will find the first half boring but for me it was necessary to make you understand Sai's point of you view about friendship.
The second part is about SaiRat but I don't know how you will take it. Happily and romantically in a positive way or awkwardly in a negative way.

Anyway, I hope it's still not that bad.

Thanks a lot for motivating me in each chapter.

Sai replied to the message : « Who is this ? And what do you want from me ? ». She paced up and down waiting for a reply. A few minutes later, the phone vibrated again. « If you want to know then meet me in an hour at the address I will send you. Don't worry I won't harm you. You are too precious for that. »

She didn't reply to the text message but received another one with the address. She didn't know what to do and paced up and down for half an hour. She was too curious but she also feared it to be a trap. She wanted to believe in him and decided to meet him. She walked down praying no one would be in the living room or no one would notice her leaving. Luckily Kaku was in her room and Ninad and Omkar were out for some work.

She reached the place and noticed it was abnormally unfrequented. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stay or run away. Just a few feet away she spotted a tree and without even knowing why, she walked towards it. A few pictures were hanging around the tree. She looked at them one by one. She was in all of them. The first one was taken on her thirteenth birthday. The second one was taken when she won her first dance competition at the age of twelve. The third and fourth were random pictures of her when she was around ten or eleven. The fifth one was one of the photoshoot pictures of her wearing a saree. All these pictures were clicked during her Aaba's posting in Satara. They lived there for five years during which she had the privilege to make her best childhood and teenage years memories but also one of the most painful. She rounded the tree, fearing to discover her tragic past and that's exatly what happened. She found a few more pictures and this time there was someone else with her. In one of them a little boy was hugging a little girl from the back. In another one both were sharing a trophy. A third one where both were celebrating Holi. And two other random pictures where they were making faces. She placed her hand on the tree to take support and breathe.

« I have hundred such memories. », a familiar voice came from behind the back.

She slowly turned around, not wanting to face the reality. A tall man was standing in front of her in his black hoodie, smelling the jasmine.

« Long time, no see and not even a hug. That's unfair. », he said after taking off the hood.

Sai for a couple of seconds forgot everything and excitedly opened her arms wide to hug him but stopped midway and stepped back. He looked hurt while she went back to being horrified. He was the one behaving like a stalker.

« Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome our next talent for a dance performance. Please, give a round of applause to Saurabh Wagh and Sai Joshi also commonly known as Sauru and Sairu. », he mimicked a host of a competition.

« Why Saurabh ? Why ? », a distressed Sai questioned him.
« I had to as you have forgotten me, Sai. You have abandonned me. You have left me dying in that hospital. », he accused her hurt.
« I did not abandon you. Your Aayi didn't let me see you. Your corrupted parents' didn't want a police officer's daughter near their son. », she shouted at him.
« No doubt. My parents have always been the worst people in my life but was your Aaba any better ? He kept you away from me because of my parents' wrongdoings. », he replied spiteful.
« He was just protecting me as a father. », she defended her Aaba.
« But this ruined our lives... no no wait... it ruined only MY LIFE. Because look at you. You don't even remember me while I lived only for us these last four years. », he said heartbroken.
« Stop ! », she closed her eyes. « You are my best friend, Saurabh, my only real friend. How can you even think that I can forget you ? I have suffered as much as you have. The difference is that I overcame my pain to give my life another chance and you lived in the past. », she said letting her tears stream down her cheeks.
« Have you suffered ? Because from where I see it, it doesn't look like you have. I have been separated from you. I almost died in an accident and when I needed you the most you disappeared. I got to know from the doctors that I can't dance anymore, the thing I was the most passionate about. And then I got to know that the person who was my world has moved on in her life, happily married. », he listed all the miserable happenings of his life.
« What does my marriage have to do with all this ? One day you too will get married. », she asked.
« That's the problem Sairu. Not even once you have questioned your heart about your feelings. You never tried to understand what I felt and still feel for you. », he said facing her.

Sai was taken aback nauseated by his confession. The guy she loved as her best friend gave a dirty meaning to their friendship.

« Don't call me Sairu when you have so much dirt in your heart. The only feeling I had for you was of a friend not more not less. That too you have ruined it by acting like a stalker and giving it another meaning. », she replied bitter.
« This was the only way I could confess my love to you. I love you so much. I always have. », he held her hands.
« Leave my hands. », she removed them hastily.
« Is it because of your husband ? Li.. listen it doesn't matter, we can still be together, like old days. Just leave him and come back to me. », he was about to take her into his arms.
She pushed him away and angrily said, « NEVER ! I will never leave my husband. Not for you, not for anyone else. »
« Don't do this to me, Sai. I have waited a long time for this day. », he begged her.
« Stop it, Saurabh, please. », she requested him.
« You know what ? Soon you too will realize that you love me. », he gave her a challenging look.

He looked at her with his eyes full of hope and put the hoodie back on before walking out of that place. Sai sat down leaned against the tree breathing heavily. She needed some time to regain control of herself. A few minutes later, she got up and teary eyed removed all the pictures from the tree.

She walked the streets like a lifeless body as her friend's betrayal was slowly getting imprinted both in her head and her heart. As soon as she reached home, she went to her room and let herself fall on the floor throwing away the pictures she was holding in her hands. After crying for some time she got up and went to the bathroom. She turned on the shower and leaned against the wall. Slowly sliding down to the floor, she let the freezing water run on her body. She hugged her knees and cried, unable to stop her entire childhood and teenage years flashing before her eyes.

Born in Gadchiroli, her Aaba and she didn't stay at the same city for long due to his job. She only had her Aaba and Usha Maushi in her life. Although she was friendly with all her classmates and the neighbors' kids, she always refused to make friends fearing from heartbreaks. There was no guarantee they would stay at the same place for more than one year or two. When she was ten years old, Kamal Joshi got posted in Satara. New school and new people, she met Saurabh Wagh, one year older than her. Son of a rich businessman and rude, all the classmates used to fear him. But Sai being Sai, she made sure he regrets his rudeness his entire life, that too during their first encounter inself. Sai herself doesn't know when they started liking each other from being mean to each other.

Everything started when both found a common pain : the absence of motherly love in their lives. Her mother died after giving her birth and his one died when he was three. Soon after his father married another woman who failed to love him as her own son. From a rude and loner, Sai turned him into a kind and fun loving person. They shared everything together as best friends, from the fun moments to the painful experiences. Their favorite pastimes were climbing trees and dancing. They won every dance competition they participated in. Their friendship was known in the entire neighborhood as Sairu and Sauru like they used to call each other.

Initially both the families didn't mind their friendship but later on Kamal Joshi found out the truth about the Waghs' wrongdoings. Mr. Wagh didn't like Kamal Joshi's determination to end his criminal activities. Both as parents decided to keep their children away from each other. Sai as an obedient daughter, respected his father's request. Saurabh on the other hand, decided to run away and meet her. On his way to her place, he met with an accident. She went to see him in the hospital but his stepmother didn't allow her. She even blamed her for his accident. Two months later, Kamal Joshi got posted back to Gadchiroli, her birth place. Before leaving she wrote a letter to him and gave it to one of their common school mates and asked her to give it to him when he will get better. He stayed in a coma for three months.

Once he got a little better, his father had sent him away to Canada. It took a few months for Sai to overcome his absence in her life. Then came Jagthap in her life and her mind shifted from a lost friend to an obsessed lover.

Sai was in the freezing cold shower for more than one hour, crying and shivering. The person she once loved like her own family betrayed her and destroyed her trust. Virat who could finish his work early, came back home. He didn't see Sai in their room and was pretty sure she was on the balcony again. Since their fight, the balcony has become her favorite place to study away from him. He was about to leave for the balcony when he heard the running shower. He walked to the bathroom and noticed the door was open. Hesitantly he went inside hoping she wasn't in an embarrassing situation but was shocked seeing her crying in the shower. He sprinted towards her, turned off the shower and helped her to get up.

« Sai ? Sai, what happened? », he shook her by the shoulders.

Seeing him she burst into tears while he looked at her helpless. She then closed her eyes and collapsed into his arms.

« SAIIIII !!! », he took her name while wrapping her around with his arm.

He touched her face, her neck and her hand and realized that her entire body was frozen. He dragged her out of the shower and made her sit down on the floor against the wall. He went to get her dry clothes from the wardrobe and came back. Sai being unconscious, he didn't know how to change her clothes.

« Bappa help me. », he looked up for God's help. « I am so sorry, Sai. Forgive me, please. », he apologized restless and uncomfortable about the idea of undressing her.

He took her dupatta and blindfolded himself. Unable to see anything, it was quite difficult to undress her, dry her body with the towel and make her wear dry clothes. He was anxious about touching her inappropriately and worried about how to explain to her later why he had to do all of this. Once done, he removed the blindfold and quickly changed his own wet uniform. Her body was still cold. He carried her up in his arms till the bed and laid her down. He called the doctor then intertwined his hands with hers to warm her up without rubbing them. Then he pulled her up against him and hugged her gently to warm up her body with his.

« Sai, what have you done to yourself ? », he asked to himself desperately.

Holding her in his arms, he looked at her lovingly then pressed his forehead against hers, begging her to wake up. His phone vibrated. He laid her down back again and picked up the phone. It was the doctor waiting outside the house. He ran downstairs and received him.

The doctor diagnosed it as a mild hypothermia. He did what he had to do and instructed Virat what he should do. After he left, Virat thought what went wrong with her. Why was she crying before fainting and why was she in the shower ? He called the officer who was appointed to guard Sai and asked him if everything went well. He informed him that nothing alarming happened. After the call he went to bed and for the first time since she started the wall of pillow there wasn't any pillow separating them.

In the middle of the night, he got woken up by her sleep talking. « I didn't leave you. I didn't abandon you. », she kept repeating and shivering. He went closer to her and covered her body with his blanket wondering whom she was talking about.