Chapter 4

eternal

@eternal

Our relationship was lovely, full of love and life. Everyday I'd pick up my phone and call Kripa, to hear her melodic voice and would end my day with the same melodic voice. Months went by and nothing changed except I began to feel my love for her grow deeper and deeper, I respected her, I loved her and I acknowledged the fact she was my best friend and my life. Of course, my growing feelings for her were not oblivious, I was sure she knew I loved her, I mean, mom and dad knew I was in love, for goodness sake the mailman across the street new.

Falling in love was a big thing for me, but I knew I could always accomplish everything with her by my side. I sighed dreamily and waited for her to finally arrive at Chand Caf where I awaited her arrival. Hours later, she sat in front of me with her hair in a bun, a strand left out that curled itself down to her neck, a light shade of lipstick on her lips, a bright blue eye shadow on her eyes enhancing her beauty and dressed in a gorgeous blue Indian suit.

I gathered the courage to speak, and only found myself voiceless, goodness when was it this hard to talk to Kripa? Just yesterday she had said I talked too much and now here I was speechless. Kripa understood my predicament, and spoke.

"Angad" I nodded, "I have to leave for Rajasthan this week; I was hoping that you could give me a leave from week. Is it possible?" I smiled weakly.

"Kripa, do you really have to leave?" I asked hopelessly.

"yes, I do Angad!"

"hmm, I am your boss, and I have the right to not let you go, you informed too late and its not possible to let you off leave, if you leave then how will my assistant do the work, how will I go through this week without you there, who will force me to eat, who will I stare at when….I mean I uh…." Kripa chuckled slightly and battled her eyelashes at Angad.

"Angad, you can't do this little thing for me, not even once?" Kripa asked adorably, taking my breath away. I cursed slightly under my breath, why was she so good at manipulating me, and making me go ever more crazy with her puppy dog face. "Fine Kripa but just this one, but only if you call me everyday! Otherwise you are not going, samjhi!" 

Sulking I walked into my room, the office I mean, and sat down at my desk. Staring blankly at my computer screen, I moaned in dissatisfaction on finding black coffee next to my computer. I really needed Kripa here to help me handle all of this, she knew all my likes and dislikes, and now I had to go back to living my old life for a week without her, why was she doing such a cruel thing to me? I asked myself.

Hours later, I walked out of my office room, having accomplished nothing today, all my files still stacked on my desk, the computer empty with no inserts, my cold black coffee still sitting there and of course the window drawn. Life was pretty much empty without Kripa. I took a deep breath and walked down towards my car.

The day was over, the night was still to come and Kripa had not called yet, why and how come she hadn't called. I was mad, she said she would call it had been 5 days and she hadn't called, two more days without hearing her voice and I was sure I would loose my mind. Just then the phone rang, "hello?" I answered rather asked anxiously hoping to hear Kripa's lovely voice.

"A..angad, main hoon Kripa, k..kaise ho tum?" I frowned in confusion, something was wrong, her voice was full of panic and fear. "Kripa, what is wrong?" I asked worried. Her breath became uneven, a loud tapping noise came from the back, that's when I knew it, Kripa was in danger. I started my car and drove off like a maniac after the phone call ended.

Rajasthan here I come. Kripa was not in good condition, and it was up to me to go and save her, like superman.

I wandered the roads in Rajasthan, glancing around hoping to find Kripa here or there, my eyes anxious to see her safe and sound, and then as I was walking by the road, I found a familiar face lingering through the streets and avoiding contact with me. I rushed towards the person, and grabbed them by surprise, the person turned around, it was none other than Kripa, all disheveled and bruised.

Panic struck me, what had happened to Kripa? What was wrong with her? Why was she in such a condition? Had someone done something to her? I took her arm softly and walked over to our car, she sat down quietly as I drove off, my silence full of anger seeing her in such pain.

I stopped just outside of Rajasthan, and waited for Kripa to speak. Moments later, rather ages for me, she opened her mouth and began speaking, only to bite back her lips from tearing up. I glanced at her as she continued talking. "Angad, I don't ever want to see you again, go away from here, save yourself, please if anything happens to you, I'll die!" I looked at her surprised.

"what makes you think, I will ever leave you, I have loved you, damn it Kripa I love you, do you think I will ever leave you!? If you do, you are wrong!" I hollered back, my voice full of anger. "I'm sorry Angad, but I want your safety, I don't want you to be harmed at all!" I glanced at her "your silence hurts me more than anything, not hearing your voice hurts me more than anything, if there is anyone who has the ability to hurt me than that person is sitting before me. Now Kripa tell me what happened to you, NOW!" my voice grew louder by the second.

I felt Kripa grasp the edge of her seat with my increasing voice, I melted, she was frightened and I had no clue why. I reached towards her but she pulled away and finally spoke.

"Angad, six days ago I landed here in Rajasthan, happy to see my entire family. Someone had phoned me that my aunty ji was sick, she is like a second mother to me so I quickly got here as fast as possible to check on her health. When I got here I learned that aunty ji had moved to Ludhiana six months back, I didn't know of the news….and that's when my life turned upside down. I was walking down the street hoping to find aunty ji's old house so I could spend the night, instead, someone grabbed me from behind and threw me into a car.

I was taken to a dark room, where a man dressed in white came from behind the shadows, he lingered near me like I was his prey. I was scared Angad, I screamed for help but no one was there to help me. The man just continued laughing at me, and I just laid there helpless. I tried Angad, I tried I ran for the door, but I heard the man laugh at me, I banged the door but it never opened. Whoever the man was walked near me, I turned around and he grabbed me by the hair, and through me across the bed.

He kept saying, how I had driven him crazy, over the past few months. That I had made him lustful towards me, my body driving him crazy the first day we met. How he wanted me, but you had saved me Angad. The light finally went on and I realized it was Prithivi, he felt different, like a predator. I screamed at him to leave me alone but instead he pounced on me. He ripped my blouse of my shoulder, pulled off my necklace, yanked my blouse from below my chest. He ripped my skirt apart, Angad! That that Prithivi took advantage of me, he forced himself on me, I tried pushing him off but he was too big for me. My screams had no affect on him, instead he slapped me and continued on with this sin. I am ruined Angad, I am ruined" Kripa screamed as she ran away from Angad towards the tree.

Angad stood ten feet away from Kripa, anger, hatred, all evil emotions took over him, he wanted to kill that bas***d, for touching his love, how could that… "that bas***d is going to pay!" my voice trailed throughout Rajasthan, coldly. Some thing told Kripa that it was going to be over, someone would loose their life, she turned around to stop him but he was already gone. 

I approached Prithivi's house in Rajasthan, I should have known that bas***d, he owned a house here and had taken a leave before Kripa decided to leave. Angad barged into Prithivi's house, angered with what he had done. He grabbed him by the collar, and began beating him, of course Prithivi had beaten him back, in the end the police came and arrested both of them. Kripa ran after the police men and screamed let him go, you should arrest this man, he has done such a sin.

Angad was led back home after his fight, with a bleeding lip, a bruise here and there. Kripa opened her mouth to speak about cleaning his wounds when Angad's phone rang, "WHAT?" I hollered into the phone. Kripa glanced at me worried. "Main abhi aata hoon, nothing will happen to mom." I turned around and glanced at Kripa, "let's go Kripa, mom isn't fine, she is in the hospital, let's go back home." she smiled at me and followed behind me.

I opened the door and found Amit uncle standing before me worried. I glanced at him surprised he was here and back at Kripa. 

I was back at home in the hospital, I had to leave Kripa back in Rajasthan, as Amit uncle said he was there for a couple of days and would take care of her. I was worried at first but then understood he was her father and would be there for her. The day went by anxiously I was worried, I had called Kripa many times but she never answered…and then I was called to her house.

I drove like a maniac to her house hoping she was back home and safe, and happy to know that maybe today I would be able to tell her I loved her although so much had happened to her, I would love her unconditionally, but instead before myself I found her dead….so lost in the pain of having lost her, I failed to notice Prithivi comforting me.

Back to present: The fire had been burned out, my life had been lost along with her in the fire, my heart had forgotten to beat, my lungs had forgotten how to breath and my mind had totally shut off. Life without Kripa was impossible, I loved her too much to loose her. I sat there and felt my eyes become heavy, as I breathed my last breath and died….

NEXT PART: 8 years later…and 22 years later…and introduction of Armaan and Riddhima