Chapter 11
In the evening Maya called Aarti to give the Neik which girls got from Prashant. All the girls sat in the hall. Ishita told her that her share is 500 rupees. Aarti smiled weakly, she does not understand why she doesn't feel happy the way she used to be around her friends. She raised head only to find Yash standing there upstairs. He was looking at her only. She quickly looked away from him.
"Main Shivani se milke aati hoon." She decided to leave from there.
"Aarti, Shivani is not at her home, she is here upstairs in the new bhabhi room." Paridhi told. She was silent because she didn't want to go upstairs, she took Shivani's name just to leave from here.
"Kya hua Aarti? Ja mil le usse." Ishita shook her. Aarti nods and nervously leaves upstairs only to come face to face with Yash. She was about to walk away when he held her hand. She was surprised as he pulled her behind a pillar.
"Yash" She looked into his eyes. He stood almost touching her.
"I don't want to return to Mumbai." He told her then only she realised that it's him who is the reason for her sadness. She may not accept it but the truth is she doesn't want him to go anywhere.
"But why? I can't understand" He leaned his forehead to touch her head. Aarti closed her fist just to hold back the urge to hug him.
"Only a few days back I disliked the idea of coming here then why don't I want to leave this place?" Yash voices out his confusion.
"Mujhe kuch samajh nahi aa raha, kya hua hai mujhe" He leaned into her neck. She held her breath as his hot breath fanned on her skin, so many butterflies danced in her stomach. Yash inhaled before giving into his heart and placed his lips on her neck. She shivered with that simple touch. He closed eyes and held her slim waist in both hands only to nip the smooth skin gently then sooth the sensation by licking it.
"Yash" Aarti moaned, tilting head, feeling the sweet pain. His hands desperately went behind her back only to trailed kisses toward her collarbone. She arched back, liking the unknown pleasure which each of his touches gave her.
"I can't leave you, I just don't want to." Yash almost cried as he stepped back knowing what he just did was wrong. He still can't figure out what is all this he is feeling because all this while he assumed that he got a crush on her but now it's seem something deep and complicated. Aarti opens her eyes and finds him standing two steps away from her, looking at her with his wet eyes. Her vision blurred then only she realised she was crying as well.
"This is wrong." She mumbled before running away from there, and also from the new emotions which terrifying her naive heart.
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Next morning Aarti took a bath and stood in front of the mirror drying her hair. She noticed a tiny mark on her neck, and moved fingers on it only to remember last night, how Yash gave her this hickey.
"We don't even know each other." She was surprised with her own thoughts.
"Kisine dekha toh nahi hoga na yeh?" She applied some makeup on the love bite and came to the balcony. Yash was also sitting there on his balcony. Soon their eyes met but both stayed silent.
*******
In the afternoon Suraj shifted their suitcase to the car. Gayatri and Suraj take blessings of Suraj's parents. Aarti was watching them from her balcony. Yash came out of the house and touched feet of his Dada ji, Dadi maa and Maya bua. Soon Prashant took the driving seat, he is going to drop them to airport, three of them sat in the car and Yash looked towards Aarti's home only to find her there. She quickly moved back and went inside the room.
"Mujhe kyun achha nahi lag raha?" She lay in the bed.
"Why is it so tough to see him going?" She rested her head on a pillow and a tear escaped from her eyes as she heard their car engine roaring to life and soon the noise faded.
"He is gone" Her heart felt heavy.
********
Next day Aarti sat in her school garden. Her friends were chatting on some topic. Ishita notices that she is lost.
"Yash toh chala gaya hai ab sad hone ka kya matlab?" She teased her. Aarti snapped to reality with Yash's name.
"Now we need to take Yash's name to get your attention, wow nice progress" Shivani laughed so did Ishita and Paridhi.
"Who said I'm sad and that too because of that boy?" She angrily responded.
"Because you were really glowing in his presence, so now you should look for some new jiju for us, we don't like this lost Aarti." Pari says. Aarti glared at her.
"Yash jiju toh pardesi nikle, humari bholi bhali padaku friend ko sapne dikhake pardesh chale gaye" Shivani dramatically pretend to sympathies with Aarti.
"Will you all just shut up?" Aarti gave them a stern look.
"Ok" They said and the next second began to laugh. Aarti rolled her eyes and left from there. Their laughs die to see her walking away.
"I guess she is serious about Yash." Pari spoke.
"Mujhe bhi lagta hai" Shivani also feels bad for teasing her so much.
"I never saw her like this, sad and lost." Ishita also regrets now for troubling her.
"But what can we do?" Pari looked at Ishita and Shivani.
********
It's been a month since Yash was back to Mumbai and to his life, but he used to miss Bhopal and most was Aarti. Gayatri noticed Yash being annoyed most of the time.
One day Yash was at his friend's home.
"Yash I'm noticing you have changed since you returned from Bhopal" Prateek asked to see Yash not talking like he used to before going to Bhopal.
"Nothing is like this." Yash stared at his mobile display where his IG page is open.
"Prateek is right, you're not our Yash anymore who used to make plans for us about every little thing." Vivek agreed with prateek.
"I guess Yash fell in love with some girl there in Bhopal and now he is missing her." Vikas laughed. Yash thought went to Aarti.
"I fell in love?" He murmurs remembering how he used to love to trouble her and at the same time care for her.
"Really Yash?" Prateek was excited to hear something steaming hot.
"Yash don't run behind girls like you do." Vivek mocks prateek.
"Oh shut up, girls are like those hoors of jannat everyone should lust about." Prateek was eagerly waiting for Yash to speak something. The lust word angers Yash, he gets up and storms out of the house without speaking a word.
"You ruined his mood." Vikas lightly smacked prateek's head.
"Maine aisa bhi kya kaha tha?" Prateek made a small face.
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Precap: Yearning.
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