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Aazu, take your time dearie, no hurries becos we know what we get finally will be an update to relish
Loves ❤️
Not very much exactly decided... But around 15-20 years later...😊When are they going to meet again? after how many years?
Okay! I know it took me long!
I am sorry...
here's chapter-1...
Slightly shorter, and without proof reading...
Bear me guys!😆
Enjoy Reading...
CHAPTER-1
Nidhi stood by the open window of her two bedrooms flat, sipping on to her self-prepared tea... The brightness outside and the breeze flowing in did not encourage her to switch on the light and fan inside... Her mind speaking to herself, as if they knew what to talk... "Lucknow doesn't looks the same..."... Nidhi had returned to this birthplace of hers after some 15 years... Alone this time... Her family had shifted to Kanpur after her break-up with her only love Ashutosh... She looked around the semi-furnished house... Her luggage kept as it is with some of the needful things brought carefully out... She did not even wished at the time being to pull off the sheets covering the furniture...
Nidhi's thought process took a halt, with her cell phone ringing... It was Rohan, the owner of the Publishing House she has been working ever since as the literary critic of the publishing house, and a good acquaintance to Nidhi... He knew about her arrival to Lucknow... She picked the call up, and after her hello was his quick reply- "Nidhi ji, Since you have left Kanpur, do you intend to work for our Capital city Lucknow Branch?"... Nidhi breathed a heavy breath- "Rohan, aur karungi bhi kya phir..."... "Great! Nidhi ji, we are having a felicitation for a celebrated writer today evening... I am mailing you excerpts from his latest best seller book... I need you to prepare a critical analysis of his writing, and read that out in the ceremony... Meet you there sharp at 5 pm... Bye..." and the call was disconnected... Nidhi kept the phone aside on the side table and drained down the remaining tea down her throat, and went in to get her laptop...
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Nidhi opened her dried hair tied in a loose bun, and brushed them... The hair looked slightly wavy and softly curled... She adjusted the pallu of her navy blue saree, and looked at herself in the mirror... "Blue! Ashutosh's favourite colour..." If the colour blue was a brand, Nidhi was its ambassador... Each and every shade of blue was in her wardrobe till few days back and now stuffed in her suitcase... And those naturally wavy hair... She did not feel like ironing them straight... Ashutosh loved her luscious straight hair... Now there's nobody to be looking so perfect for...
Brushing the thoughts aside, Nidhi made sure, she took the printed critical analysis of the best seller, and read it once... "Oops! I hadn't ask Rohan who this celebrated writer is... Will do that first thing reaching there..."
She grabbed her purse, cell phone, important papers, and locked the door walking to an already waiting cab she had called to be driven away to the venue!
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"Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your hands together for the celebrated writer of the evening, Mr. Ashutosh Mathur..." Rohan said over the podium as the man in the gray suit, navy blue shirt, and greyish blue tie stood upon the stage from the sofa to smiling to greet the gathering... Rohan continued again- "To give you a better insight into the best seller book you all are so excited about, we have our esteemed Literary Critic Miss Nidhi Verma... Please come up on stage Miss Verma..." Rohan left the podium, and in walked the steps of the stage, the lady draped in the navy blue saree... Was it just the co-incidence or the talk of the hearts, that the two people, the honour receiving man and the critically honouring lady were yet again complimenting each other's attires with the same colours, even after 15 long years...? Nidhi stumbled on the last step with her saree getting caught under her footwear, but recovered quickly before causing any damage, but her eyes didn't refuse to notice the instinctive move with which Ashutosh had tried to balance her just in case she falls...
Nidhi's heart had started pumping with accelerated speed hearing his name again for real, and world seemed stationary seeing him infront of her eyes... Oh how long has she waited to see him again if life permitted... Seeing him now, and that too all achieved in her life, was a dream come true for her... Before she lost control over her emotions, she averted her eyes immediately and walked to the podium... "Ladies and Gentlemen..." Nidhi began addressing...
"Ishq tera beintehaa mehenga pada yu zindagi ko, ki umar lag gayi keemat chukaane mein...
Main paayi-paayi jutaata raha uss beshqeemti tohfe ke liye, warna mazaa kahan aata usko churaane mein..."
The melody in her voice had turned awed to being proud of the couplet written by her love... Wasn't that kind of describing their own story...? She continued giving her critics, and congratulating the esteemed writer for his fabulous work... Both kept on professionally, the world rejoiced at the wonderful ceremony, but just the two hearts knew, they were physically present there; their hearts and minds were in the pasts and the hardly knowing presents... All they wanted was this pompous ceremony to over to relieve them to their present to be able to talk to that ever waiting persons...
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Nidhi pulled the straps of the 3.5 inches heels, and picked them both in her hands and started walking barefooted on the sandy banks of the river Gomti, with Ashutosh bemusedly looking at her and then laughing a heart smile- "Tumse aaj bhi heels nahi pehni jaati... Pehenti hi kyu ho jab sambhaali hi nahi jaati? You anyways cannot come to my height..." He teased her like he always did, and she instantly spoke like her swear words she had always spoken to him from the bygone years- "Ashutosh, I do not need to come to your height... Kad lamba hone se insaan bada nahi, dimaag se bada hota hai..." She spoke hitting her fingers on her temple... And both of them laughed their heads off remembering their old conversation, and both plopped down to the semi wet sand uncaring of the expensive clothes they wore...
After a few minutes their smiles died down, when Ashutosh finally asked- "Aaj lucknow kaise aana hua? Tum toh kahin aur chali gayi thi... Kab tak ho yahan?"
Nidhi's smile died out too, as she tiredly spoke- "Ab Lucknow mein hi rahungi... Kanpur chodh diya..."
"Oh! Toh tumhari family bhi yahin shift ho gayi hai?" Asked Ashutosh rather casually...
"Family! Kaun si family? Huh!" Nidhi gave a sarcastic laugh...
Ashutosh sat straight seeing her kind of bitter... But decided to stay mum, until she speaks... And so she did rather quickly...
"Baba couldn't survive the heart attack seeing me so broken after separating from you, and Dadi Bua rather forced me than insisted on getting married to a guy from Jhansi... Tired of the drama unfolding, I had to ask for protection against forceful marriage, restraining any of my family members forcefully marrying me until I wish for... And seeing me so adamant, Dadi buaa too quit the world with her age not bearing any more stress... Bhaiyya and Bhabhi were rather happy to have me as a baby sitter, taking care of their kids, teaching them, being guardian to them while they work ... And I kept working as a Literary critic side by side..."
"Par ab? Tumhare bhaiyya-bhabhi?"
"They no longer need a baby sitter..." Nidhi laughed "Bachhe ab bade ho gaye hain... They are free for life... Unki buaa ne unke addictions ko pakad liya toh bas, ab buaa nahi chahiye..." She had a far away look while she continued- "Bhaiyya-bhabhi ne meethe shabdon mein keh diya ke I should find a place for myself... So since I have nobody for myself to be calling a family, I am free... And back to where I want to..."
Nidhi smiled to herself as well to a ruefully smiling Ashutosh, looking at the setting sun behind the horizons of the river...
~~**THANKS FOR READING**~~
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