AsHlok FF~Love Finds Its Way~ Chapter 12 Pg 134 *up28May14* - Page 71

Originally posted by: .Farah.

No I haven't... My friend told me to watch it... I heard it's amazing!

I was going to watch last night... My dad shut the wifi

I'll try watching it tonight 😆

Who is mahira and fawad btw? 😕

Before i start, i would want to dedicate this update to

Farah ( .Farah.) for giving the best comment for the last update,

Linsie ( Linsie) for being the best reader.

and Lechu ( -LECHU-) for finally being back.😃

Precap:-

"You wanted to know the face i see before sleep every night?" He whispered in the huskiest tone she could have imagined. His hand instinctively found hers. There were so many emotions in the air, but she was not the only one radiating them. Splashes of another wave broke their trance. Astha realised the position they were in, sitting mere inches away from each other with her hand in his. His question ringed in her mind. A scarlet flame flushed across her cheeks. She got up immediately so did Shlok.

"It's getting late... i better go." She said in a haste and turned around to leave. Just when she was about to enter the main hotel block he called from behind,

"Astha?"

She turned around.

"You want to open your Shells?"

What was wrong with him? Was it the same Shlok Agnihotri?' She thought she would collapse. A slight nod was all she could manage.

"The Cafe." He said leaving for his room. Leaving a baffled Astha behind. She rushed towards the room not wanting to waste a trice. It was a dream she wanted to go on forever.

***

Chapter 10

Stay

Astha entered her room to find the same trademark bouquet resting peacefully on the centre table. The color this time orange. There were only a dozen or so this time and a note hanging too. Goodluck with the shell.' For a moment she kept staring at the note. It wasn't printed but the writing was exceptionally print-like. She tried recalling if she had seen it before. It did not belong to Shlok, she was pretty sure about it. But who else knew about it? It was mere minutes ago that he asked her if she'd open em, it wasn't possible for anyone to know that unless... She stopped midway. Perhaps it is really Shlok. It did not seem so, but she had to believe it. There was no other possibility. A faint, transient, wistful smile lit her face.

May be i'll ask him.' She thought and looked around for her bag to take out something sane thing to wear.

***

He was there sipping his coffee, perhaps the same bitter, black, his favourite Astha thought. He had his eyes fixed on the TV screen which had a live clipping of a tennis match. Astha made for the counter and asked for her espresso and a rod knife. The cafe guy eyed her suspiciously but dint ask her why she'd need it. Astha pushed the hair resting on one of her shoulders behind her back and made for the table he was settled upon. The farthest end of the empty hall.

"Arent you sleepy?" He asked, Astha's high spirits fell down; he was back to his usual grave serious self.

"No... i had enough sleep last night in your car." She said glumly. His eyes twitched for a while, met her for a fraction of a second, then drifted to the knife in her hand. He raised his brow, oh how he managed to do that.

"We wanted to open our shells na..." She explained the existence of the poor knife.

"Actually you wanted to." He said taking the knife from her. Women and weapons should be kept at a distance.

"But i collected one for you too..."

"So we have two disappointments in line..."

"I'm hopeful." She chimed.

"Even when it aint going to happen?"

She nodded, how invincible! He thought. She took a sip of her espresso, the cream lined to the sides of her lips; she leisurely licked it with her tongue like it was the most fun thing to do. She saw him observing her antics.

"You know the type of coffee you take define your mood." She told him. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"No, haven't read it anywhere..."

Meanwhile she took out the two little shells she had kept in her tiny purse and placed them on the table. Astha gzed at the two for a while trying to figure out which one to chose. Then very deliberately picked the brighter one and asked for the knife.

"Please, please, please!" She prayed before opening it. A wild vivacity was there in her face and manner. Shlok knew she was being excited without any reason. Who gets a pearl out of a shell lying out on a beach? It happens only on rare occasions, and this one wasn't one.

Astha skilfully placed the knife between the tiny opening and applied the necessary pressure. The shell came open in two pieces one in both her hands. She stared at what was inside it, and made a horrible face.

"yuck! What is this?" She stared at the tiny fleshy object with drops of blood in it and felt sick to the stomach. Shlok wanted to laugh.

"Welcome to the real world...Princess Astha." He mocked. She dejectedly tossed the thing on the table and placed the knife next to him.

"You try."

"Please! I don't want to see that thing again."

"You never know..."

"Whats wrong with you? Did you have hopes for diner?"

"Come one! Whats in giving a try?"

He shook his head and grabbed the knife and the little case and pulled it open in one jerk. Astha looked on interestingly.

"What the hell!" Shlok exclaimed. Astha stood up staring down at the covering in his hand, her mouth took to a full o'. She gasped for air.

"This is so beautiful!" She squealed happily.

"Its black!" He made an oh-gross face.

"So what?"

"I thought they were white."

"Noooh! There are these rare ones too... the black ones. You are not only lucky your the luckiest! Who could have imagined getting a real black pearl from the see?" She said in a trance. He kept staring at it for a while and then extended it to her.

"Here, you can have it! I don't want it."

"What? You don't want it? I will never take it from you! You just cant give it to anyone..."

"Your not..." He stopped midway as his cell phone rang. The number on the screen tensed him.

"hello..." The person on the other side told him something to which he stood up.

"Where are you rightnow?"

"Did you inform home?...Good!... don't I'll be there in the next four hours." The drive back would take one good six hours who was he telling that he'd be there in four hours? Astha thought.

"Everything okay?" Astha asked as he disconnected the call. He shook his head and looked for words.

"My dad got hit by a bullet... he is under operation. I need to go back." He said collecting his things from the table.

"I'll come with you."

"No.. you must be tired and you dint even sleep. You can come with others tomorrow."

"I'm fine, please."

He didn't insist after that. They took their leave and Shlok indeed made the six hours journey in four hours. It was night and the highway police must have been sleeping as no one came for them when the car zoomed at 170 miles/hour.

***

Outside the hospital ward, Shlok waited impatiently for the doctors to come out of the OT. Niranjan, his father, was hit only on the shoulder, while coming out of the air port two masked men came and stopped the car. One pointed his gun on NA and asked him to leave his belongings to him. NA told the driver to move. The goon pressed his hand on the trigger and he got hit on the shoulder.

Astha sitting right beside him, prayed silently for the health of his dad. The doctors came out and informed them that the bullet had been removed but he was still under sedation. Shlok relaxed a bit but the whole thing had stirred him to the core. He went with the staff as they shifted NA to the ward. Astha waited for him in the wards waiting room. A while later he came, for the first time Astha realised how traumatized he looked even though his father was alright now, his features never relaxed. A nameless grief had pulled him into its embrace. A sad inquery seemed to dwell in her gaze. His delirious wondering confused her. She couldn't help not notice his lost expressions as he settled down beside her.

"You should tell your family." She said still gazing at his vexed features. He nodded.

"The will be worried."

"But they need to know."

"I'll tell them in the morning... let him get back to his consciousness."

She nodded. A long era of silence passed.

"What's still bothering you?" She asked. He dropped his face in his hands but did not answer her. She waited for a reply but it seemed like he wont answer or did not feel like. She did not persist but something clasped her heart, she wanted to know what bothered him, try to pacify him, tell him things were okay now. But perhaps he didn't need it from her.

Astha realised it was close to morning now. She should go home soon. The sleepless night had tired her a lot and she wanted some rest too. But seeing him there she couldn't muster up the courage to ask for a leave. She got up to fetch herself a glass of water. As soon as she got up his hand caught hers. He did not look up at her while she stared down at him surprised by his gesture.

"Stay..." It was a mere whisper but she heard it right and then couldn't stop herself. She sat down near him and placed her hands on his.

"What is it?"

"i don't know...its just that ...what if he wasn't hit on the shoulder? What if he was hit somewhere else?... what if he wasn't saved..."

"Why do you think like that? Thank God he is safe and with us."

"I just cant afford to lose him...he is everything to me..."

"We didn't lose him.. he is here with us..." Shlok looked up at her. How easy it was for her to own him, why would she say WE dint lose him and he is here with US, who was he to her? Like everything he had was her's too. He didn't know why it comforted him a lot. Her being there reassured him, her words pacified him, and they felt real. Who is she? He thought. She gave him one of those heartening smile. Which said everything was back to its place, or soon would be.

***

Astha didn't leave after that. She sat there right next to him. Although weary and tired, she tried not to sleep but her eyes gave away. She fell asleep on the couch rather awkwardly. Shlok neared her, a sense of infinite peacefulness brooded over the place.

Why did she stay back?' His inside questioned him. I shouldn't have stopped her. She must have been tired.'

Shlok pressed the tiny black pearl inside his pocket. Perhaps things are not special but the people and happening associated with them are. He wanted to wake her up but could not help himself not doing that. He picked her up in his arms and took her to his car. She needed to have some sleep. He carefully drove her home. There he couldn't carry her inside what will he tell her parents, so he shook her up.

"Astha"

She stirred in her sleep but dint wake up. He called her again but she was the ghorde-baich-ke sonay-wali type. He had to shake her shoulder to wake her up.

"Astha, you are home...wake up!"

She woke up with a jerk, confused and startled at first then realising where she was things started settling down.

"How is he? Is he okay?" She asked suddenly worried.

"Yes he is okay... i came to drop you home. Go take some rest and don't come to office today...alright?"

"No..it's okay I'm fine. I'll come."

He shook his head, she had a habit of saying she was fine even when she wasn't.

"No, i have fired you for the day. Please don't come."

She laughed, was he being funny, She thought.

"That was straight... okay then bye!"

She got off, picked her bag and went inside. Kalindi pulled the curtain back and headed for the main door to open it for Astha.

***