||AsHlok SS~The Voice~ Chapter6 Pg62 Up*8Oct14|| - Page 10

Originally posted by: AshesToDust

working on our CC wanna have a look at the Draft?

Originally posted by: Sam_15

You done? 😃

Originally posted by: AshesToDust

yesh!😆 its simple though!😆

Originally posted by: Sam_15

Had a look...it's looking good ⭐️ Can we comment now or u want us to wait?

Originally posted by: AshesToDust

Wait for?😆 go kick start please

Originally posted by: miac

Such a lovely ss...grea t work suri.

Originally posted by: Jyoraj

Great start.

Chapter 2

Two years back we, A shifted to Istanbul. Sameer had been transferred here and the package included his family being shifted with him. It was a two years assignment; or so he said. Sometimes his lack of awareness of me being around frustrated me to the extents that I felt like putting him to a scaffold and reminding him of who I was. He was once a different person; someone I could like living with, a jolly good fellow. But that was only for few initial months of our marriage. He then drifted away so slowly that I did not realize until I was there where it was so hard to see him. We were getting to know each other and then it never went any further. Today we don't know who we are.

He never approached me physically... which was hell more frustrating than anything else I ever worried about. I wasn't that unattractive? Even after trying to pull him into our relationship... the marital one... I failed successively. He just never showed interest. And for that reason I thought he had distanced himself from me... he did not want me near him. I even went for counseling but to no use. Nothing worked on him. He came back home and spent his nights outside. I wondered if he had any sexual affair with any other women... but that seemed so obscure...if he ever wanted to have one he would first have one with his wife.

He always needed some time when I initially discussed it with him. And then I let it go. With that I suppressed the desire of having my own seedling in my arms... the one I could kiss and wobble endless. There was a stage when I dreamt of a sapling... My little angel... mostly a girl. I even pictured her in my mind... her nose sheen like mine and eyes... well no matter what her eyes remained like...like Shlok's. It made me laugh aloud...

Luckily Sohai was doing her masters at that time from Subanci University Istanbul... she would occasionally visit me and my brooding, menacing life.

"I have news for you..." She chimed on the phone that day.

"What news?" I asked trying to augment some excitement in my voice.

"Open the damn door..."

I went to open it only to find her standing immobile on the phone. I rolled my eyes.

"You could have used the bell..." I offered giving her space to enter.

"Only today a women passed out because her own house's door bell was short circuited...man I want to live." She told me grabbing soda from the fridge on her way. I rolled my eyes; she and her celebrated stories. Sometimes we used to consider them mere fallacies she would dig out from her imagination.

"Is that the big news?" I asked switching the TV off.

"I never said big... You imagine a lot Astha..."

I rolled my eyes; I was used to doing it so much around her.

"Pehle baitho.." She ordered. I obeyed and looked at her intently.

"Now don't look at me like that...I'll get nervous." She said putting the cushion on her face. I groaned and laughed.

"What are you So?" I giggled.

"I am So...Sohai!" She said proudly. Of all four of us So was the only one still the same and I wondered how could she be the same when so much had changed. But her being the same old Sohai...made me happy.

"So?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"I mean not So as in Sohai... I mean So as in So what is it?"

"Oooh! Why are you so curious? Expecting something?"

I laughed and avoided my trademark rolling of eyes. Something inside me churned. Sohai always gave indications before exploding a bomb and if she said something like expecting someone...that meant the news might make my stomach do cart-wheels.

"What is it?" I asked nervously. She sighed and I could see her grip around her soda can tighten.

"He has been transferred to Istanbul..." She whispered raising her brows taking in all of my reaction...which I suppose was mere confusion.

"Who?" I whispered and saw her eyes twitch as she looked back. That's her way of giving in. I suddenly felt paranoia over-taking me. But I wanted to hear it out from her. I shook my head... She sighed.

"Shlok and..." I did not need to hear more. I stared at her cup and the scarce amount of water vapors that had gathered around its spout.

"Are you okay?" Sohai asked me. Perhaps I did not respond because the next moment I found myself in her embrace.

"It's okay meri jaan..." She said and I smiled. It was like hugging your mother when you are about to cry and you are afraid to do it but not when you hide in her arms and do it furtively. She gave me that warmth. I had a mother, sister, healer all in a friend.

"His office is down the Istaqlal street near Jihan's Burger King..." Sohai told me. Jihan was an old class fellow we found once on our rekey when we were walking hand in hand one day at the Istaqlal street. He owned it as one of the food outlets to his long chain. We often met him trying to bring out a little reunion.

Sohai took me outside Shlok's consultancy that day; I was pretty happy and we were discussing Shlok and Hashir for God knows how long. I stared at the old edifice which in its core held him during the days and through its doors he walked out to his home. There was a subtle attachment with the building already.

"Let's see if he is around?" So offered. I froze at the mere thought of seeing him again. I started trembling and So immediately shifted beside me.

"Ummm may be some other time..."

And then for so many days I sat across the road, unable to cross over, instead I watched as he arrived in the mornings, left in the evenings and everything else in between. On the fifth visit I sat on the concrete steps, elbows on my knees, still across the road but right in front of his office. My fists were under my chin, staring at all the feet and legs rushing by on the sidewalk. I knew he would never know I was there in this crowd. I did not look up today, just as I didn't look up yesterday and the day before. Just saw his shoes and legs shove past others in the crowd. A pair of black shoes beneath black pair of dress pants crossed the road. They walked towards me. I expected them to pass by and enter through the door behind me but they didn't. One step, two step, three and they sat beside me.

I was afraid to look up but I had to. I looked up at him; we were face to face... I almost gasped seeing my virtual daughter's eyes in the man'ss in front of me.

"Hi..." He smiled.

"Shlok." I smiled back.

"Did you think this weak you could cross the road and move away from these steps and make it inside?" He asked. I laughed so he had been observing my slow transition from place to place every day. I shook my head. And he nodded.

"I was getting tired of watching you from a distance."

"Its easier to see things from a distance." I replied; he remained silent. One tiny droplet landed on the bridge of his nose. We stared at it until heavy droplets made their way from the heavens towards the beings on the land. He held out his rain-coat for both of us.

"I am sorry about Swati." I saw him gaping at the dry patch on the pavement. He never answered me.

"I am okay."

We laughed.

"How is Sameer?" He asked not looking me in the eye and I thanked God for that.

"He is okay." I imagined myself happy with Sameer and plastered a gleeful smile on my face, knowing he might still have a knack of knowing when I pretend to be happy. But he wasn't that perfect in this game; he had once been convinced I was happy being committed to Sameer and once when he was told he'd be happy with Swati. And I had deceived him on my wedding day; he had wished me all the happiness and later I saw all of my happiness fly away to some other foreign land where he was then assigned.

"Coffee?" He asked seeing me shudder.

We walked with coffees in our hands, under the brisk shade of the shops. I held the cup away in an attempt to have a proper sneezing session. He laughed aloud.

"You never got used to rain...you hopeless romantic!" He said amidst his laughter. I was about to respond back when his cell phone beeped. He didn't pick it but gaped at his watch.

"Oh.. I am sorry Astha...I have to leave" He was clearly in a rush. I nodded and smiled politely.

"Kavya must be waiting for me..." He said almost to himself. The name made me shiver.

"Who?" I asked.

"She is my daughter..." He smiled and brushed his hand past my cheek. I saw him leave and wondered if he was with me for real. He had a daughter, I tried remembering when Sohai ever told me about this; perhaps she did and I was never careful. Swati had left her daughter to him...why? She was never a heartless.

But alas he was not alone; the feeling at the revelation was originally alien but I decided to shadow it as my worries for him.