OS
May I come in sir?" Anokhi asked timidly, contemplating between what and what not to do.
Mrs. Devi Sabarwal, Kitty and Bebo had forced her to take the flowers to Shaurya's cabin on his very birthday. Anokhi was pretty sure that she was the last face he would want to see today because of what had happened in the hospital yesterday. She had overstepped her boundaries with him yesterday. She shouldn't have said as much as she did because at the end of the day, she didn't really know what had happened that Shaurya hated his own mother so much and it was not her place to interfere.
" Miss Bhalla, so you have finally figured it out how to irritate me again. Congratulations." This was Shaurya's sarcastic reply as he permitted her to enter.
" Sir, I don't want to say anything. I am just going to keep these flowers here and leave." She said, keeping the bouquet on the side of his table and was just about to exit his cabin when he stopped her.
" Miss Bhalla, wait for a moment." She heard Shaurya's voice and took a deep breath before turning around to face him.
" What does that woman and you think of yourselves? Does she think that sending a flower bouquet is going to solve everything and suddenly I will start acknowledging her as mother? And she didn't even have the courtesy to do this herself that she has sent her assistant to care of it?" He spat bitterly, taking a few steps towards Anokhi as she started to walk back.
" Sir, these flowers....." Anokhi wanted to clarify but Shaurya was not in a listening mood.
" Not a word. Not one. I am not going to hear anything about how that woman is great or how much she has helped you or what she means to you and I definitely will not be lectured by you on talking to her properly, do you understand Miss Bhalla?" He asked and he was so intimidating at the moment that all Anokhi could do was nod at him.
" Go and tell her that I am not interested in talking to her or listening to what she has to say. She made a choice 25 years back and I am making this choice now. I will have nothing to do with that woman." He said as he turned to the bouquet and in blindness of anger, took them and aimed them at the wall but it hit Anokhi instead who was standing a few steps behind him.
" Ahh." She cried a little in pain as the bouquet hit her face. She placed her hand on her cheek to assess the damage and found herself bleeding. This grabbed Shaurya's attention too as she started coming back to his senses.
" What is wrong with you sir? Why don't you ever try to listen to me once?" She shrieked at him, finally losing her patience.
" I am so sorry Miss Bhalla. I didn't do it intentionally." He said, trying to come towards her but she stopped him.
" Please don't come near me. You have already done enough." She spat angrily and took a step back.
" Let me fetch my first aid box." He said, and turned around to go to one of the cabinets. Anokhi, irritated, walked out of his office without uttering a single word. She didn't feel like explaining herself to him. If he thinks that those flowers were from Aastha ma'am and she gave it to him with the sole purpose of annoying him, so be it.
His ego, his misunderstand and him can live together for as long as they want. She doesn't give two hoots about it.
" Miss Bhalla...wait, stop." She heard Shaurya but had absolutely no intention to stop and talk to him so she decided to run away and so she did and kept running till she bumped into Babli who was here to help for Shaurya's birthday celebration. Pammi aunty wanted a pair of hands more for the arrangement and that is when Anokhi had asked her sister to chip in.
" Nikki....what happened and why are you running like this?" Her sister asked, scared.
" Nothing di. Let's go. We have done all the work anyways." She said, dragging Babli with her.
" Nikki....how did you get hurt?" She asked, stopping as she looked at Anokhi's cheek.
" Nothing di....just tripped in the garden and got stung by thorns. Come on now." She continued walking till they came face to face with Pammi who did not leave her because she needed hands for help during the party.
" Okay guys, just everyone please hide yourselves, Shaurya bhaiya is on his way to the canteen." Kitty shouted, coming to where Anokhi had decorated and she was arranging everything behind the counter.
She didn't really want to see Shaurya's face so she turned around and started arranging the plates.
" What is going on here? Who did this?" Shaurya got slightly irritated seeing the huge happy birthday board placed in the middle of the canteen.
" What kind of a jerkish person is he? The whole college and his own family has put in so many efforts to make him feel good on his special day but instead of being happy about it, he is sulking." Anokhi muttered to herself, keeping the last plate properly.
" HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAURYA!" Everyone sang, coming out of hiding.
She didn't think turning around. Who knows how he'll react to her here and anyways, she had no interest in looking at him, or so she thought.
" Badi maa...what was the need for all this?" He asked Devi Sabarwal who according to Anokhi looked like an evil hen.
Anokhi didn't bother listening to whatever she had to say as she started talking to her di.
" Di, have you informed jiju about us getting home late?" She asked her.
" Haan Nikki." Was her reply as she looked at the celebration happening there.
" Bhaiya....happy birthday! Did you like the flowers we sent for you through Anokhi? I hope she didn't mess up." Bebo asked Shaurya and he had a frown on.
" You both sent those flowers?" He asked, almost hesitant and Shaurya Sabarwal was never hesitant.
This grabbed Anokhi's attention as she turned a little to the side to see what was happening.
" Yes bhaiya and please don't tell me that she messed up that too!" Kitty sighed, making Anokhi roll her eyes.
" She didn't mess this up. I did." Shaurya muttered to himself, extremely guilty. Not that he wasn't already guilty enough about injuring her.
" Did you say something Shaurya?" Alok asked, looking at him and he nodded his head in a no.
" Okay then...let's cut the cake." Kanchan said, cominf forward and looked at Pammi aunty.
Where was Anokhi. Why wasn't she here with everyone? Shaurya thought and looked around to spot her in the crowd but didn't see her anywhere.
" Where are you Anokhi?" He muttered, extremely slow trying his luck once again to have a look at her.
" Anokhi...please get the cake here." Pammi called for her and here went all her plans down the drain to avoid Shaurya as much as she can. She turned around to ask her sister to do that but she was already gone inside the canteen to see the food preparations.
Just her damn luck.
She picked the cake, knife and candles and started to walk slowly towards everyone and she could practically feel Shaurya's gaze on her but she still avoided making any eye contact.
Placing the cake on the table, keeping the candles and lighting them, she started to leave but someone held her by her wrist. She turned around to see that it was Shaurya.
" Miss Bhalla, stay. You can leave after this cake cutting." He asked her as she looked at him quizzically.
Not wanting to create a scene, she gave him a quick nod and he left her hand, giving her a smile.
She then went to stand at the extreme corner behind Reema. Shaurya's eyes followed her and he felt himself being disappointed before he shook the feeling off.
As the cake was cut and the other students along with the Sabarwal family were having fun, Anokhi decided to go to the canteen to check on the preparations.
" Nikki, I'm leaving now. All of this is done. You help Pammi aunty serve and then eat before coming home. Okay?" Babli said, as she spotted her.
" Okay di. I'll be home soon." She replied as Babli left for home.
She helped Pammi aunty in serving dinner to everyone and all of it took about one hour to finish.
" Miss Bhalla, I am sorry." Anokhi heard Shaurya as she was finally having dinner after a long day.
" It's okay sir." She replied, not really in the mood to argue. She was tired.
" Why didn't you tell me that those flowers were from Kitty and Bebo and not from.....from that woman?" He asked, taking a seat in front of her. Everyone else had left and Pammi aunty was inside the canteen, winding up.
" Really sir? I didn't tell you? The truth is, you didn't even let me speak and just blasted at me. How was I supposed to tell you?" She asked, more like accused him.
He had no answer to it so he just sat down in silence, avoiding to look in her eyes.
I scoffed and got up from the chair, going to help Pammi clean up when she herself came to her.
" Anokhi, will you be able to manage cleaning up the rest without me? My son has hurt himself badly and I need to go to him." Pammi asked, panicking a little.
" OMG...is he okay? Is he gravely injured? And don't worry about here Pammi aunty. I will do it all. Yoh leave." She assured her, giving her a reassuring smile.
" Thank you so much beta." She said and gathering her stuff, walked away to the parking.
Shaurya was still standing near Anokhi and she looked at him.
" Sir, do you want anything?" She asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
He didn't say anything, like he was in some trance. Anokhi looked at him for five seconds before sighing and getting to work, cleaning up.
As she picked up litter plates and started dumping them in the dustbin, Shaurya begun doing the same.
" Sir, I'll manage on my own. No one should end their birthday cleaning. You should go home and spend sometime with your family." She suggested.
" I was four years old when she left me." Shaurya said. He didn't know what came over him as he started telling the most personal stuff to her. Something he had never shared with absolutely anyone but he wanted to speak today, wanted to be heard and wanted to be understood.
" Shaurya sir, you don't have to tell me any of this. I know that I crossed lines yesterday and should not have gotten between your family matter and I really am sorry for that. You don't owe it to me or anyone to tell this stuff too." Anokhi said, leaving the plate as she took a few steps near him.
" I know that but I want to speak. I want to tell you if you are up for hearing it." She replied, as he took some steps towards her too and looked at her in the eye.
She gave him a small nod and he gave her a small smile but there was nothing happy about it. It felt like a sad smile before he started picking up the glasses and stuff. She understood that he didn't want her to look at him while he said whatever he wanted to and she respected that so she resumed cleaning too.
" Dad, her and I were a very happy family before she decided to leave. We used to go out, have fun and enjoy. She used to love me as far as I can recall. Dad did too. He could come back from work and we would spend lot's of family time, bonding. Playing board games, football, basketball and cricket. Everything was going well until the day dad got into an accident and was in the hospital and that's when she decided to leave me.
Anokhi listened to each and every word carefully and she could make out that Shaurya's eyes were brimming with tears but didn't acknowledge them because had she been in his place, she wouldn't want anyone to know that she was crying.
" After she left, dad was never the same. Dad had cut off. He would just be in his room all day and I was not allowed to go in because he would either be passed out drunk or emerged in her memories. Badi maa and bade papa started taking care of me just like their own son. Badi maa would narrate me bedtime stories, bade papa would taken me down to school everyday. Chacha and chachi would pamper me but dad and that woman, they were no longer a part of my life. I was surrounded by so many people who cared for me and still I felt all alone.
This time, Shaurya sat down on the stair and Anokhi took place right next to him, still giving the space he needed and not making eye contact with him once.
Time passed, I grew up and grew up to hate that woman for what she did to me and to dad. I never disliked dad but I couldn't feel the same love for him anymore like I did earlier. He was just there in the house. That was the only presence of him in my life." He completed, sighing and then tilted his head towards Anokhi who had tears running down her cheeks. She really tried hard to not cry but couldn't help herself. Though it was dark, Shaurya could make out that she indeed was crying.
" Sir, this is not my place to say anything or make any suggestion of some sort but did you try to find out why she did what she did? " She asked Shaurya, wiping her tears and tilted her head towards him.
" That woman...." Shaurya continued but Anokhi interrupted him in between.
" Not right now sir. I don't want you to say anything that you might regret later. Think it over and try to seek answers from an unbiased person in this whole situation. You were four and that's all I have to say along with a sorry and thank you." She completed what she had to say.
" Why are you apologizing and thanking me? I should be saying sorry for what I did and thanking you for hearing me out with patience." He said as he pushed her hair away from her cheek to assess her injury.
" I am sorry for trying to interfere in matters I had no knowledge about and thank you for trusting me enough to tell me about this. I promise that each and every word that you told me will go to my grave and nowhere else." She promised him, giving him an assuring smile.
" I know that Anokhi." He said, placing his hand on her's which was lying on her lap.
She stiffened at the touch a little, breaking the eye contact to look away.
They sat there for a while and then went to wind up whatever else was left.
" Thank you for helping me out sir." She smiled at him as he put the last coke can in the trash.
" Now Miss Bhalla, it's your turn to help me." He said and extended his arm towards her. She looked around to see what exactly was he asking her to hand over to him.
Shaurya was flabbergasted at how magically unknown she was and yet, a smart one. Stiffening a laugh, he took her hand in his and started walking towards his cabin and made her sit down on the chair, picking the first aid box lying on his desk. Taking the antiseptic in a cotton, he tried to clean her scar before she dodged his attempt.
" No sir....not the antiseptic please. It burns alot. Anyways whatever infection has to happen will happen because I hadn't cleaned it earlier." She tried her best to avoid the antiseptic.
" Miss Bhalla, quit acting like a kid and let me help you." Shaurya said sternly as she gave him puppy eyes which didn't work on him. She was definitely right. He is Mr. Rude that's why he's immune to puppy eyes.
He brought his hand near the scar and slowly dabbed the cotton as Anokhi unknowingly help the sleeve of Shaurya's blazer very tightly and winced.
" Stay still." She heard him once again as her eyes were tightly shut.
" There you go. All done." He said, finally applying the ointment and then the bandage as she opened her eyes, realizing that she had a tight hold on his blazer, leaving it immediately, muttering a sorry.
Shaurya then drove to her place and before getting out of the car, she remembered the most important thing she had forgotten.
" Happy Birthday sir." She wished him as he stopped the car in front of her sister's place.
" Thank you Anokhi. I was wondering when you were going to say it." He joked, as the two of them chuckled, smiling at each other.
Hey guys, another OS. I hope you all like this one because I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. Please do review, it means a lot and motivates to write more.
Thank you so much for deciding to give it a chance.
See you soon,
Bye!!❤❤
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