===chapter 24===
Both Abhijeet and Tarika's eyes remained open in horror as they were both looking at the college website. It had a particular picture of them from their picnic during that time when Abhijeet just came out if the shower and fell right over Tarika. They were so shocked and lost at that time that they did not realise someone's presence outside the door.
" How do you want to explain this Dr Abhiheet?" The principal's voice brought them to reality but none of them could look up. Tarika felt like the ground was moving away from under her feet. She closed her eyes in fear and shame. She felt like she could not and she should not sit there anymore, but she couldn't find any energy to move. She was about to lift her head but she didn't find any energy for that either.
Here Abhijeet was in the same situation. It was true that he was famous for being arrogant, boring and damn serious but it was also true that he also had a reputation for being an honest and good person. He was also not able to look up either at the principal or Tatika. He tried to look at Tarika from the corner of his eyes. He had kind of a hint who could have probably done something so cheap and why. He was feeling angry at the suspected person and also at himself for bringing this on Tarika. Suddenly something caught his eyes when he was taking a look at Tarika with the corner of his eyes.
Abhijeet slowly took her left hand in his under the table, which made her look at him now. She looked at their hand and was surprised at what he was signing her to do.
...
"Dr Abhijeet?"
The principal's call made him look at him with a jerk.
" You should explain first I think." The principal continued as Abhijeet was looking at him.
" Fiancée."
Escaped his mouth. This made Tarika look at him with a jerk. His word made sense to what Abhijeet was just signing her to do. When she looked at their hand, he was flicking her finger ring signing her to take it off. She silently did so and he hold her fourth finger and started tapping on it with his finger. Not knowing what she herself was doing, in her subconscious mind, she put the finger on her fourth finger in a hurry without wasting a single second.
" Jee?!" The principal asked confused.
Abhijeet who just uttered the word seemed dumbfounded at his own word and was trying to gasp the situation. All possible grounds crossed his mind at once that what future it would bring for both of them. At this stage of Tarika's study and his own confused life, Abhijeet looked at Tarika once who was looking at him. But her eyes were hard to read at that moment. Maybe her eyes were expressing a mixed emotion of all the emotions a human being can contain. He pressed his lips and looked back on the ground. For one last time he let everything go and closed his eyes for a second. Taking a deep breath he said,
" Fiancée. She is my fiancée." While saying this he hold her left hand up showing it to the principal which had a ring on the fourth finger.
" Is that true Ms Tarika?" The principal now asked Tarika who didn't know what to reply. Abhineet looked at her and understood it was difficult for her to say anything at that moment. He started at her for a few moment trying to read her expressions. How is she going to react. Is this going to make her feel that she is sacrificing her self respect by saying yes? Because saying yes also includes saving Abhijeet's reputation. And he said that without her approval which might make her hate him now. May be? If one sees rationally, this is a revenge against him and she fell in the middle. Why would she forgive him anyway?
Here Tarika was being nervous now. How the students are going to react to this against her, whether she can have a normal college life for the rest or not..A photo of that kind has already been published on the college website. She needs time more that anything to gasp the whole situation. Not once in her entire life, she has ever been in a relationship and unlike her classmates, she has never had to deal with such rumors of being seen with more than one boy or in any offensive situation. He educational life had just one 2 more chapters only, and now...
" Sir, I think she is too shocked right now to...
" Yes." Her voice made him stop in between his sentence and both pair of eyes looked at her now.
' It's..it's true sir. It's just I am too shocked to say anything because of that photo sir. It's a too personal photo which never should have been clicked but it has been, and it's also published so I'm a little...
" "Since when?" The principal asked and they both looked at him .
"Since when are you both engaged?"
Abhijeet was unable to utter anything. She already did him a huge favour by being involved in his plan to get out of this mess. Of course he would only marry her. But they were not even thinking about that now. For now, being engaged was just a part of plan. He was feeling too embarrassed, to say anything else without her permission.
" Since..since the starting of my second year sir." Calculating all the grounds, she replied carefully.
The principal was now looking at both of them and they were both looking at the ground now. He thought for a moment. Getting up, he went near the student records cabinet and took out a file from the 2nd year row which name was easy for Abhineet and Tarika to guess. He wandered around the room for a while with the file and came back to his seat keeping the file on his table closing it. He looked at them with a serious face with expressions hard to read.
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...
" ye keya!" Purvi shouted at the top of her lung which made the almost asleep Daya jump on his car seat and he sat straight.
" Keya hua? Aise gorila ki tarha chiki keun?" Daya asked in annoyed voice thinking she might be screaming over some celebrity news again.
" Y..ye...ye toh Ta..Tarika aur bha..." she could hardly speak seeing the picture which is the hot news of their college page.
" Abey keya Tarika or bha?!" Hearing her incomplete sentence Daya asked confused and snatched her phone. Seeing the opened page he could not believe his eyes either and kept staring at the screen in disbelief. The only thing he could recognise was the room he and Abhijeet was staying in for their vacation.
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...
" Aab jo hogeya so hogeya. Aapke subjects pe MS Tarika ke grades dekhke lagta toh nahi ki usme aap donoke rishtey ki koi effect hai. Likin aaj se aap ke subject ki Ms Tarika ki papers koi aur Dr handle karenge. Aur toh aur assignments bhi. Issey aapka bhi reputation jitna hai banay rahega aur Ms Tariks ka bhi. Aur main college website pe aap donoke rishte ki baat publish kar deta hu. Aab ye toh mujhe karna nahi thaa, likin situation aisa hai ki karna padega. But can anyone of you explain why and how your personal photo is on the college website?" The principal said and finished talking with the question.
" I am guessing this is about a personal revenge against me sir. " Abhijeet said looking embarrassed?
" Then solve your personal matters personally Dr Abhijeet. Take help of the law if needed if it's a mater of old revenge. This should not repeat twice and..
Stopping for a while the old principal said " stay careful and take care. You both may leave." The principal said and got busy in his own work.
Both Abhijeet and Tarika cane out of the principal's room. Tarika sat on the nearest bench immediately as she was still too shocked from all that just happened. Abhijeet came and stood near her. Unable to say anything, he just stood there. To him, her reputation mattered more than him. Being engaged does not mean it is okay for the whole college to her in such a photo. He was gathering all his courage to speak something and that moment he felt something slipping inside his hand. Looking at his hand, he found her holding his hand and soon her grip became firm. She was looking at the ground, and still her expression was hard to read.
Sighing, he got on his knees to reach her eye level. She looked at him now but didn't say anything.
" Tarika, main samajh raha hu ki tumpe keya bit rahi hogi. I'm sorry Tarika. Mere waja se tumhe yesab...
" Aapke wajase nahi." Tarika said in the softest voice ever. May be she understood too how he was feeling.
" Tarika.." Abhijeet said with a worried expression.
" Abhijeet, aapke keya kasur hai ismai? Aapne kiya keya yesab? Galti uske hotey hai jo galat kam karte hai. Aur aapko pata tha keya ki koi tasveer khich raha tha? Aapko patha tha keya ki ye honewala tha?" She asked holding still his hand.
" Likin Tarika Shruti ki jo bhi issue hai mere sath hai. Aur ab mere waja se tum bhi uski...
" Aab se aapke problems mere problem hai. Aur rahi baat aapke sath problem ke waja se mere uske nazar mai aa jana..Jab tak aap mere sath hai, main samhal lungi saab. Aap baas itna wada karo mujse ki, baas mujhe chodhke nahi jaoge aap. Aur aab se,aapke problems meri, aur meri problems bhi aapki. Koi aapni problems akele nahi hamdle karenge. Dono milke saab eeksath handle karenge." Tarika said and smiled.
" Tarika tum" Abhijeet couldn't say anything further.
" Han, aur hum bhi toh hai na sath! Sab sath mai rahenge toh aise eek keun, daas shruthli bhi tum donomai se kisika kuch nahi bigar sakta." Looking at the source of the voice they found Daya and Purvi walking towards them. Purvi came and sat beside Tarika giving her a side hug and she gave a soft smile.
The 4 of them were disturbed by the ringing tone of Abhijeet's phone. It was an unknown number. He looked at them and picked up the call.
" Hello." He said in a voice of a cop who knows that he is talking to the culprit.
" Toh batao, surprise kaise laga" A cheerful voice came from the other side.
" Arey Mrs Shruti, aap hee ke call ka intezar karrahey thaey hum. Der kar di bohot aapne toh." Abhijet said in a jolly voice making 3 of them look at him.
" Accha? Sach? Wow. Toh batao keya batana hai." Shruti on the other side tried to sound jolly this time as she was expecting an angry Abhijeet.
" Han ji. Aapko bohot badi khush khabri jo deni hai. Aap toh special hai. Specially ye news dena tha aapko. Isliye baas. " Abhijeet continued in the jolly voice.
" Accha? Batao na aab jaldi. Mere toh aab baas nahi sehe raha."
" Meri shaadi ke invitation dena tha aapko ji. Aapne toh advance gift de diya. Ab main invitation de raha hun. Sorry invitation tofey ki baad deneke liye." Abhijeet said still in the previous jolly mood.
" Keya?" Now Shruti's voice sounded a bit surprised and shocked.
" Han ji. Likin aap tension maat lijhiye. Aapke paas toh VIP invitation card bhi jayega. Baas saab thik hojaye. Aab phone rakhta hun ji, wo mere honewai biwi bularahi hai. Badi peyar se bularahi hai ji. Nahi jaunga toh naraz ho jayegi phir. Aab rakht hun thik gai. Aur han, thanks for the surprise. Bohot acchi surprise hai. Byeee. " Abhijeet said and hung up the phone without giving her a chance to speak.
" Tum toh badey nakhre se baatey kar sakte ho bhai. Aaj oehki baar dekhrahi hu tumhe aise baatein karte huye. " Daya said trying to supress his laughter.
" Abhi bohot kuch dekhna baki hai bacchu. Galaat insaan se panga le liye hai isne tph. Aab dekhegi ye Abhijeet koun hai." Abhijeet said while keeping his hands on both his hips.
Trying to enlighten the environment and to divert her own mind Tarika said " likin aapne kuch zyada peaar se baat nahi kar li keya uss aurat se. " sayoling she crossed her arms near her chest.
" Arey Tarika ji, maaf kijhiye ga, aap jo kahe. Aj ke baad phir kabhi nahi hoga ji." Abhijeet said sitting on support of his knees again which made Tarika smile.
Here Shruti was just staring at her phone. Of course she was rather expecting an angry pissed off and lost Abhijeet. She was also expecting she would get the news that Tarika got so angry and now because of her Tarika left him. She looked up and threw her phone with a scream.
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...
Abhijeet was standing in the terrace. He was lost n his own thoughts. The strong smell of coffee broke his trance and the next moment he saw Daya holding out his coffee mug. Giving him a smile he took it.
" Shruti ke mamle ke barrmai sochrahe ho?" Daya asked standing beside him.
" Tarike me baremai." He replied and took a sip.
" Wo kehe sakti thi ki mere waja se aaj use wo sab sehena pada, mere waja se college mai reputation kharab hogeyi, mere waja se mere personal mamle mai wo phas gei, mere waja se sab, likin usne...He stopped and bend his head down.
Daya kept a hand on his shoulder and said, "Bhaiya, Tarika jo bhi samjhi, dil se samjhi. Jo samajhdar hai wo samajhti hai, humesha samjhegi. Aur tum khudko blame keun karrahe ho? Tumhare waja se kuch nahi hua. In fact, nothing has ever happened becuase of you to start with. Shruti mai samajhneki kabiyet nahi hai. Agar hota toh wo aise nahi karte kabhi. Jo kabhi samjhi nahi, uske karwa ke liye tum aapne aapkp aise kosho maat Abhijeet. Bina waja khud dukh paoge baas. Hum saab hai na eeksath, Shruti kuch nahi humare samne. Hmm?" Daya said with his hand still on Abhijeet's shoulder.
Abhijeet looked at him for few moments and smiled. " kabhi kabhi lagta hai ki tu bada bhai hai mera."
" Han wo toh kabhi kabhi hona padhta hai na. Aur tum toh buddha hote ja rahe ho, toh log jitna burapan mai jata hai utna baccha ban jata hai, tab chotey ko bada banna padhta hai na. " Daya said in an obvious tone and took a sip from his coffee mug.
" Accha? Budha! Main? Teri toh.. he was going to hit him but he prevented the hit defending with the coffee mug.
" Waise bhaiya, wo tasveer, kafi romantic lagraha tha. Wo hua kab tha? Aapne kuch bataya nahi mujhe!" Daya said innocently only to get a running Abhijeet behind him. Two coffee mugs on the terrace railing witnessed two 5 years olds playing and fighting in the body of two adults.
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" Tu thik toh hai na." Purvi asked Tarika who was lying beside her on the sleeping mat laid over the terrace ground, looking at the moon over their head.
" Han yaar. Thik hun. " she said after smiling a little.
"Pakka?" Purvi asked to be assured that her friend was not overstressed.
"Pakka." Tarika now replied looking at Purvi giving a big smile.
Purvi smiled in return and asked,
" Waise, tasveer bohot romantic lagrahi thi. Humare promise ka keya hua? Ki humare bich koi secrets nahi rahega. Hum?"
" Purvi teri.." Tarika lifted her head in order to sit but Purvi laughed and hugged her while still laying down. She stopped talking further knowing that Tarika needs time to think alone, but also, she needs someone beside her.
Tarika kept staring at the moon while wondering, life with him is not going to be easy after all. But, somehow, she has a strong feeling that, if he is holding her hand, she really can overcome anything, anytime.
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A:N: Wow guys, you all have become experts in guessing what the leads might see to be shocked in particular situation! :D :D
Or it's me who is followign an old story line? Hehe :p
Hope you liked this one. let me know guys. And thank you for your support, that really means a lot.