Chapter 3
A/N: Hi guys. Hope you all are doing well. I am back with an update. Hope you all will like it.
Thank you soo much for the reviews and read.
Will wait for your response on this one. The more the response. The quicker I will update it.
Have a good reading….
…..
Abhijeet was standing on the balcony, looking out of the window into the dark of the night. The only thing shining was the cheese-shaded moon that was reflecting brightly in his eyes. The roads were damped, and tiny sparkling drops were dripping from the streetlights. The quietness was distressing, but he was used to it. He was used to the silence a normal person would feel uncomfortable in. A gentle breeze blew with an occasional smell of rain in it. He inhaled it deeply heaving a sigh.
He looked down as he felt another presence there. He saw a shot of light as the door below opened proceeded by a shadow coming towards the lawn. Before he could turn his gaze back, his eyes met with Daya who passed him a smile that he never returned. Daya had always been a light-hearted person and a guy who understood things. He opened up his mouth to introduce himself but before he could say anything Abhijeet angrily turned and went back to his room. Daya and Pradyuman's existence alone was enough to give him anger shots. The more he was trying to stay away from them, the more they were coming in his way. He slammed his room door loud enough to make sure Daya heard it.
Daya jerked a little on the loud bang of the door. He understood the meaning of it and silently went from there.
AT MIDNIGHT
Pradyuman was sitting in his room, waiting patiently for Daya to sleep, so he could continue what was up in his mind. Sleeping early was a common thing for Daya, so he didn't even doubt about something happening between him and Abhijeet. He saw his son calmly sleeping face. He thought that would give him some kind of power. He stood up from the bed quietly but with every step, he felt his energy draining from his legs into the ground. He knew that Abhijeet was still up because he saw him switching the internet device on. He moved towards his room in as quiet and slow steps as he could take.
Abhijeet was working on his project which was assigned to him a month before but he eventually forgot to do it. His professor gave him extra two days to submit it or he would fail him. Still, he was doing it with no fun. Instead, he kept his head on the chair headrest, and rotate it. He kept doing it imagining he is in a cradle and his mother is rocking him slowly.
Pradyuman reached to his door and inhaled some deep breaths to calm himself down. He pulled his hands up and slightly knock on the door.
Abhijeet came back to reality with the knock. He rotated the chair in the direction of the door but before he could say anything, Pradyuman called his name "Abhi" ...
He shot up from his chair. His throat was dry as desert winds while he felt like his whole body squeezing. Pradyuman entered his room and directly looked into his eyes. More than being angry, he found Abhijeet being offended, so he immediately asked
"Kiya main andar aa sakta hoon" …His voice quivered a little
Abhijeet stands there watching him with narrow eyes. After a moment of absorbing the fact that he was there, in his room to talk to him. He motioned his head a little nod.
"Aap ka ghar hai, jahan dil chahe aa jaa saktein hain." He hissed.
Pradyuman ignored his taunt and came in. He cast an amused glanced around the room. It was more cleaned and tidier to be called a boy's room. Maybe he didn't get time to mess things up. He went to his bed and slowly sath there, motioning Abhijeet to sit beside him. Instead, Abhijeet pulled his chair and sat on it, gazing at Pradyuman like he was digging him with his eyes to find the answers to the questions he had been asking his whole life.
"Bura lagta hoon na main tumhien bahut." Pradyuman asked him softly.
"Bura." Abhijeet mocked. "Bura tu bahut chota lafz hai. Bahut chota." He answered looking at nowhere.
"Tu nafrat karte ho tum mujh se?" Pradyuman asked him with a lump of sadness in his voice.
"Nafrat bhi bahut chota lafz hai." He crossed his hands against his chest. "Jo main aap ke liye mehsoos karta hoon us ke liye abhi tak koi lafz bana ho nahi." He darted his eyes again at him.
"Kyun karte ho tum itni nafrat mujh se? Han?" Pradyuman's voice was still soft but has a gloomy in it.
"Kyun?" He mocked again. "Ye sawal aap mujh se kar rahe hain." His eye narrowed again and he leaned a little closer to him. "Aap ko tu yeh pochna chahiye ke why were you so indifferent and insensitive towards me?"
"Koi baap kaise apne bachoon se insensitive or indifferent ho sakta hai." He raised his eyebrows.
"Ho sakta hai. Mera baap ho sakta hai. Woh pichle 20 saloon se yahi karta aa raha hai." Abhijeet answered with a pinch of disappointment in his voice.
"For God's sake Abhijeet, Agar mein tumhare sath is tarah ka behavior rakhta tu tumhein har aasaish (luxury) na milti. Tumhari har khuwahish puri na hoti". Pradyuman raised his voice a little thinking that would make an impact on him.
Abhijeet smirked. "Aasaish? Is aik kamre ko aap aasaish kehte hain. Aur khuwahish. Kabhi aap ne pichle 20 saloon mein mujh se pocha ke meri khuwahishat kiya hain. (Raising his voice) Main aap ke sath dusre bachoon ke tarah apna bachpan bitana chahta ha. (His eyes became teary) Aap ki ungli pakar kar pehle dafa school jana chahta tha." He leaned a little more closer to him. "Apne bete ko tu lekar gaye ho gain na ap?"
Pradyuman eyes widened with his question. He felt him and realized what he did.
"Main aap ki ungli pakar kar duniya ke har cheeze ko bhulana chahta tha. Lekin mujhe rishte ke naam par Chand kagaz ke tukre mile. Jn ki mujhe koi zaroorat nahi thi…"
"Maine 20 saal tum logon ke liye bahar mehnat kari. Tumhien kiya lagta hai mein khush tha wahan?" Pradyuman asked sadly.
"Tu aur nahi tu kia. Aap ki paas biwi thi, beta tha, dunya ki har cheeze thi. Khush tu rehna chaha tha apne. 20 saal Jannat mein reh kar aayien hain aap. Us jahannum ko nahi jhel sakte jo maine jhela hai. Maine aur mama ne."
"Please, us ka naam mat lo. (Rubbing his hands all over his face) Mein us ku discuss bhi nahi karna chahta jo us ne kiya tha mere sath.
"Nahi… Aap bhi keh lain wahi sab jo ye ghar wale puri din mujhe sunate rehte hain. Aap ko bhi ijjazat hai." Abhijeet whispered.
Pradyuman flared a hand on his face. "Main jaanta hoon meri koi explanation tumhein sukoon nahi phaunchaya gi. Lekin…"
"Tu phir mat dein." Abhijeet cut him in between. "Koi explanation mat dein kyunke mujhe us ki waqai koi zaroorat nahi hai. Aap yahan apne bete, bhai aur apni maa ke sath bahut acha waqt guzaar sakte hain. Jab mujhe aap ki zaroorat thi tab aap yahan nahi the. Aur ab maine aap ke baghair rehna seekh liya hai."
Pradyuman stood up from his bed with tears streaming down on his face. He didn't say anything further but quietly went towards the door.
"Darwaza band kar dijiye ga." Abhijeet said while a tear which was dangling with his eyelashes fell on his face.