The Vile.

Chapter :19

The Longing

"Boss...." Ojas mumbles the word with immense courage. The whole scenario unfolding infront of him is way new for his eyes. He has never seen his boss getting concerned about something so trivial and unimportant. The way he is losing his patience from the morning seems totally out of his character.

From the last few hours he has made Ojas sit on one of the sofas in his study room. And every ten minutes he keeps on asking the same question,

"Any call from her?"

Now he is watching his boss strolling around the study room leaving behind rings of smoke from his cigarette.

"I can't be wrong. My calculations can't go wrong." Danuj keeps on whispering to himself.

"B-boss.. your lunch has arrived. Should I bring it here?" Ojas manages to speak.

"No! I have no appetite. Bring your food upstairs and eat here." He says without even sparing him a glance.

"This stubborn girl. Must be breaching her limits to get everything done. I should've given it a thought. Ahhhhhh! Why did I not plan a backup?!" He keeps on talking and shouting at himself, shocking Ojas with his every move.

"Boss, do you want me to go and check on her?" Ojas suggests.

"No need. I will prefer to wait and see till the end." He responds.

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"We have to divide the members in groups and keep them at our places till the time we find a solution." Zoya says.

"But keeping them at our places won't solve the problems Zoya. What about their food and medical expenses, what about the kids' education? What about their belongings? Where do we accommodate those? If it was that easy wouldn't we have chosen this option long back?" Abhirup explains.

"And also remember that most of us are staying in PGs. How many accommodations can we manage?" Derek asks.

"What about that MLA, who offered to talk to us about helping them?" Ganika asks.

"Listen baby, involving Ashroy in a political tussle will be one of the dumbest choices. These people pose to help but don't do anything in the long run. At least that's what I feel. Keep that as the last option." Mihir retorts.

They keep on searching for a way out, while Vasudha keeps on losing hope. She can see where this conversation is leading to. Everytime the possible truth occurs to her, her heart stops beating thinking about the only option she has been given. She has some very small dreams, some very reliable friends, some adorable kids and a huge, beautiful family. Her father's face surfaces infront of her teary eyes.

"Hey.. what's wrong Sudha?" Abhirup's concerned voice brings her back to the reality. Wiping out the tears she answers,

"Nothing. I am fine. I am totally fine." She assures him as he stands up from the floor and sits beside her.

"We know how much involved you're with them. They mean a lot to you. Trust me they have started meaning a lot to us as well. We are leaving no stone unturned. We would find a way out together." Abhirup places his hand on her shoulder.

She is grateful to have them in her life. She could never expect anything more than what they have already done. It makes her feel guilty to see all of them this drained. She takes a deep breath looking at all of their faces. It's a do or die situation for her. And she is ready to brace whatever her future beholds for her.

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Nihal takes his usual seat at the dining table. Ojas told him that his boss wanted to order food from outside. He usually does that whenever he is too busy with his works. But as far as he learned from Ojas, today's reason is something different. Without getting too much into the matter, he waits for Danuj's arrival but no one shows up. So he has to stroll towards the staircase that leads towards the study room.

He knocks on the door twice, but gets no answers at all. On his third knock the door gets opened by Ojas. Who stands their with his usual stoic face.

"Yes sir. Do you need anything?" Ojas asks as formally as possible.

"Yes. I need Dan at the dining table, please." He answered. To which Ojas purse his lips together.

"He said he has no appetite." Ojas says, looking at the floor.

"What? Why? Move. Let me get inside." Nihal says.

"I apologize sir, but he ordered me to not allow anyone inside today." Ojas says while uncomfortably staring at the floor again.

"What kind of a joke is this? Move, I said." Nihal tries to get inside forcefully.

"I am sorry sir, but I am not allowed to let you in." Ojas confirms again.

"Now you're crossing the limit Ojas. Move your hand!" Nihal shouts.

"What the hell is happening outside. Can't I get this much privacy at my own place?!" The deep voice booms from inside.

"No you can't. Get down and eat! I have only two days left here. You can't even spare this much time for your old friend, you asshole!" Nihal shouts.

"Dammit Nihal. Are you a child or something? Bring the food upstairs." Danuj answers from inside.

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"What's wrong Dan? I'm seeing you from morning. It's 9pm now, you are still behaving differently. What's happening?" Nihal asks sipping on his coffee and looking at his friend who keeps on vanishing smoke after smoke, standing at the window. Ojas has finally fallen asleep on the same sofa he was sitting on, from the morning.

"Someone's is deliberately trying to prove me wrong. I am not used to losing something I have fixed my eyes on Nihal. Either I gain it or I destroy it." He says mostly to himself. Nihal stands up, then putting his hands inside his pockets he walks and stands right next to Danuj.

"And that's what is bothering you, isn't it? This is the only case where you can gain it but can't destroy." Nihal says taking a counter from Danuj's cigarette. Danuj slowly turns his face and keeps on looking at Nihal for voicing something he didn't dare to.

"Boss.. Miss Roy is calling." Ojas's urgent voice echoes through the huge study room. Nihal turns his face to look at Ojas.

Danuj's hand, that just gripped the cigarette, stops midway, as his body stiffens due to an unknown sensation. He stays still.

"Turn on the speaker." He says to Ojas.

"Yes boss." Ojas responds as he receives the call.

"Good evening ma'am." He greets.

A very much defeated and tired voice responds from the other end. The voice sounds so defeated that for a moment Danuj gets confused as to whether she is the same girl or not.

"Can you please take me to your boss, Ojas? And tell him, I FAILED, HE WON." Vasudha's voice utters. His jaw clenches as the words pierce directly through the heart he never knew existed. His grip on the windowsill tightens.

"Bring her Ojas", is all he manages to utter.

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Love, Puja.🤗