Fitoor

Chapter 23

Kunal Vardhan

"Dad, bas. Do peg bolke aapne do bottle finish kiya hai." I took away his glass as he glared at me angrily.
"Haa ye sab karlo pehle. Chalo sojao." I scolded him.
"Tum bhi apne mom ke tarah mujhe-"
"Dad!" I exclaimed as I held him from falling.
"Kya yaar! Sambhaal ke." I said and he smiled groggily.

"Pata hai Kunal? Abir chaahe jitna bhi try kare, tumhare mom ke against wo kabhi jeetega nahi. Wo sirf tumhara bhai nahi, mera beta bhi hai. Itna pyaar karta hai tujhse. Isiliye wo aur us Bose ki beti Bathinda jaa rahe hai, evidences dhoondne ke liye. Sindhu ko pata chal gaya. Ab wo kya karegi!" He blurted holding his head.

I made him sit on the chair and sat beside him. If what he says is true then both Mishti and Abir are in danger. Why would they even do such a thing! And that too when me and Kuhu have decided to work together with them as a team! Immediately I called Kuhu. I couldn't reach her phone. Shit!

Driving my car like a maniac I started to rush towards Kuhu's house. By the time I reached her house, she was already running out towards her car.
"Kuhu! Get in jaldi!" I screamed and she stood frozen for a second.
"Aise stunts na sirf movies me work out hota hai. Do not scare like that again!" She screamed too and got in.

"Maanav! Fast." She said and I drove completely confused.

Abir Bharadwaj

"Kya? Harry met Sajal was a good movie okay!" I scoffed at her arrogance.
"Huh! Tum jaise log Rab ne bana di jodi ka supremacy nahi jaante hai. Shahrukh and Anushka were literally so cute in that movie!" She gushed.
"Accha then what about Veer Zara?" I questioned.
"Cult classic!" She exclaimed.
"So according to you Shahrukh and Preeti were not cute in Kal ho na ho." I retorted.

"You never lose do you?" She smiled mockingly.
"Tumhare jaise." I replied.
"Huh! I lose okay. Bas tumhare aage nahi." She showed off.
"Aur kitna distance cover karna padega?" I asked breathing a bit heavily.
"2 kilometres. Ek bus stop hai with zero buses." Mishti sang excited.
"Meri gaadi-"

"No! Stop!" She made me shut my mouth.
"Jo bhi hojaye khud ka galti kabhi accept mat karna." I advised and she nodded seriously. I smacked her head as she wrinkled her eyebrows. Then we saw a car coming towards us! Finally!
"Sir lift please." I said. Mishti eyed me weirdly.
"Sir! Hume actually Bathinda jaana hai par aap Aurangabad tak drop kardiya to it'll be a great help." She rambled.

Who asks lift like this! The dude eyed us suspiciously yet let us get on the car. Thank god! We sat behind and the journey started again. I observed the area as it was completely covered by trees. The soft breeze was soothing enough to lure me to sleep. But when I noticed some weight on my leg I looked down to see Queen Elizabeth resting her head on it.

She was tired of all of this. So I let her sleep peacefully as I patted her head. That doesn't mean that I've forgiven her. She's the only person on this planet who has successfully ruined my life and also kinda made it interesting. She's this mixture of annoyance and beauty. That's what makes her special.

Another hour passed. Her phone started buzzing as she jolted from her deep sleep. It might be around 9 in the night. Who'll call her now!
"Hello. Haa Maanav bolna." She groggily replied rubbing her eyes.
"Mai?" She looked perplexed and checked her phone again.
"Kisi Geroai Tanda me." She replied as I widened my eyes. I snatched her phone and cut the call.

"Pagal ho gaye ho kya!" She screamed at me. Obviously that's the first reaction.
"Tum ho asli pagal! Maanav ko humara location batana bahut intelligent kaam haina?" I reprimanded.
"Wo Kuhu aur Kunal ko bata sakta hai. Shi-"
"No swearing. Ab chalo. Yaha aage bus station hai. Agar waha bhi bus nahi mila to phir se walk karna padega." I said.