Aarohi

Chapter 5

After eating their dinner, they decided to order  dessert.
Neil: "For dessert I'll have two scoops of chocolate ice cream"
Aarohi: "I'll have the affogato"
The waiter took their orders and left the table.
Aarohi: "Thank you Neil for the dinner, it was really nice spending some time with you."
Neil: "Your welcome. Even I enjoyed spending some quality time with you."
Neil was about to tell something but stopped himself but Aarohi understood it and asked.
Aarohi: "What is it Neil? You want to ask me something? Go head maybe I've answers to your questions like always." Aarohi smirked.
Neil smiled and asked
Neil: "Nothing it's just now that I know that I'm not an orphan and actually Harsh sir's son, life feels so different like bhai and I have the same father but somehow I feel different. I don't know how to explain things"
Before he could finish Aarohi interrupted him saying
Aarohi: "Like your family is yours but at the same time you feel like an outsider. You have the same blood yet you feel yours is impure. Everyone loves you but you feel you have to fight for your share of love. It's simple yet so complicated and relationships get tangled and you sometimes feel like your a burden to your own family."
Neil just nodded looking down. Aarohi cupped his face in her hands. Neil's whole body shivered at her touch.
Aarohi: "Neil look at me."
Neil turned his head up but still not making eye contact with Aarohi
Waiter: "Sir, ma'am your desserts"
The waiter placed their desserts and went away.
Before Aarohi could start saying anything Neil started eating his dessert and indicated Aarohi to eat hers.
After finishing their desserts in silence, Neil paid the bill and they both were walking out of the restaurant towards their cars. While walking Aarohi's leg tripped and she was about to fall but two strong arms grabbed her and saved her from falling. Aarohi and neil were staring at each other without breaking eye contact. Their eye contact was broken by the manager who called them to inform to take the back exit.
Manager: "Ma'am, sir sorry for the inconvenience the main exit is blocked can you please use the back exit."
Neil just nodded and held Aarohi's hand and lead her towards the back exit.
Neil was still kind of disturbed and Aarohi knew it and decided to talk to him as she exactly knew how he felt and for some reason didn't want him to continue feeling this way. Aarohi was thinking of way to spend some more time with Neil. To her luck or Neil's bad luck his bike wasn't not starting. She thought this was her chance to talk to him and she said
Aarohi: "Neil come I'll drop you back home"
She didn't give him a chance to say or do anything she just dragged him towards her car.
She started driving and Neil was kind of lost.
She wasn't going to talk to him near his house so decided to go to a place she thought was the best place in the world. At a traffic signal when Neil wasn't looking she texted Kairav saying she will come home late or stay at Smitha's hotel.
Neil noticed that she wasn't going home when she took a left turn instead of a right
Neil: "Are you trying to kidnap me chipkali?"
Aarohi: "Me? Kidnapping you? Please chamgardar. I'm taking to a place."
Neil just nodded
Aarohi stopped the car and indicated Neil to come outside. Neil saw the place was shocked to see such a beautiful view. He wondered how he never knew of this place.

The view place

Aarohi sat on the bonnet and asked Neil to sit next to her.
Neil sat and was staring at the view. After a minute or two Aarohi broke the silence
Aarohi: "Neil what I said at the restaurant, I know how you feel okay? It's fine you can tell me. I understand your situation. So please talk to me and clear your mind"
Neil just hugged Aarohi. Aarohi was taken aback by this sudden gesture, but hugged him back. Aarohi felt tears on her shoulders and just hugged him tighter and drew circles on his back. After sometime when Neil was ready to let go of Aarohi he pulled himself back and didn't say anything.
Aarohi once again started the conversation.
Aarohi: "Neil it's okay, it's fine I understand your pain, I too felt it when I got to know the truth. I'm just glad you don't have to go through this alone like me." Aarohi said as her voice broke at the end.
Neil was just looking at her.
Neil: "How do you know how I exactly feel? And which truth are you talking about."
Neil knows the fact that Kairav and Akshara are Aarohi's step brother and sister but didn't completely realize it.
Aarohi smiled and wiped her tears.
Aarohi: "You do know that I'm Kairav bhaiya and Akshara's step sister right?"
That's when Neil understood how Aarohi knew his feelings. But what bordered him was Aarohi saying that I (Neil) didn't have to go through it alone.
Neil: "Aarohi, how did your truth come out?"
Aarohi: "Neil that's old story, leave it"
Aarohi was trying to change the topic but Neil was adamant on knowing what happened.
Neil: "Please tell me Aarohi, please I want to know you"
Aarohi: "If you want to know me understand me now not my past Neil please."
Aarohi said teared eye.
Neil: "But I want to know Aarohi, please"
This topic is extremely hard for Aarohi as she isn't used to talk about her emotions. This reminded her of all her old memories she wanted to forget but never could. Aarohi hated to cry in front of others as she thought it's a sign of weakness. She tried to cover up her tears and replied in a angry tone.
Aarohi: "That's none of your business Neil. I tired to help you but don't try and get closer to me."
Neil was shocked by her tone .
Neil: "Aarohi I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm sorry. But."
Before Neil could finish his sentence Aarohi interrupted him.
Aarohi: "it's fine, let's go home now"
Aarohi said this and got down the bonnet and Neil grabbed Aarohi's hand and made her look at his eyes.
Neil: "Aarohi I know you are a private person, but so am I. If I can open up to you who I felt like a complete stranger a couple of days ago then you can also open up. Talk to someone if not me then anyone is okay. But please do it. I promise I won't judge you."
Aarohi was just battling her emotions. She was confused and holding her tears since too long and just broke down. She just sat on the floor and started crying. All these years of pain and suffering just came in front of her and she just kept crying. Neil got down the bonnets and kneeled in front of her and hugged her and allowed her cry.
Neil: "I promise I won't leave you here Aarohi"