Teasing her was his favourite task for sure. He could tease her every possible moment, not to only satisfy him but to also see a slight smile on her face with his jokes. One of his biggest dream was to make her laugh somehow, but she never even smiled on them. But he did, he was still busy in smiling like an idiot in his room, standing shirtless and thinking about her. He suddenly came to his senses and ran to the balcony wearing his t-shirt.
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He came back and saw her sleeping on the swing chair. He went near her and sat down admiring her innocence. She was looking like a small kid who was searching for someone's hand to caress her.
He wanted to capture this moment forever in his heart. He could sit like this and admire her forever without getting bored.
"I love you", She murmured in her sleep and listening to that, his heart skipped a beat. For a moment he forgot everything except those magical words she just uttered. He went in his own world.
"I--", he tried to open his feelings to her but got silent as she continued to speak.
"Mumma....I really love you and papa", she said to her parents in her dream and it broke his dream which he was dreaming without sleeping.
"Stupid!", He said to himself while hitting on his head.
"Mujhe bohot akela feel hota hai", She cried, hugging her mom in her dream and he felt bad for her.
"Akshu mujhe Kachoris nahi khaani hai yaar!", She yelled in her dreams making a cute face and he chuckled.
He was looking at her and thinking that when she behaves maturely, she looks like a queen, but when she behaves like a child, she looks like a princess.
"And princesses don't deserve pain, they only deserve happiness!", He said admiring her innocence.
He sat down comfortably folding his legs and started recalling the old memories.
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He was waiting for her to come out of the class as he was way too impressed by her reply which she gave him in the morning. He couldn't understand the strange feeling which he was having.
She came out with her friends. He was preparing himself to start the conversation with her.
Her phone rang and she picked the call, rolling her eyes.
"Akshu----", she yelled walking faster than her friends. She was fed up with being pampered every second by Akshara.
"Aarohi...", Bade Papa's voice made her go quiet. His voice was low and calm.
"Ji...", She paused and said in a low voice, fearing of him. Whenever he used to call her, either to yell at her for something or to ask for medicines.
Arohi said bye to her friends and walked out of the college.
He watched her face expressions changing from normal to scared. She was walking on the road and speaking to him on the call and he was following her silently.
"Sorry for today", Bade papa said in a calm voice but it didn't seem like he was saying it from his heart.
Aarohi understood within seconds that Akshara had requested him to call her and say that. The call was also from her phone. Afterall Bade papa never refuses her requests.
"It's Okay", she said wiping the corner of her eye.
"Bade papa, please Akshu se baat karaiye", Aarohi said and he gave the phone to Akshara and went from there.
"Aaru look... Bade papa said sorry because he loves you so much", Akshara said smiling like a child.
"Akshu, stop it please!", Aarohi said in a heavy voice with tears in her eyes and Akshara's smile vanished.
"Aaru-", Akshara tried to speak but Aarohi cut her off and yelled, "I don't beg for love...to mujhe bheek me pyaar mat diya kar!".
He heard that and felt genuinely bad for her even without knowing the whole matter. She went at that lakeside area and sat down. That was the first time when he got to know about that place. He hid and was watching her secretly.
"Aaru, Bade papa ham dono se....", Akshara said but Aarohi again cut her off.
"What Ham Akshara? Tumhe kyo nahi dikhta ki vaha par koi Ham nahi hai... vaha par sirf tum ho mai kahi nahi hu", Aarohi yelled in her tearful voice. Her heart had accepted that she'll ne never be anyone's priority.
"Don't say all this, Aaru, and I really love you!", Akshara said wiping her tears.
"Akshu, Mai thodi der me Ghar aa jaungi...bye!", She said ignoring her words and hung up the call.
"I love you too Akshu but my bloody insecurities don't leave me!", She cried keeping her phone aside and looking at the lake.
"Life mere saath itni unfair kyo hai!! Pehle mumma papa door ho gaye aur ab apni hu family me stranger walo feeling aati hai", She yelled throwing a stone in the water and then started crying hugging herself tightly.
He saw her crying and wanted to hug her tightly and vanish all her pain. He was about to go near her but she got up and started leaving. He was feeling attached towards her from that day. His wish of watching her after college became his habbit.
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Aryan was looking at the sleeping beauty in front of her. Her hands were tucked beneath her head, doing the work of the pillow.
He leaned his hands on his cheeks and kept staring at her. His heart never listened to him and always went behind her, even when she was dating that one guy of the college, he was still crazy for her.
He suddenly remembered how it had been more than 5 months since she joined the college but till then he didn't talk to her for once. And suddenly one day he got to know that she is in a relationship. It was his first love and first heartbreak. But his heart was insolent, it was always stucked with her.
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He was waiting for her outside the college, as always. He saw her two friends coming out but she wasn't with them.
"Hey... Direction...", He tried to recall Disha's name. He could not remember the name of any other girl except Aarohi.
"Direction?? It's Disha...c'mon!", she said making a weird face.
"Whatever! Aarohi kaha hai?", He asked curiously and she stared at him from down to top.
"Will be with her Rishi baby", She said and they both chuckled while he stood lost.
"Aarohi se aapko kya matlab??", The other girl asked with her one eyebrow up.
"Nothing.. anyways thanks Direction!", He said and went from there.
"It's Disha!!", She yells and they both left for their homes.
For the first time he fell in love and that too a one sided one. He accepted the fact that she don't love him but he knew it that he will always love her.
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Aarohi turned over and it took him back to the present. She was feeling uncomfortable to sleep on the swing chair and was changing the side again and again but was too tired and sleepy to wake up.
He got up and came near her to pick her up and take her inside but suddenly paused. He couldn't touch her without her permission. For him love and respect are synonyms.
"Aarohi, go and sleep inside", he said trying to wake her up.
"Shut up!", She said in her sleep and he smiled hearing that.
"Mai tumhe andar leta du?", He asked for her permission before touching her.
"You can, I trust you!", She uttered and he smiled.
He picked her up gently and took her inside a room, laid her on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
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YOU ARE READING
Hamdard
Short Story••• "तेरी मुस्कराहटें हैं ताकत मेरी" "मुझको इन्हीं से उम्मीद मिली" "चाहे करे कोई सितम ये जहान" "इनमें ही है सदा हिफाजत मेरी" This is what he feels for her. Her smile is his permanent healer. But he...
