I Am Guilty

19. Impatient

Samrat panicked when he realized that Arjun had bragged Veena out with him.
He fetched his phone and tried calling her and was taken aback when the phone rang in Bansi's hand. He rushed upstairs, where Bansi was still standing and grabbed Veena's phone.

"Where did she go with him?" He asked with fear laced voice.

Everyone standing downstairs, who were on the verge of killing each other, panicked too.
Arjun's reputation with girls was not something to be discussed.
As if on cue, Samrat's phone gave up a familiar ringtone and he blinked as he realized that the call was from Veena's home land-line.
He received the call and let out a breath of relief as Veena told him that Arjun dropped her to her parents and she would be staying there for a couple of days.

Samrat decided to put some sense in Arjun when he comes back that he simply cannot touch his sister.

Veena was more than just happy to be held by her parents, who were worried for her safety. They were consumed with fear when Sahil left their house, after an ugly quarrel.
He wanted them to influence Veena to give up on the marriage with Arjun and proceed with their original plans.
Veena's parents found it a bit suspicious and declined to cooperate.

They still did not know why their daughter suddenly became a point of interest for two different men. None was ready to go of her and she was suffering for no fault of her.

"What have you decided?" Her parents asked her while they were at the dining table for lunch after a long time.

"I really don't know, Dad. Arjun is back. And, looks like he will be staying for a couple of days, this time. I want to see if he is ready to talk about it." She replied.

Veena was trying to distract her mind while she sat on the swing in the back garden. The weather was not at all pleasant and the warm breeze enveloped her messing with her senses. After a lot of struggle, she came back to the living room and picked up the land-line and dialed Bansi.

"Hello, Veena Dii? How are you?" Bansi sounded concerned.

Veena was filled with warmth.
"I am good, Bansi. I was actually wondering if I could talk to Arjun. Can you please hand him over the phone?"

There was a slight pause.
"He has not come back. I think he left again."

Veena blinked. She could clearly remember his last words. He had asked her to call him to pick her up if she wanted to go back. That meant he was somewhere in the town. She suddenly recalled the house where she was taken as a hostage.

"You have his number. Can you please share it with me?" Veena asked hopefully.

There was no response and Bansi was still contemplating on it. She did not want her brother to be in anymore trouble.

"Bansi, I really need to talk to him. I need a few answers. Please." Veena could understand her dilemma.

Bansi sighed and narrated the contact number.
"If he receives the call, he will not be the one to speak first." She added his trait.

Veena looked at the ten-digit number and chewed on her bottom lip. With a mind to test the waters, she dialled the number and waited with thudding heart. The phone was connected and it was received after a few rings. No one spoke from the other end.

"Arjun? Veena here." She softly whispered.

"Ready to go back?" He asked without pleasantries.

"No, I want to meet you. May be.... We can talk out a few things."

There was no reply for a few moments, before Veena added, "you are not at home. Did you leave again?"

A soft sigh was heard, and Arjun asked her to note down an address.
"It's already late. You can come tomorrow morning."

"Am I not welcome if I come now?" She asked.

Arjun did not reply and the call was disconnected.

Veena walked to her room and packed a pair of comfortable clothes. She changed in an oversized T-shirt and loose cotton pants. She picked up the bag and walked away, informing her parents that she would come back the next day.

She boarded a taxi and asked the driver to take her to the address given by Arjun.

She was filled with anticipation during the entire ride. She did not know if she was doing the right thing.

Arjun almost had to bite his smile when the doorbell rang. He knew the girl was too impatient to wait until morning. He opened the door wide and pulled up a blank face. She blinked at him and clutched the small shoulder bag. She found herself unprepared for the moment.

"Come in." He whispered.

She walked in and looked at the house that she had once been to. A sudden memory made her suck in a sharp breath.

"Is this your house?" She asked perching on the sofa.

"No, it belongs to my friend." He answered offering her a glass of water.

She put the glass down.
"So this is where you stay when you are not at home?"

"What?" He asked.

"I mean, all those days, when you did not come home, you were here?"

He shook his head and leaned back on the sofa.
"I came to Mumbai, the night we got married. I never came back to Mumbai before that. After that, it's the second time of me coming here."

This was new for Veena.
"So, where were you all these days?"

He chuckled.
"In the Himalayas."

Veena pursed her lips in annoyance. He had just made the entire situation funny by saying that he ran to the Himalayas.
She did not know that it was true and Arjun was being as honest as he could be.

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Another chapter up

Next chapter in next few hours, probably after 2pm.

Stay tuned for a real conversation between Arjun and Veena. See if you can find a few clues to reveal the mystery.

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