Dil Se Dance

Last Day

'Tu mujse mil raha hein, abhi. I'm waiting.'
@ReyaanshSinghania
Swayam was woken up from sleep by the low tone beeping of his phone.
He grunted as he read the message and got up rubbing his eyes as he realised he had missed the flight.
He looked at his call log and found 48 missed calls made by his sister Taani. He had forgotten to pick her up and didn't bother to receive her calls for straight 6 hours. 6 missed calls by Visakha and 1 missed call from Kria didn't miss his eyes.
As he redialled her, Swayam walked towards the mirror where his medical tablets lay mispositioned from its original place that was his bedside draw, broke a strip, ingested one with water.

"Hello? Swayam?"

"Haan! Um, tumne call kiya..."

"Haan woh Taani khabraa gayi thi ki tumhe kuch hogaya hein... Usne mujhe call ki, meine... I hung up at the second ring since... I dont want to talk about it... Kya mein tumse baad mein baat karun?"

"Yeah... K.. Bye.." He moaned and hung up the call.

Swayam took a deep breather and dialled his sister. It didn't take much time for the call to get answered and his ear to get exploded with scoldings.

"Bhaaaaiiii!!! Aap kahaan gaye dhe? Pata hein aapke wajah se meine bhi flight miss kar di! Mein yahaan, airport mein aapki wait kar rahi thi, pata hein?! Maa call ki thi, poojhi, flight miss kyun huye? Pata hein mein kitni tension mein padi dhi? Aapko kya? Kuch fikr bhi rahtha hein ki nahi? Jab dekho, Sharon ki khayal mein, unki baatom mein, unki yaadon mein... Arre yeh paanch-jhe saal ki paagalpan ko ab jhod bhi dijiye aur zindigi ke, apni parivaar ke baare mein sochna shuru kariye! Bolo, mere calls kyun nahi uthaaye?" The shrill voice pierced his ears. Taani didn't leave a space anywhere and Swayam knew she is breathing less but talking way too more.

"Galat tablet liya dha Taani! Aspirin ke bajaaye neend ki goli khaa li thi!"

"Kya hua? Aap theek toh hein na? Kuch hua kya? Kisise baat huyi kya? Jhagada huyi kya? Kaun aapse bartmeezi ki? Bataai uska naam!!" Questions!. It never ends.

"Taani, Taani, Taani!!! Relaaax!!! Mujhe kuch nahi hua! Mein abhi agle flight ke liye book kar dunga, tum tension mat lo. Kal subah hum saath mein airport jaayenge." He said.

"Par..." As Taani kept saying, swayam heard his doorbell ringing and excused himself from his nagging but caring young sister.

Ding dong

As Swayam descended down his staircase, he saw a female figure in a white frock, holding a blue colored file, talking to his servant kaka. He stopped a while to focus on the girl, blurring out whatever was happening in the surrounding for that moment.
He didn't hear his servant kaka calling him down, with the familiar girl looking at him now with anxiety displayed in her eyes.
But the sooner he realised the more and more delay he got in descending down the stairs and the more embarassed he became becoming aware having stared at the girl for long time. But how could he help himself having got to see such an angelic figure visiting his house. The girl of his dreams wearing the exact same dress she wore in his dreams was now meeting her eyes with him. Had the times changed? Was she here for him? Would she ask him not to go away?

"Swayam." She said as Kaka quickly drifted outside. He knew it wouldn't be nice to stick around he conversation of two highly vulnerable teenagers.

"Sharon?" He said. He felt his heartbeat raising as her eyes took in his figure.

She nodded awkwardly pursing her lips. Standing near the door itself she felt a paralyzing effect on her facial muscles along her cheek. She looked down and kept evading his gaze because it was definitely making her slightly uncomfortable.

"Come on in..." He invited her politely showing the way in to the hall. She nodded again accepting his invitation, walked inside his house.

Sharon was surprised to see his huge rooms, the interior decorations which were simple and elegant, not over the top, but also by the suitcases and bags kept outside, along with the white cloths put over the sofas and TV.

Swayam swiftly went ahead and pulled away the white cloth from a sofa and signalled her to sit, to which she obliged.

"Tum kuch logi, coffee or juice?" He offered as she took a seat on the couch while he sat on the opposite couch facing her but controlling the urge to loose himself in her beauty.

"No... M-mein kuch discuss karne aayi thi..." she said.

"Oh... K phir pucho..." He said.

"VP sir ne kuch kaam di thi..." She started to say but Swayam interrupted her.

"Sharon... You know that mein abhi ACS nahi hun... Meine position quit kiya hein..."

"What? ...Why?" Did she really not know? Well that was how her reaction was then.

"Mein uh....jaa raha hun..." He replied slowly leaning forward, his elbows resting on his respective legs.

"...where?" She asked in a low voice.

"New York City. Kal subah meri flight hein..." He replied.

"New York? ...Wahaan kyun?" She asked again.

"Meri family wahaan rehti hein... Mein bhi wahaan raha kartha tha.."

"Oh... Toh tum yahaan akele, apne family se dur, ithni waqt... I mean kyun?"

"Pyaar... Mujhe ek ladki se pyaar ho gaya tha..." He smiled.

"...p-p-par... w-woh...t-tum...m-mein..." She got confused with words. She felt hurt. Was he telling about her or somebody else.

"Kya hua Sharon? Kya tumhe jaanni hein uski naam?" Her eyes bulged as he asked.

"Uhh? Wha-?... N-nahi!" Sharon gave a quick response.

"...Mein usse ab aur pyaar karna nahi chaahtha... Isliye jaa raha hun... And the funny thing is that yeh sab jaanne ke bawjood bhi woh mujhe rokegi nahi..." He said the last line, staring at her. She looked into his eyes as he made that statement. His eyes showed hurt in them and he knew exactly when he saw it in her eyes, that she knew. But letting not the air turn into a lot more awkwardness she looked away coming up with another question for him.

"Achcha, toh waapis kab lautoge?" She asked, trying to change the awkward gazes but it caused him to connect their eye contact. There was a small pause which was enough for her to understand his answer.

"...you are not coming back are you?" She lowered her tone. He shook his head.

"No..." He said slowly, maintaining the eye contact. He continued, "...I don't have a reason to come back now..."

There was a long pause after he said that. Neither of them dared to break the silence, and just let the moment embrace it until Sharon felt the heat of embarrassment.

"I think I should leave now." She said rubbing her lap with the blue file in her hands and stood up.

"Ofcourse.! Please..." He too stood up, raised his hand pointing to the door for her exit.

She was surprised to see how unaffected and casual he was being with her departure. Out of the blue, this attitude of his provoked her to ask, "Kya hua, pichli baar ki attitude nahi dikh rahi?"

"Doh baar tumhe kho chuka hun... Kismat shaayad meri khilaaf hi hein. Par aur ek baar apne dil tutne nahi de saktha mein..."

"Ithna pyaar hein mujhse?" She said looking at him from outside the door.

"Tha... Tha Sharon... Ab aur nahi.. Good bye... Dua kartha hun ki kabhi na mile... Tum bhi karo dua..." His voice was cold, and he didn't wait for an answer, shutting the door at her face.

Will this be the last time they see each other?
Will Swayam learn to forget Sharon?