Price: A Memoir

Love is in the air.

"Sanyukta noooo" yelled Randhir and held her hand in nick of time just to prevent her from falling. The bricks of the railing went crumbling down. He pulled her close to his chest whereas Sanyukta being scared just held Randhir close. But Sanyukta could feel something else too. She could feel Randhir's heart beating fast. Very fast. A heart beats fast only when we are scared or terrified. What was Randhir scared of? Why was his heart beating so fast? Her thoughts came to a full stop when Randhir jerked her, "What the hell is wrong with you Sanyukta? Can't you use that mind of yours. Who told you to run like an idiot all around the terrace? If something would have happened to you? Then?"

"Then what Randhir? Then what? I would have died. Simple. Why are you even worried? When the person I loved left me without a second thought then how does it worry you?"

"Enough Sanyukta. Do whatever you want." Saying this Randhir jerked her off and went inside leaving her all alone in the terrace. Sanyukta couldn't understand why it affected him so much. She had seen his eyes the moment he caught her. It had a certain fear, a certain insecurity. What the hell is wrong with him? Here her life is coming in front of him like an open book where as he is becoming more complicated than a puzzle. Sanyukta went inside to apologise to Randhir as she felt that somehow she had triggered his pain. She came down the terrace and went near Randhir's room and was about to knock on the door when she heard some noises from inside. Randhir was breaking things.

"Randhir please open the door. I need to talk to you. I am sorry."

"Sanyukta go away. I am not in a mood to talk."

"But Randhir......" before Sanyukta could say anything else Randhir opened the door and yelled, "Can't you understand a thing Sanyukta? I said I don't want to talk. Why do you have to pester me? I don't want to hear anything from you. " Randhir's words didn't reach her ears. All she saw was his eyes. Those eyes, blood red in colour, were screaming his pain out. It felt as if his eyes were depicting a story unknown to the rest of the world. Sanyukta knew that look. This look mirrored that of Sanyukta 2 years back. Yes she knows that feeling. Randhir was not the one whom he wants the world to believe he is. Sanyukta knew she has to do something. She can't see him like that. But why? Her heart chimed.

It's because you have gone through the same phase Sanyukta. And moreover he was there with you when you needed someone the most. Nothing else." Her brain made sense.

"Is this only humanity or something else?" her heart argued.

"Stop it both of you. Enough. I have to apologise to Randhir. But he has closed the door. I need to find a way to get into his room. Let's go into the garden. Maybe I will find a way." Said Sanyukta and went outside to search for something. Soon she stopped by a window that led to Randhir's room and she knew this was it. But it was high above the ground. How was she going to reach it? She started searching for something and after a good 5 minutes she got a ladder and rested it against the wall and started climbing it to reach Randhir's room.

"If someone would have told me that I, Sanyukta Agarwal, the owner of Agarwal Enterprises, would climb ladder like a thief to apologise someone I would have sued that person but today I just can't believe what I am doing and what for?' Sanyukta said to herself.

Randhir was curled up in his bed thinking about his past. How he was happy with his life, how he had everything and how one storm took away his everything. He lost his existence, his reason to breathe everything and he couldn't do anything to prevent that mishap. Today Sanyukta's incident brought back all those pain which he had been successful in supressing within him. Randhir's chain of thoughts was broken by a crashing sound and he looked up to see someone breaking his window pane. Before he could understand anything he saw a hand emerging from the broken window pane and unlocking the latch of his window.

"Sanyukta what are you doing here? And how did you get in?" Randhir asked and peeped out of the window just to see the old ladder resting on the wall. Just then he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned around he saw Sanyukta standing there with a sorry placard in her hand. Seeing the placard a smile escaped his lips. This girl is total insane. Who the hell climbs the wall, breaks the glass pane and enters someone's room just to say sorry.

But he was not an easy stone to melt. He still sat with a balloon face challenging Sanyukta's patience. He wanted to see how far his boss, the great Sanyukta Agarwal, can go just to cheer him up. But what she did next was not at all expected. She twirled Randhir around. She was wearing that signature smirk of hers which only meant danger. She started opening the buttons of the shirt of her shirt to which Randhir panicked.

"Sa... Sa... Sanyukta what are you doing?"

"Nothing. It's just too hot out here and climbing all those stairs and everything was too hectic so just removing my shirt." Sanyukta said with an innocent smile.

"Sanyukta please wear your shirt. I will switch on the AC. You just wear it." Randhir panicked searching the Ac remote. His plan backfired on him itself. Sanyukta moved closer to Randhir and hugged him from behind.

"Randhir you forgave me na?" asked Sanyukta in a voice which dripped with innocence.

"Sa... Sanyukta leave me. What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Just apologising to you. Say na Randhir you forgave me na?"

Randhir could smell Sanyukta's intentions and they were not at all good. This girl was not good for his health. Randhir stay away from this trouble.

"Sanyukta I don't like these kind of jokes. Please stop it."

"First say you have forgiven me." Said Sanyukta still clinging on to him.

"Yes yes I have forgiven you. No just stop." Randhir said his eyes closed. Just then he heard someone's laugh. He opened his eyes just to see Sanyukta laughing her heart out and his heart went out to her.

She was so busy in her laughter that she didn't notice Randhir advancing towards her. All that she heard was, "Your laugh is so melodious to ears Senorita." And that was it. The laughter ceased. This brought Randhir out of the trance and when he saw Sanyukta's eyes full of shock he realised what he had said. "Oh Shit!" he cussed himself.

"Sa... Sanyukta I.... umm I....."

"Who is Senorita?"

"No one Sanyukta. It just slipped out of my mouth." With this Randhir turned away from her as he was of the belief that men can't cry.

"Randhir look at me. Who is Senorita? Answer me."

"I am not answerable to you Ms Agarwal. You are no one to me. So just stay away from my business."

These words pierced Sanyukta like shattered glass pieces. Yes he was right. She was no one to him. Then why did his words hurt her.

"Yes you are right. I should stay away from you. Thank you for reminding that I am no one to you." With these words Sanyukta rushed out of the room where as Randhir realised his blunder. That girl was already in too much depression and now on top of that his words were not at all helping. She has the right to be curious. It was him who was wrong. He should have kept his emotions in control. He went outside just to see Sanyukta packing her bags.

"Sanyukta where are you going?" Randhir asked but she plainly ignored him and kept on packing clothes. Randhir held her hand to turn her around when he felt something wet in his hand. He saw his hand covered with blood.

"Oh my god Sanyukta you are bleeding. Come with me."

"I am not going with you anywhere. Leave my hand."

"I knew it Sanyukta. You will oppose to whatever I have to say. Listen I am sorry. I shouldn't have said those words. Now please let me give you some first aid please or else Vidushi is going to kill me and I don't want to die so young." To these words Sanyukta's frown turned into a smile but she regained his composure but that smile didn't get unnoticed by Randhir.