A train to life...

11

Dhoda namak aur chahiye na??

Janaki forwarded a spoon of boiling soup to Shehnaaz. Shehnaaz blown some air on it and took it in her mouth carefully.

Mmmm... Bahut acha hei..

Janaki's face brightened after getting complimented. She smiled and poured the soup in to three bowls.

Sana jaake dekh ke aavo zara ki Lokesh kaha hei!

Shehnaaz nodded and went to garden, where Lokesh spends most of the day. He loved flowers and the giggles of birds. He had set up a swing chair and a small table near the mango tree. He used to books under the shade and observe the birds that came there.

Lokesh was lost in his thoughts when Shehnaaz came near him. She slowly walked towards him and sat on the floor next to him. She pulled her legs close to her chest and rested her back on the mango tree.

Itna kya khoye hue ho aap??

She enquired looking at the direction he was looking. There was a bird, which she could hardly recognise. She narrowed her eyes and then again turned to Lokesh.

Lokesh looked back at her and chuckled seeing her confused face.

Itna kya dha usmeim??

She asked innocently pointing at that bird.

He removed his glasses and kept it above the book on the table. Rubbing his eyes, he said.

Ek special migratory bird hei. Kehte hei ki wo apna khushi dhoodte jaa rehe hei, har jagah lekin kahi milta hi nhi.. Isiliye saari zindigi aise khoomte rahte hei iski khoj meim.. Aur ek din khatam hi jaata hei, bina kuch mile.

Shehnaaz sat there and listened to him carefully. Unknowingly, it hit hee hard. Moving back to the house with Lokesh, her mind roamed around that bird.

...

Shehnaaz smiled and covered Janaki with quilt as she left her room leaving behind the sleeping Janaki. Lokesh, who came out from the washroom grinned in content witnessing that precious moment. After Chadni, they had someone now, to love and to be loved by.

Shehnaaz attended the call after ringing it for a long time.

Where were you girl??

Martin questioned impatiently from the other end.

Sorry, I was a little busy.

Whatever!! Tomorrow you are gonna attend your first ever client meeting. So, be prepared!!

Shehnaaz felt a heaviness in her heart hearing it. Till now, she was at learning face and from tomorrow se was going to start new.

But achanak??

She asked in nervousness.

Sidharth is back. So, it's gonna be tomorrow itself. He doesn't like delaying work!

She hummed softly and entered the call.

Finally, he was back! From whatever she had heard about him, he was too early this time. No one was expecting him to return now. A small smile played on her lips thinking about her tomorrow's lunch menu. After he left, she hadn't made much effort on making lunch. She had it simple. As he is back, she was excited to make something new for him.

She laid on the bed and searched in her phone for the recipe of Chicken Vindaloo. She had seen some videos about it earlier, but had never tried. Having Sidharth to taste her food and compliment her for her every dish, made her more enthusiastic to prepare food for him.

..

Sidharth hadn't got up from his bike even after half and hour of reaching his flat. He trips that lasted for more than two weeks has just ended in 5 days. The peace he was trying to find out on his each trip was missing this time. He was getting more restless to come back to this place as early as possible.

He gathered his bag and camera and moved inside his house. Throwing them on the couch, he directly went to his bedroom. Taking a shower, he came to his bed  and closed his eyes. As usual his mother's smiling face appeared in front of his eyes.

...

Those five days, they were never like before. As passing the boarders of Maharashtra and Odisha, he was getting pulled back to his place. Till the last time, he was at peace whenever he travelled. He had nothing to care about. But, this time he felt like he had left something precious behind. He wasn't able to enjoy it to the fullest. He wasn't able to spend more than a day after reaching there.

On the way back, his bike met with a snall accident. Nothing happened to him, though he feared of losing his life after a long time. He wanted get rid of these senses and wanted to escape from this reality of him. He wanted to be carefree again, be te coolest again, be the free spirit again.

...

Martin, I'm back. So arrange the meeting for tomorrow.

Sidharth spoke in a straight voice.

Ok! But too early this time. What happened??

Martin felt curious about the sudden appearance of Sidharth.

Nothing much. The commitment given to Kapoor's dragged me back, I think.

Ok!!

Martin stressed on the word as if it wasn't a proper explanation for him. But, continued.

Then I want Sana to attend the meeting too. Let her learn something new.

Sidharth felt irritated hearing her pet name from Martin's mouth. Though he was always  good friend for him, him being around Shehnaaz always irked Sidharth. The Shehnaaz, whom he met on the day one was completely under his guidance, which she no longer needed now. She had made a lot of friends there and a family in Janaki and Lokesh. He felt like he lost the importance in her life now. He was no longer needed for her.

He should feel happy on that thought that she was becoming independent, but he wasn't. For the first time, he had someone to be taken care of. He had felt that she was his responsibility. But, she doesn't needed it now. The unclear turmoil in his mind was making him restless each day on his trip. And made he returned back. Why? For what? For whom? He had no answers.

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