LOVE OR ARRANGED ?

CHAPTER XXII

AADHYA'S POV

I am happy for the efforts Arush has put for fulfilling his parents' dream and went with Rama to the temple opposite to our house, to pray for his success. We crossed the road and when we were about to climb the steps, I see a small kid of about 5 years falling on the road while chasing his friends and started crying. I asked Rama to buy the items needed for the puja and go into the temple after giving her some money. I ran towards the small boy, whose right knee was scrapped and blood was oozing out.

I press my kerchief to the wound and console him. I ask him where he lives and he points a building near to the temple, which looks like an orphanage. I carry him and go towards the building, where so many kids were playing, while some were having their breakfast. I search for the care takers and when I find one, I tell her what happened and ask the small boy to take care of himself. After getting the details of the orphanage, I leave from there. I go to the temple and don't find Rama. I pray for some time and return home thinking that she must have returned home and it was about 9:25 a.m. and directly went to our room to find Arush nowhere and his laptop open.

I check it to see a 4 minutes timer on the left side of the screen and the tender not yet submitted. I check if both the tender quote and project file are uploaded like Arush has shown me earlier and click the submit button. I see a notification confirming the submission and after about 2 minutes, the screen closes automatically displaying a message, the tender submission is closed and the results will be declared at 1p.m.

I pick my phone to call him, worried where he went without submitting and call him and he rejects the call on the first ring. I try again but the call gets rejected. I keep the dresses from today morning in the trolley and was about to call Arush again, when I see him drenched in sweat, panting and entering the room. He asked me, "Where have you been, I was worried for you?" I ask, "Where have you been, Arush? Why are you panting like this? Where did you go? You even left your laptop open."

His expression turned as if he realized something and ran towards the laptop and said, "Shit, what did I do?" and vigorously ran his fingers through his already disheveled hair, still panting. I don't understand anything and forward him a glass of water, which he immediately threw aside angrily breaking the glass in the process. I was scared at his behavior and say, "Arush!" but he cuts me in between and shouts, "Where the hell have you been, Aadhya? Do you even know how crazily we have been searching for you for the last half an hour? And you didn't even bother to take your mobile with you. What is the point of having this when you don't bother to use it?" he angrily throws my mobile on the floor and it's screen shatters into pieces.

"Now tell me where were you?" he shouts. I move back scared at his angry tone and say, "I saw a small kid fell down and bleeding, and dropped him in the orphanage where he stays. I returned from there and I even-" He turns even more furious and shouts, "And you think it wasn't important to inform Rama who was with you. Why don't you use your common sense to realize that people will be worried for you, Aadhya? Why am I even saying this to you? I literally left the most important thing I have been desperately working so hard for and ran like a crazy man asking everyone on the road about your whereabouts."

I was about to tell him that I submitted the tender quote but his next words stopped me from saying anything , "I shouldn't have listened to mom and brought you here in the first place. And what is this dropping the child at the orphanage? Do you think you are the only person there? Someone would have helped the child and you didn't have to create so much drama today for that. You behave as if you alone can understand their pain as you experienced it."

I immediately looked at him hurt and said silently, "Arush! Please don't do or say something that you're going to regret later."

"Just stop it, Aadhya! I thought you would know your limits but no, you had to destroy everything. Do you even know how important this project is for me? Do you have the slightest idea of what achieving this project means to my parents? What do you even know about fulfilling your parent's dreams, when you don't have one?"