Connected Heart

Perfect plan #5

CHAPTER-5

“Saira,” Ram muttered, shutting his eyes and recalled something. 

“Ram uncle, you’re really too much if you love your son so why did you not try to contact him? Or if you can’t then tell me his whereabouts, I will talk to him and tell him how much you want to be with him,” he recalled how when he was seeing Abhinav’s photo she spoke that. 

“You will not understand, Saira, how complicated my life is. You leave this, tell me about how your studies are going,” he averted the topic. She rolled her eyes, but Ram kept his hand at hers. Showing today he does not feel fine to talk about his son. 

“Don’t even ask that I am not getting proper time to open books. After college, I immediately come to the café, and go at 11:00 pm then being tired, jump on the bed then in the early morning I make notes, in all that itself my time passes,” she said serving him his order. 

“I asked you to take my help, but you and your ethics,” he tried to say, but interrupted by her. 

“My Mishu says we need to struggle to achieve something, if today I’ll take your help then I will never go close to my dreams with the same passion. Moreover I am not doing a job for the money I’m doing for my granny, and you already know how much self-esteem she has. She even refused to take my grandpa brother’s help after grandfather's death. She single-handed provided wonderful future to us.” 

“I want to meet your Mishu and granny,” he said, feeling amazingly listening about her family, but Saira’s expression changed to annoying. 

“I only can call her Mishu,” she possessively said. He smiled at her and stood. 

“Only yours, now I’m and don’t be angry over such matters. Focus on your studies, I hope one day I will see you succeed, then I want a treat and yes I am going out-of-town so I’ll not be able to come here, take care,” that was their last meeting, but he never knew it else he must have taken her with him or protected her somehow. 

Ram came in senses by listening to Anjali’s voice whose eyes brimmed with tears, and the pain was reflecting. 

“My son left home 8 years ago, I was in pain but I knew he was fine, here I can’t say anything which could console you,” Anjali said holding Siyali’s hand. 

“You only pray for my child’s soul to get peace,” Siyali said sadly, Anjali nodded in yes. 

“I guess you should be here only tonight with him as it’s late. Also, you’ll be able to spend time with him,” Siyali said, changing the topic. 

Anjali looked towards Ram, whose eyes had tears. She felt to rub her eyes, thinking how this stone-hearted person can have tears. 

“I am going, I’ll come in the morning to pick you. And Madam, if you need any help please call me freely. Your daughter was so sweet. Saira always used to hope to see you happy, so don’t be in pain else she will not like,” his voice choked remembering her.

“You knew her? But how? Sneha never mentioned you, and Saira is her nickname, but only those who she loves,” Siyali asked surprisingly. 

“I knew her a little,” he said that only and left from there leaving Anjali to confuse as how can her husband be emotional over someone whom he knew little but stone-hearted for his own son while Siyali was astonished listening he knew her daughter. 

Both ladies looked at each with turmoil but not understanding anything they changed their gaze. 

“You sleep here, if you need anything then call me,” Siyali said, moving from there. Anjali nodded yes and laid beside Abhinav smiling, thinking after 4 years her son is near.

“I will not let you go away, and you know Arya misses you a lot. She will be happy to meet you but as you know your uncle, so let wait for the correct moment then I will take you to our home. I don’t know how much you have to struggle outside, but not anymore,” Anjali said happily, fondling his hair.

“And you know Abhi, for the first time I have seen tears in your father’s eyes. Sneha must be good, I felt bad for her but also jealous as that love my children needed to get, she got,” Anjali said, feeling a little angry.

Meanwhile, Ram came into the hall and looked at Sneha’s photo on the wall. He went near that and caressed her. 

“Saira, I don’t know what happened to you and how you are related to Abhinav but I promise I will take care of your family from now onwards as I always thought of you as my daughter,” Ram said remembering their moments.

He came out wiping his tears and looked at Saira’s and Payal’s house in front of each other.

He looked at his mobile where his brother’s picture was there along with Vivek Agnihotri. He opened a camera and snapped the picture of Payal’s house. 

“1,2,3,” he mumbled marching from there and gave a smirk.

Someone who saw all that smiled mourning, “my plan is going perfectly.”

........................................

Early Morning, Kapoor’s house.

Payal was roaming on the terrace and biting her nails, thinking about something. 

“I saw him before too, but where?” She was muttering. She closed her eyes, trying to help herself recall who he is but can’t get anything. She mentally cursed herself for her disastrous memory and moved, but stopped by someone. 

“Oh! Thank god I got to see you here itself. I need to enter the room like I’ve been doing for 2 years,” a man said from behind, hugging her. 

“Vivek please how many times I asked you not to come here if my grandmother will see she’ll not only lock me in the room but also break our marriage, do you want that?” She angrily pushed him, but he held her hand and made her towards himself. 

“Now what’s fear? They fix our relationship, I can openly come here. You know after a month our engagement will happen so we won’t need to do drama of strangers,” he said happily and bent to kiss, but she pushed him. 

“It’s a waste of time to make you understand, so leave that. You tell me where was your mad brother in these 4 years, especially in the past two years? I feel I have seen him somewhere,” she said, making him irritated. 

“I came here to spend time with you thinking yesterday our marriage was fixed, you must be excited to see me, not for this.” He angrily said thinking like usual his brother will snatch his beloved Payal as in childhood whoever he liked they loved his brother even his childhood crush. 

“I saw him somewhere, and I guess with that nerd Sneha,” she said ignoring other things. 

“That Sneha?” Vivek asked. She nodded in yes. 

“Even if there’s a connection between them then why we should worry, her story ended two years ago," he said laughing, remembering Sneha’s dead body. How much he wished to teach her lesson as she always used to get on his nerves, but when he saw her dead body, he tremendously felt glad. 

Someone who was there listened to this and glared at them controlling anger. 

“Story can start again,” that person whispered taking their picture and left from there leaving Vivek happy while Payal tensed.

“Payal leaves that, let enjoy our moments, please not any more tension, you know I can’t see you sad,” Vivek pleaded Payal nodded in yes.

Vivek stared at her lips and captured it without warning, making her smile as she is used to it. They were so engrossed in a kiss, even didn’t get when Vivek started caressing her back wanting a quick make out. Both about to move ahead but stopped by Gayatri’s yell.

“Payal, where are you?” 

Payal cursed her granny and separated from him but not before giving him a brief kiss making his anger melt.

“Bye,” Payal said.

........................

Abhinav opened his eyes and looked towards Anjali, who was uncomfortably sleeping. She slept in the sitting posture itself, her hand clutching his hand, fearing he will again go away.

Abhi smiled at her, but soon his smile turned into resentment. He somehow managed his anger by gulping his saliva. 

“Aunty, why are you in my room? Go from here, Magician will be angry seeing someone else recalling after how much fake cry he got to sleep here,” he said freeing his hand, but not getting any answers he stepped down from the bed and went towards the washroom. 

“First, I’ll fresh up then I’ll ask for fresh clothes from Aunty then I’ll be a splendid boy, and no one will tease me saying my clothes are bad,” he spoke, snapping his finger. 

Entering there, he smiled, touching the mirror seeing his reflection but next moment his eyes became blank. 

“Shh,” he kept a finger at the lip, and closed his eyes and smiled, seeing his reflection. 

He clapped and poked the nose of reflection. 

“Cheater monkey,” he spoke jumping. 

“You’re a monkey, see, because of you I forget I need to be fresh,” Abhinav irritatingly said, pointing towards his reflection. 

He washed his face and came out. Anjali was still sleeping in the same posture. 

“Still here?” He muttered, making faces. 

“Magician will scold her, then it’ll be fun,” he happily muttered moving from there but stopped before Sneha’s photo which had garland. 

He saw here and there; he took that garland and threw at the ground. 

“Now perfect,” he clapped and smiled.

“Saira,” he muttered, stopping at the doorstep.

“Saira, you know you are the first person who understands me. I don’t know what I had done without you. Please never leave, else I will die,” he recalled such words making his headache.

Tears welled in his eyes and started shivering because of pain.

“Abhi, you know how much I like to be with you. I promise I will be with you unless you let me go,” Saira said, kissing his cheeks. He smiled and hugged her protectively.

“And I will never let you go,” he honestly said, making her smile.

Abhi and Saira, are best friends but an unknown feeling, they always get attracted to each other. They used to hug and share some cheek kisses, but still; they didn’t realize their feelings.

For Saira, there wasn’t a correct time for love and for Abhinav then he was scared to fall in love.

Abhinav came in the sense as his headache became worse.

“My head,” he mumbled closing eyes.

For some minutes he kept standing there when his ache became light. He went but stopped by his mother murmur.

“Abhi, where are you?” 

Abhinav was about to answer but stopped in mid.

“Abhi, shall we meet your mother? I think she must wait for you and regret her mistake also, Arya. Don’t you miss her?” Abhinav recalled that again.

“Sneha, please never mention that. And about Arya then soon she will be with me,” Abhinav angrily said making Sneha afraid as he never shouted at her also most of the times he calls her Saira which is her nickname.

“Then rot alone, at least give a chance for the explanation but no, you got an attitude,” Sneha angrily said.

“You know what she did? But want me to meet her?” He unbelievably asked.

“I am saying ask her why she did that, might be Abhi she had some reasons else no mother can see her child in pain,” Sneha said trying to make him understand but he angrily left from there.

“Saira,” Abhinav came in senses and kept murmuring her name. His headache was increasing badly and his eyes became red.

He sat with the support of the door and looked down, rubbing his hand.

“My head,” he mumbled.

“I need water,” he stood again and somehow reached the kitchen. He took a bottle and drank in one gulp.

To be continued.