Silent Love Part: 30
Dev stood looking at her for a minute
“what happened? You ok?’
Jerking slightly, he said softly : you look more like Radhika now
Radhika with a smile came near: Dev, this is me only, Radhika
“No Radhika, now you look more like Padma auntie’s Radhika”
Radhika finding a place on the rack to spread her wet towel, said: Dev, what, for wearing churidar all the time?, I used to wear churidar too
“but this was your usual look , right”
“come on Dev, don’t type cast me now”
“so how was the tea?’
“as usual , good.”
“um, now let me grab one, ok”
“um”
He stayed back to set his room, and Radhika walked out from the room.
With his quick actions replay , the room looked much better and he felt little relief, and went to take a shower.
When he came out, he saw her standing near his window and looking out
With a smile he went near the mirror: Radhika, you want to go home?
“um’
He felt the heaviness of her throat , adjusting the collar of his grey T, he brushed his wet hair, He was wearing a black shorts, and he came near and stood behind her , looking at her window : Radhika, if you want, I can help you get in
“not now Dev, I will go later”
She looked at him with her tear filled eyes
“again” saying that he wiped off her tears, “ come, let’s go down and make some breakfast”
“sure”
“but you only need to do the work, ok, or I can go and get something from outside”
“no Dev, its been long, I have been to kitchen, so let me see, or I tell you, ok”
‘um”
“hope Mahi auntie won’t get angry for messing up the kitchen”
“you are better than me RAhika, so go ahead”
With a smile , she went to kitchen. Dev called village and talked to his dadaji., and in between went and checked in kitchen and found Radhika comfortably working on there.
He brought his laptop and started checking on his work stuff
“Dev. Come let’s try it”
He kept the LT away and went to the kitchen, and in that small dining area inside, they settled with two plates, he went and grabbed juice from the fridge.
“um, not bad”
She just smiled and said: if it was mom she might say “ it is superb Radhika, make it every day” so that she doesn’t have to do it .
He saw her wiping her tears off, but then smiled and munched on the piece
“at least now you started eating better, that’s what I care”
She tried to smile again with wiping away another drop
“Radhika, if you need to grab anything from your house, let’s do it today evening, you want to go back today?”
“Can I stay back tonight , don’t worry I can manage myself, I will be fine”
“but you will be alone, I can come too”
“no Dev, don’t worry, mom is there na, only thing I cannot see her, but she is there na, she will take care of me”
Saying that she took her plate and walked near to the sink.
He didn’t say anything but finishing his plate , he was emptying his juice, Radhika took the plate away, and he just watched her doing it.
“so, now what?’
“can I see those photos?’
He brought the laptop and open and folder and gave her.
As she was watching it, he asked casually “ Radhika ,w hat is your email id
“ I don’t have one” still looking into the photos
“you don’t have one!”
Radhika looked up and said : I have a college one, but I rarely go there, actually I don’t like this at all, prefer books than this’
“so, when I go, how do I contact you?’
“don’t worry about me Dev, I will be fine”
“but still”
Radhika just smiled
“ok, let’s create one, and you can send me mail when you miss me?’
“Dev”
“what??, sure Radhika, see now I am here, so you are smiling, but once I go, you will miss your friend, right, atleast you need to check on your friend, how he or she is doing, or else its not a good friend”
“ok baba, whatever you say”
“um, come let’s create one”
He took over and after little discussion Radhika got a personal id, and made her to log in and out few times, and finally she kept the laptop on the side and said “ enough Dev, please”
“ok ok, but now you know, right?’
“um”
‘and you will send me email”
‘um”
“you know now, right?”
“you made me to do na, then”
“no, just checking, ok, because I can help you to come back here, and maybe you can continue your studies going from here”
Radhika sat back: how?
“that is step by step procedure, so I need to guide according to the progress.
“You can!!!”
“that’s what you asked me yesterday, right”
“ha!!”
“ok, then I will give you the first step prior to my trip , ok”
“no, now, please Dev, only 3 more days , na, you tell me now itself”
“no”
“please”
“ok then, um, today, evening, ok”
“um,”
He smiled
***
that evening....
“call Nani”
RAdhika looked at him unbelievably
“Radhika, call Nani”
“Why?’
“”call and ask her how she is doing?’
“Dev”
“Ha Radhika, do it”
“I never called her”
“I know, but now you will, and ask her to come and pick you next weekend”
“Dev, I don’t want to go there”
“Radhika, please , if you need to come back here,.... after all she is your nani, Padma auntie’s mom, then, do it, please”
Radhika looked at him in question, but he extended the home phone
“I don’t know the number”
He dialed the number and gave to her, she heard the hello from the other end , looking into Dev’s eyes, she said “ Hello Nani, this is me Radhika”
She heard the sound of surprise and then happiness from the other end, then it was all yes and no answers from Radhika with a suffocated look at Dev, but Dev encouraged her to move on
She took a deep sigh as Nani kept the phone down
“good girl’
He touché h er nose
Radhika walked out with a childish face of angriness. He followed with a smile : Radhika, you will see the difference ok
“don’t talk to me”
“um, just like any other girl no change, I thought you are little different , but”
She looked at his face : but what?
“nothing”
“ok, can I go home now”
“ha , but I need to take you, or else how you will get in”
“then come na”
They entered thru the back door, and she started digging into her boxes and all, for finding stuff. Dev roamed inside for some time and then making sure everything in place, he went to his house, he looked thru the window, and she smiled looking at him, and as he instructed she kept that window open for the night.
He called home and talked to Mahi, he said Radhika is in there, in her home, Mahi got so anxious ,and he tried to calm her down, but Dev kept her comfortable with his words. Mahi asked him not to send Radhika till they come back and he agreed with a smile. Mahi was praying hard for that night to end soon, so that they can start early morning.
Radhika was sitting in her mom’s room, in her bed, curled up, keeping the frame closer to her heart, and the tears were shedding non stop, she was trying to feel her mom around in that emptiness, and for a moment she thought , her mom is walking around near her, in one or the other room, searching for her, she cried her heart out with the realizations.. the candle light was still burning inside, and she slowly walked into her room, coming near the table, she sat on that chair, and opening the drawer , she took her diary out, and slowly wrote “ mom, I am back here, can you see me, Dev brought me back here mom, I miss you mom, mom do you know, he is so nice mom, he is my best friend now, whom I don’t need to say anything, he is doing everything for me , he loved you a lot mom, he has so many pictures of you, he knows so much about you, he is there mom, taking care of me, he is worried about me now, why mom? How can he be so close to me like this? All because of you right? I wish to keep that distance from everyone mom, but he, with each day each moment, he is coming closer to me mom, as a very good friend, and i saw the tears in his eyes too mom, thinking about you, how can he feel so closer to you mom? he is so easy to go with mom, sometimes he just give me orders, and no choise, but mostly he agrees with me mom, and he onl reminded me of your dream, your wish, your reason for smile, will I miss him mom? I don't know, but he says, I will, will i?”
She closed her diary and took the photo frame and looked at her smiling papa and mamma, and she tried to give a tear full smile, but then , as it escaped from her eyes, she saw his image appearing in , looking at her in concern , and she said “ see, I just told you and he” but then the image faded, and she realized it was just in her eyes, she went near the window and looked at his room, there he was standing near the window looking down at her, seeing her he waved his hand and in turn she smiled,
He raised his hand to ask “what?’
She just nodded her head in saying she is ok
But he needed words to comfort him
“you Ok?’
She just nodded again saying “yes”
They stood there for some more time and he signaled her to go to bed.
She sat on that chair and resting her head on that table, she slowly closed her eyes.
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