#chap12 #chroniclesoflife #Sagas_by_Irvika #sweetlovestory

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Happy Sunday!!!  One of my favorite chapters.. ❤❤❤

Atharva was barely able to take in what Minish had just told him, as if he was in some kind of a dream, when he saw Shruti. He just blinked his eyes to assure himself that this was really happening. Shruti, on the other hand, held her head high, and refused to even glimpse at Atharva.

To be continued…

Atharva was absolutely spellbound; it was as if no one else existed around him… no crowd, no vehicles, nothing. He was completely lost in the vision that met his eyes; the one for whom his heart had been weeping. It was as if that corner in his heart which had shut its doors for everyone else, suddenly opened up to welcome the only person he would ever allow. He simply kept looking at her while she and Rohan walked towards them.

Shruti was looking everywhere else but him, not wanting her emotions to rule over her brain. Everyone greeted each other in general and fell into an uncomfortable silence. She felt very awkward as 4 pairs of eyes stared at her, making her feel extremely conscious.

She noticed without particularly looking at him, that he looked equally classy in the formal clothes as well. He was wearing a navy blue shirt teamed up with grey trousers. Although she tried hard to find fault with his dressing, she found none. In fact, he looked really sophisticated.

Thankfully, Isha came to her rescue again. As if she remembered Shruti from the other day, she playfully hid behind her mom’s Dupatta and did peekaboo. She brought a smile on Shruti’s face, and made her feel wee bit better.

Atharva apparently had eyes only for her. He could see that she was dressed simply, compared to the elegant outfit she had donned on the other day, but nonetheless, he was charmed by her once more. He didn’t have an iota of doubt in his mind that he was head over heels in love with this girl. He observed that she looked forlorn and also that she was trying her best not to look at him.

Rohan was noticing him all the time, to be able to judge as to what was going on in his mind. He could clearly see that he was dumbstruck and lost, but most importantly just staring at his sister.

Shankar suggested, “Let us go up… have booked a table for us just to be cautious, since it’s Saturday.”
Rohan agreed, “Yes of course, let us go.”

They all walked towards the elevator and they got in. Minish pressed the 2nd floor button.They were all a bit crammed up in the lift. Shruti felt that tingling sensation run through her body as she realised that Atharva was standing right behind her. She could feel his breath, which only increased her heartbeats.

Atharva was feeling equally restless, just waiting for her to look at him at least once. He could easily see that she was not the same bubbly person, so full of life whom he had met on the other day. He vowed that since he had been given a second chance, he would amend the situation, come what may.

They alighted at the 2nd floor and entered the restaurant. The head waiter guided them towards their table and they seated themselves. Shruti sat as far away from Atharva as possible, on the opposite side, still unable to make herself look at him. She felt really vulnerable, thoroughly aware of the fact that if she takes one look at him, he would be able to see her feelings for him in her eyes, as clear as crystal water. She was scared to portray those emotions, not wanting to show him how gravely all this had affected her.

Shruti tried to strike up a conversation with Preksha who was sitting right beside her. The guys had general discussion about business as they were from the same field. Shruti was trying to interact with Isha who gave a very cute dimpled smile to her.

After a while, Shankar said to Rohan, “I think we should let Atharva and Shruti meet alone and let them converse.”
Rohan readily agreed, “Yes of course.”
Shankar suggested, “Atharva, you two can sit on another table I feel.”

Atharva shook his head and said, “Shankar, I would like to go on a drive with Shruti and talk in private.” Then looking at Rohan he said, “Hope that’s okay.”
Rohan was taken aback for a second at his frankness, but then thought it would be better that way; considering the circumstances, they would need privacy, which won’t be possible in a crowded restaurant.
He agreed, “Yes, please go ahead.”

All this while, Shruti was just listening to the entire conversation and was flabbergasted at the suggestion. She felt like giving a punch on her brother’s nose for agreeing to this, without bothering to know whether she was fine with it or not. Rohan gave her a look, and communicated silently, ‘Don’t misbehave and be patient.’
Shruti couldn’t muster up the courage to refuse and finally got up, muttering under her breath.

Minish passed the car keys to Atharva and winked at him, wishing him luck in his own style. Shruti felt really nervous and edgy. Atharva came and stood near her and asked, “Shall we go?”

It is then that Shruti looked up at him and felt weak in her knees. She couldn’t utter a word and just nodded. He looked into her eyes for a couple of seconds, seeing a sea of emotions in them. He nodded his head and both started walking towards the elevator. He very courteously stood by, holding the door till she stepped in and again when they reached down, he waited for her to step out first. They both walked towards the car parking when Atharva unlocked the doors of a silver coloured Tata Safari with the car remote keys. Shruti went to the other side, opened the door and settled inside, while Atharva was all ready to drive.

He greeted, “Hi, good to meet you again.” She turned her head in a swift motion, looking at him, disbelief clearly showing on her face, but refrained from being rude.
She just said, “Hi,” and looked out of the window.

He politely said, “I hope I haven’t offended you by not asking for your consent for the drive. It wouldn’t have been possible to talk over there in everyone’s presence.”
Shruti hadn’t expected this from him; just minutes back she was mumbling about no one asking for her preference. And here he was, saying so very sweetly, that she felt guilty, and bit her lip. She shook her head and conceded, “No… that’s okay.. am fine.”

Atharva was driving towards the highway when she asked, “Where are we going?”
He replied, “Nowhere in particular. Actually, don’t want to be in a crowd.. wanted to talk to you with no one around… is it okay if we just go on a drive?”
Shruti answered meekly, “Hmmm.”

There was a bit of a traffic; so it was another 5 minutes before they reached the highway. Then, he was free to talk and generally mentioned, “Why are you so quiet today?”
She replied bluntly, “Because I am not in a mood to talk.”
He queried gently, “May I ask why?” And Shruti lost her cool.

She looked at him and said, “Do I have to answer that? Don’t pretend please, as if nothing happened. Although I am yet to understand exactly what went wrong; felt like a fool to have shared with you so much, blabbering about things close to me, during the first meeting itself. How do you think I should react when I realise that I was mistaken? I shouldn’t have opened up to this extent… but you learn from your mistakes... though this was an unforgettable lesson that I have learnt. I won’t jump to conclusions for sure from now onwards.” She said it all in a monologue, her voice almost breaking with the emotions.

Atharva kept listening, without interrupting her. He was relieved to hear her voice out her frustration, but felt her pain deep in his heart, echoing a similar trauma. He didn’t try to dissuade her as well. Shruti felt like crying after finally venting out her agony that she had bottled up inside for her parents’ sake.

Atharva looked at her and offered her water from a bottle in the car, which she refused to have. He finally said very soberly, “I am sorry for unintentionally hurting you… but let me tell you very clearly that I was absolutely unaware that our parents had spoken.”

Shruti kept mum and stared outside the window, a storm brewing inside her soul. She so wanted to believe him, to assure herself that she hadn’t been wrong but her mind still refused to accept.

He continued, “Shruti… I am the last person to fake anything. In fact, I am often ridiculed by my family members that I am too outspoken and cannot mince words.”
He very bluntly asked, “Do you think that I was just pretending to be interested when we met last?” She couldn’t answer. He repeated his question again, with a lot of anguish in his voice. “Shruti, did you not feel that what happened between us was magical?”
She didn’t trust herself to say the right words and simply muttered, “I don’t know.”

Atharva felt absolutely helpless... didn’t know what to say and till what extent. If he would say what actually happened, he would tarnish his parents’ image. But then, how does he make her see his love for her? Can’t she see that he is crazy about her? He acknowledged that for any relation to begin, the foundation has to be very strong, he cannot hide and let her be in dark.

He took in a deep breath and said solemnly, “I don’t know how to put this to you, but I guess better to be frank instead of beating around the bush.”

Shruti looked at him, keen to hear what explanation he had to offer. He continued, “I had told my parents on the other day itself that I had liked you. But I guess it didn’t come across clearly. There was another offer from a relative, and…. well… they thought that I should meet her as well before I come to a decision.”

Shruti’s feelings went for a roller coaster ride… literally; exhilarated to hear him say that he liked her, to being utterly despaired that he had to meet another girl, and it all showed on her face.

Atharva felt compelled to explain, “Shruti I didn’t agree to meet anyone else. Please, don’t get me wrong.” But she wasn’t in a state to understand anything, anymore. She said, hurt reflecting in her voice, “How could you do this if you were so firm that you liked me?! And what are you doing here right now? Judging me?”
Atharva said earnestly, “Listen Shruti, I am not interested in any other girl. I was not even aware about it.... you have got it all wrong…”

Shruti snapped back, “Yeah… go ahead. I am all ears.”
He explained patiently, “See… I could have cooked up some story but I didn’t want to… so please trust me on this. I have no inclination whatsoever to be with any other girl. As soon as I came to know, I immediately confronted my dad. But by then, he had already talked to your dad. I can imagine that the way he had spoken must have given you all a hint that something was wrong, but believe me, I would have never allowed it if I would have known about it. We respect our parents and unless and until the situation arises, we don’t go against their wishes. However, I very clearly stated what my stand was on this matter. Eventually, everyone agreed that my decision should be given priority. So here we are.”

Shruti had no words to speak, she was overwhelmed to hear him say all this; immense turbulence brewing inside her mind and heart. She still had hundreds of ifs and buts popping in her head. She could see that Atharva was trying his best to defend himself, and she didn’t doubt his sincerity. But then, if his parents were not too keen on her, how will it all work out? She didn’t like it one bit that they had thought of him meeting another girl. What if later they don’t accept her willingly? She wouldn’t want to feel despised by anyone, for no fault of hers. She was in a complete mess, not knowing what to do.

Atharva looked at her intently and said, “Hope there is no more confusion now.” Shruti looked visibly disturbed; was unconsciously biting her nails, which she would do when nervous or in  agony.

Before she could answer, there was a beep on Atharva’s mobile. He checked and saw that it was Minish, asking him how long will they take to come back. He replied, '10 mins.' He was about to put down his mobile, when something flashed in his mind and he texted Minish about it, asking him to get it without fail. He thought, just in case if he needs, it would come in handy.

He asked, “Shruti, till when are you here in Mumbai?”
She answered, “We shall be leaving tomorrow morning as papa has to attend some urgent meeting at 2 p.m.”
Atharva was genuinely disappointed and mentioned, “Tomorrow is Sunday.”
She clarified, “Yes, but since we were here today, he had to reschedule it for tomorrow.”
He murmured, “Oh ok.”

Atharva questioned, “Anything else that you need to get clarification about or is there anything you would like to tell me Shruti?” She shook her head and said in a voice barely audible, “No, nothing.”

She sat staring out of the window for the entire time it took them to reach the restaurant. It was almost 6.30 p.m. and the sky was beautifully painted in hues of orange and yellow. She loved watching this mystical phenomena… never tiring of the mesmerising beauty that it displays. But on that day, she was musing as to what lay in store for her on the next day. She was still very much unsure, and her mind was still refusing to calm down. By the time they reached, she was having a severe headache.

Everyone had come down and were waiting for them to arrive. Atharva parked the car, while Shruti got down without uttering a word or looking at him. He was dismayed, knowing very well that she was still not assured of his love and affection for her. He got down as well. Minish was standing nearby; Atharva raised his eyebrows asking a question silently with a movement of his head, confirming whether his brother got what he had texted him to, and Minish nodded. Atharva had already thought of something that he would have to do as Shruti looked very unconvinced.

Rohan shook hands with Atharva and politely greeted all goodbye. Shruti likewise greeted all except Atharva, who kept waiting for her to say something to him as well, but she refused to. She felt absolutely shaken inside and wasn’t in a mood to oblige. It didn’t go unnoticed by the Shahs. They looked at her expectantly, but she didn’t give a damn. Then, Rohan gave her a ‘don’t-you-dare’ look and gestured her to behave herself.

Finally, she gathered up her courage, looked at him with mixed feelings and said, “Bye.” He too wished her softly, “Bye.”

To be continued...

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