The apology!

This is in continuation to the previous post. You can read it here ---------> The breakup!

The weekend was supposed to be fun! But this weekend had turned their life upside down. It had twisted it complete three sixty degrees. They had not done the project work, went to a party with wrong invitation cards, proposed marriage to a model, and had a break up.  All the images were running again and again like a tape rewinding in the tape recorder. It was the worse weekend they ever had. All they did went wrong in some way or the other.

‘It’s all because of you, I told you not to go the party’ Rahul scowled.

‘I know, if I wouldn’t have been so obsessed, It wouldn’t have happened’ Gaurav said meekly.

‘Now you have messed it all up’ Rahul scoffed.

Gaurav sank in the couch. He didn’t expect this. Damn! What have I done? He also loved Ankita very much, although he fell for every other pretty girl round the corner,just for fun, but he loved her and only her truly. This he realized when she was gone. How did he let his obsession come between in their relationship? All these questions crossed his mind at speed of light. The moment he tried to figure out the answer to first, second question attacked his already occupied brain cells.

‘Would you like to have some coffee?’ Rahul offered a mug to him.

‘Thanks buddy, I need it badly.’  A smile crossed Gaurav’s lips. ‘It would help to calm down the banging headache too.’ Rahul smiled back.

 ‘Alright, now listen, what happened, happened, we can’t change it, nobody can change it.’ Rahul tried to calm down the situation. He was a guy who dealt with every situation at hand with peace and patience. These were his two ground rules of facing even the toughest situation at hand, and he succeeded every time too.

‘You are right, let’s work out a plan to clear this mess up.’ Gaurav acknowledged gulping down the last sip of the coffee.

Gaurav had made two girls cry, one whom he loved and other whom he had crush on. Three hearts were broken, in one night, those of two girls’ and third one his own. It was difficult to work out a solution. Gaurav’s phone was ringing. Oh no! It’s Mr. Malhotra, I spoiled his name in last night’s party. He was confused, totally out of his mind about how and what to give as an explanation. After five rings, he picked up the call.

'Mr. Malhotra, I- I am very sorry' his voice was shaking.

'Gaurav, its fine but I need you to do me a favor, will you?' A sweet voice on the other side of the phone shocked Gaurav. He expected a thrashing. The weekend was not that bad either, he thought. Things were taking their respective places and all look clear now.

'Y-yes Mr. Malhotra, how can I help you?' He could have done anything to correct his mistake he did that night.

'Ashima wants to meet you personally.  She hadn't complained to police on my request. Now I want you to apologize to her on my behalf' he commanded. 'And your friend, who was with you that night, what was the name of him?' he asked like a CBI official investigating a crime scene.

 'Rahul!!' Gaurav almost felt that he had committed a murder and police is going to implement third degree on him and Rahul.

'Take him along too!' he sounded fishy this time.

'Why? He didn't do anything'. Gaurav didn’t expect that.

'You both were at the party that night, so you both should go and apologize for all you did' he commanded and hung up.

'B-But Mr. Malhotra.........' all he could hear was the engage tone.

The man on the other side of the phone was ordering him.  He was left with no choice after all. On one side, he was delighted that the fuss he created was going to be settled soon, but he feared to tell this to Rahul. He would kill him this time. Past all his fears, he approached Rahul who was working on the laptop in the other room and sat on bed besides him.

'Rahul, Mr. Malhotra called!' he said with all the gathered courage.

'What did he say? Is police behind us? We should leave from here now!' he sprang up from the chair closing the laptop.

'Relax, he want us to apologize to Ashima. She hadn't complained to police, thanks to Mr. Malhotra!' Gaurav exclaimed.

‘What do you mean by US?’ his voice grew louder.

‘He only said that we both have to go and meet her, personally and apologize to her’ Gaurav said.

Rahul was out of his mind now or at least he thought the same about Gaurav. Why do I have to apologize? His head again started banging. He wanted to get out of the situation as soon as possible but why he has to apologize was the question that pulled the earth beneath his legs. For the sake of Gaurav, he agreed but on the condition that Gaurav will apologize, not him. Gaurav agreed and they soon were on their way to her home.

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After about twenty minutes at ten thirty AM they reached her bungalow. Ashima lived in one of the posh colonies of Delhi. The bungalow stood at least three stories high. Scattered in about four acres, it was no less than a palace. The security guard opened the huge steel gate after confirming from inside about their visit. Straight from the entrance stood a shed like structure which rested a silver Mercedez benz. Gaurav pressed the doorbell. A middle aged man dressed like a chef opened the wooden door.

‘Is Ashima home?’ asked Gaurav in a low voice.

‘Come in, sir’ he guided them towards the lobby and directed them to sit on a beige sofa placed at the extreme left. The color matched perfectly with the walls. The aroma of the lobby soothed the mood. One side, wall was blanketed by expensive painting and the other wall was covered with Ashima’s photographs from her childhood to her walking on the ramp shows. On the far right lay the stairs which led to the first floor. Exquisitely furnished, the style with which lobby was designed reminded Rahul of his home.

Rahul had left his past behind but after seeing her bungalow, his mental peace was disturbed. He remembered how after a fight with his dad, he had left his house. He remembered how his mother had died in his arms after long sickness. His father didn’t have time because of his busy working life. Those sharp, vivid images when he last saw his father were running frame by frame like a vicious cycle in his mind. He was just twelve then. The uncelebrated birthdays, the gifts he used to bring on mother’s day for his mother even after she died and kept them in the closet hiding it from everybody. He remembered how his father had brought his secretary claiming to be his mother. He had quietly suffered his stepmom’s scolding without complains. All he got from his dad was money, his bank account always overloaded with black money, as he called it. He had demanded to live separately which his father had reluctantly agreed when he was merely sixteen years old. His father had provided him with a servant that maintained his apartment well. Five years later, when he was twenty one, after he completed his MBA, he had got the job of Assistant Manager, he had moved out of his apartment and shifted to the company flat provided to him. His father had blasted out on him. He hadn’t shared this dark secret of his life with anyone, not even with Gaurav.

‘Hello Rahul,’ a girly voice interrupted him. He shoved off the cloud of thoughts with which he was preoccupied momentarily. He saw Ashima standing in front of him. She looked like a doll in her black spaghetti. Damn!! She has fashion on her mind at home too!! Rahul swallowed a lump down his dry throat.

‘Hi…..’ said Rahul after a bit hesitation.

‘Nice house! Gaurav complemented from behind to seek attention.’

‘Thanks!!’ said Ashima, a smile crossed her lips.          

 Initially they were hesitant, but after a while they made themselves comfortable. Big stars are also humans after all, thought Rahul. Ashima was not that bad as he had thought her to be. But he was still skeptical about her behavior. She sat on the couch opposite to the one facing them crossing her one leg over the other. He wondered that Gaurav had almost let her cry in front of whole media and this girl was treating them like nothing happened. Soon the centre wooden carved table was full of foods of all sorts they can’t even think of. She must be feeling like wringing our necks or maybe chopping off our heads like they do to a goat after feeding him. Rahul thought of starting the talks first but he sat quietly, studying her. Now, she will say something about that night. This one sentence kept coming in his mind every time she tried to speak something. Gaurav was busy complementing the interiors of her house with his nonstop big mouth and Ashimawas getting tired of saying thanks to each and every complement that he threw at her face.

‘Why are you not having anything?’ she asked Rahul glancing at him. ‘Do you like something else? Orange juice would be fine?’ Her voice was so sweet that flattered Rahul for a moment. Rahul had two things in his mind going on simultaneously, whether our stars are bright today or this girl is a patient of Amnesia.   

‘Orange juice would be fine’ Rahul said politely. She directed a uniformed man standing around the table to bring the juice.  He nodded and went upstairs. Now was the time for her to speak something about that night. Rahul passed on few glimpses to Gaurav for apologizing her, but he was hesitant to initiate. The waiter came along with three glasses of orange juice in sleek, slender glasses and left.  Rahul again passed on a glimpse at Gaurav asking him to apologize. Gaurav glanced back refusing. Coward! Rahul remarked him in his mind. He decided that he had to do the talking.  

Why the hell I agreed to go the party? Worse is why the hell I agreed to come here along with him? And we are having orange juice with the girl who cried in front of whole media because of you?  Damn, you Gaurav.  Rahul was getting frustrated. Gaurav was scanning the entire lobby.  

‘Mr Malhotra called him. Rahul said pointing towards Gaurav.’ ‘He told that you wanted to meet us personally.’ Finally he came to the point.

‘Ahan..! I know’ she said frantically.    

Now it was turn for her to speak, thought Rahul. Taking a sip of orange juice she had offered to him, he waited for her to speak. 

To be continued.....:) Don't forget to give your valuable feedback by commenting below :)