Chapter 18 - Confrontation

                                    

                                          
"Who are you?" Aashna's mother asked Kartik as he opened the door for them. They weren't expecting a boy to be at their daughter's house. Assuming him to be alone there, and looking at the snacks in the living room, they caught a wrong idea and barged in. Kartik kept trying to introduce himself while they scanned the whole living room. As Muskan came out of the bedroom, Kartik added, "This is Muskan. We all are in the same batch."
Both the parents nodded at his words without looking at him, as if they hadn't yet believed any of it. After some time, they entered Aashna's room. They saw how all the walls were covered with sign language figures, web charts, and nervous system diagrams. Vanshika Bagchi raised her eyebrows not finding Aashna there. "She's not here at the moment... She would be returning late because of her internship work." Muskan said from behind them.
Aashna's father stood in front of her study table and opened a file. That was her research file and was out there since she was on the call with Abhimanyu. He flipped the pages, trying to understand the topic and its contents. Closing the file and throwing it on the bed, he turned to Muskan and Kartik. "What are you two doing here in her absence?" He asked, making them exchange scared looks.
"Muskan is here until her hand recovers and me- I am here to... study? Together? Study. Yes." He glanced at Muskan for a quick approval of his reply.
"Kids these days have no discipline left in them whatsoever. A girl and a boy are here alone in someone else's home, doing god knows what. Well, that was expected from psychology students. They should stop teaching such westernised stupid subjects. What do you get from meeting mad people?"
"What? No... Psychology isn't what you think- aaaaaa wait wait wait!" Muskan tried putting her point across but they ignored her and started leaving the room. Muskan ran behind them to stop them from entering Girisha's room. All in vain. They had already seen all the mess on the floor and bed. By then, all their steps and words could be vividly heard by Aashna and Abeer from inside the cupboard.
Muskan again tried explaining things, "That's, I just moved here so many things are all over the-"
"Letting her live alone was the biggest mistake we made." Aashna's mother said in all seriousness and then left the apartment. This made all of them quiet while Aashna stiffened and closed her eyes in an attempt to not be visible anymore.
- X - X - X - X - X -
"Aunty, Uncle, are we leaving already? I was just going to join you up there..." Girisha said while tying up a cycle to one of the pillars in the parking lot. It was in bad condition with a loose chain, broken stand, and stolen basket. Girisha had been trying to repair it, but before anything, Aashna's parents were down and ready to drive off in their car.
They looked at Girisha for one last time as Vanshika Bagchi said, "Looks like your friend doesn't care about anything. Next time, do not waste our time by making us believe in your sugar-coated lies."
- X - X - X - X - X -
As Muskan opened the cupboard, helping Aashna and Abeer to get out of it, they were all in a downhearted silence. Kartik noticed that Aashna was avoiding eye contact from all of them. He wanted to break the silence, but couldn't think of any appropriate words. Neither did Abeer or Muskan. Meanwhile, Aashna started putting things back into the cupboard, rearranging them as they were earlier. There weren't a lot of things so she was done soon. The moment she finally closed the cupboard and turned to the others to speak, someone jumped on her.
"Aaaah! GIRISHA! WH-" Aashna screamed half in fright, half in pain.
Girisha wasn't there to listen to her anymore. "WHAT. DID. I. TELL. YOU."
"Listen- to me- aaah Giri-"
Girisha held her in a headlock, simultaneously pulling her ear. "THAT. WE. ARE."
"I- know- but-"
"ENDING. THIS. TODAY."
"Lis-ten-"
"WHY DID YOU LET THEM GO?!?!?! THAT WAS OUR LAST CHANCE!!!!" Girisha finally let Aashna go.
"Because I had already said a 'no'. I'm not going against it." Aashna made a sullen expression and looked away while folding her hands.
The other three stood there wide-eyeing them. They were baffled at first, but later the scene turned funny. As if two toddlers were fighting over some momos.
Muskan and Kartik saw Aashna rubbing her red ear and put a step forward towards her when Girisha again snapped startling them, "What were you both doing when she let them go??!?!"
"She didn't meet them," Kartik said, trying to control his smile by pressing his lips.
"She- WHAT?"
"She hid herself. In that cupboard. With Abeer... apparently."
"With Ab-" Girisha couldn't even complete her sentence when everyone instantly looked at him.
"Mu-Muskan pushed me there!" He tried defending himself. 
So did Muskan. "I did it instinctively! I thought she might be hiding because of- and why did you stay??"
"How could I come out in front of her parents? From A CUPBOARD?? And I-" Barely any of them could hold in their laughs by then.
Girisha sighed. "Yeah, none of you knew exactly why she was hiding. Because. This. ROCKHEAD-" She again dashed towards Aashna in anger but this time, the others held her on time.
"Gir- Girishaaaa!!"
- X - X - X - X - X -
"Abhi?" Drishti called out while entering Abhimanyu's room. She saw him sitting on his study table, seemingly on a video call with someone. As she walked closer, all she could see was just a glimpse of Aashna on the other side of the call, before Abhinyu abruptly ended the call and then shut his laptop. He stood up to meet her eyes, making it obvious that he was in no mood to talk to her.
"Why are you here?" He asked and started clearing up his study table.
"That's... rude. To meet you, of course."
"Oh? I didn't think we would meet after that dramatic breakup."
"Huh? Ahahaha... don't be silly. You are better than holding a grudge over some goofy argument."
"Exactly. I'm so much better than that. So, that breakup announcement was where it all ended." Abhimanyu finally held her elbow and started dragging her out of his room.
Drishti realised his seriousness this time and had to become more devious. "But you cried that day. Doesn't that mean you can't live without me? You still want me to be with you. Right?" She held his palm that was on her elbow. Trying to get closer to him.
"I cried for my file, my hard work. Not for you. Anyway, keep living in your dreams." He closed the door of his room, as soon as she was out of it.
She stayed at his doorstep, staring furiously at the translucent glass panels attached to the door. "Mr Abhimanyu Rajput. You know very well what my dream is. But you have no idea what I can do to keep living it."





___________________________________________
See you in the next chapter <3