This is the twenty-fourth part of the short story that I am writing in collaboration with nine other bloggers on Blogadda. Our team is 'Tete-a-ten'. Read the previous parts here: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two and twenty-three.
Duttas' Residence, Mumbai
"Looks like all the visitors decided to call on us today!" Tara Dutta lightened the tense mood in the living room and proceeded to answer the door. She swung open the charcoal coloured main-door to find Dr. Sneha Phadnis with an eager expression on her peach-tinted face. "Dr. Phadnis? What brings you here? I thought you had left for Delhi", Tara's voice echoed her surprise. She welcomed the doctor into her spacious drawing room and picked up the day's newspapers to make some space for her on the Rexine sofa.
Sneha stood motionless as her black-lined eyes absorbed the scene - Shekhar sat in the armchair with Roohi playing about the house. A slightly older man sat on the sofa - Aryan Ahuja. Sneha's heart skipped a beat. But there was a lady seated next to him - dusky and confident, she wore a blue phoenix tattoo on her arm. Dr. Sneha's heart sank. She had waited all these years for him and here he was finally - married!
"What are you doing here, Aryan?" Sneha made no attempt to hide the pain in her voice.
"What are you doing here, Sneha?" Aryan was startled. He didn't know if it was her presence or her question that startled him more.
"Um... Pardon me, I shouldn't have barged in without a warning." Sneha apologized to Tara. She wanted to leave the house that very minute. She wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to hold her tears back. I have made a mistake. That woman is probably Aryan's wife.
Almost unable to calm himself, Aryan clarified "It's not what you think, Sneha. Let me explain..." I cannot lose her again.
Jennifer suddenly got up, "Looks like it's all sorted here". "I'm sorry I doubted your intentions, Dr. Ahuja", she turned to the forty-five year old man with an athletic built. "I think I should leave now", Jennifer Joseph smiled at Tara and swiftly left the house, her Nikon D7100 swinging at her hips.
Tara's lips broke into a wide smile as she noticed Aryan and Sneha lost in each other, their faces betraying a million emotions. Sensing their need for some privacy, she quietly pulled Roohi into her bedroom and signaled for Shekhar to follow her.
Feeling powerless under the surge of her unanswered questions, Sneha asked the man in front of her, "Why did you never say goodbye to me?" She paused to catch her breath, but did not wait for a reply, "Why did you never try to meet me? All I heard from you were about random cases you wanted a fresh perspective on. You spent the last twenty years calling me for one medical case or another... but you never really spoke to me!" Sneha's tone went from anger to anguish to accusation.
Aryan finally found his voice, "Sneha, I wanted to tell you so many times..." He took a step closer to her, "You were always busy counselling and making a name for yourself. I did not want to draw you away from your duties - your career."
"You idiot!" Sneha softly punched him in the arm. "You do not realize that I'm already drawn to you... have always been. Nothing you do is going to change that." She let a tear trickle down her cheek. Aryan cupped her face in his hands and wiped the stray tear with his thumb. Sneha lifted her eyelids and saw her Aryan after two decades of separation. His jet black hair had generous amounts of greys peeping through. He could still steal a million hearts with his disarming smile. She took a deep breath and smelled the woody notes of his Polo Green perfume. How had she survived without him for this long? Aryan pulled her closer and leaned in to plant a soft kiss on her perfect lips.
He pulled back, held her slender waist with one hand and ran his fingers up the small of her back till he reached the nape of her neck. He took a good look at her face - she was still the Sneha he had first seen at medical school all those years ago. Only now, she was so much more beautiful! Her mature features had lent her an enigmatic character. He smoothly drew her toward him and kissed her a second time. This time, more passionately.
"Looks like all the visitors decided to call on us today!" Tara Dutta lightened the tense mood in the living room and proceeded to answer the door. She swung open the charcoal coloured main-door to find Dr. Sneha Phadnis with an eager expression on her peach-tinted face. "Dr. Phadnis? What brings you here? I thought you had left for Delhi", Tara's voice echoed her surprise. She welcomed the doctor into her spacious drawing room and picked up the day's newspapers to make some space for her on the Rexine sofa.
Sneha stood motionless as her black-lined eyes absorbed the scene - Shekhar sat in the armchair with Roohi playing about the house. A slightly older man sat on the sofa - Aryan Ahuja. Sneha's heart skipped a beat. But there was a lady seated next to him - dusky and confident, she wore a blue phoenix tattoo on her arm. Dr. Sneha's heart sank. She had waited all these years for him and here he was finally - married!
"What are you doing here, Aryan?" Sneha made no attempt to hide the pain in her voice.
"What are you doing here, Sneha?" Aryan was startled. He didn't know if it was her presence or her question that startled him more.
"Um... Pardon me, I shouldn't have barged in without a warning." Sneha apologized to Tara. She wanted to leave the house that very minute. She wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to hold her tears back. I have made a mistake. That woman is probably Aryan's wife.
Almost unable to calm himself, Aryan clarified "It's not what you think, Sneha. Let me explain..." I cannot lose her again.
Jennifer suddenly got up, "Looks like it's all sorted here". "I'm sorry I doubted your intentions, Dr. Ahuja", she turned to the forty-five year old man with an athletic built. "I think I should leave now", Jennifer Joseph smiled at Tara and swiftly left the house, her Nikon D7100 swinging at her hips.
Tara's lips broke into a wide smile as she noticed Aryan and Sneha lost in each other, their faces betraying a million emotions. Sensing their need for some privacy, she quietly pulled Roohi into her bedroom and signaled for Shekhar to follow her.
Feeling powerless under the surge of her unanswered questions, Sneha asked the man in front of her, "Why did you never say goodbye to me?" She paused to catch her breath, but did not wait for a reply, "Why did you never try to meet me? All I heard from you were about random cases you wanted a fresh perspective on. You spent the last twenty years calling me for one medical case or another... but you never really spoke to me!" Sneha's tone went from anger to anguish to accusation.
Aryan finally found his voice, "Sneha, I wanted to tell you so many times..." He took a step closer to her, "You were always busy counselling and making a name for yourself. I did not want to draw you away from your duties - your career."
"You idiot!" Sneha softly punched him in the arm. "You do not realize that I'm already drawn to you... have always been. Nothing you do is going to change that." She let a tear trickle down her cheek. Aryan cupped her face in his hands and wiped the stray tear with his thumb. Sneha lifted her eyelids and saw her Aryan after two decades of separation. His jet black hair had generous amounts of greys peeping through. He could still steal a million hearts with his disarming smile. She took a deep breath and smelled the woody notes of his Polo Green perfume. How had she survived without him for this long? Aryan pulled her closer and leaned in to plant a soft kiss on her perfect lips.
He pulled back, held her slender waist with one hand and ran his fingers up the small of her back till he reached the nape of her neck. He took a good look at her face - she was still the Sneha he had first seen at medical school all those years ago. Only now, she was so much more beautiful! Her mature features had lent her an enigmatic character. He smoothly drew her toward him and kissed her a second time. This time, more passionately.
My team and I are participating in ‘Game Of Blogs’ at BlogAdda.com. #CelebrateBlogging with us!
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