The Prince And The Commoner (Shubman Gill)

~TWENTY EIGHT~

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Two days without him and she already felt empty within her. Even Chitra kept stealing Akanksha's phone to call Shubman but of course she didn't know how to work it.

Akanksha wanted to go to him...but he was in India...she still didn't dare go back. Would she be able to hang around the same place where she was abused and almost...

But other than that...there was something else that had held her back...her mother.

Did her mother hate her? She held her phone open with her mother's phone number on her screen. But she didn't dare press the number...but then she got her call instead.

She picked it up immediately.

"Hello, mumma?" She answered hurriedly.

"Kanna...kaisi hai tu?" Her mother sounded hesitant instead. "Mai thik hu mumma...aap kaise ho?"

This wasn the first time they had talked, neither the last. However, this time both their voices held a sense of desperation.

"Mai bhi thik hu...Kanna...tu...tu-" The line went quiet but Akanksha could still hear some murmur from her mother's side of the phone. She was talking to someone on the other side.

"Mumma?" Her mother finally responded. "Akanksha, beta tu wapis aja, please. Bohot yaad ati hai teri." Her voice got much quieter at the end, as if she was holding back tears. This was the first time that her mother had admitted to missing her. Her heart swelled with joy when she said that. She didn't believe it though but then again Akanksha remembered Shubman's words, how he had told her to talk to her mother and so she did.

"Aise hi mujhse jhooth mat bolo. You hate me. Shaadi karake jaldi aapne se door karna chahte hai na aap bhi?" She replied harshly. Her mother gasped.

"Nhi Kanna, kabhi nhi. Mai tujhe kyu...nhi. Lekin tu mujhse kitna nafrat karti hogi na?" Even though Akanksha couldn't see her mother, it was so clear from her voice that she was crying. Her voice felt so strained, Akanksha's eyes watered.

"Mumma nhi. Mai kyu aapse-? Nhi. Mumma aapki bohot yaad aati hai." She said softly, trying her hardest not to sound like she was crying. But she was.

"Toh wapis aaja na. Australia mai kya rakkha hai? Family toh idhar hai na?" Her voice slipped. Her voice sounded muffled as if she covered her face with a pillow or something.

"Mumma darr lagta hai mujhe. Mujhe bhi bohot miss hota hai aap, bhaiya, sab...lekin mai nhi reh paungi uss ghar me mumma." Her eyebrows scrunched up and voice got hoarse.

"Beta mujhe maaf karde, ye sab meri wajah se hua hai...na mai uss rakshas ko ghar lati na ye sab hota. Mujhe tujhse baat karne se bhi sharm aati thi. Sab meri wajah se hua hai na? I'm sorry beta." Both mother and daughter cried on the other side of the phone.

"Mumma, aapki koi galti nhi thi, sab galti meri thi. Mumma I miss you so much, mujhe wapis aana hai." She cried harder. Chitra went to her mother and sat on her lap, trying to wipe her tears.

"Are yaar, aap dono hi aapne aapko blame karne baith gye. Kisi ki galti nhi thi issme, sivaye..." Akanksha's head raised at hearing the new voice through the phone, it was none other than...

"Shubman?" She heard him chuckle from the other side. "Hanji madam?" She could hear his smugness through the phone.

"Ye sab tumne kiya?" Shubman didn't reply but her mother did.

"Haan, ye tera dost hai na? Achanak ghar aake mujhe tujhse baat karne k liye mana liya."

Akanksha covered Chitra's ear before saying, "Tum bohot harami ho." She chuckled.

"Haan shayad thoda thoda." He laughed.

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It had been a bit more than a month since Shubman went to India. Akanksha was going back to India. She hadn't told anyone but Mannata and her mother about it. She was going to surprise everyone. She was so excited to be back. Of course she was somewhat scared...but the adrenaline helped. Chitra kept jumping around excitedly.

Akanksha stood in line to board the flight when she heard a really annoying voice.

"Akanksha!" She turned to face Ella, the same girl she had embarrassed about a month ago. She wore much more normal clothes, a dress that actually went below her butt. "What do you want?" She asked Ella rather rudely. "Hey, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry." Akanksha's eyes widened. She had never expected Ella to apologise.

"Huh? What? You okay?" She asked genuinely worried.

She nodded, "Yeah, never been better. I just- I know nothing can justify what I did but- it's just...my boyfriend cheated on me. And I would pretend to seduce guys and get new boyfriends to make him jealous and I did it so much...it kinda became my personality. And I started acting as the 3rd woman so it doesn't happen to me again." Akanksha felt bad for Ella but she was right...it doesn't justify the way she behaved with Shubman.

"Why did you actually apologise?" She asked abruptly. Ella lowered her head.

"I really do feel guilty. But mainly it's because your relationship made me realise that not every guy that I date will cheat on me. And I should just learn to put my trust in the right person." Akanksha smiled.

"That day, after you left, your boyfriend came to me. He kept praising you, said like a hundred reasons why you're better than him and stuff. And left saying 'you think I would be unfaithful when I have her?' Look I'll be honest, you're nice and you're quite pretty, very pretty, but you are not the woman he describes you to be. I know that much. He describes you like you're the best thing that happened to this world. You're not." Akanksha felt like she was on the 9th cloud. She felt so very loved even in his absence. She nodded.

"I know. I know he's too good for me." She smiled a heartfelt smile.

"See it's not you. It's him...and I finally gave the right guy the chance...Do you remember Alex?" Akanksha nodded. "The guy who is head over heels for you and fights everyone that says anything about you?" She hummed.

"Yeah, him. He asked me out for the 10th time and-" She began.

"And she agreed." Completed Alex with the biggest grin which reminded her a bit of Shubman. "Thanks man. If she didn't try and hit on your boyfriend she would never agree to date me." He thanked her genuinely. It seemed that he had already won Ella's heart with the way she looked at him. Just the way Alex used to look at her and still does.

"I hope you guys always stay together." She wished them, they looked at each other as Alex brought Ella in for a side hug.

"I just know yours will so I won't say anything as such...and again, I'm sorry." Akanksha rolled her eyes but nodded. "It's fine. I'm in a good mood so I forgive you." She turns and leaves to board the plane.

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