Stolen! (EDITING)

Not leaving you alone!

I stood in my balcony, tapping my index finger on the railing and biting my lower lip in nervousness, I held the phone against my ear and each passing ring just added to my guilt.

I'd gathered courage to call Neha after that great revelation which I was yet to overcome.

I couldn't stop thinking about how small this world was, all of us were interlinked yet distant. All of us have our own lives but still we need others to fuel it. And recently I'd found myself to be one of those people whom I hated because they were mean and selfish. I was no different because I would not be calling or even bothering to think about Neha if it wasn't for Megha. I'd blamed Neha for being rude for some unknown reason and didn't call her back but now as I held the line to reach her, I realised that I'd missed my friend, the mate who'd helped me enjoy my first phase as a celebrity.

"Hello!?" I spoke as the Rings disappeared and were replaced by a silent background.

"Yes Mam! How can I help you?" Neha replied, each of her words was perfectly garnished with saracasm.

"I'm sorry!" I said and squeezed my eyes shut. I knew Neha wasn't going to be easy to deal with but I had to take the chance.

"Excuse me please mam, but we have not been trained to provide any of such facility!" Her verbal tone had gripped anger.

I inhaled.

"Neha? This is not the Ms. Mira you were supposed to assist, this is your friend who had no dressing sense, the friend who asked you to write the speech for her, the friend who saw your face before anyone else's when she needed help." I played my blackmail card.

"Yes, and I helped that friend in every way possible. I'd been waiting for her phone call, text message or atleast a missed call since a long time. She remembered me at the time when she needed me but didn't bother to inform me about anything else as she'd promised. I thought that you were still in human bones and skin but no, you proved me wrong, you have that dirty celebrity pride and dominance in your blood too." She voiced hurt.

Shit! Was I the reason for that disappointment in her tone?

"I'm really sorry." I managed that much.

After a few moments of silence she asked- "Bother to tell me what's been up?"

"Yes! A lot. I want to tell you everything in person. Mind telling me where on earth are you right now?" I asked, trying to force my rusted humour in it.

"I'm still in Delhi. But Woah! I didn't know you would fly all the way here to tell me about it. I think the whole 'my being mad at you' was not something you deserved." She said with a tinch of excitement.

"No, I deserve it very well. I'm a selfish crazy woman. But I think you will understand once I've told you everything!" I said.

"Land here before my curiosity kills the cat.!" She said.

"On my way dear." I said and hung up.

~^~

That night I reached late for dinner. My drifting eyes finally caught the sight of a table with one unfilled chair and two disappointed faces.

"Hi boys!" I said and took my seat.

"What took you so long!? The rats in my stomach are dead due to starving." Veer complained.

"I'm sorry. I'm here now let's order." I said and we ordered food.

"So where were you?" Rohit asked me after we'd placed our order.

"Oh! I had to book my ticket to Delhi." I answered.

"What? Why?" Rohit sounded bossy.

"I'm leaving tommorow ain't I?" I said and poured myself a glass of water.

"To Delhi!? Why so suddenly?" Rohit asked again.

"She's going to meet Neha, didn't you know that?" Veer answered for me.

That's when it struck me that I hadn't informed Rohit. Shit! How could I forget to tell him. I mentally slapped myself and gave Rohit an apologetic gaze.

"Nope because your little sister didn't find it important enough to tell me!" He snapped at me, stood up and left the table.

"What the hell was that?" I asked myself more than I did to Veer.

The waiter came with our food.

"You'll have to go and look out for him. I'm too hungry to do that." Veer said.

I gave him a dirty look and left the table.

Where do I find him? I felt directionless as I stood at the elevator of the restaurant.

Parking lot! Yess.

~^~

"Why the hell did you just storm out of there?" I yelled at him.

"And now you're yelling at me." He said but didn't look at me. He kept his eyes stuck to his phone.

"What's up with you?" I asked him soflty and leaned against his car facing opposite to him.

"What's up with me?" He repeated my question. This time he looked at me and pushed his cell inside his pocket.

"I'm staying at a hotel in Mumbai, spending most of the time with you, ignoring my buisness at it's best and struggling my mind to think of something that could get us both to my sister. And what are you doing? Hiding stuff from me? Leaving me here in Mumbai and flying off to Delhi? And not even telling me about it? It only makes me realise how unnecessary my presence is to you." He finished.

I wasn't expecting that.

"What!? You're mad at me for that?" I snapped in surprise.

"What do you think?" He said.

I kept quiet.

"Speak!!" he demanded.

"I don't know what to say. I accept that I made a mistake of not letting you know but I didn't know it was such a big deal for you?" I said.

"Why wouldn't it be a big deal for me? You're risking your time, thoughts and money for me. And yet you think it won't be a big deal if you told me you're going alone to Delhi?" He spoke and this time softly.

Well! It was true. I realised that the reason of me doing all those things wasn't my curiosity anymore, it was something I wanted to do for him, I never knew why!

"I can travel alone. I am a grown up." I protested.

"It's not about being a grown up." He said and paused. I looked at him. "I don't want to leave you alone." 

I was surprised.

"You're not doing all this without me if you're doing this all for me." He added.

"But it's not...." I started but I couldn't continue.

"Not what?" He asked.

Suddenly my face beamed a wide smile. And these words found their way out of my mouth- "I'm not used to people taking care of me, except for my brother."

"I know. That's why I'm not leaving you alone." He said.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened something on his cell to show me.

"I've booked two tickets for us, we leave at 7 tommorow morning." He said.

I couldn't help but smile!