Deewangi

chapter 3

"Meerab, utho beta. Kitni dair se so rahi ho. Tabiyat to theek hai tumhari?" Phuppo said touching her forehead to check fever.

"Main theek hu phuppo. Bas college ki thakan nikal rahi thi. Isiliye thodi dair zyada so li." She replied sitting up.

"Chalo utho jaldi neeche a jao. Main nashta lagwati hun. Phir kahi ghoomne chalenge. Aj se summer holidays Jo shuru hain." Phuppo told her standing up to leave her room. But she stopped at the door. She looked back at Meerab with guilt after a few minutes.

"Meerab.... Kya waqai tum Murtasim se shadi nahi karna chahti?" She asked after a long moment.

Meerab looked at her. She couldn't lie to her of all the people in the world. But couldn't lay her ego, her self respect in anyone's feet. She looked away to say "Nahi phuppo, main abhi sirf apni padhai pe dhyan Dena chahti hu."

"To koi baat nahi. Tum padhai poori kar lo. Uske baad sochenge. Wese bhi abhi tum boht chhoti ho." Phuppo said moving to sit beside her on the bed.

"Nahi Phuppo, main ye shadi nahi karna chahti or na hi Murtasim ko is rishte me koi dil chaspi hai." She said with a straight face.

While on the inside she was dying, her heart was ripped apart. Disaster, he thinks their union will be a disaster. She wanted to scream, to throw something to get this feeling out of her heart. But it was waste of efforts cause no amount of persuasion can make her forget him. Her feelings for him ran too deep to forget so easily. She had no idea when a mere crush had changed into love. She had never thought of anyone else. Neither could she imagine him with someone else. Unconsciously she had believed that one day they will unite. But all her teenage dreams were shattered. He thinks they will be a disaster.

"Agar tumhari marzi nahi hai to main israr nahi karungi." Phuppo said cupping Meerab's face with her hands. "Mere liye tumhari Khushi se badh kar kuch nahi hai. Mere marhoom Bhai ki aakhri nishani ho tum. Uski amanat ho mere paas. Jo tum chahogi wo hi hoga." She left the room saying that.

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The dinner had all Meerab's favourite dishes. But it was all sawdust in her mouth. As Maya was sitting opposite her deeply lost in some very important discussion, that she didn't even care that how her hands were never leaving Murtasim's for more than two minutes. She had been touching him either to get his attention or in excitement to get her idea through his head. On the top of that Shahzain was sitting next to Meerab talking about whatever, she had no idea.

She was throwing daggers at Maya with her eyes when suddenly Murtasim looked up from his plate to catch her staring. To conceal her embarassment she turned towards Shahzain and started talking to him. She had little idea what he was talking about. But to prove that she was also as nonchalant about previous night's discussion as Murtasim seems to be, she tried hard to pay attention what Shahzain was saying.

She couldn't let herself look again at Maya and Murtasim lest what she may see. But had she looked up she would know Murtasim also did not find this friendly exchange between her and Shahzain very welcoming.

"To ab to bahar chal sakte hain na hum. Ab itna to Jaan gayi hain na aap mujhe." Shahzain said putting emphasis on 'aap' to tease her. Before she could reply Phuppo answered for her.

"Ha ha bilkul jao. Aaj subah se mujhe iski tabiyat thodi bujhi bujhi lag rahi hai thoda ghoom phir legi to achcha lagega." That was the last thing she wanted Murtasim to know that how badly he had hurt her. To overcome the embarassment she agreed with them.

"Okay let's go. Maryam chalo chalte hain." They left for their little outing.

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