The Untouchable - Part 11

Roop's mom stayed quiet while Roop spoke colourfully about her friendship with Varun. She had never seen her so happy. Roop's smile was radiant and glowing from inside. She knew it instantly. She had been through the same phase. She had the same radiant smile when she fell in love with Roop's father. Love had betrayed her. She had nothing to lose. She had nothing to look forward. Her life had gone standstill until Roop came into her life. She didn't want her to lead her life. Roop had everything at stake. She didn't want to Roop to lose everything for silly love. She had to make this stop.

It was one of the sleepless night for Varun. He was contemplating on whether he should let her know about his feelings. He felt stupid about what he did today. He couldn't control himself. He didn't see whether it was right time to share what he felt. He didn't even bother to see that her mother was present. He had an opportunity before her mom arrived to share his feelings. When he had finally decided, he couldn't speak. He was still. He had to shed the burden out. He couldn't keep the feelings hidden anymore. He took long breaths and decided to share the feeling next day.

Roop was getting ready for last day of shoot. She had finally decided to share her feelings. After last night debacle, she couldn't handle herself. She had one day left and she couldn't spoil this. She had practiced what she would say many times. Every time she said, it sounded funny. She prayed for things to go smoothly. Many times she thought that he would rebuke her advances and then a light of hope appear in heart that gave her courage.

She had five minutes for the shoot to begin. She looked at her reflection on the mirror. She seemed confident and ready.  She started towards Varun's office. Suddenly she felt the door of her make up room open. She was excited. "It maybe him. Thank god! You bought him here. Now I can tell him.", she thought. Her heart was beating faster. She was shivering and trembling due to fear. She was remembering the words she was going to use to say her feelings out.

To her dismay, it turned out to be her mom. She was disappointed but she did not lose hope. "Ma, How come you are here? The shoot hasn't yet started.",she said. "I know.", her mom replied , walking closer to her. She held Roop's face when she was closer. "When did you grow so big that you are hiding things from me?", her mom asked. "I didn't hide anything. You know everything that's happening in my life.", she lied. "Not everything! You didn't tell me that you like Varun!", her mom said. Roop was stunned. " I don't..", she was about to lie when her mom spoke, " Don't lie. Your face speaks the truth. I know you love him. I have seen your eyes sparkle and your face glow when you are with him."

"Yes, I do love him! I have never felt like this before. I feel complete with him. ", she spoke the truth at last. She couldn't hide any longer from her mother. She felt shameful for hiding the truth. "You have to forget him. He is not right for you.", her mom said. The words of her mom hit her sharply. The pain was unbearable. She fell on the floor with shock. She didn't say anything. She felt nothing except pain and anger. She wanted to burst out the anger. Instead tears rolled out from her eyes.

(To be continued)

The Untouchable - Part 10

She lay on the bed with one arm on her head. She was dreaming about what had happened with eyes open. Her eyes were dozing off . She didn't want to sleep. She didn't want to switch off her mind . She wanted to remember those moments. She wanted to keep them close to her heart.

After months of fighting with her feelings for him, she had finally lost the war.  She felt her heartbeat race faster and body shudder whenever she was close to him. She missed him like a wanderer in desert searching for an oasis. She needed him as well as not want him at same time. She felt strong connection toward him - an attraction she couldn't avoid. 

She wanted to share that feeling with him but the thought of rejection dampened her desires. "What if he never felt anything like what I felt! What if he would ridiculed me if I shared my feeling! No! I need to stop this. He is my friend. I don't want to lose a good friend.", she thought. 

Few miles away from her abode at the same time, he was thinking about her. Memories of her smile, her eyes and her chirpiness warmed his soul.  Happiness in her voice, the rhythm of her giggles and her beautiful soul lit his hidden feelings. He had admired her for her beauty when he first laid eyes on her. Now he adored , worshiped and loved her after getting to know her inside and out. 

He wanted to spill out his feeling for her. He had tried many occasions. Sometimes luck was not favorable and sometimes his fear took the lead. With the final day of shoot coming closer, his heart panicked. He didn't want to stay apart from her. He wanted to spend more time. He tried to find some free time between the shoots to spend with her. Sometimes his heart broke when work came in between them. However when he found some time with her, he would wish time to stand still. 

They were finally alone. The shoot ended smoothly. Everyone had left except for few. Roop and Varun were joking around at his makeshift office. They were giggling and teasing each other while sharing dinner together. The time flew fast. They were deeply engrossed in their talk that they didn't bother to wash their hands after dinner. Suddenly, Roop's mom arrived without knocking. They were startled by her arrival. "Ma! How come you are here?", Roop asked. Roop's mom smiled nervously and replied,"I was worried about you. You didn't respond any of my calls." "Sorry Ma!", she said and bid Varun goodbye. As she was about to leave, he grabbed her hand suddenly. She turned back and held his gaze for long time before they realized her mom was waiting for her. He wanted to say something but he couldn't speak out. He mumbled, "Sorry" and let her go. Her mom understood what was going on. Her greatest fear was turning true.

(To be continued)

The Untouchable - Part 9

He dragged her towards his car and pushed her to the passenger seat. She was anxious. She tried to ask him where he was taking her during the journey. He didn't seem to mind her inquisitive questioning. Later she got tired of asking him and stayed quiet. He stopped at a ground.

The ground was beautifully decorated with candle lights. He led her on rose covered path to the center of the ground  where bouquet of roses and birthday cake lay on the table. She was surprised. No one knew about her birthday except her mom and the manager.

He offered her the bouquet and hugged her. "Happy Birthday!", he whispered to her ears. She gently pushed her self out from the embrace and asked," How do you know?" " I know you are private person. But you are famous too. There are some sneaky paparazzi who have followed you closely and  publish private information like your birthday to crazy fans like me.", he said. She was struck when she heard the word 'fan'. Her face blushed and heart raced faster every second. Tiny goosebumps appeared on her soft skin.

"You are my fan?". she asked timidly. "Who is not your fan. You are most beautiful actress of our era. Everyone loves you.", he said , almost spilling out his feelings. "Now can you cut the cake?", he asked. She smiled and cut the cake. She offered him a piece and wished him too.  She had just turned her face to other side for a minute. Suddenly, he quickly took a small piece of cake and smudged on her face gently. It was too late for her to realize what was happening.

Instead of getting annoyed, she took another piece and smudged it back. They laughed and giggled like two teenagers while applying the cake cream on each other's face playfully. After all those fun,
they had candle lit dinner. The atmosphere was filled with hidden romance and nervousness of hiding their feeling from each other. They chatted until they realized it was time to go home.

When he reached her place, they didn't want to part. There was silence though both of them wanted to share their feelings. They looked at each other's eyes, wishing that time didn't pass until she forced herself to get out of the car. She waited until his car was out of her sight. His party continued til late in night. His friends asked him about his sudden disappearance. He lied to them, saying he needed fresh air and rushed towards his room. He replayed today's special events as soon as he was alone.

(To be continued)