The Darkest Night

Chapter 3

Shreya waved him goodbye and walked into her PG. Karthik reached home, he was disturbed, the incidents of the day replayed in his head like movie scenes….. clear as day. Everytime the boys flashed in front of his eyes, his blood boiled in anger, he made up senarios in his head…. what if she hadn’t called him? What would’ve happened if he had come a few minutes late?. He clenched his fist he punched the wall loudly yelling 'Brindaaaa!!” peircing pain travelled through his eyeballs, he sat down on the bed wiping away his tears. He started pacing around his room….. “I should meet her in the morning and make things clear, I don't want her to develop feelings for me. Let me first talk to her and make her understand who I am” he thought out loud. 

Next day Karthik didn't feel like going to office, he spent his entire day at home and around 4pm he got ready and by 6 he reached the cafe close to Shreya's PG. Karthik was waiting there for almost an hour now, he got a little frustrated, “I don't even have her phone no, why is she taking so long?” he murmured under his breath. “Sorry I am late!” said Shreya standing behind him, “ah finally!!” He exclaimed. “She looks unusually pretty today” he thought to himself. “that light blue salwar really compliments her skin tone” his mind continued…. Shreya sat on the chair and kept looking at Karthik, “why so late? I didn't even have your phone number to call and check…. I was just about to leave”. “Sorry…” she said with a smile. “no worries tell me what would you like to have?” asked Karthik, “hmmm nothing, I'm not much of a coffee Head, please order something for yourself!” she said. Karthik ordered cold coffee for himself and some cookies. 

“So….Shreya…. tell me why you wanted to meet me?” Asked Karthik. “I will…. but before that……why did you slap me yesterday?”. “Firstly!! I am really sorry for that and the reason I slapped you is because I was really scared, those guys they are the most dangerous ones around, its unnecessary for you to risk your life and wait there for me. I was way too worried about your safety!”. Shreya smiled “that care is what made me fall in love with you…” she said. Karthik took a deep breath and said “look you are still very young….. don't mistake my care for love, you have so much more to do in life and love is not one of them…. especially with me”. “But tell me the reason to reject my love, if you had no feelings for me then why were you angry and why did you slap me?” The answer to both your questions is only one…. ‘BRINDA’”. “Who is she?” questioned Shreya. “She is my everything”. With little disappointment Shreya asked “I did not get you”. “I will tell you” said Karthik wiping his tears. 

 

Flashback

“That bus stop where I met you for the first time is where I saw the love of my life for the first time too. It was 6 years ago… I was in my final year…. engineering” he giggled…. “ my only mode of transport was bus. one day when I was in the bus I saw a girl in the stop waiting for one… she was unbelievably beautiful. Every guy would’ve have imagined what their better half would be like right? she was exactly that!! I couldn’t take my eyes off of her…… I hoped she would get into the bus but she didn't, bus started moving. I yelled out loud! “stop the bus!!, stop it!!. the bus came to an abrupt halt! the driver and conductor were tearing me apart” I smiled as he said that…. but I gave a damn and got down, my friends called out to me and told me to come back. I yelled back at them that I have some work, you guys go ahead. As I got down and she climbed into another bus, I followed her into the bus. I walked behind her untill her house and that became my routine every day. She started noticing me. One day my friends wanted to see her, they said she looks beautiful and that I was lucky if she accepted me. Be it a girl or a guy it really takes a lot of time and guts to propose to the one they truly love, I kept delaying but her eyes gave me all the assurance that I needed. A year passed and i still didn't get the courage to propose her. I had completed my graduation and even started my career. I still made sure to go see her in that bus stop everyday. 

One day i took off from my work because I was down with viral fever but i was eager to check if Brinda would wait for me, so called Charan my friend and colleague to check on Brinda he said she missed all the buses untill 7:30 and then left sadly, I was so happy. 

It was three days, I had still not recovered from my fever. Charan called me around 6:30pm, looks like your girl is still waiting for you at the bus stop, poor girl shall I tell her you won't be coming today? I told him not to say anything and that I will meet her, I even decided to propose her that day. I gathered all my energy and courage to meet her, on the way I stopped the bike at a bouquet shop, picked a bunch of red roses and happily went to meet her. I reached the bus stop and she wasn't there I was disappointed. i sat down in the bus stop, I was tired due to fever. My ears perked up…. some where very far away I heard a girl's voice crying for help. The other side of the bus stop was a thick forest. “Someone is crying for help should I go?” I thought to myself…. I was already tired and feeling week, but the human in me, didn't let me sit still. I ran in the direction from where I heard the voice but now I couldn't hear anything… I still didn’t give up…. I kept searching in the dark, it was close to an hour a group of guys we're walking towards me, those faces were not new…. they were the guys who were always at the bus stop. “Finally he is here!! late as usual!. You still have a chance!” they said menacingly. None of what they said made sense to me. “the clock is ticking! don't be late, go get her before she is gone forever!!”one said and the rest laughed and walked casually. 

I spoke nothing, but I knew something bad had happened to someone, I turned on my phone's torch light and searched everywhere until I found a pair of feet behind a bush, my heart stopped beating…. my head went blank…. I went closer, my hands and legs shaking, wiping away the sweat I peeped into the bush, a girl with no clothes on her body was lying there I looked at her face, soulless eyes, wide open staring back at me…. I could only whisper… Brinda…...