Is love blind? .......Oh yes it is!! - Episode 35

At college….Anjali walks in and sees Sam round the corner….Sheetal is with him…….Anjali walks up to them…As she attempts to talk, Sheetal stops her …..
Sheetal: Anjali, pls don’t scold Sam for this….I came to talk to him…….He didn’t do anything….
Anjali: but… [Actually Anjali wants to thank him and not scold…..Sheetal continues without listening to what Anjali has to say]
Sheetal: don’t say anything Anjali…….come with me…..I need to talk to you before you tell something
Sam: [stops Sheetal] what are you going to say?? Don’t do anything stupid yaar…
Sheetal: no Sam….she needs to know this….else she will always mistake you…..i don’t want my friend to insult you further
Anjali: [stepping in and is bit confused] what should I know??? What are you hiding from me???
[Sheetal briefs the happenings and how Sam saved her from Jeeth……Anjali is shocked and is a bit angry by the fact that she wasn’t told this…..]
Anjali: so Aashu knew this…..and you never thought about telling this to me na??
Sheetal: its not like that….you were already tensed and had enough problems regarding your wedding and all that…….so we felt that we shouldn’t be dragging you into this mess…..
Anjali is silent for a while…..
Sam: Anjali, forget it…..its not worth pondering over…..
Anjali: hmmmm……anyways, I came here for something else….it wasn’t for scolding or fighting with you….
Sheetal: something else???? What is that??
Anjali: I came to thank Sam…..[turning to Sam]thanks Sam…..if you weren’t there, Sid would….[halts]
Sheetal: [shocked] what happened to Sid?
Sam: [interrupting] oh oh kuch nahi hua…..and Anjali….that was nothing…it was just my duty as a friend…..
Anjali: phir bhi…..
Sheetal: koyi mujhe bhi kahega…kya hua???
Anjali: Sam will tell you…..main chalthi hoom…..
[Anjali leaves……leaving them behind]
Sam: [turning to her...in a bit angry tone] usse kehne ki kya zaroorat thi??
Sheetal: she goes on insulting you…..how do I keep silent?
Sam: tumme bohat fikhar hai….kyun??[grins]
Sheetal: [in a quick manner] fikhar kyun nahi hogi…tum toh mere… [Stops]
Sam: meri…..kya???? [tries to snatch words from her mouth]
Sheetal: [smiling and holding back herself] mere friend ho na??
Sam: [sarcastic and smiles] oh yeah….woh toh hai……[looks at her for sometime and then continues]I was telling you that because she already has her problems……then why tell her all this and tense her up?? Anyway, its all over now…….and time to get over all that……
Sheetal: hmmmmm
Sam: [cautiously and looking at her intently…..he talks slowly]I hope you have got over it…..
Sheetal: hmmmmm
Sam: [slowly……he wants to know from her] and you have got over Jeeth too….right??
Sheetal: [looks at him when he mentions Jeeth’s name and just nods her head….after a pause, she continues as Sam is quiet] I have realized that this love and all are humbug…..nothing is genuine….it took so much for me to realize this……anyways its better late than never, na??? [Looks at him for his reply but he looks a bit irritated at her general statement about love]
Sam: hmmm…..
[Now Sam does the nodding part as he doesn’t seem to agree with her generalization but he doesn’t want to argue either]
Sheetal: I was foolish in thinking that love stories truly happen in this world……I failed to recognize that those are just fictional stories which happen just in books and films…..now I realize what a stupid thought that was…..you helped me realize that Sam….[looks at him and he just nods to her]
Sheetal: achaanak tum bohat chup hogaye…..kuch problem hai kya?? Tum kuch kehna chahthe ho kya???
Sam: [low voice: what more is left to say??? You have put a stopper on my mouth!!! ]
Sheetal: what??
Sam: I said Aashu is calling you there…..see…..
[Aashu is standing on the corridor and waving at them]
Sheetal: oh….ok ok….see you later sam….
Sam: yup….bye……catch you later…..[After Sheetal leaves] I will surely catch you later dear…….I will make you change your words……I will make you recognize your true love….wait and watch….. [Smiles naughtily and walks away]

**************

Anjali walks to the canteen…..Deepak and Kripa are in the canteen but she doesn’t notice them although Deepak calls to her…..She sits in an adjacent table….Deepak calls her again and makes her sit with them…..
Deepak: what happened Anjali??? Why do you look so lost???
Anjali: nothing yaar…..[faintly smiles at Kripa]
Kripa: kuch toh baat hai…you didn’t hear Deepak calling also…..
Deepak: yeah….now dont tell me that you have become so very absent minded…..come on tell me what happened???
Anjali: maine kahaa na….kuch nahi hua….
[Kripa feels that she should leave the friends alone…..she thinks, may be her presence was stopping Anjali from opening up her mind]
Kripa: guys, you continue….i will catch you later….i got to attend the next lecture…
Deepak: hmmm[looks at Kripa till she leaves the canteen…Anjali notices Deepak looking at Kripa]
Anjali: [grinning and forgetting her worries for the moment] acchi ladki hai na?
Deepak:[dreamliy] bohat acchi hai…..
Anjali: I feel that she loves you…….both of you would be perfect together!!!
Deepak: [surprised and looks at her….though he wishes that somewhere deep inside his heart, he is not ready to accept it so easily……] What?? What are you saying Anjali?? You know my mind well…and even then you say this…..
Anjali: I understand what you mean but still……Kripa is a good girl and you will be happy with her……
Deepak: but I don’t love her…..[low voice: or rather I don’t know what I feel for her]
Anjali: [philosophical tone]you know what….its always better to accept the person who loves you rather than run behind the person whom you love……
Deepak: [looking at her with lot of questions in his eyes] are you doing it too??i mean Sid loves you so much….so you must have done the same, right??

[Deepak actually thinks that Anjali’s indifference to Sid is because she has not yet forgot Rohit……he thinks that her love or liking for Rohit prevents her from accepting Sid]
[The direct question makes Anjali lose her words….she bends her eyes down in resentment…she actually brought up this to get over her tension but now deepak reminded her of that again]

Deepak: I know you don’t have an answer for that…[sternly]…its always easy to advice but equally difficult to follow and come in terms with the reality……
[Anjali gets up to leave….but Deepak continues]
Deepak: [placing his hand on hers and in a reassuring tone] but don’t you worry…..I am trying my best to follow it….[smiles] and I very much wish that you do it too….
Anjali: [closes her eyes as if nodding to what he said] hmmmm
[Deepak is happy that she atleast nodded to it but he fails to notice tear drops at the end of eyes…….]
[Anjali is feeling lonely now…..she gets to hear advises from all sides…..and as a matter of fact, she hates being adviced…..she is not able to take anymore of it……she doesn’t want to talk to Aashu either……She understands that all her friends are trying to make her realize that she is not doing the right thing………and that she needs to accept Sid as part of her life….oh yeah, he is already a part of her life but change her attitude towards him…..but she is fed up of this…..She just wants to be free from all this and forget it for a while……..So she tries to be aloof for sometime……..At that time, she gets a call from Rohit]
Rohit: hello Anjali
Anjali: [wiping her tears in a slightly teared up voice] hi…..
Rohit: what happened?? You don’t sound fine
Anjali: nothing…..you tell me….kaise phone kiya??
Rohit: nothing much……..its just that I want to meet you….
Anjali: why??
Rohit: maana ke hum dono ke rishtha nahi ho paaya….but the friendship remains, na?? We are still friends na?
Anjali: [mellowing down] hmmm
Rohit: usi friendship ke khaatir milna chahtha hoom……
Anjali: [she also feels that she might get a relief by talking to Rohit…..so she agrees] ok…..kab milna hai??
Rohit: jab tum chaavo…..I will make myself free
Anjali: ok…..i will message you…bye
Rohit: ok….see ya…bye….take care [cuts the call and smiles to himself]
[Rohit has shifted base from US and moved to India….He got a chance to be in his hometown and he immediately grabs the opportunity mainly because that meant being closer to Anjali…..
What twist will this new development in the story cause to Sid-Anjali’s relationship? ]

[To be continued]