Ruhani still couldn't get over the fact that Alina agreed to go with her. She asked Ruhani to wait somewhere away from university where no one could catch them together. 'CATCH THEM TOGETHER'. It sounded so filmy and romantic,as if those two were eloping together. HEHE.Her silly train of thoughts came to an end when she looked at her watch. Alina told her that she'll be there in 15 minutes but it was already an hour. And Ruhani was still standing there like a loyal dog waiting for their master. Ruhani wasn't that stupid to realise that maybe she was dumped in the middle of a road. She realised it when the time moved from 15 minutes to half an hour. But she still waited. Waited patiently. No one came. She herself didn't know why. Now her patience and legs,both gave up. She started walking towards the nearest metro station. She wasn't Angry. She was just sad. Alina wasn't binded to agree with Ruhani. She had her own life and own errands to make. But if she didn't wanted to come then why did she agreed in the first place.
Ruhani reached the metro station and started climbing the stairs on the entrance. Someone's car honked very loudly. Ruhani felt as if it was for her but she continued climbing. The honk happened again. This time for more than once. Ruhani ignored again. The honking happened more vividly now. Ruhani finally looked back over her shoulders when she saw a tall women with a white button up and black fitted jeans standing next to the driver seat door on road. Her hand reaching to the horn on the steering wheel from the door's window. Her eyes were furious as she was cussing at her. The black fortuner caught her eye and she finally realised that it was Alina who was honking at her.
Ruhani's eyes widened and she ran towards Alina in her FLASH speed. She reached her and opened her mouth. "You–"
"Just sit in the car" Alina waited for Ruhani to take a seat and ignited the engine as soon as she could. She was fuming with anger.
"Are you angry?" Ruhani asked her between nervousness. She didn't know why,but she was scared as hell right now and Alina's aura was making the case more worse.
Alina didn't replied her.
"ALIN–"
"WHAT IS IT ?" Alina screamed at her
"Why are you angr-" She couldn't complete
"Cause you are the most most most stupidest person I have ever come across" She didn't even breathed between her words. Her tone was still loud. "Duffer..Nalayk..B–"
"Hey hey hey..mind your tone and mind your words" Ruhani said strictly. "I don't deserve all this and I ain't going to take your shit anymore. I don't owe you anything at all Alina. Just stop the car right now and I'll be on my way..J–"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP" Alina argued with a more higher pitch. Ruhani's words didn't even flinched Alina a bit.
"What the –"
"DO YOU KNOW HOW SCARED I WAS?" As soon as these words left Alina's mouth,Ruhani felt her whole body jolting.
"Whatt are y-" Ruhani asked almost in a whisper
"Tell me your address,I'll drop you home" Alina's eyes weren't meeting Ruhani's
"No– I ain't going home,Just tell me what were you saying"
"Ruhani don't you dare argue with me right now"
"You are the one who's unnecessarily stretching the convo,Alina"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Alina screamed and parked the car near the footpath.
"Water?" Ruhani asked scaredly not meeting the angry woman's eyes.
Alina took a deep breath. She calmed herself down. "Ruhani,when I asked you to wait somewhere near the college..Did you hear where that somewhere was?"
Ruhani looked back at her thoughts and tried to remember. "Maybe I–"
"No you didn't. As soon as I told you to wait..you ran away like a mad dog."
Well Ruhani was the LOYAL DOG but anyways.
Alina continued. "Neither you heard me nor you told me where you were going to wait. Am I going to get dreams?"
"I didn't had your number and I didn't know where to find you. I looked around all the nearest metro stations. I called my guards and assigned each one to other locations while I looked for you somewhere else. What if something happened to you-"
Alina's phone beeped. Some 'AVIRAJ' name popped up on her screen and she picked up the call. "I'll call you later, I'm in middle of something" She disconnected the call
A small sad smile appeared on Ruhani's face. Her eyes were gazing Alina's irritated reactions. Alina tried to utter some words but Ruhani cut her in between.
"Alina..Will you please listen to me for five minutes. I promise I'll take my leave after this"
Alina nodded with a sigh.
"You can think anything you want of me after this,not that you thought anything good before so honestly it doesn't matter now" Ruhani continued. "I was born and brought up in a very basic middle class family. Someone in your dictionary,what you guys would call poor. We nearly met our basic needs. As a family we struggled for education,food and even a permanent roof.All these terms might sound alien to you" Ruhani said the last line with a small laugh
"Don't be silly Ruhani....please.. continue" Alina gently asked her
"We didn't had many stuff but happiness was never a part of those things. It may sound strange...I saw my parents fighting all the time yet I made peace with it. We were happy in our own world. I and my brother were introduced to this challenge called life at a very young age and that's one of the reason why anything and everything doesn't surprise us."
"Years passed and passed and that's when covid hitted us. Our life turned upside down. My dad had some saved up money. Somewhere around 7.5 lakhs. It may not sound much to you but to us back then it was our saving of lifetime. During the first wave,My dad's friend called him asking for some money. His relative was not well and my dad being the person he was,gave him all the money..The money we had stored for us. Dad didn't even asked when his friend would return it and yet donated it as if he was Ambani or something. He has always been like this. No matter even if it was twenty or two hundred rupees..which he had..He always gave it to someone even if he was left with nothing himself"
"As if all this wasn't enough when life threw more at our way. Six months later my grandmother got paralyzed. She was diagnosed with Brain cancer. We were barely managing food on our plate when this came our way. Dad had zero penny in his bank account. He sold his shop. Bank refused to gave loans. Our medical insurances were expired way back. He called every relative he can but everyone refused to help. Then he called his friend to ask for the money he lended but guess what,he refused. Dad begged for his own money but no solution came our way."
"All the money that Dad got after selling his shop,all of it was being spent on Dadi's health. We couldn't afford a hospital room or a nurse,so I and my mother did everything for my Dadi. From changing her clothes everyday to feeding her. I ain't making it count,all of it was too small in front of my love for her. My Brother and my school fees got delayed for an year. Dad was a diabetes patient but he didn't bought his medicines for an year as well. We sold our Bike,all the money went towards her medicines and the chemo we could afford.
We even ate Maggi for days and nights cause we couldn't meet the expenses of food and rations. Our water,gas bills got delayed. We never had much gold to begin with but whatever we had was sold as well"
"All of it in the hope that one day again we could live as a happy family. But I guess we were far from the reality. One Sunday around noon,Dadi's breathing became shallow. Her eyes were opening but she wasn't replying to our voices. We rushed her to the nearest private hospital even though we knew,we had nothing left but still all of us were ready to do anything for her. There wasn't a single room vacant due to covid. Finally the hospital agreed to gave us a room but life had some other plans. I still remember watching a Tall mid 40's guy holding a mercedes key in his hand..wearing a mask and an Armaani exchange T-shirt,walking into the corridor. He said something in nurse's ear..Passed on a bundle of notes on the counter and there it was. The room was his now. We couldn't grasp the hold of everything happening around us"
"That day for the first time I saw my dad on his knees,pleading for his mother's life. All of us cried,begged but nothing came out of it. Then and there My Grandmother passed in my arms. None of us could do anything."
Tears started dripping down Ruhani's cheek "I loved her the most in this whole world..she was my rock,my support system"
Ruhani felt a hand on her arm pulling her. As soon as she could react from her seat,she was embraced by Alina in a tight hug. Alina rubbed her hand on Ruhani's back. She moved back and wiped Ruhani's tears caressing her cheek. Alina's eyes were gentle but all of it was a blur from Ruhani's sight.
"I ain't telling you all this for sympathy or anything-" Ruhani managed some words between her sobs
"I'm sorry to cut you in between..I'm all ears...please continue Ruhi"
'Ruhi'..Alina called her by her nickname for the first time.Her palm was still resting on Ruhani's cheek
"As I was saying..A life was bought for another life that day.My Dad changed completely after that incident. As if he is a complete different person now. I hated rich people from then on. Not for their money but for their lack of humanity. All they believed was money could buy anything and everything. Money was a concept that I never understood. I believed every rich person was the same. I want to be a rich person as well,someone famous,someone wealthy and that's when I thought that I'll change the defination of rich people"
"It was just recently when Dad's business grew and we became .."
"RICH" Alina continued for her.
"Yeah,I never want to acknowledge that I'm rich. The word 'Money' always sounded filthy to me. That's when I met you and your family when my perception changed"
Alina flinched with confusion.
"You were rich yet you were working as a professor connecting with students from every background,Treating everyone the same. Your existence always intrigued me more than anyone and that's why, when I got to know your real identity..I was surprised but not shocked. I ain't dumb Alina,All the eyes that I had on me that night at the Oberoi's wasn't because my video went viral or they saw me somewhere. It was because of the cheap clothing and no brand clothes I and my mother were carrying. But you guys were different,when the no one's at that party were ignoring us,The host of the night themselves acknowledged us"
"Your mother sensed my nervousness and embraced me into a hug. She even saw my mother being uncomfortable and decided to indulge mumma into her own group. Mumma told me how gentle she was and I could see a wide grin on her face even when we got back home.Even though I was backing out..Aliya introduced me to her friend group.I could see her friends mapping me from top to bottom yet she kept on holding my hand just for the reason I don't feel out place"
Ruhani's tears were dried and she saw a smile on Alina's face. The one which radiated her beauty ten times more.
"You..You were looking very pretty that night,your makeup was on point,I thought you didn't know any" Alina's eyes were meeting Ruhani's when she said it all
That took Ruhani by a surprise. She couldn't muster any words. Summersaults in the pit of her stomach were back. "Oh yeah..that was Mumma..I don't even know how to apply an eyeliner"
Alina bursted into a laughter. "I ain't even surprised actually"
Alina's voice made Ruhani blush.She was glad that tears from before made her face red which helped in hiding her excitement.
"I'm sorry for shouting at you..I was really-"
"It's fine,I apologise..Thankyou for.."
"For?" Alina finally arched an eyebrow
"You know..looking out for me.."
"I didn't lo–" Alina stopped midway "Anyways..what were those tactics and things you wanted to teach me?"
"I'll teach them dheere dheere..baad mei, only if you..want me to"
"Yeah..whatever" Alina slid her eyes away looking at nowhere
"So you agree for a date with me??"
"EXCUSE ME..You know what—"
"Ohkay..so every thursday we'll go out together and I'll teach you about LIFE"
"Hey listen—"
"It's pretty late now..I'll go from here,don't worry but before that"
Ruhani took a small wrapped bag out from her college bag. "Here,these are for you"
Ruhani handed some roses and a box of chocolates to Alina.
"What are these for?" Alina eyed the roses and choclates
"You seemed low today. I don't know what's going on..but I'm sure it will get better. These are for you,I hope your day gets better." Ruhani said with a wide grin. "Also from next time,whenever we'll go on such a drive..I'll give you a more feasible gift..which you can keep and will remind you of the day you spent with me"
"Ruh-"
"Nice car..I'll see you at Aaliya's birthday"
Ruhani closed the gate behind her.
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