Chapter 4:- Locked Away

Once and for all?

“You were right. Life isn’t fair all the time.

I realized it first three years ago. And today I saw your philosophy which I had once considered nonsensical to be proven right, once again.

You had claimed that the treacherous trio of our family wouldn’t mend their ways; they haven’t. They’re still as barbaric as they once were, they still spit fire wherever they go.

You had also promised that he wouldn’t relent. And to my astonishment and your happiness, he hasn’t, Ma.

A claustrophobic fear settles at the pit of my stomach each time his face appears before my eyes, and yet it brings such a soothing effect that the raging emotions in my heart yearn for more. The feelings my mind that I had demeaned obsolete threaten to resurface, jolting an indescribable ache within me. It’s just been a day and I already feel I can’t take it anymore.

I feel myself throttling through the darkness that defies each string of hope slowly slipping away from my hands. You’re the only bright ray I see in my dreams, you’re the only protector in my nightmares.

Please come back to the one who dies everyday.

Please come back to the one who is betrayed by life at every stage.

Please come back for your Naina, Ma.

Yours,

Naina

A silent tear dampened the ink, blurring her vision, strangling her hopes. Neatly drawing creases and folding the sheet of paper, she safely inserted it in a plain white envelope addressed to Rama Agarwal. Naina robotically added in the postal details and heaved a sigh, waiting for the next dawn.

“Beep, beep.” Another annoying alarm received a smacking hit, almost saving itself from a devastating fall from his bedside tabletop. Sameer Maheshwari stirred in his king-size mahogany bed, his eyes barely adjusting to the darkness around him. With great difficulty, his feet reached the ground amidst the layers of soft blankets and his hands reached his eyes that Sameer so frequently rubbed in the early morning hours of the day. In attempt to tiptoe as surreptitiously as possible, he tumbled over a scattered pair of roller skates, hurting his toe. Yelping silently, Sameer bit his tongue in frustration, before heading over to the bathroom.

Grabbing his headphones attached to his current savior, the Walkman, Sameer scrupulously unlatched the main door, simultaneously reaching out for the car keys that hung behind the doors of prohibition. Imagining his father’s stern face, he gulped, his steps dubious for a few seconds. In the moments of newfound confidence, he imagined her tranquil face and her serene smile. Pursing his lips in determination, Sameer scurried towards his BMW 5 Series, promising himself not to deter anymore.

Revving the engine, Sameer sped onto the main road, plugging his Walkman to his ears, allowing the melodious voice of Kumar Sanu to fill his ears and taint his vivid memories and curve his lips. His car raced on the empty roads, the cool breeze tickling his face while his hands steadied on the steering wheel. Screeching alongside the National Highway 8, Sameer paused with bated breaths, his fingers constantly tapping the wheel while his feet fidgeted in trepidation. A sweatbead formed alarmingly and rolled off of one side of his forehead, while his lips curved inward in anticipation. Quickly lifting his arm, his watch glowed in the darkness, reminding him of the time, ‘3:59 AM’. A minute more to go, he reassured himself, as Sameer looked out of the window as stealthily as possible.

It wasn’t just one minute; it was a long wait of 60 seconds. Another beep went off, jolting him to a start. Rubbing his forehead, he peeped out of the window, his fingers crossed while his lips parted for some murmured prayers. And there it was, a lone figure at a distance, running towards him on the pavement of the isolated highway. Hair tied in a ponytail, flinging from side to side in perfect sync with hand and leg movements. Each step seemed calculated, crisp to perfection, or perhaps out of habit. In his grey track pants paired with a casual white tee and a grey jacket, Sameer stepped out, only to sense a few controlled exhales approaching towards him. Dressed in a navy blue pair of track pants teamed with a white tee, Naina Agarwal jogged to her heart’s content, oblivious to the rest of the world.

He crouched near the boot of his car, waiting for her to pass by as a streetlight flickered alive and a few birds chirped in glee. Once he saw her retreating, he stood up and straightened, ready for the final kill. He ran silently towards her, meticulously to avoid any attention.

Once Sameer realized he was only steps away from her, he inhaled sharply and her body seemed to have tightened, identifying his presence. She gulped once, and then twice, trying to recognize the uninvited guest. Her hand slid to her waist, before she decided to turn around and confirm the intruder as per her thoughts. Her tied hair flicked to one side as her eyes widened simultaneously and she gasped, petrified. Standing scarily close to her, his breaths uneven and hair tousled was…

“Sameer?!” She inhaled in tremor as her voice remained aghast.

He giggled sloppily before waving his hand in front of her face, “Hey! You seem happy to see me.” With that, he continued his jog, leaving a clueless Naina behind.

“What on Earth are you doing here?” Naina held onto his arm with a firm grip, while Sameer held onto the feeling a bit longer before turning towards her direction.

He smiled at her frown and shook his head in soft chuckles before leaning towards her and huskily whispering in her ears, “Exactly what you think I am.”

Her face fell with color yet her eyes brimmed a tinge of hope; all that Sameer needed. She soon regained control over herself and cleared her throat, retreating her steps to maintain the customary distance between them. Sameer looked away with a hidden smirk plastered onto his face while Naina decided to interrogate him further.

“Could you just speak up without beating around the bush for once?” She huffed exasperatedly.

“Could you continue jogging? I don’t want to disturb your morning routine, nor do I want people to notice us as abnormal human beings.” Sameer reasoned, making Naina groan in frustration. Sameer noticed the regular flick of her tied hair once again, as she started jogging. Looking towards him, she raised her eyebrows, insinuating her question.

Sameer looked thoughtful for a moment before responding, “Well, I could. But how could I miss any opportunity to annoy you?”

Naina muttered something unintelligible in anger and looked ahead in deep concentration. Within seconds her trick had worked, she knew. For Sameer couldn’t stand the silence; especially between them.

“I normally come for a jog here.” He confessed, half-heartedly.

“Hah. Stop lying, Sameer.” Her face turned grim with a blatant voice.

He continued to defend, “I do come here for a jog.”

“At 4AM? On an highway? You think I’d fall for that?” Naina mocked with an incredulous expression.

“You think I would?” Sameer retaliated with an unexpected question which rendered Naina speechless. With nothing left to say, she turned her gaze and focused on the pavement ahead.

Sameer once again caught up with her and started, “You seem to have been doing this for quite some time now.”

“And what makes you say so?” Naina queried as worry splashed across her face.

“Well, you’ve been running for a good 30 minutes without any fluctuations in speed, so I must applaud your stamina.” His gesture of appreciation made her eyes widen as she gasped, “Have you been stalking me?!”

“Naina, I--” Sameer’s feet halted to a stop as Naina cornered him against the low ledge of the pavement.

“Stop it, Sameer.”

“Let me explain--”

“I said, stop it, Sameer.”

“But listen to--”

“Just shut up, Sameer.” Naina hollered in a breath, pushing him away. In a flicker of a second, he lost his balance, swayed his arms in fright as a gust of wind blew through him, while she caught notice and held him by the neckline of his tee, ultimately saving his life. Uneven breaths exhaled sharply as she shut her eyes in fear, trying to decipher the last few seconds. Shifting her gaze back to him she observed his expression of wonderment mixed with perplexion.

“How-What--?” Sameer stuttered back to his senses as Naina pulled him over back to the sidewalk.

Still clutching his tee firmly in her hands, she spoke astutely, suppressing each bubble of anger boiling within her, yet only blaring hideously from her eyes, “Now you listen to me, Mr. Maheshwari. Stop repeating the past because I don’t want history to haunt me anymore. Stop binding any sort of attachment with me because all you’ll be left with is regret, hatred and pain. And stop stalking me because I have the right to file a police complaint against you.” She breathed meticulously, each breath short and concise.

His orbs noticed the fear in hers, an uncanny tinge of anguish yet great tenacity. Sameer lowered his gaze to her firm grip, making her cautious of the sudden close proximity between them. Looking back at her for some reaction, his eyes called out for her presence, for by then she had retreated her steps, maintaining a safe distance of a few inches between them. His shoulders drooped in sigh while his hands found way into his pockets again. Shrugging he replied succinctly, “Not possible.”

“Excuse me?” Naina threatened.

“You heard me right, Naina Agarwal. That’s not possible.” He enunciated each word, making her fist her hands.

“You rich, spoilt, stalker…” She muttered under her breath, audible enough only to her and the preposterous man standing in front of her.

Another wave of fury rushed through the air, only this time, Sameer inched towards her, implacable to any of her warnings. Grabbing the neckline of her tee, he left her in surprise before admonishing, “Now you listen to me. One, it’s inevitable to forget or to stop the past from coming at you. The choice is yours whether you want to politely welcome it when it comes knocking at your door, or consider it another unfortunate haunting nightmare. Two, I’m not binding any attachment because we’ve known each other for quite some time to have gotten over that phase. And three, stop demeaning my actions by calling it ‘stalking’. I’m not a creep with prying eyes on you that wishes to cause you any harm.”

After a moment of pondering upon, he added, “Unless you do anything that compulses me into doing so.”

Her eyes glistened for a second longer than usual, for a second he thought he had melted her heart. Just for a mere second she had allowed her heart to decide, before her mind reprimanded her of the grave consequences. Once that long second had passed, her conscience regained control and his hope flickered. He knew she’d neglect his words. But she knew his words had touched a part of her heart she had caged with walls.

Composing herself, she ordered that sounded more like a plea, “Please leave me alone, Sameer.”

Before he could retort her stubbornness, she had turned around and left.

“Old habits surely die hard.” He muttered seeing her retreating figure blur as she distanced herself further. And then a smirk paved its way onto his face as an idea struck his mind.

“Definitely not agreeing to that one, Naina Agarwal.” He whispered to himself as he turned on his heel in the opposite direction.

By the time his car screeched to his parking lot, Sameer spotted his father with his hands crossed over his chest and a stern gaze behind the pair of glasses. He gulped in tremor, rummaging his brain for a convincing excuse.

“Welcome back, Mr. Maheshwari.” His father approached him with a sarcastic applaud.

“Where have you been ‘wasted’?” Pramod fired in disgust as his son frowned in confusion. Sheepishly opening the door, Sameer dubiously took steps towards him as he attempted to clarify, “Wasted?”

“Well, you come home at 6 AM so I suppose you must have been messing around in some bar.” He retorted while Sameer grew mortified.

“A bar?! Dad, are you serious?” Sameer laughed incredulously only to meet another stern moment of silence from the other end.

“I went for a jog, Dad.” Sameer admitted softly, indicating at his clothes.

“At 6 in the morning? Who are you fooling, young man?” His father interrogated.

“You don’t believe me either?” Sameer blurted unknowingly, widening his eyes at the dawn of realization.

Pramod raised his eyebrows at the mention of another person, “Who else are you referring to?”

Sameer thought hard before stuttering, “Munna and Pandit. They too had burst into chuckles when I told them that I had gone for a run.” Sameer reasoned, holding a breath. Pramod Maheshwari cast a scrutinized gaze at his son before nodding, “Well it’s hard to accept when it’s coming from someone who generally doesn’t wake up before 10 AM.”

A small smile lingered onto his face while Sameer pouted in grunt, “Well, people can change for the better, you know.”

“It’s great seeing you mend your ways, Sameer.” His father patted Sameer’s back in appreciation as Sameer passed a weak smile.

Looking up at him, he promised, “You had asked me to refrain from drinking till the age of 21. I won’t Dad, I promise.”

“I know.” Pramod answered softly, with a grim smile playing on his lips.

Naina reached home only to be bombarded by questions from one of the prying barbarians of the house.

“Where have you been?” Her Taiji scoffed as soon as Naina crossed the threshold, ready retort her.

When Naina had justified herself with utmost honesty in her voice, another reprimand came her way, “You seem to have gotten used to a lot of freedom, right? Mend your ways, before I do something you won’t like, I promise.” Saying so, she left with an angry grunt, murmuring curses under her breath to which Naina inwardly rolled her eyes. Once she was out of plainsight, Naina let go of a breath she had unknowingly been holding, “Freedom.” She laughed hysterically at the distant word.

“Don’t let her words get to you, Naina.” Bela consoled, caressing her cheek. Naina’s lips curved unconvincingly before she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, “Smells great, Chachiji.”

Boisterously, she grew excited, “Is this--”

“Your favorite. Aloo Paranthas.” Her Chachiji beamed in joy at her niece’s happiness.

“My stomach’s grumbling already!” Naina rubbed her belly with a helpless expression on her face.

“I’ll set the table right away. Go and help me get your sister out of bed.” Bela feigned annoyance to which they both chuckled, “Some things never change.”

Within the next half hour, the entire Agarwal family was ready to go to work. In their room, Naina paced back and forth, flinging her arms every thirty seconds while Preeti observed her sister’s unreasonable tantrums.

“Will you stop now?” Preeti vented out in exasperation after an entire five minutes of patience.

“I’m feeling so bored, I’ve nothing to do.” Naina complained as her lips pursed.

“Didn’t you ever have free periods or holidays in college?”

“I never got the time or will to decide on my own.” Naina babbled as Preeti straightened.

“What?” Her partner-in-crime had caught her red-handed.

Naina hesitantly turned around to face the suspicious wrath while Preeti crossed her arms and tilted her head to one side in scrutiny.

“I-I mean, I never got time because of...work pressure.” She began to ramble.

“Naina.” Preeti threatened, uncoerced.

“Preeti, will you help me solve my problem rather than starting with your interrogation again?” Naina held onto her sister’s hands in attempt to divert the topic of attention.

“Your excuses won’t work this time.” Preeti jerked her hands away.

“Why don’t you ever listen to me?” Naina grew irritated.

“Because we listen to those who we consider our own. And from your strange behavior, I feel as if I no longer know you. You just don’t trust me anymore.” Preeti screamed, venting out each emotion filled in her heart.

Naina’s steps faltered as her cousin’s words echoed repeatedly in her ears. Never had she imagined Preeti to react this way, never had she thought her best friend would question her loyalty, her faith. That faith that although remained ignited within her, yet had started wavering within Preeti.

A lone tear escaped her eye and fell on her face, while Preeti’s face turned incenstuous. Guilt replaced anger while Naina blinked rapidly to hide her tears. Before Preeti could say anything else, Naina spoke, her words defying her emotions, “You know what, you’re right. I’m not one to be trusted.”

“Naina, I’m sorry.” Preeti called out in apology as Naina made for the door.

“Where are you going?” Preeti asked only to be answered by a loud thud.

Grabbing her only faithful transport, Naina cycled her way through narrow, barren streets to an isolated yet familiar part of the the city she grew up in. Parking her cycle in one corner, she inched towards the walls filled with posters of movies and adverts. In the middle of one such cemented wall stood a structured black metallic gate that had slightly rusted from some areas while the subtle dents reminded them of their brutality during their school days. Unlatching the broken lock of the gate, Naina stepped inside, a thousand memories flashing as images before her eyes. Her orbs glistened as her hands lingered on the sturdy gate, feeling each rough dent, each bit that had rusted.

“You’ll have to bear a tetanus injection if you continue doing that.” A voice alarmed her as she turned around.

Calming down she spoke blatantly, “So the stalker is still on the prowl.”

“Sure is, as you term it.” Sameer walked towards the familiar gate.

Before Naina could rebut, Sameer brought a smile back onto her face, “You still remember this place?”

“Each and every moment spent here.” Sameer watched her rustle with dead leaves on the ground, spanning the cage of four walls they loved to be in. In the middle, lay an old, brown colored building, three floors high with four large windows on each floor.

Together they whispered happily in unison, “Central Library, The Place to Be.”

Taking steps towards the main building, Naina’s hands instinctively reached out for his, and Sameer tightly clutched hers. They were no longer in pairs of denim jeans and casual tees, but were back where they belonged; in turquoise and white school uniforms, holding their heads up high.

The smell of wood was still fresh in their memory as Sameer and Naina noticed the stacks of shelves filled with books of all genres scattered around in the giant hall. In the middle was a giant wooden stairwell that led up to the upper floors while on the far end a treehouse still remained sturdy, with cushions and soft toys inside. The inside walls were painted sky blue with fluffy clouds and green, with aesthetic paintings of trees spanned across the walls, adorned with silent birds chirping in their nests.

“It’s still the same.” Naina’s vision blurred while her heart grew heavy with the overwhelming rigmarole of memories. No longer did her life feel monotonous anymore, for she had finally come to the place where she found liberty, with him.

“Naina, Sameer?” A voice croaked, making them turn.

“Vikas Chacha?” Naina queried at the feeble man dressed in a grey suit and cap with black round glasses and a grey moustache on his wrinkled, brown complexioned face.

“It’s been so long, look at both of you. You’ve grown up.” He beamed in joy at the first yet regular visitors in years.

“People are missing out by not coming to this place.” Sameer spoke, causing the three to giggle.

“No one really valued this place as much as you two.” Vikas Chacha revealed as the atmosphere grew grim again.

“Your requests are still being fulfilled. All the latest books are ordered as soon as they’re published. Last shelf, on the left.”

“Vikas Chacha you’re the best!” Naina grew excited as she ran to one corner of the hall. Sameer and Vikas Chacha shared an understanding glance.

“I’ll get some snacks for you both.”

“Just the regular.”

“Right away!”

By the time Sameer made his way to the shelf, Naina had been rummaging the stock of interesting books already.

“You’re here to look for books, Sameer, not me.” A stern voice caught him peeping from the other side of the transparent shelf.

“I wouldn’t mind looking at both. I’m good at handling things simultaneously.” A smirk returned onto his face, however short-lived.

“I’m not one of your ‘things’ to be messed around with.” Naina warned with a tone of austerity.

“I just don’t get you anymore.” Sameer huffed in annoyance before walking towards the treehouse with Madhuri Patel’s ‘Unhappy Endings’ in his hand. Naina shifted her gaze to John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars while she tried to decipher her own.

“Have I really changed?” Naina questioned herself in whispers, as she saw Sameer climbing the steps to the wooden treehouse. Brushing her thoughts at seeing Vikas Chacha with a plate of snacks, she smiled weakly before delving herself amidst cushions on one of the mattresses.

Within the next hour or so, an eerie bang on the door instigated the soothing silence, making Vikas jolt in fright. Peeping from the window, the 84-year-old noticed a flock of people rallying in protest with weapons in their hands. The situation had worsened once again, and he knew he had to flee to his shelter yet again.

“Sameer, Naina, we have to close the library.” He urged, hastily rushing to the reception desk for the keys.

“On our way, Vikas Chacha.” He heard two voices in unison as a breath of relief escaped.

As he shifted his tattered rolling chair that squeaked ever so often, his trembling hands reached out for the drawer set. He fidgeted with the first drawer, trying to get his hands on the keys; his savior. Just then his heart leaped again at the sound of a thud resonating from the main door. His other wrinkled hand touched his chest while Vikas heaved a sigh. The entire library was quieter than any exam hall, he insinuated that his favorite visitors had left. With a silent prayer, he finally found the tingling sound of keys amidst the shuffling of other irrelevant objects. Scrupulously walking towards the main gate as old as him, he stepped out, with a bag slung on his right shoulder and his lunchbox on his left. From the corner of his eye he saw a glass window shatter to pieces while the uproar grew louder with each passing second. Hastily inserting the key, he locked both the inner and outer gates tightly and hurried off, each heavy breath equivalent to a new life.

“Sameer?” Naina called out only to receive silence in return.

“Do you plan on coming out?”

“I’m in the middle of something, Naina.” He answered back nonchalantly, reverting back to his intriguing book.

“Vikas Chacha had asked us to leave half and hour ago. And I have some uncanny intuition at his sudden urgency. Let’s check.” Naina suggested, calling out to him again.

He groaned in frustration first, before slowly making his way down the treehouse to an impatient Naina with her hands on her hips.

Ushering him, she turned and called out to her Chacha but only received her echo instead of a friendly voice.

She immediately shared a glance with him and Sameer reciprocated her concern. With a quick nod, they dashed to different corners of the main hall; including the second and third floor, calling out to their Vikas Chacha, all in vain. With worry swept across both faces, Sameer’s rubbed his forehead while Naina innocently bit her lip in fret.

“Let me check the main door.” Sameer suggested instinctively, left with no other option. Naina frowned yet gave a succinct nod with pursed lips.

Sameer ran to the main door and tried to open it, only to find it locked from the outside. With each attempt, the lock clashed against the door and the clobbering did nothing else but engulf him in painful realization.

“What’s wrong, Sameer?” Sameer slowly turned to a dreadful tone by Naina. He helplessly nodded before confirming her thoughts.

“We’ve been locked, Naina.”