The silent Rustlings

Chapter-1

A fresh breeze, warm sunlight, and a pleasant morning, these are the stars my soul reaches for. I am Sameera Shetty, a 27-year-old female, an orphan, and new to the area. After a series of mysterious letters, I finally escaped them and started my life and career again. I am riding in a car, staring out at the misty mountains of Kasauli, and hoping for a positive beginning. I’m more than ready to unfold my life in this small town in Himachal Pradesh. I’m fleeing from my past that still haunts my dreams. I’m moving into my cozy apartment on Sanawar Road, trying to leave memories behind.

Mr. Sharma, the landlord, extended a warm welcome to me. He gave me a tour of the apartment and walked me through all the dos and don’ts. As soon as he left, I started unpacking my bags, so excited to see what this town has to offer me. By the time I finished organizing everything, half the day had vanished. Clothes check, toiletries check, cosmetics check, electronic gadgets check, kitchenware check. Everything seemed okay. I should get some groceries. In the evening, I went to a local market and started searching for something to eat. I am such a picky eater that it became nearly impossible for me to find something I enjoy eating. However, I picked up some veggies, fruits, and stuff that suit my witty taste buds. I ended up buying things that exceeded what I could manage on my own, yet I continued walking. On the way to the apartment, I dodged a stranger. He had intense eyes, a muscular body, dusky skin, chiseled features, jet black hair, and stood at 6’3”, Bluetooth in an ear. I tried so hard not to stare, but honestly, how could I? His eyes..something in his eyes kept calling mine, no matter how many times I tried looking away. Adding to this excitement, he is looking at me, too. Our eyes met and for a second there, it felt like a kiss on a bare lip.

“Hey, I am sorry. I haven’t noticed you coming.”, he said while helping me to take the fallen things.
“Doesn't matter. I haven't seen a man like you.”- Slipped off my tongue, unaware, and then I got up.
“I am sorry. What have you said?”- he questioned.
I exhaled, grateful his Bluetooth saved me from my own words
“I was saying, I also haven’t seen you coming.”, I lied, trying to carry the things again.
“May I?” he offered me help.
“Sure”
“Flat No.?”
“303”
“Oh, so you are my diagour.”
“Diagour? I never heard that.”
“My apartment is next to yours, opposite. So geometrically our apartments are diagonal and we are neighbours. So you are my diagour”.
I gave a confused look.
“I know there is no word called diagour. But every word that we speak was once invented by someone.”
“Woah, are you a mathematician, or what?”
“Nope. You will get to know at the right time. And here you go, your flat number 303.”
In no time, we reached my apartment, and he helped me with the groceries to the kitchen.
“Ah, well organized", he said. And I thanked him and offered him a glass of water. He finished drinking water, and the next moment I knew, he left to his apartment.
It's been a few minutes since he left, yet I can sense his essence in the living hall. After having my dinner, I went to bed. I feel so relaxed while sleeping after a long time. Is this because of the place or the man? It struck me that I hadn’t asked his name, and I decided to ask the next time I see him. I fell asleep as soon as I lay down. Suddenly, I hear a strong knock on the door. I shot up in bed, my heart pounding. It's 3 A.M. I went to take the main door.
“Who is that?”
No reply. I asked again, still silence. I started sweating. I opened the door to find no one there. However, I heard a rustling of paper and looked down and found a letter. That paper is very similar to me. That is IT. The one that broke me and shattered the pieces, the one that’s haunting me. I decided not to look into it. Muscle memory or something, my hand picked up the paper, and my eyes started reading it.
“How is your new beginning?”
I felt numb and forcefully opened my eyes to find that it was a dream. My heart gasped. To confirm, I looked at the time. It’s 5.18 A.M. But again, I heard a knock. This time it’s a simple tap.
“Who is that?”
“You will get to know if you open the door.”
The voice is similar. Is that he? I opened the door to find my diagour. Okay, it’s strange for you, but I am used to it.
“Good morning”, he wished me. “I hope I haven’t disturbed your sleep”.
“No, I'm up and above. Getting ready for my Day 1 in the office.”
“Woah. All the best for your new start. I am used to having bed coffee, but I ran out of sugar. Would you mind if I borrowed some sugar?”
“Why sugar? Give me two minutes, and I will bring you an awesome coffee.” After ten minutes, I brought two cups of coffee for each.
“Taken 8 minutes extra. Given a 10/10 coffee. It's awesome.”
I thanked him and remembered to ask about his details.
“By the way, you forgot to mention your name.”
“I didn’t forget. You didn't ask. It’s okay. I am Vyom, a writer. And you?”
“Writer! That’s interesting. I am Sameera. New logistics manager at Indus Textiles.”
“Logistics Manager, good”. We finished having our coffee, and he left for his room. I freshened up, took a bath, had breakfast, and started for the office

Chapter-2

“Hello, I am Sameera Shetty. I have an appointment with Mr. Sharan at 10 A.M.”
“Hello, ma'am. Let me check once.” After a few clicks on her computer, the receptionist told me, “Ma’am, Sharan Sir’s cabin is on the 3rd floor. You can take the lift.” She pointed to the lift. I reached the 3rd floor and had no clue what to do. Then someone asked me, “Are you Ms. Sameera?”
“Yes. I am.”
“Mr. Sharan is waiting for you. Please come with me.” She guided me to Sharan’s office.
“Hello, Ms. Shetty. We are glad to have you in our company,” Sharan greeted me politely.
“Hello, Sharan. That’s great to hear, thank you! I’m happy too.”
“I’ve reviewed your portfolio. It’s amazing. I didn’t expect you would accept the offer.”
“I want to work in a company that values my contribution. So, I accepted your offer.”
“She is Dhrithi, your assistant." Sharan pointed to the person who brought me to Sharan’s cabin. “She will explain your work to you. And this is your official confirmation for taking over the project.” Sharan handed me a paper.
“Welcome to the Indus Textiles family.” He wished me while handing me the paper, and I thanked him.
Dhrithi showed me to my cabin and introduced me to the logistics team. Later, I began reviewing the project files. It is a bulk order from Naina designers for their winter collection launch. If this project goes well, Indus Textiles has a chance to receive more contracts from leads in the fashion industry. I spent my first day understanding the files and requirements of the client. We have a very short deadline and a huge target. I finished my work by 8 P.M., and I went back to my apartment. I noticed a piece of paper at my front door and started to panic. I sweated as I stood there, clueless. I have no courage to open it. But do I have another option? No. I should pick it up
“Hello. Hope you had a good day. If you don’t mind, can I make a chai for you? - Vyom”
It is from Vyom. Without a second thought, I rang his doorbell. Vyom opened the door. A relaxing Noon Chai aroma welcomed me before him, followed by the man himself. Stepping into his apartment is like stepping into the aftermath of a small, contained explosion. Empty pizza boxes teetered on top of overflowing laundry baskets, clothes cascaded from half-shut drawers, and a cluttered desk with a laptop and some notes stuck to the board at the corner of this room. I think it's his workplace. He offered me to seat.
“Is that Noon Chai?” I asked him while sitting.
“I wonder it is.” He went into the kitchen and brought us Noon Chai in Kashmiri cups.
The first sip was a revelation; a rich, velvety warmth that spread from tongue to chest.
The addition of unexpected rain made the weather beautifully romantic.
“One of the best I have ever had,” I said.
He gestured like a Disney prince.
“By the way, I also make a good dinner. Care to try?”
“Well, sure, but let me help you. I insist.”

An hour slipped by as we made dinner and shared some laughs. We made pulkas and dal tadka. By the time we were all set to eat, the power went out. Vyom suggested eating on the balcony with candles. Perfect, now I am having a candlelit dinner with a man I met 24 hours ago. Things are moving too fast, but I am in love with this situation so much that I don't care what happens next. The cool weather, candlelight, and food. Everything is beyond good.
Only one thought was running through my mind. I wish I could taste his sweetest lips instead of pulkas. Vyom is all into explaining to me about his previous works. Honestly, at that moment, I don't care. All my care is somewhere between his nose and chin. All of a sudden, he stopped talking and started staring at me as if he understood what I was actually hungry for. I see the heat in his eyes, too. He came so close that I could feel his breath on my skin. I've never seen a man this close in my 27 years of existence. I know what's going to happen, and I didn’t resist. As our lips almost felt each other, the light flashed. It's the power; it came back. We jerked back to our positions, both disappointed and shy.
“How’s the food?” He asked to comfort the situation.
“It’s delicious. Cooking best words and best food, eh, Writer!!”
“Thank you, diagour.” He said.
We finished our Dinner yet continued to talk about our day, music tastes, my knowledge about books, etc. Before we realized, midnight crawled in. I bid him goodnight and went back to my apartment. I lay on my bed thinking about him. I can still feel his breath. Is he thinking about me too? Did he felt my breath? I fell into sleep, asking myself as many questions as possible.

The days are passing by, and so is the progress of my work and my relationship with Vyom. 2 months have passed. The time flies as fast as the air escapes from an untied balloon. Vyom is not in town. He went to his hometown two weeks ago to meet his grandmother, as she is ill. I was a little bored at the start, but now I am occupied too. Tomorrow, we have a feedback meeting with the lead designers of Naina Designers. Everyone in our team is excited for this meeting because they worked so hard to deliver the materials to the client on time, and we are pretty sure we will get positive feedback.
I was preparing a not-so-important presentation that we had to present to designers, as Dhriti called me. It was strange. I've never received a call from Dhriti at these odd hours. Given, there is a meeting tomorrow, I thought she is calling me about that and answered.
“Hello Sameera.” I heard a shiver in her voice. “Have you got 2 minutes to talk?”
“Yes, Dhriti. What’s the matter?”
“Since there are some files that need to be checked, I am still in the office. You will be blown out by what I found. ”
“Really. What’s that?”
No response from her.
“Dhriti, are you there?” Still silence.
“Hello Dhriti.”
I checked my phone screen just to find the lock screen. The call is disconnected. I tried calling her again and again, but somehow, I was not connected.
The next day, I went to the office and found Dhriti there.
“Hey Dhriti. Is everything alright? You called me to say something and sorry my damn signals didn't let you. Tell me now. What is wrong?”
“ What? Everything's alright. I didn't call you. I have nothing to tell too. Everything is perfect. Check again. It might be someone else.”
“NO! It was you. You called me at 10 P.M.”
“Check your call logs. It might be someone else.”
A cloud of doubts and fears surrounded my mind. Sharan’s voice cut those. He called us to the conference hall. For a while, I tried to forget everything and started concentrating on my presentation. A few designers, the show manager of Naina Designers are coming into the conference hall, and so is our CEO, Mr. Vivek Srivathsav. The CEO introduced Sharan, and Sharan introduced us to the team of Naina Designers. Within no time, I started the presentation. I thought that no one might pay attention to the PPT. You all know, right, this is business. To the client, it only matters what they need, not how it was delivered. To my surprise, they are all paying attention to my words and the information in the PPT. They were impressed by my presentation and the work of my team. Everything is good, except the call I got yesterday. Soon after the presentation, I went back to my cubicle and searched for Dhrithi's call in my call log, and to my shock, I couldn't find it. She never called me. Then what about the call I received last night? Why is there no record of any call on my phone? As these questions started to eat my brain again, Sharan called.
“Hey Sameera, it was a nice presentation. Everyone is impressed with your work.”
“Thanks, Sharan. I was not expecting that. I am taken by surprise. For the first time ever, clients are appreciative not only of our work but also of how we worked. I think this isn't normal. Is it for you?”
“I can understand your situation. Naina Designers are one of the famous design makers in the Indian Fashion industry. How do you think they reached there?”
I have a confused face.
“Because they value the hard work of every single person behind their success. That makes them special from the rest.”
“Oh, I see,” I replied.
“Here's a thing. As this project was successful, Vivek Sir is throwing a party this Friday at his farmhouse. Please pass the information to your teammates and ask Dhriti to convey this to other teams also.”
“Sure, Sharan.”
As Sharan said, I informed my teammates about the party and asked Dhriti to convey this to the other teams. She agreed. Everyone is happy, but the disturbance in my mind didn't fade. Who might have called me yesterday? Did I imagine or dream it? I went back to the apartment with these questions in my mind. I found Vyom’s flat unlocked. I wanted to talk with him, but the questions in my mind did not allow me. I went back to my apartment, took a bath, had some coffee, and sat with my thoughts.
Vyom came to my flat at night. We discussed his grandmother's health and how his parents related her health to his marriage. They are Indian parents; they connect anything and everything with their children's marriage. Later, I started talking about how the project went, about the presentation, and of course about the Friday night party.
“Do not tell me you are going to this party. It’s your birthday on Saturday. I thought you would spend the night with me.” He said.
“I'm sorry, Vyom. I have to go to this party. This will help me increase my network. It gives a huge leap in my career.” I replied.
He remained silent and left the room aggressively. This is making me feel so bad. This is the first special occasion since we were together, and I am ruining it. I thought of going behind him, but decided to give him the space he needed. I feel like everything is on the edge.

Chapter-3

Finally, the evening of the success party is here. The party is at Vivek's farmhouse outside the town. I was all dolled up. I wore a black deep V-neck georgette gown with small grey detailing.
My cab driver called.
“Ma'am, I am waiting for you at the address you mentioned.” He said
“Be there in 2 minutes,” I said, checking myself in the mirror for one last time, and started moving towards the main door
To my fear, I found a letter. Is that it? What if it is it? What should I do? I pinched myself, hoping it was a dream. But it is not. Whatever it is I am seeing, it is true. I started sweating like every ounce of salt was draining out of my body. I started to shiver. I don’t want to open it, but I don’t have a choice. It’s been more than 2 months since I saw it. The last one I received said
“Wherever you go, you will find me?”
I lost my career, my friends, and the most important people in my life because of these letters. What is this one going to do now? I want to cry, but I am unable to. Finally, I took the letter into my hands and started reading into.
“If you want, you can go there. But leave before midnight.”
I decided not to go there. I went back into my apartment and sat on the sofa, and closed my eyes to control myself. Suddenly felt the sofa moving. I opened my eyes to find I was in the cab. I stopped the cab and went back to the apartment again. As soon as I opened the door then I entered a farmhouse with party lights and a lot of people. I saw Sharan, Vivek, Dhriti, and my colleagues there. I am in Vivek’s farmhouse. I couldn't believe my eyes. I was confused and tried to leave the party, but by the time I escaped, Vivek saw me and called me to the main stage.
“Here you go, ladies and gentlemen! The dynamic lady of our team. Cheers for Sameera.” He pointed me out.
Everyone turned to my side, and I forced a smile on my face. My colleagues surrounded me with wishes. I hid my fear under the blanket of their congratulations and good wishes. I spent some time with them and went to the back of the bar counter to think about what was happening. I badly wanted to get out of the place, but I couldn't. Everyone is coming up to congratulate me.
“Do you need anything, My Lady?” I heard Vyom’s voice from the bar counter. I turn back to find Vyom in a bartender’s dress.
“What are you doing here?”
“Your birthday is the first special day since we were together. You think I will miss the midnight surprise? No way.”
“Vyom, you can't be here. Not like this!!”
“Yeah, I know. But disguising oneself as a bartender is not a big crime. Even if it is, I would do it for you, my diagour.”
“Vyom, listen to me. It is not safe here.”
“Nah, you listen to me. This might be inappropriate, but it is important. I want to be by your side on your special day and ready to do anything for that. You can't get away from me by telling some random stuff.”
“Vyom, this is not random. I have to tell you this.” I checked the time. It’s already 11 P.M.
“Look at me. There is something wrong with this place.”
“Wrong, what is wrong here, Ms. Shetty?” I heard Mr. Vivek from my back.
“Nothing, I just think that the glasses here are not going with the aesthetics,” I answered him while turning back.
“Yeah, I am also thinking the same.” He said, looking at me from top to bottom.
“I've never known black colour is this beautiful. The colour got colorful because of you.” He tried to flirt with me.
Oh my god, now I see a new problem, as if I don't have enough. I see the change in Vyom’s face. He was burning with anger. Vivek invited me to meet some of the well-known personalities of fashion, politics, and business. Despite the fear that is crumbling me inside, I tried to be so polite and friendly with them. I met the clock again, it’s 11:35 P.M. now. My heartbeat is rising with every minute passing.
While we were talking, Vivek’s assistant came and said something in his ear. Vivek politely excused himself from the chat. I took this as an advantage and ran away to find Vyom. I went to the bar counter, but he was not there. I checked the time, it’s already 11:40 P.M., I should find him as fast as possible. I was looking for him everywhere, but he was not there. I went to the lawn and I finally found him
“Vyom, what are you doing here?”
“I thought you would not come to me.”
“What? Why would you think like that?”
“I mean, you were busy there.”
“Vyom, listen. I am suffocating here. Can you get me out of here?”
“Sure”
Finally, we left the party at 11:50. We were walking together towards the main road to get a taxi. I am still confused about what had happened before, but somehow I felt relaxed with Vyom by my side. He should know what happened and what i happening. I've decided to tell him about the letter. I turned back to find him on his knees.
“I never thought I would do this except in my writings. I fell for you the first time I saw you. I have never met a woman like you. You are the amazing thing ever happened to me in my whole life. I promise I will always support your decisions, no matter how much they hurt me. I will be with you in every odd and even.” He took a ring from his pocket. “And now I, Vyom Thakur, proposing to you, Sameera Shetty, will you marry me?”
Wowww…A day full of unexpected twists and turns. A proposal in this situation. Whatever happens, I don’t want to ruin this moment. I forgot about everything that is happening around me. This is US. OUR MOMENT. I remained silent with the thoughts running in mind. Worried, Vyom asked what my answer is.
“YES. A Big Yes. A lifetime of Yes” As I said my answer, he puts the ring on my finger and stood up in front of me and wished me “ Happy Birthday”
He brings his face near to mine and gently pulled me to him. His arms are around my waist. I am on my toes with my hands around his neck. He started kissing me. Finally, the magic I’ve been waiting for. He is kissing me. Passionately. Like he wrote in his novel, gently pressing my waist, playing with my tongue, pressing me against him. The warmth is increasing.
Suddenly, we heard a blast. We were thrown away by a force of dust. Vivek’s farmhouse blasted in front of our eyes. I was in shock. Vyom came to me to check if I was safe. Everything is shattered. A burnt paper fell on my dress. I took the paper and read it. It said:
“You did the right thing “