LiFE.... AS IT COMES (CHAPTER 16)

“She is that stupid?”

Sheila, Ryan and Kunal were sitting in Sheila’s room as Sheila recounted whatever happened with her that day.

“I have no idea. Please don’t ask me. I really don’t know what to believe and what not to believe right now.” Sheila said, massaging her temples, in reply to Kunal’s question.

Ryan was extremely quite during the whole conversation. It appeared to the others that he was giving a lot of thought in the matter, but in reality his mind was far away.

Danny had tried every trick in the book to make Tam fall in love with him and he did not succeed. But maybe, he thought, I did always give the wrong signal and still at the end of the day I did not fall in love. That would be frustrating. And that’s what I did with Sheila, he thought.

After hearing everything that Sheila told them Ryan could not help but understand the exact things Sheila had felt the moment when he had abruptly ended the growing friendship between them.

He had now begun to understand the small reactions of Sheila and the very reason behind it. Her shocked expression when he ended it, her tears afterwards, everything. Shit, he thought, I am such a bastard.

“Ryan? Are you okay?” said a concerned Sheila as she laid her hand on his knees.

Ryan looked down at the small petite hand and was about to hold it give it a small squeeze to let her know that he was okay, but Sheila suddenly moved her hand as though her hand burned.

“Hey! I was thinking something. Why don’t we just go there and tell Tam everything. I mean she has got to believe us right. If she could believe that crap, then she could certainly believe us! Not that big a deal right?” concluded Kunal.

Ryan and Sheila were staring at each other while he was talking. The moment he stopped Sheila quickly averted her eyes.

“No Kunal. I don’t think so. I don’t think she is going to believe us. Don’t you get it? She actually loves Rohit. Ever since childhood. And the fool doesn’t even know that and knowing her she will never accept it. She will go to any lengths just to meet him bit will keep on saying that she is doing it as a friend. So you see under the given circumstances she really won’t believe us.” Sheila said.

Both the guys began thinking. They could not deny that the points given by Sheila were very true.

“There has got to be some way. Hey! How about that we let someone else tell her the truth? Like I could tell one of my model friends to tell her that she met some guy called Rohit in the US. Then she will believe right?” Ryan was visibly jumping up and down with his idea.

Sheila made a face at him.

“Don’t be an ass Ryan! As if she will believe any stranger. Why do you even try to think?”

“See. My idea was better!” said a jubilant Kunal.

“My idea was good enough too!” sulked Ryan.

“Guys! Why don’t we force Danny to confess to her?” said Kunal.

“Are you mad? That is even more impossible! He will never do that. He will die but never do that!” declared Sheila.

“How about we try searching for Rohit ourselves? Once we locate him the problem is solved!” said Ryan his eyes shining.

“Yeah but he hasn’t really gone missing.” protested Kunal.

“Heyyyy! What are you guys doing here? Can I join?”

It was Tam. She was poking her head from the door.

“Yeah yeah sure!” chorused everyone.

“Missed you guys! Ok. Give me a minute. I will just change and then--------”

The shrill ringing of her cell phone cut off Tam’s voice. She took it out and answered it.

“Hello.”

Within minutes her face changed color visibly in front of the others. She tried mouthing words but all that came out were small squeaks.

The others became concerned and gathered around her.

Soon the phone slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.

“Sweetie! What happened? Please tell us!” Sheila’s urgent voice barely penetrated the thick fog that was surrounding her.

Opening and closing her mouth several times she finally managed to croak out

“It was Rohit.”