Outside the Cafe...
Radika hugged her friends goodbye. Sara, Hima, and Rohan waved and walked away.
Just as she turned around, Rudra stepped out of the cafe behind her.
Radika's eyes widened slightly. "Sir? You were here?"
Rudra nodded calmly. "Let's go home."
In the car,
Radika looked at him.
"Sir, I told you I'd come home by myself. Why did you come to the cafe?"
Without looking away from the road, Rudra replied, "I had some work after college. Finished it and… thought I could pick you up."
Radika gave a small nod. "Okay, sir.''
They reached home.
Radika walked in first, and Rudra followed behind her, hiding two bags behind him.
She stepped into the hall — and stopped, shocked and surprised.
The hall was decorated with balloons, and on the wall, big bold letters read:"Happy Birthday".
His mom smiled warmly and said,"Happy birthday, Radika! Come, how is the decoration? Do you like it?"
Radika was too amazed to speak.
Just then, Rudra came in front of her and handed her a new saree.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
Radika was so amazed,her mind went blank she couldn't even speak properly. All she could say was, "Thank you..."
Rudra said, "Go change and come."
His mom looked at him and asked, "You only brought a saree? Not any gift?"
Rudra replied, "Mom, I brought a chain for her. Don't worry."
Rudra and his mom set up the cake on the table.
Radika came out wearing the saree, her hair loose, earrings on. She looked beautiful.
Rudra was fascinated by her beauty.
His mom saw this and said, "Rudra, stop staring at her. Your eyes are fixed on her."
Rudra's mom said, "Radika, come here. Here is your favorite cake. Let's cut it."
Radika cut the cake and fed Rudra's mom, then turned to Rudra and fed him too.
Rudra gave her a small box. Radika looked at him in surprise and asked, "What is it, sir?"
He replied, "Open it and see."
She opened the box. There was a gold chain with a half-moon pendant inside. She said, "It is so beautiful, sir. Thank you so much."
She became emotional and said, "You both made this day so special. Thank you, aunty. You never see me as an outsider. You always gave me your love and support. Thank you so much."
Happy tears filled her eyes.
They clicked some photos and had some time together.
IN THE ROOM…
Radika was enjoying her piece of cake in the corner of her bed. Rudra was sitting on his sofa, feeling a little guilty.
He called her hesitantly,"Radika, there is something I want to confess."
She looked at him and asked, "What is it, sir?"
He said, "Do you remember the dress this morning?"
"Yes, sir. What about it?" Radika asked him.
"That dress is not from my mother. It's from your parents," Rudra said in fear, wondering how she would react.
Radika quietly placed the cake plate on the table, turned toward Rudra, and softly said,"Thank you, sir."
Rudra was confused by her reaction and said, "Are you not mad at me?"
She looked at him and replied with a calm smile, "No sir. If you hide it from me, then I would definitely be mad… but now I'm happy that you told me the truth."
Rudra felt relieved and said, "I thought you would feel sad… but now I'm feeling good."
Radika smiled and said, "Sir, I'm not angry at my parents… I just don't know how to face them."
Rudra nodded, silently agreeing to her words.
After a moment of silence, Radika smiled and hesitated to speak, but she gained courage and said,
"Sir, you know about me, and I always talk blah blah… but you never tell me about yourself. So today I want to listen to you. Can you tell me about your past self?"
Rudra smiled, sighed, and said,
"You are the first person who asked about my past."
Radika asked curiously,
"Are you going to tell me, sir?"
"Yeah, I'm going to tell you about my past," Rudra said.
Rudra leaned back, his voice steady, "My life was going so good. A happy family... and my bond with my father was really special. Every year, they celebrated my birthday grandly.
He paused for a second, his eyes distant.
But when I was 12… my dad passed away in an accident."
"It was the darkest time in our lives. That was the first time I saw my mom cry... and from that moment, I decided I never wanted to see her cry again. Then I started studying really hard. I focused only on studies, nothing else. I did a dual degree and completed my B.Ed. While doing it, I worked part-time as a tuition teacher to gain experience. Then I joined this college two years ago. This is my third year teaching. That's how my life has been, Radika."
Radika's voice softened, "Sir… do you miss uncle?"
He looked down and said quietly, "I miss him so much."
Radika was about to say something, her lips parted, "Sir—"
But Rudra quickly interrupted, "Our chit-chat is done. Let's sleep now, it's too late."
She quietly smiled, sensing his emotions, and nodded.
The next morning.....
TO BE CONTINUED...........