Chapter 3 Pankhuri Mehra

I don't know why these CBSE servers crash so much, and that too on the result day' A young boy spoke with a pale face as he walked around nervously in a small yet beautiful house, wearing a short solid green Khaki kurta paired with black pants.

'Aryan, don't panic results are out, we will be able to see it soon' a girl who sat on the sofa with crossed leg spoke without looking at him as she continued reading a legal reasoning book, which she had been reading for last half an hour.

'Why I shouldn't panic Pankhuri, last time in class 11 I failed, what if I fail again' Aryan replied as his heart continued to beat faster. His heart has been beating superfast since he got to know about the results being declared today.

Pankhuri clicked her tongue, spoke 'Stop panicking, everything is gonna be OK' and looked up at him. 'Come on buddy...you gave your best, and I know you will get the best'. Pankhuri smiled at him and tried to encourage him.

'Yeah, I will get the best' Aryan spoke as he looked at her exquisite features, her beautiful brown eyes, her soft and cute cheeks, and beautiful smile.

'Aryan...see the page opened' suddenly pankhuri screamed and showed him the screen of her phone.

Aryan ran towards the sofa and sat very close next to her and gawked at the phone as she filled in the form with her roll number, admit card number and etc. details.

Pankhuri looked at her phone, waited for the screen to load. Pankhuri's heart started to beat fast, she started to feel more and more anxious, her breathe fastened.

Next to her Aryan too followed the same process and continued to look into his phone while shaking his feet. The page took forever to open.

Then together both of their results loaded. On Aryan's, it displayed 79.4 percentage, which felt perfect for him. Whereas on Pankhuri's phone it showed a hefty 93.2 percentage.

They both screamed at the same time, looked at each other, and hugged. Pankhuri gave him a tight hug as she continued to squeal in happiness. He too hugged her with the same excitement.

They both celebrated and screamed again. Aryan overwhelmed by his score took a pillow from the sofa and tossed it into the air.

'What's going on' A man with a mustache asked in a stern voice as he stepped into the room as saw them screaming.

'Nothing Papa' Pankhuri replied as she got up from the sofa and adjusted her orange and golden short Kurti and looked at her father. 'Actually, we just checked our results' Pankhuri excitedly spoke wanting to tell her father.

'Oh! What are the results?' Her Father, Binay Mehra asked as he cleaned his spectacles and put in on back on his nose.

'Papa I scored 93.2 percentage, in biology, I got...' Pankhuri continued to speak and her father listened to her.

'Good Pankhuri' Her father spoke and gave her a little smile. 'Pankhuri your mother is not at home right now, bring me a cup of tea' he spoke or rather ordered her.

She heard her father speak and all the happiness from her face vanished. She saw Aryan looking at her, she gave him a smile and stepped out of the room, into the kitchen.

...~•~...

Pankhuri placed the kettle on the burner. She sighed as she leaned back on the counter and got lost in her thoughts.

In childhood, she had always wondered why her parents can't live with her, why they always have to go back to the city and leave her back here with her grandmother, and her older brother, Vedant.

As a child, her life revolved around only a few her grandmother, her brother, her best friends Aryan and Pallavi, and obviously books.

While growing up she always saw Pallavi's parents taking interest in their daughter's academics, whereas her parents never for a moment tried to even show interest.

Aryan was 10 when his parents passed away and he was sent to an orphanage. But her grandmother played the real MVP in the situation and adopted him, then he moved in with them.

Sometimes, when her grandmother wasn't around she too felt like Aryan, an orphan but for those moments her elder brother, Vedant consoled her.

Now things have changed in a way, her brother moved out to the city for his college education, making her feel the same way as back then. And for a little change, her parents moved back to the village with them but, not for her.

Her father works as a Cheif Engineer in one of his friend owned company. A few months back, he was sent here for a construction project that has to be started in the village and it will be handled by her father as being the Cheif engineer.

Pankhuri's chain of thoughts broke as the kettle whistled indicating, the tea boiled. As she took out the cup and started to pour the tea into the cup, she could hear Aryan and Binay talk.

She went outside with the cup and gave it to Binay. She took the book from the table and walked inside the room.

...~•~...

'Pankhuri'

Pankhuri heard someone call her as she folded some of her clothes and kept in the almirah. She adjusted her dress before walking out.

'Yes, Dadi (grandmother)...' Pankhuri replied and stood in front of the old lady. 'Did you check your results?' Her grandmother asked as she kept the packets of holy offerings from the temple on the dining table and 'where is Aryan'.

'Dadi, Aryan is on the terrace, May I call him' Pankhuri asked, staring the delicious holy offerings. 'Yes, yes call him' her dadi answered and sat on the chair next to those packets.

Pankhuri climbed up the two-storey house. She opened the metal gate to the terrace. There she saw Aryan laying under the shed on the cot, highly concentrated on his phone, looking at something.

'Aryan'

Aryan heard her calling and hurriedly hid it. And got up 'yeah...' He replied.

'Dadi is calling you' She spoke as she saw him hiding his phone. 'What are you hiding' Pankhuri asked while coming closer to him.

'Are...Nothing, come on Dadi is calling' Aryan spoke, got up from the cot, held her hand, and pulled her with him as kept the phone in his pocket.

'Yes dadi' Both the teens replied as they reached near the old lady. She asked them about their result, talked to them, and paid all the attention to their academics.

'Excellent both of you' Dadi commented and continued 'I knew you both will get good marks so, look what I got for both of you'.

She took out a brown paper bag from inside of a plastic bag. She took out two small boxes out of it and gave it to them.

Aryan opened the blue velvet box to find a black heavy dog tag locket. He smiled looking at it. And remembered as a kid his father gave him an exact copy, just before he died. But he misplaced that and never found it again.

He got happy and spoke 'thank you dadi' and gave her a side hug. Pankhuri smiled looking at them. 'Pankhuri now you open it' dadi spoke indicating towards the blue velvet box.

Pankhuri smiled with excitement and opened the box slowly, she found a silver double pendant feather locket, it looked beautiful and elegant. She smiled looking at it. 'Thank you dadi' She spoke in awestruck.

Aryan helped her wear the locket and then she too hugged her dadi. Pankhuri's dadi hugged and kissed them back with elderly affection and blessed them as she gave them the holy offerings.

...~•~...

...In the evening...

'Mummy, we are going to meet Pallavi' Pankhuri spoke as she wore her footwear.

'Pankhuri don't spend too much time outside come back fast' Pankhuri's mother Nileema Mehra ordered her as she came out of the kitchen and saw both of them teasing each other always.

'Ok mummy' she replied knowing why she said that.

Her mother never really liked Aryan, and once she even said to dadi 'What if someday he does something to Pankhuri, what we will do after that' it still feels unbelievable to her.

She always saw a great friend in him, he was always with her in every situation and still is. Pankhuri and Aryan stepped out of the house.

'Pankhuri, Aryan...' they both heard someone calling them. They both turned to find a beautiful girl near the well.

'Hi Pallavi' Pankhuri greeted as she reached near her and hugged her.

'Hi fatty' Aryan teased Pallavi and in return, Pallavi spoke 'Hi Dumbie'. Trio laughed.

They then moved near the ground and sat there on a wooden bench and talked there for hours about their results, future planning and etc.

By now it was 6 in the evening. Suddenly Pallavi's phone beeped. She looked at it and then looked at both of them.

Pallavi sheepishly smiled at Aryan and pulled Pankhuri by her hand near her and whispered something while Aryan looked at them in confusion.

After a few moments, Pankhuri too smiled at him. 'Aryan bye...' Pankhuri spoke with a childish tone. And then both Pallavi and Pankhuri held their hands and ran.

'Are, where are you both going...?' Aryan asked in top of his lungs but got a reply from Pallavi in the most polite way possible 'Go back home dumbass.. get yourself some life'.

...~•~...

It has been 3 hours since Pankhuri didn't return home. Pankhuri's father didn't really pay any attention, whereas her mother no more cared as Aryan was not with her anymore. Her Dadi didn't know Pankhuri wasn't at home as she had a bad habit of eating dinner in her room.

After they all ate their dinner they went back to their respective rooms. Aryan sat in his room wearing cargo shorts, and a black tee. And read a book.

*knock-knock*

Suddenly he heard a knock on his window. 'Who it must be' Aryan thought to himself before he neared the window. He opened the window and found Pankhuri standing. 'Are, why are coming in from here'.

'First, help me' Pankhuri demanded and Aryan helped her, he held her by her hand and pulled her up. She sat on the window and looked at him with full concentration.

'Aryan I need to tell you something' Pankhuri spoke as she kept a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her back with the same concentration

' I love you' Pankhuri suddenly spoke and continued to look into his eyes. For the moment his heart skipped a beat, he looked at her with widened eyes, and he can't believe what he just heard. He gulped.

'Pankhuri..' Aryan spoke and looked at her not being able to believe what she just said and he heard.

...__***__...

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