Chapter 2: Chapter - 2 (The World of Akanksha)
Akanksha ran up the spiral staircase, along the marble corridor into their room on the left. She closed the door quietly behind her. Anu was there in bed already. Akanksha found her sister deeply engrossed in something on the mobile. She had already changed into her pink palazo and a matching T-shirt with "The Wild Heart of A Gypsy Soul" written across it.
Akanksha looked at her sister lovingly once more before moving up to the dressing table. She started taking the hairpins off her hair. She had a mass of short, curly hair around a face which was flawless in its shape. Her large, brown, inquisitive eyes lent the extra charm to her face, cutting her out from girls of her age. She was 5'6", chubby and bubbly at the same time.
She caught her sister looking at her taking off the sari to get into a deep blue T-shirt with "I Am Amazing" written at the top and ash colored shorts. She leaped on to the bed and pulled the other side of the Kasmere blanket up to her waist.
"So tell me, Anu, what you want for your 18th. This time you'll have 18 gifts from me. Anything that you want from me in particular?" She asked thinking about what happened on Anu's last birthday. Akanksha had bought 17 gifts for her crazy sister that time. When Anu unwrapped the last packet, she simply was overjoyed to see "Looking for Alaska" unveiling. She wanted to devour this John Green classic since she had heard Rima, her class topper, mention it last.
"Thank you, Akku," she had told her sister huskily, looking up. The sheer bliss in her eyes told Akanksha what each of the gifts meant to her sister.
Akanksha started leafing through the latest issue of the "Femina", having picked it up earlier from the stool under the shaded night lamp. She looked at the article relating to the recipe of " Hilsa Biriyani " with the accompanying pictures. She turned over to the next page but put the magazine down the very next moment. Anu by her side, in the meantime, had fallen asleep. She looked like an angel, sleeping in the peaceful manner she was. Her black, doe-like eyes were closed for once. Akanksha always felt that her sister had the best pair of eyes on anyone she had seen in her entire life of 21 years.
She tucked the blanket around her sister and stretching over, put the night lamp on Anu's side off. She played with the switch of her lamp absent-mindedly a couple of times before putting it off finally.
The faint light coming from the side window behind the dressing table, cast a glow of unimaginable hue in the room. The last thing that cropped up in her mind was the talk she had with Jishnu earlier in the day.
Cring… . Cring… … . Cring.
The phone at the other end kept on ringing incessantly. Akanksha was about to hang up after the 16th ring, when the charming voice at the other end caught her off guard abruptly.
"Hello, " said the voice.
"Hi, this is Akanksha calling.Can I talk to Jishnuda please? " she muttered out hesitantly.
"Oh, hi, Akanksha! This is Jishnu speaking. What a pleasant surprise! "
For a moment, Akanksha went back to the last time she met him. The day when there was a felicitation party honoring the toppers in various public examinations in their locality by the civic body. Jishnu was there sitting on the dias along with three others for excelling in the MBBS examinations. He looked out of the world in his black, denim jeans and a black shirt that made his fair complexion all too apparent. He had a 20-diamond-Titan of the latest make on his right hand and wore a pair of expensive sneakers.
Akanksha was standing away from the dance floor to avoid the noise and spotlight. Some familiar faces were in the centre of the Town Hall. She had earlier congratulated each of the toppers by shaking hands and was thinking of getting back home, when someone touched her on the shoulder from behind. On turning her head back, she was startled to find Jishnu there. They both knew one another well as both of them were from CPS (Calcutta Public School). Akanksha was in standard nine when Jishnu was in the final year of school. Akanksha had been admitted that year itself and taken everyone aback by being among the Top-5 among all sections of her standard. On the Annual Prize Distribution Day, when Jishnu came up to say: "Keep up the good work", Akanksha felt over the moon. He was, after all, the heartthrob of the whole CPS. Not only was he The Best Student of the School for that academic session, he was also, undoubtedly, the most handsome bloke she had ever seen in her life.
"Akanksha, can you hear me? " There was worry in Jishnu's voice. "Are you still there? " he asked apprehensively.
"Oh, Sorry, Jishnuda," she recovered quicly from the reverie. "I'm calling to ask you if you are free on the 15th." She spoke hurriedly into the phone.
"On the 15th….What's there on… . Oh, it is Anushka's birthday, isn't?" Jishnu wondered aloud from the other end.
Akanksha was completely bowled over by the honesty in the voice, as always. But before she could think of anything to keep the conversation going, Jishnu spoke up again:
"Fortunately, I'm off duty that day, " he replied.
"Off duty? " Akanksha couldn't help asking. "Are you working somewhere now?" She asked inspite of herself.
" You bet I am, Akanksha. I joined the Peerless last fall," Jishnu said trying to keep the trace of pride and excitement out of his voice for being employed the most prestigious private hospital in the city.
"Oh, Congrats! That's great." Akanksha had little problem imagining Jishnu in a doctor's appron. She barely managed to keep herself from heaving a sigh into the phone. The lady doctors and other female staff at the hospital must be devastated by now, she thought to herself.
"Anyway, I called to ask you if you can come over on the 15th. Anu'll be happy, you know and so will be my parents. Can you? " Though she said the last sentence casually, she could feel her heart jumping to her throat. She wanted him to say 'yes' with all her heart.
"I can't give you my word. But I'll try my best, Akanksha."
They both concluded with the usual stuff before hanging up. As Akanksha kept her mobile down, she could sense the tremor more in her heart than in her hand.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone