Cold Love by Amieya Prabhaker Page B

still clenched in fury. The other
students standing around him disperse slowly. Gradually Arjun also walks away,
gets inside his car and drives away with a large screeching start, leaving a
trail of burnt rubber marks on the road.
    Meanwhile, at home, Puja has
heard of the incident through common friends and she rushes over immediately to
meet Riya in her room.
    “Riya, what’s all this? What
happened? Please tell me. Don’t you dare hide anything from me. Tell me what
happened in the court, Riya! All this started at the court, right? Tell me
please!”
    Coincidentally, Riya’s sister
Priya is also at home and both are horror-struck listening to what Riya has to
say, as she discloses the agony that she has been put through during the court
proceedings. However, Priya is supportive of Arjun and is stunned to learn that
Riya has turned her back on him.
    “But how could you do that to
Arjun, Riya? Wasn’t it you who said that if dogs bark in the street they should
be ignored, right? You know that all this is just a gimmick by this cunning
lawyer …it doesn’t mean a thing! How is this different from that eve-teasing
incident at the park? You were so mature and understanding about that!”
    “Those guys were just
road-side ruffians, didi. But this is different! Those words from Mr. Banerjee
in front of the whole courtroom!” Riya covers her face with her hands and
starts sobbing, thinking of her nightmare at the court.
    “I can understand all that,
sis, but you cannot blame Arjun for this!” Priya responds to her sister. “Arjun
has been feeling guilty because of this incident, though you know very well he
has nothing to do with it. You are playing into the lawyer’s hands, Riya.
Tomorrow if you retract your statement because of his stupid rumblings, you
will nullify all the good work that Arjun has done for this case… and for our
country! Riya, I didn’t expect this from you.”
    “What should I do, didi?”
Riya sobs, hugging her sister as Puja looks on.
    “Riya, my dear! Do what your
heart feels is right. Who is Banerjee to you? Nothing! And who is Arjun to you,
to all of us? Don’t care about the world. If you think calmly, you will know
what’s right, and I trust you to do the right thing!”
    Priya pats her sister’s head
and walks out of the room to allow Riya the space to think things through for
herself.
    That night, Riya found it
extremely difficult to sleep, as she lay in bed looking blankly at the skies
outside. Had this episode pained Arjun as much as it did her? Priya is right,
Arjun is not to blame for this. On the contrary, he had always been a true
friend to her, by her side when she needed him. He would have thrashed those
ruffians in the park the same way he thrashed Banerjee had she not restrained
him.
    However, the incident in
court was different. The sudden unexpected attack had hurt her most. She was
caught off guard, not expecting it at all, with that element of surprise
leaving her shattered. Of course, Banerjee knew that his allegations had no
basis in fact and were baseless and false. And yet, he used this ploy to shake
her, break her alliance with Arjun, and use this case to defeat the cause. And
she can never let that happen. She can never let Arjun fail; she can never let
her country fail.
    Now that she has thought it
through, Riya curses herself. How could she have been so insensitive? How could
be so selfish and stupid to fall into the trap laid by the cunning lawyer? When
Arjun most needed the support of a friend, she had deserted him, and worse
still, blamed him for everything. But she cannot be so heartless to let him
suffer any more now. Riya decides that she will talk to Arjun the first thing
in the morning. That’s the right thing to do. She must put it all behind her
like a bad dream…like a nightmare to be forgotten the very next morning.
     
     

Dreams
     
    Riya has a restless sleep
that night. She tosses and turns on her bed and soon meanders into a dream. She
sees