Thud from the attic

"Vibha, I have never stayed in a house before." Said Parth
"What do you mean?" Asked Vibha unpacking the boxes.
"I mean I have always stayed in flats, never in the house which has a floor and an attic." He said admiring the house once again.
She laughed, "Come on, help me with these boxes and let's unpack."
He slowly walked to her and held her in his arms.
"What are you doing Parth?" Vibha asked.
"Oh you asked me to unpack." He smiled and lifted her t-shirt, caressing her back. They moved avoiding the boxes in their way towards the only furniture in the room, a sofa. Kissing one another passionately and at the same time tugged at their clothes.
There was a sound, thud thud, loud enough for Parth to stop what he was doing.
"Did you hear that?" He asked her.
"Yes, I think it came from upstairs" she said breathlessly.
Parth pulls his t-shirt on and moves upstairs to check. Vibha looks confused but she grabs her clothes and puts them on.
Thud thud, it came again louder as if some one was banging on the door. By now, Parth was on the upper floor. "I think it's coming from the attic." He said a bit scared. Vibha follows him.
They inch closer to the attic door only to find it locked.
Thud thud, the sound was louder and stronger. "Who is there?" Parth asked. There is no reply.
He whispers to Vibha, "Go get the keys while I wait here". Dazed Vibha nods and runs downstairs.
She scrambles through the bag for the bunch of keys given by their landlord. She again hears the thud and Parth asking loudly the same question. She feels relived as her hands get hold of the keys.
Parth screamed loudly. Vibha ran upstairs. Parth is no where to be seen, the door to the attic is open. Lock is broken and fallen to one side.
She panicked, calls his name several times. No answer. No thud sound. She takes a long breath and creeks open the door slowly to looks inside. There are a lot of spider webs and nothing else except for a rocking chair and a window which seemed to be open. Holding her breath she slowly moves towards the window while the chair is rocking. The window is made of thick wood and heavy to move. it's located on a height. She bends down to see, it was a windy day. Her vision is blurry due to the wind and looks at someone lying in the garden. "Oh my God is it Parth, is he hurt?" She thinks in dismay and bends down more for a closer look. That's when Parth pops out from behind the door and screams "Vibha, it's a prank."
Scared Vibha loses her balance and falls down in the exact spot where she had seen a body lying.

When the doorbell rang

He had been waiting, it had been hours. The longest he would have waited. The whole matter was such, it could not have be spoken over the phone, video call or email.

Netra, his sister, was coming home after two years. She had been studying in Australia. In last few conversations with her, he had sensed some upheavals in her life. He was concerned, they were not just twins but best friends too. She kept saying she was okay, she will speak to him when she returns home.

The door bell rang and he rushed to open it. There she was standing, smiling despite being tired. He hugged her, how much he had missed her. She hugged him too wholeheartedly.

From behind her peaked a foreigner girl, smiling she said 'Namaste'.
He smiled and said, 'Namaste, to you too'
Netra looked flushed, 'Bhai, meet Samara my girlfriend.'
Instantly he knew just looking at his sister, what she had been holding up for so long.
Netra was searching his face for reaction. He opened the door wide, smiled his brilliant reassuring smile and said 'Welcome home, girls.'

What if you are not there!

I ask, "What If's or if only's." Always expecting an answer from you. Your answer always lie in the warmth of your eyes.
It just balms over my upheavals of uncertainty about what is going on in my life.
Your ever listening ear to my excitement, woes or frustrations have only led me to be myself without any judgement. Your smile at my smallest achievements have given me strength to strive harder. Your uncanny view of the world has only made me realise the real world around me. You made me understand to live the fullest in the moment and not worry too much.
Not once have I thought about who is that some one for you, like you are to me. I truly hope you do have someone as best as you in your life.

Thank you for everything!