Invisible Strings * Ongoing*

13. Trance

Aman nods looking into his phone as it keeps tinging – " yes, yes..hurry up..please...Khushi..."

Khushi just gulps down her emotions for now – but takes the pen with shaking fingers and writes down the familiar words that she used to write to him so often before school/stage/community performances back in the day, so that he could keep it in his pockets through it all. These were the same words – she'd always send it to him on text every time before his performances in cafes/restaurants during his beginning days in Mumbai too. Her words – were -

All The Best, Arnav...I know you will rock the mike on stage today...just like your magical voice will rock the world, with its singing one day...I believe in You..Sing your heart Out. I'll be listening....Always...

Khushi....

(She'd skipped the last bit of her usual Lots of Love after Always...in this note – yup that was the only difference in what she had written today)

She hands the note back to Aman now and he heads out with it at the speed of light – thanking her for the same – folding it and tucking it safe in his pocket – asking them to head out too now behind him or they'd be late...

Khushi and Manizeh exchange a nod at that, with Manizeh knowing that there would be no way Khushi could even get a word out for while, she was that emotionally moved...

But just as they are about to step out – Khushi pauses as she says to Manizeh frazzled – " my gift box...the on..e..he...gifted...it's on the table...ill just get it...,"and in the rush – to just pick it up – it falls of her hand leading its lid on top to fall apart- which leads to Khushi picking it up on reflex – but as emotional as she was in the moment – the curiosity gets the better off her as she finds herself looking at the small notebook within the box and she quickly opens it now and just as she finds herself looking at the front page – she whispers out loud – " what the????Manizeh....come..here...a..second...please...just.....hold..me...or ill freaking faint..."

Manizeh rushes back to Khushi – obviously and she herself is taken aback as she finds the words written on the front page – For You...Khushi....(with a date from almost four years ago) Perhaps, if fate would have it...I'd be able to give this to you one day...

And Manizeh presumes this would be Arnav's handwriting as she sees Khushi run her hand over it – emotionally but she asks – " is this his handwriting?? Khushi??the notebook looks old and most surely used....its full...like all written in...one can make out from the aged look of both ink and paper...."

Khushi whispers her eyes blurring with tears now as they roam over his handwriting – "it is his handwriting...he wrote something for me..in this...on this day(her hands roam over the date)...I guess....I need to see it now...Manizeh...I hate that I am doing this when he asked me to see it in front of him...but I really just need to see it now..."

Manizeh holds her by the shoulder now as she whispers – " go on...just see it...,"and she holds on with bated breathes too. Something, in her gut told her – there truly was a missing piece in the puzzle...of the past...

Khushi flips the next page and just as she finds – the lyrics of Rabba Ve - staring back at her face in Arnav's handwriting , she feels her heart literally drown in another deep emotional trance once again, and with shaking hands she finds her hand flipping through the notebook next – that includes – all the music notes/some composition notes – some more lines of lyrics for other songs from his first music album – and she finds herself asking Manizeh now her voice trembling – " you think he gifted this to me?? because...he wrote this.... ,"she flips back to Rabba Ve lyrics in his handwriting – "for me?? as in while thinking off me?? Manizeh? Remember back then, when Rabba ve came out – and it was in the news that he'd written the title of album with the lyricist - and I'd been so emotional listening to the same, because it just also made me think so much off him...is he now trying to imply that he wrote these lyrics of his first ever hit song for me??????? is he implying the same???why else would he gift me this? Why else would he write – For you..Khushi...and the rest???look at the date? It's like four months before Rabba ve released...and like you observed...its surely a rough notebook that's like faded in its pages a little too...it's all full...with music notes...for his first album...everywhere...dammit...manizeh...what do I assume of this??????like....the lyrics of Rabba Ve...are so full of underlying pain...and if he wrote them thinking off me...like...if this is how he has been feeling? Then.....Why? Just why did he freaking just stay away from me for all these years????????????????????? Is this like a reflection of that soul wrenching pain bit...he mentioned????????"