Love At Bombay #YourStoryIndia ✔

Bonus (Vivaan's POV) - III

Bonus : The closure.

~Present time~

~Vivaan's Pov~

Never before did I had such a strong urge to physically harm someone. Much less a lady.

My blood roared with anger and my death grip on the door made my knuckles turn white. The only thing holding me back was my grandma's hesitant touch on my back.

My grandpa had brought me up with good education and my grandma had raised me with all necessary, basic etiquettes for me to be accepted as a decent social animal in this society. They were my support system for as long as I could remember. They stuck by my side when I laid half-dead on the hospital bed with half a dozen IVs stuck in my arms with enough drugs in my body to die. They didn't give up on me.

They didn't look at me like I was a monster. They didn't wish for me to be burnt crisp and dead. They didn't call me a murderer.

They were my family. My only family.

It was scary how much grip she had on me. Her presence unnerved me. They bought back all the dark memories that I had kept locked within me for so long.

I gazed at her. She didn't resemble the woman in my faint memory.

She had aged like a fine wine as she would be easily passed to be in her late twenties. Her skin was silky smooth and creamy and her waist-long hair was now chopped into a bob cut. Her black dress complimented her petite figure but her brown eyes had lost her warmth, they were weary and tired. Her lips were curved in a small, uncertain smile. And her trembling hands were clutching a bouquet of yellow iris.

For the first time in years, I realized the faint facial resemblance that I shared with my mother.

"Vivu!"

My arms jolted in surprise at that familiar nick-name, a zap of memory rushed past me. I used to detest that girly nick-name but Vani would let out a throaty laugh whenever ma teased me with it. I loved when I made her laugh.

"Beta..." Grandma's soft voice jolted me in action and I wordlessly opened the door and walked away into the eerie silent living room. The room was filled with multiple worried faces and some confused ones. None of them said a word as tension grew thick in the room, all the previous merry mood disappeared like a wisp of smoke.

"Did you know about this?" I asked and my grandpa wordlessly nodded, looking anywhere but at me.

The light footsteps in the room declared her presence and I saw my friends' faces pale in response.

"Jasleen!"

The always well composed Poonam aunty, broke down in tears and furiously enveloped my mother in a hug. I wasn't surprised that she knew her. My ma was educated, easy on eyes, and charming. She was well respected and highly looked upon in our social circles much to my grandpa's disdain. Despite my grandpa wrecking havoc on her family, she refused to run away like a coward. My parents' marriage might be scandalous but they had a reputation to uphold at the end of the day and my ma fought for it.

Too bad she didn't fight for me. Maybe I just wasn't worth it.

"I am fine Poonam."

"Where did you disappear to? It's been years! Everyone was so worried about you guys after that accident-"

I winced and Sneha sharply interrupted their happy reunion. "Mother, we need to go."

Sensing the urgency of the situation, she quickly composed herself and exchanged her number with my mother before a quick promise of staying in touch. Sneha dropped a small kiss on my cheek with a faint 'take care' and was ushered out of the door with Rajeev.