"Hey Neil, what are you doing here? Your teammates are waiting for you." Rohan saw Neil standing in front of auditorium.
"I... I was... I am just heading over there." He fumbled but started leaving from there.
Rohan and Neil met during the Intern School Science Project, Rohan was a student of St. Bishop's school. Even though they both were competing with each other, due to their intellect they got connected in a closely knitted friendship just in two weeks.
"Still no luck with your Nightingale?" Rohan matched his steps with Neil and wrapped hand around his shoulder. "You are head over heels for just her voice."
"Ohh come on Rohan." Neil rolled his eyes. "It's nothing like that... It's just that I like to hear her voice."
"Don't you want to see her face?" Rohan continued in teasing smile when Neil was silent. "She might be a beautiful princess."
"Oh cut the crap."
"Wooh someone is blushing." Rohan teased.
Out of all his friends, it was only Rohan who had got to know about Neil's craziness for his nightingale. Memory surfaced from his teenage years and Neil turned to look at his wife who was sitting besides him holding his son in her embrace. They were heading back towards their Villa after dinner. None of them had courage to voice out their inner turmoil.
"Why are you upset? Your team won the first prize of this competition." Rohan cheered up Neil who was sulked. He was still standing in front of the auditorium. "You will miss your nightingale?"
"It's been 1 month... but I did not get a single glance of her. And now I have to go back to my school."
"Don't worry! I am here. I will keep on looking for her and the moment I will get to know. I will fix your date evening with her."
"That's too much." He shrugged his shoulders disappointingly, "If meeting her is in my destiny then we will meet for sure, else I will keep this with me for the rest of my life as her memory." He showed the recorder to Rohan, "as the most beautiful days of my teenage years."
Neil had blurted out with least hope to meet the girl who stole his heart with just her melodious voice. Her recorded voice became his way to sooth his mind and heart. Whenever he held his violin her blurred angelic figure used to get flashed in front of his closed eyes. His mind and heart always used to wander around her thoughts.
It was a day of musical concert. He did not understand why his heart was suddenly filled with unknown happiness. He was excited to go to the music academy in the evening, but one email from Harvard University about confirmation of his scholarship admission made hime drop his plans. His parents along with his little brother flew from Toronto to meet him and celebrate.
Dev and Nandini were proud over his achievements on their insistence he cancelled his plans to attend Musical Concert unaware that one pair of an eye, one serene heart was looking forward to having his one glance in the evening.
In his celebrations with his family, he ignored his grief. Next day, he left for Toronto along with his parents from where he moved to a new phase of his university life.
Even though he left Calgary behind, her memories, her voice, and the desire to meet her once in his life was still alive. Whenever he was nervous, anxious or in a bad mood, only her voice used to calm his mind and heart, boosting his confidence, bringing smile on his face.
But when Meera stepped in his life, he ran behind a facade leaving behind the treasured memory.
He blinked his eyes when his past flashed in front of his eyes. He turned to get another glance at Myra.
"I saw her for the first time singing on our School's Annual Day. She was my younger sister's classmate. I got her details from my sister but when I tried to contact you... you disappeared."
"In fact she used to go to the same music academy where you used to go to learn Violin. Right Myra? You used to go to Soulful Music Academy. See I had found all her details... But you ... you were gone."
Neil remembered Rohan's words, destiny had given him one chance to meet his Nightingale but he lost it unknowingly.
'If I would have gone to a musical concert... I would have been able to find my Nightingale.' Thought made him gulped his own unshed tears.
Myra was looking outside with a thumping heart. She could not gather courage to turn and match with Neil's intense gaze. Recent realisation has swiped away the floor beneath her feet.
"I am telling you Myra, this idiot used to wait for you to finish your song and get one glance of yours. But destiny had different plans. And he was right... if you were in his destiny you guys will meet. And look at you two. Happily married. Truly, destiny has its own way to tie soulmates in holy relationships."
Rohan's words rang in Myra's ears. She wiped her eyes hoping the person sitting beside her should not notice it, but Neil had already observed it.
"Sir we reached." Driver's voice broke their trance.
"Myra..." Neil called her but she held Neev and left, leaving behind restless Neil.
Myra ran inside her room. She closed the door. After making Neev sleep comfortably in bed she slumped down letting her tears streamed over her cheeks continuously.
"Why Neil? Why? Why didn't you come for the musical concert?" Myra started weeping badly. "I was waiting for you."
Neil entered the villa taking slow steps with dropped shoulders. He moved towards his room, his gaze went towards the closed door of Myra's room. He could not gather courage to knock on the door. He stayed there for a moment hoping she would open the door but when she did not he left for his room.
He did not realise when his feet took him towards the night table drawer. There was his recorder. He took it out and sat on bed keeping his eyes on the small device.
Her voice started ringing in his eardrums. Today, her voice had a face. Face of his own wife. Myra.
He remembered the days after his forced marriage with Myra. Today, he understood why he always felt a connection with her mumblings of lullaby to his son. His heart used to whisper after recognising his soulmate.
Unintentionally his finger was pressed on the play button. His room filled with her melodious voice instantly.
I get lost in your eyes
And I feel my spirits rise
And soar like the wind
Is it love that I am in?
I get weak, in a glance
Isn't this what's called romance?
And now I know
'Cause, when I'm lost I can let go
I don't mind not knowin' what I'm heading for
You can take me to the skies
It's like being lost in heaven
When I'm lost in your eyes
I just fell, don't know why
Something's there we can't deny
And when I first knew
Was when I first looked at you
And if I can't find my way
If salvation is words away
Oh, I'll be found
When I am lost in your eyes
Myra heard her own voice from the room next to her. Her first meet with Neil, flutterings of her heart, her crave for his attention, her wait, her broken soul after concert evening everything emerged from her past. Her heart needed it's own answers, her feet took her towards his room.
Thankfully he had not locked from inside, she pushed the door to see him sitting on bed staring at the recorder with blank face. She could see tears rolling over his cheeks.
I don't mind not knowin' what I'm heading for
You can take me to the skies
Oh, it's like being lost in heaven
Neil startled with the voice from the door. He turned towards the door with a wide open mouth. It was Myra, his nightingale was singing the same song in front of him. It was a moment of his life for which he waited for a long.
Her voice was shaky, her entire body was trembling, tears were continuously flowing over her cheeks. In one moment, she felt that she was singing on that concert night.
When I'm lost in your eyes
I get weak in a glance
Isn't this what's called romance?
Oh, I'll be found
When I am lost in your eyes
"When... I... am ...lo..lost in your eyes" She could hardly complete the song. She closed her eyes and let him see her vulnerable state. He got up and took a step towards her.
"Myra"
"Where were you Neil?" She asked out of nowhere.
"Myra, I am..."
"I was waiting for you Neil. I was waiting for you on the concert eve. I was waiting for my violinist." She kept on staring at him without a blink but tears were rolling over her cheeks continuously.
Neil could not apprehend her sudden breakdown, his heart was stabbed by her each tear. It was throbbing inside his ribcage speculating the reasons behind.
It was their first painful eyelock which Myra broke. She turned and left for her room leaving behind confused Neil.
"Myra wait" he called from back but she had already left.
'What does she mean?'
'She was waiting for me.'
His heart needed answers, which automatically took him to her room. He pushed the door, she was sitting on the floor touching her back to the bed frame with folded legs. She had buried her face in her legs, wrapping her arms around them. Her muffled sound fell on his ear when he stepped inside.
He sat beside her on the floor. "Myra" he put his palm on her shoulder.
Feeling his touch she raised her head to look into his dumbfounded face.
"Violinist?" He asked.
"You. I was waiting for my violinist. I was waiting for you Neil. Why didn't you come?" She asked one more time.
"Me? Why?" His words were ignored.
"Do ... do you... do you know... how much our life would have been different if you would have come to the concert?" She was confronted with dropped shoulders.
Just one question from her replayed his entire life till today in front of his eyes.
Yes, she was right. If on that day, he would have gone to a concert, he would have met his nightingale.
'May be I would have recognised her.'
'May be I would have made her my friend.'
'Maybe I would have fallen for her.'
'Maybe she would have fallen for me.'
'Maybe I would have proposed to her for marriage.'
'May be we would have been happily married.'
'May be', 'If' started haunting him, anticipating the chimerical future which he had if he would have gone to the concert.
"We ... we would have... We must." She kept on blabbering absurdly whereas Neil could not move his eyes from her miserable figure.
"We would have been happy, Neil." She exclaimed, slipping in her own dreamland. Her gaze was now set far.
"You should've come over Neil." She shook her bowed head with a dropped shoulder. That was the moment Neil's trace broke. He felt her hold over his shirt.
"You should've come over Neil." She shook her head, muttering the same thing again and again.
"I am sorry. I should have come." He could barely mumble, pulling her close to his heart. He kept her head on his chest and wrapped her in his secured embrace.
She let all her guards fall down feeling his assured touch. She buried her face in his chest, letting his shirt soak all her tears.
He kept on caressing her hairs with a broken heart. It was not a complex equation for him to know about her feelings for him which he crushed unawarely.
His soul was at peace after a long time feeling her close to his heart.
"Why?" he asked almighty.
He did not know how time passed but when he realised, she was sleeping in his embrace. He thought to make her sleep properly in bed. He tapped on her cheek but she had already slipped in deep slumber. He lifted her in his arms and took her fragile figure to her bed. He made her sleep beside his son. He was about to leave when her over his shirt got tighter.
"Neil" even when she was in deep sleep, she shivered with just a thought of him leaving her again.
He could not gather courage to break her hold... her trust. He settled down beside her, taking her in his embrace.
His lips lightly grazed her forehead. He closed his eyes, feeling calmness in his heart. Unknowing to him, his heart was rejoicing finding it's true owner.
Myra felt strong arms enveloping her in a warm embrace. Early morning sun rays disturbed her sleep. She snuggled, his manly cologne hit her nostrils making her realise she was wrapped in her husband's hold. She raised her head to see Neil's peaceful face. It was a dream come true morning for her.
She raised her hand to lightly graze his jaw line to make her thumping heart. This is just her dream and when she would wake up, he would go away from her.
He did not budge when she touched his cheeks, briefe smile engraved on her lips. She could not move her eyes from his face. But soon realisation hit her hard, last night she indirectly confessed about her teenage love for him. She did not exactly put it in words but her breakdown, her questions must have created doubt about her feelings in his mind.
Thinking about his reaction, her heart filled with nervousness and anxiety. She took her hand back and started to carefully release herself from his hug hoping her actions would not break his sleep.
"Sleep Myra." She heard his husky voice which halted her moments.
She jerked and raised her head to see him still sleeping. He was not in mood to release his hold over her in fact he tightened it pulling her more close to his body.
"You need a nice sleep." He cajoled, kissing her hair.
Myra was left in puzzlement but his caring and gentle touch, his comforting embrace, his pleadings not to let her go dissolved all her resolve and she clinged to his body slipping in their dreamland.
Neil's sleep got broken when he felt someone was tapping his forehead. Continuous shaking, jumping and weight on his stomach woke him up. He furrowed his forehead but in the next moment some soft object hit him. He opened his eyes annoyingly.
"My Mumma" His son was sitting on his stomach and was hitting him on his chest and face with his tiny fist.
Neev's voice and bustle broke Myra's sleep as well.
"Neev, what are you doing baby?" Neil asked in a sleepy voice.
"Mumma. My Mumma. You go." His father was holding his mother in his embrace, which had angered the little one. He had never seen his father sleeping in their room but today, little one did not understand the sudden appearance of his father.
Every morning Neev was used to waking up hearing Myra's soothing voice, she used to caress his hairs, shower him with her kisses but today, when he opened his eyes he saw his mother's back facing him.
He got up and saw his father was in their bed, holding his mother in a tight embrace and his mother had buried her face in his father's chest. The sight in front of him was extremely disturbing for Neev. His father was claiming his rights over his mother was not at all acceptable.
Little innocent heart of Neev engulfed with extreme possessiveness for his beloved mother.
"Neev?" Myra called him with raised eyebrows.
"Mumma '' He bent and gave a kiss on her cheeks when he saw his father's arm on her shoulder. He started hitting his father on his arm.
"Leave Mumma. My Mumma. You go." He showed the door to his father. Tears started welling up in his eyes.
"Neev" Myra tried to break Neil's hug but was pulled back in a forceful jerk.
"I know she is your Mumma but she is MY WIFE too. So stay away from her." Neil raised his eyebrows teasing his son.
But his declaration of 'my wife', again enriched Myra's cheeks with tomato red colour, which was noticed by Neil. He had observed her blushing face several times when he called her as his wife. Her flushed face was always a treat for his eyes.
"Mumma" Neev cried, shedding tears which was enough for Myra to pull her all strength and break Neil's hold.
She sat on bed and pulled Neev, clutching him near her chest.
"Oh my baby! Don't cry. You are my sweet little boy. Mumma loves Neev the most. Mumma loves you." She kept on blabbering, kissing his face and head.
The moment he was in his mother's lap, the little guy stopped crying and started staring at his father in challenging glare.
Neil was amazed looking at his son. His heart was filled with extreme jealousy for his own blood. He knew his son was acting up till now to gain his mother's attention.
'She loves me the most. So you stay away from my Mumma.' Message was passed by Neev and was well taken by his father.
'My own son is going to ruin my marriage.' Neil rolled his eyes. He got up frustratingly. He kissed Neev's hair which was noticed by Myra from corner eyes. But the next moment she felt his lips over her forehead.
"Good Morning" he mumbled and left stomping his feet even before Myra could say anything.
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