"You two kissed?"-the cameraman asked eagerly. He was immersed in her story sitting on the sofa beside the journalist.
The journalist gave a side-eye to him and his smile fell.
Mahi smiled lightly-"That's too far-fetched."
She looked at the side and noticed the clock. It was already 5.15 pm.
"Sorry, but the interview time's over."
"Can you please finish this?"-the cameraman asked eagerly again.
"Tomorrow."
"Nisha-di!"-he turned to the journalist but she looked at him with a strict look. He started packing his camera.
As they were going out, the cameraman ran to her-"Can I have a spoiler?Please?"
"Hmm....a snowman?"
"Snowman in the summer?"
He looked confused and followed Nisha.
Mahi leaned from the balcony and smiled. If only she could control her thoughts like this in her dreams...remembering only the happy things...she looked at the cake they had left her...she lighted a candle on it and blew it and whispered-"Happy Birthday, Dear!"
She cut out a piece and ate it herself as her cheeks started getting wet. She got down the stairs and pieced the rest of the cake, handed it to the domestic worker and told her to make something light for dinner. Though as usual, she didn't listen to her...' After all it's your birthday'-it was written on the note along with a Bengali thali...she ate it with a smile on her face.
She again got up suddenly at night, sweating. It has been like this for years...since that day...filled with regret, she thought this for god knows how many times, 'if only she could rewind everything...only if she had known the future then, then she would have now been a simple office worker...'
She couldn't sleep all night...she sat on her bed thinking about which filter to use the next day during the interview that they were already at the climax...how much should she hide? Should she hide something at all? No! She won't! Even if that degrades her reputation...
(The Next Day, 10 pm)
"Slept well?"-Mahi asked Ranjan, the cameraman.
"Obviously not! Let's start fast!"
Today Mahi is in a white saree looking ethereal.
After the camera was set, she started...
(Past)
They were in this position for just some moments which felt like hours...Mahi was feeling awkward...Ishaan, on his knees, was crying. As if he had just now realised that the hands that were holding him were hers, he moved away abruptly...and turned around to clean his tears.
Mahi got up too.-"I-"
"Get out!"-he had said that lightly but there was a weird strength in it that made Mahi tremble.
"I wouldn't have came in at all if I was going to go away this easily!"
He looked at her again...if only she had come just in time...he doesn't know why but he really didn't want to ruin her impression of him...he still remembers her clutching her dress when his hand had touched her feet...all of her smiles...her bright eyes as he had taught her...her eyes filled with admiration...what will he do now?......
He put all thought away, clutched her hand, pushed her out of the room and closed the door even before she could say anything.
"You-"-she started but resisted herself.
She was about to turn around but didn't. She realised that she hadn't heard his footsteps going away...maybe he was still here...she cleared her throat...
"Aehmm!...Do you wanna build a snowman"-she said in a singsong voice as an intimation of Anna from Frozen.
Ishaan was still standing there leaning on the door waiting for her to go away...or to slam on the door... but this...he smiled-"Go away, Anna!"-he said. They stayed silent for sometime...as if waiting for the other to break the silence...Mahi couldn't wait any longer.
"Can't I help you?"
"You can...by helping yourself...by fulfilling your dreams... it's been some time since I had started to imagine you standing at a film premiere...and I was there in the crowd you were waving at...smiling with tears...I am good with that..."
"I had thought that you would say that you will stop..."-her voice broke.
"The play? It will start from now..."-he said back...in her success is his redemption...he will make her, his dreams come true...
(W/N:-Thanks for your support.)