" Dreams come true when we start living them. "
-Paulo Coelho
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Mohit slowly opened his eyes, hoping all this would just be a dream.
"Take no tension...breathe in breath-"
The sentence was discarded even before it could form properly. The scene in front of him was a total anticlimax to all his hopes.
Ajay was sitting right in front of him yawing like usual, lazily examining him.
"How did the deep slumber feel like, Mohit?" he taunted in his jovial tone, adding extra sweetness to the name.
"As good as sleeping on a cold tiled floor without a blanket would feel," Mohit replied grumpily, stretching himself.
The words from the letter were still circulating in his mind, making him very nostalgic.
However, this nostalgia was rudely interrupted as Ajay started to speak again.
"Well, a girl named Diya called you." he said yawing yet again, much in resemblance of a whale.
"HECK ! I PROMISED HER TO BE BACK SOON, AND HERE I AM SITTING 3 HOURS AFTER MY DEPARTURE FROM HOME." Mohit screeched internally, looking at his watch.
"And did you reply, Ajay?" he asked, composing himself little bit.
Ajay smiled seeing his baffled expression and casually replied,
"Yeah, I did. She was worried about you. Really worried. I just said that you are in my house and that we are childhood friends....you know, the type sappy story everyone likes."
For the first time that day, Mohit cracked a smile. He didn't know Ajay much, but he kinda liked him now.
Lazily walking to the chair next to Ajay, he slumped on it with eyes closed hoping to melt into the soul of the world and be at peace.
But the night was over, the story wasn't. Passing a minute or two in the uneasy silence of the room, he finally voiced the question that pestered him since reading the letter.
"Umm....do you really believe Aahana is alive?
I mean, all these deductions are just on the basis of guesswork... so you never can be sure, right ?"
Ajay smiled.
And the smile was more of a smirk, a smirk that he often gave to people who were skeptic about his theories.
He slowly opened the letter again with Mohit beside him this time.
Then pointing at a certain line in the letter he started to speak again,
It all had a pattern.
"This line is our first clue. It shows that she is hinting towards a pattern. Not necessarily it needs to be associated with her husband.
It can also be hinting about a hidden message in this letter," he finished off excitedly.
Before Mohit could even object to this theory, Ajay moved on to the next, with authority in his voice this time.
"I just wish to put an end...
He killed people indirectly...
So, accompanying him, I am planning to go on a road trip...
You can see these lines are unique, because there is a hint in every line.
She hinted the first letter, then the second and then the third.
You can't deny that this means something, can you?"
This time Mohit really didn't have a comeback. He was just stunned seeing how the hints were placed.
"Yes I agree, but she was eventually going to kill him. So, what does this prove ?" he asked, skeptically.
Ajay excitedly jumped up from the chair, pointing at a certain line,
I killed him...
"Think Mohit...think. This is in past tense !! Which implies she already had executed the plan before writing this down.
I hate to say this but, with an IQ like that she could easily be an A rank criminal."
Mohit for the first time realized the gravity of the situation. There was no mistake. She was really alive!
He felt like all the stars he had wished upon had finally answered. It was like a dream come true.
But, he quickly suppressed the happiness as Ajay again opened his mouth to explain something.
He pointed at the next two paragraphs and said,
"And, I'll cut the brakes...
I'm still alive in your heart and I will keep on doing so...
Well, these hints make things very simple. She's really alive. So..." he trailed off, with the smirk still on his face.
Mohit could have danced, jumped, kept on shouting at the top of his lungs, but he felt a silent tear roll down his cheek.
Dreams are strange things. You yearn for them life long, but when they truly come to fruition, you don't really know what to feel.
And, Mohit was no exception. He too was at a loss of emotions, with traitor tears flowing ceaselessly down his cheeks.
Teary eyed, he turned to Ajay and asked, "This is a big world. How do we find her ?"
Ajay forced out some laugh, giving a dramatic effect before replying,
"Oh...I thought you would never ask. But, did you not realize why she left you a poem of all things? It could have been anything, but why a poem?"
Mohit racked his brain hard, with his insides being a tangled mess of emotions and memories. There was no way hell that he could think straight now.
So with shoulders drooped, he finally replied, "Honestly, I have no idea."
Relishing the moment for a few seconds, Ajay relented a bit and replied,
"Gone will I be....
Once again our love....
And, all that will remain....
If you take the first letter of the first word from the first three lines you will get the answer."
"So, you think she is in Goa?" Mohit asked, still not fully convinced.
"Yes, I believe so. And, I'm off to find her, and bring her back."
This outburst of sudden emotions was a little too weird for Mohit. So he meekly asked,
"Why do you care about her so much ?? I mean, di-did you know her ?"
"Not all relations start with knowing each other, my friend. I too had a sister named Aahana and for years we've been apart. I don't even remember her face properly, that long we've been apart. I miss her like I miss a limb, with a constant nagging pain in my heart.
So, if I manage to help this girl, at least I'd feel I did something for my sister," said Ajay, with sadness enveloping the room.
Understanding his sentiments, Mohit replied,
"Well, I'm coming with you for sure. And by me I mean, Diya, Nikki and me. They're my family now, and I can't afford to leave them back."
"Call me when you're ready," replied Ajay, turning his back to Mohit, signalling him piss off.
Understanding the signal, Mohit sprinted outside to his car shouting "See yaa" to Ajay.
In his mind the picture of Diya fuming with anger popped up, making him shudder with fear.
Ten minutes of driving, and his house finally came into view. Another few minutes, and he was right in front of the front gate.
Without even bothering to park, he jumped out of the car, and went inside the house with his heart thumping louder than ever.
Entering, he saw Diya along with Nikki ready to go out for a walk.
Diya fired up, just at his sight and bombarded him with questions,
"This is what you mean by coming back soon? Where were you? Why did you not pick up my call?"
"Pack our things," was Mohit's cool response. Enthusiasm, was dripping from his voice.
"Pack? Where are we going?" asked a confused Diya.
Mohit moved towards her, with his face inches away from her, and replied,
"Off to an adventure."
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" Yes !! O yess....fill me up baby..." the hollow star moaned, as you slowly started touching it.
After filling up it's soul by hitting the vote button, you slowly turned to the next chapter, smirking.