Sharanya's Point of View
"Please be seated. I am calling her." One of the house maid said to me. She went upstairs to call her.
It had been 1 week since I came here with Vyom. Naturally Vyom told me to stay out of this matter because there was no hope, according to him. But my mind was telling me something else. As if she was hiding something, something that causing her pain. Yes pain, the emotion which I could not detect that day in her eyes was pain.
But, not the pain of betrayal of hatred. It was something else!
I was sitting at their drawing room. The maid who had welcomed us last day was not here. Today she was different one. Might be that's why she didn't say anything to me. The house was smaller compared to the Khanna Residence at Mussoorie, but as usual very much sophisticated. Each and every thing was at it's proper place. The walls were painted in light cream colour with sky blue ceiling.
I sat on the sofa waiting for her. My heart was pounding loudly out of anxiety. Today was Sunday again. I came here with public transport without telling anyone. I hoped I couldn't get caught. It was afternoon One o'clock. I had to get out from here fast otherwise I couldn't get any bus. I was anxious.
Please Shivani, come back, at least for Vyom!
"Who is she? At this time? Did she tell you her name?" I could hear her faint voice coming from staircase.
"No didi, she just told me to call you." The house maid said.
After a while she came to the drawing room still unaware of my presence.
"Sorry, I had to.." She stopped on her tract after seeing me. Her face was quite shocked for a moment.
"You go. I need to talk to her." Shivani told her. She nodded her head and left the room.
"What are you doing here again? I told you to go away, why did you come again?" She asked with her cold voice. But something was off in it. She was not angry with me just like she was with Vyom last time.
Why?
"What do you need now?" She asked again with her same cold voice.
Why I feel like she is faking her coldness towards me!?
"Listen I have many work to do so just get out now!" She spoke up again. I saw pain into her eyes again, which was hidden by anger, or might be fake anger.
Could it be the reason? Don't tell me she is..
"I am going. Bye and don't come again." She turned her head towards the exit.
"Shivani..I remembered everything." I spoke up lowly. She stopped on her track.
"Even Shiv's...d..death." I controlled by breathe. I was always extremely painful for me to mention his death again and again.
She turned her face towards me. Her eyes were widened in shock, tears were visible on those.
The whole room filled with silence for few moments.
"Long time so see, Shivani. Nice to meet you... again." I said with a sad smile. My eyes were also become wet.
"Will you take your favourite coffee?" Shivani said with her cracked voice.
"Sure, if you make it." We smiled at each other, tears were still into our eyes ready to fall anytime.
***********
"How is Uncle now?" I asked holding my coffee mug sitting on the backyard of their new house.
"After Bhai's death he got a heart attack again, severe one. We almost lost him that time. But thanks to God he has become stable. But right now he can't walk properly due to the weakness in his heart. Doctor said he needs to be tension free but..." She sighed.
I understood. That day everyone lost their peace of mind.
"Tell me, how is your college now?" She asked smilingly trying to change the topic.
"Boring without you all." I said, she was grinning.
"Please Shivani come back, please, at least for Vyom!" I pleaded to her.
"It's too late Sharu. We are poles apart. Everything is different now!" She sighed.
"No Shivani, nothing is different. Vyom still loves you as much as he has used to do before. Please Shivani, everyone is waiting for you! I am waiting for you. Please come back!" I hold her hand still pleading.
"Sharu, it's over... none can do anything now!"
"No Shivani, there is still hope, you just have to trust me!"
"But.."
"Trust me, Shivani. Everything will be fine; I will fix everything. Shivani, God only gives second chance to few people, you are one of them. Don't miss it!" I assured looking at her eyes directly.
Look at me, there is no hope for second chance..in my life..
She was hesitating in my words.
Good, at least I could break her wall of stubbornness! She just needs a little bit push.
Suvarna Aunty was looking at us from the dinning room. I gave her a smile.
And I know how to push her. Benefit of being a childhood best friend!
"Listen I have to go now. Otherwise I will miss the last bus." I said looking at my watch. It was 3 o'clock. I got up from there.
"What! No, no you have to stay today. Please!" She requested.
"No Shivani, I can't. None knows where I am right now. I gave them an excuse of visting my friend's house for making notes." I smiled at her nervously. She chuckled.
"Ok. At least let me drop you to the nearest bus stop at Mussoorie. After that you can take taxi from there." Shivani said smilingly.
We came back to the dinning hall. She went to her room to take her car key.
I came to Aunty, she hugged me tightly.
"You can't imagine how happy I am right now. God bless you." She caressed her left hand on my hair. I smiled.
"Aunty can you do me a favour please?" I asked, she smiled.
"I know, I will talk to her." This was her, always understood the unspoken words of my mind. Even she was the one who caught my feelings for Shiv before him. That was really embarrassing.
The only thing I have now, those memories..
After a while Shivani came back from her room and we left the house after bidding goodbye to Aunty.
Hopefully Aunty can convince Shivani!
**********
It had been three weeks since I visited Shivani. We talked with each other through message now. She was so bust now as the family business was managed by her, totally. I felt terrible for her. Her dreams after graduation got destroyed just like that.
I was tensed now, didn't know what was going on in her head.
Did Aunty get succeed on that! Did Shivani change her mind?
I had no clue.
I was sitting on the bench of our backyard garden in front of the place where Nabab was sleeping peacefully. After his death I put the bench in front of him. Whenever I used to miss him or I couldn't share my thoughts with anyone, I used to talk with him.
But it had been 3 years since that time.
"Nabab, sorry I couldn't visit here for quite long, sorry for forgetting you. You know Nabab even I forgot my own life for last three years. Funny right?" My eyes were tearing up.
"Sorry yaar. It will never gonna happen again, I promise!" I sat beside his grave on the green grass.
"Beacuse of my everyone got separated, even he died..." I weeped my eyes.
"If I was a bit careful that day...then...may be..may be.." I bite my lower lip which was trembling.
"What if she didn't come back again?" I weeped my tears, my mind was occupied with thousand thoughts of her.
No I have to fix it anyhow! Even if I have to visit her again, without hesitation I will..
"I have to.." My thoughts were cut off by my phone's sound of vibration.
I looked at the Screen, it was from Shivani.
'I am ready to meet him. I am coming tomorrow at Mussourie.'
I got up from my position.
Thank you Aunty!
I smiled and weeped my tears.
************
Third Person Point of View
It was morning 11 of Saturday, a normal day in Mussourie. Unlike every day Bedi house was very much noisy. Madhavi had invited Bist family for a lunch, celebrating Sharanya's full recovery. They had already come to the Bedi house, except Sharanya and Aditya. Aditya was at his hostel.
"When will Sharanya come?" Madhavi asked while arranging the sofa pillow.
"In few minutes, she has visited to her friend for some notes, as you know the final exam of graduation is coming." Suman said helping her in arranging.
Rajan and Ram were talking about the bisness stuffs.
"Where is Vyom?" Suman asked.
"Taking shower. He will join us soon." She replied.
Suddenly the door bell rang.
"Sharanya has come I guess." Madhavi went to open the door.
"Sharanya don't put so.." Her smiled turned into a shocking face after seeing the person standing behind Sharanya.
"Hello Aunty." Sharanya said grabbing Shivani's hand and came inside the house.
"Madhavi where is.." Suman stopped on her spot after seeing the visitor. The two men turned their face at them and freezed in their spot.
Shivani bowed her head, she couldn't look into the eyes of them after what happened that day.
"Hey mom did you see my shirt." Vyom's voice could be heard from the staircase. Shivani looked at that direction after hearing his voice.
"Mom tell m.." He stopped at his track as well.
They looked at each other without blinking their eyes. Time had stopped for them. Everyone present in the room was silent.
"Why you are here now?" Madhavi asked breaking the silence, anger was boiling on her head.
"WHY YOU ARE HERE AFTER RUINING MY SON'S LIFE?" She shouted furiously. The rage, pain, hurt which were buried into her heart for 3 years were coming out now. Suman came near to control her anger.
"YOU TOLD HIM TO STAY AWAY FROM YOU AND NOW YOU HAVE COME HERE SHAMELESSLY? HUHH!" She shouted again. Shivani didn't utter a word from her mouth. Her eyes were moist. Vyom was till looking at her eyes trying to find something hateful. His anger after which was there in his eyes seeing her at first time vanished and replaced by thousands questions which he wanted to ask her.
"WHY..TELL ME WH.."
"It's because of me Aunty!" Suddenly Sharanya spoke up making Madhavi looked at her.
"What do yo.." Madhavi became confused.
"She was trying to protect me. She did it because she wanted to protect me from my trauma! She knew if she kept appearing in front of me then, that could be a chance of getting another mental shock to me! She didn't want to put my life in risk for her own happiness." Sharanya said looking at Shivani who was crying horribly now. Vyom's face became blank out of realization.
"She wanted to make Vyom stay away as she knew if Vyom knew her reason then he would try to do something alternative just to stop her! She wanted to make him care for me only, that time." Madhavi's eyes got widened. Each and every person was looking at Shivani and Sharanya.
"She sacrificed her happiness for my sake. After all she didn't want to lose another loved one anymore!" Sharanya's eyes also got moist.
Vyom came to Shivani slowly; she was crying her heart out. After three years the pain which she was hiding from everything finally came out.
Vyom came near her and cupped her face into her hands slowly. Shivani was looking at him.
"You high tampered woman, always take decisions without telling anyone!" He was crying with her.
"Don't do anything like that again. Please Shivani, never leave me again. Otherwise I will be broken, again!" His voice cracked at the end. His tears were coming out from his eyes. They both sat on the floor.
"N..never!" Shivani said between her sobs. Both of them hugged each other sitting on the floor crying. This time it was out of happiness.
Suman and Madhavi were weeping their eyes. The men were smiling.
Sharanya was giving them a smile of peace.
At least someone's love story has completed.
Sharanya thought while weeping her tears of her eyes.
************
At the Same Time at Doon City Hospital
A middle aged, healthy woman was working at her cabin. Suddenly the door was knocked by someone.
"Come in!"
A boy in his early 30's came.
"Odhni Ma'am you have asked for this file." He put the file on the table.
"Thank you." Odhni said, the boy got out from the room before giving a smile at her.
She opened the file.
NAME OF THE PATIENT- SHARANYA BIST
PROBLEM FACING- PARTIAL MEMORY LOSS
"I have never thought that you can recover from it so quickly. This case was really a miracle in my whole career. I hope you are staying strong. Sharanya, you need to live from now on." She took the file from the table and came to shelf. She took out a box and opened it.
"Goodbye." She smiled and put the file inon it and closed the box. There was a label on the it.
'Case Closed'
************
Sharanya's Point of View
It was 5 o'clock of the evening. I was sitting on the bench beside the oak tree holding the house key which was given by Shivani.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It is for you from bhai, before he died." She looked at me.
I was dumbfounded.
"He used to tell me that after marriage he will shift at Derahdoon with you. It is the key of that house." She hold my hand.
I was crying.
"Than..k ..you." I sobbed.
Yeah, we had decided to move to Derahdoon after our wedding. As I loved the city and it was not much far from here. We could come here to meet our parents anytime.
But it was all in the past. Nothing had left now, only the memories.
Everyone had loved their loved ones in different ways. Shivani sacrificed her love to save someone, Vyom beared the pain for his loved ones. Mom and Madhavi Aunty never let me remembered my memories to protect me from the unbearable pain. Dad and Rajan Uncle were quiet to keep everybody safe.
You couldn't compare those to each other. They are different and pure in their own way.
I am thankful to them..
I looked at the garden which was now a abandoned one. I had many beautiful memories here with him. Tears were started to fall continuously.
I miss you, Shiv. I miss you.
I started to sob. Even in my hallucinations I wanted to see you. I was ready to be a mental patient for rest of my life just to see you, again.
Though those are hallucinations for the other people, for me those were real, he was real! I want to feel it again. I want to be with you again Shiv! Please come again even like that, please...
I was crying my eyes out.
Suddenly I felt a touch on my right cheek. I opened my eyes, turned my face.
He was smiling at me brightly with his sparkling eyes. I looked at him and smiled at him.
"..Our hearts will always be connected with each other..."
I hold his hand which was still on my face.
"...I will be there in your each moment of you life like a moon and Star..."
"Please, never leave me.." I said lowly, suppressing my sobs.
"I will never, Arayna! Just call me with your whole heart I will be there in front of you..every time..." He said with his husky voice.
We looked at each other silently, thousand of words were spoken through our eyes.
Even I have to meet you like this, I am still happy... Even you are my hallucination I still love it..
**********
Enjoy!
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Next will be Epilogue.