Chapter 2

The Following Day...

I was really bore and was talking to Mini on WhatsApp while lying on my bed when out of the blue she stormed into my room. I was furious! Did she ever heard about knocking? What about the manners that our parents taught us when we are kids? According to Sid, she was from the US. I'm well aware of how people like their privacy and others.

So what happened to her? Did she catch that? "Oye, hello! Do you know how to knock?" I ask her sitting up on my bed. "You are asking me that?!" she asked with an eyebrow raised up, "I have been knocking for the past 10 minutes and you didn't even have the etiquette to give a reply? Are you deaf or something?" she charged up on me.

Honestly speaking, I was so dumbfounded that didn't even have a comeback. "Oops. I'm sorry," I said with an embarrassed and a little scared smile, which I really was, "I guess I was too much into my conversation. I will be out in 2 minutes," I told her as I got off the bed. "Ok. I will be waiting outside," she said in a normal voice and walked out. I quickly said bye to Mini and got changed.

We were going out today. Actually, I was her driver. Would u believe it? I am a driver? Talk about crushing rock star ego! Anyways, we went on the drive, which was super boring. I was driving and she looking out the window during the whole ride without saying anything so naturally I didn't try to break the silence. The only words said to me in the whole drive was, "Thank you," with a usual Taani-like small smile.

After an hour or so, we got to the destination. It was a beautiful temple. I don't know the name as I'm really not into these kind of things. As soon as I parked the car, she covers her head with her stole. "Would you like to come?" she ask turning towards me, looking very pretty in her emerald green anarkali suit. "Umm, no thanks. You go. I will wait for you here," I said with a smile. She nods and got off the car.

She goes up the stairs as the Temple was high up. She does her Pooja and comes down after about 20 minutes. She offered me to take the Prasad but I politely refused. After she fixed her stole around her neck and got comfy, I asked, "So! Where do we need to go now?" She took her time to answer, "Umm, no where to be honest. Is it possible if we could just drive around? I wanna see Masuri from inside the car," she asked really cutely. "Sure can!" I replied with a smile.

We went to different places. After a while it was not that boring anymore. I was having fun, too. We talked not a lot but we did. We were not friends but we were not stranger either. Around 8, we got home. She went to her room and I went to mine. She will be staying at our place for a while as our dads's are friends. Like this we met every day with different reasons. But one day something bad happen. She saw my bad side, which I was hiding from her, or actually I was changing.

A few days later...

That day, I was in a restaurant with my, Sid's and Taani's family. Suddenly, I got a call from my co-singer. She told me to come outside. Excusing myself, I went out. There she was, Tina. She marches towards me and ask pulling my shirt's collar in anger, "Reyansh, why did you do this to me? Why? Why? I loved you so much."

"What did I do to you Tina? I never said anything about love? Did I ever tell you I love you? Did I? No!" I told her freeing my collar from her hard grip already feeling like I was losing my temper. "Hahaha! I should have known that for you girls are like clothes. You wear them one day and throw them away the next," she said losing her mind which was not helping me in controlling mine.

Taking a deep breath to control myself, I tried to talk to her calmly, "Hey Tina! Chill! I didn't do anything incredibly wrong; I just told you that I don't love you. You are a really sweet person and will get a better guy than me." "But I don't want anyone else," she told me in a small voice clinging to me. I gently pulled her arms off me and told her the brutal truth as kindly as I possibly could, "I am sorry, Tina. I can't do anything about it. Please forget about me. Look, you are a great friend of mine but I never really thought of you in any other way."

With tears in her eyes, she started begging, "Reyansh, please don't do this to me. Please." Shaking my head, I took a step back as Tina looked at me with vulnerable eyes, "I'm sorry, Tina. If you want to work with me, you can do it. If you want money, I will give that to you also. But I don't know anything about love as I don't believe in it, I am sorry."

On this note, I turned around. I was shocked to see Taani standing couple of feet away from me with tears in her eyes. "Taani," I called her but she went inside. She heard me! She heard my conversation! Knowing this, I felt horrible. It hurts to see tears in her eyes. I also went inside. Things changed again. After that day, we never talked again. We were strangers again and this hurts.

When a stranger, who becomes a good friend of yours, suddenly again turns into a stranger, it hurts. The same was happening with me. I use to see her everyday but could never form words to say anything to her. Once gathering courage, I went to her and tried to explain the situation to her. After hearing my story, she said she believes me however the things were never the same. I was willing to do anything to make things normal again but nothing was in my hand.

I was lost. Unexpectedly, I would miss her. Somehow she completely changed me. Just to get a glimpse of her, I would wake up early so I could catch her doing Pooja. Rather than going to the parties, which I used to love, I would stay in my room all day long. Though I don't have any work in office, I would go there everyday just because she would be there.

Something really weird was happening with me. I would really miss her and then whenever her fiance touched her or hold her hand; it would burn me. I couldn't take it any longer. I was really very sorry and wanted to apologize. So I went to her Sangeet. It was hosted in a different location.

I was really... Umm. I don't know. Some feelings don't have a name. It was really strange. Anyhow, I got to the location. There were a lot of guests. Some of them were my fans also. They were bewildered to see me there. Not wanting to waste time on them, I gave them the necklace, which I got for her, and asked for Taani. One of the girl informed me that she is upstairs.

I walked up the stairs. As I was going down the hallway, the lights went off. I went to the room that girl pointed towards. As the door was open, I went inside. There she was standing by the window. Moonlight was reflecting on her making her look absolutely breathtaking in her sapphire blue lahenga. I walked towards her breathing in every feature of hers that was reflected in the moonlight. Just when I open my mouth to speak, she started talking.

"You know what? I'm glad the lights went off. Maybe I wouldn't be able to say the things I want to tell you looking directly in your eyes. I'm so happy that I got you as my life partner. I know you are not the person whom I dreamt about my whole but still I am willing to spend the rest of my life with you." She paused and look away almost embarrass to say all this.

I didn't dare say anything. Quietly, I only listened standing far away from her. "You are so different. I met Reyansh. I thought he is a really nice guy with a kind heart but I don't know anymore. Is he really kind? I mean a guy who hurts someone in front of my eyes but then is really kind and generous to others. How is he exactly? I really can't understand him."

She said as she shakes her head and looks out the window. I don't why but I felt like somebody pierced my heart slowly and painfully. Before I can say anything, which was a lot of harder now, thanks to her. Taani reached out and grab my hand. My breath hitched up. She brought my hand in front of her eyes. Only my eyes were visible to her in the moonlight. "Anyhow, you said I should hold your hand so here you go. I am holding your hand."

She smile. I look down at our hands and felt a pang of guilt for not being the person who was rightful of this confession. "You know what? I always thought that the person's hand I would hold for the first time will also be the person who's hand I would like to hold for the rest of my life." I couldn't believe it. Just then the lights came back. Taani was still holding my hand. Noticing this, she abruptly left my hand.