I.
Srishti stared outside the tinted window of the car, lost in thought. "How much longer will it take, Di?" said a quiet voice next to her. She turned to her younger brother, Abhay, who was leaning against the other window, his eyes closed. She'd thought he was asleep. "We're almost there, Abhay," she told him. "I thought you were sleeping."
"Naah," he said easily. "I woke up a while ago." "You should have slept last night," she chided him. "Couldn't you have waited till morning?"
"Couldn't," he replied, casually, yet firmly. She sighed. Her brother went completely mad when a new idea for a story gripped him, and the previous night had been one of them. "What was it about, again?" she asked him. "I told you," he said, peevishly. "You always forget." "Sorry," she said. "It's just- you know, with Aunt Rachel and everything-" "She never liked me," he said mildly. "Even more so after -" "Of course she did," she replied, surprised. "I don't ever remember her being mean to you-" He laughed softly. "No, of course not. You never saw it." She fell silent. True, Abhay was her younger brother, but he was more grown up than she had ever been. Maybe because of what had happened seven years ago. She felt tears prick her eyes. "What was the story about, again?" she pressed, trying to project a happier voice. "A blind girl. And you're a lousy actress, Di." The car braked to a stop, cutting off all conversation. Srishti unlocked the door and got out, even as Abhay did the same on the other side. Srishti glanced sideways, at a young girl exiting the hospital with her mother, at the same time she and Abhay walked in. As was usual, the girl's eyes travelled appreciatively to Abhay, and just as usual, got no response. She smiled slightly, sadly.
Sometimes she missed Abhay's laughter. Sure, he smiled- most of his smiles were directed at her, but he rarely- if ever- laughed. There had been a time when he'd been a boisterous kid, the life and soul of a party, an unmistakeable charmer. Now, he was all quiet manners,politeness and grace. Heads still turned when he entered the room, but he made no acknowledgement of it. And soon enough, the fickle people would turn to more interesting things. And though she had long accepted him this way- which was more of an improvement than anything- she wished he'd act younger than her SOME times. She went to the reception, asking for Mrs Rachel Raichand. "Number 10, right down the corridor," was the reply. She glanced at her brother. "Abhay? You're coming?" "Yeah. Just a bit farther," he said."I'm not going in." He followed her till where the passage widened out into a small waiting room. "Yeah, ok, you can wait here," she said. She bit her lip. "You sure you don't want to come?" "Yeah," he replied. "Quite sure. You go on, Di. I'll catch up on my sleep.
II.
Srishti went in to see her aunt, glancing back worriedly back at her brother, who had sunk down on a chair, running a hand through his hair. He looked the picture of exhaustion. She sat and spoke to her aunt, who had just undergone a stroke, offering her wishes, and her parents', avoiding talk of Abhay. And her aunt didn't ask her about him, either. Finally she got up, unable to take it any more. "Abhay's waiting outside this room," she said frostily. "I'll call him now." She walked out. "Abhay?" she called. "Come on and visit her, won't you?" Abhay's head went up. "Di..." "Come on," Srishti said encouragingly, but with a steely hint of something else in her tone. Abhay got up, but just then, Srishti was distracted by Dr.Dhawan, the handsome doctor who she'd met on other medical matters.
One eye on her brother, she turned to talk to him, asking the usual questions one does when they meet after a while. As Abhay walked towards her, she caught a flurry of movement from the other side of the corridor, that Abhay didn't notice, his head bowed as he walked to her. She opened her mouth to shout a warning, but she was too late- The petite woman in a dark, long skirt, bumped headfirst into Abhay. She let out a squeal, just as her brother's arms came around the waist of the woman, steadying her. "Are you all right?" he said softly. "I'm really sorry. I didn't se-
"No, no, it's all right," said the woman, and Srishti narrowed her eyes as she watched the woman remove her hands from her brother's chest. "Um...excuse me, Rahul," she muttered, walking to the side softly. Neither the woman nor her brother noticed. "I'm sorry," he said again, running his hand over her arm comfortingly. "It was a mistake."
"No,no, it was my fault," said the girl, sounding flustered. Srishti couldn't see her face. "I just- I was too preoccupied." "Maybe you should sit down," said Abhay. taking her hand- once again, Srishti's eyes narrowed. What the hell was going on? Her brother hadn't spoken to women in six years as much as he was speaking to the new arrival now.
She watched, as they sat down on the chintz chairs. She could see the girl's face, although her eyes were downcast. Yet she seemed to have no problem with holding her brother's hand. "I'm Abhay," said her brother, holding out a hand. "Abhay Raichand." Another anomaly. Abhay never introduced himself. The girl looked up at her brother. "I'm Piya. Just Piya. Good to meet you."
Just Piya? There was something wrong about this girl, Srishti thought. "You were going somewhere, right?" said Piya softly. "I'm sorry to have kept you. You don't have to baby sit me. I'm quite all right." "That was one hell of a hit," said Abhay. "Are you sure you don't need anything? Coffee?" The girl laughed softly. "You're quite the charmer. No, I detest hospital coffee. Anything related to hospitals, really." "Oh, yeah, definitely," said Abhay. "Me too." Suddenly they seemed to realize they were still holding hands, and both Abhay and Piya hastily pulled their hands away. "So..." Piya was the first one to speak. "What is a handsome guy like you doing here?" Her brother, Abhay laughed softly. Srishti stood stunned in silence. Her brother never laughed. Never. Not since... "How do you know I'm handsome?" he said teasingly. "You've barely looked at me, you know?" Srishti could only see Piya's side profile, but the girl raised her head to Abhay. "Why won't I know? Your family is famous, you know." Abhay inhaled, all mirth gone. "Oh, yeah. Of course; my family." Perhaps Piya recognized the tone in his voice, too, because she said, " I didn't mean it like that. I meant- well, your family is famous, and I've heard people talk about how goodlooking you are, so obviously I don't even need to look at you to say that. I'm sorry if I-" "No, that's all right." Her brother exhaled. Srishti held her breath. Under normal circumstances, Abhay would get up and walk out, without so much as a goodbye.
"So what are you doing here, anyway?" Piya pressed. Stupid girl.Why was she so nosy? "Oh, you know. Relative got a stroke, so me and my sister came over because my parents couldn't. I didn't want to, you know, but you know my sister is kinda possessive. She likes carrying me around." Piya nodded. "I can understand that. My best friend is the same. She's always 'Piya don't go alone, Piya I will come with you' etc etc...god like seriously!" she huffed, but she was smiling.
"And you?" her brother said. "What's a beautiful girl like you doing here?" "Oh, I had to-" She broke off mid sentence. "You think I'm beautiful?" "Definitely," said Abhay. "And charming." She smiled. "Yeah. I've heard that one. Charming." "Friendly," he countered. "And cute. You have a great voice." Srishti was angry now. Damn you, Abhay. "Anyway," said Piya, pushing back the curls to the back of her ear, "My friend's son got into an accident. So we kind of had to rush him here."
"You're that old?" blurted out Abhay. "I'm sorry- I didn't-" "No, I'm not, my friend's son, I said, not mine," said Piya, laughing. "Anyway. It wasn't that serious, he'll be careful next time." "So - um-" Before he could finish that sentence Srishti strode up to them. "Abhay, I think we're going to have to leave now," she said. "Who's your friend?" The girl stood up, glancing quickly up at Srishti before lowering her eyes. "Piya," she said quietly. "And we just met. See you later, Abhay. Thanks for the company." She turned and walked back with a measured pace, not glancing back. "Come on," said Srishti, taking Abhay's arm in hers. He said nothing as they exited the hospital.
III.
"So who was that girl?" she asked interestedly as they sat in the car. Abhay snorted. "I know you were listening in. Stop play acting." "I didn't hear everything," she argued. "Did you get her number?" "NO!" said Abhay indignantly. "We just met, did you want her to think I was trying to pick her up?" Srishti rolled her eyes. "Dear brother. She probably already knows you were flirting with her, and had no problems with it." "You don't like her," he said quietly. "Why?" Srishti bit her lip, choosing her words carefully. "It's been six years, Abhay. And ... it's like...everything went back in time and...you acted like...like you used to. It's...not something I felt comfortable with, that's all." "And that's a bad thing?" said her brother quietly. "You always push me to talk to people-"
"People I know," she snapped, frustrated. "This girl...you know nothing about her...yet you were willing to sit and talk with her, just like that-" "You won't understand." Abhay said softly. He could still feel the warmth of her soft hand in his, her ringing laughter... "I don't want to see you hurt," she said softly. He smiled. "Don't be so afraid, Di. It'll be all right." Srishti leaned to give her brother a hug. "OK. We'll go there tomorrow again and see if we can get you her number." "Di!" He swatted her arm, but he was smiling. The next day, Srishti kept an eye out for Piya, and spotted her almost immediately in the same place she and Abhay had sat together the first time, chatting merrily away with an old lady. "So, he was this big," the lady was saying, "when he first decided he wanted to have a bath all by himself-" Piya burst out laughing. "How old was he?" she said.
Srishti noticed her brother's head snap immediately to Piya's direction. She sighed. "I'll leave you to it, then," she muttered. "Yes, please," Abhay replied. "And don't go around listening to our conversations, di. It's really not nice..." "OK, OK," said Srishti. "Fine, I won't listen." "You promise?" said Abhay, frowning. "Because I can tell easily if you do that." "Yes, Abhay," she said. "Now go." She pushed him slightly. Abhay sank down on a chair. He was quiet till the lady finally left. "Hey there," said Piya. "How's your relative?" "How did you know I was here?" Abhay countered. "I thought you were busy chatting with that woman." Piya giggled. "I have my ways." Srishti spent a long time watching them interact with each other. So her brother had forbidden her from listening in, but she could watch, right? She was just looking out for him. Abhay didn't need another heartbreak, and it looked he was falling big time for this girl, who was apparently too shy to lift her head , very much. She hadn't even got a good look at the girl's face. She spent a few hours simply talking to her aunt, listening to songs, before she got tremendously bored.
"Abhay,I - I think we need to go." "Hello,Srishti," said the girl, briefly glancing up at her before looking down again. "Good to meet you again." "Yeah," said Srishti. Something about this girl made her uncomfortable. "I was just saying-" "See you soon," Abhay interrupted. "You take care, okay?" "Okay," said the girl softly. She began rummaging in her bag, searching for something. "So what did you guys talk about?" said Srishti in the car. "Just..things," said Abhay evasively. "Normal things that people talk about." "Like?" He sighed. "The weather, movies,men and women, books,politics, human rights..." "Human rights?" said Srishti, eyebrows raised. "How did you even get there?"
"I'm not giving you a play-by-play," said Abhay. "Di, you have a disturbing voyeuristic streak in you." She slapped him on the arm. "I'll tell you what's disturbing!My well mannered, polite brother has gone flying out of the window!" "Did he?" said Abhay in mild curiosity. "Should I go after him?" "You are so obnoxious!" she said, glaring at him. He began to laugh softly. Srishti scowled and didn't say another word.
Eventually he took pity on her. "Look, I found out that she's a teacher," he said. "She has class every morning , which gets over by afternoon. Now you can stop thinking she's a drug peddler." "I never said-" "And I told her I was a writer," he continued. "And you know what? She actually thought it was cool. She's a great girl, Di. She really is." "Yeah," said Srishti quietly. "That's what you thought about Laura, too." "Laura was different," said Abhay, all his mirth gone. "Piya is different.She's nothing like her." Maybe, thought Srishti. All I hope is that she doesn't break your heart.
IV.
A week later, Srishti was running late for her office and the car was missing. So was the driver...and Abhay. And she was worried and furious. Why had Abhay gone off alone? He never went anywhere without her. She dialed his number frantically, but there was no response. Finally she called up the driver. "Where the hell have you taken my brother?" she yelled without preliminaries. "I told you never to take Abhay anywhere without me-" "Madam, I am very sorry," said the driver contritely. "Sir told me to come ,I tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen-"
All of Srishti's rage transferred to Abhay. "I see," she said icily."And where exactly are you?" Stammering, the driver gave her directions. Srishti hailed a taxi and proceeded, cursing her brother in her head. What was wrong with Abhay? He had promised her to take her wherever he went. She stopped in front of a school. She stared in surprise at the name. She knew it was a school for blind children. Then her head snapped to her left, hearing a familiar voice.
What she saw made her want to cry in relief and throw something in anger at the same time. Her brother- Abhay was standing just outside the school with Piya. They were standing close. Closer than casual acquaintances did. She clenched her fists, then stalked up to the nervous driver. "Prakash, go and get him. Tell him I'm sitting in the car." As she watched, Piya seemed to write something on a piece of paper, then handed it to him. What the hell was this girl doing to Abhay?Shaking her head, she went to sit in the car.
When Abhay came back, she had a speech all prepared out, but Abhay simply got in and said, "I think I'm in love with her, Di." The wind went out of Srishti. "Wh...what?" "Yeah." She stared at him. He seemed almost dazed."And I asked her out for a date. She said yes." Then, as though returning to earth, he said, "She said yes, Di! Isn't that amazing?" And just like that, Srishti's anger melted away. "Yeah," she said quietly, blinking back the moisture from her eyes. "Yeah. I'll help you plan for it. I'll do everything, all right?" "You don't have to-" "I want to do this," she said firmly. "You're my favourite brother." "I'm your only brother," he replied, grinning. But she was losing him, she knew. Abhay wasn't just her brother, anymore. He was that Piya's- a girl who she'd not even seen properly.
V.
Srishti stared at her brother, dressed in formals. "Is my tie in place?" said Abhay. "You look like a heartbreaker," she teased lightly. "When's she coming to meet you?" "Soon," said Abhay calmly, but she noticed his nervousness. "All right then, I'll go," she said lightly. Abhay said nothing, his fingers idly drumming on the table.
Srishti got up and started to leave. Then she saw her. Dressed in a crimson red dress, Piya was walking inside. And Srishti was forced to admit. The girl was gorgeous. Acting on instinct, she slipped sideways, sitting down at a nearby table, hoping that no one noticed. A waiter went up to her, guiding her to the table where Abhay sat. And Piya's face was once again blocked from her view. "You look so beautiful," said Abhay softly. "You always do, of course." "Really?" said Piya, her voice reflecting frank surprise as she sat down. "Thanks.I'm not very good at dressing up- Misha does it for me." "That roomie of yours?" said her brother. "You don't have to, you know, dress up. You don't have to dress up, you know. You have a great personality anyway." The girl smiled, and Srishti saw her reach clumsily for her brother's hand. An odd feeling arose in her. Something like recognition...even as Abhay took her hand.
They ate in silence. Srishti wondered whether the girl knew how deep Abhay had fallen for her. What would she do once she found out- about him? Would she dump him too, like that cow Laura had? "You know, I've never been on a date before," said Piya, licking pasta sauce off her fingers. "But this is nice." "Just nice?" said Abhay teasingly. "And, wow- never before?" She shook her head. "Nope." "Why not?" "Nobody asked," she said simply, and Srishti detected no trace of bitterness, or anger in her voice. Was the girl a walking bundle o cheerfulness, or was it all an act? "I'm glad I asked you, then," said her brother.
"Yeah," Piya replied. "Although I had more fun that day you came to visit me at the school." Abhay laughed. "You're a cute creature, aren't you? You don't really like dressing up and going to high end restaurants, but you're too polite to admit it." "No no, I don't dislike it," Piya protested. "I just like some things better." They finished their food. Wiping her hands on the napkin, Piya said, "Let's go out, Abhay. There's a nice garden outside." "Oh, I know," said Abhay, taking her hand. Srishti followed them outside. "Please, please don't start kissing now," she pleaded in her head. She didn't really want to see Abhay doing that. The couple sat down on a bench."Are you cold?" said Abhay. "There's a breeze out here..." "I'm fine," Piya answered. "I love the wind. It's so...free, don't you think?" "I love you." The words slipped outof his mouth before he could stop himself. Srishti stifled a gasp,but Piya didn't stifle hers. "What?" she said quietly, her voice low. "I know this is too fast," said Abhay. "I didn't mean to say that to you- not yet, anyway... It's just-" "You love me?" she repeated, her voice higher than before. "Why?" He smiled, his fingers touching her arm. "Since when did love have a reason?" "There has to be one."
From what Srishti could see, the girl seemed agitated; her head was turned to Abhay, not moving, but she kept on pushing back her hair. "I dreamt about you," said Abhay quietly. "Two nights before we met...I dreamt about this girl, who lived on her own terms, whose laughter echoed in my ears right from the moment I heard it...who would make me want to laugh again...who was blind, yet saw my heart...I wrote about you." "Abhay-" "And then you waltzed right into my arms, as it were," he continued, "And you were everything I'd ever wanted...and more.. can you really blame me?"He said quietly.
"You've never judged me, or asked for anything...you could. My family's rolling in wealth- you could have asked me for anything. But you ask me instead if my sister liked you. My sister doesn't even know you. All she knows is superficial details." "And you do?" she said , her voice shaking. "Yes," said Abhay quietly. "Knew it the day you banged into me at the hospital." "Abhay, I have to-" "Wait," said Abhay. "There's something I need to do..." Srishti watched, eyes wide, as his fingers touched her face. Her heart thudded in her chest. He was going to tell Piya- he was going to tell her. But what did he know about her?
Piya felt his fingers move over her cheeks, her forehead, her nose...her lips. And she knew...she knew for sure. The knowledge brought a sob to her throat, even as she felt his lips on hers, gentle and brief. Her first kiss. No. She had to break this off - now. Once he knew- he would hate her. Or hate himself. "I- I have to go." Srishti let out the breath she was holding. "I have to go," said Piya, standing up. "I'm sorry, Abhay, we- I can't do this with you anymore." Abhay stood up too, unsmiling. For a minute, silence reigned between them, then Abhay said, "All right. Just let my driver drop you home?"
VI.
They were silent, both Abhay and Srishti , on the way home, for entirely different reasons. When they reached home, Abhay went to his room, yanking off the silk tie he was wearing, then unbuttoned the blazer and took it off in a clean movement. Undoing the first two buttons on his shirt, he made for his typewriter.
"Just what the HELL were you thinking?" came a furious snarl behind him. "Stop it, Di," he replied quietly, his voice tense , harsh. "Stop it?" she almost yelled at her brother. "Are you insane? Proclaiming your great love for her- you were about to tell her everything, weren't you? Damn it all, she must be extraordinarily stupid or extraordinarily cruel!" "Di." His voice was cold, and Srishti stopped in her tracks. He still hadn't turned to look at her. "You're fighting with me for a girl you've only met a few times?" she whispered in disbelief. "How is that even possible, Abhay? How can you just defend her-after you held out your heart on a platter and just handed it to her and the b-" she caught herself, "woman runs off without a word? How, dammit?"
"Just stop it , Di!" There was raw anguish mixed with something else-something fierce- that Srishti didn't remember seeing before. His hands were clenched into fists. "For the last time," he continued, his voice more even,"Stop judging her. You have no idea- no idea whatsoever- of the kind of person she is. Absolutely none." "I'm trying to look out for you," she said, tears in her eyes. "I- I don't want you getting hurt again, Abhay- I don't- This girl will break you, damn it!" There was a long pause. "This girl made me live, Di," he said quietly. "And whatever happened tonight- it's why she ran off that's troubling. Something's serious...something is wrong. And I can' t help her..." Srishti said nothing. Her gaze fell on his desk. Abhay was running his fingers over a piece of paper almost absentmindedly. Then, determinedly, he opened a drawer and tucked it inside. "I just hope she- I just want you happy," she replied finally. "I know, Di. But please, can you leave me alone now?" And then he sat down with his typewriter. She turned back and went to her own room.
"Tell him," said Misha, as she watched Piya stand in front of the car as her luggage was being packed. "Tell him, Piya. He's going to be hurt terribly-" "You tell him," said Piya brusquely. "Tell him I've gone out of the country and you don't know when I'll be back. He'll get over it." "But-" "Please, Misha." Her voice was final even though it was tremulous. "All right," said Misha at last. "You'll stay in touch, you hear me? I want to know when-" "Piya, sweetheart?" Her father's voice cut off Piya's response. "Yeah," she said finally. "Coming, Dad." And then she got into the car and closed the door, mentally kicking herself for hoping he might have been here.
VII.
Srishti watched her brother go back into his shell almost the same way he had come out of it- effortlessly. He stayed in his room, the typewriter clicking away as he wrote. Sometimes, she'd see him take out that scrap of paper, running his hand over it. He'd withdrawn from her , too, and she knew he blamed her for disliking Piya- but she couldn't help it. And now, watching him, she hated the girl more. It had been a week since that day when she came to his room to ask him about a party they were supposed to attend when she heard him on the phone. "Where is she?" he was asking. Srishti had no doubt who the "she" was. "I see," he said after a pause. "And you don't know when-" "Ok," he said finally. "But-" His head swivelled in her direction. "Fine. I'll talk to you later." "What-" "Piya's out of the country," he told her grimly. "And her friend doesn't know when she's coming back. Happy now?"
Srishti opened and closed her mouth. "But- why-when-" "Search me," he said, turning away. "I don't know- and apparently her friend doesn't want to tell me. But I'll find out," he said grimly, in that tone he had always used when he wanted something badly. "I'm going to worm it out of her by hook or by crook." "Good luck then," said Srishti. "So I guess you won't be coming to this party-" "No,"said Abhay flatly. "Sorry." It was quite clear he wasn't. "Fine,"she said, with a touch of irritation, flouncing out.
At the party, she remained surprisingly aloof, thinking of her brother- and Piya, trying to sum up what she knew of the girl. She knew she was a teacher at a school for blind children. She lived with a roommate, and she thought Abhay was "cool" for being a writer. She was pretty, she didn't like dressing up- and she had left Abhay. For some unknown reason. And there had been something familiar about her..what was it?
Something she had seen when Piya had entered the restaurant... As the weeks changed to months, Srishti tried several times to pull Abhay out fromhis shell. She knew that smiling boy was still there; but he might have been dead for all the success she got. Abhay remained as aloof as ever. A few times she would pass his room and see him talking on the phone to someone, his voice low. She never did have the courage to ask who it was, but she knew it wasn't Piya.
Almost a year later, it was her parents' 50th anniversary. Srishti found herselftaking the reins of all the celebrations in her hands : she was the planner in the house, anyway. But there was one thing she needed to do... "Abhay, please, Mom and Dad will be so pleased," she pleaded. "A few hours won't hurt-"
"They won't be expecting me," he replied, hollowly. "And I don't want to embarrass them." "You're not an embarrassment!" she protested. "You know, the Dobriyals are coming-" "They're always coming ," Abhay snorted. "They're Mom's best friends." "Yeah, but their younger daughter's coming, too," she persisted. "Mom says she's just like you. You guys could be friends!" "Wow. You're desperate, aren't you, Di?" said Abhay. "Setting me up with random strangers-" It was on the tip of her tongue to say- "You fell in love with a random stranger" but she held her tongue. "I won't if you'll attend," she said. "Please?" He sighed. "Fine. All right."
VIII.
"Di, I want to go," Abhay muttered, as she dragged him off to meet the Mehtas. "I've had enough." "Shut up and smile," she hissed back. "Hi, Rajni aunty." The woman smiled widely at her then at her brother. "Oh, Abhay?" she said in surprise. "You've clearly grown! Where have you been all this while?" Abhay wanted to throw something. He'd already heard this question a dozen times.Gritting a smile, he said, "I don't attend parties, Mrs Mehta." "Butyou used to be-" The woman trailed off, looking confused. Srishti stopped a passing waiter and held out a goblet of soft drink to the woman. "Aunty, please have something," she pressed. And artfully steered the conversation away from her brother. Finally excusing herself and Abhay, she took his arm again, steering him in a different direction. She glanced at her parents. They were the most beautiful people in the world, she thought. "How many more?" said Abhay. "My arm will fall off out its socket soon enough. Why am I letting you drag me around again?" "Madhu aunty!" Srishti almost screamed, and Abhay knew it was a not so subtle warning to shut up. "So good to meet you- even Abhay's come tonight-" "As well he should," said Mr Dobriyal, smiling at her. "You look like a princess tonight, dear. Have Chand and Haseena talked about marriage yet?"
Abhay couldn't stop the snicker. "Er- um- no," said Srishti, feeling embarrassed. "Arnab, don't tease her," said Madhu, smiling at her. "Piyali came too, tonight.You haven't met them, have you, dear? Where did the girls go?" she said , looking around. "There,there," said Arnab. "I'll call them." "Panchi? Come here, you two."
Two girls , standing a little away from them, both turned. And Srishti's jaw dropped open in shock. Because while she had indeed not met one of them, she had definitely met the other one. And that girl was staring at her. "Come here, girls," said Madhu. The two girls came forward,and Srishti worked to rearrange her face. "This is my elder daughter, Panchi," she said, to the taller, slightly plump girl. "And this is the younger one, Piyali. Panchi, Piya, this is Srishti and Abhay. Haseena aunty's children." Srishti stared at Piya. Up close, she noticed a slight change in her. Something that was nagging her suddenly fell into place. Andthen something her mother had told her, and she had told Abhay, flashed to her head. But -no...it couldn't be... "Hi," said Piya, quietly.
Beside her, Abhay inhaled a ragged breath. "Piya?" he breathed. Piya's large brown eyes turned to him, and Srishti saw several things flit across her face. Wonder. Fear. And then...anguish. But...something didn't add up...Her mother must have been mistaken... "Abhay?" she said. "You know-?" Her father started to say. She turned to him. "Yeah, Dad. I just- could we- catch up-?" she said hesitantly. "Go on," said her sister, smiling. "Great meeting you, Abhay." "Piya." Abhay seemed quite incapable of saying anything else. "Couldwe talk?" she said, her eyes pleading with him , then Srishti. And Srishti took a step back as she recognized the emotion in them. "Yeah, Abhay, why don't you guys go to the garden?" she said, trying to play it off casually. "Panchi and I can get to know each other in the meanwhile."
IX.
They walked silently, to the garden. Piya's eyes began to water - perhaps due to the many bright lights, and she swiped her eyes. Abhay was silent. Finally, he said, "So why did you come here?"
She flinched at the harshness in his tone. "I- I - my family-" If it was possible, he looked even more furious. "Of course. Why should you be here for any other reason?" "Abhay-that- I didn't-" "Oh,please." He'd gone from angry to a cold denamour she had never seen before. "If you've come to tell why we can't be together, forget it. Forget that pretty speech you've no doubt practised, all right? I'm used to not being good enough." "Ididn't- what?" she said in surprise. "Not good enough? What the hell are you talking about?" "She told me, you know," he said. "Misha told me. She told me where you'd gone, what you did. Even though you apparently told her not to tell me." Piya was speechless as she stared at his handsome face. That mouth was twisted into a grimace. "See?You won't even deny it. I don't see why-" "What does that have to do with you not being good enough?" said Piya. "If anyone's not good enough, it's me, because I'm the one who can see, and you can't-"
He laughed. "You're joking, right?" "No!"she said, catching his arm as he was about to turn back. "Look- I just wanted- I didn't want you to - to resent me- or and now- but you know-" He stilled. "What are you saying?" His voice was less harsh now. It was tired, actually. "I'm not the right person for you," she said, her voice shaking. "I can see, doesn't that bother you? Don't you want someone - like yourself?" There was a silence. "So...what you mean is..." Abhay was having trouble putting his feelings into words. "You think I won't want you- because you can see? Are you crazy?" She sniffed. "Don't mock me." "Oh, Piya." He sighed softly, reaching for her; she let him hold her, her feelings a confused mixture of happiness and sadness and relief and guilt. His hand rested on the strings at her bare back, and she felt his touch as acutely as she had that first day when he had taken her hand.
"You could have anyone you wanted," he said quietly. "Any- normal guy. I'm not- I'm not even some hotshot businessman. If I'm rich, it's my father's-not mine-" "But you're a writer," she said. "You're cooler." She felt him kiss the top of her head. "I'm sorry. I thought you wanted me out of your life because of that." "I didn't want to make this hard for you," she said. "I-" She pulled away and stared at him. "I never told you," she said. "But you're really- really good looking, you know." A smile quirked his face. "You think so?" "Yeah." She fought down the heat in her cheeks. "Are you blushing now?" Heasked,his voice quietly amused . "Yes,damn you," she said, pushing at him lightly. A thought came to her, and he frowned. "Why did you think you weren't good enough? Why wouldn't you be?" The mirth left his face."Because that's what she said." "She?" "Laura." It was stupid, Piya knew, but something monstrous exploded in her chest. "You loved her?" she asked, knowing the answer.
"Yeah," he said quietly.
She was silent. "It was a long time ago, Piya," he said. "I know," she answered. "Tell me about her." He took her hand and walked with her to a bench. "I was in college. You understand, I always wanted to be a software engineer. It was my dream- and I would have." "Yes," she answered.
"Laura was in my year. She was beautiful, smart- and she was fun. I didn't realise it,initially, but yeah...I fell in love with her. We would have got married after ..after college. We were engaged and everything." "That sounds nice," she said, trying to keep her voice neutral. "Yeah, it was nice," he said. "Except, I screwed it all up. One night of drunken driving, and one of my cousins died- and everything went black...and stayed that way."
Her breath hitched. "Cortical blindness, that's what it's called. Mom, Dad and Srishti tried everything...we went to so many doctors...but there's no cure. None." Piya bit her lip, trying to stop the tears. "Yeah, so anyway," he continued, his voice still determinedly casual, "So, after about six months, Laura couldn't cope with - my blindness anymore. So that was the end of it." "She's a fool," said Piya, her voice choked with anger. "She's a- she's a -" "No," he said. "She was practical. We wouldn't have been able to- I changed, my world changed. And then...we weren't right for each other, like we used to be." "Doesn't change that she was a heartless beep beep," hissed Piya. "How could she- just-"
"I used to think that," he said. "But - after a while, I stopped. And...and then you came- well, you literally breezed in- and then, I fell in love with you." The monster in her chest quieted down somewhat. "You're the bravest woman I've known, you know," he said quietly. "You - almost got me. But then- I can tell when someone won't look at me. And the things you said- I knew.Even if I didn't, I think I fell in love with your voice first."
"I didn't know," she confessed. "I wondered, once or twice...because when I was younger, I'd heard about you once or twice. But then , when you touched my face-"
"It was hell, when you were gone," he said. "I didn't know how to contact you. I called you so many times, but you didn't respond, and I must have called Misha dozens of times to make her tell me-" "I wanted to spare you the hurt," she said. "I knew I was going to- but then, I realized that you were- you know-"
"Shut up," he said. "You're wasting our time." "Time?" she repeated. "Yeah," he answered, the hand on her wrist moving up her arm, touching her shoulder, then cupping her face. "We're alone here, I think- and this is something I've wanted to do for a long time." She didn't know if he moved or she had, but she was certainly surprised when their lips met. And then she realised that he was kissing her and god he knew how to kiss and why wasn't she kissing him back and then she lost all coherent thought. "I think I'm in love with you," she said shyly as he let go of her. "Thank God," he said fervently, before kissing her again.
X.
"Mom," hissed Srishti, discreetly pulling her mother away. "Why did you tell me that the Dobriyals had a blind daughter? Both of them are perfectly fine!" "Oh," said Haseena, "I only found out today. The younger one recently got an operation done, ten months ago , I think was what Madhu said. Poor girl. She was blind since she was a year old. Isn't it a blessing she can see now? I wish we could do something for Abhay. We'll talk to Dr. Sharma next week- Srishti? Srishti? Are you all right?"
But Srishti had already turned around, and now she was half-running, half-walking as she went up to Abhay's room as discreetly as possible. She pulled open the drawer where he'd kept that scrap of paper. Tears formed in her eyes as she touched the raised dots on the paper, seemingly random, but Srishti could read Braille. It was a phone number.
THE END.
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