Epistle 88: Temporary Blessings

---

A/N: Hey there everyone! :D :D Here is the next update! :D :D

Okay, before we proceed, I have three points and a note to give:

1. I've made a slight change (more like given a little more detailed description) about the painting that Ishaani gave Chirag a wrong description about through the art exhibition agent in Interlude 12.

2. I'd made an error in Epistle 81 about the climate in Sydney. It's not autumn, but it's spring from November to February in Australia since the Antarctic regions have the seasons in the reverse order. It rains throughout the year though. So, I've made that change too.

3. The 5-minute date inspiration is directly taken out of HIMYM.

And now, the note:

I received the question from a lot of readers whether Chirag was using the diary right from Epistle 84 or no. No. The kind of manipulation that Chirag is using is just sickeningly brilliant - never once overdoing it at all. He doesn't have the diary though, but was following his father's observations on Ranveer so far from whatever the latter has observed in the stock markets. And Chirag himself has seem Ranveer in those four months when they went in the same school together and then at that party to get a basic gist of how Ranveer does behave in general.

Another reason why there are some similarities and Ishaani'll point them out too in Interlude 19 is because they do share a few traits - both of them were strong headed, resourceful, had a way with words, could use the art of manipulation to their advantage (only difference was Ranveer never used it and Chirag used it for the worse), both are passionate about their work (part of Chirag's revenge scheme was like I mentioned in Interlude 8, to prove his worth to his father and become CEO of his company), both were charming and those teensy bits that did match here and there, but otherwise, they are as different as black and white. And so far, Chirag was playing safe with what he already knew about Ranveer and what attributes matched his.

The diary part comes into effect from this epistle.

Not keeping y'all any longer,

Happy Reading! :D :D *runs away faster than Usain Bolt this time*

---

8th February, 2008:

I sometimes wonder why I was even born upon this day.

Do you even know how much I was looking forward to seeing Ranveer today? That was supposed to be my actual gift for today - Ranveer! But what did I get instead? Only a letter and card wishing me the happiest of birthdays and the most profuse of apologies for not being able to make it today because he couldn't afford to. How can this day ever be 'happy' if I didn't have my source of happiness with me? Even Sharman, Devarsh and Gauri di made it! But not him!

I know he's going through a financial crisis but why can't he just accept money from once, either from Papa or that foreign guy?! But no, it's all about his pride and self-respect and morals and principles! So screw it! If he isn't going to be today then even I'm not going to celebrate this day today. Twentieth birthday can go to the dogs for all I care! If this birthday is like this, I can only imagine how this decade is going to be for real.

I'm sure that by this point, you must be judging me and thinking of me as being so irrational. You might even ask why I didn't go to him instead when I could have. How can I, when my exams start next week?! I haven't even finished with the revision yet and I'm freaking out of my mind right now, especially since I'll have to start studying for CAT as well after the exams get over! Everything feels like a delicate bridge that'll collapse any minute and Ranveer was my last hope to save me from the mess that I've brought upon myself.

And then, in spite of promising me that he'd definitely show up, he didn't. I actually thought he was saying this because he wanted to give me a surprise probably, but no. I was just stupid to think so. And do you even know how much it hurts when hopes like that break with such brutal force? It just... leaves you empty. Ranveer has never broken my hope ever before.

And maybe that's why it hurts even more.

I need a break from everything - the paintings, my emotions, my life over here... everything. I cannot do this anymore. This is just madness that I'm unequipped to handle. No, I just want to get away from all this, run away to a place where nothing will remind me of Ranveer anymore. And I don't even care anymore because expectations are always meant to lead to disappointment. This isn't even Ranveer's fault because I know how he is - the fault lies with me. I expected too much. I expected Ranveer to conjure the stars out of nowhere for me and maybe, perhaps maybe, he'd manage to do the impossible and come here.

I keep forgetting that things aren't going to be like before, not atleast for the next two years. I've got to get used to the distance between us and knowing that we won't be able to be there for each other like the way we used to be. I don't like this, but I guess I'll have to get used to it now. And this reminds me that Ranveer's policy on the phone conversations are right - we just cannot have a civil phone conversation without crying or fighting and just acting stupid. So I think it's best if we don't talk today at all because I don't know what I might just tell him.

On second thoughts, I think I'll stay in the room the whole day without looking at anybody. It'll be the best for everyone seeing as how I think that if I look at any human soul today, especially Maa or Papa, I'll just break down and... I don't know. I won't be able to pick myself up today, not when I feel like my world has come to an end. I thought that these three months had helped me build up my emotional endurance but it feels like everything has gone shattering down in one go today. And I wish that it wasn't Ranveer who was the cause of this.

I sometimes really wonder whether the world would have really been a better place had I not been born in the first place itself.

-x-

Maybe today wasn't such a bad day after all.

After the brilliant start that I had in the morning, I'd barricaded myself in the room for the entire day, not even letting Maa or Papa in. I was this close to smashing the canvas of the last painting of the series that I have on right now - the twenty-ninth picture of the entire series with where I want to see Ranveer reach finally. It's all half-structured, and there's so much more to do, but I don't know... I just feel too drained to paint anymore. It's as though I've invested all of my emotions into it that it's left me all... empty. Lost without any direction to head towards. Unfeeling.

So anyway, I've decided to keep the painting on hold for now until I sort myself out. Coming back to today, well Maa and Papa were rather upset because of my mood and the fact that I refused to leave my room when they had so much planned out for me. I feel extremely terrible that I'm always the cause of their misery and pains even though all I ever try is to be the reason of their happiness. And I think Ranveer spoke to Papa and explained the whole scenario out to him because he just kept justifying Ranveer's POV, until I couldn't take it anymore and told him that I didn't want to talk to anyone.

I've never behaved this stupidly all my life and yet I wanted to pull off all my stupidity in one day itself. And the fact that what Papa said made sense about Ranveer not being able to be here only made me angrier because it was the truth and I was just being selfish like always. Why had Ranveer made me so selfish anyway? I was never like this till before I met him. It's as though I'm so used to all that love that the moment I'm deprived of it, it makes me go insane and mean and rude and selfish and everything else associated with this.

People have been calling and messaging me the entire day and yet I haven't even bothered looking at my phone. And finally, at around eight in the night I think, I finally mustered the courage to look at my phone because it kept blinking consecutively for half an hour and it was just irritating me since I'd doused the room in complete darkness. I hate the dark and I always prefer keeping the room dimly lit even when I sleep, but for once, the darkness comforted me. So I'd just took my phone to switch it off when I saw the caller-id. Chirag.

I let the phone ring over and over again, and he kept calling over and over again. Somehow, I couldn't get myself to switch the phone off, and neither could I get myself to just pick it up and tell him to leave me alone. The calls only kept piling on and on until I could not take it any longer finally. I picked up the phone and told him to leave me alone.

"I will, but just spare me five minutes. That's all that I'm asking of you, really," he asked of me hopelessly, and somehow, the tiredness in his voice made me feel even more annoyed. He didn't have any business getting tired like that when I needed a punching bag ready to vent all of my frustration upon.

"No, I can't and please, don't make this more difficult for me than it already is," I begged in return and he let out a monosyllabic huff.

"Ishaani, just five minutes. I'm not asking for anything more than that," he finally spoke just as I was about to cut the phone. There was something about the way he spoke that I couldn't refuse to even though I just wanted to tell him to shut up and sod off. But I couldn't.

"Fine. Five minutes only," I replied grudgingly, wishing now more so than ever that I just disappeared from this world somehow.

"Great, I'm right outside your room, so if you don't mind, do come out quickly because five minutes will be cutting it too tight," he replied swiftly and I gasped, grumbling to myself mentally. Before I could say anything else vocally, he continued in a hesitant voice.

"And would you mind putting on a decent dress? It'll be helpful," he added and I let out an irritated huff.

I disconnected the call and finally switched on the lights, making my way towards the mirror. And that's when I gasped staring at my reflection. My face looked all puffy and there were circles underneath my eyes while my hair just hung upon my face like ragged curtains. I definitely couldn't go out looking like a zombie. So instead, I made my way up to the washroom and did myself up properly so that by the time I stood back in front of the mirror again after ten minutes, I looked human enough.

I'd just put on a simple mauve-coloured anarkali and combed my hair so that they fell straight on either side of my shoulder, the usual wave accompanying it. I didn't even bother with anything else except for my eye-liner that effectively made the circles around my eyes look lesser. I opened the door to see Chirag standing in front of me in a black shirt and grey pants worn formally, while he looked at me with a sheepish smile.

I was too angry at the time to bother, but he did look rather handsome now that I think about it.

"I thought you'd changed your mind," he said hesitantly, and all I could do was shoot him a dark look.

Why couldn't he have just left me alone? I was just there, bearing my own thoughts and demons and emotions and he had to come along buzzing through the screen of my phone like some sort of angel who I couldn't even be rude or say no to! Why did everyone want to make everything manifold difficult for me? But if they wanted to make my life difficult, I'd make theirs too.

"Well, your five minutes start now," I said, and he looked as though someone had jolted him back into reality.

"I'm afraid that we're going to have to run then," he said, giving me an excited look.

Honestly, what was there to be so excited about it, I do not know since I was kind hoping that it would break away his spirit. On the contrary, he looked even more ecstatic than before as though something spectacular was about to happen. Well, if only I'd known...

"What? Why? Where?" I asked, feeling bamboozled. What was happening?

Chirag simply took my hand into his own before he pulled me behind him just as he broke out into a run. I didn't understand what was happening since my feet seemed to follow him without any control, and his grip upon my hand was firm enough that I couldn't break free through it even in spite of myself. Running through the steps and outside the house, all the decorations around the place were a blur for me as our feet finally broke into the dewy grass of the gardens, when Chirag finally stopped.

I looked around the place and gasped in shock. It looked like a whole theater drama, with a flower shop, a projector screen, a dining table, a dessert bar and a bench set around each other in a diametric circle far placed from each other. Even before I could snap out from the shock of what was happening, Chirag tugged at my hand and pulled me towards the flower stall where flowers of practically every kind sat perched on the table. Chirag pulled out a rose from it and handed it over to me.

"I hate roses," I grumbled sulkily and he looked flabbergasted.

"Which one do you like then?" he asked hesitantly, looking as afraid as though I was going to make it rain hell upon him if he made a single wrong move on those five minutes.

"The blue-purple orchid," I replied grudgingly and his face relaxed into a warm smile. His smile somehow made my lips twitch as well, even though I still refused to smile.

"Here you go!" he whispered excitedly and I couldn't help but smile grudgingly at him now.

It was difficult not to, especially with the puppy-dog expression he had upon his face. How he manages to come up with such crazy things, only he knows. He looked at his watch and looked alarmed.

"Oh well, let's get a move on since one minute's already down."

Chirag caught my hand once again and pulled me towards the projector screen where two chairs were already there. He sat me down and quickly put on the projector. DDLJ. The last scene. He quickly handed me over a box of popcorn that I hungrily chugged upon, suddenly realizing that I hadn't had anything to eat since morning. Before Simran could catch hold of Raj's hand, Chirag pulled me up towards my feet and pulled me towards the dinner table where a candle was lit at the center and two plates of pizzas sat upon either side of the table for us along with a glass of Pepsi.

I'm pretty sure that wasn't there a minute ago.

Both of us sat down and clinked our glasses together quickly, before taking a bite from our respective pizzas. This was rather fun, I'd have to admit and certainly something that I'd never done before in my life.

"Is it alright?" he asked, looking me at in anxious eagerness. Alright? It was the Veg Pizza with extra cheese! Ofcourse it was bloody perfect!

"It's perfect. My favourite," I replied, unable to control the uncanny memory of a date-of-sorts that Ranveer and I had last year during Valentine's Day. How time flies by, really, it makes me wonder right now. But what's passed has passed...

Coming back to the scene - before I could take another bite from my pizza, Chirag gestured me to get up and we both ran towards the next destination now - the dessert bar. A chocolate truffle pastry piece sat looking at us alluringly and Chirag quickly took a swig off of his cake and fed it to me, while I did the same, unable to control my laughter when I saw that he'd smudged a little bit of cream upon his nose that made him look like Jerry. He gave me a curious look before looking at his watch and gasping.

"Oh no, quick, quick, quick!" he yelled, looking like a pigeon flapping his wings and I could help but smile. This was really silly yet funny for some odd reason.

He took my hand and we both ran towards the benches, but before I could even sit, he pulled my hand into his while his arm slithered around my waist confidently. I gasped in surprise and shock both, but before I could say anything I heard music go off from somewhere and I smiled. Ofcourse, the dance. He twirled me around quickly and made me fall in an arc before pulling me up gracefully and leading me towards the bench where we both plopped down comfortably and stared at the sky that was studded with stars tonight, the moon scattering away its glow upon the shimmering beauties with even more love than usual.

"Well, happy birthday," he whispered tiredly, and I couldn't help but shoot him a broad smile. The spectacle was rather extraordinary. And this guy is always about the drama and the theater! I nodded my head in acknowledgement.

"I hope you enjoyed the evening," he asked me anxiously.

"It was brilliant, although really tiring, I must admit," I replied and we both chuckled a little too hard upon the joke than was necessary. There was some kind of tension in the air but I really could not put my finger upon why it was so.

"Well, I told you that five-minutes would be cutting it too close," he defended and I punch him upon his shoulder playfully.

"Where do you come up with such extravagant ideas from, really?" I asked, unable to keep the curiosity out from my voice. Well, it was a very ingenious idea, really, if I were to be honest. And this was a gesture I was never going to forget.

"There's a little friend who helps me," he replied, suddenly looking pensive as his eyes glowed with a mystery that I couldn't place.

"And who might that friend be?" I asked, lading my tone with enough sarcasm even though somehow, I wasn't really inclined to know who that was. Well, whoever it was, more power to him for the creativity buzz.

"He's up there. All memorized," he replied, speaking like a robot and it was such an epic fail that I couldn't stop laughing for five whole minutes. It looked so silly the way he did it, and oh it was so cute as well at the same time! He gave me a coy smile when I laughed even harder, until I finally managed to sober down after five whole minutes.

"Thank you, Chirag," I whispered suddenly, feeling the need to acknowledge this extremely sweet thing that he'd done for me. He gave me a puzzled look, and even before he could speak, I continued in the same melancholy. "For making the day special for me."

"So you liked it, then?" he asked, giving me a small smile now as he took my hand into his own. The band upon my ring glowed in the basking moonlight of the night, reminding me of another birthday when Ranveer and I had given each other eighteen promises. How could I ever separate Ranveer from myself when he was infused in every living memory of my mind?

"Pretty much, yes," I replied, my eyes suddenly feeling the heat of the tears that prickled in the sides. Chirag was quick to notice the descend of my mood and stroked the back of my hand soothingly.

"Let's go inside now, your family is waiting for you. It isn't fair that you remove one person's frustration upon everyone else and make them suffer for something that isn't their fault," he whispered in a word of advice and my head shot up to look at him. His gaze looked even more powerful with the combination of the garden lamp and the heavenly pleasant sky tonight. It was such a shame that I was in such a rotten mood, for a night like this would have been a goldmine for Ranveer and I to star-gaze.

Damn it! Ranveer again!

"How did you-" I asked, wondering how Chirag knew about what had gotten my mood so bad when he jerked his head towards the house and looked rather apologetic, as though he was betraying someone's confidence.

"Harshad Uncle told me about it. Said you were distraught," he added, looking a little embarrassed at himself. Ofcourse it had to be Papa who told him about all this. Papa's life was in me. Ofcourse he wouldn't have liked to see me like that. But then again, I remembered Papa's defense over Ranveer and realized that he must have given Chirag the whole practical aspect of the situation. And that did flare me up a little again.

"If you're going to take up-" I begin but he pinned his finger upon my lips, as though he'd heard enough of my rants for one night.

"No, I'm not. I just care about you being happy, that's all. Then whether it takes a five-minute birthday party or dancing like a joker, I don't care," he said it rather sternly, and his eyes frightened me for a moment. He can get really scary when he wants to. And yet the affection (or was it passion?) in his tone didn't go amiss by me. And then I just said something really stupid.

"This technically resembles a date," was what I told him. Like seriously? What is wrong with me?! It's like I'm inviting trouble for myself by talking nonsense like this. Thank God that Chirag is not that kind of guy to misunderstand or else it would have just been plain stupid.

"I know, but I didn't want to say it out loud. I know you hate things like this," he replied awkwardly, and in that moment, he earned my respect just a little more. The thought about the dj vu between last year and this year crossed my mind instantly, but I pushed the thought away rather harshly. I just didn't want to think about Ranveer in that moment.

"You really are different, Chirag. And well, since you did manage to make me laugh the way I have in these five minutes so miraculously, I guess it's fair enough on you to call it a date. Especially seeing the efforts you've gone through to arrange all this for me," I replied fairly, and he shot me a child-like smile just as he got upon his feet and pulled me up as well.

"You can think of this as your birthday gift. I didn't know what else to get you," he added, looking apologetic, and I couldn't help but feel something flutter in my heart suddenly at the modesty and humility that he showed. Wasn't this what I always wanted in a guy anyway?

"This is perfect," I replied, and then something different happened. We hugged for the first time.

We were both awkward at first, wondering whether or not we should hug or no, but then we both initiated it at the same time so it was okay. What started out as a side hug turned into a bear hug, and it just felt so comforting, especially the strength of his embrace. It felt as though he was crushing away the darkness from my mind by filling with up with a strong beam of hope with those robust arms of his. A hope that just seemed to eradicate all the bitterness away from my mind suddenly as I felt myself melting away by the warmth his embrace exuded.

It was different, this emotion that I felt. Chirag's embrace still didn't match up to Ranveer's ones but there was something entirely different about them that just... worked. It had a different comfort of its own, a different essence of its own. I don't know what, exactly, but it was there nonetheless. Like a fire. I don't know how long it was before we separated and he gave me a small smile, before we both made our way into the house in silence. It was warm, the feeling of being cared for and being treated special. And it certainly took away all of my resentment about Ranveer not being here.

I still missed him terribly today, yes, but I guess as the night proceeded with everyone wishing me and cutting my birthday cake and celebrating the day with me with Chinese and desserts and jokes and gifts and everything, life just didn't seem so bland anymore. I did have things to cherish in life still, a lot of things. And I did certainly have a lot to accomplish as well. This was no time to fall weak and pity myself because the battle had just begun. There was a long, long way to go still, both for Ranveer as well as myself.

And as I looked towards Chirag, I couldn't help but smile sheepishly at the thought of how much he cared about my happiness that he did something even so terribly silly and sweet like that five-minute date. And for the first time in so many years, it felt good thinking that there was someone apart from Ranveer who genuinely cared about my happiness and could go to any length to simply make me laugh and just be happy. And it only made me like him just a little more.

Maybe with Chirag around, things aren't going to be so difficult anymore.

-x-

27th March, 2008:

Baa is back with a bang!

I knew that five months will be too much for her to go without taking a shot at me or trying to make my life miserable and here she is. And since there's no Ranveer to whip her frustration out on and use as a scapegoat to make my life hell with, she's got the next best thing in use now - Chirag. Well, it's evident that she doesn't like him at all, even more so because he's such good friends with me and always supports and defends me wherever required.

So this time, she chose a new approach - to humiliate me right in front of him. I'll tell you what happened today. Chirag's family had come over for dinner tonight (as has been the new tradition between both out families for the past two months that every weekend, dinner would be at either one's place), and like usual we were all having a light conversation. Chirag and I always sit together and so was the case today as well. The two of us were just discussing about my CAT exam when Shweta Aunty commented about how good the food was tonight.

And then, the sweetness of the dessert was replaced by the bitterness of Baa's words.

"Yeah, the cooks of the house are all that we can rely upon. Neither is Falguni any good nor is Ishaani," she spat out for everyone to hear. I looked up at Baa to see a crooked smile upon her face as even Maa shot her a dark look. We had too much experience with what was going to happen next and surely enough, Maa retorted heatedly.

"Well, atleast the cooks know the value of respect," shot back Maa, looking furious now.

The table went dead silent as all eyes fell upon both Maa and Baa. I wanted to get up from the table abruptly but Chirag held my hand. And before I could even protest, words of venom were fired across each other mercilessly, neither of them bothering about the fact that there were guests as home. Atleast everyone in this mad house is used to crap like this being spoken but no, both of them are just oblivious to the fact that Chirag's entire family sat there as well.

Until Baa decided to take it a little ahead and turn her attention towards me.

"Atleast thank your stars Falguni that my son accepted your stain and gave her his name. She would have been roaming in rags otherwise," she said disdainfully, looking at me with the same look in her eyes as though I was some kind of a mutant alien. I bit my tongue as I felt my vision swim with tears. There was a limit to how much I could bear every single time. I was about to get up from the table when Chirag held my hand and pulled me down. Instead he turned and gave Baa a cold look.

"Baa, I understand that it's your family matter and I have no right speaking in between this but I think you should stop picking up on Ishaani like this," he said, and everyone gasped. No one in their right mind ever stood or even spoke against Baa.

"You are right, Chirag. It is our family matter and you should keep your nose put of it," she added disgracefully. Everybody looked nervous and tensed, but the look on Chirag's face only got stonier.

"Ishaani may be no one to you but she's my very good friend. I'm not going to sit here and watch her get insulted like this," he defended and Baa actually snorted at him! I would really use some colourful words over here had it not been for Ranveer's swear.

"No one's asking you to either. You are free to leave," she replied disdainfully, and Chirag only smirked instead! Smirked! Half the table looked like it'd faint. And all I could think about was whether he was in his right mind or no.

"Not before you apologize to Ishaani," he suddenly exclaimed and almost every single person let out a shock of disbelief at what he's just said. And suddenly, it all went dead quiet as all the head kept looking from between Baa and Chirag as though a tennis match was on between the two of them.

"Oh really? You think you can make Hansaben Kothandas Parekh apologize?" whispered Baa, her tone barely above a dangerous hiss as the vein in her temple throbbed, making her look all the more intimidating. I tried pulling Chirag's hand but it had no effect upon him whatsoever.

"Not think. I will," he challenged, and everybody stooped breathing as time ceased to move.

Baa pushed her chair behind in rage and stood up, looking not unlike a demented bat. Everyone fell dead silent upon the table as she went on a yelling spree, cursing not just us but Chirag's family and the lineage he came from as well that it was really sickening. The atmosphere on the table was cold and yet nobody could take their eyes off the batty woman. I tried to get up several times, having heard too much for my endurance and yet Chirag held on to my hand. If I must be honest, the warmth of his hand was my only strand of sanity in that moment.

After a crazy fifteen minutes of what Ranveer and I would normally term as 'sick talking', Chirag finally let go of my hand and stood up. And in my life, I've never seen anything look like a towering pillar of exuding power the way the Chirag looked like in that moment. There was some kind of... manic passion about his aura and essence in the moment that made everyone's breath hitch in their chest. Even Baa couldn't help but gasp.

"You've said your share, and my apologies if I'm rude to you and you see this as disrespect because my parents have given me a more-than-satisfactory upbringing, especially about the way you talk to your elders. I don't give a damn about whether she's illegitimate, or whether you think that we are all power-hungry dogs from the street who got rich by luck, or whether all of the Parekh members are impotents for not standing up to this 'issue' that you've raised about Ishaani."

"You dare-" began Baa, looking scandalized and Chirag only looked on at her dispassionately.

"Yes, I do, Baa. If you had a problem with this, you should have raised your voice years ago and not accepted Ishaani. Which goes to show that your decision didn't make any difference even back then," he added and everybody exhaled at the same time. This was getting a whole new level of nasty, we all knew and yet we were spellbound by what was happening. Even Baa looked tongue-tied for two whole minutes before she looked even more livid than usual.

"You-" she began once again, but this time Chirag raised his hand, that managed to strike her dumb.

"I'm not finished. I let you speak when you were talking. Let me speak now," he said in a slow voice, and everybody's breathing seemed to appear erratic against the pin-dropped silence of the room. Baa remained silent even though she looked as though she was killing Chirag every second for what he was doing to her. He continued.

"So if you're telling me that you like to make a twenty-year old girl's life a misery for something that isn't even her fault, I feel really sorry for you. And not just you, but even the society who talks behind your back about your cowardice of bitching about Ishaani in public but still not being able to do anything about it. And just imagine the gossip it'll make if my parents narrate the whole incident from today's dinner to their butterfly groups. I don't think you'll have much of a reputation left, and especially at a time when days are numbered..." he added, looking slightly apologetic, while several disapproving glances fell upon him.

"How dare you threaten me in my own house?!" exploded Baa again, but Chirag only gave her a lopsided smile.

I could practically hear my heart pounding in my ears with the fear of what he was doing. I really cared about Chirag enough for him to not do this foolishness in the name of chivalry. And I think my whole body had gone cold with fear. This was like two pulsating spheres of energy clashing against each other and it would only result in a catastrophic explosion that'd be the end of us all!

But neither of them were willing to back down either.

"I'm not threatening you, Baa. I'm just saying what's going to happen tomorrow. So you either apologize to Ishaani right now and we'll all happily forget that this ever happened, or else the Gujrati samaaj will never forget about your incompetence of cutting away Ishaani in spite of all these jests. And not just that, but the disrespect you've shown your own family when you're supposed to be a family woman... such a shame. It's your choice," he spoke in a small voice, breaking away the eye contact at long last.

"I'm sorry. There. Is that alright?" she spat out after five whole minutes, looking at Chirag as though she was clearly seeing him for the first time. He shook his head in a negative.

"Not to me, Baa. To Ishaani," he emphasized and the hiss that she let out wasn't lost upon any of us.

"I'm sorry," she choked out through her teeth with great difficulty as now she looked at me.

All I could do was hurriedly nod my head, too mortally afraid to do anything else. Baa looked around the room and added pointedly. "And I'm sorry to everyone about what happened tonight as well."

"Well then, I think dinner's done for tonight," he added before he made his way out towards the living room and everyone else did the same.

Anywhere was better than there in that moment. I hurriedly made my way towards Chirag, who was staring at one of Papa's prized paintings, lost in thought. I'd barely put my hand upon his shoulder to thank him when Baa's voice cut from behind. My hand remained frozen mid-air.

"You're going to pay for what you did, boy. Mark my words," she threatened, and Chirag turned around, looking aloof.

"Don't push me, Baa. I'm sorry for being so insulting, but you tell Ishaani another word and-" he warned, but Baa cut him off with a snarl.

"And you are nobody to order me around. Who do you think you are of hers? Her boyfriend? Her husband? Her lover? I wouldn't even give them the right to talk to me the way you did today. And you're just her friend. Why're you so interested in her anyway?" she asked suddenly and Chirag gasped, and looked slightly flushed, in my opinion.

Clearly the question had taken him off-guard.

"I care about her, that's all," replied Chirag a little too quickly and she shot him a dirty look, the same look that she'd shoot Ranveer so often.

"Really? Are you sure you're just interested in her, and not the money that she's backed with?" she asked and Chirag suddenly turned pale, his face going expressionless. I was worried about him, afraid that he might suddenly lose it and things might get more messed up than necessary.

"For a woman who's supposed to exude honour, you disappoint me," he said finally, his voice projecting the disappointment he'd just expressed.

"And for a boy who comes from the Mehta lineage, you surprise me," she retorted and his eyes suddenly widened with an emotion that I couldn't place.

"I don't understand what it is that you're trying to imply," he shot back stonily, and she flashed him a dangerous smile.

"I think we both do," she whispered boldly, both of them glaring daggers at each other before I decided to intervene.

The eye lock between them was getting too intense and there was something about it that just... unsettled me. It was something that was beyond me, something that they both understood but I couldn't. But I intervened nonetheless. I pulled him away from there and gave him a flabbergasted look.

"You really didn't have to-" I began, but Chirag just rubbed his temple furiously, as though trying to work off his anger.

"Shh, I don't want to talk about this right now," he said, perhaps a little too curtly than he intended to.

I nodded my head and made to leave when he caught my wrist delicately. He pulled me back and gave me an apologetic look, his eyes instantly meeting my own. And I don't know why, but I just pulled him into a hug, blurting out the only two words that kept flashing across my mind over and over again.

"Thank you."

That was all that I could tell him in that moment and through that hug. That how much it meant to me that he stood up for me so valiantly at the cost of hearing such insanely humiliating rubbish from Baa. And what did he do? The moment we separated from the hug, he simply wiped away my tear with a soft smile upon his face. We couldn't talk much since his parents called him away at that precise minute, but his eyes said it all. The loyalty, the love, the care, the concern... everything. For me.

And for the first time, I didn't miss Ranveer by my side to stand beside me and bear it all. I had found someone else too who was now willing to do the same for me when he had no reason whatsoever to do so. Kind of like a knight in a shining armour. My newest confidante who my dependence upon keeps growing day by day. Who's my last strand of sanity in a world I'm barely able to cope up in. For the first time, I've chosen to listen to my heart and brain in unison, telling me the same thing in succession every single time he does something like this for me.

Never let go of him.

-x-

2nd May, 2008:

The results are finally out! Topped my class! Can you even believe it!?

Oh my God, this was such a surprise! I mean, obviously I've worked doubly hard and put in my best effort to score maximum, but this was just a sheer surprise. And well, the credit definitely goes to Chirag for being such a good tutor to me! Well, considering the hell I gave him during him teaching me Quantitative Methods of Business or just Financial Management, I'm surprised that it all actually helped.

But then again, Chirag is a great teacher.

This who tutoring thing started two months ago with my birthday. After the whole chaos I created that day, I did finally manage to speak with Ranveer that night like you know, although I wish I didn't yell like a blithering idiot at him with the same gibberish nonsense that I always spoke whenever I was crying and yelling at the same time. And it certainly did not help that by the end of it all, he was crying on the phone as well, trying his best to convince me and tell me how much he wanted to be with me on my birthday and how he's been calling me the whole day so that I could just talk to him once. Well, a 101 missed calls from him were certainly no joke, but I wish that I hadn't been an idiot about it.

And since then, the guilt that I've so ungrateful to him especially after everything he's done for me and my happiness has been eating me up. I didn't have the guts to call him up again and say sorry, so I sought to send back a letter instead. It's been two months now, and I still haven't gotten a reply. I guess he's still mad at me, and rightly so. Every day I think that I'll call him up but I'm just... afraid.

Afraid that he might tell me things that'll further drown me into the pit of guilt that I'm already swimming deep within and I won't be able to meet eyes with him. I called him up today though to tell him about the results. I wanted him to be the first one to know this, but... well, he didn't answer my call. He must be busy, I guess.

Oh no, where was I?

Oh yes, Chirag. So well, I was pretty distracted with the whole tiff with Ranveer and I had my exam coming up in ten days and I hadn't completed my revision yet and it was all a mess. And at that moment, Chirag stepped in like a messiah for me. Being the helping soul that he is, he eased me out of my misery and heard me rant and rant about Ranveer and the whole scenario between us that made no more sense to me than to him when I think about it now. But once I was done, he gave me some sound-proof advice.

"You want to make it up to Ranveer? Put your energy in passing off your exams first," he advised, and I rolled my eyes at him as though he was a blithering idiot.

'Like as though I'd not tried that,' was what I wanted to tell him, but it turned out much lamer than that.

"But I can't concentrate!" I whined and he gave me an annoyed look.

"Okay, you finish one chapter today and I'll tell you about my latest idea for Mehta and Sons," he said suddenly, and all I could do was give him a deadpan look. We both knew how much of that he was going to do.

"You're bluffing," I said, stating the obvious just as he gave me a lopsided smile.

"Study well, because I'm definitely going to be testing you on the chapter very thoroughly," he whispered silkily before leaving the room, and for some odd reason it actually made goosebumps erupt upon my skin along with a pit of butterflies doing somersaults in my stomach.

Damn that voice of his! If any other person would have done that, I'd have been so uncomfortable, but somehow, it didn't feel wrong at all with Chirag. Just... thrilling, of sorts, I guess. I'm not still able to figure out what exactly it was that I felt, to be honest. And distracting as that little moment was, I did actually manage to study albeit with a goofy smile upon my face.

My mind was suddenly so into it that by the end of the first hour, the chapter was already done. And by Jove, was Chirag a thorough questioner! I told him that he could be a part of the CIA with skills like those and he just shrugged me off with a laugh. He was such an engaging specimen, I swear! And throughout the next six hours, he kept giving me incentives like these about his plans with the company that got me studying. By the end of the day, my inquisitiveness actually made me complete the whole syllabus for Financial Management that would have taken me goodness knows how long to complete otherwise.

And from that day to the end of my exams, I've called Chirag over every day to help me study since I keep getting distracted so much otherwise. And the best thing? Whenever Chirag would be there with me, everything else would just flee away from my mind! All my attention would just be upon him whenever he was explaining a concept that I had trouble understanding or whenever he would give me tips on how to memorize a particular answer. And I'd retain everything of it just like that!

It was just like magic, I swear!

And in spite of all this, Chirag and I have practically had the time for everything in between - fighting for pizzas, ogling at each other, laughing on lame jokes, playing dumsharaas, arguing over how much he makes me study, and one fine day we even got into a pillow flight when he irritated me by constantly being on the phone and talking to some random girl who he wasn't even interested it! I know you'll call me jealous and all, but for the umpteenth time, I WASN'T JEALOUS! It was just distracting, that's all.

But well... I like feeling possessive about him like a mother hen looking out for an extremely foolish chick. He's naive; he doesn't know what girls like those are made of. Just because he's different, he expects everyone to be so. And well, he's a really, really nice guy, you know. I'd never be able to watch him get hurt by any girl like that. But he's never hearing about any of this because that'll just inflate his ego and give him another chance to take the mickey out of me.

Oh shit! I haven't called him up yet to tell him that we're going for a party for my results in the evening. Marines and then maybe we'll stop at the samosa wala's shop! I'm such an idiot - I called him up to tell him about my results (well, technically I called Ranveer up first but he didn't pick up so I dropped him a message and then called Chirag), but I forgot to tell him the main thing! Wait, I'll go do it right now because Maa and Papa are taking me out to dinner later tonight along with Disha. Might as well give Chirag his overdue party for being such a superb teacher! I'm definitely going to do my CAT studies with him only.

Honestly, I could not have felt more blessed with Chirag being an inseparable part of my life.

---

Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D

Next chapter:
Epistle 89

LadyMeringue2016-12-06 23:45:54