Chapter 37
A/N: Hey there everyone! :D :D Here is the next update! :D :D
Happy Reading! :D :D
A buzz of conversation erupted in the room once Chirag was taken away, leaving behind an Ishaani who suddenly felt the events from the past few days take a toll upon her.
Everything was beginning to get overwhelming as the guests began to leave the hall, an incoherently mumbling Mr. Chauhan leading the winning bidders to the backroom where payments were due to be made. Rishi and Puneet quickly collected the diamonds from upon the floor and put them back into their safety pouch before taking it along with them rather reluctantly when Ranveer signalled them to leave.
Until only Ranveer and Ishaani remained standing alone in the empty hall.
Neither of them had the energy to say anything as they stared at each other, suddenly devoid of emotions. Everything had bled away in those heated minutes of hatred and angst, leaving behind in its wake a stretching emptiness that neither knew how to fill. Ranveer inched closer to Ishaani but brought his steps to a halt when her eyes narrowed at him in plea.
"I need to be alone for some time right now. Please," she requested, her voice hoarse.
Ranveer shook his head, still under the influence of the shock of the intense emotions he'd let loose a few minutes ago, the strength of which had knocked off his senses and had worn out all of his energy. He looked conflicted but nodded his head nonetheless as he made his way out from the gallery, leaving Ishaani standing all along right in the center of the hall, the dome overhead now reflecting the noon light upon her directly.
It was over.
Eight years' worth of pain, five years' worth of planning, plotting and executing her plan of revenge with every ounce of skill, cunning and resourcefulness that she could muster as she ignited within her the flame of revenge... It had all come to an end in just a moment. A moment's worth of triumph, and then there was nothing. Just stretches of emptiness and silence as the game of chess ended with the Queen the ultimate one to checkmate the King at the opposite end.
It was over.
And through the dead silence of the gallery echoed the longest cry of gut-wrenching agony as Ishaani finally crumbled to her knees, feeling the flame of her revenge and never-ending suffering finally extinguish, leaving her soul burnt, barren and lifeless. She let the tears cascade down her face unabashedly, not bothering to wipe them away anymore as it made her aware about the pain that she was trying to bleed out and extract from her heart once and for all. But even through the haze of it, she found the will to rid herself of the pain trickle away, leaving her with the urge to simple succumb.
She'd reached a cul-de-sac.
-x-
Ranveer made his way towards his car slowly, feeling the same inky darkness threaten to steal him away from the world of consciousness as he felt his knees wobble even though he fought valiantly to remain awake. And yet he found the same lifelessness and hollowness threaten to engulf him as he felt the will to fight drain away within him. This morning, pain had felt like a disconnected concept. But now that he knew what Ishaani was going through, pain only seemed to latch on to him stronger than ever.
But it wasn't his pain this time; it was hers.
Knowing that nothing would work on Ishaani except for some alone time, Ranveer revved the car up and drove away from the gallery. He wondered what life had in store for him now that Chirag had finally been carted away to jail for what summed up to be non-bailable offenses as Mehta & Sons Co.'s past records involved not one, but several cases of the same. And just the thought of Chirag's name brought back the same demented anger, his senses swarmed by the urge to destroy anything and everything that came along his path.
The car suddenly came to an abrupt halt, managing to snap him out of his reverie. Ranveer didn't realize how he'd managed to drive to the forest that quickly and without even consciously doing so, but then again he couldn't understand anything. His body seemed to be functioning of its own accord. And yet, he could feel the same pain course through his veins that he knew he had to get rid off once and for all so that he could accommodate her own pain in return.
Stepping away from the car, Ranveer took a deep breath before beginning his journey towards his heaven in the same never-ending run, pushing through the thickets of branches and leaves. He ran harder and faster, feeling his lungs set on fire when he could no longer draw in sufficient breath. But he knew that he couldn't stop, not until he reached the crevice even though his legs now felt like they'd fall off if he tried running any faster. And just when Ranveer felt like he'd explode in a fit of pain, his feet came to a halt at the spot he'd now come to call his heaven upon earth.
He knelt before the Almighty upon the rocks, shutting his eyes in prayer as he continued to breathe erratically. The splashing of the water in the distance cracked his restraint as tears openly left his eyes with eight years' worth of pain, feeling it twist his heart with an agony that was his own even though it wasn't. The woman in who he saw his God in was in pain, he knew. His soul ached in the agony of what he knew her soul was being subjected to and he had to save her from it, no matter what. And so he begged to God to give him all her share of pain instead.
He'd been unaware about her pain then, but not anymore.
She was never capable of bearing pain on her own because he'd been the one always bearing it on her behalf ever since they were kids. And Ranveer knew that after living a lifetime filled with insurmountable pain, he could bear all of her pain for her once again. Because that's what he was made for - to walk the fire for her every single time with a smile upon his face, her happiness being the balm upon his own aching wounds.
And that's what he knew he was supposed to do tonight - make her pain his own.
As he shut his eyes and let his fingers run through his hair in despair, he drew out the longest cry of agony containing a lifetimes' worth of aching wounds and pain, knowing that he'd not reached a cul-de-sac yet. And he wouldn't. Not until he healed Ishaani with every last bit of love he had remaining and could muster in his bleeding heart and bruised soul. It wasn't going to be an easy job, not any more for her than it was for him. He was nowhere close enough to taking the leap with his wounds still bleeding fresh, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't try. He wasn't going to give up without a fight; he never had when it came to Ishaani.
And that's why, he was going to be there with her to the end of the line.
-x-
Ishaani stood in front of the mirror staring at her pallid face, eyeing the scalpel in her grasp with conflict. She didn't know why her arms ached for the strike of the lethal scalpel tonight, wondering whether the faithful piece of metal could perhaps accomplish what it hadn't in all these years. She smiled at the scalpel as she shut her eyes, Ranveer's image floating into her mind instantly. He smiled at her the way he would all those years ago, the same love and life in his eyes that she'd so mercilessly sapped of him.
She tried feeling the touch of his lips upon hers, the slither of his fingers that ran so gently upon her face and through her hair even though his embraces remained firm as though protecting her away from the world by hiding her away in his arms. She tried recollecting his scent as she felt the scalpel tremble in her grip, his scent that so reminded her of lemon and honey - dark, thick and sweet with hints of vanilla and patchouli rose that was so Ranveer. There was an earthiness about it that took her back to the essence of petrichor and her love for it.
And even as she recollected all the three times that they'd kissed, every experience being different as it only got deeper and more intense, Ishaani knew that no matter what she said, Ranveer had been right all along - the fire of her revenge would eventually take her down along with Chirag. She opened her eyes that had now turned red, letting a couple of tears betray down her cheeks as she saw herself truly for the first time after turning into Miss Parekh.
The scars were all still there, she realized. And so was the gaping hole in her heart. The revenge had filled the void with fire but now that it had been extinguished, the hole was visible to her, darker than ever. She felt the soft metal touch upon her skin uncertainly when a voice from behind caught her attention, the scalpel in her grasp still unstained.
"Don't do it."
Ishaani looked up into the mirror to see Ranveer leaning against the doorpost of the washroom, looking just as tired as she felt. His tie hung around his neck loosely, the first two buttons of his shirt now open devoid of his vest and blazer. His hands remained casually in his pockets as though he was discussing a trivial matter even though his eyes never once left her own.
A clink in the basin behind drew his attention towards the source of the sound; Ishaani had thrown the scalpel into it without a fight. Ranveer stared at her worriedly as he entered the washroom and shut the door behind him, inching closer and pulling her arms ahead to see whether she'd hurt herself. She smiled ruefully the moment his features relaxed.
"It won't make a difference. It cannot fill the void anymore."
"You don't have to put yourself through this. You've never been able to fight pain in solitude. Let me help you, please," whispered Ranveer, cupping her cheek gently. Ishaani pushed his hands away.
She walked towards the shower glass wondering what twisted game was fate playing with them when she suddenly shivered, sensing Ranveer trace her footsteps. He turned her around and pinned her arm behind her back with his thumb, the intensity of his gaze robbing Ishaani of all defense. This was the only way she'd ever listen to him even as a kid.
Ishaani didn't bother wiping her tears sway as they fell upon her maroon nightie, feeling vulnerable without the chain around her neck that would always remind her of what she had to win back. Instead, she felt the uncharacteristically cold air tickle her neckline that was prominent under the V-neck of her sleeveless attire falling short upon her knees, leaving her yearning for an unspoken of solace.
"Unless you can take away all of my scars and make my heart and soul as good as new... Unless you can take away the guilt that won't fall away no matter what I do... Unless you can fill the void in my heart and my life, no... you cannot help me," she whispered hoarsely.
Ranveer sighed, the sudden softness in his eyes captivating her attention.
"Then cling on to hope if you can't let go," was all he whispered in return, knowing that she would not let him help her until he convinced her otherwise. And he knew the only way he would be able to do so as he bravely lessened the distance between them, leaving Ishaani bewildered. He had to bring her pain to the brim if he had to take it all away tonight.
"Is that what you're doing right now?" asked Ishaani as she retracted behind, unable to fathom what was going on in Ranveer's mind. The brown of his eyes sparkled dimly in the light of the washroom, leaving her mesmerized.
"No, I'm going to do everything you just said I can't."
Ranveer covered the distance between them just as Ishaani hit the glass behind, staring at him in anticipation. She bit her lower lip as Ranveer held her gaze, letting her dive into the warmth of his chocolate orbs that no longer remained lifeless, the power of love in them rendering her speechless. Ishaani continued to stare at Ranveer feeling the same maddening tension mounting between them as his face inched closer, their breaths ceasing even though she found herself incapable of the wait.
She wanted his lips upon her own - caressing her, tasting her, loving her, and creating a pool of passion within her while forgot all of her pains and lost herself in the depths of his love that she could now feel coursing through her own veins.
Ishaani shut her eyes the moment she felt Ranveer's nose brush against her own teasingly, his hands now trailing along the length of her bare arms until his fingers interlocked within her own. She could feel herself sandwiched between the cold glass and his warm body as Ranveer gently pulled her hands apart on either side, his lips brushing against her own ever so slightly. Ishaani felt a wave of goosebumps break loose upon her skin, arching ahead to pull his lips onto her own in spite of herself.
When she felt capable of exploding with the painful wait, she felt Ranveer's lips meet her in a slow, heated lock while she tried to wrestle her hands out from his grip, moaning in spite of herself. She yearned to circle her arms around his neck and drown herself in his embrace, the satisfaction of which he somehow didn't let her have.
Even before she could kiss him back he withdrew his lips away abruptly, leaving her disoriented. Her head arched upwards in want of his lips back upon her now-trembling ones, his lips giving her a sense of belonging. And yet she didn't dare to open her eyes, afraid of what she might find; of what she feared - him walking away from her. So she did the only thing that she could against his lean yet powerful form, longing for more now that she'd had a taste of him.
"Ranveer..."
Another plea and several moments later did Ranveer's lips return her own once again in a longer, arousing lock that left Ishaani swinging in a limbo between two worlds where only one name remained common. No sooner had Ishaani's lips parted to take his name in dark desire when Ranveer let his tongue unravel itself in her mouth, tasting every inch of it with a graceful devour. Ishaani felt a thousand butterflies break loose in her stomach as she ached to clench hold of something, her hands still firmly in his grip when he sucked her lower lip salaciously. She lost her will to fight against him.
She yearned of him to fill the void in her heart and make her whole tonight.
She longed for him to take away her unbearable pain and free her of everything tonight.
She urged of him to take her into his warm, forgiving embrace and love her like never before tonight.
Even before she could reciprocate or make sense of what was happening, Ranveer parted away for the second time that night, leaving Ishaani gasping for breath. Shr felt the cold rush of air whip her face after the summer-like warmth of his breath, the sunlight of his love no longer warming her barren, cold heart. And with the cold air returned the same sickening pain that she so wished she wouldn't feel anymore, knowing in that moment that Ranveer had been right.
He was the only one who could help her now.
And yet there was something about the air around her that had changed - a powerful gush of passion that drove her senses berserk as she could still feel herself pinned. She didn't open her eyes but tried to feel Ranveer's essence instead, using it to fill the void in her heart as she whispered louder and hoarser for him this time.
"Take away my pain... Take it away all... Please..."
But unlike the previous time, Ranveer didn't claim her lips with the momentum-driven swoop. She felt his cheek press against her own, his stubble providing a prickling comfort as he trailed soft kisses along her eyelids and cheekbone, tormenting her until she felt her pain explode within seconds. She could feel the pain begin to suffocate her when she no longer felt the warmth of his face against her own, the pain going beyond her control as she felt it brim to the surface, ready to spill out and make her bleed to death at a minute's notice.
And just when she lost sense of surrounding and hope that she'd ever be saved from the tantamount agony, she felt Ranveer's lips crush upon hers as he let go of her fingers and pulled her arms around his neck at long last, letting his arms circle around her waist. She kissed him back for the first time that night with a strength that threw her into a new world of relief, the pain bleeding away naturally as she let her fingers run through his hair, relinquishing her hold upon him. Ranveer continued to take the lead, his lips meeting and parting against her own with an intimate connect that kept taking away her pain with every passing moment, the steadily lightening burden astounding.
Ranveer continued to kiss her with a slow, heated flame that made Ishaani's head empty away dizzyingly of everything except for the moment she was now living every second of. She now clenched the back of his shirt and let her free hand run into his hair boldly while Ranveer's fingers ran upon the column of her neck and forced her lips apart even more. But it was only when she felt Ranveer hoist her into the air against the glass did she realize that the best was yet to come.
Taking a detour, Ranveer's lips trailed from beyond her own and headed down daringly upon her neck in a trail of elongated, heated kisses that didn't lose pace even once. Ishaani felt herself get hoisted higher when Ranveer's lips trailed wet, passionate nips along her collarbone, the pads of her thumb running along his Adam's apple thag forced a deep grunt from him. The vibration of his baritone into her skin made her head arch behind, her body erupting into a fit of goosebumps the moment his lips dared to trail lower.
Even before she could grasp what was happening or control her erratic breathing at the sparks of passion that were flying around, Ranveer's lips strayed away in the same slow trail until they adeptly found the crux of her neck, his face nestling into the crevice of her shoulder. All she found herself capable of doing was to call out his name in a whisper that only made Ranveer intensify his kisses upon what he realized was now her weak spot, his lips working with a finesse and expertise that left her to his mercy.
Ishaani felt a new explosion of emotions claim her in its entirety as her legs circled around his waist, drowning in the heat of a passion she'd never felt before while Ranveer's lips lightly sucked upon the hot flesh, sending her into a world where pain had nearly drawn to an end. Forcing his head away from upon her neck as her lips craved for the same attention, Ishaani captured his lips with her own that made her stomach continue to feel the same prickles of excitement as his fingers tenderly trailed across her face and into her hair.
Ranveer gently set her upon the floor as his arms circled around her waist once again, hitting the decrescendo of their heated moment with the series of gentle pecks as the need for air grew stronger. Ishaani let her head fall upon his chest as Ranveer's fingers trailed upon her cheeks, brushing away the tears that she didn't even know existed in the first place. She sighed tiredly, taking in his warm scent.
Ishaani finally opened her eyes to find the brown of his gaze staring at her in reverence, a dazed smile upon his face that broadened like the breaking of the most beautiful of dawns. It was the closest he'd come to smiling like his old self, the sight of which made the remnants of the pain fade away from her heart with every passing moment. She felt like an entirely different person as they finally separated, wondering how Ranveer had done what he'd managed to do - infuse into her the hope and will to fight again while he took away her pain.
The void still remained but devoid of any pain, already reduced a little by the love she felt in her heart by the way he'd kissed her and touched her tonight. There was no pain anymore. Just her unquenchable thirst of love that was beginning to get fulfilled for the first time in eight years, something that Chirag could never give her even in the thick of his manipulation. Ranveer planted a soft kiss upon her forehead as Ishaani took his hand into her own, their eyes speaking everything that remained unsaid between them. Neither of them were completely able to recover from the sheer beauty and bliss of the moment.
"Come with me. I want to show you something," she spoke at long last when she regained her breath, leading Ranveer out from the washroom, who followed her lead without questioning her even once. The two of them walked silently, still revelling in the power of the blazing moment they'd just shared. Their feet quickly trailed down the stairs as Ishaani continued to walk, taking a left against the main door that led towards-
"The servants' quarters?" asked Ranveer, confused at what she had in mind as she finally came to a halt right in front of what used to be his room once upon a time. Ishaaani swung off the bunch of keys from the hook beside the room and handed them over to Ranveer.
"Here," she whispered as she put the bunch upon his palm with a coy smile. When he looked puzzled, she gestured towards the door once again.
"Go on, open it."
Ranveer looked bewildered but pushed the correct key into the lock and clicked it open, giving the door a nudge before entering the room. A gasp of shock left his lips as Ishaani came to stand beside him, watching his expression with greed. Ranveer didn't know where he was standing for a minute as he stared around the room in fearful reverence, watching his entire past dance in front of his eyes that now remained etched upon the walls in a running succession of paintings starting from the moment they'd first met each other to their farewell at the airport.
-x-
Ranveer felt the breath hitch in his chest as he walked around the room, his fingers trailing upon the walls while reliving his entire childhood in the span of those few minutes until his fingers landed upon the biggest painting in the room - the night where he'd found his life back in her arms as he'd let gone like Love had asked him to. He felt a lump rise in his throat at the sheer purity and breathtaking beauty of the paintings as he continued the journey in silence, his eyes letting go of the nostalgia his heart felt heavy under.
As Ranveer let his finger trail away from the moment of their farewell upon the airport, he turned to the crevice of the two walls on the right of the room to see two more paintings - one of him staring away at something in the distance upon the beach in a chic black suit that captured the look of his present day, while the painting adjacent to it signified what he was looking away at - Ishaani, sitting at the horizon. His own painting with the same ornate framing around it whose calligraphy gave away their story.
He turned behind to look at Ishaani, who in turn continued to look at him with the same love in her eyes as she covered the distance between them. She let him pull her into his embrace, burying his face into the crux of her neck as he silently let the tears of love and gratitude flow away, humbled by what she'd given him in that moment. It mysteriously took away the pain that he'd been harbouring on Ishaani's behalf as the moonlight entered the room, illuminating the grace with which their past was blown upon the canvas.
"Happy birthday, one week late," whispered Ishaani as they separated from the embrace, wiping away the tears from upon his face while he did the same.
"Or 359 days early," countered Ranveer, giving her a small smile as he kissed her forehead, unable to express any better how much it meant to him and how humbled it made him feel as he continued to look around the room in awe.
"Shouldn't it be 358?" asked Ishaani, looking at him curiously. He chuckled softly.
"It's a leap year next."
"So, how did you like it?" she asked rather childishly as she continued to stare at Ranveer, who in turn was unable to take away his eyes away from upon her coal orbs that sparkled so brilliantly in the moonlight. He kissed the button of her nose before replying.
"It's extraordinary. It's- it's the most precious and beautiful thing I've ever seen. Did you make this all on your own?" he asked and she smiled radiantly, letting her arms circle around his neck as she enjoyed his warmth after years of barren solitude. She sighed softly before plunging into speech.
"When you left for Sydney eight years ago, I had a low phase on a tenterhooks of a depression. It was during then that I took to painting like this. So I decided to make a story out of it - our story in twenty-nine works in total ending with where I hoped to see you in life. I completed twenty-eight of them in three months of intense, manic painting. Poor Maa and Papa were so afraid for my mental well-being. I decided to gift them to you when you'd come back to Mumbai, but well... The last painting I completed the day I was officially divorced from Chirag. Also the same night I embraced the scalpel for the second time, the first time being the on the night we separated. But you already know about that now, don't you?" she asked suddenly, while Ranveer smiled sheepishly.
So she knew about the psych evaluation, he mused.
His silence was an answer she had known, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered to them that night except each other. And even before he could say anything, the softest clinks from somewhere distant snapped them out of their reverie as they stared towards the window to see a pair of coloured wind-chimes hanging from it, singing softly at the allure of the moment. Ranveer gasped when he realized that they were the same wind-chimes that he'd gifted Ishaani before leaving for Sydney.
"I kept them in the room to keep your essence alive. Every time I open the door to this room, the chimes tinkle with the caress of the wind, reminding me about your essence and all the memories latched with it. Just like you asked me to keep you alive in your absence," explained Ishaani while Ranveer wiped clean the fresh tear that left her eye. He looked towards the other barricaded window, puzzled.
"What have you made of the other window?" he asked, and Ishaani smiled.
She took his hand into her as she brought him near the window in question, pulling it open. Ranveer stared on, astonished as it opened to reveal a cavity in the wall. It held the blueprint of everything she'd done with association to her revenge upon Chirag, every tiny detail mapped upon it with such intricacy that it left him speechless.
"Sometimes, I forget how long you've lived with this for," he whispered as held her hand in his own tightly, assuring her of a presence he knew she needed to be assured of.
She remained silent as she continued to stare at it, a strange look upon her face as she still couldn't fathom her feelings upon a revenge that no longer existed. It was a story of the past now. Knowing that he needed to bring her out of her reverie before she could recreate the world of pain that he'd just rescued her from, Ranveer decided to change the topic.
"They look life-like. Like it's a professional artist giving this a shot," he remarked with fascination as Ishaani turned to look at him, amused. She knew that he was trying to change the topic, and like always she let him get away with it even this time.
"I had half of the photos that you'd left behind for more accuracy," she replied and Ranveer nodded his head.
"Yet none of the paintings here were captured in photos. They've all been done from memory. How did you know how I looked?" he asked, suddenly remembering that she didn't know what he looked like for RV didn't have a face in the media. She smiled rather sheepishly, clearly embarrassed with what she was about to confess.
"I got this from the memory of the nightmare. It's... pretty clear in my head," she ended rather awkwardly as the images floated back into her mind in spite of herself.
She hissed as Ranveer pulled her into his arms, pensive about how the thought of the nightmare bothered her the same way till this date like it did ten years ago. Kissing the crown of her head softly, Ranveer waited patiently until Ishaani looked up, her eyes never once leaving his own as they promised her of a life that was beginning to take birth in them again.
"I see that you've smartly assembled the two paintings - your last one and my own. It looks like I'm staring at you, who in turn is staring at the horizon. It's the same sunset, you've just sketched who's looking at you that way," whispered Ranveer astutely as he stared at the two paintings in front of him, wondering from where Ishaani brought out so much creativity.
"I want this for us. I want us to meet at the horizon," she replied softly as she looked up at him, the plea in her eyes not going amiss as he gave her a pensive look. He was unwilling to think about the future for it brought back the sharp pangs of excruciating agony about the past as he saw his future crash around his feet in a single stroke. Turning his mind away from it with great difficulty, he looked at the painting and spoke with fondness.
"You got the original."
Ishaani looked at the painting and smiled.
"When Chirag cleaned the house of all the paintings and put the house up for mortgage, he took away this as well. He didn't know that you'd made this and you hadn't mentioned it in your book either as I found out later. I'd told Chirag as a joke that this was the most precious painting in the house made by an amateur artist by the name of-"
"-Samuel Palmer. The description Mr. Chauhan gave today," completed Ranveer with a nostalgic smile upon his face as he recollected her possessiveness and passion for his painting. He remembered all the moments that she'd tell him how she'd turn the world upside down and make the land and sky one if something ever happened to it. But he also couldn't help but notice how Ishaani had never trusted Chirag fully in spite of his manipulations and it was an oddly satisfying feeling.
Ishaani continued.
"Yes. I'd warned him back when he'd once asked me how much I loved the painting that I'd tear the world upside down and split him limb for limb if he did anything to it, but it was obviously a joke that I thought he was playing on me. Apparently not. He meant what he asked; I meant what I replied. As years went by, I got into a mutual understanding with Mr. Chauhan as Chirag kept selling the paintings in the market from time to time. I asked him to buy them from Chirag and keep them safe until I was that financially able to buy them all from him. Mr. Chauhan owed Papa a lot of favours that he even did so. I stuck true to my promise."
"You bought them all?" asked Ranveer, knowing extremely well how expensive they all were. Ishaani nodded her head, the pride in her eyes evident as Ranveer rubbed soft circles upon her cheek.
"Yes, I did. One month ago, Chirag contacted Mr. Chauhan about the last and most precious painting in his collection, the painting I'd been waiting so desperately for. Mr. Chauhan contacted me about it and it was then that I conceived the whole plan. Obviously I hadn't planned about the diamond consignment fiasco merging with this, but like always, you gave me the foolproof edge. So, I promised Mr. Chauhan that I'd buy his art gallery and save him from the debt if he let me go ahead with my art exhibition drama."
"And he swapped the paintings for you in the morning itself, I'm guessing," added Ranveer, and Ishaani nodded her head.
"Yes, I told him to get the original back into the dickey of my car while I gave him a fake with the diamonds in the frame even though he didn't know about it, like you must have figured," she added and Ranveer smiled in spite of himself.
"That reeked of clichd drama, but it was extraordinary, the effect. That was some heck of a planning that you've done, Ishaani. Both with the diamond consignment as well as the art exhibition," he commended and Ishaani blushed, the moonlight adding to the glow upon her face.
"It wouldn't have been possible without you. If you wouldn't have done what you did to save me and the consignment both, none of this would have been possible," she replied sincerely, noticing the way his eyes now sparkled brilliantly in the moonlight, the brown of them enticing her to go back upon the moment they'd had some time ago. It was something she was going to cherish for a long time.
Ranveer's voice snapped her out of her reverie as she flushed.
"I have a question though. Apart from your motive regarding Chirag, you could have simply bought the painting and outbid him at it. It would have killed him just the same. Why go through so much trouble?" he asked, his eyes curiously boring into her own in anticipation as the question wouldn't leave his mind ever since he'd first seen the original painting upon the wall. Ishaani sighed, looking at him as though it was the most obvious answer in the world.
"Because bidding for that painting would have meant giving it a price. And that would've been an insult to the painting because giving it a price would mean giving your love and loyalty a price... giving our story a price. And it's something I could never let happen because the truth is, it's priceless."
Ranveer stared at Ishaani with newfound love and respect, words failing him as the weight of them choked the breath of out him. He felt his eyes prickle in spite of himself as he caressed her cheek lovingly.
"How can you love me so much, Ishaani?" he asked at long last, his voice barely rising above a quiet whisper as their faces now remained inches from each other's.
"I can never love you the way you love me, Ranveer for your love belongs to a different realm. All I'm doing is making up for lost time between us," she whispered as the gap eliminated between them.
Ishaani pulling Ranveer by his tie as she captured his lips by her own, feeling the same tension mount between them even though there was a gentility and tenderness this time that felt just as warm and welcome. Ishaani let her hand run upon his chest while his trailed along her back, Ranveer letting himself get lost in the essence of her touch. The powerful scent of vanilla captivated his fancy as he tasted off the peach from upon her lips while her hands ran helter-skelter into his hair, her lips mapping his own religiously.
"Whatever happened to my orthodox Ishaani who hated a boy even holding her hand as a teenager?" asked Ranveer once they separated from the kiss, the want of air forcing them apart. Ishaani couldn't help but notice how incredibly seductive he looked as bangs of his hair fell upon his forehead messily, her fingers having messed them up even more as they kept running through his hair feverishly.
"It's you. You've always been an exception to the rule," was all she replied as Ranveer smiled, remembering all the times that she'd tell him this as a kid. Ishaani noticed the coy look upon his face and continued. "And for someone pointing fingers at me, you are the same boy who took me out on the best date of my life and yet didn't dare to call it a date, or even kiss me when he wanted to."
"Ranveer could never dare because of his social status. RV can dare now because he's created one for himself," he whispered after some time, his eyes darting away from upon her face for the first time that day. Ishaani forced his chin up and gave him a lingering peck upon his lips before speaking softly.
"Then it's about time that you leave RV back in the stock markets and let Ranveer shed that past behind and begin to dare as well. Because it's Ranveer that I've been looking for all along."
-x-
Ranveer and Ishaani lay upon the floor of the terrace staring at the moon, the raging storms in their minds now beginning to calm as they remained in each other's satiating embrace, the stars shining with tranquility. Nothing else needed to be spoken for tonight as they gazed at the stars in silence, their slow, even breathing providing the other with a solace they hadn't felt in ages - the solace of companionship.
It was for the first time in years that Ranveer and Ishaani remained silent during stargazing. His tears were silently soaked away as they fell upon the crown of her head while hers were soaked into his shirt, just like the last time they'd slept together on the terrace before parting ways for the worst to enter their lives. That had been the last night they'd slept in peace before their life had turned upside down forever, nothing being the same ever since.
That was the last night they'd been whole until tonight, where the broken pieces of their hearts and souls connected perfectly against the other's and made them whole once again.
Ishaani yawned softly as she snuggled closer to Ranveer, throwing her arms around his torso. It was after an eternity of pain that they was seeking this kind of peace in each other's arms underneath the stars. And it was after an eternity of suffering that they were staring at the stars as a reflection of their old selves for what lay ahead, they still didn't know. All they had was the solace of the present and the memories of their untarnished past to lead them through the night.
Time passed on as the night threw a blanket of sleep upon the two troubled souls, the stars and moon dimming their glow in fear of waking them up. It was after an eternity of brokenness that they were together as one. Their life in those eight years had been shrouded with the cruel battles of the world that the two fragile hearts were forced to combat with every bit of energy they had. They had given their due to the world. They had embarked upon the journey towards their grandeur-filled destiny that was written for both of them in star-studded words.
They had created a mark for themselves in this meaningless world.
But for now, they were going to need all the sleep for it was after an eternity of hopelessness that they were going to sleep with the comfort of knowing that they had each other even though they were no longer those two whole and undamaged people whose hearts and souls were still so pure. They were two people who'd paid heavily a price for the basking glow of those glorious, fantasy-filled dreams, their sanity barely intact as life slapped them ruthlessly with reality.
The stars and the moon glowed lovingly at the two souls as they shut their eyes softly, trying to heal the wounds of a lifetime in the other's arms while they used the remnants of the other's essence to lessen their pain and draw back their strength. They both needed some respite before they going back to the world of the cold and ruthless, ready to fight the battle of survival once again. But for the first time, Ranveer and Ishaani let go of RV and Miss Parekh willingly even though they kept their alter-egos close to them in fear of losing their sanity for RV and Miss Parekh were incapable of feeling the human weakness of pain.
The pain would only lessen if Ranveer and Ishaani let go of it eventually, they knew. And as the stars twinkled at the two of them while the moon glowed stronger, the universe knew that it was not the end to their story. There was yet a lot to come in the next few days as they now embarked on the journey of recovery. But for tonight, they deserved every bit of comfort that they'd been deprived of as they set out upon different paths, hoping to meet each other at the horizon at the end. But were they really going to meet at the end, the Universe wondered as it stared at the two tired souls craving for the essence of the other.
Perhaps it was a question for another day.
Planting a soft kiss upon Ishaani's temple, Ranveer shut his eyes and let the thoughts slip away from his mind, finding the warmth of the darkness ready to embrace him for the first time in all those years. Ishaani, in turn, kissed the arc of his jaw as she shut her eyes alongside, too tired to think any further as she found her thoughts spiral out of hand until they disappeared amidst the mists of sleep.
For the first time in years, Ranveer didn't need alcohol to keep him awake to chase perfection. For the first time in years, Ishaani didn't need the scalpel to chase perfection either. They'd both found their perfection in each other's imperfections.
And that was the best sleep they'd had in years.
Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D
Next chapter:
Chapter 14
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