Chapter 14: The Old Flame

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

Note: I have my exams coming up from this Monday so the updates are definitely going to lag in the next ten days, so sorry in advance and I hope that you guys can put up with it. :) :)

Not keeping y'all any longer,

Happy Reading! :D :D

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The rays of dawn cracked across the horizon warmly, falling upon Ishaani's face. She, in turn, nestled her head into the shade as she tried to protect herself from the offending light, cursing her luck mentally when she realized that the light had broken her sleep anyway. Snuggling into her overly comfortable pillow, she contemplated upon whether or not she wanted to wake up, sleep still clouding her senses until her pillow magically pulled her into a soft embrace. And that's when her eyes snapped open.

She looked around the place to realize that she was asleep upon the terrace, her pillow in question being Ranveer's chest while his arms had now circled around her. She noticed that he was still deep in sleep, a sweet smile plastered upon his face as he remained lost in the world of slumber. Ishaani bent below and gently kissed the bridge of his nose. Her long strands of hair fell upon his face gently that made his eyes twitch, opening slightly at the brush of her lips against his own. The bewilderment upon his face quickly relaxed into a broad smile that almost matched the older self's smile as the dawn broke across the sky with the same depth that his smile did upon his face sleepily.

Ishaani felt her heart flutter, her eyes growing dewy in spite of herself as she kissed his temple lovingly.

"You are indeed the most adorable thing when you're asleep," she whispered, eagerly drinking in his sight as he yawned softly, his hair messy as locks of them fell upon his forehead rather disobediently. She chuckled softly, feeling her heart bask in the glow of love she felt for the man in front of her.

"Shh, go to sleep again. It's alright, I was just checking up on you," she continued in the same soft whisper as Ranveer shut his eyes tiredly, mumbling something inaudible in his sleep. Ishaani planted a kiss upon both his eyelids as she let her fingers stroke his cheek in a loving caress.

She gently slid out of his embrace as she stretched her arms and stood up rather clumsily, suddenly missing the warmth of his embrace even though the air was pleasant enough. Her eyes travelled back to Ranveer's sleeping form as he now turned upon his stomach and let his arms dangle around him just like old times, sprawled upon the blanket beneath him as his head remained cushioned over the pillow. Ishaani sighed, unable to contain her smile anymore.

This was the sight she wanted to wake up to every single day for the rest of her life.

-x-

Ranveer opened his eyes softly as he took in a meditative breath, looking at the forget-me-not sky like a child intrigued before pushing himself up into a sitting position, wondering where he was. There was a strange peace in his heart as he looked around the place, remembering all the times he'd star-gazed with Ishaani and held her fingers within his own. He'd only ever fallen asleep with her in the outdoors twice - once in Manali and the other time being their last night together before he left for Sydney.

There had always been the fear should they be caught, his mind always pondering upon the consequences of crossing the boundaries of loyalty for love. And yet it was for the first time in all those years that Ranveer had truly slept in all glory of peace, in the arms of the only woman he'd ever dared to give his heart and soul to. They now thrived in the pulsating power of love, pushing everything else aside as they only yearned for one thing - each other.

Ranveer snapped out of his thoughts when Ishaani came and sat in front of him out of nowhere, looking radiant in a daffodil-coloured dress that flowed freely. His expression softened automatically as he took in her appearance, dazed for a moment as though in wonder of whether it was the truth or some twisted form of a dream. Ishaani seemed to read his thoughts through his eyes.

"I'm here," she whispered and Ranveer smiled sheepishly, sitting cross-legged now while Ishaani did the same. Both of them stared at each other contentedly as Ishaani took Ranveer's hand in her own, rubbing circles upon the back of his palm.

"Had a nice sleep?"

"The best," replied Ranveer honestly, wondering what had suddenly hit him until it struck him. It was nearly after six and a half years that he found himself getting re-introduced to a concept he'd long since forgotten about - happiness. And yet somehow, it did not frighten him anymore as he enjoyed the light that life was finally beginning to shower upon him. The darkness was dispelling slowly, letting the light cascade into his life and into his heart with a new warmth.

"Me too. Go get freshened up now, and meet me at the breakfast table," whispered Ishaani as she stood up, pulling along a sleepy Ranveer who looked sluggish upon his feet while they still held hands. Ranveer looked at her, confused.

"But my clothes-"

"I've asked Finch to send over your suitcase since we'll be heading for the airport together by eight. The flight's at eleven. David has sent over our tickets as well along with the necessary documents that we'd require," informed Ishaani as Ranveer nodded his head, wondering how long before had Ishaani woken up in the first place, which in turn made him ponder upon-

"How long have I been asleep for?"

"Nine hours. It's eight thirty right now," replied Ishaani, enjoying the surprise reflect upon his face.

It was for the first time in eight years that Ranveer had managed to sleep for so long without either getting drunk or experiencing hypersomnia after episodes of insomnia. And he had to admit that sleep did have an intoxication of its own, something that he'd missed out on in all those years apart from the biggest joy of his life. But now that things were beginning to change, he found his resistance against it crumbling a little more with every passing day, basking currently in the glory of the fact that Ishaani had helped him sleep on his own finally, even though it was just one night.

It was now a two-way bridge, he knew. It wasn't just about him healing her and taking away her pain; it was about her doing the same as they learnt to stand upon their feet again with each other's help. Ranveer smiled to himself calmly as he now held Ishaani close to him and let her arms circle around his neck, sighing deeply. He suddenly wondered upon whether or not David had done what he'd instructed him to in terms of the bookings.

"I hope he's booked them one way," spoke out Ranveer after some time and Ishaani looked up, confused.

"He has. Why?"

"Because after London, I'm taking you with me to Sydney for four days, if you don't mind," replied Ranveer at long last, thinking upon whether or not to tell her the itinerary that he had in mind for the two of them for next ten days.

"No, I don't. Why though?" asked Ishaani, now intrigued as she saw him give her a coy smile.

"Because it's the third anniversary of our chain of resorts in Sydney and we're announcing the opening of the next one in Mumbai. So Finch and I have kept a small gathering of our most prized clienteles and close friends, and I'm extending an invitation to you for the same."

"I'd love to be a part of it. But there's another reason too, I'm assuming," she added shrewdly even though she had a goofy smile upon her face at the idea of Ranveer actually inviting her to spend some time with him at his place. She'd always been curious about the life he'd been leading in Sydney in all those years. And now that she finally had the chance to see it all for herself, she was not going to let go of it.

Ranveer, on the other hand, nodded his head, not surprised that she'd caught on to it. But he wanted to keep the second motive a surprise for now.

"Yes, but we'll get to that when the right time comes, which should be soon enough."

"We need to be back to Surat before the 29th since we need to authenticate the consignment should we get the contract. Rishi has made sure that both of our signatures are used for the authorization this time because the risk is manifold, which goes without saying," she added, hoping that Ranveer did remember that there was still a lot of work to be done yet. He nodded his head confidently.

"Don't worry, we'll be in Surat by then."

"And then there's the 30th. You'll authenticate the codes and leave back for Sydney," remarked Ishaani suddenly. 

She eyed Ranveer curiously, noticing immediately that the smile was wiped away from upon his face, leaving behind a pensive look. And with it, she got her response - he was beginning to get warmed up to the idea of a second chance but he hadn't still reached that point yet. She wasn't surprised. So she decided to change the subject for once instead.

"You do realize that we're both going to be doing some very insane amount of travelling in these ten days now, don't you?" she asked, and Ranveer gave her a grateful look, his silence speaking what she could sense his soul trembling in. She gave him a reassuring peck upon the cheek that left him slightly flushed for words before he regained his ability to speak.

"As long as what we set out to do is fulfilled, I don't see any problem. We're travelling first class anyway," he added and Ishaani chuckled, finally pulling herself out from his embrace as she couldn't resist the urge to do something that she hadn't done in years - ruffle his hair.

It made her heart swell with even more joy when she noticed how he enjoyed it, her mind going back to the days where this would often make his mood much better apart from their guilty pleasure of feasting upon their ever-favourite butterscotch ice-cream. And suddenly, she knew how she wanted to spend her day away from work today.

"Freshen up and get down quickly. There's one person I want you to meet before we leave for London."

-x-

Ranveer and Ishaani got down from the car as they stood in front of an age-old establishment with a somber aura about it that made Ranveer's heart sink a little more, his eyes falling upon the huge board titling it Teresa's Happy Old Age Home. The concept of old-age homes was something he could never digest even after its growing popularity, and the fact that Ishaani had brought him here out of all places left him bewildered.

"I've never seen the name of any establishment in such contradiction to it's environment," whispered Ranveer passively, more to himself than Ishaani. He wondered why she'd brought him here in the first place without telling him who exactly they were here to meet.

"Don't go by the looks. It's way warmer inside," replied Ishaani as she shrugged her shoulders, gesturing Ranveer to follow her lead. Their walk towards the building only seemed to drain Ranveer of his newfound happiness in his opinion.

"Is it really, when every person in this house lives with the pain of abandonment?" asked Ranveer, the bitterness in his voice evident as Ishaani stopped in her tracks right outside the door to the entrance. He was surprised to see the same bitterness reflect upon her face when he realized that she'd stopped walking. She simply sighed.

"Why don't I let you find that out for yourself?" replied Ishaani as they both entered the establishment, Ranveer now even more curious about what Ishaani was up to this time.

Ranveer's eyes immediately drew towards a group of old-aged people sitting and chatting in the garden, while another round of hawk-eyed ladies remained in the hall, gossiping about the recent break-up of an actor that quickly sparked into a discussion about live-in relationships. Some were accompanied by assistants who helped them around the place with their wheelchairs while some remained in their old world, lost in the reminisces of the good old days. Ranveer felt an uncomfortable twinge in his heart, not entirely sure what he was doing here still.

As the two of them rounded near the reception of the establishment, the warden happened to exit her office who, at the sight of Ishaani, let her face break into a huge smile. She quickly walked towards them and shook hands with Ishaani while Ranveer had to admit that the establishment certainly did look merrier from within than the exteriors.

"Miss Parekh! How good to see you! She was just remembering you the other day!" the warden exclaimed rather happily, and Ranveer couldn't help but wonder who the mysterious person was. Ishaani, in turn, gave the warden a small smile as she nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"Where is she?"

"In her room, praying," replied the warden. Ishaani nodded her head and was about to leave when she noticed the warden look at Ranveer rather keenly. She was intrigued by his presence, especially by the fact that he was too well-dressed in the dapper khakhi-coloured suit he'd donned on which definitely spelt a good financial background. Ishaani cleared her throat, extremely amused by the slight flush that'd suddenly crept up Ms. D'cunha's face and gave out a quick introduction.

"Ranveer, this is Ms. D'cunha, the warden of this establishment. Ms. D'cunha, this is Ranveer Vaghela, my best friend since childhood."

"Are you the ser-" began Ms. D'cunha on impulse, catching herself at the right time when Ishaani glared at her. Ranveer cocked his eyebrow, mystified at how she knew the kind of backing he came from as he got the gist of the word she'd almost accidentally let slip. Ms. D'cunha continued ogling at him, wondering whether he was the same man that the old woman would talk about for names were one thing she never forgot. And the man before her certainly bore no resemblance to the poor boy whose stories she'd often heard.

"I mean, she's mentioned you quite a few times," corrected Ms. D'cunha rather stickily as she shot Ranveer an apologetic look. Ishaani rolled her eyes at the warden before linking her arm within Ranveer's and giving it a tug.

"We'll take your leave then."

"It's nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Vaghela," greeted the warden as she gave Ranveer a warm handshake, who in turn couldn't help but feel awkward at the sudden turn of events. Ishaani nodded her head hastily as she dragged Ranveer towards a couple of steps, the two of them ascending them in silence.

"Wow, I'm that popular?" asked Ranveer once they reached the first landing, amused by the embarrassed look upon Ishaani's face as they began climbing the next pair of stairs. Ishaani groaned inwardly, knowing that he was going to ponder upon it for certain.

"She's an idiot, although extremely kind-hearted. I've been donating funds to this place for the last three years now. Ah, we're here," she remarked suddenly as they both came and stood in front of a door, Ranveer's curiosity now at a peak.

Ishaani swung the door open for Ranveer quietly as he entered the room, gasping in shock as he stared at the sight that met his eyes. There sat in front of his eyes Baa, her eyes shut in prayer as her head remained bowed in front of a small idol of Thakurji. Ranveer stared on as memories from his childhood danced in front of him, none of them too pleasant. He now took in the older woman's ageing features with a sudden burst of anxiety, suddenly feeling the faded wounds from many episodes with the whiplash begin to prickle upon his body.

Ranveer felt Ishaani give him a shove as he fell into the room, still reeling from the jolt of what met his eyes. If anyone would have told him that there would come a day when he'd find Hansaben Kothandas Parekh sitting all alone in an old-age home, he'd have certainly laughed at the person in question. And yet as he inched closer, he could see that she'd definitely aged a lot more in those six and a half years, looking frailer and now bearing more lines from the added age.

"Servant!" she shrieked in fright as her eyes flew open the moment she'd completed her pooja.

"Shreemati Hansaben Kothandas Parekh," replied Ranveer as he bent to touch her feet, wondering what it was about the old woman that made his heart go out to her suddenly. Perhaps it was the human look upon her features that were once studded with pride, arrogance and ego. It was something Ranveer had come to believe that he'd never see upon Baa's face for she was as incapable of humility as she was of compassion. And yet he could only see self-respect upon her face today that she wore with dignity.

"I didn't recognize you for a minute there," she added rather stiffly as Ishaani shut the door behind her, touching Baa's feet. She put her hand as blessings upon both of their heads as they sat upon the floor in front of her.

"Neither did I," replied Ranveer in spite of himself as Baa gave him a rueful smile, the implied meaning of his sentence not gone amiss by her. Instead, she cocked her eyebrow at him in question.

"Where have you been in all these years?"

"Sydney. Came here to fulfill Mota Babuji's legacy on Ishaani's call-" made Ranveer to clarify but Baa put an end to his flow of speech, giving him a nod of acknowledgment.

"I know all about it. She came to meet me three days ago, telling me about everything that you'd done," replied Baa as she pointed towards Ishaani, who in turn shrugged her shoulders at Ranveer when he looked at her in surprise.

"I wasn't aware that the two of you had grown so close," remarked Ranveer, feeling very amused suddenly. Baa and Ishaani were the last two people in the world he'd have ever believed of having a truce, and being an ally and well-wisher.

"Times change, Ranveer. Don't look so surprised, I remember your name still," added Baa when Ranveer gasped. 

It was a surprise to him that she actually did, even though he was more than certain that Ishaani must have spoken about him as well. But there was something in her eyes that stood true to her statement along with the softness behind the way she said it even though she tried to cover it up with her usual haughtiness. It was the humility of the fact that he'd touched her feet in spite of whatever had happened between them, realized Ranveer as he noticed her eyes fall a little lower, as though unable to meet his gaze entirely.

"Yes, the warden below made that evident enough."

"Why did you touch my feet? And what are you doing here? Trying to make me feel petty?" asked Baa suddenly as she leaned closer, trying to read his eyes while Ranveer smiled at her in return. Some things never changed, really - and the kind of thinking was one of them as well.

"I didn't know why Ishaani brought me over here up until this moment. But even if I did, I'd have come here because you're my Mota Babuji's mother, not to mock you," he replied slowly and watched with satisfaction as Baa looked a little lost for words, clearly not expecting the kind of response he did give her. She gave him a pensive look, her tone as stiff as always.

"Even after all those times that I insulted you and your family? Ishaani always tells me about your bigheartedness to forgive people and let bygones be bygones but I find that rather hard to believe, if I am to be honest," confessed Baa and Ranveer gasped in spite of himself.

There was an undercurrent in her tone that caught Ranveer's attention. He realized that Baa wasn't just talking about his nature in general, but was talking about his return and it's impact upon his equation with Ishaani, something that her shrewd eyes were on the watch out for. It was what experience brought along, realized Ranveer. And so he smiled, keeping his voice as even-toned as possible as he matched her wit.

"It's not that you don't realize the power of karma, because you do. And yes, my Mota Babuji was no less than God to me. So coming to meet you to take your blessings is what I'll do, no matter what."

"My son wasn't blindfolded, then. He knew what he was doing when he trusted you with his eyes closed," spoke aloud Baa after some time rather grudgingly. Ranveer couldn't help but stare at the older woman in disbelief, wondering whether it was indeed the same woman who was incapable of ever praising him except upon two occasions in his entire stay of working at the Parekh Mansion as a servant.

"Well, it certainly puts me at ease that there's no whip here," replied Ranveer rather cheekily as he felt Ishaani clutch at his arm in fright. Baa gave him a smirk as both of them were amused by Ishaani's reaction, neither of them now backing down anymore when it came to flaunting their verbal prowess.

"You've changed a lot, boy. But your habit to joke hasn't."

"I used to joke before to hide my poverty, Baa. I joke now to flaunt my riches," corrected Ranveer as he gave her a small smile, while she did the same. They were both coming to appreciate the experience of the absurd meeting as it brought along with it an unknown satisfaction to both the warring sides, while Ishaani watched on in silence, enjoying the match.

"Money brings the strength to face everything and everyone now, doesn't it?" asked Baa as she gave him a pointed look, and Ranveer knew that his judgment had been right. She was aware about the equation between Ishaani and him. The entire universe was, except the two of them.

"It does, except one thing - facing your past," replied Ranveer shrewdly and Baa smiled in spite of herself. It was the first time she'd ever actually smiled at him and Ranveer wondered whether it was actually happening for a minute.

"It was good seeing you after all these years. Drop in whenever you come here next."

"I will, for certain. It was good seeing you too, Baa," he replied as he stood up, and so did Ishaani. The meeting had gone way better than she'd expected it to. Baa stood up as well.

"I cannot ask you to forgive me for the countless cruelties that I've made you bear. But I pray to God that he continues blessing you the way he is. It takes extraordinary courage to reach where you are today. And I know the countless sacrifices my son had to make for the same. I see his exact same passion and spirit burn in your eyes, son. You remind me so much of him," she added as Ranveer touched her feet, putting her hand upon his head once again.

Ranveer straightened himself and took her hands in his own.

"Let it go, Baa. It was the cruelties at your hands that pushed me to want to achieve something in life so that I could break through the boundaries of being just a meagre, nameless servant in your palace. So I guess that I have to thank you just as much as I have to thank Mota Babuji. Because at the end of the day, you were the one who sparked that fire in me to go out there and conquer the world."

Baa looked astounded by his confession while Ishaani had a mirrored look upon her face. This was something she was completely unaware about when it came to how Ranveer perceived the more 'brutal' part of his childhood. Being the quicker of the two to recover from the weight of his statement, Baa gave him a thoughtful look as her voice projected the same haughtiness even though Ranveer was certain that he caught a glimpse of her eyes looking slightly dewy.

"You may have changed a lot in appearance, but you haven't changed a bit otherwise. You're still the same stupid boy who spoke of philosophies far beyond his reach."

"You haven't changed much either, and I'm glad that you haven't either. A docile Baa is something I'd never be able to digest," admitted Ranveer in yet another bout of daring as Baa gave him a challenging look.

"Mind that cheek, boy. Times change, but-"

"Human tendencies don't, I remember. I remember everything you've ever told me," he added and for once he wasn't sure himself whether it was meant as a compliment or no. He assumed that Baa couldn't as well when she finally turned her attention towards Ishaani, speaking to her for the first time since they entered the room.

"How did it all turn out then?"

"It's done, Baa. Chirag Mehta is in jail at long last," replied Ishaani, and the relish in her voice was something that didn't go amiss by either Baa or Ranveer. Both of them gave each other a look of identical understanding that surprised them just the same for they both knew that their perspective on what revenge did to a person had always been the same even when circumstances were different.

"And how do you feel?" asked Baa as she continued to stare at Ishaani with the same knowing look in her eye. And even though Ishaani didn't break eye contact with her, Ranveer noticed that she'd lost all the colour from upon her face. A long silence prevailed in the room as Ranveer felt the tension mount, Ishaani's silence not doing any good while Baa watched her calmly. Just when Ranveer felt that he couldn't take the silence anymore, Ishaani spoke out at long last.

"I think it's time we left, Baa. It's become rather late and we need to catch a flight as well. Once I return, I'll tell you all about it in length."

"Never wait for tomorrow, Ishaani. You don't know what it holds for you. I thought life had taught you that by now," spoke out Baa in a word of advice. The power of her statement caught both Ranveer and Ishaani's attention as the air around them was suddenly sultry with the unknown that awaited them. Ishaani gave Baa a guilty look before she sighed and gestured her to sit upon the bed.

"I guess you're right. Alright, we'll have lunch with you and then head back home. I can fill you in on how it all happened as well."

-x-

"That was something. Who would have ever thought that Baa could grow a heart?"

Ishaani, who was staring away at the basket in front of her, snapped her head in the direction of the voice to see Ranveer standing outside her room in a pair of denim jeans and a grey t-shirt along with a black blazer with his sleeves pulled up. The meeting with Baa had been rather interesting as they sat for lunch while Ishaani narrated all the incidents from the past few days. Baa was a very interactive audience as she 'oohed' and 'aahed' at the correct places, expressing her glee at the destruction of the one who had destroyed her son's empire while she showed fury at his shamelessness. But at the end of it, she didn't forget to commend both of them even though it was silently done under several more jibes and comments.

Ranveer and Ishaani bid her goodbye quickly as they promised to meet her soon, who in turn showed her gratitude to Ranveer for having come to meet her since her family certainly didn't care that much. Ranveer did feel rather sorry and angry alongside at the thought of the materialistic Parekhs', but he kept his mouth shut nonetheless when Ishaani gave him a look. Following their visit to the old-age home, the two of headed to the office to complete their pending paperwork before heading back home to freshen up and get ready.

Ranveer, who'd come to come to check upon Ishaani was surprised to find her staring upon something on the floor, looking rather pensive. Ishaani, on the other hand, shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as she signalled him to enter the room, her cayenne red blouse top and grey pantaloons a clear indication that she had entered into the Miss Parekh mode. Both of their suitcases and hand carriers remained waiting for them in Ranveer's car. Finch and David had already left by the afternoon flight.

"Well, I had to show you this wonder as well. Couldn't make you miss it for the life of it," remarked Ishaani as Ranveer inched closer to see what it was that Ishaani was staring at.

"What is that?"

"My past with Chirag. Photos, diaries... from the three years with him," she specified and Ranveer gave her an expressionless look even though his mind was beginning to buzz with dozens of possibilities about what she was up to. Her voice cut him out from his thoughts as she continued.

"You know what the funniest thing is? The first entry in the oldest of the three starts from the next day of your leaving for Sydney. I think I'd written the last entry of the previous one in your room, trying to capture your essence. It was just after I'd seen you off at the airport," she explained and Ranveer could easily see what she was grateful about - that Chirag's story began separately and not with any diary with his own memories in them.

"And so they're in the basket," remarked Ranveer as he noticed that her fingers were clenched around something, although whatever it was was clearly too small for it remained tucked away from his eyes safely.

"I don't want to keep anything related to Chirag anymore in my life. Neither the photos, nor the diary entries, nor the threat. Oh yes, he sent me one just the day before you'd come. With a bouquet of blue-purple orchids," she added when she saw Ranveer's face contort with rage at the mention of the threat. His face however, lost expression when she mentioned the bouquet for he could clearly see the dispassion with which she spoke about it. Ishaani continued.

"And that's why, I don't want to remember my past anymore. I want to burn it along with all of this," she added as Ranveer opened his mouth to speak but let her finish anyway. Ranveer sighed, giving her a deep look as he tried to see the gashes upon her soul while she let herself silently see the ones she'd given him without his knowledge. 

"Do you think it's that easy to forget a past like that, Ishaani? A past that's made you the person you are, a past that's engraved in your soul now?" sighed Ranveer at long last, giving her a quiet look as he sat upon the edge of the bed. Ishaani sat beside him, sighing.

"It isn't, no. But I'm going to give it every ounce of life I have in me to forget it."

"Don't give your life for it though, alright?" asked Ranveer of her suddenly as she looked up, clearly astonished with the power with which he'd said it. She could sense a strange fear in his voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You didn't answer Baa's question," countered Ranveer, not voicing his thoughts even though he could see that she understood what he was trying to imply. Ishaani gave him a furtive look.

"And I won't, even now."

Ranveer remained silent as Ishaani unfurled her fist to reveal a matchbox in her hand. And what she had in mind next was obvious. Just as she slid open the box and pulled out a matchstick, Ranveer held her hand.

"Wait," he whispered as his eyes fell upon another book that sat upon the side table. He stood up and grabbed the book in his hand, turning it around with a bittersweet smile upon his face before he tossed it into the basket along with the rest of the contents of the basket.

"Burn this alongside."

"Ishaani Parekh: The Enigma Unveiled..." whispered aloud Ishaani as she looked at Ranveer, dumbfounded.

She had contemplated burning the book away with the rest of it, perhaps even before anything else. But she couldn't get herself to do it for she knew that the book was filled with Ranveer's love, care and affection even though it was tainted with Chirag's hatred, deception and manipulation now. She gave Ranveer an uncertain look, but he shook his head even before she could begin an argument on the same.

"Some things are best kept secret."

Ishaani nodded her head with a woeful smile as she struck the matchstick, throwing it upon the heap of articles as it flared into a blaze of fire, talking along with it the life of the contents in the basket. The painful memories shrieked and howled in silence against the sound of the blazing fire as Ishaani put her head upon Ranveer's shoulder, both of them watching the embers turn black until the dead pieces of ash finally fell cold into the night air. It left behind a silent Ranveer and Ishaani held in the veil of smoke that now enveloped them.

"Wow... I wish it were that easy though," whispered Ranveer quietly as he sighed, wondering what it was that did await them by the time they reached the 30th of October. And as much as he tried pushing away the thought from his mind, he knew that the days were drawing closer and closer now that only ten days remained between them. Ten days that would either make it or break it entirely between them.

"It's a start. We all need to break away from the bonds time and again now, don't we?" wondered Ishaani aloud as she looked at him, and Ranveer smiled slyly as he knew what she was talking about - the symbolism of him being bound in his dreams centering around Love. Knowing that this was to be a conversation for another day, he gently pulled Ishaani out from his embrace as he stood up, and she did the same. The clock in front of them struck 8:10.

"For now, we have a flight to catch."

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

Next chapter:
Chapter 15

LadyMeringue2017-01-16 03:39:47