Towards Happily Ever After

Towards Happily Ever After

Abhi was done with his packing. He kept the bags aside and looked at his hostel room, his home of two years. It felt empty. It felt empty for at least six months now since the day he had kissed Shanaya and he lost his best friend Rohan, who had witnessed the kiss.

A lone earring sat on the table. Abhi didn’t pack it into his belongings. In fact, he intended to throw it away before leaving St. Teresa’s campus. He wanted to bury the horror that was the last two years with the place where it all started. St. Teresa. Though the two years had been the best part of his life, he considered St. Teresa the biggest mistake of his life. He had let emotions cloud over his aim, and for the last six months, he had known nothing but pain and bitterness. Shanaya’s earring seemed to be unaware of his thoughts and gleamed in the afternoon sunlight like its owner, always shining and beautiful. Despite the war going on in his heart, Abhi picked up the earring and tucked it in his pocket like he had done when he had helped Shanaya with it at Ajay's wedding. 

A sharp knock on the door made him come out of his reverie. He opened the door to find Shanaya standing outside, looking almost dull, if that was even possible, with her branded clothes and makeup.

“Hi,” she whispered. A part of him wanted to tell her off, but he was tired. Sudo’s outburst had made him realize how much of a d*ck he had been to everyone. Constantly hating and judging others and plotting his win. He knew he had to stop behaving like that before stepping out of St. Teresa. It would corrode him if he didn’t snap out of his bitterness. But looking at Shanaya reminded him of the ruckus their kiss had created and he wanted to run away, Shanaya was a constant reminder that he had been a bad friend to Rohan.

He stepped aside, and Shanaya walked into the room. He signed at the bed and sat on the chair, careful to maintain distance. But now, the room didn't feel so empty. He couldn't deny the fact that seeing her, for one last time, made him feel light, she made him feel at home, but he knew that the feeling wouldn't last long. He was supposed to end it all, starting with ending it all with Shanaya. He wondered if Shanaya too felt happy seeing him.

“Really, Shruti?” Shanaya asked after a few awkward minutes of silence, referring to his partner at the Prom night and the third round of the Student of the Year competition.

Really? That’s what you want to ask? Abhi wanted to ask this, but a better question peeked in his head.

“Really, Jeetu?” He asked. Shanaya pouted as she tried to figure out what he meant and then burst out giggling.

“I had no one else. Sudo was... Well, not interested, and Jeetu seemed way too eager to show up Rohan. I just thought at that moment that the ego clash would make him dance well, and we would make it to the next round. Guess I was right about him going to the next round.”

“Why did you quit?” Abhi asked. It was a stupid question he didn’t need an answer to, but it was a safe topic to circle before hitting the main topic, their equation.

“I blanked out after you and I danced together. I just started feeling so overwhelmed that I thought that maybe Shruti was right. The competition wasn’t bigger than my feelings. So I just stepped away.” Shanaya shrugged.

Abhi looked up. Abhi still remembered how his heart a skipped a bit when she had collided into him during the dance contest, but the pain on her face was also fresh on his mind. 

“Both of you don’t care what I want,” she had said to him and Rohan.

“I know what it feels like to be alone.” She said, looking into his eyes as she tried to read them. “When my dad passed away, I felt alone. I always felt he was the only one who truly loved me. Him and Shruti, but I was wrong about Shruti.”

“Hey! No! Shruti did whatever she did because of the stupid competition! She really cares for you.”

“You are calling the competition stupid because you lost,” Shanaya mocked, and Abhi stopped himself from telling her that he would have won that trophy if he was not hell-bent on helping Rohan one-up his father one last time.

“No. Seriously, Shruti was always so concerned about you. She looked out for you like a sister. I think you should forgive her. Trust me, this anger won’t do anything good for you, and your friendship is more than that. It’s not even tainted with... betrayal.” Guilt washed over Abhi as he thought of the pain in Roshan’s face when he had walked in to find Abhi kissing Shanaya, Rohan’s girlfriend.

"I think we should talk about us," Shanaya said as if wanting to move from a difficult topic, but stepped into a slightly more difficult one.

Abhi sighed. Here it was. The moment he dreaded. He hoped that his next words would fix the mess he had started.

"Shanaya, I love you, and this time, I want to consider your feelings before taking any decisions, but I don't think I am ready for any relationships. After Daadi, Rohan was the only constant thing in my life, but he also left. And I am scared I will end up hurting you too in the long run if I don't give myself the time now. Maybe, even you could use the time to figure yourself out," He walked up to her but didn't touch her.

She looked up with tears in her eyes. Abhi wondered if she was crying because she thought he won't let her go or because the goodbye was inevitable. During the competition, she had thought her feelings for him were more important than the competition, then why did she say she wanted the same thing?

"I came to say the same thing to you," she said.

Abhi looked at her, not believing his ears.

"No, honestly. I cannot just jump into relationships. My mom did that, and it turned out great for her, but I know it won't work for me. Unlike her, I cannot find happiness in money. Rohan and my relationship was everything, but there was no love between the two of us. I will never forgive myself for breaking his trust, and I think I should take some time to know what I want from life before I expect something from someone else..  Goodbye, Abhi."

She stood up, kissed the air around his cheek cordially as if they had just spoken about the next kitty party, and left the room.

_________

Abhi walked into the hallway of his new building. The posh interiors even in the hallways made him puff his chest out in pride. He had proved them all wrong. He had won the world. He walked into his apartment, which was dark except for the lamplight in one corner of the living room. Shanaya was snuggled in an armchair and had maybe dozed off while waiting for him.

Shanaya was the only one who was in contact with him after he left St. Teresa. They would catch up once a month, and after about three years of will-they-wont-they, Abhi asked her out. After dating Shanaya for over two years, Abhi had moved to London for his job. Shanaya too followed him after a few weeks, having no attachments left in Dehradun.

“You are home. Sorry, I dozed off.”

“That’s ok,” he kissed her forehead and went on to turn on the lights.

As the lights flooded the room, Abhi gasped in surprise. On the wall hung a beautiful picture of his Daadi that he remembered they had clicked when Abhi was 15, and they had gone to get passport-sized photos of him. He gaped at the picture and then burst out crying. Shanaya hugged him as he fell to the ground. This was probably the first time he had cried since his Daadi's first death anniversary.

After he washed up, Shanaya set the dinner table. She had set up the entire apartment, making it look cozy and homey, something Abhi didn't know he needed. It felt like he belonged there, in their apartment, with Shanaya by his side.

"The food smells good," he said as he sat.

"I cooked it," Shanaya claimed proudly, and Abhi gave her an amused look.

"Fine, I ordered!" she whined as she scooped some pasta for herself.

"Where did you get the picture?" he asked after a few sips of red wine.

"Your uncle. We had my dad's picture in our house after his death but it was removed when my mother remarried. I got my stepfather's PA to contact your uncle for a picture, and he told me that your Daadi wanted a nice smiling picture of herself hung in your living room. I know I overstepped, but I thought it would either be a good surprise or you would break up with me in anger. I took the bet." Shanaya shrugged.

Abhi felt overwhelmed with emotions, and he hugged her. How was she so perfect? What had he done to deserve her? He hoped that his Daadi was watching them and would approve of her. A wedding ring surfaced in his mind as he looked at his girlfriend. Was it too soon? He had no way of finding out but by taking the bet. But somewhere he felt he wanted to spend the rest of his life making more such beautiful moments with her.

_________

The romance had seeped into the air of Paris. He sighed happily and pulled his trench coat closer to himself. But the feeling of contentment evaporated as he looked at his girlfriend, she looked so crestfallen. She was avoiding his eyes and Abhi could tell the smile on her face was fake.

"You know we could go back," he offered. Shanaya and he had been dating for four years now and he could read her like an open book. The two years with her in London had been the best two years of his life.

"No, come on! You have always wanted to come to Paris. I just need some time, but I'll be fine."

Abhi nodded. He knew Shanaya was saying it to make him feel better. He knew that Paris brought back memories with her father. But he hoped that she would appreciate this trip once they went to the Eiffel Tower.

Dressed in a good-looking suit, Abhi escorted Shanaya, who wore a beautiful baby pink gown, to the Champagne bar on top of the Eiffel Tower. The whole of Paris glittered below them. The view was exquisite.

Shanaya’s mood seemed to have improved, but she still looked a bit gloomy.

“Abhi, I know you are trying, and I am so sorry for ruining this trip for you. It’s just that I...”

“You used to come here for vacations with your dad?” Abhi continued for her. “Your mom said while reminding me how you should date someone better than me.

Shanaya looked at him in confusion.

“My daughter used to spend her vacations in Paris. Do you think you can afford to date someone who has been raised like a princess? And now, she is going to be one of  the best fashion designers in London. Can you even support her emotionally, let alone financially?” Abhi imitated in a high-pitched classy voice. Shanaya giggled.

“Don’t do impressions, you are horrible at them. And don’t talk to my mother about us. She didn’t approve of us when we started dating. Four years into the relationship and her opinion still hasn’t changed, so her opinion doesn’t matter to me.”

“Duly noted.” He said and pulled out the earring that he hadn’t thrown away. He passed it to her.

“Hey, isn’t this the one you had in your room? The day we...” She looked away from him guiltily. He nodded.

“Open the emerald.” He said, and she looked at it closely. She pulled at a small latch, and the emerald opened up to reveal a paper.

“I didn’t know it could do that!” She gasped in surprise.

“I replaced the emerald, silly,” Abhi laughed at his girlfriend’s innocence. Shanaya pouted as she picked up the paper.

“Will you marry me?” Abhi’s smooth handwriting stared back at her. She choked and looked up at her boyfriend, who was biting his nails nervously. He knelt and pulled out a gold ring with a solitaire gleaming in the late Paris lights.

“Abhi...I... I don’t know what to say!” She whispered in shock and knelt beside him.

“How about a yes?” He offered nervously.

She looked at him like he was an idiot and laughed.

“Of course, you idiot, yes! A hundred times yes,” She said, and he slid the ring across her finger. She kissed him while tourists around them broke into an applause.

“I think my mother should finally accept that you are rich. Maybe more than her husband,” Shanaya said as she accepted a complimentary drink from the waiter.

Abhi chuckled. It had been about an hour since the ring sat on her finger, announcing to the world that she was engaged. But they both knew that even if Abhimanyu was the richest man on the planet, Shanaya’s mother would never accept him because for her he was still a boy who came from the middle-class. He was the boy who Rohan Nanda had taken under his wing, and that’s where he should have been.  He shouldn't have stepped on Rohan's trust. 

But Shanaya knew that her father would think otherwise. Her father, who was the only person whose opinion she had always cared about, would accept this man, who had turned one of her beautiful childhood memories of going to the Eiffel Tower with her father to another beautiful moment by proposing to her on the top of one of the World’s seven wonders.

_________

"What are you listening to?" Abhi asked as Shanaya almost jumped in surprise. He was surprised at her reaction but he was enjoyed learning wife's quirks. His wife! It sounded so beautiful. Even after three years of marriage, it felt like a dream when he said that in his head. 

"Nothing!" she shrugged.

"Apparently, Rohan's new album is out. The women at my office are losing their shit over that thing he calls music!" Abhi said innocently. 

"It's not that bad!" She said, and he turned to look at her, a hint of hurt on his face. "That's what Dristi told me," she said, passing the blame on her British Indian PA, even though she was listening to that very song.

"It's stupid." He said when Shanaya's phone rang.

She sighed in relief that her phone rang. Rohan was still a sensitive topic between them. She frowned at the unknown caller ID for a few seconds and then received the call. After gasping in shock and promising the caller to fly down as soon as possible, she hung up.

“It was Dimpy. Principal Yogi is in the hospital. His condition is critical. Coach wants us all to be there.”

Abhi looked at her and nodded.

“Tell Drishti to book your tickets.”

“What? No! Abhi, Coach Shah wants us both to be there. You too!”

“I am not going.”

“Abhi, come on. It’s been ten years. You need to let go! It’s probably the last time we’ll see him.”

Abhi knew she was being ridiculous. There was no way in hell he would go back to that city.

“I saw Shruti’s post on Facebook. She has a kid now. We have come so far, yet we are so stuck. Please, Abhi, it’s our final chance to move on. We can’t go on carrying this baggage. It won’t do us any good.”

“There is no baggage.” Abhi huffed.

“Really? Don’t you miss him? Don’t you think he should have been there to celebrate your promotions, to celebrate every time I opened a new boutique? On our wedding day?”

Abhi wanted to point out the irony of calling her ex, who she cheated, to her wedding with the guy she cheated on him with, but didn’t. He knew she was making a bigger point that she still cared for Rohan and Shruti and missed them. And if it meant so much to her, maybe he could shove it up and be done with it.

“Fine,” He said, and she jumped into his arms in glee. Then she stopped and became solemn.

“Maybe not the right time to celebrate. Yogi is probably dying,” She said, and Abhi gave a small smile.

_________

Shanaya stared at the two most important men in her life as they ran across the running track.

"So, did you tell him?" Shruti asked as she sat next to her.

"How did you know?" She gasped in surprise.

"I have one kid and will adopt another in a few years. I know what pregnancy looks like." Shruti chuckled.

"Not yet, I'll tell him soon. I know he always wanted a happy family, and he gave me my happy family," Shanaya replied.

With Rohan back, her family was finally complete. After her Dad's death, she had always craved love. Rohan gave her slivers of it, while making a huge spectacle about it. Abhi showered her with love while never making a huge deal about it. But there was an elephant in the room, their relationship was built on Rohan's broken trust. But now, everything was all right, Rohan had forgiven them. She could enjoy this feeling without any guilt. 

"You both stink!" Shruti muttered, breaking Shanaya's chain of thoughts.

"I love you Shru!" Rohan hugged Shruti who pushed him away. Abhi laughed.

"Do I stink too?" He asked Shanaya, to annoy her. Shanaya nodded and gagged.

"It's not that bad!"

"I could douse you in cologne and you would still stink!" She said in fake annoyance. Abhi made a puppy face.

"Aww, you broke my break friend's heart. Now kiss his boo-boo!" Rohan remarked in a baby voice.

"Eff off, man!" Abhi pushed him and Shruti laughed. Shanaya watched the four people in her life without whom she knew her life was incomplete. There was no guilt left, no tension, just pure happiness. They were happy. She was happy. They had got their happily ever after.