New Beginnings (OS) - Page 5

Originally posted by: STPrincess

Totally. Which is why I was hesitating to give feedback but then I couldn't resist myself and I deeply apologize again !

Yes, I do write. I actually have published one story over a TV serial (my rendition) and now I am writing my very own story which is actually based on second chance for both of them 😀

I wanna read it. I have noted your feedback and will incorporate that in one of the parts.

Originally posted by: Koms9

my heart still aches for this dodo. 😭

Wait, wait this dodo will get what he deserves but only in imagination 🤣

Originally posted by: strancho

So here it goes part 2.

When Anuj woke up the next morning, he felt refreshed and energized in a way he hadn't felt for quite some time. The world seemed brighter, the colors more vivid, the air more fresh. He had been plagued by restless nights. His mind was always racing with thoughts, worries, and regret, making it nearly impossible for him to find any peace or rest.

Anuj was supposed to sign the deal and later meet his princess in the evening.

Anuj reached Maaya's place at around 5 pm. Choti opened the door for him.

Anuj: How is my princess my doing? Are you feeling better now?

Choti: As you said, I took my medicines, and the fever vanished.

Anuj: (smiling gently) As a reward, I brought chocolates for you.

Choti: Yayy!! (Grabbed all the chocolates from him)

Anuj: Choti, where is your mom?

Choti: Maa is studying. She has some exams.

Anuj: (confused) Exam?

Maaya: Sorry, Anuj. My online class just finished.

Anuj looked confused and was about to ask for the details, but choti interrupted.

Choti: Now, let's go to the park.

Anuj: Maaya, is it okay for her to go outside? She had a fever yesterday.

Maaya: She is fine now. Also, kids of her age should have an active life to help them grow healthy and develop properly.

Anuj: Yeah, you are right.

Maya and Anuj played with Choti for a while, then sat down on a bench next door.

Anuj: What classes are you taking?

Maaya: Classes on social welfare. I want to open help centers for single parents. (Anuj looked at her in admiration). I've been thinking a lot about single parents and how difficult it must be for them to raise children on their own. That's why I want to do something to help.

Anuj: Let me know if I can help you in any way. Maaya, I know I am asking for a lot of favors, but if you don't mind can I co-parent Choti with you?

Maaya: Anuj, I promised myself that I would never hurt Choti again. I know you love her a lot, but I don't want her to get too attached to you. You have your own life, and at some point, there'll be someone who will become more important to you than her. I was already thinking about talking to you regarding this. Good that you brought up this topic.

Anuj: Trust me, there's no one there, and there's not gonna be anyone more important to me than Choti. I will never let anyone be more important than her.

Maaya: Will you hold yourself back? Why, Anuj?

Anuj: It's not like that. Just that, I don't feel I will be able to..

Maaya: That you will not be able to find love again? Maybe love will find you this time. (Anuj gazed upon Maaya with sad eyes.)

Anuj: I really don't know. Was I wrong to expect attention from Anupama?

Maaya: Why do you say that?

Anuj: I mean, I knew her priorities, but I still hoped things would work out between us. I got greedy and wanted more than what she was willing to give. What if this repeats? What if I get greedy again?

Maaya: It's understandable to want more from a relationship, but it's important to recognize when your expectations and your partner's priorities don't align.

Anuj: I know, but I feel like it was my mistake that our relationship failed.

Maaya: Relationships take two people to make them work. It's not just your responsibility to make things succeed.

Anuj: But don't you think that if I expect anything in return, it's not unconditional love?

Maaya: Unconditional love does not mean unconditional tolerance. My ex left me to rot, should I have feelings for him? Loving someone for who they are and accepting them, their faults and all is a beautiful thing. But even then, there may be limits to what we can accept. I think love doesn't always have to be unconditional to be meaningful. (Anuj just kept staring at her). Love doesn't always happen to strengthen our beliefs. Sometimes it happens to destroy all our previous beliefs and faith and gives us a chance to re-look at our own conclusions.

Maaya: What?

Anuj while chuckling: Nothing. Why didn't you fall in love again?

Maaya: Having a heart is one thing and falling in love, is quite another. We presume that with love comes exclusivity. Since we presume it, we believe it even more strongly. With love comes only one thing: honesty. And honesty is different from loyalty. Most of us never get this difference.

Anuj: I didn't get you.

Maaya was about to respond, but she got a call.

Maaya: Excuse me.

Just then choti came running to Anuj.

Choti: Papa, you will have dinner with us, right?

Anuj: No beta, I will leave now. I have some work.

Choti: Please Papa. Please. Yesterday, I ate porridge and even took that bitter medicine, because you asked me to, right?

Anuj nodded continuously

Choti: One nod means you get it. Many nod means you are thinking.

Anuj (he chuckled): Who told you that?

Choti: I have seen Maa doing that. (Anuj looked towards Maaya, who was still speaking on phone)

Anuj: Okay, I will have dinner with you. Happy now?

Choti: Very happy. (gives a big smile)

Maaya finished her call and came to them. She did not like Anuj having dinner with them, but she let it go.

Anuj put Choti to bed after dinner. Maaya was reading a book in the hall room.

Anuj: Maaya, I know you won't involve me in Choti's life, but can you please let me be in her life for a while? I promise that as soon as I sort out my emotions, I will talk to her and make her understand.

Maaya nodded.

Anuj: Tomorrow, I am going back. My flight is in the late evening. Can I take both of you out for lunch? Only if you are fine. Consider it as returning the favor for letting me meet Choti.

Maaya: Sure. Go safely. Goodnight.

As Anuj lay down on his bed, the memories of the day flashed through his mind, like a slideshow. He couldn't help but wonder, how he felt when he was around Maaya. He thought about how comfortable he felt when they talked, and how he could be himself in front of her without feeling judged, unlike how he used to be around Anupama. With Anupama, it felt like he was walking around eggshells. He wondered how he could be so at peace when he was with Maaya, even when they weren't doing anything special.

Originally posted by: strancho

I wanna read it. I have noted your feedback and will incorporate that in one of the parts.

Thank you so much for showing interest ! I messaged you links to my story and thanks for taking my feedback in .

Originally posted by: SoulSpiller

Whoa I don't think you need to apologize so much! The person who wrote this story seems like a person who'd appreciate honesty.

Ah so you do write! You sound like you'd have a lot of empathy in real life as well as for the characters you write, I feel like your stories would be lovely.

Thank you so much for your kind words. I messaged you link to my story in case you were interested in reading 😊

As usual, amazing. 👏

Part 3

As he sat at the restaurant, sipping on his coffee, he anxiously checked the time on his phone. They were already twenty minutes late, and he couldn't help but wonder if she had forgotten about their meeting.

He decided to send Maaya a text message to check in. "Hey, where are you? Everything okay?" he typed, his fingers tapping nervously on the screen. He hit send and waited for a response, but nothing came. The minutes ticked by slowly, and he began to feel more and more anxious. "Had something happened to her? Is Choti fine?"

Just as he was about to get up and start looking, his phone buzzed. It was a message from her. "Almost there," she wrote. He felt a wave of relief wash over him. At least they were okay. He typed back quickly, "No problem, take your time." Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he saw them walking towards him. Maaya looked flustered and apologetic, but he couldn't help but smile as she approached.

Maaya: Sorry, I am late. My class got extended.

Anuj: It's okay. I'm just glad you're here now (Anuj paused for a moment) with Choti. By the way, is "almost there" a place that I can visit?

Maaya: (looking confused) Ahh.. you are referring to my reply. (They both giggled)

After perusing the menu, they each placed their order and waited patiently for their meals to arrive. As they waited, Choti narrated how she spent her morning. After finishing their meal, they stepped outside. Anuj booked a cab for them and was waiting for it to arrive.

Maaya: Thank you, Anuj.

Anuj: It's my pleasure. He forwarded his hand for a handshake, and said, "Friends?"

Maaya was about to respond, but the cab arrived. The cab driver asked them to get on quickly, so they boarded the cab and took off.

Anuj's face fell. His phone beeped with a notification. It was a message from Maaya. "Sure", she replied and his face lit up with a smile.

He finally arrived home feeling exhausted and found Anupama returning from somewhere. He was about to go to his room, but Anupama interrupted.

Anupama: Did you go somewhere?

Anuj: I went out of the station for work.

Anupama: When did you go?

Anuj: Three days ago.

Anupama: Sorry, I was not at home when you left. I was in Shah house as Baa was not well.

Anuj: You don't need to explain. You are free to do whatever you want.

Anuj went to his room and texted Maaya that he had reached. "Take rest. You must be tired", replied Maaya. He smiled, kept his phone aside, and slept.

Anuj woke up to realize that it was Sunday. As he got out of bed and went about his morning routine, he couldn't help but think about the moments he had spent with Maaya. He remembered the way she smiled, the sound of her laughter, and the ease with which they had talked. As he ate his breakfast, his mind kept drifting back to those memories. He realized how much he had enjoyed spending time with her, and how comfortable he had felt in her presence. He couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same way.

He missed the comfort of talking to her and the way she made him feel. But he knew he couldn't dwell on it for too long. To distract himself, he decided to pick up his old hobby of making sculptures. He had put it on hold for a while but now seemed the perfect time to pick it back up. He gathered his tools and materials and began to work on his latest creation. As he molded the clay with his hands, he felt a sense of calm wash over him.

Hours passed as he worked on his sculpture, and he was lost in the process. By the time he finished, he was surprised to see that he had sculpted Maaya's face. He couldn't believe it. How had he managed to create such a lifelike sculpture of her without even realizing it? As he sat there, looking at the sculpture, he felt a sense of both wonder and confusion. What did this mean? He decided to make one more sculpture - this time of Choti. When the sculpture was finally complete, Anuj took a picture of both sculptures and sent it to Maaya as a text message. As he waited for her response, he couldn't help but feel nervous as he wasn't sure how she would react. Finally, she responded to his message. "This is amazing! You're so talented. Thank you for making this for us." Anuj couldn't help but smile at her response. He felt a sense of relief and joy knowing that he had made her happy.

Over the next few days, Anuj and Maaya continued to text each other more and more. He would share his daily activities with her, from work to his hobbies, while Maaya mostly talked about Choti. He enjoyed hearing about Choti's adventures and mischievous behavior. Sometimes, Maaya would send him pictures of Choti doing silly things, and they would both laugh at the pictures. As they continued to text, Anuj couldn't help but feel like he was developing a strong bond with Maaya

A few days later, Anuj was at a bar attending a friend's bachelor's party when his phone beeped. Anuj's friend noticed him smiling at his phone.

Sohit: Who's texting you Anuj, and why are you smiling so much?

Anuj: Maaya just sent me some pictures, and they are hilarious.

Sohit: Biological mom of your daughter? Why and how you guys are in touch?

Anuj narrated the entire incident in Delhi.

Sohit: You clearly like her a lot. When are you telling her?

Anuj: She's just a friend. I like texting her, that just makes me feel so at peace. Like, even if I've had a stressful day, talking to her just puts me in a good mood.

Sohit: When you really like someone, your heart beats slower and you feel at peace, just like you said. It's okay to admit, you know. But sort out things with Anupama first.

As Anuj drove back home, he couldn't stop thinking about his conversation with his friend. Did he really have feelings for Maaya? He had always thought of her as a good friend, someone he could confide in and share his thoughts with. But now that his friend had pointed it out, he couldn't deny that there was a certain warmth and comfort he felt when he was with her.

He remembered the time they had spent together, the long conversations they had. As he drove through the quiet streets, he realized that he did have feelings for Maaya. It wasn't a sudden realization, but rather a slow and steady recognition of the depth of their friendship and how much she meant to him. He realized that he cared about her in a way that was more than just platonic.

Anuj arrived home, still lost in his thoughts about Maaya and his growing feelings for her. As he walked into the living room, he was surprised to see Anupama, sitting on the couch, staring at the sculpture of Maaya that he had made.

Anuj: You went to my art room?

Anuj picked up the sculpture and was about to go to his room.

Anupama: I used to feel bad and sorry whenever we talked about Mr Shah. I wonder if Maaya is like that to you?

Anuj: No, she does not make me feel sorry or, bad. She means a lot to me. She is the one I talked to most after losing Choti. She helped me more than anyone. When you did not even have time to think about Choti, she was the only one I could talk to in peace. So, I am not sure if that's a reason enough to feel bad.

The next day Anupama found Anuj sitting on the couch with his bags packed. He was waiting for her.

Anuj: Let's separate. I can't do this anymore.

Anupama: Is it because of ...

Anuj: I'd prefer you don't ask. I don't think it happened because of anyone else. It's because of us and only us, let's not blame anybody else for our failures.

Anupama: Let's get separated. Even if I cry and plead, you won't come back to me. You won't care, even if I throw a fit.

Anuj: Let's file for a mutual divorce after six months of separation. I will give up the restaurant partnership, you can handle it in your own way.

As he drove away, Anuj made a decision. He wouldn't let anyone blame Maaya for his decisions. It wasn't fair to her, and she had nothing to do with the problems in his marriage.

Slow burn seems like it's starting to move fast - but what's most important is it appears convincing enough. You have already set up a good foundation where they have understanding and genuineness in their bond.

I also sense more thought and nuance put in describing the feelings and expressions of the character (the constructive criticism you gave yourself the first time you wrote). Your writing always felt like the world you've created could be real, but now it's feeling more and more real.

Keep going, I feel like many meaningful conversations between Maya and Anuj are incoming!

Only if Anuj was not a simp as depicted in the show . 😒

Lovely writing 😊..

You can see that Anupama is trying to emotionally manipulate him at the end but he won't give in at all.

I love that about him.

Go Anuj Go!!. Go away from this toxic b*tch. 😆

I love how well this is shaping up and making me imagine MaayAn union as an acceptable scenario in an alternate universe