6 months later
She watered the rose plants and plucked some fresh red roses. Once inside the small duplex house, she closed the door behind her and walked to the drawing room. She decorated the vase he had 'Forcefully' given her; with the fresh red roses.
The very first time he had given her something.. though wasn't meant. She had gotten him flowers and decorated the poor empty vase on his cabin. But he had ruthlessly thrown the flowers in the bin and forcefully handed her the vase.
The doorbell rang, stopping the smile that was creeping up on her face. She opened the door to find a chaiwala delivering his usual cutting chai. The old man gave her a smile, feeling sad for her. She smiled back though it didn't reach her eyes.
She grabbed her mug of coffee on her way to the balcony. Once settled in a chair, she placed his chutting chai in front of him.
And then.. the usual silence.
The lonely Saakshi, gazing at the evening horizon.
The lonely picture frame of Arjun placed on the table next to her.
And the lonely chutting chai.
Bhulaa denaa mujhe
Hai alvidaa tujhe
Tujhe jeenaa hai mere binaa
Safar ye hai tera, ye raastaa teraa
Tujhe jeenaa hai mere binaa
From somewhere she failed to locate, a song started to play.. pushing her more into the memory lane.
*flashback*
Saakshi woke up at late evening due to the medication she was sleepy. She found the bed empty and the room too. After squirming for a couple of minutes, she finally managed to sit. She gazed out the door, trying to locate him. Where was he?
She climbed down the bed and with small trembling steps, made it to the door. She could hear some faint noises coming from the drawing room. "Koi hai?" she asked, leaning on the door frame. She again heard some noise and saw Aisha and Sameer emerging from the drawing room.
Aisha rushed to her side and took her back to the bed with Sameer's help. All the time, Saakshi kept staring at the door. Aisha noticed and looked at Sameer who looked away frustrated.
"Tumhe kuch chahiye?" Sameer asked. Saakshi nodded and asked for water. Aisha made her drink water and forcefully tucked her under the blanket again. But little did she know Saakshi couldn't sleep until she sees him.
She wanted to ask Aisha about him but as if Aisha already knew what she was gonna ask; she gracefully avoided the undisclosed question and closed the door after she and Sameer left.
She wanted to go after them and push them until they talk but she was really weak and drifted off to sleep.
The next few days went like that. Every day one of them would stay with her but he never came. When asked about him, they would say he's busy so he couldn't come and all that sorts of excuses.
Maybe, he just doesn't wanna see me. She thought. Ouch, it hurt.
Then a week later, Shree walked into the house, looking all tousled up and wild with rage. And he was crying?
Sameer, Aisha, Liza and chotu all came down to visit her that day. All of them got tensed seeing Shree. Shree looked at Saakshi once and then beckoned the others to come into a different room.
Though Sameer had strictly ordered her to stay in her room, she couldn't stop and do her own little investigation. She tiptoed to the room they were and stood behind door. She heard them gasp.. Sameer's Dammit and mentioning him. Arjun.
Not being able to contain her curiosity anymore, she pushed open the window a bit and peeped in. All of them were watching something on the tv. Shree had his head buried inside his palms and Aisha was holding Sameer tightly. What was that about?
She focused her eyes on the tv screen. And what she saw made her chill.
It was Arjun.
And he was shot.
Right at his heart.
A smile on his parted lips.. for her.
Looking straight at the camera..as if he was asking her to hold on.
And worse, he had gracefully fallen off the cliff.
She gripped the railings as the video kept playing on and on.. and a sick voice was laughing; celebrating their victory and mocking Arjun.
"No" was all she could say before the darkness gripped her.
*flashback ends*
And he was gone.. leaving his trouble magnet behind.
To deal with this life with him being gone.. no warmth left, no hope left.
He had vanished that morning without telling anyone and never came back. Sameer, Aisha or anyone else didn't tell her due to her health. One month and they still couldn't find Arjun.
No news of him until that day.. someone had videotaped his death and published it in a national TV channel.
And all the hopes withered.
All believed he was dead, just not her. He just couldn't leave his trouble magnet alone, could he? She still couldn't accept that he was gone.. she searched for him.. all over the place till all the doors had closed.
And now she had started to believe in it too.
"Curse you" She whimpered, hugging his shirt. This was her usual routine now. She would fall asleep crying and screaming for him to come back.
And he never did.
Khilengi jahaan bahaarein sabhi
Mujhey tu wahaan paayega
Rahegi jahaan hamaari vafaa
Mujhey tu wahaan paayega
Milungaa main is tarah vaadaa rahaa
Rahungaa sang main sadaa vaadaa rahaa
Tujhe jeenaa hai mere binaa
Bhula dena mujhe
Hai alvida tujhe
Tujhe jeena hai mere bina
Tujhe jeenaa hai, haan meray binaa..
The End
