Priya-Ram Two Shots: Mending Regrets (Completed on page 4)

Prologue

“Priya, you have many regrets in your life. Now is the time to fix it. You have to fix it all. If you rectify every mistake, we made in the past, probably we can save our families' future. But most importantly, you can save your own life.”

“What mistakes?”

“Can’t you think of any mistakes?”

“Being born surely was one,” she retorted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Index

Part 1

Part 2

A huge thank you to tournesol for beta reading my story. This a homage to all the movies about time travel that I have watched till date. Also, I read a sort of similar story about another character on another site, so credits to that author too. Tiara tells me that "The Text" by Charles Douglous has a similar concept, but I haven't read it.

I need support with this one because I am really nervous about this story, and I hope you will like it.

Do leave your likes and comments below.

Part 1

Priya opened her eyes, the constant beeping of the machine breaking through her unconsciousness. She blinked her eyes for a few seconds till she got used to the brightly lit room, and then she looked around. She was in a hospital bed, but couldn’t recall how she had landed there. She stood up from the bed, but her whole body sanked like a listless ragdoll. She felt distant and uneasy, likeshe was wearing clothes that haven't been used for ages. Her head was spinning, and her soul felt like it was being separated from her body as each second passed.

Was this what dying felt like?

“You aren’t dying, at least not yet,” said a voice.

Priya turned and almost shrieked in shock as she found another Priya sitting on the couch.

She was in a hospital gown too, but a different one. Her doppelgänger seemed to be healthier and happier.

“What... how... Am I on drugs?”

“Even though hardcore drugs cause hallucinations, you aren’t hallucinating,” she smiled. Her smile reminded Priya so much of Mr. Kapoor after he cracked a stupid joke and expected his audience to find it funny.

She gaped at her doppelgänger, trying to understand what was going on. She didn’t move from the side of her bed for fear of being attacked or falling.

The machines started to beep more noisily and faster. The other Priya looked at the machine and stood up in a hurry.

“Priya, look at me,” she said.

“No!” she snapped back, but still looked at her other self in the room. She now had a closer look at Priya. This Priya seemed more at peace than she had ever been. Yes, this was a hallucination. Priya could never find peace, as the devil had written her life himself. There was no chance she could find a moment of calmness.

“Priya, I know you are thinking that I am a hallucination, but I am not. I am you, just in a better place. And if you don’t listen to me right now, you will die.”

Priya didn’t reply. She was annoyed by the other Priya. She did the next best thing she had learned in thirty-two years of her existence. She put up a cold expression and crossed her arms across her chest.

“Don’t try that. I can hear your thoughts. Feel your emotions, Priya. You are confused right now and want this to end. I know you want to live and get back to your family. So listen to me, if not for yourself, for your husband and your family, because they need you the most right now.”

Priya's heart stopped at the mention of her family and Ram.

“What does that mean? Is everyone ok? Are they hurt? Is Mr. Kapoor hurt?”

That’s when it all came back to her. Sounds of a car crashing, a bright light blinding her sight, and her world going blank. The accident. She had tried to save Mr. Kapoor from Sir and had failed. She had failed, didn’t she?

“He is alive. He is outside, waiting for you. But you won’t wake up till you fix it.”

“Till I fix what?”

“Priya, you have many regrets in your life. Now is the time to fix it. You have to fix it all. If you rectify every mistake, we made in the past, probably we can save our families' future. But most importantly, you can save your own life.”

“What mistakes?”

“Can’t you think of any mistakes?”

“Being born surely was one,” she retorted.

“To undo that, you would have to witness something that no child would want to witness,” the other Priya smiled, and Priya gaped in shock and blushed, embarrassed.

“No, you have made a few other mistakes. Go fix them.”

Before Priya could reply or say anything more, the other Priya turned and vanished into thin air.

Was she dreaming? This can’t be real, can it? Maybe she was dying, and that’s why she hallucinated, and now she had to relive everything. Don’t they say that a dying man sees his whole life flashed before his eyes?

That’s it! She was dying. There could be no better explanation for this. But if she had to pick, what would be her greatest regret?

Don’t worry about it, Priya.You are dying anyway. Why bother thinking of what wrongs you have done?

She closed her eyes to let her inner voice lead her to any memory that was growing in her when the floor below her feet turned. She held her head because suddenly the floor was rotating at a high speed, which made her feel giddy. Before she knew it, it stopped moving, but there was a constant rumble.

~*~

Fearfully, she opened her eyes and gasped in shock as the bright sunlight from the glass window hit her eyes.

Priya gaped at the school bus and the students sitting with her. She had grown younger. She looked down at her hands; they were pudgier. She was in her school uniform.

Had she gone back to her teenage body? Was she on her bus to school? That’s when she noticed the book in her hand. Narnia. She had borrowed it from the school library for her bus ride to Jaipur.

Oh no! Today was the day when—

“Students, in a few minutes, we will be reaching the Sahakar Marg. It houses one of Jaipur’s oldest sweet marts, “Doodh Misthan Bhandar”. You will first have a tour of the mart, and then you can buy anything you wish to from the mart, but please maintain decorum. We do not want you all to misbehave. Especially you, Vayu,"

The teacher spoke from the door of the bus cabin, but Priya wasn’t listening. She knew what had happened after this. She remembered everything as if it had happened yesterday, even though it was eighteen years ago.

They would get down from the bus, and after the tour, Priya and her friend Seher would buy the kachoris that she loved so dearly. She would then turn to see her father hand in hand with another lady and a boy who was Sandy’s age. She would only stare at them till her world would go dark and she would faint. Then, she would be on the bus, riding back to Mumbai. She would run to her mother, who had come to collect her from school and tell her everything.

Was this her greatest mistake, telling Sir’s truth to Maa? But that cannot be right. Even though she hated herself for making her family go through that pain, it was a necessary evil. She had to tell them that he was cheating. She had to tell them that their lives would never be the same. This cannot be it. Priya had seen her mother break and then hold herself together for her four daughters. Priya had held her younger siblings close as their parents fought. She and Sara di spent the next two years distracting their siblings from whatever hurt that their father inflicted on them. It was this betrayal that made them what they were today. Surely it cannot be her greatest mistake.

She considered the possibility of not telling her mother, but then she realized that it would not help. Her Maa would fall weak and let her father torture them. He would probably get Sara Di married the moment she turned eighteen and not allow her to complete her education and then take over the bakery. He would make Priya work at some low-paying job “to help make the ends meet” till they found someone who would take her.

Their choices and hopes would be crushed and though there was a small chance that none of this would happen, Priya knew she wasn’t wrong. Sir would never let them live happily. Maybe they lost their financial stability after her parent’s divorce, but Sara Di and Priya helped with that. Sandy had a much better childhood compared to her elder sisters. Maitrayi was happy, Sara Di was happy. Most importantly, Maa was happy.

No, Priya was not wrong when she told her mother the truth. She closed her eyes firmly, forcing her brain to accept her conclusion when the world started moving again.

~*~

Priya opened her eyes. This time, Ram was looking at her as if she was had grown a third head. They were at the restaurant where they had met to decide about their marriage.

Priya knew her mistake the very instant she looked into Ram’s eyes. She hadn’t told him about Neeraj until their engagement. It shouldn’t have mattered. As far as she knew, her past didn’t affect Ram, but Neeraj seemed to rile him up.

“Mr. Kapoor, there is something you should know. I was dating someone and broke up with him three years ago. His name is Neeraj, and he is my sister’s husband.”

“Your sister married your ex?” Ram asked, flabbergasted, and Priya wanted to roll her eyes. Why was this a big deal? She had seen many people date their friends’ ex. How was her situation any different from theirs?

“Is your sister stupid? Who would want to be with a man who rejected you?” Ram asked, and Priya gaped at him in surprise. Did he just hint that Neeraj was stupid to leave her?

“I am sorry. It’s your past. I shouldn’t comment on it,” Ram blushed and said hurriedly. Priya wanted to chuckle. She had forgotten how nervous he had been on that day.

She shook her head instead.

“We are getting married, Mr. Kapoor. I want to be honest with you, as I value honesty in relationships. I want you to know that my feelings for Neeraj, if there were any, are in the past and that I am over him. But that being said, I don’t think I can ever fall in love again,” she said and was surprised at her own words. Had she just confessed her darkest secret to him? This wasn’t Mr. Kapoor she knew over the last six months, but a total stranger. She should have chosen her words more wisely.

“I understand,” he spluttered.

“If we are being honest, and since you like honesty in relationships, I have to confess something, too. I was in love with my college friend during my college days and had even proposed to her. But that didn’t work out.”

“You don’t have to tell me, Mr. Kapoor,” she said and restrained herself from holding his hands. In her current time, holding his hand had become so natural. She looked at Ram’s sad face.

“No, you have been honest, and so should I... Her name was Vedika.”

~*~

Vedika. Mr. Kapoor was in love with Vedika? She knew that there was no place for love in Ram's heart. Did that mean he still loved her? Now so many things made more sense. Shivina and Sid's marriage wasn't only an alliance. It was a way for Ram to insert himself into Vedika's life. Vedika's possessiveness and concern for Ram weren't onlyof a friend's but an ex-lover's.

Why hadn't she seen this before? This was her mistake. Ignoring what was right before her eyes. Priya wanted to pull her hair and curse herself for being so stupid. But instead, she bumped into Akshay, who was yelling his guts out.

It was the day Anjali had tried to trap Akshay for the first time in the hotel suite.

Ram was trying to calm Akshay and had stopped him from filing a police complaint. What was the mistake here? Not protecting Akshay enough? Yes! If she had been more cynical, as she had been before her marriage, she could have saved Akshay and Shivina from the heartbreak that Anjali caused by falsely accusing Akshay of sexual assault.

"Mr. Kapoor, if you don't wish to file a police complaint, I understand. But I think we should take Anjali with us. She is unsafe and needs help. Also, we have to tell Shivina everything."

"Pri Di, Shivina will be heartbroken. She won't be able to handle this."

"I know, Akki, but think about it. Doesn't a wife have the right to know if something so serious as this happens with her husband? Plus, what if in future Anjali accuses you of sexual misconduct?"

"I would never do that. I only want to be safe." the girl whimpered, but Priya ignored her.

"I think Priya is right," Ram nodded at Priya, and she noticed he looked more at peace, like someone had broken down an invisible wall surrounding them.

The next few hours went in a blur. Shivina, thankfully, trusted Akshay and Anjali. She took Anjali's phone and asked (ordered) Ram to find who the blackmailer was. This got Aditya to reach out to his friend in the telephone retailing sector.

Priya wasn't interested in the blackmailer's identity, so excused herself and went home. She shut everyone out and tried to sleep. She couldn't handle any more drama. She had saved Akshay and Shivina's marriage. Maybe that was enough. She laid on the bed and closed her eyes, hoping that it was enough to stop whatever time-hopping she was doing.

~*~

She opened her eyes to hear Ram arguing from the driver’s seat of the car. She was wearing the saree Brinda had gifted her for Lohri.

But she wasn't with him before the accident. She was supposed to be at the venue, and she had overheard Sir’s plan to kill Ram.

Priya’s phone rang. She shushed Ram from whatever he was rambling about. Were they still in a fight about Akshay and Shivina? Hadn’t she saved their marriage?

“Priya, this is urgent. I overheard Mr. Sood telling someone over the phone that he will kill Ram today,” Sara Di’s panicked voice quavered from the other side.

Priya’s face paled. No! She had let Mr. Sood alone after Mr. Kapoor had withdrawn her complaint against him on the Karwa Chauth day. She closed her eyes, hoping she would go back to that moment where she could fix it, but instead, she just heard Ram whine about being late for the party because Priya had to check on Anjali.

Before Priya could do anything else, a bright light fell on her eyes, and she knew that this was it. She jumped over the driver’s seat and turned the steering wheel so that it would move away from the approaching car.

“Priya, the brakes aren’t working!” Ram said, panic in his voice.

That was the last thing she heard before she closed her eyes. Maybe the other Priya was wrong. Maybe she was supposed to die. But this time, it wouldn’t be just her; it would be Mr. Kapoor too. She had failed. She had failed to save him.

She wanted to end this. She wanted to die.

I loved the chapter thoroughly but I have a question. Isn’t Neeraj Priya’s biggest regret or at least one of them? Shouldn’t she think of not meeting him/ entering into a relationship with him etc.?

My favourite part was her remembering about her father and her determination that she was right. It is like what Priya truly is.

Awesome

Continue with next part super soon

Originally posted by: oye_nakhrewaali

A huge thank you to tournesol for beta reading my story. This a homage to all the movies about time travel that I have watched till date. Also, I read a sort of similar story about another character on another site, so credits to that author too. Tiara tells me that "The Text" by Charles Douglous has a similar concept, but I haven't read it.

I need support with this one because I am really nervous about this story, and I hope you will like it.

Do leave your likes and comments below.

First of all, thank you Shibz for writing this story, 🤗 and thank you for trusting me to do justice in BR-ing your story. Time travel has always been one of my favorite genre, and I had a great time reading it. It makes one realize the importance of each small event in the larger picture. Can't wait for reading the next part again. Do keep writing many more such beautifully creative stories. ❤

About the book, I am sorry I shd have clarified, I had mentioned the book "The Text" in a different context. 🙈 If you ask me, Barry Allen is my favorite time traveller, and yes, in season 3 he does meet with his evil future self.

Originally posted by: wilddevil2010

I loved the chapter thoroughly but I have a question. Isn’t Neeraj Priya’s biggest regret or at least one of them? Shouldn’t she think of not meeting him/ entering into a relationship with him etc.?

My favourite part was her remembering about her father and her determination that she was right. It is like what Priya truly is.

For me, personally, Neeraj or MS are never her biggest mistakes. They have domino effects, yes, but what they did to Priya gave her the choice to become who she is, today. Unlike the other things that were out of her control, yet her small actions could bring big impacts (like her telling Ram about Neeraj making him tell her about Vedika would have avoided so much drama in their life. The drama that was out of her control, yet her small action saved her, Ram, Shivina and her brother from some major threats)

Hope you find the next part worth reading too🙈

Originally posted by: tournesol

First of all, thank you Shibz for writing this story, 🤗 and thank you for trusting me to do justice in BR-ing your story. Time travel has always been one of my favorite genre, and I had a great time reading it. It makes one realize the importance of each small event in the larger picture. Can't wait for reading the next part again. Do keep writing many more such beautifully creative stories. ❤

About the book, I am sorry I shd have clarified, I had mentioned the book "The Text" in a different context. 🙈 If you ask me, Barry Allen is my favorite time traveller, and yes, in season 3 he does meet with his evil future self.

You are making me blush☺️ I was so nervous about this one and without you, this story wouldn't have been possible 🙈

Very creative and beautiful!!
Felt like I was watching a thriller , scenes rapidly playing one after other !!

Originally posted by: oye_nakhrewaali

You are making me blush☺️ I was so nervous about this one and without you, this story wouldn't have been possible 🙈

Now you are making me blush 😆🙈 I am just glad you wrote this, I loved both Priya's angst and her time hopping. ❤