Yeh Hai Aashiqui (Ishra OS on Pg 33) - Page 8

Singing is Virat's passion: stage, studio, it doesn't matter. He loves to sing, and all the girls love him for it. On the day he sang "Tum Hi Ho", Gauri (Gauhar) was chosen again to come on stage to perform with him. One would think she was his favorite fan since she was always chosen from the crowd. That would be wrong though as that title should have gone to the girl in the pink gown with the side ponytail hairstyle, staring adoringly at Virat, and enviously at Gauri for being selected to dance with the singer yet again.

"You rock Virat!" the girl shouted above the crowd.

She would give anything if just once Virat noticed her and picked her from the audience to dance with him.

2 months later

Gauri left Virat's place dressed and ready to leave him and this live-in relationship.

"Gauri please wait jaan; I can't live without you babe. We promised each other that we will grow old together right; right?"

Gauri turned and faced him, her eyes were wet as she reached for his hand. Virat looked into her eyes expectantly. Her lips trembled and she said,

"Virat, I have terminal cancer. There is no cure and that's why I am leaving you. I want you to move on in your life; to find someone who will steal your heart. The one who is your destiny; the song that you believe in. Out there, is someone for whom your music is her existence? She is there in the audience just waiting for you to notice her."

Virat cupped her face and stared at her with deep concern. His voice was husky with emotion.

"Shush!! Listen to me, you are my soul-mate and I can't think about anyone except you and your well-being. I will take care of you until your last breath and love you for the rest of my life. I love you jaan."

Gauri slapped him. "Stay away from me; don't love me so much; I am not worthy of your love!"

She looked at his chain with the broken heart pendant around his neck, and then removed the matching one that hung around hers.

"We always said that as long as we both wore these chains we would remain together." She placed hers down hoping that he would understand the meaning of her action.

Gauri left in a state of turmoil, but right now, all that mattered was that she went before she spilled the truth to Virat about being pregnant with his baby.

I am sorry Virat, she thought, but I can't live with you when Manvi is your true soul mate. She loves you, but more importantly, she needs you more than I do, Virat.By going to America at least I won't be here to come between the two of you.

Like Virat, Manvi was a music lover; she even loved writing lyrics, although she had just made a hobby of it, never wanting her hobby to become her career. But she was the one with cancer, not Gauri and she needed Virat's love and care. (It would be so hard to stay away from him, but Guari knew that she needed to give Virat and Manvi the chance to be together. He needed her as much as she needed him. Besides, Gauri thought, she would always have a part of him to love: their child growing inside her.

Shattered, Virat was unaware when Manvi entered his room and sat beside him. She saw how broken he was and she picked up his guitar and started singing "Hai Alvida Tujhe,Tujhe Jeena Hai Mere Bina" She sang so beautifully that it touched his heart, but still so wounded by Gauri's leaving, he reacted violently and pinned her towards the wall. Hoarsely, he questioned her.

Virat - "Who the hell are you? How did you enter my room and how dare you touch my guitar!"

Manvi's eyes welled up and she stumbled out of the room in tears. As if her tears weren't enough to contend with the nausea she constantly experienced began to overwhelm her. Blindly, she rushed to washroom where she began vomiting blood, before collapsing.

This is how Virat found her, when ashamed of his earlier outburst he had followed the young woman out of his room.

Virat took her the nearby hospital and stayed when she was admitted. After some time, the doctor came out and told him about her illness and he was shocked to hear that she was also a cancer patient. (He stood stunned in the hallway at this devastating news, when Gauri's physician, Dr. Sheela approached him.)

"Hi Virat, Where is Gauri, she has not come for her sonography test."

"Sonography Test?" Virat replied confused, "But she is a cancer patient and sonography..."

"No, Virat, Gauri isn't a cancer patient; she is pregnant with your baby."

Reeling from this news on top of everything else that had happened today, Virat stood paralyzed with fear, until a soft voice reached him from the hospital room.

"Virat,I love you."

Virat turned and noticed Manvi , calling out for him with love .Virat went to her and grabbed her wrist tightly.

"Who are you to speak words of love to me? Dammit, what do you want from me? Are you the reason my Gauri went away from me taking my unborn baby from me? What else you want to steal; what's next? You play music, so I guess my songs are next. Do you want to plagiarize them and claim them as yours as well? You may as well take my life while you are at it!"

"Virat, I don't know if you are Gauri's soul-mate, but if she was truly yours, how could she pack up and leave you?" She then asked him to look in her jacket pocket which rested on a chair in the room.

"Gauri gave me this this video in which she says that she has moved on in her life and that all she wants is to keep your baby and raise it alone. She wants nothing from you, not even financial support"- says Manvi

Virat was shocked to hear this and to realize that Gauri could move on with her life so fast, just because she had the money to do so.

"And thinks she will remember me by our baby? How dare she?" Virat muttered.

Seeing his pain, Manvi caught his hand and held it supportively. Virat, she thought, I know she did one good deed by giving me the chance to be with you, but if you don't want me I won't force you to love me. Please just give me a chance, she begged silently.

Suddenly she fainted. Virat called the doctors to her room, in a panic, so that they could examine her and administer the necessary medicines to stabilize her condition.

Feeling a sense of responsibility for Manvi, Virat escorted her home when she was discharged from the hospital. Gazing around her room he came across a book of lyrics written by her and some tapes on which she had recorded her songs. Amazed by her voice, Virat thought how cruel life was that someone so talented could have been dealt such an awful fate. It made him realize that there were others worst off than him, and immediately he was inspired to help Manvi who shared his passion for music, in any way he could.

Virat's role as Manvi's caretaker soon progressed to that of a mentor as their relationship evolved over time.) At first it was her voice, that Virat fell for, but soon he realized that he had fallen in love with Manvi for her love of music as well as her beauty, both internal and external. Often Virat felt sad that he wouldn't spend forever with her, now when all he wanted to do was to give her all the love she wanted from him and the care she deserved.

Everyday Virat took her to the studio to record her voice which led to the chance to take her to the All India Radio Station to record her songs and to introduce her to the public. And then came the fame, and her own chance to perform on stage headlining her own concerts. Despite her illness, somehow Virat's love for her and his tender care had extended her life, allowing her the opportunity to perform not one,but two live concerts.

.Manvi and Virat's live in relationship finally ended when they got married as it was Manvi's wish and soon afterwards they learned that they were going to be parents of their first child. Through his love, Virat fulfilled all of Manvi's wishes before her time ended. She took her last breath after giving birth to a baby girl, but as her final gift to him she named their baby girl, who was an exact replica of her, Manvi so that he would remember her always.

With this act, Virat's and Manvi's love story continued,. Manvi is never far from Virat's thoughts and he keeps her alive in his heart by listening to her songs and playing her recorded lullaby for their daughter .Although he didn't get married again nor ever fall in love with any woman after his wife's death he feels his Manvi is still alive through of their daughter. Virat's love for his daughter is a different type of love but just as powerful. Some could almost consider it the second verse to his musical love story.

The END