Hey lovelies!! So, chapter 3 is here. I know you guys may be upset seeing Abhi so sad and miserable. Even I felt depressed đ.. But, this chapter is somewhat the turning point. Do read and let me know what you think!! I really appreciate it!!
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Chapter 3I was siting on the bed, back against the headboard with my hands in bandages and a drip. Aashi was next to me, silent. Not a whimper. Daadi, Daasi, Rachna and Aakash were standing at the edge of my bed, bearing down at me. I saw a blend emotions - anger, betrayal, sadness and helplessness.
"Bhai, how could you think of doing such a thing?", Rachna asked me in a quiet voice.
I didn't expect her to be the first to speak. Gazing up at her, it dawned on me how awful she looked. It wasn't only her. Daadi and Daasi were terrible, so was Aakash. Guilt gnawed me. I was the one who was supposed to be punished, but in fact, I was punishing them. I had detached myself completely from the world, hiding from the fact that they would be devastated.
"Why do you ask him such a question Rachna?", Daasi spoke.
"He has forgotten us. He has forgotten his family and his music. Nothing and no one matters to him anymore.", Daasi spit out a fireball, yet I knew she was in pain.
"Indu, don't taunt him.", Daadi spoke, in a whisper.
She came forwards and gently put her hand on Aashi's shoulder. Silently understanding her, Aashi got up, making way for my budhiya to sit beside me. She reached out and held my hand. The entwined fingers were jittery and it dawned on me that my Daadi's hands were trembling. My heart sank even further.
"Puttar...", she said in a frail voice.
"I know you have been suffering for the past three years. Your marriage with Pragya started everything.", she said slowly and my memories were jolted.
"You married her based on a horrible misunderstanding. Even though, I am not proud of it, you did hurt Pragya. That too badly.", she said with bitterness.
"You trusted and loved everyone blindly, choosing to believe them over your own wife.", she said referring to my then sister Aaliya and ex-girlfriend Tanu.
"She loved you and you too, subsequently fell in love with her. But, fate is cruel sometimes. You both encountered numerous problems and heartaches.", she said in a strained voice.
"Pragya is a human too. She can only take so much. You don't expect her to forgive and forget everything always. That's unfair to her.", she said and I felt my eyes swell.
"She has the right to live her life with happiness, not misery. We have wounded her and scarred her soul.", she said in a quiver and my tears fell.
"Pragya chose to leave. We tried everything we could to convince her. But her pain and devastation was far too great.", she said tightening her hold on my hand.
"You need to let her go Abhi. Doesn't she deserve to be happy and to laugh?", she said and I met her tired eyes.
"I already let her go Daadi. I sacrificed my love for her happiness. She sacrificed so much for us, the least I could do was to release her. I could never give her the happiness her heart desired. That's the last thing she told me before walking out. I lost her. Forever. I have lost everything. There is nothing more left in my ruined life.", I sputtered with my lips quivering.
"You lost everything? Nothing left for you?", she asked in a pained voice.
"Haan Daadi. I have no purpose to live. I am just existing. But I am dead. Because I have no one to live for anymore.", I said looking away.
"Then, who am I?", she asked softly.
"Who are we?", she asked showing her hand to Daasi, Rachna and Aakash.
"Don't we matter?", she asked me in despair.
With that, she left my hand and walked out of the room with Daasi, Aakash and Rachna following behind her. I vaguely saw her wipe her cheeks. It broke me even more and I felt the pain shooting through my body in all directions.
Aashi was standing in the corner of the room like a shadow. I didn't know what she was thinking. What would she think of me? Probably, she deemed me a selfish person wallowing in self pity and who didn't care what happened to his family. She moved slowly and walked to the door, turning her back on me. She looked away from me.
"Aashi.", I said as my voice split making her stop.
"Don't go Aashi.", I told her staring at my bandaged hand.
"I don't, I don't want to be alone. I'll go mad.", I said in the dead silence of the room.
She turned around and gazed at me. Her face was tired and pale, yet somehow it was peaceful.
"Please Aashi, just stay." I said with a shrill quiver as I held out my hand.
My mind was swirling in torment. The way Daadi left my hand punched a hole in my heart. Had she given up on me? Had she finally washed her hands off? I felt redundant and desperately needed a shoulder. All I had with me right now, was her.
Aashi put her hand in mine and I gripped it like a lifeline, gently pulling her, making her sit next to me on the bed. I rested my head on her shoulder and never released her hand.
"I am sorry Aashi. I have hurt everyone, including you.", I said sobbing.
"I never meant to hurt anyone. All my life, I have always loved people and made them smile. But, I realize now that, all I do is make a person suffer and cry. I never stopped to think who was right and who was wrong. I never stopped to see what the truth was. I never stopped to listen whom I should trust.", I said and cried out loud.
"You know how to think now, right? You can see the truth now, isn't it? You can listen now, can't you? You know whom to trust, don't you?", she asked hushly.
"I have gone through extremely tough lessons Aashi, so yes.", I answered her in a coarse voice.
"Then prove it.", she said bluntly.
"What?", I asked looking at her.
"Prove it Abhi. Prove it that you have learnt from the lessons.", she said meeting my eyes.
"Why?", I asked her heaving a deep sigh.
"For the people in this house. For your family. For your Daadi. For the lost music in you. For the millions of die hard fans who missed their beloved Rockstar. For you.", she said in a firm tone.
My family. In these three years, not only have I been in misery, but I also dragged them in with me. My music. I haven't touched my lucky guitar in a long time. My fans. My true fans. They made me a Rockstar. I had turned my back on them too. For me. I didn't know how it was going to help me, maybe it never will.
She was no longer here. Pragya. She had left. But why must my family pay for the blundering mistakes I made? Why must they suffer for the sins I committed? They were my responsibility, my life, whatever that remained.
My Daadi's face flashed across my mind. She had singlehandedly raised me after Mum and Dad passed away. She gave me all the love in the world, the rock confidence and had protected me. I had let her down. It was wrong. Extremely wrong.
"How?", I said clearing my throat.
"I'll show you the path.", she said to me with a refreshing smile.
"There may be obstacles. There may be hurdles. You may have to face your past. Are you prepared to follow it with all your heart?", she asked me.
"Aashi, my past?", I asked her dreading the word.
"You cannot keep running from the past. You cannot keep living in the past. You have to face your fears, if you wanted a chance to have a future.", she told me with determination.
My past. The fear. She had hit the nail on the head. I had numerous doubts and despair looming over my head. My future. I never thought about it. What should I do?
"Okay Aashi. I'll follow, but on one condition.", I said after clearing my throat.
"Kya?", she asked in curiosity.
"I cannot do it alone.", I told her.
"You won't have to.", she said in a peaceful tone.
"I'll be with you every step of the way.", she said with confidence.
"Promise?", I asked her holding out my hand.
"Only if you promise me that you will follow the path I show you without turning back.", she said holding out her hand.
"I promise Aashi.", I put my hand in hers.
"Then you have my word Abhi.", she said.
I didn't know what she was planning. I didn't know what she wanted me to do. But I was prepared to do it, for my family, what was left of them. They didn't deserve to be drowned in sorrow and grief. No matter what, they were always there for me. It's time I did the same. I trusted Aashi.
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"Daadi! Daasi!! Rachna!! Aakash!!", I yelled walking into the living hall.
"Purab?", Daasi's said in shock.
All of them were siting on the sofa, their expressions blank. I feared the worse.
"Daasi, kya hogaya?! Abhi kahaan?!", I rattled to her while holding her by the shoulders.
"Purab, araam se beta.", Daasi said holding my face.
She lead me to the sofa and I sat next to Daadi.
"Daadi, aap bholo na?!! What happened? Aakash called me and told me about Abhi! I rushed here as fast I could. Woh theek hain na?!!", I asked in anxiety.
"Purab, calm down beta. Abhi ko kuch nahi hoga. He is fine.", Daadi said putting her arm around my shaking shoulders.
"Haan Purab Bhai, aap chinta maat karo. Abhi Bhai theek hai.", Rachna said bending on her knees before me.
Daasi related what happened in the house. I listened in horror and later complete shock. How could Bhai do this? He tried to end his life? This is wrong. So wrong.
"Thank God Purab. Aashi was here.", Daadi said with some relief.
"Aashi? Aashi Malhotra?", I gasped in surprise.
"Yes Purab. I found her after much difficulty. I wrote her a long letter and she came today morning.", Daadi said.
"Aashi?", I repeated her name, reminiscing my old friend who disappeared.
"Hello Purab.", came a voice.
"Aashi?", I looked up and saw her standing at the top of the stairs.
It was her. Really her. It had been so many years. Five? Six? I didn't know. How I missed her. She was the most sane in our pack of three. The three musketeers back in college. The good old days. Always saving Abhi and myself whenever we were caught up in trouble.
She started walking down, but I rushed up the stairs and met her halfway. Aashi looked the same. Her face and her hair. No more salwaar. Yet, she was the same Aashi. I couldn't believe my eyes, it became blur, filling with my tears. I enveloped her in my arms and hugged her, still not believing. My best friend was back.
"Aashi, kaise ho tum? Where were you all these years? Why didn't you contact us?!!", I asked her in happiness and anger.
"Purab, I am fine. Not only you, but I owe Abhi answers and explanations. But suno, this isn't the time. We have more important things to talk about.", she told me in a serious tone.
"What important things?", I asked her.
"Firstly, I need your help. I need you to contact the producers who were involved in the launch of Abhi's albums.", she told me and my mouth dropped open.
"Why Aashi? What are you trying to say?", I asked her agitatedly.
"Call them Purab. Inform them that Rockstar Abhi is back in business.", she beamed.
"Aashi, are you mad?", I gapped in terror.
"Purab.", I heard a deep familiar voice.
I looked up to see Bhai who had appeared at the top of the stairs. He had shaved and he was dressed in clean clothes. The signature black T-shirt, the torn blue jeans, the dog tags, the beads bracelets and the stylish hairstyle. It was as if seeing him, the old him. The Rockstar who took the music world by storm and dominated the charts with sensational rocking songs.
I couldn't believe my eyes. I looked from him to Aashi, who was standing with her arms folded with a sparkle in her brown eyes. I stared at Bhai and he gave me the long lost Rockstar smile which made girls go crazy. He was back. Abhishek Prem Mehra was back. Rockstar Abhi was back. My brother was back. I couldn't believe it, was he really back??? Or was it a dream???
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