Chapter 2: The Multi-Layered EquationA/N: Hey there everyone! :D :D Here is the next update! :D :D
Happy Reading! :D :D
RV sat upon his desk pouring on several of the files open in front of him when a door knock interrupted him from the process of making more meticulous notes. On looking up, he saw that it was Ishaani.
"You called for me?"
RV nodded his head as he beckoned her into the room, signalling her to take the seat opposite him. He noticed that she looked tired.
"Here's the briefing for today's meeting. Shanella is going to be preparing the letter of credit for the sanctions to be made to the suppliers. The consignment is expected to leave from Surat on the 13th so Shanella will be going on the 12th for the final evaluation. Also, you need to sign the letter so be in your cabin and don't make another scene," he warned and she gave him a deadpan look.
The adrenaline from the previous night was wearing off for her and with it had begun to creep the same tussle between pain and numbness.
"What about the bill of lading?" asked Ishaani as she opened the updated status report and went through them at a rough glance, taking in all the extra highlights and details that were made. RV gave her a brief summary of whatever was discussed, she giving in her inputs every once in a while wherever necessary. RV couldn't help but notice how meticulously she organized herself now when there was a time when she wouldn't even have any track of her stationery, far more any of her papers.
"All that will be sorted by Rishi," he replied, quickly accumulating the sheets that he was working upon. He assimilated them categorically, sticking bookmarks upon the sheets that needed working upon, replacing them back into their respective files.
"What about the wires from your firm?" she asked as she came upon the necessary bank transfer requests that was to be done from her firm along with the financial statements that were pinned alongside with a paper-clip, giving out the allocations to be made for the consignment in question.
"Puneet's handling the transaction right now," replied RV as he shut his file and looked at Ishaani, suddenly feeling exhausted himself as he could feel the effect of two days' worth of physical and emotional shock leave him worn out.
And the fact that he'd begun sewing a net with all the mental prowess he had as he thought ahead of six moves at a time and predicted a hundred different scenarios to play out at a time alternatively was beginning to tax him out now that sleep was being a difficult accomplice.
"Will that be all then?" asked Miss Parekh as she stood up gingerly, groaning in pain as she held her left arm. RV shook his head at her in dismay as he decided that it was time to get to the real aspect of why he'd called her to his cabin.
"Not quite. Where were you this afternoon?" he asked suddenly, wondering how she would react. Ishaani looked confused.
"At lunch with Mr. Finch," she replied casually, wondering what RV had in mind as he gave her a curious glance. She did not feel even remotely satisfied that she couldn't decipher what was going on in his mind as he continued staring at her, lost in thought.
"The Taj?" he asked when she cleared her throat softly, his train of thoughts coming to an abrupt halt as her gaze caught his attention.
"Yes, although I don't remember telling you about it," she replied suspiciously.
RV sighed, finally pulling out an envelope from the topmost bureau drawer and handed it over to her. She pulled out the contents of the envelope to see pictures from her and Finch from earlier in the day. He noticed that one of the pictures had them captured kissing the other on the cheek.
"Someone seems to be doing the job on your behalf just fine. Got this ten minutes after you returned this afternoon," explained RV, looking thoughtful as she returned the pictures to him, disinterested.
Only one person had so much free time on his hand for things like this now that she'd bought his firm and left him bankrupt. And if he happened to be sending pictures like those to Ranveer, it only meant that he finally knew who RV really was. And it was no surprise how he knew so after their little conversation from earlier in the day with Trelawney's prediction.
"Well, atleast that was one lunch that went as per decided. And the pics are brilliant quality. DSLR?" she asked in what was supposed to be a joke but neither of them laughed as the seriousness of the situation dawned upon them, standing in between like an impenetrable wall.
"Looks more of an Apple camera," he replied and she shrugged her shoulders.
Both of them remained silent as they stared at each other pensively, too many strands of thoughts swirling around them in a mysterious dome. While Miss Parekh fidgetted with the frill of her blouse, RV opened and shut his mouth thrice before finally speaking what he had upon his mind.
"You need to be more careful of what you do in public."
She looked up at him, her expression suddenly stony. Miss Parekh did not like to be told what was to be done. She made her own decisions.
"It's my life. Mine. You don't get to decide," she replied placidly as she stood up, taking along the file that RV had handed over to her. He gave her a rueful smile, the room suddenly losing its sunlight as the clouds embraced them underneath its shadow.
"The last time I let you decide, we both saw how that worked out," he stated and both of them felt their hearts sink, the pain and anguish from before returning to them with the fullest of impact as Ranveer and Ishaani let the floodgates open.
The latter shook her head reproachfully.
"And if I let you decide this time, I know what you'll end up doing," replied Miss Parekh as their eyes met, the raw anger suffused in the blankets of chocolate only confirming her suspicion.
When neither of them broke the ice-cold silence that seemed to fall upon them out of nowhere, Miss Parekh knew what was to be done.
She left the cabin without another word.
-x-
"Sir?"
"Come in," beckoned RV for the second time in twenty minutes. He looked up to see Rishi enter his cabin, looking a mix of exhilarated and petrified at the same time. "You got it?"
"Right from the start to the finish," replied Rishi, slightly breathless.
RV gave him a satisfactory nod as he quickly went through the entire file, along with the additions that Rishi had managed to acquire for him. Shutting the file after evaluating it to his total satisfaction, he gestured for Rishi to take a seat, looking serious
"Brilliant. I'm giving you the authority to go ahead with it. Being the CEO, your signature will authenticate the required documents," he added and Rishi nodded his head, looking extremely worried.
"But sir, why do we-" he began, but RV cut across his question the moment he got the gist of it.
"It's necessary," was all he bothered to reply with and even though Rishi looked considerably relaxed, the biggest worry of his in the plan still remained persistent.
"Does Miss Parekh know about this?" he asked deliberately. RV gave him a deadpan look, phrasing his response as cryptically as he could without letting him know too much.
"No. I'm going to need her to be spontaneous."
"It could very well backfire. She's a fiend when she's mad at something and even the devil would fear standing in front of her in those moments. If she finds out about this, she's going to fire me for certain," stated Rishi in a word of advice even though he was the only one from the two of them who looked terrified and desperate.
But all RV did was shrug his shoulders uncaringly.
Smiling at the CEO ruthlessly as he felt a contended purr erupt in his heart and escape through his lips, RV tapped his fingertips together delicately as he spoke the next few words in a tone that made a shiver run down Rishi's spine, reminding him exactly of why the world saw RV in frightened reverence.
"If she's a fiend then I'm a sadistic beast who knows how to do my job bloody well. And you know what the best part is? She created this beast."
"It's a huge risk where everything could go wrong," reminded Rishi in a small voice as he stood up, suddenly feeling his hands and feet go cold in spite of sufficient warmth in the room. RV looked up and smiled shrewdly.
"Leave that call upon me, Mr. Bakshi. You may leave."
-x-
"Ma'am, may I-"
"Ofcourse. You were supposed to arrive five minutes ago though," added Miss Parekh resentfully as Shanella entered the room, looking nowhere near apologetic.
It was four in the afternoon as the sweltering heat of the exterior seeped into the room in spite of the air-conditioner being on. But the heat magically seemed to turn into frigid ice the moment the two women met eyes, black burning against cold grey ones.
"Mr. RV stalled me," was all Shanella bothered to specify.
Miss Parekh only cocked her eyebrow in question.
"Coffee interludes?"
"Something like that, yes," replied Shanella as she flushed dully.
Ishaani felt her temper rise as she tried to take deep breaths, curling her palms into fists to gain control upon an anger she knew she was going to lose control upon very soon.
"Rather charming, isn't he?" asked Ishaani in stiff sarcasm as Shanella put the papers in question before her, the former happy for the distraction.
"Sexy is more the word, boss. It's no wonder why the temperatures are so hot around here these days," replied Shanella, the relish in her tone silky.
Ishaani shut her eyes, willing herself not to pounce on the woman in front of her and slap her with great difficulty. Opening them after a split second as her mind was distracted with Shanella's sloppy giggles, she shook her head quickly and forced herself to read the rest of the documents halfheartedly, feeling extremely annoyed at her fate.
"Accurate as your views might be, Ms. Carvalho, I'd prefer if you had your focus upon the diamonds rather than Mr. RV. We are, after all, a part of a diamond trading company, not a matrimonial one," she replied in sugary sweetness, hoping that Shanella would get the bitter displeasure behind her inappropriate remarks.
But the latter remained as oblivious as ever.
Rolling her eyes at her, Ishaani quickly signed through the spots highlighted for her to sign upon before she handed the papers over to Shanella, albeit a little more forcefully than required.
"And this will be all - the papers and clauses are in order," said Ishaani quickly, hoping to have Shanella out from her cabin as soon as she could, her provocative clothes only irritating her all the more.
Shanella sighed deeply before giving Ishaani a curious look.
"You know, I am sorry that we got off to a bad footing the other day. You aren't as bad as you seem to be. I'll try to get Mr. RV to allow you back to the meetings. I'm sure he'll consider what I've got to say," she added sweetly and suddenly Ishaani felt something explode in her head.
She looked up dangerously and was happy to see the smile off from Shanella's face.
"Really? That's benevolent of you, Ms. Carvalho," she stated and Shanella gulped nervously wondering what was coming her way.
She was halfway through turning her back and leaving when Ishaani spoke again.
"But just one parting thought - playing with ice leaves you numb, but playing with fire will consume you whole until you're just ashes. Choose your warring side carefully."
"I'm afraid I don't-" stuttered Shanella as Ishaani watched the colour drain from her face in satisfaction. She saved her the pain of continuing trying to find for words as she continued.
"You won't understand it either until you're ashes," stated Ishaani, her gaze unfeeling as she could feel Shanella shiver underneath them.
Cocking her eyebrows towards the door, Ishaani had barely got back to working upon her existing files when she heard Shanella mutter under her breath, but intentional enough for her to hear it.
"What a bitch."
Miss Parekh smiled to herself as she flipped over to the next page, not bothering to even look up to pay Shanella any attention as she spoke delinquently, taking relish in every syllable she used.
"Correction, Ms. Carvalho - it's 'what a cold, manipulative bitch'. It's a title I'm rather proud of."
Shanella stopped cold in her tracks and stared behind to see Ishaani smirk evilly, aware of the ripple effect that she'd created with her words. And in that moment, she knew that Chirag Mehta had been right about Ishaani Parekh - she was a woman with reckless daring, and that only made her effectively more dangerous to deal with.
-x-
RV sighed tiredly as he yawned, looking at the clocked sitting royally upon the wall opposite him - 10PM. Yearning for sleep that he seemed to be getting lack of, he shut the files before him and quickly put them in their assigned drawers, arranging them neatly before leaving his cabin for the night. The entire office remained dead in silence as all the employees had long since departed for their homes, RV being left alone in his world of paperwork until he passed Ishaani's cabin.
The lights were still on.
"It's ten already. Don't you have to leave?" asked RV as he used his keycard to access her cabin, peeking his head through the door to see her consumed in the work that she was doing.
She looked up at him as though suddenly shocked before her eyes fell upon the clock and relaxed back into her chair.
"Just give me another five minutes. Why don't you take a seat until then?" she suggested absentmindedly as she engrossed herself into making notes once again, her pen running continuously along the paper as though she were attempting a question paper.
"Sure," replied RV as he took a seat opposite her once again.
His sudden presence seemed to snap Miss Parekh out from her bout of frantic writing as she looked up and gave him an apologetic look, as though noticing him for the first time.
"How come you're still stuck in the office?" she asked as she wrapped up her papers quickly, segregating them back into the files as per the order she'd be needing them in while she made extra notes on a note pad about the things that needed her inspection further.
"Had to finish quite a bit of work from yesterday as well. And I had to tackle a couple of issues back in Sydney as well," replied RV and she gave him a worried look.
"For the consignment?"
"No, in my company. Markets are rough," RV explained and Ishaani nodded her head in agreement. He continued.
"So Finch suggested that I stay behind and complete my work in the office since he and David are going to be going on a night tour of a city."
Ishaani chose to remain silent even though she couldn't help give him a soft smile. The awkwardness from the afternoon had dispelled away, leaving behind in its wake a warmth as comfortable as that of the dim lights in her cabin. The pain was still there but the ache seemed to have lessened somehow, even though they didn't know the reason behind it. Maybe it was just the assurance of the other's presence that seemed to work like an invisible balm. Maybe their heart didn't ache in yearning anymore now that they stood in front of each other, and that's all that mattered in spite of their over-complicated equation.
"Have you had dinner yet?" asked Ishaani as she finally stood up, looking sleepy after the exhaustion of the previous night. He looked at her in concern for a moment, wondering whether or not he should let Ranveer overtake RV before he let it happen anyway.
"No, you?" asked Ranveer and Ishaani shook her head.
"Would you like to join me home for dinner?" she asked suddenly, looking at him in anticipation and hoping against hope that he'd accept her invitation once and for all now that it was the need of the hour that he did.
"I guess I will, yeah," replied Ranveer after pondering upon her request for a good measuring, deciding to go with the flow.
He thought it to be the best way to keep an eye out for her in case she tried anymore antics, even though he could see that she was in control of herself today. Ishaani gave him a coy smile as he threw out his arm to her in invite. She interlinked it, her heart suddenly calm.
"One condition though - I'm driving," she said and Ranveer laughed quietly as he understood her reference. Their smiles and laughters were nowhere near what they used to be, but then again, it was just the start.
It was not going to be easy. It was going to be anything but easy.
For now, Ranveer and Ishaani walked towards the car as they left behind the world of finance, along with RV and Miss Parekh as its safe keepers.
-x-
"Finally, dinner's done!" exclaimed Ranveer as he wiped his hands clean, looking at Ishaani appreciatively as she let the helpers take away their plates.
She, in turn, laid back in her chair and gave him a sweet smile, feeling truly at home for the first time in eight years.
"Yep, a long overdue dinner. I hope you liked it," she said, more of a worried question than an assured statement. Ranveer nodded his head awkwardly.
"Traditional Gujrati food and all my favourites? Ofcourse I loved it! Samosas too!" he added in what should have been apparent excitement but his tone fell flat.
Ishaani gave him an understanding look.
"And I thought that Sydney would have helped you tone down your samosa obsession," she joked and they both let their lips twitch even though dinner only reminded them of the vast gaping holes in their life that couldn't be filled now.
Both of them stood up from the table and walked towards the hall, Ranveer looking at the clock in surprise. It was 11:40PM.
"So... I guess I'll take your leave then," he stated awkwardly and Ishaani looked surprised.
She'd expected him to linger around for longer, but then again she'd forgotten that they were no longer teenagers who searched for excuses to stay together for just a little longer. They had in between them a thick, impenetrable wall of pain and heartbreak that neither of them could cross. Last night was an exception, but that didn't mean that everything was back to normal.
"Where do you think that you're going?" asked Ishaani suddenly and Ranveer was startled at the strength of her voice.
"What do you mean? To my hotel, ofcourse! We've got an early day tomorrow, and-"
"-we're off to the terrace right now," she ended and Ranveer fell silent abruptly.
It was the last thing he was expecting her to tell him in that moment, and the prospect of stargazing with her after all these years was just as frightening as was thrilling to think about. And yet... the memory of his last night stargazing upon that very terrace was one that he'd never, ever forget. And returning back to the place where his life had ended all those years ago was unacceptable to him.
"Ishaani, we can even do this another day," protested Ranveer, suddenly faced by the urge to flee away from her and the house as far away as possible.
The only thing stopping him was Ishaani's firm hold upon his hand.
"I should have known better, idiot that you are. You're going nowhere, and you're spending the night with me on the terrace," she repeated again, and Ranveer gave her a helpless look.
Sensing Ranveer's hesitance, Ishaani turned behind and gave him a small smile of assurance. "Don't worry, I've taken Finch's permission to hold you behind for the night. Come on!" she exclaimed as she tugged at his arm, pulling him along behind her.
Ranveer couldn't help but see his past dance around him all over again as he remembered making his way towards the one place that was once his haven in the arms of the Universe during several night of his life. And then one night, his Universe had snatched everything away from him. Ranveer shook his head, begging himself not to go back to a past that he'd spent six and a half years trying to get over but couldn't. And yet, it only seemed to lure him more and more, as though he was walking towards his doom.
They finally reached the terrace door that was not-so-surprisingly locked, their feet coming to a halt as well. Ishaani pulled out a bobby pin from her hair, smiling to herself mischievously.
"Wait, why're you still picking locks with that bobby pin?" asked Ranveer, unable to control his curiosity and amusement as he saw the lock fall open in front of their eyes, remembering all the times when she'd do things like that and even get away with them as kids.
"Well, some habits never die," she replied cheekily as she swung open the doors to the terrace and Ranveer gasped.
The terrace was strewn with balloons all over the place while two layers of blankets remained strewn upon the floor, as though expecting to be taken into service soon while two pillows accompanied them. Ranveer noticed that there were two packets by the swing-side of the terrace whose contents were mysteriously hidden.
"Whoa... what's all this? Ishaani, what are you up to?" stuttered Ranveer as he walked ahead of Ishaani for the first time that night, staring at the terrace and the night sky in awe as the breathtaking view before his eyes reminded him of a night years ago where he'd made arrangements for Ishaani for an evening that he shied away from calling a date till this precise moment.
Ranveer remained lost in the reminiscence of the moment as he relived the entire night before his eyes, right from him bringing her her favourite bunch of flowers to the ending of their 'evening' upon the terrace where a strange tension had mounted in between them. A sudden blare of music snapped him out from his thoughts, and even before he could locate the source of the sound, he found Ishaani standing right behind him, looking at him curiously.
"Ishaani, what's going on?" he asked, his voice suddenly barely above an audible whisper as she put one hand upon his shoulder and let his uninjured hand hold her other, the two of them noe swaying to the rhythm of the song going on in the background.
Ranveer realized after a passage of three songs that it was his own mixed tape playing in the background. Both of them danced in silence as words failed either of them, the happy and painful memories of the past suddenly a blend until it only left their hearts yearning for that same comfort once again. The song came to an end and Ishaani let her head fall tiredly upon his chest, sighing slowly. Ranveer, in turn, let his head fall upon hers, neither of them willing to break the embrace.
It was neither comforting nor torturing - it was just keeping each other's hearts beating.
"Ishaani, why are you-"
"Shhh. I need you to remain quiet for ten seconds now," she whispered as she raised her head, her eyes staring into his own in a burst of life as he saw a couple of tears fall from them.
And yet there was a fire in them that he couldn't ignore.
It was a fire that only set his soul on fire as it set his heart free from the pain of a lifetime that he'd learnt to live with. It was a fire that made him beg for freedom. For his heart to be free of the pain and suffering. For his heart to be made whole and pure again. And even as he held on to her for dear life, he knew that he was being stupid.
He could never become the man he was all those years ago.
Too much had changed everywhere; too much had changed between them. He could even contemplate forgiving her for something that wasn't her fault at all, but he couldn't let it go. He was too afraid to let go because he was too afraid to hope against hope.
He shut his eyes as he felt the same tension mount between them that had done so years ago on the exact spot, her arms now circled around his neck as he held on to her waist, hearing her cry in silent tears as his heart yearned for its calm and solace. And even before he was aware about what was happening to them, he felt his lips travel upon her eyes, kissing away the tears from upon them, slowly moving upon her other eye as he freed his uninjured arm from around her waist. He raised her chin up ever so slowly, letting his lips now kiss the button of her nose.
Ishaani held on to the small of his neck, letting her fingers interlock within his hair as their eyes opening together. His lips hovered just above hers, the sight of which made reality creep in alongside. Ranveer's eyes widened as he remained frozen, his mind suddenly too stunned to think about anything else, his thoughts too tangled and complicated. But out from all of them came only one though.
Run towards the light as fast as you can. Love.
Ishaani looked at him in patience as she felt Ranveer's breath cease, his eyes staring at her in tumult.
She waited for the adjustment that she knew was coming her way. She could feel the pain in his eyes breach her soul ever so slightly, her soul suddenly fraught with the despair that she could see dancing in his eyes where it once only twinkled with the joy of living and an untarnished innocence. She'd been responsible for sapping both of that away from him in a single stroke that has changed their lives forever. She could still see that gash bleed upon his soul, his eyes still dead against her own as she watched him relive a reality that he'd tried so hard to escape from.
And in a harsh, impossibly fast shift, the line of his mouth hardened, his eyes dulling in the space of a second. Ishaani gave him a woeful smile in understanding as she retracted her head away from his own ever so slightly, her eyes finally breaking away from upon his face. She no longer needed to see what emotions were at war upon his features because she knew.
And yet, all her heart willed for her to do was to eliminate all the gap between them. To crush her lips upon his own just like how pain kept crushing her heart, hoping that he'd make her his own the same way her heart had made pain its own. But before she could will herself to push him away, Ranveer tilted his head to catch her eyes once again, the stormy chocolate of his gaze boring into her coal ones, pulling her back into focus.
And the decision was made in a split second.
Ishaani felt her lips collide against Ranveer's the next moment, his arm around her waist preventing her from moving any further. His uninjured hand cupped her cheek gently, his fingers grazing against her skin in the lightest of touches before pulling the stray strands of hair behind her ear. She let out a soft moan into his mouth as his fingers continued making the same dizzying circles upon her cheek with the softest yet most electrifying of touches, her world suddenly a swirl of nothing but love. Her moan was drowned away by the sound of her madly beating heart that their proximity only seemed to exemplify apart from the painful desire of the moment, her fingers clenching harder into Ranveer's hair.
Ranveer, in turn, relinquished his hold upon her as he captured her lips in a single go, devouring them with a reverence that was amiss the first time, pouring as much pain and emotion he had access to into the kiss while he felt Ishaani do the same. He deepened the kiss within the space of a heartbeat, feeling her breathing get uneven as she pulled him closer, bridging all the gap between them. And no matter how much his mind protested, he couldn't let go of her. His heart needed the antidote even though his mind yelled about her being the poison in the first place.
But nothing mattered anymore.
All that did was the moment as their lips parted, only to meet again the next moment as Ishaani deepened the kiss this time, her fingers now trailing to the side of his neck tantalizingly. She could feel his heart beat like never before as her fingers trailed lower, tracing a line down his Adam's apple with the pad of her thumb that made him shiver against her touch involuntarily. There was no euphoria in his heart anymore for he knew that he was incapable of feeling happiness anymore. But there was yet an unquenched thirst of love, craving for more and more as he delved upon her lower lip, kissing it with an attention that made Ishaani moan his name against his lips for the second time that night.
Separating themselves reluctantly as they felt themselves go out of breath, Ranveer looked at Ishaani with a stupefied look upon his face just as she tiptoed and put her arms around his neck, letting him envelop her into an embrace once again while she whispered into his ears softly.
"Happy birthday!"
Ranveer pulled her out from the embrace slowly, staring at her, gobsmacked. He hadn't even remembered the date or the fact that it was actually his birthday eve. And yet Ishaani had, realized Ranveer as he looked around the place and realized what the arrangements had actually been made for, right from his favourite dishes to the recreation of their Valentine's moment. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry upon the way life had bound him and kept him immobilized, shuttling between his past and present while left dying in a limbo.
"It's- it's my birthday?" was all he was consciously aware of stuttering as Ishaani finally let go of him, looking amused.
She wasn't even in the least surprised that he'd actually forgotten his birthday.
"Yep, 12th October, 12:01AM," she replied, and Ranveer remained silent, feeling overwhelmed.
Ishaani smiled as she stood up and left the terrace for a minute, Ranveer staring at her in confusion. She returned back a minute later with a small cake in her hand, along with heaps of candles set upon them as she brought along with her a matchbox. Ranveer gaped at her in shock just as she set the cake down, looking at him excitedly.
"Come sit down quickly!" she beckoned as she struck a matchstick alight from the box and began setting the candles aflame.
Ranveer freed himself off his shoes and kept them beside her abandoned stilettos as he sat beside her and watched her work with the candles until all of them were lit. He noticed that there were twenty-nine of them studded upon the chocolate ganache. Handing him over the knife, Ishaani gave him a small smile as she sang for him in a loving whisper, Ranveer cutting the cake even though his mind was far, far away from the present.
His mind did not like the present anymore for being with Ishaani only reminded him of a glorious past... the price that he had to pay for an even more glorious present. But was the present any glorious without any love or life? Both seemed far away and abandoned where only stretches of pain now stayed in his heart like a seamless desert. And he did not like the heat that scorched his heart after the kind of solace Ishaani was giving him.
It only seemed to intensify his pain and suffering, searing through his ripped soul and setting every pore of his body on fire. And yet he couldn't let go of that pain because he was too afraid even now, just like he was when he was fourteen. The pain was something he could still hold on to even though just like then, it was killing him brutally even today. But the vast emptiness of his life and the solitude that he knew would accompany, he couldn't bear the thought of.
Cutting through his thoughts like the crack of a whip, Ranveer snapped back to reality when he felt somethings brush against his hand. Realizing almost immediately that they were Ishaani's fingers, Ranveer gave her a flabbergasted look when his eyes fell upon the knife that still remained in the cake. He'd lost track of what he was doing. He flushed dully as Ishaani caught his gaze, her eyes suddenly downcast when she gave him a sad smile. She could see what was going on in his mind and could see the turmoil in his heart. And it didn't make the guilt any easier that she was the one who'd made him like this. Years ago, it had been her fault that he'd nearly died in that factory even though most would call it survivor's guilt.
But that didn't change what she felt about that day and neither did it change what she felt today.
Ranveer shook his head as he cut out an edible piece and fed it to Ishaani while she did the same. Quickly keeping the cake aside, she brought along a small bowl of water to rinse their hands into, wiping them clean later with a pair of napkins. The former took off his coat and blazer, loosening the gradient tie around his neck as he finally let his head hit the pillow, staring at the sky above him in the same veneration that he'd look at them with all those years ago. The stars and the moon welcomed him back home with a warmth that didn't go amiss by either.
"Wow... even after all these years the sky is just as beautiful as it always was," murmured Ranveer in a reverential whisper as Ishaani laid down beside him.
They didn't realize when their fingers had interlocked within each others'.
"This is the first time I'm star-gazing over here in six and a half years. I haven't star-gazed again after that night," she whispered in reply, her voice choking towards the end of her sentence.
Ranveer deepened the pressure upon her hand, turning her head towards her. She had her eyes upon the moon, her tears sparkling in the light of the luminescent sphere.
"Have you ever wondered... what life would be had we never had that conversation?" asked Ranveer in a low tone as Ishaani pulled his hand upon her stomach just like she'd do years ago when she wanted to comfort both of them.
Ranveer shut his eyes as he tried to drown away his urge to scream as memories from that night pierced his mind with the brutality of a jagged glass, cutting holes into his soul as only one name floated through his mind in venomous hatred - Chirag.
"Every single minute of my life," replied Ishaani, the bitter resentment not gone amiss by Ranveer.
She finally tore her eyes away from the heavily studded skies and took to staring at the biggest one asleep right beside her, lost in thought. She could see the life draining out from his soul with simply the attempt to keep up with everything that was happening in these past few days.
Or years, perhaps.
"Tell me everything. Every single thing - about how it all began and ended with Chirag. Again," he emphasized and Ishaani sighed, knowing that this was going to come her way some time or the other seeing the empty fire of hatred burn in his eyes.
Her father had once told them that hatred always stemmed from love because it was just crossing the boundary to the other side. But her father had never warned them that when you watched your loved ones die in pain a little more right before your eyes, that same hatred crossed its boundary into a fire that was meant to consume you eventually as well. She knew that Ranveer had sat through her mindless conversations all those years ago even though he didn't have the slightest care in the world for how it all began with Chirag.
But he needed to know now.
He needed to know how exactly his life had been destroyed and who had destroyed his life in a single stroke of such brilliant manipulation that he'd not even seen it coming. And he deserved to know everything - the entire untold story of her life. She owed him that much. And so she took a deep breath, plunging into the dark waters of her past and guiding Ranveer along with her hand in hand as she took him through the unexplored eight years of her life, Ranveer living through everything in silence.
Plunging out from the suffocating mass of her past after an indefinite amount of time, Ishaani fell silent as she heaved for breath, her grip upon Ranveer's fingers now strong as she held on to him, letting the darkness seep away slowly. Ranveer remained silent as he stared at the moon, his heart infused with an emotion he'd never, ever known he was capable of feeling in that moment - hatred. And it had begun to fill the gaping voids in his heart as the pain was beginning to become whole, redirected towards a new purpose in life - to watch Chirag Mehta die before his eyes.
In pride as well as in person.
"Now it's your turn."
Ranveer snapped out from train of thoughts as he looked at Ishaani, who gasped when their eyes met. He'd gone deathly white, she noticed while his eyes suddenly blazed with a fire that left her unsettled. It was a fire she was only too aware about for she'd lived three years of her life seeing that same fire every single day. It was the fire of a lethal revenge. Ranveer looked disoriented for a myriad of moments as Ishaani began rubbing soft circles upon the back on his hand, slowly restoring him back to normalcy as the fire in his eyes dimmed, leaving behind the same hollowness in them.
Ishaani mentally heaved a sigh of relief once she was assured that Ranveer was alright, deciding to turn the tables to distract his mind away from the consuming darkness. She urged him to begin speaking about his life in the eight years apart, realizing that in her love sick daze all those years ago, she had no clue whatsoever about how Ranveer's life had even been in Sydney and neither had she bothered to ask him about it in the light of everything that had happened.
Ranveer looked reluctant at first, but he began speaking slowly at first and then steadily as he mapped before her the entire journey of his life in those eight years - right from landing upon Sydney to his personal and professional achievements in life, excluding only one. Ian-Hake Parish's identity still remained under wraps. And Ishaani heard on in silence as she tried to grasp everything he told her, futilely trying to live those eight years with him, knowing that it was nowhere near possible.
It wasn't fair; it was life.
"That's quite an extraordinary journey you've had, Ranveer," was all she could whisper in awe as she turned to look at the sky again, her breath suddenly hitched.
"Not more so than-"
"Shooting star! Quick!" she shrieked aloud as she wrenched at his arm, forcing him to look upward at the blazing meteor made its rapid descend towards the skies, marking its trail in a fantastic spurt of orange as both Ranveer and Ishaani shut their eyes in prayer.
And suddenly they might have been ten and eight and half years old respectively as they held hands and saw their first shooting star together on a similar birthday exactly nineteen years ago. And even though everything had changed for Ranveer, his wish still remained the same exact word that it had been all those years ago - Ishaani.
And a little something more that he couldn't help praying for.
"What did you ask for?" cut through Ishaani's voice suddenly as Ranveer's eyes snapped upon.
It might have been the almost nine-year old Ishaani asking him the same question all over again with the same innocence and inquisitiveness brimming in her voice. There was neither inquisition nor innocence now to hold on to, just sheer curiosity for the sake of holding on to another glimmer of hope.
"I'm not going to say that. It is bad luck," he voiced aloud, remembering how Ishaani had told him the same thing all those years ago.
He wondered whether it really mattered, though. Not saying his wish out aloud had not brought him any greater fortune either. And in spite of knowing that the past was long since left behind, he wished that they could go back to being their younger selves again with a burden of their own yet with their hearts piqued with an innocence that was God's gift.
"I don't think that they work though, Ishaani. Maybe you were right, after all," added Ranveer as an afterthought as Ishaani propped herself to her side so that their eyes met.
He couldn't help but notice how stunningly radiant she looked, much more so than he remembered even though he realized that she did look a little pale as well.
"They worked for me, both the times that I wished upon it," replied Ishaani innocently and Ranveer gave her a surprised look.
"The first wish I know. What was the second one?" he asked, suddenly unable to recall whether she'd even told him about it in the first place or no.
Ishaani gave him a long, pensive look before she finally decided to confess what it was that she'd wished for all those years ago.
"I wanted my life to change forever. And it did. I had the best eleven years of my life with you," she reminisced as the ghosts of their past roamed around them once again, a small smile upon her lips.
The smile was just like her past - a ghost.
"And then you had the eight worst years of your life," completed Ranveer, his eyes suddenly darkening at the mention of it. Ishaani gave him a rueful smile and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
"Because you weren't there. I pushed you away and so I had to reap its price," accepted Ishaani just as Ranveer propped himself to his side, looking bereft.
He saw the silver of her chain glimmer but the pendant was hidden away underneath her blouse shirt. Ishaani noticed the promise band sparkle upon his finger and caressed it softly.
"You didn't deserve to pay such a heavy price for it," spoke Ranveer in a small voice.
Ishaani shook her head, twirling the ring upon his finger until the words 'Always Together' met her eyes along with the letters 'RI' engraved upon them. She could feel the engraved letters upon the accompanying ring beat exactly upon her heart.
"You didn't deserve what I gave you at the end either," she replied and Ranveer sighed, letting his head fall upon the plush pillow as he hid away the tears that prickled his eyes.
"It's in the past now," whispered Ranveer, barely audible. It was a poor lie, but whether it was meant to reassure her or himself, he didn't know. And apparently, Ishaani was of the same opinion for when she spoke next, Ranveer faintly smiled in spite of himself.
"So tell me, what did you wish for that you didn't get?" asked Ishaani abruptly and Ranveer understood the curt dismissal of the topic.
Not too eager to linger upon it, he let her get away with it as her head fell upon her own pillow. She took to staring at the sky once again, suddenly feeling a strange tranquility course through her veins.
"You. I'd taken your name since it was all that I could think about when I saw the shooting star all those years ago," he whispered back in response.
Ranveer tore his eyes away from upon Ishaani's glowing featutes and stared at the sky dreamily, thinking about all the moments he'd spent with her upon that very spot as they created the memories of a lifetime stored in every star that twinkled in the sky tonight.
"And yet here we are tonight, beside each other," remarked Ishaani suddenly as she sighed into the warm night air, turning to look at Ranveer pensively.
His neck shot in her direction at her statement, unable to fathom what to say next as he let silence prevail once again. Both of them continued to stare at each other as they let each other peek into the other's soul, every single strand of thought out in the open for the other to access. And yet they didn't dare to, for they were equipped to play with fire and ice - not each other's hearts.
"There are no second chances in life, Ishaani. Only more opportunities," said Ranveer as he looked away, unable to meet eyes anymore.
His voice echoed the finality of his thoughts that was once his mentor's motto in life, or his own fear to accept what his heart knew was possible after all, he didn't know which. Ishaani shut her eyes and let the calm of the night ensnare her senses for a few minutes before she spoke again.
"And yet you wished for me, again."
The gasp that came from Ranveer's end only made her smile broader as she opened her eyes to see him looking at her, stricken. As though ashamed that she'd been able to read his mind as casually as the flick of a newspaper.
Ranveer shook his head at her hesitantly.
"I just wished to see you smile like the way you would years ago. The smile that'd give my life a purpose and my heart a new will to- never mind..." he added quickly as Ishaani raised her head in his direction, looking astounded.
Ranveer flushed dully as his gaze remained paralyzed upon her, the colour upon his cheek only getting more and more prominent until he finally found his voice back.
"What did you ask for?" asked Ranveer, and now it was Ishaani's time to give him a reluctant look.
"I can't say that, it's-"
"-bad luck," completed Ranveer and they both chuckled. "But hey, since you know what I wished for, it's only fair that you tell me. The last time you told me what you wished for, you did get it then, didn't you?"
Ishaani gave his question a good thought, wondering whether or not to actually tell him about what it was that she actually wished for. She knew that what she'd asked for was extremely stupid, but it was the first thing that'd left her lips in prayer when she saw the shooting star.
"I wished to forget these eight years of my life. Ever since you stepped foot out of my life and into that airport. I want to forget my past. These past eight years of them," she stated and gave Ranveer a flabbergasted look, expecting him to laugh at her or make fun of what she's just said.
He did neither.
He gave her wish a deep thought until he felt Ishaani look at him expectantly, waiting for a response.
"Even everything that you've achieved?" asked Ranveer, and Ishaani chose to give his question a good thought before finally deciding to go with her instinct and speak what came to her mind first rather than carefully structuring her sentence.
She trusted Ranveer to be able to read through the lines.
"No, that I want to retain. Just all the hardships and the betrayals and the heartbreaks. Everything just... gone in a blank. Poof," she added as she symbolized the action with her hands.
This time Ranveer did grant her a graceful chuckle.
Both of them stared at the moon in silence for some time before Ranveer decided to break the silence once again.
"We all come with baggages and we have to live with them," he said in an aggrieved voice, the weight of his words suddenly pressing around them in a suffocating mass until Ishaani decided to slash it away.
"Yeah, I know. It's stupid, what I asked for. But it's all I could think about, really..." she added, her voice on the brink of a fantasy that Ranveer couldn't help but notice.
He gently pulled her fingers within his own and rubbed them slowly.
"There's nothing stupid about that, Ishaani. You just want to be whole again..." he whispered as Ishaani nodded her head, the mind too tired to spill any more tears for tonight.
And as they both lay beside each other through the passing night, it only dawned upon Ishaani now nearly impossible the journey was going to be from this point forth. There was just a dim spark of hope in the present - nothing left in the past, nothing ahead in the future. Just today; just now.
"The last time I saw a shooting star was nineteen years ago on my birthday," mused aloud Ranveer when Ishaani was almost certain that he'd fallen asleep, judging by his even and rhythmic breathing.
Ishaani remembered that night only too clearly as she nodded her head, pulling their interlocked fingers upon her stomach once again, relinquishing her hold upon it.
"That was your first birthday we'd spent together," she agreed, curious about what he was going to say next. But what he did in a casual spur of the moment left both of their hearts in disquiet for the next few minutes to come.
"I hope it's not our last this time."
Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D
Next chapter:
Chapter 3
Edited by LadyMeringue - 8 years ago
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