#2 Ashlok FF - You've Won My Heart! (Chapter 19 on 96) - Page 43

There comes a point in your life when you realise that nothing will ever be the same anymore...a point when you see your life taking a new turn and realise from now on your priorities and relationships will change and you can do nothing but to accept this new change in your life. Shlok and Astha were going through a similar phase. Their relationship was heading in a new direction. The time they spent in Goa was one of their most special, most memorable ones. Each moment they were spending together was bringing them closer as the walls they had created between themselves were beginning to collapse. Both knew their relationship would never be the same after this.

After their first night, Astha decided to overlook their agreement and let him share the bed with her, mainly encouraged by his changed behaviour and the discomfort his sleeping arrangements caused him, but not without creating some sort of division between the two in the form of pillows.

Every day after Astha would finish her training, they would visit and explore various famous places around Goa like Mollem National Park, Arvalem caves and waterfall, Se Cathedral and Archives Museum. And those excluded the beaches, which were their must-visit spots. Owing to Astha's affiliation with ocean or any kind of bodies of water for that matter, they would spend a few hours every evening exploring beaches, particularly at the time of sunset. Both enjoyed watching the sun set below the horizon while standing at the water's edge looking out over the ocean. It had become their favourite pastime.

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It was their fourth day in Goa. Shlok was at the jewellery section of the departmental store making payment at the counter when he heard a familiar voice calling him. He turned around only to be smothered by a pair of arms, girl's arms by the looks of it, embracing him, or more accurately speaking, squeezing the life out of him. He stumbled a little but soon managed to regain his balance against the onslaught. Feeling completely baffled, he waited with bated breath for the figure to detach herself from him.

"Surprise surprise! Who could have thought I would bump into you in here out of all the places?", she chirped as she disengaged herself from him.

"Do you have any idea how much I missed you? Honestly, this was the longest month. Glad it's soon going to be over. By the way some friend you are! Completely forgot about me after going back to your family...no phone calls, texts or emails". She blabbered on with fervour but she ceased noticing the shocked look on his face. "What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost" she said giggling.

Shlok was dumbstruck. Not even in his wildest dreams he could have imagined seeing her here in Goa, that too, out of the blue like this. Watching her stand in front of him lead to a strong realisation that the woman he once claimed to love hadn't crossed his mind even for a mere second in these last few days. And what was more, he wasn't exactly elated to see her either; rather he was feeling confused and...disappointed?

He shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind. "Swati!? What are you doing here? And how did you find me?"

"Oh it wasn't very difficult. I just followed my heart." she said chuckled. "You know what they say, dil ko dil se raah hoti hai"

He tried to smile in response but failed miserably. There was a time when he liked her teasings and the frequent use of meaningful phrases but at the moment they were a source of discomfort for him.

"But why didn't you tell me you were planning a visit here when we talked last time?" Shlok asked, still confused about her sudden appearance here.

"Actually I had no such plans then. It was pretty much a last-minute decision. It's just a pleasant coincidence that we bumped into each other here or I was thinking of coming to your hotel to meet you." Then looking around she asked, "but the million dollar question is what are you doing here in a woman's department?"

Before she even finished asking, her phone rang. Saved by the bell or in this case a ringtone. He thanked his lucky stars for being saved from the trouble of coming up with an excuse because telling her the truth now would have showered him with more questions and he wasn't quite prepared for that just yet.

"Shlok I need to rush off right now but let's meet up tomorrow at 1, ok?" she said as she finished talking on the phone. They arranged to meet up at a coffee shop the next day. Soon she ran off and disappeared into the crowd.

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He spent the rest of the day roaming about aimlessly in Goa streets. For the past few days he had been living a pretend life where for a brief period he let himself believe they were a happily married couple and there were no issues between them. But now he was faced with harsh reality as one of the biggest unresolved issues in their marriage appeared in front of him in the form of Swati. There was no escape now. He had no choice but to reassess his feelings for Swati now. Was he ever truly in love with her? And what about Astha? He felt torn. Nevertheless he realised it was finally time to choose between the two women: Swati or Astha.

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In the evening, as usual, they were on the beach, walking barefoot on the wet sand. The softness and dampness of the sand was cool on their hot feet. The sea was a picture of mayhem. The splashing waves rolled across the surface, filling the air with its angry roars. Wave after wave after wave formed and crashed roughly on to the shore. They were both walking parallel to the thrashing waves a few feet away, feeling the flicks of ocean spray on to their faces.

The sea, even in this state, didn't fail to excite her. Such was her passion for the sea that the roaring waves too felt like soothing melody to her ears. Her heart longed to go close enough to feel the cool water on her skin...just close enough to be able to immerse her feet in the approaching waves. Walking beside Shlok, a few times she tried to leap closer to the sea but every time Shlok managed to prevent her. His protective behaviour amused her. After rebuking her on her third attempt, he held her hand in his. It took her by surprise as she felt him locking his fingers with hers. Feeling a tiny flutter in her heart, she gazed up at him only to find him looking straight ahead. Then looking back at their locked hands, she tightened her hold and pressed her hand deeper into his, thus catching his attention towards her. Their eyes locked and they stared deeply into each other's eyes for infinite amount of time before their lips curved into an affectionate smile. They broke their gaze only to realise they had stopped walking.

They kept their hands locked till they continued to walk on the sandy beach. They let go of each other's hands only when they stopped walking and decided to sit on one of the jagged rocks. As he bent to sit on the rock, Shlok's arm knocked on the stuffed pocket of his trousers. He drew his hands inside his pocket and found his fingers enclosed on a velvety box. He remembered morning's events and the piece of jewellery he purchased for Astha, which he had completely forgotten about after meeting Swati.

He took the box out of his pocket feeling slightly nervous but at the same feeling a strange kind of thrill. For the first time in his life he had bought something for her, or for anyone for that matter. Even as children he had never done anything beyond exchanging of greeting cards. He always used to laugh off at the idea of a man buying a gift for his girl. However, now was a different matter altogether. And what was that? He wasn't sure.

Looking at the elaborately designed box, it occurred to him that in all those months he had claimed to love Swati, he never felt the need or the urge to buy her a gift. Does that mean...

"What's this?" Astha interrupted his thoughts as she inquired about the small box held in his hand in puzzlement.

"Open it and see for yourself", he smiled and extended the hand which was holding the small box towards her. But instead of taking it from him, she simply stared at it with wide eyes, feeling stunned.

"Is it for me?" she asked in a state of disbelief.

"No, it is for that woman walking towards the shore", he said sarcastically starting to feel annoyed at her unexpected response. But to his utter annoyance she remained motionless. She stared at him incredulously, as if expected him to say April fool any moment and make a joke out of it all.

Frowning at her lack of reaction, he snapped, "Fine, don't accept it. I will take it back to the shop and return it." His voice betrayed his disappointment.

Astha instantly reacted at his words. Before he could put the box back into his pocket, Astha held his hand and hastily took the box from him. "No, no, I...Of course I accept it."

As she opened its lock and lifted the lid, a gasp escaped her lips. It was a charm bracelet adorned with tiny red crystal hearts, golden stars and white pearls. It was breathtakingly beautiful. What was adding to its beauty were seven colourful stones. On each of its stone there was writing etched on it. She examined each one of them closely. On one side of each stone, there was "I love.." engraved on it and on the other side it continued to provide various statements.

Stone 1: ...how well you understand me.

Stone 2: ...how you put up with me at my worst

Stone 3: ...how we communicate so well

Stone 4: ...how you make me feel when I'm with you

Stone 5: ...how much you care about me

Stone 6: ...spending time with you

Stone 7: ...your warmth and kindness

As she finished reading the stones she looked up at him astoundingly, her eyes gazing at him with an unspoken question. He understood what she wanted to know and nodded.

"When I saw this bracelet and read the engraving on it, you were the one I was reminded of. So naturally I felt the need to buy it for you."

Astha responded with a teary smile, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. How she had longed to know about his thoughts for her? These stones were the closest to he had gone to express his feelings for her. All her initial fears, insecurities and hopelessness were gradually ebbing away with his each loving gesture. And today he had clearly spelled out to her through these stones that he was becoming emotionally attached to her just as she was. Out of sheer emotions, she hugged him, her heart filled with boundless joy, taking Shlok by surprise. For few seconds, he was stunned but soon he found himself hugging her back, feeling a wave of pure intensity and pleasure. Their first ever hug, his mind vaguely registered.

"I love it!" That's all she could manage to say but her reaction had already told him that she did. He didn't need any more reassurance from her.

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It was a bright, cool day and the meadow was reflecting the bright yellow of the sun. The glorious expanse of grass were rustling gently in the breeze. The crowd of purple poppies, violet irises, orange and white lilies and yellow roses stood tall amongst the grass, waving gaily, and sprinkling the meadow with riot of colours. The area was surrounded by tall pine and oak trees. From somewhere nearby, the gentle murmur of running stream could be heard. In the middle of the meadow two figures were lying flat on the ground. The woman, who was dressed in white, had her face obscured by her long black tresses. The man lying beside her was, in contrast, dressed in light blue shirt and jeans. Both had serene look on their faces with their eyes closed while holding on to each other's hands. The man locked his fingers with the woman and as he did so, he felt a surge of tranquillity overcome his entire being. He brought their locked hands up to his lips and placed a kiss on her hand, causing a shy smile to spread across her face. She gently tugged her hand out of his and got up soundlessly. The man remained motionless as he laid on the ground with his eyes closed. A few minutes had passed when he finally opened his eyes to look beside him. On not finding the woman, he got up and looked around the meadow only to find it empty. Just when he was starting to worry, he heard a faint melodious laugh behind a tree. He turned around and caught the sight of something white behind a tree trunk. He walked up to the tree, trying not to make any noise and sneaked up on her, causing her mischievous smile to falter. Holding her wrist he turned her around so that she was facing him. Noticing a strand of her hair bothering her eyes, he gently tucked it behind her ear. Smiling, as he caught the hint of blush creep up her cheeks, he held her face in both of his hands. He leaned forward and watched her eyes close and lips part in anticipation...

Abruptly Shlok woke up to find himself lying flat across the bed in his hotel room. He looked around uncertainly. His mind was still disoriented by the dream he just had. It was so vivid, it felt almost real. He was still having a hard time convincing himself it was only an illusion. And the nature of the dream was..unlike any other. He turned to look at Astha sleeping peacefully beside him. Her head was touching his arm and one of her hands was on his chest. The pillows they kept between them as barriers were scattered and serving a very little purpose now. He observed her sleeping form. Her innocence and proximity was tugging at his heartstrings. He noticed a strand of her hair touching her eyelashes just like in the dream. On impulse, he moved the strand behind her ear, being careful not to disturb her. Is my subconscious mind trying to tell me something that my conscious mind refuses to perceive?

He couldn't deny that there was a part of him that wished to turn the dream into reality. And in those moments he had finally decided that if he was to choose between Swati and Astha, he would undoubtedly choose Astha. He had also come to another decision just before he slipped back into sleep, one of his hands now placed on top of hers over his chest...the decision to inform Swati about his marriage.

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Hope you guys like this chapter. Will be waiting for your precious feedback and comments 😃

P.s. Swati's surprise will finally be revealed in the next chapter 😊