[COMPLETE] ArShi SS: Cruise Adriana (Moved to Blog) - Page 18

We begin with life like a blank canvas..

Only to go on painting things as they come.

We rejoice, we learn, we unlearn, and fall.

Only to rise again and never come undone.

We try finding strength in everything that's old

Our parents, our loves ones, with stories never told

We lean on to take, the support of those we love

In the sphere of life, we believe that would be enough.

But then that belief slowly starts to dwindle.

And the strength that once made you strong,

Now only makes you feeble.

With everyone going away..

And you being left to life's uncanny melancholia,

A smoke of disdain clouds you..

And you are left to deal alone with the hysteria.

And when the nothingness envelops you in its embrace.

You find your own definition of peace, your own land of solace.

Although it is only a figment of your imagination.

The person and that essence, become your home and salvation.

..

"Why didn't you tell him about Ryan, Khushi?"

"It is not important Sehaj. How does it even matter?"

"Of course it matters. If you could tell him so much about your past, then why not tell him about your present, huh? Your horrible present!"

"Sehaj, please leave it. It is a part of my life that I myself don't want to accept. There's no point sharing it with someone else."

..

"And back there, what you said? Yeah! Your life is not another Cinderella Story! Why such a lie?"

"What's a lie there? It's not!"

"Really? Tell me how is it not? Your evil cruel mother is getting you married to a beast against your wish. Then what makes it different?"

"Correction Sehaj. I did agree to marry Ryan, so it wasn't against my wish."

"Correction Khushi. You had agreed to marry him only because you thought his pretentious self was his true self. Like the prince charming you read about during childhood."

"Hmph."

"This is so not fine Khushi.."

"No Sehaj. Don't worry. I'm fine. Trust me."

"You should tell him Khushi. I really worry about you."

"There is nothing like that na Sehaj. You worry too much."

And she had continued conversing with her confidante, her best friend, for another five minutes, completely oblivious to the figure standing behind her, watching her in utter shock before he left the place in a blink of an eye, his mind left in an unwarranted haze that defied whatever he had envisaged about life till date..

.

.

As she entered her grand suite in B Deck of the cruise, a zillion thoughts created a whirlpool in her mind.

Thoughts that she had carried as an onus all by herself since her childhood days, penning down only bits and pieces of them in her diary and sharing the rest with Sehaj.

She didn't know why, but she felt that the hurt that she felt was so deeply engraved on her soul got regulated by one notch today as she verbally drafted her past in front of him today.

She recalled how his face had displayed a plethora of emotions-- from hurt to sentimental, to happiness as well as agony, when he had narrated the heart wrenching instances from his past to her.

She also recalled how the same face had given her the strength to go on as she had repeatedly fought back the tears brimming in her eyes while narrating her own life's tragedy.

And for the first time today she felt that she wasn't alone in this.

Still lost in thoughts, she caressed the strokes of one of the ancient French paintings that were hanging on the corner wooden wall of her suite, admiring the artist for his vivid description of life.

The painting was only too intricate with its colors as well as strokes, as it depicted a glass that was shattered to billions of small pieces.

Each of its crystal were so well drawn by the painter, that tracing them through the canvas only made one come to terms with the hard realization of life, that there are some things in life that shall always be a damage beyond repair.

Because some things in life were too delicate just like this painting portraying the broken glass pieces.

Some things like trust, the past, and a damaged soul.

.

He lay flat on his back on the king size bed of his exquisite suite, looking at the fine manifestation of antiquated wooden architecture as he looked at the ceiling.

He hadn't felt this lost in a long time.

The nightmares that he had every night were only a reminder of his ferocious past, but he knew that through the toils in life, he had successfully ascertained himself that he won't let his present be another vessel of mayhem.

But still, for the first time in a very long time he was feeling a peculiar kind of void in his chest, a pain that was unnamable yet so prominent that he felt his insides churn at even the thought of it.

.

.

Were the damages to one's soul so irreversible?

So brutal and venomous, that one could go to the point of believing in something that doesn't exist?

Believing in someone that doesn't exist?

.

Her face immediately flashed in front of his eyes and he darted his eyes from the ceiling to the nearby counter.

He saw his expensive set of wine glasses kept as it is, untouched since last night.

He walked up to the counter and took one of the glasses in his hand that showcased fine art in a subtle way.

In deep thoughts, he analyzed the shape of the glass, as if trying to study its design, study its thoughts, study its essence.

And in the next second, he dropped it on the floor..A shrill noise resonated in the suite, as the glass shattered to countless pieces and Arnav only watched the puny crystals, still standing strong, rooted to his spot.

And in another minute he had concluded one thing in his mind,Though the glass was quite delicate and will always be, it is not the most fragile thing in the world.

Because the most fragile thing in the world was human happiness.

.

.

He smiled a sarcastic smile as if validating his own theory, for who could know it better than him how easily his childhood was snatched away from him; his happiness was jeopardized by the fate.

Was that how easy it was?

For fate to take away everything?

It was blasphemy in his words.

But then, he really couldn't change it, could he?

And now his stance was only validated with double integration, for this another soul..

Khushi..

Even her happiness was taken away by the hands of the brutal grim reaper called Fate...

.

She sat on the bed, still lost in deep thoughts when suddenly her eyes fell on the small bedside calendar that was kept on the little wooden counter.

She saw the beautiful flowery design that the calendar adorned and smiled to herself seeing the wonderful pattern of flowers and little buds.

.Her smile only lasted a few seconds as the next thing she knew was she was staring at the date.

November 21.

She lowered her eyes as a sigh escaped her mouth and in retrospect she was taken back to a memory that wasn't something that was pleasing to her eyes.

"It's been two days already."

She said to herself as she realized that it had been two days that she had left Southampton and was now on Cruise Adriana.

And with that realization, came a not so good memory attached..

~

November 19th.

"I will board the cruise from Ireland."

.

"But Ryan.. I-"

.

"Not one more word, Khushi. NOT one more word!"

.

"But Ryan,I- ... AAAHHH!"

.

"Told you right! NOT ONE MORE WORD!"

...

~

A lone tear escaped her eye as she recalled that morning and her hand immediately traced her upper arm, where he had brutally given her another bruise that day.

The taint of it had become red now, from its earlier shade of purple, and she could only shed another tear at her misery.

.

But today was not going to be about this.

She didn't want it to be.

So what, if her life was always going to be a leverage thanks to the merciless destiny she adhered to?

She still had the right to at least have some moments for her own inner peace, right?

...

As the propellers of the cruise acted as the permeable soldiers of the battlefield called ocean, letting the ship pass through every hurdle and only march forward, two souls inside the embrace of the ship too were getting one step closer in marching forward towards life, fighting the imposters, which were their own demons.

As the sun dug itself deeper and deeper in the horizon, making way for the next essence of nature to show itself, it had only wanted those two individuals to have the viability granted to them, to exorcise their own demons, their own musings of the past.

The sea gulls after a complete agile day, retired to their own dwelling place with the hopes of seeing a new tomorrow, once this impending night was over.

...

He had never had a peaceful sleep ever since that day he had seen his mother's lifeless body.He had never had a tranquil mind ever since he knew his parents were both gone, in a very distant world, from where no one could return.

The counseling, the talking, the therapies had only helped his physical being recuperate.But never could they cover the merciless holes that had been punched through his chest, leaving a perpetual void there.

He had taken to medications, antidepressants, to combat his insomnia and restlessness. But today as he opened his eyes right now, he realized he had fallen asleep.

He didn't know how. He didn't know when.

But he did..

'But how?'

He thought to himself as he woke up with a jolt and saw that he was still in his suite, the surrounding unchanged, the broken crystals of the wine glass still scattered on the floor.He got near the counter where his daily essentials were kept, including his sleeping tablets, without which he could never even take a nap.

He held the bottle of the medicine in his hand and surprise took over him instantaneously.He had never been able to fall asleep just like that, that too in the afternoon.

'And I slept for four hours?'

.

He realized as he saw the time in the antique clock on the wall.

What had made him feel so calm today?

What had washed the restlessness away today?

What was so different about today, that even his redundant nature of everyday functions became flexible today?

So much, that the man who had never had a peaceful sleep and had to rely only on medicines till today, fell into the oblivion's curse that actually was a blessing to him since he hadn't had a restful sleep since so long.

But today he did. Out of the blue.

He looked outside and saw that the sun had set long ago, with only crimson shades of its residue now adorning the sky.

With a deep sigh, he went inside the washroom to freshen himself up, although his mind was already feeling fresh after that long due serene sleep.

..

She caressed the white stones of the beautiful shimmering wristlet, her favorite accessory, as she carefully slid it across her wrist.

With a deep sigh she looked at her reflection in the mirror as she sat on the dresser chair, to get ready for the evening.

.

.

The maroon evening gown had tugged to her frame like it was only designed for it. The deep color only made her snowy complexion overshadow everything else. The diamond earrings were lovingly hanging by her earlobes as the shine from their extravagant prism only made her countenance shimmer brighter.

And then she saw her exposed arms. The milky white skin, the soft and supple essence of them, which were suppressed by the hands of a vicious, cold-blooded monster, the implications of which were finely visible through the bruises that sat on her skin.

With a deep sigh, she took the lace shrug that was a part of the evening gown she was wearing, and slid it across her frame; the bruises being concealed with that move, just like she had veiled so many miseries of her life from the outer world.

"You look stunning."

.

"Thanks Sehaj."

She said with a smile.

.

"Have fun in the ball tonight."

.

She wanted to.

But she didn't know if she was even entitled to the mere expectation of it.

...

He looked at his reflection in the mirror for one last time..

The extravagant black tuxedo.

The perfectly gelled-back hair.

His exquisite Louis Moinet Meteoris watch..

He didn't know what this evening was going to be like.

Will he or will he not ask her about it?

About Sehaj?

.

But right now he didn't want these questions to cloud his mind.

.

He took the bottle of his signature cologne and sprayed it across his body. The strong musk of the liquid soon swaddled the entire suite, and with one final look at himself, he turned away.

He picked up the journal, her journal from the bed as he tucked it inside his coat's jack.

Her serene and beautiful face flashing in his mind, his lips curved into a small smile as he eagerly awaited the evening.

...

She didn't know if this evening was going to bring at least some ounce, some moments of peace and joy in her life, when all she had felt all throughout her life was a zilch of them.

'What if this man too turned out to have a facade just like Ryan did?'

.

But something told her he would never be like that.

And if she could endure so much of pain for so long, then couldn't she for once give a stranger some benefit of doubt?

Once bitten, twice shy did echo in the back of her head, but for the moment, she knew she need not worry about it.

And with one final look in the mirror, she walked out of her suite, with a concrete inference in her mind that life was always going to have an abundance of negative and positive nuances, some which were deeply buried like an ocean full of secrets.

But that shouldn't mean that the same life couldn't give her some tiny moments of joy.And with that, she wanted to surrender her apprehension and go with the course of the ocean, the course of her life.

...

As the two souls walked simultaneously from the two ends of the cruise to the Grand Hall for attending the Aeneas Ball, their minds were only focused and looking forward to the evening ahead, completely oblivious to the fact and the unforeseeable future that this evening was going to be something that would turn their life upside down.