FINAL CHAPTER (21)
Sun came up amidst the mountains and shone brightly.
The scorching rays of the sun began piercing their eyes . Minni sluggishly opened expecting another dull and tough day but to her suprise she was lying in the arms of Neil witnessing probably the most beautiful sunrise of her life as she named it. She looked at Neil sleeping peacefully beside her and she forgot everything else. She kept looking at him ...sleeping peacefully like some innocent kid without a care of the world.
She gently caressed his hair and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.
A moment later, Neil got up from his slumber. He smiled back at Minni and placed a peck on cheeks.
"Goodmorning ", he wished. Minni smiled in return.
"What's next?", asked Neil as he pulled himself back.
"I don't know",,Minni paused ..."but we are together in it Neil", consoled Minni as she held her hand.
"Always....but still it's all your choice and decision ...and I'll just respect your decision and stand by your side...."said Neil..
"Well...as of now...what's next is to drop you back", teased Neil to calm the tension of the moment down.
In an hour , they reached back to Minni's home.
Minni kept standing at the door frame ...waiting for him to bid a bye so that she could enter.
"Uh sure that I should go",: asked Neil as he raised his eyebrows.
"Yeah", she replied and turned around.
" think again..."
"Yessssss", she said as she exaggerated the word.
Then before she can enter the threshold he pulled her closer finding her lips . For a second her eyes widened but she responded straightway, her tongue entering his mouth tracing circles on her own and his hand buried in her head.
In a Sudden Frenzy of lips and hands Neil knocked them into the door and it slammed back into the wall with a responding crash.
But who gave a damn do that . Bothth kept exploring Each Other a but more and more till minni looked up and soul sucked. The moment freezed cold. She found her lips suddenly still and tiny goosebumps oh her hand.
"Mom...m..m", minni stammered.
Babita was standing there with her hands folded. Anyone could see the shock flushed over her face.
Minni saw her bloodshot red eyes filled with anger, disappointment and shock. Minni shivered.
"F**k", escaped out of Neil's mouth unknowingly.
Babita had continuously been looking at twingled fingers.
She had probably never imagined that the truth would come out in such bitter way.
Babita glared at Neil.
"Get in Minni", she commanded.
" mum... listen to me atleast "
"Yes...but first let your dad know about your newly found life ways",Babita taunted.
"Mum... I had never wanted it to come out this way...",
"Get in Minni"
Minni stepped a feet ahead when she realized something stopping her.
She turned around. It was Neil holding her little finger with his. She looked up at his eyes which were gesturing her to stay....
Stay a little longer ...with him...forever...
"You ....get lost", Babita asked Neil.
"Get in Minni. Viraj is about to come. We will continue this drama of yours a while later", Babita commanded her.
Mini sighed.
"Choose Minni", said Neil.
Sorrow, guilt, fear , anxiety filled her soul.
Her face flushed pale. She looked at Neil and then at her mom. She had never imagined that she had to face any such thing in life. Actually no one ever does but life is ironical. What we fears the most chases us the most. Unexpectancy is life's trait and that's what makes it interesting.
"Get in", shouted Babita.
Minni closed her eyes ...turned around and soon got in. Babita followed her and slammed the door at Neil's face.
Neil's heart sank. Though he had been preparing himself for the worst since a few days but when it arrived it felt worse than the worst. For a moment he felt as if his heart has stopped beating. Tears rolled down his cheeks but somehow he composed himself to respect her decision.
On the other hand was Minni locked in her room continuously cursing her fate.
At the edge of her table her eyes landed on her diary. And she subconsciously started moving towards it. She held it with her shaking hands. And with every turning page all her memories all fears began reviving in her mind. And suddenly she I felt a strange courage cropping in her heart. She had not ever felt it before. It was new. a newborn will her. For the very first time in a life she wanted to take a control over her destiny. She wanted to live a life on a own terms. A well to fight for herself suddenly emerged out of Nowhere.
....
Suddenly someone knocked at the door.
"Minni...Viraj is here", informed Babita as she commanded her to come out.
Mini followed her carrying her diary in one hand.
She confidently sat opposite to Viraj and looked straight away directly into his eyes.
" I can't marry you Viraj", she said straight away without giving any further explanation.
Babita lost and her temper.
"Minni", she shouted.
" I apologize but I love someone else", said Minni.
" and so I would request you ...
to kindly leave "
"It's okay...I understand.
"Viraj", murmured Babitaa with her eyes and mouth wide open.
"Aunty...please ",said Viraj as he glared her back and left.
"Minni....what's this? Are you out of your mind?"
"Mom......
I love Neil"
"Minni"
"I know I had promised you two that I won't get indulged in any act of dishonor to the family...
But .... I love him...
I don't know whether it's ethical or not but all I know is I need him.
I love Neil and this is the only truth I know", said Minni and left for her room.
"Don't worry . I won't run away. Afterall I love you too."
"Minni. Stop." Said Hanuman Singh as he stepped towards her.
He held her hand and gently placed a bunch of car keys on a palm.
Tears rolled down her eyes.
"Dad", she whispered
"Go", he murmured with a small peaceful smile on a lips.
She looked at Babita.
"Let her go. Let her liver HER life on her own terms", said HS.
Babita stayed quiet. She could not say anything further. Though she did not approved but they did not denied too.
Mini took the keys and ran ..... literally ran towards her car like a free soul ....a tender breeze flowing just in control of her heart.
Tears kept rolling down her cheeks with as contented smile on a face.
She quickly pulled the door of the car with a jerk and climbed in.
she took out of phone and called Mickey.
" is Neil with you?..."
" no ...what happened?", he asked back.
" where is he?" Asked Mini trying hard to suppress her butterflies twirling in her stomach.
" I don't know.... maybe he would've left till now",said Mickey sadly.
" left ?for where????"
" he was completely shattered. He had told me a couple of days ago he would be moving to abroad for some startup business and would never come back.", stammered Mickey.
Minni sobbed.
"Whattt????????" She asked trying hard to believe her ears.
"Probably Yes", sighed Mickey.
Memories began flashing in front of her eyes again.
She remembered the moment when she left him and moved but her mum and could not help to curse herself.
She could not help crying.
"I should have fight I should have gathered courage before",she cursed herself.
" hello Mini ....hello ...you there?" Exclaimed Mickey over phone .
"Yes.....yes", she said in a low voice.
" are you serious?", she asked again.
" do you think I would joke?"
Mickey told her everything about how Neel got missing and how they found him after all night long effort in a bar that too completely shattered and drunk. How miserable his condition was. How much pain he had been going through and his decision to accept and respect her decision.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. She could not think anything else other than Neil. She remembered the morning when she was in his arms and his words where he really stated that he would be waiting for her decision and would surely accept it without any ifs and buts.
Suddenly her eyes landed on a diary but she had placed on the passenger seat in hurry.
And a single just a very single word crumbled in her mind.
"UNEXPECTED "
"What could be more unexpected than finding your years old diary which you had buried long ago ......
Moving to a new city all alone .....and getting it exchanged with the man of her dreams whom she failed to recognise.
And then falling for the man. she hated the most, her diary stealer...her jerk boss. what could be more unexpected than getting her wishes fulfilled and more than that during this process learning the true meaning of life..... Learning to live each day with the person you love the day without a care of what would happen tomorrow. What Katti more unexpected then doing everything that you have always feared about.... what could be more unexpected than fighting Your Biggest fear.... protesting against your own parents for the sake of your life and love. What could be more unexpected than finding yourself.
A ray of hope cropped in her heart out of nowhere.
"Hello", shouted Mickey over phone bringing her back from her trance.
" what if he is still there in the City?", she exclaimed optimistically.
Micky turned quiet for a moment.
"Possible", he finally spoke breaking his silence.." I guess you are right."
"Wait"
He quickly Googled out about all the flights departing to New York that very day.
Mini Hath been waiting patiently over call for his answer.
He sighed.
"There had not been any flight since the afternoon", he informed. " the very first two flight it had taken off in the morning itself. the next flight is an half an hour from now."
" that means we still have time", she said hopefully already surprised at her reaction." If it would have been old Mini she would have panicked but there she is hopeful and optimistic about the future .she is being driven by her destiny.",she wondered.
"UNEXPECTED ", her mind answered her and she smiled admist her anxiety.
"Sometimes when situation demans...it's actually just ur dreams that gives you strength to fight", she smiled as she looked at the diary.
" I guess you are right. I'll be reaching there in 10 minutes", Mickey informed.
" great... I am also on the way", she said back.
"Wait ....what if he wont be there. I mean what if he had planned something else?",
Mickey put formard his doubt.
Minni became speechless as if someone has pulled the last string of her hope but this time she was not ready to give up.
"Let's see but first we should not be wasting time", she said confidently and cut the call away.
Thi inserted the key , held the steering and geared up and soon drove the car away directly in the direction of airport.
Though her mind was totally focused onto the street to reach as fast as she can but her heart kept reminding Mickey's words to her.
"What if we won't find him there?", this question kept prompting in her mind making her restless and doubtful.
She sighed and stopped the car amid the road.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.
"Where are you ?", she wondered.
Several things kept prompting in her mind.
"He said he would be waiting for my decision....what if he is still?"she wondered .
"But where?"
She inserted the key again and took a U-turn .
"Mickey is on his way to the airport that means... there is no chance of missing him there....
Means we can check out two places right at the same moment" she took an intellectual decision and felt surprised too on it.
"The Cliff"...
"The the place where everything was started...... it is supposed to end there itself too....
It is the place where you had asked me so I am supposed to answer that itself .isn't it Neil", she mumbled to herself.
After few minutes of driving she finally reached and that he was standing again facing the vast expanse of greenery.
"This place is actually special. Our special ", she wondered as she sent a silent prayer to god.
"NEIL ", she exclaimed panting and ran to him.
He still had his face buried upwards into the sky.
"Neil", she said again.
"Shhhhhhhhh",
Minni gave a confused look.
Neil looked at her back and gestured her to look at the sky with his glittery eyes.
"Shut up or else you will miss this ", ge whispered.
Minni looked straight into those vast expance and it was which she had once craved for but this time Neil's presence was making that moment worth treasuring.
"A sunset....on a cliff", she whispered while adoring the beauty of the moment.
Though she had seen enormous sunsets in her life but this had something special.
Neil wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer.
They kept letting that peaceful scenario engulfing them in its beauty marking an end of their struggle ...fights...and heartbreaks.
"I love you Neil.....and I am sure of it", said Minni.
Neil smiled.
"So finally I'm strong enough for you", he teased her.
"No....finally I am strong enough to accept it ....." she whispered back.
Neil pulled her closer and took her lips in his. Minni responded back with equal vigor while his tongue kept working harder tickling the circles in her mouth. Dazzling lights kept flashing in front of her eyes. Finally they
broke their most passionate kiss to get some breath. Minni hugged him tightly.
"I love you Neil."
"I love you too", he said back.
........................
272