Forget Me Not - A Tia-Ranveer One Shot

Knock-knock. The rap came to the door, short and loud, like the beat of a military drum. In perfect sync, Tia Ahuja's heart skipped two beats as she shot upright in bed. Despite having just been huddled under the duvet, she was fully dressed in a white dress with pastel-pink love hearts. She had been hiding under the covers all morning, waiting with baited breath for the moment when Ranveer would come to wish her. She had pictured this moment in her head so many times: how he would enter the room, looking sheepish, how she would keep her eyes lowered with a demure blush, and how he would steal softly over to her and kiss her on the cheek before handing her her gift. The anticipation of it all had her nearly breathless as she smoothed down her hair one final time before calling,

"Come in!"

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as the door creaked open and she held her breath, a smile trembling on her lips. She knew that in a moment he would be before her. If she just lifted her eyes she would see him standing in the doorway looking at her. Just one upward curve of her eyelashes and there he would be. She took a deep, steadying breath and raised her eyes...and saw her father grinning back at her.

Tia's face fell instantly.

"Papa!" she cried, throwing back her covers and jumping out of the bed in one swift motion. "Ap...ap yahan kya kare hain?"

She paced across the room to him, eyebrows drawing together in a frown.

"You aren't supposed to be here," she told him.

"Can I not visit my little princess whenever I want?" Sumeet Ahuja replied with a smile. This caught Tia's attention. Her father rarely looked so jovial. Something had put him in a good mood and she didn't like the fact that she didn't know what that was. She folded her arms in front of her chest and glowered up at him.

"Papa, Tia iss waqt bahut busy ho. Tell me quickly, what's wrong? Why have you come to see Tia? Aur...aur why are you smiling so much Papa?"

"Because I have a surprise for my little princess!"

At the word 'surprise' her face lit up and she forgot her irritation with him for a second.

"Surprise?" she exclaimed. "Kya hai? Oh Papa, Tia just loves surprises!"

With a smile her father brought his arm from behind him and presented a silver box to her. She snatched it out of his hands eagerly and raced across the room to her bed, untying the ribbon before she had even sat back down. Excitedly she prized off the lid and looked inside. There, nestled in the folds of chiffon paper was a lilac and black silk dress. Tia ran her fingers over the material adoringly before looking up at her father with a glowing smile.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Tia. Do you like it?"

"Papa, Tia loves it! It's so pretty!"

She glanced back down at the dress, but suddenly a frown darkened her face as she remembered the more important gift she was awaiting. Why hadn't Ranveer come yet? It was already 9 a.m. Though she adored her father's gift, she was suddenly annoyed that he had been the first to wish her on this most romantic and important day.

"Papa, Tia is very busy right now," she informed her father. Her voice was brusque due to her annoyance. "Tia is expecting some friends, so Tia can't talk with you right now. Papa, can we talk later?"

"Of course princess, whatever you wish," her father replied, taking her by surprise. He was never normally this co-operative. "In fact, I have booked a table for you at your favourite restaurant tonight. 8 p.m sharp. We can spend the evening together, just you and me; father and daughter time. Now doesn't that sound delightful?"

Tia's heart was suddenly thundering in her chest. Dinner? How could she go for dinner with her father when Ranveer had planned a romantic date for her? She could feel her pulse jitter as she struggled to think of an excuse to tell her father.

"Par Papa..." she began, but Sumeet held up a hand, cutting her off.

"No Tia, I'm not going to hear any excuses. Today is all about spending time with the people you love, and I want to spend it with my princess."

Tia managed to smile weakly at him, but inwardly her heart was wrung with anxiety. Oh Tia's God, ab kya karun, she wondered? She couldn't let her father down, but she also couldn't tell him that she wanted to spend the day with Ranveer; he would never understand. Her mind only half-registered her father's departure; before he had even closed the door she had flopped onto her stomach, chewing her lip as she racked her brains for some solution to her problem.

"Tia, tension mat lo," she said aloud. "When Ranveer comes everything will become clear."

This thought automatically cheered her and with a bright smile she crossed to her dressing table to touch-up her make-up while she waited for him to arrive. Only another five minutes, she thought excitedly...

Five Minutes Later

Tia glanced at the clock with a frown. She strained her ears for any sound of feet outside in the corridor but there was nothing; everything was silent. With a sigh she turned back to her reflection and studied it, assuring herself that Ranveer would come soon. He's just a little late, she told herself. Maybe he got held up with Aman and Varun, or maybe he's planned such a big surprise that it's taking longer to set it up than he expected. Yes, that was it! Her lips split into a wide smile as she daydreamed about the possible things he had planned. She was so caught up in her thoughts that when the door clicked open she started in surprise.

"Hey Tia!" Pri called as she came into the room.

Heart thumping madly against her rib cage, Tia rose to her feet.

"Pri, you nearly killed Tia!" she cried, pressing a hand to her chest. "Oh Tia's God, Tia is having a heart attack. Pri, how could you be so thoughtless huh? Tia..."

She stopped mid-sentence as her eyes fell on the bouquet of roses Pri held in her hands.

"Pri, what is this?" Tia asked. "Are they yours?"

"There's no need to sound so shocked Tia," Pri replied. "But no, they are for you."

She came and handed them to Tia. There were at least fifty ruby-red roses. Tia ran her finger over the soft petals, breathing in their sweet perfume with awe.

"But babes, who are they from?" she asked Pri. Her best friend shrugged.

"Nakul gave them to me," she answered. "He said there was a rose from each of your admirers in the school, but that the idea was his."

"And Ranveer?" Tia asked, beginning to feel anxious.

"I haven't seen him all day," Pri told her. "But don't worry," she added hastily. "I'm sure he's out planning a romantic evening for you right now."

Tia tried to smile, but suddenly her chest felt tight and her eyes were worried as she looked back at her best friend. Pri's right, she told herself; he must be planning something huge for me, but he'll be here soon. But even as she thought this, little coils of anxiety were wrapping themselves round her heart like icy fingers...

7.45 P.M

"Wow Tia, that dress is so beautiful on you!"

Meher crossed the room from her bed with wide, awe-struck eyes. In the reflection of the mirror she looked like someone who had just uncovered a treasure trove. Any other time such praise would have made Tia delighted, but now she slowly turned away from the mirror and met her friend's shining face with a look of dejection.

"Thanks babes, lekin Tia doesn't feel beautiful."

"But why?" Meher asked. "Tia, please tell me you are not upset about Ranveer. You know he's not worth ruining your Valentine's Day over."

"But Meher, I don't understand!"

All the hurt and disappointment and ager that had been building up inside Tia all day as she waited for Ranveer suddenly burst forth. She paced across the room, arms wheeling wildly, tears rushing into her eyes and making them shimmer.

"Why didn't he come? Where is he? He says he loves Tia, but on this day he hasn't even shown his face once! I hate him! Meher, I really hate him!"

A sob strangled her voice, ruining the dramatic effect of her last statement. She flopped down onto her bed, the silk folds of her dress rustling as she crushed the material, but she no longer cared. Hot tears stung her eyes but she didn't blink them back. All day she had sat in her room thinking he would come, watching the hands of the clock go round, seeming to tick slower and slower with every passing hour. All the excitement of the morning had seeped into a burning heartache as she wondered what had gone wrong. Her dreams were all shattered and now nothing mattered; all she wanted was to curl up and cry until she was numb.

Meher came and sat next to her, taking her hands in her own gently. Tia didn't look at her; she couldn't. Though she shared everything with her two best friends, she felt too humiliated to meet her eyes. Meher had known how much she had longed for this day; she had told her all her dreams and fantasies of how she would spend it with Ranveer, and now she felt foolish for having shared it all. It didn't matter that she knew Meher would never laugh at her. She still felt that in daring to dream she had made herself ridiculous. I should have known I couldn't trust him, she thought ruefully. All this time his love was just a game.

"Tia, don't cry," Meher said. "Look, you are stronger than this. You are Tia Ahuja. No one makes a fool of you, right? So come on, cheer up. Your dad has planned such a lovely evening for you. Go and enjoy it and forget all about Ranveer."

Tia sniffled but no more tears spilled from her eyes. Meher's words had the healing effect she had intended. She knew that Meher was right, that if she cried she was only giving victory to Ranveer, and she wasn't about to do that. The night could still be salvaged, and besides, she had to pretend to be happy in case her father got suspicious. The last thing she wanted was for him to find out about her heartbreak.

"Thanks Meher." She smiled at her. "Tia can always count on you."

The two friends hugged. Five minutes later Tia left for her dinner with her father, head held high and not a streak on her face to expose her recent tears.

8 P.M

Sumeet had told Tia he would meet her at the restaurant, so when Kalaish Kaka had dropped her off she walked through the swing doors and into the sumptuous interior like a queen entering her palace. In the car she had given herself a prep-talk and now a radiant smile beamed from her face. It was not as natural as she would have liked it to have been, but she was confident that it would fool her father. The waiter took her coat and led her into the dining area. It was empty; her father must have booked the whole restaurant for her. The tables and chairs had all been pushed to the side of the room, except for one square table in the centre of the floor. The only light was from candles in sconces on the walls, casting a dim but romantic glow across the room. Music played softly in the background, a romantic song that struck Tia's heart like an arrow. She pushed the pain away and advanced into the room, looking around for her father. There was no sign of him.

"Waiter, Papa kahan hai?" she asked, turning as she spoke.

The waiter was also gone. A little prickle of fear stole down Tia's spine as she glanced about the shadowy corners, thinking he had perhaps gone to fetch drinks. Just then she felt someone's strong hand curl about her arm, but before she could scream or make any movement her eyes had been covered by their hand. Her heart skipped a terrified beat and she sucked in all her breath, preparing to scream when suddenly a voice whispered in her ear and she forgot everything.

"Surprise."

With just that one word her terror evaporated and she was flooded with warmth and happiness. She relaxed instantly, her lips breaking into a delighted smile. Heat travelled up her skin and her heart started to beat faster, but from excitement instead of trepidation. All the hurt and anger of only minutes before had vanished to the dim recesses of her mind. She was lost in that moment, aware of nothing but the electricity running through her veins and the soft, rich voice humming in her ear.

"Happy Valentine's Day,Tia."

She turned and looked up into the deepest pair of brown eyes she had ever seen, so dark they reminded her of coals. She drunk in the full, smiling lips, the glow of the candlelight on the dusky skin and the sparkle in those eyes, never wanting that moment to end.

"Ranveer." His name sighed from her lips. "But...but Papa..."

"I sent your father. In fact he helped me set all this up. I know you were worried about him finding out about us, but Tia, he already knew, and he wanted to help. I wanted to surprise you, to give you a Valentine's Day you would always remember."

Tears rushed into her eyes for the second time that day, but these were tears of pure joy. He gazed back at her for a moment and then suddenly he dropped to one knee. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart missed a beat and the world began to spin as she realised what he was doing. She stared at him with wide eyes as he held a ring box up to her. Like someone in a dream she slowly reached out and took it. Her hands were trembling as she flipped the lid back and when she saw the diamond ring sparkling in the glow of the candles she let out a gasp. She lifted her eyes to him, a million emotions vying for dominance inside her, but she couldn't speak, couldn't think; she was overcome.

"Tia, I know we are young still, but I love you and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me Tia?"

The tears spilled from her eyes. Pressing a hand to her mouth, she nodded, unable to frame any other answer. He slipped the ring onto her finger and for a moment they both stared down at it, admiring the way the diamond flashed a thousand colours when it caught the light. When Tia looked back up Ranveer was gazing at her. His eyes were so dark they seemed bottomless, and the way he was looking at her it was as if she were the jewel. It made her feel breathless. He reached out and encircled her waist with his arms, pulling her close as he asked,

"Did I make your Valentine's Day as special as you hoped?"

Wrapping her arms about his neck, she smiled up at him.

"This is better than any of the Valentine's Days Tia dreamed about," she told him.

Elation danced across his eyes and then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, letting her kiss say what words alone could not.