A Christmas Wish ~ A TiaRa One Shot for Xmas

A Christmas Wish

Tia stood at the head of the sweeping staircase leading down to the ballroom below. It was a magical sight: ice sculptures, ranging from birds to castles, were situated here and there and the icy mist rising from them filled the entire room, swirling about the crowd, making it seem they were walking through clouds. A large Christmas tree stood at the far end of the dance floor, its decorations glinting under the light of the chandelier. The light was silvery, like the ethereal glow of moonlight, and added to the gentle music playing it created a romantic ambience.

Tia took all this in with tight knots in her stomach. This was the day she had been both eagerly anticipating and dreading in equal measure. Her eyes scanned the crowd down below, heart beating quickly with expectation. She looked like a true princess this evening. Her ball gown was long and flowing, a lilac-blue shade which set off her dark hair and eyes perfectly. Her hair she wore up in an intricate bun, a few curled strands framing her face. She had applied glittery hairspray to it, giving the effect that her hair was studded with diamonds. Everyone who saw her stopped to stare in awe for a few minutes, but she was oblivious to their attention; there was only one person she wanted to see tonight...

"Hey Tia!"

The sound of her friend, Vrinda's voice made her start and she turned to see her standing beside her, a bright smile on her face. "You are looking very beautiful," Vrinda told her, gesturing to the dress.

"Thanks Vrinda, you too," Tia replied, trying her best to make her smile look genuine, but the truth was she didn't feel like smiling. She was all on edge, nerves churning inside of her. She knew she wouldn't be able to relax until she saw him.

"Vrinda?" she asked, an idea suddenly occurring to her. "Do you know who is here already?"

"Haan, there's Meher and Pri, and I just saw Varun and Aman," Vrinda rattled off their names, oblivious to the ever increasing worry lines furrowing Tia's forehead. "And Sid and Nakul passed me a while back, and I'm sure I saw Yuvi somewhere. Ashi says she's not coming, of course, but I know Sonia Aunty will drag her along eventually."

"And...Ranveer?" It took Tia all her courage to utter his name. It had been so long since she had openly spoken about him. Ever since their break up a few months back she had refused to say his name or even hear it spoken near her; it had been too painful. Just thinking of him, knowing they were apart, made her heart ache intensely, and she had thought if she pretended to herself he did not exist it would numb the pain. Only it had made it worse.

"Ranveer?" Vrinda repeated, looking surprised.

"H...haan," Tia stammered, lowering her eyes abashedly. She knew how strange it must look to Vrinda, her asking after him, but she had to know.

"Nahin. He's not coming," Vrinda told her, frowning. "He said he had no reason to come."

Tia's head snapped up hearing this and her heart felt as if it had been pierced. This was what she had feared. Ever since their break-up she had seen that hard look in Ranveer's eyes whenever they ran into one another and she was sure all his former love for her had turned to hate. It had been foolish of her to think all that could change, but still, she reminded herself, that look had not been in his eyes this past week, and he had smiled at her yesterday in gym class. All these small things had given rise to a new hope in her heart, but she should have known miracles don't actually happen.

"Shall we go in?" Vrinda asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Tia nodded, but she descended the stairs with a heavy heart. Suddenly the night seemed long and empty, when just minutes before it had seemed to be full of promise. She stopped to chat with her friends, but her usual enthusiasm was lacking and it wasn't long before she wandered off on her own. Without really knowing where she was going, she found herself threading her way through the crowd until she reached the Christmas tree.

Stopping before it, she glanced up at its towering branches to the bright silver star that graced the very top of the tree. In the soft light it glowed and as she stared at it Tia remembered something her father had told her when she was a little girl and badly missing her mother; he had told her that if she wished upon a star her wish would surely be fulfilled. Every year she had wished for her mother to return to her, and not once had her wish been granted, so since the last few years she had stopped believing in fairytales. But now, standing there surrounded by the glistening ice sculptures and the misty light, she felt a sudden need to make a wish.

"Star," she said, clasping her hands together beseechingly. "Tia has only one wish this year. Tia doesn't want any expensive gifts – no clothes from London or Paris, no perfume or make up. Tia only wants Ranveer to come to the ball. Please, let Tia meet Ranveer just once tonight."

The light from the chandelier caught the star and it twinkle like a real star for a moment. With a sigh, Tia turned away and started to make her way through the crowd again. As she made her way along the side of the dance floor, absently casting a glance at the swaying couples, Nakul tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to dance. She shook her head, telling him she wasn't in the mood, and moved on, wondering if she could slip away and back to her room unnoticed.

Just then someone appeared out the crowd, stepping through the mist like a vision. Her heart slammed and she came to a standstill as she recognised Ranveer. A fine tremor ran through her body and her eyes widened with astonishment. He stopped a few feet away from her, his eyes fixed on her and her alone. He was dressed in a smart tuxedo and he looked every inch the film star. She felt breathless as she gazed at him and as her eyes met his she felt a rush of delight that made her forget all the pain that had been between them these last few months.

"Ranveer?" she exclaimed. As if her voice had been a beckoning call he started to walk towards her. His face was guarded so she couldn't tell what he was thinking, but just the fact he was approaching her gave her hope.

"Ranveer, you came?" she cried as he stopped in front of her.

"Haan Tia," he replied, his eyes staring deeply into hers.

"Vrinda said you didn't want to come," she said without thinking.

"I didn't," he admitted. "But then I realised I had a reason to come after all."

Tia held her breath, her heart racing.

"You do?" she asked, voice no more than a whisper.

"Yes Tia," he answered. "Christmas is a time for new beginnings and putting the past behind us, and I can't let this opportunity go by. Tia, whatever misunderstandings there were between us, I'm sorry for them. I was wrong. I should never have doubted you. I should have seen all this time you were fighting for me, for us. I don't want to fight anymore. I want to start a new chapter with you."

"Ranveer, Tia is sorry too, for everything," she told him, tears shimmering in her eyes. "For every horrible thing Tia said to you; Tia didn't mean those words. Tia loves you Ranveer."

His face softened, his eyes glowing warmly at her as a smile crossed his lips. Tia's eyes were filled with tears, but her heart was filled with joy.

"I love you too, Tia," Ranveer told her, taking her hands.

A smile finally broke out across her face and one tear rolled down her cheek. She was so full of awe and elation and as she gazed into his eyes she said a silent thank you to fate for letting her Christmas miracle come true.

"Tia," Ranveer said, a mischievous light entering his eyes. "Did you see what's hanging from the ceiling?"

Her brow furrowed in bemusement.

"No. What?" she asked.

"Look," he told her, raising his head so that he could look up. She did the same and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the mistletoe hanging right above their heads. Cheeks filling with warmth she looked back at him. He was grinning from ear to ear and it made her lower her eyes shyly.

"It's traditional to kiss under the mistletoe," he told her.

A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth as she looked back up at him.

"Accha?" she asked, arching her brows.

"Hmm," he replied. "We can't ignore tradition."

"Tia will think about it," she told him.

But she was already wrapping her arms about his neck and as he bent his head towards hers she closed her eyes with a sigh, thinking that this was the best Christmas present she could ever have wished for.

"Yes Tia," he answered. "Christmas is a time for new beginnings and putting the past behind us, and I can't let this opportunity go by. Tia, whatever misunderstandings there were between us, I'm sorry for them. I was wrong. I should never have doubted you. I should have seen all this time you were fighting for me, for us. I don't want to fight anymore. I want to start a new chapter with you