Thanks to you all for liking the 1st part, it was really encouraging to read your comments. 😳 Here's the concluding part, i really hope it lives up to expectations. 😳
A gentle breeze whispered over her, lifting her fiery locks from her shoulders, making them billow out behind her like a cloud of flame. Sighing, she looked down at her watch. Only half an hour to go until the new year. Only half an hour left to tell Yuvi what was in her heart, to make right all that had gone wrong between them. But she had already had that chance, she reflected sadly, and she had lost it. Her year would start not on the fresh note she had hoped for, but with the shadow of her past hanging gloomily over her and with no opportunity to resolve it. How she wished in that moment that magic was possible, that Yuvi could be there before her. Here, away from everyone, she would have the courage to open her heart to him, she mused. Hadn't she already decided that night that it was no time for secrets, that finally she should stop living in fear and take a chance on happiness? But she had made that decision too late, she sighed, digging her fingers into the palm of her hand, and now neither would Yuvi come nor would the burden of her heart lessen.
"Ashi."
Her name reached her on the breeze, spoken so softly that at first she thought she had just imagined it. There was something about that voice, however, so low and deep, and the way her spine tingled with a shiver, told her it was real. Very slowly she lifted her head and looked over her shoulder. The next minute her heart slammed in her chest and her breath caught tightly in her lungs. There, standing a few metres away was the one she had been craving to see all night, the one who had filled her thoughts all night, her Yuvi. With the distant glow of the party lights at his back he looked as if he were surrounded by an orange halo and it made his eyes glow, melting her heart. He gazed back at her silently, equally enchanted by the ethereal vision she made standing alone in white against the deep purple backdrop of the night. Gazing into one another's eyes the world momentarily faded away and in those precious seconds they both felt as if they had been touched by magic. Suddenly Ashi felt everything was possible, she could even feel a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth and that gnawing loneliness inside her had vanished. She felt filled with a warm glow of hope and her dreams once again seemed tangible.
It was when the waves broke against the shore with a loud crash that she was jolted out of her trance. Her heart leapt in astonishment and a sudden rush of nerves churned in her stomach. To find him actually standing there in front of her after wishing for his presence so long was too much of a shock and she was hit with a sudden panic. Cheeks flaring with embarrassment, she turned her head away, trying desperately to collect her thoughts.
When she broke eye contact with him, Yuvi also snapped back to reality, and he was equally stunned by the intensity of the last few minutes. Like Ashi, he too had been waiting for this night for many days. Despite all the ups and downs he and Ashi had faced together over the last year his love for her had never diminished and with the dawning of the New Year he wanted to finally resolve all the issues that had kept them apart till now. He had come to realise slowly over the last 12 months that she was the one thing he had been searching for all his life. She wasn't like the other girls, fawning over him for his name and good looks; she wasn't afraid to tell him when he was in the wrong and only she had the courage to force him to mend his ways. She had been there for him when no one else had been; when he had seemed surrounded by darkness she had come as the only light, and now he knew he could not live without her by his side. He had planned for this night for weeks, knowing that this was the best opportunity to share his entire heart with her. Seeing her turn her head away, however, dented his confidence. What if she doesn't feel the same way, he suddenly worried? Could he really take such a big risk only to be knocked back? While he debated all this he decided the best way forward was to act casually in an attempt to guage her mood. Bowing his head, therefore, he cleared his throat and took a step towards her.
"Wacko, you are seriously wacked out," he said. "Tum yahan akele kya kare ho? New Year's Eve hai. Why aren't you at the party?"
His mocking tone stung her to the very core. Her heart felt as if it had been pierced, so bitter was her disappointment. All her hopes, all her wishes of being able to speak her heart to him were crushed. His words told her plainly that he wasn't here for any special reason. That sense of magic when their eyes had met had been all her own creation; he had been unmoved, she reflected bitterly. He had only come to torment her, to laugh at her and show her how ridiculous she had been to even hope that he could feel something special between them. Tears were threatening to prick her eyes, but she forced them back, determined to be strong and not to show him she cared. If he was going to act as normal, then she would too.
"Psycho, don't even bother ok," she snapped at him. "Mera mood abhi kharab hai, I don't need you to make it worse. Aur as far as the party is concerned – whether I am there or not, tumhe kya farq parta?"
"It doesn't make a difference," he replied, convinced by her acid response that all hope was lost. "I was just asking, you know, in a friendly way. Waise bhi, party bahut rocking hai, and I thought you would want to enjoy it."
"Well here's a news flash for you," she replied, spinning to face him with a tempestuous look. "I don't enjoy spending my time with psychos. Mera New Years Party special hona chahe. Aur haan, maybe I wanted to spend it with the sea shells and plant life instead of a bunch of brain-dead barbie dolls. At least with nature there's a greater chance of getting a sensible answer to my questions!"
With that she folded her arms sternly in front of her chest and turned her head sharply away from him, facial muscles tense with ire and eyes blazing. Yuvi sighed with frustration and shook his head, cursing his screwed up fate that had put her in such a volatile mood and ruined his chances of starting the New Year on a happy note.
"You know what Ashi, you are welcome to your shells and plant life!" he declared. "Maybe they will be able to handle your spitting fury and save us all from going insane! Jao, go and be a loser on your own, because I am not wasting another minute with you!"
Incensed and hurt by this, she spun back to face him, a blazing look of fury flashing in her eyes.
"Good!" she cried. "Because I don't want you here! Jao! Go and irritate your barbie-doll date....if she can stand listening to your pathetic chat up lines that is!"
She shot him a scathing look and started to pace away across the sand. Yuvi scrunched his hands into fists and turned his head away in exasperation. The next minute, however, his heart gave a jolt of panic and he realised that he was being an idiot again; instead of following his heart he was letting his pride get in the way. No Yuvi, he told himself, New Year is about new starts and this time he couldn't let Ashi walk away from him without trying to fight for her love. With this resolution he darted after her, calling her name, and catching up with her caught her arm.
"Psycho let go off me!" she hissed as he pulled her round to face him.
"Ashi, Ashi please, listen to me!" he begged, grabbing her both arms and holding them tightly together.
He looked down at her smouldering eyes beseechingly, hoping that he could drive those storm clouds away.
"Ashi, I don't want to fight with you tonight," he told her. "Chalo, come with me; I have something to show you."
"Duuuh, whatever you want to show me you can show me here," she declared. "Mujhe kahin nahin ja rahe hai."
Yuvi had to close his eyes and bite his bottom lip to stop himself from snapping at her in his frustration. Taking a steadying breath, he reminded himself how important tonight was, and opening his eyes again he stared earnestly down at her.
"Ashi, please, just this once, come with me," he begged.
She sighed and rolled her eyes, and glancing suspiciously up at him she inclined her head in acquiescence. The truth was that though her pride made her want to fight her curiosity made her want to go with him. Something inside her could not help but feel anticipation and as she gazed into his pleading eyes she found all her resolve melting away.
"Ok, but this better not be some stupid joke," she warned.
"Trust me," he replied. "This isn't a joke. Chalo."
He curled his fingers about her hand with a small smile and though it made no sense to her then, she trusted that look in his eyes implicitly. Silently he led her down the beach away from the glare of the party until they reached a rocky mass that jutted out almost to the sea. Stopping, he turned to her with a mysterious smile.
"Close your eyes," he told her.
She frowned at him, wondering if he had finally lost his mind.
"Hey Bhaggu!" she exclaimed. "Yuvi, what is going on? I told you, this better not be a joke, warna..."
"Ashi, just trust me," he replied, letting go of her hand and stepping closer to her. "Just close your eyes and follow me."
As he said this he covered her eyes with one of his hands, and holding her arm he directed her forward. To her it seemed an eternity before he told her to stop again and when he lifted his hand from her eyes she was just so relieved to see again that at first she didn't take in the scene before her. It was only when her eyes swept over the stretch of beach a second time that she spied the rug, surrounded by a border of shells, and the picnic basket in the centre. Her heart slammed in her chest and her eyes widened in astonishment as she took in the four candles on each side of the rug, their flames flickering gently, their glow reflected on the pearly shells holding them up. It was like something out of a dream and she didn't want to blink in case the image dispelled the next again moment. Wondrously she turned and looked at Yuvi, who was watching her anxiously.
"Yuvi, yeh sab....? Kyun?" she asked, a confused frown touching her brow.
His lips curved into a smile and, stepping towards her, he took her hand.
"Come," he said softly.
"Par...," she began, but he turned to her with smiling eyes.
"Ashi, chalo," he repeated.
He led her over to the picnic blanket and asked her to sit. She hesitated for a moment but the warm glow of his eyes abated any fears she had and she settled herself on the rug. He sat on the other side of the picnic basket, his eyes never leaving her face, anxiously trying to gauge her reaction. With the flicker of the candlelight against her skin she looked radiant, like a flame in the darkness and when she turned to him there was a subtle flush of embarrassment on her cheeks, which filled his heart with amazement.
"Yuvi, yeh sab kya hai?" she asked him.
"Simple, it's a picnic," he replied with a teasing twinkle of his eyes.
She opened her mouth to say something but he held a hand up, saying as he did so,
"Before you protest, this isn't any ordinary picnic."
"Matlab?" she asked, frowning again.
He grinned impishly at her, his eyes glinting as he flipped open the lid of the picnic basket.
"Matlab yeh ki is picnic mein there are no sandwiches," he told her. "Just....ice creams," he announced, whipping the from the basket and holding them aloft like a trophy. "And, as if that wasn't cool enough," he continued. "There's also.....candies."
As he held the sweets out towards her, a proud grin sweeping across his face, Ashi couldn't resist the giggle of delight that had welled up in her throat and with a snort of laughter, she covered her mouth with a hand. Yuvi sat back with a smile, watching the laughter dance in her eyes and wishing that he would always see that sparkle in them.
"Yuvi, this is great," she told him, looking over at him with a smile. "But I don't understand – what is all this for?"
"It's New Year's Eve na," he answered. "Isliye me and you are celebrating."
"Yeah, but what about your date?" she asked, holding her breath, secretly dreading his answer.
For a moment he gazed at her silently, an unfathomable glow in his dark eyes. His stare was so intense she felt he could see through to her soul and the fluttering of her heart made her avert her eyes. Lips curving in a smile, Yuvi moved closer to her, gently taking one of her hands in his own. Her heart skipped a beat and she looked up at him, a million questions in her eyes as she stared back at him.
"Ashi, yeh mera date hai," he told her.
"Kya?" she asked breathlessly, wondering if she had misheard him. The dart of joy inside her was too heady; she didn't dare to trust it. "I don't understand," she added.
He gave a small sigh, bowing his head for a moment. When he looked back up at her his eyes were deep and dark, filled with seriousness.
"Ashi, I planned all this yesterday," he told her. "I wanted us to spend New Year together and I knew that we would never get a chance in the party. Whenever other people are there we can't speak what we want to one another, and I need to speak to you tonight Ashi. I can't start the new year without telling you the things I have been holding inside me these past months."
His words made her feel breathless and she lowered her head, struggling to stay in her senses. It was too good to be true; it was like her dream had become reality. So many times she had heard him say these words in her mind and now she couldn't be sure she wasn't dreaming again. The racing of her heart was thumping in her ears as she glanced back up at him.
"Yuvi....," she began.
"Ashi please, meri baat suniye," he interrupted her. "I know in the past I have acted like a fool. So many times I have let you down, but sweetheart, now I see everything clearly."
He placed a hand on her face and his touch sent a shiver down her nerve ends.
"Whenever I needed to believe in myself you were there for me," he told her. "Only you have been there when no one else wanted to know me. You have shown me what it means to dream. Ashi, without you I would be nothing – a coward, living in my father's shadow, afraid to think or feel for myself."
He took both her hands in his own, staring deeply into her eyes, so deep she felt she could see his soul in them.
"I don't want to start the new year without telling you what I should have said ages ago," he said. "Ashi, main..."
"Yuvi," she interrupted, placing her fingers to his lips. "Bas...don't say something that will hurt us both later on."
"Ashi, do you still think I want to play with your emotions?" he asked, taking her hand from his lips.
"I don't know Yuvi, that's the point," she answered, closing her eyes in confusion. "My heart tells me one thing and my head another."
"I only know one thing Ashi," he said. "And that is that my heart says its you I love, and I want to start the new year with you, only with you."
She lifted her head and met his eyes, reading the depth of his love in them with awe. Just then a firework exploded high up in the sky, its gold flares streaking through the night towards the inky water below. Others followed, bursting into brilliant colours, symbols of hope for the future. As they burst overhead, Ashi and Yuvi stared at one another, seeing the same hope reflected in each other's eyes.
"Happy New Year Ashi," Yuvi wished her.
Her lips curved into a smile as a glow of happiness lit up her eyes.
"Will you take a chance and spend the rest of the year with me?" he asked her, holding his breath as he waited for her answer.
Her smile spread as she gazed into his anxious eyes, and disentangling her hands from his she curled her arms about his neck, pulling him closer so that their foreheads rested against one another.
"Not just this year," she replied. "Every year."
His heart soared with joy and as their lips split into wide grins, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, never wanting to let go of this magical moment. As Ashi wrapped her arms about him, she turned her eyes to the fireworks exploding above them and as she watched the bright colours light up the dark night she knew that she could not have had a better start to the New Year.
Real Estate
Fan Fictions
