Vani FF: The Phoenix (Thread 2 Part 99 Update pg 6) - Page 4

Waiting .Please update soon yrr. 

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Loved the update...... please update soon.

Please please update soon

Hey !!!! 

Can u plz update soon. 

Can’t wait to read the next chapters. 

It have quiet a long time since u have updated. Plz. 

Thank you. 

Sweetheart Where are You....

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Update na please 

Chapter 98

Daksh came down to see what was going on and saw the gift.

“Oh, Veer bhai ne diya hai?” He asked.

“Nahi. Ahana Chachi ne.”

“Unhe kya zaroorat pad gayi gift dene ki?” Daksh asked. He was still bitter. Bani turned to look at him. She saw a stubborn boy. Someone who refused to understand.

Bani chuckled. “You know mujhe humesha lagta tha ki sirf naag-naagin hi pura bhoj leke chalte hai. They keep their grudges forever. Giving up grudges is extremely difficult for them. Experience se keh rahi hun. Par aaj samajh aaya ki cheel bhi aise hi hote hai.”

“Bhabhi, you don’t know about her. Na toh unhe humari fikar thi na hi dad ki. She only thought about herself.”

“Daksh, kya unki identity sirf yeh hai ki woh tumhari maa hai or that she’s chachu’s wife?”

“Bhabhi, aap nahi samjhoge.”

“Samajh tum nahi rahe ho, Daksh. You’re lucky enough to have both your parents alive. Tumhare paas maa aur dad dono hai. You should ask those who don’t have mother. What I wouldn’t give to be able to see my mother again. Veer apni puri zindagi daaw par laga sakta tha kyuki use laga ki saamne uski mom hai. You’re lucky enough that your mother is alive.”

“Maine apna pura bachpan akele hi kata hai because she didn’t want to stay. Maa toh apne bacchon ke liye sabh kuch de sakti hai. Toh kya unke liye itna mushkil tha humare saath rehna? Not like dad was harassing her or abusing her.”

“Daksh, toh kya do logo ke alag hone ka reason sirf abuse ya harassment hona chahiye? Aur koi reasons nahi ho sakte? Puri zindagi kya sirf between the lines padte rahe? Kabhi toh kahe ki they want the other person to stay. Sirf shaadi se pehle hi tum uske liye effort karoge? Once she’s married to you, its all granted ki woh tumhari hai kuch kehne ki zaroorat nahi hai? Everyone needs assurance, Daksh. Even a child does. Daksh, unless we learn to care for ourselves, we cannot care for anyone else. Tumhari family mein kabhi ladki paida nahi hui hai isiliye maybe tum woh samajh hi nahi sakte. We all have to be someone on our own and not just tags related to some man. Main Bani hun. Yeh important hai. Yeh identity important hai. Main Bani hun, main Adi-Naagin hun. I’m a person of my own before I’m someone’s sister, someone’s wife, someone’s daughter or someone’s mother. Yeh identity paane ki iccha rakhna galat nahi hai, Daksh.”

“What about me? So, Me, Sam, Ponky and Monil didn’t matter as much?”

“Daksh, tum kya bol rahe ho yeh samajh mein aa raha hai? Tumhari zindagi ki gaadi sirf tum par atki hai. You accuse her of thinking of herself but you can’t see past yourself. Tumne apna bachpan apni maa ke saath nahi bitaya, sirf iss baat ko leke tum unse itni nafrat kar rahe ho. Imagine that your first born child hates your very guts. Usse zyaada dard aur kuch nahi de sakta, Daksh. Shayad tum kabhi kisi bacche ko janam nahi de sakte isiliye you’ll never know. Jise apni kok mein nau mahine rakha, use dekhne se pehle hi usse itna pyaar kare, puri duniya ki buri nazar khud par le apne bacche par aane dene se pehle. You can’t possibly ever repay her for that. Nothing you can do will surfice. That woman gave birth to you. She didn’t abandon you, Daksh. You all abandoned her. Maa hai woh tumhari. Yeh unse tum kya, Bholenath bhi nahi cheen sakte. She will always be your mother. Maa ke saamne toh bhagwaan bhi sar jhuka lete hai.”

“Bhabhi, aap toh sirf unke baare mein soch rahi hai.”

“Daksh, tumhare paas daddyji the, chachu the, bhai the. Maa ki kami unmein se koi puri nahi kar paata par unke paas kon tha? Maa thi? Bhai the? Pati tha? Bete the? No one. Imagine yourself in that place. Completely alone. Nowhere to go. No one to call her own. That is the loneliest place to be in, Daksh. Shayad main reh hi nahi paati. I would’ve killed myself long ago agar main uss position mein hoti. Veer mujhse dur ho gaya tha, main teen din nahi bardaash kar paayi. Sirf ek insaan ke dur hone se tumhe itni takleef hui hai par unhone toh sabhko kho diya. Can you not feel her pain? Chalo apni chodo. Ponky? Apni maa ko usne kabhi nahi dekha. Na toh chachu unke baar mein baat karte hai. Na tum unke baare mein baat karna chahte ho. Sam se puche toh Sam ka dil toot jaata tha kyuki bas unka naam sunke Sam ko unki yaad aa jaati thi. He just assumed he was never supposed to ask about his mother. 21 saal mein pehli baar unse mila. 21 years, Daksh. No mother deserves to stay away from her childred for 21 years because she didn’t want to stay in a place she wasn’t appreciated or felt she was unwanted there.”

“She thought it. Aisa tha nahi, Bhabhi.”

Bani sighed. She didn’t know how to explain it to him. He was stuck in that same loop.

“Daksh, kehna hota hai. Two people need to communicate. We all have to make the other person feel wanted. To feel that you belong in a family is important. If we didn’t want to feel we belonged, sabne sanyaas le liya hota.”

“Bhabhi, why are you defending her?”

“I’m not saying that they are wrong, Daksh, par bas ek second ke liye imagine karo. Veer ko mare 12 din bhi nahi hue and I got married on paper to someone like Jay. Tumhara reaction kya hoga.”

“Bhabhi, kya bol rahe ho?”

“It’s a question, Daksh. Answer it.”

“Of course gussa aayega.”

“Tum shayad mujhe maarne ki bhi koshish karo because that is how much you love Veer. Tumhara mujhse koi relation hai usse pehle tumhara Rishta Veer ke saath hai. Chalo yeh bhi accepted hai. Abh Tapish bhai, daddyji, chachu aur Sam bhi isse support kar rahe hai. Kya feel hota.”

“I’d probably go mad.”

“Ladai karke bhi koi matlab nahi milta toh?”

“Shayad ghar chodke chala gaya-”

Daksh stopped mid-sentence. Exactly what his mother had done. She left when it felt like her opinions didn’t matter. Her presence or absence didn’t matter. Her grief didn’t matter. Her pain didn’t matter. She felt like she didn’t matter.

“Abh picture dekho, Daksh. She had no financial condition to support you, Sam, Ponky and Monil. Khud ko hi support nahi kar paa rahi thi, how was she supposed to keep you all. Paida hote hi you were used to luxuries. Chachu ne tumhe duniya ke saare aiso-aaram diya. Kisi cheez ki kami hi nahi hoti. He was a good father to you all even if he wasn’t a great husband. Yeh baat sach hai. Utni hi sach hai jitni yeh ki Veer mujhse pyaar karta hai. Unhone maa ki tarah socha aur tumhe yahan rehne diya. She possibly couldn’t have given any comforts to you. Her own blood related family had abandoned her. Unhe pata tha ki woh afford nahi kar paayegi. Phir bhi Sam ki zidd thi. Sam wanted to stay with her. Luxuries didn’t matter to him, nothing else mattered to him. Sirf maa. Sam ne dekha ki chachi puri tarah toot rahi hai. No one there to give her that affection, love, and hope. Isiliye zid mein woh chachi ke paas chala gaya. Chachu tumse pyaar karte the. Just as much as he loved you, he loved Sam. Sam ko sabh kuch dena chahte the. Isiliye he asked for Sam’s custody. Ek baar ke liye koshish ki bhi chachi ne but when the entire court questions you about how she can afford his education, his everyday needs, koi jawab nahi tha unke paas siway iske ki ‘I would try to give him all that to best of my ability’. Court khaali waadon par apna faisla nahi suna sakti thi. This far dream ki haan ek din she will be able to give Sam all that.”

Daksh simply listened to her.

“Shayad main again unki jagah hoti toh yahi karti. She wanted to feel that she was loved, Daksh. Unhe sirf pyaar chahiye tha. She was breaking apart. Khud ko nahi sambhal paati toh tumhe kaise sambhalti? Khud ko khush nahi rakh paati toh kisi aur kaise khush karti? The situation of our lives makes an impact on the relationships we hold. If she couldn’t smile, she wouldn’t be able to make you smile.” She finished with that.

She left Daksh at the dining table and walked up. She saw Sam by the staircase. Daksh and Bani never realized he was there.

“Thanks.” Sam said.

“Kis baat ke liye?”

“Shayad Daksh kabhi mom ke baare mein nahi sochta. If you hadn’t spoken to him.”

“Kisi ko toh batana hoga, Sam.”

“Mom ne diya hai?” Sam asked pointing to the gifts. Bani nodded with a smile. Bani went up to her room to get ready. She started getting ready while trying to think of something to give Veer. She wore the earrings that Ahana gave her.

Veer already did have everything. She couldn’t think of what to give him. Yet, she was sure to think of something quickly. The door opened and Veer showed up.

“Main ready hun, chale?” Bani asked.

“Bas ek minute.” Veer said. He opened the cupboard and took a bag. He started putting clothes. Jackets and some other clothes. Not much but just one bag.

“Veeranshu, yeh kapde kyu pack kar rahe ho?”

“Surprise surprise, sweetheart.”

“Veeranshu…”

Veer grabbed a few of Bani’s clothes as well and the two started off.

“Okay, guys. Sun lo. Bekar mein phone karke kisi ne disturb kiya toh soch lo. Anyway, mera phone Daksh aur Ponky ke liye band hai. Bye…” Veer told everyone in the house.

“Kuch toh batao, Veeranshu. Kahan jaa rahe hai? Kab tak vapas aayenge…”

“Sweetheart, tum sirf mujhe dekho. Aaj ka din special hai. Toh mujhe yeh dono idiots apne aas paas nahi chahiye kyuki kaafi examples hai yeh batane ke liye ki koi na koi hume disturb karta hi rehta hai. So, hum dono..” Veer made a flying off sign with his hands.

“Kuch zaroorat ho toh call kar dena. Waise toh sabh set hai but if in case you need something…” Sam told Veer.

“Haan main call kar lunga kuch chahiye ho toh.”

Veer then took Bani’s hands and left Singhania Mansion. Tapish dropped them at the place. Bani noticed a chopper at the top of the helipad. She looked at Veer.

“Veeranshu…”

“Haan…”

He gave Tapish a fist bump and led her up to the chopper. Slight excitement entered Bani. She had never been on a chopper before. The two sat inside. Veer set the headphones on her properly. Bani looked down at the city while they flew off towards a location Bani didn’t know. They fell asleep during the duration. 3 hrs of travel and they reached the place. The pilot woke up Veer.

“Perfect.” Veer grinned. He shook Bani softly. She woke up and saw hills around. It looked beautiful. A bright smile came up to her face. The chopped landed on a helipad. The two got down. The large hills were set beautifully.

“Veeranshu, abhi toh bata do ki kahan hai?” Bani asked. He helped her down. Bani felt a chill of air. “I would have guessed Shimla but I don’t think it is Shimla.”

Veer rolled his eyes.

“How typical. You see snow and first thing you think is Shimla. No, sweetheart. Hum Shimla mein nahi hai.” Veer grabbed their bag.

“Toh kahan hai?” Bani felt the chill of air enter her. Veer passed her a jacket. A grin was on his face. As if he was in his natural habitat. “I know that this is some hill station.”

“Well, you know ki cheel pahadon mein rehte hai, right? Mom ki favourite place thi. Unhe bohot accha lagta tha yahan aana. Mom hume vacation ke liye yaha laati thi. I used to love this place. Phir mom ke baad phir kabhi yahan aaya hi. Humesha lagta tha ki yahan aaunga toh mom ki bohot zyaada yaad aayegi. But phir I really wanted to show you something here.”

It would generally be really cold for her but Veer had already made her wear a sweater and gave her his jacket. Veer was fine with just his jacket. Cheels were generally fine with such cold weather. Their feathers were insulation enough. Like Golden eagles, they have no issues with snow mountains.

After a bit more of travel, they reached a house. He looked at the house with a bit of nostalgia.

“Tumhari mom ki hai?”

“This one? Nahi. The property mom owns is a bit away. Ahana chachi aur mom ne yeh humare liye liya tha. It belongs to Tapish bhai, me, Sam, Daksh and Ponky. Used to be our own place here.”

The house wasn’t as huge as Singhania Mansion but was a beautiful cabin house. It reminded Bani of the mountain house.

“Welcome to Auli.” Veer told her.

“Bohot zyaada khoobsurat hai.” Bani exclaimed. Veer put the bags in their room. There were around 7 rooms in the place.

“There are warm clothes inside. Toh agar zyaada thandi lage toh pehen lena.” Veer told her. It was like a rustic cabin.

The balcony had a small nest like hanging seat. It was large enough to fit two people at once. There was a fireplace inside the room to make the room warm. While Veer took bath, Bani made some food for them. It was already lunch time.

“Smells good.” Veer grinned. “Listen, I have it planned. Abhi toh 1 baj rahe hai. Shaam ko 5 baje we’ll go ahead. We can ski. Uske baad I’ll take you to a special place by 9.”

“Okay.”

They set down scabble board with lunch.

“Veeranshu, you cannot use names as a word.” Bani complained.

“Haan but names have a meaning. They’re also a word.”

“Naam nahi daal sakte hai. Allowed nahi hai.” Bani pushed away his tiles. “Koi aur word banao.”

“In that case you shouldn’t use Rose. It is also a name.”

“Bakwaas mat karo. Tum Ali use nahi kar sakte.”

“Kuch bhi…”

Bani hit him with the pillow.

“Rules padho aur phir khelo. Loser… Haar rahe ho toh kuch bhi word banaoge. Ali is not a word. Ali naam hai. Naam word nahi hote.”

That started a huge pillow fight between them. Bani went on attacking with a pillow. Veer tried to defend but fell on the couch, Bani tripped and fell over him. Veer grabbed her and kissed her.

Chapter 99

By the evening, Veer and Bani got ready. They both went to the nearest skiing resort. The snowy mountains were extremely beautiful. They were so well set that it almost made her feel like it was exactly here that heaven exists. Bani was covered from head to toe. Only thing visible was her face. That too was moisturized enough so she doesn’t get the dryness. Her boots were up till her calves.

“Veeranshu, mujhe nahi aati skiing. Tum jaao.” Bani said.

“Bani, main hun na. Chalo toh. I promise bohot mazaa aayega. Main saath hi hun.”

After a lot of insisting on Veer’s part, Bani agreed. Veer helped her put on the skis. Veer had a snowboard. He had a lot of time to learn snowboarding. Winter holidays were always in snow areas.

“Now push yourself ahead with the ski poles.”

“Main gir jaaungi.”

“Bani, kuch nahi hoga. Main hun na. Jab turn karna ho move your feet in that direction in small angles.”

The two started off. Veer quite good at snowboarding. Bani tried her best and went slow.

“First time hai?” A woman asked behind her. Veer was already off.

“Haan. Honestly kahun toh darr lag raha hai.” Bani told her.

“Same. Ajay already knows skiing. Toh woh aage nikal gaya ek dum se aur main yahan atki hun.”

“Mujhe toh pata nahi kyu main yeh kar rahi hun. I’m no adrenaline junkie. Aisi stupid sports mein mujhe interest hai nahi phir bhi yahan atak gayi. Sabh Veer ke chakkar mein.”

The two went on trying to ski but feel down. They laughed at it.

“Main Riya.” She introduced herself.

“Bani.”

Veer had stopped after he noticed Bani isn’t coming down. He saw her talking to some woman. The two seemed to be laughing and talking while they were coming down.

“Theek ho?” Veer asked her when she reached him.

“Tum mujhe chodke bhaag gaye.” Bani complained.

“Bhaag gaya? Main yahi tha. Abh haath pakad ke chalenge toh dono gir jaayenge.”

“So much for we can go through everything together.” Bani teased him. Veer rolled his eyes.

“Theek hai. Tum baar baar girna chahti ho to theek hai. Do. Haath do.” Veer tried to take her hand but she swatted it away.

“Veeranshu, waise hi main kuch kam nahi gir rahi jo tum aur zyaada girane tule ho. Yeh balance nahi ho raha mujhse aur tum aur hila rahe ho mujhe.”

“Just keep going. Achanak se beech mein rokogi toh muh ke bal girogi.”

Riya kept continuing and reached Ajay ahead. Bani and Veer went on skiing for a while. Veer laughed as Bani kept falling. Bani threw snow on Veer when he laughed too much.

“Galat panga le liya hai.” Veer started his own attack of snow on her.

“Veeranshu…” Bani complained and tried to climb up on her knees since she had no way of being able to go up on her feet. Veer grabbed her.

“Kahan bhaag rahi ho. Beech mein hi ladai chodke bhaagne waalon ko darpok kehte hai, Gharwali.” Veer started shoving all the snow up her.

“Veeranshu, nahi. Dekho barf agar andar chali gayi toh meri halat patli ho jaayegi.” Bani complained. A large heap of snow was over her.

“Koi nahi. Main nikal dun?” He winked at her. Bani pushed him away. He laughed at that. He kept teasing her all the way. Once they reached down, Bani was quick to get those off her feet.

“Erghhh…. Inn cheezon ko dur rakho mujhse.” She complained. Then sighed and breathed dramatically. “Bholenath, dhanyawad ki aapne kisi tarah mujhe Zinda single piece mein pohocha diya neeche. Pehli baar ehsaas ho raha ki that I’m so glad to have my feet back.”

Veer looked at her.

“Bani, being dramatic is my job so you stop being dramatic.”

“Tumne mujhe itne khatre mein daal diya aur abh main complain bhi na karun?”

“Tumne agar abhi apna drama band nahi kiya na toh main sabke saamne kiss kar lunga tumhe.”

Bani shoved him.

“Chain se complain bhi nahi karne dete.”

“Bani, jaldi aao. Haath do.”

“Abh kya ho gaya?”

Veer grabbed her hand and ran ahead. Veer knew the place well. Once they were at a place no one could see them, Veer pulled out his wings and flew up. He let the clouds gather around, to keep them hidden from those who would mistakenly catch a sight of them. He flew them up ahead. After a few moments, they reached exactly where Veer wanted to take her. They were at the top of one of the peaks. The sun was setting. It looked really beautiful. The sunlight dispersing over the clouds. They almost looked orange. The scene was something Bani had never seen before. It was just so perfect. A group of bird were flying up in pairs. The pair flying together. Veer looked at her.

“Kya humesha hi aisa dikhta hai? Matlab jab tum aasaman mein udd rahe hote ho, utne upar bhi aisa hi hota hai?”

“Haan. If we fly right above the clouds, aisa hi dikhta hai. 5000 ft upar asamaan mein. Above the clouds. Sunset ke time aise hi kirne spread hoti hai badalon par. Tabh badal bhi golden lagte hai.”

Bani just stood there. An odd peaceful feeling entered her. The wind blew and it made her hair fly. The cold crept in her and made her scales flash. The sunlight flashed over her scales and gave out a shine.

Veer made her climb on his back.

“Hold on tight.”

Bani held on to him tightly. He flew ahead. She had been with Veer while he’s flying but at the height that they were flying presently was something she had never experienced. It was completely different. Veer had stopped flapping his wings. It was simply gliding through the air. She opened her arms, trying to get the feel of flying. She could understand why Veer loved flying so much. Nothing could compare to that. This is what every bird felt.

“Aage dekho.” Veer told her. A pair of cranes became visible. Flying in group. “They’re migratory cranes. Pure saal bhar udte hai par iss time pe yahan dikhte hai. They fly all around the world like this in groups. Phir neeche jaate hai during feeding and breeding. For 80% of their life, they are just flying.”

“Thak nahi jaate?”

“Unke liye udna azaadi hai. Zameen utni pasand nahi aati.”

Veer then started flying down, diving.

“Veerr!!!” Bani exclaimed at speed which he was diving. Regular golden eagles dive at the speed of 350 km/hr. Peregrine Falcons dive at the speed of 390 km/hr. Cheel could dive at the speed of 450 km/hr. Even with their size, they could dive fast. At that speed, Bani felt like this was a free fall gravity rollercoaster. She never felt anything crazier. Skiing felt so much better than this now.

She closed her eyes, her heart almost as fast as the dive. Just when she felt the gravity get stronger, the wings flapped up and Veer landed on the ground smoothly. When Bani got her feet on the ground, she felt wobbly. Veer helped her stable herself.

“Oh, God!!!” Bani exclaimed. But the scare of the dive was quickly overtaken by the beauty of the place before her.

The Valley of Flowers. Such exotic and endemic flowers grew there. The whole place smelled of flowers. A small tent was set there. Dinner table was set there.

“Seriously?” Bani asked surprised.

“Haan. Special day hai, sweetheart. Toh dinner toh special hona hi chahiye.”

Bani smiled.

“Tum pagal ho, Veeranshu. Regular restaurant mein khaate toh bhi theek hi hota. I’m not complaining but tum jis level par planning kar rahe ho, usse takkar lena mushkil hai. I’ll have to stand up to that measure. Meri planning itna grand nahi hota.”

“Sweetheart, tumhara hona hi kaafi hai mere liye. That itself is the biggest thing for me.”

Bani pulled out a small box from her jacket.

“Maine bohot socha ki kya dun tumhe. Main kuch aisa dena chahti thi jo humesha hume yaad dilaaye.” Veer opened the box when they sat in the tent. There was a brooch and a pair of matching bracelets. The brooch was beautiful. A phoenix brooch with three small feathers. One from Aakesh’s wings. Second from his own old wings, the ones that he lost when Markaat took away his wings. Last one was from Markaat’s wings. “Maine bohot socha ki kyu sabh mein se sirf Aakesh hi kyu chuna gaya tha Markaat ko khatam karne. Phir tumhe samjha toh pata chala. Aakesh was like hope. Uski zindagi mein shuru se leke end tak hope thi. Humesha ke liye. Hope and determination. Saare cheel sirf bheed mein Markaat ke peeche peeche rehte hai. Jo Markaat kehta use aankh band karke yakeen karte par Aakesh aisa nahi tha. Aakesh mein yeh iccha thi ki use roshni dekhni hai. Jab kisi cheel mein itni himmat nahi thi ki roshni ke baare mein soche bhi, Aakesh ki chahat thi ki din mein ude. Andhere se nikalne ki iccha sirf Aakesh mein thi.”

Veer looked at her.

Veer smiled at that. It was one of the most beautiful gifts he had ever received.

“Thanks. It is really beautiful. This will like always remind me what I was, what I am, and what I never want to be.” The two laid outside the tent, staring into the night sky. Looking at the stars that were shining. Veer turned to look at her. She kept staring at the stars.

When she noticed the stare, she turned around to look at him. Veer kissed her. Softly brushing her hairs. He noticed the earring and chuckling.

“Ahana chachi ne diye hai?” Veer asked her.

“Haan. Unhone kaha ki tumne bachpan mein yeh choose kiye the.”

“Mujhe exactly woh moment toh yaad nahi par mom ne kayi baar mujhe earring ke baare mein kaha tha.”

“Acche hai.”

Veer then remembered those earrings that she wore. The ones that he felt were ugly.

“You still have those weird white earrings? They’re just too ugly.” Veer commented. Bani thought of which one he was speaking and suddenly remembered. He was talking about the earring Jay had given her so he could constantly be in contact with her.

“Jay ne diye the. Remember jab tum mujhe pahadi pe leke gaye the. Apni sacchai batane? Tabh Jay ne diye the. Yeh marble sirf naaglok mein milta hai. Isse ek dusre ki baat sun sanke hai. Jaise who locket jo maine diya tha tumhe. Like that.” Bani explained. Veer’s eyebrows scrunched.

“Tabhi toh. Uski choice hi kharab hai. Itne ghatiya rings Jay se hi aa sakte hai. Toh Jay ne actually suna jo maine tumse kaha?”

“Haan, woh plan tha uss din but-”

“But you ended up saving me. Dad bol rahe the ki tum Mathurs se baat kar rahi thi.”

“Meri jo bhi problem thi woh Adi-Naag se thi, Veer. Mathur Family se koi problem nahi hai. For some reason, I still feel like I have some responsibility. Humare liye Jay dushman tha par unke liye toh Jay unka beta tha. Because it was needful, humne Jay ko maar diya. Par uski dadi usse bohot pyaar karti thi. I just felt bad for her. At first, she was hostile. But then Bela ne unhe sabh bataya toh she felt bad. Unhe laga ki unhone Jay ko theek bada nahi kiya but it wasn’t their fault.”

“They’re not our business, Bani.”

“Pata hai, Veeranshu, par bas apni Khushi ke liye maine yeh kiya hai. I don’t want to carry regrets. You can say anything but Hriday Nageshwari ka pehla pyaar tha. That soft corner was always there for Jay. Shayad isiliye uske mujhe maarne ki koshish ke baad bhi maine use maaf kar diya. Once you love someone truly, you can’t hate them. I don’t hate him either. Gussa, disappointment, yes. Par nafrat nahi thi. Aur shayad nahi hogi. Kyuki there was a time when I loved him. Shayad khud se zyaada. Apni khud ki feelings se zyaada.”

Veer sighed. Jay was dead but that feeling would sometimes ebb into his heart. The way she talked about Jay.

“It is quite stupid jab log kehte hai ki pehla pyaar aakhri hota hai. But it is true that you never forget the first person you’ve loved. Alag feeling hoti hai. The first time you feel something so strong for someone.” She added.

Bani showed the mark on her waist. A birthmark was left from where Nageshwari had stabbed herself. Veer felt that green jealousy worm itself into her. The way she spoke about her first love.

“It never went away?” Veer asked.

“Nageshwari ki wish thi. At that time, I wanted it to be there so it would remind me ki maine kitna pyaar kiya tha Hriday se. Naag-naagin choose kar sakte hai ki konse nishaan unke agle janam mein bhi honge. They show up as birthmarks. Sometimes they work as identification marks. Aise hi, naag-naagin apne jode ko har janam mein dhundh lete hai.” She also showed a birthmark on her wrist which she usually covers.

“What is this?”

Bani gave a soft smile and ran her fingers over it.

“Twin flames and soul mates are different. Soul mate is someone who you match perfectly with. Jaise Jay and I, on paper, were perfect matches. Jaise he is calm when I’m temperamental. I’m calm when he’s angry. Jahan meri zidd khatam hoti hai, wahan uski shuru hoti hai. We were both ambitious. Both of us wanted that throne. I wanted it because I was always told it was mine. He wanted it because he desired it. Hum dono hi Bholenath ke bhakt the. Both of us were soft in our expression of love. Well, at least till we were just naag, it was there. Always together. Kabhi ek dusre se alag hi nahi rahe the. You can know someone your entire life but still not truly know them. Par kisi ko tum bas pehli baar milte ho aur aisa lagta hai ki kitne sadiyon se use jaante ho. The first moment, my eyes fell on Aakesh, this feeling clashed. Jaise main use kitne saidyon se jaanti thi. Twin flames are just the two halves of one soul. That one part we both shared. We both had always mirrored each other. There was an intense feeling when our eyes met. Overwhelming. Tabh samajh hi nahi aaya ki kyu ek ajeeb sa pull tha tumhare liye. It scared me. Jab Hriday tumhe maar raha tha, tabh khushi nahi thi, ajeeb sa dard tha. Samajh hi nahi aa raha tha kyu. Phir tum toh the hi super overwhelming. Matlab puri duniya mein nagade bajane waale log hote hai na, exactly like that. I felt as if I had betrayed Hriday. Hriday aur main ek hone waale the. Hum humesha se saath the toh mujhe khud par gussa aaya ki aakhir kyu hi mujhe yeh mehsoos hua. I believed ki mujhse galti hui hai. Toh Bholenath ke shivling ke paas diya tha. Believing that I should receive punishment, I let the diya burn my arm. Taaki humesha mujhe yaad dilaaye ki daayre hote hai jo kabhi nahi bhul sakte.”

Veer held her hand and brushed his thumb over it. He could almost imagine how much it would have hurt her. He felt a bit angry that she had done something like that to herself. She looked at him and realized it.

“It must have been painful.”

“Hum dono hi jal rahe the uss waqt. Tum pyaar mein aur main darr mein. Yahi pyaar tumhe aur zyaada himmat de rahi thi aur yahi pyaar mujhe aur zyaada dara raha tha. I had never imagined that things could be so complex. Reaction kaafi hadd tak humari asliyat jaisa tha. Snakes are short-sighted. Eagles are far-sighted. Jo tumhe dekhne mein waqt nahi laga, use dekhne mein mujhe 10,000 divya varsh lage.”

“Kamaal hai. Khud ka bhi haath jalaya aur mera bhi…”

“What?”

“Haan, remember? Tumne mere mehndi mein zeher milaya tha.”

“Haan toh uss zeher waale mehndi ko rakhne ke liye maine nahi kaha tha. Tum hi bade hero ban rahe the. Main sirf jala ke tumhe sabak sikhana chahti thi. Tumhe hi padi thi pura haath daalne ki. Dono haath tumne daale.”

“Pyaar mein jalne mein kya hai yeh tumhe kaise samjhau. You know Icarus. Suraj se itna pyaar ho gaya ki uski or udta hi chala gaya. Suraj uske pankh jala raha tha phir bhi suraj ki chahat khatam nahi hui. Kept flying further up.”

“Tum pagal ho.”

“Nageshwari ne Hriday se pyaar kiya tha. Uss pyaar ke khaatir apni jaan de di. Maine apne pyaar mein jaan di. Agar jaise tum keh rahi thi ki yeh pyaar mein hum dono jal rahe the. Usi aag ne hum dono ko alag bana diya. Pyaar ne kaafi kuch badal diya mujh mein. It is quite symbolic honestly. Pyaar aag tha. Saare saanpo ko aag se darr lagta hai. Uss pyaar ne tumhe dara diya ek baar par usi pyaar mein jal ke, main phir se zinda hua. Usi pyaar ki aas mein phir se janam liya. Main jalta raha uss pagalpan mein aur tum usse dur jaana chahti thi. My first love was lik fire and your first love was a slow poison. Hum dono ka pehla pyaar adhura raha.”

“Nageshwari aur Bani ek hi hai, Veer.”

“Nahi. Nageshwari aur Bani alag hai. Nageshwari ko Shiv ne Adi-Naagin banaya but Bani khud apne dum par Adi-Naagin banke upar aayi hai. Nageshwari ke liye sabh kuch sirf black and white mein hona tha. Bani opened herself to more colors. Bani aur Veer dono ek hai aur humesha rahenge. It will always be Vani in the end.”

Bani smiled. She did know that somewhere Jay made him feel insecure. She wrapped her arms around Veer, using his arm as a pillow.

“Ho sakta hai ki Hriday ke liye dil mein ek jagah hai par tum meri jaan ho, Veeranshu. Tum aur main dono ek hi hai. Two sides of the same soul. Jaise tum kehte ho, mera aadha ang.”

Veer smiled at that.

“Jo meri zindagi mein tum ho koi aur nahi ho sakta hai. Jitna tum mujhse pyaar karte ho utna koi aur nahi kar sakta.” She added.

“I want you to remember that.”

The two sat up. Bani kissed him. Her arms wrapped around his neck. He grabbed her waist possessively. Resting their forehead against each other.

“I love you, Veer. Aur humesha karti rahungi.”

“Tumhe pata hai ki main tumse kitna pyaar karta hun.”

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I'll update the last chapter and the epilogue tomorrow. Sorry, guys. Exams the toh update nahi kar paayi.

Awesome mind-blowing. 

Loved the way Bani talked to daksh. 

And veer surprise was awesome. Bani gift s so good. Loved it. 

And their talk regarding past and love is so good..loved it.