Love can last a lifetime and more

Its a love story

Piya experienced an uneasy feeling as she danced to the rhythm of the music. Her sisters, Panchi and Misha, had insisted on throwing a party for her birthday and if it was not enough they had invited Jeh too. Madhu and her father, Mr Dobriyal, had made sure to make it a grand affair and invited all of Mount College. Their hearts were in the right place but their actions were not. She was rather preferred the intimate gatherings to such lavish huge parties. Such large crowd made her more to her lonesome especially when she didn't remember most of them. Sure girls made sure that she felt involved and at ease with them, Kabeer and Angad were sweet with her but they didn't understand how out of place she felt. Her mother would have understood that.
"Hey princess where are you lost?", asked Jeh clicking fingers in front of her eyes. "It must have been Misha's idea to pair her with Jeh in paper dance competition", thought Piya. She and Panchi have been adamant on her dating Jeh ever since she started asking questions - questions about Abhay.
"Huh?! nothing. I uh ... I just need to freshen up." And she excused herself for a break.  She went to her room and stood near the window with glass of cola in her hands thinking and trying to make sense of things she didn't remember.
Ever since she had come back to India, after her year abroad, she had been having memory relapses. Every now and then something would trigger a memory in her - a place or a face or something and she had started asking more and more questions. Questions about her past, her accident and about Abhay. Everyone always dodged her questions about nothing but Abhay. "Who is this Abhay that her family is hell bent on keeping a secret?", wondered she. The day she mentioned his name to Misha, she had gone all sweaty and defensive. She didn't give her any straight answer and tried selling some story of Arman. But soon enough it was clear that she was lying. She had found his college records in library and he was Abhay. The same Abhay whose names she heard from both T and Ruhi and many others from college, whose face kept popping in her memory, whose blue eyes calmed her nerves. And then the most mysterious yet wondrous thing happened. One day when she was in the forest- she heard a voice, a voice of the man that  gave her soothing feeling instantly. She followed it to try and locate the source, only to find a man buried in an ice block and then fainted there. That was enough to make her father paranoid about her health. Her family took her to her doctor and persuaded him to do all kinds of tests and she said she is fine but that was it. If she tried to talk about what she saw they assured her that it must have been a mere trick of her mind or that she was tired or may be jet lagged. After that nobody left her alone or let her go to the forest. Everywhere she went, Misha or Panchi tagged along using some or other excuse. She understood perfectly well that it was their ruse to keep her away from repetition of such an event. She didn't mind their concern but she didn't like this overprotectiveness either. She had been used to living alone and independently but in this one year things seemed to have changed and she had no recollection of it how.
"Hey piya? Kya hua? Yaha ese akele kyun khadi ho?", asked Misha.
"Nothing I was just thinking all the birthdays I celebrated alone. How did I patch up with papa again?"
"God piya kitni baar puchogi? Its as if you don't trust me", Misha said making a face.
It was probably partly true but Piya couldn't bring herself to hurt her best friend and her sister so she lied, "Last time I promise. I like to hear it."
"Nothing piya. U came to Dehradun. We soon became best friends teaming up against T. Papa met you through me and then he found about your history to find you are his long lost daughter but you know you did not accept him and we did not know, me and birdy. But then the truth came out on their anniversary and sorry again for injuring you and hurting you but then eventually we made up. Everyone forgave everyone eventually and happy ending."
Piya smiled looking at her. She could not find any fault in her story. Everything she said sounded like her. It was perfect. Almost too perfect to be true.
"And then what happened? How did i lose memory? Where did u find me"
"I told u Piya. In an accident. You had fight with Abhay and then you met an accident. And then we found u in forest near that Doiwala road. He was no where to be seen, probably ran away. You were alone under layers of snow and ice in the middle of the forest."
"In the middle of the forest? near Doiwala road? Under snow and ice?"
"Yeah. Somewhere near that."
"You never mentioned before in what condition you found me or where."
Misha's face suddenly went white but she quickly composed herself and said, "uh Piya its uh well I don't remember the details as nicely. You know me and my poor memory", she tried to explain but was late. "Your poor memory?", interjected Piya. She ran out of the door leaving her alone to her thoughts without waiting for her reply. Misha's one mistake had done it. Her mind had started to churn and she was jumping on her thoughts. The block of ice in the middle of the summer, a weird pull that she felt in the forest, and her losing memory and being found again around the same place she found the block. Everything must be linked together. It has to be. She was finally gonna get some answer.
*
Piya felt disoriented as someone pulled her out of water and wrapped a shawl around her. Warming light made her realise that she was sitting on the ground in front fire and then Misha's voice boomed in her ears.
"What the hell were you thinking, Piya?"
Piya was shivering to say anything and barely looked at her, her eyes confused.
"If we hadn't come Piya you would be dead by hypothermia in that freezing water", shouted Misha.
Panchi tried to calm her down and asked, "Seriously Piya what is this?"
Piya tried to recollect what had happened. She had left home in hurry leaving Misha. She had come to the forest and as she was bending near the ice she heard the wolves howling and then the ice broke and she fell inside. But did someone hold her hand as she fell? She felt someone did. She looked around but found only Kabeer, Misha and Panchi.
"Was there someone here that you saw?"
Others shared a confused look with each other.
"For god sakes Piya there is no one in the ice there. And lets for a second assume that there was. Do you really think that he would have survived?"
"Mish calm down", said Kabeer calmly.
"No i wont Kabeer. She is out there chasing a wild goose."
"Misha whose fault is it? How many times have you guys lied about my past? How can you expect me to trust you after that?", asked Piya in irritated and defensive tone.
"No Piya we didn't. Not technically because the fact of the matter is we honestly don't know what happened to him in that accident. Sure you dated but you never told us officially that you were dating, we only guessed seeing you two together. And then we don't even know why you broke up. You never told us anything about your relationship with him except that he was always rude to you which btw everyone knew.", said Misha hotly.
"And you want to talk about accident?", said Misha in rising voice, "All we know is you texted us that you were going somewhere for Abhay and then when you didn't return we tracked your phone and came looking for you, only to find you buried in layers of snow Piya. You were unconscious. Alone. Abhay nowhere to be found. We don't know what happened. We don't know where he went or even where he is today."
"Piya when you woke up you were fragile. You didn't remember us or anything that had happened in a year. You kept fainting here and there and doctors said we had to be very careful with you and ensure you are not stressed. Thats why papa sent you to Paris, for change of scenery. Thats why we never told anything about Abhay. Piya we didn't see any point of mentioning him when we did not even know where he was.", said Panchi.
"we were trying to protect you. So Hang us if thats a crime.", Misha was now fuming.
"Misha stop it. You go and add some wood to fire. I will take care of Piya.", said Kabeer and turned to her.
"Piya, we didn't lie to you about anything else. We genuinely told you everything we knew even about Abhay later", Kabeer said as he sat near her.
Piya looked at them.
"But I .. i keep dreaming his face Kabeer. I don't remember anything but I remember those eyes and that face. And I .."

"Piya look, I know you loved him. And may be thats why you are having hard time getting over because you are too close to it. But Piya nobody knows where he is."
"And that block of ice?! Where did that come from and it broke when i touched it and.."
"Piya of course it broke. That thing is ice and it must have started to melt from inside in this heat. You must have been leaning on thin ice judging by the surrounding of it. We found you in a pool of freezing cold water. But trust me there was no one here. We swear Piya."
Piya looked at him.
Misha was still looking away from her. She was definitely far too angry with her today.
"I just thought that may be I will get some answers today"
"And did you? Did you get any answer by putting yourself in such danger?", asked Misha.
Piya shook her head in embarrassment.
Misha came near her and finally spoke in calm voice, "look Piya we know its not easy to get over the fact that you don't remember your one year. But you do remember what has happened after that don't you? Piya has he called you ever in this one year? Has he ever messaged you? Piya you broke up with him before then you must have had some reason for it, wouldn't you?"
What Misha said made sense to her but her heart just wont give up.
"Piya we are your sisters. We care for you. Wouldn't you even try to move on and live your life as normal girl taking care of yourself? For us Piya? Don't we matter anything to you?"
Kabeer and Panchi looked on to her with hope.
She nodded, "yes yes of course. I am sorry. I will be careful now."
*
"She hasn't changed a bit mom. Just as careless, just as crazy and just as innocent", said Abhay.
"Of course she didn't. Did you really expect that she would change her ways because you took away her one year of memories? Here drink this. It should help you", said Haseena.
"I thought she went crazy only around me."
"Well I suppose she is just as crazy without you." Haseena sat near him holding his hand. The skin was all wrinkly for staying so long in ice. She hovered her hands and it started to normalise. "Your body needs warmth. It has been cold too long."
"My body has been cold ever since my death mom."
"Abhay. I don't want you talking about death anymore. For me my son is alive even if his heart isn't beating."
"Both your sons!", it wasn't a question.
"Hmm hmm"
"She was not Maithili. Whoever attacked us that night.", said Abhay after a pause.
"No she wasn't. But we will discuss that later. How are you feeling now?", asked Chand as he walked near them.
"Do you know something? Something useful?"
"Of course we do. You didn't think we'd give up that easy."
A smirk came on the handsome pale face, he went to ask something but Haseena interrupted.
"Later Abhay. You rest up now.", said Haseena glaring at Chand.