Leap of Faith

Two Plus Two Equals Five

I am standing on the lakeside alone, waiting for Aayan. The cold water of the lake prickles my naked feet mercilessly. The sun has just risen above the horizon and a golden hue has transpired in the sky. A mystic brume encompasses the lake. I can hear the chirping of the birds sitting on the tree above me. The air is cold and heavy. I look sideways for any glimpse of life, but no one is visible through the trees and the hedge.

Suddenly, warmness engulfs me from both sides, making me close my eyes and smile. Aayan hugs me from behind, his eyes closed like mine. His white shirt is emitting some kind of alight. His beauty, every contour of his face, from his forehead to the long pointed nose to the cheekbones, the jawline, and those carved lips, mesmerizes me. He has the face of an angel, one that has been sent only for me.

Aayan opens his eyes and looks startled to see me. He releases me suddenly and turns his back on me. My frantic calls don't reach him; he never turns back.

Somebody on left now takes my hands into his. I turn towards him. Vikram! He looks ever so lovingly at me, the evil lines he has, suddenly vanish away. Without much ado, he takes me in his arms. My brain is shouting otherwise, but my body betrays. I look at Aayan. He has turned finally, with a look of betrayal in his eyes.

Behind him, I see the younger Rahul coming towards me. His chocolate brown eyes are beaming, reminding me of the first time we met. That was a different Rahul, the loving and caring person who I fell in love with. He is stretching his right hand to hold mine. Without thinking, I give him my hand. He pulls me into his embrace. Even though I fight it so much, I cannot get away.

I am stuck now, with Vikram on one side and Rahul on the other. I see frantically towards Aayan. The final look in his tearful eyes, he turns and walks away from me. I try to follow him, but I am caged by the two.

"Aayan...Aayan, please come back...Don't leave me..." I sobbed. Slowly, I felt the soft Egyptian cotton sheets around me, realizing that it was a dream. I exhaled, wiping out the sweat beads from my forehead, and hugged the pillow tightly to my chest. I was going crazy.

***

In the evening sunshine in the foyer of the hotel, we waited for Shweta and Nikhil to arrive. Riya pressed my hand in assurance, as her gaze expressed confidence. I hoped that Shweta would forgive me for being selfish. Riya, on one hand, had supported me throughout the day, planned the party, shopped with me, helped me dress up, and gave me the assurance I needed to stay positive. Aayan, on another hand, had shut me off. Yesterday night seemed like a disaster when I thought about it. He did not try to listen to any of my explanation.

When I told her about last night's failure, Riya clearly told me not to expect that Aayan would come. It hurt, though I appreciated her honest opinion. Now I could at least fully focus on apologizing to Shweta. With all our friends arrived at the party, we were ready to greet the couple with the surprise.

As soon as we spotted Nikhil's Mercedes, we hurried inside the small dining hall and switched off the lights.

The moment the door clicked open, the lights popped on with all of us yelling 'surprise'. As the usual convention goes, Shweta, after shortly registering the shock, smiled goofily with wet eyes.

When I came forward and our gazes locked, she ran into me and hugged me so tightly that I could not breathe. "Trish, I missed you!" She mumbled, trying to keep her emotions at bay.

"I am really sorry, Shweta. I acted so foolishly," I murmured back.

"Don't forget, you were insensitive and inconsiderate too." Shweta frowned. "And I am sorry too."