Gehraiyaan.

Chapter 28

We drove around the empty streets of Mumbai, which honestly is one of the rarest sights you'd get to witness in your life.

Darshan had a thing for songs straight out of the 90s, and with the windows rolled down, we aimlessly wandered around the silent city.

Through my tired eyes, Mumbai at night is a sight I could stare for the rest of my life; the silence simply drags you to a space of serenity.

"I've never seen the calm side of Mumbai", I tell Darshan and lean back on my seat with my eyes gazing at the sights rushing past me. "I always drive around at night and sit in a corner. To me, it's a much needed detox from the rush of life", Darshan says. "Sometimes with my guitar. Sometimes with a cup of tea. Sometimes with my thoughts", he adds on.

"I'll take you to my spot?", Darshan prompts. "Anything", I shrug, uncertain. I've never, ever been out with a guy at night; all of this feels so novel, so terrifying yet so thrilling.

We drive for around thirty minutes longer, before he turns his car into the parking lot at Juhu Beach. I sit back and silently stare at the beach, as a box of memories unveils itself.

"We used to visit Juhu Beach every weekend, when I was a kid, back when we were a family", I blurt out and Darshan looks on. "Papa would return from his half-day, and I couldn't even let him sit down to take a breath. We would spend the entire evening here, running around and eating all sorts of snacks", I narrate. "And once my parents separated, I hated the sight of this beach because of all the memories it holds", I wrinkle my nose and push the door open, hopping out of his car.

"I understand. You know, I have songs that I don't listen to because it brings back old memories...takes me to places I don't want to revisit. Funny how the mind works; I cannot remember what I did yesterday, but some random, insignificant moment in life flashes in my head when a song plays", Darshan says, walking alongside me.

As we stroll down the beach, a gentle breeze brushes past my face, dancing around with hair, and suddenly, it violently swooshes beyond me, messing up with my hair. I fight against the strong wind, in an attempt to tie my hair into a ponytail and Darshan chuckles.

"What?", I look at him, still pushing my hair behind my ear. I feel his fingers run over the back of my head and gently, he tugs my hair-tie down, forcing my hair to hover around, yet again. "Darshan!", I exclaim in disdain. "You look good with your hair down!", Darshan smiles, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear from the side, forcing chills down my spine. I remain still.

Scattered around the beach are couples, sitting alongside each other, sharing kisses, and honestly, it's awkward to walk through them. "Naveen and I would visit the beach at night and throw sand on couples when they're kissing", Darshan tells me and I laugh. "Even now, once in a while, we do that".

"You want to wash your feet?", Darshan cues, pulling his pant up, and I answer him with a small nod. We immerse our feet into the sand, and stand still, awaiting for a wave to sweep past us; the cold in the water feels soothing.

"What's your idea of a perfect life, Navya?", Darshan questions, out of the blues, gazing at the pitch black sky, devoid of stars. "Mine?", I scoff, hugging myself in an attempt to shield from the cold.

"I don't know, Darshan", I whisper, after giving it a thought for a moment. "Maybe, I want to earn enough to keep my family happy. I want to do a lot for them and I want to have enough money to fulfill all their needs. Tia wants to do fashion designing. I want to get Dhruv into a good course. And I want to buy everything in the world Maa wants. It's a long list and I want to tick whatever I can on that list", I tell him.

"You're always talking about your family. What about you?", Darshan prompts. "I don't have needs, as such", I shrug.

"I want to live a sufficient life, that's all", I wrinkle my nose. "Sufficient isn't enough. Anyone can live a sufficient life. You should go past living a mediocre life. We have just one, after all", Darshan says. "But that one life is not the same for everyone, Darshan; it is extremely different for me than it is for you. Some people are lucky enough to walk past mediocrity, while some - struggle to survive", I say back, thoughtfully, and he smiles, shaking his head to the sides. "I don't know where you get time to think about all of this, and still work efficiently", he jokes.