"In every lifetime, in every world, I would find you and choose you."
The envelope sat on the desk, untouched. Its edges were frayed, reflecting the decade that had passed. The handwriting on the front was unmistakable - sharp, deliberate strokes th...
After a tedious day, Siddharth and Abhishek returned to their hostel room. As expected, both of them were sharing a room. Both were working on their assignments. They were planning to work late into the night. After working for a long time, Abhishek decided to take a break and went out for a stroll. Siddharth insisted on staying in the room by himself.
The moon was out and the hostel premises looked ethereal in the moonlight. Unlike the day, all was calm at this hour of the night. Caressing the tassel on his right arm,Abhishek stepped into the lawn. A cool breeze was blowing..Abhishek felt refreshed. Although this life was not as luxurious or easy as their life at their own homes, there was a sense of freedom. There was also the sheer satisfaction of following one's heart. What more would one want??
When Abhishek returned to the room, Siddharth had already dozed off, his head resting on the table
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His work had been left unfinished, spread across the table. A sleeping Siddharth was really a cute sight to behold, thought Abhishek with a light smile. Without disturbing him, Abhishek hoisted the sleeping man in his arms and quietly laid him on his bed. Without further ado, he glanced over Siddharth's work. He had put quite some effort into it, and it would be a waste if this work could not be submitted on the next day. Abhishek sat at the table. He knew full well what Sid's work was about, so it was not a big deal for him to complete it. So, he decided to finish it off, before completing his own.
A young man, aged 20 or something entered a high rise hospital building in Ahmedabad.He was wearing a black cap and unusually loud orange sneakers. He had a file clutched in his hand. His eyes were always glancing sideways, probably fearing that he is being followed. He fleeted quietly to the first floor, searching for someone or something. His wandering eyes suddenly stopped at a green signboard on the left, reading " Dr. Siddharth Kothari, MBBS, MD Psychiatry, consulting senior psychiatrist"
Dr. Siddharth was dozing off on his armchair, resting in between a long, hectic schedule. In his sleep, he was dreaming about a smiling boy, with a unique blue tasseled cuff on his hand. He was waving at him with a smile. He wanted to go to the boy. But as he advanced towards him, an invisible force pulled the boy far, far away........
He woke up abruptly, cold sweat beads now forming on his forehead. He felt an only-too-familiar pain tingling in his heart. He felt his now arrhythmic heart beat and clutched the red tassel of his own cuff for relief. He was missing the boy in the dream again, and this was not the first or second time that this dream was repeating itself.... It has been 10 years since that fateful day, the memories had started to fade, the injuries had also healed, but the yearning... the yearning only grew into intense longing and heartache over the years..... Those who say that time heals everything, fools they are, indeed. For Siddharth, time only served to increase his pain and longing. His trembling fingers picked up his phone from the table, seeming to have developed a life of their own. Mechanically, he opened the contacts list. On the top was a contact saved 'Alpha' . He further opened that contact. The description below the contact name read " You are the first, and the only one" With considerable will power, he stopped himself from hitting the call button.
With what face will he call him? He considered himself to have lost the right to even try to reach 'alpha'. He did not want to, he never wanted, to drag the smiling boy and himself into the whopping mess created 10 years ago. The memory in itself was too painful. At least one of them was able to forget the past and move on( He believed so), while the other hopelessly clung onto the shards of doomed love, hurting his very soul every day, every minute.
It was not the first time either, that he wanted to hear that splendid, deep voice. He had stopped himself from hitting that wretched call button countless times along the years. What was the use of calling, when he did not dare to - or rather couldn't- utter a single word to that person.
A sharp knock on the door brought him back to the reality. A young boy in orange sneakers stepped into the room. Siddharth arched his eyebrows, trying to process who this boy was.
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" You must be.... Aarav right? Recommended by Dr. Dave?"
" Yes.... I am Aarav. Did I......Did I disturb you doc?"
Siddharth wiped his forehead and straightened his clothes. He did not quite feel in the mood to treat someone. So, he asked the boy
" I have an appointment now, so..... could you wait a bit longer?" Siddharth gazed straight into his eyes. They bore a faint, uncanny resemblance to someone whom he knew quite well.
The boy quietly handed over the file to him and said before leaving " O...Ok, I'll wait then.."
Siddharth grabbed the file and absentmindedly flipped over the pages, until he saw a name, too familiar to him. He called out to the boy " Aarav, wait......"
Hearing him shout, Aarav rushed back into the room. Siddharth's cold demeanor had now changed, into a flushing, anxious face " Your full name is...... Aarav Mehta??"
The boy obviously had no idea why his surname caught the older man's eye
" Yes. Mehta is my surname"
Siddharth's fingers started to quiver with anxiety, fumbling with the file. With a shaking voice, he asked " And..... are you from Mumbai?"
" Yes...Why do you ask?"
Siddharth could not believe this. What a strange coincidence. Was this boy related to...... to HIM?? Somehow , hoping against hope and gathering courage, Siddharth asked in a trembling voice
" Are you...... Are you related to Abhi...... Abhishek Mehta????..."
