'And I'd choose you... in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and choose you' - Kiersten White
' Dear Sid,
I miss you.... I write this every time, but this yearning hasn't lessened a bit in the past 10...
" I think you are right, in fact..... This author ' Hazrat ' is really something..." Siddharth exclaimed. They were currently travelling in a train, from Ahmadabad to Mumbai. Siddharth was getting cold feet, so Sakshi gave him one of her books to keep him distracted. ' Hazrat' was the author's pseudonym, and his books were really heart touching. His words were powerful enough, and portrayed strong emotions....
" I told you right? Did you read the credits in the first page? " Sakshi chimed in. A 4 year old boy was sleeping on her lap peacefully. Siddharth looked at her, amused, and turned over to the first page. There were only two lines, but they caught his eye.
' Inspired by my father's selfless, never-ending love......'
' I dedicate this book to my superhero, my baba...'
The last word literally tugged at his heart, and he leaned back, closing his eyes, reminiscing about a little boy who used to call him 'baba' and cling on to him round the clock. The boy had trusted and loved him, only to die a gruesome death, 10 years ago. Siddharth never forgave himself for causing his death, albeit unknowingly....
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Sakshi saw the change in his demeanor, and quickly realized the matter. " I am sorry Sid, I didn't think of that... Are you alright?"
Siddharth forced a fake smile and replied " No.... I am fine... Just that, I did not want Sam to die like that......" Sakshi desperately wanted to change the mood, so she said " Doesn't the protagonist of this novel resemble your Abhishek?"
Siddharth had also noticed this uncanny resemblance. " Yes, and no..... The protagonist's personality is almost like Abhi, the way he loves...... well...." His serious face melted into a smile, remembering how ' shamelessly romantic' they used to be. Sakshi grinned at him, and asked
" What about that.....? Don't tell me you feel shy" Siddharth's cheeks flashed red, just for a moment.
" No....... Me and shy? No way! I used to be the most shameless person in our friends circle. What I was saying is that, it's like Abhishek's love, but it was for a woman" He spat. " My Abhi can only love me like that, not any random woman" He muttered under his breath, while turning to look out of the window..... And then he remembered that Abhishek had done just that. After that fateful encounter with Aarav, he had googled Abhishek, only to see that Mrs. Mehta's smile always beamed when she was with her husband, and Abhishek also smiled at her occasionally, while at public gatherings. People often described them as an ideal couple. Seeing that, he felt a little hurt and of course, jealous. But he quickly brushed those emotions aside, reminding himself that he had no right to feel so.....
" Siddharth.... In which world are you?" Sakshi's calls pulled him back to reality. Sakshi always had this surprising ability to read his mind " Are you thinking about your Abhishek again?"
" He is no longer mine, Sakshi......." He said with a sigh.
" Maybe you are overthinking..... I don't think Abhishek has been able to move on, like you.... Who knows, if you show up in front of him, he will...." Siddharth interrupted her, with a stern face.
" No, Sakshi.... I will not, neither will you tell him. I don't want to put him in the dilemma of choosing between his wife and me. What was between us is a thing of the past now, and, even if I did, he is a righteous man, and he won't leave his wife. And, the last thing I would want would be to be his mistress, no, I think it is called a manstress or something...... " Siddharth sighed again. The whole thing was too complicated. Sakshi chuckled at him, noticing that what his eyes said and what he said were actually contradicting.
" Aren't you enjoying yourself too much, Sakshi? Wait till my champ wakes up.." Siddharth said, pretending to be warning her. She caressed the kid's hair and said with a serious, yet funny air " Oh, threatening me with my own son? " The atmosphere had grown lighter, and they were laughing.
" Neha, what did Siddharth tell you? " Arjith asked her, in a grave tone. She replied with a nonchalant tone " Nothing much. It seems that they fought again, and this time Siddharth went a bit too far."
The friends now turned to Prateek " What did Abhishek tell you, Prateek?" Arjun asked
Prateek sighed. He didn't want to lie, but since this was a sensitive secret, he had no choice. So, he prepared himself to repeat the lie that Abhishek had taught him " They did have a fight, and Abhishek accidentally teased him about Riya. That is what he told me..."
Arjith and Arjun pondered over it, and said " However angry they are, they are not blaming each other. I am telling you, this is another level of friendship...."
Prateek suddenly choked on his drink. Luckily no one noticed, except Neha, whose eyes nothing could escape.
" Did he really tell you that?" Siddharth walked up to them.
" Yes... Was he lying?" Arjith threw a questioning look at him. Siddharth looked away, wanting to facepalm himself. He knew that he was hurting Abhishek,even though it was unintentional. Even in this hurt state, Abhishek cared about him too much to tell anyone anything. Now, Siddharth felt that it was time he decided what he wanted. He should confront Abhishek as soon as possible.
Neha had come up with a plan to end the silence between the two. She said as a matter-of-fact " Let's go on a picnic again....." She then whispered in Siddharth's ear " I don't know what is wrong, but take this chance to talk to him..."
Arjith was glaring at Siddharth. Neha saw this and she sneered " Drinking vinegar again, My princess?" Arjith looked away, having nothing to say.
Oblivious to them, Siddharth was in his own world. What on earth was he going to tell Abhishek? Proposing to his past girlfriends had been cakewalk to him, but somehow, Abhishek's case was different. In his mind, he had already started rehearsing his lines, but they were the same old cheesy ones. He wanted something new this time....
But he did not know that, this time....................... would be an experience which would make him shudder by mere thought of it.
