My Favourite Dream

2. On the Edge

Everything happened in a blink of an eye. Parineet and Vikram shifted to Delhi. The city with a big heart. Where everyone smiles. But not Parineet.

They rented a sophisticated two room apartment in a good neighbourhood, and Vikram began finding job as per his qualifications. He needs to work to make a living for himself and his dear sister. He can't admit how much he hates Rajeev for ruining the life of his sister and the girl he loved all his life - Neeti.

From childhood days, Vikram loved, admired, respected Neeti for who she is. Bubbly, confident, talented just the opposite of him but exactly that's what he loved about her. To be honest, Vikram never visualised any girl or had any dreams about the girl he would date or marry. Instead Neeti was the only girl he saw in that light. He never forced his love on her and let her marry someone he didn't have an idea of. He didn't knew she's marrying his sister's husband.

Vikram didn't get a full fledged chance to mock and sue Rajeev for his deeds in front of the whole world because of his sister and Neeti's sake. But during one of their meetings for divorce, he almost broke Rajeev's jaw bone as he tightly clenched it in his right hand the day he came to know about his truth, but Parineet stopped him.
She has let him go because of Neeti. He let him go because of the two most important women of his life. Pari and Neeti. For Pari he had to come in this new city and leave Neeti alone with Rajeev.
He hated the fact that Neeti will live with that cheater. He doesn't trust Rajeev and doesn't understand why Pari let her be with him. She should have told her the truth. If not with him, but then Neeti would have moved on. She's strong. Why did Pari did this to her? The question still remains there.

"She will be happy with him. I have seen Rajeev begging for her to the almighty."

"Par jo usne tere sath kiya vo agar Neeti -"

"- I was just a liability to him. Neeti se vo bahut pyaar karta hai."

"I don't agree with you." Vikram stormed out of the room, because he couldn't resonate with her reasons and don't want to argue with her when she's herself so lost and in trouble. Sometimes he thinks that his love for Neeti makes him feel so but then leaving her alone with a fraud man, how is that justified?

___________

Parineet was alone today, the whole day. Vikram would come home by 10'o clock he had messaged and informed her. It was his first day at the office and she was happy for him. She tried to remain the same whole day but as the time passed, clock ticked second by second, she was overcome by grief and pain. And this happens daily. She is not herself anymore. Grieving, troubled, baffled but silent. Parineet has become like an ocean in the past month. Ocean which is calm on the surface but deep down, there's so much of turbulence. Everytime she closes the door of her apartment, when Vikram leaves the house, she sinks into a deep trench of thoughts, ramblings, questions, doubts and insecurities. She hardly eats anything and has grown more thin and pale.

She is not able to forget Rajeev and his betrayal. Her mind would burst with the thoughts that were flooding her. It's been a month since the day she came to know about his cheating, and she's still in shock. How can one even expect her to forgive and forget everything so easily. Parineet has been definitely a symbol of love and care. Those who knew her, or were acquainted with her, had an idea how soft and gentle she is as a person. Probably the one who can't harm, and only channels affection, care, sympathy and isn't a vengeful person and surely she is. But she's also a human. A human who gets hurt and doesn't have a heart to forgive and forget everything specially when things are so excruciating. A good amount of pain daily hits her chest when she doesn't find herself near Rajeev, when she realises that she can't hug or cuddle Neeti. She lost her parents, her childhood friend and a man she used to call her husband. Though he never was.
Who was he? How could he even dare to touch her, come close to her when he knew he was doing two timing? Today as she sees Rajeev, he seems no less than those people who take advantage of girls, no different from the people against whome he fought for her once.
Cheating, is not always physical, it is not just done by sleeping with someone else, but it's about creating a false imagery of a relationship and attachment in your partner's mind and heart, when it is actually so hollow. Damaging your so called life partner emotionally is also cheating. He played with her emotions, Neeti's emotions. Atleast he loved Neeti but her? What about her?
Why did he do this to her? She never forced him to marry her, save her. Did she?
Yes she liked Rajeev. She requested and prayed for a life partner like him but she never once asked him to marry her without his will. When he never wanted to be with her then why he chose to ruin her life, turn it into hell?