See You Later

Random Facts

Random facts if anyone still wishes to read 💛:

1) I've said it often enough, I know, but this story is 10 years old. I wrote 13k words (completely different from this one) in that edit and I had no idea what the conflict was so I let it go for years. Almost like Maahi and Aarush were meant to wait for 10 years like in the story. :)
2) I heard 'Chandbaliyan' during the pandemic and wanted to write about a character noticing a pair of earrings at a wedding. Enter Maahi and Aarush. I knew she'd make me write her story one day. :) She's my new favourite of all time. 💛
3) Vikramaditya still doesn't like pet names. But the ones who've known him since childhood don't really give him an option. :P
4) The cupcakes Aarush gets for Maahi after the wedding are from the same bakery as the one Vik and Kajal visited in The Balcony early on.
5) The bakery where Maahi saw Aarush for the first time is based on a bakery that shut down years ago in Bangalore. But it'll always be special. 💛 After chapter 49, Maahi takes Aarush to this bakery for old times sake. The grumpy baker still gives Aarush all the attention. But when they walk out with fudgy brownies, a breeze passes by which messes up Maahi's hair. Aarush reaches out and tucks her hair behind her ear and unbeknownst to them, behind the window, the grumpy baker finally lets out a smile.
6) I love full circle moments in stories. You would notice I went all out with them in this one. Maahi seeing Aarush through a camera lens in both timelines, their first photo being recreated, the swings, etc. My favourite of the lot is them both realising that they're in love for the first time while listening to different portions of the same song 'Aaj jaane ki zidd na karo'.
7) The habit of drawing on random blank surfaces is inspired by a close friend. The minute I heard about it, I knew it would make its way into a story one day. :)
8) In chapter 44, Maahi is seen feeding a stray dog. This is also inspired from real life  where my aunt regularly feeds a bunch of stray dogs outside her house. 💛
9) Maahi names the pup Sunny because he's a golden retriever and he reminds her of a golden ray of sunshine. However Dadaji and Abhi have this theory that he's named after the tiny sun that Aarush draws on Maahi's hand in Chapter 44 right before meeting the pup. Dadaji further theorizes that Aarush drew a sun because his name means 'the first ray of the sun'.
The author hasn't been informed of what the real story is. :P
10) Chapter 48 has been rewritten atleast 5 times. 🙈
11) Easy enough to say that this story is a love letter to my love for songs and the magic of lyrics.
12) The watch that Maahi gets for Aarush but is unable to give until the end: This whole section is based on a sher I wrote years ago.
'Intezaar ki ghadi pehen rahi hoon.
Kisi din aakar utaar dena.'
13) Aarush found their first picture in Maahi's room eventually without her knowledge. It is how he gets the idea to recreate their second 'first' picture. 💛
14) Abhinay Mehra will return. Don't know when, don't know where but he will. :)

Until then...
Much love,
S