A Second Chance ( Gum Hai Kisi Ke Pyaar Mai )

1

After I pressed the doorbell, Aai opened the door. She sighed and asked, "What are you doing here early in the morning?"

"When you already know the answer, why are you asking me?" I replied, touching her feet for blessings as I entered the house and placed the things I brought in their respective places.

"Don't you have an important meeting today, Savi beta?" asked Baba as he saw me starting to prepare for today's event.

"I've postponed it to the evening and taken half a day off to be here," I said, touching his feet for blessings.

"When will you stop acting like his widow?" Aai asked in a serious tone.

"Isha!" Baba reprimanded her for her harsh tone.

"What? Do you know what she did on her date?" she asked Baba, not calming down.

I sighed. "And I've told you many times not to set me up on these blind dates. Do you know how surprised and unprepared I was meeting him? I thought we were discussing the next project, and he was talking about a date and all that."

"If I told you directly, you would just ignore it as usual."

"I appreciate the concern, Aai, but I don't need any help. I don't need a partner."

Her expression softened, but determination remained in her eyes. "For how long? Can't you try to move on? It's been so many years. For how long will you be like this?"

The doorbell rang, giving me a chance to escape this uncomfortable conversation. I ran to open the door. Rajat stood there with a bag full of necessary items for today's event. I took the bag from him to help. As we walked inside, I said, "I already brought all these while coming."

"Hmm, I should have known, as you've been doing this for the last few years," he said with a small smile, placing the items in their needed places.

Before Aai could start again, Baba cut her off and asked Rajat, "When will panditji come?"

Rajat checked his watch and replied, "In about 15-20 minutes."

"Yes, it's almost time for the mahurat. We should finish the preparations before that," Baba said, looking at Aai.

"We haven't finished our conversation yet. We'll continue it after the prayer," Aai told me in a strict tone.

I sighed and started preparing for the prayer. After some time, Panditji arrived, and we performed Ishaanji's death anniversary prayer as we did every year. When everything was done and the hall cleaned, Aai approached me. "Let's finish our conversation."

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my composure. "I have a meeting in the evening," I said, avoiding her gaze to prevent another pointless argument. "Rajat, are you staying, or are you going to your office now?"

"Office," he replied shortly.

"Do you want me to drop you off?"

Rajat glanced between Aai and me, clearly uncomfortable with the tension. "I have my motorcycle," he replied hastily and quickly headed off, practically running from the awkwardness.

"I have to prepare for the meeting," I said, trying to escape the conversation. As I turned to leave, Aai's voice rang out firmly.

"Don't try to change the topic. Do you really want to continue behaving like this?"

I turned to face her, frustration evident in my tone. "Do you really want to talk about this now? Here, right after his death anniversary prayer?"

"Do I have any other option? I can't even reach you most of the time. Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror? As the years go by, you're looking more and more like a dead person. Do you think he would be happy to see you like this?"

Baba stepped in, sensing his wife's rising agitation. "Savi beta, we all care about you. We're worried. Isha is stressed because of your unhealthy lifestyle, even her blood pressure is up worrying about you. She talked to Nehmat and found out you fainted last week from lack of sleep. After losing Ishaan, you know how much you mean to us, right?"

I could see the concern in their eyes, but I couldn't accept their request. How could I move on after truly falling in love? The thought of moving on felt like a betrayal. Ishaanji was my world. If I'm still living today, it's because of his love and memories.

My phone rang, cutting through the tension. Nehmat's name flashed on the screen. "I'm on my way," I said after answering.

I looked back at Aai and Baba. "I know you both care about me, and I appreciate it. I'll think about what you said, but I have to go now."

Without waiting for a response, I hurried to my car. As I drove away, I knew they were right in their own way, but they also knew—and I knew—that there was no moving on for me. Ishaanji was a part of every breath I took, and that wasn't going to change.

..........

A/N

During 2017-18, I wrote this story as a BTS fanfiction and released 3 chapters. However, due to some issues, I stopped writing and eventually deleted the book. Recently, while watching the series "Lovely Runner," I was inspired to rewrite it as Im Sol and Seon Jae's story because of the similar plot. Unfortunately, it hasn't received the response I hoped for.

So, I’ve decided to create an Indian version featuring Savi and Ishaan. Although I’m not familiar with their storyline and characters from the show, I hope their fans will enjoy this rendition of the story.

Thank you for taking the time to read my work. If you like this chapter, please hit the vote button and share your thoughts in the comments section. Should I continue writing or delete it? Your feedback means a lot!