A Serendipitous beginning

Prologue

Dev Dixit pulled into the corner of alley and parked. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey on the seat next to him and took a sip, watching the house.

It wasn't an affluent neighborhood, where a man like him, a rich and successful businessman, would be expected to be seen. This was a small middle class area where people worked in simple jobs from 9am to 5pm, went home to their families, had dinner, watched TV and went to sleep.

That is what she used to do too.

Sonakshi Bose. This was his ex-girlfriend Sonakshi's neighborhood, and the house he was gazing at, used to be hers. Then she got married to a nice, good, proper Bengali guy and left. Her parents also vacated this place. Nothing of hers remained here anymore.

One year since she got engaged and then married.
One year since he had been on different medications, for anxiety, depression, you name it.

His doctor has warned him against mixing medications with alcohol. Dev had laughed uproariously. "Death will be a sweet, merciful release for me, and so that's why it won't come to me. Don't you worry! I am one of those guys who can't have anything good." The doctor had recommended a therapist and he had thrown the contact in the trashcan right in his office.

He took another swig from the open bottle watching her old house. "Congratulations on your first anniversary, Ms. Bose. Hope you are happy with him." He raised the bottle towards the house as a salutation.

"I am not there." Sonakshi said.

He turned to look at her in the passenger seat. She was wearing a lemon yellow kurti, and blue colored terracotta earrings. Her hair loose on her shoulders. Light make-up, a little kajal, a little lip-gloss. Perfect as ever.

"Why are you here, you left me and got married to some guy." He grumbled at her.

"How long will you keep coming here?" She asked.

"I don't know where else to go."

"Go to your mother. You broke up with me for her happiness. So if you can't be with her, then what was the point? Go home to your family." She suggested.

He didn't respond and took another swig, but the bottle came up empty.

"Seeing you like this hurts me." She said.

"I never wanted to hurt you. I am only trying to stop myself from hurting."

"Dev, do you remember the last thing I asked of you?"

He didn't reply.

"I asked you to not drink heavily and take care of your health. Can you do that one thing for me?"

"Is that what you want?" He was miserable at the thought of hurting her more than he already had.

"Yes. I want you to forget about me. Go home and live the rest of your life, with love, laughter, joy. For me." Sonakshi requested him.

He was quiet, watching the house, as memories flashed by. The nights when he used to drop her home. When they danced in the rain, when they fought here on the street. The coffees they sipped when he would arrive here past midnight and the world would be asleep.

"Fine. I will give up drinking like this. For you. I will go home to my family and live the rest of my life. Because you are asking me to. But I will not forget you. Even you cannot ask that of me. You are a part of me. That cannot, will not change." He told her.

He felt her fingers caressing his cheek, they felt cool and soft. He lifted his own hand to touch hers, but came up with nothing except his own face. He turned to see her only to be met with nothingness. The seat next to him was empty as the bottle he was holding. He blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill over.

Giving one last glance to her house, her street and her neighborhood, Dev drove away back to his home. His family would be waiting for him after all.