When The Heart Lies | ✓

[53] Ice-Cream

In a parallel world, where he was sitting on a rock shelf of some old monument, watching the sunset with his hand squeezing hers. With the sun drowning, he turned his head to look at her beautiful face. Feeling his gaze, she looked at him.

Their soul meeting along with their eyes.

Both smiled.

"There was a time, when I had everything. My parents, my toys, my books, my dresses, my friends, my own home. Then, came a time when I lost my parents. Those precious things," she said softly, looking back at the setting sun. "Left me so unexpectedly. I was too young to even realize the trauma."

He stared at her, kept listening.

"God has been pitiful by giving me Tau ji, Tai ji, and Bhai. I am an orphan but I never felt like one." She gulped and smiled shyly. "Then, came you, the man of my dreams."

She chuckled lightly, watching him staring at her in utter seriousness.

"I always had this figure, this blurry form of a man in my mind. I am sure, every romantic, stupid teen girl like me would have. A dream man. You know the smile is beautiful. You know, he is handsome. He is fit. He is kind. He is hot. But you can't see his face. Like a charming Prince."

She bit her lip and breathed out.

"It was a bliss having you in my dreams. It was a blessing having you in my arms."

His lips parted as a small smile broke out from him.

"You were my dream man," she smiled before looking at him with tears in her eyes, "And you left."

Her voice cracked as she whispered, "I wish I was as young as I was when mom and dad left me. So I wouldn't have felt the trauma of you leaving me, playing with me. How hurtful it is to realize that the person you have been dreaming your future with is playing with your feelings. That the person is pretending."

A faint sob broke her. She breathed heavily while feeling his hand squeezing her. She smiled to herself. "But unlike my parents, you returned."

She looked at him with tears in her dark eyes. "There must be something left for he sent you to me again. What could it be? A kiss? A confession? An apology?" She shook her head, looking at him.

"Maybe, to simply torture me by reviving my feelings. To hurt me again and make me believe again that there is nothing like true love. Nothing like first love."

Her lips trembled as she brought his hand to her lips and left a swift kiss.

She smiled while saying, "What is left, Shrey?"

He breathed slowly, bringing his other hand to cup her cheek. He kissed her forehead, making her close her eyes and breathe.

"A lifetime together."

"A lifetime?" Alisha laughed while having high-five with Shrey's mother. "Blessed are you who will get a lifetime to spend with me. Look at me, Chachi, I will always have to cope up with his complaints and frustration."

Shrey blinked immediately, looking around as he realized that he was still here eating dinner with his family rather than in his reverie of that parallel world.

He shook his head and picked up his fork slowly.

"God, why does everyone think I am frustrated? I am a charming, kind and chirpy person." Rishabh announced dramatically while raising his glass of water, chuckling when Alisha rolled her eyes.

Shrey's mother laughed lightly. "Rishu does complaint a lot, though. This is not clean. This is not tidy. Why are you standing? Why are you seated? Why are you smiling? Why is this table here? He has so many why's. . ."