Forever Yours, Vrinda

Part 17

"Wait! Vivaan took dance classes?" asked Vrinda.

The revelation had widened her eyes. The rhythmic transcendental chants at the temple had filled the ghats of Yamuna with divinity. The picturesque beauty of the river bathing in the golden rays of the orange sun had offered the tranquility Vrinda had craved for weeks.

Tara chuckled and nodded in affirmation. "He used to sulk before every dance class. He had no interest in dance, but Kaki wanted him to offer you company. I'm sure there's a photo of his-"

Tara stopped herself from completing her sentence when she realized the repercussions of showing her the picture. Could the desolate woman identify the young, grumpy child as the man taking care of her? Tara had little doubt of the inevitability of Vrinda learning the truth, but the young woman deserved to learn it in the least heartbreaking way.

"The album burnt in Diwali, don't you remember, Tara?" asked Daksh. Vrinda had not missed the discomfort in his stance when he shifted his weight and cast a pointed glance in Tara's direction.

"Yeah," said Tara, nodding in confirmation and flashing an apologetic smile to Vrinda. "Yeah, I had forgotten about it. Quite some years now."

An awkward chuckle spilled out of Tara's lips. Vrinda's eyebrows approximated and the corners of her eyes tightened. The gentle breeze caressed her face like a mother's kiss, and the gurgling of the water offered the solace of a mother's lullaby.

"This was your favorite spot over the years. You loved to the watch the sunset and listen to the chants from the evening rituals at the temple. Sometimes with your parents, with me, and sometimes with Vivaan, but you would come here every evening without fail," said Daksh, intent on diverting her thoughts.

The revelation both filled her with warmth from within and washed cold gusts over her unhealed wounds. She clasped the chilly armrests of the wheelchair and hoped for the storm within to die out. "Why is it that there is one name associated with every step of my journey, and the man with that name has no intention of talking to me or meet me?"

The quiver in her voice broke Daksh's heart. It brought forward a fresh wave of remorse as he nibbled on his lower lip, exchanging worried glances with Tara. "You will meet him soon, Vrinda. Soon."

Vrinda bobbed her head slightly and trained her stormy gaze over the river. The golden rays dancing over the river imparted the appearance of molten gold to the sacred river. She wondered if someday she could experience the same bliss she had experienced during her countless outings at the ghat with her close ones.

_____________________________________________

"Shukla, I know our country isn't affected much right now, but our team members don't feel confident enough to travel right now. We have to bring in some measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic, and sending a team from India to the US isn't one of them," said Vivaan, staring at the screen incredulously after hearing a series of arguments from the top management.

"Oh, Agarwal, you must know the health system in the US is much better than in India. The team should feel lucky to be out of the country," said Sujith Shukla, in a condescending tone, much to Vivaan's ire.

The young warm blood struggled to keep emotions in check, despite knowing he had to maintain a certain level of decorum in front of his clients.

"Yeah right, that sure explains the numbers reaching the sky.. Regardless of the figures, we cannot ask someone to risk their lives for something AI can handle with some support from us from India."

Just as he saw red, the door opened to let in some chilly breeze and bring someone who would soothe him all the more - Vrinda. Her presence in his room was a present surprise to him as he wondered how she had learned the location of his room and how she had walked through the steep passages.

Vrinda smiled at him playfully, placing a finger on her lips, showing she would stay quiet. She took her seat on the bed opposite to his working corner. She leaned backwards, placing both her arms behind her, and allowed her weight to rest on them, all the while scrutinizing Vivaan with deep interest.

"Oh, come on! That's their job. The risk isn't as bad as they are showing on the news. It is just the panic spread by the social media, for god's sake. We had SARS and H1N1 but neither caused as much as this COVID-19. I don't think your bigwigs will be happy if you do not oblige our request," threatened Ranveer, another manager from the client's side.

"Well, then I'll copy to them when I send out the mail. There won't be any further business tours from our company till further notice. I'll also copy you onto their reply. Good night!" greeted Vivaan sarcastically.

"We'll see soon, young boy! Good night!"

Vivaan shut his laptop with a slam when the call was disconnected. He was just glad that it was not a video conference or it would be tougher to keep his reactions in check.

"Looks like it was a tough meeting!" mused Vrinda, pushing herself off the bed. She walked to Vivaan with a sway in her walk which he had not seen since their reunion.

"Well, it's kind of tough to entertain both the sides. Cons of taking up management, I guess." He shrugged his shoulders and flashed a tiny smile to her. "What brings you here? Why did you walk so far?" he asked, concern lacing his tone.

"Why do you stay so far, then?" she retorted playfully as the shock widened his eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, you did not come to meet me the whole day. You usually come in the morning before you get to work or in the evening when you are done, but today you did not."

"I, uh... Why don't you sit?"

He gestured towards the bed and dragged his chair towards the bed. She shook her head and settled on the bed across from him.

"I thought after yesterday's conversation, you would not come back, so I thought of coming to you myself," she said, smirking at his clear discomfort.

Vivaan swallowed the lump in his throat and scratched the side of his head. "I was busy with back-to-back meetings. I had to convince the clients we cannot send teams from here to compensate for their loss of workforce because of the pandemic."

The veins on his forehead popped. "Bloody idiots! They want to exploit us!"

Frustration rang in his tone. "Relax, Vihaan!" she said, holding him by his biceps affectionately and his muscles relaxed under her gentle grasp. "You did a great job, and you will be successful."

A playful smirk replaced the concerned frown. "That sarcasm, though! Do you have any other meetings lined up?"

"Not until my bosses decide that my sarcasm was too much and call for another meeting," he said, with a slight chuckle in his tone.

"They will be on your side. Don't worry. You took the right stand."

"Hopefully!" he said. Her inquisitive eyes wandered and stalled at the large photo frame on the opposite wall. The walls of the room were otherwise bare, and the image captured in the photograph made her lips stretch on their own accord.

"Whom do I see by your side in this picture? Did I have an identical twin by any chance?" she asked, feigning innocence as she pointed out at a picture behind Vivaan, clearly capturing them in one of their fun moments.

Vrinda's head had fallen backwards in a moment of carefree laughter in the snapshot into the past, and Vivaan's arm had found its way around her. Her palm had rested against his chest. The gleam of admiration in his eyes and the fond smile that had graced his lips had made their relationship more than clear to the amnesiac woman.

Vivaan cursed himself internally for not realizing that she could see the picture.

"It is you, Radha."