Horizon- A RoNakshi Short Story

Part one

Rohit was still staring at the picture on his phone. Everyday for five years he has visited her instagram page in the hope of seeing an update from her. There has been none and now suddenly there is one. He tried to look in all angles possible to figure out how the ones in this picture resembles her. His heart pained seeing her in the picture. For these five years,it's the first time he was seeing her, and she was glowing. He so wanted to see her live infront of him just as the last time he did five years ago.
Flashback
Ravi halted the car.
"I am sure you knew this before,Ravi.Now don't deny it. No one decides to leave to London overnight."  Said rohit hitting the seat in anger.
"Sir why and how can I come tell you? It's you who cut off everything with her when raima madam came."
"Do you remember me telling you that I want to go see sonakshi. That I want to meet her once and say sorry for all what I did. that I love her and only...."
"Aap didi se pyaar nahi karte hein,Sir."
"What." Rohit was flabbergasted with ravi's reply.
"Karta hein toh eisa nahi karta aap sir. Didi has done so much for you and the family.raima madam toh kuch din ki mehemaan thi lekin didi, you all knew her for so long. Kitna kuch kiya didi neh aur aap jhatke mein us ko nikhala apne zindagi se.kissi ka sahara nahi tha usko,kitna tootthi thi wo mein apne aakhose dekha.uss sadma se bahar aana aasan nahi thi uske liye."
Rohit leaned back to the seat and closed his eyes. Some bitter words from Ravi and he could clearly imagine what would have sonakshi gone through. Raima came and blamed,he sided her and his family did too. He could have been with sonakshi like he did at mhatre's fiasco and he could have remembered pooji's Incident but no he did otherwise. He took his sudden anger and emotions take control and when they all realized it, they all were too late.
Two weeks from their separation, she came and cleared herself at the Sippy mansion, and said that she have had enough and chose to walk away. They all have bidded for forgiveness but she kept a very clear cut on them before bidding farewell to them.He had gone to her set at the immediate available chance. That day only media was allowed in because it was the last day of shoot for KPK and without nethra's permission he couldn't go in anyway. He was shocked and he knew that the media fiasco his father caused during raima's incident would have done this damage to sonakshi's career and now her serial too. He tried every possible way to access her, but no chance.
Five months passed and He made himself busy in work to avoid the pain that was troubling him day and night. Every now and then he suffered a little bit more remembering the extremely short period they were together and he carried the engagement ring he never could put on her with him all the time, which helped him pass time just by staring at it when he was sitting ideal in the cabin.he remembered how comforting her hold was whenever the troubles took over him, but he knew he didn't value what he had. He did take her for granted. He has been in the illusion that no matter what he does,be rude and non grateful ,she will be there for him.But he was utterly wrong.that is not how real life was supposed to be. That is not what you mean by loving someone. Just because sonakshi has been extra loving and ever so forgiving,he shouldn't have done whatever he pleased with her.
"Ravi for one last time, please take me to her. Aaj ke baad mein kabhi tumse kuch nahi maangunga. Please."
He mumbled and he then heard him igniting the engine without replying.
———————
He rang the bell reading the name board of the apartment.
"Ji?" A maid replied.
"Is your madam home? Mein...I am rohit. She might know me."
"Neha madam ghar pe nahi hein."
"Sonakshi hongi naa ?"
"Ji lekin wo toh airport jaane ready ho rahi hein."
"Let him come mishri." He heard her voice from inside. After so long it was. He felt a lump down his throat. He entered and saw her peeping out from a door inside. He felt so many thousands of emotions that he couldn't explain in words with.
She moved back to the room and he knew he had to go in and when he was entering he saw her struggle trying to zip her luggage. He didn't know exactly where to start, or what to do.
"Can you help me zip this?"
She asked still trying to do it, not looking up at him. He took a moment before going close to her. He was looking down at her, and earning no response from him, she looked up.
"Dekh kya rahe ho? Please?"
He bent over and checked the zip.
"It's stuck." Then replied.
"Is it?" She looked down at the disappointedly.
He wondered how normal she can be. Well the next moment, he had a guess that she was not being normal, she was treating him very randomly. And that thought itself feared him so much, so much to an extent that they might now not really stand a chance.
"Sonakshi?"
"Yes?"
"Do minute ke liye yahaan beit kar baat kar sakte mujhse? Please?"
He asked in a begging voice. She didn't reply, instead she just moved her bags which were scattered everywhere and made space. She sat down and tapped on the space next to her.
"Beto."
He sighed deeply and sat next to her, he was having her next to him after a very long time. And for few seconds there was a complete silence between them.
"how long would you be gone for,sonakshi?"
"Waapas aane ke baarein mein sochi nahi hoon ab tak."
"Kya karne jaa rahi hoon?"
"Wo I cleared my board exams. SAT wagera bhi complete kardi aur UK mein BA keliye apply kardi.i have been accepted."
"Congratulations." He wished, looking at her with pain but his heart felt so proud about what she has become.
"Thanks." She said with a slight nod, looking front but not at him.
"BA tho teen saal ki honge right. Uski baad toh..."
"Uske baad masters. Cinematography. Two years."
He nodded. Suddenly there was a loss of words for him. He didn't know what to say or do. He couldn't let her go, but that also means that he is stopping her growth and flourish in life. She seemed to not have recovered,but somehow she stayed head strong for what was happening. Her voice gave evidence in favor of her mentality right now.he went and knelt infront of her.
"I am sorry for all what happened sonakshi."
She looked down at him, meeting his eyes.
"For everything. I know it's pretty easy to say a sorry but making  you believe that I am is so difficult. but I actually am.There are so many things I have done against you, so many times I have hurt you. And mere wajeise...tumari serial bhi....Mere wajeise sab kuch barbaad hochuke hein. I am sorry for each time I have taken you for granted.i do not know why I am like this.I do not know what to do anymore sonakshi. I am really very sorry." He said taking her hands in his.
"I will not say it's ok this time." She said.
"Don't. I mean don't say. Totally jaais hein. I deserve this." He accepted.
"You know what. There is something we should always remember in life. Things will not be what it actually would look like.there are certain things which we do not see as well.sometimes,aakhen bhi dhoka de sakte. So at least,ahead in your life,learn a bit to look at things from others' aspect too.that way,problems will reduce."
Rohit looked down in guilt.she sounded so calm and composed. How much did he wish her to get angry on him,push him away and fight with him. He wanted to see that sonakshi in her again.
"I thought ki tum mujhe daatengi.aur chillayegi. I mean these five months,you totally cut contacts with me.i came to meet you many a times you know."  He said with a broken voice. She gave a smile.
"Ok let's assume mein ne tume daata,chillaya and all." She said,he nodded in questioning.
"tab tume aur mere beech koi farak nahi honga."
Rohit felt that her soft words enetering his heart as draggers. This way is a serious punishment.Seeing her all calm,listening to her soft voice giving straightforward and unfiltered opinions.
"That's how I am different from you.i know you will come today to see me. I knew it.you know why I planned to leave to airport from here? Because wahaan guregaon mein rahi toh mumma tume andhar bhi aane nahi dungi. Issiliye yaha rukhi,ek aakhri baar tumse milkar jaane ke liye." Her honest wordings amazed him.
"Matlab mera intezaar kiya tum kya tum? Haa? Ab tak karti hoon mujhse..." she didn't let him finish.
"Ek proper closure ke intezaar mein thi mein." She said making him break into million pieces.
"C...losure?" He stammered. She gave a nod,sighing deeply.
"Has closure. Wo actually mujhe na,cheeze beech raaste chod kar jaane ki koi aadat nahi hein. Issiliye."
Rohit blinked twice to try to stop those tears trying to run out of his eyes.
"We have now been knowing each other for around ten months right.pehele hum ajnabi the ek dusre ke liye.uske baad enemies.i think best enemies bangaye the hum...remember?"
He gave a nod,guilt ridden.
"Uske baad friends.thodi wakt ke baad best friends. Aur uske baad.....pyaar...." she sighed for long with the last word.
He traced her whole face,trying to analyze the emotions in them.
"aur ab.waapas square one mein hein.ajnabee.are we?"
"do not say so please."
"Wahi toh.mujhe phirse ek ajnabee hoke yahaan se jaana nahi chahiye."
"in my story,we never left the last phase we had with each other sonakshi." 
"May be you are feeling like that.the thing is in your story,though you think you were in that last phase,you really might not have. but in my story things seem different.still,you are someone to me. Someone who came and saved my mother's life. Someone who gave a chance for pulkit to work with,someone who at one point stood by when the whole world stood against me.toh ek eisa insaan mere liye ajnabee nahi ban sakta."
"Toh kaun hoon mein tumare liye ab?" He asked gulping down the fear that was making him nauseated.
"I still consider you as my friend.best friend toh nahi honga lekin Haa, friend hoga I guess.so I think,if we meet again ever in life,I will still be able to come back and at least have a five minute good talk with you and go?"
He stared at her in silence. He felt like he was having some water fisted in his palms and no matter how hard he tried, that were escaping through his fingers and dropping down. He need to stop them for loosing what they had. He need to.
"You love me,sonakshi."
"You know this right, that in the similar way that people fall in love, people also do fall out of it."
"People do may be. But one thing for sure,you haven't fall out of it. You cannot do that."
Sonakshi gave a smile, he couldn't figure out if it was a mocking laugh at him or she at herself.
"Why cannot I do it? I am too a human. It's not like I am the character I acted in the serial. I am sonakshi, and I too can do as I please in life."
"Please don't do this...."
"Don't do what? Are you asking me not to leave?" She asked.
"No not that. I want you to grow in life. I always adored you for trying to do what you missed in life .ye exams karna and studies mein aage badna. I am really proud of you. You are going to go do what you really want. I want to and I don't want to stop you sonakshi. that is not what I am asking for.I am asking you to not stop loving me."
"ek eisa insaan se pyaar karna jo badlemein mujhe pyaar nahi karta. Koi faida hongi?" She asked from him directly.
"Tume mera pyaar nazar nahi aa rahi hein kya sonakshi?"
"Honestly I do not.if you showed it in your actions like in the way you confessed that day at the hospital, then there would not have been a question about this.you didn't do that.you chose to believe what you saw from one side. you forgot that trust,support, and faith too are a part of love. Srif Saat rehene se,haat pakadne se,kiss karnese, gale laganese pyaar kiya nahi jaata hein...that is why I am telling you that not love but you will remain a friend for me."
"Why a friend then? Aasani se nafrat kar sakte hoon tum mujhe?"
"Friend because,the lover you claimed to be coudldn't stand by me when I was blamed. But the friend in you stood by me against the whole world when mhatre's case happened.i want to remember you that way,always. Nafrat kar nahi sakta tume,kabhi bhi. However this is why I needed this closure, to tell you what is in my mind and to let you know that I am leaving without carrying any grudge against you in my mind. I do not want to make you cry or repent like serial heros when the woman leaves overnight after a fight. "
"You are punishing me sonakshi. You are telling that you don't want me to cry or repent. But deep down you know that I will go through that when you leave."
"That is your personal choice.all what I could do,I am leaving after doing all that.to repent or to cry,to be guilty or whatever, is now yours to choose.I chose what I wanted to do within this five months, you too will eventually recover from it.and if I wanted to reallly punish you,I would have nicely gone without even letting anyone know. I told you,I am not like that."
She said. Rohit looked down at the floor because he knew his eyes were betraying him,the tears started flowing down effortlessly now.
She was so calm,cold and what not, his sonakshi was gone. That warmth she selflessly showered upon him was missing. Her calmness indicated that she has given up on him. He didn't know what to do anymore.
"I should get going now."
He looked up when he heard that.
"Sonakshi,What can I do to bring you back one day?"
He asked in a trembling voice. He saw her eyes tracing all over his face, slowly. Then a smile crept to her face, he guessed he saw some tears glistening in her corners and he saw wished that they could hug each other at that moment and cry their heart out. They were so not like what they used to be,not even as best friends.
"Apne shaadi mein invite karo mujhe.Jahaan bhi hongi iss duniyamein, mein saroor aaunga."
Did she really mean it when she didn't want to punish him. He thought when her words went down his heart stabbing it severely.
"Tume bohot cute bachche honga."
Rohit stared at her in disbelief. Is she aware of what she is doing to me. What a life I am having, I have hurted her to such an extent that no matter how sorry I would be, she is not going to take it today.
He bit his lower lips tightly to stop breaking down infront of her. May be she should be freed off. May be this is my punishment.
He watched her as she was taking her luggages.
"Kya tum Mujhe airport par drop karenge?"
she asked. That moment he confirmed this was his stride,his punishment. His suffering.
He walked to her and took the luggage off her hand.
"Let's go." He replied.
——————————————-
The whole drive to the airport was a pindrop silent. Sonakshi was seated at his left and he was looking out of the shutter at his right aimlessly and let his tears silently flow down. It was night and the car was dark, so it really was helping him to dive in his sorrow right now. Ravi meanwhile checked them both from the rear mirror,unable to bear what was happening. He didn't know that this was the end of the union who fell in love with each other infront of his own eyes some months back.
They both got down and put the luggage into the trolley and walked to the entrance and each step he took he felt like he was walking towards a slow but steady death. the entrance,their point of departure came soon than he ever wanted.
"Toh phir..."
She turned to him.
"Chalti hoon." She said with a tight smile.
"Safe flight sonakshi. All the best." He managed to tell somehow.
"Thank you. Aur haan ek baat.... Serial tumare wajeise se off air nahi gaya.mujhe iskeliye UK jaana hein na, issiliye nethra ji neh season 1 khatam karneka decision liya. It got nothing to do with you,alright. Don't think about it. I am sorry baato baato mein wo tume bataana bhoolgayi. So yeah."
He nodded,obviously he had nothing to do than that at that moment.
"Bye then."
He opened his mouth and said bye,but they both noticed that his voice didn't come out.
He came infront of her. Next moment he held her from the shoulders and leaned over her and planted a kiss among her hair.he knew that she didn't reciprocate the hug when he didn't feel her arms around him. Then he looked into her eyes.
"Apna khayal rakho sonakshi,jo mein toh kabhi nahi karpaya."
He mumbled. That is when she took his right hand in hers.
"it was nice loving you,rohit." With that she walked away from him.
That was the first and last time in five months, that she took his name just in the way he always loved to hear.
Flashback over
He opened his eyes,wiping his tears off. She was right except for one thing, he could never move on from that fateful night at the mumbai airport though five years have gone. But things seemed different with her. She indeed has. And right now he didn't know whether to be happy or sad about it. Reading all the comments from her fans and her friends in the field, he wondered whether he too should type a congratulations underneath the last comment.but he knew he couldn't do it. He exited the comments section and stared at the picture of sonakshi and two twin babies in her arms. and his tears blocked the vision when he once again read the caption she has put.
"they have arrived to end the pain.they have arrived to heal.they have arrived to love.say hello to my little humans,anshuman and ayushman."

Ps: firstly thank you for being a constant support system for me all this way through.i have received a lot of love and encouragement, have made great friends and what not. I am blessed indeed.
This write up,less romantic but I wanted it that way, I don't know how far I have succeeded but i tried to write some intense stuff (so I wish,hehehehe.) this might not have turned out to be such though but I gave it a try. I have written romance but for once,I tried exploring how a real life of two people would be post such incident. Let me know how you guys found it, of course chappals and roses are welcome.
The end is kept opened,letting you all think ahead. I intitailly planned this as an OS,but let me hear out your thoughts. to end it here,or give it a try to for some more.
Finally, there might quite a lot of mistakes,which i sincerely want to apologize, grammer and factual contents of Indian education system, which I googled and found since I am not an Indian. Given that google is not very reliable I thought of letting you all know that beforehand. Please forgive me if there are any mistakes.
Thank you,as always.