Tara was surprised as she saw what Lakshya had kept on her lap. The papers had her paintings and sketches. ‘Wow,’ she muttered. Lakshya sat on his knees in front of her. ‘I never thought that the girl of my imagination will come in front of me like this, so beautiful, so cool, but I never thought about hazel eyes,’ he said and she smiled. ‘These paintings and sketches are really nice Lakshya, but after you get to know my reality, the floor will vanish from beneath your feet, so stay away from me as much as you can,’ Tara told him.
‘What’s your reality?’ he asked. ‘You won’t feel good by knowing it,’ she told him. ‘Oh OK just leave it, but it breaks my heart to see you on wheelchair,’ he said. ‘Yes I am paralyzed from waist down, I can’t walk,’ she said. ‘You can if you want to, you can even dance, trust me,’ he said and she was surprised once again. ‘Really? But how?’ Tara asked. Shanaya came and took her away, she didn’t hear what they were talking about. ‘What Shanaya di, I was talking to him,’ she pouted. ‘Do it later, first eat.’
She looked back at Lakshya and he too looked at her and passed a smile, she smiled back and looked away. So they all sat to have lunch. Aarohi and Deep held hands under the table. They even made each other eat. When everyone were done with their food, they were going from his house to hotel. ‘Listen, I will bring all of your belongings now itself, why don’t you all stay here only?’ Lakshya suggested and they agreed. He went to take their belongings. He came back after sometime and kept their suitcases in their rooms and went to his room.
He took a big packet from his cupboard and took a chit and wrote something on it and pasted on it. He went to Tara’s room and saw her sitting on the wheelchair near the window and kept the packet on the bed and went from there. Shanaya came out of washroom talking to Raman on her phone. ‘Yes Raman everything is fine, I will be OK,’ she said. ‘But tell me the secret soon whatever you are hiding,’ he replied. ‘OK,’ she said and the call disconnected. She looked at Tara and then at the packet on bed.
‘Tara, I think someone has left you a gift. Have a look at it,’ Shanaya said and gave her the packet. The chit on it said, ‘she dreams of the ocean late at night and longs for the wild salt air…. She is a mermaid but approach her with caution, her mind swims at a depth most would drown in.’ Tara smiled. ‘Shanaya di, I think this is done by you,’ she said. ‘Since when did I started keeping gifts behind your back? I always give in your hands,’ Shanaya said and Tara got thinking who might’ve kept it.
Later at night, Aarohi and Deep were sitting in their room. ‘Aarohi?’ he said and she hmmed. ‘Let’s drink,’ he said as he wanted her to let out the bottled up feelings inside her. ‘No Deep,’ she refused. ‘Why? Got scared?’ he asked and she nodded in negative. ‘Then drink,’ he said forwarding a glass and as she drunk it, he kept pouring more and more one after the other. ‘Deep,’ she said getting high and husky. ‘Hmm?’ he asked. ‘I want to say something,’ she said. ‘And what is that?’ he asked watching her as she leaned to couch and her eyes felt heavy.
‘At the time of marriage I took many anti vows, my first anti vow was to fulfill my responsibility of taking revenge and get justice for me and my family, my second anti vow was to make you feel my pain and give you happiness at first but later you will get the fruit of your deeds, my third anti vow was to take revenge of my brother who’s blood was shed unpityingly and who is on bed rest and can’t walk for now, my fourth anti vow was to do the right thing which is revenge, I have chosen it over love, I will sacrifice my every happiness for the sake of my family, the people who love me on earth.’
He waited for her to continue. ‘My fifth anti vow was to never believe in the word love, all your joys and sorrows are none of my business and all my joys and sorrows are none of your business. My sixth anti vow was that by marrying me, you have fulfilled your wish and I will also fulfill my wish of revenge and justice by being with you.’ He was in a shock.
‘My last anti vow was to take my revenge and justice for my family, I will have to deceive you, I will also have to let you down just like you did as Aarohi is a stone who can’t love anyone else besides her family, we two are like the coasts of the sea which can be together but can never be close to each other,’ she said very huskily. He got teary eyed. ‘One more confession, I didn’t swallowed all the sleeping pills, it was just a drama to know whether you were acting or you really love me,’ she told him.
‘You did so much wrong to me na, showed me love, you even loved me but you were hiding you had a wife that too a lookalike of me and it turned out that she’s my sister with a miserable past, I got pity on her but couldn’t forgive her, my innocent brother, sister in law and Niku would’ve died, but Deep, believe me, now I have started loving you, forgive me Deep, I was angry you sent me to jail, I used to cry day and night and you came there to freshen my wounds everyday, for three years I was there, I spent sleepless nights you slept here peacefully.’
‘Its useless to say anything right now, but if you love me, why don’t you fulfill my one more wish, dance with me so the environment is enlightened,’ he said and she stood up and stumbled. He held her. ‘Deep please forgive me, if I m fulfilling your wish, you should do the same,’ she said and he got speechless and sighed gulping alcohol. ‘Deep please say something,’ she said holding his collars shaking him. He decided to be quiet for the time being and took her hand.
She encircled her arm around her neck and he held her waist. She kept looking in his eyes as he sung for her.
Muskurane ki wajah tum ho
Gungunane ki wajah tum ho
Jiya jaaye na, jaaye na, jaaye na..
O re piya re..
Jiya jaaye na, jaaye na, jaaye na..
O re piya re..
They both kept looking in each other’s eyes, they both were drunk and their emotions were revealing to each other through their eyes.
O re lamhe tu kahin mat jaa
Ho sake toh umr bhar tham jaa
Jiya jaaye na, jaaye na, jaaye naa..
O re piya re..
Jiya jaaye na, jaaye na, jaaye naa..
O re piya re.. piyaa re..
They both wanted the moment to stop right there as Deep thought Aarohi won’t ever love him now as she had been pained but he wasn’t aware of her love and she too wanted that moment to stop because she thought that Deep is furious with her right now.
Dhoop aaye toh, chhaanv tum laana
Khwahishon ki baarishon mein
Bheeg sang jaana (x2)
Jiya jaaye na jaaye na jaaye na
O re piya re..
Jiya jaaye na jaaye na jaaye na
O re piya re.. piya re..
They got into an intimate embrace and wanted to hide in each other. But then Deep realized that he didn’t made her drunk to get intimate with her but to allow her to let out her pain so he picked her in his arms taking her to bed. ‘Deep, why you are laying me?’ she asked. ‘You need sleep,’ he replied. ‘OK but you sing for me,’ she said and he sat by her side singing for her:
Jo mile usme kaat lenge hum
Thodi khushiyaan thode aansu baant lenge hum
Jo mile usme kaat lenge hum
Thodi khushiyaan thode aansu baant lenge hum
Jiya jaaye na jaaye na jaaye na
O re piya re..
Jiya jaaye na jaaye na jaaye na
O re piya re.. piya re..
Muskurane ki wajah tum ho
Gungunane ki wajah tum ho
Jiya jaaye na, jaaye na, jaaye na
O re piya re..
Jiya jaaye na, jaaye na, jaaye na
O re piya re.. piya re…
Piya re…
Wo o ho… oo…
He saw that she was asleep so he covered her with the duvet and laid down to sleep, she cuddled with him and he held her closer and this moment was really heavenly for both of them. Tara recalled Lakshya’s attraction for him and unpacked the packet and saw mermaid tail blankets of different colors. ‘Wow, Shanaya di, these are so beautiful, right?’ she said rubbing it on her cheek. ‘But not more than you,’ Lakshya said standing on the entrance. ‘Were they really kept by you?’ she asked in amazement. ‘Yes, I didn’t knew your favourite color so I brought of different colors. Actually I bought them long ago to gift them to my girlfriend, but then you came, now they’re yours,’ he said and smiled.
‘Thank you Lakshya, they’re so cute,’ she said. ‘So now do you accept my proposal?’ he asked and her smile dropped. ‘But Lakshya, I can’t love you,’ she said. ‘It’s OK. Take your time, why didn’t you sleep?’ he asked. ‘Not getting sleep,’ she told him. ‘So which one you liked?’ he asked. ‘White,’ she replied. ‘OK, I will help you ha, wait,’ he said. ‘No! You don’t need to help!’ Tara shouted as she saw him coming closer. Shanaya and Lakshya got shocked seeing her vulnerable. Shanaya came forward and patted her back. ‘Tara, what happen?’ she asked getting concerned.
‘Nothing sorry, I get scared of men coming closer to me,’ she said and a lone tear escaped her eye. ‘Sorry Lakshya, I shouldn’t have shouted, you were just helping me, I will tell everything to you when I feel like doing so,’ Tara said. ‘It’s OK,’ he said and was going. ‘Lakshya please stop,’ she said and he turned. ‘Please don’t go, Shanaya di, can I talk to him alone?’ Tara asked and Shanaya nodded and left the room. ‘You are very good Lakshya, I don’t hate you and please you too don’t hate me,’ she said cryingly.
‘I won’t,’ he said. ‘Lakshya, I don’t want to sleep, you told me that I can walk even now, I can even dance, how’s that possible?’ she asked. ‘Are you sure you want to know?’ he asked and she nodded in positive. ‘OK,’ he said and came to her and forwarded his hand, she placed her hand in his hand. He pulled her hand a little but she was unable to stand. ‘I can’t stand,’ she told him and he lifted her in his arms and made her stand, she was about to fall but he held her back protectively turning her back towards him.
He then lifted her by her armpits and made her stand on his feet and held her hands preventing her from falling and walked forward with her standing on his feet. She smiled.
Tere hi zikr ki jasoosi
Meri khamoshi hai
Rahoon main chup kyun
Baatooni meri khamoshi hai
Jalte bujhte harf hain jo
Hothon pe ye barf kyun ho’n
Inn sawaalon ka tu jawaab hai
Sun zara…
Tere hi zikr ki jasoosi
Meri khamoshi hai
Rahoon main chup kyun
Baatooni meri khamoshi hai
He took her to bed and made her sit. She looked at him with love. There was a knocked on the door, Lakshya looked at the entrance of their room and there was Shanaya who knocked. She came inside and looked at Tara then at Lakshya. ‘What were you both doing?’ she asked and Tara blushed. ‘Lakshya why you got close to her when she don’t want to?’ Shanaya asked. ‘Di he was just making me happy by making me walk placing my feet on his feet,’ Tara told her. ‘Thanks for making her happy,’ Shanaya thanked him. ‘Anytime,’ he said smilingly. ‘Now you sleep Tara,’ she told her and they both made her feet go inside the white mermaid tail blanket and pulled it up till her waist and she pulled it up to her chest. They made her lay to sleep and Shanaya too slept. Tara slept with a smile on her face.