Greetings everyone! Ananya here. Thank you so much for your love and affection for my stories!! Happy reading!
Twinj: It’s Always Been You: Episode 17
A quick recap: Twinkle and Kunj meet at their regular spot, both of their minds unsure of the outcome of that encounter. Kunj recalls his obsession over Alisha that made it impossible for him to calmly deal with the idea of breaking up with her. Their conversation leads them to replay the occurrences of that fateful night three years ago in their minds.
Kunj looked at Twinkle’s changing expressions as they quietly recalled their proximity that night, and pulled her into a hug, seeking to comfort her. She sighed as she felt his warmth, indulging in the moment. “I didn’t remember any of that the next morning. I suppose you were in the washroom when I received Alisha’s call. She told me she would give me another chance, and I took it readily. It was then that I realised that I hadn’t been alone the previous night, I just hoped I hadn’t crossed the line. I just shouted at you from right there that it would be better if you kept that night to yourself and never think of it again, that you should think of it as a mistake to learn from, that I only loved Alisha in my entire life and anything else that I might have said the previous night was only your doing, before I got dressed and left.” Kunj’s voice was almost a whisper as he recalled the most dreadful thing he had ever done. Twinkle remembered more than he had voiced. He had gone to the extent of trying to threaten her if he even heard of the previous night ever again, not even waiting for her to come out of the washroom, let alone apologise or try to deal with it maturely. Somewhere in some corner of her mind perhaps, she knew that Kunj would only remain an unfulfilled dream for her, she couldn’t believe she had let all that happen, and by the time she stepped out, she was blaming herself for everything just like he had wished.
“I felt betrayed, Kunj! I had given you my all and got that in response. Besides, I had just managed to get home safely somehow, when Papa told me they had received a letter to my name early that morning. They had opened it, considering it would be urgent, and found out that I had been fired for highly unprofessional behaviour. My two biggest dreams had crashed in one go!” She said, her voice beginning to crack. “I don’t remember much of what happened afterwards. I know I had revealed to Ma with a shaky voice the truth that must have completely shattered her in ways that I can’t even begin to imagine! However, not once did she ridicule me for it. She supported me to her best although she herself was breaking inside.” She continued, not wanting to tell Kunj that when she had tried to speak to him about that night, he had excitedly told her that he and Alisha had decided to make a fresh start. She then told him how her parents had decided to get her a new job in their own company, but she had refused, afraid of what might happen if she encountered him again. What frightened her parents most was that she would end up in a depression. Her refusing the job offer had opened her horizon of thoughts to consider giving her a change by moving her elsewhere, far away from him, the love of her life who had destroyed her completely.
Kunj pulled Twinkle down along with him so that they would be sitting under the tree as she managed to stay strong and narrate RT’s help that got her to move to Mumbai, where he had managed to get her a job. “Papa stayed with me for a whole month before he returned. I knew that he was leaving me in Aparna’s care after being assured of her being the right kind of positive influence I needed back then so that I would at least learn to smile again, for she seemed to be a lovely person. However, all I could think of was you, memories of you, thoughts of you, just you. I knew Yuvi and Chinki were giving you a hard time with their hatred for you, but they had been left clueless when cheerful, bubbly Twinkle had returned home lifeless one day and then left abruptly with no proper reason. As time passed by, Aparna grew close to me, helping me get out of the trauma with her medicines and therapy sessions. She tried to get me involved in several new activities that kept my mind occupied even when I got home from work. But fate didn’t seem to be too keen to let me stay happy even then.” She recollected with a sad smile, stopping to take a deep breath before she revealed the fact that would change everything forever.
A couple of months after RT had left, Aparna had returned home to find Twinkle in a miserable state, with a high fever and severe body cramps. She had immediately rushed Twinkle to the hospital, deciding to keep the information hidden from her parents until she had found out what had gone wrong. Aparna had sat by Twinkle’s side through the night, making sure she was alright. Twinkle had regained consciousness in the morning, a doctor was immediately called in to check on her, and that’s when they found out that she had suffered a miscarriage. The girls firmly believed that it had to have been some mistake on the part of the doctor, but the doctor had confirmed her diagnosis yet again, leaving Twinkle shattered and Aparna feeling horribly helpless.
“I was so troubled with the trauma that I didn’t even know I was pregnant, Kunj!” Twinkle said, revealing that truth to someone for the first time. She was now crying, and Kunj had been in utter shock too, unable to think straight anymore. He tightened his grip around her as tears flowed down his eyes too, cursing himself mentally as it slowly dawned upon him that it was all his fault, his crazy infatuation that had led to their agony. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save our baby.” Twinkle said as she wiped away her tears, attempting to bring her emotions back under her control, but failing to do so as she recounted Aparna telling her that the doctors had told her that the baby had been a boy, pushing her further into the darkness than she had ever been. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for the two of you! I’m sorry I am the most horrible friend, the most horrible person out there! I don’t deserve to be forgiven!” Kunj managed to say, not willing to let her go as she tried to free herself from his embrace. “Please stay!” He whispered, not wanting to leave her in such a horrible state. After all that had happened, his admiration for her had increased, realising all that she had endured on her own and emerged victorious. In his mind, he had already cursed himself repeatedly, feeling so small in front of her love for him.
“We should go our separate ways now.” Kunj said simply and suddenly, surprising both her and himself. She didn’t know why he had chosen that path, or if she would have chosen it, if it was left to her. Maybe she would find that way easier to tread now, he hoped, worried that them being together meant having to relive that horribly painful period over and over again every single day for her. She tried to smile at him nevertheless, her heart stinging as she stood up and away from him, while he nodded at her, knowing that she shouldn’t forgive him ever. Tears streamed down his cheeks as fought his desire, his love for her, despite the fact that over the three years of her absence, his heart had pined for her as much as hers had for him. Although Usha had always tried to make him realise his love for her, he had never accepted it. Instead, he had pretended to erase all of her memories, while in reality he had actually searched for all he could, returning home feeling like a failure everyday, only to watch his mother eyeing him disappointedly. It had broken him completely when he had seen Leela and RT at the Gurudwara one morning, their life had seemed to have lost all meaning in their daughter’s absence.
Kunj had been wrecked when he had found out that the girl he had depended upon to teach Alisha a lesson that night had been Twinkle, and this turn of events had destroyed whatever was left of that wreckage. He recalled the moment he had held her close when he confessed his love to her. Despite the evident hesitation in her eyes, he had seen love for himself in them, just like always. He couldn’t even face himself anymore. It was all over. What could have been their perfect world had been blown apart by him, he thought to himself, the pain he was feeling beginning to numb his senses. “I don’t think I deserve you anymore..” He said in almost a whisper, and was surprised when she rushed to his side. “Haven’t you realised it yet? It’s always been you, Kunj! It will always be!” She whispered back as they looked at each other with undecipherable emotions leading to Kunj pulling her into a bone crushing hug. “I love you, Twinkle! Please don’t go!” He begged, although he knew it would be better for her if she did, so that she could start a new life, he tried to remind himself, but he simply couldn’t let her go. Twinkle smiled at him with teary eyes, a sudden spurt of emotions leading her to believe that them together meant destruction. She didn’t know where that idea even came to her from. All she knew was that whenever the two had made attempts to come close to each other, things had gone horribly wrong. Perhaps it was just the recollection of her resolve to find peace when she had come there that morning, or the fact that she knew she had hit him with facts that he would need some time to even fully process, let alone think over and come to a rational conclusion over, that led her to say, “Maybe we should just take some time apart and decide calmly, Kunj!” He reluctantly let her go, hoping she would choose what was best for them. She watched him longingly for a moment, as if she had been taking one last look at him, and then turned around and walked slowly across the road, so lost in thought that she didn’t notice the car speeding down the narrow road, directly at her.
Whew! There you go. Major revelations done. I haven’t really thought about whether this story will continue beyond this or not. I suppose I’ll decide that when the turn to post this story comes up again after the other two depending on your opinions. Personally I would have loved to write a few more episodes to carry out a few more smaller sub-plots I had in mind, but the response has been poor recently, making me unsure. However, if this was the last episode, I just want to thank you all for staying by my side throughout. It means so much to me. I hope you all enjoyed the story, and if you did, do let me know if you think it deserves a continuation. I’ll be fine either ways. Lots of love!