"Mera Valentine Gift kahan hai?"

Did he just say that!?

He was expecting a Valentine gift from me!?

"Mera voice message. Wahi hai apka Valentine Gift"

Wow Ishita! What better gift than betrayal! My conscience mocked at me.

"In that case, I have a gift for you too"

He extended his hand to the back seat and handed me something that looked like a diary???

"Ye meri pehli book ki manuscript hai jisme meri zindagi ki kahani hai. Make sure you read it before the wedding"

I took the manuscript and before leaving took is phone from the holder and pointing towards the voice message notification told him

"Ye mera voice message hai jisme meri asli pehchan hai. Make sure you hear it before the wedding"

I walked off and he drove off.

It was past midnight and so almost everyone at home was fast asleep. I thanked God because I didn't want to see anyone right now.

I could see light glowing in my parent's room. They must be still awake.

So I slowly sneeked into my room and bolted the door behind me.

I slumped on my bed and started thinking.

Would Raman be listening to my voice message now?

How will he react?

Will he still be willing to marry me?

Will he find enough time to listen to the voice message before the wedding?

I am sure he will!

"Make sure you hear it before the wedding" I have told him.

"Make sure you read it before the wedding" he had said.

Why did he say that?

Why did he demand for a Valentine gif from me?

Why did he give me his manuscript as a Valentine gift?

Why does he want me to read it before the wedding?

Infinite Why's popped up. Only one thing could answer all these questions, the manuscript.

With that realization, I set on a mission to find the answers to all the Why's.

Who knows it would answer many more crucial questions!

Raman's POV

'Ladke rote nahi hain'

'Mard ko dard nahi hota'

We grow up hearing such statements.

We hear it so many times that we start believing in it.

I too had firmly believed this statement.

But the idea seemed utopian to me when my lil sis Simmi chose my best friend Abhi as her life-partner.

It hurt and I realized Mard ko bhi dard hotha hai.

No, I was not against love. Nor was I a person who thought that a girl had no right to choose her life partner.

But then what bothered me? It was the person she chose!

Was it my dislike towards Abhi? Never! Abhi is the closest to me after my family.

Was it his character? Nope! He has the finest character of all the people I know.

Was it his financial status? Not at all! I would not prefer wealth over character.

I knew Abhi from childhood. We were rather are best of friends.

I know him in and out.

He is one of the best people I have ever met.

Why was he the wrong choice then?

It was his past!

Everything was going quick and smooth in his life.

He had shifted to Bangalore after the completion of studies and started a firm there.

Success was quick and lasting until he met Shagun, his then Personal Assistant.

2 months of courtship with Shagun led to marriage.

Within a year, he had a lovely son Nirvan.

And then came the blow when 2 years of marriage ended in divorce.

His wife had left him and his son for a European investor who happened to be the business associate of Abhi.

He was shattered completely. I wanted him to move back to Delhi.

But he refused. He believed that running away from his past would not help him recover.

He wanted to stay there and get over his past.

I respected his feelings and let him stay there.

But I knew he needed help.

It was not possible for him to come out of his trauma, look after the business and take up the responsibility of Nirvan, all at the same time.

Nirvan was just one year old and lack of attention would prove fatal.

Co-incidentally Simmi had applied for a course in Bangalore and I decided to let her stay with Abhi in order to help him raise Nirvan.

I have always been a possessive and over-protective brother but Abhi was a family for me and I did not hesitate to let my sister stay with him.

I visited them often and was glad to see that Nirvan had mingled well with Simmi and Abhi had moved on too.

After 2 years, Simmi returned to Delhi having finished her course.

She was not chirpy like before, I thought she missed Nirvan.

When she revealed that she was in love with Abhi and wanted to spend rest of her life with him, I was shocked.

I had turned into a selfish, conservative brother who could not digest the fact that my lil sis would spend her life with a person who was divorced and had a 3 year old child.

I loved my sister a lot. I could not let this happen.

I rejected her choice and I stopped her from meeting Abhi.

I started to maintain distance with Abhi as well.

The distance with Abhi was not because of my dislike to this relation, but my guilt.

I felt guilty for rejecting my friend's proposal on no valid grounds but yet I was not ready to let go of my conservativeness.

Abhi and Simmi both respected my decision and agreed to end their relation.

This started to affect the bond that we shared.

Abhi became distant and Simmi became silent.

Then one fine day, I met Ishita and I instantly fell in love with her.

Fate was kind and I was getting married to her in a few weeks.

Simmi's condition had been bothering me from long but I thought she would soon move on.

Mom had started looking for grooms for her, she wanted to get her married off along with me.

That's when Simmi gave her final verdict that she would not marry anyone except Abhi.

It hurt to see that my lil sis chose Abhi over me.

'Life of celibacy' or 'Life with a divorcee' she had the left it for me to decide.

Both scenarios were indigestible.

I tried to convince her but she did not budge.

She was adamant and I was too.

But when I reflected upon my love life and the thought of leading life without Ishita started to haunt me, my heart softened and I left my prejudices behind and agreed to get Simmi married to Abhi.

I chose Valentine's Day for this noble cause.

I invited Abhi to the party and decided to give my sister's hand in his.

I tried to stay as strong as possible when I climbed on the stage to speak but I could not get a hold on myself and I broke the norm of 'Ladke rote nahi hain'

I realized that my conservativeness and prejudices were not worth losing the bond that I share with my sister and my friend.

I was glad that I had finally made the right decision when I saw content and joy in the eyes of 2 most special people in my life.

Now it was time to define my relationship with another most special person in my life, the love of my life, Ishita.

I had hidden many things from her.

I needed to tell her everything  before our wedding.

But I did not have enough courage to tell her directly.

So I decided to give her the manuscript of the book of my life in which I had mentioned all the important events related to her.

I would leave the choice to her, to stay with me or to leave me.

It was difficult to imagine life without her.

But I  could live my life with her memories.

So I wanted to spend some quality time with her before revealing my past.

I had tried my best to mask the fear and apprehension of losing her when I spent the day with her.

But I goofed up a few times when I let my emotions overpower and almost spilled the beans

"Mai chahta tha ki hum ek akhri baar, well technically pehli aur akhri baar, as a couple waqt guzarein"  I had said.

Then I quickly covered up by saying "I mean as an unmarried couple" 

And when she slipped her hand in mine I realized I never wanted to let her go

"Dil karta hai zindagi bhar aise hi tumahara hath thaame rahun" I said involuntarily.

She looked deep in thought and I took the opportunity to divert the topic.

I took her to my office and then my own private heaven.

I wanted to tell her that I would always be waiting for her.

I could not tell her directly so I took her to my favourite places and I wished she would understand my motive.

Throughout our day out, she looked disturbed and uncomfortable.

She rarely smiled and spoke very less.

She was not her usual self, I realized.

What was the reason behind her aloofness???

Did she recognize me?

Does she know the truth?

Has she decided to leave me?

Questions were many, but to find the answers I had to wait for the party.

If she wears my gift and comes to the party, that would mean she has accepted me.

So I waited impatiently for her.

My heart was falling into pieces with every passing second.

I did not know what was in store for me on this Valentine's day.

It was almost 12 and she hadn't still arrived.

I assumed she won't come.

So I left the party hall and wanted to escape.

Then I remembered that I had to unite Simmi and Abhi.

I met the manager in the lobby and gave him instructions.

Heartbreak might have been written in my fate but I won't let my friend and sister suffer the same, I was determined.

I was relieved when Simmi informed me that Ishita was here.

I rushed to the party hall and exactly at 5 seconds to 12 I spotted her.

I was overjoyed to see her in that dress.

The countdown had begun and I quickly strode towards her and whispered in her ear "Happy Valentine's Day My Love"

My happiness knew no bounds when Ishita voluntarily walked towards me and joined me singing.

She was neither uncomfortable, nor disturbed.

I believed she has forgiven me.

I lived that moment to the fullest.

Now I didn't have to give her the manuscript of my book because she had accepted me, I assumed.

And then suddenly she created a gap between us, she looked uncomfortable, she was crying.

I was unable to fathom the reason.

She had sent me a voice message, I wonder what was so important about it.

The drive back home was silent.

To lighten the situation and to know if she has willingly accepted me, I asked her for my valentine gift.

When she said that her voice message was my Valentine gift, I realized it was something serious.

It had definitely something to do with our life ahead.

So even I decided to give her my book.

"Ye mera voice message hai jisme meri asli pehchan hai. Make sure you hear it before the wedding"

Did she just say that!?