Mitali Jain

Switching off the lights of the room, I quietly tiptoed to the balcony of our leaving room and sat on the small bed like setting that my dad had specifically made for us when we were kids for star gazing.

Though now the pollution hidden away the charms of the dark sky, it would somehow still be peaceful to sit by here, think of the days ordeal and let it go for a while.

As we grow up, things change, and many times those things that had meant world to us would just become an occasion. Like this place. My life had to take me into this confused dilemma to get me back here, to make me realize how beautiful this place could as well be.

But that only makes me realize, what if I was overreacting with the fact that I might as well have feelings for Jai.

Jai, his name gives me this choking feeling in my throat as if I have to say something but my brain couldn't depict what it really is. All through this one month that I had known him, the various conversations that we had, his explanation... his words, his family, everything is what I have always wanted.

But then there is he himself, how can I forget the difference that we hold on so many grounds, and his uncanny resemblance.

The chill in the air made me yawn as I took hold of the small blanket from the cabinet in the far end of the balcony and made myself comfortable on the bed. I was still dazed into the miracles of the world when I felt someone's presence beside me. As I looked up, an involuntary smile spread across my lips as I shifted a bit and made bit of space for my dad.

"Can't sleep?" he asked, as he took out a blanket for himself and got settled beside me.

"There were a lot of jumbled thoughts; sleep is far away from me right now." The two of us laughed for a while and just like that an unfamiliar silence bestowed around us.

I rested my head on my dad's shoulder and hooked my hands into his, just the way I had this evening.

"You know Mitali; you are one confusing girl, one moment you latch on to your dad as if your life is depended on him, and then the next you get lost in to the crowd as if it's your home." My dad said, as he patted my fingers the way Jai's dadi did, her thought made me smile.

'You know dad, I met Jai's dadi today, and she is one beautiful woman."

"So you liked the Kapadia?" he asked.

"There isn't anything as such in them for me to not like them dad, but ..."

"There is a but, and then there always had to be a but, without that but in our life it can never be worth living Mitali, and when this but arrives find out its why." My dad's words had always had meaning within them they were never to be understood in one go, his advices were like those scriptures which gave you different meaning the each time you looked into them.

When I didn't say anything, I felt him taking a deep breath as he took hold of my hand in his two big ones.

"Do you like Jai?" dad asked all of a sudden, and the way my heart lurched in excitement it made me scared of what really the answer could be.

"I –"

"It's a simple question Mitali, from the time that you have had this sense of knowledge I have always asked to you decide from what you feel is right, do you feel right when you are with Jai? Or with his family.... Why did you forget about your dad and mom while you were with them?"

As he kept on asking tears fell from my eyes. I had never cried in front of anyone, not even my dad. I had always believed it was the weakest moment of my life, the time when I would be most vulnerable, all kind of emotions over powering me to such an extent that the tears would fall.

None had seen me in this state once I had taken the ropes of my life in my hand, not even then when I had lost all my hopes during my 12, or at that moment when Shakti had once again gone missing or than when I first time realized how soon I might just not have my parents anymore.

Though the last reason seemed stupid, but that had always made me cry... it had always been my biggest fear – what was I to do without my parents in this world?

"but dad, he ... loves his business, when I first went to meet him, he preferred to look into his files than paying attention to me, he spends most of his like you in the office amongst files, it's not easy to have a conversation with him... you and jai, you two are so similar, it scares me that if I accept that I like him, and he is like you..."

My words got stuck in my throat as my dad began to laugh loudly, he shook his head and made me sit right in front of him as he wiped my tears and said,

"you think he loves his files more than you, you have seen him spend most of his time among the files in his office, you think he might be just like me?, Mitali, if he is like me than I can assure you, you can never find a man better than him. You know why?"

I shook my head in denial as he smiled at me and said

"If my Daughter dares to compare him with me, than she surely loves him and since I am a man similar to him, I know even if he avoided you and chose that file instead of you – that is according to you, than I say, he chose you, may be there might be something he was scared off that he wanted a distraction. You say he spends his days in office, than my dear as much as I know, he spends his evening and night with his family, and he works through the day so that his family could sleep peacefully at night."

"I know there were many occasions when I had lost that opportunity to be with you all, I had chosen my files over you, but if at that time I would have not done that, I am afraid I would have never been able to sit by at night in this balcony with my daughter to help her understand her feelings."

As his words began to sink in my mind, dad questioned me once again,

"So do you like him?"

And was I scared this time?

The way my heart let out a huge leap and the smile that spread on my face, gave my dad and mine answer.

"Yes... I do like him."

And yet once again I realized how right dad was, feelings do not require fear or doubts, they need to be felt, accepted and expressed. Jai did expressed it in words, but he ... he was yet to express it with actions and I wanted to know what he would do to make that statement turn from like to love.

*****

"Shakti I am already at the hall, come quickly the collection here is really good, I am taking one basket with me, you give me a call once you reach here, I will tell you where to come... and yes don't forget to get a basket for yourself." I said into the phone and gave the boy who was there to help out people a small smile and walked inside.

"And here I was told you won't be buying anything today." Shakti taunted.

"Remember what I said, the collection is good, now move that ass of yours and be here quickly." With that said I hung up the call and walked ahead towards a huge table where the other love of my life was kept.

I had just bend down a bit, my eyes narrowing as I read the small letters on them, skimming from one row to the other when a small whispered fell on my ears.

"I didn't know Mitali Jain was into books as well."

It was him, the person who wore the dark shades, dressed into a casual pants so casual that I would really doubt him from his appearances and a hoodie in this scrunching heat.

"Veer, if you are trying to disguise yourself and not be the center of attention then you are doing a poor job, and yes I do read as well... any problem?" I said, and turned around once again to explore the various books that were kept.

It had surely been a while when I and Shakti had done this. Following a facebook add for the book sale, picking up all the pocket money that we had, and land ourselves here for the whole day.

It used to be so good back in college when we did this.

"How did you come to like books?" Veer asked as he himself took out a book and flipped it around looking at the reviews than the summary, something of the likes an avid reader would do.

"My friend from college is an avid reader, she used to drag me into libraries and since there weren't much painting exhibitions than the book signing and book fairs around the city, books somehow became my second love... though none knows about it much."

"Not even Jai?" his eyebrows rose in that teasing fashion which made me blush and squirm in discomfort.

"What are you doing here? I thought you had a kingdom to rule and a business to run." I smiled at him and turned around to only have my eyes landed on 'The secret of Mahabharata'. Quickly taking it out I looked into its condition and dropped it into my basket.

"Kingdom sounds quite old, and we are royals for the sake of it now, it's more off the government rule now, I prefer the word businessman more than a prince, but there are protocols." His voice sounded heavy, it somehow reminded me of Rey in the earlier days when we had met.

"It might be difficult right, to behave as if nothing bothers you, follow the rules and protocols that none care about but just a few..."

"I thought you didn't believe that the royals still exists." He leaned his body to the table and stood there, his statement had me captivated there, as if it was a prison and I have to answer him o matter what.

"I am an Art Curator, though I did not know that the royals still existed in their raw form...

"Raw form?" the two of us laughed as I continued to explain, "Yes, you know the ones that follow all the protocols and all, like you do so even if I wasn't aware about them... I knew what kind of life earlier they lived earlier and a few years after the independence. It's not easy."

"Nothing is easy Mitali, nor my life and nor yours... but what's best is, I have a business to handle which is surely a true escape and then I am very well entertained here." he smiled in that devil manner which I had never liked.

"Entertainment... ahh, no Veer let it be I don't want to know that." I said, as I made a bee line towards the complete opposite direction with that stupid Prince of some state following me while his loud laugh filled the entire hall.

So much for not being recognized by someone, I thought, and quickly walked off to the entry where I saw Shakti walking inside with that similar red colored basket in her hand.

****

With the month almost coming to its mid, there was a whole lot of work that was yet to completed. It was soon going to be August which only meant new projects and themes.

To have an art exhibition set up the work had to be started from months, there were themes, there were artists to be selected and most importantly there were paintings that were to select.

It used to be sometimes a very tedious job, lists and lists would await my presence, if one was finalized by me, there were three more upper levels that had yet to approve them, and if I or any other curator would be lucky, your list and theme would get selected in one go or you might have to work for months or sometimes years as well.

It had almost been 3 months now that I had started working here, and though this was my first proper job I had my goals and dream, and one of it was to have my own exhibition, to curate a theme, artists, painting from the start to the end and not just assist someone for a their project like I had been doing for a while now.

And though it was advised to be patient and take it slow... It seemed I was greedy or just over exited to showcase and let out the ideas that were swarming into my brain.

Dejected with the thoughts, I had just entered my cabin and settled my coffee on the table when there was a knock on my cabin's door, as a peon walked in.

"Ma'am there is a visitor who is looking for you." I quickly nodded my head at him, as my eyes went back to my coffee which I seemed was going to go in the dustbin soon.

Taking a deep breath, I walked out towards the hall, and then to the receptionist.

"There is someone who wants to meet me?" I asked with a small smile on my face.

"Ohh yes, he said he will be waiting for you near the new collection." The receptionist winked at me, as I turned around to make my way towards the said visitor. As I reached closer my eyes fell on the familiar back of Daksh Chauhan and a smile involuntarily made its way back on my face.

I quickened the speed of my feet as I walked closer to him.

"It seems these new paintings have caught your eyes?" I asked as soon as I was in his hearing distance.

"And thank god I have never bet my money, just to test my luck that you would greet me." He taunted, yet I was greeted with his big smile.

"Ohh please, I know you like it this way."

"That I can't really deny." He once again turned around to look around the new collections and somehow I was happy how good they looked.

"Why this theme?" he asked.

"Emotions, aren't they just mesmerizing... it was one of the interns who had suggested this." I said as we moved onto the next painting.

"Fresh minds always do the wonder, I remember when I was new into the field, we would do so many new investments and what not-"

"That's why you guys are where you are today. I wish I had never let my parents and my brother protect me the way they did, I might as well had been somewhere else." I stopped at one of the paintings of an infant and a mother who looked at it with adoration.

I couldn't point out what was more beautiful and amazing the emotion that was conveyed just by those eyes or the way the artist was able to capture them with his brush.

"Every elder has a right to protect the younger one, but it as well becomes the responsibility of the younger person to understand his capabilities and back off from the care a bit on the right time... just the way you did by making your own choices and standing up with your decision without taking anyone's help." He explained.

"I never did..."

"yes you did, the moment when you decided to befriend Shakti and save her that night at camp, or at the time when you decided to follow a complete different path than what you were expected to by the society... your relatives and parents had thought you would take commerce right?"

I stared at him in bewilderment and then smiled, he was right, but there were so many things that I was yet to know.

As we came across the next painting I couldn't help but let out a sigh. The painting was something that had made me feel the most vulnerable. Painted with the shades of red and black, a lady looks right into your eye; with such a vulnerable look that it makes you question what was your worth if you couldn't even understand what she had to say.

"I do not like this painting." As soon as I said that, I heard Daksh letting out a huge laugh.

"Out of all people it amazes me that even you have to say that. This is one of the best paintings, best that any gallery or artist could have."

"I know that, but it somehow makes me-"

"It makes you feel weak, and that's why its best, because the artist is able to express what it has to express, rather than someone else's feeling... among all the paintings here , this is the best. " Daksh declared; his voice held such pride in it that it was difficult to be ignored.

"Why? You seem to be so happy as if you know the Artist itself." I said with a laugh of my own.

"Mitali, it's always easy to express someone else's feelings through imagination... but try and express yours, it's always the most difficult task, because everyone is scared of accepting and expressing the reality. And this Artist had made it possible."

He turned around to look at me and said, "And I know this because, the painter is my mom, Arundhati Chauhan."

***** 

A/N 

I was so worried that I wont be able to post this chapter today, there are so many things going on in my college, its getting me nervous, stressed out and what not. 

But more than that, its this chapter thats got me nervous, so many things happening at once... 

and yesss finally Mitali accepted that she likes Jai, how many of you were waiting for this moment... but than there is yet bigger than this. 

ALSO WHAT THE HELL... we as well have Daksh's mom is in picture now... the next chapter is going to blow your minds off. 

I have a small request... i want a proper review on this story, by a few of my readers that i can use to promote this story on my social media. so if possible can you all send me your review about this story... and if not that any of your favorite dialogue, part or paragraph that i could use as well. 

that would be of a lot help, as for me everything is special and beautiful i cant make myself choose one. 

it would be of great help. 

Thank you in Advance and as always

Happy Reading. 

P.S I have something to rant about...once it gets official i would really like to let you guys know about it. 

Yadni Bagwe