That evening, Shardul found Vivaan sitting on the beach on a fallen coconut tree. He was looking broody. "Vivaan," He called as he approached him.

Vivaan turned around. "Hm...Shardul bhai," Vivaan forced a smile.

"Is something wrong?' Shardul asked sitting beside Vivaan.

"No. Why?" Vivaan lied.

"You called me Shardul bhai."

"Hm?" Vivaan did not register it first as his mind was elsewhere.

"You call me Mr Flower, right?"

"Oh yeah. Mr Flower." Vivaan said. He smiled and looked away to the sea. "That is a bit childish, right? I mean it's weird for a grown man to call another man as Mr Flower."

Shardul chuckled. "I thought that all the time you had called me Mr Flower. But then... you always felt like a child. Always happy. Always radiating positivity and energy..." He looked at Vivaan who was not really listening to him and looking at the sea in a tense way. "Well, except for now, I guess," Shardul concluded. "What is wrong, Vivaan?" He put a hand to Vivaan's shoulder. "Shouldn't you be happy now that San and you are together?"

Vivaan looked at Shardul. And began to think... "Hm... Shardul bhai, I mean, Mr Flower... You remember me asking you to take care of Vicky, right? When I was leaving Goa the last time?" Shardul nodded. "Is that still valid?" Vivaan asked. "If I am not there, you will take care of Vicky, right?"

"I don't understand," Shardul said. "Why would you not be here?"

Vivaan bit his lips in tension. "She won't marry me anyway." He said. "And it's better if she does not. It is better if she stays away from our world."

"May I ask why you are having this thought suddenly?" Shardul felt something off. But Vivaan stayed silent.

"I will take care of San if you are not here." Shardul finally said softly. "You need not worry about that."

Vivaan looked at him and smiled. "Thanks, Shardul Bhai..."

"Vivaan..." That is when Sanvika who walked out of the restaurant noticed him. She was walking to them. "When did you get back?" Vivaan and Shardul got up to face him. "Can't you call or come to the restaurant if you came back?" Sanvika lightly hit Vivaan's hand.

"Sorry," Vivaan plainly said. He was looking at Sanvika with such tender eyes.

"Is everything okay?" Sanvika asked. "Is the business problem serious?"

Vivaan shook his head with a smile, "I am just tired."

Sanvika adjusted Vivaan's hair while looking concerned.

"Okay then, it's my cue to leave..." Shardul said, turning.

"Oh, you can stay, Mr Flower." Sanvika turned to Shardul.

"No. No. You guys catch up...." He said waving his hand and walking away.

Sanvika watched Shardul walking away. "I feel bad for him," she said.

"Because he likes you?" Vivaan asked.

Sanvika nodded.

"Why don't you give him a chance then," Vivaan casually asked putting his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him annoyed. "I am not joking," Vivaan said. "You are not going to marry me anyway..." He took his hand off and walked. "And if you and Mr Flower have babies, they would be adorable."

Sanvika felt very angry and annoyed. She could not even imagine giving birth to another man's kids. That felt so wrong on many levels. It was some basic biological instinct that she could not explain. "What is up with you?" She asked Vivaan, sharply.

"Why? Are you going to marry me?" Vivaan turned to her.

Sanvika fell silent. She had no answer.

Vivaan turned around, "My mom was telling me that she will look for other suitable matches for me since you are not going to come back." He lied. "Asked me to get married soon."

Sanvika felt like suddenly things are falling apart. "So? Are you going to?" She asked.

"Am I going to what?"

"Get married?" She looked angry, and red in the face.

"Is there a reason why I should not?" Vivaan asked.

"Vivaan..."

"What? See... even I don't want to take you away from all this. Your restaurant and staff and Mr Flower." He stepped closer. "And anyway... we were matched by our parents. We had no say in that. We were kids. It was wrong. Even you know it. So... Let's just end this. The whole dating thing.... I can't do it if I have to lose you in the end anyway. It does not make any sense."

Sanvika stayed silent. She also could understand his point. It is indeed a very cruel thing to do towards Vivaan to leave him after being with him for a while. Sanvika looked down.

"I don't want to take you away from here," Vivaan softly said. "So... let's end this. And you marry Mr Flower. He is a nice guy."

Sanvika looked up. There was anger in her eyes. "Ending things between us can be a decision you can make. But you don't get to say who I should marry or not marry." Her voice cracked and her sadness which was masked through anger spilt out for a second. It was heartbreaking for Vivaan.

"Fine..." he said. "But... I am going back. Someone else can take up my job here."

Sanvika did not expect him to actually leave. It felt like a bigger blow. She did not know what to say. All this were too sudden. Just a couple of days back this same guy was on her bed, and they were about to have sex. And she really really loved him.

"Fine," she said, suppressing her tears.

"Yeah... Okay," he nodded.

Sanvika bit her lips to hold back tears. "Bye then," she said.

"Yeah. This is it then. Bye..." He said.

Sanvika turned around and walked. The moment she turned, Vivaan's tears began to fall. He wanted to stop her, tell her all this was just lies. He wanted to hug her, move his fingers through her hair, tell her how much she meant to him.

But no, pulling her back to his world was not something he could do anymore. She should not know about Taylor's death. He won't let her find out yet. She can live her life happily here without ever having to know about the tragedy.

So he turned around and walked.

Strong as she was, Sanhvika's tears did not fall until she was up in her bedroom, But once she was in her room, her tears began to fall uncontrollably. But then she cannot blame Vivaan. What he did was right. She wiped her tears. This happened because of her own choice. And she needed to stick to her choice. For Sanvika if she choose Vivaan she would be doing such dishonour to Taylor. For her, this was like the punishment that she gave to herself. No – living without money was not the punishment. But giving up Vivaan was.

Hearing a commotion downstairs Sanvika dried her tears and walked downstairs. Astrid was very angry for some reason and was throwing stuff at Tariq. Shardul and Yashwanth were trying to pacify. "What is happening?" Sanvika asked.

"Even I don't know why I am being beaten up..." Tariq said. "Astrid calm down and tell me."

"This is all because of you," Astrid said in broken Hindi. Her Hindi was improving because of the communication with Tariq.

"What happened?" Sanvika asked Astrid. She stopped throwing stuff and looked at Sanvika. And she was blushing so much. Sanvika walked closer to Astrid. "What is wrong?" Astrid pulled Sanvika closer and whispered something in Sanvika's ears. And everyone else could see that Sanvika was shocked.

"Is that necessarily bad news?" Sanvika asked Astrid.

"It is...." Astrid said. "Have you seen the condition we live in. he lives with you and I live in the tiniest room possible. How do we afford this right now?"

As their employer, Sanvika felt very guilty that she could not provide her employees with better living conditions. At this moment she wished if she had money like before. And she could understand the blessing of money and the fact that she had always taken it for granted.

"Can someone tell me what is she talking about?" Tariq asked.

Sanvika sighed and put a hand to Tariq's arm. "I have about 3 or 4 lakhs in my account. I will give you guys that. Get married and get a proper house to live in." Tariq was looking bewildered. "Astrid is pregnant," Sanvika told him.

It was shock on Tariq's face at first, which gave way to confused happiness and then to a smile. "I am going to be a father?" He asked.

"Why are you happy?" Astrid yelled. "How do we afford a baby?"

"Doesn't matter." Tariq walked to her, and to Astrid's confusion took her in a hug. "I will work double, no triple hard. "I will take care of you and the baby. I promise. Let's get married."

"And, don't think that I won't help," Sanvika turned to them. "I am the aunt of the baby. I have my right to him or her. I won't let him be born into hardships."

"Count me in too," Shardul said with a smile, "Even though I don't have much money saved up. I can help with other things. Wait," he said, thinking. "If I move out to my sister's place, you guys can take my room. Since it is attached to the restaurant, it will be easier for you two to work along with the baby."

"Will you do that?" Astrid asked. "That would be great if we get your room."

"Sure," Shardul said. "I will move out as soon as possible."

"Okay," Sanvika said. "Now about the marriage. When and where and how would it be?" Sanvika had an excuse to put happiness on her face and forget what happened with Vivaan. Also, she got an excuse to make Vivaan stay a few more days. If Tariq invites Vivaan to the wedding, there is no way that he will refuse.

So the next week Vivaan and Sanvika stood side by side, watching the wedding ceremony of Astrid and Tariq. Since Tariq was Muslim and Astrid was Christian, and because they wanted a simple wedding, they were just signing the marriage certificate and exchanging rings. Astrid looked stunning in her white wedding dress, though it was a cheap simple one. And Tariq could not stop looking at her.

After the wedding, Vivaan and Sanvika walked on the beach.

"You are going back tonight?" Sanvika asked Vivaan.

"Yeah," he said, not looking at her.

Sanvika nodded. They silently walked. Vivaan's heart was breaking, but he maintained a plain face.

"Give my regards to your parents," Sanvika said.

"Yeah, okay..." The air between them had become so formal and awkward.

"And take care." She said. "Inform me when you get married."

On that Vivaan's resolve almost broke. It angered him how okay she is with this. How could she say 'inform me when you get married' so casually like that. "Yeah, you too..." he said to take revenge.

Sanvika smiled, formally, very much just on the surface. "Since we are parting, shall I let you on a secret?" Sanvika asked. Vivaan looked doubtful. "Do you know when our first kiss was?"

"Huh?" Vivaan asked. "Age 15, right? When you forced it on me."

"I did not force it on you," she scowled. "But then... no. That is not our first kiss."

"What? No. It is..."

"No." She shook her head.

"How would I not know if we have kissed before that?" He asked, now extremely curious. Almost forgetting the fact that they are actually separating right now.

"Because you were sleeping," Sanvika said.

"Huh?"

"Age 12. I came to your room and you were sleeping. I tripped on one of your toy cars on the floor. I ended up falling on you and our lips pressed with each other."

"Ha! That is not a kiss. It's just an accident. And we were kids."

"It was a kiss for me," she shrugged. "My heart was beating so fast. I am sure I was blushing like hell. You just turned around and slept without waking up. But I felt so flustered that I fled the room. Even after coming home, my heart did not stop beating." She walked on. "At that age, I had already begun to think about romance and childishly wait for my prince charming. And since I was already engaged to you, that incident was enough to make me think that you are the Prince for me. And I already began to fantasise about our wedding and kids." She laughed. "So childish of me... I was at an age where I did not even understand the meaning of love, but I assumed that you are my eternal love and started dreaming and stuff."

If it was before he got the news of Taylor's death, Vivaan would have asked her to marry him. If she loved him ever since she was a kid, then he saw no reason for her rejection. But now, he wanted to protect her more than anything else.

"Why are you telling me this now?" He turned to her in anger. The anger was not completely acting, it had its reason too.

"Just..."

"Is it because I am leaving you? You want to hold me back?'

"No. That is not it."

"How much more will you toy with my emotions, Vicky? Okay, so you had a crush on me when we were 12. Big deal... People don't end up with their 12-year-old crushes."

"Why are you getting angry?"

"You are bringing up the past for no reason. Trying to mess with my feelings."

"I never meant to mess with your feelings." She yelled at him, annoyed. "I was just saying..."

"Yeah just saying... Not thinking about how the other person will feel. You know what, you are the most selfish person I have ever seen." Sanvika scowled. "I don't know why I even like you. You left everyone – your mother, father, sister, ME – everyone, just because some kid ran off. Not thinking how we would feel. Not thinking about our emotions. Just to compensate for your guilt."

Sanvika was scowling more.

"You know what... I am stoping all my feelings for you." He said, stepping closer. "You don't deserve it. I will go marry someone my parents choose for me. And live happily ever after with her."

"Who is asking you to not do that?" Sanvika asked. "Why are you being so childish all of a sudden?"

"I am childish? I am just making you see the reality. That you are selfish."

"Fine," Sanvika said, not wanting to argue with that at the moment.

"Fine..." Vivaan also concluded.

"But I have always been selfish. Why are you talking to me this way now?" Sanvika stepped closer.

"Because I don't care anymore. Now I won't marry you even if you come begging. I won't turn to look at you even if you come to me. Got it?" He saw hurt in her eyes and wavered for a second. It broke his heart to be speaking this way to his Vicky. But better make her hate him than leave her in tears.

"Fine... Whatever." Sanvika said, hurt.

"Goodbye then," he stood back putting his hand in his pocket.

"Goodbye..." She said.

And then Vivaan turned around and walked away. As he was going, he passed Shardul. Shardul clearly saw tears in Vivaan's eyes. Vivaan hurried to wipe them. Shardul put a hand to Vivaan's shoulder. Looked at him enquiringly. Vivaan forced and smile and gently touched Shardul's hand to take it away from his shoulder. "Take care of her," He whispered to Shardul.

Shardul nodded, understanding everything that was in Vivaan's eyes.

Vivaan walked away and Shardul came to Sanvika. Sanvika was looking at Vivaan going. "Are you okay?" Shardul asked her.

Sanvika just held her tears back. Surely she felt something is off. Vivaan was not that great of an actor. But yet, there was this doubt deep down inside her that knew that Vivaan had a point and whatever he said of her not caring about the feelings of his family and him was true. And so, even when she knew that there is no way that Vivaan would behave this way with her legitimately, she suspected that he was indeed very upset with her because of what she did.

"It's okay, San..." Shardul hugged her. "We all are here for you."

She nodded and cried in Shardul's arms.

Six months later

Sanvika sat in front of her empty restaurant and looked at the empty beach. It had been a couple of months since anybody visited the restaurant. Goa which used to burst with tourists lays empty and barren now.

The lockdown had just been lifted by the government. And Sanvika was hoping that someone comes by the restaurant. Shardul, Yashwanth, Tariq and Astrid joined her. Astrid with her six months pregnant belly. They all looked expectantly at the empty barren beach. Living with the last of their savings, they look out for their lifeline.