One Year and a Few Months Later...

I pushed Sooraj out of the way and took hold of the TV remote and changed the channel from a sports channel to a news channel. I felt nervous.

"Hey, I was watching that," Sooraj complaining.

"Well, this is more important," I said.

"What? That?" He pointed at the TV. "Some dude getting convicted for murder?"

"Yeah. Now shut up." I listened to the news. A few months earlier Gauri's uncle was arrested from his office with the charges of conspiracy of murder and attempted murder. Apparently, they had managed to find evidence against him for Gauri's dad's murder as well. The guy was on trial all this while. The verdict was today. I increased the volume of the news. They said in the news that the guy gets 14 years in prison.

"Wait, what? 14?" I asked to the TV. "That's it? Ha..." I turned to Sooraj, "He killed his own brother. He tried to kill his niece. And 14... That's it?" I was furious.

"Well, I am not the judge," Sooraj said.

"Why are you so obsessed over this case anyway?" Dev asked flinging his arm around my shoulder. "Who is that guy?"

"Some asshole," I said, handing the TV remote to Sooraj. They had moved to another news story. "He tried to kill my girlfriend," I said.

"You don't have a girlfriend," Dev said.

"Yes. I have...." I said, sitting on the back of the couch. They had not told anything about Gauri on the news. Where she is, what she is doing...nothing. Why don't they tell that stuff on news??

"No. You don't..." Dev said. "Or are you talking about the imaginary girlfriend you are saying you claim to have since the start of college?"

The guys never accepted the fact that I have a girlfriend. They think I am lying.

"Just because she and I are not together right now, does not mean I don't have one. Okay? I have one. Her name is Gauri. She is awesome."

"So she is your ex-girlfriend," Dev said.

"Or he imagined the whole thing and she never existed," Sooraj said.

"She does exist, guys," I said. "That guy," I pointed at the TV, "is her uncle, who tried to kill her."

"What is this? A movie?" Dev laughed. "Veer, you should limit to believable level in bluffing."

"Yeah," Sooraj said. "That guy is like rich. Are you telling me that your girlfriend is a millionaire? Please bluff with a bit of modesty."

"The Gauri Rai Choudhari in the news IS my girlfriend. I can prove it to you." I said, taking out my phone and holding out the photo of her and me together, taken by Sameera didi on the day we dressed her up as a girl. I held it out to the guys.

"Photoshopped," Sooraj said.

"Or random girl. How can you prove that it's your girlfriend? It's not like you are kissing in the photo. And it's one photo. It's not even like you have any other photo of her."

I cursed and took another photo. It was a photo of Jai and me. Jai and I have countless photos together. But Jai as a girl is only that photo. I was apprehensive to show Jai as a guy photo to these guys. Besides, why should I even bother to prove to these guys? Sure they are my sort of friends in college. The closest guys in college. But it's not like they were my best friends. They were not even remotely close to what Jai was.

And I missed Jai. I just so so missed HIM.

I did miss Gauri, the girl part – my girlfriend part. But that is not the part I missed most. I just missed my best friend, my brother. Sometimes it just felt so...unbearable. In every situation, my thought will be, if only Jai would have been here. He would have said this or that in this situation. He would have laughed in this part. He would have totally taken my side in cursing at some asshole. He would have totally understood me when I thought most guys in the college are douchebags. He would have been my ally and my strength.

I missed my best friend.

"You know what..." I told Sooraj and Dev. They can go fuck themselves. I don't care. "Don't believe me. Go think that I made her up." I turned around and walked to my room in the hostel.

My roommate Girish looked up at me when I entered the room. He is another one of the assholes in the place. He continued to flirt with whichever girl he was flirting with on the phone. I dropped to the bed.

God, I missed Jai. So much...

And I missed my Gauri too...

Both the girl side and boy side. Now they became one in my mind and began to hurt deeply in another level. The thought that she might be in the city bothered me more. She and I might just be some miles apart. She surely is in Mumbai. She came here to deal with her uncle's case. She might have given testimony in his case.

But then why did not she come to contact me?? I did leave her my address with Keerthi ma'am. I choose a college in Mumbai exactly for being closer to her. And I could sense that she was closer. But... I sighed loudly. I guess I would have to wait a bit longer. She did promise me that she will find me. And I trust her.

The next morning, I kind of collected every paper and e-newspaper available to see if any of them have mentioned Gauri. They might have. Because she inherits the company now. And she is just 18. Soon to be 19, since this was May, and I had turned 19 lately, but she is still just 18. And her company is huge, one of the biggest companies in India. And it's being inherited by an 18-year-old. That has to be big news.

So it's got to be in here somewhere. Something must be mentioned about Gauri...

So Dev, Sooraj and I were walking to the class, and I was still reading at e-news on my mobile.

"Dude... Look at that car." Dev hit my hand. I was in no mood to look at cars. "Not now, Dev. I am trying to read this article." I said.

"Is that a...Lamborghini??" Sooraj asked.

Now I looked up. Sure there was a blue Lamborghini car coming up through the gate of the college. I looked down at the articles on my mobile again.

"Wow..." Sooraj said. "Whose will it be?"

"Some rich dude's," I mumbled, still concentrating on the article. How come none of them mentioned Gauri's whereabouts? I should definitely give Keerthi ma'am a call. She rarely picks up. When she picks up she just tells me Gauri is okay and then hangs up. I guess she is busy with the trial and the arrest and the ownership conflict of the company. I sighed...

"We have a fucking Lamborghini on the campus..." The boys were again going on about the car, as the car drove past us. It came to a stop behind us. The guys stopped. I did not. I didn't have time for a sports car. Someone was getting out of the car though.

"Excuse me..." A girl's voice asked us. I think I have heard that voice before. "Can one of you help me park the car? Since I am still new to driving."

Sooraj and Dev jumped at the chance at once.

"Eh... I was thinking more like of the guy in the blue shirt." The voice said. I bit my lips. I had recognized the voice now. How could not I recognize it at first?? Maybe it's because I am more used to her boy voice. I turned around. And all I could do was to stare with a stupid happy and excited expression on my face. I couldn't even believe it. Jai/Gauri was there.

"Can you help me park the car?" She asked, tilting her head. I was just looking at her. She was wearing a floral print dress that suited her way too much. Her hair was long. Longer. It fell past her shoulder. And she was pretty as ever.

"Are you sure?" I asked, suppressing my urge to run to her, and playing this game. "I am new at driving too. What if I make a scratch on the car? It probably cost millions."

"If you make a scratch, you can make it up to me. By serving by my side for a lifetime, Veer Malik." She smiled.

I chuckled. I could not hold back anymore. I ran to her and lifted her up in my arms and hugged her tight. I buried my head to her hair - which she has now – long hair. Her hands wrapped around my neck. I set her on the ground and without able to help it, I kissed her, I cupped her face in my hand and took her lips, filling myself with her. All the pain and stress of this past time without her seemed to be washing away. And she was kissing me back, with hunger as well. Her hand wrapped around my waist as she pulled me closer.

We broke apart after a minute... We were still standing really close.

"Everybody just saw that..." Gauri whispered looking around. We were surely surrounded by a crowd. I looked around too. It was my college. Not hers. So I knew the faces in the crowd. My eyes landed on Sooraj and Dev. They were looking stunned.

"My girlfriend." I caught Gauri's hand and held it up to Dev and Sooraj. I noticed that Gauri was still wearing our friendship band. I was too. "See." I held our hands out for them to see the friendship bands.

"So it was real?" Dev asked stunned.

"Yeah," I said. I turned to Gauri. "Gauri, my friends – Dev and Sooraj. Guys, Gauri..."

"Hey..." Gauri said, waving her hand.

People were still looking at us.

"We better get out of here," I told Gauri.

"Yeah. Get in the car..." She said. 

"So you actually bought a Lamborghini," I said when I was in the car and she was driving.

"It's not mine. It's that douche bag devil's." She said. "He bought it with company money. So well, he could not take it along with him to the prison, and they did say that I will get everything he bought with the company money...So I guess I will eventually own this car too."

"Hm..." I was still looking at her. She was wearing a dress for god's sake. I could not take my eyes off.

"And by the way, you can ask for the membership in porn site now. It's coming right along..." Jai said.

I laughed out. I could not help it and I reached out and touched her hair. "Is this real?"

"Of course it's real." She yelled. I tugged on a strand of her hair. "Ouch..." she said. "What's wrong with you? I am driving."

"It's just so fascinating."

"Long hair is fascinating?" She scrunched her face. I laughed. I was just so happy.

"Hey, where are we going?" I asked.

"My house." She said. "I mean, like...my old house. My home." She looked tensed and sad. I reached out and touched her knee... "Hey, all okay?" I asked.

She took a deep breath and pulled the car over to the roadside. And she looked at me.

"Veer, I need your help."

"Anything, baby," My hand took her hand at once. I was willing to give her my life if she asks me for it.

"It's just that, I got my old home back. I get to live in it again. " She said. "Just that... I have not been in it for like four...five years. And...there are so many memories involved... with Dad..." Her eyes lined up with tears. "That's why... I didn't go in yet. Can you be by my side when I go in? I am supposed to go in today. Actually, I first thought to go into the house today and come to see you tomorrow. But then, I freaked out at the thought of going in alone. So I had to come to you first. I do want to spend time with you and all today. But Keerthi didi have set this auspicious time to enter the house set by a poojari and stuff. It's some most auspicious day in three months today or something. I will be shot by Keerthi didi if I miss it today. And I don't want to get shot again."

I nodded. "I will be with you," I said. She nodded.

She nodded. I smiled. 

We drove through the gate of my house and stopped in front. Veer got out looking stunned. He was looking up at my house. "THIS is your house?" he asked. I looked up at my house. Well, it's kind of big. "Yeah," I said. "I guess, it can be a bit overwhelming, huh?"

"I expected it to be big. But not this big," Veer turned to me.

I shrugged. Wait till he sees the insides.

"Gauri," Keerthi didi's voice greeted me. Oh crap. "You are late..." She said running to me. "Where had you gone off to? Oh..." She stopped seeing Veer. "Veer..."

"Hi, Keerthi ma'am." Veer waved his hand.

"Okay... Anyway, we are late." Keerthi didi said. "Come on. You have to enter the house before the auspicious time passes." She pulled me alone. I caught Veer's hand and pulled him along.

I went to the front door and did what the poojari guy told me to do, though I did not really believe in all this, Keerthi didi did and I did not want to hurt her. And there was no harm. "You can enter the house now." The poojari told me. I hesitated. I looked in. I could see the living room.

"We have decorated all the rooms the same as you left it," Keerthi didi said.

That makes it worse. That means dad's room still will be in there. Dad and mom's wedding photo will still be in there. The memories rushed to me making me unable to breathe.

But Veer took my hand. He squeezed my hand. I looked at him. He gave me a smile that made me feel confident. And I realized I need not worry anymore. I was not alone. I took a deep breath and stepped into the house. 

(Please read on for Epilogue)