She had to say yes when Atharv offered to drop her back to her home. But Her mind was still in a depressed state. She couldn't able to think beyond. Her brain asked her why she hell gave the decision on him when it comes to marriage. She still couldn't take it that she finally going to marry him. Her heart said bluntly to her brain, Nope, No place for anyone. 

She got into the car and the car started to move. But her mind was not well. She wanted to cry louder but she couldn't. Tears sealed back in her eyes, She wasn't allowed to let them out. 

"What are you thinking?" Atharv asked her when she kept staring at the ring in the left ring finger. She didn't know it was really happening or her feelings, Her finger started to itch and asked her to remove it from her hand. 

"Nothing... Just thinking..."  Anika said. 

"About what?" He asked.

"Many things... I just couldn't group them into words" - Anika said bluntly. Atharv didn't ask anything to her further because he could guess, She was confused because of the whole turn out events. He was ready to give her time. But he wasn't ready to lose her in his life. He didn't know from when he started to feel for her but now he couldn't even imagine his life without her. 

He immediately stopped the car when she gestured him to stop when they cross her school. Where she spent both good times and bad times. But either feeling nostalgic, She felt severe pain in her heart. 

"What happened?" - Atharv asked her. 

"My school..." - Anika whispered without even turning her face towards him. 

"Wow, That's great... But I heard you finish your schooling in Mumbai..."  - Atharv asked her. 

"I had to repeat my last year of schooling due to Memory loss..." - Anika stopped from telling further truth to him. 

"Memory loss?" - Atharv asked her shockingly. Anika had no idea, How those words escaped from her. When she meets his eyes, She felt he was waiting for her to complete the sentence.

"Yeah, Memory loss... I had a major accident when I came back to Mumbai, Because of that, I had to repeat the final year of my school in Mumbai.  Papa managed to get a seat in one of the best university in Mumbai, But I felt lacking in knowledge compared to others. So I have decided to read my 12th Again. Then I got admission in Melbourn Business School with 75% of scholarship, And then, I moved to Australia..." - Anika said in one go what he wanted to hear. But she lied, It was not an accident but a suicide. She didn't feel like sharing it to him. Even though he deserves to know every truth. She didn't feel telling everything to him. It was an invisible war between her heart and her brain. Her heart supported her feelings and her brain supported her moral values. But she stayed silent by giving importance to her heart. 

"So shall we go inside... It's a weekend, None will be there in school" - Atharv asked her. She was confused for a while. 

"But..." - Anika tried to deny. 

"Come on, Ani... Don't know, when will we come back here... Come on" - Atharv said and get down from the car, Went to the watchman and asked for permission. Anika saw him offering some money to the watchman. And he opened the gate for them. 

"Wait a minute... Have you bribed him?" - Anika asked Atharv as soon as he got inside the car. 

"It's okay to spend some money if we get something invaluable thing because of that" - Atharv said and started the car. 

"Invaluable thing?" - Anika asked him. 

"Your smile..." - He said in an instant, Anika's lips got sealed because of his words. She immediately turned towards her side and stayed silent. She felt the slight feeling of betraying him. But that feeling wasn't dominating her other feelings when she entered into her school. She kept her head on the window and let the familiar air go through her soul, She thought it might reduce her pain but it increased her pain. He stopped his car near the entry door. Anika got down before Atharv could open the door for her. 

"Anika... the way is here" -  He said but Anika started to move towards the alternative way which wasn't larger than the main door but looks like at a time, Two people can enter. Before she could enter she saw the image of seventeen-year-old of her holding Seventeen-year-old shivaay's palms entering through that gate. She thought about how her imagination became much stronger and looks real. Even though her heart believes everything, Her brain needed evidence. 

According to her, the chances were very less, She never had her own world in the school library and she wasn't a ballet dancer which shivaay mentioned in the story. According to his story, Angel knew about him before a year they actually started to date and In that case, Anika only loses her one year of memory. Even though she recalls, She couldn't even able to remember anyone named shivaay.  But she saw the images of them in every corner of the school. She was too delighted even though her brain said to her, It wasn't normal. The smile in their faces was innocent and genuine.

"Nice Architecture..." - Athrav said while breaking her thoughts. The images faded away from her mind. 

"It was my world once..."  - Anika started in a low tone. 

"You know, This is the only place where I lived without any rules and regulations..." - Anika added. He didn't say anything to her but listened to her. 

"You know Dadu sent me off from the gate for the first time when i was five, After three weeks, When my both parents finally got disappeared from my life and let me in peace" -  Anika said while pointing her finger towards the kinder garden gate. Atharv felt her pain but he let her speak aloud. She moved towards the stairs and sat on the third step with a smiley face.

"Everything is captured like a tattoo... You know when my father married again when i was in fifth grade, Here is where i let all my tears out when i realized my loneliness for the first time in my life..."  - She said while looking at Atharv. 

"Loneliness...??" - He asked her in a low tone. 

"Actually, My grandpa forgot to pick me up from the school as he was busy on that day, I know it's childish but He completely forgot about me on that day, I thought whatever happens my daadu will be there with me, But on that day, When I saw him happy in his son's happiness, I realized, I always come after to his son and soon my place will go when he got another grandson or granddaughter from Arpita... Over then, I didn't think about anything, If his father can love him this much, Why can't my father. I would be the happiest person in the earth if he would have given the half of it" - Anika said while thinking about her past. Atharv shed tears for her, But Anika didn't. 

"But That didn't happen..." - She signed and stood up from the step and climbed up towards her classroom. He followed her. 

"This is my classroom..." - She said while opening the classroom door. The green board changed into Digiboard and Iron chair and benches changed into plastic individual chairs. But the feeling was the same. She felt the soul of her classroom when she entered. 

"Everything changed..." - Anika exclaimed. 

"I can feel you, Ani..." - Atharv said. Anika took a seat in one of the chairs. 

"No, you can't..." - She said with a smile, He looked at her shockingly. 

"The person who heartfully felt the pain of loneliness only can feel my pain, And you're not the one... You're blessed..." - Anika said with a smile. He stayed silent while wiping off his tears from his eyes. 

"Those tears weren't out of love..." - Anika said while looking at him. 

"What?" - He asked Shockingly.  

"You're feeling pity for me... I hate those tears from anyone..." - Anika said while looking at him.

"Anika..." - He called out her name shockingly. 

"I never needed sympathy from anyone, But something valuable than that... I think it's in my fate that nothing happens according to my own will..." - Anika said and moved out from her classroom. She walked faster. Atharv continuously called her name but she didn't stop moving. But she eventually had to stop before the school notice board which had the toppers name according to years. Her heartbeat stopped beating for a while When she read her name in the year 2009. Under her name, Up to her shock, Shivaay Singh Oberoi name sculpted. 

"Shivaay Singh Oberoi... Err... Such an old-fashioned-name..."  - She saw a seventeen-year-image of her friend rithu, Saying with a disgusted face on her left side.

"It was that Charity guy..." - She heard her friend, Vikranth's image on her right side who offered her lollipop. 

"Oh my god!" - Anika exclaimed and started to run, She rushed on the stairs of the building in her high speed. She completely forgot about Atharv who was following her. She reached the old chemistry lab. She thanked the god for not renovating it like other classrooms. She even remembers, How she spun the story of ghost for her own selfish reason of spending alone time after school. She even had the spare key of the chemistry lab. But now, The chemistry lab was locked and she didn't have the key with her. She took the hairpin from her tied hair. 

"Please open... God... Please" - She tried to open the lock, But thankfully it opened. She rushed inside. The smoke of dust welcomed her as usual, She fanned them off with her hands and moved inside to the last corner. She searched for her things, But she found nothing. She searched for them everywhere opening all the closets where some of them were jammed. She took the phone from her pocket and turned on the torchlight. She looks through another end of the closet which door was jammed and very difficult to open. She saw a basket, her favourite book, "hobbit" Cover shinned inside it when she flashed the torchlight. Anika ran towards the closet and tried to open it. She couldn't able to open it. Over then, She saw Atharv hands which were helping her to open the closet. It was broken in the second try. She took the basket outside. She saw her things inside it very safe. 

Her legs became weak, She sat on the dusty floor and took everything out. She took a hobbit book and wiped off the dust. Then her cigarettes packet which had cigarettes in it. Over then, she recognized, She had the habit of smoking when she was in her school. She came to the lab particularly for that. But after the suicide attempt, She couldn't even able to hold anyone of them. Her hands started to shiver whenever she picks anyone of them. She opened the packet and found none of the cigarettes was used. And one cigarette coloured in blue and yellow with the sketch.  She took them in her hands, Her heart skipped for a while when she saw A ♥︎ S  written about it. And it was not her handwriting. 

"I promise, This will the last cigarette in my lifetime, And then, I will quit smoking..." - She heard her voice. 

"Promise on me" - She heard shivaay's voice. 

"I promise..." - She heard her voice. 

"Give that to me..." - Again shivaay's voice. 

"Omg, Shivaay, Now how can i smoke, Why did you do that?" - Again her voice. 

"Because I want you to quit it... Not anymore... If you really want to smoke, Smoke this and blew our relationship away" - Again his voice in stern tone. 

"You won... Hereafter, I won't"  - Again her voice. 

Her hands became weak, She kept the book back to the basket and kept it inside safely. But she took the cigarettes in her fist. Without even her knowledge, Tears crossed her eyes. But she had no idea whether those tears were because of happiness or sorrow. 

"Anika, What's that?" - Atharv asked her. 

"GET ME BACK HOME... PLEASE..." - Anika asked him coldly. He didn't ask any further questions and took her back home. 

********