Words Count - 2200
Attached Song - Daayre
__________
[Neha Mehra]

"Kiara Di." The whole house was in uproar with my gigantically loud scream.

"What do you need?" She asked, irritated.

"Coffee." I gave out a cheeky smile.

She bobbed her head up and down as if calming her nerves.

"You mean to say, today's 12th cup of coffee, isn't it?" She chided. I again gave her my full-blown sheepish smile and she went away shaking her head at my antics.

As I saw her leaving the room, I did what I have been doing since the past week. Scooping out the phone from my purse, I checked my phone if I had any messages or calls from him. But, as always there were none.

Once a idiot, always a idiot!

I will not spare him, the day he comes back. Such a bloody liar! Always breaches his promises as if they are some idiotic contracts.

"Girl, take your coffee. And, please sew your mouth for atleast another 4 hours." She huffed. Though she was pregnant, I was the one behaving like a moody woman. Without seeing him around, my moods were always decayed.

I wish, I could see him.

I looked over to my right as the person beside me turned silent and had a delightful smile plastered on her face. Glancing at the door, I saw the face that had been a familiar one from the last few days. Kaustuv.

Yes. The one, who came up as a disaster and turned into a doting member of this family.

"Bhai." She chirped, moving towards him to grab his arms.

"So, what's going on between the two rivals?" He laughed, sighting us both sitting beside each other.

"We are best friends now." I flaunted proudly, holding up her hand.

"Oh my, from when did snakes started to befriend eagles?" He exclaimed.

"That day wasn't far, since the ruthless businessman Kaustuv Kashyap initiated to act like a devoted brother." I cheered, which beamed the face of the brother-sister duo.

I was too terrified that day, when this man invaded our house with some bodyguards. The sole motive being to rescue his sister from this marriage trap.

The way Viraj was begging him to not make them apart was so petrifying. Kiara was wordlessly, standing like a statue without life and tears.

He even managed to drag her to the car but, all the scenes stopped as he knew that his sister was carrying Viraj's baby. It would be an understatement, if I say his rage doubled. He was symbolically breathing and spitting volumes of fire.

In the midst of his anger, we knew the truth that Viraj and Kiara weren't married by rituals, not even by law.

Frantically, they were hitched in the sacred bond of marriage in a close- knit family wedding only last week, that was preceded by haldi and mehendi.

The moment I tied the knot of her dupatta and Viraj's shawl, that was when I accepted Kiara as the sister, I never had. That was a long and unbelievable transformation from 'she' to 'Kiara Di'.

"Oye" The snap of fingers revoke me back to my senses.

"Huh?"

"Where are you lost?" He nudged my elbow.

"Nothing." I squeaked with a pout.

"Oh, someone is missing someone." Kiara Di teased.

"As if, you aren't. " I laughed as her face reddened. It was too iconic to see the way Kiara Di would not let Viraj to go office and cling to him, all day long.

The one of the all changes in her, which Viraj admires the most.

"Aww, my sisy is being all shy." Kaustuv piped in. I excused myself from their long business and private talks and ascended the stairs absentmindedly.

I felt my phone vibrating my hand with no noise due to the enacted silent mode. A notification popped up with our wedding picture.

"A week to go for half-year anniversary! Come on, plan."

Six years of our marriage. I can't wrap my mind around the fact we are going to hit half a year of our marriage, wandering mindlessly through events of our life. Both plenty and plaintive ones.

I quickly scrambled towards our room and brought out a pink paper out of my scrap book.

Plannings -:

1. Tickets to Mumbai
2. Decorations of house.
3. Cakes and chocolates. (Note- lactose free)
5. To think something for 'surprise'.

Jotting down all the notable points, I dozed off a bit. My mind still wandering over something to present him as a surprise.

Thinking a lot, I found no such thing. But, I realised that I know nothing about him apart from what all his friends know. Maybe equal or less, but nothing more. I noted to have a shopping spree tomorrow to buy a black shirt for him.

Keeping it all mid-way, I went to clean the guestroom. I dusted off the cupboards and shelves deligently.

While mopping the floor, the mop hit something lying under the bed. Trying hard, I pulled out a black bag, which had spider webs and dust hovering it.

It seemed like none cared to open the bag or room from long. I ran the zip, which made a screeching sound against the zipper as if struck somewhere. Rolling it back and forth after spraying a little oil for lubrication, I finally burst open the bulky bag.

I pulled out some beautiful fabrics out of it. They were some neckpieces of silver and rings of red rubies and green emeralds . The varieties and designs were so alluring. As I pulled out more things out of them, my eyes landed on a photo frame.

I drew it out too. The frame was of glass and had a red stone attached to the end tip of heart- shaped frame. I moved my gaze to the picture of two individuals. My heart halted its actions for a moment as I glanced the portrait of my Raaz, holding a beautiful girl protectively in his arms. Their eyes never sparing each other, out of the look of love they shared.

Who was she?

Pushing those suspicions and dilemmas out my system, I hurriedly cleaned the room and marched to Kiara's room.

"Di" I whined, dramatically.

"Aww, my baby. What happened?" She cooed.

"Who is she?" I whined again.Attentively peeping at the picture again and again, she answered in negetive.

"Areey, Ask Maa." She exclaimed.

"But, they seem to be too close." Her soft remark was enough to sprinkle salt in my wounds.

"Hey, even if she is his past. You are his present. Don't worry." Kaustuv pin-pointed.

His past!

I hopped all my way to Maa's room with a pout, my mind bringing out different dynamics of their relationships.

I knocked on her door to hear her 'Come in'.

I entered to see, Viraj and Maa sipping their coffee, while talking over something.

"Maa, who is she?" I forwarded her the photo frame.

"She? Where did you find this?" She inquired.

"I found it in the storeroom. Tell me, please." I whined, cutely.

"Didn't Raaz say anything about Saanvi?" Viraj asked me in disbelief.

"Then, let it be. Only Raaz has the rights to unveil about her to you. If he hasn't done it yet, wait for him to disclose it." He suggested.

"I wonder how our possessive Raaz missed to introduce his Princess to his wife." Maa mumbled, unknowingly dropping a hint for me.

"Where is she now?" I asked.

"Mumbai. Why?" She asked, puzzled.

I came out of the room and launched towards the mini garden of our house.
His princess!

It felt familiar. Yes, my lifeline.

Earlier, he went to mumbai for 4 months. Now also he is there as per what I've heard from Viraj.

Is he there with her?

Immediately, I booked my tickets for Mumbai to his penthouse. I had a hunch, I will find him somewhere there.

That night, I slept a dreamless slumber to get up early to fly to Mumbai as quick as possible.

Sunday, it was!

Notifying everyone that I had some work-related tour, I dashed into the airport to catch the first flight of the morning. Though I excused myself with this silly excuse, still I could see smirks intact on their face.

Shaking my random thoughts off, I concentrated at the work at hand. I plugged in my earphone as the flight took off. As the moments went sipping by, I fell asleep unknown to me.

I sat up with a jerk as my head bumped into the seat upfront me, that was tilted obtusely. Caressing my head and muttering curses at the seat, I checked my watch to see, it was already past 11:30 am.

Few minutes more to land, I mumbled.

My mind sketched the scenarios of activities of our house at this time. By this time, Viraj, Kiara Di, Maa and Kaustuv would be sitting round the garden and talking the business and profits acquired in the week. While, I would be exactly like a 'crane in the bevy of swans.'

I smiled at that thought. No, I wasn't offended anyday because a sailor can never be a sailor of all seas. I did and persuaded something I loved, then what's there to be dejected on feeling left out. But, I missed my idiot, someone to act as clueless in that matter as me.

My bubble of thoughts weaned off as the speaker roared about the landing of the plane.

The next minutes later, I descended the stairway of the plane and exited the airport. I could see a uber waiting for me. I tied my hair in a single bun, that was messed up in the whole air excursion.

"Bhaiya, Juhu Beach jana hai." (Brother, I need to go Juhu Beach) I politely asked the driver.

My emotions were on a feast with the excitement to meet him, finally after a long freaking week.

"Bhaiya, jaldi chaliye na." ( Brother, Drive fast) I desperately snapped at him.

"Kisse milne jaa rahe ho? " ( Are you going to meet someone?) He laughed, seeing me that impatient.

"Husband." I mumbled, to receive another laugh from him.

The sudden halt of the taxi, made me inch ahead as a reflex, but I paused my inertia in time without much ado, to my benefit.

The serendipity yet the trepidation getting its birth underneath me had mused a ghost of goosegumps around my whole body with just the gentle touch of the humid air of Mumbai.

I never felt something so intense inside me ever. Not even, in the first surgery, I assisted or I led. Neither when I stepped into my dream medical college for the very first time nor, when I held the scalpel for my first ever incision. This was something, un-named and un-expressive, but a cluster of delights and doubts.

I ambled heartily towards the sea-facing paled turquoise and sapphire blue shaded double-storey apartment.
My sight lingered a bit more to admire the house infront of me. Our house.

I meandered inside delightfully, a smile never leaving my face with the breezy air playing with the tail of my hair and saree, making me feel light and giddy.

As I etched more closer to the interior of the house, I spotted two figures. Their back facing me, as they were busy talking and laughing with no care of the world.

The man turned and my heart instantly solidified painfully. It was him. My Raaz!

The same girl, whom I saw in that picture was clinging to him, her arms wounded around his neck from backside. In a split second, I saw him turning and placing his lips on her forehead ever-so gently. She was his princess.

A herd of emotions crossed over me, making me dizzy. Gone were those ecstacy and excitement, and only remained the ruins of my emotions. I wasn't that weak to shed a tear. Never!

I trudged back to the taxi with my heavy heart and steps. I never felt so lost in life, even when Viraj called off the wedding as of the void, I was feeling now.

If that was love failure, this felt like life failure.

I was happy to see the same driver, still there talking on his phone.

I passed him my best ever smile and asked him to drop me at few kms away, where my parents stayed. Though he looked unconvinced that I recalled the wrong address, he abided by my saying.

Indeed, that was a wrong address. An address, where my presence was never needed.

The taxi reached the next stoppage in fleeting couple of minutes, but I was still vying for a destination for my messed up life.

I hopped down the taxi with his face smiling in my heart and plodded to my house, with my heart bleeding in agony.

•••

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Love,
Biswa❤️