PIHA'S POV:
[Three days later]
28th March

"Dr Piha, are you free after this? As in, I was planning on going shopping, and given that I don't have any friends or contacts in Pune, I wanted to ask you and Sanjana Chechi (elder sister in Malayalam), if you both could accompany me today. Please, pretty please," Jessica says and flashes me puppy eyes.

Shopping??

In my dreams.

I don't even remember the last time I bought clothes. I look at my outfit underneath the white coat, a white sweatshirt and a black denim skirt.

It doesn't look ugly, but I need new clothes for sure.

It's usually Di who selects clothes for me, as she says my fashion sense is trash. Not that I disagree.

Jessica is a college student, which means her choice of clothes should be great, and talking about Sanjana ma'am, she dresses so well every day. Be it a formal or casual look, she slays it.

Coming out of my trance, I look at Jessica, who mumbles another 'please'. Giggling, I say- "Okay, okay, I will come. But I have one condition."

She jumps in excitement and I steady her holding by the shoulder. She chuckles and says- "I knew you would come. Tell me your condition, bet, whatever. I'm ready to do anything you say."

I let out a laugh and say, scratching the back of my neck- "You know, I have a horrible fashion sense. So it wo-would be great if both of you could help me with shopping."

I flash her a nervous smile and feel my cheeks redden in embarrassment. She chuckles and replies- "That's what friends are for, right Dr Piha? I will select everything for you, Okay? You're so pretty, anything would look good upon you. I'm so excited."

She continues behaving like a teenager.

Wait.

Did she just call us friends? My lips part and I blink a few times.

She'll call me an Idiot if I ask her the same, right? But it wouldn't be nice if I call her a friend of mine, without her permission or something.

Should I ask Di? No, she would call me a weirdo.

I know.

Ansh.

I giggle to myself and I open my phone.

As he told me, their team meeting should be over by 8:30 PM, which is 6 PM here, and given that it is 5:55 PM right now, maybe I should text him. He'll reply soon, I hope so.

Opening our chat, I type-

You : Hey Ansh. Okay, I know there are still a few minutes to go till your meeting's over. Just wanted to text you prior to that. Guess we won't be able to talk now like we decided as we were planning on going shopping.

I attach a sad-faced emoji and I happen to look that way too because obviously, I want to talk to him now, but then I can't reject Jessica too, given that she's very excited.

Well, it's been almost fifteen minutes since Jessica's and my shift was over. This happens to be the third call of this week for me and tomorrow afternoon, around 2:30 we have the next call, which will be for 16 hours, again. I hope it's the last one for this week as it's already been a hectic one.

Or it might be because I'm not used to it. But never mind, I'll get used to it soon.

I drop myself on the sofa beside the one Jessica's sitting on, and grin to myself as I see Ansh's message lined up on my lock screen's notifications.

Unlocking, I read his text-

Ansh : Hey you, Piha. Once again, I was so freaking happy to read your text the minute I walked out of the conference hall. But obviously, I do not like that I won't get a chance to talk to you, which I've been looking forward to for the last 10 to 12 hours. Ignoring my selfish self, yes, it's great that you're going out after a hectic week and hope you enjoy it. Just you and Aaraya or your parents too?

I shake my head in a no and type-

You : Nope Ansh, it's not Di. I'm going with Jessica and Sanjana, they work in the OB and nursing department respectively. Jessica asked me to join her and she was all excited, I couldn't say no. Also to the fact that- I need to buy clothes. So yes, I'll go back home after a while.

Ansh : That's great, Piha. Are they your friends, Jessica and Sanjana?

Scratching my temple nervously, I type-

You : I would've said no, but then, Jessica said- 'That's for friends are for right?' when I asked her, whether she could help me select clothes. Does that mean I can call her a friend now?

I must be sounding so silly. He's probably laughing at me. Or maybe he's not, he would never judge me or anyone in general.

Ansh : You should know- I'm happy for you, Piha. Of course, that means you both are friends. You're happy about it, aren't you?

I grin and as I'm about to type, I see Sanjana approach us and she calls me out- "Piha, let's go otherwise we'll be stuck in traffic."

I nod and diverting my attention to the phone, I type-

You : Of course I'm happy Ansh. Okay, I guess I'll have to go now. if I reach home early, I'll call you, but I guess it'll be too late in Malaysia by then. So we'll talk tomorrow morning, that's okay with you?

I get up and follow both of them as they walk to the elevator, and side by side, read his text-

Ansh : That's alright with me, Piha. Keep texting me as you get time, I would love that.

Smiling, I reply-

You : Me too haan (okay). Talk to you later.

Biting back a chuckle, I remove my coat and put it in my backpack.

I look at Sanjana as she says- "Today...we will have fun, we'll have a girls day out!

She announces, causing all of us to grin.

____________________

"This psychotic bitch, fuck off," Jessica yells as she tumbles over some lady's foot and I let out a laugh.

We take the escalator and enter the first store insight, which happens to be Zara. Jessica giggles and runs to the 'ladies section causing Sanjana to sigh as we follow the not-so-mature girl.

She holds the black Victoria crop fitted top against my shoulders, as she says- "You would look so pretty in this, Dr Piha! Go try it, jaldi (quick)!"

She pushes me towards the trial room, only for my legs to oppose.

I hear Sanjana laugh and she says- "Jess ya, look around first, select whatever you want and then, try it out. As simple as that."

Jessica nods as the realisation hits her

We walk around until I spot a sofa at the far end. Grabbing the chance, I sprint towards the place at the speed of sound and comfortably place myself there.

Opening my phone, I type to Ansh-

You : Hey you, Ansh. What are you doing? Are you busy?

Licking my lower lip, I wait and notice Sanjana and Jessica selecting outfits as they have been doing for the past fifteen minutes.

I look down at my phone as it beeps-

Ansh : Hello to you too, Piha. And no, I am not busy right now, also before you ask - what's up with me, I'm sitting by the poolside along with some of the team members. You're free now? What are you up to?

He isn't free, he's literally sitting with his friends. Frowning, I type -

You : Ansh, you can talk to me later, okay? You're sitting and probably having a chat with your teammates right now. I'm disturbing you.

Ansh : No Piha, of course you're not. We're just sitting and 'trying to have a conversation, it's pretty awkward here. All I want to do is get up and leave. It's good that you texted me, otherwise I would've texted Utkarsh to avoid the situation here.

I giggle and type-

You : Really? Is it that awkward there? Just out of curiosity, you can yell at me if you want to- is your team not close? As in are you all not a close-knit, like they show on screen?

I hope he's not offended.

Ansh : I would never yell at you, Piha, Even if I am angry or want to correct you- I'll scold you, but I won't ever yell at you- K?

I fan myself dramatically and smirk.

Oh, come on Piha. nothing to show off about, just that...

Just that what??

Biting back a laugh, I read another text he just sent-

Ansh: And no, we are pretty close, but then we don't usually sit staring at the pool with depressive vibes around us. It's just that...there are some players from the opposition, as in Malaysia, around us too. You know right, it's kind of weird talking to them, we don't have much to talk about. Plus I have no clue how to say that we should retire to room right now.

I chuckle softly, not wanting to gather attention. I can already imagine him scratching the back of his neck and being all awkward.

"Piha, what are you doing? Come on!" I hear Jessica yell, and I swiftly get up but not before texting Ansh-

You : That seems like a funny scenario. Just say you're tired and get going. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Okay Ansh, I'll text you nantar (later).

I say and slip the phone into the side pocket of my skirt, roaming till I find Jessica and Sanjana.

"Look, I've found all these for you, go try it out now," Jessica says and hands me shopping bag which causes me to stumble due to it's weight.

"We have selected this." Sanjana corrects her.

Widening my eyes at them, I say- "What is this guys? How am I going to try so many clothes?!"

Jessica shrugs it off saying- "It's nothing, Dr Piha. Still less than Sanjana Chechi and I have tried. Common, don't do natak (drama) now."

Before I object, they drag me to the dressing room and opening the door, push me in.

I tilt my face and gape at the mirror- which reflects my image as the door shuts behind me.

Hey, you Piha. You look pretty!

I see a pink tint on my cheeks as I continue check myself out.

I don't look...bad.

Ignoring my silly thoughts I start getting to business- which is trying on clothes right now.

I slip into a red crop top paired up with wide jeans.

Yeah, I mean it looks good, but you should try something else.

I not at my internals and keep trying clothes until I spot a pink slit cut mini-skirt.

No way.

A skirt can't be that pretty.

I quickly slip it on with a white crop top. I blink twice looking at my reflection again. This looks so cute and just fine on me.

But.

Will black look prettier than white? Maybe not.

I strip down the white one and try the black one out.

Both of them are good, Piha!

Then what do I do? Which one do I take? I like both of them.

Take on both of them then.

I shake my head in disagreement. Why waste so much money?? Anyway I'll have to buy things for college later.

Hmm. You have a point there. Then ask someone, Piha.

I gasp at the first name that comes to mind

Ansh.

No! I can't call him for such a petty reason. I have to stop being so clingy- texting him every now and then. No, no way I'm going to annoy him again.

Oh come on, Piha. He thinks of you the the same way, I guarantee. He probably wants to talk to you now, remember he was sad when you informed him about today's plan?

He was. Should I just send him both the pictures and wait till he replies?

I nod and take mirror selfies with both the crop tops one after the another.

I crop the photo, not wanting him to catch a glimpse of the silly skirt.

Gulping, I hit send and type-

You: Hey once again, Ansh. Sorry for disturbing you for such a minor reason. If you can- tell me which one looks better, the white one or the black one?

I instantly get a reply-

Ansh : I'm glad you texted me, Piha. And you look so freaking pretty, it's difficult to select one of them. Select the one that goes better. As in what's the colour of your skirt? I assume you'll be getting a skirt.

I smile as I type-

You : Yes Ansh. It's another skirt, I'm obsessed with it. And yes, it's pink in colour.

Ok.

I gotta hurry. They might be waiting for me outside. I divert my attention back to phone as it beeps-

Ansh : The white one, Piha. If you need anything else, just send me a text, okay?

You : Yes yes, I will. Thank you so much.

Ansh : Not a problem, Piha.

I change into my original outfit and talking the bag, I get out of the trial room, looking for Jessica and Sanjana.

Spotting them in the billing line, I quickly race there- "Hey you both. Is this okay? As in this combination, it looks pretty, I think."

I say and Jessica picks up the pink skirt and white top.

"You would look so freaking beautiful in this. Have you tried it already?" I nod. "Oh. I wanted to see it, but then it's fine, we'll just pay and leave."

"That's fine with me. I'll pay, and then let's go and grab something to eat," Sanjana says only for us to argue.

"How can you pay ha? Not fair, I'll pay." Jessica says.

I narrow my eyes at her and say- "Oh please Jessica. You're just a college student. We can't let you pay. I'll pay."

Sanjana sighs as the receptionist hands her some card- "Girls, I'm done paying, she just handed me my credit card. No point of arguing now. Maybe pay sometime else, okay?"

I hesitantly say, only to be cut by her- "But-"

"No ifs and buts Piha. Let's go." She hands me and Jessica our bags and drags us out of the store.

As I'm about to object once again, a melodious voice falls onto my ear.

But not loud enough for me to hear.

Where is it coming from? It's so addictive, Piha.

I know right, it is. Tapping Sanjana's shoulder, I say-
"Can you hear that too? Like the voice, Someone singing?"

"Oh yes, I can. It's beautiful," She says and smiles.

I see Jessica grin and point to a space. Following it, my gaze rests on a stage and crowd surrounding.

It's coming from there. The man on the stage. Is he a singer or something? Definitely sounds like one. Of course he is, Piha. Hearing that voice, any label could sign up a contract with him.

I nod and pulling Jessica and Sanjana with me I cross the distance and pushing through the crowd, I finally find a place to stand.

It's crowded, very crowded. Why wouldn't it be? Okay, wait. Is he a professional singer?

Jessica drags me as we stand just next to the end of the stage and melodious voice, conveying a thousand emotions falls into my ear-

"Sunn Mere Khuda Bas Itni Si Meri Duaa
"Listen to just this small prayer of mine, O God!

Lauta De Humsafar Mera
Please give me back my partner

Jaayega Kuch Nahi Tera
You won't lose anything (if You do so)

Tere Hi Dar Pe Hoon Khada
I'm standing on Your doorstep

Jaaun Toh Jaaun Main Kahaan
Where else should I go?

Taqdeer Ko Badal Meri
Please change my destiny

Mujhpe Hoga Karam Tera..."
It will be a huge benevolence (on Your part)"

[Tere Mere by Armaan Malik]

I freeze as every word hits me hard as a tsunami. Lowering my gaze, I feel the same emotions seep through me.

Will he ever come back? No he won't. Why can't all this just be a nightmare? Just tell me what it takes for making him breathe again. I'll do everything, just say it. Isn't there anything? How could my life change this much? How is possible for life to change this much?

The person who's your entire world one day, just disappears the next. You won't be able to see them, feel them, smell them, talk to them. All you have is their dead body.

He finishes the song then and says- "This song, it's very close to me. I've cried a zillion times listening to it. It reminds me of the time I lost someone, Someone very close to me. But just remember, there's going to someday when those memories won't hurt you as bad as they used to. Everything changes for the good, everything that happened was for good. It will make you a better person, a stronger person."

I hold back my tears as he sings-

"Aati ho to baarish lete aana
"When you'd come bring rain with you

Jee bhar ka rone ka dil karta hai
I wish to cry out loud

Rehti hai yeh khwahish hothon par hi
This desire is always there on my lips

Jab bhi yeh dil mera jo bharta hai
Whenever my heart is filled with sorrows

Kuch khwaab hai likhe khaton mein
I

have written some dreams on letters

Tumko sonp doon
I'd deliver them to you (before I leave this world)

Iss dard ki zameen pe main
In this grave of suffering

Khudko ronp doon"
I'll sacrifice myself"

Phir bhi woh lamhein tum lete aana
But please take those moments of love to me

Aadhe adure se jo chuute thhe
Which were unfulfilled and left behind

Taare bhi woh saare lete aana
Bring all those stars as well

Jo humne dekha tha ki toote thhe"
Which we witnessed falling from the sky together"

[Baarish lete aana by Darshan Raval]

I cover my mouth as a sob escapes my lips. He left me...with his dreams. I can't cry like this. I have his dreams to complete.

Crying everyday, being upset over the past, it's of no use. I have to do it, complete his dreams, make him happy. He's worth it, every pain, every sorrow.

I feel Someone's gaze on me, causing me to open my eyes and look around only to stare into the singer guy's earthy deep brown eyes, exactly similar to mine.

He walks towards me and bends out at the end of stage, matching my height.

My eyes meet his, again, as he scans my face. His palm touches my cheeks gently as he wipes the stream of aching tears staining my face, which make me realise- I've been crying.

"Agar aap royengi, toh mujhe gaana change karna padega na?" He says and smiles, causing my lips to curve up into a smile too.

(Translation- If you cry, I'll have to change the song, right?)

"It's okay, it's going to be okay." With that he gets up continues singing, making my heart flutter at his voice.

"Hey Piha, don't cry," Jessica and Sanjana say in unison as they engulf me in a hug.

I can't be like this all life. He won't be happy seeing me like this.

I'll do it for you, Roman. I will do it.

~√~√

Author's note*

That was a lengthy chapter for sure...do let me know your views upon him a.k.a Mr singer. He may or not be an upcoming character ;-)
Also, do vote and take care.