Remains of a Lost Heart - The Finale

Heya guys... I know its been eons since I've promised this post. Lotsa work and other useless things kept me from completing this one. Anywayz as the popular saying goes... better late than never :) READ & ENJOY. Ofcourse do not forget to leave me your amazingly valuable suggestions. It keeps me going. If you actually read this long. Thanks a ton :) All those who want a PDF or a book like copy IM me or PM me... :) Ill send it across :)

Chapter 11 - Lost in Love - Yet Again?

Arya walked quickly behind her and knocked on the door. “Leave me alone for some time Arya.. I need to think about a few things….”, she said weakly but affirmative enough to make him stay on the other side of the door. “Things like what Divs?”, he questioned. He stood there never to hear an answer. He sat down on the carpet and leaned back against the door just as she did on the other side. A couple of hours passed. She called out softly, “Arya, are you still there?” She waited a couple of minutes for an answer. “For you… Always …”, he said. He heard the door knob above his head turn, he was nervous. His hands trembled and he was almost scared to face her.

She said, “Arya, leave me alone for a bit, I have to figure out why this thing that you just told me worries me so much…” He said, “Ok I will. I am heading to the university now. I think I’ll be in the student union the whole day. Call me Divs. I’ll be waiting….” He walked out of the house with his head hung low. He held his laptop under his arms and walked slowly towards to the university campus.

“Hey Arya.. Why do you look like you just lost a million dollars?”, a voice on the way sounded as he passed a coffee shop. He looked at where the voice was coming from and saw a face he knew forever.  Nisha waved at him almost like her hands were going to fall off. He stared at her in shock. She ran towards him and gave him a tight hug. He hugged back and said, “What are you doing here?” and immediately realized that wasn’t the conversation start she was really looking for. Nisha’s excitement almost died with that question and she took a step back. “Is there something wrong Arya? I was just walking around the downtown and I ran into you. I did not mean to freak you out or anything”, she said in an apologetic tone. Arya felt even more miserable. He immediately apologized, “It’s not you Nish… I am so sorry I did not mean to be that rude. Can we just go into this coffee shop and sit down to talk?”

She readily agreed and they sat down with cups of coffee and some cakes. “Ok.. so can I ask what is bothering you so much Arya?”, she began. He had no clue where to begin. She sat there staring at him waiting for an answer. “Let’s not talk about that then… So, tell me where do we go this weekend? Take me some place nice Arya… Will you?”, she tried her best to pull him into a meaningful conversation. He stared deep into her clueless eyes and said, “There are a lot of things I have to figure out Nish… I’ll talk to you later. I am very sorry I am being such a jerk, but, I am not really in a place where I wanna talk about anything. And about the weekend I’m not too sure now”, he sounded very apologetic. She sounded very persuasive as she said, “It’s about something very important I have been meaning to tell you Arya… all these years.. So please make it this weekend” and she left the coffee place paying for all the coffee. He was even more confused as he sat alone at the coffee shop staring into his empty coffee cup. He saw through the glass that Nisha seemed to be fiddling her handbag as she walked away with a worried expression on her face.

Somehow when he left the coffee place he decided to go back home. He opened the door to see Divya seated on the couch. She was on the phone.  She immediately changed conversation and hung up almost abruptly. “Is it a good time for me to talk?”, Arya asked with doubt in his tone. “What is wrong with you Arya? You can say anything to me anytime you want….”, she said like nothing  had happened. He started, “Divs…  I don’t know where to start and also I have no idea what you’re thinking now…” She interrupted him, “It’s ok Arya I was just being dumb… I have no clue why I was in a crazy mood then… I am sorry if I freaked you out or something…” He did not how to react and he just stood dumbstruck. She got off the couch walked up to him and gave him a tight hug. He held her face between his palms and looked deep into her eyes and said, “Honeybunch you have nothing to worry about… I only told you the whole story ‘cos she’s come here and she wants to meet me over the weekend. She has something very important to tell me…” She looked up and sounded out, “What? Why? Does she know about us yet?” Arya sat her down and told her what had happened when he went out. She listened patiently.

“Are you meeting her this weekend and taking her some place nice?” she said with a deliberate tone of sarcasm and envy. Arya stared at her flustered not knowing whether or not to answer that question. She giggled and then said, “Look at you all worried and tense! Sorry Arya… if I freaked you out before, frankly, I was just being a girl. But, I know you too well to have even an iota of doubt. I am really sorry, I did not mean to… sweetheart… I was just pulling your leg now” He heaved a huge sigh of relief and then smiled. He held her close to him the whole time they sat there. He leaned against the wall sat with his legs spread out so that she could lean her back on his chest as he hugged her from behind. They chatted late into the evening and they both just napped away till it was late in the night.

Arya’s phone was vibrating by his side, he woke up with realization, but, he couldn’t pick up the phone without disturbing Divya. He let the call go to the voicemail.  He sat there and stared at her eye lashes that curled upwards like they were reaching for the sky, as she slept. It was a few minutes later Divya was disturbed by some noise from outside and woke up. She turned back to look up at Arya and she looked straight into his eyes. She could only see herself in them. She reached up as Arya moved his head forward and they kissed passionately. Divya let a tear trickle down her cheek as they kissed. It was a tear of mixed emotion. She was sad that she had freaked Arya out that morning and she was happy that he was beside her at the time when she most needed him. Arya knew what she was thinking and quickly stopped the tear and wiped it off her cheek gently with the back of his hand. They cozied up and she slept in his arms that night.

The week went by with both Divya and Arya buried neck deep in assignments and preparations for the mid-terms after which they had a break. Friday evening they came back and sat down in their apartment and were organizing stuff for the party they were having at their place that evening. Arya suddenly realized that he had forgotten to call Nisha. He picked up the phone and called her. “Finally… I was scared you would never call”, she teased as she started the conversation. He smiled and then said, “So, I am thinking it will be a good plan to catch up tomorrow evening and head to some place in San Francisco… what say?” Divya stopped what she was doing and stared at him like she were angry. She giggled and continued. Nisha thought for a few seconds before she said, “Sure… anytime. But, make sure you take me some place real good ok?” He replied in the affirmative and hung up after making plans. Only the place was a surprise. “So…”, Divya dragged on, “where are you taking your childhood sweetheart?  Any place I know?”  He looked up and said, “Oh! I don’t think you know. I’m taking her to some place real special…” in a sarcastic tone.

He was taking her someplace special. After all if she did not deserve it, who did?

Arya woke up from a cozy corner of the living room which was strewn with empty bottles of soda and alcohol from the party the previous night. A few of their friends had stayed over and were still asleep. Arya, snuck up behind Divya slowly and drew the hair that brushed her cheek, behind and kissed her on her cheek. She woke up and smiled.

The day was moving along slowly as they cleaned the whole place out. They had a car rented for the weekend. Arya planned to pick up Nisha before they headed out. It was around evening when she called and said she was downstairs. He called her home. Divya looked through the blinds as she parked the car. She came upstairs and knocked on the door. Divya continued cleaning as Arya got dressed and opened the door. She walked into the house and sat on the couch after setting aside the jackets that lay strewn on it. He called out, “Divs, we have someone special at our place… Come on out for a moment, will you?” She yelled out, “In a minute …” Moments later she walked out wiping the sweat on her forehead with the back of her palm as she held a brush in the other. After a brief introduction there was a moment of silence. Divya said, “No wonder he was smitten by you for so long… You look very pretty Nisha….” Arya was starting to feel a sudden discomfort.

Nisha shifted in her chair and said, “Thank you for that compliment... makes me feel much better about my bad haircut… especially a compliment coming from someone as pretty as yourself.” Divya looked at her head very sympathetically and said, “Bad parlor? You should’ve asked me where to go….” Arya suddenly felt better about the situation and interrupted, “Oh you can have these girl talks later… Let’s now hit the road Nish….” She got up to leave and went towards Divya, gave her a tight hug and whispered, “I’m going to have to borrow your boyfriend for a few hours…. I’ll take good care and turn him in before 11PM tonight ok?” Divya looked at her and they giggled. Arya did not understand anything that was going on. They left.

It was a quiet drive until Nisha asked, “So, have you asked her to marry you yet??” He looked at her and nodded suggesting no. She then asked him how everything happened between him and Divya. They arrived at the Golden Gate. She got out of the car and was almost literally pushed by the wind. It was a windy day in San Francisco. Arya came by her side and she immediately hugged his arm tight. Arya flinched. She told in a reassuring but sarcastic tone, “Don’t worry, I have permission for all this…” They had a quiet but interesting night. When Arya was dropping her at her place, she opened the door to leave, turned back hugged Arya tight as a tear uncontrollably left her eye. She quickly wiped it off before Arya could even react, she said, “It’s ok Arya, don’t say anything please. Thanks for the evening” and she walked off into the darkness like she always did. Arya went and picked up Divya to drop off the car at the rental place. When she cleaned out the glove box, she found a carefully folded note signed Nish on it. She slid it into her pocket and they went home. They reached home and sat on the couch. Divya pulled out the note and gave it to Arya. “What is this? A love note after all this time honeybunch??”, he asked. He saw Nisha’s signature and looked at her blankly. “It was in the glove box. I think she meant for you to find it at the end of the day”, she replied. He told her what had happened when he dropped Nisha off.

They sat together and opened up the note.

“It wasn’t too hard to say I loved you more than anything,

All I wanted was to be with you.

It wasn’t you I couldn’t believe,

It was the doubt that the distance did bring,

That made me think, that choked me till I went blue,

Will you ever forgive?

Will you ever accept me I kept thinking…

I did not deserve it after all, after all the time that flew…

For, you loved me without a question, a complicated web of doubts I did weave….

All I did was run – from what… from what was I running…

It was latent in me, the feeling all the time grew….
It was what I truly felt; it was the very emotion, every moment of my life I wanted to live…

It was simply the feeling I got every time I heard your voice…
And the feeling that I wanted to wake up next to you every single day…

I guess I ran for too long and too far,

For, I now live with the remains of a lost heart,

Long lost in a web of love – your love…”

Below the note there was a post script that read, “Ok, I can’t write as well as you do. So, stop laughing you moron. But, don’t bother calling me et al… I don’t want to talk about any of this. Lotsa love and hugs to Divya and you. Maybe I’ll come to the wedding.” 

Arya sat and stared at the note for the next few minutes as Divya held on to his arm. A tear fell onto the note and he quickly folded it and kept it aside. She hugged him tight and kissed him on his forehead gently and said, “Don’t worry honey I’ll take good care of you” and she winked. He hugged her and they cuddled away to sleep on the couch.

He decided not to talk to Nisha about this to avoid losing what they had. Divya only agreed with him. They had planned to go ice skating the next day. They went in the evening with a couple of friends. It was well lit and the rink was in the middle of the downtown and was heavily crowded. He held her hand all through the time they were skating. It was around 9PM when all the lights around went out and they were the only couple in the center. There was light only around the rink. The entire crowd went silent as Arya went down on a knee and proposed to Divya.

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Happily Ever After or Lost in Love???!!!