Episode 5

“Till when will you keep yourself away from her, Vivaan? You yearn to see her, talk to her, pour your heart out to her, every moment yet you maintain distance from her. When will you listen to your heart?” questioned Daksh, looking at his forlorn brother who continued to eye what he looked at whenever he had time away from work - his pictures with Vrinda.

“This is my punishment, Bhai. To see her yet not lose myself in her eyes, to be around her but not listen to her words, to love her and to be away from her. After all, it was my bloody choice, wasn’t it?” spat Vivaan, self-derision and guilt ringing in his voice, unchanged through the years he had left his love behind.

“Then don’t be a coward and face the consequences, Vivaan! You say that it was your choice, you know why you had to choose this option, with or without regret, it is upto you to face the consequences and maybe that is your real punishment,” stated Daksh, stoning his heart to utter the words, which he knew, to hurt his younger brother.

“Bhai, what...”

“I know what I am speaking, Vivaan. I might be sounding rude to you but you have to face the reality, you have to face Vrinda, better now than when she knows the complete truth. After all, who can tell her about her life better than the one whom she chose to be her life-partner?” mused Daksh, his tone toning down as he took in his brother’s shattered form.

Daksh’s words directly hit Vivaan’s heart and compelled him to take a step in the direction pointed to him by his brother. Daksh could not help but wonder if he had guided his brother in the direction of heaven or to a more agonizing hell.

Vrinda’s Room,

One look towards her was all it look for Vivaan to forget every inhibitions he had in his mind. Her doe-like eyes, sleep-deprived themselves and caused him to be sleep-deprived by appearing in his visions over and over again - sometimes breaking his heart, sometimes making his world - seemed to invite him towards herself all over again.

She seemed slightly perturbed by his presence. Her eyes slightly widened, her face leaned forwards and her lips thinned in thought. In that moment, Vivaan prayed her to recognize him, by miracle, for love or for hatred, to embrace or to entangle, but to lessen the ache in his heart.

“I am sorry, but I don’t recognize you. I know it is quite awkward, if we had known each other in the past, but can you introduce yourself once again?” she muttered, her eyes scanning his features.

The strange wave of familiarity took over her muddled brain. An unknown warmth, the much cherished serenity, the forgotten smile took over her, as she drank in his sight. The way his eyes ran over her made her heart race yet she felt at peace while her mind questioned the reason behind such unusual happenings.

For Vivaan, on other hand, it was like a truck of ice emptied upon him, extinguishing his hope as much as his presence had ignited feelings in his significant other. How could he expect that she would remember the one indirectly responsible for her fate?

“I am Vihaan, Daksh Bhai’s cousin,” he replied, trying to curb his emotions and not display them for her to see as he lied through his teeth.

“Oh,” she looked disappointed, making him wonder if she was expecting someone else.

“Were you expecting someone else?” he asked, unable to stop himself.

“No offense to you, but I was hoping to find whom everyone tags as my best friend - Vivaan. I have been here since weeks and this so-called bestfriend of mine never visited me or even spoke to me. I wonder what is the reason,” she complained, her slightly flared nostrils only reminiscent of the Vrinda he had known.

Vivaan, the man himself in question, was shook by the question. His identity was not kept away from her and she had no reason to not expect him to speak to her, after all, she was not aware of the way they had parted their ways.

“He will reach out to you as soon as he is ready. Right now, he is quite shook that you don’t recognize anyone and don’t remember any of the memories you built together. Also, he is busy with his work in the UK, he will come back as soon as he can,” he said, the last part being the reality if he had not known her fate through an unexpected well-wisher.

“Oh...” she managed to utter while he could not decipher anything from her expressions but could feel his guilt increase several times over.

“I am sorry,” he said earnestly but quickly realized what he had uttered in the storm of emotions and added,“..on his behalf.”

“Oh, there’s no need. It must hurt everyone that I am unable to recognize them and if we were actually as close as everyone claims to be, it would be toughest for him, since my parents aren’t alive to see me in this state anyways. What could be more painful than your best friend forgetting your existence, your memories, your inside jokes and ‘us’ moments? I don’t blame him but I would definitely wait to listen from him, maybe that can do the wonder everyone is waiting for,” she mused, a whimsical smile playing on her lips, the one which never failed to steal his breath away.

It was that moment of understanding that re-ignited Vivaan’s hope on their future and made him fall in love with her once again. Maybe she would understand his side when he reveals it all in front of her, maybe she would give him another chance, maybe she allow him and her to be ‘them’ once again.

“But for now, I want to listen about my past, of course, only if you can help. I assumed that you came to tell me a tale of my past as you came at the same time as others used to come. So, will you?” she asked, smiling slightly at him in a way she wondered why as she seemed to have an urge to smile without any reason, as if she had met answer to her every question.

“Your word is my command, Vrinda,” he said, involuntarily, and for a moment it felt if nothing had changed - she was the same Vrinda who voiced the unvoiced in front of him without any inhibitions and he was the same Vivaan who fulfilled her unheard wishes without any questions-but only if it was.

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