STOP READING IF U HAVENT READ THE PART 1 OF THIS STORY
“One Café Latte and one Café Americana”, Rishi ordered.
“This is where it all started”, Rishi said as he kept looking at the menu.
“It was an interesting start. Common friends introduced us. We started off with SMS, then online chats, and then over telephone…” she recollected those days.
“Interesting start. An interesting end” he was sarcastic.
She couldn’t help but be silent.
The coffee arrived.
“We had the same coffee flavor that day. Didn’t we?” she asked.
He didn’t respond.
“Can I ask you a favor?” she asked.
“Sure. Anything”
“This is the last day for us to be together. Why don’t you just be yourself? I want to have the best time of my life… today… with you” she said.
“Where to next?” she asked.
“Surprise!”
They drove for an hour. He drove her up a little mound. They walked down a narrow lane. It began to drizzle. They weren’t new to that.
“Where are we going?”
“Heaven” he smiled. She locked her hand with his and leaned over his arm. They walked until they reached a dead end.
“We cannot walk any further. One step more and we will fall off this cliff”, she warned.
“Don’t you want to look beyond the place where we stand?” he asked as he hugged her from behind.
She looked up and beyond. She saw the vast sea, which was a mix of blue and gray, the endless gray and gloomy sky, swaying palm trees, and the wet sand. She was bowled over by the view.
She held him close to her.
“You looked at the end of the cliff and thought this was the end. But when you looked beyond it, didn’t you see the beautiful sea and feel the cold breeze that makes you feel closer to me?” he whispered in her ears.
She knew why he brought her there. She understood what he was trying to convey. She turned towards him and pecked on his wet cheek.
“We see two different things standing at the same place, don’t we?” he continued.
She was silent. It began to rain heavily. Until evening they walked, talked, and ate. They kept their silence at the museum, left their footprints at the beach, tipped at roadside restaurant, and beyond that, spent a lot of time holding each other’s hands – he didn’t want let go her – she wanted to hold his hand for one last time.
They reached his house.
As they walked inside the house,
“Do you want to make dinner together?” she asked.
“Why would I say ‘No’?”
They spent an hour in the kitchen making new dishes. They never did that together and they discovered that it was fun to be cooking in each other’s company.
When the cooking was done, Diya went upstairs to get a shower. She locked herself in his room. The room did not have her gifts, not even a photograph of her. It was organized and clean. What it missed was she. She pulled out a paper on his table and began to write.
When she walked into the bathroom, she noticed a gift-wrapped box. It had her name on it.
“He must have worked on a lot of things tonight” she thought.
She unwrapped it to find a long turquoise skirt and a white kurta. She loved it. He knew what she always liked.
After an hour she walked down in that new dress. As she walked down the stairs she saw the dining table. It had neither roses nor candles.
As she reached the table, she noticed the beautifully lit Christmas tree beside it. Rishi wasn’t around. All of a sudden the lights went off.
The extravagant Christmas tree ignited the dark room. The beauty of the tree excited her. Beneath the tree was her gift. She gracefully picked it up.
“My last gift for you” Rishi said. He hugged her from behind.
In the radiance of the tree, Diya was glowing with beauty. Rishi was formally dressed.
“So, can I go ahead to unwrap this last gift of yours?” she asked.
“Don’t expect diamonds in it” he laughed.
“I wouldn’t. A diamond is no more my best friend when you are around” she smiled.
She unwrapped the gift to find all the gifts and cards that she had given him.
She realized that she had got the same last-gift for him. A tear escaped through her lucid eyes.
“Did you like the gift?” he asked as he switched on the lights.
She was silent. She sat by the tree not wanting to do anything.
“What happened? Do you want me to serve food there?” he asked.
“Sure. Switch off those lights and come here. We will eat beside the tree”, she suggested.
He sat down beside her with two glasses of red wine. She moved closer to him. He could smell the freshness in her. He had always loved that.
“Isn’t the wine a little bitter?” she asked.
“Even the wine?” he was sarcastic.
She didn’t respond but continued to peck the wine glass.
“Do you believe in making a wish before the Christmas tree?” he broke the silence.
“I’ve already made my wish”, she said.
“What is it?” he asked.
“That is a secret!” she got up and walked to the dining table.
He looked at her graceful walk. “I’m going to miss you”, he said to himself.
“What are you doing in the dark?” he asked her.
“Getting us some food. I can hardly see anything”, she complained.
He switched on the lights. He made her sit on the chair. He began to serve her.
“Let me serve you tonight because I wouldn’t get this opportunity for a lifetime” he said.
She smiled at him and began to eat.
“Aren’t you eating?” she asked.
I don’t want to waste my time eating. Let me sit here and look at this beautiful lady for some more time.
They talked about her job until she finished her dinner.
“I need to leave in another 10 minutes. It is getting late” she said as they were walking up the stairs to get her dress.
“You are going to leave me in 10 minutes…. forever” he said in a sober tone.
She turned around and was moved to see his eyes moist. She hugged him.
“I’ve never seen your eyes moist and I don’t want to be the reason. Men don’t cry” she patted on his back as if to console him to move on.
He hugged her closer. A gesture of insecurity.
“It is getting late”, she said.
He kissed her gently on her lips as the teardrop fell from his eyes.
“I love you so much. I cannot afford to let you go”, he said as they were kissing.
She moved away and sat on the bed.
“In that city, what if I meet somebody else and fall in love with that person?” she asked.
“You are not someone who would fall for somebody so easily. You take your time to fall in love and trust a person. So when you meet somebody else, I would be happy for you because that guy should have been far better than me, else you wouldn’t be leaving me alone”
“I’m touched”, she said.
“But I’m not”
They made love that night… for the last time. He got up to put on his dress. She was there on the bed, her tress caressing the pillow, and the blanket covering her pristine body. She was looking at him with shyness and the passion. Her eyes were moist.
He noticed the letter that she had written beside the bed. He began to read.
Rishi,
I know I made a decision that could break our relationship forever. I knew today was the last day in our lives as lovey-dovey lovers. But after spending almost a day with you, I think I shouldn’t have taken that decision. I would have been a fool to take up a career in some other place and leave behind someone who adores me truly. I did look beyond that dead end and at the lovely sea.
I think I will spend the rest of my life with you. That makes sense. I love you for what you are. You weren’t rude. I know you were hurt but you never showed it on me. I love you for that.
Here is a promise that I make on the eve of this Christmas. “I will be with you forever no matter what”. And let me also make a wish, “I should be in your thoughts forever”.
I love you Rishi. Thanks for being my life.
Love,Diya
Tears flowed down his eyes. He looked at her. She was still looking at him, beautifully. Blood ran down her nose and mouth. The poison was slow but true. She was dead.
(need comments from u people what should have happened there ???)
