My Love! My Life!
A/N: If you've come here expecting the usual kind of love story: the one with the 'boy meets girl – they fall in love – they get married – and they live happily ever after' types, this is not for you! But Hey!... In case….. Just in case you are looking for something unusual, this is for you. Dedicated to the few of you who look forward to reading unusual stories.
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25th August 2024
*tring… tring.. tring….*
Hello… Haan beta.. Mama will be there next week.. Yes.. sure baby.. I will bring you the doll you wanted… until then, be a good girl and do your homework on time… Don't trouble Shreya aunty… ok… Mama will call you again in the night… ok… bye…
…..
I am Purvi.
Sr. Inspector Purvi, CID., to be more precise. I was on an official visit to Rajasthan, but decided to spend a week in Delhi before I head back to Mumbai. I had informed Vineet about my trip and he had offered to pick me up from the airport. He was there, dot on time, and here we are sitting at one of the quietest restaurant in the capital.
It is almost ten years since I last sat with him, alone, like this. To be honest, I'm not sure when I last spent time with him, alone. The quick hug and a soft peck on the cheek, back at the airport felt very nice – not because it was after a long time, but because, as much as I would like to deny, I was waiting for it.
Nothing has actually changed between us for years. We were sitting with our plates, talking and laughing about everything else in the world, other than us. We had never been vocal about our feelings to each other, not as much as we should have, not as much as I would have liked it to be.
Ok. Wait.. Let me take you through my past.. Flashback, as they call it in movies. Close your eyes…. Imagine the mosquito coil going in the anti-clockwise direction.
*Pause*
Saw that? Good! Now you are ready to go through the rest of my story. Open your eyes and read on…
…
Just like most of bollywood love stories, Vineet and I were colleagues in the department, way back in 2012-13. We were also from the same city and so ended up having a lot of common friends. Our on-duty trips made us connect with each other and as time passed, we had fallen in love with each other.
"It was a beautiful night in September….."
Well, I'd love to say that, but being in CID, unfortunately does not give you that kind of an opportunity. So, I'll stick to the truth. It was a bloody night in September. A maniac in the city was on a killing spree and had already made 14 innocent people his victims even before we were aware of the situation. In short, there was blood everywhere we looked, and any more description is sure to gross you out.
Being the junior-most officers in the team sure had its own demerits. And looking for evidences on a dark windy night, in the middle of a bloody road was one of them. But yeah, that's besides the point. So it was on this day that he chose to tell me those three beautiful words. I didn't have to think before saying a yes – be it in the middle of a bloody road, or atop the white Himalayas – the place didn't matter at all. He said it and I was glad.
But unlike most couples, we did not declare our relationship to the world – in fact, there wasn't much we spoke to each other (about this) after that. We did not go to parks and beaches and hardly spent time alone with each other (I repeat, like most other couples). I don't remember if he likes music like I do of if he liked cricket and football. I don't even remember what he liked to eat, all I remember is that I always had a good time with him.
I knew he told little white lies, sometimes just to make me smile and sometimes even to make me jealous – but it really never bothered me. I might have forgotten what he said, but I've never forgotten how he made me feel! (and thats what matters.. isn't it?)
I came from a dysfunctional family (hey, who doesn't?) My father, (Ok. Yeah he adopted me. So what?) had his own problems and a number of relationships (another common thing in today's world), mostly with wrong people. Of course, he tried keeping it to himself, but he never realized that it bothered me. I needed someone to confide in, but I didn't know if I could talk about it to any of my uncles and if it would be of any help. I wasn't sure if talking to any of my friends and colleagues would help me, I was afraid they would judge me and shun me. All I wanted to do was have someone to talk to, and that's how this friendship began, though I hardly told him any of my problems.
I think we both had our problems and though we both wanted each other desperately, we refused to open ourselves to each other. At least, that is what my guess is as, even today, 10 years later; we still don't talk about the negative side of our lives. We were sub-inspectors with CID, Mumbai when we spent most time with each other without anyone noticing the change in us. A year later, he was transferred to the Special Bureau, Kolkata and later to Delhi, while I remained in Mumbai (I still do).
Somehow, we never spoke of our love or what we wanted out of it. Actually (now I feel guilty about it) I didn't even go to the airport to see him off. It must have hurt him real bad, I'm sure.
….
Heart of hearts all I wanted was a hug, just to show that everything was alright, nothing more. But his unexpected peck on the cheek, made the whole thing more special.
…...
A year had passed before I could talk to him again. I didn't have his address, no phone number, no nothing. By now, I had shifted my residence closer to the hospital where papa was undergoing treatment for his amnesia. He too had moved to Delhi after his brief stint with the Special bureau in Kolkata.
All of a sudden, it started all over again – We had managed to get each others numbers and started keeping in touch though messages. Again, we wrote about everything on the face of the earth – all except our feelings for each other. This continued for a few months and then I suddenly broke up with him. It wasn't by choice..
Wondering why? Hang on….
