|: Soul and Mate :|
A/N : They say, you should always do what makes you happy from within. I don't care if people ONLY want to read stories on certain gentlemen or one "eternally romantic" couple. I am not the one to restrict myself to what the world wants, and follow only what the whole world follows or worships. I'll write as per my peace of mind. Don't like? Simple. Don't read.
Well, about the story, though it is supposed to be a romantic one, the romance factor is minimal. You've been warned in advance. Also, this may be below your expectations, so please bear.
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The sound of pleasant music was filling the air and the hearts of the guests, as dim scented lights highlighted the perfect ambience of the restaurant. It was a very delightful and refreshing environment, as people were seen enjoying their food amidst soft laughs of amusement and the mild clattering sound of plates and forks. On one such table in the corner, four people were sharing a good laugh over their cuisine and seemed completely at leisure in each other's company.
"It's been a long time since I am seeing you relish your food with such a great interest!" Manisha jokingly raised her eyebrows at her husband, who was wholeheartedly lost in his food, unaware of the fact that his wife and his friends had been watching him in sheer amusement. Freddy smirked teasingly at his wife "Don't you realize Manisha? I have got this golden opportunity to enjoy dinner outside home after such a long time!" he winked at his friends sitting across him, and whined as he got a soft whack on his arm from his wife sitting besides him.
Across them, their friends were, however, simply smiling in amusement at their tactics. "Tell me about it!" Vivek coughed and cleared his throat theatrically "Freddy Sir's always pestering me to take him out for lunches and dinners whenever he gets a chance" he quipped and grinned teasingly at his senior and the latter glowered at him, before shaking his head at his wife with a puppy-dog face. Manisha gave her husband a scrutinized look "What else do you bash against me, in front of your colleagues?" she raised her eyebrows. "Umm, nothing. Just that you make him do the dishes and wash the clothes" Vivek's reply was instant and he chuckled slightly, as Freddy glared daggers at him. Manisha, however, seemed thoroughly offended as her eyes widened to twice their normal size and she shot her husband a poisonous stare "Freddy! Do you always do that?"
Freddy sounded almost close to tears as he opened his mouth to protest "No Manisha! Whom are you listening to?" he glowered at his friends who were giggling with their faces down. Finally, Vivek spoke "I am sorry, bhabhi! I didn't mean to hurt you!" he said softly, and Manisha suddenly burst into peals of laughter, as the rest watched her in amazement. "I know, Vivek! I know him so well. You don't even have to tell me what he brags about me!" she shook her as she continued laughing, before turning to her husband "You'll never grow up, huh?" she patted his cheek affectionately and the four of them shared a good laugh.
"Gosh Manisha bhabhi!" Tasha rolled her wide chocolate-brown eyes at her friend in wonderment "You both have been married since, like, seventeen years now. And yet you seem like a newly wedded couple!" she smiled incredulously. "That, my friend, is the secret of a happy marriage!" Manisha quipped, winking at Vivek and Tasha, as Freddy nodded in agreement.
They seemed impressed, as Vivek suddenly exclaimed "Seriously! I've never seen such a happy marriage last for eternity, considering the number of married couples I've been coming across my entire life!" Freddy and Manisha smiled distantly, as Tasha nodded in agreement. "Believe me Freddy Sir, the way your marriage is going strong since seventeen long years, you both are one ideal couple for many!" she shook her hands in bewilderment to emphasize her point.
"How did you, you know, manage to stand strong all these years?" was Vivek's question. "It must have been tough, considering Freddy Sir's job, and your financial conditions initially, right?" Vivek's eyes were suddenly glinting with a hint of hope, as he wanted to know the answer.
Manisha sighed deeply. "It certainly wasn't easy." She started. "It wasn't easy right from when we started dating in college. Considering we both were totally from different castes, that added to the hassles." She smiled at her husband lovingly as she continued "But, Freddy never left me alone! He never made me realize that it would be tough!" she finished, her voice barely above a whisper as all the memories of their past came down upon her. Freddy slightly blushed, whereas Vivek and Tasha were all ears to their amazing love-story, and were listening with deep interest.
"We had a really tough time convincing our respective families" Manisha stated. "Mine had even threatened me to get me married to some family friend's son!" she shuddered, as the incident seemed to shoot up in front of her eyes. "I had even pestered Freddy to take me with him!" she sighed "But, knowing how amazing this man is, I was sure he wouldn't do anything of the kind" she smiled at her husband, who shook his head looking down.
"Then how did you end up getting married?" Tasha's chocolate brown eyes widened to twice their normal size, as her face produced an incredulous smile. "Well, Freddy was adamant that he won't marry me until my family agrees" Manisha supplied, and Vivek and Tasha became more excited to listen to the latter part of the story. "He tried every possible thing to convince them. At the end, he did succeed, and managed to win them over with his nature. And.. they happily gave in!" she smiled coyly, as Freddy buried his face in his hands, in an attempt to hide the fact that he was turning red.
"I still remember my wedding day!" Manisha smiled distantly. "Having two entirely different ceremonies and rituals on the same day was truly hectic. But, it was all the more memorable and exciting" she quipped. "I still remember Freddy's expression when the priest told him to chant the mantras" she let out a soft laugh and punched her husband affectionately on the shoulder.
"But we understood the real meaning of love only after we were married, and as the years progressed" it was Freddy's turn to go back in nostalgia now, as he continued with their post-wedding story, increasing Vivek and Tasha's eagerness even more.
"Initially we had to struggle a lot, considering our financial conditions" Freddy sighed. "But, trust me, there was not a single day when Manisha lost hope. And nor did she let me lose it." He smiled at his wife, as his hand went across her shoulder. "If it was not for her, I wouldn't be the guy who's sitting here in front of you right now" he supplied, while still looking at his wife, who prodded him affectionately in the shoulder. On the other end of the table, Tasha looked ready to cry as she seemed thoroughly overwhelmed. Vivek, however, was lost in deep thoughts, only to be interrupted by Manisha's voice. "Basically, if you take an oath to stand by each other's side, you can overcome whatever hurdles life throws at you. In fact, I know perfectly well what goes on in Freddy's mind at every situation without him even telling me!" She smiled, and Tasha's eyes glistened as she spoke "That's a perfect story! I swear I haven't seen such a strong couple like you" she said, her voice barely above a whisper, as she wiped her tears. "Ahh, I am sure you both will have it smooth, when you eventually take the step" Manisha assured, as Vivek and Tasha turned a brilliant shade of red, identical to that of the table covers.
"So, when have you actually thought of getting settled?" Freddy earnestly wanted to know. Vivek cleared his throat as he spoke "Well, we are thinking about it, but haven't yet decided firmly" he smiled sheepishly as Tasha blushed.
"Don't worry!" Manisha winked "You can rely upon Freddy and me if you need anything at all. Remember, we are always here!" she smiled, and Vivek nodded in agreement. "I know! I can always trust Freddy sir and you with everything!"
/\/\
The moon hung in the sky like a great luminous pearl, casting its dim sliver on the empty street, as Vivek and Tasha walked slowly, heading towards their car. A sudden awkwardness – one which they had not felt since a very long time – seemed to float between them as they walked in silence. They were unable to explain the sudden hesitation of opening up to each other, because such a situation had rarely occurred in the past three years of their relationship. Both of them, rather, all their colleagues and friends knew how casual and open they were to each other, and the fact that they were always comfortable in sharing almost anything.
Daya and Abhijeet often used to get amused upon seeing them teasing and hitting each other, even during their relationship. In fact, the only time when they actually felt awkward was when Vivek had asked Tasha out for the first time. But, even that awkwardness had lasted for a mere fifteen minutes, after which they had been back to their usual self, much to the incredulity of Tarika, Rajat and Freddy.
Now, however, the infelicitous environment was inexplicable to both of them. As Vivek turned to Tasha, he saw her pretty face glowing in the moonlight, spreading a wave of warmth across his heart. Her big dark eyes shimmering as she was restlessly averting them from him. If he could, Vivek would've made the night freeze then and there.
Clearing his throat, he decided to break the ice. "So, what are the special plans for tonight?" he asked. Her eyes glistened more as she spoke "Well, since Abhijeet sir is out of town for a conference, me and Tarika are gonna have a solid slumber tonight" she winked in excitement. Vivek smiled and dug his hands in his jeans' pockets uncomfortably as he spoke "Tasha... umm, you know na, I still have to go a long way before I am capable enough to support both of us?" he looked earnestly in her eyes. "Though I know it's time we think about tying the knot, we still have to figure out a lot of things."
Needless to say, Tasha didn't let the awkwardness last for too long, and sighed deeply as she took his hand in hers. "Vivek!" she tilted her head to a side as she spoke "I know! I know everything!" she leaned forward, in an attempt to show her seriousness towards the situation. "Listen. I don't know how the other couples work it out. But, us? We are different, Vivek. No matter how and where our relationship progresses, we will always be friends first and life-partners later" she took a deep breath, letting the cool breeze in, as she continued "And friends always understand each other at every step. And you know I'll be there for you! You don't even need to ask."
Vivek smiled happily as he seemed satisfied "That's why I chose you as my best friend! I have always valued our friendship more than anything else." He shrugged and Tasha nodded "I get the drift. It was, is and always will be friendship first and love later. The fact that we know everything about each other" she smiled. "And you remember what Freddy sir said? 'The importance of love is only understood after marriage.' What hurry do we have?" she smiled flamboyantly.
"Which means we can continue troubling each other for the rest of our life!" Vivek's eyes glinted mischievously, as Tasha rolled her eyes in amusement "That we sure can, you bet!" she punched his arm and both of them shared a good laugh.
/\/\
It's high time I should start getting serious. Vivek was fidgeting with his mobile phone, as he was engrossed in his thoughts. But the question is, how? Will Tasha's parents agree to our relationship? What if-
Vivek's thoughts were interrupted by the harsh sound of a door-bell, "Finally!" he sighed, as he jumped up from the sofa and headed towards the door frantically. Sure enough, he was welcomed by the teasing smiles and the glinting eyes of his best friends, who marched inside without even waiting for an invitation.
"So, we've been hearing news about you!" Tarika started right away, as she plonked down on the sofa, helping herself with a bottle of water placed on the side table. "A drastic progress, I would say." came Rajat's voice as he settled down in a corner in a more dignified manner as compared to Tarika.
"Thank you so much Sir! For taking out your valuable time and agreeing to help me." Vivek smiled respectfully at his senior, to which Rajat let out a small laugh "Ahh come on Vivek! I may be your senior at work, but we all know we've been good friends even before we joined the CID." He rolled his eyes and sighed as he continued "And I keep telling you not to address me as 'Sir'! But, of course you won't listen."
Vivek shook his head vigorously in reply "Please Sir! I can't do that!" he smiled shyly, as Tarika raised her eyebrows at the either of them in turn. "And what crime have I committed as to not deserve a vote of thanks," she narrowed her eyes at Vivek "or at least some amount of respect?" to which she earned a pillow thrown at her as Vivek sang in a teasing tone "You, bookworm, will always remain our favourite bait, regardless of the fact that you have now become Abhijeet Sir's beloved wife". A mischievous grin played on his lips as he proclaimed "We will never stop torturing you. And don't you expect any amount of respect from us, just because you have married our senior!" he pointed out at her with a dangerous glint in his hazel eyes "We had already made a deal with Abhijeet Sir regarding that!" he laughed, as Rajat joined in and they high-fived each other.
Tarika stuck out her tongue at both of them "Just you wait!" she glared. "I am going to tell Tasha why have we met here today" she snapped in a threatening tone. Vivek, however, seemed undeceived. "Go ahead. I will ask Abhijeet Sir and Salunkhe Sir to keep you away from chocolates for two whole weeks" he smirked. "Noooo!" Tarika screwed her eyes shut and wailed childishly in protest, banging her fists on her thighs.
"Ok! Enough!" Rajat cut in as he raised his hands in an attempt to stop the fight. "On topic please!" he pleaded, and Vivek and Tarika instantly fell silent like 5-year old kids.
"So, how come this realization suddenly dawned upon you that you should propose Tasha?" Tarika teased Vivek, by resting her chin on her palm as Vivek started. "Well," he shrugged "I figured out that we've been dating for quite a long time now, and it is time we take our relationship to the next level!" he quipped.
"Finally!" Tarika shook her head in exasperation, as her eyes widened to twice their normal size. "Finally this guy has got some sense into his otherwise useless brains!" she exclaimed to Rajat, who giggled in spite of himself. Vivek's tone was sarcastic. "Well, thank you so much for that! Atleast I am not like a certain someone, who took three whole years to confess his love to his girl!" he winked at Rajat, who burst out in peals of laughter, but stopped abruptly as Tarika whacked him in the head with the pillow in her lap.
"Can we stay on the topic please?" she asked irritably. "Yeah. So, what have you decided?" was Rajat's question, to which Vivek gave him a look of bewilderment. "I don't know! That is why I have called you both here!" he replied hysterically, running a hand through his hair. Tarika and Rajat exchanged knowing smirks, as Tarika suddenly hit upon an idea "Why don't you take her away to some far off place and propose here there?" Tarika squealed excitedly. "Yeah right!" Vivek replied drily "You think ACP Sir will let us go together, and that too for an outing? Fat chance!" he sighed and leaned back on the sofa.
"How about writing her a love-letter?" Tarika suggested. "Wow! That would be so unique!" Vivek's reply was instant. "You know how good I am in writing stuff!" he reminded her, and she mock-pouted. "Hey, I'll suggest something." Finally, Rajat got a chance to speak. "Just take her out for dinner and propose by singing a romantic poem." he smiled.
"Ugghh!" Tarika groaned inwardly. "That would be so simple and boring!" she shook her head in objection. "Oh God!" Vivek buried his face in his hands "What am I supposed to do?" he cried. "Hey! Why don't you sing a nice song for her?" Tarika shrieked so excitedly, that Rajat nearly fell off the sofa.
Vivek gave her a mischievous smirk "I know where that is coming from!" he winked at Rajat, who cleared his throat theatrically. "What?" Tarika seemed bemused and blushed a brilliant shade of crimson as it suddenly hit her. "Oh shut up! Abhijeet never sang any song for me!" she said coyly, and Vivek snorted. "Yeah right! Who better than Daya Sir would be knowing it?"
"Shall we please concentrate on Mission 'propose-Tasha'?" Tarika made an impatient noise holding up her fingers to make quote marks to emphasize on the last few words. Vivek scowled "No guys! For us, it's not the way how it works with other couples. I want it to be as less romantic as possible." "True that!" Tarika gave a knowing nod. Suddenly, Vivek beamed happily like a 1000 watt bulb and grinned broadly, as his eyes shimmered. "I know! I know just what to do!" he jumped up and down on the sofa, and Tarika and Rajat had to close their ears to stop themselves from turning deaf.
Tarika finally opened an eye, her hands still on her ears, to find out Vivek beaming proudly. "What is it?" she demanded. Vivek gestured them to come closer and whispered something for a couple of minutes."Oooohh" sang Rajat and Tarika in unison after the discussion, and exchanged broad smiles. "That would be just perfect!" Tarika squealed excitedly, and the three of them exchanged big high-fives.
"Guys, are you sure I am doing the right thing?" Vivek wanted to know. "Don't you dare keep my best friend waiting for too long!" Tarika barked, as she pointed a finger at him threateningly. "Go for it!" Rajat gave an affectionate pat on his friend's shoulder, which the latter returned with a confident smile.
/\/\
To Vivek, there was one quality of Tasha which always used to amaze him – the fact that she managed to look like an angel, no matter what or how the situation demanded. Similarly, she was looking equally pretty in her pyjamas that night when Vivek stealthily watched her entering the backyard, as she looked whenever she dressed in her office attire or during their casual hangouts. The managers and executives of various hotels or film theatres always used to compliment her on how she could have easily become an actress or a model instead of a CID officer. Although she never took anything of that sort seriously, Vivek had always known there was truth in those words.
As she was strolling in the backyard, her eyes suddenly caught something glittering on the table in the night light. Curiously, she went to investigate, unaware of a pair of eyes watching her, and saw that it was a medium sized scrapbook tied with a golden ribbon, and had the words written on the cover "Treasured Memories – Moments of a Lifetime".
As she was scrutinizing the book, and looking around for signs of any predators, a figure suddenly emerged from behind the bushes, and she let out a soft gasp as the person stood in front of her, looking straight in her eyes. "Vivek! What are you doing here?" she whispered, with eyes twice their normal size. He simply smiled, and pointed to the book in her hand, gesturing her to open it.
As she slowly untied the ribbon, while settling down on the chair, a smile lifted a corner of her lips and she looked at Vivek, who had a similar expression on his face. The book contained a collection of different pictures of them in numerous poses, taken during their college days. "This is beautiful" Tasha exclaimed through her tears.
Soon, they sailed off to a world of nostalgia and all the memories came floating up on them, as they started reminiscing the moments framed in the pictures. "Hey! This was when we'd gone to Tarika's place for a stay-over!" Tasha pointed out to a photo wherein she was hitting Vivek with a huge chemistry text-book, as the latter was burying his hands in an attempt to save his head. Vivek chuckled in spite of himself "Remember, we were supposed to complete the entire syllabus that day? But we ended up with just two chapters and wasted the whole time in doing unnecessary photo-shoots" That made Tasha burst into peals of laughter "Yeah, right! I remember all the boys were annoyed out of their wits after clicking so many snaps" she scoffed.
Her jaw, however, settled down nicely on the ground as she turned on to the next picture, and she gave her boyfriend a poisonous glare. "When was this taken? And why?" she pointed hoarsely with a thoroughly scandalized look, to a photo in which Vivek was pulling her already messy hair and her cheek, while her nose was smothered with the vanilla ice-cream she was eating, while sitting on the edge of a rock on the beach. Needless to say, that made Vivek howl so terribly, that he had to hold onto the table with one hand and his stomach with the other to prevent himself from falling off. "Ohh... m-m-my... G-g-god" he found it difficult to speak "T-t-that was o-o-one day when everybody had ragged you. Practically!" he erupted into a fit of giggles, but let out a complaining wail as Tasha banged the book straight onto his head. "Ow!" he cried and Tasha stuck out her tongue at him.
"Ahh! This one was way too memorable for the whole college. Remember we had fought like school kids for three whole days, and Deepali M'am literally had to beg of us to be a part of one team after that tiff" they were looking at a photo in which they were facing each other stiffly, while pointing fingers at each others' faces and their eyes were giving a deadly stare. "Yeah, this one was when you'd firmly refused to repeat the auditions for the talent hunt, while I was all in for it." Tasha shook her head in exasperation as she remembered the incident. "Tarika had literally pulled off her hair while making desperate attempts to patch us up" she rolled her eyes.
"We were so crazy back then!" Vivek smiled distantly. "We are crazy now. And will always be, won't we?" Tasha's eyebrows danced up and down, and Vivek smiled in spite of himself.
"And this one's my favourite!" Tasha held up the scrap book to display the photo to its full advantage. It showed them holding a trophy with broad grins across their faces, when they had won the dance competition in the talent hunt. "I have it framed in my room" Vivek supplied, as Tasha ran a soft hand through the photo and a wave of nostalgia crept into her. "Yeah, I know. Same here." She expressed.
As they were reminiscing the memories with each photo, being unaware of the time and the surroundings, they finally reached the last page, and Tasha noticed something stuck at the back. Her heart literally skipped a beat when she found out what the object in question was. She was dumbstruck and stared at Vivek with her mouth wide enough for a couple of fireflies to enter in.
Vivek gently closed her mouth as he detached the ring from the compartment made in the book, bringing her back to her senses. She was still in a daze, as Vivek held up the ring in front of her. He cleared his throat theatrically as he started "Tasha, you know why I attached this ring along with all these college memories?" Tasha shook her head in bewilderment.
Vivek smiled and took her hand in his. "Because all these memories are a part of our life. They are the most preserved ones, and we know we cannot do apart from them, no matter where life takes us." He heaved a deep sigh as he continued "And this is how I want our entire life to be. To tease, play, annoy, harass, fight, care and... love. Till death splits us apart!" A lump rose in Tasha's throat and she smiled through her moist eyes, as Vivek got on his knees and held up the ring "Will you continue to live these memories with me for eternity? As my best friend, my better-half, my soul?"
Tasha instantly grabbed the book amidst her tears, and it came crashing down onto his head "Do you even have to ask? Idiot!" she snapped, and Vivek gave a small scowl as he slipped the ring in her finger. Tasha grinned broadly and instantly dashed into his outstretched arms, "That gives me an open lifetime opportunity to pull your hair and nose" he murmured teasingly, and she hit him gently on his chest as they laughed and lived up another one of their precious memories under the moonlight.
~~ The End ~~
A/N : I am aware that this might not be an ideal way of proposing, but I never wanted it to be "romantic" in case of Vivesha, because as mentioned, they've always valued friendship over any other relation. Plus, we all know how Vivesha's relationship is, don't we?
Before I forget, a MAJOR credit of this story goes to Poesia-Raro. Thanks PR, for helping me out with everything.
Well, I sign off for now. It may not be as expected, but please drop in your reviews, complaints, suggestions or doubts. I am all ears. And yes, this will probably my last story here. Have to figure out a lot of things. So, I'll be anxiously awaiting your reviews, because they may motivate me to write further.