Hello folks! How are you all doin'? Hope you're fine... I'm back with another Dareya story...
This is for Topaz... (uff! finally ;) I hope you enjoy it and please drop in your review... :)
Okay... 1 more thing... I won't be able to update now...
As I have my first terminal examinations... for 1 month. That is exactly 1 month. I'll be free on the 24th of September, exactly after a month...
I won't be on ff for the next one month.. I can't review... I can't read... and can neither update the story... but I'll try with the 2nd chap... as I have written half of it... I'll try to post IF I GET TIME...
Friends... please cooperate with me... please... *-_-*
Okay... have a look at the first chapter... :)
This time a different concept... Something that you'd never thought of. But, first lemme tell you...
DISCLAIMER: I do not own this story. This story belongs to the original author.
Let's begin... :)
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Beginnings
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"Love is not something that you find, love is something that finds you."
"Death is definite. But how, that's your choice."
"I've never given a thought about how I would like to die. But dying in the place of someone I love, seems like a good way to go."
Hey, I'm Shreya Malhotra from Phoenix, Arizona. Basically from India, I came here when I was just an year old. This is the place where my parents were divorced, when I was just 1 and my brother 5. My dad took him along and I was left with mom.
My brother and I used to talk a lot on phone in spite of our parents' conflict, we loved each other a lot. I had always wanted to see my dad. But, never got a chance and I never will...
After his death in a shocking car accident last year, I wanted to meet my brother. Mom agreed reluctantly but didn't stop me.
Finally I'm gonna see my bro after 18 years. I dunno after how many years I'm gonna see him. Just hope he's fine... And I think he needs someone after his girlfriend Jessica betrayed him.
I'm not worried about my mom. As she's gonna marry a football player-San Andrew. He's a good man and will take care of my mom well.
"C'mon Sunita We're getting late!" shouted San, my mom's new husband.
"Coming San!" said my mom.
"Looking beautiful..." he commented.
"Awww... thanks San..." she replied and they both shared a hug.
"We shall leave or the plane will take off without Shreya." said he.
"Oh yeah..." she said sadly.
"Its okay mom. I'll visit you regularly." I said, trying to console her.
She didn't say anything but hugged me.
I-I-I-I-I
We drove through the lonely, dusty roads of Phoenix to the international airport. I looked at the dusty roads and found myself staring at them. I had never noticed the beauty which lay beneath my feet. And now, when I'm going, I'm realizing it... Was it too late?
Well, the beauty lies within, in some its the external beauty. But, some people have both. Like my mom–Sunita. Sunita Malhotra, who called herself Sunita Mehra after her divorce, is an angel.
Perhaps for each one, their mom is an angel. Everybody loves their mom, even I do. She is the most beautiful person I've ever seen. She tall, she's slim, and is a perfect artist and dancer. Although I'm very bad at the last one, she never tires teaching me how to do it properly.
I-I-I-I-I
I sigh as I took out my luggage from the dickey as I heard some voices.
"Hey! Shreya!" a girl came running in followed by another one.
"Were gonna miss you girl!" the two hugged me and gave me some roses.
"Thanks Veronica. Thanks Perrie." I said, smiling.
I heard a boy saying "Hey! There she is!"
"Yeah!" said another one.
"Hi, Shreya..." one of them said. "Gotta miss you..." and handed me a small box.
"Thanks... What's this?" I asked.
"Just a... small token of lov... I mean... friendship..." he said, sadly.
I opened it in a go and and let hold of the beautiful bracelet, with my name inscribed on it.
"Awww... that's beautiful Peter..." I said and hugged him. "Going to miss you man..."
"Yeah..." he said.
"Hi Shreya!" said another guy. "Enjoy your new place... Huh!?"
"Yeah Michael... I will..." I said and hugged him.
I stood in front of them all and said "Going to miss you guys... Don't forget me..."
"Never..." the four of them said together.
"So..." I said, trying to control my tears. "Goodbye?"
As soon as I said this, I felt myself being embraced into a group hug.
The five of us cried and shared some more light moments until my mom announced "Shreya... "
"Yes mom.." I looked at her.
"Darling, its time..." she said.
I stood up and walked towards the flight.
I-I-I-I-I
I sat in the plane. Looking back I find out that I've spend most of the best moments of my life here, in Phoenix.
My best friends and my mom.
I'd never wanted to leave them. Only if my brother would have not been, I'd be staying here. But, at the same time, I feel responsible on my side to stay with him. After dad's demise and Jessica's betrayal.
Yet, I love Arizona... "Going to miss you Ari..." I smiled...
I-I-I-I-I
"Hi! Is that you Shreya?" I heard someone saying.
"Abhijeet?" I recognized my brother. "How have you been?"
"Good after seeing you..." he smiled. Abhijeet Malhotra, the deputy of Forks. A true mentor and idol.
"So..." he said, lifting up his arms.
I sensed his gesture and ran to hug him. He embraced me and ran his hands through my hairs, just like an ideal brother.
"I love you..." I said, with tears.
"Love you too sweety..." I heard him say.
I-I-I-I-I
"Wow!" I said as soon we stepped out of the airport.
"What happened?" Abhijeet asked me.
"Rain..." I smiled.
"Yeah... its common I'm Forks..." he said.
"So... you like rain?" I asked as we continued walking.
"Like? Oh! I love rain! For me, its a symbol of love..." he said like a Bollywood hero.
"Oh really Mr Bollywood?" I teased him.
"Yes my Miss Strawberry..." he teased me back.
"Oh! Not again!" I said, crossing my arms. I still remember the day when for the first time he called me Miss Strawberry.
I-I-I-I-I
"Shreya!" Sunita called her daughter.
"Yes mom!" Shreya came there.
"Where are the strawberries that I kept here?" Sunita looked really angry.
"I... I... dunno mom..." said a scared Shreya. She started to move back "Ma... Maybe... the... the... ca... cat... ate it... or... th... the d... dog..." she said ran away.
When she was away, Abhijeet rang her up.
"Hi!" said Abhijeet.
"Strawberry..." she said, panting.
"What?"
"I... I mean... hello!"
"Hey! What's this strawberry?"
"Oh... I just... ate some strawberries... and mom's gone nuts for it... I lied that some dog or cat ate it... Just escaped the disaster..."
"Oh really Miss Strawberry?" Abhijeet teased her.
"Oh! Please!" said Shreya.
"Yeah yeah! Miss Strawberry! Miss Strawberry!" Abhijeet said again.
And from that day onwards...Abhijeet used to tease Shreya by calling her Miss Strawberry...
I-I-I-I-I
"Oh c'mon! Stop this!" said Shreya.
"Okay... okay... you win I lose..." he chucked.
"C'mon... shall we go home now?" I said. "I'm really tired."
"As you wish, your highness." he smiled and we went towards his car.
I-I-I-I-I
Forks is truly a special place. A small, comfortable place. With a population of just 3,120 people. It usually rains in Forks. This is one thing I love about Forks. I mean, I just love cold and rainy places. Under a constant cover of clouds and rain is Forks, that's where, I'm moving in...
"So... how were your studies going?" Abhijeet asked.
"Good enough... Just hope this school turns out to be good..." I said. I'm glad to have been accepted in a reputed High School here in Forks, because of my extremely good grades.
"And your result..?"
"I topped!" I exclaimed.
"Hmm..." Abhijeet smiled. "That's sounds... something delicious!"
"Daniel's!" I exclaimed.
"Done!" smiled Abhijeet.
Daniel's... Abhijeet's favorite eating joint. He loved each and everything of the Daniel's. Especially, their famous Danny Chicken Burger.
"Danny Chicken!" I exclaimed.
"Sure... same here... today? At six?" asked Abhijeet.
I gave a thumbs up to him.
"So..." Abhijeet asked. "How's mom...? And... Andrew?"
"They're pretty good." I replied.
We were driving through the slippery roads of Forks, when Abhijeet asked me this question.
Its so strange, some people carve for somethings... but never get it. While others have those things, yet, never value them. My brother and I are like one of them.
We never got the love of both of our parents. Dad hated me and mom hated him. But still, we both loved each other. This bitter sweet relationship had always existed.
My brother... Abhijeet Malhotra... a true idol for me. I want to be like him, one who inspires others and is always more than willing to help people.
I would've sat in the car and thought about this topic for some more time if I had not heard...
"Aaaah..."
Oh my! It was Abhijeet! I quickly ran towards the place from where I heard this sound.
I saw Abhijeet was on the ground with my luggage in his hand.
"Gosh!" I exclaimed, making him stand up.
"That's too much Mr Bollywood..." I said. "Never expected this from you..."
"Wh... What do you mean?" he asked, brushing off the water from his coat.
"I mean... look at you," I said. "You're the deputy Forks, so young, living here for more than 18 years and... you still slip on these kinds of roads? Oh my, my. I thought you'd be having practice of all this."
"Oh c'mon... its all coz of your heavy bags!" he replied.
"Oh really?" I smirked.
"Oh yes Miss Strawberry!" he chucked.
"Very funny..." I crossed my arms.
"We'll see..." he pointed his finger towards me.
"Oh yeah. We surely will."
No sooner had I said this, that the two of us were laughing like mads.
"That was too good!" I heard Abhijeet said.
"Yeah! I mean... " I chucked again.
After another session of laughs, we finally picked up all my luggage and headed towards our house.
"My gosh!" I cried. "Its so beautiful!"
Abhijeet smiled.
I looked over the surroundings. There was crackling fire in the mantelpiece, a small couch with an attached kitchen and small lawn outside. All the curtains and walls matched to form a beautiful, and comfortable home.
"Umm... I wasn't sure of your taste... so... I just did how... Jessica used to like it..." said Abhijeet. "I know its not that good but..."
"You kiddin' me?" I exclaimed. "This is awesome!" I said aloud. "More than... I mean... really more than... I don't have words..."
"You like it...?" I saw an unknown glitter in Abhijeet's eyes.
"No!" I said. "I love it!" I shouted and ran into his arms.
"I'm glad you like it..." I heard Abhijeet said. "Come... lemme show your room..." he said and gestured me to follow him. I did.
Before entering, Abhijeet said "So... I dunno about the room... you can have a look... I'm sure you're not gonna like it as... its a full boyish kinda... I used to live here when I was young and since then I haven't made any changes in it... So..."
I didn't let Abhijeet continue as I rushed into the room and...
My room was just... I... don't have words... it was... like... heaven... Full of spiderman and Captain America's stickers. Not to ignore the beautiful window pane with a big sticker of Hulk.
"I... I mean..." I was shocked and truly truly happy!
"You like this one?" asked a shocked Abhijeet.
"I more than love it!" I exclaimed.
"Are you a boy or a girl?" he asked.
I crossed my arms with "I am very much an eighteen year old, mature girl, who loves Spuderman, Captain America and Hulk. You got any problem?"
He nodded as no with his eyes wide open.
"Good...!" I said.
He gulped and then said "You enjoy in your room and look! You've got 20 minutes." he said and went away.
"For wha-" but he was gone. I chuckled. Suddenly, I remembered that Abhijeet and I were to go the Daniel's at six. I glanced at the clock and sighed. It was 5:40 P.M..
'Just another 20 minutes...' I said to myself and changed into a pair of black trousers and an orange floral shirt. As soon as I was about to exit the room, I saw a picture in a photo frame.
It was of a young Abhijeet with... I don't know. I don't know was the other man with him. Was it... was it dad...?
I called out Abhijeet's name and he came in within a minute.
"Who's this?" I asked pointing towards the big man in the photo.
Abhijeet didn't reply. He was just staring at me.
"Who... who is it?" I asked again.
He finally said "Late Lieutenant Colonel Tarun Malhotra."
"Dad?" I said, tears in my eyes.
"Yes..." replied a stern Abhijeet.
"I... I'm... I'm sorry..." I said.
"It isn't your fault. Dad was a true leader." said Abhijeet, picking up the photo.
"He was an inspiration for one and all." said Abhijeet.
"I wish I could've also been blessed with the privilege to see him..." I cried and found myself in the arms of Abhijeet, who tried to console me.
"Till his last breath, he hated me for something I never did..." I said, trying to control my tears.
"Its not your fault Shreya... its not your fault..."
I-I-I-I-I
"So?" Abhijeet asked me. We'd reached the Daniel's and were enjoying our feast.
"So?" I replied while taking a bite from that super huge chicken burger. It was really tasty!
"Umm... you're joining from Monday?" Abhijeet asked while taking a sip from his cola.
"Yeah... Day after tomorrow..." I smiled.
"Umm... so you're free tomorrow?" he asked.
"Of course..."
"Don't you know what's tomorrow?"
"Of course I know!" I smiled.
He smiled.
"Its July 18th, Sunday right?" I laughed. "But why are you asking?"
"Nothing..." he again concentrated on his cola.
I laughed to me as I knew it was Abhijeet's 23rd birthday the next day. I knew it very well. just after this lunch, I had to go out and find some friends of Abhijeet.
I had already planned a surprise birthday bash for him. His office friends, other ones and many more. I only knew about one of them–Dan Marshfield. Abhi had told me about Dan a thousand times. And I had even talked to him. So, he knew me very well. I had already contacted him asking for some help.
I-I-I-I-I
Abhijeet was driving through the lonely roads of Forks. He stopped at the gate of his office and, entered inside to introduce me to his friends.
"Hi Abhijeet!" a man with blonde hair, shiny grey eyes, wearing a red T-shirt, came and hugged Abhijeet.
"Missed you man!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah. Good to see you Dan." answered Abhijeet.
"And... whose this girl?" he asked, pointing towards me.
Before Abhijeet could speak, Dan exclaimed "Oh! Oh! Lemme guess! She's... she's... your sister from Arizona...? Sh... Shreya! Right?"
"Yeah..." I replied. I shook hands with him and said "Good to see you... Abhi has been talking a lot about you."
"That's great!" he replied.
"Hey! Abhijeet!" a man came running inside. He was holding a paper in his hands and looked really tensed.
"Hey?" Abhijeet went up to him. "What happened Greg?"
"Sir Frank! Sir Frank has called you..." said Greg.
"But why?" inquired Abhijeet.
"I dunno. He said just call Abhijeet." replied Greg.
"Hmm... but, I've got my sister... she's new here... who'll take care of her?" Abhijeet crossed his arms.
"Hey brother! I can!" said Dan. I very well knew why he volunteered.
"Will it be fine for you? I mean 'cause you said you gotta go home early tonight..." asked Abhijeet.
"Hey! That's totally fine... Samantha's not gonne eat me up!" Dan laughed. "I'll show her around. What say Shreya?"
"Yeah..." I replied. "That'll be a very good idea..."
"So, Abhijeet you visit Sir Frank, till then, I'll show Shreya around." said Dan.
"Okay!" said a happy Abhijeet and went away.
"Shall we?" asked Dan.
"Sure..." I said.
I-I-I-I-I
Dan's a really nice guy. He told me about various things of Forks. From food, to culture, from festivals to its history.
Well, above all, it was around 9 that we've finished finished with the preparations of Abhijeet's birthday bash. I was highly excited about the surprise party and was eagerly waiting for the next day.
Dan phoned all his near and dear ones and invited them.
I-I-I-I-I
"Where had you been?" Abhijeet asked.
"Dan showed around a couple of places whose names I do not remember at all." I declared.
"Hmm... hey, sorry, I should've myself brought you around. But I ju-"
"Oh c'mon Abhi!" I said. "It completely okay... I understand."
"You do?"
"Without a doubt." I smiled. "So, what was the reason Sir Frank called you?"
"Well..." Abhijeet began. "He said that..."
My heartbeat stopped. I had heard that Sir Frank was a very ruthless and heartless person. He was really tough guy. I was worried about Abhijeet's... Job?
"He said that... from now onwards... " he said. "There will be no Abhijeet who is the deputy of Police."
"What?!" was only I could murmer. I hadn't expected this to happen. At least, not today...
"But," he began. "There will be an Abhijeet who is the SHERIFF!"
I immediately sensed his promotion and shouted a loud "Whoa!" and hugged him.
While in the hug, I couldn't stop myself from saying "Double celebration..."
"What?" alsed Abhijeet.
"Nothing..." I smiled.
I was really happy for my big brother. And... Waiting for the next day, I dozed off to sleep...
I-I-I-I-I
Swoosh...!
Chapter's over... :) Hope you enjoyed it... :)
This was just a filler chapter... the real story and fun will begin from the next chapter...
Please drop in your views about this one...! And Topaz... How was it? I hope it was up to the mark... Waiting for your review...
Quote for the day: Never fight an inanimate object – P. J. O'Rourke
So, till next chapter (which is going to be super duper late)
Have fun
Spread light
Forgive more
Fight less
And keep reviewing!
Signing off...
Yours Blair... :)