Dating Diaries

Cake melancholy

Gaytri-Kitty, Bebo aaj tum logon ke liye kaam hai.
Bebo-Kaisa kaam?
Gaytri-Aaj hum Anokhi ka bday mana rhe hai.
Kitty-Magar woh toh ho gya.
Devi-Haan kharab hi hua bas. Isliye. Doobara mana rhe hai. Woh apne family ko kafi miss kar rhi hai. Cheer up bhi ho jayegi.
Kitty-Kya karna hai hume.
Devi-Khana mein, Kanchan, Gaytri bana rhe hai. Tumhe ghar sajana hai Ok. Ek room matlab.
Kitty-Kis cheez se?
Devi-Sab mein hi bataungi toh tum kya karoge.
Woh disco lights and sparkling lights laga denge. Haan. And they go ott. Coz they completely lack experience.
In the evening-:
Shaan-Yeh kya hai?
Bebo-I know aap logon ko decoration pasand aaya naa. Thanks.
Devi-Arre club banane ko nhi kahan tha.Samjh nhi aaya toh puchte. Hume zinc disco feel nhi chahiye tha.
Bebo-Ok anyways.
Kitty-Party popper time Anokhi.
And they burst party poppers together. The snow ones. And that too 4 together.
Shaan-Yeh itna sara?
Bebo-Thoda maza toh chahiye naa. And Anokhi is drenched in snow from top to bottom.
And snow enters Abokhi's eyes.
Shaurya-Ankh mein chala gya Anokhi? Tum log naa dekh kar nhi kar sakte.
Bebo-Bhai kya Anokhi ke liye kia tha. Taki uske boring se life mein thoda saa spice dal sake. She has no chill. Lecture, cafe aur padhai ke beech. Excluding late nights with bhai ofc. And they burst into a laughter.
Shaurya meanwhile blows Anokhi's eyes
Shaurya-Theekh hai abhi?
Abokhi-Hmmm.
Kitty-Bhai romance baad mein karna bhook lagi hai. Cake katein?
Anokhi is just about to cut the cake.
She sees Shaurya who seems trying to put a smile against the backdrop of his teary face. He breaks into sniffles. And then leaves. All of them see that.
Anokhi follows him.
He is balling up buckets.
Anokhi-Shaurya kya hua? Shaurya bolo mujhe.Tumhare birthday ki yaad aayi naa?
Shaurya-Maa nhi thi itne saalon se bday par. Har birthday nhi thi woh. Mere life mein ek bhi din, ek bhi din nhi gya jab mujhe theekh lage. Har din mom ki yaad ati thi. Dad ki bhi. Woh hote hue bhi nhi the. Mein itna akela tha. Itna akela. Badi maa. Woh itne saal mujhe tadpta hue dekhti thi. Magar ek baar bhi maa ko nhi bulaya. Ek baar bhi nhi. Pata hai badi maa pe karz mehsoos karta tha. Bade hota gya toh unke paas nhi jaa sakta tha. Kaise bitaye itne saal mujhe pata hai. Bas mujhe pata hai. Mujhse itne saal chin gye Anokhi. Maa se bohot pyar karta hoon Anokhi. Mein.
Aastha sees from the doorway. Shaurya hugs her and cries. It's like all his pain is bursting out.
Shaurya-Maa. Maa mujhe chodkar kabhi mat jana. Kabhi please. Mein mar jaunga.
Aastha-Nhi kabhi nhi jaungi. I promise.
He is hyperventilating.
Aastha-Shaurya dekho mein yahi hoon.Breathe. Relax.
Shaurya-Maa mere sath yeh sab kyu hua maa. Mujhe wapas chahiye mere saal. Mujhe wapas do maa. Abhi do please.
Aastha-Shaurya kash de sakti. Beta magar ab hoon.
Shaurya-Ab kya karun. Bachpan khatam ho gya. Sab chala gya. Sab kuch.
Aastha doesn't understand how she can console him.
Aastha-Filmy baat hai. Magar suno. Suna tha we can live infinity in numbered days. (A fault in our stars reference) Hum wahi karne ki koshish karenge. Aur kuch nhi kar sakte.Mein tumhare itne peeche padi rahoongi ki tum thak jaaoge.
Devi-Shaurya kaisa hai?
Aastha-Kaisa hai? Kaisa bhi hai sirf aapki wajah se. Itne saal kaise beetaye honge usne woh sochiye. Puri tarah se tod diya aapne usko. Magar mera beta itne takleef mein tha fir bhi usne jo life mein achieve kia. Jis tarah ka Insaan bana hai woh bas mujhe.... Mujhe apne bete pe garv hai. Itna honhar beta hai mera. Woh yeh dard deserve nhi karta tha nhi karta hai. Kash mein uske dard ko theekh kar sakti. Aakhri pal tak mere mein koshish karungi ki woh khush rhe. Ab hatiye mujhe barf chahiye. Usse bukhar ho gya hai.
She throughout the night uses cold compression on Shaurya. And at daybreak is off to sleep.
Shaurya wakes up and gets a bit teary eyed. But he wants to toughen up. It's all the vulnerability that he can handle. So he gets ready for college.
Shaurya-Anokhi tum ready nhi hui?
Jaldi ready ho jao. Panch minute hai warna chodkar chala jaunga. Actually tum aa jana mujhe kaam hai.
Devi-Breakfast toh karke jao.
Shaurya-How considerate badi maa?
Jab bhooka so jata tha tab yaad nhi aaya. Aapke Shaurya ne khana nhi khaya. Save me this hypocrisy. Mein chala. This home is so damn toxic that it's not a home just a den of issues. None of which are worth my time.
He leaves.
Anokhi-Shaurya toh college bhi nhi aaye. Ab.
They all call Shaurya who doesn't pick up .
Shaurya is actually in Shaan's flat. He is completely shattered. And angry that he has toppled an entire glass table. He doesn't know why his grief overpowers him today and how to get over it. He ultimately calls Anokhi.
Shaurya-Anokhi kahan ho? Class hai?
Anokhi realises he needs her.
She lies nhi.
Shaurya-Toh aa sakti ho.
Anokhi-Haan.
She comes there. She sees Shaurya broken apart.
Anokhi-Shaurya mein hoon.
Aastha-Maa kahan hai? Maa. Woh doobara chali gyi. Mujhe pata tha. Woh aise hi hai.
Anokhi quickly calls Aastha.
Aastha reaches there.
Shaurya-Maa mein yeh sab se bahar aa paunga kabhi? Maa bolo naa.
Aastha-Shaurya sambhalo apne aap ko. Try to relax coz he has started hyperventilating again.
Aastha-Mein yahin hoon. I promise every day from now will be mostly better than the last.
Shaurya-Sach Maa?
Aastha-Haan.
And he just goes to sleep in her lap. When he wakes up he sees Aastha still there. He smiles.
Aastha-Maine kahan naa kabhi nhi jaoongi.
Hmmmm.
Shaurya-Maa mujhe aaj ghar nhi jana. Mujhe nhi hoga. Mujhe bas accha nhi lagta sochkar hi.
Aastha-Ghar jana padega. Ek din. Tum ateet se bhag nhi sakte. Yeh bilkul fair nhi ki tum ek aisi cheez ki saza kat rhe ho jo jisme tumhara koi dosh nhi. Magar tumhare hisse mein jo gum likha hai ab usse par karke naye khushiyon ke taraf aage badhne ka waqt aa gya hai. Mein bhi maaf nhi kar sakti. Naa Devi bhabhi ko. Naa Shaan ko. Magar aur kitna gussa karoon. Aur kitna rou. Thak gyi hoon Shaurya. Ab khush rehna chahti hoon. Issues honge mere aur Shaan ke beech magar sath rehne ki khushi zyada hogi. Jaise tumhe uss ghar se issues honge magar family ki kimat tumse zyada koi nhi janta. Maaf nhi karoge toh mujhe pata hai tumse zyada dard kisiko nhi hoga. Unki galtiyon se tumhara pyar unke liye khatam nhi hoga. Kyunki tum iss duniya ke sabse achhe bete ho.
Shaurya-Maa.Pata nhi kaise hoga sab.
Aastha-Waqt sikha dega. Aur tum lucky ho tumhare sath Anokhi hai. Woh tumhe iss takleef se nikal kar hi rahegi.
Shaurya-Haan maa. Uske sath hota hoon toh sari takleef nhi rehti. Sab theekh lagta hai. Maa. Khush hota hoon. Bachpan jeeta hoon. Apne teenage years. Jin pe karz aur zimedari nhi.
Aastha-Achaa chalo usse bhi bata do kitna pyar karte ho usse.
They get up and go towards Anokhi who has slept on the couch. Yesterday's sleepless night. Today's college and all of this has drained her out. Shaurya goes near her.
Shaurya-Tumhare liye koshish karunga to get over my baggage.
He kneels near her and kisses her hand.
Aastha-Mein bahar hi hoon Shaurya. Tumhare yeh love session khatam ho gya ho toh aa jana.
Shaurya-Maa aa jao naa. Mein aisa kuch nhi karne wala tha.
Aastha slips in beside Anokhi on couch. Shauryas head is on Aasthas lap and he holds Anokhis hands.
His strengths from now on. Anokhi just slumps on Aasthas lap too.
When Anokhi wakes up she and Shaurya are not even a centimetre apart. She is about to kiss him. When she hears a cough. And notices it's Aasthas lap on which they both are.
She sits up.
Aastha-Ab kuch khaye bohot bhook lagi hai.
And they order food.
Which the three have together.

Ok this a sad update. I will put a happy one in sometime coz today's episode was all heartbreak. The intent for this update was that Shaurya bottles up his emotions and he may have forgiven but it's not easy to forget the pain of 25 years. We think we have won over the grief but it resurfaces. So......
Tell me whether you liked it in comments.