Blind Dreams

Once Upon a Shooting Star

It was the latter hours of a very tiresome day. Anjali was cleaning her room smiling at NK's antics and his Hindi vocabulary. The sole purpose of him staying at Raizada Mansion was to clear the unnecessary tension at home, much to the annoyance of Arnav. After a lot of discussions Anjali was inquiring about Aadhi.

Anjali : NK Bhai, where is Aadhi and Chotte?

NK : Nannav took Aadhi out for a walk. They will return shortly but I need some sleep as soon as possible.

Anjali : Sure NK Bhai. Shubh Raat...

NK : Di, Suhaag Raat for you too.

Anjali : Excuse me?

NK : Oh! No nothing. Just Good Night!

Anjali silently giggled at her poor cousin brother for his poor knowledge in Hindi while wondering what was taking Arnav so long. Her thoughts were soon interrupted with soft footsteps of her brother carrying the little one.

Anjali : Chotte what was taking you so long?

Arnav : Oh no Di I arrived some time ago. I just waited at the pool side with my sweetheart and he fell asleep. Let me just put rest him on his cradle.

Arnav kept on admiring the baby with sweet words while Anjali looked at the duo surprised. This was a humongous change in her brother. The same person who hated kids, is behaving like this. It was indeed very unfortunate that Anjali's conscious is not happy with this change as the old one would have been. Instead every positive change that rose up in Arnav pained her with guilt. Made her feel responsible again and again for whatever the misfortune the family has gone through, specially Arnav and Aakash. Also her heart couldn't deny the fact that she believed a cunning, worthless man and not 'her' Khushi. How many times has she saved her family? If she would have not been there they will not live in their Mansion but a normal tenement and most importantly she would have been brought down to a situation to commit suicide if Khushi haven't saved her Chotte putting her own life at risk. She knew that without the influence of Khushi in her Chotte's life, he would again change into that ruthless, cold personality. Khushi was the "Knight in shining armor" for the Raizadas. Instead of a man saving her, Khushi had taken matters into her own hands. Taken into consideration so far everything has happened reversely between these two. In this case the woman has become that Knight, all these faults of Anjali made her feel like a sinner. She needed to force something inside her throat so that she can throw up until that guilt vanishes away from her body. Khushi, the 'Joan of Arc' walked in and changed their lives for the better. Anjali smiled in between the thoughts and without digressing further, she whispered in a barely audible voice.

Anjali: Such a difference...

Arnav : Did you say something Di?

Anjali : No, come with me.

She held Arnav's hand and dragged her to the pool-side and asked him to take a seat beside her on the recliner.

Anjali : Chotte, can you remember how peaceful this place was. One day there was a shooting star. I wished for something but you didn't even believe it. I forcibly closed your eyes. You don't need to tell me what...or whom you thought about that day.I know very well that it was Khushi's face...

Arnav : Di! We agreed to never talk about this issue again...

Anjali : No, Chotte I'm not trying to hurt you, I'm just trying to help you. Talk to me, its better to talk to someone and share your sorrows rather than holding them inside and regretting over the past. I know that very well. I couldn't get my happiness for the second time in my life. For the second time in my life my marriage broke, but I still do believe that one day I will get my happiness back.For now, I have Aadhi and it is more than I could ever ask for. I might not be blessed in love because of my past deeds. If I have proven myself worth of love then I would get it at some point in life. Chotte what I'm saying is that even after going through so much I do believe. I know that if any of your dreams shatter you make that an excuse to lose faith and hope. Do you know something? I still believe that Khushi and Payal are not dead. It cannot happen. For the past few days I've seen her in my dreams. It's like someone is saying that there is still life in her.

Arnav : I honestly don't know Di. My love for her only increases day by day. I misunderstood her and when that guilt add up with that love I...I..don't...

Anjali : Chotte don't cry please. Look up there in the sky. It looks more beautiful today with all those stars glowing and...look at the moon all by itself. No matter how small it is, it has still managed to spread light for this big earth alone. It is just like our life, so beautiful!

Arnav : To hell with the moon and stars Di. This is all nothing but an act of deceit. These stars could be my parents and now...even Khushi & Payal but this is all a lie. If so called beauty is found in our lives you wouldn't have failed in love twice. I wouldn't have failed my love. We wouldn't have lost our mother. These stars look really beautiful to the eye, they look so close to us but when we try going nearer they go far away from us. So is the moon; it doesn't emit its own light but that of the sun, its beauty is because of another thing.

Anjali : And your point is...

Arnav : Di, we weave a lot of dreams. And when we are so close to achieve that, it just...And that moon, I lost one when I was little and when a brighter one came into my life, it didn't even remain for a single year. I would've lost it for the third time and my life would've become purposeless if that lady didn't save you that day.

Anjali : No Chotte don't talk like that. Had Khushi been here she would've made you eat your words and when you talk like that it hurts me. Please don't do that Chotte I feel like I have crushed a growing dream. You believed everything that Khushi says...maybe because she was able to prove it to you practically because you are a logical person. She did everything that I couldn't have done. If it wasn't for her I would have become someone like you. Someone who don't believe in Love and God, because I loved a person more than my own life and in return got nothing but the destruction of my brother's love life...but your relationship only made me believe in love once again and that too thanks to her. Most important of them all she made you realize the meaning of the word love. Who would've thought that you would actually fall in love with someone?

Anjali : Chotte I'm confessing to you today...I broke Payal's heart. My efforts of chasing an unreachable dream made me do everything which your "Di" wouldn't have done. Every day I break down from inside because of the injustice those two girls faced because of me. Chotte that night I told Payal to take her away from your life. Even having such a thought in my mind shows how ungrateful and selfish I was. It's true when they say that love is blind. But now I know that you both have shared a very unique relationship. For an ordinary eye it was just hatred but for the ones who saw the depth of it; it was a very sacred relationship, and I'm guilty of breaking the hearts of those two lovers. That hatred you both shared meant nothing more than pure love. Look at your love-story, there were a lot of chances for you both to turn back and lead different ways, only it didn't. You could've married Lavanya, and Khushi could have married that man and keep me in the dark about his affair. That will be completely different from what we do now. Because that is what destiny is, it takes its own road and make decisions; let the final be happy or sad. So is truth and justice. Shyam went to Jail and hopefully Khushi will be still living.

Arnav : Although I am disappointed by this news, I will not question or reprimand you for your past behavior Di. I cannot pretend to be a saint by doing so. If I had know the truth then, I still would have let it slip by because I did not have the strength to face the truth where I had to choose between you and Khushi, Di.

The two siblings rested their heads against another and contemplated the gravity of the situation they have managed to get themselves in. Someone once said that when you fight destiny, destiny fights back. Some things, they're just written in the stars. You can try but you can never escape what's meant to be. It  is a lesson that Arnav and Anjali is yet to learn.