Happy New Year everyone!! 🎆

IMPORTANT : This is not the actual story of Shaheer and Erica. I have just used their names as a reference. And the reason, you will get to know by the end of this story!

And the credits to this beautiful cover goes to the most talented XxSamairaxX

******************************************
"Mr. Jatin Roy, what do you think as the reason for the success of your book? Being top in the list of best seller of the year isn't a simpler thing", said the reporter. "Ofcourse the writer of this book", Jatin said, smiling brightly. Being the owner of one of the biggest publications of the country wasn't an easier task. He had seen so many writers so far in his 10 years of experience in this field. But this young talented writer, whom he came across 8 years ago, struggling with her dream to publish her very first book, took a special place in his heart. Not only because of her passion to write, but also her dedication in work made him help her in publishing not only her first book but also a dozen which followed later, including her recent one 'Happy Ending'.

It wasn't like all her books were of great success. Yes, a few didn't go well in the market, but still most of them had a great impact on the young readers especially her last one, that which secured first place in the list of best selling stories of the year. And that made her to be one of the best writers of the town. When Jatin first met her, he was impressed by her unique way of writing and his faith on her talent made his publications successful now. Though he had an hand full of other writers, whose books were published already by him, nothing had gone better than her works. Not only because of that, but also due to her naive and caring nature, she became more like a best friend to him.

"There she came", Jatin said as the reporters turned back to take the coverage of a thin young lady, in her early 30's, walking swiftly across the crowd. Her head held high, as the gathering stood up to welcome her. Her straight short hair added more beauty to her simple formal look. Her eyes covered by the cat eye glasses remained emotionless while her lips curved upward a little, seeing Jatin. Though she was tough to the world, to him she is his Best friend. She has a great respect for him, not only because of the faith he kept on her but also as a person, the way he gave her the respect and been with her all the time, unlike someone who left her in the middle.

"Am I late?", she asked him as he nodded in a no. "You can never be", he said and she gave him a tight lipped smile. They both walked towards the stage, and took their respective seats in the front row. It was then she noticed an empty chair beside her's. "Is there anyone else coming?", she asked as he nodded. "There will be a special chief guest. He is on his way from Mumbai", he said while she huffed. "But it's getting late already", she whispered. "I know, but his flight was rescheduled an hour later due to bad weather", he stated the truth but she shook her head disappointedly. He knew that she is a very punctual person, but still who could blame the nature.

"By the way, who's the chief guest?", she asked curiously. She didn't knew why, but she felt something strange from that morning. May be because of nervousness, she thought. "He is one of the biggest business tycoons of India", Jatin said while she thought for a while. What on the earth will a business person do at the success party of a book, she thought. "What's his name?", she asked but when he was about to reply, she heard the host. "So, here we are gathered for the success party of the book 'Happy Ending', which was the biggest sensational hit at the end of this year, making it's place at the top of the list of best selling books in India. Now let's welcome the young, talented writer Ms. Erica Fernandez", he said as the gathering applauded.

She stood up and after receiving an assuring smile from Jatin, she made her way towards the stage. "So Ms.Erica Fernandez, first of all congratulations for the success of your book. And secondly, please share with us your secrets of success. Being top in the list of best writers of India for the past 8 years, competing with other well experienced writers is not an easier task. How do you manage to do that?", he asked amusedly. "Thank you and Good morning everyone. Well, if you ask me about the success of this book, there can be only one reason, that is my readers. They are the one, who accepted and appreciated the stories I write. Not that I don't receive any negative criticism. Yes, I do receive a lot but still it's because of my supportive readers, that this book is a huge success and so I'm in a position to thank them with all my heart", she said smiling as the gathering applauded.

"But still..", the host was about to tell something but stopped. "Sorry for the interruption. Our chief guest has arrived and I kindly ask the gathering to stand up and welcome him", the host said as the gathering stood. She snapped her head towards the entrance, only to receive the biggest shock of her life. She never in her wildest dreams thought that she will have to face this particular person, in her life again, after ten long years. Everything has changed, from the way he looks to the way he walks. Except one thing, his light brown orbs, that she fell for. "So let's welcome Mr. Shaheer Sheikh, one of the leading business tycoon of India", the host said as the gathering cheered. Her breath hitched, hearing his name after so long. She stood numb, looking at him walking into the hall, with his eyes boring into hers. Jatin welcomed him and made him sit on the seat beside him while she stood stunned. All this while, his eyes was fixed on hers, as she felt her heart racing.

"So, let's continue with where we left", the host said breaking her reverie as she quickly composed herself. "But still, what do you think as the reason behind the success of every book of yours?", he asked as she thought for a while. "May be because every work of mine is simple and people could connect to them very well. Even I used to be a girl, who believed in fairy tales, waiting for my prince charming..", she said glancing at Shaheer, who never left her gaze. "But later life taught me, to believe more in myself. Who knows, there might be a situation, when the person you trusted the most will leave you in the middle of the journey and walk out of your life all of a sudden. And at the end, it's always gonna be you who is going to face everything alone. So I thought, better why not get ready for that from the very beginning? And that made me write stories which are more practical and applicable in real lives rather than ones that happen only in dreams", she said glancing at him again and the crowd broke into fits of applause while he remained expressionless. She couldn't understand his thoughts from his face, like she used to be before. This person, sitting in front of her looked completely different to her, unlike his old self.

"Wow, that's great to hear. But it seems like there is something more to it! But after these many years, you wrote a story that was completely different than the rest of yours. And much to our surprise, it is the most sold out book of yours till now. So what would you like to say about 'Happy Ending'. And what do you think that made the leads of this story Dev Dixit and Sonakshi Bose, a different one from your other stories?", the host asked curiously. "Well, as you said 'Happy Ending' was a different one. But to be honest, this was the first story I wrote", she said as the host looked at her astonished. "Oh really? Then why didn't you publish it first? It would've given you a grandeur opening even", he said while she smiled a sarcastic one.

"This particular story is different from the rest of my works. Not only because of the genre but..", she stopped glancing at Shaheer while he looked at her expectedly. "Every story I write has a part of me in it. But in case of 'Happy Ending', I could connect to every aspect of Sonakshi Bose. She is, was and will be one of my most favorite characters... created by me", she said giving a tight lipped smile. "That's great and what about Dev Dixit?", he asked curiously. "I wonder, if he exist", she said looking Shaheer while he felt something prick his heart. "Hmm.. Then don't you think that this is a simple story of a girl falling in love with a man and eventually getting together with him without much disturbances. I meant don't you think that it's so usual?", the host asked.

"I know it's simple but I don't think it's usual. In real life, it's not easy to get together with the person you fell for. There are too many thorns and boundaries in reality which I had thrown out of my story, giving it the much needed positive touch. And that gave my readers a peace of mind, which they don't get in their lives and I think that's the reason for the book's success", she said while Shaheer couldn't hold back. He felt something tugged his heart, for every word of hers and only he knew why. "Last but not least, why do you always end your stories on a happier note? From your dozens of stories, not even one had a sad ending and why is that so?", he asked. "Because in reality, often endings are not beautiful", she said looking at Shaheer with a sad smile while he lowered his gaze.

Only he knew the meaning behind every word of hers and that made him suffocate due to her accusing gaze. "With this we come to the end of this question and answers session. Thank you Ms. Erica Fernandez for answering my not so intelligent questions patiently", the host said smiling. "Firstly, I should thank you for asking such questions which brought my real self out. Secondly, I would like to thank Jatin for believing me before 8 years and giving me this opportunity. Without him I would have been nothing. I feel blessed to have him in my life. He was the only one, who believed in me, my talent and supported me through my thick and thin", she said eyeing Shaheer who looked visibly jealous while the gathering applauded.

As soon as she descended down the stage, she went straight to Jatin without even eyeing on Shaheer, much to his disappointment. "What is the need to thank me?", he asked while she smiled. "Because you are the reason that I'm here and my whole life won't be enough to thank you", she said as Jatin shook his head in defeat while Shaheer looked at them blankly. He felt a tug in his heart seeing them being close to each other. He knew that the bond they share was beyond what he thought and he knew it would have been him in Jatin's place now, if everything had gone well then.
"Now I request Mr. Shaheer Sheikh to share a few words with us", the host said breaking his reverie. He composed himself and went to the stage, masking himself with a tight lipped smile.

"Hello everyone, it's glad to see so many young people gathered here. You all might think what a business man is doing here in the success party of a book. Well, I have a strong connection with this book and it's writer", he said eyeing Erica, while she glared at him nervously. "Do you know what that connection was? Even I'm a reader of this book and every other book of our beloved writer Ms. Erica Fernandez", he said smirking while she averted her gaze from him letting out a deep breath, which even she didn't know how long she had been holding on. "And I have another strong connection to this book. No one in the world could connect to the character of Dev Dixit more than me", he said while she looked at him shocked. She definitely was not expecting him to say everything in public. She wondered what he was up to when everything between them was over already.

"And as our writer madam said, life is full of thorns and boundaries. But all that matters is how we break those boundaries and pass through the thorns together with the person we trust", he said as she glared at him angrily, which didn't go unnoticed by him. "It's just that we have to wait. Wait till the appropriate time comes, to join the person you care. Wait till the person who cares for you comes back to you", he said looking at her while she looked at him angrily. "Sometimes it may look like they left you all alone, but the person who cares for you will follow you wherever you go throughout your life", he said glancing at her who looked visibly annoyed. "So, let's take everything on a positive note. Life is too short to hold grudges. Let's forget and forgive and make our lives beautiful. Thank you", he said with a tight lipped smile and descended down the stairs, only to meet the angry glances of Erica.

"Shaheer, you did a great job man!", Jatin said with all smiles while Shaheer smiled a little. Jatin made him sit besides him and the party continued. Throughout the show, Erica didn't even look at him much to his disappointment. After the party, he went to meet her, who made herself busy with Jatin. "Hey Shaheer", Jatin called him, who was standing alone in a corner, looking all lost in his thoughts. Coming out of his reverie, he walked towards them, much to her annoyance. "Eri, this is Shaheer my friend", Jatin said as Shaheer smiled a sad one. Him mentioning her as 'Eri' pained him more and never even in his dreams he thought that there will be a third person who will introduce him to her. "Friend?", she asked in surprise. She knew Jatin since the past 8 years but she never heard of his name from him. "Yeah, he was my school mate", he said and she nodded knowingly. She knew Jatin can't be his college mate because it was during their college days that everything began.

"Hi", Shaheer said forwarding his hand, while she looked at him blankly. She never wanted to give her hand to him again. She looked into his eyes, which were already boring into hers. Jatin looked at her confused, he knew that she was a tough person, for the reasons only known to her. But she never disrespected anyone, he thought. He smacked her arms, breaking their reverie. It was then she realised where she is, and gave her hand to him hesitantly. "It's good to see you... again", he said smiling while the latter part was more of a whisper. She gave him a tight lipped smile and withdrew her hands soon from his hold. "You know what, he was the one who..", Jatin was about to say something but Shaheer interrupted him. "I'm I'm sorry.. Sorry for being late", he said stuttering. "It's okay. What will you do if your flight was late. But luckily, you didn't miss anything", Jatin said while he nodded. "I will never miss anything, which is mine", he said looking at her intently while she just averted her gaze off him. "Excuse me", Jatin received a call and walked away leaving the two broken souls behind.

What followed then was an awkward silence. Shaheer so wanted to begin a conversation but he was scared. "Why did you come again?", she asked irritatedly as her words pierced his heart. "Don't you like my presence here?", he asked with a heavy voice, his pain was visible in his eyes. "Why should I like your presence here?", she asked angrily. "You left me long back, right? Then what is the need to come again? Just leave my life, it's not new to you", she spatted at him while he lowered his gaze. "Please Eri..", he was about to explain but she gestured him to stop. "You don't have any rights to call my name. It was this name that you asked me to change, isn't it? If you had asked, I would have given you my life even. But what did you ask? You asked me to leave my name, my identity", she said as her voice choked in, while he just closed his eyes, accepting her accusations.

"I don't mind that even, but don't you think that you gave up so soon?", she asked as tears rolled down from her eyes. "I think now you got everything you wanted. I hope you had satisfied your family and this society with your actions. So, just leave me now please. I learned to live my life without you. Now I live for myself, not for the one who didn't care for me or this stupid society", she spatted at him furiously and was about to leave but he grabbed her hand. "Stop lying. You can't live without me", he said while she chuckled a sad one. "I did.. Since the time you left me", she said and jerked his hands away. She was about to leave but stopped in her traces hearing his words. "Then what is this?", he asked showing her a copy of 'Happy Ending'. "If you forgot everything happened between us, then what made you to write our story as a book?", he asked while she stood numb.

"I don't want to answer you", she said irritatedly and turned away to walk but he blocked her way. "Tell me one thing. Why did you end this story on a happier note? Why didn't you write what happened in our life? Why did you change their name as Dev Dixit and Sonakshi Bose? Why can't you name them as Shaheer Sheikh and Erica Fernandez? Do you know why? Because you are scared.. You are SCARED!", he shouted making her all the more angry. "Stop!", she shouted back at him as he stood stunned. "Yes.. I was scared and I'm still scared! Because I don't want them to go through what we have gone through. I don't want them to face the so called norms of this society like us",she said with pain dripping from her voice as he looked at her guiltily.

"But it wasn't my fault either. It wasn't our fault", he said trying to convince her but she shook her head in negation. "Do you know what our fault was? We tried to please everyone around us. On failing to do that, we gave upon each other...without a second thought", she said trying to hold back her freely flowing tears. "But..", he was about to say but she interrupted him. "Do you know what's our biggest mistake? We were born in different families that follow different practices, different paths, different God!", she said while he looked at her sadly. He still couldn't believe that it was their religions that came in between them, ten years ago.

"It was our parents who taught us that there is only one God. They had no problem when we talked to each other, when we grew up into best friends. But they were the first one to oppose us when we said that we were in love and would like to get married. Why?", she asked but he didn't know what to answer. "Because of the fear they have towards this so called society. But we should have been fearless, isn't it? We should have waited a little longer. But you gave up so soon. Why?", she asked while he looked up at her. "I didn't give up", he said softly while she chuckled a sad one. "Then who was the one, who told me to forget everything and move on?", she asked as he shook his head in denial. Yes, it was him who asked her to leave him but he did so to free her from his family's burden. He so knew that they won't accept her as their daughter-in-law and he can't even go against their wish. So he let her achieve her dreams by helping her through Jatin, even without her knowledge.

"I know, I did something wrong, very wrong. I know you can't forgive me soon", he said holding her hands. "But please, give me one chance. Give us one more chance. Nothing has changed between us. I know you still love me and I love you with all my heart. These 10 years were like a hell for me without you. Please come back. We will fight together, please", he pleaded but she didn't look convinced. "How can you think that nothing has changed? Everything had changed in these years. I changed for the better. I have moved on. And everything between us ended", she stated furiously. "But are you happy with whatever that has happened?", he asked her the question which she couldn't answer anytime. "It doesn't matter if I'm happy or sad. It has ended and that's it", she said annoyingly while he shook his head in denial.

"If it's not happy, then it's not the end. Let's fight back together and I don't want to please anyone this time. I just want you and your happiness. I gave you a lot of pain and it's my duty to heal them...please give me one more chance", he pleaded taking her hand in his, while she looked at him confused. She knew that he doesn't lie, she knew that their love is still alive. But can she trust him again? Will he be true to his words now? Can she keep her faith on him again? Will others let them live peacefully? Pushing her thoughts aside, she agreed to what her heart said in the war between her mind and heart. She nodded her head a little while he smiled through his tears. He pulled her towards him, into a bone crushing hug as happiness filled the air around them, after ten long years.

******************************************
So, how was it?

I'm sorry if I did hurt anyone's emotions. This story might seem usual. But it's a story of many. I have seen so many couples, drifting apart due to this particular problem called religion! This is a story, so they reconciled with each other but life won't give you second chance!!

They say religions are different ways to God. But do remember God is one. Religions are man-made. They were created to keep us regulated not to separate us from each other.

On one side, we flaunt that ours is a country of diversity. But on the other side, in some interior villages, it is even considered as a taboo to let people of other religions inside their house! Strange!!

I'm not accusing anyone, I'm just saying the fact. Have you ever heard of something called 'Honour Killings'? I don't know where does honour comes in killing a person! But it's shocking that they are still in practice!!

Even in a family of well educated people, if a person marries someone of other religion then either one of them are asked to change their religion to other's! Why can't a family have people of different religions? If all that's important is a person's heart, is religion even a matter to talk about?

So enough of my gyans, but do remember only one thing, God did not create religion. God created Man and Man created religion!

Atleast let this new year be a new beginning and bring a new change in the minds of people!!

Once again Happy New Year!

~ See you soon ❤️