YAADEIN (PART 2):

YAADON KI BAARAT:

"Agar kuch samajh nahi aaya toh tumhe pata toh hai hi ki main kahan hoonga", he said. She nodded, closing her notebook.

"Thanks, Karan", she said, standing up.

Three months. She was better now. No casts, no bandages.

No memories.

Every time they tried to make her remember, she would get an intense headache that would almost reduce her to tears, so they had reduced their efforts from pictures and videos to stories and places.

The pain hadn't faded. It flooded in every time he looked into her eyes, and didn't see the tenderness he was used to. It clutched his heart every time he see her offering a polite smile to him. He was a stranger.

She had dreams. She would smile in her dreams, cry sometimes, even laugh slightly but when she woke up. Blank.

She said she remembered flashes. Just faces. Random. It didn't make sense. They weren't in order. They went by too fast. Too blurry.

But she saw him. She saw Faizi. She saw Koel. She saw Sanju. She saw everyone. But she didn't remember memories.

It was progress, the doctor had said. But it would take time. It might not ever come back.

He had given up hope. Not because he was letting her go, but because he didn't want to let himself hope and then all came crashing down when she couldn't remember him. He couldn't. He wasn't strong enough to deal with that.

"Anytime", he said, nodding.

"Karan", her voice stopped him from leaving. He turned to her wordlessly. "Main tumse kuch poochh sakti hoon?"

She didn't mean to hurt him but damn, did those words hurt. When had she needed permission to ask questions from him? She had been right up his face, asking and demanding answers the moment they had met.

He jerked his head down in a nod, shoving his hands in his pockets to hide his clenched fist.

"Hum... dost the, na?" She asked. "Accident se pehle?"

An uncomfortable lump appeared in his throat. He was no stranger to it. He stared at her face.

She didn't remember.

He had proclaimed his love to her, he had kissed her, he had spent hours at ends with her. The best part of his days. And she didn't remember.

Was this fate's way of giving back the pain he had given Monami when he rejected her love? Unreciprocated love was... painful.

He turned around, walking right out of the door.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Monami knocked on the door, and it creaked open. She paused, hesitating before entering the room, looking around.

"Karan?" She called out, glancing around. The room was empty.

She wanted to apologize. She had struck a nerve with that question and she had instantly felt guilty when pain flooded in his eyes. He had stared at her and walked off without answering.

She sighed, turning to leave. She paused. What was that? Leather bound notebook. A diary.

'Yeh kis liye?'
'T-Tumne meri jaan bachayi, thank you, Karan.'
'Tumhaari jagah koi aur bhi hota, toh bhi main yeh hi karta. But... thanks for this.'

Her eyes snapped open. She had given him this? Her fingers brushed it lightly. Another flash. She was inside his room, searching for something.

It was briefer, and it didn't make sense, much like her dreams. Vague. Unclear.

Her eyes fell on another thing, and her feet moved on their own accord. A... charm? A keychain? She picked it up, turning it over in her hands.

'I love you, Karan Shergill.'

The charm slid from between her fingers, falling noiselessly on the bed. She was... in love with Karan? Was he too?

Sid! Sid would know. He knew everything about her. He would know.

She turned to leave, coming face to face with Karan as he entered the room.

"Monami?" He said, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?" He looked at her closer, and his face fell from confusion to concern. "Kya hua, Monami? Tum... tum theek ho?"

"Karan, hum kya the?" She asked.

He paused, his hands hovering in mid-air, just inches from grabbing her shoulders. He let them fall back, walking past her to his desk. She turned slightly, following him with her eyes. "Tum meri cadet thi aur ho", he answered quietly. "Main already tumhe yeh bata chuka hoon."

"Hum close the, yeh baat toh main jaanti hoon", she said. "Par... mujhe laga ki hum dost the. Par hum kuch aur the, na?"

"Tumhe kya lagta hai?" He paused. His head shook slightly. "Tum meri cadet thi."

She moved around him, tugging on his arm to make him face him. "Meri aankhon mein dekho aur kaho ki hum cadet aur trainer ke alaawa kuch nahi the."

He stared into her eyes. They were moist, glossy. They shone brightly from the light.

'Ek baar meri aankhon mein dekhkar keh do ki tum mujhse pyaar nahi karte.'

'Just look into my eyes and say it.'
'I love you, Monami. I really, really love you.'
'I love you too, Khadoos Shergill.'

"Main tumse pyaar karta hoon." The words slipped out before he could stop them. "Aur tumse karti thi. Hum ek saath the. We were together, Monami. And we were... very, very happy."

She stared at him. His vision blurred slightly, and he took a deep breath, turning around. He closed his eyes, taking in a shaky breath.

"Tum meri poori zindagi thi. We were together for 6 months. Main tumse bahut zyaada pyaar karta tha, hoon aur hamesha karta rahoonga." He opened his eyes. "Par ab, jab tum mujhe dekhti ho, Monami, toh jis pyaar ko dekhne ki aadat thi, wo pyaar hai hi nahi. Aur yeh mujhse dekha nahi jaata. Par tumse door bhi nahi raha jaata."

"Karan..."

"Tum kuch bhi keh lo, Monami, par yeh waala pain tum bhi heal nahi kar sakti ho."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Monami sat down on the bed, staring at the picture. It was her and Karan. He had an arm around her waist, hers on his chest, their gazes solely on each other.

She swiped. It was a video. She pressed down on the play button. Her head pounded, but she didn't want to stop. She couldn't. She had to remember. Karan. Her. Them.

It was a video. Karan and him. They were... being teased. No. Karan was being teased. She was right in on with everyone.

The words were confusing and she could barely hear it over the pounding headache. She could hear random strings.

Monu... Meri Monami... take her on a date... Khadoos Shergill.

'Dil jaisa hoga kuch seene mein, dil toh pakka nahi hai. Khadoos Shergill!'

'I love you, Monami. I really, really love you.'
'I love you too, Khadoos Shergill.'

'Kya hua?'
'Nahi, soch rahi hoon ki tum jaise sadu, robo khadoos se pyaar kaise ho gaya?'
'Too late, madam. Ab toh ho gaya.'

Her hands flew to her head, the headache increasing to a unbearably piercing one, and she whimpered.

Memories flooded her. Everything she had forgotten. Playing like a movie.

Her vision grew black at the edges, narrowing it down, and she felt her head connect to the pillow. The last image was of Karan cradling her in his lap, saying her name.

"Karan..."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

"Karan, mujhe tumse kuch baat karni hai", Monami said.

"Not now, Monami", he said. His gaze didn't even flicker down to her. He couldn't face her. Pity, sympathy. That was what he would see.

"But it's important", she insisted. "It's very important."

"Not now", he said. "Drills ke liye late ho raha hai." Monami sighed in frustration, pausing a few steps behind. His heart clenched a little.

"Hey, you", she snapped, and his feet stopped.

'Hey, you!'
'Hey, stay out!'

"Samajhte kya ho tum apne aap ko?" She snapped. "Khadoos! Khadoos Shergill!"

He whirled around, facing her. "Kya bola tumne mujhe?"

"Khadoos Shergill", she said, walking closer to him. "Khadoos Shergill. Mere... Khadoos Shergill."

His eyes slid over to hers, and his breath was knocked out of his chest.

Her eyes stared at him with tenderness, with love, with care. Her mouth was twisted in a smile. The brightest smile.

"Tumhe... tumhe yaad hai?" He muttered.

She nodded.

A tear slid down his face, and he hugged her tightly, pulling her closer. "Tumhe sab yaad hai? Main? Hum? Sab kuch?"

"Sab kuch", she muttered, hugging him back. "Sab kuch yaad hai, Karan. I am sorry. I am sorry main tumhe bhool gayi thi. I am sorry maine tumhe itna hurt kara."

He pulled back, gently cupping her cheeks. His vision blurred and he sniffled, staring into her love-filled eyes.

"I love you", he croaked out. "I really, really love you."

"I love you too, Khadoos Shergill."

Note- That was the last part of the two shot! Hope you like it. I'd love to hear your thoughts, so if you have the time and will, consider dropping a comment. If you like my writing, check my other works out as well!