It's her father's death anniversary
She is home like every year
Her father left them soon after her graduation
It's been 5 years
Five long years of emptiness..... She feels like falling in the black hole.... With no light reaching you....no hope no joy
Just unending darkness spreading like a wild demon.....

His court trial was the last they saw him
He did won the trial but lost everything else
He took a transfer and never looked back again....
That's what he wanted her to think
After everything that has been said about them....

He did kept in touch with rest of the cadets
In order to keep a track on them as well as on her
She knew that he is watching
But never did anything about it.

She use to miss him sometimes so much that it use to ache her every fibre of the being
His care , his support, his friendship
His destruction
There have been so many sleepless nights when she use to hallucinate about him being by her side.....
Looking with all the love in the world

Distance and time fix things , people says
But it never worked for her

She is living each day with heavy heart
Him being there in her subconscious mind 24/7.
While she talk and work and breath

She is helping her mother in the kitchen for dinner

"Why two gravy today....
And this gulab jamun
Aj baba ki barsi hai maa"

"I have invited someone for dinner"

"Who"

"You will see
Wear something proper"

"This is better not some set up maa....."

"Mera dimag kharab hai ke kisi ladke ko tere sath phasaungi ....
Tujhse Milne ke bad bechara therapy ke liye jayega."

"To phir batao na kise bulaya hai
Alekh to Kerala mein hai...
Huda ko bulaya hai kya"?

And their was a knock at the door....

"Go check
And please brush your hair "

She started combing her hairs with fingers

"Maa please stop... Theek hai mere baal"
She stomped towards the door expecting some irritating unwanted relatives
Either some first cousin of her parents or some distant cousin of herself
Coming to say that how much bad they feel about them....
She has made up her mind to thrash them this time....

She opened the door with a defencive vibe
And strict face
And all her defence walls came crashing down looking at his face

After five long years
He still looked same
Like a place of comfort

He still looking at her like he use to , which now she recognises well
The seriousness in his eyes for her
The longing in his eye which he is trying to hide.

She felt her heart thumping like never before
Making her feel it's presence
Making her feel aware of her being alive

While his condition was also fragile
He just wanted to pull her in a tight hug
And never let her go.

"Aap"
She was confused, excited, nervous....

"Your mother invited me for dinner
I thought you knew."
He gave a subtle reply.

So it was a news for her

"No i didn't....."
She was still in shock
Not sure what to say

"May i come in "
He asked when he realised that they are standing at the door from more than usual time, staring at eachother with indecisiveness.

"Yes please"
She moved from his way as he stepped inside

"Hello beta"
Her mother greeted him with sufficient smile

"Good evening mam"
He greeted her back and was actually about to salute out of reflex of muscle memory.... With his brain sweating with nervousness about this awkward situation.

She asked him to have a seat and offered him water
While naina waited for her mother in the kitchen

"What are you doing....
And how the hell did you reached out to him"

"I have my sources"
Her mother gave savage reply
She knew her source, obviously alekh or Pooja or huda..... Who else.

"Maa why is he here
And why didn't you told me
I am in my overused pyjama "

"Relax naina
Take these casrol out
Go sit with him
Kya sochega wo"

"Maa we haven't been in talking terms since ages...."

"That means you two have a lot to catch up"

She can't believe her mother

-----------

He was holding his heart throughout the dinner
Her mother talking about all the random stuff
He was answering her but one part of his brain was just paying constant attention on naina.

As the dinner came to the end and her mother was serving sweet

"You didn't got married
And i believe you are neither engaged"

He almost choked on gulab jamun and she was about to spit the water out

"Maa "

"No i am not"

They both said at the same time

"Any particular reason"
She asked

"Maa you are over doing it please"

"I doesn't wana get married"

"She doesn't wana get married too....
I have almost given up on her "

It was getting too much for naina
She stood up with a jerk pushing her chair back with a loud creak

"I am done"

And she stormed out of the dinning room

While he sat in silence
Playing with  gulabjamun on his plate

"I am sorry for all this
Forcing you for this dinner."

"Please don't say that...
I am delighted to be here .... Believe me"

"Still I need to apologise for all the personal questions
But .... I don't know what else to do
I can't see my daughter alone anymore
I know she is strong
She doesn't need anyone to survive
But she definitely need someone to be happy with.
And all these years from what I have heard from her friends
I believe her decision of not getting married has something to do with you.

I have no other choice but to be direct with you"

He got uncomfortable and felt parched like never before.

"Tell me rajveer
Is she the reason you are not with anyone else
Aur mujhse sirf sach bolna..."

"Ap chahti hai ke main apse wo bat kahun
Jo kehne ki himmat main kabhi khud se bhi nahi kar paya...."

He kept the spoon down and took a deep sigh.

"You almost died for her
But can you live with her"

She asked throwing another googly

And thank God he is seated or else he would have knocked himself on floor

"You do know that it was me who killed your son."

"Yes I know
And i also know that you are not responsible for his death.
I will grieve for my son till my last breath
But i have to think about the one that is living"

"I am not sure about what she feels though"

"That's the reason I called you here
I think it's high time you should talk to eachother
Figure it out..
Uska kamra upar Jake left mein hai "

Draft mein tha
Two shots only