NITI CHOPRA
SriShti PUBLISHERS & DISTRIBUTORS
S S P S S DS S Registered Office: N-16, C.R. Park New Delhi – 110 019 Corporate Office: 212A, Peacock Lane Shahpur Jat, New Delhi – 110 049
[email protected] First published by Srishti Publishers & Distributors in 2018 Copyright © Niti Chopra, 2018 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This is a work of fiction. The characters, places, organisations and events described in this book are either a work of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to people, living or dead, places, events, communities or organisations is purely coincidental. The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publishers. Printed and bound in India RI
HTI
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TRIBUTOR
True love is hard to find, but once found it changes your life forever. This book is just a simple celebration of one such crazy love.
I was four years old when I heard my first love story ever. ‘Jack and Jill went up the hill To fetch a pail of water Jack fell down and broke his crown And Jill came tumbling after.’ It was short, sweet and simple. To me, it was perfect. Jack and Jill became and remained my favourite love story. Until, I came across ours.
Thanks, Hugs & Kisses RR; for crafting a story as beautiful as ours. Mom; for loving us unconditionally, just like we love you back. Dad; for being the coolest, superbly unconventional dad ever. Saarthoo; for being my all time partner-in-crime. Vi; for being my twin-soul on earth. Students from BRAC; for urging me to begin writing. Friends from KDC and DIAS; for no reason, because being good friends is reason enough. The team at Srishti; for all the patience and guidance. And of course Jai – Your green eyes are the only jewels that make this woman happy – I love you.
Prologue
Raindrops were falling. The song that I had been listening had just ended, as had the day. Night was settling in and I felt too tired to pull out my phone for another song. The bus was silent now. Mostly everyone had fallen asleep. I sat leaning against the window pane, as tiny droplets hit the glass. One droplet merging into another and then another, till they all became a long streak, being stretched by the wind gushing across. That’s how everything felt in life. One action leading to the next, to the next and so on. Circumstances pushing and pulling you, till the point you don’t even realize where you are going. Where was I going? It was pouring in heavily now and I could barely see the road ahead. Why was I here on this bus? Did I really know what I wanted? Was this even right? Bright lights reflected sharply from the traffic coming towards us, forcing me to close my eyes. As I shut them, dreaded scenes from the past flashed randomly. Mom was pacing up and down the living room, mumbling incoherently or maybe I was just too numb to understand what she was saying. I tried to blink away my tears, and as I wringed my hands I was shocked by her sudden outburst. “I knew I’d have a heart attack in my life!” She was exasperated! “Mumma, please relax!” I tried keeping my voice calm. On the inside I was breaking apart but outside I couldn’t let her see it. I opened my eyes, fighting not to remember the scene. I turned my head back to the window pane. The droplets were frenzied now, as they ran across the glass in full torrent. They seemed to be angry, just like she was that night. “What shame!