Sands Of Time (Part 4)

When they reached the base camp, there was a letter waiting for Pratima. The letter was from Aryan. She almost instantaneously tore it open and started to read it. It read-

Hey baby,

I know I wasn’t supposed to miss you so much, but it is all I am able to do. The last time I felt alive was the last time I saw you, since then I have only been a dummy walking and talking but not living. Only if I knew I was going to see you after such a long time, I would have freeze the time there and then and watched you just standing there smiling at me. You know every night when I go out and see the starts shining, all I can think about is you, I thank god for every mistake I did because that brought me to a path that lead to you. Wish I could describe the way I felt about you in words but no language in this world is rich enough that can help me describe the way I feel about you. I just want to see you, want to hug you, want to be there for you, and want to watch you grow old. If there is one place I wish I ll die, that place is your arms. I would have no grudge against god only if the fate decides to take my life away when I am in your arms. All I can say is that I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. And I miss you so so much. Please come back soon.

Yours forever,

Aryan.

She read that letter a thousand times with her eyes filled with tears. Aryan loved her so much and even then she fell in love with someone else. She knew she had to choose one of them. And she knew it was going to be the most difficult decision of her life. There was this big dilemma on who to choose and who not too. She loved both of them, only problem was to decide whom she loved more. She knew one thing that whatever the decision was, someone was going to get hurt. She hated herself for this but she could not let this to go on forever. The war was soon going to be over and she had to be back with Aryan. Just then the thought of Rachit came into her mind and she felt a sudden chill in herself. Hope the one I don’t choose understands me better.

A few days later the news of the enemies surrendering came and the war came to an end. Pratima knew she had to go back, that night she laid in her bed thinking about the whole situation. Just then she heard a voice which sounded terribly like hers. Frightened she stood up and saw two other Pratima’s in the mirror. There was Aryan’s Pratima and Rachit’s Pratima fighting with each other.

She loves Aryan

No she loves Rachit.

She had been with him since she was a child; they are meant to be together. She is his fiancée. He loves her, she will always be happy with him.

Is that so???? Then why she fell in love with some else if she had loved him truly???

Aryan’s Pratima was speechless

You can fool yourself all you want, but the truth always will remain that she had never actually loved Aryan. He was just her best friend and you took that love to be the love with which you want to spend the rest of your love with someone.

She looked as two of her images fought with each other. She realized it was not her images that were fighting; it was her own self who was not ready to make a decision. But the decision had to be made. And it had to be done soon. She was leaving in the morning.

Back home Aryan was ecstatic on hearing the news that his Pratima was coming back. He was so excited that he went to the station hours early then the time of the train’s arrival. Finally when the train came and he saw Pratima coming out he thought of nothing and ran towards her. He thought about this moment in his head a thousand times but today, his mind was blank. He was not able to think of anything. He tried to think. He tried to say something. Anything. But he just could not. He was looking at the most beautiful side he had ever seen in his life, not that he had not seen her before. But this was the longest he had to spend without her, her sparkling eyes, her silky straight hair, the dimples on her cheeks, and the small mole on her face. Everything just seemed to fall in a perfect place. Like nothing was ever wring in this world. Like nothing could ever be wrong in this world. It was just perfect.

‘Hi’ she said.’ I was actually hoping for a warmer welcome, not that I don’t like you standing there and drooling like an idiot, but a hug would have been nice.’ She said smiling.

He came back to his sense. Shit. He thought. Then went forward and hugged her. It had been ages since he had felt her. But somehow it did not feel right. Something was off. This just was not what he was expecting.

‘Mr. Aryan now will you please let me go. I am unable to breathe.’

‘Do I have to???’

‘I guess. We can’t be glued together like this. As much as we like,we ll have to leave it.’

‘Ahan Ahan……not fair.’

‘God I missed you……’ she said. And hugged him.

So they went back home. Everything was settled again and the arrangements of a great ceremony of marriage started with the arrival of the bride.

It is often said that  the time of marriage is the most difficult time for a young women, mixed emotions, anxiety, excitement etc. but in this case it was much much more than that, it was closer to surprisingly confusing. It was not that Pratima did not loved Aryan, it was just that fact that she loved someone else too. And that too equally dearly. Whenever she was alone, thoughts raced back to that rescue mission, than going towards how her feeling grew for Rachit, ending with how wrong she was doing with Aryan. She always ended up feeling guilty n disgusted every time she gave it even a little thought. She knew she had to make a decision. She knew it had to be soon. Otherwise it was going to be too late. But she was scared, not because what others will think if she chose anyone of them, but what the one who is left out will think about her. She knew it was impossible to make them realize that she loved both of them equally, but she had to do something, something very quick. She thought about it more than a thousand times but never could find any single reason on what to say to each one of them. Every time she thought about it her mind raced back to the time her inner voices were fighting with each other over this matter. She knew she had to think about it and make a rational decision, but she did not realized that it would have to be much sooner because she had no idea what was coming next.

It was a few days later, Pratima had just returned from a little shopping trip, and just when she got home she saw Col. Shah n his son Rachit sitting there in her house along with her father. Just when she came in Col. Shah stood up and went up to her and hugged her and said in her ear.” You did not tell me that you were going to get married???”

“Ummm…Col…..I…..was……”was what she could say mainly because she was in such a shock seeing Rachit over at her house.

“We are not on a mission kid, you can call me uncle”

“Uncle….ummmm….I…..was……”again was her reply.

“Would you stop doing that dad, she just came home; n clearly she is shocked to see us here. Give her some time to relax.”

Relax, yes that what I want to do. That’s what I need to do. Just calm down. No big deal. They are here. So what? Everything is going to be alright. They are just here for today. I am sure they will be long gone by tomorrow.

‘Now that you are here, I was thinking you might stay for the wedding, we will catch up, what say???’She heard her dad say.

“Sure sure, I won’t miss it for the world”. Said Col. Shah.

AWWWWWWWWW crap. Now I think we might have a problem

This was the moment that she realized it was the time to come from the fantasy world to the real world. She will now have to start making decisions rather than thinking and planning to make some. And by the way, she had to do something quick, because as much as she thought about it, the time it wasted, and time was not going to stop or slow down for her, even if she wanted it badly.