Into The Shadows by Aayush Borulkar (smart ebook reader txt) 📗

“Arey tum gaye nahi?” asked Abhimanyu as he saw Vivek standing near the staircase.

“Ha nahi vo jaa hi raha tha…

“But now he is going nowhere,” said Vibha as she came running back.

“Okay cool,” said Abhimanyu chuckling.

“Let’s go,” she said, holding Vivek’s hand.

They both climbed up the stairs and then walked into one of the rooms on the first floor.

“This is my room. Like whenever I visit Abhimanyu, I get this room to stay. So there will be no one to disturb us here,” said Vibha, sitting on a chair adjacent to the table.

“Where is Richa? I haven’t seen her in a while?” he asked.

“Oh, she must be around, probably helping Kaajal with the dishes. But don’t think about that, and let’s just chill and talk here,” she said, a little unsettled by the question.

“Uhmm… okay,” said Vivek sitting awkwardly on the bed.

“Hey! Want a beer?” Vibha asked. “You know what. Let me get us both some. Wait here and I will be right back,” she added as she went out of the room to get some beer.

Vivek sat on the bed and then lay down, getting comfortable on the bed. He rolled on the soft mattress feeling the comfort, and then bent down over the edge. As he bent down, he saw a book under the bed. He got down from the bed, reached out under the bed, and pulled out the book covered with dust. He blew hard on the book and dusted it with his palm. He then opened it. "To-Do List" was written in bold, and there was a list of things.

“Those are the things I want to do before I die. The "To-Do List" as I like to call it,” said Vibha at the door with two beer bottles.

“Okay, sorry. I didn’t mean to open it without your consent,” said Vivek closing the book at once.

“No, it’s fine. There are a few personal things in there, but it’s cool,” she said, handing Vivek his beer.

“So "stargazing on the beach” is on the list, huh. Wonder why that is not ticked yet, given that you are in Goa,” asked Vivek settling on the bed with his beer.

“Yeah, there are a dozen beaches in Goa. But the task is to do stargazing with “the special one”, if you know what I mean,” she explained.

“Oh, "the special one" I get it,” he said, sipping his beer. “Okay, this “Trying sushi”, what about this?” he asked, laughing.

“Yeah! I so very much want to try Sushi. I heard it’s just raw fish but definitely worth a try,” she exclaimed.

Vivek flipped through the pages and saw that there were a lot many things on the list.

“To eliminate Divorce as a concept” readout Vivek. Vibha’s expression completely changed. After listening to that, the excitement on her face had just vanished.

“Oh, sorry, I did not mean to offend you. I should not have read that,” apologized Vivek closing the diary.

“Wrote that when I was 14 years old,” said Vibha, sipping her beer. “I always wanted to find a solution to my parent’s marital problems. Like, how could a marriage go so wrong, that there is no mending that can be done? They fought frequently. Frequently is not even a close word to the number of fights they used to have,” said Vibha, her eyes swelling up with tears.

“I am sorry to hear that. So are they divorced now?” Vivek asked

“They never got a chance to get one,” said Vibha wiping her tears.

“What!? Why?”

“I lost them in a car accident two years back in Mumbai. They left the house quarreling about something, and then the next thing I know, the car lost its balance and fell into a creek. Now I stay with foster parents in Delhi,” she said.

“Oh, that’s bad. I mean…

“Oh no, it’s cool now. It’s been two years now, and I have learned to cope with it.”

“But you are a strong woman, and I am glad that I met you,” said Vivek holding Vibha’s hand.

They both looked at each other for a few seconds, and Vibha suddenly leaned forward and gave Vivek a peck on his lips. This act startled Vivek and he withdrew.

“Why? Something wrong?” asked Vibha softly.

“I don’t know…

“Oh no, it’s fine,” said Vibha as she leaned forward again and kissed Vivek. This time Vivek leaned into it and held Vibha by the shoulders as they fell on the bed, their bodies wrapped around each other. There was a certain sense of sensuousness in the air which was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. This startled the couple as Vibha jumped off Vivek.

“We are all downstairs playing treasure hunt. Want to join in?” asked Kaajal opening the door slightly.

“Yeah! I will right there in five minutes,” shouted Vibha as she sighed in disappointment.

Back to Present…

“Vivek was great. He was smart, funny, definitely mature for his age, and a perfect looking guy. Everything that a girl wants in boys, or that’s what they tried to find back then,” said Nishant, as Erika and everyone listened to his narration as Vibha had stopped talking as she was sobbing.

“Why don’t I know any of this?” asked Ishaan.

“You had completely passed out after the party, Ishaan” informed Kaajal.

“I remember him coming up to me and sitting beside me…” continued Nishant.

Back to 2000

“There you are, Vibha!” called out Nishant as he saw Vibha climbing down the staircase followed by Vivek. “What took you so long?” he chuckled.

“I was just finishing up with the packing in my bedroom,’ she answered.

“And I take Vivek was helping you pack, huh, or were you guys packing each other up,” said Nishant bursting into laughter.

Everyone giggled at his joke except Richa as she found it very odd seeing Vibha and Vivek walking down together, her phone number on Vivek’s palm still clearly visible. Vivek sat beside Nishant while Vibha went and sat beside Richa.

“What is this that you are using?” asked Vivek seeing Nishant take out a small bottle from this pocket

“This