love story - part 11

Date: may 2008

Place: ode coffee shop

Ode was known for its ambiance and the number of young couples who come there. Diya was seated in the farthest couch, lurking in the shadows, sitting alone and sipping a cold coffee. Te cool liquid quenched her parched throat and a small frown on her eye brows and the occasional pout of her lips and her dreamy eyes were shouting out “lost in thoughts”. She was hurt. Twice she had ventured into love, pretending to be brave, but had bitten the dust. Her heart pounded with misery. She was not able to breathe as grief choked her. The clouds rambled above as her head hurt.

Daniel bedingfield singing, “If you are not the one”, from her phone, shook her out of her reverie.

Diya: hullo

Diya? Happy bday baby. Please come back to me.

Diya: Arvind?

No... It’s me Sid….did I ever tell you how beautiful you look? How your eyes speak to me?

diya: sid? is this some kind of a joke? (Hangs up)

Diya gulps down the last of her coffee and waits for the cheque. Someone touches her shoulder. Diya turns back to look into his face smiling at her, his eyes searching hers.

Place: madhu’s house

madhu: so your highness just decided to run away? diya, why did you run away

diya: why? you want to know why? madhu. sid is the last person I want to see now. didn’t I tell you already? he called me up and had the nerve to ask me if arvind dumped me. I don’t want someone to sneer at me right now madhu. so spare me this guilt trip

madhu: you idiot. this is not a guilt trip. you running away from sid is only soothing his ego. you want me to talk to him and ask him to scoot?

diya : (remains silent)

madhu: dude?

diya applied for a transfer to gurgaon and flew there the following month. she wanted to start fresh. little did she know things would never be normal for quite sometime. her long working hours kept her busy not giving her time to think much about sid or arvind. she was getting over the person but arvinds words kept haunting her. arvind had spoken in a lowly language during break up and the coffee day incident , though soothing, didnt do much to help ease the hurt. she decided to give time - time.

diya was losing concentration at work and she decided to take a break and go visit delhi. she went with her colleagues and she smiled for the first time in a long time. she was standing admiring a small pendant at the chor bazaar. the design gave her goose bumps. it was a small heart frame within which cupid stood with the initial 's'. Sid had given her a similar pendant. she felt her eyes moisten and her neck suddenly felt cold with the gush of air. she heard a whisper . so you do like me huh? come back baby.

she felt she was hallucinating, remembering what sid spoke to her at ODE. she placed the pendant back and turned into sid. sidharth krishnan - the guy who captivated her heart so fully that it still hurt to see him. she was shocked initially and sid smiled at her expression.

sid: babe, did you forget delhi's my place? or tell me did you come for me? i knew you still loved me

diya: her eyes moist. stands still

sid: ( sobering up) how are you diya? you are still my baby girl. come back to me sweetums.

diya: (finally finding words) why do you want me back anyway sid? theres too much water under the bridge now.

sid: i still see you as my diya. i can never seen you as someone else's

diya: walks away.

sid: pulls her arm. listen diya. this time around - it's my control. ill give you 10 days time. come back to me. or else..

diya: flaring up... else what?

sid: ill make it 20 :) now go ahead honey. i dont want to look handsome like SRK holding your hand in the bazaar with bangles like in Kabhi kushi kabhi ghum

diya couldnt help but smile at his PJ. sid saw her smile. he knew diya was smiling after a long time. his girl was looking so sad, so lifeless and so without a spark. he missed the original diya. the one who he fell in love with. and he knew he wanted her back.

sid realized he had been foolish in the way he handled diya the first time. their separation taught him how big a gift diya was in his life and this time he was ready to get her back. for life.

diya walked into her hotel room and plonked on the couch turning the tv on. SRK was romancing Kajol in K3G. she thought of Sid's sentence and smiled. but her heart was shut. she didnt want love. no more.