One winter morning in January 2005

“What the hell!” A sharp yell echoed in The Woodsman Estate.

Janvi, who was testing out her new pair of binoculars from the terrace garden of Sree Niketan, the five-story mansion owned by Siya’s parents, turned in the direction of the voice. She spotted two teenagers on the Singh Mansion lawn. The way they stood with their heads lowered and posture straight before Grandpa Singh seemed like they were being reprimanded. Behind him stood Uncle Raghuveer, his lips turned up in a smirk as if he was enjoying the show.

“Hey Siya, who are they?” Pointing her fingers towards the Singh Mansion, she asked her best friend.

Lazing on the hammock, basking in the glory of the winter sun, Siya opened her eyes and turned to where Janvi was pointing. With one look, she understood who her friend was talking about. “Oh, they are Grandpa Singh’s grandsons. The older one is Arjun, and the younger one is Dhruv.”

Janvi and Siya lived in the ultra-modern and luxury society of Vasant Vihar, housing some of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in New Delhi. This was the tallest building in the estate, providing a good view of the entire neighbourhood.

The sight of two handsome teenagers piqued the adolescent Janvi’s interest, and she focused the binoculars on the boys. “How come we’ve never seen them before?”

With her eyes closed, Siya let out a sorrowful sigh. “They used to live in Mumbai. Not sure about the details, but Mamma said they lost both their parents last month in a car crash, so they’ve moved to Singh Mansion for good.”

“Oh…!” Janvi remarked, observing their faces. Except for the difference in their physical features, both boys’ expressions and body language were precisely the same. Standing ramrod straight, they appeared stubborn, very much contradicting their lowered head and grave look. With a sigh, she mumbled, “That’s unfortunate….”

“Hmm, it is….” Siya agreed, sounding rueful.

Janvi focused her lenses on the older one. Just then, he lifted his face and glanced in her direction as if he felt her spying gaze on him. She ducked, feeling like a thief caught red-handed!

The next second, she chuckled at her stupidity. How could he have seen her at the distance she was! Even if he did, he couldn’t know her! Moreover, what was wrong with ogling him?

So, with her newfound courage, she returned to watch the boy. And through those lenses, she met his clear eyes. It was as if he could see her. She froze, not out of shock but in a trance, gently being sucked into his dark orbs.

Suddenly there was a cold draft, chilling her to the bones and breaking the magic. The sky was overcast with clouds, blocking the sun’s rays and making the weather gloomy. She returned to reality and removed the binoculars, but her eyes stood rooted on him.

He turned away and lowered his head again as Grandpa Singh continued reprimanding them.

Shivering, Siya jumped out of the hammock, “Janvi, let’s head back! The sun’s gone, and it’s become really windy now.”

“Hmm…” Janvi nodded, tightening the sweater around her. She removed her gaze from Arjun and followed behind Siya, mumbling, “I should head home too. It’s getting late.”

As she returned to her place, the image of the older boy still occupied her thoughts and somewhere, the hope of seeing him again lingered on.

Fourteen years later, in August 2019

A pair of bespectacled eyes followed everywhere she went. Aware of his stares, Janvi chuckled, her heart fluttering in excitement. But when their gaze met, she instantly looked away, feeling shy.

She wanted to approach him but lacked the courage, so she downed her drink to muster some strength. Then, after one glass of wine, two pegs of tequila and a peg of rum, she shook her head, finally feeling confident enough to face the man.

But the next second, a friend pulled her towards the dance floor, and she lost sight of him in the shimmering disco lights. As she jived with the beats, her eyes searched for the bespectacled eyes, but he was nowhere around. Ruefully she lowered her gaze, chiding herself for being such a coward… and then she felt a presence behind her.

She swiftly twirled. The dark brown orbs behind the black-rimmed glasses twinkled with a challenge. There was a hint of a smile on his lips as he offered her his hand.

Placing her fingers in his outstretched palm, she smiled back and accepted his incitement. Then, as the music soared, she matched his steps, and he matched hers, making the others stop and admire them in wonder. Her eyes sparkled with thrill, very much resembling his.

The world blurred out for them, and all that was visible, was only she to him and he to her. Cheers with rhythmic clapping in tune with the beats reached their ears, adding to the adrenaline rush of the exciting dance.

Breathless and giddy with happiness, Janvi laughed aloud. He looked at those luscious lips, feeling the urge to claim them and make them his. He lifted her off the floor and made her swirl. When he put her down, they grasped each other’s hand and continued prancing, spinning and grooving.

The moment the dance ended, he let go of her and took a step back to create a distance.

Her pupils shrank, a little disappointed. Was that it?

He bowed and mumbled with a smile, “See ya!”

Janvi stared at his back with a perplexed look as he walked towards the exit. And just when he reached the doors, he smirked, giving her a backward glance. She chuckled aloud and ran after him at the subtle invitation. He was such a tease!

She picked up her pace and pushed open the exit. A hand suddenly grabbed her and pinned her against the wall, his body pressing against hers.

“Ow!” Janvi’s breathing hitched at the sudden act, but she wasn’t alarmed because she knew it was HIM. Her lips were claimed before she could say another word making her brain sizzle in excitement. Then, wrapping her arms around his neck, she closed her eyes and parted her lips, allowing him to devour her. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time! How much she’d craved for him all these years!

He kissed her fervently and hungrily sucked on her lower lip as if she were an exotic dessert. Happiness, bliss and desire made her surrender to him entirely. His actions intoxicated her, and the flurry deep inside her belly gradually grew more assertive.

She kissed him back, imitating his action. Her initiative intensified his itch, and he pulled her closer, desperately hoping to merge her body with his. The butterflies in her stomach coursed through her veins to all body parts, making her shiver in delight. Her legs went weak, and she knew she would have slumped down had he not held her tight.

“Janvi…” He murmured breathlessly as he momentarily let go of her to catch a breath. He gazed at her intently, his eyes exuding the longing he felt in his heart.

He locked his lips with hers again, but this time he was gentler. One of his hands seductively slid down her bare shoulder, to her arm and then her waist. He gripped it tight, earning a muffled yelp from her.

His touch excited her, and she could hear the loud thumping of a heart. Was it hers or his? It didn’t matter! She just wanted to be one with this man!

Heaving, they parted again, and Janvi opened her eyes. Her dazed eyes stared intently into his dark ones. They sparkled with love and longing, and a name escaped her lips, “Arjun….”

Janvi woke up with a start. Then, unknowingly, her finger reached her lips, and she mused. How many times has she had the same dream? Every now and then, she woke up thinking of him and then drowned in guilt.

It was the guilt of not getting in touch with him as promised and having insane thoughts of him. But more than that, it was the guilt of doing something unrighteous. She was about to wed Rohit, yet she was fantasizing about Arjun, her childhood crush, who was most likely married.

Feeling ashamed of having immoral thoughts about some other man, she chided herself harshly and got off the bed. But again, her mind drifted toward Arjun’s lips. It felt all too real… Shaking her head violently to shove away his thoughts, she murmured, “Janvi, concentrate on Rohit, your fiancé, not Arjun!”

To get rid of her guilt, she called Rohit, but his phone was switched off. She sighed heavily and then rushed to get ready for work.

***

“Janvi, one of my patients from the New Delhi branch is coming here tomorrow,” said Dr Chetan Desai, the hospital Director, sliding a file towards her. “I want you to study his case tonight and be ready. He is a high-profile person, much like most in-patients here, but he is also the son of a close friend, so I want you to pay him extra attention.”

“Of course,” she replied, taking the file. “What’s his history?”

He looked at Janvi from above his reading glasses and sighed. “He met with a car accident six months ago and injured his spine. Because of that, he was paralysed from his waist down. He had corrective surgery three months ago, and thankfully it was successful. So now he’s coming here for rehabilitation.”

“Uh-huh,” Janvi nodded in all seriousness as she flipped directly to the discharge summary in the file. Then, after a short discussion, she left Dr Desai’s room and returned to her office.

Janvi worked as a senior resident doctor at the Nalagarh branch of Heal Rehabilitation Center, better known as HRC. Situated in a small town on the foothills of the Shivalik, an hour’s drive from Chandigarh, this town presented an ideal spot to recuperate. It was sparsely populated and quiet, away from the hub-hub of big cities. Surrounded by mountains, the abundant fresh air and greenery reconnected the patients with nature, healing them both physically and mentally.

The moment she settled down in her chair, there was a knock on the door and Kiran, the nurse assigned to assist her, peeped in. With a smile, she greeted and started giving Janvi an update on the patients under her care.

The day went by in a flash attending to the patients, and before she knew it was time to clock off work. Her bones complained from running in the rounds, and her stomach growled for food. Finally, after a relaxing bath and a warm dinner, Janvi settled on the sofa and read the case file Dr Desai had handed her that morning.

The patient’s name, Raj Veer, sounded familiar to her, but she wasn’t quite able to put her finger on it. Nevertheless, she kept aside her curiosity and continued reading the rest of the file.

***

The following day, when she was discussing the case with Dr Desai, a door knock followed by a greeting interrupted their conversation.

“Hello, Dr Desai,” an unfamiliar voice greeted courteously.

Janvi instantly glanced up at the two visitors. And then her gaze shifted from the one who had said the greeting to the other in the wheelchair.

She froze.

Arjun Singh? What…! Why…?

She scrutinized him from head to toe to ensure she wasn’t daydreaming. But then her mind registered the wheelchair, and she knew it was reality. Arjun was in person in front of her.

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