Safar e Meraki

The students were seated in the large hall of a 3 storey house. Neha Mam, the owner of famous UPSC coaching, organized a party to celebrate her achievements before the new year.

She invited all her batches to her new house.

Her fiancé welcomed everyone warmly.

Warm lights draped around the railings, odor of freshly polished furniture, and the hall filled with smiles and laughter.

“Congratulations Mam. This house is very beautiful.” Her students appreciated her.

It was a proud moment for Neha. Years of hard work that led her here.

“Not only that, dear students…” Her fiancé held Neha by her shoulders and announced, “ We will be getting married in 2 months.”

“Wow!! Congratulations to both of you, Mam and Sir.” Everyone clapped and cheered. Some whistled and teased.

“You better not hurt Neha Mam, or else you know what we all can do…” Pia said standing in the centre.

But a pair of eyes was shocked by her appearance.

“Ray, look who's here.” Neha introduced, “My favourite student, Pia.”

“Welcome back Pia. I heard you migrated to another state?” Ray asked, confused.

“I came back last week, Sir.” Pia smiled. Ray smiled back but his eyes did not.

The celebration moved on with playing games, cracking jokes, singing and dancing. Creating a chaos noise.

But someone in the room was here for a different purpose.

After about an hour, Ray walked into the hall and announced, “Snacks are arranged on the terrace. We have different sections of momos, sandwiches, cold drinks, pasta and we have cup noodles too, but you have to wait in line for hot water in kettles.”

“But firstly, let me give a full house tour.” Neha Mam took batch by batch to a house tour that ended on the terrace where Ray welcomed them for late evening snacks.

Instead of going with his batch, Avii walked towards Pia.

“Heyy, Pia.” Avii greeted her. A familiar voice made her turn instantly.

“Avii! That's nice to see you.” Pia replied with a wide smile. Avii nodded but his eyes were searching for something.

“You didn't answer my question.” He complained.

“What question?” Pia asked, still in the zone of enjoyment.

“The one I sent you 3 days ago with a gift.”

“What gift?” Pia asked, confused.

“Pia, I kept the gift on the door when you didn't answer. I thought you were out.” Avii cornered her and explained.

“I was out. But I didn't see the gift. I'm sorry.” Pia defended.

“Then where did the gift go?” He frowned and asked.

“Must be the kids from the hallway.” Pia answered and rushed to join her friends.

“I don't think so.” Avii thought to himself.

Pia joined her friends adding momos to her plate. They were laughing and giggling during their conversation. Avii was watching Pia from the corner while drinking a soda.

“Bro, stop looking at her. She's yours, Bro.” His friend joined him.

“I know. But my eyes can't resist.” Avii made an excuse as Pia walked towards the sandwich counter.

“Pia!” Avii called her.

“Yes, Avii with double‘i’ ” Pia replied and both chuckled.

“You remember.”

“You always mention that.” Pia replied with a smile. Avii noticed her good mood.

“You look beautiful.” Avii complimented her and she smiled with her eyes.

“Thank you, Avii. What do you want?”

“Your answer.”

“To what question?”

For a second, the noises around faded. This moment was just them.

“I'll ask you again, Pia.” Taking a deep breath, Avii asked, “Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Avii?!!” Pia was shocked. A bite of sandwich stuck in her mouth.

“Pia!!” Avii passed her a glass of water.

“Look Avii…” Gulping the water, she started, but Avii calmed her down. “I'll wait for your answer. Whenever you are ready.” Avii smiled and took a bite of her sandwich.

Pia looked at him for a long minute, watching his features, observing his expressions, before excusing herself, “I have to go to the washroom.”

With racing heart beats, deep breaths, and pounding chest, she reached the bathroom and looked at the mirror. Her reflection gave her the answer she couldn't speak before.

On her way back, she came across Ray. “Where is Neha Mam?” Pia asked.

“She is resting for a bit.” Ray replied, closing the door for their bedroom.

“Ohkay. By the way, I lost my way to the terrace.”

“Sure, I'll guide you.”

They both entered the terrace and her friends waved at her.

“Come fast. It's our turn now.” One of her friends said walking towards the kettle with their cup noodles. One of them passed an extra cup noodles, they brought for her.

“Thank you!” Pia smiled.

“You're welcome, dear. By the way, what's with Avii?”

“He wants me to be his girlfriend.” Pia whispered.

“Really??!!! That's so sweet.” Her friends supported her decision.

“Then go and talk to him. We'll call you when noodles are ready.” Her friends shoo her off. Pia giggled and walked towards Avii standing near the cold drink counter. He took a coke can and passed it to her.

“Let's talk, Avii.”

“I'm waiting for your answer, Darling.”

“Look, there's the full moon. I love watching the moon.”

“I'm watching my moon.” Avii replied, looking at her. Pia blushed and slapped his arm.

“Avii, listen.”

“I've planned our future together, Pia. If you need time, you can say it. But I won't accept a denial.” Avii sipped his coke. Pia looked at him lovingly.

“Yes.” She replied.

“I'm sorry, what?” Avii couldn't believe what he just heard.

“Yes, yes, yes!!” Pia giggled. Her face turned red.

“Really?!” Avii looked at her with excitement.

“Yes.” Avii hugged her and made her wear his black bracelet as a gift to her.

“I'm so happy today. 15th December, I'll remember this date forever.” Avii hugged her tightly, feeling every moment.

“Look, my friends are calling me. Noodles must be ready.” Pia pointed out at her friends.

“Wait, I'll bring that for you.” Avii walked towards her friends.

“Hey, where's Neha Mam and Ray Sir?” One of the students pointed out their absence.

“Yeah, correct. It's been over half an hour we haven't seen them.” Others pointed out the fact.

“Maybe both are romancing in their bedroom.” Another one joked.

“Shut up!”

“Wait, let's check!”

“No you cannot!!”

Some students left to call their teacher to join them.

“Hey, look. It's actually a cooler used for decoration.” A student pointed out at the decorated box.

“An aesthetic one.” Another replied as it was decorated with lights.

“Best out of waste.” Some laughed.

“Let's take a selfie.”

“Wait, include me also.” One of them clicked a button by mistake.

Avii walked towards the cold drink counter, every corner of the terrace.

“Where's Pia?” Avii asked worriedly.

“Maybe she went with others to call Neha Mam.” Her friends replied.

Just then they heard the scream.

“Aaahhhhhhhh!!!”

“Neha Mam is wounded and unconscious on the floor.” One of the students announced.

“What??!!” The students were shocked. The celebration party turned to murder site.

Students rushed downstairs. Voices overlapped. Hearts pounding. Feets turned cold.

“Call the police.” One of them dialled the number.

“Where is Ray Sir?” They asked about her fiancé who was nowhere to be seen.

“Did he do that in our presence?” Another student questioned.

“And ran away?”

The questions gave goosebumps to the students.

“Aahhhhh!!! That's Pia!!” The one taking a selfie screamed from the terrace.

“Where?!” Avii asked and ran towards the selfie corner.

“Inside…the cooler…” Her voice trembled.

His heart was no longer beating normally.

Removing the lights and the flower pots slowly, he saw her sitting inside the cooler, half filled with water.

“This cannot be true.” Avii was taken aback by what he saw. He couldn't believe his eyes. The world around him paused.

“Avii…Avii…” His friend shook him.

Avii looked at him, pointing at Pia. He wanted to speak but words barely left his lips.

“Wait, who are you? We don't have any student named Avii…” A student pointed out.

A suspicion rose in the students.

“Did you kill her and wound our Mam?” Another student walked towards him raising his fist.

“No he didn't. I'm his friend, Jeff. I'm from your batch. He's a training officer, Mr. Aviinash.”

“Then why is he here?”

“Yes, why is he here?” Other students joined and demanded answers. The accusations felt like a stone to Avii’s heart.

“To find my girlfriend who has been missing for 3 days.” Avii replied with eyes filled with tears. His gaze only on his love.

The words didn't make sense, neither to Pia's friends who were with her all day, nor to the students who saw her at the party. Maybe, not even to Avii.

“What?!”

“Then who was she?” Her friends asked about the one they saw the whole day.

The sirens were heard. The police officers joined the terrace along with their forensic team. Checking, observing, measuring and calculating.

“She died about 3 days ago.” The forensic team announced.

The same day.

The same day Avii sent a proposal with a gift.

The same day he waited for the answer.

The same day her phone was never active.

Avii regretted it. If only... His mind was filled with thoughts.

The police officer, his senior, placed his hand over Avii's shoulder.

Avii nodded.

His fingers trembled to stand when something cold touched his fingers. A shiver ran down his spine. His black bracelet. He found it near the cooler edge. The same one he just gave her a few moments ago.

Sirens filled the air in Avii’s life. Investigation started. Neha Mam went into a coma. Everything shattered in front of his eyes.

One year later

Avii entered the garden area of his farmhouse. It was small, but dear to his heart. He walked towards the cremation site where he buried her.

“Happy Anniversary, Pia.” He placed the bouquet on her grave and caressed the soil. The same bracelet on his wrist.

He placed the newspaper next to the border of the grave which said in bold heading, ‘Fiancé found dead after being punished by the Court for murdering his fiancee and her student.’

Justice done. That's what people said. But for Avii, he was waiting for the answers to what he saw, felt and held in that party.

The wind blows slowly, leaves and petals waved in motion. His breathing calmed. For a moment he felt a familiar presence beside him.

“Happy 1 year to us, my girlfriend. I love you.”

The End.