Part 6

"For how long can I evade her questions, Tara? She seems suspicious of our past and my identity. She may have lost her memories, but she is still Vrinda. The ever inquisitive and intuitive one. I cannot bring myself to look into her eyes and lie to her repeatedly. If you had not interrupted last time, I don't know how I would have gotten myself out of the situation," said Vivaan, holding his heavy head between his hands as Daksh patted his shoulder in concern.

His sharp nails dug into his throbbing temples, but he could not care less. The weight of remorse weighed down upon his chest and made him gasp for breath despite the air-conditioner running. The rough fabric of his shirt rubbed against his clammy skin and added to his irritation. His regret had morphed into irritability and anger, and the reins of control seemed to slip through his quivering fingers, striving to reach out to Vrinda.

Tara was the fiancee of Daksh. They had been classmates and friends since school, had realized their feelings for one another in high-school but waited to make their relationship official till they had landed in their dream college, which destiny had been merciful to give of their sacrifices.

Being close to either of the brothers meant being close to both, and that was how Tara grew close to Vivaan. He had grown up to be the younger brother she always craved for. She was aware of the unfortunate happenings which separated Vivaan and Vrinda, but she could not help them out, much to her dismay.

"I still think you should reveal your identity to her. I mean, don't you think it will hurt her when she realizes all of us had lied to her to? It will break her heart. All over again. It will lessen the pain of you and her in the long run, Vivaan. It's not too late. You can still tell her you are Vivaan, the best friend she is waiting for."

"You said she was waiting to meet Vivaan, and that is you, my foolish brother. She wants to meet you and clear on that. But I don't think you are clear about what you want from her. To tell her about the past, even if you narrate only the important parts, stretching about twenty-three years, it will take weeks. After weeks of relationship with her as Vihaan, when you tell her you are Vivaan, you think she will jump into your arms and say that she is happy to find her Vivaan once again?" asked Daksh, wondering if his brother had lost his mind.

Vivaan had always been the mature one between them. The one who thought multiple times before acting. Never did Daksh or Tara fathom they would have to explain about Vrinda's feelings to Vivaan.

Vivaan was the one Vrinda turned to when she needed a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold her to tide over the many crises of her life. The one to whom she had bared her heart in ways she never had. The one privy to every secret of hers and the one who had experienced it all with Vrinda had forgotten his way around her, and it broke their hearts to see repentance wreak havoc on Vivaan's sensibilities.

"Bhai, Tara, do you think Vrinda will accept the fact I betrayed her when she needed me the most and took advantage of her amnesiac state to get back into her good graces? She could not forgive me for weeks for siding with Vinay and keeping her in the dark. Nor could she forgive her mother for keeping the talks of her marriage under the wraps. She cannot take concealment in any manner."

Vivaan let out a defeated sigh and raked his fingers through his hair. "Yes, I am concealing my identity so I don't break her trust as Vivaan once again. So that she doesn't start trusting Vivaan, continuing the relationship we had left behind. Only to be heartbroken when she learns of my act. Only to walk away," said Vivaan, shrugging Daksh and Tara away from him as he staged a walkout from the room filled with the memories which Vrinda had lost.

Daksh raked his fingers through his hair as Tara wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. "What has happened to him? Does he realize what he is doing? She is going to hate him and he will be more heartbroken. As if that's possible."

"What is love, if not twisted, Daksh? I just know, no matter what, Vrinda can never hate Vivaan. With or without memories. Just as I cannot hate you," said Tara, with a rueful smile playing on her lips as she gazed at Vivaan's retreating form.

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Vrinda's Room,

Every question and every frustration seemed to disappear from his mind as his eyes landed on the love of his life. She had donned blue pajamas for the day. Her blanket lied on the side as she watched some web-series playing on the television with a pensive look. The color, which had disgusted him for years, appeared as the one preferred by angels.

Her presence had always made him feel at peace. The focus shifted from the throbbing headache to the heart pounding against his ribcage in a frenzy daze. She filled any and every void in his heart, defogged his mind and left him aching for more when she left his side. That day, despite everything, was no different.

"How are you doing today, Vrinda?" he asked, taking his seat beside her as she looked at him with a heart-warming smile. It almost wiped away his smile to reminisce of instances where her face used to light up by his presence or mention.

"Better. But I am so bored. I do nothing except sit here and watching every series possible," said Vrinda with a pout.

Vivaan grinned as her contagious smile reflected on his lips. "Well, aren't you liking the series? People would die to just watch series, with no other work, and you are complaining."

Vrinda brought her legs close to her chest and rest her chin against the arms crossed over her knees. Sorrow splayed across the smile dancing across her pale lips. Her eyes, her decadent and doe-like eyes, reflected the storms hovering over heart as they swirled with melancholy. Her bottom lip trembled and her upper lid flickered, despite her best attempts to maintain a straight face.

"I think the key is choice. It is their choice, and I am not doing this out of choice. I am tired of the depictions in them. Half of these shows have amnesia tracks. Like the lead loses their memory and they regain it back. But my doctor says, she says, I will never get my memory back. I-I just want to remember it all."

"Vrinda, please!" said Vivaan, unable to bear the pain floating in her eyes. She could control her tears, but not the agony which pierced through her eyes and right into his heart. He put his arm around her and pulled her against his chest as he moved onto her bed.

"With or without memory, you are our dear Vrinda, and you will be our beloved forever, Vrinda. If it was in my hands to reverse this memory loss and the events which caused it, I would even trade my soul for that. Unfortunately, it is much beyond us to undo it. If we spend this time plunging ourselves in the chase of something we can never get, we will have to spend the future in regret of not being able to do anything. So tell me, what do you want to do? Forget these dumb shows and their lack of research," said Vivaan, caught in the conflict of pleasure of taking his beloved in his arms again and torment for being the reason of her pain.

"You know what is the worst part? I don't even know what I like to do and what I want to do. It is such a mess," said Vrinda, burying her face in her hands to prevent the sobs from pouring out of her chest.

It pained Vivaan to see her gesture. It had taken him years in the past to teach her that tears are not a sign of weakness. That she did not have to hide her tears from those who loved her, and yet there she was. It tormented him to see that her parents' teachings; the ones etched into her subconscious of allowing no one to see her in a vulnerable position were overpowering her mind once again.

He cradled her hand and pulled it away, while Vrinda copied his action on her hand as she looked straight into his eyes. The eyes, which she did not notice as closely as she did in that moment, caused myriads of emotions to rush through her. It warmed her heart and yet twisted a knot in the pit of abdomen. The guilt and anguish in those eyes seemed so familiar that her mind hurt itself in its frantic attempts to find a match.

"You don't remember, Vrinda, but I remember every single thing about you. Through worse or through mess, I will always stay by your side. Although I know your taste, you can try everything to realize your likes once again and I will be at your service, madam! So what would Her Royal Highness like to try today?" asked Vivaan, as the name made her lips twitch into curving upwards because of the childhood anecdotes shared by Vivaan about the nickname.

Her eyes had a mischievous glint in them, and it made Vivaan's heart skip a beat. There were a few instances he felt proud of himself, but his heart never failed to feel satiated after bringing a smile onto Vrinda's lips and wipe her tears away.

"Let me think. But are you sure you will be beside me through all this? I mean, even if it yields disastrous results like trying to dance with two left feet?" asked Vrinda.

Ghost of a smile tugged at the ends of his lips as he gazed at the smirking woman beside him. Never the one to hold complaints and ever the one to find the light of optimism in the darkest of times. There she was. His dear Vrinda.

"Of course. Forever in your service and forever yours, madam!"