Sorry, You're Not My Type (21 page)

‘Vikrant, I never knew the true meaning of love until I met Anamika. Taking care of her makes me happy and that’s my responsibility towards my love. I never got a chance to say sorry to you, Sanaya, but today I apologize. I hope you forgive me.’

‘Anurag, I’ve forgiven you long back and if you wouldn’t have broken up with me, I wouldn’t have met Vikrant ever. I should be eternally grateful to you,’ Sanaya said holding Vikrant’s hand firmly.

Anurag helped Anamika to sit on the bed and helped her drink coffee. Sometimes a cup of coffee and a good friend can make your life much better.

‘Anamika, can I ask you one thing?’said Vikrant.

Anamika nodded taking a sip of the coffee with Anurag’s help.

‘In the hospital when that inspector asked you about the incident, why did you lie to them? All of us knew Yuvi was behind it, so why did you lie to the cops?’ Vikrant inquired. He wanted to clear his doubts.

Anamika remained silent for a few seconds and then glanced at Anurag. Vikrant could see a tear drop rolling down her cheeks which Anurag wiped off with his hand.

She looked at Vikrant and said, ‘Because I loved him. I never told him about it as he was in a serious relationship with Kashish. Heck, he didn’t even see me as a friend, so how could I have told him? When he forced me to get intimate with him that night, I tried to stop him as it was wrong. I meant nothing to him and neither did he know that I loved him. In those 30 minutes, he treated me as a toy on which you lay your hands whenever you want and then throw away as per your wish. What hurt me the most was that the attacker was not a stranger but a guy whom I loved. I realized he was not my type.’

Anurag kept a finger on her lips telling her not to go into the details. She was barely recovering and he didn’t want her to think about all of it again. Vikrant and Sanaya too changed the topic and moved to a discussion about music and upcoming bands.

If Anamika would have chosen to give up, she would have killed so many people around her who truly loved her and wanted her to do well in life. She had decided to be the author of her own destiny and not the victim of her circumstances. She had decided to live for those who wanted her to fight against all the odds. She had made sure that even the saddest of stories can have happy endings…!

Epilogue

M
aking millions of friends is not an achievement; a real achievement is making one friend who stands by you through thick and thin! Anamika had such friends in her life. They had stood by her like a family during her darkest days. While man has invented so many amazing things to cure diseases and illnesses, no one has been able to find the cure for the mental pain and trauma given by someone. Only time can heal such wounds! Anamika had fought with death and she now had reason to live. I was anxious to meet Anamika and before leaving Mia Bella early that morning, I managed to convince Vikrant to schedule a short visit to the rehab centre. After a bit of convincing, he agreed to take me along with him after lunch. The night had been memorable and worth every penny, but now I was curious to meet Anamika. Anuj, the manager of Mia Bella was equally supportive as he had allowed us to sit there till the wee hours of the morning. Sakshi and I hardly talked on our way back home as we were still zapped after listening to VAYU’s story. We had become so engrossed in the story that we felt like we were a part of their lives. In the past few hours, we had lived and felt every small moment they had gone through. I dropped her by cab and then returned to my hotel room.

Being single doesn’t always mean you’re lonely and being in a relationship doesn’t always mean you’re happy. Was Yuvi lonely even after being in a relationship or was it just lust and jealousy that took over him that night. It was still a mystery to everyone after one year. Never take anyone or anything for granted because it only takes a second for a life to be altered forever. Yuvi was arrested by the cops after he had confessed to the crime. He had lost everything in his life. Fame, love, dignity, and even his friends. Yuvi had met two girls, Anamika and Kashish, and he had managed to betray both! Not just that, he had managed to betray even his band VAYU!

Kashish never contacted Vikrant and group after they all returned to Delhi from Daman and no one knew where she was. But Vikrant was sure she had moved on. She was not the sorts who would cry over a pathetic guy like Yuvi after knowing all that he had done. Why should we try holding onto the past when the future can be so much better. She was indeed a darling and deserved a person who treated her like an angel.

Vikrant and Sanaya had managed to hold on to their relationship and if Vikrant could change time, he’d go back to the moment they had met for the first time. Not to change anything but to experience it all over again. Even today when they travelled by the Metro, they remembered all the moments of the past. The best love story is not of Romeo and Juliet who died young but of our Grandpa and Grandma who grew old together. Similarly, Vikrant and Sanaya wouldn’t let the day end without telling one another how much they meant to each other and the only argument they got into was who loved the other more. Well, they both loved each other equally!

Almost a year had passed since the incident and Anamika was trying to start afresh at the rehab centre. With Anurag’s help, she was making a speedy recovery. Around him, she was happier than ever before. You don’t realize how strong a person really is until you see them fight their weakest moment. Anamika had kicked the doors of sorrow to rebuild her life. In the beginning even the slight touch of a man would make her scream. But Anurag helped her overcome her trauma by being patient with her and pampering her like a baby. For once, someone actually wanted to be with her for a lifetime. As time passed, Anurag made her believe in love once again. Just when she thought everything was going wrong, Anurag had brought back that lovely smile on her face. Sometimes all the doors may be closed, but they aren’t always locked.

Rehab Centre, Delhi

15th September, 2013

She lived! She learned! She loved! She helped! She got hurt! She feared! But today she smiled…. When your passion and purpose is greater than your fears, you find a way to overcome them. She had found her way, she had found her love, she had found her friends, and today she smiled because she had fought depression, pain, and death! When I saw her from a distance, she was sitting with Anurag who was feeding her food. She was the exact replica of how Vikrant had described her. Her tattoo was visible from a distance and I felt glad to see her smiling once again. As she saw Vikrant and me walking towards her, she waved her hand at us, with a broad smile.

‘Anamika, how are you?’ Vikrant asked.

‘I am fine now. Let’s see when doctors allow me to go home. Maybe a month or so. But how come you are here today?’ Anamika asked.

‘Actually my friend wanted to meet you. This is Aditya from Mumbai. He was here for some official work and thought of meeting you.’

‘Vikrant, you’ve started making friends online or what? As far as I know, you don’t have any friends in Mumbai. Not any girlfriends, at least,’ she smiled.

‘Anurag tell her yaar. One day I will land in trouble because of her silly jokes. What will people think?’ Vikrant said teasingly.

‘By the way, why is he here to meet me? Neither am I a model, nor an actress. Now I’m not even a part of VAYU,’ Anamika added.

‘Can I tell you why?’ I asked seeking permission from her to answer her question. She nodded and I continued, ‘Though you are not a movie star or a model, you are still an inspiration. When Vikrant told me about your life’s journey, I was amazed and was curious to meet the girl who had fought all the odds and had come out victorious. I was really inspired by you. You are so unique and Anurag you are a gem of a person. It’s not easy to accept a girl after knowing so much but you did. Seriously, hats off to you and your love!’

Anamika didn’t talk much but her smile said everything. She hugged Anurag and planted a kiss on his cheek and Anurag responded with a kiss on her forehead.

Anamika was a better and a stronger person today. She had true friends and her love by her side. Our entire life we search for that missing element in our life, we run behind materialistic things… Our life ends, but our search doesn’t! Life could be much better if we search for love and run behind true friends. When I turned back to bid them goodbye, I saw a spark in her eyes. She was living again. I smiled and thought that things need to come to an end if they have to make way for a beautiful beginning. Everyone feels pain in their lives. One can either use that to become a better and a stronger person or use it as an excuse not to be one!

What next? I boarded my flight to Mumbai with memories of Mia Bella and all the people who were closely associated with VAYU.

Sakshi has now started visiting the rehab centre every weekend to check on Anamika. She has promised me that she will convey my best wishes to Anamika whenever she pays her a visit. She is a true friend and I know she will never break her promise. True friends are those who talk without intention, love without condition, care without expectation, and use cuss words without reason! I was blessed to have a few friends like her in my life.

I boarded the flight and switched on my iPod.

‘Naseeba Naseeba…. ye meri life hai… naseeba naseeba… tanha kyu ye dil hai…’

I had downloaded the tracks of VAYU and listening to the songs reminded me of Vikrant’s story and that one evening in Mia Bella…

In every girl’s life, there is a boy she’ll never forget and in every boy’s life, there is a girl he’ll never forget. Anamika, Yuvi, and Vikrant too had someone in their lives. But sometimes you need pain and heartache to see what matters most. No one can ever understand your pain until they are put in your position. They had decided to stop re-reading the same chapter of their lives as with the next chapter, the story was bound to get better. Happy endings do exist…. it all depends on where you end the story.

Acknowledgements

A lot of great things have happened in my life since the release
of Few Things Left Unsaid
(2011),
That’s the Way We Met
(2012) and
It Started With a Friend Request
(2013). I would like to thank everybody who trusted me and supported me selflessly. I thank my millions of readers all over the world for their unconditional love and support. You all mean the world to me!

All the people I thank below have been my motivation while I finished writing the manuscript. I hope I hit the bull’s eye with this one too.

To Vikrant and Anamika for permitting me to share their story and for fearlessly backing me to bring their story to life. Thanks for sharing your life story with me that night in Delhi, or this book wouldn’t have been possible. I hope I have done justice to your story. A special thanks to Sakshi for showing patience and convincing Vikrant. I have no words to thank Anuj, the manager of Mia Bella, who allowed us to sit there for as long as we wanted.

To Dipika Tanna and Jasmine Sethi for being my strength, handling my mood swings, calming me down when I’m angry, and motivating me to write better.