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Koyal nodded, still stunned, she understood.
‘I was expecting you to say something that night,’ she said, ‘but when you didn’t, I … I thought … I’d been imagining things…’
‘Oh god, Koyal,’ Atharv exclaimed, looking helplessly at her. ‘Look at what happened after that.’
Koyal was staring horrified at Atharv. ‘Ten years, Atharv,’ she said, her shoulders sagging in defeat.
‘None of the rubbish that happened needed to happen,’ he said.
‘No,’ she said, shaking her head in disbelief.
‘And when Nili came along…’
‘And then Amit…’ Koyal finished and Atharv flinched at the mention of that name.
The two of them stared at each other trying to find some logic to what life had done to them.
‘Just one conversation, Koyal, just one call that day would have changed the course that life took.’
‘And just one look at your email, Atharv, just one look would have changed the course life took.’
‘Why did this happen to us, Koyal?’
‘I don’t know Atharv, I don’t know if we will ever know.’
The two looked at each, stunned at how life had had the last laugh.
In the background, Mansha squealed at something and Koyal turned to look at her. Atharv watched her as her expression shifted. Her face relaxed and a small smile appeared.
‘If those things had not happened, she would have never come into our lives,’ Koyal said, gesturing towards the little girl.
Atharv looked at Mansha and then at Koyal.
‘I would happily go through those ten years again and again, just so I could have her in my life, Atharv,’ she said.
‘No. There is a lot that happened, Koyal, in your life that …that will never be okay. Never. I have trouble dealing with the idea that you had to go through it once, I will burn the world down if you have to go through anything that is remotely horrible ever again.’
Koyal could not help but smile at his words.
‘I choose to focus on the other bits that have happened more recently, Atharv. Bits that are beautiful and happy’
‘Like?’ he asked with a knowing smile, leaning in.
‘I now have someone to love…’ Koyal said looking into his eyes.
‘Some to love?’ he asked.
Koyal nodded slowly.
‘Two people, actually’ she said looking at Mansha. ‘Two people to love to bits,’ she repeated with a smile.
At this point Mansha ran to them and wriggled into the middle, putting an arm around each parent. The trio walked into the hall where some of their closest friends and family were waiting for celebrate a new beginning for Koyal, Atharv and Mansha.
