AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER 1
Aarav
ONE WEEK LATER - INDIA
I stare at Jhanvi’s picture on my phone. This was the last picture we clicked together in Scotland before the accident. Jhanvi was freshly showered after our morning lovemaking and wore my white shirt, the one she adored me in. She was busy brewing coffee for us when I’d interrupted her, and we had another round of passionate mating right there in the mini kitchenette of our hotel suite. I took this selfie to show her the afterglow on her face, and she couldn't stop giggling whilst trying to stop me from snapping another picture.
Stroking my finger on the phone screen, I take another swig of the brandy when I hear my daughter’s voice.
“Daddy,” Aarvi exclaims as he storms into the living area with my friend, Aman Mathur.
She was out on a playdate with Amaya, Aman and Jaya’s one-year-old daughter. Aman is here to drop Aarvi. I stow the bottle of brandy and cuddle Aarvi who is about 5.5 years old now. She’s a replica of Jhanvi and it hurts me every time I look in her eyes. They remind me of my wife, prodding me with the reality that I'll never be able to bring her back into our lives.
“How was your playdate?” I ask Aarvi who sits on my lap stroking my beard.
“It was nice. Poor Amaya fell down when she tried to walk. But she didn’t cry. When will she walk nicely, Daddy? I want to do a running race with her.”
I kiss her cheek for that innocent question.
“Soon, sweetheart. For now, she is still a baby. Give her some time.”
“Okay.” She kisses me back and then gets down when her Nanny reaches us. It’s her mealtime. She waves to both me and Aman before hurrying inside to eat her lunch.
Aman takes a seat opposite to me, glaring between me and the brandy bottle.
“You’ve been drinking a lot lately, Aarav. You need to stop that,” he warns.
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
I swig some more brandy knowing very well it has enraged Aman.
“Tell you something you don’t know?” Aman repeats. “Fine. Then let me inform you that AR Group has been struggling in recent quarters. We will lose business and face losses if this trend continues, Aarav. That’s what you need to know because it’s high time you come out of your grief and focus on the Company.”
Aman snatches the brandy bottle from my grasp and gulps it down.
“I'm done dealing with things alone there,” he continues to rant. “I am only the Vice President of that company. You, Aarav, are its soul. The media hasn’t stopped keeping an eye on us and they've already been spreading rumors that you've stepped down as the CEO and have lost interest in the company.”
I look at my phone where the picture of my wife still glows. After a minute of silence, Aman speaks again, his tone low this time.
“We all miss her, Aarav. It’s hard, I know, but you have to let her go now. You can hold on to her memories for a lifetime but you can’t ignore the people around you who still exists and who love you and need your attention. Think about Aarvi, Daadi and me. We all need you, Aarav.”
“I am here for everyone, Aman. I am here,” I mumble dryly.
“Physically, you're here, but mentally, you're still in Scotland, stuck with memories of Jhanvi, where you last saw her. In the last two years, you have been there almost every alternate month to grieve.”
I swallow the painful lump that had arisen in the back of my throat. It's got to be those darn tears. Yes, I travel to Scotland frequently because that place connects me to Jhanvi. I lost her there and somehow going there makes me feel closer to her.
“Just look at yourself,” Aman continues. “You hardly focus on the Business, you have no time for meeting anyone of us and when we come to see you here, you are always drinking. Daadi is tired of putting sense in you. She’s old and she needs you to support her, not the other way around.”
“I know,” I lean behind, stroking my fingers over my scruffy beard. When was the last time I shaved or trimmed? Probably two weeks ago.
“Please, Aarav, speak to me.” Aman insists and though we have spoken about this a hundred times in the last two years, I tell him the same thing.
“I couldn’t save her, Aman. I should have gone with her that night. That accident could have been avoided. I stayed back for work and left her alone. I…”
Words choke in my throat and my eyes brim with fresh tears. I don’t typically show my pain to anyone but Aman is no stranger. He’s been a great support to me since our childhood. Aman leans forward and strokes my arm.
“You can’t change the destiny, Aarav. That accident was inevitable and you going with her would have made no difference. Be thankful that Aarvi still has you, and she didn’t lose both her parents on that fateful night. You ignoring the business is doing no good to anyone. Think of Aarvi’s future. When she grows up, what will you give her? You and Jhanvi wanted to provide your daughter with a bright future. Jhanvi couldn't pull it off, but you could. Your daughter deserves it.”
