Memories

His POV...

"Even though it's twelve years your presence now creates a void in my heart. I love you Rose... I truly do. Memories barely let me be apart from you. 

Love, 

Daniel"



I scribble my name at the end of the the page...



It's my diary... I am not much of the writer type.. but this is the only way I can communicate with her...



It was gifted by her... on my birthday...



She wanted me to pen down our memories as life takes us ahead...



But the cruel destiny took it's own turn and this diary is only filled with my memories of us together...




As I go back to the first page to see her note, written with a fountain pen...



To my dearest Daniel..



Happy Birthday... Love you sweetie :)



Ur Rose...



I move my fingers gently over the dry ink and close my eyes... in an attempt to feel her again...



12 years has done nothing for me to have forgotten her... 



Her smile... her eyes... her voice.. her touch.. it all feels like as if it was yesterday...



Clutching the book in my hand I walk out of the patio of my house towards the beach right in front...



Settling myself on the sand I close my eyes again to recall the most favourite memory I have...



Flashback



"Daniel... you can do it! You can do it! Come on!" I said pumping up my biceps and doing a few push ups...



Taking a bottle of water and gulping down its contents I see Sam, my best friend, laughing his head over!



"I really doubt if you are going to propose her or fight a criminal!" Sam laughed again...



"Oh.. God.. this is epic, Mum would be thrilled knowing this!" Sam laughed around and ended up falling straight on the floor!



"Mum ye ye ye ye!" I said imitating him!



"Oye.. at least I have the guts to propose... you still go around sucking your thumb and holding her hand!" it was now my turn to laugh!



"So what? After three years you would bless me on my bachelor life!" Sam sneered at me!



I chuckled and shook my head to clear away any impending thoughts...



"Well don't worry... you will survive through it!" Sam hugged me tightly and ruffled my hair while I punched him slightly!


" Sam! Oh okay... Rose's here!" My heart rate started increasing. 



Even though I have met her millions of times before but when the question comes of involving her as a permanent member of your life... it's another feeling!



Sam grinned at my reaction... he wished me all the best and slipped away before Rose could come...



Clad in a simple white dress she looked breath taking.



"If she looks so beautiful she would become a widow before marriage itself!" I thought...



"Hi Daniel!" she smiled and held my hand...



"Hi..." I said and softly caressed her soft palm...



Did she anticipate what was going to come... cause I could see her cheeks colouring... and she wasn't looking at me...



Somehow the band on my wrist became the most fascinating thing for her...



So I removed the band and gave it to her...



"Huh?" Rose asked perplexed...



"You seem to have a beautiful time seeing this!!" I said sarcastically...



"No Daniel... actually.." she actually started explaining... then she looked up and put on a fake frown...



"And by the way the last thing you are doing is looking at me! Your cheeks are as red as apples at the moment!" she gave me a cheeky grin...



Now I fell short of words...



"Daniel..." she said...



"Yep.." I asked... brushing my nose against hers...


I needed this moment... true that I felt nervous... but it was nothing when expressing my love is concerned...


I bent on one knee and took her lovely hand in mine... I could see her face glowing in anticipation... "Will you marry me ?" I asked in one shot - small and simple...


She nodded yes and hugged me tight...


I pick her up in my arms and scream "I love you Rose!!!" 



All the people around start clapping and whistling for the two of us...



She hugged me tightly and buried her head in my chest... I smiled at her shyness...



At the end of the road when I drop her back home I hug her once more and say "I love you Rose.."



She mumbles against my chest "I love you too Daniel..."



Present



I slowly come out of my trance as I smell a familiar fragrance around me... it comes near me and then it leaves...



I know who she is... I don't have to open my eyes...



I catch her wrist before she leaves... 



"You don't have to go Stella..." I say softly and open my eyes to see my pretty Stella standing next to me. Her face glowing in the moonlight...



Stella - the other part of my being...



I never thought that I could love her. I practically never did. I just cared for her - a concern in my heart for her...



But her never lasting silent love for me is what shook me up...



She never asked me to love her back...



Nothing dramatic happened...



She used to look after my small things day and night...



Be it my steaming cup of chai or the sprain on my foot... 



I avenged Rose's death.. Stella stood beside me... but never came close to me...



I remember clutching her hand so tight that night in anguish and joy when the murderers were put behind the bars that her bangles had broken and had pierced in her delicate hand... but she didn't utter anything... 



When I found myself going close to her... I was scared... scared of my future with her... terrified that she was the sun and I was the black hole...



I had sucked away one star's life - my Rose's...



I couldn't tolerate me being the reason of any sort of harm in Stella's life...



Hence I told her to leave, trying to show fake hatred. I told her not to meet me or see my face again, in the pretence that she would be pulling me away from my Rose.



It's true I love Rose but I had accepted that Stella was just as important to me.



But Stella left without a word, without asking any explanation and I realised that she was way more matured than me to have seen through my pretence. 



And I crushed in that pain.. gave myself a fake consolation that her being away from me would keep her alive...



Two years went by like that. I became a living corpse. Ayesha and Sam got engaged. I was happy for them. On their engagement I hoped to see Stella - I don't know why.



And what I saw shook me... cause it was not the Stella I knew... 



Flashback



She was a skeleton.. literally... a pale face.. barely any make up... my favourite "bangle queen" was missing... her hands were bare... I could see the veins running through them...



She had worn a plain light pink dress but I could see her shoulder blades. Her ribs, her doe shaped eyes - it had lost all the charm.. dark circles had befriended her eyes.



I stood afar and tried to find my Stella in that lost girl. As she approached Sam and Ayesha I saw the shock that registered their faces on seeing her. They kept her gift aside and hugged her tight.



Ayesha started sobbing on seeing Stella, from her face silent tears fell. Sam wiped of Stella's tears and gave her a loving kiss on her forehead.


Stella asked them to open her gift. It was a book filled with memories. She seemed to have held Sam and Ayesha's hands together and appeared like asking for something... Sam nodded his head and tears fell from his eyes. 



Stella then turned around for a second and asked something to Ayesha for a second... Ayesha nodded...



Then Stella turned to leave. Sam and Ayesha tried to stop her. I wanted to go towards her as well but I felt guilty, somewhere down the line my heart told her that I was the reason for her current state.



They said a lot of things to her but she just smiled then looked at a mirror in front and paused. She saw me - with that one look she left. I couldn't hold myself and rushed to the bathroom to find my face stained with tears.



Who was this Daniel? "Who?" I saw Rose standing from behind looking at me with disappointment.



I turned to the mirror to see myself. I looked disastrous. I had a rough beard, messy hair, sunken eyes. My state - physically wasn't any better than Stella's... but...



I couldn't think more and collapsed on the floor...



Rose softly cradled my head in her lap and told me "Why are you hurting yourself and Stella?" 



I just whispered "I love you Rose."



Her gently face turned aside and she told me "I don't want a love that destroys two souls!" her voice seemed to choke...



Then I blacked out...



I remember getting up with Sam and Ayesha sitting next to me with eyes full of concern...



Sam signaled Ayesha to leave and then he held my hand "Sorry Daniel... after having Ayesha I realised what Rose's loss meant for you. I shouldn't have blamed..." I didn't let him complete his sentence as I got up and hugged him tight... no more words were required..



Finally we both released the long held back tears for Rose.



Throughout the night we both chatted on our old memories.. and from one window I saw  Rose looking at me, smiling and from the door I saw Ayesha smiling with tears in her eyes.


"Sister In Law!" I called her for the first time...



"Daniel sir.. you called?" she asked quickly wiping away the tears, well being her senior in the office she was very much used to calling me as sir.



"Not your sir but your brother in law" I gave a weak smile and gestured her to sit next to us...



Sam left for a minute to find food for me - I fainted as I had skipped my meals for a day and half...



"Congrats Ayesha... you couldn't find a guy better than Sam." I smiled...



Adding a small chuckle I said "I thought that perhaps he started liking me hence he didn't date any girls!"



Ayesha laughed and Sam entered with a grumpy face "Wow! My fiancee and bro are all ready to talk crap about me!" 



I smiled with tears brimming my eyes as Sam held out a spoon to feed me... 



Ayesha rubbed her nose again "By the way Sam and Daniel bro" she stopped for a second smiling as she replaced the sir with bro "I didn't know you guys looked so handsome!" she said... looking at the confused faces of ours she went on to get the big book that Stella had gifted them...



As Ayesha showed us the photos we smiled... I looked only at the pics where Stella was and her handwriting below...



"You know Daniel... this is the most precious gift for us, memories are something which bring back bits and pieces our our happy past." she smiled with tears in her eyes and Sam held her hand...



I gently picked up the beautifully carved book and turned page after page.



"Didn't she want to meet me?" I asked in a broken voice...



"Not that. The first thing she asked us was if you had come or not..." Ayesha said...



"Then?" I frowned



"The minute we said yes... she left... we tried to stop her... she said that she has given you a promise... and she won't break it but this wasn't the Stella I knew!" Ayesha broke down and excused herself to the other room...



"Daniel... please... you and Stella need each other... she asked me to look after you... as you looked weak... it's difficult for me to see the state of you and Stella! And Rose won't be too happy either!" Sam brushed a tear away and patted my back and left...



Then and there itself I left to go to the hotel she stayed... Sam asked me "Where are you going?"



I looked at him and said "I asked her to never meet me... I never said that I can't meet her." I said softly with the tears brimming in my eyes.



Sam smiled and Ayesha hugged me as I left for the hotel Stella was staying in.



Sam told me which room she stayed in...



As I knocked on the door and Stella opened. Her eyes went round in shock. She hadn't changed still - like me, there were tear stains on her cheeks...



She barely whispered "Daniel..."



I cupped her cheeks and sealed her lips with mine - with a promise. 



Her hands weakly caressed my head.



She led out a soft moan as I parted her lips and tasted her from inside as I softly pulled away to let her breathe and trailed a few kisses on her cheeks I tasted something salty - she was crying.



I just shook my head no and bent my head for another passionate kiss.



"You're not leaving me again Stella... blast me if I ever say such a stuff again!" I mumbled against her damp forehead...



She broke into a sob and cried the whole night in my arms... me too... finally I had let out all the restraints... 



No more words were now required...



Present


She gave me all the things in my life to breathe again... 



She only gave me this book that Rose had given to me and asked me to write whenever I felt like speaking to Rose...



We were married for 6 years now..this year we would complete 7 years... we had a 4 year old daughter - Daniella.


So I catch her wrist and make her sit in front of me ...



"Thank you Stella..." I said softly as I caressed her round stomach ... yeah we were going to have another child..



She turned back and gave me her precious smile...



"Missing Rose?" she said softly...



"Hmm..." I answered hugging her back but still looking up at the moon...



"Don't miss her... she's here.." Stella answered...



"Where?" I asked her softly...



She turned towards me and placed her palm in my chest.. "Here..."


I hug Stella tightly and thank the God above... to have the most beautiful memories in my life...



One being a part of my heart...



The other being a part of my soul...