xiv.

A L M A A Z (precious diamond)

"Nothing papa." Tara replies, biting on her lips nervously. "We were just discussing something."

"Geez, I have no problems with you two doing something but please close the door next time. It doesn't seem ethical enough to run into your daughter's room when she's kissing her boyfriend." Uncle laughs, giving us a sly look.

Tara shoots him a critical look, "You're supposed to try to not embarass me in front of a boy." she puts him off, rolling her eyes at him.

Uncle gives him a smug smile before poking the bridge of her nose, "Ooh... a boy." I mentally facepalm at their banter while Tara gives him a weird look. Tara and Uncle's relationship within the limits of sanity didn't even closely resemble that of a father and daughter. They acted like they were in third grade.

"Dad, I'm not in highschool anymore. You don't have to say, 'Ooh... a boy!' Act like an adult." 

"What? You fucking with your boyfriend? You're grounded for an entire week, Tara." Uncle scowls at her.

 "Okay, dad, you're right. I liked 'Ooh... a boy!' much more than that.
Let's stick with 'Ooh... a boy!" Tara groans exasperatedly, while I grab on my stomach to stifle my laughs.

"Okay, I better leave before someone murders me and buries me in the backyard." he winks at me, giving a slight pat on the shoulder, then leaves the room.

"Oh my God." I laugh boisterously, "Where's your dad and what did you do to him?"

"Oh, was I supposed to laugh? Because it wasn't even close to funny." She looked so mad and annoyed, and the devil inside my eyes wanted to fuel her anger and fury.

"Your sense of humor needs some work, then." I chuckled sardonically, "Most girls find my jokes charming."

"Those girls must have IQs low enough to trip over." Tara shoots back, before she flusters on the bed with her cackles and laugh. We laugh and laugh, and nothing can ever be sad, no one can be lost, or dead, or far away: right now we are here, and nothing can mar our perfection, or steal the joy of this perfect moment. Tara mums up after a while, and looks at me in wonderment, then asks, "Why are you with me?" The way she speaks me makes her sound like an inferior.

"Because I realized, Tara... it's better to be immensely happy for a short while, even if you lose it, than to be just okay for your whole life. And, you, Tara Dobriyal, you make me immensely happy."

Leaning back against my chest, Tara tips her head back and reaches up, cupping my cheek. "But I won't be there forever, Virat."

"Love is only intensified by absence, I've realized when you left." I say, my eyes moistening a little, "And how much ever you try to reason it out, I would never leave you, even though you're always leaving me"  

"I would try to never leave you, Virat. I repeat, try." she says, rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hands. "Can you hold me to sleep. Virat? Please?" she asks, a wide smile stretched across her face, making her dimple sink into her cheek  

I nod at her, wrapping my arms around her, realizing home is never a place. It is a person.  

And this is home. The two of us.

•••

"It's just that I'm scared because today she is there, and one day she won't be there." I sigh, sipping on my black coffee. 

Vikash bhaiya gives me an empathetic look as he nods at me, "Then tell her that you're scared. Terrified to be honest. Because a hundred percent honesty is the foundation of any relationship." 

I scratch my forehead as I give him a pointed look, "Whoa, bhai. You are hundred percent honest with Bhabi?" Mahi bhai looks at him too, in shock.

Vikash bhaiya smiles at me proudly, "Yes!"

"About everything?" I ask, arching a brow at him.

"Yep!"

"Well... St. Lawrence Girls School, 1999. What was her name? Leena, I suppose? She looked very hot to be fair." I smirk at him.

Vikash bhaiya frowns at me, "Ninety-nine percent honesty is the foundation of any relationship."

"Stop it! I want some real advice, bhaiya." I groan frustatedly, then turn to the kitchen where mom is. "Why did you bring him here? Chetna didi would've been fine but he sucks at the art of pacifying your little brother."

Mom props her head out of the kitchen and flashes me a smile, "Let me finish making these parathas."

"Just come here maa. I need you, not your parathas." I smile sadly, sinking on my couch. Mom immediately rushes by my side.

"Bolo? Kya hua?" she asks, taking a seat beside me on the sofa.

"Kuch nahi," I mutter, folding my arms across my chest, skillfully avoiding her gaze. "Go and make parathas." 

"Sorry na, Virat. Just tell me; what is it all about?"

"Maa, when you married Dad, did you ever think that you wouldn't make it?" I ask, clasping her hands in mine. I knew it was difficult to talk about him. But I wanted to know genuinely.

"Virat beta, you cannot learn from my life, my mistakes... You're going to have to go out there and make your own. Now, you could get your heart broken or you could have the greatest love story the world has ever known, but you're not going to know unless you try." Mom's voice is soft as she advises me, a little bit of glint in her eyes. I had told mom everything about Tara except that she had this inoperable tumor in her head with zero chance of recovery. She didn't know a thing about the territory I was treading in.

"But what if there isn't a guarantee that you'd never get hurt?" I ask, my voice painfully soft.

"Virat... the passion is in the risk. It's like I always say, If you're going to be a bear —"

"— be a grizzly." I complete, giving her a hug.

•••

The next day when I was heading towards Tara's place, I see a car parked outside her house, and Jatin leaning against its door. To meet Tara I had to face Jatin. My brain was telling me this was a bad idea and I told my brain to shut the fuck up, because it rarely told me anything helpful. So heading towards him, I greet him with a subtle "Good Morning."

"So good to see you here, Virat." he smiles at me, in reply. 

"What are you doing here?" I ask him casually.

"I'm Tara's doctor if you don't know." he answers, giving me a weird look. 

I shrug on my jacket, and reply, "I know that. Is Tara okay?"

"No, she is not. She's losing her eyesight on one eye slightly because the tumor is growing on her occipital lobe for a while. But Virat, she can be okay. The problem is she doesn't want to be."

"How can she be okay? I mean, Tara told me her tumor is inoperable with zero percent survival rate." I ask, bewildered.

"Tara's lying, Virat! Can't you see it? Her tumor is operable but she refused for the operation two months ago. Although the chances of the operation getting successful is only five percent but there's a chance because glioblastoma in itself if a very rare condition, Virat. And I've been awfully trying to convince her for it, but she keeps on refusing my advances for the operation."

"You mean she can still live longer?"

"Only if she wants to." Jatin insists when the sound of foot resonating with the ground is heard.

"Hey guys, what's up?" It's Tara.

"I better leave; I've a patient to attend in the hospital. See you guys." he flashes Tara a small smile, and gives me a nudge mouthing to talk to her about it. I give him a silent nod before focussing on Tara.

"Bye Jatin!" Tara bids him a goodbye, and turns to me after he leaves. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she flops behind my back, "I think you should read me the book I bought last week; it's the sequel to The Darkest Minds and you would —"

"— why? Is something wrong with your eyes?"

Tara slowly retreats to the ground as her hands lose contact with mine, "Jatin. He told you.(?)" She doesn't ask but makes a statement. I simply nod giving her a stoic face. She looks at me as if to ask, did he also tell you something else?

I answer her unspoken question, as I feel the air getting suddenly denser, "I didn't know you were lying when you told me you would try to never leave me alone."