Entanglement With Fate (Part 2)

22. Three Broken Hearts

"Payal and Alaknanda are two different people, Nandini."

"What is the difference? Payal is a devotee of Hari and Alaknanda is the daughter of Hari. Payal is made from the emotion of Hari. Alaknanda is made from the physical form of Hari. You are obsessed with her beauty while I am obsessed with the freedom that is there in Alaknanda's love."

"You have had too many drinks, Nandini."

She laughed again and looked at herself in the mirror. "Drunken words, honest thoughts."

Aakram started to walk away from the room, "Aakram, you can get her parents to fall for your offer but not get her. Neither could you get Charu to really fall for you, nor Payal. Her parents may have given her to you but she's already gone to Vishnu. Her heart is already in Vaikuntha. Just the physical form is left here."

I almost wanted to assure her but I stopped myself. Before collapsed, the maid got her up on the bed. 

I sighed. 

Honestly, this was being a headache. 

Nandini and I leaned against the bridge over the Ganga river. It was a regular spot that she always came to. The river flew quickly in Rishikesh almost like a mischievous girl almost restless about something. Almost like a challenged girl to a marathon that now she had to either win or lose her self-respect. 

"Honestly, I don't understand why you like this spot so much. You know that there is a much better spot by the river. 

"Well, it is the mid-way between us, isn't it? Like you live on the one side and me on the other side." 

"Wow... so you're going to be all that mushy?" 

She laughed. "You kind of underestimate how crazy my mind can think. A lot crazier than you." 

I laughed this time. "Sure. I am known for crazy, babe." I pointed out. 

"You'd be surprised." 

"Anyway, want to go around on a ride? I'm kind of bored just staying on this bridge." 

"How about boating? Let's go rafting." 

"You... can raft? I don't want to get killed because you can row a boat to save your life." 

"Ohh, says the brat who has never worked a day in her life??" 

"Everyone knows that I am quite good at rafting. Fast-flowing rivers don't really scare me."

Well, I might just have never realized what kind of fast-flowing river she lives in. A river I would never want to enter. The water is so polluted that if a set a foot in it, the water would leave me rotten. 

I wish I could go far back in the past and stop exactly when I started developing this crush on her. 

This is a crush, Adi. Crushes are never meant to become a full-blown relationship. You're just in your youth and hormones are running wild. You'll get over it. 

Who is this Payal? And more surprising that Aakram even has someone he's in love with?

Aakram looked so riled up with that comment. He kicked a vase in the way angrily. As I followed him, I saw mama. He just came out of the court which Aakram entered. 

"Who is Payal?" I asked him. Mama looked at me, a little confused.

"She is one of the daitya girls. Your friend..." Mama tried to remember her name, "Yashasvi... Yes, she is Yashasvi's twin sister."