✧\(>o<)ﾉ✧. (*❛‿❛)→

"Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not." -Oscar Wilde

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"Tris listen to me. Go with Mumma to the Anniversary. Is that clear?"
Came Jahnvi's ordering voice on the other side of the phone.

Tris shrugged his shoulders ravening his fingers through his Raven short curls when Rajvi was driving the car.

"Ma is that why you called?"

"Nope. But on my behalf, you can do that for me please son. Also, behave yourself to her daughter, she's your age, I shouldn't be listening that you again spoiled something" Jahnvi warned reminiscing the scene when Tris polluted the Tulip garden.

"Alright, Ma. I hate you"

"Hate you too. Acha will talk later Krish is calling"

After twenty minutes of traveling, they reached the garden where the 5 Year's In commemoration of Oberoi's Son-in-law was going on.

The garden was looking all fresh and green, the colorful roses rising. Whereas the central dais was decorated with the large frame of the person who died Five years ago.

Tris stood behind Rajvi as she greeted Shiv Oberoi & his wife. Approximately fifteen members were there, so Tris felt less burdened by the crowd. Otherwise, he'll be at top of nervousness.

His eyes caught Mayra who was sitting side Nandini on the white chair, Nakul was something talking with Shiv Oberoi.

His eyes then traveled to the front where Shiv Oberoi's daughter sat in a crying state or some state of remorse.

The girl who made him clear the garden was sniffing but stood strong for her mother.

"Son suit yourself. I'll just go sit there for a while" she smiled lowly only for him as Tris nodded smiling minor.

He took a deep breath, calming himself from getting emotional. His arms beside felt suddenly heavy. He glanced down from the corner of his eyes as they captured the Daffodil he plucked sometime ago.

Gulping down his nervousness he took some steps as he saw Rajvi greeting Mrs. Oberoi joining her hands as she did the same with a regretting glance.

His stares went to the left where the others were sitting. Nandini however smiled at him as he looked, he nodded slowly as now he reached the dais.

His mouth opened to puff a wind of courage. He tried to be stiff as possible.

Then bent down beside the lady who was suffering from 'Dissociate Amnesia' but hopefully she remembered her husband's demise on this unfortunate day.

His right hand which was holding the daffodil forwarded in her direction sluggishly. A drop of tear from her eyes fell on the flower as she squeezed them.

Her young daughter tried to rub her back holding her tears back as she glanced at Tris weirdly.

"For you Nithya Aunt" the words left his mouth as the others looked in their way.

Nithya abruptly gazed at his nervous face. And then at the flower, her voice choked as she tried to speak. Her daughter held her arm and denied her when Nithya asked.

"Who's he?"
Nithya asked rubbing her tears away.
Tristan's eyes softened.

"I'm... I'm..."

"He's my friend Mom" speaks up Nithya's daughter as she shook her head negatively at Tris to not say anything further, he understood that Nithya's mind had forgotten the Shimla incident till now, she doesn't remember him nor the Tulip garden incident.

Nithya sighed and then took the Daffodil from his finger's grasp.
She was not on a stage to talk or chat normally, her eyes felt weak and her aging body looked withered and pale. The smile was nowhere to be seen.

She doesn't remember anything, then remembering that she has a daughter was a big deal. Sometimes, they had to tell her that she has a seventeen-year-old daughter too.

Tris stood slightly nodding at Nithya's daughter and kept the other Daffodil in front of the big frame. Mogra's fragrance of Incense sticks was filling his nostrils, no doubt the flowers designed in the frame were alluring.

"Ath...Atharva.."

Her daughter supported her consoling, "Mom, mom relax, Dad's here with us. See there" she pointed at the frame and looking at her state, his heart sunk.

He felt weak suddenly.

Vulnerable that despite living in the same world we've different lives, he felt sympathy for Nithya's daughter who lost her father at a very young age, and her mother couldn't remember anyone due to the stigma of Amnesia.

How would she have been cooperating with the world? Alone?
Doesn't she need parents?!

While other people were coming and going back from time to time Tris sat at the last bench alone. When Rajvi asked him to come forward he denied saying he needs some alone time. Maybe he was being too sympathetic and impulsive.

After some time, he saw Nithya getting up as a car came along the path and she sat inside. Mrs. Oberoi sat after her in the car, she said something into Nithya's daughter's ear, and then the car rushed out of the vast iron gate.

"Should I talk with her?" He muttered lowly as he saw the teenager talking to Mayra. He observed her as she sat with Mayra at the front.

"Leaving her alone, emotionally, at this very young age might prove erroneous for her outlook. I could see her numb expression, she didn't cry. Hell, why am I concerned for her!"

Talking to himself he didn't realize when the young girl started leaving to the other cloudy side of the lush garden.

He didn't stop himself from wondering and left behind her from the back side so no one could notice him.

He wandered here and there for a few minutes when he caught her. Sitting on the blue-painted wooden bench under the shady tree.

He went near her. To only find her breaking and started crying as she covered her face with her palms. If not Tris. Only nature was experiencing her grief.

His heart clenched at the scene as his nervous gazes looked down at his shoes. Indeed he stood lucky to have everything despite feeling tragic.

Even if the young teenager was rude to him in Shimla he couldn't understand why he was here for her?

He saw her crying badly, her loud cries he could not even imagine her loss.

"That is why she came here so that no one can hear her. Maybe... Maybe this is her vulnerable side which she doesn't wanna show to anyone" he muttered to himself before going to her.

"Take this" suddenly her cries stop as he forwarded the white napkin in her direction.

Her puffy eyes and watery eyelashes looked at the not-so-stranger with tears. He looked up to the left taking a deep breath avoiding the misery her sights held.

"Take it already, it's clean" he ordered authoritatively like owning a right. Right to pacify her. She called him a friend after all.

She muttered a faint thank you as she snatched it from his hold, her nose sniffed as she wiped her tears and running nose due to crying.

"Can I sit here?"
He asked after he noticed she was somewhat sober, to talk now.

"Won't you, if I say NO?"

Tris wanted to laugh so hard, that even in her pain she didn't lose what she was, witty and smartest.

He raised his brows but took a seat beside her.

Taking the pebbles from the ground he started tossing them in the front pond which was filled with fresh water for the birds.

He peeked at her after some time and then asked.

"You... Your... You loved your Dad so much!"

She choked while sniffing, her slightly red eyes ceased him.

"I loved him more than Mom" in trying to be less emotional she ended up crying again, she strived to stiffle her cries and succeeded.

Tris thought maybe she needs some time to adjust, maybe...after that she'll talk more. Letting it out and then she'll feel light, he guessed.

"I used to....take. Mom's side whenever we played something or my parents shared an argument....only if I had known....h-was... He was leaving me... Forever" her voice hoarse and hazed due to choking and stifling as she again cleaned her nose with the handkerchief.

Tris smiled lightly, "But you see he must have great faith in you, that is why he felt you can take care of your mother when he's not there" listening to him made her more cry.

He didn't know how to pacify someone what he said triggering but he felt bad that she was poorly crying now. Nothing was coming to his mind.

"See..listen...please don't cry... I'm sorry if I... I said..something wrong"

Scooting closer to her he wrapped his right arm around her shoulder, dabbing her head lovingly with the other as he made her head rest on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry" he muttered at last as her cries were stopped by now. He patted her head like she was a child. Being shielded by his arms proved to be promising to her misery. She felt safe.

After a minute when she has properly stopped crying and came out of his hold.

He asked dangling his legs.

"What's your name by the way? I never asked"

She watched him as if he had grown eight hands. But composed anyway.

"What's in a name?" He stared at her unbelievably.

"What?" He shocked.

"Shakespeare had quoted in Romeo & Juliet" seeing Tris's flustered face made her smile with her dry puffy eyes.

"Are you a literature stan?" Raising brows he implored.

"In literature, you're not a stan but a worshipper. My father used to read Shakespeare and after his demise, looking at his library my interest grew more"

"Do you live here?... I mean in Jaipur?"

"Why? Are you coming to accompany me at my misery?"

He shook his head unbelievably.
What am I supposed to name it?

"Should I feel offended?"
Asked he grinning.

"It was meant to be!"
She smiled innocently [trying-to-be]

"Anyways. I'm Tris"

"Don't tell me tongue twisters. Full name, what is it?"

Tris giggled, "Tristan Rishvi Rajvansh"

"Rish.... it is easy to pronounce"

"As you wish. Yours?"

"I thought you had known?"

He shook his head negatively, "No, I didn't. About Mayra or Alara, I didn't ask them, I hated you after you made me clean the garden"

She giggled.
"They are your sisters right?"

"Mayra is my sister, Alara is the witch in the human frame"

The introduction about Alara made her laugh.

"Alara means Water fairy, I know but she's so sweet" she exclaimed while tucking her hair.

"Yeah! Yeah! But you know, siblings don't honor each other. You Googled her name?"

"Jahnvi Aunt explained to me"

"You asked her?"

"What's up with you? You seem to talk a lot"

"Uh... Let's name it helping. I usually won't be this talkative with everyone"

"Then exception is me" that made him laugh.

"You called me friend! There?" He inquired referring to when she told her mother.

"Oh..." She sighed.
"About that, Mom doesn't recall anything sometimes not even me, today only she asked me my identity. That's weird, I know but I've been used to this now. They say if her condition didn't improve they'll send her to the asylum at a small town in Shimla"

Even if she was a teenager, Tris find herself mature, more mature than the teenagers of her age.

"They, who?"

"My mother's parents whom I didn't know existed before my father died"

"What does that mean?"

She shrugged her shoulders remembering the horrible past with only her father and mother and the unpleasant future ahead.

"Means other than my Dad & Mom I didn't know my other relatives existed. They came into my life after my father. When my mother's condition was critical and then she couldn't recognize anyone. I still have those memories, their painstaking gazes because I was technically an orphan"

"My custody went to my Mother's parents and since then I've been living with them. I mean...they literally never cared if their daughter is alive or not in these years?! And suddenly they showed up, it was hard for me to trust them"

"You didn't ask them the reason for being secluded these been years?"

"They're planning to send my mother to Asylum what should I ask them?" She laughed sarcastically.

"I don't know why they never persuade or try to know about you but if we see now they are taking good care of you"

She shook her head not wanting to understand them.

"By the way, was it an accident? I mean Atharva Uncle, how... Did he?"

She squeezed her eyes swallowing the lump forming in her throat.

"You live in America. Must be knowing Stefan Ford?"
She asked and his neck snapped at her.

He knows Stefan Ford was Vedat's dad, but how he was connected to her?

"Yeah, he's the Modern motion-pictures director!"

Unawares, her eyes had hate to that name, 'Ford'

"I was of 12 years when I, Dad & Mom were going to eat out and this accident happened, it was done by Ford's son, but his wife took all blame on herself the court punished her but I lost my Dad for forever and my mother lost her memory, I was in a coma for a week"

"Imagine, I been grasping the information after a month that my father is no more"

I know she blames Fords for her father's death but then Vedat & Rebecca Aunt are to be blamed?

Both didn't say anything for a while then she spoke.

"I don't know what to say but it's important to understand that there is no perfect, however, with sincere condolences, support, and following through on acts, I can say you're strong and self-confident yet elegant! You're what teenagers lack, a lovable girl. I'm there for you always remember"

Listening to him made her chuckle, darkly.

"Who are you to me?"

He shrugged, "Let's say, a stranger. I got this from my father, he's so selfless"

"You mean to say you're selfless?" She holds back her laughter that made him scoff.

"Never mind. You deserve some good friends, family love, and support..."

"That much love doesn't digest, let's say Love finds evil in me, friendship is what I worship"

"Friends?" She sent a hand for a handshake, he glanced at it and then smiling shook their hands together energetically. His brows knitted.

She is asking to be friends??

"Tch...Just hold onto my palm, we'll be friends" she clarified.

"Best of friends" he murmured.

"You must have some goals. You're going to be an adult" he pinched his nose sniffing.

"My dad and I saw a dream together, where I'll be a famous actress and he'll be there smiling and cheering for me, my name when I'll receive my debut Best Actress Award"

Tris chuckled and smiled at the same.

"Just now we're friends and our goals match. What if I say I desire to be an actor too?"

Her eyes shone.

"Really?" He nodded correcting his hair.

"I would say then come to New York there are many opportunities. Don't downgrade your dreams to fit your present reality, upgrade your ability, skills, attitude, and habits, to make your dream come true"

"I'll see, for now, I've my mother who needs me"

"In case you want to come to acting, just remember this friend of yours" he pulled out his phone asking for her number.

After some more minutes and exchanging some light talks and her witty replies, this has to come to an end.

"Are you leaving for NY?"

"Yeah, in two days, why?"

"Call you when I realize"

They stood up as a man of mid-age came to call them. He was her driver, she stood to go.

"Hey, you didn't tell your name?"
He asked turning swiftly on the bench.

"What's there in my name? I'll tell you when needed, and if can't keep your curiosity ask your sister"

She smiled but halted again when he stopped.

"You deserve a better goodbye"

Saying he stood up giving her a genuine embracing hug. She looked up from his arms breathing and her eyes felt watery.

She didn't know this person who was a stranger to her, stood for her when she was low.

Losing him would be her loss.

He gave her the daffodil he saved for her, and she accepted it gladly.

"For your new beginnings, hoping the best for you and at the same I...."
He stopped looking down as her lips formed a curve.

"Apologize for my behavior in Shimla" he added.

She smiled by heart finally. He twitched his lips for a smile too.

"I know now. My mother won't regret me sending here. I did a lot more than sympathizing"

Tris confided himself looking at her going away from behind looking down as his phone beeped.

"Yes....Ma.."

*****

So, listen first this chapter was needed before I bring the Prom Night of Alara.
I hope you enjoyed it?

Any guesses for Nithya's daughter, what's her name?

Come'on, I gave so many hints.
If not go back to CAST and re-check.

Vote and comment!♾❤