A Promise Forever

Chapter 3

Mini

"I just love this movie!!" Navira who was plopped on the makeshift bed said sniffing her nose. After dinner, her parents left while she stayed back with me for a girls' night. We ended up watching 96, a movie about two high school sweethearts who meet after years at a school reunion.

"I don't.." I shook my head taking a bite from my packet of chips.

"You are such a stone-hearted person, Mini.." She sat up and brought the throw pillow into her chest. "How can you not like such a heart-breaking movie? Ram and Jaanu were soulmates. They were supposed to be together forever but they are not because of bad fate. Does that not make you cry?"

I rolled onto my stomach so that I could face her, "If they were soulmates, they wouldn't have been able to live without each other. They would have fought harder for their love. No matter, where Jaanu went or how much Ram thought she insulted him, he wouldn't have given up on her. He would have followed her, persuaded her, and would have done everything to be with her but he did not. Ram gave up on Jaanu just like that and she moved on too quickly. That shows how weak their love was. So, stop crying over their pathetic love story, Navi.."

"God, you just ruined one of the best romantic movies for me. Now I will never be able to see it from any other point of view.." Throwing the plush pillow on my head, she groaned, making me chuckle.

As the end credit scrolled up, she turned off the TV and shifted to her side facing me. "So, are you happy now..?"

Knowing exactly what she meant, I nodded my head with a ghost of a smile, "For now yes, but I am really scared.."

"What for?"

I pushed my elbow into the mattress, supporting my head on my palm. "Ela would undoubtedly know that I am going to Srinagar just for him. He will be pissed about it. He probably already hates me for.." I waved my free hand in front of us, "..you know for what I did.."

"I have grown up watching him too, Mini. I don't know if he can love you any other way than a brother but that guy can never hate you. I have seen in his eyes how much he adores you, cares for you.." Her honesty gave me a mix of both joy and misery.

"If he doesn't hate me then why hasn't he spoken to me not even once in these three years, nine months, and twenty-one days?" My eyes welled up automatically to talk about it. I never cry for sad movie endings but I am such a cry baby when it came to real-life situations. I am one of that kind who cried for wives who lost their young husbands, for children who became orphans, and for animals that got killed on the roads.

"Oh dear, please don't cry.." She moved closer and hugged me into her. "I am sure there must be a reason for him to put this distance between you two but that doesn't mean he hates you. You will see it for yourself when he comes in a week. Just don't do anything stupid unless you are sure there is a chance for you in his heart."

I bobbed my head in obedience, "I don't know what I will do without you, Navi.."

"We will find out soon, I guess.." She sighed and cried for an entirely different reason this time. As much as it thrilled me to think that I was going to live closer to Ela, it broke my heart to think that I would have to leave behind Navira. We have never been away from each other in our lives. This would be the first time and we would miss each other like crazy.

**

There was absolutely no denying that week was going to be long and tormenting however, it's funny how life can move so fast sometimes. Seconds blended into minutes, and minutes into days. It was finally the morning Ela was coming back home. I didn't sleep more than a wink last night, okay the whole week to tell you the truth.

I was the first one to wake up this morning. While appa and Aadhi were gone to receive Ela and his friend from the airport, I took a long, relaxing shower, blow-dried my wild tresses, and let them curtain down my shoulders in perfect waves. I put on a sunshine yellow sleeveless Kurti with white palazzo pants which I bought last week when I went shopping with Navira.

I usually hate wearing makeup but today I wanted to look beautiful in Ela's eyes. I didn't want him to look at me like I was some little girl he threw in the air to make her giggle but rather a woman whose heart he stole and never intended to give back. Before starting with the makeup, I opened my drawer to grab the small white case.

Oh, I totally forgot to tell you guys that I wear contacts. Not because I had poor eyesight or something but to hide my horrendous looking different eye colors, one black, and one brownish grey. The condition is called heterochromia and that was the one thing I loathed so much about myself. It came as a shock to my parents when I was born with different eye colors but it was a relief to them that it did not influence the quality of my vision. After people repeatedly told me how I would have looked much more beautiful if I had the same color eyes, I decided to use contacts, black ones to cover the grey on the right.

When I took a final look at myself in the mirror, a satisfying grin broke its way on my lips. I seriously hoped that Ela found me as pretty as I did in my own eyes. Just as I was finishing, the front gate opened and my heart began to gallop. I dashed to the window to take a peek but they had already made it into the gate blocking my view.

Not able to bite back my impatience, I darted through my room, down the stairs towards the living room from where I could already hear Ela's deep baritone. I let his rumbly voice wash over me, seep through my skin and shake my heart like an earthquake.

"Ela, I am so angry with you.." When I reached the last step, I saw him standing in the doorway. My mom was pinching his earlobe while he squirmed even if I doubted her ministrations gave him any sort of pain. "You promised to call us every weekend.."

My eyesight hadn't changed, and neither did my body and heart.

Yet when I took a moment to absorb him donned in a black T-shirt, military cargo pants, and combat boots, slightly tanned than before he left, I no longer felt like me.

My eyes saw differently.

My body reacted strangely.

My heart shook off its cocoon and spread its wings, ready to break free from its cage.

I remember him being always tall, the tallest out of everyone in our family but now he was all muscled up, stretching up the fabric of his T-shirt on his chest and bulging arms. His hair was trimmed in the standard military cut, his previously patchy beard was clean-shaven, and to further worsen the condition of my poor heart, he had a thick mustache now. Goddamnit, it did unfamiliar things to my lower region. My mouth went dry like that Sahara and I was thirty, but not for water, that much I knew.

"I did call you last week, Roja ma.." His voice held a deeper, more edgy tone to it as he winced when she increased the pressure on his ear.

"That was two weeks back and to inform me that you are coming home. But what about before that, all the weekends I was waiting for your call? Do you know how worried your appa and I were?" She frowned like she was about to cry, and she did cry when Ela wrapped his arms around her small frame.

Ela nodded gravely, "I know. I know. I'm sorry ma, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad. I was just caught up in a very very bad place.."

"It's okay.." She pulled back, wiping her wet eyelashes dry. "I am an i***t for keeping you here. Come in. You must be hungry."

He smiled, the lines bracketing his mouth ready to come out. "It's good to be back home.." He sighed as if he really meant it while stepping in.

Not until then did I notice the woman standing close beside him this whole time, too close in my opinion. I was so enthralled by Ela that I couldn't see anything but him. She held Ela's veined forearm gently as my dad ushered her in.

I tried to swallow back the jealously that often followed whenever I saw the female species anywhere near Ela and reached the hall, pulling to a stop in front of him. Our gazes locked and the world fell apart that very instance. I saw him stumbled a bit back but again, my brain could be traitorous at times like this and could be trying to instill things that weren't actually happening. Only after a minute or so did he attempt to speak.

"Minu.." God that name, I missed being called that. "Y-Your eyes?"

"What?" For a second I blinked not understanding what he meant to say.

"They are black, both of them.."

My pulse thickened when he pointed a finger without taking his eyes off me. Shoving my loose locks behind my hair, I blushed. I was surprised that he noticed even with all the distance lingering between us. I mean, most people don't. Not even Aadhi and Navira could find it for days when I first started using them.

"Uhmm, I am wearing contacts.." I told him shyly and found a frown deepening on his forehead as if he wanted to comment something about it.

"Ohh.." He shrugged.

"Yeah.."

"Uhmm.. How are you?" He asked closing the ten feet gap between us.

Concealing the catastrophic pain he was granting me by asking me that question like a total stranger, I forced myself to smile. "I'm doing good. And you?" I hated that my voice was coming out extraordinarily feminine to my own liking but before I could worry about it, my eyes zoned to his forearm that was being held in another woman's possession and I tell you, I have never hated someone so much at the first sight but now I do. And that was my record break to hate someone so quickly.

"I'm fine.." He stared at my absolute stillness and then peeled his eyes off me to follow my gaze down to his arm. That was when he understood what made me look so pale all of a sudden. He courteously removed his hand from her clutches and began. "Uhmm, Minmini.. This is Veena, and Veena this is Minmini.."

Minmini? I have never heard him call me that before.

My frustration steadily grew and breathing normally was becoming a difficult chore.

"Hey, Minmini.." The woman whose name now I know as Veena pulled me into a friendly hug, "It's nice to finally meet you all.."

All I could do in return was to fight the hissing jealousy and flash a half-smile back at her. The moment we pulled back from the hug, her hands went back to hold Ela's as if he would run away from her if she didn't. This time she didn't just stop by holding him but ran a hand up and down his bicep.

"Hi!!" I didn't want to be rude to someone I had just met but damn, my patience was slipping away slowly. I couldn't act like a perfect hostess when she was getting to touch and caress what has legally been mine for so long. Okay not legally but still, you should understand what I mean.

"Now that we have gotten introduced to one another, can we eat?" My brother butted in and to my relief Veena released Ela's arm. That's when I could finally breathe again.

While my mom set the table, Ela excused himself to get showered. To my despise, she asked me to show Veena into the guestroom and I did even if against my will. She was Ela's friend and I had no intention to disrespect her in any manner. Also by doing something so silly, I didn't want Ela to think that I am still very stupidly childish. Remembering my goals to make him see me as a grown woman, I agreed to treat our guest with the utmost respect.

"Thanks, Mini.." Her genuine smile accused me of being so rude to her for reasons she didn't know.

"Anytime.." After returning her smile, I left her alone and came back to the kitchen to help my mom get the plates and stuff to the dining room.

"Amma, who is she?" I asked in a hushed whisper.

"She's Ela's friend.." Mom replied without throwing back a look at me as she poured the filter coffee into the coffee tumblers. "Isn't she gorgeous?"

I stomped the desire to roll my eyes. To my mom, every girl who talks to her sons is gorgeous but I can't blame her this time. Veena was really beautiful being tall with her stunningly tanned skin, and a perfect figure which would make heads turn her way. Looking down at myself, I found myself probably half her height and to my embarrassment, I still had some baby fat. To put it in a nutshell, I was nothing near her.

"Mini, your cup of complan is here.." Mom spoke carrying the tray full of coffee tumblers to the dining table, pulling a choke out of my throat. "grab it and come out.."

"Complan, amma you kidding me? Where's my coffee?"

"Coffee?" Stopping on her trails, she chuckled. "When did you start drinking coffee?"

"Amma.." I whined feeling annoyed at her for treating me like a baby, "I don't want this anymore. I am not a baby.." Even saying that I sounded like a baby.

"What is wrong with you lately, di?" She came huffing and placed one of the coffee tumblers on the counter with a teasing grin, "You can have my coffee and I will have your complan for a change today.."

Slouching my shoulders, I followed her to the dining room and Ela and his female friend joined us soon. Mom, dad, and Aadhi kept throwing him questions about life in the army. How much ever I warned my eyes to not admire the man in front of me, they disobeyed me like soiled brats. They rolled back to him every other second of the minute and I worried if it would give away something to the people around me.

Somewhere between the conversation, we made a mind-boggling discovery that Veena was a soldier too, now that explains why she looked like an Arabian horse. She had pulled her waist-length straight hair into a high ponytail, she had absolutely no makeup on her face yet looked like a freaking goddess. With black fitting tights and a matching shirt, she could be compared to the sexy actresses from the Hollywood action movies.

My heart fisted hard. If Ela had brought this stunningly gorgeous woman home, she should really mean something more than just a friend to him and for some reason, I saw that as a red flag.

A/N:

Hey beautiful readers,

Please leave your comments as I feel really demotivated without your encouragement. Do you like Elamaaran? And what about Mini? If you want to see how they look, please visit my f*******: author page (SwaRam). Here's the link, just in came you have difficulty finding it.

https://w**************m/profile.php?id=100063723828666

Love,

SwaRam