Mehak wrote to Rohan saying, Love you, Bhaiya. You are the best brother in this whole world. Thanks for understanding my love and not reacting negatively like typical brothers. Now I can share everything with you. Earlier I used to think that you are bit khadus type. But I was wrong. Love you.

In our entire lives, we get one chance to build a relationship with someone and to win that person's trust. If you lose that trust, then even though you may do all sort of things to please him, you can never share the same bonding with him again. By accepting Virat and Mahek's relationship, Rohan had not only showed faith in friendship but had also gained Mahek's love forever. Rohan had decided that everyone would celebrate Valentine's Day together at Riddhima's apartment by gathering on the eve of 13th February and celebrating till the stroke of midnight. This 14th February was indeed special as all the relationships were inching towards a perfect end. Virat and Mahek were excited to be together for the first time in the presence of Rohan and had also informed Kavya about how well he had received them. Kavya was also going to join them for the Valentine's bash.

Riddhima and Rohan had both gone through a lot in their lives before entering into a relationship with each other, but now they were truly, madly, and deeply in love.

Virat had unknowingly helped in breaking the walls of awkwardness between Rohan and Mahek.

There's no other love like the love for a brother and there's no other love like the love of a brother. It's amazing how we can touch each other's lives without even realizing it.

13th February, 2010 German Bakery, Koregaon Park 'Mehak is going to pick you up from your place. I will come a bit later as I have a few surprises planned for everyone,' Virat told Kavya over the phone.

Virat wanted to take gifts for everyone and had thus told Mahek to pick up Kavya from her home and reach Riddhima's apartment. He was on cloud nine and it called for a double celebration because not only was it their first Valentine's together, even Rohan had accepted their relationship. He was slightly tensed about unfolding that one secret to Rohan that Mahek had disclosed to him, but he wanted to start the new phase of their relationship on a clean state and didn't want to hide anything from anyone.

Anyway, it was party time and he had planned to unfold the secret without spoiling anyone's mood.

After buying all the gifts from the shopping mall at Koregaon Park, he went to German Bakery to eat something since he was starving and hadn't eaten all day. While at the bakery, he thought of buying red velvet cake for Rohan since he remembered Rohan mentioning to him it was his favourite.

'Are you going to German Bakery?' Kavya asked him. 'Please, bring some sandwiches for me. I love them.'

'You know what, I do more work for you than I do for my girlfriend,' Virat smiled.

'Shut up. Don't tell me what I already know. I know how much you care for her.'

'But I love you more. If you would have not introduced me to her, I would have never realized the meaning of true love,' Virat said as he searched for a table in the bakery.

'Don't get sentimental now. Bye. And don't forget the sandwiches.'

Kavya hung up the phone quickly as Mahek had already reached. Virat ordered sandwiches for Kavya, the red velvet cake for Rohan, and a burger for him to eat. He thought of all that they had gone through these past few days and how everything was now finally coming into place. It made him think about how life is so unpredictable because when he first started chatting with Rohan, he could never imaginehe would feel so connected to him. He was content with his life because he had a friend like Kavya, a girlfriend like Mahek, and Rohan as his brother-in-law.

Finishing off the burger, he messaged Mehak in delight, Everytime I see you, I feel a little flame in my heart that lights up because I love you. If I am given a chance to love again, I would still choose you because you're the pa.s.sword to my life. Happy Valentine's Day. The celebrations will begin in some time.

Virat looked at the message and smiled again. His happiness reflected in his eyes. He looked around to check if his parcel was ready. The waiter told him it would take some more time since the place was packed with customers. It was 7 pm and many of the foreigners at the bakery had left for the Osho Ashram for their daily meditation session. Since his wait had been prolonged, he was scrolling through his picture folder and looking and pictures of him with Mahek and Kavya-the two people who had brought so much joy into his life. Just then, he received a call from Rohan.

'What time will you be reaching?'

'I am on my way. Just waiting to collect the order. I will be there around 7.45 pm,' Virat said, looking at his watch.

'Hurry up! I can't wait to see you, particularly for two reasons: Firstly, I want to see you as my sister's boyfriend and secondly, I want to hear the important thing that you were talking about,' Rohan said.

'Even I am keen to meet you for two reasons: Firstly, to see you as my girlfriend's brother and secondly, to meet the two people dearest to you in life: Riddhima and Aditya,' Virat added.

'They both are with me. Come soon.'

'I have more surprises for all of you and let's make this evening...'

Before he could complete the sentence, there was a huge blast in the bakery.

People began running helter-skelter in the cafe. The ma.s.sive explosion that had taken everybody by surprise. The sound was absolutely deafening and all the windows of the bakery had been shattered.

Everyone started screaming in terror when they saw a couple of bodies lying on the ground in a pool of blood. There was a lot of smoke and dust and people started panicking.

Everything went black in front of Virat's eyesas he lay on floor, sandwiched between a hot metal and a pillar with his arm completely dislocated from his body. The weight of the metal pressed against his upper body, making him cry out in pain. He couldn't move even an inch and with smoke all around, he couldn't breathe. All he could feel was the metal stamping on his body. He lied there, motionless, counting his last breaths. There were dead and injured people lying in a pool of blood everywhere.

Some other people on the floor were crying out in pain. People had died, lost their arms, their limbs, and their heads. The smoke from the explosion escaped the bakery and clouded the street outside.

Virat didn't want to die like this; without even saying a last goodbye to Mahek, the girl he wanted to marry, be a caring husband to, and with whom he wanted to father a child. He wanted to live for Kavya as he was her life. Her best friend and her moral support. How could life end like this? Just when everything around him had started regaining normalcy, this had to happen. Virat cursed his fate for having played such a cruel joke on him. Before closing his eyes, he prayed that no one would recognize him as he knew that Mahek and Kavya would suffer a mental breakdown if they came to know that he was dying! The gifts that were wrapped with yellow paper had turned red with his blood, and Virat lay there waiting for death to hit him and shut the curtains of his life forever.

Death is so uncertain. One moment you're sitting with the person dearest to you and the very next moment, you lose him forever. It's said no one stays with you forever but when you lose someone midway, how can you fill the void that the person's absence creates? Time can heal but never erase past wounds. All the dreams that Virat had seen with Mahek and Kavya remained unfulfilled. Virat breathed his last that day.

Dreams Are For Real 'His phone's unreachable. The last I spoke with him, he told me he'd be reaching in half an hour,'

Rohan said looking at the time on his wrist.w.a.tch.

'Maybe there's some network issue. Let's wait for him,' I said as I placed the cake and a bottle of champagne on the table.

Everyone had a.s.sembled by then and were waiting for Virat to come so that the celebrations could begin. Except for Rohan, I was meeting everyone for the first time. I found Riddhima extremely cute.

The love she had for Rohan was visible in her eyes. One could tell Kavya was a real fighter and Virat and Mahek were her backbone with the way she spoke about them so lovingly. She was extremely lively and her indomitable spirit impressed me a lot. Though Mahek was Rohan's cousin, we had never met each other before. She came across as really sweet too and we got along well. Starters and cold drinks had been served and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Mehak was sipping on her drink and casually scrolling through the website of a newspaper when one particular headline caught her eye: Severe Bomb Blast at German Bakery; a few casualties reported She almost fell down in shock and caught hold of a nearby railing for support. Virat is at the German Bakery!! she thought. Immediately, she dialled his number but couldn't get through to him. She began to panic. She showed us the message and I quickly switched on the TV to see the live coverage.

Everyone was on the verge of tears, praying from him to be safe. We were completely shocked and didn't know what to do. We had seen a lot of news reports on blasts in the country before and had never bothered about it before, but this time we had someone close to us on the spot of the blast. We didn't dare to think what could have happened to him. Mehak and Kavya who were sobbing continuously.

They tried every possible way to get in touch with Virat but couldn't.

On one of the news channels, the reporter was saying: Latest report coming in from the site of the blast. At least 6 people have been reported dead and more than 30 injured after a ma.s.sive bomb blast hit the German Bakery. Why did the terrorists pick German Bakery as their venue? Lots of unanswered questions...

We immediately switched off the TV and left for the bakery with the hope that Virat would be safe.

Words cannot describe such situations.

With heavy steps, we made our way to the car, constantly praying for everything to be okay. Rohan was driving the car at an extremely fast pace, skipping all the traffic signals so we could reach as soon as possible. But most of the roads leading to German Bakery had been shut by the police. There was nakabandi all around. We asked a few police officers where the victims' bodies had been taken and they gave us the name of a hospital. We decided to head straight to the hospital instead of the bakery. Mahek and I kept trying to call Virat on his mobile number in the hope that he might pick up and say, 'Dude, I'm fine. Where's the beer?' Though none of use wanted to acknowledge it, by now we were almost certain that something dreadful had happened to him.

The entrance to the hospital was jam-packed. Lots of injured people were being wheeled inside.

Some had an arm missing, some a leg. It looked like a war had broken out in the city. Media and relatives had gathered around the place, and all we could hear were the cries of people who had lost their closed ones. There were parents sobbing because they had lost their only child; there were brothers crying since their sisters had been injured; there were wives crying since they had lost their husband forever. It was a painful sight to watch and I decided to wait with Kavya outside since she was howling uncontrollably.

When we got to the mortuary, there were many bodies lying on the ground covered with white sheets.

Rohan, Mahek, and Riddhima went inside to verify if Virat was one of the casualties of the incident.

Kavya and I waited outside in nervous antic.i.p.ation. With trembling hands, Rohan removed the white sheet from one of the victims' bodies. When he saw the face, our worst fears came true-it was Virat!

Mahek broke down completely and started screaming. She tried to go close to him, but the doctors stopped her. Her weeping reached Kavya's ears and she gripped my arm tightly. When Rohan came out and told us that Virat was no more, Kavya fell down on the floor. Rohan and Riddhima tried to console Mahek while I picked up Kavya and helped her to a nearby bench, giving her some water to drink.

'How could he leave me like this? He was my stick to walk; I saw the world through his eyes,' Kavya cried.

We have no control over fate. We have to accept the fact that people who are close to us will die, sooner or later. But when someone leaves you unexpectedly, it hurts even more. When a person who is in the prime of his life leaves so suddenly, with any warning or explanations, it takes you by complete surprise. We felt like our world had been turned upside down.

Virat was the beat of Mehak's heart, the soul of her body, the reason for his existence. Her life had come to a standstill after his death. It was hard for Mehak to stop thinking about him and burn to ashes all hopes of their future, when they might still have lived and loved together, and raised their kids together. He was the person Kavya knew she could turn to when she needed help. He was her moral support, someone to chill with. She cursed G.o.d for not having taken away her life instead. She survived an accident in the past, but lost the meaning of her life with Virat's departure.

Virat had shown Rohan how to live and be truly happy and had given him the inspiration to live with the one who truly loved him. But when it was time to return the same love, Virat had left him. I had met him only once and had found him to be extremely friendly and full of life. Riddhima and I couldn't control our emotions and let our tears flow. We did the paperwork to get his body released from the hospital. It's strange how a person ceases to exist after his death and how we refer to him as just a 'body'. Rohan and I made all the necessary arrangements for the last rites. Finally, we bid adieu to Virat forever in front of his family and close friends.

Even though Virat was gone forever, his memory would always livewith us, comforting us in our darkest nights. Virat would be missed every minute of every day.

16th February, 2010 Rohan's residence 'Rohan, I have to leave. I've been in Pune for a really long time, and I think it's time for me to return to Mumbai now,' I said while we had our breakfast together.

It had been a week sinceVirat's death. I had extended my stay and had to return to Mumbai even if I didn't want to. Rohan remained silent, lost in his thoughts. Virat's loss had really affected him badly. I told him he had to overcome his grief for Virat's sake saying he wouldn't have liked to see him in such a condition. I made him understand that after Virat's death, he was responsible for two other lives- Kavya, who had lost her only best friend and Mahek, who had lost the love of her life.

'You have to take care of both the girls. It's not an easy for them to overcome the loss and you as Rohan's friend have to try to keep them as happy as possible. Especially Kavya, because Virat was her backbone. Also, you need to make Mahek strong enough to cope up with life. Her support will be vital for Kavya's recovery too,' I explained. Moving on was the only way he could go.

'I know that I am the one who has to take care of everyone but it's not going to be easy for me,'

Rohan stated.

'I agree, but if you fall weak, what will happen to the others? They will be completely shattered. You have to be strong and spread happiness all around. Regardless of what problems Virat had in his life, he always helped others and was there for you too. It's your time to fill his void and be there for Mahek and Kavya. I am sure Riddhima feels the same way as I do about this.'

Rohan nodded and hugged me before I could leave.

'By the way, I didn't get a chance to tell you that day, but I really like my bhabi. Riddhima is the perfect girl to handle an a.s.s like you. Never leave her or hurt her. Or else I will kill you,' I said to lighten the mood.

'Thanks Aditya, not just for all your support but also for staying here with us, even when you had to go to college in Mumbai,' Rohan said in a deep voice.

I left. I lived. I learned. Virat was so full of positivity that some of it had rubbed off on me too. He taught me that life cannot be lived according to your plans, and you have to be prepared for the unexpected. Everything happens for a reason; however hard it may be. It's just sometimes hard to find those reasons. Sometimes you have to sacrifice your dreams just to be with the one you love. Living your life with them is much better than living your dream alone. Virat had left, forever, but he had left behind memories that would always bring a smile on everyone's face. When I came to Pune, I never thought that I would be acquainted with the lives of so many people who would teach me a new way of living. Mahek had taught me what love was, Kavya had introduced me to the real meaning of friendship, Riddhima had made me realize that waiting for a loved one was worth it, and Virat had shed light upon what life was and had taken me closer to my ownself. Indeed, people like him don't come often into our lives. Even after reaching Mumbai, I kept thinking about them and how the experience had enriched me and made me a better person.

Even after a fortnight, everytime the phone rang, Mahek would pick up hoping it was Virat. It was impossible for them to believe that they would never see him again. Many a times, Mahek would take her anger out on Rohan, but Rohan was playing the role of the perfect elder brother by keeping his calm and by trying to make her smile. The sudden demise of Virat had made Rohan and Mahek connect with each other at an emotional level.

With the pa.s.sage of time, they slowly started accepting what had happened, though it was not a happy acceptance. Kavya too was trying to regain her energy and hope by accepting the bitter truth; though at times she would feel listless and lifeless, discouraged, and sometimes, depressed. It was the winter of their grief a long, slow, dormant period. But Mahek knew she had to be tough because Kavya needed her as a friend. Everyone was supporting each other and Virat had played the role of a catalyst by bringing them together.

The whole process of recovering from the grief of having lost a loved one had changed them as individuals. They were not the same people they had been before. They had grown from that experience and it was evident by their changed outlook towards relationships and life in general.

We always ignore people who are close to us-friends, parents, girlfriends, boyfriends-and forget to appreciate their presence in our lives. What if you lose them suddenly, forever? Even the thought of it makes us shiver. Rohan, Mahek, and Kavya, along with Riddhima, had forged a new relationship with each other; of togetherness and friendship. By slowly accepting their grief, they had taken the path towards healing. Losing Virat so unexpectedly was hard for all of us; but he had left behind an indelible footprint in our hearts and memories to keep us going.

Everything Happens For a Reason 28th February, 2010 It was Sunday morning and Rohan had met Mehak for a morning walk at a nearby park. He wanted to spend some time with her and see how she was doing. The early sunrise brought with it a new ray of hope in their lives and gave them the strength they needed to overcome their past and move on. They had become good friends since that incident and were now emotionally connected to each other.

'Everytime I would see my friends having fun with their brothers, I would get upset as I am a single child and don't even have a close cousin whom I can talk to. Their brothers would pick them up after college and take them out for coffee. I always wanted a brother whom I could talk to, take guidance from, and share my feelings with. Around the time of my marriage, he would cry for me and give me strength to be a part of a new family. Thank you, Bhaiya. I am so proud to have you in my life,' Mahek said walking along with Rohan on the jogging track.

After the walk, they went and sat on a nearby bench. He wiped the tears from her eyes and pulled her cheeks, trying to make her smile.

'I don't know what to say. I have a sister with whom I can share my life now but at the cost of losing my friend. And I don't know whether to thank that friend for breaking the barriers between us unknowingly or apologize to him that I couldn't give your hand to him. It was not easy for me but Aditya's words always made me strong and though I know that no one can take Virat's place, I am trying to make you smile and get over the past.'

'Bhaiya, please don't be sorry. I am sure if Virat was alive today he would have felt proud of you. I wish I could have shared everything with you from the beginning, looking at the way you have handled Kavya and me these past few days, helping us get back to normal.'

'I just want you all to smile again for Virat. He always wanted everyone to be together and we should not disappoint him.'

'I know I can never take Virat's place but after him, I am the only one to look after Kavya. So even if I feel like breaking down, I can't. One question that keeps echoing in my head is that, "Is the value of our lives so little?" If I wouldn't have told him to bring all those gifts, he wouldn't have gone to that area.'

She leaned on Rohan's shoulder and he patted her head gently. Rohan had entered her life at a time when she desperately needed a friend. She was lucky to have found a friend and brother in Rohan. After taking a couple of rounds in the park, they lay down on the gra.s.s, talking about Riddhima and how Rohan had proposed to her. She too shared all the crazy moments she had spent with Virat and Kavya and how they would annoy people around them with their acts. Mahek was supposed to meet Kavya directly at the park, and Rohan decided to join them since Riddhima was busy with her Sunday cla.s.ses and he had nothing better to do.

Rohan and Mahek were connected emotionally in Virat's absence and even he might be looking down from the skies, content with the change his absence had brought in their lives.

De-Katta, Kothrud 'How strange it is that we all are sitting here, but the person who introduced us is missing,' Kavya said opening a packet of chips.

'Yes, but we will always be with you and you can treat me as your elder brother or as your friend, whatever you feel like. I promise, you will never feel alone. Virat was my friend too, and so, according to the law, we are close friends too,' Rohan smiled.

Good relationships don't just happen overnight. They take time and patience to nurture. All three of them had gone through hard times and valued the presence of each other in their lives. They met whenever they found the time to, and though they didn't interact much, whenever they did, they had a great time with each other. Maybe, the best kind of friends are who you can sit with on a porch and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you ever had. They shared a somewhat similar relationship. Mahek always missed Virat and remembered their college days together. She knew that Virat had more affection towards Kavya than her as their friendship was immortal. But she didn't mind it one bit since Kavya was an equally good friend to her. They were having their Sunday brunch together and catching up on old times.

'I still have the last message he sent me almost few minutes before...' Mehak paused.

She was going through her inbox and read the message aloud.

If I am given a chance to love again, I would still choose you as you're the pa.s.sword to my life. Happy Valentine's Day. The celebrations will begin in some time.

'But before the celebration could actually begin, he left,' Kavya said in a deep voice and continued, 'If I would not have told him to bring sandwiches for me, he would have left the place a few minutes before the blast and would have been sitting with us today.'

'Guys, do not take the blame on you. We cannot change things. We need to move on because even Virat won't be happy to see us cry like this,' Rohan said trying to change the topic.

Rohan was missing him too. There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want them to appear in front of you and hug them for real. He hid his pain with a smile on his face. To avoid making eye contact, he kept browsing his phone and opened his inbox to see Virat's message.

Also, I need to tell you one extremely important thing related to your life. Please don't ignore it or take it lightly. I feel that you should know this since it's never easy to face the truth. I will tell you once we meet on 13th evening.

Suddenly, he remembered that Virat had wanted to tell him something crucial about his life that day.

Rohan was curious and asked Mehak if Virat had mentioned anything about it to her. She knew exactly what Rohan was talking about, becauseVirat had discussed it with her before revealing the truth to Rohan. She had kept it a secret from him since the past few months. But, as the equation had changed between them, she decided to tell him the truth. The truth that would give him the shock of his life.

9th February, 2010 Virat's residence 'There is one more thing that I want to tell you. I have never shared this with anyone before, but I feel like telling you,' Mahek said.

Virat was barely trying to digest the shock of accepting the fact that Mahek was Rohan's sister when Mahek was unfolding another secret.

'Now what? Have you decided to give me an attack tonight? I don't want to die so soon,' Virat winked.

However, when he heard the secret, he couldn't believe his ears.

'Rohan's previous girlfriend Zoya had lied to him that she couldn't take their relationship ahead because her family would be against it,' Mahek disclosed.

'I remember Rohan telling me the same thing when we discussed it.'

'Actually, the truth is that...'

'What is it? Tell me,' Virat shouted.

'Zoya had been tested positive for HIVwhich is why she was leaving the city forever with her family.

She wanted Rohan to live his life happily without any complications and had hence kept the truth hidden from him. She wanted him to live with someone who truly loved him so that she could die content knowing that someone is taking care of him. Her family was taking her to Shimla for treatment but she knew the outcome. We were in touch occasionally and she had told me about this before she left. I had promised her that I will not to tell Rohan, ever, about this.'

Virat couldn't even imagine something so terrible. He didn't even move from his seat and had tears in his eyes. This was not something that should be kept hidden from Rohan, he thought. He somehow convinced Mehak that they should tell Rohan about their relationship and about Zoya too, on the 13th evening. Though Mahek didn't want to and was extremely frightened, Virat had made up his mind and even Kavya had given him the green signal.

28th February, 2010 De-Katta, Kothrud 'Bhaiya, Virat wanted to tell you this that evening but...' Mahek cried.