Chapter 60

Home!

I am finally going back to the place I have only seen in my dreams, for the past six years. A mix of fear and excitement grows within me, as the Grewal chopper starts making its descent to the heliport of Nainital. I look down from the window, at the majestic peaks and forests coming into view, stirring up fond memories of my childhood and happy days gone by.

Jeet sitting next to me, ever attuned to my feelings, grabs my hand, giving it a tight squeeze of assurance. He leans close to my ear, to be heard over the loud sound of the rotor blades, "You've got this," he says, before shifting his concentration back to his laptop.

Jeet had made our travel arrangements to Nainital by the time I joined him for breakfast. He informed me that Appu confessed that he had come alone to Mumbai to take revenge, on learning from my uncle, that I was still alive. The newspaper that morning carried a report of an infamous criminal from Uttarakhand, who was hiding in Mumbai, being killed in a police encounter, while trying to escape arrest.

We left for Nainital immediately after breakfast, not wanting to waste any more time. Jeet looks extremely classy, wearing a body hugging white polo shirt, that enhances his muscular build, paired with beige slacks, side swept hair and black aviators. Looking at how hot he looks, gets me all flustered. Instead of my usual salwar kameez, I wore a pair of jeans with a light pink button-down shirt. Jeet looked at me like he could devour me with eyes.  I couldn't stop blushing at the way he longingly looked at me.

When I alight from the helicopter, aided by a chivalrous Jeet helping me navigate the narrow steps, I take a deep breath of the cool, familiar mountain air that I had missed for far too long. A large SUV with black tinted glass rolls up to us driven by a uniformed chauffer. Four men from Jeet's security team, accompanied us to Nainital.

A police jeep with policemen and women equipped with all sorts of guns and batons, drive up behind the SUV. I turn to Jeet, who smiles serenely. A senior police officer comes up to us.

"Good morning officer, thank you for coming at such short notice," Jeet says, shaking hands with him.

"It is our duty Mr. Vicky," the inspector replies. Then turning to me he says, "Madam, we have already been briefed on your case. Don't worry, we will support you in sending away your uncle and his family."

"Are you sure that is what you want?" Jeet asks. I nod my head in confirmation, holding my hair flying in every direction from the blowing wind. He guides me inside the SUV holding my hand, as we drive to our destination, with the police vehicle following closely behind.

As my house comes into view, I cannot stop my tears from falling. Oh! how I missed this place. I can almost hear the voices of my parents calling out to me and the sounds of laughter and music that once filled this house. Jeet wraps his arm around mine, rubbing it comfortingly. I am so glad he is here with me. I don't believe I would have been able to face this alone.

The house has a sad look to it instead of bright and cheery like I remembered, like it is missing its owners as well. The windows are coated with dust, the garden looks unkempt and neglected, the walls are stained and dirty. My face falls, looking at the decrepit state of the once thriving house.

Lucky for us, the gates were left open, allowing the cars to drive all the way up to the main door. At the sound of the vehicles, my uncle steps outside, just as I alight from the car. His face changes from curious to shocked and then angry when he sees me, but he quickly masks it with a fake smile of surprise, when he observes, my companions getting down from the vehicles.

"Tara? What?! Is that really you?" he runs towards me, his bogus smile still in place, arms spread wide to embrace me. "I am so relieved to see you. You look so grown up. You just disappeared without telling us. We went mad with worry. We tried searching for you everywhere."

He simultaneously calls out to his wife, "Listen, come out. See, Tara is here!"

Before he could come any closer, I hold my hand out to stop him. His eyes dart to the people around, clearly anxious and edgy. I feel satisfied that we have taken him by surprise. The police start scouting and surrounding the perimeter of the house.

"Why did you get all these police? Is there any problem?" I can see beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"I want you to leave this house right now," I inform him, getting straight to the point. Exchanging pleasantries at this point, is moot.

"Why don't you come in? We have a lot to catch up on. Your aunt is suffering with so many ailments as a result of worrying over you, ever since you left." Though he was addressing me, uncle's eyes are fixed on the cops.

"I don't want to talk. I have come here to ask you to leave my house immediately."

Uncle gives a nervous laughter, "Come now, let's discuss this inside, alone. This is a family matter. There was no need to get the police involved."

"Tara!" my aunt cries, rushing out and clasping me in an embrace before I could stop her. For someone who is supposed to be sick, she has put on weight, has a very healthy glow and seems extremely alert, laden with jewellery that she was not wearing, when she first arrived in Nainital. I keep my hands to my side, "Oh, you look so different. Where did you disappear? At least you should have informed us, before running off with your boyfriend." Aunt wipes away nonexistent tears, pretending to be extremely hurt and disappointed, her eyes darting as well, to the band of cops around and stopping at Jeet.

"You can cut out the act chachiji," I struggle out of her vice like grip, "Everyone here knows exactly what happened to me. Unfortunately, your plan failed, and I did not die like you wanted. I heard everything you spoke with Manav that night, when he informed you, I drowned. Now, I am done trying to run and hide from you. I have come back to reclaim what is rightfully mine. So, you all need to leave this place right away!" I sound confident and calm, though my heart is hammering in my chest with bubbling anger, looking at my traitorous relatives.

Uncle looks sufficiently aghast, "Child, there is a serious misunderstanding. We did not try to kill you. We only sent you away to college. It is you who jumped out from the vehicle and ran away!"

"That would have been quite believable, had it not been for a confession from Appu, describing exactly what happened that night," I scoff.

"Who is Appu? We don't know what you are talking about," my aunt replies, looking nervously at her husband.

"I have evidence of your phone calls with Appu," I pull out copies of call records provided by the police this morning. "You can no longer hide behind your wretched lies. Just pack your bags and leave this place and me, forever," I say between gritted teeth.

Uncle replies smiling, though their tense faces give away their fear, "Yes! yes of course. As soon as we tie up all the loose ends, we will leave. It was very difficult to handle all this," he says sweeping his hands around, "We took a lot of trouble with the house and the company to keep it running."

"Everything was working smoothly even before you arrived here," I reply, keeping my rising temper in control, "I am sure it will be fine after you leave as well."

"How can you say that? The people working here, were thieves and stealing from the company. I had to fire most of them. The company would have run to the ground, if not for us to manage it."

"Are you telling me that you fired all those loyal and trustworthy people that have worked with us for years?" I cannot contain my anger anymore, storming inside my house, getting a strong urge to smash something. I look around the house, at the monstrosity of decor they have filled the house with. Ugh! these people have ruined everything. My parents' collection of prized artefacts is nowhere to be seen. The local, handmade bespoke furniture, the one that gave this house a unique personality has been replaced with drab, mass produced and garish furniture - an eyesore in the living room.

Jeet, his security, the inspector and one male and female constable follow me inside the house, while the rest of the cops, station themselves outside. Hurrying behind us, are Chacha and Chachi. It is very clear, they are feeling agitated and nervous, knowing they are helpless to do anything around all the cops.

"See Tara, why don't you send away all these people? This is a family matter. Let's sit down and discuss calmly. I am sure we can come to a mutual agreement. After all, we looked after you and your property after your parents' passing," Chachaji voices out. I don't miss the underlying edge of greed and hate in his voice.

I look at Jeet, who so far has been a silent observer, allowing me to handle the matter on my own. His mouth is clamped shut but his jaw is constantly clenching and unclenching, while his eyes are blazing with anger. His hands are balled into fists, his muscles straining against the material of his shirt. I can see he is putting enormous effort in controlling himself from punching my uncle to a pulp.

"Who is this man? Why is he here?" Uncle points to Jeet.

"Vicky. Vikramjeet Grewal," Jeet replies tightly.

Uncle has a puzzled look on his face, not recognizing the name.

A sound of a heavy motorcycle arriving at the door, disrupts our conversation. Manav barges inside the house, looking worried and confused.

"Papa, what is..?" he stops, his face clearing with understanding when he sees me. "Tara?" he gasps, "did not expect you here."

"I know Manav," I reply slowly, "you expected me to be swimming with the fishes, at the bottom of the lake."

Manav looks at his parents with eyes widened with shock, but his father gestures for him to calm down. Manav turns to look at Jeet, gasping again, "Are you not Vicky Grewal of Grewal Industries?"

"Its DeGlobal Corporation, but yes, I am Vicky Grewal," Jeet replies smoothly.

"Papa, this man and his family owns that big company in Mumbai, we called to see if Tara worked there. The one in the newspaper photo," Manav explains.

Chacha mouths an 'oh' as Jeet's importance dawns on him. My greedy uncle's face twists into a sycophantic smile, hurriedly pushing his wife to arrange food and drinks.

"Sir, I did not recognize you. Please have a seat. It's wonderful that you know Tara personally," uncle is obsequious to Jeet, talking extra sweetly. I can almost see his devious mind planning ways to benefit off Jeet.

"We have not come here to sit or make a social visit, so please stop with these superficial gestures," I cut in. "You have done what you could do, and now your time is up. Take your clothes and get out of here."

"It will take time to pack all our belongings. How about you give us a few weeks?" aunty pleads, sniffing loudly.

"Earlier I would have believed your sorry tales. But now that I know your reality, I won't fall for your crocodile tears. Take your belongings and GET OUT!!!."

"How dare you speak to your elders like that? I will teach you a lesson," Manav yells, charging menacingly towards me. As soon as he comes near enough, my palm makes a sharp contact with his cheek. The stinging slap brings him to an abrupt halt. "Don't ever threaten me again," I say, pointing my finger at him.

"You ungrateful wench," uncle bellows, rushing to me with his hand raised. Before he could strike me, Jeet steps in front, grabbing uncle's hand. "Mind your language! And do not even think of laying a finger on my wife."

The only sound I could hear in the minute of stunned silence, was dogs barking in the neighbour's house.

"Your.. your wife?" Chacha is the first to get his bearings back.

"Yes! my wife," Jeet looks at me, a soft smile playing on his lips. I blush as I smile back. His face hardens when he turns back to my uncle, "If you ever threaten or try to harm her, I will destroy you. You mess with her - you mess with me. If it were up to me, I would have locked you all in jail for the rest of your lives, but she has decided to only send you back. So, do as she says; take your stuff and get the hell out. Your train tickets are booked. My men will escort you back to Delhi. From now on you will be monitored 24x7. If you so much as sneeze, I will know about it. It is in your best interest to stay away from Tarana."

"But we have spent so much time and money, taking care of all of this. Now you are sending us away empty handed," uncle claims, his eyes darting from Jeet to me.

I walk to my aunt, lifting the heavy gold chain around her neck with my index finger, "I am certain you have more than compensated yourselves for the trouble you took, not forgetting that you tried to murder me. Unless you want me to change my mind and file a police complaint against you, I suggest you leave, now!"

Left with no choice, chachi scurries inside to start packing. They are occupying my parents' master bedroom, even though I had forbidden them from using it when they had first arrived. I follow her inside with a lady constable. "What do you want?" she spits out, giving me a death glare, "I am only taking my clothes."

"Just want to make sure that none of my mother's clothes and jewellery have found their way here, like her maroon saree," I retort.

As I had expected, aunty made futile attempts to claim my mother's jewellery and precious sarees as hers but acceded when the lady cop threatened to beat her.

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I sigh with relief, when my relatives finally leave the house. They tried to plead and cry foul, but no one believed them. Two of Jeet's bodyguards have accompanied the family to ensure they reach their destination and stay there. Security has been arranged by Jeet, to guard this house and the factory. A steady stream of neighbours and friends arrive to meet me, ever since the news spread that I have come back. I am so happy to be back among familiar people. I promise to return in a few weeks, to get the house and business in order. I have a lot to do - reinstate the jobs of the people that were wrongfully terminated, bring back our trusted managers to run the factory and renovate my house. To my relief, I found that our furniture and artefacts were moved to the store room. But at least, I now have full control. I don't have to hide anymore. My heart is soaring as high as the helicopter that is taking us back to Mumbai. My world which was askew for a long time, has tilted back into position.

"Hey! its Zee on Face Time," Jeet nudges me, just as we sit in the car to take us back home, after landing in Mumbai.

"Zee, how are you? I have been worried sick. You have not messaged since yesterday," Jeet holds his phone such that both of us can see her.

Zenia looks and sounds serious, "I could not message you, because I was a bit busy," she pauses before squealing in delight, "getting ENGAGED!!" She holds out her hand to show a massive and exquisite diamond ring on her ring finger.

"What?" both Jeet and me shout in unison.

Zenia pulls away to reveal a very bashful looking Akash, scratching the back of his head, smiling cockily at us. Behind them is what looks to be a luxurious hotel suite, covered with flowers and candles, "I realised what she meant to me, when she broke that news of getting married to you," he confesses. "So I came here to London, determined to not let her slip away from me this time."

"Well I am glad, I could knock some sense in to you," Jeets grins, "Congratulations you guys, this is fantastic news. Zee, I am so happy that you are officially part of the family."

Zenia blushes as Akash affectionately kisses her cheek. "Talking of family. Tarana, I know we upset you with our announcement at the party. Please forgive us. You should know that V is madly in love with you and would not purposely hurt you."

Now it's my turn to blush. "It's alright Zenia. Jeet has explained everything. I am so glad everything worked out for you guys. You certainly deserve all the happiness. I can't wait to meet you."

"Gotta go now. We have to break the news to the rest of the family. You guys are the first one we called," Zenia blows kisses before ending the call.

The car arrives at the building. What now? I wonder as I exit the car. What happens next? We both have confessed we like each other. But is there any formal declaration before becoming a couple or is it taken for granted? Is there any special song and dance one has to do, to be considered officially dating? I don't know how these things work.

"Did you hear me?" Jeet's words snap me out from my daydreaming. I had zoned out and was unconsciously walking towards my house.

"No. I am sorry. I was lost in my thoughts."

"I said, the weather is fine this evening. Would you like to come for a walk at the beach with me?" Jeet hold out his hand.

I look at the sky. The sun is about to set. I place my hand in his, "Yes of course! It looks like today's sunset will be amazing."

We hold hands while walking up to the gates of the beach.

"Whoa!! " I gasp in utter astonishment.  A path has been created by a line of lights, starting from each end of the gate leading to a beautiful white gazebo set up at the mouth of the water. The gazebo is covered with white flowers and sheer curtains, two of which are held up at the sides, to offer a view of a round table in the middle covered in a white table cloth, with two high backed chairs placed opposite each other. A beautiful centerpiece made of fresh, delicate pastel flowers adorns the centre of the table. Lying next to it, are two champagne flutes and an ice bucket holding a bottle of champagne. The whole setting is magical.

I look at Jeet in surprise, "What's all this?"

"I thought we should celebrate this day. Don't you think?" he smiles, giving me a wink.

The gate behind us closes noiselessly leaving Jeet and me alone. We walk to the gazebo, but instead of taking our seats, Jeet stands to look out at the sea and I stand next to him. We both watch the sun begin its slow descent into the horizon. The colour of the sky gradually starts changing from vivid blue to flaming red.

Jeet turns towards me, tugging my arm to face him. He takes both my hands in his, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb. His beautiful caramel eyes are wide with hope, his face soft but serious, making my heart skip a beat.

"Have you heard the phrase Koi No Yokan?" he asks carefully. I shake my head in negative.

He gives a small lopsided smile, "It is a Japanese saying, meaning the feeling upon first meeting someone, that you will inevitably fall in love with them. It is what I felt, the first time I saw you – a sense of connection. That feeling only grew stronger as we worked together."

He trails his fingers around my jaw, under my chin and gently pushes my face upwards towards him. "Your passion and dedication towards your work, impressed me. Your grit and tenacity earned my respect. Your innocence, empathy and selflessness melted my stony heart. Every moment that we spent together I fell more in love with you."

He reverently caresses my cheek, dragging his thumb to run it across my lower lip, "Since the day we met, I have been going crazy thinking about you. I can't take my eyes off you, when you are around. I cannot stop reliving our kiss and wanting more. I want to hold you in my arms, I want to make love to you. But as much as I am physically attracted to you, it is your beautiful spirit that has captivated me."

I am trembling internally, yet I stand frozen, enchanted by his words.

He gently picks the strands of my hair swaying across my face, tucking it behind my ear. "I am sorry it took me this long to tell you how I feel about you. When you confessed your feelings for me, I hesitated because I was afraid of losing you, not my job. Because once our affair became public, the controversies and backlash would have destroyed your reputation and I was afraid you may leave me. But I should have trusted you and your resilience. I have learnt from my mistake and I ask for your forgiveness. I swear that from now on, I will be completely open with you."

I can see the storm of emotions swirling in his eyes as he locks his gaze with mine, "I want us to start with a clean slate, with complete honesty and transparency with each other. So here I am; raw, open, sincere and I want to tell you this - I love you, with every fibre of my being. I love everything about you, the good and the bad, including the scars that you keep trying to hide. I want to spend this lifetime learning and growing with you. Dancing, singing, cooking, even arguing. Raise pets, plants, babies, whatever you want - as long as it is with you."

Heat rushes to my face, as my heart starts pounding uncontrollably with joy, my smile growing wider with his every word.

"I can't say there won't be trying times ahead of us. But I can tell you this - there is no one else in this world I want to share my life with, except you."

My eyes are filling with tears of overwhelming happiness. I think my heart may burst out of my chest anytime. "Marrying you was the best decision of my life, spontaneous or not. Calling you my wife is my greatest pleasure. Now I want to remove every doubt from your mind, that our marriage and my love for you is anything but real."

He walks to the table and retrieves some papers - the signed NDA. He proceeds to tear it in pieces, before discarding it. I stop breathing, when Jeet still locking eyes with me, fishes a small velvet box out of his pant pocket and drops down on one knee. I feel I am being swept in a whirlpool of exhilaration.

"Tarana Dheer," my name rolls so smoothly off his tongue, "You would make me the world's luckiest, happiest and proudest man if you would remain my wife for the rest of my life." He opens the box to reveal a vintage ring with a resplendent sapphire encircled by tiny diamonds. Jeet's eyes reflect adoration, hope and love.

I cannot control my tears, nor am I able to say anything. I can only nod my head rapidly. His face breaks out in a heart achingly wide smile and my knees nearly buckle. His eyes well up with tears as he pulls out the ring from its enclosure, gently holds my left hand and slips it on my ring finger. He then proceeds to plant a long, gentle kiss on my hand, a lone tear dropping from his eye on my hand.

"This ring is a family heirloom. It belonged to my great grandmother and has been passed down generations. My parents wanted you to have it, when I told them about us."

"It's beautiful and I am honoured," I whisper, gazing at the gorgeous antique ring, sitting snugly on my finger.

Getting up, he brings his hands up to pull me towards him. But I place my hands on his chest, stopping him from coming closer. "There is something I want to tell you as well."

His brows furrow, but I smile to dispel his concern. Taking his hands in mine, it's my turn to look into his eyes.

"Thank you for making me feel safe and protected. You made me believe in myself, when I had lost hope. You taught me to face my fears, instead of running away from them. Without saying it, you showed how much you cared for me. Thank you, for taking away the pain and fear from my life and filling it with absolute happiness. I promise you, that whatever the situation, I will remain by your side. I assure you, there won't be any more secrets between us. I love and adore you with all my heart. It would be my honour to be and forever remain your wife." I smile at him, my eyes brimming once more with tears of happiness and love.

Swatting away his own tears, Jeet bites his lower lip as he cups my face tenderly, wiping away the dampness under my eyes with his thumbs. "I have waited for this moment for so long. Now can we stop talking so that I can finally get that kiss from my wife, that I have been pining for?"

I don't need to be told twice. Stepping into his arms, I lock my fingers around his neck, lifting my face up to meet his descending mouth. The world ceased to exist when our lips met. We pour all our love, devotion and desire that we had held back for so long, into the kiss. Like parched travellers in a desert finding an oasis, we drink in hungry gulps from each other's mouth, till we need to come up for air. Breathless but not satiated, we break away.

Jeet rests his head on mine, grabbing my waist. I hold on to his strong arms, while we catch our breath. "I love you Jeet," I whisper.

"I love you too, Tarana."

I was right - the sunset is extraordinarily spectacular, as if the universe wants to celebrate our union. As our lips meet again, against a dazzling sky, my heart soars high, knowing that right here in the arms of my love, I am finally and forever..... Home!

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