The Soulmates

By Prerna Pujari

A love story that will tug at your heartstrings. Beautiful, vivacious Shreya is in a coma in the hospital after delivering twin girls. Her husband Vinay and her best friend Arun are struggling to cope with Shreya’s absence.

One day, Vinay calls Arun home to help him look after the twins. Arun discovers a folder containing Shreya’s secret diaries – a detailed account about her tragic past.

In the meanwhile, Shreya is sinking and the doctors are giving up hope. The two men who love and care for her watch her decline helplessly. Will Shreya survive? What has she written in her secret diary? What will happen to her twin girls if she dies? How will Vinay look after them? How will he live without her? Can Arun withstand the loss of his best friend?

Love, loss, longing, friendship, marriage, motherhood...so many strands...so many twists and turns...the book makes us keenly aware of how fragile relationships can be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zorba Books
• Release date: Apr 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9789386407269

Book preview

The Soulmates

The Soulmates

Prerna Pujari

Published in India by Zorba Books, 2017

Website: www.zorbabooks.com

Email: [e-mail]

Copyright © Prerna Pujari

ISBN Print Book - 978-93-86407-25-2

ISBN eBook - 978-93-86407-26-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system— except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web—without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information contained in this book, we assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistencies herein. Any slights on people, places, or organizations are unintentional.

Zorba Books Pvt. Ltd.(opc)

Gurgaon, INDIA

Printed in India

Acknowledgements

A thought process that transforms into a set of words that are effective enough to touch hearts is an outcome of numerous experiences, criticisms, rejections and disappointments.

It has been a terrific learning curve and there are a few people to whom I would like to say a big thank you.

After God, my parents have been the biggest strength for me. I thank them for shaping me into who I am.

I thank my brother for standing beside me and urging me into creative pursuits.

A special thanks to my husband, Gaurang for giving me the confidence to publish my work and for his unconditional support.

Apart from my family, I would like to thank a special friend in my life - Amit who has been with me through all my ups and downs. He strengthened my resolve to follow my passion - my desire to write.

The love of my life has always been there within me and has helped me find the romance inside me. To pen down an emotion, you need to feel it first. I thank God for my encounter with a feeling called love.

Thank you to all the mentioned and unmentioned family, friends and foes.

A special thank you to the people who never liked my writing; you motivated me to improve and raise it to a level that could touch hearts.

Finally, I thank my publishers for making my dream come true.

Thank you, readers...thank you God.

Preface

‘The Soulmates’ is a story about the simple, unspoken love of a man whose only desire is to see the love of his life happy through all the phases of her lifecycle. It is an attempt to redefine love in a manner that breaks the conventional definitions of marriage, physical bonding and other romantic expectations.

A soulmate is someone who understands every part of you, someone with whom your soul feels relaxed and to whom you are connected with strings of trust, belief and love. It may be your friend, it may be your life partner or it may be your love.

The story has several sentimental twists and turns and ends with an unexpected circumstance. All the prayers of love are rewarded sooner or later.

The novel beautifully details how a soul recognises its partner at every step of life, even when the brain stops working.

I always saw me…in you

I always heard me…in you

When I had no words to express my state

I saw an unsaid understanding…in you

You are a stranger but you are like me

You are away but you are with me

I forget my worries when I see your smiles

I get up to walk with you the toughest miles

You are not the one whom I am married to

You are not the one whom I have kissed

You are not the one about whom I fantasised

You are not the one whom I have missed

I have no name to define this relationship

But my soul is bonded to you irreversibly

May be a friend…may be love…

May be above all these bonds

When I ask myself ‘Who are you to me?’

My soul answer silently

You are its partner…it says...

You are its mate…it says...

Prologue

It was 6.00 am. It was a cold morning, and as I snuggled under my blanket, I felt lazier. I wished I had a wife who could make my mornings warmer with her loving touch and sweet coffee. Starting a day with such a romantic thought, I have read somewhere, is good for health but the fact is that it actually makes you feel even lonelier.

My mom had definitely visited my room, as the curtains of the window were pulled such that I could see the dark sky of the early winter morning, which was slowly getting brighter. I pulled my blanket over my face and tried to sleep again. When I closed my eyes, Shreya’s face flashed in the dark chamber of my eyes. I opened my eyes quickly with a start and threw off the blanket hastily. Her face disappeared but I could see its image on the white ceiling of my room. My eyes stared at the ceiling as if she was there, inside. As always, I was lost in her memories. I was lost in imagining her picture on the walls with the pencil of my imagination. No...no one in the world could make a picture as beautiful as her. She was there in my thoughts, in my eyes and in every ounce of my blood.

Love is something that marks its presence in every tick-tock of the clock and in every cell of your body. If you love someone, one part of you always misses your loved one, thinking about that person and imagining him or her in every living or non-living thing that constitutes your surroundings. Love is inside you, over you and everywhere your eyes could visualise. It is in the air you breathe, in the blood that flows within you and in every action your nervous system performs.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realise my mom had entered my room. I was startled when I saw her near me. Her presence brought me back to the present. She swung my phone in front of my eyes to indicate that it was ringing. I held her hand to stop it swinging any further so that I could see the screen on my phone. It stated Vinay.

Early morning calls in my life have had a history of bad news, always. They had always brought tears with them. I shivered at the thought of a mishap. And moreover, it was Vinay calling. Vinay was a friend, and more than that, he was Shreya’s husband. I shivered with the thought of further bad news from Shreya’s house.

I jumped off the bed rapidly and answered the call.

Hey Arun, good morning. Vinay’s voice was calm, not signalling any disaster. I sighed with relief.

Good morning, Vinay, I replied calmly.

I am sorry to be bothering you at this time, Vinay said formally.

It’s alright. I am always there for you. Is everything alright? Although I was relieved that nothing was wrong at Vinay’s end, I enquired to be sure.

Yes. Everything’s fine but I need a favour from you. Can you take leave from your office and come to my house immediately? He spoke in one breath.

Shreya’s parents as well as her in-laws live in the same city but for the past two days, all of them were out of town. I used to go over to meet Vinay very often but the way he was speaking today was very unusual. Again, a sensation of bad news ran through my nerves. I felt like something was stirring inside my stomach. I had already lost a lot. Shreya’s accident had made me very weak. It had taken all my strength, and whatever was left within me was struggling to live without her. No…I didn’t want any more disasters.

Fear gripped me tightly and I almost forgot that I hadn’t yet replied to Vinay and that he was waiting on the phone.

Hello! Vinay raised his voice this time to check whether I was listening to him or not.

His voice broke through my fear and I shook my head and spoke.

"Oh, sure. But everything is okay naa...?" I re-enquired apprehensively.

Oh...all is well, Arun. Just need some help. That’s it. I won’t be able to tell you everything on the phone; it would take the whole day. So, it would be better if you inform your office and come over he said calmly.

His calm tone made me feel better and I hung up after accepting his request. I texted my boss immediately, asking for leave and headed to the bathroom to get ready.

2

At around 10.00 am, I reached Shreya’s house. I always call it Shreya’s house even though she no more lives there. As I parked my car outside the main gate, her memories again stroke my head. Whenever I visited her house earlier, she used to wait for me in the balcony and receive me with such a sparkle of happiness on her face. I miss that welcome.

I stepped out of the car. The balcony was empty. I could not stop my tears but wiped them off before they could wet my face and Vinay could see them. I opened the gate and went in. Near the