The Journey of Our Love

By Deesha Sangani

“Real love sets you free from the clutches of expectation.”

ANUSHKAA - A chirpy girl with big dreams and a bigger heart. She was chasing her dreams when she lost the love of her life. Despite that, she did not give up on her dreams, nor did she stop believing in love.

ABHIMANYU – Young and dynamic, he is spearheading his company with gusto. The complete opposite of Anushkaa in many ways, he is equally passionate about work and achieving his dreams.

When they meet, sparks fly! They fall in love with each other’s imperfections.

Will love claim Anushkaa's heart again? Will she accept Abhimanyu?

There are many surprises in store for Anushkaa and Abhimanyu as they venture into The Journey of Our Love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Srishti Publishers
• Release date: Sep 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9789390441433

Deesha Sangani

Deesha Sangani is Banaglore based Author/ Motivtional Speaker. She is one of the most influential blogger! Her Books 90 Steps Towards Journey & She Dared To Dream through Her eyes are Best selling across & have received amazing reviews & feedbacks from across. She herself is an inspiration to those who want to live their dreams whilst following corporate career.

Book preview

Deesha Sangani

By the same author

A Love Story by Destiny

The Diary of My Love

Srishti Publishers & Distributors

A unit of AJR Publishing LLP

212A, Peacock Lane

Shahpur Jat, New Delhi – 110 049

[e-mail]

First published by

Srishti Publishers & Distributors in 2021

Copyright © Deesha Sangani, 2021

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This is a work of fiction. The characters, places, organisations and events described in this book are either a work of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to people, living or dead, places, events, communities or organisations is purely coincidental.

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publishers.

Cover concept: Gavin Morris

Cover design: Wasim Helal

Printed and bound in India

Dedicated to those

who have not stopped believing in love.

Acknowledgement

Without your support this wouldn’t have been possible, Mom.

A big thank you to family and friends for all the support.

Thank you Arup Bose for believing in my story and letting my story reach thousands of people through my book.

I would also like to acknowledge the editorial team at Srishti Publishers for all the help in making the book better. I would also like to thank everyone at Srishti who works behind the scene and ensures that the book becomes its best version.

To my close friend – Shravan Samontra – who was truly a gem and is now a shining star in the sky.

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A big thank you to all my readers for all the love and appreciation for my work, and for deriving inspiration from my stories.

Who doesn’t want to be a bestselling author! It’s every author’s dream.

Book launches, literature festivals, book signing events, meeting and greeting readers, seeing your books at book stores and airports… all this is a cherished dream for every writer.

And a well-woven dream is that which turns out to be true, with sheer hard work and dedication.

I was heading to Delhi for a book launch, but the flight was an hour late. So I was at the executive lounge having my dinner.

I looked at the message and responded with a smile.

‘Abhimanyu is such a down to earth person. Close to perfect,’ I said to myself.

Having finished my meal, I walked into a book store. It had been close to two years and it definitely felt good to be back.

You must be wondering why I said two years. Well, some tragedies eat you up from within. Ayush was my dear friend, to whom I couldn’t confess my love. Nor was I able to see him for one last time. I wished every moment that I could somehow save his life. This would perhaps be my biggest regret till the end of time.

After Ayush passed away, I tried hard to move on. The path was tough and it taught me a lot. Those were the exact lessons I wished to share through my writing. When I had come to believe that love and relationships were not for me, I gave all my time and commitment to my work, my writing career and my family.

Life gives you two choices – either you stay where you are, or you get up and chase your dreams. I chose the latter.

My legs trembled as I neared the book store. My chest tightened and I was gasping for breath. I knew it was a panic attack trying to beat me, but I really wanted to get over my

fear and face reality. It was tough, but I wanted to do that for myself.

On stepping into the bookstore, I saw my book displayed right in front. Something that I had always dreamt about. I told myself that I didn’t want to become like the rest, but someone whom people could look up to.

I never shared that dream with anyone, because people have the tendency to judge and that could have distracted me. The only person who knew about my dreams was Ayush. He pushed me to the edge so that I could spread my wings and fly high. I wonder at the irony of life. Ayush wanted me to be a successful author. He wanted to read my first book. But when the time came when I could share my book with him, he left the world to settle in the heavens above.

I earnestly believe that he is watching me from up there. I share my day with him every evening when I stand and gaze at the sky. He is always there by my side. It is his empowering presence that keeps me going everyday.

Lost in his thoughts, I picked my book from the rack and flipped through the pages. How it felt to hold my dream in my hands couldn’t be described in words. The store boy asked if he could help me, but I shook my head with a smile.

I bought the three books that I had been planning to read over my trip and headed straight to the departure gate.

After the success of my first book, I was thrilled to launch the second one in Delhi.

I always believe that readers make authors and felt grateful to all my readers. They are a part of my extended family.

I was standing in the queue to board the flight and felt something fluttering inside my heart. I kept my hand on my heart to calm down my heartbeats, holding back the emotions which were ready to spill out.

I somehow never liked people addressing me as Hey. I didn’t respond then, but once I was settled in the flight, I finally typed a reply.

I put my phone on the flight mode, adjusted my seat belt, put my head back and drifted into Abhimanyu’s thoughts.

It’s easy to become a person without feelings after a bad past, but things change when someone walks into your life and matches your vibe. Abhimanyu had made that difference in my life.

Flashback

Abhimanyu led the famous Good Books Publishing Pvt Ltd. He was my publisher and a gentleman. He was polite, quite professional, and at the same time, a complete introvert.

After I had signed an agreement to publish my first book with them close to two years back, I had checked Abhimanyu’s profile on Facebook. I wanted to know more about the publishing house and the team behind it, and was impressed. How he was handling the operations of a successful business was inspiring for me and I wanted to interact with him someday.

On signing the agreement, Abhimanyu personally wrote to me, welcoming me to his publishing house. I remember exchanging a few emails before asking for his phone number.

Abhimanyu shared his number and told me that he is always available on WhatsApp. I immediately pinged him, just to confirm it was him.

To be honest, I don’t know how or why, but I felt a strong connection with this complete stranger.

Back then, I was excited about my first book, and also a little worried about how things would unfold. After all, even though I could put my heart and soul in the book, I couldn’t be sure if the readers would like it.

If you think writing is an easy job, you are 100% right. However, what many of you don’t know is that writing is just 30% of the work that is done to publish a book. The rest 70% is marketing strategy, social media promotion and a lot of consistent effort to sustain the reader's attention.

The one mantra that works best for me is – Your writing may or may not connect with everyone, but if it can make a difference in someone’s life, that would be the best thing.

I had been discussing Diwali plans with a colleague one Friday evening. I was always super excited about Diwali, and the shopping and festivities that came with it. On my way back home from office, I had stopped by to pick few things for Diwali celebrations when I saw a message from Abhimanyu.

As we continued chatting, I realised how nice it was to connect with someone, even if it was a total stranger. Honestly, I did not want to assume anything, but I felt good after talking to Abhimanyu.

The next day, both Abhimanyu and I exchanged some messages and pictures of our house decoration. I wondered how I had smiled after so long, or felt excited enough to share pictures. It was great to have a normal conversation with a stranger.

After Ayush, I was breathing, but my heart didn’t beat at all. I would smile for my parents’ sake, and tried to lead a normal life. During that journey, I learnt one thing – when you start pretending to be happy, you eventually start feeling that emotion.

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As days went by, I tried to find the lost meaning of my life. I decided to travel to Pondicherry, one of the best places in the world, where my soul connected to its higher soul.

It was my first visit to Pondicherry and I travelled solo. I had made a list of all the places I could visit and the things I needed to take along. I was carrying my favourite books and laptop as well, because I was working on my second book.

Pondicherry was an amazing place, quite safe for women. On reaching the hotel, I freshened up and picked up a nice dress. As I stood in front of the mirror to take a look at myself, I realised I was actually seeing myself smile after a long time.

Self-care and self-love are very important in life. I had left those behind because of circumstances.

Looking at myself in the mirror that day, I felt I had found my lost self. I was feeling overwhelmed when I heard a beep. Abhimanyu had messaged me which sent a beep straight to my heart.

I promised to send a few pictures soon, but didn’t mention anything about Pondicherry. It was a formal conversation and I wanted to maintain a good professional rapport with Abhimanyu. But at the same time, I wished to tell him more.

If I gathered enough guts to pick up the phone to message him, Mini me would tell me how he was being a perfect gentleman, and how I was misreading his professional behaviour. Mini me would prep me up to focus on my goal of being a bestselling author and inspire people with my writing.

I did hold myself back, but despite that, my heart felt a sense of comfort with Abhimanyu.

Everyone knew about Ayush, but nobody knew that I had fallen in love with him and could never express my feelings. I got all my inspiration and strength from Ayush, but he was not aware of what he meant to me. Even my best friend Karan didn’t know anything about this.

I kept my mobile back in my pocket and picked up my sunglasses and sling bag. Then I wore my high heels, walked out of the room and went straight to the restaurant to have breakfast. After having my meal, I left for a city tour.

Later, I boarded the cab and relaxed by clicking pictures and enjoying my favourite music on my headphones. I had a good time around the city.

In the evening, I wore my favourite shorts and t-shirt and walked out of the hotel towards the beach. I walked along the beach and sat on a stone, looking at people around me who were enjoying with their family and friends.

I was watching the sun set, wondering how everything sets and rises again in life. How nothing is permanent in life. As the

cold breeze touched my face and the sound of the waves echoed in my soul, I had tears rolling out of my eyes. This time, I didn’t wipe my tears. Letting go helps us the most in life if we want to heal.

Renewed after a lovely dinner, I went back to my room and started writing. I kept typing away on my laptop till 2:00 a.m. Pleasantly surprised at the flow of my writing, I went to sleep with a smile on my face and satisfaction in my heart.

Finally, it was time to go back home after a good break. When I