Mihi and Archana stood at the building that housed Vin and Jonaki. It was a news that had come from a Section A student who was chatting with his girl friend about how these two have moved in together. Mihi and Archana who had not met for the last one year agreed to meet at the place. 

Seven years later..

The apartment block was nice though aged, the locality spoke old money. Archana knew this was possibly left to Vin by his mother. His other properties were held in trust and in court. She did not understand why Mrs. Kumar would fight with her step son, the old boy of the Kumars and be okay with him being excluded from the family but want the unrelated girl Jonaki as her daughter. Logic defied it each time she thought of it. Also when it happened , the family threw out Vin, she was sure even if Vin never came back to her as her friend, he would get distanced from Jonaki. But no, Jonaki fought and left the family too. 

She was present in the room when it had happened. Her family was present to engage of a possible deal with the Kumars and one of that was a possible marriage with the son. The elderly Kumar were sitting on their thrown like chairs that they always insisted on occupying. Some other elders, relatives were also there. Mrs. Kumar's face was red as she stood at the centre of the room explaining to all why Jonaki was needed , "She saved us all. The boy of the family was saved because she suffered in his place. I have checked with the doctor .. she is okay, and there is nothing wrong with her as a woman.. " 

One of the elders stopped her and said, "That is not the point . A lady of the house will need to be spotless. Give her some money, sponsor her if you must, and then let her go. Let go of all the plans that you have in your head that just because you could enter this house, your friend's daughter can also enter. " 

Archana noted, Vin in the room. She knew Jonaki was there too, may be in one of the many passages. It was then the chaos started. Vin stood up to demand, "I have completed school with record marks. Jonaki has done incredible well too. She would be a doctor, a surgeon and I want to support that. I would not want her to go away. I want you all to go away. Hand over my business and my properties and go away.." 

His voice rose in the end. The elders shook in their seat. Mrs. Kumar tried to calm Vin down but was ignored. Only Mr. Kumar said, "It is after all his mother's money that sponsored most of it. He does have a say in it all." 

Archana noted her mother look at her and cautioned her to not speak a word as all forgot another family sat there. One of the elders said, "If not Vin, the sisters have children too. They will take over the business and do a good job. Teach this young man a lesson and stop giving his pocket money." 

Vin demanded his trust be made his, the trustees be changed to people he chose and no one in this room should ever use funds from there without his permission. 

"He is just seventeen and this is how he speak ? " Asked one older lady. "This is what happens if the father is busy with the secretary and the mother is a step mother." Another concluded. 

The father spoke again, "Remember please, the trust was built with his mother's money. May be we should speak of this later when he is eighteen or twenty one." 

"By then he would be starting an army against you all.. " 

The grandfather stood up and said, "Yes, you young boy , you have been triggering me for long. I will throw you out of the family now." 

Vin laughed a bitter laugh, "There is nothing else you can do can you ? You have already reduced by pocket money to almost nil, while you repeatedly withdraw money from my mother's accounts as a guardian to the limits that are set up. Don't think I don't know all that you are doing. " 

The grandmother crossed her legs and coughed, reminding everyone that when the family well into bad times she was the one who got her son married to Vin's mother immediately working on an age old promise and then when . "Calm down all. I think it is the correct decision to let Vin go and face the world on his own. He is just finishing the school correct ? Let him manage everything. I say let him do his worst and then understand what is he without money. And the mother he speaks of, well she is no more. "

Old thoughts closed as Vin appeared in the opposite side of the road. Surprisingly he noted them standing. He stopped and looked at them, then he turned and looked up. A worry crossed his face. It looked as if they will hurt his beloved. His stance changed as he stood there as if blocking the world for her, the girl who saved him as a child. 

Mihi raged beside her, "But she did it without choice, a sacrifice but one taken without her will. Why make her into a hero.. ?" 

Archana did not say a word but thought in her mind, "Not a hero but almost a Goddess.. that was what Jonaki was to Vinayak.." It was her he loved and none other. They never had even the remotest chance. Slowly she turned to face Mihi and held her hand. 

"Let's go Mihi. We are intruding. We hate Jonaki but we claim to love Vin.. Let him be.. " May be her heart was breaking as she never believed she would have to accept this rejection as permanent. Neither did she imagine that she would accept Mihi's affection for Vin too. They turned and walked almost forgetting that their car was parked near, leading them to turn and walk back. 

Vin was now standing cradling Jonaki. Jonaki was laughing and assuring him that she was okay. The way she cradled back his face dealt the last blow to them. They were intimate now, truly, irreversible intimate. They stood there for a few minutes looking at the couple as they chatted and then turned and went inside. Whatever work Vin had was forgotten or parked for later. They stole some kisses too, framed in golden in the light darkness of the twilight that made them look like a couple from a movie. Exotic, they accepted reluctantly. 

Possibly noticing their attention an elderly gentleman walked up. 

"Are you bothered by their affection ? They are like this, very caring towards each other. The boy is fighting for his property that his family had stolen from him, can you believe it. They will marry soon, just sent me a message this morning on change of surnames.." He laughed. 

"I thought they would be modern couples who won't marry but now I realise they were waiting for things to fall in place, Jonaki will complete her Medical soon and Vinayak has his office too. What a lovely couple .. I like looking at them. I never married you know, family responsibilities, ambition and well.. But if I had , I would have wished for this and no less. .. "

The couple went inside and the day was also now almost gone. He got up and smiled at them, "So you both stay near ? " 

Mihi responded, "No.. we came.." 

When Archana spoke, "We came to meet an old friend but he had moved. So we will also leave now.. " 

The old man nodded smiling as he turned his gaze at the skies. Lies, but innocent lies. He hoped that Vin won the court case but they stayed here always showing him snippets of a beautiful life.