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“I would. But did this love vanish because I now know the truth?”
Dheer shot me a mighty frown.
“Of course, it didn’t,” he snapped.
“Then how are you suddenly okay with me leaving you?” I demanded. “What kind of conditional, bullshit love is that?”
“Did you not hear anything I said?”
“I heard every word you said, and I fail to see your point,” I said haughtily.
He let out a long, weary sigh.
“Diya, let’s not play any games. You deserve way better than a cynical, broken beast of a man. You deserve everything!”
“I do,” I agreed cheerfully. “I deserve a man who is my friend before he is my lover. I deserve a man who will protect me with his life even when I run from him. A man who will feed me pizza every day of my life and find me beautiful, no matter how big I get. I deserve a man who will take my side against the whole world, including my mother. I deserve a man who is proud to see me soar in my career and doesn’t feel the need to clip my wings to feed his ego. I deserve a man who will cook for me but also has the patience to tolerate my culinary disasters. I deserve a man who loves me enough to put my needs first. A man who loves me enough to set me free.”
A few steps brought me close to him and I stood up tall and proud as I looked deep into his beautiful, loving eyes.
“Are you willing to be that man, Dheer? Or are you only interested in rescuing a damsel in distress?”
“Why do you want to waste your life on me, Diya?”
“Because I love you, you big idiot,” I yelled. “I loved you nine years ago when I thought you were perfect, and I love you even more now when I’m aware of all your imperfections. And weirdly, I never stopped loving you in the nine years that passed between then and now. The big question is… what will you do with my love?”
Dheer pulled me into his arms and held me tightly.
“Are you sure, Diya?”
“I am. I did everything I could to hate you for what you did to me, but now that I realise there’s no reason to hate you, I can’t keep up the pretence any longer, Dheer. I love you. Now and forever.”
“I will cherish your love for the rest of my life. And even into eternity,” he promised.
“Okay, that sounds spooky. And cheesy,” I complained.
“Speaking of cheesy, does my Rani Sa want to eat pizza?” he murmured in my ear.
“I thought you’d never ask,” I replied, fluttering my eyelashes at him.
He grabbed me and kissed me deeply until we were both panting for breath. Suddenly, Dheer pulled away from me and set me at arm’s length.
“I need to check on Kirit Singh and find out what’s happening at Goel House, babe. Meet you in our room in an hour?”
I kissed him softly and smiled into his eyes.
“Don’t forget the pizza,” I said, as I walked out of the room.
“Never,” he called out with a happy laugh.
EPILOGUE
ISHA
“Haye! Isha beta, what happened to you?” exclaimed yet another nosy Aunty. “You used to be such a nice khaati-peeti princess! Why do you look so skinny now?”
“What can I say, Aunty? This is what an eating disorder does to you,” I replied honestly.
She squawked in horror and scuttled all the way to the other side of the tent where she regaled her cronies with stories of Isha-the-fat-princess. I ignored their laughter and forced myself to pick up a piece of paneer and push it into my mouth. As I chewed, I waited for the familiar hit of guilt and self-disgust, but this time, it came slower and was less intense. I guess the ten thousand rupees per session therapy was working after all.
