Life is too Short

A/N: Heyya! I'm back! As I'd promised, here is my combined Frenisha and Vivesha story. The story is written immediately after Tasha's death, is the my first such story. So please, encouragement will be appreciated a lot! :D :D

I do hope you'll like my story, and it does not bore you too much!

Happy reading! :D

Life is too short. He had always heard the saying. He even understood the meaning hidden behind it. But strangely, he had too much faith in life to believe it was short. Even though in his field, there was no guarantee of one coming back from mission alive, he always believed that he would make it out. Optimistic, he knew, maybe a tad bit more, but yes, it was this faith that always kept him going.

This view however, was shattered that day, when he saw Tasha dying before his eyes. He did not enter the room in those last few moments of hers. He couldn't make himself to do so. He had always loved Tasha's smile, and had always loved to see her happy. Even the slightest of sadness, and it would reflect on his mood. He could not see her now, in so much pain, struggling to speak word after word, that only marked a breath more being taken away from her.

But when he saw her die, he felt something break inside him. He felt numb. It must surely be a bad dream, something he will awaken from at any moment. He tried to pinch himself continuously, but still, the view in front of him always remained the same. He could see Kaajal crying openly, and everyone else with damp eyes, but he could not get himself to cry.

He felt a pair of strong, yet gentle hands, steer him out of the hospital and make him sit in a car. The car was familiar, but at that moment, everything was a blur. He could not understand. This could not be possible. Tasha – her simple behaviour, her hair always tied in a bun, even though he liked her better with her hair open, her innocent smile… He tried to shake his head from these thoughts, when the most heart breaking memory hit his mind.

"Tasha, tum abhi free ho na?" Vivek begun his conversation on the phone straight to the point.

"Haan Vivek, kyun, kuch kaam tha kya?" Tasha replied with a little confusion.

"Arre nahi… main soch raha tha ki kal tak toh case khatam ho hi jayega, toh kyun na hum log kal dinner par chate hai?"

"Dinner pe?" Tasha was surprised.

"Kyun, free nahi ho kya?"

"Free hoon main, par agar dinner pe chalna hi hai, toh aaj hi chalte hai na."

"Nahi, woh mujhe tumse kuch zaroori baat karni thi… Woh kal hi ho sakta hai."

"Theek hai, toh phir kal hi chalte hai. Waise, main ek baat kahu?"

"Haan, bolo?"

"Meri mummy hamesha mujhse kehti thi ki zindagi bohot chhoti hoti hai, isiliye agar kisi se kuch kehna ho, toh use ussi wakt par kehna chahiye, phir kaun jaane kal ho na ho?"

Those words haunted him throughout his journey in the car. He was a CID officer, and yet, anyone seeing him now would think that he was just an ordinary person. A person who lost someone very dear to him that night. He did not even know who was driving the car or who was taking him where. His mind was so lost in thought, that he did not even register that the car had stopped, and that the door of his side was open, and someone was waiting for him descend from the car.

He felt those same pair of hand bring him out of the car, and made him enter a house. It was only when he entered the house, that he realized who had brought him here – Freddy. Freddy made him gently sit on the sofa, and brought him a glass of water. Just then, he saw Manisha, and he dimly heard Freddy explain the situation to her, at the end of which, he could hear Freddy's voice break.

He felt Freddy sit on the sofa beside him, and him trying to make some conversation.

"Mansiha abhi tumhare liye kuch khaane ko leke aa rahi hai."

Somehow, he still felt numb to the situation and his emotions. After sitting for 10 minutes in absolute silence, he saw Manisha come out from the kitchen, and put a plate of food beside him. At once, a thick lump formed in his throat – for among the food items in the plate was a small bowl of vanilla ice-cream. At once another memory rushed forth in his mind.

"Yeh lo Tasha, main tumhare liye ice-cream leke aaya hoon."

Vivek and Tasha were both sitting in a park, in front of the ice-cream vendor.

"Wow, vanilla ice-cream! Mera favourite!"

"Thank God!"

"Kya hua?"

"Main confused tha ki tumhare liye chocolate loon, ya vanilla."

"Arre, agar tum confused the, toh mujhse puch lete na! Main bata deti.."

"Actually… main guess karna chata tha ki main tumhe kitna jaanta hoon.."

"Phir toh pappu pass ho gaya!"

And Tasha began to laugh, Vivek joining her not long after.

Her laughter still rang in his head. But now, the numbness was going, the feeling of strong pain becoming more and more pronounced. And suddenly his vision started blurring, and before he knew, he could feel hot tears drop from his eyes. And once the tears began escaping his eyes, he felt the need to relieve himself. But before the thought had even formed in his mind, Vivek felt himself being pulled into a hug by Freddy.

It must have been minutes, or maybe hours. Freddy held Vivek close to him in a brotherly fashion, while Vivek cried his heart out. Even though Vivek had never told anyone, but deep down, he knew that he loved Tasha. Freddy let him cry, because he knew… knew that emotions should never be held within. He was concerned when he brought Vivek home, because, amongst all the team members, he was the only one who had not responded to the news emotionally.

"Main use nahi.. bata.. saka.. Freddy sir.. main use.. nahi.. bata... saka..."

These were the only words that he could hear Vivek mutter to himself in hiccups.

It must have nearly 2 in the morning, when Freddy felt himself being awoken gently from his sleep. When he opened his eyes, he realized that he had fallen asleep on the same spot on the sofa, and Manisha was gently tapping his shoulder.

"Freddy, Vivek ko guest room mein leke jao. Uski aankh lag chuki hai."

Freddy looked at his side to see Vivek asleep. He had a troubled expression on his face, but he was asleep. Gently scooping him up from the sofa, Freddy carried him into the guestroom, in which Manisha had done the necessary arrangements beforehand. Laying him down on his bed, Freddy covered him with a blanket, and shut off the lamp on the bedside.

Leaving the door a bit ajar, Freddy once again sat on the sofa, which was now occupied also by his wife Manisha.

"Aap theek toh ho na? Manisha asked with concern in her voice.

"Main theek hoon. bas Vivek ki chinta ho rahi thi mujhe..."

"Vivek ko gehra sadma pahuncha hai Tasha ki maut se."

"Tasha se bohot juda hua tha woh..."

"Tasha ke gharwaale..."

"Woh sab kal aa jaenge. ACP sir ne unhein khabar di hai."

Silence. The couple sat with each other, feeling satiated by the other's presence. Suddenly Manisha said.

"Zindagi ka bharosa hi nahi raha aajkal. Jo hamare saath aaj hai, kaun jaane ki woh kal rahenge bhi ya nahi..."

At that moment, Freddy saw his wife's face. Even though, her eyes were devoid of tears, he could see the look of fear clouded on her face. He knew that giving her false hopes and promises would not do any good. The two of them knew the risks that his job held, the fact that he could not always come out of a mission unscathed. Even though he could not give his wife false hopes, he could at least comfort her.

Putting his arm around her shoulders, Freddy pulled her into a hug. No words were exchanged between them, and yet they knew what was going on in the other's mind in a heartbeat. Maybe that was why their marriage was so successful. They may fight everyday over little matters, but at the end of the day, they loved each other too much to remain angry. Freddy gently stroked his wife's hair, before he fell asleep for the second time that night on the same spot.

The next day, Tasha's funeral took place with a mixture of tears, grief and pride. Her family were given condolences by the entire CID Team. Even though they were naturally aggrieved that they had lost their daughter, they were nevertheless proud of her.

Throughout the entire time, Vivek stood silently by the side of his team, lost in thought. He had recovered a bit from the shock of the situation, but somehow, it all felt unreal. As if, she was there standing by his side all this time. As if, she would just pop out suddenly, laughing in that same innocent way, making a smile creep up on his face too.

And suddenly, he felt light-hearted. Somehow, he knew that she may no longer be before his eyes, but somehow, he could still feel her presence around him. After the funeral was over, one by one, all the team members left, leaving only Freddy and Vivek together.

"Sir, aap jayiye, main thodi der baad Bureau pohonchta hoon." Vivek stated simply.

"Theek hai, lekin agar kuch chahiye, toh mujhe zaroor phone karna." Freddy now noticed his expression. He saw that Vivek no longer looked in shock, or not in control of himself. He looked as though he had been slapped awake to reality, and he had finally grasped the fact that she was no longer with them. He felt a bit afraid to leave him on his own, but he felt assured that Vivek was now in control of himself.

Vivek gave a nod of acknowledement, and said suddenly.

"Sir, kal aapne mere liye jo kuch bhi kiya, uske liye thank you."

"Vivek, tum mere saathi hone ke saath-saath mere bohot acche dost ho. Tum khud bhi nahi jaante, ki tum meri zindagi mein mere liye kya maayne rakhte ho..."

Vivek gave a smile in return. The first genuine smile he could manage after the entire incident. Freddy gave him a smile in return, before he left him all alone near Tasha's grave. Going near her grave, Vivek now knelt on his knee, and took out a small velvet box, inside which was a ring.

"Tum ne sahi kaha tha.. mujhe aaj ke liye intezaar nahi, balki tumhe kal hi bata dena chahiye tha ki tum mere zindagi mein kya maayne rakhti ho. I'm sorry ki maine kabhi yeh baat tumhe bataya nahi... Lekin phir bhi, na jaane kyun aisa lagta hai ki jaise ab bhi tum mere pass, mere saath hi ho... agar tum meri baat sun rahi ho, toh mujhe bas tumse ek hi baat kehni hai... that I really love you."

Saying this, Vivek left the box near her grave, and began walking toward the exit. For a moment, he fancied that he saw the box moving, but without looking back once, he walked back into the world of reality, where he had to turn over a new leaf, starting from nursing his broken heart. But just as he passed out of the graveyard, he could see her grave from over the wall.

He knew what he saw next was something he could never tell anyone, for they would think that he had become unbalanced, or had imagined the whole thing. At yet he knew, what he was seeing was real. For at that moment, he saw Tasha picking up the box from the grave, and as she turned in his direction, their eyes met. She only said two words before a small spell of shower blocked her from his view, and at the end of which she was no longer there.

But as he walked back towards the Bureau, the was a new grace in his step, as those two words were still ringing in his head. He felt himself lose the feeling of guilt and regret. Even though he grieved her death, those two words had made all the difference to him now.

"Main bhi..."

There! I hope I did justice to the characters! Par yeh sab toh mujhe reviews milne ke baad hi toh pata chalega na! So please please please review! :D :D :D