Twisted Hearts 2 – Chapter 1

Aditya woke up gasping for air, his whole body was drenched in sweat. His head ached as though it would burst at any moment. He held his head in his hands, shut his eyes and gritted his teeth to tolerate the pain. For a while, he groaned, unable to bear it. When the pain finally subsided, he slowly lowered his hands and opened his eyes.

He looked around the room, searching for his daughter, Shreya and panicked when he couldn’t find her.

“Shreyu, princess, where are you?” he asked hurriedly, only to stop abruptly when he realized his voice sounded entirely different.

He looked down at himself and gasped in horror. He was dressed in shorts and a vest. He looked thinner than usual and fear consumed him.

He looked around the room and realized he was in his bedroom at his parents home in Chennai. Even more confused, he stood before the mirror and stumbled back upon seeing himself as a young boy.

“What is happening?” he mumbled, looking around the room.

That is when his gaze landed on the calendar. It showed the year when he was studying in Class 12.

“What is happening? Where is my Pallavi? Our daughter Shreya? I was in Australia with my Shreyu ” he thought, pulling his hair in frustration as more tears rolled down his cheeks.

“I wish the universe would give me a second chance. I would spend every moment making up for the life we lost. I would protect you, love you and fulfill every dream we once shared of growing old together. I love you, Pavi… more than my own life. So please, come back to me. Because if fate gives me another chance, I swear I won’t lose you again.”

The words echoed in his mind and he realized the universe had given him a second chance.

He remembered every single day of his previous life with perfect clarity. The most painful and heartbreaking moment when Pallavi left him, the way he raised his daughter, the pressure from Deepika and both families to marry again, Deepika’s determination to claim him, the day he left for Australia with Shreya……every single moment rushed back into his memory.

He also remembered that he was a skilled programmer and could develop modules as though coding was ingrained in his muscle memory. His lips curved into a smile that he could see his Pallavi, he could save her this time and fullfil all her dreams of marrying and growing old together.

He opened the window and looked toward Pallavi’s house.

“Pavi, I want to see you,” he whispered, feeling restless to meet her.

He glanced at the clock. It was ten past twelve. He paced across the room. He couldn’t sleep, not when he had been given a second chance. Not when he could see Pallavi again and make everything right this time.

“Is there a possibility that Pallavi remembers everything too?” he wondered, pulling at his hair in frustration.

He opened the notebook on his desk and realized it was the day before he was supposed to leave for the excursion. It was a one-day trip organized for the Class 12 students and his mother would wake him at five in the morning to get ready.

“Fuck, I can’t leave Pallavi right after waking up and finding her alive. I don’t want to leave her alone even for a minute,” he muttered under his breath and sat on the bed, waiting for time to pass.

At five, his mother knocked on the door and Aditya immediately opened it.

He hugged his mother tightly and she smiled, ruffling his hair.

“Get ready. You must be excited for the trip. I’ll pack some snacks for your friends,” his mother said before walking away.

Aditya got ready quickly and looked out the window. The lights were on in Pallavi’s house. He ran outside and saw her father cleaning his bike while calling Deepika to get ready so he could drop her at school. Seeing Aditya, Pallavi’s father smiled at him.

“Aditya, are you ready? Get your bag. I’ll drop both of you at school.”

But Aditya’s eyes were fixed on the door, waiting for Pallavi to walk out. He clenched his fists and his body turned cold at the thought of seeing Pallavi again after years of living with the pain of losing her.

Pallavi stepped out dressed in her nightdress and the moment Aditya saw her, tears rolled down his cheeks. His emotions were no longer under his control. He ran toward her, wrapped his arms around her and broke down sobbing, shocking everyone around him.

“Aditya, what happened? Why are you crying?” Pallavi’s parents asked, touching his shoulder.

“Aadhi, are you crying because you will miss me? I will miss you too, idiot, but you have to go on this trip. You won’t get another chance to be with your friends on a school trip and you promised to buy me gifts,” Pallavi said knocking his head.

Realizing he was losing control, Aditya pulled away from the hug. His eyes were red from crying.

“No, I just had a bad dream. I don’t want to go on this trip. I’ll stay home and I’ll help you with your Maths assignment,” he said, trying to manage the situation.

Just then, another pair of footsteps was heard and Deepika walked out slowly, fully dressed for the school trip.

“Don’t be scared of dreams, Aadhi. They are just illusions. Live in the reality that gives you happiness, not burdens,” Deepika said.

Aditya immediately sensed the difference in her tone and attitude.

Pallavi hugged Deepika as she always did but Deepika instantly removed her hands and stepped away from her with a frown. The reaction didn’t go unnoticed by Aditya.

“Stop behaving like a child, Pallavi. You are grown up, so behave like one. And why are you wearing my nightdress?” Deepika asked in a bitter tone that shocked everyone.

Aditya instantly realized that she remembered everything from their past life, including her promise to claim him.

Pallavi’s eyes turned moist at the harshness in her sister’s voice.

Aditya wanted to scream at Deepika, but he knew better than to lose control. He wouldn’t let this second chance slip through his fingers after all the pain he had endured. Most importantly, he wouldn’t let Deepika realize that he remembered the past too.

Casually, he wrapped an arm around Pallavi’s shoulders as he always did.

“Seems like Deepika is too excited about the trip and has lost her senses. Now stop crying and come with me. I have got something for you,” Aditya said and dragged her into the house.

“Close your eyes and don’t open them until I tell you to,” Aditya said and Pallavi obediently closed her eyes.

Aditya quickly opened her school bag and picked up her diary. As soon as he opened the first page, tears rolled down his cheeks. His name was written there, along with her innocent expressions of love for him.

He carefully placed it back inside the bag and hid a chocolate in her pencil pouch, geometry box, and water bottle pocket.

Standing before her, his hands trembled as he looked at her. Seeing her alive felt like a miracle. He quickly wiped away his tears.

“Open your eyes,” he said and Pallavi opened them and looked at him curiously.

“Stay safe, Pavi. Promise me you will think twice before doing anything,” he said, extending his palm toward her.

Pallavi placed her palm against his and made the promise. Aditya told her to look for the surprise after he left and then walked out with her.

Deepika stood outside with irritation written all over her face while Pallavi happily waved goodbye to both Deepika and Aditya.

Pallavi’s father offered to drop Aditya at school but he gently refused, saying he would ride his bicycle since he had to pick up a friend on the way.

“I won’t do anything that would risk my future with my Pavi,” he swore to himself and returned home to get his bicycle.

Pallavi opened her bag and searched for the surprise. To her delight, she found chocolates hidden in every zip and pouch of her school bag.

“Thank you so much. You always think of me. I’ll wait for you to return and then we’ll share these together,” Pallavi thought and carefully placed the chocolates back inside her bag.

Aditya settled into a seat on the school bus with his friends and it felt strange doing the same thing for a second time.

Most importantly, he remembered that this was the day his friends had sown the seeds that pushed him to look at Deepika as more than a friend. They had constantly fed him the idea that Deepika was the best choice for him.

He sat quietly until the students began screaming in excitement as the bus started moving.

It was a one-day trip to an amusement park on East Coast Road and the teachers had promised to spend some time at the beach before returning to school.

Aditya stared out of the window, lost in thoughts of Pallavi, until he felt a nudge from his friend. He already knew what was coming.

“Aditya, look at Deepika. She is looking at you. I think she loves you and you both would make the best pair for sure. She is beautiful, graceful, calm and very responsible. She would perfect for you. Do you love her too? If not, you should consider it. You are very lucky,” his friend said.

Aditya gritted his teeth. “Lucky, my ass,” he thought and turned toward his friend.

“Stop speaking nonsense. I don’t have any such feelings for her and she is nothing more than a friend to me. I will never, ever look at her as anything more than a friend,” Aditya said seriously.

His friend looked stunned. “Aditya, are you seeing someone already? Tell me who the girl is. Don’t lie to me because you wouldn’t be speaking this seriously if there wasn’t another girl,” his friend said.

Aditya closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

“Pallavi… she is my world. But don’t share this with anyone. I don’t want to disturb her for at least the next two years until she finishes school. Promise me,” Aditya said and seeing the seriousness in his tone, his friend promised to keep the secret.

Throughout the journey, Aditya never once looked toward Deepika. He laughed and enjoyed himself with his friends but his mind remained occupied with thoughts of Pallavi.

The bus finally arrived at the amusement park. The staff purchased tickets for all the students and they were allowed inside one by one.

Knowing exactly what would happen, Aditya dragged his friends away so he could spend time with them, fully aware that Deepika would eventually come looking for him to join her on the rides.

Deepika stood in the queue and watched Aditya and his friends riding the giant wheel.

“Try your best, Aadhi, but I won’t let you go so easily. Act as much as you want, but I know you remember,” she thought as she watched him move on to the next ride with his friends.

She quickly ran toward him and grabbed his hand with a smile.

“Aadhi, I’m scared of this ride, so please let me join you on this one. Please, Aadhi,” she said, pretending to be frightened.

Aditya gently removed her hand and suddenly rushed aside, pretending to vomit.

“Sorry, Deepika. I don’t feel well, so I’m not going on any more rides. Why don’t you join the others? Look, they seem excited,” he said, pointing toward the students waiting in line.

But Deepika shook her head. “No, it’s okay, Aadhi. I’ll stay by your side. I don’t want to leave you alone when you are not feeling well. Nothing is more important than you,” she said and tried to hold his hand again but he avoided it.

Aditya walked toward the games section to pass the time. Deepika stubbornly followed him, refusing to leave him alone.

Aditya felt increasingly frustrated, but he hid his emotions and focused on the games. He played ring toss and ball-throwing games and eventually won a teddy bear.

He hugged it with a smile. Deepika immediately wanted it for herself but before she could ask, Aditya’s friend snatched it from his hands.

“Idiot, give it back. This is for Pallavi,” Aditya said loudly and clearly as he took the teddy bear back.

“Aadhi, Pallavi isn’t even here, so give it to me. Aren’t I your friend?” Deepika asked with a pout, trying to appear cute.

Aditya shook his head with a smile. “No, Deepika. We are all here having fun but Pallavi must be missing us. Don’t you think she would be happy receiving this teddy bear than you would?” he asked.

Without waiting for a response, he walked toward a stall that engraved names onto keychains.

The moment he saw it, he froze.

A memory from his previous life suddenly crashed into his mind.

                                                          Next Chapter