Maya's pov:

People can grow strong enough to whisper at the iron bars that hold them and see them bend out of their way, like the most crazy magic. That's what love can do: fix souls, fix brains, cure us all. I wish I could have mastered that way, but it's hard when you've been starving for so long. My parents' love is what I craved for since childhood. But, it was anything impossible for me.

I woke up some time ago and was aimlessly sitting on bed. The new room where I was, made me recollect all of yesterday's memories. How I ended up driving here, how I saw Xavier and all. But, if Xavier was really present here yesterday then, where is he now?

I jerked up on the place when the door opened suddenly. Revealing my life, Xavier.

He entered the room with a beautiful smile and a tray in his hands.

"Ohh! Great that you woke up. I made breakfast for you." He said, putting the tray on the bed beside me.

He looked so normal and so calm as if nothing happened yesterday.

"Good morning." His lips that kissed my forehead turned into a crescent smile, as he pushed the lose tendrils behind my ears.

"Don't you have any questions?" I asked.

"About?"

"About whatever happened yesterday."

His smile lost its way from his face. "I have. But, we'll talk about it only when you are comfortable. So, leave that topic for now. Taste these sandwiches. I made them, just how you like it."

"Hmm. Just let me freshen up." With that, I went inside the washroom and locked the door.

Yesterday's events and emotions rushed again to my heart. This small heart of mine started filling up with so much of things that I couldn't control a sob that made its way through my throat. Before Xavier could hear me, I quickly turned on the shower and stood under it. As I always felt, the cold water unknowingly did its work to calm me down.

After being for quite a while in the shower, I tied a robe around me and went outside.

As soon as I opened the door, Xavier's intense gaze over me made me concious of myself.

"I'll be back in a while." With that, he quickly ran out of the room.

I looked in the mirror to see my face completely swollen face because of the constant crying. I looked at myself who looked like a rug in that knee length robe and those were hairs. Now I felt embarrassed that Xavier saw me like this. Maybe he too thinks I'm disgusting, just like my parents. That's why, he ran out of the room.

I wanted to cry more and more. But, it was seriously a lot since yesterday. My body lost all my tears now. I felt tired and weak. I, unhappy with myself, wore the very first dress my eyes fell upon in the closet.

"Maya, are you dressed?" Xavier's knock on the door made me realise that he is still here.

"Yeah." I said and he came back in the room.

"Thought you left." I said, still looking in the mirror.

"Where would I go leaving you here?" His eyes met mine through the mirror and all I could see that his expressions changes in a flick of time.

He turned me around and gripped my elbows , though careful to not hurt me.

"You cried again in the washroom." He stated.

Honestly, it's both of us. But, his eyes are so different in moments like these, more soft than I knew eyes could be. The rough man is gone and instead, it is the eyes of one who loves deeply. If it were anyone else, I would drop my gaze, but with him I'm drawn in closer, always wanting more.

"Maya, I asked something."

"Yeah." I said, looking down.

He held my hand in his and took me towards the bed.

"Look Maya, I know it's something only you can feel and understand. No matter how much I stand with you, the pain you feel is yours only. But, at least don't try to increase it. Don't harm yourself in your turmoil. You'll feel more pain and I will feel the most knowing that, I can't keep you happy and cheerful.

I agree that it's a tough time for you. But, you can sit and call for help. I don't want you to pretend to be normal. I know it'll take time but, I want you to be really happy. Not just pretend to be. You can rage against the situation.

Yet, know that what love makes simple, no other thing can solve. There is another escape route, yet it is one into another great pain. It is possible to be so emotionally starved that you slip through the bars, no longer bound but with your soul crumbling. That was my way out when I was in pain. What followed was endless emotional marathons on bleeding knees. I learnt how to hide the pain, how to look normal.

I understand why some go cold inside to escape the pain of isolation. But,you aren't isolated. You have me. Our family. Please don't trouble yourself more because you aren't at fault. You should try to overcome whatever happened and be happy. Please. At least, try. For me."

His words held a pain and a fear. The pleading in his tone made me realise that I was going to drown in something that could have made my future suffer. My past was already something I'm not too happy about. But, I didn't want my future to be like that. I wanted happiness and I knew that with Xavier, I would get that. Not because I wanted, but because I deserved.

I smilingly nodded at him and threw myself over him. His embrace is that cocoon, I never wish to leave. Love, protection and warmth. It gave me everything I needed. His hands lovingly ran through my hairs and rubbed soothing circles on my back.

After while of this emotional session, we both had your breakfast. He decided to ditch the office today and spend the day with me. I was really happy and contended, that I found a soulmate like him.

"What about our marriage?"I asked him as he laid on my lap and I was busy running my hand through his silky soft hairs.

"It's completely up to you Maya. Whenever you want and however you want, we can go that way."

"Xavier, don't you have any expectations regarding this

wedding ceremony? Because every time I ask, you push it on me saying whatever I wish. Give your part of opinion in this too. It is as much your marriage, as it is mine."

"I am so sorry Maya, if you felt that I am not participating in this . But, the truth is I don't have any dream about how my marriage would be or I never even thought that I will do a marriage or when it how I'll get married. I agree that every boy is as much excited as a girl is for her marriage and trust me, I am also so much excited to spend my entire life with you.

But, honestly I never got a chance to think about what would my life be after marriage, how would my marriage be. From a very young age, I was detached from this "love" feeling.

But, it started to change after you arrived and I am very proud to say that I have changed a lot, in a good way and all that matters to me is I love you like no one else and you too love me the same way. That's what is most important to me.

And about this marriage thing, I know you would have thought a lot about how your marriage would be. I want to give it all to you. I want to make your all dreams come true. So, just think about what you want, how you want it . I will be with you at every step."

If any one moment in time anchored my soul, creating a tether to this plane of reality, it was the moment I fell in love with this wonderful man. I realised that I had a protector born of pure love. He is the rope and knot to my vessel now in safe mooring. For that, I will ever be his.

After a good time of discussion with each other and calling several event managers and people, we came to the conclusion that we would be having a wedding after 4 days. As I wanted, it will be a simple affair with only closed ones. When I said it was too quick to make all arrangements, he simply shrugged it off saying if I wanted, he could get it done even in a single night.

Right now, we were heading back to the mansion. It was almost 6 in the evening. The setting sun was making its exit only to be back tomorrow with more of the brightness.

I looked at Xavier driving, completely focused on the road.

"Xavier."

"Yeah." He looked at me and went back to the road.

"I want to tell you something." He looked at me intently, as if trying to read my eyes.

"What happened Maya? All good?" He asked.

"Just want to share few things with you. Can you stop the car somewhere." He didn't question or object. Just nodded his head. Seeing a nice, silent spot , he stopped the car.

We got out of the car and stood leaning on it.

"Ask." I said. He looked confused, not uttering a word.

"I know you have lots of questions in your mind. Just ask whatever you want to. We have decided to spend our lives together. So, it should all be transparent. I don't want to keep something inside me and live with the fear of you coming to know it afterwards, from someone else."

"Maya, its ok. We can talk about it sometime else. You don't have to force yourself."

"There are certain instances where we need to be forced to remember them again. Unless I am asked about it, I won't ever tell you or even try to remember that. So, just ask me whatever it is and get over with it. Once I answer your every question, it will lessen the burden over me."

He nodded and stood quiet for a moment. With his back over the window shield of the car, he looked at me again.

"Were you ever forced by your boyfriend?" He asked. Hesitation in his voice was still there but, he knew that he had to ask it now. It's either now or never.

"Hmm. As I told you before, I had a boyfriend once. But, it wasn't out of love or anything. It was just because of the fear that if I rejected him at that moment, I would lose my friend. Having no close contacts, hugging, cuddling or anything that I was uncomfortable with. A kiss was something very far from the reach.

I didn't realise that my comfort didn't matter to him. What he wanted was just to get close to me physically not emotionally.

One day when I went to his place, he was drunk and in that intoxication of the alcohol, he forced himself upon me. He called me by various names and insulted me saying that I am not an appreciated girl because I can never satisfy a man. He tried really hard to force himself and get what he wanted. But, I would either say it was my luck that day, I somehow managed to escape." My voice broke remembering the terrible day.

"But, the worst part comes now. I went at my home, to my parents and told them about the incident. I thought that they would help me and support me in punishing that bastard but the reverse happened. They beat me blue and black, accusing me of the same things that the boy did. That was the worst day of my life when my first ever friend and my then boyfriend, tried to rape me and my parents, instead of punishing him, blamed me of inviting and enticing him." My voice cracked and a tear of pain slipped through my eye.

He held me in his embrace for quite some time and then raised his head. "Do you want me to do something about it?"

"No. It took me a lot of efforts to just open up to you and then, facing all those memories back again, it would be really tough for me. I am tired of being strong anymore. I just want to be me. Somewhere, I have forgotten the pain and I want to keep it that way. I don't want my past to come in front of me and haunt me. I just told you everything so that you can know, not for you to do anything about it." I said.

By now, it was the time of dusk. The sun has completely disappeared but, it's light was still around.

"You wanted to be a writer?" Xavier broke the silence.

A smile automatically made it's way to my lips. "Yes. I was always more into literature than the technical staff. I wanted to pursue career in it. I wanted to do what I liked. I didn't have those big dreams about getting lot of recognition and lots of money. I wanted to do something enough for me to get bread and butter.

But according to my parents, I had no right to make my decisions and I was forced to graduate into software engineering."

He listened to my each sentence intently.

"So far, have you written anything?" He asked, completely keeping me away from the sympathetic stream.

"Yeah. I wrote few columns for a magazine but, left it due to lack of time. "

"Anything I know?" He asked.

I thought for a while, before heat rushed through my cheeks.

"You remember the lines I said when I proposed you?" I asked him.

It took him a while to realise what I meant and he smiled.

"God Maya! I never knew my wife is so talented." He excitedly hugged me.

"I'm not your wife yet, Mr. Adams."

"You are already my wife darling. It's just the stamp that is going to be placed after 4 days."

"I'm so happy Xavier. I just hope that this happiness remains like this." I said, resting my head on his heart, feeling his heartbeats.

"I promise you Maya, this is going to be better than this. Everyday you'll feel more happiness and peace." He promised and I very well knew that his promises are meant to be the reality.