My encounter with a Superstar!

My Incomplete Fairytale

It was a Sunday. I sat in front of the T.V flipping channels. I ended up on a news channel.         

âTodayâs Headline---Officials stunned by the unexpected murder of a Police Officer, Mr. Bhakshi by an actor, Mr. Stephen.â I was shocked, not because Stephen was my favourite actor, but because Mr. Bhakshi was my father. But, I was not in good terms with him.

He always hated me because I was different from him. His rule was, if I was his daughter I had to be like him. He always discouraged me and believed i was no good and was just a means of wasting his money on. I was very soft by nature and his way of raising me made me more feel more insecure. He kept hurting me and when I was eighteen, he totally abandoned me saying I was the reason for his embarrassment. He was quite successful businessman and was quite popular in his field. He thought I was an unlucky charm who would ruin his career. Why would my own father think of me that way? Had his success bought him so much arrogance? Or was it me?  My mother always stood by him in whatever he did. Those were the worst days of my life. I started to live on my home since ten years and had not met my parents since eight years. It took me a lot of time and courage to get come out of it. I gradually moved on with my life. Things got a lot better when I started working as a fashion designer. I had always wanted to work in fashion, another thing which my dad would never approve of. Even after all that, I still had a feeling that I was not lovable. Probably this was the reason I didnât have a boyfriend. I had come long way and to suddenly hear something like this---I didnât want to think about it, but I did feel bad for my father. I was not quite sure how to react, but I was very disturbed. I felt like taking a drive alone. So, I grabbed my car keys and headed out of the house.

It was 6:30 in the evening as I was passing by the Cafe Street. The street was oddly crowded with Police cars. Suddenly, I felt a jerk. Someone broke the door open, got into the car and pushed me from my seat. I tried to stop him but he had already locked us inside the car and the next thing I knew was that he was driving with a high speed. It all happened in a flick. I started yelling at him and asked him to get out. There was no response. I reached for my pocket and shoot! He had taken my phone. I wanted to ask for help but he had locked the windows. It was so dark outside and was raining so heavily that I could barely make out where we were.  And more importantly, I couldnât see his face.

âWho are you? And what do want.â I almost choked.

âCan you please stay calm for a while?â He whispered.

His voice seemed familiar. It was at that moment when a huge lightning flashed. That was when I saw his face. He was Stephen!

As we were out of reach of the cops, he started speaking again. And this time he looked at me as he spoke.

âI am very sorry. I really need your help. The Police is chasing me. I promise you wonât get into any kind of trouble. Itâs just a matter of one night. Tomorrow evening, I am getting on a flight and getting myself out of all this mess. So, will you please help me?â His voice was so mesmerizing that I forgot how to breathe.

âSure!â I answered too quickly. The worldâs most charming man asked for help to a dumb, middle-class girl and how could she possibly say no. âAnd by the way, I am Rita.

âThank you so much Rita! You have no idea what this means to me.â

I still couldnât stop starring at him.

âSo, where are we going?â

âI donât know. May be we can go to some nice restaurant.â

âWhat?â He asked, confused.

âWhat?â I repeated, embarrassed.

âYou know I cannot go to a public place, right? There are chances I might get caught.â He still sounded confused.

âYes, I know that. I am sorry. We can go to my house. Itâs in K.R road.â

âOkay.â He nodded.

I was still not able to recover myself. It didnât seem like I was taking a criminal to my house to protect him and encourage his bad work. Instead, it felt like I was having a date with a celebrity whom I had a crush on.

He looked at me and smiled as if he could tell what I was thinking. Or maybe I was just imagining too much. None of all this seemed real.

It was 8:30 pm when we reached home.

âYou have a nice place.â He complimented.

âThank you. Please make yourself comfortable.â

I let him in a room where he could rest and then ran to the kitchen and started looking around. I wanted to make something extra special for dinner. He said he didnât want anything, but how could I not take care of my special guest.

After a giving it a lot thought, I made Italian Pasta. I arranged the plates and dishes on the table. I gave an extra thought---I lighted candles and decorated the dining area.

He was surprised. He looked at me in a confused expression, and I felt like an idiot.

He flashed a flirty smile. âWell, you didnât have to do all this.â

I couldnât stop blushing. âItâs my pleasure.â

We both sat down and started with our dinner.

âBut really, why did you take so much trouble?â

âThis might not be a big deal to you but to me, it is. I am still not able to digest the fact that, you are having dinner with me. This is like my impossible dream come true.â I admitted.

âYou are very nice. Not just as a fan, but as a person too.â He said sincerely.

If I had looked into a mirror, I swear I could see my face turned pink. Nobody had ever said those things to me. And of all the people Stephen had said it! I couldnât believe my own ears.

He continued to speak. âSo tell me about yourself, Rita. What do you do for a living?â

Wow heâs actually interested to know about me? âWell, I work as a fashion designer and do charity work in my free time.â

Then, we talked about general stuff and shared each otherâs likes and dislikes. He seemed like a very sweet man and with a great sense of humour. I also ended up telling him about my past and that made me a little emotional.

âYou know, you are truly beautiful.â He said, making an attempt to distract me.

I laughed without humour. âI am sure I give a tough competition to all your gorgeous co-actresses.â

âYes they maybe all beautiful, but you are beautiful on the inside.â

âI know you are just saying that out of sympathy. But, you donât have to do that.â

âNo, I am not! What is the matter with you?â

âNo, thatâs fine. I am used to these kinds of compliments which people give feeling pity for me.â

âDo you hate yourself?â

âIt doesnât matter what I think of myself, but I can surely tell that is how others feel about me.â My voice was shaky.

He gently stood up and crossed the distance between us to come and sit next to me. He looked way too attractive than I had ever imagined. His fair skin glowed against the soft light. He smiled a crooked smile. I found my reflection in his eyes, and I suddenly felt insecure. Moisture covered my eyes. I bent my head down so that he wouldnât see me crying. He lifted up my chin with his soft fingers so that he could look at my face.

He spoke in his angel-like voice. âThat is definitely not my opinion about you.â

âReally?â  My voice sounded doubtful.

But he sounded very firm. âYou want to know what I think of you?.â

I looked into his eyes, waiting with curiosity.

He smiled, but then became serious. âYou are like a candle who give others light of inspiration, not even worried about melting itself for it. But a candle that would blow itself off when people look at it or admire it with the wind of insecurity and hesitation. You could be my personal candle that would give light in my life forever and I would do anything to protect that candle.â

The words sank into my brain one by one. I said nothing, but just stared into his eyes. He made me see who I was and who I wanted to be. At that moment, I felt like all I wanted in this world was right in front of me. But, I still felt like he was a stranger.

I had to ask him. âWhy did you kill Mr. Bhakshi?

He said nothing. I was too scared to look at his expressions.

Silence covered the room. Neither of us had spoken a word since past ten minutes. The tension in the room was growing with the never-ending silence. With a lot of courage, I finally looked at him.

I was relieved as he was not looking at me. He was starring at the table. His face was covered with a sad mask.

He started to speak, still looking at the table.

âI will never forget that night in my life. I was driving back home from a late night party. I was totally drunk. I was driving very rash. There were very less vehicles on the road. I suddenly saw a Police Cruiser come my way. It was quite closer than I had realized. I lost control and hit the cruiser. Nothing happened to me or the Police Officer inside the cruiser. Only our vehicles got dented a little bit. The Officer got out of his cruiser and started walking towards me. I wanted to get out of there, but my car wouldnât start. Before I could escape, the Officer had reached me. He put charges on me and was about to arrest me. I was filled with fear and rage and I reacted without thinking.That was when I hit him hard on the head with my bear bottle. He started bleeding heavily and his breath stopped five minutes after that. I stared at the dead body for what felt like forever, still not able to believe what I had done. As soon as I got back to my senses, I realized that I had to escape before anybody could catch me. I buried the body there and I thought the work was done. Then for the first time, I sensed light on me. I looked up. The headlights were still on. They looked somewhat different. I went closer and that was when I could see the hidden cameras. This is it, I thought. The Police would have tracked me by now. I had no time to think then. I started to run. I called my family, friends and every person I knew but  and not one of them was ready to help me. People who wanted to take pictures with me, who wanted to go out with me, who wanted to be around me till the previous day, were not ready to support me when I actually needed them. There was no time to even shed a single tear. I had to run. I ran faster and faster, and at one point I couldnât even see anything around me. I then asked myself, what was I running away from? Who was I running away from? I knew the answer. I was running away from myself. Could I ever do that? It was not fear that bothered me anymore. I felt something else. Guilt washed through me. Now I am here, troubling you. And I need to keep running like this because I am a horrible person. And a  coward, who doesnât have the guts to face himself.â He then stopped talking.

I was completely lost in his story. I could sense pain in each word he spoke. I wanted to say something, but I couldnât think of the right words. Now, was it completely his fault? Either ways, he was getting punished. He was in pain.

âAnd now you hate me.â He spoke, interrupting my thoughts.

âNo, I donât. I answered firmly.

âReally, even after listening to what I have done?â

âIt doesnât matter to me. You may have committed a crime. You may have killed a person. But to me, you are the one who did not judge me and understood the person I am on the inside. You are the only one who trusted me. You are the only one who comforted me. I donât care about what you have done. I donât care if I am being selfish. I want to be with you, forever. I---â I broke into tears.

He took me in his arms and comforted me. He kissed me gently and I kissed him back. I didnât know whether whatever I was doing was right or wrong, but all I knew was that this was the happiest moment of my life.

We were so into each other when we were interrupted by a calling bell. We both jumped in shock. Who cared to come down and see at me this hour of the night! We started panicking and moving around. The bell rang once again. We had to figure out something quickly.

He hid himself in my closet and I went to answer the door. My hand was still shivering as I managed to open the door. I was shocked. It was my mother. She hesitated by the door. I asked her to come in. I tried my best to act normal. I walked her to my living room and sat her down on the couch.

âHow are you dear?â She asked.

âWhat do you want mom---I mean Mrs. Bhakshi?â It was hard to talk to her.

âI know, what I did to you was terrible. I am very sorry. But I hope you can understand what I am going through right now. I really want to talk to you.â She hesitantly reached for my hand.

I shoved it away. âI am sorry about your husband. But, I donât think thereâs anything to talk about.â

âI know you are hurt and thatâs exactly why I am here.â

âThank you for your concern, but I am fine.â

âHoney, I know that you hate me. And I deserve it. I am not asking you to like me. All I am asking you is to give me one chance to apologize.â

She looked sincere. âI realized what you were going through for so many years when I lost my husband. You have no idea how lonely and depressed I am feeling right now. Maybe you just have to accept the fact that âlife is unfairâ.

âOr maybe you should accept the fact that âeverybody needs to pay for their sinsââ. I shouted out the words.

She looked at me in disbelief. âDo you really think that is what my husband deserved? He worked day and night without resting so that someday he could get killed? He had no time to spend with me. We never went on holidays or parties like others did. He didnât sleep so many nights just to protect the public. When everybody used to celebrate festivals and holidays, he used to work. When everyone ran away from danger, he had to run towards it. Even after doing all this, anybody hardly appreciated his work or showed him any kind of respect. And now he sacrificed his life! And for what? For some person who is playing with the Police and probably having a good time right now. Nobody even cares! Of course, for them itâs some random person who died and not the person who had always risked his life to protect them! People are probably more worried about poor Stephen and shedding tears for that criminal!â

Her words ripped my heart. She looked at me and I was in tears.

âI am so sorry sweetheart. I just felt like sharing my pain with you. I didnât mean to hurt you.â She whispered.

I hugged her and rubbed her back to make her feel better. âI will accept your apology, mom. But as you said, do not expect anything else from me.â

âThank you, honey and I love you!â

âThanks for coming mom. Goodbye.â

She stood up. âTake care. And if you need anything, I am only a call away.â With that, she left.

My father had caused a lot of pain to me. He was really a bad man, but just to me. As a sincere officer, he didnât deserve this. I felt like the most selfish person in the world. I couldnât support Stephen anymore just because I loved him. Justice would be served to Mr. Bhakshi only when Stephen would be punished. Before any other thought could enter into my head, I grabbed the phone and dialled â100â and informed the Police where Stephen was. I then sat still not doing or thinking anything. After a while, Stephen came out. I didnât know how to tell him what I had just done. It hurt to even look at his face.

âAre you okay?â He asked.

I didnât answer. Of course I was not okay.

âWho was it?â

I didnât answer again.

I knew I had very less time left with him.

âNo matter what, I want you to remember that I love you.â I whispered, not moving my eyes from his.

âI love you too.â He said. And I could see it in his eyes.

That was it! The Police broke into the house and handcuffed Stephen.

One of them thanked me, but I didnât respond. I didnât even look up. After a few minutes the Police men left. Then, I looked up and he was gone. I stood there, all alone again. Till yesterday, I could only dream about talking to Stephen and somehow in a day, I had gotten him to hate me. I burst into tears.

After crying for hours, I went to get some water. I found a little not addressed to me on the table. It read---

âI heard you calling the Police. I also heard what your mother said. I didnât stop you because I realized that this was the only way to escape from all the guilt. Thank you for letting me stay for a night. And donât worry, you did the right thing. I totally deserve it. Some relationships are meant for a very short time, but their impact lasts forever. I had the best time of my life with you.

Goodbye.

Love always,                                                                                                                  Stephen

Tears rolled down my cheeks, but my lips curved into a smile.