That's The Way We Met Read online

  She did not believe me until she heard me talking with the publishers. She hugged me and congratulated me on my achievement. But my real reason for writing the novel still remains the same after all these years. I am still in search of Riya…

  Riya, I don’t know where you are today. But wherever you are, I know you miss me more than I do. I know you still love me. Riya, you had told me once that you wanted me to achieve something extraordinary in life and make you feel proud of me. Well, I think you will be very proud of me today.

  July 13, 2011. It was the launch day of my debut novel. Mumbai was once again under a terrorist attack. There had been three bomb blasts within a span of thirty minutes, with the first one just one minute before my launch at seven in the evening. The launch was very successful and the high sales made my book a national bestseller within a month of its release. I still found no sign of you. I still waited for that one last phone call from you. I remember being called for an on-air interview on Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM, Mumbai studio.

  ‘Aditya, is this your true love story? You have mentioned in the book that it’s your true story,’ the RJ had asked me on air.

  ‘Absolutely! Everyone falls in love at least once in his or her life. Everyone has memories. I decided to pen them down and make them eternal.’

  ‘What inspired you to pen down your own story?’ The RJ asked one more question.

  ‘Riya! Who else could it be? I don’t know where she is today. I hope wherever she is, she is reading my novel and who knows, maybe she is listening to this interview as well.’

  ‘That’s the spirit! A 22-year-old guy wrote his love story for all to read. Such an act needs courage and Mumbai appreciates it. You have described and explored Mumbai in Few Things Left Unsaid. I loved it. It’s hot,’ the RJ said and we finished our interview.

  The interview became such a big hit that I was flooded with congratulatory calls. But the call I wanted to receive the most never came.

  My book became a national bestseller within a few months of its release. Everything seemed like a dream come true.

  I got a call from Mohit. He told me that I had been invited to the Ahmedabad film festival as a special guest.

  ‘You must be kidding! Why would they call me?’ I asked him.

  ‘Dude, I told the organizers about your novel. One of them even read it and said that he was inspired by it.’

  I packed my bags and reached Ahmedabad—the place where Riya and I had vacationed together. But this time, I was all alone with just my memories for company. When I reached Ahmedabad, I was flooded with fans asking for autographs. The majority of my fans, I noticed, were girls. I thanked my fans for their love and support. I moved towards one of my friend’s home when a guy approached me.

  ‘Dude, you have set a wrong example for true lovers. You should have waited for Riya. You shouldn’t have written the novel.’

  I smiled and replied, ‘I am sorry to have hurt your feelings. But you see, I didn’t have any option and I went with what my heart told me to do. But if that seemed to have offended you, then I am really sorry.’

  ‘No dude, I respect you. Your courage and selfbelief is worth appreciating. However, for those who need to move on in their life, you would set a bad example. They would do something similar to this. Don’t you think so?’

  ‘I have never stopped anyone from moving ahead in life and will never do so. Even I have moved on. Loving someone and waiting for someone to come back in your life doesn’t mean you should forget about others around you. If your love is true, that person will ultimately come back to you. But in the meantime, you should not stop living your life. You should instead live for them and do whatever you want in your life thinking of them in your heart. Love is not about two people being together for their entire life. It’s about the sacrifices you make for each other, knowing you can’t be with them for your entire life. But still you hope for it.’

  He hugged me and and thanked me for giving him a fuller perspective on it. I reached the film festival event. By the end of the event, I got up from my seat and turned to move towards the exit. There I saw a beautiful girl who resembled Riya in every sense. Her black eyeliner, her fair skin, her tiny nose, and her perfect jaw line—my God, she looked so much like Riya!.. She looked at me. She was wearing a long skirt with a black top over it. Her skin glowed in the spotlight of the stage. She kept staring at me while I tried to look the other way.

  ‘Let’s move. Our car is waiting outside,’ Mohit said while another friend waited backstage.

  Mohit looked at me and saw me looking at her. He looked at her when her eyes were still searching for me. We didn’t speak a word. We didn’t say anything to each other. I moved down the stage. I walked towards the exit. I turned to see that her eyes were still on me. I smiled.

  She resembled Riya. However, she wasn’t Riya. From somewhere, from some corner of the world I wished I could see Riya for once. She still holds a special place in my heart. I love you. I love you, Riya.

  A person lost in love can win anything in this world. Just because he has nothing to lose. He will only rise now!

  Maybe it’s just an act. Maybe you still do think of me often, in stealing moments, or at night when you can’t fall asleep; wondering if I am wondering too.

  If it were not for you, my love, this book would not have been written. I am still searching for you.

  Acknowledgements

  First, let me thank the masses of India who turned my first novel, Few Things Left Unsaid (2011), into a bestseller within three months of its release. This acknowledgement itself would not have been written if it were not for the love of these people. I owe my success to them.

  Thank you, my readers, for all the support. You all mean a lot to me. (But only those who liked it!)

  I had thanked a few people in my first book and would like to thank them again just because they did nothing! These include Rohan, Clera, Pratiksha, Tushar, Viraj, and Suhas Sonawane. The last time I thanked them (which was in my previous book), the book worked.

  Also a big thank you to Saurabh, Amit, Mrunmayee, Sunita, Mom, Dad, and my sister, Shweta Nagarkar, for their humble support through it all, even when I used to get hyper at times. I love you all.

  Thank you to my grandparents, Divakar Palimkar and Sulbha Palimkar, for your constant support.

  I would also like to make a few special mentions: Shalini for being the warmest reader, Diksha for the sweet girl in her, Ananya Kapoor and Karan Bajaj for their support, Prashant and Zankrut for all the promotions, and Abhinay, Shruti, Ananya, Kasturi, Roshni, Nidhi, Nikita, Snehanka, and Nithesh for being so loyal to me throughout my journey.

  Thanks to all my loyal Facebook fans for your constant support and feedback.

  I would like to thank the electronic media and print media who extended support to my work through their network. Special thanks to RJ Jeeturaaj and the entire Radio Mirchi team in Mumbai for all their love. I would also like to thank Prakash Bal Joshi and Soumitra Pote for the first ever article on me in print media. I am overwhelmed by their support.

  How can I forget to thank that one special person without which the book would not have been written in the first place? Many thanks, my love, for giving me the strength I need and for making me believe that I can achieve anything. I don’t know if we will ever cross paths in the future, but for now, I just want to thank you for all the love through the years we were together and for all the memories that were born out of it.

  Thank you also to all the editors and the publicity team at Random House India for keeping faith in me and for all the patience and love. They were with me whenever I needed (which was once in every few hours).

  Lastly, thanks to Milee Ashwarya and Gurveen Chadha from Random House India for putting up with all my crazy antics. You both rock!

  I am extremely sorry if I have missed a few names, but each and every one of you holds a special place in my heart.

  A Note on the Author

  Sudeep Nagarkar is the be
stselling author of Few Things Left Unsaid.

  He has a degree in Electronics Engineering from Mumbai. His books are inspired from real-life incidents. He never dreamed of becoming an author, but turned into one for his love. Apart from writing, Sudeep is a music enthusiast and loves to spend time with his friends. He resides in Mumbai.

  Connect with Sudeep on www.facebook.com/sudeep.nagarkar, email him at [email protected], or visit his website, www.sudeepnagarkar.com, to know more.