Here, it is extremely important that you know before reading that Ahaan did not say all of the obnoxious things he did in the show here. He did send her to jail though but not with the amount of humiliation he did in the show. Because otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to write this one. So keep in mind, he skipped all the shit that he spat in the show here.
*
Bail aapne karayi?
His cold fingers gripped the railing of the terrace of the resort once his heart alerted him of her presence before her voice reached his ears. Her footsteps turned louder before every sound stopped and silence screamed in the air. He didn’t have to turn around to know that she now stood right behind him. Perhaps just a step or two away.
“Maine nahi karayi.” His sharp voice boomed in the absolute silence they were in. Their chaotic hearts resisted their insane urges to run up to each other and comfort their scarred souls.
“Yaad hai aapne kaha tha aap bohot kuch karte hai mere liye lekin kabhi batate nahi hai? Aur maine kaha tha, butane ki zaroorat bhi nahi kyunki chaahe aap bataye na bataye, mujhe pata chal jata hai.”
His hold tightened on the railing. He cared the least about the red imprints that were left on his skin.
His mind traveled back to the moments when he had confessed how deeply and immensely he cared about her. Why was the time machine not in existence? Had it been, he would have gone back and rectified that every moment.
That every moment when he made her heart smile with his heartfelt gestures.
That every moment when he went out of his way to protect her from the troubles that she fell into.
That every moment when he couldn’t keep his heart in check that couldn’t stop running in the direction she walked in.
That every moment… when he couldn’t stop himself from falling for her and her… for him.
“Mujhe bulaya kyun?”
His gaze narrowed at her question. No way. No way on the earth she had gotten his message. He had deleted it right away after sending it. He was sure that it wasn’t delivered before he deleted it.
Or probably it did get delivered. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t recall.
Dammit. His fist punched the surface it could find, not caring even if it was the metal railing that he was hitting.
“Kya kar rahe hai aap?” Her screeched voice snapped him out of his zone. She rushed to his side, taking his hand in her delicate hold. Her teary gaze stared at his reddened hand for she didn’t know how long.
A beat of silence stretched between them as he watched her carefully checking if his hand was severely hurt.
This woman! He was tempted to wipe those unshed tears in her eyes, hold her to himself and just ask… what it was that she wasn’t minding bearing everyone’s hatred for but he knew it better.
He had asked her earlier as well but she found getting arrested better than letting him know the truth.
If she didn’t tell him then, why would she tell him now?
He knew, she wouldn’t.
He didn’t even know how his fingers acted against his brain and typed that message to her. He knew that he had put his desperation and vulnerability bare out there in front of her to see.
He got his hand back to himself in one strong pull, involuntarily jerking her hand away.
“I am fine.”
Emotions threatened to overwhelm her when she heard his cracked voice. They had come a long way. She didn’t need to hear it from him if he was okay or not. Her heart held the capacity to know if his heart was at peace or not and right now, it wasn’t.
Helplessness was the worst feeling ever, she clutched the hem of her dress at the thought.
She scanned her surroundings and caught sight of a small table. She glanced at him once before striding toward the table.
She fetched a glass of water from the glass jug over there and walked back to where he stood.
She held her hand out, waiting for him to take the glass.
His aching heart didn’t have the strength to fight anymore. He turned his face away from her, leaning onto the railing over his elbows.
She quietly took a step beside him, and waited. Wordless. No forcing. No convincing. She just stood there, allowing him as much time as he needed.
He stole a glance at her from the corner of his eye. She was still holding the glass for him. His eyes went back to the front as he stared into the void.
None of them realized for how long they stood beside each other, one listening to the other’s silent battles while the other seeking and longing for his answers.
It wasn’t until he realized that she wasn’t going to mind hurting her hand for him, he sighed and grabbed the glass from her.
His throat didn’t need the water but his heart needed to pull it to him before it could hurt her.
“Main jaanti hoon aapko bohot takleef ho rahi hai,” she said, once he gulped down the water, emptying the whole glass within seconds.
“Jaanti ho to de kyu rahi hu takleef?” Leaning against the wall, he crossed his arms to his chest. His eyes still didn’t find the courage to look at her.
He didn’t trust himself when it came to her.
Who knows, one look into her eyes and he might just end up blurting out everything that he knew he couldn’t afford to let her know!
“Aapko lagta hai main khush hoon aapko aise dekhke?”
“Nahi hoti to sach bata deti.”
“Bata sakti to chhupati hi kyun?”
A long pause followed their back-and-forth questions.
“Agar kuch kehna hi nahi tha to yaha aayi hi kyu?”
“Bas aapko dekhne aayi thi. Bas aapko batane aayi thi ke maine shaadi Mayank ke wajah se todi. Bas itna kehne aayi thi ke khudko blame mat kariye. Aur main jhooth nahi bol rahi hoon.”
Her head slightly bent to see him utterly quiet after her revelation.
Step by step, she pulled herself backward. After a long stare at him, she braced herself for she knew that it was the time.
The time to leave.
Him.
Her heavy steps struggled to drag her away from him. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t easy to watch him so miserably upset and leave him to be on his own. All alone. But miserably upset or even mad at her seemed better than broken with the entire truth.
“Stop.”
Her speed slowed but she did not let her steps halt. She had to harden her heart and walk away. Even if that meant letting him hate her for life.
“Ishqi. Ruk jao. Please.”
His earnest plea held her in her place. She squeezed her eyes shut at the sheer pain his voice was laced with.
His hurt trapped her in a way that didn’t let her leave and before she even knew, she was right beside him.
“Kyu nahi bata sakti? Kya rok raha hai tumhe? Please bata do.”
“Insaan toote usse behtar hai ek rishta toot jaaye. Waise bhi aapne hi kaha tha na, hamare beech na kabhi kuch tha, na hai aur na hoga. To rehne dete hai na? It doesn’t matter.”
And with that, she turned to leave again but before she could even lift her leg, his fingers swiftly curled around her wrist.
“It does matter. Ek minute ke liye jo maine kaha who bhul nahi sakti?”
“Koi wajah hai?”
His eyes lifted to look into hers. For the first time since she had walked to him on the terrace. His palm slowly reached out for her cheek, caressing it for a fraction of a moment before he plopped down to the ground.
His mask of pretense had fallen, exposing his shattered self that was longing to know the truth. Her truth. Their truth.
Her own eyes watered at his breakdown. Though his denial had been quite hurtful, she wasn’t oblivious to the fact that she mattered to him.
But she hadn’t thought that she mattered to him to the extent where this one incident would leave him shaken inside out.
“Mujhe laga tha tumhe yakeen hai mujhpe,” he spoke, voicing out his despair to her, not bothering about the fact that he was letting her see the vulnerable Ahaan that he had protected from every pair of eyes ever since his mother had abandoned him and Sonu.
“Yakeen to kal bhi tha aur aaj bhi hai. Agar ye mere yakeen ke bare me hota, to sach aapke samne bohot pehle hota.” She pushed herself down to sit beside him.
“Yaad hai maine kaha tha, ke agar aap sach jante to aap mera hi saath dete. Main tab bhi janti thi aur ab bhi manti hu – aap mera saath dete lekin mujhse zada ye kisi aur ke bare mein hai.”
His head turned to catch a glimpse of her, his eyes silently asking her to continue.
“Aap jaante hai, meri ek dost thi. Bohot pyaari thi. Aayat naam tha uska. Roz salwar kameez pehenkar, do choti banakar aati thi. Ek din wo gayab ho gayi.”
He shifted in his place, facing toward her, the willingness to know more reflecting in his eyes.
“Ek ladka tha. Senior tha. Usne Aayat ko kidnap kiya tha. Do din baad uski body usi ke ghar ke aage mili thi.
Yaad hai, AVM, aapne kaha tha problems unhi ladkiyon ke saath hoti hai jo unhe invite karti hai? Aayat ne kya kiya jo uske saath wo sab hua? Na wo chhote kapde pehenti thi. Na late-night bahar ghumti thi. Na koi parties attend karti thi. Kya galti thi uski, AVM? Thi uski koi galti?”
Silence lengthened between them when he didn’t respond, stuck in the story that she had shared. The story that was challenging the belief he had lived his life on.
“Yaad hai aapne kaha tha mere Maasaji ko bura lagega mera ye kehna ki mujhe kisi mard ke sahare ki zaroorat nahi? Unhe kabhi bura nahi lagega kyunki unhe koi farq nahi padta. Maasi domestic violence ki victim hai. Saalon se. Makeup se apni chot chhupati hai lekin chot ko jad se khatam karne ka khayal tak unhe manzoor nahi. Jaante hai kyu? Kyunki society hamesha auraton ko blame karti hai. Fir chaahe unki koi galti ho ya na ho.”
His eyes almost popped out of his sockets once her words sank in. Once the initial shock faded, he was left with uncountable thoughts, questions and judgments.
“Mayank aur Sonu ek relationship me reh chuke hai.’
“WHAT?” Disbelief flickered in his eyes. “You are mistaken,” he said, scrutinizing her orbs for a tinge of uncertainty but her unwavering gaze sent a chill down his spine.
She let him have a moment to let it all sink in before she narrated the circumstances that led her to cancel her wedding with Mayank one by one. Bit by bit. Occasionally pausing for a moment or two when his eyes would scream the horror, offering her silent comfort to him when he needed it.
By the time she reached the end, revealing that it was Mayank who had pushed his father, he sat there, clutching his head in an iron-strong grip.
Sonu and Mayank? He didn’t want to trust – neither her nor his ears.
His throbbing head felt like it would explode at the revelations thrown at his face. The revelations that he could never think of had they not been explicitly told.
A part of her heart went out to him to see his numb, shaken self. She knew it wasn’t easy for him.
Sonu and Mayank were the two people he held preciously dear to himself. Accepting that one turned out to be a monstrous evil and another, a living lie was certainly tough.
“Sonu… ne mujhe nahi bataya? Wo aur Mayank…” His voice trailed off as he recalled all the times when they had been together. Never once his otherwise intelligent mind could see what was happening right before his eyes.
“Aur Sonu ne suicide… suicide karne ki koshish ki?” The lump that formed in his throat almost choked him on his words. Suppressing sobs no longer seemed possible.
The sister he had vowed to protect from every harm in the world… she thought dying was better than coming to him with what had gone wrong.
“Aap abhi bhi nahi samajh rahe hai.” She shifted a little closer to him, reaching out for his hand that was still gripping his head.
“Aapne Sonu se hamesha ye kaha ki agar ladkiyon ke saath kuch galat hota hai to galti unki hoti hai. Hamesha se uss se ye kaha ki wo koi galti karna afford nahi kar sakti. Apni family ke liye ek perfect ideal ladki bante bante wo ye bhul hi gayi ke hamesha uski galti nahi ho sakti.
Uss din jo hua, usme galti Sonu ki nahi thi ke wo party me gayi. Galti thi Mayank ki ghatiya soch ki. Mayank ek ghatiya insaan hai.
AVM, kehna bobot aasan hota hai, ladki raat bhar bahar ghum rahi thi isliye uske saath galat hua. Usne kapde chhote pehne the isliye uske sath galat hua. Wo party mein gayi thi isliye uske saath galat hua.
Arey jiske sath galat hua use hi ilzaamo ke niche itna deba dete hai ke wo agar uthna bhi chaahe to uth na paye.
Kyun hum ladkiyon ke kapdo ko blame karte hai lekin ladko ki ghatiya soch ko nahi?
Kyun hum aaj bhi aisi society mein rehte hai jahan hum ladkiyon ki struggle kabhi khatam hi nahi hoti?
Padhne ke liye lado.
Job karne ke liye lado.
Shaadi ke baad job continue karne ke liye lado.
Apni marzi ke kapde pehen ne ke liye lado? Hum apni marzi ke kapde tak nahi pehen sakte?
Kitna aur kis kis le ladenge? Mere jaisi ladkiyaan to fir bhi sabse lad lengi par Sonu jaisi ladkiyon ka kya? Apni hi family se kitna lad payengi?
Aapko sochna padega ke Sonu aapko kyun nahi bata paayi.”
Remorse swamped him as guilt left him shattered. He suppressed his shudder as the mere thought of Sonu jumping off the terrace stabbed his heart.
For minutes, they sat in silence after the clouds of misbelief sidelined, revealing the sun of shimmering truth. His unremitting struggle to acceptance still continued.
“Mujhe kabhi maaf kar paaogi?”
“Kis liye?”
“Tum par yakeen na karne ke liye. Tumhara saath na dene ke liye.”
“Mujhe maaf kar payenge? Sonu ke bare mein itni badi baat aapse chhupane ke liye?”
Their gazes locked with each other, aching to soothe the long hours of hurt and pain they had dealt with. Mentally exhausted, neither of them had an ounce of will left to say a single word about the events that had gone wrong.
“Ishqi. Uss raat jo tumne kaha tha ke maine tumhari list ke saare points tick kar diye… Wo sach tha?”
“Haan.” Not even a moment she had taken to respond.
“Kya list thi tumhari?”
“Fir kabhi bataungi.”
“Main ek baat batau?”
“Haan.”
“Meri bhi ek list thi. Anti-Ishqi list. Sorry, matlab meri dream partner list. Jo tumne kab tick kar di, mujhe pata bhi nahi chala.”
“Sach me? Kaisi thi aapki anti-Ishqi sorry dream partner wali list?”
“Fir kabhi bataunga.”
They exchanged a brief look before their lips broke into beautiful smiles. That night, they shared smiles and chuckles, cries and tears, flaws and perfection. Gone were the moments of despair after one got the other’s unconditional support and the other, one’s unshakable trust.
Ishqi and Ahaan.
Bujhado Aag Dil Ki Aaj, Ise Khulkar Hawa De Do.
Jo Iska Mol De Paaye, Usne Apni Wafa De do.
Tumhare Dil Me Kya Hai Bas, Hame Itna Bata De Do,
Ke Ab Tanha Safar Katata Nahi,
Ham Kya Kare!
*
Dedicated to every reader who stops by to read.
Notes: The lyrics used are from the song Ye Dil Tum Bin Kahin Lagta Nahi.
Thank you very much for giving my works a chance and appreciating them so wholeheartedly. I am eternally grateful to each one of you for the kind of support you have offered to me.
Do not hesitate to share your feedback.
Much love.
💜
Amazing.
💜
Awesome. Superb…. Loved it. Kaash show me aisa hi hota….
Thank you! 🙂
Really loved it… Your words and the way u expressing everything wooww❤️❤️
How sweet! Thank you very much. 💜