Set in the pre-wedding phase. The wedding gets postponed for six months here and thus, everything that we saw Netra doing after Shashank and Apurva’s marriage in the show – she does it here before that. You’ll know the rest as you read.  

| Part Twelve |

“Chala aata goshta zali, sagla prashna-uttarancha khel pan zala,” he said, taking his shoulder back as he lifted her head from it, “aata zopayla jaycha. Seriously, far ushir zaalay, Apurva. Jaaun zop.” 

Even her pout that came into his sight after her comfortable pillow also known as his shoulder was taken away from her couldn’t convince him otherwise. He patted her back to get her moving. “Aata nahi zopshil tar udya college madhe zopshil aani professor kadun ugach bolni khaashil. Tyapeksha ja na… zop jaaun.”

“College la jaanar kon aahe,” she muttered under her breath, a wicked smile playing on her lips.

“Zala? Putputun, swatashich hasun… zala?”

She hated how he was back to talking to her in that tone. The usual one he used during their impromptu bickering sessions. Not that she had begun to despise it. She still liked it but just not at that moment. She would much rather prefer the soft one that he was using. 

Should she tell him that he had gotten one of the most magical voices that were as soothing as they could be? 

Should she tell him that she was a… fan? He was the singer that she could listen to all day long and not get bored.

Should she tell him that she had gone the extra mile to gather the recordings of all of the songs that he had sung at random events with the help of her favorite Kukki Gang, especially the ones that he had sung in her presence? 

Should she tell him that every single song had made it to her most precious playlist? Should she tell them that his voice and songs had made their place in her room? 

The walls of her room heard his voice every night without fail. 

Should she tell him that she was… obsessed? And possessive and audacious enough to want to be the only one? The obsessed fan of his singing who wouldn’t share that place with anyone else?

“Mala aawadla navta…” she blurted in a daze, not realizing that her words weren’t silent. 

“Kay navta aawdla?”

It was when she heard his question, she realized that she had actually spoken it aloud. “That Netra Tai sang with you at that institute party of yours… last month!” She didn’t even hesitate. The fear of being judged for all of her unfiltered revelations and confessions seemed to have generously left her for a night. 

She might just regret everything the next day though but that night… she did not care. 

Apurva Vartak, the fiancee of Shashank Kanitkar did not care.

He sighed, going back to that day when Netra had suddenly joined him when he was singing at the insistence of everyone. The dean had invited Apurva after getting to know about Shashank’s engagement whose face had screamed jealousy upon witnessing Netra lingering around him throughout the party.

She had barely said anything though, reminding herself over and over again that Netra was his girlfriend, ex-girlfriend, or whatever that she was but now that he was bluntly admitting that it had never been the case, she did not shy away from being vocal about how it was the only time that he was singing and she wasn’t listening.

Shashank had quietly sung his part and moved away, not wanting to create a scene but it didn’t change much.

Netra had clearly ruined it for Apurva.

“Accha mhanun tyadivshi bhaan harpun taalya wajwaycha prakaar zala navta ka?” he teased, letting her see that he wasn’t oblivious to how she lost herself in his songs every single time. 

She said nothing but her frown was the loudest answer that she could have given.

“Aso,” he said, gently pushing her to get out of the bed, “good night.”

She turned back to him after wearing her slippers, joining her palms together. “Shubh Ratri.”

He chuckled as she left after giving him that usual annoyed expression and he was once again forced to admit… ajab rasayan.

Just as he grabbed his blanket, she peeked in from the door, asking, “tula kahi hava-”

“KAHI NAKOY, APURVA. JAAUN ZOP!”

She ran from there after hearing his stern answer but he was left smiling before he slipped into a slumber.

“I warned you, didn’t I?” The knife in Netra’s hand stayed inches away from Apurva’s throat, making Shashank desperately take a step back, not trusting Netra.

“Keep her out of it,” he yelled, his palms sweating as he watched Netra’s grip suffocating Apurva as she started dragging her backward to the edge of the cliff that they were on.

“You brought her between us. I didn’t.” Netra’s cold voice sent a chill down his spine. “I… didn’t and so… you must pay for it.”

Shashank went numb as Netra’s unwavering determination to unleash her cruelty got painted on her face. His gaze went to Apurva who was struggling to loosen Netra’s grip around her but all in vain. “Please don’t…”

Netra’s lips curved up, making Shashank think that he still had a chance but her words killed his last hope. “Beg. I like it. But it’s going to change nothing. She has to die and you have to pay!” 

He ran in her direction but Netra had pushed Apurva off the cliff by then. 

“APURVA!” Even his blood-curdling scream couldn’t reach her so his hands were out of the question.

He fell to his knees, a flood of tears running down his cheeks as he screamed her name. Again and again. Till his throat went dry. Till his every hope died. Till he felt life being sucked out of his body after he knew that she was gone to never come back.

“APURVAAAAAA!”

His scream filled her ears, jolting her awake. “Khadoos,” she whispered before jumping out of bed and rushing to his room.

She caught his face drenched in sweat as he sat on the bed, his breathing still heavy as if he had just run a mile. “Khadoos?” 

He stared ahead. The haunting cliff before his eyes was replaced by a wall where he was weeping moments ago. His fearful eyes hesitated to look aside where the murderer of his fiancee was supposed to be standing but the second he found that place empty, he released the breath that was stuck in his throat.

He was still trying to make sense of what had just happened when she walked to his side and placed her hand on his shoulder. That mere touch and a look at her face was all that he needed to pull her in a desperate hug. 

It happened almost within seconds that he grabbed her wrist, pulled her on the bed and wrapped his hands around her back, burying his face in the crook of her neck. 

“Kay? Kay?” she whispered, her hands instinctively rubbing his back, “ithech aahe mi!” Her assurance came when she did not even know what his fears were.

But he didn’t seem to hear any of her words. Having her in his arms was enough. The assurance of her existence was enough. He couldn’t focus on anything other than that at that moment. He didn’t want to and that was when he realized that saying things would be always easy but to actually face them would be a living nightmare. 

“Apurva…” He found himself at a loss for words, pulling himself away but his hand still stayed snaked around her waist where it had slipped to. 

“Tu kay waait swapna wagere baghitlas ka?” she asked. “Pan tu maza naav gheun ka oradlaas? Aee-ek minute. You were dreaming about me?“

“Nightmare is the word, Apurva!”

“Excuse me, Mr. Kanitkar. Tumhala nakki mhanaycha kay aahe? Mi bhoot aahe? Nahi kon aahe mi, haan? Ghost aahe mi? Nightmare mhanje kay? Maza swapna nightmare aahe tuzyasathi?” She punched him on his chest. “Khadoos kuthla!”

When she tried to punish him with another punch, her attempt was blocked. She frowned, glaring at her wrist in his grip but the next ten seconds and she melted as his words followed. 

“Chetkin aahes tu. Mahiti nahi kay jadu keliyes je mazyasarkhya eka practical scientist la itka emotional karun sodlayas!”

He let go of her hand when she demanded an explanation and narrated his nightmare to her. 

“Tu he… asa swapna ka pahilas?” She couldn’t make sense of it. 

“Swapnanna kay remote asta ka?” He snapped. “Mi kay tharavun baghitla?” 

“Itka chidayla kay zala?” 

He turned his face away. “Mi nahi chidloy!”

“Ha mag? Traas hotoy?” She probed further. “Pahili goshta, swapna swapna asta. Reality nahi aani dusri goshta, samja mala kahi-“

“Don’t!” 

She folded her hands across her chest. “Why not? Aata thodya velaaadhi paryant aapan hech tar bolat hoto aani-“

“Aani mala aata ha vichar nahi karaycha aahe. Bas!”

Khadoos needed to get better at lying. She sighed to herself, keeping aside her surprise that he was actually that affected. 

“Why do I feel that there is more to this?” she asked without beating around the bush. “Is there something that I should know?” 

He looked at her from the corner of his eye, contemplating for a moment if to confide in her or not. 

All that it took him was another whisper of his name from her mouth for him to blurt out that her accident was planned by Netra and the things that she had said before and after.

Her face fell upon hearing how low her cousin could stoop. No wonder, he saw that nightmare. The silence in his eyes was getting louder with every passing moment. 

The very reason she had come running to him in the first place revolved around Netra and after their conversation, she had come to know that his wound was deeper than she had imagined it to be. The conversation was halted without a closure. 

She had hoped to resume it but the events that unfolded after it took her focus away from it. But what she just heard made her realize that he was into it all along. All along. And it was just getting more and more tormenting. 

“Apurva, I-” He tried holding her back when she stood up from the bed, almost afraid that Netra’s mention had gotten her upset. Little did he know that Netra had stopped concerning her. It was him whom she was worried about. 

She turned around and placed her palm on his cheek. “Tu zop. Aapan udya bolu!” 

Involuntarily holding her hand that still stayed on his cheek, he could barely whisper, “Hmm…” 

“Jaau de mag mala,” she said, taking his gaze to their hands. 

He did let her go but the unwillingness in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed by her. 

“Tu ek minute thaamb, mi aalech!” Saying so, she rushed out. 

“Kuthun? Ae Apurva-” He stopped his futile attempt. She had already disappeared. “Aata kay aalay hichya dokyat…” 

*

“He-he kay aahe?” He threw his question at her as soon as she walked in with a bunch of odhnis in her hand that he could figure out were Prachi’s.

Without responding to his question, she kept them on the settee and began to separate them. 

“I’m asking something, Apurva!” 

“And you’ll get your answers, Khadoos. Learn to have some patience.” 

Her reply put him off but he kept quiet anyway. The nightmare still occupied his mind just enough to not let him put his attention anywhere else. 

“Sod, tu mala disturb karshilach karshil,” she said, picking the stock up again, “mi Babi Aatya chya room madhech jaaun karte!”

That snapped him out of his reverie. “Ae nahi karnar mi disturb. Aani kay karte-” His question wasn’t even completed when she went out. 

He sighed and reached out for his phone. He hated to admit that it was to check if there was another message from Netra. The nightmare was becoming the alarm that he wasn’t able to turn off. 

Ah, thank goodness! The relief after seeing that the conversation was still at her last message was indescribable but reading that message again was bothersome. 

What’s mine is mine and whoever tries to snatch what’s mine… again… will see what it is like to walk on thorns with no escape. 

He suddenly felt stupid for surrendering to her threat and forcing Apurva to leave but knowing what Netra was capable of, how was he supposed to ignore it? 

He rubbed his forehead, decoding his nightmare. Apurva was right. Nightmares were just nightmares. He tried to convince himself but the very attempt to forget it felt like a burden that he didn’t wish to carry. 

He put another abrupt end to his thoughts when she returned. 

His narrowed eyes looked at the rope of odhnis that she had made by tying their ends together that came from outside of his room. 

What has she done? Was his first thought. 

“Arey! This is not enough!” 

He heard her and watched her frowning to herself looking at the odhni in her hand. Before he could understand anything, she had dropped it on the floor and ran out. Again. 

And he was left wondering arey kay chal-lay? 

She pulled open her bag that she had kept in Babi Aatya’s room where she was staying and searched for the appropriate item to suit her need. Once she found it, she grinned. 

“Apurva, baas zala, kaltay? Mala aata saang he kay chal-lay? Hya odhnya ka ashya bandhlya aahet? Aani-“

“Patience, Khadoos, patience,” she said, tying one end of her long shrug to the last odhni and making him hold the other end of her shrug, “he ghe. Pakad. Hyacha ek end mazya room madhe aahe jo mi room madhe gelyavar mazya haatala bandhun gheil aani ha ek aata tuzya haatat.” 

It took him a minute to realize what she had just done as he stared at her shrug in his hand and once he did, there was nothing that he could say so instead, he did what he was best at doing. Diverting the topic of discussion. “Tu… vyavasthit kulup lavla aahe na wadyala?” 

Her head bent as the frustration crept in. “Tula saangitla na ekda laavla mhanun? Aata kay photo kadhun aanu ka tya lock cha?” 

“Nahi-nako. Mhanje… thik aahe. Bas mala watla tuzya ghari tula kulup wagere lavaychi kadhi garaj padli nasel mhanun-”

“Mhanun tula watla mala ek sadha lock suddha laavta yet nahi? Tu zop re. Koni barodekhor nahi yenar aahe tuzya galyala chaku lavun sagla steal karun nyayla….” She bit her lower lip after making that casual comment when she realized that she had chosen the wrong example at the wrong time.

Idiot. She cursed herself when it occurred to her that she was only reminding him about his nightmare that he was already bothered about. Aata ha ajun upset honar. What am I doing? 

“Tula darodekhor mhanaycha hota ka?”

She was about to slap her forehead for the stupidity when she heard him and her tensed muscles relaxed, seeing him okay.

“Arey wa! Maze wrong words pan vyvasthit samjun ghyayla laagla aahes tu! Nice, I like it, Khadoos.” Even though her tone was of the teasing kind, her smile was pretty genuine.

“Mi tar fakt chukiche shabda samjun ghetoy,” he said, wrapping her shrug around his palm, “tyaat kahi farsa nahi. Konihi karu shakta pan tu… tar maze na bol-lele shabada hi aikayla laagliyes. Tyacha kay” He looked at her, lifting the one end of the long rope of odhnis that she had made. “Thank you!”

“Good night, Khadoos,” she murmured, finding her way back to Babi Aatya’s room.

Apurva Vartak soon-to-be Kanitkar! He couldn’t believe how ingeniously she had devised a way to stay close, creating a metaphorical bridge between their rooms to ease his worries. Just so that if I wake up again, I don’t strain my leg by walking up to her room to confirm that she is still here. 

The fact that she didn’t even tell him to call her in case he woke up again with another nightmare was a hint that she knew that he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t deliberately disturb her sleep for anything even if that was all that she was there for. To help him with anything and everything. 

Apurva itka kadhi rather kashi olkhayla laagli mala? He could only wonder. Kasa kaltay, tula, Apurva? Kasa kaltay? 

Thank you for patiently waiting. 🙂 Ignore typos, if any. I need to proofread this again.

I thrive on feedback so please don’t hesitate to share your views in the comment section. <3

I N D E X

Part One

Part Two  

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve