Set in the day when Dhruv operates on Mahaveer but certain complications that occur during the surgery scare Tara.

“Suryast ke pashchat Rajkumari Ji ki parchhai dekhne ke liye bhi anumati lagti hai aisa hi kaha tha kisi ne! To iss nadi ko mil gayi anumati? Quite lucky, I must say!“

“Waise kaafi dur hai ye tumhare palace… I mean Rajmahal se. Main to thak gaya chalte chalte! Tum nahi thaki? Apne ghode par aayi ho? Kaha hai, dikh nahi raha?”

“Uss sherni-sorry I mean Madhvi… uss Madhvi ki tarah ye nadi bhi tumhari dost hai? Main bhi kya puch raha hoon. Vallabhgarh mein tumhare dosto ki kami kaha hai! I think I am disturbing you and your friend. Main chalta hoon!” Just as he turned to leave after she stayed eerily quiet no matter what he said, he was stopped by a quick grip on his wrist.

“Sahi kaha aapne, Dr. Dhruv. Humare dosto ki kami nahi hai Vallabhgarh mein lekin agar aapko aisa pratit hua ki aapki kami se hume koi farq nahi padega… to aap galat hai!”

He stood there even after she withdrew her grip and set his hand free.

“Matlab dost maanti ho mujhe? To bataao yaha aise akele kyun baithi ho?”

“Darr lag raha hai!”

He sat beside her on the small wooden bench, without hesitating to shift closer after sensing her distraught self that unsettled him far too quickly than he had expected. 

“Kyun, apne Chikitsak Dr. Dhruv par bharosa nahi raha? Khud par teer chalwaya tha tumne Tara… kyunki tumhe mujhpar yaqeen tha. To ab?” His fingers reached out for hers and didn’t take a second to shower them with the gentle touch of protection. “Surgery ke dauraan ya uske baad kabhi kabhi complications hote hai, Tara. Main jaanta hoon tumhe shayad ye sab dekhne ki aadat nahi hogi lekin mujhe hai aur agar yaqeen kar sakti ho to karo ke mana… mana abhi bhi Bhaai .Ji khatre se bahar nahi hai lekin… lekin sab thik hoga. Kal subah tak hume confirmation bhi mil jayega.”

She raised a brow at him, making him smack his head while thinking of the hindi translation of confirmation. 

“I mean… guarantee… uhm matlab… ab kaise samjhaau… pata nahi time pe hi kyun sahi Hindi words yaad nahi aate.” he muttered, sighing before he looked at her quiet figure that was still staring at him in the hope of understanding the assurance that she didn’t even know was seeking and that he was offering even without being asked for it. “Main bas itna keh raha tha ke kal subah main tumhe pure yaqeen se keh paaunga… Rajkumari Tarapriya Ji, aapke Bhaai Ji ab bilkul swasth aur surakshit hai.” 

Her lips broke into a small smile at his attempt of comforting her in her kind of Shuddha Hindi. 

“Chalo at least Rajkumari Ji ke chehre par choti si hi sahi lekin ek muskaan to aayi. I got my fees!” 

“Ji kya?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. “Aur band karoge ye Rajkumari-Rajkumari aur aap-aap karna? Humne pehle bhi kaha tha na… tum hume Tara aur Tum keh kar hi bulaya karo jaise pehle se karte aaye ho. Rajkumari hum Vallabhgarh ke liye hai… tumhare liye nahi!“

“That’s right. Rajkumari tum Vallabhgarh ke liye ho. Mere liye to tum…” His voice trailed off, halting his confession right before his over-enthusiastic heart could make his mouth blurt it out. 

Her head turned to his side as her disappointed eyes silently demanded him to complete what he was saying but when the silent question went unheard, she had to ask it aloud. “Tumhare liye to hum?”

Crossing his legs, he stretched them out on the grass while fixing his eyes on the still water of the river. “Tum mere liye ek gulaab ke phool jaisi ho!”

He deliberately left it at that, knowing that she would nudge him to speak up in less than thirty seconds. He couldn’t help but grin when her elbow touched his arm. So predictable. 

“Bata raha hoon, bata raha hoon. Ab kya jaan logi? Jaan le li to pura jawab kaun batayega? Mera bhoot?” He chuckled but was quick to apologize when he caught her fallen face. “Mazaak… mazaak kar raha tha, Tara.” 

She folded her hands across her chest, turning her head to the other side.

“Woh hai zara khafa khafa… to nain yun churaye hai ke oo hoo… oo hoo…o-” He shut himself up when the song that he was singing earned him a deadly glare from her before she masked it with a forced smile.

“Hum kyun khafa hone lage…” she said, lying to his face. 

Despite trying to suppress his giggles, they escaped his lips and turned into joyous laughter seeing how contradictory her feelings and words were. 

“Waise Rajkumari Ji khafa ho sakti hai. Haq hai unka…” he whispered into her ear and leaned back when she looked at him.

“Kaisa haq?” she asked as her curious orbs went back on him. “Aur tum baat mat badlo. Hum tumhare liye gulaab ke phool samaan kaise hai ye bataao. Hume pehle kabhi kisine aisa nahi kuch kaha!”

“Aur koi keh bhi nahi sakta! Ye kehne ke liye use Rajkumari Tarapriya Ji ka Chikitsak Dr. Dhruv hona padega aur wo… koi ban nahi sakta.” 

“Tum kya keh rahe ho humari kuch samajh nahi aa raha…” Rajkumari Tarapriya Ji ka Chikitsak Dr. Dhruv! What was he even saying? She wondered before her mind replayed those words, suddenly making her smile. That sounded good though. Humare… Chikitsak Dr. Dhruv! The smile that was etched on her face gave away how sincerely her heart liked the sound of Rajkumari Tarapriya Ji’s Chikitsak Dr. Dhruv. 

He snapped his fingers in front of her, bringing her back to reality. “Kya? Kaha kho gayi?”

Startled, she cleared her throat, shifting a little away from him. “Hum? Hum bhala kyun khone lage?”

“Kho bhi jao to koi problem nahi waise kyunki main tumhe dhoond lunga… humesha!” 

“Accha? Tum to 21vi sadi mein rahoge aur hum… yaha 17vi sadi mein. Hum kho bhi gaye to tumhe kaise pata chalega? Aur agar chal bhi gaya to tum kya… daudkar yaha aa jaoge?”

Shrugging her shoulders, she looked away, laughing at his words. 

Holding her by her arm, he turned her toward himself. “Tumhe shaq hai?”

She sat taken aback, seeing that he was serious. Was he not messing around? At least, that was what she had thought that he was doing. The conversation was more earnest than she had thought of it to be. “Hume laga ke tum…”

“Tum mere liye ek gulaab ke phool jaisi ho…”

Her heart skipped a beat upon seeing him resuming what her heart was unusually desperate to know. 

“Jiski khushboo se meri rooh mehakti hai. Jiske hone se sab sahi aur na hone se sab galat lagta hai. Jiski pankhudiya mujhe sambhaal leti hai jab main kahi dagmaga jata hoon aur jiske kaante… jiske kaante humesha taiyaar hote hai unhe chubhne ke liye jo mujhe hurt karne ki koshish bhi karte hai,” he paused, carefully tucking the hair strands that were disturbing her view behind her ears, “tum mere liye ek gulaab ke phool jaisi ho jo mujhe lagta hai kainaat ne sirf mere liye banaya hai… uss gulaab ke phool jaisi jise murjhane na dene ke liye main puri duniya ka paani le aau… jise musibat ki dhoop se bachane ke liye main khud zindagi bhar tapte suraj ke neeche khada ho jaau… jiske saath rehne ke liye apne sab kuch… apne aap tak ko kho du. Jiske astitva ke liye apna vajood mita du. Jiska main ho jaau aur jise apna bana lu”

His hand slipped down from her arm to her palm, taking his eyes to it from her face. Having her unblinking gaze on him made him slightly conscious of the unplanned confession that he had just made.

Jiska main ho jaau aur jise… apna bana lu. 

His words reverberated in her ears, leaving her too stunned to respond. Every word he had just uttered was far from what she had ever imagined him or anyone else for that matter to ever say to and about her. 

“Tum… ye sab…” she fumbled, struggling to form a coherent response to everything he had just confessed. 

While she was waiting for him to make understanding him easier for her, she caught him trying to suppress his giggles before he burst out laughing. 

“Tum has rahe ho?” Confusion deepened in her orbs. 

“Kaisa laga mera abhinay?” he asked, pretending to have to try hard to stop laughing. 

“Abhinay?”

“Haan, abhinay! Ye ek movie ka dialogue hai. Mujhe bohot accha laga tha. Socha tha kabhi kisi ko sunaunga…”

“Tum… abhinay kar rahe the? Fir hume kyun pratit hua ke jaise-“

“Mera kaha har lafz saccha tha?” Raising his brows, he smiled, averting his gaze from her. “Isi ko kehte hai accha abhinay, Rajkumari Ji… jo abhinay lage hi na… Main bas tumhe distract kar raha tha!” 

“Ji kya kar rahe the?”

“Tumhara dhyan bhatka raha tha… Bhaai Ji ke tabyet se thodi der ke liye tumhara dhyan bhatka raha tha!”

“Lekin wo sab-“

“Tum aqsar aati ho yaha?” He cut her off in the middle, pointing toward the river. “Nahi ye bench… matlab… ye baithne ke liye tum hi layi hogi na yaha… jungle ki meherbaani to ho nahi sakti, hmm?”

She nodded. “Jab kabhi mann ashaant hota hai… hume yaha akele baithna pasand hai.” 

“Uss se mann shaant ho jata hai?” He continued with his curiosity about her relationship with the river. “Humesha?”

“Humesha to nahi… lekin kaafi baar, kuch waqt ke liye hi sahi, par ho jata hai,” she said. 

“Ek sawaal puchu, Tara… sach bataogi?” 

“Hum humesha sach bolte hai, Dr. Dhruv aur ye aap jaante hai!”

“Mere aane se pehle kya tumhara mann shaant tha?”

“Nahi!”

“Kya ab hai?”

She fell silent for a long moment before she looked at him. “Kya main bhi tumse ek sawaal puch sakti hoon? Sach bataoge?” 

“Main yeh to nahi kahunga ke main humesha sach bolta hoon lekin… tum puch ke dekh sakti ho.” 

“Kya tum sach mein… abhinay kar rahe the?”

“Tum kya chaahti ho wo kya ho? Abhinay ya sach?”

“Hume… hume nahi pata.”

“Jis din pata kar logi uss din yeh sawaal puchne ki zaroorat nahi padegi! Chalo, ab main nikalta hoon. Mujhe Bhaai Ji ke paas jana hoga. Tum aaram se aa jana. Main hoon unke paas!”

She kept staring at his retreating back, wondering if he was running away from her to avoid the questions he himself had brought to existence. 

Ye kehne ke liye use Rajkumari Tarapriya Ji ka Chikitsak Dr. Dhruv hona padega aur wo… koi ban nahi sakta. 

Rajkumari Tarapriya Ji’s Chikitsak Dr. Dhruv. 

Enduring the sweet torture her heart had chosen for her, she sat there with the mysterious words and soothing comfort he had left her with. He had stubbornly taken away her worries from her, restoring her faith that her brother was going to be alright. “Sach kaha tumne. Tum humare liye jo ho wo… kabhi koi aur humare liye ban nahi sakta. Rajkumari Tarapriya ke jeevan mein Chikitsak Dr. Dhruv ka sthaan kabhi koi nahi le sakta! Kabhi kabhi sochte hai… kaise mil gaye tum hume?” 

I wouldn’t have given Dhruv this confession had I not seen a glimpse of it in the show.
Kyunki itne bhaari dialogues bol chuka hai wo show mein
–
Jitna na kabhi kisi ne kisi ko chaha hai aur jitna na kabhi koi kisi ko chahega, utna pyaar karta hoon main Tara se.
Mera pyaar bhavishya bhi ikhega aur itihas ko bhi badlega.
Vagera vagera.
So I thought I could give a heavy dialogue to him because I could certainly imagine him saying it after all that he has already said in the show.
<3

Thank you for reading. Do share your views in the comment section. <3