Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“So we didn’t get married either, right?”

“Well except that. That did happen.”

Akshu stared at Abhi to make sure he wasn’t joking even though she herself clearly remembered the two of them holding hands and doing the pehras around the fire and then Abhi cutting his finger to fill her maang….she ran up to a half broken mirror on the wall and looked at her reflection, looked at her parted hair. Abhi’s dried blood was still there as if it really was sindoor. 

“Abhimanyu! You said we didn’t go anything we shouldn’t have done! Oh my god! Now what! Aaru…Aaru…” Akshu started to panic again. 

Abhi ran up to her and held her shaking body. “I was telling the truth when I said we didn’t do anything we shouldn’t have done.  But yeh shaadi? This is exactly what we should have done. Akshu you love me and I love you, we should have done this long time ago.”

Akshu wasn’t listening to anything Abhimanyu was saying. She could only see Aarohi and how she has let Aarohi down. How she has broken her promise to Sirat Mama about taking care of Aarohi. She stole Aarohi’s happiness from her. She has ruined Aarohi’s life. How can this have happened?

As if to read Akshu’s mind, Abhi started to speak again. “Akshu meri baat suno. You have not ruined Aarohi’s life.  You saved her from an unhappy life. How can she be happy with someone who will never love her? How will she ever find happiness with someone who is in love with her sister? Aarohi deserves someone who loves her. You deserve someone who loves you. I deserve someone who loves me. We all deserve better than what we were getting.”

Akshu looked at Abhi and hugged him. “Oh Abhi. Aaru will never forgive me now.  My family will never forgive me.”  

“Of course they will. They love you and they want you to be happy. You are happy na?”

Akshu didn’t say anything except just hug Abhi tighter.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Outside the hut as Kairav, Vansh and Neil made their way away from it, they ran into an elderly man and woman.  Kairav stopped him. 

“Uncle ji. Can you please help us? My sister and my jeeja are missing. Can you tell us if you have seen them?” Kairav said as he pulled a picture of Akshu and another one of Abhi on his phone. 

“Arrey these two. Haan Haan. They are staying at my house, right behind you.” The old man said pointing to the hut the trio had just walked away from. 

“Aye they are such a sweet jodi. Jaise ke Shree Krishna aur uski Radha. Bhagwan inki jodi hamesha banaye rakhe.” The old lady said smiling. 

The trio looked at each other.  Vansh spoke up. “Arrey nahi they are not a jod….”

“Thank you uncle and aunty. Can we go to your house and get them?” Kairav intentionally interrupted Vansh. Please keep my faith in you, Akshu. Please don’t break my trust. He thought to himself.  

The old man nodded and the trio walked toward the hut with no idea of what they were about to find out.