Chapter 3

LostInWanderlust

@Wanderlust05

Rang Ishq Ka

Part 3: Hues of Ishq

Hey, amazing people <3

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"Naam mila?" Sonu asked.

It was nearing midnight and Ishqi had peeled off the henna about an hour after applying the homemade henna darkening liquid. Chachi and Sonu gushed over the dark colour of the henna, while Maasi simply smiled, mentally praying for her niece's everlasting happiness. Despite their lack of energy, the youngsters were still on their feet trying to make the night memorable for the couple.

"Maybe," Ahaan replied looking at Ishqi, who gave a quizzical look to his answer.

Before anyone could say anything, Ishqi's phone rang and she picked the call walking to a much quiet place. After a conversation of a few minutes with her friend, she disconnected the call and walked back to where everyone else was, her mind still wrapped around Ahaan's ambiguous answer. Maybe.

Did he, or did he not find his initials?

Twisting her fingers as she thought, a habit she caught in the past few months, she felt something cold on her ring finger. Lifting her left hand to eye level, did she get shocked seeing a ring resting on the ring finger. It was absolutely gorgeous- a white gold band, with small diamonds lining it and a slightly bigger stone at the centre.

She whipped her head to face Ahaan, who'd been looking at her the entire time. The two walked to each other, a step at a time, with no hurry whatsoever. Finally, when they were close enough, Ahaan saw tears glistening in her eyes and she spoke before he could say anything,

"Ahaan, this? I- I mean-"

"I'm sorry." He held her left hand in his, as he went down on his knees. The crowd around them gasped, some in surprise while some in pure shock, "I know we should've had a proper engagement ceremony, but with everything happening the past few days, it slipped our minds."

Rubbing the ring with the pad of his thumb, he continued, "Ishqi, thank you so much for entering my life. Pata nahi kab tum car-chor se meri dil-chor ban gayi. At almost every stage, you've changed me in a way or another. You've taught me what it means to be a better brother, a better grandson, a better person. Before you entered my life, I never knew what it meant to harbour such strong feelings for anyone, or what it meant to care for someone who's not a part of my family.

All these years, I thought I knew who I was, but I was wrong. You bring out the real Ahaan in me. The guy, who's Ahaan Veer Malhotra to the world and his family, has become Ahaan- all due to you. I may survive without you, yes- but I won't be able to live without you. The thought itself scares me, and trust me when I say nothing scares me more.

You're the best to have happened to me. Ishqi, I- I love you. Will you marry me?" He poured his heart out, his eyes not leaving hers for a second.

Tears escaped her lacrimal glands, at his heartfelt confession. The man, who was scared of expressing himself, now stood on his knees confessing all that his heart felt. She slowly went on her knees, tightening her hold on his hand, and once at eye level looked into his eyes that bore his heart out to her, and quietly gave a nod.

He slightly smiled at her answer, yet asked once again through his eyes for confirmation. "Yes," she replied and chuckled slightly on seeing his face break into a huge grin. Not caring about their families' presence, he pulled her to himself and she immediately wrapped her arms around him, her face buried between his neck and shoulder.

They pulled away hearing their family cheer for them, except some (of course), and smiled seeing the happiness radiating off some people's faces.

"Vaise... How does this look?" He asked extending his hand, and only then did she notice her name written along his ring finger, the same way his initials were written on her ring finger.

She looked at him in utter surprise, while the others, too, didn't expect it. Dadi, however, was another case. She looked like she was Ahaan's ex who had been ditched at he alter; and walked off, without getting noticed by anyone else.

"Wh-when did you get this done?"

"While you got your mehndi done." He answered, enjoying the look of complete surprise on her face, "What I didn't know was, you'd write my initials on your ring finger too."

"Isse kehte hai, dil se dil tak ka connection." She winked making him chuckle.

He brought both her hands to his lips and placed a feather-like kiss on either of them while she got overwhelmed by his love and affection.

Their little moment was broken by Karthik and Sonu, who attacked the two in a group bear hug, taking them by surprise. They slightly chuckled at their excitement by everything going on before wrapping their arms around the two.

"Bhai, you're nothing like the khadoos brother I know," Karthik remarked cheekily as they broke the hug and he continued cracking another joke.

Ishqi looked at Ahaan, whose cheeks and ears flushed slightly thanks to a comment passed by Karthik, and smiled at how much this guy changed. He was nothing like the AVM, Naam Teen Banda Mean she had met so many months back. This guy, who sat next to her as he grinned wholeheartedly, wasn't Ahaan Veer Malhotra. He was Ahaan, Ishqi's Ahaan.

She smiled at the sound of it.

Ishqi's Ahaan.

And she was Ahaan's Ishqi.

The two belonged to the other.

Ahaan, feeling someone's gaze on him- correction, Ishqi's gaze on him- lifted his eyes to meet hers and found himself falling for her yet again. Ishqi. The five-lettered name has the ability to control him- what he feels, what he says, what he does- everything. And the girl, whose name this belonged to, was none the better.

She entered his life like a gentle tornado and toppled his life, steering it towards the correct destination. As much as an open book she was, she was an enigmatic flower, her life story covered by petals of secrecy; and he wished to unravel all. As much as she belonged to herself, she belonged to him too. She was Ahaan's Ishqi.

The name brought a smile to his lips.

Ahaan's Ishqi.

And he was Ishqi's Ahaan.

They were two complimenting puzzles; their lives interlocked with each other, each one's story incomplete without the other.

As if their hearts conveyed all that they were thinking of at that moment, they gave each other a full-blown smile and Ahaan gently tightened his hold on her hand, before pulling her into another hug, slightly kissing her forehead in the process, while she closed her eyes in contentment.

Their hues of Ishq were as deep as the colour of her maroon-stained hands; the only difference being, while the henna was meant to fade away, their love was destined to deepen and darken over time.

There, there *hugs*

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Sprinkles fairy dust!

LostInWanderlust