Chapter 12

Chapter 10

Shaurya took Mehak's wheelchair towards his car and then opened the passenger side door. He then scooped her in his arms and kept her safely on the seat. Mehak was initially surprised with how he kept her in the car but she assumed that he didn't know how to do it hence he applied his way of doing the same. He then kept her wheelchair in the boot of the car and then sat in the car. As he sat, he secured Mehak in the seat belt being careful of her broken arm and then adjusted his seat belt before starting his car.

The journey began, for a solid 5 minutes nobody said nothing. Then Mehak initiated and said she was thankful to Shaurya for saving her from the wrath of her Aunt and her sister like best friend. Shaurya just said hmm and continued driving. Mehak sensed that he wasn't happy with her Karwa chauth idea too. She continued talking and said that Shaurya didn't keep her in the car how he was supposed to, she agreed that he did enough gym and weight lifting but scooping her in his arms to keep her in the car wasn't really how he should do it because she was heavy and he might just injure his back. 

Shaurya looked at her for a second and then diverted his eyes again to the road and said that she wasn't heavy for him and fasting for an idiot to reduce that weight was definitely not a good idea.

Mehak wondered what Nehal had told him. She didn't say anything to him for some seconds thinking how shall she continue. 

Shaurya asked her what they could do to kill 6-7 hrs before the moon is out and she could break her fast and go back home. 

The conversation kick started from here.

Shaurya- well we can't go to nice eating joints for obvious reasons , you know my popularity and your stupidity.

Mehak- Hmm...stupidity? Shaurya, don't you start, you know nothing.

Shaurya- Well I LL know if you tell me. Also I still doubt if you would be able to justify fasting for an ex.

Mehak- Well we don't know each other for so long that I talk about the most complex things of my life.

Shaurya- fair enough, so pls tell me ma'am what do you want to do?

Mehak- we can continue with the drive for some time.

Shaurya- as you say your highness.(irritated)

Mehak- (verge of crying) I just can't explain it that easily Shaurya, don't talk to me like that please. First Nehal now you, I don't have many friends that I can afford to push away. As it is there aren't many people in my life.

Shaurya-( keeping hand on her shoulder) Mehak you know you can talk to me, if I have called you to be my friend then I LL stand by you no matter what.

Mehak- I know Shaurya, the first time I met you, you saved me though you were not bound to. I think you were raised really well that you did what you did that day.

Shaurya- Mehak there is no need to thank me again and again. It is okay. Just tell me what is bothering you.

Mehak- Well I LL tell that to you, we do have some more hours together Shaurya. But we can actually use the long drive to get to know each other well, right?

Shaurya- So tell me about yourself.

Mehak- oho, my idea, first you tell me about yourself and in detail.

Shaurya- okay, so I am Shaurya Khanna, a hotelier and an actor. I did my first film when I was 21 years old, fresh out of college. I have now completed 7 years in the industry and I have my own friends and foes obviously foes outnumbering the friends because it is not really to make your place in the industry. Also I did my MBA part time along with films and have a boring and monotonous life since, now you tell.

Mehak- Wow such detailed introduction Shaurya.(angry)

Shaurya- oh madam if this has been my life where do I get other details from. I can't fabricate details now, can I ?

(Thinking to himself- well there is more but I can't reveal that part if my life to anyone)

Okay so it is your turn.

Mehak- Well why are you so interested in my so story?

Shaurya- Mehak, why you do this always?(angry)

Mehak- Accha baba, I am Mehak Sharma, you would have heard about Bride Stories, that was my company, well it technically still is but I am merely just the owner now and do not actively participate in it because of physical short comings and my lack of will to enter the territory of designing bridal outfits when I myself would never be a bride ( smiling sadly). Other than that I am the daughter of late diamond merchant Dheeraj Sharma and niece of the diamond merchant Ravi Sharma. I don't live with them and had a fallout some time after my accident. I left with 20% shares at that time, leaving them with even my 30% because the great people brought me up and were even arranging my marriage but that didn't happen because I had the accident just before my wedding and then everything changed.(sigh). So that's all about me, sob story, right? 

Shaurya- Did Armaan leave you after the accident?

Mehak- Shaurya, why are you asking for such details? I don't want to recall all that.

Shaurya- Recall, haha, you are fasting for your ex today keeping it hidden from your Aunt and I am saving you here, I deserve to know, also the last I checked I was your 'one of the bff's'.

Mehak- Well he didn't leave me immediately after the accident, I don't know if he was planning do to so or his family would have been thinking of the same because I was in a coma that time. After I came out of it, we all got yo know about my paralyzed state. Armaan was by my side even then. Various tests were then conducted and then we got to know that my chances of being back at my feet were just 10%. He was still there but then his family realized that they can't have a daughter in law who would be necessarily bound to a wheel chair all her life because let's be real 10% chances can be very well considered as negligible. I asked time from them , I said I would take sessions with the physiotherapist and get on my feet but my could have been father in-law a doctor himself knew nothing would happen, so he asked Armaan to leave me and though earlier he retaliated but sometime later he too agreed when he saw the sessions doing me no good. Few months later he got engaged to Shruti. I am happy for him , at least he would have a normal life, which would have not been possible without me but I have not stopped loving him and his long life matters to me.

Shaurya- Well I must say that he did very wrong leaving you like that and you are doing really wrong still keeping him your heart. You act as if you hate him but you still love him like an idiot. Mehak that makes me want to scold you too. But that is secondary, can you tell me why did you stop the physiotherapy sessions, just because Armaan' s father said nothing would happen, you believed him and stop trying. How could you?

Mehak- For whom shall I try that hard Shaurya, it isn't easy for me, the sheer amount if mental, psychological and physical pain, whom shall I take it for?

Shaurya- Take it for yourself, your family, Nehal, her family, for ...me.

Mehak- well my family doesn't count now especially after the fallout and how it happened and about me I don't want to now. I have made peace with myself and the state I am in. Nehal and Uncle Aunty too would eventually make peace with it. About you, I don't know how does it matter to you?

Shaurya- It does matter to me , Mehak I have considered you a friend. You are very young, you have a whole life to go on. You should try. Also tell me more about the fallout.

Mehak- you tell me why you aren't on talking terms with your father.

Shaurya- I can't.

Mehak- well same here, even I can't. Sometimes it is better for the bygones be bygones but you should definitely patch up with your father because your parents are the only people who would truly be with you...(taking a deep breath and looking at the time). It is 3 Shaurya, it has been two long he's since we are together alone and have not murdered each other. Congratulations. Well now pls drop me at my residence. Since Nehal is not around now , I would like to observe my fast with all customs.

Shaurya- Why home then?

Mehak- Well I LL change and listen to Katha,on my phone obviously, can't do the 'n' number of stairs, you know...(laughing on her silly joke).

Shaurya- Well you are one insane girl and you should know it. Do you have your clothes ready at your place, given your broken hand.

Mehak- Well I LL definitely find something.

Shaurya- And how do you think you would be changing yourself?

Mehak- I LL try to manage.  It would all be done, take me to my place at least.

Shaurya- well I am not taking you to your place. I am taking you to my farm house that I am about to gift to my parents. It was their anniversary gift but guess what you are going to see it first.

Mehak- The concern still remains the same , how would I change? And where will clothes come from?

Shaurya- Well you still are the owner of Bride Stories, your staff should be able to put something together. Well leave that also. Just wait a minute, I LL arrange for that too. Do you know, you want a karwa chauth with customs, you LL get it. 

( He dialled someone and told him what he needed and asked him to bring the same to his new farm house)

Mehak watched it all open mouthed and before could find words to say something they were driving to his farm house.

Mehak- What did you just do? Dress and all , how would he arrange, my measurements and all, you are one gone case, Shaurya.

Shaurya- guess what you too are the same. 

It was 3:45 when they reached the farm house. Shaurya stopped his car right in front of the entrance and opened his door to get out. He then opened the door of Mehak's side and carried her inside the farm house keeping her down safely at the sofa. He then got the wheelchair inside too. Meanwhile Awara reached there too with Anjali, another of the trusted members of the gang that Shaurya possessed.

Anjali- This is isn't in my job profile but I an doing this without any questions asked because I called you my brother and a friend and I still regret to know you Shaurya.

Shaurya - Love you too Anjali.

(Awara handed Anjali a packet)

Anjali- Now she can't change here so do you mind taking her to the room upstairs.

Shaurya- well okay.

(He scooped her again in his arms and started climbing the stairs)

Mehak- Sorry that you have to pick me up so many times in a single day.

Shaurya- thank your stars that I am your friend and still letting you do anything and everything you are doing. I am working hard and should get my reward too. I LL ask for it at the right time till then think that I am helping so much with your Karwa Chauth for that donkey doctor, imagine if it was for me, what I would have done.

( He realized what he said)

He bit his tongue and said hypothetically he meant.

They reached the room and Anjali too closely followed. She asked him. To leave and he complied. Anjali introduced herself and asked Mehak for her name. After exchanging pleasantries, she started changing Mehak's clothes. Shaurya had been thoughtful and arranged for a ready to wear saree where everything was done she was just supposed to wear it like a lehenga and arrange the pallu. About the blouse too he had been careful and had got the blouse with a halter neck and a hook at the back so that her arm has to endure no pressure while changing. By 4:15 she was completely ready with her accessories and everything. Leaving her sitting in the bed in the room. Anjali left with Awara because  there was an event at the main house too.

Shaurya went back to the room after they had left and saw Mehak all dressed up. He complemented her and then carried her again in his arms being careful of her arm and said that now that the dressing is done, the Katha shall be done too. There was a Pandit sitting downstairs on the sofa. He helped Mehak complete all rituals and then  recited the Katha for her. Every custom was done till 5:30 and they had another 2 hrs and 30 mins to kill before the moon shines as Shaurya had checked the time on the internet.

They decided to watch a movie. Mehak selected a film of Shaurya but Shaurya denied and played a Hollywood romantic- the notebook.  Both watched it and till the time it finished both were emotional but none said anything and rather switched to liar liar liar to refresh their mood. Not a lot of time was left for the moon to shine. Mehak though was not feeling well and dizzy because of the hunger , thirst and even because of the pain that was rising sharp in her arm due to the effect of the last pain killer being worn out, said nothing and just simply asked Shaurya to check if the moon was out. Shaurya went to see  the same. It wasn't out then. He returned to the living room to tell the same but he couldn't see Mehak. He went further to see and saw her fainted on the sofa. He tried to wake her up but to no use. She then feebly opened her eyes to see Shaurya's worried face. She said she was okay and just needed to lie down. Shaurya took her back to the room and made her lie down on the bed. He was about to give her some water when she again opened her eyes and said she didn't want to waste her fast like that. If she had been hungry and thirsty this far, she could take a few more minutes. Shaurya shouted bloody hell and then went towards the balcony. The moon was finally out. He relaxed a bit and told Mehak the moon was out and she should drink some water. Mehak who was clearly not in a good state and was trying hard to keep her eyes open told her that she didn't believe him. Shaurya was loosing it and picked her up again so that she could see the moon. He scolded her for being so stubborn, to which she replied that love made her like that before closing her eyes again ,after seeing the moon. This time she fainted for good not even opening her eyes feebly. Shaurya was tensed and kept her again on the bed making her drink some water and sprinkling some on her face. She did open her eyes again and that was the point when Shaurya put some chocolate in her mouth before she could say something.

Precap- Some more time together and Shaurya back at Khanna mansion.