Chapter 12

"I'm so sorry, KT, can you ever forgive me?"

Pulling her fully into his protective embrace, Kabir's voice was a soothing whisper in Rachna's ear "Anything and everything, just talk to me."

Sighing audibly, she closed her eyes against her rising emotions, but finding herself there, finally safe in his arms, somewhere she had longed to be for so long, it was impossible not to surrender to these feelings, and the silent tears that had started soon gave way to her sobs.

Kabir held her, aware that no words he could say would be adequate until she was ready to talk. When finally her weeping subsided, he spoke,

"Rachna, I know I wasn't there when you needed me, but trust me I wanted to be, desperately, but.."

"No KT, none of this is your fault, if only I had told the truth from the beginning then.."

"Rachna you weren't in a relationship by yourself, if anything we were equally at fault," he paused, at once bereft as she had stepped away from him at his words, and he looked to her questioningly, "Rachna?"

"Please stop, KT, I just need to say this with no interruptions, please?"

He nodded, and noticed that she stepped a little further away, just out of arms reach, as she began.

"KT, you were right all along, and I should have listened to you from the very beginning; we should have told our families, and I'm very sorry that I objected to it. I know it's no consolation, but I had decided that night that I would tell my family the next day, but by then it didn't matter, the damage had been done by then and no one would listen...and"

"And I wasn't there, right.."

"No that's not it, things just got out of control and I just panicked and ran, but." she lowered her head, her grief in her actions overwhelming her. Catching her breath, she looked up at him once again, "But, I know now that I shouldn't have made that decision on my own, and at the very least I should have talked to you about it. I was so wrong and I hope you can forgive me for that. I just made mistake after mistake, and I knew you were angry with me and that..."

"What would have been the alternative, Rachna"

"Huh?"

"Tell me, what would have happened if you had stayed?"

Unwilling to even give voice to the reality she would have faced, she turned away from him, bowing her head in sadness at what she still had to disclose. Kabir used the opportunity to move closer to her and pulled her back against his chest, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "Tell me Rachna Garg, just how I would have felt when you married someone else, knowing that you were lost to me forever?"

Kabir felt her stiffen in his arms before she turned to face him, "You knew? All this time you knew and never said anything?"

 

Perhaps it would be better to agree, to spare her the guilt he knew she had been carrying for so long, but this was less than she deserved, having divulged the truth of her actions, so he could do no less, "No Rachna, I didn't know then, and everything you thought I was feeling, I was. I could barely breathe knowing that you were leaving, thinking it was us you were walking away from, but now...now knowing what I do..."  He hesitated, unable to continue, and when she reached up to brush away his tears, he felt no shame in letting her see them.  "Now, how can I be anything but thankful for what you did for us?" He took hold of her hand, and brought it up to his lips, placing the softest of kisses on it. "If you want me to accept any number of unnecessary apologies, then I will gladly, Rachna."

"You really forgive me?"

"Rachna, I love you, I can do anything for you."

Finally, after the eternity the past six months had been, the smile he loved so much appeared just for him, "Anything? That's probably not the wisest thing you have ever said Mr. Tripathi," her voice wavering between laughter and tears.

"Probably not, but it's true."

"I love you KT; I missed you so much."

"I just may have missed you more, so rest assured Rachna, now that you're back, I'm not letting go of you." Looking at his watch, he began guiding her out of the studio, "Did you forget about our lunch meeting then?"

Incredulous at the change in topic, she looked up at him, "KT I came looking for you; you're the one who forgot."

"Did I?" he said with a smile, "Maybe, maybe not."

"But we're not finished, we still have to..."

Kabir stopped and brought her comment to an end, immediately dispelling her fears with his words, "You won't be marrying anyone else, Rachna. I meant it when I said that I wasn't letting you go, but lunch first, ok?"

She could only nod in agreement and they walked together to where they were being awaited.

 

"Daadi, Naomi, we haven't had you waiting too long have we?"