Part 16 : Giving us a chance

It was 6 pm when Kunal returned home, with a tired face he entered the hall throwing his bag on the sofa

Siddhi: ahhh,  (shouts in pain)

Kunal: Siddhi!!!! tu.... what are you doing here in darkness? Are you hurt?? (goes near and cares for her)

Siddhi: no, im good. I didnt see that it was getting dark

Kunal: ayee... what is .., wait you didnt come to office, but looks like you never left home

Siddhi: yes Kunal, I never left.

Kunal(sits next to her): Are you unwell Siddhi? Should we go visit a doctor?

Siddhi: Im just worried, what am I doing here Kunal?

Kunal(turns pale): I am working on my second chances and you are giving me one, but I never thought that it would bother you this much.

Siddhi: What bothers me is why am I here? far away from my family? And what mistake did I do to deserve it.

Kunal: Do You miss them Siddhi?

Siddhi: yes Kunal, I miss them, every one of them. I have a bond with them which I cant explain Kunal, and what is this second chance without them? Why am I even doing it?

Kunal: What do you want me to do Siddhi? I wanted to express myself and..

Siddhi: and punish yourself? I am fine with you being guilty for what you did to me, but you are again punishing me by keeping me far from them.  (pauses and looks at Kunal) Kunal! you want a second chance right? you have one but not here.  You have the entire night to think, I will be leaving tomorrow morning and if you change your decision I will be at my brothers place.

Kunal's thoughts wavered around his home, how the situation might be different and a possibility of going back to the same problem that he is avoiding, his insecurities, his responsibilities.

It was 8 am when Siddhi came out of her room with a fully packed trolley...

Kunal: So fast to leave!!!

Siddhi:  I have a train to catch

Kunal: mm, then I guess its time to say goodbye. Should I drop you somewhere? (Siddhi was heart broken, some part of her expected him to leave with her, but the least a word from him saying he will come soon .... But no he is Kunal Chopra)

Siddhi:  I came by my own will and I will leave by my own ( moves furiously) ....

Siddhi's pov: For a moment I thought he was truly in love with me, and I wanted him to come out of his suffering but he just showed me my place in life again, to be alone in the end. Why do I make a fool of myself by falling for him again and again. 

Even though her mind wanted her to hate Kunal for this, somewhere down the heart Siddhi wished to see Kunal in the same train, or even closer to the railway station but he wasnt. He was in court defending a client.

It was 6 pm when the train reached mumbai, with a heavy heart and luggage Siddhi moved a step at a time.

person: Can I help you with the luggage?

Siddhi : Nehi.. (she found the voice familiar) Kunal!!!! aap.. yahan..

Her eyes were expressing her happiness over tears before she can word it.

Kunal: Arey baba, ro-naa-math(dont cry) ... If you cry then im going back to delhi.

Siddhi: these are happy tears

Kunal: And I dont like tears, even the happy ones

Siddhi: aap bhi naa.. How did you reach soon?

Kunal: I took the next flight after the hearing Siddhi... and im here to get you home, to our home.. (lifts her bag and grabs her hand)

Siddhi: Kunal, ! (looks at her) what are you gonna tell them?

Kunal: About what?

Siddhi: me! Why am I back?

Kunal: Because, you are meant to be here, with me, with us

Siddhi: I hope that remains true as your words but Kunal tell them the truth, tell them that it is part of the divorce... (cuts in)

Kunal: You dont think that I(cuts in)

Siddhi: I dont want them to be hurt because of me again and again (Kunal turns pale, and he nodds agreeyingly the first time)

Seema was busy parenting her kids, when Siddhi entered.

Seema: Anouki!, why did you beat Ishani? And Ishani why did you tease Anouki? If you two are not behaving then i'm not sending you to Kunal chachu's flat in Delhi.

Anouki: Chachiiii

Seema( not looking behind): Yes, I wont send you to Chachi's ghar aswell, and If you still dont behave then I will leave home like your Siddhi chachi and I wont pick your call.

Siddhi felt bad for her actions, the way she moved far from Seema and the family just because her ties with Kunal was bruised. She went and hugged Seema tightly just how much Shilpa would do if she misses her sister.

Seema(tears): You , dont hug me (but her hands say the other way)

She held Siddhi as close to her, all these months she missed her sister.

Siddhi: I am sorry bhabi, im sorry.

Seema: What did I even do?

Siddhi: Im sorry, Im sorry bhabi!!...

Kunal and the kids watched two woman fight and apologize, but something made him happy, a slight satisfaction that his family is complete and he wanted  to keep it that way. He tried just the family without Siddhi and then just Siddhi and him but neither was as fulfilling as this moment. All that he yearned was for his family , and now he realized that its incomplete without Siddhi.

It was past midnight when Siddhi enetered her room, ...

Siddhi:  aap...(looks at him in the corner ) you haven't slept yet Kunal?

Kunal: I had some undone office work, so I was busy with that. How is your apology session coming up?

Siddhi: pardon!

Kunal: Saying sorry to Seema, papa, even to Anouki and Ishani .... how is that all coming up?

Siddhi: there is nothing wrong in saying sorry Kunal, especially to the loved ones. And I was really at mistake, so i guess, and again asking sorry makes us no less man or woman..

Kunal: Are you mocking me by any chance?

Siddhi(gives him a smile): Are  you still employed?

Kunal: what do ask such a question?

Siddhi: After all that you did, you practically skipped half your working days, and moving back to mumbai just like that... Which boss would like that?

Kunal: Unless you are extra-ordinarily talented or you have done some personal favour for your boss.

Siddhi: Which should I take as an answer?

Kunal: Actually both, but the needle is slightly tilted towards the second one.  I think i helped him with getting rid of a divorce case, his daughter.

Siddhi: Oh you won a divorce case, thats unusual of you to fight a divorce case.

Kunal: Actually I didnt win it, I kind of walked them out of it.

Siddhi: thats good.  (She goes and sits next to Kunal on bed) Kunal, I didnt see Anand here today and I also heard that he

Kunal: he broke his engagement Siddhi, and he will be here tomorrow.

Siddhi: okey...

Kunal: Siddhi!, do you know what was our problem in this relationship? (siddhi listens) I always boiled down at you too soon without knowing the truth and you never questioned me, you just bear it alone. I know this is not gonna change over night, I am a pain in ass but I can change as well.  So ask me whatever you wanted to

Siddhi: Even if its about Anand?

Kunal: yes, he is my brother and your friend. He is and will remain someone close to both of us, so I cant skip his chapter.

Siddhi: Do you think Kunal,.. the reason he broke his engagement, could it be me?

Kunal: Im not sure Siddhi, but if he did, he would have had his reasons and as a brother I will be by his side. And if the reason is you, (siddhi looks at Kunal) I will be still by you. 

Siddhi puts her head on Kunals shoulders in a relief and Kunal reciprocates it with a hand around her.

Siddhi: hope he finds someone who loves him (Kunal look at Siddhi). Do you ever think about what he might think about us?

Kunal: Oh I did that everytime, every single time Anand came before you. Whenever we were in this room, what would be his thought, will he think that Im making out with his ex-fiance(laughs out)

Siddhi gave him a dead stare for referring her as ex-fiance

Kunal: those were my previous thoughts, not now. So that Is why I never entered this room while he was here... (gulping) .

Siddhi: why are you looking at me? should I give u a reward for speaking your mind?  All that you thought he would think is about physical relationship? Really, you didnt even have a thing for me back then.  I was talking about the love part here..(cuts in)

Kunal: I had a thing...for you back then too

Siddhi: what love?

Kunal: No,  uhh.. I would term that mm attraction, on a ...

Siddhi: on a.. ?

Kunal : nothing ( siddhi laughs at kunals antics)

Siddhi: I think the term you are looking for is physical attraction or ... ( before she could say it, Kunal pulled her for a kiss)

Kunal: I love you Siddhi, everything about you. And i know i might not be the perfect person for you but i will be the person who makes you happy, yes of course we are gonna fight, maybe most of the time but I will still yearn to see that face of yours when I reach home. Though I make the best pasta (Siddhi nodds no), I still want to eat your Dal Chawal for the rest of my life with the ginger tea.  I might straightaway deny all your order only to follow them by the end of the day either because of your tear or fear. I'll be the guy who hears old song in a radio,  the one who never took his wife for honeymoon, (cuts in)

Siddhi: Yet I love this man, because I know this man can do anything for his family. (kisses him back) I will never get someone so faithful, so true to himself. Im sorry I cant explain why I fell in love with you Kunal, because if I say its gonna take me the entire night and I wanna save this night for something else....

Siddhi and Kunal went on to fight at court, and sometimes at home but they never ran out of love for each other. And yes, Kunal took her for two honeymoons and they do have two kids and Siddhi has said no more Honeymoons for the very reason, they have moved to a bigger house, but yes with the entire family. 

------------------------THANK YOU---------------------------------

I am not good at writing romances, so i put some to your imagination. Thank you