Chapter 9

Chapter 9

(this chapter is a short one, and doesn't take the story very far. I really just wanted it to serve as a chapter for Kunal to hear what is going through Kuhu's head. I'll have another chapter up within the next few days!)

Kunal reached the Maheshwari house. For a while, he sat in his car, debating on whether or not he should go in. After a great deal of thought, he made up his mind and got out of his car. Straightening his jacket and taking a deep breath, he walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. 

Shaurya came and opened the door. “Arey Kunal beta, tum?” He greeted his son-in-law with a smile. “Aao, andar aao.”

Kunal hesitantly walked in, his eyes immediately searching for Kuhu. Shaurya saw his lost son-in-law and smiled. “Agar tum Kuhu se milne aaye ho, toh woh apne kamre mein hai. Tum jaa sakte ho.”

“Nahi nahi, main toh aap sabse milne aaya hun. Sorry, main bina kuch bataye yahan aa gaya.” Kunal said, taking a seat on the sofa. 

Varsha, Badi Maa, Bade Papa, and Jasmeet filtered into the room, greeting Kunal one by one, also taking seats on the sofas. 

Kunal cleared his throat. “It’s okay Kunal. You can do this,” he thought to himself. 

“Main jaanta hoon ki Kuhu ko aap sab ke saath kuch time spend karna chahti hai, isiliye woh yahan aa gayi. Toh main soch rahe the ki…”

Kunal faltered. 

“Boliye, beta,” Bade Papa encouraged him. 

“Kya main kuch din ke liye yahan pe reh sakta hoon Kuhu ke saath?” Kunal blurted out. At that exact same moment, Kuhu, who was coming down the stairs slowly with Nishant’s help, stopped. Her mouth formed an “o” in shock. He wanted to do what?

“Of course Kunal beta! Yeh koi puchne ki baat hai?” Varsha exclaimed enthusiastically.

“Haan bilkul, beta. Aapne bhi bohot intezaar kiya hai Kuhu ko uthne ke liye,” Badi Maa said gently with a smile. “Jasmeet, Kunal ko Kuhu ke kamre tak lekar jaao. Main naukron se keh kar unke saaman upar bijwaa dungi.”

“Nahin!” Kuhu exclaimed without thinking. 

“Nahin? Nahin, matlab?” Jasmeet asked Kuhu, narrowing her eyes. 

“Woh… chachi, aapko nahin lagta ki Kunal mere kamre mein thoda uncomfortable hoga? I mean, guest room zyaada convenient rahega iske liye, nahin?” Kuhu stammered, trying to find an excuse to keep Kunal out of her room. 

“Arey, aise kaise? Kunal mehmaan nahin hai, woh beta hai hamara. Aur agar hum apne bete ko aise guest room mein rakhenge, toh accha nahin lagega. Kunal tu iske baat mat sun. Chal.” Saying this, Jasmeet dismissed Kuhu, and took Kunal to Kuhu’s room to help him get set up there. 

Kuhu looked at Nishant frustratedly. “Woh yahan kyun aaya?” she hissed under her breath to him. 

“Mujhe kya pata? Maybe his family sent him? To keep an eye on you?” Nishant speculated. 

Kuhu was confused. What was Kunal trying to achieve? Why, after months of wanting freedom from her, was he coming to her house to stay with her as a ghar jamaai? That wasn’t his scene at all. His scene was going to work every day, spending time with Abir bro, listening to his mother, and working some more. So why had he bothered to come here? 

Kuhu decided, that for the sake of her peace of mind, that he had probably come because Abir bro or Maa had asked him to, so that he could help her out as she recovered. It was easier that way. It made for a cleaner break. Taking a deep breath, she turned around to head up the stairs. Nishant held her hand, but she shook her head no. She would have to face Kunal alone. 

Kunal was standing out on the balcony of the room when Kuhu came. He heard her footsteps and turned around. For a while, they just stared at each other, unsure of who should make the first move. Kuhu started to walk towards him, but stumbled. Kunal ran forward and caught her by the waist. He slowly guided her over to the bed and sat her down, kneeling on the floor next to her. 

“Tum… tum yahan kya kar rahe ho?” Kuhu confronted him, still catching her breath. 

“Woh… I thought you might need my help,” Kunal said, avoiding eye contact with her while pouring a glass of water. 

Kunal gave her the glass of water, but she shook her head and pushed it away. “Agar tum isiliye yahan par aaye ho, toh I think you should go back. Mere khayal rakhne ke liye sab hai yahan.”

Kunal was getting increasingly frustrated. He thought that Kuhu would be touched by his gesture, and warm up to him. But instead, she was being callous and indifferent. Couldn’t this girl take a hint? “Toh main… jaun?”

“Haan,” Kuhu said indifferently, taking out her phone and scrolling through her notifications. 

Kunal felt anger bubbling up in his stomach. He had spent two months over her bed, begging and pleading her to get up, sacrificing all of his night’s sleep because of his worry for her, and this is how she received him? He turned on his heel to leave, but before he could, her voice stopped him. 

“You must be wondering, ‘how could Kuhu be so indifferent? How could she just dismiss me like that?’ Feels wonderful, right? That the person you cared for so much pushed you away in one instant?” Kuhu asked Kunal, not scathingly, but with a tone of melancholy that pierced his heart. 

Kunal turned to look at her. “I pushed you away for your own good. You wouldn’t have been able to live with me. Not while I was that angry at everyone.”

Kuhu scoffed. “For my own good? Please, Kunal. Don’t delude yourself. You were scared of being trapped in a marriage with a person you didn’t love at all. And in all of that fear, you hurt me. A lot. They say love can leave you breathless. And it did. But the only difference was you weren’t there to become my breath. You weren’t there to restart my heart like you should have been.”

She wiped a lone tear from her cheek and chuckled. “I don’t know why you spent so much time with me in the hospital. I have no clue as to why you would cry over me. Maybe it was because you felt guilty. Maybe it was because your family was having a tough time without me. I have no idea whatsoever. But this I know for sure. Had I died, you wouldn’t have felt even a little gap in your life. But when you tossed me aside, it felt like my very heart had been ripped out of my chest.”

Kunal was stunned. He didn’t know what to say. He opened his mouth to say something, but she held her hand up. “I don’t wanna hear it Kunal. Not now. Because whatever promises you make will just ring hollow. Bring me the divorce papers, and I’ll sign them. It’s time we both move on.”

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