" Pata nahi..."
Watching her walk away ridden with dismay, Anuj took a moment to brace himself and gathered the wit to speak. He wasn’t sure how he was going to do this but he was about to share the secret that he'd never wanted to keep from her, but he had to.
Anupama was now very much a part of his life and had every right to know everything about it, also the darkest secret that he had buried in his heart for years.
" Anu " he whispered, tapping on her shoulder and leaving his hand there as she turned around to face him. She looked flustered and he knew why.
Sliding his hand down from her shoulder to her fingers, he clasped her hand gently and walked her to the sofa.
Baffled yet oddly satisfied by his owning touch, she watched him blankly and walked with him for a moment without saying a word and in the next moment she said " Anuj, aap baithiye, mai aapke liye paani laati hoon...aur aapke liye kuch fatafat khaane ke liye banadoo?...party mein aapne kuch khaya toh nahi hoga aur ab raat ki dawai bhi lene ka teme ho gaya hai..." she fussed incessantly, partly to mask her nervousness and also to avoid his intriguing gaze that refused to shift...
He loved her more when she cared for him so earnestly and when she babbled continually to disguise her raw emotions, there was a certain innocence in her attention and he loved to be the centre of it.
"Anu...yaha aao" he pulled her back gently and sat her next to him while still holding onto her hand so ardently and when she tried to leave again he said "Anu mujhe kuch nahi chahiye, mujhe bas tum...” he paused purposely to run a quick check on his access to her and when she looked forthcoming enough he said....” I mean tumse baat karni hai, baitho mere paas”
Knowing how edgy he was about talking of Malvika, Anu wanted to rid him of him guilt and clear her stance in the matter. " Anuj mai jaanti hoon aap mujhe sahi samay aane par bata denge jo aapko batana hoga, sorri maine aapko sawaal karke pareshaan kar diya, mera haq toh nahi tha ke aapse aise..."
“haq? “ he smirked audibly and inched in slightly closer to show his intent.
Holding onto her hand possessively, he watched her with unwavering keenness as she listened to him attentively. “Anu shayad tum jaanti nahi, ya phir ab kuch kuch samajhne lagi ho ki ye haq toh maine tumhe 26 saal se de rakkha hai...”
She looked overwhelmed as he continued.. "tumhe haq hai Anu ...haq hai tumhe mujhse sawaal karne ka, mujhse naraaz hone na, mujhpar apna haq jatane ka...kyuki tumhe apni zindagi mein laane ke liye maine bohot intezaar kiya hai...”
His words echoed in her mind and she felt her heart gallop as he gazed at her intensely. He let her grasp everything he said before he could move onto the next set of feelings he wanted to share, for today he wanted to open up to her entirely leaving no secrets behind.
She struggled to stack her emotions in order and wasn't sure if she could contain herself. He had filled her heart with so much love that she unintentionally forgave him for what he was never accused of.
Drawing a deep breath in, he opened her palm and randomly caressed it with the tip of his thumb and said..."Anu tum meri zindagi ho, aur Mukku meri zimmedari...” he tried to differentiate between the two without having to give either a preference over the other.
“Anu aisi koi baat nahi hai jo mai tumse chupana chahta tha...par jab Mukku achanak itne saal baad wapis aayi toh mai darr gaya" it was her turn to gaze at him curiously, he looked guilty and distressed and felt like he couldn't muster the courage to look her in the eye...
"Anuj aap thik hai? " she asked squeezing his hand to extend her support and to reassure that she was all ears...She wished she hadnt put him in this awkward situation and wanted to tell him that he could stop if it was too painful.
"Anu mujhe kehne do, kyuki ab tumse kuch bhi chupana mere bass mein nahi hai” he sniffled and cleared his throat as the crackle in his voice got apparent.
He was vulnerable and she was shattered to see him hurting so bad.
"kahiye Anuj, mai sun rahi hoon...” she urged him to cry it all out for his pain was getting unbearable for her to bear.
*********
Falling to the floor, with eyes brimming with tears, he clutched onto her and settled his head in her lap where he found his safe haven. Her silent tears complimented his pain as she stroked his hair lovingly and cradled him to sleep.
*********
ok done, wanted to post before the episode aired...
let me know your thoughts please...
Marathi TV
6