Mukku’s Bomb - Man OS | Updated 25/1: Part 1-10 - Page 4

Part 3 - Enough.

Trying to catch his downcast eyes, Anupamaa came to stand squarely in front of him. Lifting her second hand up, she grabbed the opposite arm, she shook Anuj gently in hopes of getting this spiralling man’s attention.

Increasingly desperate as he still just hung his head in shame, and her breath already having left the room with Mukku some time ago, Anupamaa’s voice came out with a shake, as she hoped to convey the depth of her true emotion, “Anuj…”. With no luck. He did not respond.

Taking a deep breath again, driven by the need to get through to the man she felt slipping away from her, she finally was able to feel oxygen fill her lungs. Stronger this time, she said again “Anuj? Please look at me” as her fingers squeezed his large biceps.

Taking a shaky breath himself, Anuj looked her in the eyes, again as uncertain as the day they had met after his sudden declaration of his love for her at the Shah house. He opened his mouth again as if to repeat his apology… “A….”

“Bas! Bas Anuj!” Anupama had to stop him. Still holding onto his arms Anupama felt something break inside her…

“Rukjaiye! Bas hogya! Aap baar baar sorri bole rahe hai… kyu? Kyu!? Kyu aapko laga ki aapne koi vaada tora hai? Kyu aapko laga ki aapne mera advantage lia hia? Kyu aise kehereho ki mujhe yaha se jaana chahiye hai? Kyu mujhe, apni Anu ko, apneaap se door kar rahe hain?!” She was digging her fingers into his arms now, hanging onto them as she got closer and closer into his space.

Anupama didn’t know exactly what she was feeling anymore, anger, love, hurt, love, fear, love… probably all of it. She just needed to get this hurricane out from inside her….

Anuj stood flabbergasted. Unable to do much more than blink. All the guilt and sadness drained out of him, replaced by utter confusion at what Anu was saying… until a single question came to mind from what she had said…“M…meri… meri Anu?”

Taken aback by the innocence of Anuj’s question, Anu stopped her rant. Eyes wide, she looked at him, suddenly lost for words. Flicking away her eyes in embarrassment once more, one hand went to its favourite spot on the bridge of her nose, specially reserved for moments of utter shyness. Not able to conjure the same momentum she’d had seconds ago she said softly… “Haaah… you started to call me Anupamaa… sooo… I was just saying that…” squeezing her eyes shut momentarily, as if to shield the truth her words failed to hide. Her voice getting more and more emotional as she continued, this time herself unable to fully meet his gaze… “Main yahape apni marzi, nahi, apni khushi ke liye aye thi Anuj. Y…ye waqt jo maine is ghar main bitaiya hai woh mereliye bohot bohot bohot special hai. Gk, Mukku, aur… aap…aapke saath mujhe bohot khushi mili hai”.

Anu felt she cheeks catch fire, burning with shyness, as her heart thumped dangerously. Her eyes flicked up momentarily to check Anuj’s expression, still frozen in shock. Wishing to bit of space between them as not to completely combust into flames she drew her hands to herself, clasping them for comfort. Moisture gathered in her eyes as the true depth of her emotions hit her, sniffing, she waited, every atom in her body held taught…

Anuj, taken aback by her words was so confused! What did she mean? Why was she so upset? He needed more information. “Anupamaa?” Suddenly her head shot up in annoyance at hearing the distance in how he called her, looking at him sharply. Getting the reaction he’d hoped for, Anuj smirked, it got her to look at him at least! Putting up both palms in defence he said laughingly, hoping to lighten the mood, and her glare, “ok ok, ANU…. sorry if I said something wrong. I just didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable with me. I don’t mean to say that I was forcing you to stay here. And I didn’t mean to push you away. As you know, you are very very very important to my life. And Obviously I know you are a capable woman and I know you make your own decisions yourself. But… erm… but I don’t want to overstep the boundaries of our friendship…I had made you some promises and I just want to say that… from today I will make sure I stick to them… insliye…. Sorry”. He flashed his most charming and bashful smile, scratching is hand across the back of his head. Honestly Anuj had no idea what he was apologising for anymore. Or what was going on at all! Mukku ye tunhe kya Kia!?! He just hoped that if he apologised, and smiled, Anupama, as she left his house, wouldn’t leave his life. This was his only priority.

What? Oh. My. God. This man. This dumb man. What?! Why is he still going on about this whole friendship thing. What’s wrong with this Shayar Kapadia?! Why wasn’t he getting what she was saying?! He’s supposed to be the poetic and romantic one! Anupamaa’s glare only intensified, gritting her teeth her internal monologue continued… “Mukku ne Christmas pe sahi kaha tha… yeh aadami bohot bohot bohot slow hai! Pagal Chokro! Anu tujhe directly hi bolna padega. Uske bina inhe kuch nahi samaj aayega!” Inhaling with her eyes closed she prayed “dahyaan rakjo Kaanhaji! I will need it!”

“Annnnuuuuj! Aap Kyu nahi samaj rahe. Itni deer se Mai kuch kaine ki koshish kar rahi hoon aur aapko samaj hi nahi araha hai! Samajhiye na!” Honestly she felt like one of her kids when they were young, she wanted to stamp her foot and possibly throw something.

“Anu, tum kya kehene ki koshish karahi ho?” Anuj stepped an inch closer, trying to decipher her words, bringing his hand to lightly touch her arm this time. As close close as they were, he was still as gentle as ever. Kajoling her he said, “please say what is on your mind”

Anu stared into his big eyes, his head tilted to the side as he waited patiently for her response. The audacity of this man to look so cute and be so clueless!

“ Bol du?” Anu smiled slightly as she used their familiar adage to stall while she gathered her courage (and let’s be honest, to flirt with his just a little).

“Hah” Anuj smiled softly back

“Bol du?” Anupama felt the heat rise inside her.

“Haan Anu!” Anuj’s heart leapt as he felt some unknown feeling in his stomach.

“Bol du Anuj?” Anu barely whispered as drew in closer.

“Anu…” he could barely speak, his voice revealing all his desire for her to finally share his heart.

Because even though he did know, yet, and she did not say, yet, their hearts had spoken, and their souls had heard.

It was now or never. With their faces just inches apart, Anupama said, for the first of many times…

“Anuj… Mai aapse pyaar karti hoon. I… I love you Anuj’.

****

Urg! This was HARD to write. I couldn’t get the tone and language down right for a long time. Plus I’m not very good at writing in Hindi. But for something so emotional between them it seemed weird to write it in English. I hope you enjoyed it and the intensity of these two dummies is clear!

FINALLY she spoke up 😭🙈... can't wait for next update

Bol he diya!

I throughly enjoyed reading it, it was great writing!

Loved the build up and Anupama’s emotional internal build up. So in sync with the characters!

Chalo kahi toh anu n izhaar kiya pyaar ka

Please update soon dear😭😳

Wooahh ..keh diya

Nice dear...I felt little relieved and relaxed after reading your OS . Asal me kuch ho na ho hamare OS writers hame niraash nahi karte.

Thanks for sharing your writeup with us. You are a good writer,I must say.

Originally posted by: grace2021

Wooahh ..keh diya

Nice dear...I felt little relieved and relaxed after reading your OS . Asal me kuch ho na ho hamare OS writers hame niraash nahi karte.

Thanks for sharing your writeup with us. You are a good writer,I must say.

Awe thank you for your lovely messages! Yes honestly with the cannon so heavy at the moment and the weird Vanraj/mansplaining angle, OSs have been a great way to enjoy the characters!

A new update will be up in a little bit for y’all to enjoy today! Sorry for the delay! Have been a bit busy! Howeverrrr… have a few parts written AND a new OS in the works. So… stay tuned!

Part 4 - Realisation

***

Anuj blinked multiple times as the words that had spilled out of Anupamaa’s mouth echoed through his mind.

“Pyaar? No no. Pyaaz. She must mean pyaaz. No no. How can she pyaaz me?”

He blinked a few more times.

“Prabhavit? Yeh mujse Prabhavit kaise kar sakhti hai?!”

He blinked a few more time.

A voice Sounding like a mix of Devika, Mukku and Gk, shouted loudly in his head, “Anuj, Ghadhe! Say something!!!”

He blinked a few more times. Hoping that the mirage in front of him would disappear before he embarrassed himself. He still felt guilty for his last day dream…

Finally, Anu’s eyes, which had been hiding from him since she spoke, flickered up meet him. Acknowledging his shock, she gave him a mixed smile as brushes of pink adorned her cheeks.

“Anuj…?” She tentatively questioned. Her eyes conveying the immense effort she had put into arriving at this moment. Her eyes, a luscious dark chocolate colour, widened in expectant anticipation. Her eyes, uffff! They were pools of the most decedent hot chocolate and he could almost taste their sweetness as he got increasingly lost in them. His whole body was slack, his mind lost to the moment as he looked deeper into her eyes, finding himself dissolving into her, drowning in her depths. Unable to do much more than blink occasionally, afraid to even miss a second of his time with her.

“Anuj?” She tentatively urged a response, while getting slightly concerned. Had she broken the man? Bholuraam aap kaha khogaye?

Anuj, who was still swimming in the closeness of her, vaguely heard Anu’s words, unsteady in his return to her… “huh?”

Anupamaa’s face slightly crinkled as she got increasingly miffed at this ridiculous man’s lack of response “Anuj!” She started to pull away, turning around, she was frustrated and a bit disappointed at the lack of answer from Anuj… What was she doing? Making a fool of herself?! It’s one thing to say you love someone when they have made it clear they aren’t interested in a future, and just want to be your friend… it’s another to love and be with someone like her. A mother of three, a mother-in-law, not that young, not that beautiful, and at the end of the day… an uneducated divorcee, a broken woman…

While Anu quietly spiralled, Anuj felt himself clawing out of his Anu-induced happy coma. Only just noticing her turning away from him, he reached out, like a man parched in the desert in search of the cooling effects of fresh water…

“Anu…” his voice sounding like the most holy of prayers. Holding on to her elbow he gently fulled her back to him, taking a steadying breath of her aroma, drawing strength of her essence. He moved closer her from behind, barely holding one elbow with the second hand just grazing her other arm. “Anu…” her name again, uttered as if he was calling out to the heavens above. “Maine shayad suna nahi abhi tumne kya kaha… did you really just say what I think you said? Am I dreaming Anu?” His heartbeat quickened in fear, excitement and everything in between.

Anupamaa’s silence betrayed her sudden trepidation, her doubts bubbling to the surface, threatening to pull her under imposing and dark waters. Sensing the turmoil in Anu’s aura, Anuj gave her elbow a gentle squeeze, and puller her closer, now just a whisper away. His closeness, a life raft for Anu, induced her to slightly tilt her head back towards his warmth, both their hearts beating together, ever faster.

“Anu…” now it was Anuj gently kajoling the enigma just in arms reach. “Bolo? Did you really just say that…. that y…you…you….sachi main?” He dared repeat it, lest he jinx this delicate moment.

Anu once again was floored at the unassuming nature of this man.

Did he not know what he was? How could anyone not love him?

Adjusting herself slightly, allowing herself to sink into their closeness, their love, she leaned back into his arms - unable to turn into his embrace and look him in the eyes just yet, but desperately needing his closeness- her body drawn to his. Closing her eyes, her hands clasping each other, her chest heaving in anticipation, body still holding taught, gaining her courage once more she breathed out… “ Haan Anuj, I love you. Main aapse bohot bohot bohot prem karti hun.”

“Yes. Yes! YES!” Anuj suddenly burst with joy… She said it! It was REAL! Anuj gripped her tighter, looking up briefly he proclaimed “Thank you Kanhaji!” Finally pulling her around back to face him, he was overwhelmed with joy, he clutched her in ernest, and pulled her to him into the happiest of embrace, unable to control himself.

“Oh Anu I’m so so so happy today. I can’t believe it. Thank you thank you thank you!” His arms wrapped tightly around her.

Anu, who was still teetering on the edge of her numerous complex feelings was shocked at Anuj’s extreme exuberance, and sudden closeness - unable to process everything (or anything), she stood stock still, unable to respond to this new energy.

Anuj, suddenly aware of his response, slowly pulled away - creating a little space between them - a thin layer of embarrassment covering his blossoming joy, running a hand through the back of his head, and the other going limp by his side, he drew back to give her some space. “Oh… sorry Anu. Main tora carried away hogaya. I hope maine tumhe uncomfortable nahi Kia” As a number wave of emotional realisation hit him, he focused all of it into her eyes, “Mujko yakeen hi nahi horaha ki tum bhi mujhse pyaar… I mean ki… tumhe bhi ab ai… aisa lagta hai.” His voice heavy with emotion, he continued, “itne saalo baad… itna sab kuch hone ke baad… tumne mujhe is layak samjha ki tum phir se kisike saath… I mean that you made some space for me in your life. Thank you Anu”. His eyes sparkled with tears as he tried to convey the depth of his feelings. “In 26 saalo me, Maine sacchi mai ummeed ka haath kabhi bhi nahi pakra. Maine vaada kiya tha ki main bas tumse door se pyaar karunga. Because I knew that was what was right. And then, that was what you wanted. And I respected that. But my silly heart would often stumble. Tum mereliye kya ho, wo toh main shayad kabhi puri tarah bataa bhi nahi sakta. Lekin, aaj tumnhe mujpar, ye bol ke jo bharosa dikhaya hai… vo mereliya usse bhi zyada hai. Thank you Anu. ”. His hand reached his heart, as it often did, as he tried to console it - but for the first time, not in its loneliness, but in its untold happiness.

Anu, who’s tears were flowing at this point, only starting to imagine the true trials this man had gone through in his journey to this point, took a deep deep breath and wiped her tears to look back into his eyes warmly - she knew that to start their next journey together, they would both have to open the boxes closed tight in their hearts of all the memories, all the sorrows and all the joys they had experienced in their lifetime apart. But tonight was not the night. This night, their first time together as them, was for happier things. Them. Nothing else.

Smiling serenely, as entranced with him as he was her, she reached out and slipped her hand into the one resting on his heart, gripping it tight, “aapko umeed ka nahi, ab mera haath pakarna zaroori hai Anuj. Wo kaafi hai. Baaki Sub hum saath me dekh lenge.” With that, she pulled him towards her, drawing her other hand around him, resting her head next to their joint hands on his chest in a warm embrace.

Overjoyed by the closeness, and the fact that Anu had herself initiated it, Anuj wrapped his hand around her waist, and dropped his lips to her head, kissing it gently.

For the first time, these two souls grasped each other fully. Both stood in their warm embrace, basking in the light of their divine love.

****

Ahhh after so long I got a chance to post a new update! Hope you guys like it! Next update will be available in the next few days! It’s already written, just needs a quick edit etc.

I’m wondering if I should wrap this up soon and move into something else or just keep it open ended and come back to it when inspiration strikes. What do you think?