Posted:
Hi guys. ...sorry for the delay. ...let me warn you guys. ...There is very little Swadarsh in this chapter. ..but it was necessary for the story to go ahead. .please bear with me. ...I promise the next chapter will be 100% Swadarsh. ..hope you don't find this chapter too boring.
CHAPTER 5
Adarsh sat working on his laptop. He had two important files to look into. The meeting was two days away but he always completed his work well before time. That was how he liked it. He rarely brought work home like today. The lunch and the subsequent thoughts had distracted him the whole afternoon. So he was working at home. Thanks to Swadheenta Ramakrishnan.
He was reading through a file when Abhay came in.
" Bhai aap free ho na? " Abhay asked.
Adarsh nodded .
" Actually main thodi der pehle aaya tha. Aap phone call par the toh change karne chala gaya. "Abhay told him settling down on the couch.
" Ya I was talking to Suraj. " Adarsh replied.
" Haan pata hai. Aap itni time baat toh sirf uss se karte ho. Thank god ladka hai. Varna log baatein karte. " Abhay said laughing from ear to ear.
Adarsh made a face.
" Kya galat kaha maine? Aap kabhi apni fiancee se toh itni time baat nahin karte. Aap Suraj se shaadi kyun nahin karte? " Abhay asked grinning.
Adarsh threw a cushion at him.
Abhay laughed and said " Bhai, seriously Vanshika Bhabhi se kabhi baat karte ho? "
"Of course, jab koi zaroori baat karni ho. I do call her. "Adarsh said.
" 5 minutes se zyaada kabhi baat karte ho aap? About anything? " Abhay asked.
" Chottu, we discuss things which affect both of us. Uske alaava small talk main zyaada nahin karta hoon. " Adarsh replied.
" Aap ke work? Unki life mein kya ho raha hai? Yeh sab small talk hai? " Abhay asked.
" No. But I don't think she is much interested in hearing about my work and I don't want to make her listen just for my sake. " Adarsh reasoned.
Abhay ' s phone beeped at that instant. He took out the phone and smiled .
" Its Swadheenta. Main worried tha ki Simmi phone pick nahin kar rahi hai. Swadheenta ne message kiya hai ki Simmi so rahi hai. She is really a wonderful friend. "Abhay told him.
"Speaking of Swadheenta, tu aaj wahaan restaurant mein kya keh raha tha? Use Bhabhi banaaon Teri? " Adarsh asked hitting Abhay playfully.
" Toh? Hai na woh acchi. Aap ke liye perfect. "Abhay said grinning.
" Accha. Tu abhi apni love story par dhyan de ." Adarsh said.
At the same time they heard the sound of a car coming in.
"Mom "Abhay said tensed.
" Chottu , tujhe mom se baat karni hi hogi. For Simmi at least. " Adarsh told him.
Abhay nodded and the brothers went down to meet their mother.
************
Jaya saw her mother in law come in. She looked tired. She must have had a busy day, Jaya thought as she greeted her.
"Aap ke liye tea laoon? " She asked Suhasini.
" Not now Jaya. Sab aa gaye?" Suhasini asked.
"Adarsh aur Abhay upar hain. Dad lawn mein the aur Jai kisi kaam se gaye hain. " Jaya informed her.
"Abhay ko bula lao please. "Suhasini said .
Jaya noticed that she looked worried and left to call Abhay
just then she caught sight of the brothers coming down.
" Abhay I have to ask you something. "Suhasini said looking at her youngest son worried.
Abhay looked at her bewildered.
" Tum Mr Naveen Ahuja ki beti ko jaante ho? " she asked.
Abhay looked shocked.
" Yes mom. " He said quietly.
" How? "She asked her voice faltering slightly.
" I met Simmi at a party." Abhay said.
" Well she thinks she is in love with you. " Suhasini said.
A statement not a question. Abhay took in a deep breath and replied " Simmi doesn't think that. We love each other. She is my life. "
Suhasini looked at her youngest son hurt. For the first time in life she felt betrayed. How could Abhay do this?
" Yeh kya keh rahe ho tum Abhay? " Manohar who had just joined them asked.
" Papa, main jaanta hoon Simmi ke papa kaise hain. Par Simmi bahot sweet hai. Kya woh kaafi nahinhai? "Abhay protested.
" Of course not. Shaadi mein do families involved hoti hai and I don't want him as my samdhi. Samjhe tum. Before you utter another word suno ki tumhare girlfriend ke papa ne kya kiya . Woh mere office aaye aur kehne lage ki hum rishtedaar banne wale hai. Tum unki beti se shaadi kar rahe ho aur humein case chhod kar shaadi ki tayaariyon mein dhyan dena chahiye. And when I told him that I am busy with the case and he shouldn't disturb me , he said I shouldn't take up the case. Kyunki aakhir unki saari property tumhe hi toh milegi. Toh faayda mujhe hoga. Aaj tak kisi ne Suhasini Sinha se aise baat nahin kiya hai . Aur tum unki beti se shaadi karna chahte ho? "Suhasini shouted.
Adarsh tried to interfere but his father stopped him. He saw his mom standing quietly.
" Mom I am sorry. " Abhay said.
His mother cut him off.
" You should be. Dekho Abhay, maine hamesha tumhe pamper kiya hai. But this time I will not give in. Main uss ladki ko apni bahu nahin banaaongi. Mujhe apni family ki reputation ki fikar hai and I hope tumhe bhi hai. Apne bhai ko dekho. Hamari pasand ki ladkiyon se shaadi kar rahe hain. And they are happy. You will do the same. If you care about your family. "
With that she left the room followed by her husband.
Adarsh noticed that Abhay looked angry. But before he could talk to Abhay, Abhay rushed out grabbing his car keys. Adarsh followed him and saw him talking to Simmi.
" Tum jaldi se park aa jaao. Baat karni hai. " Abhay said angrily hanging up.
Adarsh knew him too well. Abhay usually used this tone only when he was on duty. Adarsh could say he going to snap and that was the last thing needed right now. He had to stop from doing something foolish. He saw Abhay drive away before he could stop him. He checked his pocket. Fortunately he had the keys on him. He got into his car. Following Abhay could be difficult and he had no idea which park Abhay had meant.
Then it struck him. She would know .He needed her help. Luckily they had exchanged numbers. He dialed the number quickly
"Hello Swadheenta. "
***************
Swadheenta reached the park and to her surprise found Simmi there. Simmi was as clueless as she herself was
Abhay hadn't told her anything.
A few minutes later they saw Abhay ' s car. Simmi ran to him and hugged him happily. Abhay pulled away from her. While Swadheenta sensed something was wrong, Simmi didn't notice it.
"Baby, kya hua? Tum ghar aa sakte the na? " She asked.
" Simmi, I wanted to talk to you. " Abhay said.
"Haan. Baby, pata hai aaj kya hua? ..."Simmi started but Abhay cut her off.
"Can you just listen? Tum kabhi meri baatein nahin sunn sakti ho aur na maan sakti ho, right? " Abhay asked raising his voice.
Both Simmi and Swadheenta were taken aback.
" Abhay why are you talking to me like this? Tumhe kya ho gaya hai? " Simmi asked confused.
At that moment Adarsh arrived. One look at him and Swadheenta understood something had happened. It didn't take her long to guess. Their mom had come to know everything. She wondered what Abhay was going to do.
"Mom ko sab pata chal gaya. Thanks to your Papa. "Abhay said.
Simmi looked at Swadheenta worried. Swadheenta tried to talk to her but Simmi had arrived at another conclusion.
" Toh tum mujhe chhod ne wale ho? sab kuch khatam kar doge tum? Isliye aise baat kar rahe ho tum? " She asked in a broken voice.
Abhay and Swadheenta looked at her shocked.
" Have you lost it? Agar mujhe tumhe chhod na hi hota toh bahut pehle kar leta . Par tum kahaan samajhti ho. Tumne apni insecurity ke wajah se apne papa ko sab kuch bata diya. Tum mujhe trust nahin karti. Isliye apne papa ki help liya aur unhone sab bigaad diya. Meri mom ko gussa dilaaya. Tum aur tumhare Papa kuch bhi kar ne se pehle sochte nahin ho na? " Abhay asked angrily.
" Abhay! Is that how you talk to a girl? " Adarsh intefered.
Abhay calmed down but Simmi was now in angry mode.
"Abhay tumhe mere Papa ke baare mein kuch bhi kehne ka haq nahin hai. Aur maine unhe kyun bataaya yeh tum sunn na nahin chaahte aur na main bataane wali hoon. Mujhe nahin pata tha ki woh seeda tumhare Mom ke paas jaayenge. Aur agar mujhe tumhari baat maan ne se problem hoti toh main itni din unse yeh sab nahin chupaati
Do you know how bad I feel? I am leaving ."Simmi shouted at Abhay.
Before anyone could utter a word Simmi got into her car.
"Swadheenta, tum chali jaaogi na? Bye Swadheenta. Bye bhaiyya. " She said to Adarsh and Swadheenta as she left.
Abhay tried to stop her but Simmi was adamant. After she left Swadheenta explained to the brothers the events of the afternoon .
"Mujhe abhi Simmi se milna hai. Bhai aap Swadheenta ko chhod dena. " Abhay said leaving in a haste.
" Its ok Abhay . Agar Simmi nahin maani toh kal baat karna. Uska gussa shaant ho jaayega. " Swadheenta told him.
A few minutes later Adarsh and Swadheenta stood there looking at each other.
"Humein bhi chalna chahiye. " Swadheenta said breaking the silence.
Adarsh nodded absent mindedly. She felt more like a dream right now waiting to fade away into the darkness. He wasn't to be blamed. She had just returned to his life like in a dream out of nowhere and now they stood here alone under a starlit sky.
Little did he know this was just the beginning.
*************
CHAPTER 5
Adarsh sat working on his laptop. He had two important files to look into. The meeting was two days away but he always completed his work well before time. That was how he liked it. He rarely brought work home like today. The lunch and the subsequent thoughts had distracted him the whole afternoon. So he was working at home. Thanks to Swadheenta Ramakrishnan.
He was reading through a file when Abhay came in.
" Bhai aap free ho na? " Abhay asked.
Adarsh nodded .
" Actually main thodi der pehle aaya tha. Aap phone call par the toh change karne chala gaya. "Abhay told him settling down on the couch.
" Ya I was talking to Suraj. " Adarsh replied.
" Haan pata hai. Aap itni time baat toh sirf uss se karte ho. Thank god ladka hai. Varna log baatein karte. " Abhay said laughing from ear to ear.
Adarsh made a face.
" Kya galat kaha maine? Aap kabhi apni fiancee se toh itni time baat nahin karte. Aap Suraj se shaadi kyun nahin karte? " Abhay asked grinning.
Adarsh threw a cushion at him.
Abhay laughed and said " Bhai, seriously Vanshika Bhabhi se kabhi baat karte ho? "
"Of course, jab koi zaroori baat karni ho. I do call her. "Adarsh said.
" 5 minutes se zyaada kabhi baat karte ho aap? About anything? " Abhay asked.
" Chottu, we discuss things which affect both of us. Uske alaava small talk main zyaada nahin karta hoon. " Adarsh replied.
" Aap ke work? Unki life mein kya ho raha hai? Yeh sab small talk hai? " Abhay asked.
" No. But I don't think she is much interested in hearing about my work and I don't want to make her listen just for my sake. " Adarsh reasoned.
Abhay ' s phone beeped at that instant. He took out the phone and smiled .
" Its Swadheenta. Main worried tha ki Simmi phone pick nahin kar rahi hai. Swadheenta ne message kiya hai ki Simmi so rahi hai. She is really a wonderful friend. "Abhay told him.
"Speaking of Swadheenta, tu aaj wahaan restaurant mein kya keh raha tha? Use Bhabhi banaaon Teri? " Adarsh asked hitting Abhay playfully.
" Toh? Hai na woh acchi. Aap ke liye perfect. "Abhay said grinning.
" Accha. Tu abhi apni love story par dhyan de ." Adarsh said.
At the same time they heard the sound of a car coming in.
"Mom "Abhay said tensed.
" Chottu , tujhe mom se baat karni hi hogi. For Simmi at least. " Adarsh told him.
Abhay nodded and the brothers went down to meet their mother.
************
Jaya saw her mother in law come in. She looked tired. She must have had a busy day, Jaya thought as she greeted her.
"Aap ke liye tea laoon? " She asked Suhasini.
" Not now Jaya. Sab aa gaye?" Suhasini asked.
"Adarsh aur Abhay upar hain. Dad lawn mein the aur Jai kisi kaam se gaye hain. " Jaya informed her.
"Abhay ko bula lao please. "Suhasini said .
Jaya noticed that she looked worried and left to call Abhay
just then she caught sight of the brothers coming down.
" Abhay I have to ask you something. "Suhasini said looking at her youngest son worried.
Abhay looked at her bewildered.
" Tum Mr Naveen Ahuja ki beti ko jaante ho? " she asked.
Abhay looked shocked.
" Yes mom. " He said quietly.
" How? "She asked her voice faltering slightly.
" I met Simmi at a party." Abhay said.
" Well she thinks she is in love with you. " Suhasini said.
A statement not a question. Abhay took in a deep breath and replied " Simmi doesn't think that. We love each other. She is my life. "
Suhasini looked at her youngest son hurt. For the first time in life she felt betrayed. How could Abhay do this?
" Yeh kya keh rahe ho tum Abhay? " Manohar who had just joined them asked.
" Papa, main jaanta hoon Simmi ke papa kaise hain. Par Simmi bahot sweet hai. Kya woh kaafi nahinhai? "Abhay protested.
" Of course not. Shaadi mein do families involved hoti hai and I don't want him as my samdhi. Samjhe tum. Before you utter another word suno ki tumhare girlfriend ke papa ne kya kiya . Woh mere office aaye aur kehne lage ki hum rishtedaar banne wale hai. Tum unki beti se shaadi kar rahe ho aur humein case chhod kar shaadi ki tayaariyon mein dhyan dena chahiye. And when I told him that I am busy with the case and he shouldn't disturb me , he said I shouldn't take up the case. Kyunki aakhir unki saari property tumhe hi toh milegi. Toh faayda mujhe hoga. Aaj tak kisi ne Suhasini Sinha se aise baat nahin kiya hai . Aur tum unki beti se shaadi karna chahte ho? "Suhasini shouted.
Adarsh tried to interfere but his father stopped him. He saw his mom standing quietly.
" Mom I am sorry. " Abhay said.
His mother cut him off.
" You should be. Dekho Abhay, maine hamesha tumhe pamper kiya hai. But this time I will not give in. Main uss ladki ko apni bahu nahin banaaongi. Mujhe apni family ki reputation ki fikar hai and I hope tumhe bhi hai. Apne bhai ko dekho. Hamari pasand ki ladkiyon se shaadi kar rahe hain. And they are happy. You will do the same. If you care about your family. "
With that she left the room followed by her husband.
Adarsh noticed that Abhay looked angry. But before he could talk to Abhay, Abhay rushed out grabbing his car keys. Adarsh followed him and saw him talking to Simmi.
" Tum jaldi se park aa jaao. Baat karni hai. " Abhay said angrily hanging up.
Adarsh knew him too well. Abhay usually used this tone only when he was on duty. Adarsh could say he going to snap and that was the last thing needed right now. He had to stop from doing something foolish. He saw Abhay drive away before he could stop him. He checked his pocket. Fortunately he had the keys on him. He got into his car. Following Abhay could be difficult and he had no idea which park Abhay had meant.
Then it struck him. She would know .He needed her help. Luckily they had exchanged numbers. He dialed the number quickly
"Hello Swadheenta. "
***************
Swadheenta reached the park and to her surprise found Simmi there. Simmi was as clueless as she herself was
Abhay hadn't told her anything.
A few minutes later they saw Abhay ' s car. Simmi ran to him and hugged him happily. Abhay pulled away from her. While Swadheenta sensed something was wrong, Simmi didn't notice it.
"Baby, kya hua? Tum ghar aa sakte the na? " She asked.
" Simmi, I wanted to talk to you. " Abhay said.
"Haan. Baby, pata hai aaj kya hua? ..."Simmi started but Abhay cut her off.
"Can you just listen? Tum kabhi meri baatein nahin sunn sakti ho aur na maan sakti ho, right? " Abhay asked raising his voice.
Both Simmi and Swadheenta were taken aback.
" Abhay why are you talking to me like this? Tumhe kya ho gaya hai? " Simmi asked confused.
At that moment Adarsh arrived. One look at him and Swadheenta understood something had happened. It didn't take her long to guess. Their mom had come to know everything. She wondered what Abhay was going to do.
"Mom ko sab pata chal gaya. Thanks to your Papa. "Abhay said.
Simmi looked at Swadheenta worried. Swadheenta tried to talk to her but Simmi had arrived at another conclusion.
" Toh tum mujhe chhod ne wale ho? sab kuch khatam kar doge tum? Isliye aise baat kar rahe ho tum? " She asked in a broken voice.
Abhay and Swadheenta looked at her shocked.
" Have you lost it? Agar mujhe tumhe chhod na hi hota toh bahut pehle kar leta . Par tum kahaan samajhti ho. Tumne apni insecurity ke wajah se apne papa ko sab kuch bata diya. Tum mujhe trust nahin karti. Isliye apne papa ki help liya aur unhone sab bigaad diya. Meri mom ko gussa dilaaya. Tum aur tumhare Papa kuch bhi kar ne se pehle sochte nahin ho na? " Abhay asked angrily.
" Abhay! Is that how you talk to a girl? " Adarsh intefered.
Abhay calmed down but Simmi was now in angry mode.
"Abhay tumhe mere Papa ke baare mein kuch bhi kehne ka haq nahin hai. Aur maine unhe kyun bataaya yeh tum sunn na nahin chaahte aur na main bataane wali hoon. Mujhe nahin pata tha ki woh seeda tumhare Mom ke paas jaayenge. Aur agar mujhe tumhari baat maan ne se problem hoti toh main itni din unse yeh sab nahin chupaati
Do you know how bad I feel? I am leaving ."Simmi shouted at Abhay.
Before anyone could utter a word Simmi got into her car.
"Swadheenta, tum chali jaaogi na? Bye Swadheenta. Bye bhaiyya. " She said to Adarsh and Swadheenta as she left.
Abhay tried to stop her but Simmi was adamant. After she left Swadheenta explained to the brothers the events of the afternoon .
"Mujhe abhi Simmi se milna hai. Bhai aap Swadheenta ko chhod dena. " Abhay said leaving in a haste.
" Its ok Abhay . Agar Simmi nahin maani toh kal baat karna. Uska gussa shaant ho jaayega. " Swadheenta told him.
A few minutes later Adarsh and Swadheenta stood there looking at each other.
"Humein bhi chalna chahiye. " Swadheenta said breaking the silence.
Adarsh nodded absent mindedly. She felt more like a dream right now waiting to fade away into the darkness. He wasn't to be blamed. She had just returned to his life like in a dream out of nowhere and now they stood here alone under a starlit sky.
Little did he know this was just the beginning.
*************
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