"Vivah sampann hua. Var evam vadhu ab apne bade-buzurg ka aashirwaad lein."
Samrat and Gunjan walked towards Bauji and bent down to touch his feet, as he caressed their head and lifted them up.
"Samrat beta, meri beti ka khyaal rakhna. Voh bahut bholi hai, aur usse iss duniya ke baare mein zyaada kuch nahi pata. Choti choti baaton ko dil se leti hi. Voh kya hai naa-"
"Mujhe pata hai ki voh bahut sensitive hai. Aap chinta mat keejeeye" interrupted Samrat quietly, much to the astonishment of the people around him.
These words triggered a memory in Gunjan's mind, as she was transported back to the Valentine's Night. She looked at Samrat, who was staring rigidly into space.
Gunjan touched Samrat's arm lightly, which seemed to jerk him out of his reverie. He turned to face the room at large and said, "Main aaj raat ki train se Mumbai laut raha hoon. Benji, Dia, Uday, Mayank, even you guys are supposed to be leaving with me. Humare paas time nahi hai, so its better we leave now."
A collective gasp echoed in the room as these words escaped Samrat's mouth, as everyone stared at Samrat with a gobsmacked expression on their face.
"Aur Gunjan ka kya, Samrat jee-jaa-jee?" asked Nupur, emphasizing on the word jeejajee.
"She can stay here till uni resumes. I won't force her to return to Mumbai with me." replied Samrat tonelessly.
"Yeh kya bakwaas hai! Koi bhi shaadi-shuda ladki apne maayke mein aise nahi baithti! Gunjan bhi Samrat ke saath Mumbai jaayegi. Nupur, jaao aur uska saaman baandh lo." exclaimed Bhui as she stared at Samrat, daring him to challenge her.
Nupur shot a dirty look at Samrat before she went inside to pack her sister's bag. Mayank proceeded to call the railway office to make reservations for Gunjan, while the rest of the gang went into their rooms to pack their things.
In the midst of all the flurry, no one bothered to notice Gunjan, who was staring at the floor with a haunted expression, tears streaming down her face.
3 hours later
"Nupur, yeh sab kya hai? Aate samay toh Gunjan ka itna samaan nahi tha!" asked Bhui, as she eyed the bags suspiciously.
"Arre Bhui, isme aadha samaan mera hai! Main bhi toh waapas Mumbai laut rahi hoon naa?" replied Nupur, as if it was the most obvious thing on Earth.
Shashi stared at his elder daughter incredulously, as she bustled around the large room. He walked up to her, stopping her midway in her tracks.
"Tumse kisne kahaan ki TUM Mumbai jaa rahi ho?"
Nupur balked at the harshness in her father's voice. She was suddenly aware of the fact that everyone was staring at her, and it made her feel rather weak and vulnerable. Her eyes sought out Mayank, but was unable to spot him.
"Lekin Bauji, Gunjan jaa rahi hai toh maine socha ki-"
"Gunjan apne PATI ke saath jaa rahi hai."
Nupur was suddenly aware of the fact that everyone's eyes were on her at that moment. She cowered under their gaze, her steps faltering.
"Tayaajee, we'd be really glad if Nupur came along with us, especially Gunjan. I think usse humare saath aana chahiye." piped Dia.
"Nupur kahin nahi jaayegi. College ek hafte mein shuru ho raha hai, voh baad mein aayegi. Iss baare mein mujhe kuch nahi sunna." said Bhui coldly.
Dia stared helplessly at Nupur, who was fuming in anger. Mayank noticed the change in his girlfriend's demeanor and moved closer to her, trying to catch her eye but to no avail.
After an awkward silence, Dia and Benji began to pick up the bags, silently indicating that they had to leave. Samrat picked up his bags and walked towards the jeep without acknowledging anyone around him. Dia and Benji noticed Samrat's whimsical behavior and brought Gunjan out to the jeep, as they loaded her luggage in the car.
As the jeep revved away, the gang turned back to look at Bhushan Mansion one last time.
The place that had changed their lives forever.
A day later, Dia and Uday's house, Mumbai.
"Okay guys, thank you for the ride back home! We'll catch up tomorrow okay?" said Dia, faking a smile, as she turned to close the door of the cab.
"Mujhe Gunjan se akele mein baat karni hai. Right now."
4 heads turned to face Samrat, who was staring pointedly at Gunjan at this point.
"Sam yaar, its 1AM. Baatein kal bhi toh ho sakti hai naa?" asked Benji hesitantly, as he tried to dissuade Samrat.
"Gunjan, tum aa rahi ho ki nahi?"
Gunjan just turned to smile weakly at the others, as she walked over to Samrat. The two of them walked into the house, as the gang stared at their retreating backs in fear.
(Living room, Bhushan Mansion, Mumbai)
"Samrat? Tum thak gaye hoge naa? Main tumhare liye coffee le kar aati hoon." muttered Gunjan quietly, as she made to walk towards the kitchen.
"Gunjan. Iski koi zaroorat nahi hai. Can we just sit and talk? Please?" asked Samrat softly.
For the first time in few days, Gunjan saw a glimmer of her special friend in Samrat. The thought of it sent her heart singing, and she couldn't help but stop in her tracks, as her big brown eyes looked intently at Samrat.
"Jaisa tum chaho Samrat. Uhmm, kamre mein chalein?"
Samrat nodded mutely as he followed her into her room.
(Gunjan and Nupur's room, Bhushan Mansion, Mumbai)
Gunjan sat down gingerly on her bed, as she looked up at Samrat, who was standing by the window, looking out of it.
"I'm sorry Chashmish." whispered Samrat softly, as he turned to look into her big, brown eyes.
"Samrat? Tum mujhse maafi kyun maang rahe ho?" replied a confused Gunjan.
Samrat took a deep breath, as he walked up to Gunjan and knelt on the floor in front of her.
"Gunjan, I'm extremely sorry for whatever I did in Morena. Main tumse shaadi nahi karna chahta tha, naa hi tumhe iss khokhle bandhan mein bandhna chahta tha. But you know I am naa? Main tumhe uss haalat mein nahi dekh sakta tha. Isiliye maine bina soche samjhe voh sab kar diya. I can't tell you how ashamed I am at this point! Tumse aankhein bhi nahi mila sakta!" said Samrat, as he buried his head in Gunjan's lap.
Tears streamed down Gunjan's eyes as she listened to him. Her fingers wound into his hair as she attempted to soothe his pain and guilt.
Samrat felt a hand threading into his hair, and felt strangely at peace. He hadn't felt this way for years. The last time he felt this peace was when he was with his mother, as she put him to sleep.
"Gunjan?" mumbled Samrat.
"Hmm?"
"Don't worry about whatever just happened. Maine hi tumhe iss problem mein daala hai, aur ab main hi tumhe iss problem se nikal doonga. I've spoken to my lawyer. Humara divorce ka application parson court mein jaayega, and after a period of 6 months, we'll officially be separated."
Gunjan's entire being froze with shock as the Samrat's words registered in her head. Her fingered stopped caressing Samrat's hair as she removed her hand from his head.
Samrat felt Gunjan remove her hand from his head, and this prompted him to look up into her tear-streaked face.
"Chashmish! Please don't cry! Shit, I didn't want you to cry! But you know naa, mujhe shaadi mein koi vishwaas nahi hai? I mean, I know how you feel about all this, aur main tumhari zindagi barbaad nahi kar sakta Chashmish. And of course, university mein kisi ko iss jhooti shaadi ke baare mein pata chalega. Every thing will be like before! Please don't cry!" exclaimed Samrat, as he tried to console Gunjan.
*Gunjan's POV*
It was as if the world just crashed on me. Jhooti shaadi? Divorce? Bhagwaan jee, yeh kaisi pariksha hai?!
But Samrat is not just my best friend. He's my husband. I will listen to whatever he says. He will never know what I feel about this wedding.
*Gunjan's POV ends*
Gunjan faked watery chuckle, as she looked at a panicked Samrat.
"Samrat, main jaanti thi tum aisa hi kuch karoge. Yeh khushi ke aasoon hain, idiot! Thank you Samrat, thank you so much!" said Gunjan.
Samrat's eyes lit up in happiness as he realised that nothing had changed. He grabbed Gunjan's hands in his own and smiled widely at her, as he took in her face.
"Chashmish, tum bhi naa! Dara deti ho! Don't worry, ab main sab theek kar doonga!" replied a delighted Samrat, as he got up and pulled Gunjan into a tight hug.
Gunjan hugged Samrat back, as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to drown in the abyss of the darkness that seemed to engulf her soul.
Spoiler for the Next Chapter: Moving On
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