LRL: ’The Ties That Bind’ Upd pg 41 - Page 2

Hi guys, thanks for such a fantastic opening response, here's your next chapter!

Chapter 2:

Two years earlier…

For the third time, Raj drove past the Ahluwalia's house, unable to find the courage to actually go up to the house and talk to them. Banging his fist down on the steering wheel he abruptly pulled the car up to the side of the road, and got out. Enough was enough, what was the worst that could possibly happen? Even if they hated him, even if they abused him, they still deserved to know the truth about their son.

Walking to the door slowly, Raj forced himself not to simply run back to the car. With a trembling hand, he knocked on the door and waited.

Half a minute passed before it was opened, and Navin's mother stared at the strange young man at her doorstep, wondering what he wanted. "Yes?" she asked him.

"Ma'am… I wanted to talk to you and your family, you see, I was Navin's batchmate, his friend and I…"

"Who is it?" A frail sounding voice called out from inside the house.

"It's one of Navin's friends," His mother replied, "He wants to talk to us."

"Then let him inside." The voice called out again, and Mrs Ahluwalia gestured to Raj to come in.

Mr Ahluwalia sat on a chair by the fire, looking far more frail and unwell than he had when Raj saw him at the funeral two years ago.

"Hello Sir," Raj told him, before sitting down in the chair opposite.

"I've seen you somewhere before," Navin's father told him, and then suddenly realisation dawned. "You were at Navin's cremation, it was you, wasn't it?"

"Yes Sir, it was me." Raj replied sadly.

"You left before I could talk to you."

"I'm sorry, Sir." Raj replied genuinely, "At the time I didn't have the courage to stay and talk to you, I've come to make up for that today."

"Naina!" Mr Ahluwalia called out, and a young woman came into the room. Raj knew that she was Navin's sister, but was struck with the difference in how she appeared and how Navin had described her. Navin had said that his sister was fun loving and extremely mischievous, but this young woman had an air of sadness about her as if she had already given up on life, there was nothing in her that spoke of fun and mischief.

"Yes Baba," she answered quietly.

"Beti, bring some tea and snacks for our guest." Her father told her, and nodding, Naina left the room and headed for the kitchen to join her mother. Within two minutes she and Mrs Ahluwalia were back, and Naina handed Raj a cup of tea, keeping her eyes down as she did so.

"Thank you," Raj murmured, and she nodded slightly in response before going to join her mother on the couch.

"What's your name, Beta?" Navin's father asked him.

"Rajveer Singh Shekawat, Sir." Raj told him.

Mr Ahluwalia thought for a moment, "Yes, I remember your name," he told Raj, "Navin mentioned you in many of his letters. You were his best friend, weren't you?"

"Yes Sir, I was." Raj tells Navin's father, a lump rising in his throat as he thinks about Navin.

"So what is it that you want to talk to us about?"

"Sir, I don't know how I'm going to tell you this, or what you'll think of me afterwards, but you deserve to know the truth." Raj said in one breath, wanting to get it out before he lost his courage. "I should've come to see you a long time ago, but I was never brave enough."

"Then tell us, Beta." Mr Ahluwalia answered, "These past two years all we've wanted to know is the truth, if you can let us know what really happened to Navin then we'll be very grateful."

And Raj began to tell them. He told them how there was no way that Navin could have been a traitor, and how he had definitely been trapped by somebody. Then Raj told them the truth that he had hidden inside himself for the last two years, a truth that had weighed him down, a burden on his soul. He told them about the last time he had seen Navin, and about how he had been the one to kill him.

When he finished, Raj looked up, tears filling his eyes. He felt more relieved than anything else, happy to finally have this dark secret out in the open. He had expected to see hatred in their eyes, or anger, but all he can see in Navin's parents eyes is sorrow, and perhaps… compassion. He can't see how Navin's sister has reacted because she's still not looking at him, keeping her head down as she cries quietly.

"Believe me when I say that I never wanted to kill Navin," Raj tells them, trying not to cry, "Since that day I've died a thousand deaths myself. But Navin gave me no other option, and I couldn't condemn him to suffer more…"

"It's okay, Beta, we understand." Mr Ahluwalia tells him quietly.

Raj looks at him in surprise, this wasn't the response he had expected.

"When we visited Navin in jail, we saw how he was suffering." Mr Ahluwalia tells Raj gently, "They had tortured him so badly, and he was in so much pain, defeated and broken. You didn't kill my son, you set him free."

Mrs Ahluwalia nods in agreement with her husband's words, seeing her son suffering like that had affected her terribly. In the end, while she hates the choice that Raj had to make, she understands it.

Naina says nothing, and neither does she respond, instead she continues to cry with her head down.

"Sir, I promise that I won't give up until I've proven your son innocent." Raj tells them emotionally, "I will get Navin back his lost honour, I will make this entire country accept that Navin was the best and most honest soldier it has ever seen."

"Thank you, Beta." Navin's father tells him tiredly, "At least somebody will fight for him. After Navin's death we've suffered… everybody has abandoned us, we were forced to leave our home, and…" he stops speaking, unable to say anything else.

"Just tell me, Sir. Tell me how I can help you and I will," Raj begs him, "I'll make up for taking your son away from you, just let me know how."

Mr Ahluwalia is silent for a moment, and when he answers it is something that Raj could never have expected.

"If you really mean it, Beta, then marry my daughter Naina."

For the first time, Naina looks up, staring at her father in shock. Raj is struck by how beautiful her eyes are, and he quickly looks away. "Baba…" Naina begins to protest, only to be shushed by her mother.

"Sir, how could I do that?" Raj asks him, "I'm not… I mean, you can find somebody better than me for your daughter."

"Look, Beta, in the past two years we have tried to get our daughter married three times, all three proposals have fallen through, the last one only two days before the engagement. Nobody will marry her due to the stain on our family's name."

"But Sir, I promise you that I will prove Navin's innocence." Raj told him, "Your daughter is still young, after Navin's honour has been returned, you'll be able to find any boy for your daughter."

"I don't have that long." Mr Ahluwalia replied, and Raj looked at him properly for the first time, noting the grayness of his face, the tremour in his voice. "I'm dying, and I don't know how I should face my son when I meet him. How can I leave Naina and her mother with no support here? How can I tell Navin that I didn't settle his sister's life before I left?"

"Sir, I…" Raj doesn't know what to say, he has no words in reply to what Mr Ahluwlia has just said.

"You can refuse," Mr Ahluwalia tells him, "And I won't blame you for that. But if you want to do anything to make up for taking my son away from me, then do this for me. This family needs your support."

With these words, Raj realises that he can't refuse. Glancing across at Naina, he finds her face completely blank of any emotion as she stares at her father.

"Sir, I can't refuse your request." Raj tells him quietly, "I'll do as you say. But at least once, Naina should agree to this."

Abruptly Naina stood up and left the room, her mother followed her quickly while Raj sat awkwardly with Navin's father, not sure what he should be saying or doing.

After about fifteen minutes, Mrs Ahluwalia returned, but her daughter wasn't with her.

"Naina has agreed." She told Navin's father, who nodded, a slight smile on his face.

"Sir, when would you like to hold the wedding?" Raj had asked him, "I'm only on leave until tomorrow afternoon, then I have to report to my duty again."

"Then we'll hold the wedding tomorrow morning." Mr Ahluwalia told him, "Come to our house at 10am if you haven't changed your mind. If you don't turn up then we won't blame you."

Raj had tossed and turned all night, thinking about what the next day would bring. But in the morning he had gotten up early, showered and put on his dress uniform. It was the only suitable thing he had with him to wear to his own wedding.

He arrived at the house at 9:55 and knocked on the door, When Mrs Ahluwalia opened it to see him standing there, she smiled in relief. "I'm glad you've turned up," she told him, "I was almost afraid that you wouldn't."

Raj helped Mr Ahluwalia to the car while Mrs Ahluwalia went upstairs to fetch Naina. When she exited the house, Raj was taken aback. She was wearing a silk sari which Raj guessed may even have been her mother's wedding sari. They had tied jasmine to her hair, and adorned her in simple gold ornaments. Navin's sister was beautiful and under any other circumstances, Raj would have been very happy to be getting married to her. He tried not to glance at her in the rearview mirror, wondering what it was that she was thinking and feeling right now. Just because she had agreed, it didn't mean that she was happy about this marriage.

When they reached the temple they completed the ceremonies quickly, garlanding each other and then sitting through the mantras, completing the pheres and other rituals. Naina's parents both had tears in their eyes as they watched, and Mrs Ahluwalia could see that for the first time since her husband's cancer had been diagnosed, he seemed to be at peace, knowing that his daughter would be looked after.

During the ceremony, Raj only caught Naina looking at him once, but as soon as she knew he had noticed, she looked away again. She seemed determined not to meet his eyes and he wondered why it was. Did she hate him, was she scared of him, or was she just shy?

After the ceremony they swapped rings which Naina's mother had bought the day before, and Raj was amazed by how small and delicate Naina's hands were when he held one in his, slipping the ring onto his finger. Afterwards they had gone to the registry office, where they had both signed the necessary papers, and then Raj had dropped them all back home. Naina had disappeared to the kitchen, Raj wondered whether she was using the excuse of making tea to avoid him.

"I would like it if Naina could stay with us… until the end." Mr Ahluwalia had told Raj, knowing that the day of his death wasn't far off.

"Of course," Raj had replied quietly, "I think that's for the best. I'm about to be assigned to a mission that could be quite dangerous, I wouldn't be able to look after Naina properly for awhile anyway."

"She'll be continuing her education," Mr Ahluwalia told him, "She's studying medicine."

Raj nodded, realising how little he knew about the girl he had married. He had only met her yesterday and they had never even had a proper conversation.

He had left shortly after that, using the excuse of needing to arrive early to report to his seniors. Glancing back at the house, he had seen Naina watching him through one of the windows and had lifted a hand to wave goodbye, surprised when she returned the gesture. She had seemed to be surprised about it too, hurriedly closing the curtain and stepping away.

Five months later, Mr Ahluwalia had died. Raj had wanted to attend the funeral, but was unable to due to the mission he was on. Before Mr Ahluwalia's death, Raj had taken over paying the medical bills, and Naina's college fees, feeling that it was the least he could do for them and not allowing them to refuse. After her father's death, Raj continued to pay her college fees, and also sent most of his wage to Naina and her mother, knowing that otherwise they would struggle to support themselves.

He had called them up occasionally to check how they were, but had only ever spoken to Naina's mother. They had both agreed that it was best that Naina stay with Mrs Ahluwalia until her education was completed. Raj had also written letters, always addressing them to Mrs Ahluwalia but secretly hoping that Naina would read them as well.

And so for the past two years, nobody had ever realised that he had gotten married. Even Raj sometimes felt that it had only been a dream, something that had never happened at all.

But now two years after their wedding, a wife that he barely knew stood in front of him.

Raj had never been more nervous in his entire life.

awesome... very nice... too damn interesting... 👏 continue soon.... 😊 😛 😃

hey great FF

its exciting u have really changed the story dear
👏 👏
well great imagination 👏

pl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

continue soon

OMG i just love it its incredibly awesome 😊 please continue soon

It's awesome update. They don't even talked to each other in two years. Amazing.................. I hope they will fall in love and prove navin innocent together............. I really really like the story...
Please continue soon..............
Great work 👏

Hey!!!
awesome update....plzzzz continue soon...:) ;)

hey nice ff..plzzz do cont soon

outstanding..awesome.......... 👏

where r u yaar everyone is waiting eagerly for the next part come on plz cont. soon i wanna see the reaction of Naina and Raj when they meet each other 😳

Sorry guys I went out of station on the weekend! Here's your next update!

Marriage hadn't been so bad for Naina as long as she hadn't actually had to live with her husband. Her father had died peacefully, content to know that she and her mother would be provided for. At college no boys ever bothered her, knowing that her husband was a Captain in the army. In many ways the marriage had returned some of her family's lost honour to them.

It was because of this that Naina had agreed to the marriage in the first place, after her mother had asked her to. She could never refuse her father's dying wish, her last opportunity to do something to bring him happiness.

And so she had married a stranger.

A stranger who had killed her brother.

She had thought about it many times since the marriage, about whether she hated him for what he did or whether she could forgive him. In the first days after the marriage she had almost believed that she did hate him. However every time she saw the smile on her father's face, or thought about what they had said about her brother's torture, that hatred faded.

She couldn't hate him for something that hadn't been in his control, for something that he'd been forced to do.

Instead she had felt sorry for him. After everything else, he had been forced to accept a wife that he had never wanted in the first place, he had sacrificed his own desires in order to make her family happy.

However none of this changed the fact that Naina barely knew him, and that she had no idea what his own feelings about this marriage were. When he called her mother it had sounded as if he had no other choice except to call her there and that was why he was doing so. But after he had done her family so many favours, how could she refuse to go and join him?

She knew that the only reason she had been able to continue studying at all was because he had been the one to pay her college fees, the only reason that her father had died comfortably was because Captain Shekawat had provided the best treatment possible for him.

So she had packed her things up, said goodbye to her mother and friends, and boarded a bus.

For the past two years the most contact she had had with him had been seeing the photo of the two of them taken after their marriage ceremony which sat on a side table in the lounge room and reading the letters he sent. Her mother had always encouraged her to reply, but every time that Naina tried, she could never think of anything to write. There were some things that just couldn't be said in a letter, after all. And when she'd never spoken to him properly in person how was she supposed to pour out her feelings on paper?

And now here he was in front of her, and she had no idea what to say or how to act.

"Hi," he finally says somewhat awkwardly, "How was your journey?"

"It was fine," Naina replies quietly, "I managed to get some sleep on the bus."

She realizes it's the first proper sentence she's ever spoken to him.

"Thank you for coming," Raj tells her sincerely, "I know it must have been hard for you to leave your mother, but it really is important. There are some things I need to tell you, if you're not too tired then we can go somewhere to talk…"

Naina just nodded, at a loss for what else she should be saying.

Reaching out, Raj took her suitcase before she could protest and then gestured for her to follow him to his jeep. He kept glancing at her as they walked, trying to convince himself that she actually was really there with him. After two years of almost no contact with her, it seemed unreal to finally have her here by his side.

They drove in silence and Raj tried hard not to steal glances at her in the rearview mirror. He could see the difference that two years had made to her, she seemed more mature than she had the last time he saw her, and slightly more confident. She no longer looked down at the ground as often as she had on the day that they met. However she still had that quiet sadness about her which so touched his heart.

Seeing her sitting there so quietly he felt a strong urge to protect her from any further harm, no matter what it was. In her short life she had already suffered far too much from the loss of both a brother and a father. He could only imagine what humiliation and taunts their family had endured after Navin was convicted of being a traitor. There was nothing that Raj could do to fix the past, but he was definitely going to do his best to ensure that her future was as happy as possible.

Eventually he pulled up at a small caf a short distance from KMA. Leaving Naina's suitcase in the jeep, they walked inside and Raj searched for a table at the back where they could talk properly without being disturbed. Once their coffees arrived and the waiter had left, Raj knew it was time that he started the conversation. There were many things that they needed to get sorted out before they arrived at the academy. Once they were there, he knew that all eyes would be on them, and neither of them could afford to make any mistakes.

Naina was stirring sugar into her coffee while pretending not to watch him from under her eyelashes. She could tell that he was trying to work up the courage to talk to her, and was still searching for the right words to say. The first few days definitely weren't going to be easy for them.

Finally after a silence that seemed to stretch on for ages, Raj knew he had to begin somehow.

"I know how difficult this is for you, Naina." Raj told her, "And how awkward it is too. We might be married but we've never spent any time together, it will take awhile for us to get used to each other, and be comfortable with each other."

Naina nods, she's been thinking exactly the same thing and she's glad that he understands. After all, today is the first time that they've actually been alone together, having a proper conversation. Before this the two times they had met her parents had been there, and they had barely said a word to each other.

"There's a reason I called you here, Naina." He tells her, and Naina looks up from where she's once again stirring her coffee, even though the sugar has long since dissolved. "I'm not only posted in KMA as a teacher, I'm posted on special duty there. The same special duty that Navin was carrying out when he was accused of being a traitor."

Naina's hand freezes in mid action as if she is unable to put the spoon down and she concentrates completely on what he's saying.

"I know this information will be a shock to you." Raj continues, speaking quietly. "But I felt it was important that you know. As well as carrying out my duty, I hope that I'll be able to uncover some more information about who it was that framed Navin and how it was done."

"Bhaiyya was on duty there when he was accused?" Naina asks, shocked at this information. "What type of duty?" Her parents had never revealed these things to her, since she had only been seventeen at the time her brother had been convicted, they had tried to keep her away from the case as much as possible.

"I'm sorry Naina, but I can't tell you that." Raj tells her regretfully, "I shouldn't have even let you know that I'm there for any reason other than teaching but I felt that you deserved to know."

Naina nods gravely, accepting his decision not to tell her. She remembers when her brother wouldn't be able to tell her about his missions for reasons of secrecy. "I understand," she replies seriously, "I won't let anybody else know about it."

"Thank you," Raj tells her, "Now before we leave there's one more very important thing. Nobody in the academy should find out that you're Navin's sister."

Raj sees the sadness in her eyes and immediately regrets his words, knowing that she's going to misunderstand his reasons. He wants to explain himself but Naina is already nodding unquestioningly. How many times over the last four years has she had to hide her identity? How many times has she had to pretend that she never had a brother at all?

"Don't ever think that I'm ashamed of my friendship with Navin, or ashamed that you're his sister." Raj tells her fiercely, and Naina stares at him as if it's the last thing she expected to hear. "The reason I don't want anybody to know is because if they have some information about Navin's case they might not reveal it to me once they know my wife is his sister."

For the first time since she arrived, for the first time since they met two years ago in fact, Naina really looks at the man sitting in front of her. He has a kind face, an earnest and honest face. It's the face of somebody that you can rely on, somebody who will never let you down or betray you. She meets his eyes properly, hoping he can see in hers that she believes him. Because as much as she's afraid of being let down again, Naina wants to trust him, and she wants to be able to rely on him.

Because ever since Navin's death, there has been nobody for her to rely on. She has had to be the strong one for her parents, supporting them first through the case, then her father's illness, then afterwards caring for her mother. And if there is one thing that Naina is used to, then it's realizing that nobody else can be relied on, because they will all abandon you when they find out the truth.

"I…" But she has been silent for so many years that suddenly when she has the opportunity to speak it's difficult to find the words. And so she simply says the first thing that comes into her mind, the thing she's been wondering ever since the phone call came for her to join him here. "I'm not sure what I should call you." She tells him, "I mean, what name…"

"You can call me Rajveer," Raj tells her with a smile, "Or Raj if you prefer it. If you call me anything else then people at the academy will definitely become suspicious."

Naina smiles at this too, trying to imagine the reactions of people if she went around calling her husband 'Captain Shekawat', which was what she used to refer to him as at home with her mother.

"So shall we leave for the academy?" Raj asks her, "I'm sorry if I'm hurrying you, but I have a class to teach which starts in half an hour. I'll have to leave you by yourself for some time."

"That's fine," Naina tells him, a little bit more relaxed now, "I'll settle in, unpack my things. Will I be able to call Ma to tell her I arrived safely?"

"Of course," Raj tells her, as they pay the bill and walk to the car. "I'll send someone to take you to the phone, unfortunately I haven't got a connection in my room yet."

They drive to the academy in silence, but fortunately the atmosphere is a little less tense now that they've had the opportunity to actually talk to each other.

As they enter the gates, Naina feels a strange apprehension. This was the place where her brother was trapped by somebody, the place where he was accused of being a traitor. Is it possible that they might be able to uncover the truth or will this place once again take away her only support in life? One which she has only just found?

Raj walked Naina to his room, carrying her suitcase. He was thankful that all of the cadets were currently in their classes so that they could attract minimal attention. Still, he noticed that all of the orderlies were staring at them, obviously having nothing better to do.

They entered his quarters and Naina looked around, knowing that this was going to be her new home for at least awhile. The place was tidy, she shouldn't have been surprised, she knew that soldiers were usually very careful about their things, and he probably had somebody come in to clean for him too.

"Well this is it," Raj announced, "I know it's not much, but I hope you'll be comfortable here." He led her through the living room and entered the bedroom where he placed her suitcase down. "The bathroom is through that door," he told her, "And there should be more than enough room for you in the closet, but if there's not, you can shift some of my things."

Naina just nodded and gave him a small smile, trying to let him know that she would be fine.

"Well then I'll leave you to settle in," Raj told her, "I'll be gone for about an hour and then after that I'll show you around the academy, if there's anything you need before then, one of the orderlies will help you."

With one last glance back to reassure himself that she would be alright he left, closing the door behind him.

Naina unzipped her suitcase and began to unpack, placing her clothes into the closet. It was only when she had finished and sat down on the bed to rest when she noticed what had escaped her attention until then.

There on his bedside table sat the same photo of them on the day of their wedding as the one that was in their lounge room at home.

Picking up the photo, Naina gazed down at it. Two years seemed like such a long time ago now. Neither of them were smiling in the photo, instead they looked straight ahead at the camera, serious expressions on their faces. The only sign that it was a marriage photo at all was Naina's outfit and the garlands around both of their necks.

Their marriage might not have had the best beginnings, but now here two years later she had finally joined her husband. Naina wanted to believe that the future would hold better things for her, that finally there might be some happiness, but she was weary of hoping for too much.

She had learnt the hard way that nothing in her life would ever be easy.