It was Wednesday. The day she saw Aryan Singh Rathore for the first time. At that time she didn't know who he was, neither did she want to know the rude driver who drived too fast and did not pay attention to the public while driving his big black car. It was later, much later, when she came to know that his uncaring attitude and his big black car were just his shields. Shields to protect himself from an uncaring and a cruel world. The world was never a good place for everybody. It was not always a good place for good people. And while Imlie was aware of this, she became aware of Aryan much later. And well, it was Wednesday today and she didn't know why she was contemplating all this instead of doing her work. But she did know. She was lost in her thoughts because Aryan Singh Rathore, the famous, fast-forward, Akad-Bagga, the man who would do anything to get his point across, the man who would want Imlie to move on had pushed her towards her Babu Saheb. He had pushed her towards Babu Saheb after Malini's whole truth had been exposed and Babu Saheb had broke down. And for once, when she hadn't wanted to do anything with Aditya Kumar Tripathi, he had pushed her to him. And the contemplation was not about Aryan Singh Rathore, it was about his decision to push her towards Aditya Kumar Tripathi. And also about why it felt like such a betrayal.
It was Monday. The day she believed that Aryan had caught her in a vulnerable moment. She had been asked to evacuate her hostel on unfounded grounds and she had been sleeping in the office. That night when Aryan had found her, he had been cruel with her. Cruel to the point of driving her away from the office to the streets. At that time she had thought this was very in character for him. He had never really cared for his employees in front of her except for their worth and she believed this is what he would do to any of them. Later, he did come and save her and let her live in his house, so she began questioning her view of him. It was Monday today and Imlie had come to know that he wouldn't behave the way he did with her with any other employee. She came to know that he wouldn't just throw away a homeless employee from the office and then later would take them to his home. When she had asked him why he didn't place the same treatment upon Rohit, who had been evicted from his home, that he had given Imlie, he had just glanced at Babu Saheb and told her he was not bothered enough to answer her questions. But she understood. She understood that he hated anything related to her Babu Saheb. And at that time she was his wife. He still hated anything related to Babu Saheb, except now, she was an exception. And she didn't know why her heart filled at that.
It was Saturday. The day she had heard Aryan Singh Rathore's Resolution to protect his people from anything and everything. And she knew that he was speaking the truth. By that time, she had come to know enough of him to know that he would do anything for his family. That night she had not only showed him that sometimes, to protect someone, you had to stay and do nothing but also that his family will literally face their deepest fears to protect him too. She had shown him that he was allowed a moment of weakness too, because his family was there to protect him the way he did. It was another Saturday, when she came to know that the 'his people' in his New Year's Resolution included her too. When a whole bomb squad had extracted that ear piece bomb from Babu Saheb and when he was finally safe, there in Pagdandiya, she was still in office, unable to do anything to save her Babu Saheb. That day he had yelled at her for always putting herself in danger for her Babu Saheb. He had yelled at her that her Babu Saheb had lived longer than her and was a senior and should know how to protect himself. That he should not need the help of a teenager to protect himself. And when she had tried to refute it all, he had, as matter-of-factly as he could, announced that Imlie knew his New Year's Resolution and that he would always protect 'his people'. He had stalked off after saying this, but Imlie had been rendered speechless. She had been people's possession before, but no one had ever wanted to protect her. None of made her feel to be their people. None of them had ever made her want to be their people.
Sunday. A hellish Sunday. The day she had hated herself too much. The day Aditya Kumar Tripathi, her Babu Saheb had hated her to the limit that made her hate herself. The day when she had come to know about Aryan and his family. The day Aryan had come to know about Imlie and her family. The day she had first drawn strength from him. The day he had first given strength to her. That day had imprinted itself on her soul. Not because Aditya Kumar Tripathi had served her divorce papers, but because, for the first time, instead of Imlie being someone's strength, she was the receiver of someone's strength. And that had felt amazing. She was a mess that day, but she had drawn strength from the words Aryan had said to her that day too. It was another Sunday when she came to know about the impact Babu Saheb had on Aryan's life. The impact he had on Aryan's family. Because it was a Sunday, when Aryan had executed his revenge an Aditya Kumar Tripathi. And his revenge was not only taking over Tripathi Property, no, it was just a side piece, it was the character assasination of all things Aditya Kumar Tripathi. His ten years of journalism pushed down the drain by the facts that Aryan had presented. After everything he had done to own the Tripathi Residence, he had put forward a presentation of how her Babu Saheb's articles did not present what should be presented. He had broken down each and every one of his articles and had shown him the consequences of it. And for each article that deserved praise there were two that should not have been printed. And then Aryan destroyed Aditya Kumar Tripathi's ego by brandishing what Aditya's reporting had led to in Aryan's life. Babu Saheb had broken that day. In front of everyone, his half-truths and power grabbing articles were exposed and it looked like he was contemplating his life choices in that moment. But what was wrong with her? She did not want to console her Babu Saheb, no, not at all. She only wanted to console Aryan. Aryan who had been planning this for almost five years. Aryan who was always carrying this burden. Imlie wanted to console Aryan, take off his burden and wanted to ask him to take a rest for a moment. She wanted to tell him that she would protect him from the world that day. She wanted to be with him.
It was Thursday. The first time she was someone who was fought for. Anu Chaturvedi, English Madam, who had tortured her, physically and mentally both, was for the first time rendered silent by someone else fighting for Imlie. That day had just been one of the days Aryan had verbally insulted the mother-daughter duo. And she knew he told her that it was not for her, but it felt good anyway. Someone fighting for her. And every verbal harassment she placed on her was answered by him in an equally savage verbal insult. Everytime she was about to be physically assaulted, she had been protected by him and his family. It was no surprise that Anu Chaturvedi now looked around Imlie first before insulting her. And for Imlie that was prime entertainment. And it all came to head on Thursday too. The day Aryan Singh Rathore led to the arrest of Anu Chaturvedi was a Thursday too. After Imlie had exposed Malini with all evidences, actual not circumstancial, Anu had tried to take the blame once again. And she had suspected this would happen again, so she created another portfolio of how much Anu was involved in Malini's crime. So when the police came to arrest Malini, Anu couldn't do anything. No one could. But she had come a long way to believe Aryan Singh Rathore's inaction in matters related to Imlie. So she wasn't surprised when Aryan asked the police officers to arrest Anu Chaturvedi too. But what did surprise her were the charges he laid against her. The charges were mental and physical torture, sexual harassment, attempted murder, stalking and accomplice in all of Malini's crimes. When Babu Saheb had questioned his charges Aryan had surprised her by telling the Tripathi Family that the way Anu Chaturvedi spoke to Imlie was mental torture, the way she didn't hesitate to slap Imlie was physical torture, the way she cut open Imlie's dress was sexual harassment, the way she locked Imlie in a car and lighted up Aryan's home was attempted murder, the way she spied on Imlie was actually stalking. And the way she was already placing blame of all of Malini's crimes on herself proved that she was an accomplice. He had left then, leaving Imlie alone, contemplating the way he fought for her against the one most evil person in her life. Why had no one fought for her that way? Why was he the only one who had fought for her when everybody knew what Imlie faced when against Anu Chaturvedi? But most of all, why did Imlie like it so much? Why did she like the way Aryan fought for her?
It was Tuesday. The first time Aryan had noticed that she was beautiful. He had called her cute. Oh he had babbled himself out of his claim but Imlie was a woman and she knew when a man appreciated her looks. She had had experience with Babu Saheb. She had always tried to shock him with how she could look beautiful too, that she too was worthy of being called his wife and while she had succeeded sometimes, it had hurt her when his eyes skipped over her. So when she had been called cute by Aryan, she had liked it. She had been shocked, surprised and incredulous, but it had felt nice, being called cute when she wasn't even trying. Imlie knew how beautiful she was. She knew how beautiful she could look. She also knew that the times when she put in the effort were rare, but she liked being appraised too. Like any other woman. But that had been the only time Aryan had appraised her verbally and she should have guessed by the way he took it back that it would be the only time. After that all his appraisal was just through his eyes and his catching of breath for a second every time he saw her dolled up. Sometimes at an office party, sometimes when she got ready for a festival. The first time she wore a dress and the first time she wore high heels. The appraise would pass his eyes, but never his lips. She had given up a hope. But it was yet another Tuesday when finally his appraisal passed his lips. There she was trying on wedding dresses with Arpita Didi and Kaki Maa when she tried on a beautiful dark green and maroon lehenga. She was twirling around to show the whole effect of the lehenga to Kaki Maa and Arpita Didi , and when her twirl finished, there stood Aryan, dumbstruck, frozen in place. He looked like he had seen something he shouldn't have seen but could not stop himself from looking. She too had paused, needing to know what he thought but unsure of how to ask. Fortunately, Arpita Didi noticed her pause and turned to find her brother there, but unfortunately, she had asked him how Imlie looked and he had just never took his eyes off her and muttered beautiful. And that had made her breath stuck in her throat. He thought she looked beautiful. Just a moment, and then he had realised what he had confessed. He had left then, excuses about work, he had left Imlie confused. Imlie felt a pang in her heart. She liked that he liked her like this. She loved that he liked the lehenga. She hated that the lehenga was for her and Babu Saheb's wedding.
It was Friday. The day when her soul had connected to his. When she had felt things more than the could explain. When she had lost herself within him and he within her. When they had danced together and lost themselves all the while finding each other. While dancing, he had put a spell on her. While dancing, he had shown his true self to her. While dancing, he had made her forget everything else. While dancing, he had made her remember herself. That was not the first time they had danced together. But it was the first time, they had danced together that had made her feel something more than gratitude for him. But it was the first time, when they had danced together, that had made her stop thinking about Babu Saheb. That was the first time Imlie had laid herself bare in front of someone only to have the courtesy returned. She had laid herself bare before but never had anyone returned the courtesy. He laid his demons bare to her like she did for him. But later, the guilt of it had eaten Imlie . And she had lashed out on him more and more. She felt herself feel more for him and punished him for it. And here she was, dancing with what was supposed to be the love of her life on what was supposed to be her Sangeet and it seemed like she was punishing herself. While she was dancing with Babu Saheb, all she could think of was that time she had danced with him. Today was Friday, two days before her wedding and she was thinking of dancing with Aryan while dancing with her Babu Saheb. No. No. No. This was all wrong. This wasn't right.
And then she felt the music stop. She felt Babu Saheb stop. She felt thousands of eyes on her. She felt his eyes on her.
She looked up to see what was going on when she realised that what she thought was not just a thought, she had blurted that thought out. She had blurted out that she felt wrong on her Sangeet, two days before the wedding.
She looked around herself and noticed every one staring at her, confusion clear in everyone's eyes. But not his. No his eyes were clear of confusion. His eyes looked at her knowingly. His eyes, which could just look at her and read her, were perfectly clear of all confusion.
While her Babu Saheb looked at her in confusion Aryan's eyes conveyed he knew perfectly well what was going on with her.
And in that moment she did what she always did and drew strength from him. Strength she knew she would need for what she was about to do. All the strength.
"Hum ee byaah naahi kare sakat hai!(I cannot get married!)", and it took all Imlie had to exclaim that one piece of statement.
The thing was she knew, inside herself, sub-consciously, she knew what it would entail, being married to Babu Saheb. And she didn't want to put herself through it again.
But she didn't know what a life with Aryan could be like, but if it made her feel like she felt with me him, she wanted to figure it out.
She wanted to change the way of her life.
When Babu Saheb moved towards her about to ask what she was on about she moved backwards. He looked at her in betrayal and she thought what did she expect.
She moved away from Babu Saheb and towards Aryan. She moved away from her past to her future. Aryan looked at her and she looked at him and that connection formed again.
She took his hand resting on his side and interlaced her fingers with his. She closed her eyes, not ready for his reaction yet and faced her Babu Saheb and family and said, confessed, "Teen baatein, Babu — Mr. Aditya Kumar Tripathi. Pehli, hum aapki galti dohraaye khaatir ek aur kadam naahi uthaye rahe. Hum prem konu se aur byaah konu aur se naahi kare. Doosri, hum aapan zindagi aapki khaatir aur barbaad naahi kare sakat rahe. Aur teesri--(Three thing, Babu — Mr. Aditya Kumar Tripathi. First, I will not take one step forward only to repeat your mistakes. Loving someone and marrying another, I will not do it. Second, I will not destroy my life anymore for you. And third --)", she paused, looked up at Aryan, only to find his gaze on her and liking what she saw, she smilingly continued, "Teesri baat udhaar rahi!(Let the third thing be my credit to you!)"
And she was really feeling good about it.
With him. Aryan.
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