#2 Ashlok FF - You've Won My Heart! (Chapter 19 on 96) - Page 68

beautiful update sam

Originally posted by: AshesToDust

i did not read 18 right?

yeah right!!! sam updated it recently😃

Amazing updatee sammie thnx alot for the pm

Chapter 19

Shlok, dressed formally with his blazer draped over his arm, walked into the cafe and spotted her from afar sitting at a corner table at the other end of the room. She looked considerably annoyed. He found her glaring daggers at him as he approached her. This made him smile in spite of himself thus adding to her annoyance.

"You are such a jerk Shlok." Swati snapped.

Shlok laughed. "Thanks for the compliment but first shall I go and place an order for our drinks? Then you can praise me all you want."

This cafe was one of their favourite spots. They would often come here for a chat over tea or coffee. Today was no different. After placing orders for two coffees, he came back and settled down in front of her. It was their first meeting since he came back to Mumbai. He watched her closely for few seconds and finally said in a more sober tone. "Ok spill it! I am all ears."

"It's not me who has got some explaining to do Shlok, it's you. Lately, you have been acting very strangely. And what a disloyal friend you are. You went away and got married and didn't even bother to inform me about it...or perhaps you don't consider me important enough?". She saw Shlok mutely shaking his head as she said so but she continued with her rant. "And not to forget, since you have returned from Pune, I have been constantly trying to get in touch with you, made countless phone calls to you but either you don't attend my calls or you make excuse of workload each time. Why all of a sudden you have become so busy anyway? Or are you simply trying to avoid me? Even for this meeting, I had to practically beg you." she finally finished, sounding exasperated.

Shlok sighed and leaned back against the chair. Just then a waiter came and placed their drinks in front of them. He picked up his cup, took a sip, and said in a calm and composed tone contrasting hers. "Yes its true, I have been pretty occupied lately, what with the workload and overtime. And as far as the matter of my marriage is concerned then I am sorry. It's just that everything happened in such a rush that I hardly had time to inform any of my friends. You remember the surprise I mentioned that my family was planning just before I left for Pune, well this was it. My family had already fixed my marriage. But still I am sorry once again." Shlok deliberately avoided mentioning about his engagement.

Swati appeared somewhat satisfied with his explanation as she seemed to have quieted and calmed down. "Anyways let bygones be bygones. But you will certainly be punished."

"Punished? And what's that?"

"Your punishment is that now you have to attend my wedding with your wife because if you won't then I won't spare you." she demanded.

"She...she won't be able to attend," Shlok said hesitantly.

"And why that is? You didn't bother to invite me to your wedding. Never mind, but I want you both there in my wedding. Got it? I won't pay heed to any of your excuses. Besides, I too want to meet the girl who is lucky enough to be my best friend's life partner."

Shlok was genuinely starting to worry. He knew Swati won't sway from her demand now. If only she knew Astha hates mere mention of her name. How can he then persuade her to attend the wedding of the same girl she hates so much? It would take a miracle to make her agree for it.

He tried to make few excuses, nonetheless, she persisted.

"Ok if you won't invite her then I will do it myself."

Before Shlok could react, she picked up his mobile phone which was placed on the table beside him. "What is her name again?" she asked while looking through his contacts.

Slightly panicked, Shlok leaned across the table and snatched his phone back. "It's not the best time to call her. She must be at work. Besides, you don't need to. I will bring her with me to attend your wedding. Happy now?"

Her constant persistence was starting to aggravate him thus seeing no way out, he thought it best to agree for the moment.

"Yes very!" she smiled and took a sip of her drink.

"By the way, I am going back to Pune in a few days." Shlok informed her

"You are? But you have just returned. Will you get more holidays from your work considering you have recently taken a month off?"

"No there is an issue of leave. That's why I am doing an overtime to make up for it."

Swati nodded. "But why are you planning on going back so soon? You have never visited your family this frequently before."

"Well I was never married before, was I?"

She laughed. "Oh, of course! Understandable!"

"For now I just want to focus on my married life."

"Why don't you settle down in Mumbai with her?" Swati suggested.

"Yes, I have been thinking along those lines." he mumbled. He had rather better plan for both of them.

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It's been a week since he had returned from Pune and in that period, he had not called his home. Even though he missed Astha terribly and longed to hear her voice and more than anything yearned for talk to her, every time he would pacify himself by saying that it's just a matter of few more days. Besides, these last few days had given him sufficient time to analyse and understand his own feelings towards the two women. During this period, he realised that she had managed to make a special place in his heart a long time ago. He simply remained unaware of that part of his heart. Perhaps it was because of her continual presence in his life. Moreover there was the knowledge that she was bound to him for life. He never had a reason to fear losing her.

For years he had mistaken her care, attachment and fondness for her friendship. But the day when he questioned her about her crush was the first time he suspected something more. That's why he had not insisted to learn about her crush. He was wary. The last thing he wanted to hear at that moment was to discover that Astha had been nurturing romantic feelings for him. His suspicions, though, were soon confirmed, thanks to her scrapbook. He recalled its contents.

*Flashback*

Amazed that she had associated all her hopes, dreams and her future with him and feeling over the moon to discover about her love for him, he was looking through her scrapbook with a huge grin on his face. The entire scrapbook was filled with their happy memories, souvenirs and mementos, except the last entry. It was a poem.

I turned around many times already
I laughed like it was nothing
Even if I lied to my heart without words
Are you wandering because you don't know my heart

Suddenly I'm afraid to say I love you
They're not words I'm used to saying
With hardened lips I utter those words
I am shouting them on your back

Because we breathe the same air
It would be too much to ask for more
As love keeps growing without knowing
Only scars are coming back

Even though I'm hurt, I'll be here
I can only smile when I'm next to you
Can't be happy, can't be changed
You're the one I chose

My bruised heart is full of scars
When I look back, there are only tears
I can't see because you can't find me
Even my love hides right away

Trying hard to hide my tears
Are you passing by
I turned around without telling you
Even today I'm still there

Filling my heart with tears
I put those words in my heart
I pass by like it was nothing
And then I beat my chest

Can't be happy, can't be changed
You're the one I chose.

As he finished reading the poem, he felt a strange sensation as if his heart was seized in a vice-like grip. He had no ounce of doubt that he was the cause of the pain and sorrow reflected in this poem. Never before he had truly understood the extent of damage his inconsiderate behaviour and ruthless rejection might have done to an innocent soul. But now that he did, a sense of guilt took over him. He felt devastated to know he was the cause of her suffering. He couldn't help remembering all those times when he had perceived the hint of hurt in her eyes. It all made sense to him now.

Now he was more determined than ever to win back her trust. She had managed to win his heart, now it was his turn. But he knew the path to his ultimate goal wouldn't be an easy one. It looked almost impossible to him but he was persistent, regardless of how many weeks or months it may take.

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That weekend he finally succumbed to his yearning and decided to call home. It was noon. He knew it would be Astha's day off from work. He dialed the number and waited with anticipation, at the same time, hoping and praying for her to pick up his call. On the fourth bell, his call was picked.

"Hello"

As soon as he heard her voice, Shlok's face fell. "Hi Jyoti"

"Bhai!" Jyoti exclaimed, then said in a playful, sarcastic tone. "What a surprise! What made you remember us and call here today? I was starting to wonder if you have forgotten about us."

Shlok rolled his eyes at her dramatic speech. "Hey what's with the interrogation grandma? Can't a guy miss calling at home a few days without being grilled?"

"Not just few days bhai...it was ten long days."

"I have been busy at work." he replied grumpily. That was his reply to everyone nowadays who questioned him about his social isolation. "Anyways, where's ayi baba and everyone else?" At the moment he was only interested to talking to Astha.

"Baba is in his study, Varad dada is at work and Sojal vahini is in her room."

"What about ayi and Astha?"

"Oh..they went out for shopping."

Shlok felt terribly disappointed, My rotten luck! "Astha too?"

"Yes. But why are you asking? You wanted to talk to her?" Jyoti asked mischievously, as if teasing him. "Oh so that's the real reason of your call," she chuckled.

For some reason he felt annoyed. "No..of course not! I had called to inform you that next weekend I'm coming home."

"You are? That's great bhai." she sounded overjoyed.

"But don't let Astha know. I want to surprise her."

She giggled. "Oh ho...sure, as you say."

He talked briefly to Jyoti and soon hung up. Now that he knew he couldn't talk to Astha, he wasn't interested in making small talk.

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By the evening of the next weekend Shlok reached home. As soon as he let himself in through the front door he found the house unusually quiet. No a soul could be seen around. With a sinking feeling and dreading the worst, he climbed the stairs and proceeded towards NA's room. Before he could open the door, he heard a voice booming from inside.

"Why is he taking the trouble to come here now? In two weeks he didn't even care to find out whether we are alive or dead. Just call and tell him that he doesn't need to come here anymore. We can manage without him."

"Just forgive him now. Anyways he's already on his way. Don't worry. Everything will be alright." Anjali tried to calm her husband.

"No nothing will be alright now. I have decided. He won't step into this house again. We gave him enough time to adjust to his married life. But alas he still fails to understand his responsibilities towards Astha and her rights as his wife."

Shlok, who was standing outside with his hand on the door handle stood frozen in his spot...his mind unable to take in this unexpected turn of events. Not even in his worst nightmares had he anticipated such a reaction from his family. In a state of utter bewilderment he pushed open the door to find yet another unexpected sight meet his eyes, making him gasp in surprise. The room was lightly decorated with flowers and drapes. On the sofa, a smiling Anjali was sitting beside a chuckling Jyoti. NA too didn't appear to be in a different state from the other two. He was standing beside them wearing an amused smile on his face. As Jyoti caught the glimpse of his shocked face, she burst out laughing.

"What the heck was that?" he finally asked after he was done meeting them.

"It was a just a prank bhai. You can consider it as your welcome surprise." Jyoti laughed. "We thought of giving you a little shock."

"You little devil! You were trying to fool me? I am sure this must be your idea." he moved forward to smack her but she was quicker. Before he took more than two steps, she made a run and was out of the room.

On asking about the decorations, he was reminded that it was his ayi and baba's wedding anniversary. After congratulating them, he came out of the room. His heart longed more than ever to see Astha now who seemed to be nowhere around.

He found Jyoti and asked her. "Where's Astha? She doesn't seem to be around."

Jyoti's smile instantly faded, instead a look of guilt took over her face. "Vahini is not here. She went to her parents' yesterday."

Stunned and feeling agitated at the same time, Shlok exclaimed, "What? But why?"

"Not sure. According to aayi she went to stay at her parents' for few days because lately she had been feeling restless but I suspect it had something to do with your arrival or rather absence."

As Shlok raised a brow, giving her a questioning look, she said further in an apologetic tone. "She found out bhai. When I was telling aayi about your plan, she overheard us. I am really sorry for ruining your surprise."

Shlok sighed, running his fingers through his hair. More complications! "Never mind. I will go and get her."

"Bhai shall I ask you something?"

"Yeah go on!"

"You know the problems between you and vahini...are they still not resolved? I mean, are you still not interested in her?"

"No...it's not the same anymore. I love Astha and she is the most important person in my life. In fact she is the reason I have come here. And no matter what, I will do whatever it may take to make this marriage work."

Jyoti smiled feeling considerably more relaxed. Since Astha had gone to her parents', she had been fearing that Shlok's attitude had not changed towards Astha. But all those fears were vanished now.

"That's great bhai. I am really happy to hear that because a person as nice and kind as her deserves all the happiness. Besides, she really loves you."

"I know" Shlok mumbled, as he walked out.

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As Shlok opened the door to Astha's room, he found her standing by the window with her back towards him. She was apparently lost in her thoughts, unaware of his presence in her room. He turned to close the door behind him, making sure not to make any sound and walked forward to stand directly behind her. He was thinking about attracting her attention by touching her shoulder when her jet black long swaying hair caught his interest. Instinctively, as if under some trance, he lightly ran his fingers through her silky hair and moved them to expose her neck. Instantly he felt Astha stiffen as she sensed his touch. He moved his hand from her hair to her neck and lightly caressed it with his fingers. She was startled by the cool feel of his fingers on her warm neck and suddenly turned around to face him causing her to bump into him. There was barely any space between them as they stood facing each other. She was trapped between him and the window ledge. Feeling increasingly nervous due to his proximity, she tried to step back but was unable to. An amused smile spread across Shlok's face as he relished in her nervousness. Then looking deeply into her beautiful hazel eyes, he took another step, closing the little gap between them, their bodies touching now. They stood there staring into each other's eyes without blinking, while their eyes conveyed the intensity of their emotions for each other. After what felt like minutes, Shlok lifted his hands and brought it to her face to cup her cheeks. She stood mesmerised by his intense gaze.

Caressing her cheeks with his thumbs, he brought his face closer to hers and whispered in a husky tone, "Astha in these two weeks I have realised how important a part of my life you are. I missed you every second, every moment I was away from you. I can not imagine my life without you now. I love you Astha!"

He saw her eyes widen as he declared his love. She stood, incapable of movement, unable to react to the unexpected confession from the person who she had nearly given hopes on.

"Shlok!" she whispered, unable to believe her ears.

"Can you give me one more chance to make you happy?"

Their face was mere inches away from each other. Their eyes conveyed their passion. Astha's mind was too hazy to think clearly but somehow she still found herself giving a little nod in response to his question.

Shlok smiled, feeling overjoyed and brought his face closer to hers. Anticipating a kiss, she closed her eyes but to her disappointment, he simply kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly as if never intending to let her go. It took a moment for Astha to react and hug him back. A content smile spread across his face once again as he felt her arms tightening around him.

Downstairs something dropped on the floor shattering the peace and quiet of the house for a moment.

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I would like to thank all my readers esp. those who spare enough time to leave comments and feedback for me. I really appreciate you all. I know lately I have not been able to reply to each of your comments separately but rest assured I do take time out to read them. They work as motivation boosters for me 😳 Love you all 🤗

it's such a nice update I must say finally ashlok together

Samy,

Beautiful update
Loved shlok n swati part
N was last part dream or real ??

Loved the update sam.
Finally shlok realised his mistake.
I hope everything will be fine between them?
BTW what will happen when swathi comes to know about shlok's love?
I loved this swathi

Sammy another fabulous update. .Phew at last this guy open up..Good..what is the use of hiding feeling. .

Superb update