Rohit sighed in relief as the police arrested Karan Khanna. The ordeal was finally over. It took them a good two weeks to catch that dirtbag. He turned around and smiled at Sonakshi.
“I’m so glad it’s over!”
“As am I Rohit.” She said in a small voice, giving him a tight smile.
The air was thick with tension and the awkward silence could be felt by both of them.
“Rohit,” Sonakshi suddenly spoke up causing Rohit’s heart to leap.
“Tumhein yaad hain maine uss raat kya kaha tha?” Rohit felt a strange knot in his stomach and his heart began to thud harshly against his chest, as he took in her words. He knew exactly what she was talking about. Somehow amongst all the chaos, he forgot (chose to avoid) what they discussed that night. But she didn’t forget.
“Haan Sona... Sonakshi. I remember.” He smiled again but his cheeks hurt from the effort and his eyesight became more blurry each second. He blinked rapidly to stop his tears from falling but they did anyway.
“We caught the actual culprit and everyone is clear on what happened 4 years ago. It’s time to act upon the promise you made that night.”
He just nodded at her. Rohit didn’t trust himself to speak without giving away all his emotions.
“It was nice knowing you, Dr. Rohit Sippy.” She extended her hand and he reached forward to take it. Rohit could feel his hand shaking but he managed a firm shake anyway. She gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
Sonakshi turned and started to walk towards her car. Rohit felt as if he was punched in the chest as the distance between them increased each second.
“Sona... Sonakshi!” Rohit choked out and Sonakshi turned. He closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her as tightly as he could, savoring each second.
“I’ll miss you Sona! But I promise I won’t break my promise.” He could feel her arms loosen around him. After a few seconds, he let go and awkwardly walked away. If he stood there even a second longer, he would have begged her to forgive him. But he could never burden her. She has a heart of gold and he could not force her to accept him after everything. Respecting her decision was all he could do.
Rohit could hear her getting into her car and driving away. He walked to his car and just stood by the door, until he realized that Ravi was waiting. He apologized much to the shock of his employee and asked him to drive towards home. If he couldn’t be with her, at least he could try to be the better person she wanted him to be.
As soon as Rohit got home, everyone walked up to him.
“Rohit, is everything okay?” He nodded to his mom who looked worried. His mom always had a look of worry on her beautiful face these days, just because of him. Rohit swallowed the lump in his throat as he thought of all the people he hurt. He noticed that his dad wasn’t present. It was probably for the best. They never spoke and now he didn’t even want to see the man’s face.
“What did Sonakshi say?” Raima asked softly. She felt so guilty after knowing the truth. But he wasn’t angry at her, he was just angry at himself.
“She is glad everything is sorted.” Rohit chose not to say anything else.
Raima nodded and walked to the guest room, understanding that he didn’t want to elaborate. She was all set to leave Mumbai that night. Upon realizing how much things between them had changed, she asked her mom to book tickets to Chandigarh.
His family gave him a look of confusion as Rohit sighed. They weren’t going to simply accept the answer he gave them.
“I want to make a request to all of you. If you care about me even a little, I want you guys to do me a huge favor.” Rohit didn’t want to explain anything. He just wanted to go to his room and lay in his bed. He felt exhausted and drained but this had to be done.
“Please don’t contact Sonakshi or mention her name in this house. She wants nothing to do with any of us and rightly so. After everything, this is the least we can do for her. She deserves so much more in life and the trouble we offer to her each time, is not what she deserves.” He knew his words were harsh but he had to get the point across.
“But Rohit-“
“Please Mom! I made a promise to her, please don’t make this one more thing I do wrong! I want to honor this! I’ll do anything you guys want me to! I don’t want to get married but if that is what you guys want, I’ll do that as well! But I beg of you, don’t drag Sonakshi into anything anymore! Please let her be happy!” Rohit took a few deep breaths to remain calm and not break down. He looked at everyone, his eyes pleading them to understand.
“We won’t force you to get married Rohit. Not anymore. We will also do exactly what you asked. It’s my promise to you!” Badi Mamma walked up to him and touched his arm in support. He smiled slightly as his mom also walked up. Veena Sippy wrapped her arms around her son. Rohit held back his tears and gave him mom a hug. He pulled away and attempted a smile for her sake.
“I’ll be fine Mom. Thank you so much for doing this! All of you!” With that he walked away, ready to curl up in his bed. He deserved some self pity before attempting to be okay.
But who was Rohit kidding. The entire Sippy family, including Rohit himself, knew that he wasn’t going to be okay. Not without his Sona.
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
