Hello, hello! So my exams have been over for a while, and I've only just got my first post-exam OS out! But don't think I've just been slacking around at home doing nothing (which, okay, fine, I have 😛), because I've been updating my gallery/shop and of course, I have a new FF out, Thoda Thoda Pyaar, a Meet one, in case you haven't realised by now. 😆 Anyway, here's a Meet OS that I'm pretty proud of, simply because I think the concept is awesome. 😃 Big thank yous to Meera for helping me out with this, and good luck to Meera, Ravzie and whoever else is having their exams right now! 😃 Enjoy!
-||-
Haule Haule
His hand on the doorknob, Preet hesitated. Behind the door was his new wife.
He gritted his teeth. He hadn't wanted to get married in the first place. At least, not to…what was her name? He frowned, racking his brains, willing himself to remember the name.
Meher.
Yes, Meher. He hadn't wanted to get married to Meher. He didn't even know her. No. He loved Ashlesha. But of course, the decision of who to spend the rest of his life with wasn't even in his hands.
Steeling himself, he turned the doorknob and went in, closing the door behind him.
He turned to the bed, where Meher sat, her legs pulled up to her, her arms tightly hugging them. Her dupatta covered her face, so Preet couldn't even gauge her reaction.
Was she nervous? Excited? Happy? Sad?
He frowned.
Why did he care?
He cleared his throat, stepping closer to the bed. He saw her head move slightly in his direction.
"Hi," he began awkwardly. "Mujhe tumse kuch kehna tha."
He waited for a response, but apart from her head turning back to look at whatever she was looking at before, he got none.
He went on. "Humne shaadi toh kar li hai, but don't think that I'm going to love you. Main yeh shaadi nahin karna chahta tha. Main kissi aur se pyaar karta hoon. Tumse kabhi pyaar nahin kar paaonga." He waited again for a response, but, like before, he got none. "Just…thought you should know," he finished lamely.
He moved to the bed, carefully taking his pillow. As he started for the sofa that sat in their room, she spoke.
"Aapko kya lagta hai, ki main yeh shaadi chahti thi? Main bhi kissi aur se pyaar karti hoon. Char mahiney pehle uska accident ho gaya tha, aur woh ab iss duniya mein nahin raha. Lekin main usse kabhi nahin bhool paoongi, aur aapse kabhi pyaar nahin kar paaongi."
Preet turned to her. She had gotten off the bed, and she was heading for the bathroom, her back to him.
Guilt stabbed his heart like little daggers. Burning with shame, he turned back, making his bed on the sofa.
-||-
"Suniye, ji."
Preet stirred in his sleep. He rolled over onto his side, and fell to the floor.
He sat up, completely confused and totally awake, and looked up to see Meher looking away, biting her lip to stop herself from smiling.
He ran his fingers through his hair self-consciously.
"Aapko office ke liye der ho rahi hai. Issliye maine aapke kapde bed par rakh liye hain, aur chai table par hai, aur aapka naashta neechey hai," Meher told him, and she turned away, heading for the door.
"Thank you," he called after her.
She paused at the door, glanced back at him and nodded in acknowledgement.
-||-
Everyone had had their breakfast, with the exception of Preet and Meher.
Meher stacked the dirty plates and carried them into the kitchen. From the corner of her eye she spotted Preet hurrying down the stairs, attempting to button the cuffs of his shirt. Leaving the plates in the sink, she went out of the kitchen with a plate of aloo parathey, just as Preet sat down at his seat, rolling up his sleeves in frustration.
She set the parathey down on the table, and with a silent sigh, she took his right arm and unrolled his sleeves, buttoning his cuff for him.
He looked up at her, a little red. "Thanks," he said with a smile.
She glanced at him, silent. Done with his cuffs, she turned away and set down three parathey on his plate, then, just as silent, she headed off to the kitchen and got to work on the dishes.
-||-
"Bauji, do you know something?" Kulraaj asked, looking around the dining table. "Preet and Meher have been married for three weeks, and he hasn't taken her out even once."
Preet and Meher looked up, both alarmed. Preet glanced at Meher, who looked down at her food again, clenching her teeth.
"Um, woh kya hai na, Di, Meher…" Preet began, darting glances at Meher, who looked at him, frowning, "Meher abhi adjust kar rahi hai. Woh jab poori tarah se settle ho jaye, tab main usse bahar le jaaonga."
Meher looked down again, surprised at Preet, but relieved nonetheless.
"Koi excuses nahin, Preet," Lalit insisted. "You're taking Meher out for dinner tomorrow."
Sighing softly, Preet returned his attention to his dinner. He glanced at Meher from the corner of his eyes. "Sorry, maine try kiya," he whispered.
"Pata hai," she whispered back. "Thanks."
Preet smiled at his sarson ka saag.
-||-
There was a knock on the bathroom door as Meher adjusted her dupatta.
"Meher? Zara thodi jaldi kar lijiye, please? Humare reservations adhe ghantey mein hain," Preet's voice reached her.
Meher paused, one hand on her dupatta. She lowered her hand and opened the door slowly.
Preet looked at Meher as she opened the door. She was wearing a simple blue and white churidaar kurta suit, and she looked pretty. He looked away, suddenly shy.
"Chalein?" she asked softly without looking at him.
-||-
Preet looked around the restaurant, searching out a waiter. "Saale waiters bhi kahin nahin dikh rahey hain," he muttered.
Meher said nothing, perusing her menu silently, though she glanced at him.
A shadow fell over them, and Preet felt someone touch his shoulder.
"Preet?"
A look of astonishment crossed his face as Preet looked up to see Ashlesha smiling at him.
"Ashlesha?" He rose and hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek.
"Preet, tumhe pata nahin hai ki maine tumhe kitna miss kiya!" Ashlesha told him. "Yeh…yeh…woh hai?" she asked, looking at Meher.
"Haan, um, yeh meri…meri patni, Meher."
Meher looked up at her name. She gave a small smile.
"Meher, yeh Ashlesha. Meri…um…" Preet trailed off, wondering how to describe this relationship.
"Ashlesha," Ashlesha introduced herself, holding out her hand.
Meher took it politely. "Hi."
The three of them spent a moment in an awkward silence.
Finally, Meher sighed and stood up. "Aap dono baat kijiye, main bas yahin par hoon." And, taking her purse, she left Ashlesha and Preet there.
Preet stared after her, surprised.
-||-
"Suniye?"
Preet looked up from his laptop.
"Hum…hum kal dinner par jaayein?" Meher asked.
Preet frowned. "Kya?"
"Maine Ashleshaji ko uss restaurant par bulaya hai. Agar aap unse milna chahte hain, toh mujhe dinner par le jaaney ka bahana achcha hoga," she told him.
Preet looked at her. "Tum…tum yeh sab kyun kar rahi ho?"
She smiled sadly. "Aap yeh shaadi nahin chahte they. Usska matlab nahin hai ki aap khush nahin ho sakte ho. Aur aapki khushi Ashleshaji mein hai."
Preet smiled. He went to her and took her hands. She looked up at him in surprise, but didn't pull her hands back. "Thanks, Meher."
She smiled back at him.
-||-
Preet emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in his towel. He stopped. His clothes weren't on the bed.
"Meher?" he called. "Meher, mere kapde kahaan hai?"
"Arre, aayi, baba!" she replied, running into the room with his clothes. "Yeh lo."
Preet grinned. "Thanks, Meher."
She grinned back at him. "Ab jaldi se tayaar ho jaao. Naashta neechey table par hai, aur Prem Bhaiya aapka intezaar kar raha hai."
His eyes widened. "PB mera intezaar kar raha hai?" he groaned. "Theek hai, main bas paanch minute mein aata hoon."
"Aur haan, aapka briefcase wahaan table par hai!" she told him as she left the room.
Preet shook his head, smiling. Five months into their marriage, and already he had forgotten how to do things himself.
He put on his shirt, thinking about Meher. She was such a sweetheart, and she was always so calm and collected, like nothing affected her. He liked having someone who was more mellowed counterpart to his easily-excitable nature. And when she smiled…
Preet's smile faded. Her smile usually never reached her eyes. It wasn't that she was mellow, he realized; he could tell that her heart still ached for him, whoever it was that she had loved. She'd cry in the night sometimes, when she thought he was asleep. But now that they slept on the same bed it was easier for him to tell that she was crying.
And she still put up such a strong front. She was so much livelier now, at least with him. They had started to do things together now, like watching movies once or twice a month, just as friends, although dinners on Saturdays were still reserved for him and Ashlesha.
She was such a sweetheart, he thought again as the smile returned.
"Suniye! Jaldi karo! Tumhe dress karne mein itna time kyun lagta hai?" Her voice from the door brought him back to reality.
"Haan, haan, main aa raha hoon!"
-||-
Saturday night.
Meher sat in a corner of Meera's Caf, with a now-cool cup of ginger tea and Vikram Seth's 'A Suitable Boy'. Saturday nights were the only times she had to herself, and she relished these moments wholeheartedly.
"Excuse me, Bhaiya, ek aur cup chai ki laana," said a voice across from her.
Annoyed at the interruption, Meher looked up to see Preet sitting across from her. She frowned, glancing at her cell phone for the time.
"Aap aaj itni jaldi aa gaye?" she asked, confused.
"Haan," Preet replied, smiling at Meher.
"Kya hua? Ashleshaji nahin aayi?"
"Aayi thi."
"Toh phir aaj itni jaldi?"
Preet traced the pattern of the tablecloth. "Ashlesha chahti thi ki main tumhe chod doon aur uske saath shaadi kar loon."
Meher's heart felt like someone had squeezed it. She set down her book. "Aur aapne kya kaha?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady as she struggled to understand why she felt like that.
"Ki tum meri patni ho, aur main tumhe chod nahin sakta," he replied without looking at her.
She looked down. "Lekin…lekin tum usse pyaar karte ho," she said, mostly to herself, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Karta tha," he said softly.
There was silence.
Meher's heart raced. Was he saying what she thought he was?
"Keh do ki tum mujhse pyaar nahin karte ho," she pleaded, closing her eyes.
More silence.
"Preet, please keh do ki tum mujhse pyaar nahin karte ho," she repeated, gripping the edge of the table.
"Main tumse pyaar karta hoon, Meher," he told her quietly.
Meher felt the tears well up behind her closed eyelids. "No, Preet," she whispered. "No."
She felt Preet reach out and catch a tear as one fell. She opened her eyes and moved his hand away.
"Pyaar toh hona hi tha," he said. "Tum itni surprised kyun ho?"
"Kyunki mujhe laga ki hum sirf dost ban gaye. Sirf dost," she said, her voice trembling. "Maine tumse kaha tha ki main tumse pyaar nahin kar sakti. Aur phir bhi tumne…?"
"Main kya karta, Meher? Din-raat tumhare saath hi toh hoon, aur tum itni…" Itni perfect ho, he thought. But looking at Meher, he couldn't bring himself to say it. "Mujhe laga ki yeh keh kar tumhe bhi ehsaas hoga ki shayaad tum bhi mujhse pyaar karti ho. Lekin dekho ki maine kya kar diya." He gave a bitter laugh.
They lapsed into more silence, broken only by Meher's sobs, muffled behind her hand.
"I'm sorry, Meher," Preet finally said, looking up at Meher. "Kasamh se, main tumhe rulana nahin chahta tha."
Meher met his eyes, silent again. "Mujhe ghar le chalo."
-||-
Meher lay on her side, listening to Preet snoring lightly beside her. Her mind kept going back to what he had said to her in the caf.
He loved her.
Eight months ago they had told each other that they could not love one another. But Preet had.
And what about her?
There was something she felt for him, she knew. As much as she tried to pretend there wasn't, she knew it was there, and it wouldn't go away, no matter how much she ignored it.
But what about him? Wasn't she disgracing his memory by falling in love with someone else?
He would have wanted me to be happy, she told herself. She knew it wasn't right for her to be justifying what she was doing, but it was true, wasn't it? He had loved her, and she knew that he would have wanted her to be happy no matter what it took.
She turned to look at Preet.
Eyes closed, mouth slightly open, a look of perfect contentment on his face, he looked so peaceful. Succumbing to her urge, she reached out and lightly brushed strands of hair back from his forehead.
He stirred in his sleep, mumbling something incoherent, and Meher pulled her arm back sharply, afraid of waking him.
She sat up, pulling her legs up to her chest, looking at him all the while.
Was she ready to start loving again?
-||-
Preet came out of the bathroom, wrapped in his towel. He approached the bed, where Meher had laid out his clothes. He sighed. He hadn't seen Meher all morning. Was she avoiding him?
Well, he wouldn't blame her. After last night, he'd be avoiding him too if he were in her place.
As he picked up his shirt, a familiar, pleasant smell reached him. He straightened, sniffing the air.
Mooli ke parathey, he recognized with a smile.
He turned, looking for the source of the smell.
And there, on the table next to the sofa, was a tray on which sat a plate of parathey, a glass of juice, a single red rose and a piece of folded paper..
Still in his towel, he crossed the room to the tray and picked up the rose, smiling. He picked up the paper, unfolding it.
Preet,
Kal raat ko jo hua, usske liye sorry. Tum theek they. Pata nahin kab, pata nahin kyun, bina chahe bhi, main bhi tumse pyaar karne lagi hoon. Lekin mujhe thoda waqt chahiye. Umeed hai ki tum mujhe waqt de sakte ho, aur phir shayaad usske baad hum pati-patni ka farz poori tarah se nibha sakenge.
Meher
Preet smiled. Turning around, he saw Meher's head disappearing behind the door frame. He grinned as she poked her head back again. She blushed and turned, and he saw her dupatta fluttering as she ran to the kitchen.
Returning to the bed, he tucked the note into the pocket of his pants.
Haule haule ho jaayega pyaar, chaleya
Haule haule ho jaayega pyaar
-|end|-
Ta-dah! So let me know what you think of it! 😳
Love,
Bhav (:
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