Part - 2
Changing Equations
Raavi
It was around 6 AM, Raavi woke up to find the bed empty again. Where has he gone?
She felt a lot better than yesterday, she took enough rest and was ready for the emotional roller coster that was going to take place that day..
She slowly got up, her legs felt better, she could walk better. She went in search of him and saw him sitting alone on the ground, staring at nothing in particular. She felt bad, after all that happened yesterday, he needed rest, lots and lots of rest. She went near him and took a seat beside him. He was so lost to even notice her sitting next to him.
Raavi badly wanted to talk to him, initiate a conversation.
Raavi: Hey Bhoothnath!! Yahan kya kar raha hai..
Shiva's chain of thoughts broke as she spoke, he turned and saw her sitting next to him all fresh, she looked relaxed.
He again turned and didn't speak a word.
Raavi could feel that he was not in a mood to talk. But she just couldn't see him silent. He was never the calm and silent type of a guy especially with her. She again tried..
Raavi: Shiva, yeh Sunrise kitni acchi hai!! Apne phone se ek pic kheech na, mein apna dp mein lagaungi.
She said it so randomly, he immediately understood she was trying to talk.
Shiva: Teri sorry ke saath mein kuch nahi kar sakta, apne jhep mein daal aur nikal. Waise bhi main yeh sach tujhse nahi batana chahta tha, lekin tu itni zid mein thi ki apne jaan ko khud khatre mein daal rahi thi. Isliye gusse mein bol diya.
Raavi stared at him with her big eyes showing amusement.
Raavi: Tujhe kaise pata tha ki sorry bolne waali thi?
Shiva: Pata hai!! Yeh sab chod aur jaa, jaake so jaa..
He said casually, it kinda decreased the awkwardness.
Raavi: Yeh toh mujhe bolna tha!! Tu kal se nahi soya, khana toh bhool gaya, yakeen nahi ho raha ki tujh jaise bhukad, bina khaye ek pura din bita sakta hai.. She tried to make the conversation a little friendly..
He felt better but didn't want to share what he actually thought.. he never did or never will.
Raavi: Chal ek game khelte hain, agar main jeet gayi toh tujhe bin baat kiye meri sunne honge aur agar tu jeet gaya toh main jaake so jaaungi.. She said smiling.
Shiva mentally facepalmed himself. Dev should have been arrested during his pre wedding rituals with her, afterall it would have been a child marriage, he lowkey hoped he would not be caught for the same..
She asked him a riddle- What runs but cannot walk, has a mouth but no teeth and has a bed but cannot sleep?
Shiva was in no mood to answer, but if he didn't, she's going to torture him for sure, he thought for a while and said a wrong answer. She laughed and said,
Raavi: Galat, ab toh tujhe meri baat sunne hogi..
Shiva tried to get up, but his body ached, he couldn't move an inch. He had no option but to listen to her. He tiredly said her to ask...
Raavi: Tune socha kya?
Shiva: Kya?
Raavi: Ki iss Chattan Pandya ka hero aaj Rishita hogi?
She said it with a small giggle.
Shiva smiled at that and said: Nahi, kahani mein woh sabse badi twist thi, mujhe toh laga ki sirf Dev ko bacha kar le jayengi. (He replied with a little bit of surprise. Amidst the chaos he forgot Rishita was their savior) Par woh itni bhi buri nahi hai.
Raavi: Haan, sachme,that was so nice of her. Agar uske taraf se sochu toh, usko achanak gundo waali family se joint family mein daal di, usko yeh sab adjust hone mein waqt lagegi..
Shiva simply nodded at that.
Raavi: Waise, uss prank ke waqt agar uske jagah main hoti toh pehle main yeh dekhti ki Krish uss sari mein kitna sundar lag raha tha. Bechare ko kisine compliment nahi di. Agar Suman kaaki ne dekhi hoti toh, woh khush ho jaati, unko ek beti joh mili hogi.. She said while laughing..
Shiva laughed at that too, that was such a relief..
Raavi: Thanks kal mujhe bachane ke liye.. She said very slowly.
Shiva: Welcome. (He said it in a calm manner, which gave a little space for Raavi to open up)
Raavi: Sirf kal ke liye nahi, shaadi wale din ke liye aur kidnap ke waqt bhi..
Shiva: No problem.
Raavi: Agar tu uss shaadi ke din mujhe nahi bachata toh tujhe mujhse shaadi nahi karni padti na?
Shiva: Apna muh band kar pagal, hamesha marne ki baat kar rahi hai..(He said it like a reflex)
Shiva realised what he said and casually continued. Marne se bura saza toh tujhe mil chuka hai, tujhe aage se mere saat joh rehna hai, yeh nark se kam thodi hai?
Raavi: Jhooth nahi bolungi Shiva, sach mein mujhe yeh sab shaadi ke waqt laga tha, lekin ab yeh bhi accha hi hai. Utna bura nahi jitna maine socha..
Shiva felt a little more calm when she said that, he definitely didn't expect that but it felt good.. He suddenly had an urge to ask her another queston, maybe no one dared asking her..
Shiva: Tu Dev se abhi bhi pyaar karti hai?
She looked at him shocked, never in her life did she think he would ask that. She didn't know what to say. She kept quiet for a while and said..
Raavi: Pata nahi, Dev aur Rishita ko dekh ke mujhe jalan nahi hoti. Dev ke baare mein sochna uss mandap mein hi maine chod di.. Na hi uske baare mein sochti hu, na hi fikar. Mujhe bura bas iss baat pe lagi thi ki, kisi ne mujhe uske pyaar ke baare mein batana zaroori nahi samjha.
She said honestly. There was an awkward silence after that, Shiva felt bad asking that, he wanted to divert from that topic... After a few more moments of silence...
Shiva: Bhabi kal chali jayengi. Bas uske baare mein soch raha tha.
Raavi: Mujhe nahi lagta ki woh jayengi. Aur unko rokne ke liye mere paas ek idea hai. She said in her usual tone.
Shiva looked irritated, didn't she know no one dares to challenge Suman's decision?
Shiva: Teri idea bhi tere jaise hi hogi, ek dum bakwaas.
He didn't mean to be rude to her but he just wanted to be left alone, he was no mood to talk or share his feelings with someone, he never did it with any of his brothers too. He liked to be left alone when he is overwhelmed with emotions.
Raavi expected that, but she was not going to step back as well. She was clear, she needed to talk, talk and discuss a lot of things which were overdue, not once have they sat and spoken about the sudden changes in their lives, their referred to the marriage only while taunting each other. Else they were those awkward hostel mates who were locked in a room together.
Raavi: Meri idea toh bakwas hogi, toh isliye maine ek samajdaar insaan se idea churaya. Unka kehna hai ki iss duniya mein aisi koi problem nahi hai jo bolne par solve nahi hota. Unke hisaab se, agar koi puri baat ko dono taraf se samajkar Suman kaaki se dil kholkar baat kare, toh problem apne aap theek ho jayegi.
She said all these in a go, it felt so much like the old Raavi who didn't cry or become sad for his taunts rather came back with stuff that would shut him up.
Shiva listened to her every word carefully, she was right but who will talk to Suman, she wouldn't even want to listen. Obviously, she always was ready to pounce on Dhara.
Raavi shook him up: Tu phirse kho gaya? Shiva aaram se soch, maa puri tarah se galat nahi thi, Dhara di ki soch galat nahi thi lekin unke tareeke galat the. Dhara di bhi insaan hai, insaan se galti hamesha hoti hai, soch Shiva,
she said in a serious yet comforting tone. It made him feel good, he was yet again impressed by her, she could actually think for his family, while he blindly believed one side of a coin, she understood the other side. She loved his family as much as him. Despite all their fights, sometimes things like these make them feel good, they knew what the other would be thinking and feeling at that moment. After all, it was always good to know the positives and negatives of the enemy.
But Shiva mastered a quality which no one knew, he can easily mask his emotions, he sometimes showed that he's visibly upset but the real reason remained unknown. That's something he's grown with. He was his best companion and he knew it. Even today he just told her that he was upset Dhara would leave while comfortably hiding the fact that he was so afraid to lose her.
Time flew like air and they didn't realise, Shiva saw a car coming from far and realised it was Hardik's. He didn't know what to do, Hardik was actually here.
Shiva: Ae chipkali, Hardik bhai aa rahe hain, unka dhyaan rakh main tayyar hoke aata hoon..
He said and left without waiting for a reply. Raavi went down to receive Hardik who was definitely not happy. She spoke to him in a comforting manner.
After sometime the whole family gathered except Shiva, everyone looked sad afterall Dhara was leaving..
Dhara looked at everyone sadly and was about to leave when Shiva stepped in..
Shiva: Bhabi, ek minute.. (He stopped her and went to Suman who was sitting on the sofa, he knelt down and said)
Shiva: Maa. bhabi, dus saal se ham sabke saath hai, unke ek galti ke liye unhe bahar nikaalna sahi nahi hai maa.. He said it in a go and Suman glared at him.
Suman: Yeh galati nahi, gunha tha. Usko kisne haq di mere baccho par haath uthane ki? Aur tu uske liye kyu bol raha hai? She asked angrily.
Shiva: Sahi kaha, unko hum pe haath nahi uthana chahiye tha. Woh bhooth wala prank, hamari galti thi, usko sudharne ke liye, unhone hum dono ko peeta, aur tu isko sahi karne ke liye, tu unko ghar se nikaal rahi hai, ek galti ki saza ek aur galti. Hain na?
He asked and Suman stared. Everyone looked shocked, no one expected him to speak like that. Raavi smiled at the effort Shiva was taking, he actually listened to her.
Shiva continued..
Shiva: Maa, tune kal jo kuch bhi mandir me kaha, woh sab sahi the, lekin bhabi bhi ek insaan hai, unse bhi galti ho sakti hai. Iss baar maaf karde na. Woh tujhse, yeh sab isliye chupana chahti thi kyonki, yeh sab sunke tujhe bura lagega.. Ek baar soch na, jab se Rishita bhabi yahan aayi thi, Dhara bhabi hume unn se soch samj ke baat karne ke liye kaha tha, lekin jab woh hum sabse galat tareeke se baat karne lagi toh, gusse mein maine aur krish ne milke unko bohot daraa diya. Sun, inn sab mein hum sabhi galat hai. Ab sabko saza degi kya? Tu hi toh kehti hai, hum sabko saath mein jeene ki aadat daalni hosi, bhabi ne batwaar kiya, toh unko bahaar nikaalne se sab theek ho jaayega kya? Kal Rishita bhabhi ne hum sabko bachaya, unse yeh sab karne ke liye kisine nahi kah. Woh bhi hum sabke hissa hai aur, woh bhi sekh rahi hai, ghar me do log bad gaye hain, inn sabki aadat nahi hai hum sabko. Ab hum sab saath mein seekhenge na maa...
He paused for a moment as his shoulder and legs ached. Suman noticed his expression change..He then continued.
Suman carefully listened to him, her expressions changed, she became a little calm.
Dhara looked at him, surprised, he just said Dhara was wrong, never did he say that. But it all made sense today, she had hurt him to an extent that she stood wrong infront of his eyes but he also understood what she was trying to do. She felt happy and sad at the same time. Rishita felt happy that he was thinking from perspective as well and genuinely regretted insulting him infront of Raavi. Dev felt bad for not understanding Rishita and adding to her fears and insecurities. Krish saw Shiva in an awe, he and Shiva were more closer since they were the youngest, he felt happy that Shiva was on action.
Shiva: Tu hum sab ki maa hai aur yeh koi nahi badal sakta, Teri dard ko main samajta hoon, tune jitna kal bhabi ko sunaya, utna kaafi tha, aur unko ghar se bahar nikalke, tu Gaumbi ko dard de rahi hai. Ye ab ghar chodne ke alawa mere paas ek better saza hai..
Suman looked on and asked: Tujhe kaise pata hai ki kal maine usko mandir mein kya bola?
Shiva gave a smirk and looked towards Prafulla and pointed at her: iss cctv camera ne sab kuch apne phone se record kiya aur Anita ke saath yeh sab dekh ke maze kar rahi thi. Accha hua, Raavi aur maine dekh liya.
Raavi felt so good when he took her name, she felt new, she never knew he could make her feel that, she gave a smile unknowingly.
Suman had enough, she was going to blast on Prafulla but Shiva held her hand and said: Chal ye sab chod, ab Dhara bhabi ko rok, iss maami ka kya karna hai, yeh main tujhe baad mein samjhaunga.
Suman thought for a while and said: Woh doosra saza kya tha?
Shiva happily smiled and said: Din me 24 ghante hai, 20 ghante unko sirf Gaumbi je saath rehna hai, woh jahaan bhi jaye, Bhabi bhi unke saath hongi.
Suman looked at him surprised and Krish burst out in laughter, Raavi laughed next, then Suman, followed by the rest. Gaumbi felt super proud of his younger brother. For once he spoke what he always wished for. Dhara had tears in her eyes. She felt guilty for treating Krish and Shiva so badly. She hit them because she considered them immature but Shiva spoke with so much maturity and sense, a part of her felt proud while the other felt extremely ashamed and guilty. Suman noticed the genuine regret on Dhara's face and agreed with Shiva.
Shiva turned back and gave a smile to Raavi who was already red due to blushing and laughing. His eyes showed happy he was and Raavi was mesmerised. This was that Shiva she never saw. This was new, new in a good way. He paid attention to what she said and elaborated it to Suman in such a way that convinced her. The only problem they had was, they were scared of Suman as if she was a ghost, no one dared to speak with her in a friendly way and the mother that she was, Shiva did it today and it worked. Suman accepted what Shiva said. The whole scene infront of Raavi made her feel happy. Everyone was happy, the faces with guilt and sadness was filled with happiness.
Shiva used this as a good opportunity and called everyone for a hug, everyone rushed before Suman has a change of heart. Everyone hugged Suman, but she held Shiva so protectively so that no one touches his wounds. He placed his head on Suman's lap, happy and content but with a little fear, his eyes slowly closed as everything infront of him went blur.. He heard faint voices calling his name out, he heard her calling him worriedly, he tried opening his eyes but everything went blank....
Thank you all for the amazing responses for the previous part. What do you think will happen next?
As always suggestions and criticisms are welcome 😊❤
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