Hi Guys! One more OS for you! It is about AbhiGya but revolves around a newly introduced third character! I was thinking, since Pragya can't stand up for herself, why not introduce a character who would do it for her and someone who Abhi may consider a threat (unfortunately Purab isn't a threat for him) - Hence a new guy - Aayush (I somehow imagine Siddharth Karnick playing the role❤️)...this is after their divorce from the MMS scandal!😊😊
Hope you like it! On that note, Happy Reading! And please do keep sending lots and lots of comments! I love reading them! 😳😳😳
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It was a bright day in the winter, when Pragya walked out of her maternal house for college. She had resumed work. She didn't see the point of sitting at home and crying over a marriage which was nothing more than a farce for her own husband. After the MMS leaking in the internet, she thought her life was over along with her reputation. Abhi was haunted by the media with all possible questions of infidelity from her - she knew even if she did prove herself now, Abhi wouldn't forgive her - she knew nothing could save her marriage even if she wanted to, but for the sake of her lost dignity she had to bring out the truth. With Purab and BB's help when she realized the MMS was leaked from Abhi's own system, disgust flooded her - why wouldn't he thought Pragya, if daadi already knew about it, he had no more fear of anything - this seemed like a good way of throwing her out of his life by putting her in wrong light - it was a perfect opportunity.
Soon with the elimination of the desire to fix the marriage which solely lay within Pragya, an easy path for divorce paved out. She never thought she would get a job after all this, but the director of her old college where she taught was personally quite close to her and she seemed to understand her situation, she decided to give her work, but not as a professor since the MMS scandal was freshly in peoples mind. She joined as an administrative staff, who would later be converted to teaching faculty.
Today as she walked out of her home to leave for college in a hurry, she almost bumped onto this stranger. He was a lean bodied fair guy with a friendly face and slightly spikey hair. He was wearing a neat black three piece business suit, with a briefcase in his hand. He was looking too sophisticated for her neighbourhood. Pragya was about to enquire who he was and why was he coming to her house when her daadi called her name from inside to remind her to get her medicines that evening when she returned. She replied back she would and turned back to face the stranger.
Pragya -Yes? How can we help you?
Stranger - You're Pragya right?
Pragya - Yes, but I am sorry I don't recognize you.
The stranger flashed a boyish smile, which made Pragya realize even though dressed very formally, he wasn't very old. Infact he would be around BB's age if not younger.
Stranger - Hi Pragya, I am Aayush. I am the trustee of your college. I wanted to talk about career opportunities for you, would you mind talking to me for a bit?
Pragya was surprised, why was the trustee of her college coming all the way home to talk to her? Then she thought maybe with the MMS scandal still on the rage, since it has only been about two weeks from her divorce, he didn't find it fit to employ her as it might tar his colleges reputation. Maybe he wanted to talk to her personally regarding it. She motioned him to come inside her house. He came in and Pragya noticed he was making no effort in hiding his curiosity while looking around her hall room. He peeked at the pictures and smiled to himself. He also peeped towards the bedrooms probably hoping more people to come out. But at that moment no one did. Pragya cleared her throat and Aayush turned back to look at her.
Pragya - Yes Mr.--- sorry I didn't catch you surname?
Aayush - Hey, you can just call me Aayush. So Pragya, I am here because the director of the college had sent me a written petition for allowing you to work for our college in spite of the ----well, you know the fake MMS that got circulated.
Pragya was surprised, ever since the MMS leak, other than her family no one ever referred to it as the fake MMS' she felt both a rush of gratitude towards this man and liking since she saw he was visibly uncomfortable discussing the MMS with her. It was rare, Pragya was used to shameless unabashed questions about it and her intentions behind it so far by neighbour's, random people on the road who recognized her, her neighbourhood shop keepers etc.
Pragya - How is it that you believe it was a fake MMS?
Aayush - Well I trust my college director's sense of judgement about you. And also you seem too decent to be up for such a vile game.
Pragya smiled. She had taken a liking for this man. He was formal yet there was something friendly about him. There was something slightly childish and endearing in his behaviour in spite of his formal tone. She liked him.
Aayush - Pragya, I know you are over qualified for the job of an administrative staff in our college, hence I came to make you an offer. Other than the college, I have business holdings in a few other industries. I have recently acquired a media company here in Mumbai, I was recruiting professionals' for media and consumer analytics. Since you have experience in doctoral research and you also have a degree in psychology, I think you are apt to head that wing of my media business. In an academic career maybe your personal issues can stop you from getting good work, but in the corporates no one cares. So will you be interested in it?
Pragya was speechless. As far as she knew good luck seemed to consciously avoid her, but today here it was literally knocking her door with bright opportunities for her!
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Pragya has been working in Aayush's company for a month and a half now. They had become good friends. Pragya adored Aayush and he deeply respected her. Pragya learned that Aayush had lost his mother when he was very young and recently after the demise of his father, he had no family. He had taken to enjoying hearing stories about Pragya's family when Pragya had once invited him home for dinner. Aayush gelled in this family like he belonged there. He cracked jokes with her daadi, pulled BB and Purvi's leg and seemed to grow a strangely strong bond with her mother right from their first meeting. Her mother adored Aayush and she felt, her mother filled up Aayush's void of not having a mother. He was hardly ever serious and everyone loved him.
Pragya loved Aayush's spontaneity. She hated to admit it, but it reminded her of Abhi. Pragya knew Aayush had quite a roving eye and every alternate day would turn up at work from a new ladies house. Once an exasperated Pragya had asked him why he didn't have a house, and lived in the office guest room. A sly Aayush had relied that he hardly spent nights at his home hence he didn't need one! Pragya didn't buy it. After probing further Aayush had revealed that he hated the huge empty bunglow he had in Malabar Hills as it reminded him how lonely he was.
Sarla ma on learning this had invited Aayush to move to their house. Aayush was the son that Abhi could never be thought Pragya. Her mother doted on him like he was an infant. However Aayush had declined the idea initially because he didn't want to breach the Arora's privacy, but on her mother and daadi's repeated request he did decide to move in. But then he had told her mother that if she considered her a son and he could move in with them, then even she and her family could move in with him to his bunglow. Sarla ma was caught off guard. She instinctively decided against leaving her home, but when Aayush said his house was his fathers last gift to his family and since they were now his family, he really wanted them with him, Sarla couldn't refuse.
The only thing every body left without noticing was Malabar Hills was Abhi's neighbourhood. At first the idea of going near Abhi both stung Pragya and also gave her hope. But she learnt to snub both. If Abhi deserved anything from her, it was pure indifference not even hate.
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It has been two weeks that Tanu and Aaliya's faade fell off before Abhi, and to his distress he learnt chashmish was innocent. He even learnt that the MMS was leaked to the world, from his own system without his knowledge by Tanu. Shame shot through him. But before that, was his hatered for Tanu. She didn't think twice before risking his daadi's life. When Abhi rebuked Tanu and told her he will hand over her to the cops, Tanu out of fear had blurted out all her wrong doings in return of keeping her away from the cops. Abhi was shell shocked to know how she and Aaliya had in parallel played games with him too and tarred chashmish's image before him. Abhi knew she owed chashmish an apology.
It was this reason that brought Abhi to their doorstep at Chembur to find their house locked. When he got his chauffeur to enquire, no one knew where they had moved. They just told him that the Arora's didn't reside their anymore, and there has been no wedding in KKB Hall for a month now - not that it was the wedding season.
A worried Abhi tried locating her for the whole of the last two weeks but he wasn't successful. But today when he was driving through his neighbourhood to reach home, he saw her. Only she wasn't alone. She was in a plush car with a man. And from that glance in which her car passed by his, she wasn't quite herself. At least what she wore seemed like western formals. And that guy, where did he see him? Aah, at the society meeting the other day. The business tycoon- what was his name - Aayush P. What was chashmish doing with him thought an agitated Abhi? Could it be that----so soon? As anger and jealousy engulfed him, he remembered Aayush more clearly. When they briefly met in the meeting, Aayush had given him an arrogant nod. He had thought Aayush was throwing attitude, but maybe he wasn't - who would like to be anything more than curt with his wif"(no fianc or maybe just friends - well they didn't look like friends, they looked like they were family)'s ex husband.
Abhi went home and got Robin to find out which bunglow in the neighbourhood belonged to Aayush. The next morning, Abhi wasn't in the mood to continue his exercises in the gym - he wanted to go for a jog in the neighbourhood.
While on the jog, he found him - Aayush jogging on the tracks. He paced up to equal him. He ideally wanted to outrun him - it felt like a race that chashmish was overlooking, he had to beat Aayush to impress chashmish - but today he needed to follow him, to unocover what was really going on. As Abhi levelled Aayush, Aayush turned his head and saw him - he did a curt nod and continued. Abhi felt a stab of annoyance at his attitude - he decided he would not talk, he will just let him jog ahead and he would follow him. But he couldn't do that much further either. A few blocks down Abhi's bunglow, he stopped right in front of a villa he assumed was not inhabited by anyone for a long time. Ever since the demise of the senior business tycoon Parimal ji. But his thought lost track as he saw who all were sitting in the neatly maintained lawn with breakfast waiting for Aayush. There was his rockstar daadi jovially chatting with Sarla ma and drinking juice. And beside them, preparing Aayush's plate of breakfast was --- Abhi gasped - no it cannot be - in a plain set of cream coloured western formal wear - his chashmish. Aayush went and casually hugged from the side, and she reciprocated - she handed him his plate and was walking towards the driveway - she seemed to be leaving for work.
Abhi stood there transfixed, he couldn't move. Pragya got onto the car with a file in her hand and settled inside. The car started, and as it drove out of their driveway, Pragya looked up just in time to see Abhi staring at her in his jogging tracks right outside her house.
Abhi saw her look at him - she seemed to be taken aback for a moment - but then she recovered very fast and looked down at the file on her lap as her car drove by leaving a piercing sting inside Abhi.
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Oh! So they all live together, she works with him in his company, through out the day they are together, and at night?" thought Abhi savagely. He couldn't quite place his anger - all the need to apologize to chashmish seemed to have evaporated from his mind. Seeing his chashmish so dangerously close to that fair faced rabbit haired sidekick made Abhi extremely insecure. There was no doubt in his head that, that downtown romeo had fallen in love with chashmish, but for chashmish to reciprocate? It was most irresponsible. Had she forgotten that she is married him - well at least divorced to him - whichever way the link was HIM. Well she was justified ignoring him from the car that day, but fetching that warlock his breakfast? Hugging him? Moving in with her family to his house? Didn't Sarla ma believe in the fact that she couldn't stay at her daughter's house? Whatever happened to those ideologies?
Pragya couldn't shake off the gaze of shock in Abhi's eyes from the morning. She couldn't even concentrate on work. Aayush noticed this.
Aayush - He still affects you doesn't he?
Pragya - Huh? What?
Aayush - I saw him in the morning outside our house. I know you couldn't have missed him too, not when your eyes have always been searching for him ever since you moved into the same neighbourhood.
Pragya - You know what he did to me, you think I care?
Aayush - Ideally you shouldn't, but sadly you do. Logically you can't but emotionally you can and you do care for him.
Pragya - Aayush there is nothing like that. I agree I was a little shaken but I will get used to it. In a way it's good we had the encounter - I wont need to be alert always anymore. I can let it be.
Aayush - I wish I could believe you, but knowing you I cant. Pragya you're the sister I never had. No body wishes more than me that you forget that bas***d and move on. But I don't want you to forget him at the cost of losing your happiness. If happiness lies in Abhi, then Pragya don't let it go. No matter is worth losing your own happiness for.
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Well if she can hold her romeo's hand and walk about the neighbourhood without fearing of having to face daadi even, then why should he care? He would give the love birds a piece of his mind - and he will give it tonight.
When Pragya and Aayush returned home and entered the hall, everyone was eerily quiet. They noticed Abhi sitting on one of the recliners.
Abhi - Hi Pragya! As a friendly neighbour I came down to socialize with you all today.
Pragya rushed forward to say something harsh, but Aayush grabbed her hand and she stopped. Seeing his hold over Pragya, Abhi burned inside.
Aayush - Hi, Abhi. It is so nice of you to drop by. May I offer you a drink?
Abhi was boiling in rage at the well enacted politeness.
Abhi - Oi Mr. Roadside Romeo, shut all the pretense. You are a new entry in this household, I am not. Stay out of it! I came here to talk to Sarla aunty.
He turned to face Sarla ma.
Abhi - So aunty, I was always under the impression you never lie. Did you not claim that you would never stay at your daughter's household?
Sarla ma looked at Abhi sternly - I am not staying at my daughters' Abhi. I am staying at my sons'.
Her statement pierced through Abhi like a particularly nasty arrow. He hated Aayush for taking his place in chashmish's life, but Sarla ma too? Wasn't he a son to her? But wasn't he son enough to stay with ever? But Mr. Aayush definitely was.
Sarla ma - Abhi, I don't want to be harsh, but things are not straight between your family and mine. I request you to not extend your hand of friendship with us anymore. I would like you to please leave my house.
Again her words scorched him.
Abhi - I will respect your wish aunty and leave right now - provided your "so called son" and your "daughter" come out with me - I want to talk to them in private.
As the three of them walked out of the bunglow and went to the furthest end of the lawn towards the gate, Abhi held chashmish's hand.
Abhi - So you have changed haan chashmish? It is a 360 degree turn. Short clothes, ambitious nature, brash attitude - is this what it took to woo Mr. Richie Rich to bring you to his plush home?
Aayush - Abhi! How dare---
Pragya - Aayush, don't say anything. Let him speak. I am neither hurt nor surprised. That is exactly what I expect of him.
Abhi - Oh! Now you're haughty too! All this to please this sidekick? Who by the way has a reputation of that of a ladies toy before the society?
Pragya - Enough Abhi, if you hate me, spit your venom out on me and get lost. Keep Aayush out of this!
Abhi fumed at Pragya's dedication for this rugrat of a playboy! Didn't she know what she had signed up for?
Abhi - Defending your pet are you chashmish? You think that will buy you the honour of being his wife? No it wont! If he loved you, he'd have taken the step by now! At least for your own honour, couldn't you first marry and then move in? Or were you in such a hurry? What happened to your lectures about the dash of vermilion on a married women's forehead and its connection with their destiny?
Couldn't even wait for honour could you chashmish? And here I was searching for you like a maniac for weeks because I was guilty and wanted to apologize! I know I have wronged you - but you know what you cheated on me too! With this man! I will never forgive you for this chashmish - you let both me and daadi down. I hat----
But Pragya didn't wait for him to finish his line. She knew very well herself, that inspite of all this, she still loved Abhi in the deepest of her heart - she couldn't bear to see his hatred for her one more time. She turned around eyes leaking with tear and walked away towards her house. As much as she loved him, she thought - Abhi wasn't her destiny.
Abhi stared at Pragya's retreating figure.
Aayush - It saddens me to see, you are the Abhi the world adores and Pragya loves so much. You're not worthy of her.
Aayush's dismissal tone infuriated Abhi and his anger knew no bound. He started fist fighting with him and yelling.
Abhi - You think you are worthy of my wife? You think I cant see through your sly character and high level of libido? You miserable male-s**t, trying to turn my wife your mist----
But Abhi couldn't continue any further. Aayush had lost all self restraint now. He punched Abhi on the gut and floored him to the ground. He fell on top of him and pinned him to the ground while he was panting to get up. He placed his eyes on Abhi's face and screamed.
Aayush - Shut Up Abhi just shut up! One more word of disrespect you spit for Pragya I will kill you! Yes I have a roving eye, so? Did you it have it at my age? As far as Pragya is concerned, one more ill word against her, I will forget the fact that you were her husband until sometime back and by relation, my brother-in-law. YES ABHISHEK MEHRA YES. THAT IS THE RELATION PRAGYA AND I SHARE. NO I AM NOT A FOSTER BROTHER, BY BLOOD I AM HER HALF BROTHER. WE SHARE THE SAME FATHER. HE WAS SO GUILTY OF CHEATING ON HIS WIFE THAT HE NEVER CAME BACK TO HER EVEN AFTER MY MOTHER'S DEMISE. HE REGRETTED UNTIL HIS LAST BREATHE. AND AFTER HIM, I CAME INTO THEIR LIVES TO UNITE OUR FAMILY. THEY DON'T KNOW ALL THIS! THEY PROBABLY HATE ME! BUT I LOVE MY MOTHER, SISTERS AND MY GRANNY! THEY ARE NOT AWARE BUT THE HOUSE THEY LIVE IN NOW, IS RIGHTFULLY THEIRS! IT BELONGS TO THE LATE. PARIMAL ARORA - MY FATHER, PRAGYA'S FATHER, BB'S FATHER AND SARLA MA'S HUSBAND!
Abhi was stunned into speechlessness. He stared at Aayush not blinking. His reflex failed him. Aayush continued.
Aayush - I saw what you did to her before the world, I had to stand by her, but unlucky are my stars that even though I am trying to stand up for my own sister, I have to do it with a faade. Else they wont let me be close or take care of them! Yes Sarla ma was right, she is indeed staying at her son's house. How I wish someday she herself knew how accurate her statement was tonight. And as for Pragya? I have her best interest at heart! I would gladly get her married to some other eligible bachelor who deserves her, but you know I cant! You know why? Because in spite off all this she loves you! You - who don't deserve my sister. You - who broke her from within. You - who don't deserve to breathe the same air she breathes. But I am helpless before her love for you. Today in spite of the dirtiness you showed,if I still want to help you, it is because my sister's happiness unfortunately lies in you!
Abhi stammered - Aayush, I am really very sorry. I had no idea that ---
Aayush - So what you had no idea? If today in my place there was a stranger not related to Pragya helping her out? Would you still be justified in uttering these non-sense?
Abhi - No. I am sorry. Truth be told, I was unimaginably jealous of your bond with chashmish. I thought you are stealing her from me. I was insecure. And yes, in spite of all this mess I have created for ourselves, I realized I have always loved her.
Both men calmed down as both made confession that relieved them from secrecy. They slowly got up from the ground aiding each other. Aayush looked at Abhi and said that it was only better off pushing that evenings incident to the past. He knew his sister's happiness lay in Abhi and he was willing to look past everthing to keep her happy. Abhi in return vowed to maintain the secrecy about Aayush's true identity until Aayush thought the time was right to reveal and still be one big happy family. Furthermore they decided they will keep this fact a secret that Abhi and Aayush had joined hands for keeping Pragya and the Arora families happiness intact!
As Aayush walked home he was smiling, Abhi wasn't a bad guy, he was just jealous seeing his beloved with someone else. True he had made bad choices in life that affected his sister, but now he has changed. He can keep Pragya happy.
Abhi walked out of their gate with content spreading on his face. Chashmish hadn't ditched him. True he worsened the situation tonight, but with Aayush by his side, he was sure, he would win her back soon. It was a long journey ahead of him, but the prize on completion - Pragya was clearly waiting for him at the end of the road. And deep within he also wished they accepted Aayush for who he really was - he liked his brother-in-law.
Anupamaa
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