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Everybody is gathered in the Iyer drawing room.
Mr. Bhalla looks sombre, Toshi ji is crying, and looks stunned. Ishita, Simmi and Madhvi are standing outside the door, banging hard on it.
"Mihika, Mihika, MIHIKA darwaaza kholo! Open the door Mihika...Mihika hum sab hain tumhare saath. Please darwaaza kholo. Mihika, baat karenge toh sab theek ho jayega" Ishita speaks frantically.
Madhvi looks scared, and terribly broken, "Aiyyo...yeh kya ho raha hai hamare gar mein? Meeheeka ko kuch ho gaya toh mein apni behn ko kyaaa answer karungi???"
"Amma please dont worry, kuch nahin hoga Mihika ko. Woh bas bahut zyada pareshan hai in sab ki wajah se," Ishita consoles Madhvi.
Mihir who had been standing behind them all, until this point, rushes past them, and grabs the handle of the door and gives it a jerk.
"MIHIKA, MIHIKA, MIHIKA OPEN THE DOOR! Open the door dammit! Yeh sab tum akele nahin jhelogi. Hum sab ismein saath mein hai, alright? Mihika, Please..mere liye hi sahi, OPEN THE DAMN DOOR MIHIKA," Mihir desperately tries to convince her.
No response from Mihika. After a couple more minutes of staring at the door, Mihika opens it quietly.
Her face is blotched red.
"Miku, Miku what's wrong with you? Do you have any idea hum sab yahan kitna darr gaye the? Tumhen kuch ho jata toh," Mihir says, concernedly, pulling her swiftly into a tight hug..
Mihika looks anguished. "I'm so, so sorry Mihir. Mujhe laga tha main jo kuch bhi kar rahi hun sahi kar rahi hun. I felt I could handle it all..but meri wajah se itna sab barbaad ho gaya ..aur aaj tumhen meri wajah se logon se itna kuch sunne ko mil raha hai. Mihir, I-cant-face-myself, I-dont-know-what-to-do...jo kuch bhi aaj Suraj ne kaha, aur...jo kuch bhi uske saath hua...woh sab meri wajah se," she cries unconsolably.
Mihir keeps her wrapped in his strong arsms, and silently pats her hair. "Miku, you dont have to blame yourself for anything. Kuch bhi ho jaye, main tumhare saath hun. We'll see through this together, Miku..ab yeh sab bhool jao. We need to talk."
"But Mihir, yeh sab itna aasan nahin hai..."
"Miku, maine kaha naa..Sab theek ho jayega. Now comeon, let's get you some sleep. Tum bahut stressed out ho, tumhen aaram ki zaroorat hai," Mihir puts an arm around her shoulder and motions to the members outside that he will take care of it.
Everybody present looks at each other.
" I think..Mihir sab handle kar lega...iss waqt Mihika ko sirf Mihir hi samjha sakta hai...bahut raat chuki hai. Hum sab ko so jana chahiye...,"says Ishita, hinting that Mihir and Mihika need to be alone and sort out things between themselves. Excepting Madhvi, all the Bhallas start dispersing and moving back to the Bhalla flat.
Raman, who had just entered the Iyer house, stands there transfixed, as he takes it all in.
********************************************
Ishita appears to be in a daze. She absent-mindedly lets the bed sheet fall in a pile on the floor, and arranges the cushion near the foot side of the bed. Raman, who is still standing at the door of the bedroom, notices her, without saying a word.
It seems like a long time has passed in between.
Ishita stands still, looking outside at the moonlit night, with tears in her eyes. Raman crosses over to the sofa, and picks up the bedsheet without making the slightest noise and puts it gently, on the sofa. He turns Ishita around to face him, by holding her by the shoulders. Not a word is exchanged. And then -
Raman looks uncertain...stirred...many emotions running through him.
He tries to stand still, not letting Ishita know what she's doing to him.
And finally, unable to hold on to the love swelling inside of him, he lets go ...
Ishita breaks the silence. "Aap please mujhe kabhi chhodke mat jana...Raman...aapke bina main ekdum akeli ho jaaungi"
More time passes by.
Then suddenly, as the clock struck 12 and chimed in, the couple drifted out of their reverie. Both looked startled.
"Maana ki tum farzi dentist ho, aur Batra ne tumhen aise hi clinic set up karne de diya. Par mujhe to kaam hai, jaa raha hun sone...tum taare ginti rehna," Raman teases her, grinning slyly.
Ishita pretends to cough, blushing hard and mumbles a faint "goodnight", before diving into the make-shift bed.
Raman smiles to himself and retires to his bed as well.
******************************************
It's 2.30 am.
Ishita fidgets in her sleep. She pulls the blanket closer to her face, trying to cover her feet at the same time.
Raman, on the other hand, has not slept at all. He lies in bed, thinking of Ishita.
Of her radiant smile
Of how good she gorgeous she looks in red
Of how badly he wants to pull her into his arms when she is worried or upset 
Of how he loves teasing/taunting her
of how his breath feels on her, 
suddenly...he hears Ishita coughing. He quietly turns to the other side, facing her...He sees her trembling, and bringing the bedspread over her head...while trying to cover her feet at the same time. Some time passes before she falls asleep once more.
Without making a sound, he gets up from the bed, taking his blanket along and quietly wraps it over her,while watching her sleep. 
He stands still, watching her for some more time. Her doe-like eyes, the perfect nose, the curve of her lips, he so badly wants to touch with his own... 
How much he loved her! How much he wanted her! Ishita pulls the blanket closer, smiling in her sleep.
Suddenly, Raman gets off his bed and places himself on the make-shift one his wife is sleeping in, without making much noise. He snuggles close to Ishita, and drapes the blanket evenly over them both. Without hesitating, he brings his left arm over her waist, protecting her, feeling her breath..He realizes how intimately she lay beside him...
Ishita turns over to face him and involuntarily puts her right arm over him, embracing him. Raman hugs her back, tightly.
Ishita is startled, as her eyes fly open.
She finds Raman staring at her, barely two inches away from her face. "A..aap..idhar.." she speaks in a whisper, as her bosom heaves up and down, hot air coursing through her. She stares, transfixed, not believing they could be so so close..
Raman waits for a minute, before answering her, in a sensuous murmur. "Dilli ki sardi tum jaisi Madrassan ko suit nai karti hogi...toh.. maine socha...thodi si garmi honi chahiye..." "Kuch galat kiya?"
Ishita looks at him, speechless. Her breath hot, her heart pounding...
"Ishita, main tumse kuch kehna chahta hun..."
"Kahiye naa..."
"Kehna toh nai chahiye...magar..upar wale ne tumhen bade fursat se banaya hai.." He stressed on each word, taking ages to let every word sink in.
Ishita has almost stopped breathing now. "Raman..." she whispers, her heart longing for more.
Raman inches closer to her, scanning her face in its every detail...
"Raman, yeh aap kya kar rahe ho..."
Despite saying those words out loud, Ishita wanted it to so badly happen..feel Raman's touch..
She shuts her eyes tight, smiling blissfully, transported into a world of dreams and love...
In seconds, she feels his lips pressing tenderly on her eyelids, her forehead, the tip of her nose, the chin...
Her eyes flutter open...
"Aur..." she implores him.
In response, he presses his lips on her cheek, lingering for ten seconds too long.
Her eyes seek him out, searching in them the desire she herself felt in her veins.
Raman looks at her, with a slight smile on his face.
"Isse zyada kiya toh tumhara dehaant ho jayega Madrassan...ab so jayen," Raman concludes, smirking.
Ishita breaks into a grin and hugs him tight, drifting off into a blissful sleep.
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