*Rabir FF: True Love...Note, Chap 55 @ pg 143, 145 (2/1) - Page 59

Originally posted by: meenu_taarey

awesome update soon

n n pm me

take care

Originally posted by: Chit15

Wow superb update

Welcome back I missed ur updates

Thanks for pm and lovely Update

Originally posted by: sb1410

Awesome update love the way you describe each scene, the romantic setting of the resort where the wedding will be held, RaBir romance dreamy.

Chapter 34:

"So let's finalize these cards then? Is that okay?"

Pallavi looked up at her clients, patiently waiting for their response. She had been sitting in her office for the past two hours with Rachna and Kabir and showing them various card designs and color palettes. It had been a bit of a process since neither of them knew exactly what they wanted, nor were they sure of the color theme, which was surprising given that both of them were designers. Thankfully, seeing this particular card had brought a smile to both of their faces and given Pallavi a new sense of direction on what their taste was. Seeing nods of approval from both Rachna and Kabir, Pallavi removed all of the other things from the table, leaving just the gold and cream colored card that they had liked.

"So I take it that you both like simple, elegant designs? But how about we add some excitement with an accent color? Something like navy blue, deep maroon, or maybe even black?"

Pallavi was in for a surprise when her indecisive clients immediately spoke up in unison.

"Purple, but more of a burgundy shade."

Rachna and Kabir looked at each other and burst out laughing. Smiling, Pallavi too breathed a sigh of relief seeing that they were finally making progress.

"Fantastic! Gold, cream, and burgundy...that'll be our color theme for the wedding. As for the cards, I can have the manufacturer add a burgundy colored ribbon and do the writing in a burgundy ink instead of the black that is shown in the sample. Does that sound good?"

"Yes, that's perfect Pallavi. So how long do you think the cards will take to get printed?"

"If I order them today, then they should be done in 3 days. And once you finalize your guest list and give it to me, I can mail them out for you as well."

Rachna reached into her purse, pulled out a pen drive, and handed it to Pallavi. "Well I have an Excel spreadsheet with the guests and their address saved onto this pen drive. Oh and can you also add in a box of sweets with the invitations?"

"Yes Rachna, I can definitely do that. Do you have a preference for what type of sweets you'd like? We can do truffles or if you want to be a little more traditional, we can do some laddoos. And thanks for the guest list; it makes my job very easy to just print out the labels and mail out the invitations."

Rachna glanced over at Kabir, who was trying hard to hold back his laughter, and gave him a playful nudge. Looking back at a confused Pallavi, Rachna responded with a smile.

"Don't mind him Pallavi. It's just that the mention of truffles brings back memories of some interesting moments for us. Anyways, we'll go with the laddoos, maybe saffron flavored ones...it's a custom in our family to give a box of laddoos with the wedding invitation."

"Okay, that's good then. I'll place the order for everything we discussed today and I'll come up with some ideas for the decorations as well, which I can email to you both over the weekend. That way we can meet on Monday to go over your ideas and feedback."

"Sounds like a plan Pallavi. We'll see you on Monday."

"Oh by the way Pallavi, if you're ever in Thailand with a special someone, pay a visit to a little place called Secret Garden. They have some pretty amazing truffles that can inspire you to fulfill some of your unsaid fantasies if you get my drift. I'm sure Rachna can attest to that."

Kabir exited the room with a cheeky grin, leaving Rachna blushing uncontrollably and Pallavi trying hard to hide her playful laughter.

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The next morning, Rachna bent down to touch Seema's feet and then Sangeeta's feet, receiving a warm hand of blessings on her head from both her aunts.

"I'm overjoyed that you are getting this happiness in your life Rachna. Congratulations beta! But how come such a sudden plan for the wedding? And Sneha, you never even informed me that you were looking at boys for Rachna. I'm sure that you've found a good match for her, but I too could have suggested some good boys from Indore. Vaise, what does the boy do? Is he a doctor?"

Rachna glanced over at Sneha, confused by Seema's words. Sneha avoided Rachna's eyes and hugged both Seema and Sangeeta to welcome her.

"Arrey Seema ji, everything just happened so quickly that even I can't believe that Rachna's getting married. Anyways, I'm sure you'll like Kabir; he's very nice and he'll keep Rachna very happy. How about we head home now? I'm sure you're all tired from travelling such a long journey. Rachna, why don't you go ahead with the kids and get them some chocolates while Seema ji, Sangeeta ji, and I get the bags?"

Rachna gathered up her four cousins and walked towards the small convenience store at the train station. While the three younger kids picked out their treats, Sumit, Seema chaachi's son who was just a few months younger than Rachna, stood next to her.

"Congratulations Rachu! I can't believe that you're finally getting married!" Sumit smiled as he gave his cousin a hug. Rachna responded warmly to his embrace.

"Thanks Sumit. I'm so glad you all were able to make it! How's everything going? I don't even remember the last time we talked."

"Well everything's pretty good. You can call me Dr. Sumit now! And yeah, you basically stopped talking to me after tai ji and tau ji..."

Before Rachna could respond, her little cousins ran towards her with their hands full of goodies. After paying for everything, Rachna led her cousins to the car, where Seema, Sangeeta, and Sneha were waiting for them. The car ride home was a noisy one with the adults chatting away in the front, while the kids happily munched on their treats in the back. Meanwhile, Rachna became lost in her thoughts, oblivious to her surroundings, as she stared out the window, leaving Sumit to curiously ponder over the meaning of the incoming text message that flashed on Rachna's phone.

Hi sweetheart. You left your ever so important toothbrush at home so I'll bring it over to Sneha mausi's house tonight. Miss you my love! <3

Nudging Rachna lightly with his elbow, Sumit handed the phone to her. Smiling as she read the message, Rachna replied quickly.

You just need an excuse don't you?

A few moments later, Rachna's phone buzzed again with the reply.

You know me so well. I'm such a stickler when it comes to dental hygiene. ;)

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While the new visitors made themselves comfortable in the guest rooms, Rachna questioned Sneha about what had happened at the train station.

"Sneha mausi? Why didn't you tell Seema chaachi that Kabir and I are already married? I mean, why hide this from her?"

"Rachna beta, you know how orthodox your aunts are, especially Seema. In all my years that I have known them, they haven't said one positive thing about Mumbai. They always looked down upon your mother and father for moving out of Indore and raising you and Pihu in a big city. In fact, your father had to bear a lot from them when you ran away. When your parents passed away and left your responsibility to me and Akash, Shail didi told me one thing; to keep you and Pihu connected to Indore and Dayal jija ji's family. I've managed to convince them to come to your wedding with a lot of difficulty. There was no way that I could tell them about whatever happened in Benaras or that you and Kabir are married already. I know that it seems wrong to hide this from them, but if they find out the truth, then they won't stay here to attend your wedding. Rachna beta, I want you to have the blessings of your entire family as you start your life afresh with Kabir. I promised Shail didi that I wouldn't let you drift away from your aunts and uncles and I can't break that promise."

Rachna sighed as tears fell from her eyes. "I also want them to be here for the wedding, but I really don't want to hide the truth about me and Kabir. I did enough of that when I was in Benaras. If you think this is the only way to keep them here though..."

Rachna trailed off as Sneha gave her niece a much needed hug.

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As expected, Kabir arrived at Sneha's house later that evening. The house was definitely beginning to feel like a shaadi ka ghar, as it buzzed with excitement and was filled with lots of chatter about the upcoming celebrations. Kabir was in for a huge surprise at seeing so many people, all strangers for him. He looked around for a familiar face and was relieved to find Pihu coming to receive him.

"Hello jija ji, what a pleasant surprise? Couldn't stay away from her even for one day?"

"Arrey Pihu di, I just wanted to stop by with these strawberries for you. Rachna told me you like them."

Kabir winked playfully as Pihu took the package of strawberries from him. "Very well played Kabir. I must say that I'm impressed. Anyways, now that you're here, you might as well meet the rest of the family."

Pihu led Kabir into the living room and introduced everyone turn by turn.

"Okay Kabir, so this is Seema chaachi and this is Sangeeta chaachi."

"Namaste chaachi ji." Kabir touched both Seema and Sangeeta's feet.

"And these are the kiddies. Sumit and Shipra are Seema chaachi's kids. Dolu and Disha are Sangeeta chaachi's kids."

Kabir introduced himself to all of Rachna's cousins. Disha, who at seven was the youngest of the bunch, tugged on Kabir's shirt and pulled him down to his knees to address him directly in her cute high-pitched voice. Rachna walked into the living room just as Disha began to speak.

"Pihu di said that you're going to marry Rachu di and take her away. I promise I'll give you all my chocolates if you let Rachu di stay with us."

Everyone in the room laughed, as Disha looked at Kabir with a serious expression on her face and tears in her eyes. Kabir picked Disha up in his arms and wiped away her tears.

"Hmmm, that's quite a tempting offer Disha and I do like chocolates. What's say Rachu?"

Kabir fought back a laugh as he looked over at Rachna and gave her a quick wink. Before she could respond to his teasing, Kabir turned his attention back to the young girl in his arms.

"But how about this Disha? You can keep your chocolates and I'll let your Rachu di stay here with you until Christmas if you give me a big kiss."

Disha smiled as she placed a wet kiss on Kabir's cheek. Everyone else in the room laughed again seeing Disha's innocence.

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❤️ Nivi

Chapter 35:

Kabir sat on the couch next to Sumit as Rachna took a seat next to Seema and Sangeeta. Meanwhile, Pihu ushered the kids out of the room with Sneha to get them started on dinner.

"So Kabir beta, do you work at a hospital or have your own practice?"

Kabir shifted in his seat and looked over at Rachna, who answered the question for him.

"Seema chaachi, Kabir is a fashion designer. He has his own business."

Seema raised her eyebrows in distaste. "Hmmm this is the best that Sneha could find? I could have lined up a whole list of doctors for you Rachna. But as they say, to each his own. So, what do your parents do?"

Kabir cleared his throat uncomfortably. "My father's no longer with us. But my brother has just come back from studying law at Oxford. It's just the two of us."

"And your mother?"

Clearly sensing Kabir's discomfort, Rachna interrupted. "Seema chaachi, you must be hungry. Why don't we go on and have dinner first. You can talk to Kabir later."

Thankfully, the smells of dinner wafting in from the dining room were enough to divert Seema and Sangeeta away from questioning Kabir and towards the food. Sumit followed his mother out of the living room as well, leaving Rachna and Kabir alone in the living room. When the room was finally clear, Rachna shifted herself to sit next to Kabir and squeezed his hand in support.

"I'm sorry about that. Seema chaachi is a bit much. Please don't feel bad about anything she says."

"It's okay. But why do I get the feeling that she doesn't know everything about us?"

Rachna sighed. "Because she doesn't. It's a long story, but basically my father's side of the family is a kind of traditional about all this. Sneha mausi had a tough enough time convincing them to come here that she thinks it would be best if they didn't find out about the fact that we go married in Benaras."

Kabir was silent for a few moments before he answered. "And if they found out the truth?"

"They would probably not stay. Possibly break off their relation with me."

"Hmmm, no pressure then. We only have to make sure that all relationships remain intact for the next 4 weeks."

Kabir chuckled as he placed his arm around Rachna's shoulder. She placed her head on his chest as she joined him in his laughter.

A knock at the door startled both Rachna and Kabir, who immediately pulled away from each other.

"Rachu, mom's calling you and Kabir jiju."

"Yeah Sumit, we'll be right there."

Rachna blushed as she jumped up from her seat. As she walked past Kabir to exit the room, he whispered sneakily into her ear, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Sumit.

"This month is going to be torturous."

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Just as everyone finished up with dinner and cleared the dining table, Gunjan walked in with Akash, returning from her monthly doctor's appointment.

"Namaste Seema aunty. Sangeeta aunty."

"Namaste Akash ji. Congratulations Gunjan beta, although I don't remember getting the invitation for your wedding. I guess it must have gotten lost in transit hunh Sneha?"

Before Sneha or Akash could respond, Gunjan replied. "We'll definitely send you the invitation for the marriage when it happens Seema aunty. But for now, let's just enjoy Rachna di's wedding. Please excuse me."

Gunjan left the room, leaving a shocked Seema and Sangeeta. Rachna ran after Gunjan to comfort her.

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Rachna placed her hand on Gunjan's shoulder. "Gunjan, you know how Seema chaachi is. I apologize to you on her behalf. Please don't feel bad about what she said."

"Rachna di, this is what I'm going to have to go through for the rest of my life right? How am I going to raise this child alone? Everyone is going to taunt me like this."

"Not if they know what's right for them."

Rachna and Gunjan turned to find Kabir standing behind them. He walked towards Gunjan and helped her to sit on the bed.

"Don't you dare think you're alone. Your child is going to be surrounded by a loving family. Two extremely caring grandparents, two pairs of doting aunts and uncles who will spoil her, and a mom who's going to fight the world for her to make sure she gets everything she needs and wants."

"But jiju..."

"Don't but jiju me. Now's not the time to be weak and let these tears flow. You have to be happy. You have to be strong and ready to face every challenge that's thrown at you. And just remember that Rachna and I will always be standing right next to you."

Rachna sat down on the bed on the other side of Gunjan and gave her a side hug. "Kabir is right Gunjan. We're always going to be there for you. Now wipe away the tears and start planning your tactics for how you're going to steal Kabir's shoes at the wedding."

Gunjan smiled at Rachna's words as she wiped away her tears. "Jiju, get ready to have your pockets emptied. You're going to have to pay a hefty tax if you want to leave the wedding with your shoes on."

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Kabir hung the keys on the hook before he got himself a glass of water from the kitchen. The house was eerily quiet and empty today. He had gotten so used to having Rachna around that it felt odd without her. Seeing the light on in Karan's room, Kabir walked in to see what his brother was up to.

"Hi Karan, are you busy with something?"

Karan looked away from the paper he was reading and quickly wiped his eyes before he looked at Kabir.

"Hey bhai. No, I was just..."

Although Karan tried to hide his tears from his brother, Kabir could sense that something was wrong. He sat down on the bed next to Karan and voiced his concerns.

"Karan, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying bhai. I was cleaning my room and some..."

"dust got in your eye? That's the oldest excuse in the book Karan and it's one that you've been using since you were a kid. Now tell me the truth; what's wrong?"

A sob erupted from Karan's throat as he hugged Kabir tightly. "I miss him."

Kabir sighed, fighting back his own tears, as he rubbed Karan's back in a comforting manner.

"I know you do Karan. I miss him too."

Kabir continued to stroke his little brother's back when he noticed the piece of paper that Karan had been holding. "Karan, what's this?"

Kabir picked up the paper and immediately recognized his father's handwriting. "Papa's handwriting? Karan, where did you get this letter?"

Kabir immediately began reading the note, with an insatiable hunger.

I thank you for all of your services thus far. Now, having been convinced that you are worthy enough of this responsibility, I am going to entrust you with an extremely important task. I want you to approach Kabir and convince him to hire you as his legal associate. I want you to keep me updated with what is going on in his life. I want you to give him the advice that I wish I could give him. But you must make sure of one thing; he cannot become aware of the fact that I have send you or that I am even alive.

"Karan? Where did you get this letter from?"

"Pathak ji. It fell out of his file during the court hearing and I picked it up. But before I could give it back to him, he had already left. I put it in my pocket but I forgot about it until earlier today when I was doing my laundry and happened to come across the paper. I immediately recognized papa's handwriting and I couldn't help but read the note. Bhai, do you know what this means? It means that papa's alive bhai and Pathak knows where he is."

Kabir looked at his brother with a shocked expression.

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Hope you enjoyed the double update!

❤️ Nivi

Originally posted by: crtkelly

Chapter 34

Okay Nivi, you know I went into total hysterics over the truffles🤣. My family looked at me as if I was crazy! Bless those chocoholics!

Mixed bag this update. I'm super happy with the wedding planning, but felt badly for Rachna having to hide the truth of their marriage. Poor soul all she wants it start afresh with Kabir, but what is a FF without a little family drama.

Loved the little cousins, the little girl on the right track bribing Kabir with chocolate LOL.

Off to read Chapter 35 now!

Kelly

Originally posted by: crtkelly

Chapter 35:

Dear Seema, what a wonderful aunt. Obviously you're a Doctor or a nobody to her 😡

I'm feeling Kabir's pain, the next 4 weeks will be torture😆

But more importantly solid confirmation that Kabir and Karan's father is alive. I'm so glad, but naturally am now anxious to know what happened that caused him to go away, and looking forward to a reconciliation for the brothers with their Dad..

Thank you for the double update...and early Christmas gift for us all!

Looking forward to the next!

Thanks for the PM!

Hope to be posting mine before the end of the night!