Chapter 39
"Where are you two off to all of a sudden?" Madhu asked when she noticed Rishabh and Manav all dressed up and ready to go outside.
Rishabh had surprisingly come back from work in the middle of the afternoon, and now half an hour later, it seems like Manav and him were going out. But where? No one had told her anything.
"We're going out for some time. You need anything?" Rishabh answered coolly and Manav didn't even bother to respond - as if it was just the most normal thing for him to hang out with Rishabh. They'd come really close in just a few days.
"No. But where are you going?"
"Just to get a few things. We'd be back soon." Rishabh answered.
"Should I come along?" Madhu offered, a touch annoyed at not being included. Since when did Manav and Rishabh start making cool plans without even telling her?
"No." Rishabh answered, almost too quickly, then added. "I mean you don't need to. You continue to study for your exams. We'd be back soon."
"Yeah di. See you." Manav concurred and Madhu, though perplexed, had no choice but to nod. However, for the next two hours she could barely concentrate on the books or the TV. She felt like a kid who had been asked to sit at home while all her friends were in the playground. When Manav and Rishabh returned, they had huge grins on their faces, but nobody would tell her where they'd been. They were not even carrying any bags except a tub of ice-cream which they graciously shared with her. But they surely weren't gone two hours for ice-cream?!
Madhu was sitting in her room, still perplexed, when she heard a knock. She turned to see Rishabh leaning at the door, handsomely smirking.
"Rishabh" she said standing up.
"Hey, I hope I didn't disturb you. I just came to say, you have one hour. Get ready, we're going out for dinner."
"Dinner?"
"Yep."
"But why?"
"Because we got to eat to live. You ask too many questions, Madhu. Just get ready in an hour, ok" RK said with mock annoyance and turned to leave. Then suddenly he stopped, turned his head to look at Madhu.
"Wear a sari."
**************
Madhu stood at her spot puzzled for several minutes even after Rishabh left. His behavior and his odd request was baffling. Sari, really?
He asked her to wear a sari? Madhu looked at her wardrobe and saw the beautiful red sari she had found in her bags when they'd returned from shopping the other day. This all dinner thing felt quite weird. Somehow, though, she couldn't help but feel excited. The way RK had been looking at her made her feel beautiful and special. It was almost as if her life had just begun a few days ago and she had just met Rishabh. Around him, she actually forgot her past. And then there was the way her own heart raced up...
Madhu took a deep breath and calmed her heart down. It was just a dinner, just a meal. They ate together all the time these days. And Manav would be there too, she reasoned. There was no need to be feel so nervous, she told herself as she picked the sari and turned to the washroom to get ready.
But the nerves were back the moment she stepped out of her room, all dressed up an hour and ten minutes later.
Rishabh was there, waiting in the living room, and as soon as she opened the door of her room, his eyes turned towards her and he forgot to breathe. She looked ethereal.
Madhu's eyes stopped on Rishabh's and her heart suddenly jumped. He was dressed up formally, wearing a nice suit and looking radiant with a positive glow on his face. She loved the cream shirt he was wearing and something about the way he stood, with one of his hands was in his pocket, exuded a hypnotic confidence. The scar on his head had almost healed and even his arm now had a heavy bandage instead of a full cast. He looked much better than she had ever remembered seeing him. But it was his eyes - oh, his eyes - that made Madhu gasp and instantly go weak in her knees. Automatically, her hand went to the door-frame as she stilled herself, confident that she would fall without the support. Rishabh's eyes were penetrating deep inside her and she was afraid, very very afraid, that he would be able to peek and see the one secret she wouldn't dare tell him.
'Oh, I've got it bad', a voice within her said.
Rishabh blinked. Slowly, deliberately. But she was still there.
Holy hell!
It was really Madhu, ten feet away from him, looking so gorgeous, so positively delicious, so full of life. His Madhu.
The red sari was gorgeous, but most of its beauty came from the person wearing it. Yes, of course he knew Madhu was beautiful and yes, he had imagined her wearing the sari ever since he bought it, but the reality surpassed his expectations many times over. Perhaps it was the faint smile on her face, perhaps it was the gleam in her eyes.
At that moment, just for that moment, she seemed like she had left behind her pains and her burdens and allowed herself to breath. If he hadn't been already so heads over heel in love with her, he would have probably been more surprised at how completely she had him dazzled with just one look, but now he just smiled. His heart was beating frantically for her and a wild ache threatened to over-rule his resistance and make him grab her in his arms until she said yes to being his for the rest of their lives.
Or fall at her feet and beg her to take him, whatever works.
'Oh, this is crazy. I am so done for!', he told himself as he took a deep breath and smiled again, saying her name.
"Madhu!" he and started walking towards her. For the first time perhaps, she saw him just like a woman sees a man. No history, no labels. Just a man walking towards her. A gorgeous man. The man.
"Why did my name suddenly seem sweeter? And oh God, that smile is killing me!" she thought to herself.
"Rishabh.."she managed aloud as she let the doorframe go and took a couple of steps towards him, closing the distance.
"You look gorgeous." he said and Madhu felt herself turning crimson. She'd heard those words before, but they'd never, ever done this to her. He made her feel beautiful. She turned her gaze away from his face to his feet.
Before she knew it, he was standing beside her, holding her hand and his fingers were intertwined with hers. She looked up at him, but he just continued to smile. Nerves exploded in Madhu's stomach and she wanted to pull her hand away, suddenly afraid, but he wouldn't let her. Instead, he just squeezed her hand, as if somehow he had senses her nervousness. Without breaking the eye contact, he pulled her hand upto his lips and kissed it.
"You are so beautiful, Madhu, you make my heart stop." he whispered and watched surprise wash over her eyes to be quickly replaced by her blush.
He chuckled a bit to himself, sure now that he affected her like she affected him. Then he let the hands fall down, though they stayed intertwined and let his eyes point to the door of the house.
"Let's go?" he said and took a few steps forward, pulling her along.
"Manav?" she asked after a few seconds, suddenly coming back to her senses. Rishabh looking into her eyes had her mesmerized, but once they started walking she realized Manav wasn't around. Wasn't he coming to dinner?
Rishabh turned back and looked at her. "His dinner is ordered in. He's staying home tonight. Don't worry, I asked Seeta to come and stay till we are back, and one bodyguard would be here too. He'd be fine. Now let's go.."
"We're going alone?" she asked, surprised. She had stopped walking and looked at Rishabh with a puzzled look.
Rishabh smiled and let her hand go. Then he called Manav's name aloud. A few seconds later, Manav was standing at the door of his room.
"You called, bhaiya?"
"Yes. Say bye to your sister." RK said.
"Oh. Bye Madhu di. Enjoy your evening."
"Manav..."Madhu began to say something but Manav cut her off.
"I am watching a movie on my laptop, di. Talk to you tomorrow morning. Enjoy your date." Manav shut the door of his room again and went inside. Madhu was amazed and looked towards RK again. Did he just say date?
"He'd be fine Madhu. He's a good kid and he's quite independent. Plus there are people to look after him and he has you and me a call away." RK tried to explain, thinking Madhu's witless look was a reflection of her worry for Manav. But in fact, it was just a reflection of how flabbergasted Madhu was.
Date? Was this a date? What was going on?
"Madhu" RK clicked his fingers in front of her face, watching her lost and unresponsive. She looked up to him and blankly nodded.
"Shall we go, or do you want to keep your date waiting some more?"
There. He said it too. This was a date. This was a date?
Did she agree on going out on a date with him. No, he never asked her for one.
But did that mean she wanted him to ask? If she did, then she would have said yes, right.
And then they would have gone on a date. Like they were going on a date right now. So what was the problem?
And why did this feel so exciting?
Madhu's head grappled with the changing-too-fast nature of her relationship with Rishabh, until felt him lock his elbow with hers. She looked up to him and something about the confident, charming look on his face calmed her down. Whatever this was, this was good.
"Let's go." she said, returning his smile with a full-hearted one of her own.
************************
They had barely stepped out of the house when Rishabh's phone rang. At first he thought about ignoring it and let it ring, but then he decided to check it. It was almost 8 in the evening - very few people would call him unscheduled right now unless it was important. He looked apologetically at Madhu and pulled the phone out of his pocket with a view of quickly disconnecting whoever it was, promising to call back, but a strange fear hit him making him stop in his step as he saw the name on the Caller ID.
"Hello. Trish?" he spoke quickly as he answered anxiously and his fears multiplied as soon as he realized Trishna was crying on the other.
"Bhai..."
"Trish. Are you okay? What happened? Why are you crying? Is Mamiji fine?" RK shot questions quickly. He had checked in with London only a few hours ago - Trishna's mother had been recovering well. In fact she was supposed to be discharged from the hospital in a day or two.
Madhu watched RK's face turned pale as he spoke to Trishna. She couldn't hear what was being said on the other end but she knew her mother was in the hospital and the way RK had suddenly turned white, Madhu was immediately consumed with worry.
"What? No this can't...God..." RK involuntarily held on to Madhu's shoulder for support and she held his arm.
"Trish. I am coming there okay. You have to be strong. I am coming there as soon as I can get to you. Trish...you're not alone. I will be there asap." she heard him murmur on the phone but his words were scratchy at best and there were tears in her eyes.
"Rishabh?" she asked as soon as Rishabh hung up the phone. He looked up to her and hugged her as he felt the pain hit him. She enveloped him in her embrace strongly as she felt him give in to a sob.
"Rishabh is your mami ok? What happened to Trishna? Rishabh you're scaring me." she asked, terrified. He pulled away and she brought her finger to his chin.
"Mamaji...Trishna's father...he got hit by a car. Across the hospital where Mamiji is. He was crossing the road. They said he died on the spot. Trishna...Madhu she is..."Rk tried to explain but his voice choked.
"Shh..."Madhu consoled him, hugging him again. Tears started to leak her eyes too as she thought of Trishna and what she must be going through there, all alone.
"I...I need to go. Trishna is alone..."RK said, wiping his tears and trying to get back in control. Madhu instantly nodded and they both walked back inside the house. RK picked up his phone and started making arrangements for a flight while Madhu went in her room to quickly change and then started packing RK's stuff in his room.
"There's a flight from Mumbai to London in the morning. I am going to take that." Rishabh said as he stepped in his room about 20 minutes later. Madhu had already packed half his clothes in his suitcase. She quickly nodded at him. He looked calmer and a lot more in control, but Madhu knew he was hurting and his pain hurt her to the bone. More than that, she could see he was extremely anxious for Trishna. She knew he really loved his sister and would do anything for her. She herself cared about Trishna a lot. Although they'd met very briefly, she became very fond and just a little bit protective in her trip. Trishna had called Madhu her friend and Madhu had accepted the friendship. Right now, just like RK grieved for his sister, Madhu's heart ached for her friend.
"Yes. You should be with her."
"I have to go home first in Mumbai. My passport is there. You and Manav should come with me too. I can't leave you here alone and I would feel much better if you're home with Patil kaka. He will take care of both of you."
"Okay. I will pack our stuff too. When do you want to leave?"
"In a few hours. We can drive."
Madhu nodded. "Okay. I will tell Manav." She turned to leave when RK stopped her.
"Madhu, I am sorry." he spoke.
"For what?" she asked, worried. "For the dinner?"
"Yes...No. This...I mean...I know I am putting through an inconvenience."
"You're crazy Rishabh. There is no inconvenience. This is just horrible...this accident, it shouldn't have happened. Trishna and mamiji need you right now. I care for Trishna too and I am just as worried for her as you are. Manav and I will be fine. You've done enough for us. And we'd be here when you're back. But right now, you need to be strong for Trishna and mami and help them recover from this, ok?" Madhu gently said and hugged him.
"I...I don't know what to say to her. I can't make this better. She's my kid you know, and she has to go through all this alone. Losing a parent...I remember what that feels like. I don't know how I can make it better. I don't know if I have anything to give..." Rishabh mumbled, still in Madhu's embrace, who rubbed his back to calm him.
"Nobody can make the death of a parent feel less terrible than it is..."Madhu said, parting away though still holding him "...I should know. I lost my mother when I was so young. But she needs to be strong and for that she needs you. Trust me, if anyone can help her recover, it's you. You have so much to give Rishabh. So much love and care and strength. You can help her heal. Just like you helped me to start healing. Trust me. Just being there for her would mean the world for Trishna. Just go there and hold her. Let her cry in your arms and let her grief out. I know you're hurting yourself - I will come with you if I could and hold both of you, but..."
"Do you want to come?" Rishabh suddenly asked, realizing that Madhu was in pain over his and Trishna's loss too.
"I...I mean how can I?"
"Trishna would feel better if you're there. Me too. But I don't want to bother you..."
"Rishabh. There's no bother... what's wrong with you. In a time like this...but I am nobody"
"You're everything Madhu" he blurted and Madhu looked at him silently.
"Trishna thinks of you as a friend too. Will you come with me to London for a few days?"
"But how..."
"I will figure that out. I need you Madhu. Will you be there with me?"
Jab koi baat bigad jaye
Jab koi mushkil pad jaye
Tum dena saath mera, o humnava
The emotion in RK's voice tugged at Madhu's heart and she had to hold her tears back. Of course, she'd be there for him. Already, with the idea of being near Rishabh she felt a lot better. As much as she wanted him to go to London and be there for Trishna, the idea of being physically away from him when he was in pain didn't sit well with her.
"Always." she answered without hesitation.
Vafadari ki woh rasmein
nibhaenge hum tum kasame
Ek bhi saans zindagi ki
jab tak ho apne bas mein
"Always?"
"Always."
Until death do us part.
"Thanks Madhu." Rishabh found himself managing a faint smile at the unspoken vow. The thought of taking Madhu with him suddenly made him feel a lot stronger than he did only a few minutes ago. She was his weakness, as he'd discovered when he'd nearly lost her and it took the will to live from him way. But she was also his biggest strength.
"There is no need for thanks."
"I had your passport made in tatkal, and I know it got delivered today along with some other documents back at home in Mumbai. I will get someone to get an emergency visa arranged."
"Won't this delay you? I don't want to hold you back"
"No. I am sure we can get this done first thing tomorrow morning. We can take a flight that's couple of hours later, that's ok. I have my men at the hospital already, and mamiji's brother also lives in London. Trishna called their family. We'd get there by tomorrow afternoon London time."
"Okay." she replied, trusting him to figure things out.
"We would have to drop Manav to his school in Panchgani tonight instead of tomorrow as we planned. It's only 30 minutes off the Pune-Mumbai highway. We'd first drop him, then go home and pick up the documents. We can leave in a couple of hours. Is that fine?" Rishabh decided and pulled back his phone to start making calls to make all these arrangements.
"I will tell him and pack everything as quickly as I can." Madhu said and started to walk out of her room, then stopped.
"Rishabh?" she called and he looked up from his phone screen.
"Everything will be okay." she said before leaving the room.
The thing was, when she said it, Rishabh believed it.
As he pulled off his jacket to sit and make the rest of the calls, his eyes fell on the small box in his jacket pocket. He opened it and looked one more time at the ring he'd bought earlier in the day with Manav's help for Madhu. He was going to propose to her at dinner and promise to love her and be there for her for the rest of their lives. Fate might have postponed the big moment by a bit, he thought as he shut the box and put it in his bag, but soon, very soon, he would put words to the promise the two of them had already wordlessly made tonight.
Until death do us part.
Na koi hai, na koi tha
zindagi mein tumhare siva
Tum dena sath mera, o humnava
