"I know what you did today..." Madhvi told abeer.
"What did I do...???" asked abeer.
"Why did you behave like that with meher...?? You are behaving strangely abeer... Tell me what's wrong..." Madhvi again asked.
"Nothing is wrong mom... I didn't wish to celebrate my birthday in that hospital ward... Is it too bad...?? And wait.. Meher complained to you... Right...?? "
"I saw her crying when I went to see her. After swearing on me, she told what happened... Don't get all angry on her... She is Ill abeer... She is in a goddamn icu room..." said madhvi.
"Whatever..."
Abeer went into his room and locked the door behind him. He can't let anyone see how weak he was feeling... He can't show the world hiw defeated and helpless he was.
After two days, meher was discharged from the hospital and she was taken home. In these two days, nisaar visited her daily, sasha once and the most important person of her life didn't even called her once, forget gracing her with his presence. Meher was sitting in her bed thinking about abeer, her fingers playing with her engagement ring.
"Meher come on baby... Have this soup..." said suman.
"No mumma... I don't want it.. I want to sleep for sometime.." Meher answered.
"Hmm... Ok... Meher where is abeer...?? I haven't seen him around...?? Is everything fine..??"
"He is injured too mom... Aunty must have asked him to stay at home and rest for a while... You know na, he never rests... So I think strict orders honge aunty ke... Waise I just... I just talked to him on phone... He will come home soon..." replied meher looking here and there.
Suman smiled and left the room without a word, may be she guessed meher was lying.
That evening, meher called abeer and it again went into mailbox.
"Abeer please talk to me... Tell me what's wrong... I'm sorry, if I hurted you abeer... Please say something... I need you abeer... I love you and Call me..."
Meher left a message for the third time today and closed her eyes. Soon tiredness took over her and she dozed off.
Abeer listened to the voice mail for the millionth time that day. He couldn't believe he was the one causing pain to meher... But he was trying to protect her, according to him... His carelessness could have killed her... At least she is alive... Isn't it better...?? He thought.
"How is she...?? You met her... Right...??" abeer asked nisaar who came to visit him.
"Yes... She is better but..." replied nisaar.
"But what..??"
"She looks sad abeer... Really sad... When I went to see her today, I almost thought for a second that we lost her... She looked lifeless... Exactly what she looked like that day in hospital... But then I realised she was sleeping..."
"Just do me a favour nisaar... Take care of her dude... Be that friend, she could talk to... Please be with her... Crack jokes, take her out... Please nisaar... Mere liye kar de yeh... " said abeer in a pleading tone.
"You should be doing all that abeer... Its your place.. Its the vacuum that is created by your absence from her life... And you are asking me to fill that very vacuum... Do you realise what you are saying...??" asked nisaar.
"I can't be with her nisaar... I can't... Don't ask me why... But please do this for me... Just understand that its my punishment... I have to stay away from meher..."
"Hmm... Only for you..."
Next day nisaar went to meher's place with a bouquet of red roses.
"Good Morning Princess..." said nisaar.
"Good morning nisaar.." replied meher with a faint smile.
"Abeer sent this for you..." Nisaar said giving the bouquet to meher.
"Abeer sent this...??" asked meher looking at the flowers.
"Yeah... He was coming to meet you today but something really urgent came up..." replied nisaar.
"Ohh... Come join me for breakfast.."
"Yeah... I'm damn hungry..." said nisaar attacked the food.
"Like always..." Meher said and laughed at him.
"Check... And mate..." Meher jumped with joy on her second consecutive victory.
"Applause... You are brilliant meher.. Really..." Nisaar complemented meher.
"Thank you... Now time for her punishment..."
"Anything you say..." Nisaar bowed down his head.
"Why is abeer ignoring me...??" asked meher.
"What..??? No... No... He isnt... Trust me..."
"So answer this question - did abeer send this bouquet..??" Meher asked another question.
"No... I bought these..." Nisaar replied honestly.
"I knew... Abeer knows I love white lilies.." Meher replied.
"Just help me talk to him once... He isn't picking up my calls nisaar... I don't know why he is doing this to me..?? He is hurting me again and again... Its killing me nisaar... Its killing me..."
Meher hugged nisaar and cried her heart out. Nisaar wrapped his arms around meher letting her cry her heart out.
Abeer burned in jealousy when he saw meher wrapped in nisaar's arms. He came to see her finally and when he came today, he sees her hugging his best friend. There was some kind of chemistry between them... An intimacy that irked abeer. Only he had the right to hold meher that close... Only he. He wanted to create a scene but then he was reminded of the promise he made to god... He was to stay away from meher and for that he has to make meher hate him.
"Having fun... Huh..." He said.
Meher broke the hug and looked at the one person she was dying to see.
"Abeer.."
Meher ran towards abeer and hugged him, clutching onto him like her last hope.. He was the only one, whom her whole life depended on... Abeer did hug meher for a minute and then he pushed her away from him. Meher looked at abeer questioning his actions.
"What..??? Nisaar and I don't share each and everything for your information... You hug him... Then you hug me... Aww... You work really hard on maintaining the balance between us... Don't you..?? Tell me a secret baby... Did you sleep with him like you did with me..?? Hum dono doston ke saath fair toh ho na tum..?? Maintaining balance..."
Meher this time couldnt control her emotions and angrily slapped abeer.
"How could you say that abeer..???? How...?? You think of me like that... So low and cheap... What am I according to you...?? A commodity..?? That you friends will share... Or a prostitute, you guys will sleep with to settle the score... Disgusting you are... You are ridiculous... Do you hear me...?? I can't believe I loved such a cheap man... How stupid I can be... How stupid..." said meher in anger.
"Aisa nahi hai abeer... You are not getting it... She was missing you..." interrupted nisaar.
"And you my friend, were comforting her... Woww... I wonder what more you could have done to comfort her... And why the hell are you here...?? With me fianc... that too alone in her room... I will obviously get angry... I'm getting married to her nisaar.. She is my property... And no one will touch what's mine..." Abeer roared at nisaar.
"We are not getting married... I call off this wedding... I will not marry a disgusting man like you... You think I'm cheating on you with YOUR best friend... While I think its the other way round... I think you are cheating on me with Sasha... You left me that night... For whom... Sasha... I saw you guys... But you know what I hate you... Get out..!!!" Meher shouted at abeer.
Abeer now pulled meher towards him harshly and twisted her hand behind.
"You will call off the wedding... Haha... I will do it... And you won't understand what's friendship... Sasha is my childhood friend... Before I forget, I will not marry a characterless girl like you... I refuse to marry you Ms. Meher Purohit..." saying this abeer stormed out of meher's room.
Meher fell on the floor and held her swollen and bruised wrist in her hand.
"I hate him... I hate him..." cried meher.
Nisaar sat on the floor in front of meher and cupped her cheeks.
"Meher please don't cry... He shouldn't have said all those things, I agree... But you know him.. His anger issues... Usne gusse mein keh diya... He didn't mean it meher... Please chup ho jao..."
"Go away nisaar... Leave me alone... Please..." Meher pleaded.
Nisaar understood the situation and got up to leave when meher held his hand.
"Throw it at his face... I don't want anything to do with him in my life..." said meher giving nisaar her engagement ring.
"Pagal hai kya..??? Kya bakwaas kar raha tha..??? Kitna galat bola tune usko...??" Nisaar shouted on abeer.
"I can't believe it abeer... Kya kia yeh tune...?? Meher se rishta kyun todh raha hai..?? Abeer tu marr jaega uske bina... Tune hi kaha tha na... Ab kya hua...?? Speak up you perv..." sasha yelled at abeer.
"I wanted her to hate me... She has to forget about me... We can't be together guys... We are over... Meher and I are over..." Abeer replied calmly.
"How can you be calm...?? Did you ever loved her..??? I highly doubt that now abeer..." sasha blurted out in anger.
"Yes I loved her... I still do... " abeer honestly told sasha and nisaar the real reason behind his actions.
"Are you insane...??" They shouted at abeer in unison.
"You guys won't understand... And I'm really depressed to explain it all over again to you guys... Better leave..." Abeer replied.
"Don't do this abeer... Chal let's go and tell meher the truth... Don't make her hate you..." suggested nisaar.
"She already hates me... Yeh dekh... Engagement ring bhi wapas bhej di usne..." Abeer replied with teary eyes.
"Misunderstanding create tune kia hai na... Par hum jaakar clear kar dete hain... Tu yahin rukk abeer..." said sasha getting up from the bed.
"Guys please... Meher ki zindagi ko risk nahi kar sakta main... Woh mujhse dur rahe par theek rahe... Mere pass reh kar usko kuch ho jae... Yeh nahi chahie mujhe... Swear on me, you guys will not say a word in this from now... Promise guys..."
"Promise..."
"Ro le meher... Cry as much as you want... But after that don't shed a single tear for that man... Cry your heart out and get over with it for once and for all..." Meher told herself that night.
It took meher two whole days of crying her eyes out and of cursing her fate. But the third morning, she woke up with determination and decided not to think about 'her' past. She decided to focus on her life and her dreams. Meher came down to the living hall after two days, and saw madhvi sitting there with her mother.
"Maa I'm going... I have an interview..." said meher.
Madhvi and suman looked at meher but she without paying any attention to them, walked out of the house.
"Suman ji... Please talk to meher... I dont know what happened between them... Kaise shadi ke liye mana kar diya dono ne...?? Ho kya gya hai..???" said madhvi.
"Pta nahi kis ki nazar lag gayi humare bachon ko madhvi ji... Itna pyaar karne wale bache, ek dusre ka chehra bhi nahi dekhna chahte... Humare bache khush nahi hai..."
"I tried talking to abeer... But he isn't saying a word... You please talk to meher... We have to sort this out suman ji..."
"We will madhvi ji... We won't let them part ways... Ek dusre se dur yeh dono khush nahi reh payenge..." replied suman.
Abeer was outside meher's house waiting to catch even a glimpse of her. She came out of the house and walked towards the bus stand. Abeer looked at meher and felt his heart break again into minute
pieces on seeing her walking like a zombie... Alive but dead inside. He followed her all day along to ensure she is safe. That night, abeer decided to let go meher in every way possible. First thing in the morning, he asked his dad if he could join the family business. Abeer planned that he would drown himself in work and soon he will forget about meher. Every day he tried concentrating on work but one thing or another would remind him of meher. He would then think about her and every single minute he ever spent with her. Their love story would replay in his mind for hours and he would be back to square one. Failing every time in forgetting the one he loves truly, deeply and passionately.
"Meher was doing fine" will be the understatement of the year. She was devastated but she masked her feelings with a strong face in front of people. She wouldn't let them see her vulnerable side. She wouldn't let them see how broken she saw... She will remain strong and even appear insensitive, if its required to make people believe that she is doing fine and coping well with whatever happened. Inside her room, the wall she created around her would break and she would cry herself to bed. She would blame her destiny and god for playing such a cruel game with her. She would every night dream about him and her living together happily and every morning, her dream would shatter and break into zillion of pieces. The harsh reality every morning killed her innocent dream and burned her soul.
Just when meher convinced herself that she was over abeer, she would start noticing couples all around her, doing couple-ish things. She would suddenly want to go back in time and stay there forever in that world. Though that whole world was made up of lies, false promises and selfish motives. She would then hate herself for thinking like that... Thinking about him...
That day, meher asked sneha to meet her for coffee and some catching up. May be gossiping would help her feel a bit better, at least that's what she thought. She entered the coffee shop only to get collided with something solid and she closed her eyes fearing a painful fall, which never occurred. She opened her eyes to look at that familiar pair of eyes, staring at her. Meher realised she was still in his arms... In abeer's arms, so she pushed him and got out of his embrace.
"Meher..." He said.
"Save it..." said meher and passed by him.
Meher sat there on a table with sneha, her finger tracing the outline of the coffee mug.
"Will you say a word..??"
"I met him... Minutes back..." Meher confessed.
"So.. What happened then..??"
"I walked past him... Should I have talked to him...??"
"Himm... No ways... He insulted you... You should insult him... But don't talk to him..." replied sneha.
"How will I insult him without talking...??? Cmon be reasonable"
"Ignore him... Meher... He is trouble..."
"You are right... He is trouble..." Meher concluded.
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