IshRa SS - Crossroads Chapter 15 Pg 88 *CONCLUDED* - Page 42

Originally posted by: nahtani88

Awesome Update

Continue Soon

Thanks 4 The PM

Originally posted by: rufana10

fabulous update
liked the way raman was telling everyone about their first meeting
without any hesitation and mihir's reaction after hearing about their kiss 😆
loved raman's poem...it was so beautiful and romantic 😳
loved the way ishita answered back to shagun 👏👏...it was awesome
ishita is confused
looking forward to their conversation
will be waiting for d next update 😊

Originally posted by: --abha--

WOW!!!! WOW!!!! WOW!!!!!!

Finally ishu gave back to that good for nothing , over smart vamp...😃😃😃

I am so happy with this...

So Raman kumar bhalla is hopelessly in love with a madrasan he met in dhaba...kissed her on their very first meeting and now just in love that he doesnt care about bimbo and her PDA...

I so loved Ishra scenes...

DID HE JUST SAY THAT!!!!!😲...

JUST PINCH ME...

Did he accepted that she is his love i mean

Except that none of it was fake. Not one word...

Man first he really tell everybody about kiss and then confessing that to ishu...

OMG!!!! OMG!!!!!

I am loving this yar...

U are not updating soon...

How will i wait man...

Just give me long one plzzz next time...

p.s yeh poem tumne likhi h?

Originally posted by: Iloveishra

Woohoo...great going...loved the ishita Shagun encounter and the way Raman told about his feelings to ishita creating a havoc in her...can't wait for a week...update soon...and thanks a lot for the pm

Originally posted by: florine_20

Hey missing ur updates.

Originally posted by: SurabhiA91

Hey when are you updating? ?

Originally posted by: ..ishra..

update plese...waiting

I'm back..😃

Thanks for all your wishes and comments, they really mean a lot to me!

So this update is, unfortunately, the last happy update for the time being. The end of the update brings a little twist in IshRa's love story. But it was essential to the story line, so please bear with me, because there will be progress in their story, even through the emotional chapters, and we'll get to the actual confession soon enough😊

Ishita got out of her car and hurried towards Raman's home. It had been a week since she had spoken to Raman.. a week full of worrisome days and sleepless nights... and the anticipation was killing her. She had been a bunch of nerves since the night of the party, and had been trying desperately to meet him. She had backed off, though, when she had gotten to know through Mihir that they were neck deep in work, and had reluctantly decided to wait for a few days to speak to Raman. But now the date of her wedding was rapidly approaching, and with only ten days remaining, she had begun to panic, and would have marched straight into his office to have a word with him had Romi not called her just then to invite her to the get together that they had planned for Raman's birthday. That had calmed her down to an extent.

It was Raman's birthday! She couldn't help but feel excited about the occasion, and wanted to be there to spend his special day with him. But, at the same time, she promised herself that she wouldn't leave until she found out what her future held in store for her.

"Bhai, we're on schedule with the Mehta project, there's no need to worry," Mihir assured Raman, as he sat beside him in his car.

"I know that, Mihir," he said, exasperated.

But that's not what I'm worried about,' he added to himself.

How could he tell Mihir that all he could think about these days was Ishita? She hadn't been in touch with him in all these days, and now it had come to a point where he would go crazy if he didn't find out what she felt about him. It had been a week since that night at the party, and he hadn't been able to speak to her even once. Moreover, his latest project took up so much of his time that he spent countless hours at work and would get back home only in time to crash into bed, exhausted. It was only today that he would be going home earlier than usual because it was his birthday and his mother had requested him to spend the evening with the family. But he was in no mood to celebrate knowing that he would be at peace only if he met Ishita.

He walked up the stairs to his home along with Mihir with heavy steps, preparing to put on a happy face for the sake of his family, but as soon as he stepped inside, he was taken aback by the sight that greeted him.

"Surprise!!" They yelled together, and ran forward to engulf him in a tight hug. He couldn't help laughing as his entire family squished him within their arms, but what truly made his heart leap with joy was the sight of Ishita's smiling face. He had to blink a few times to make sure that she was really standing there; in his home, just a few feet away from him, her mere presence confirming what he had been dying to know.

He broke away from his family, but was interrupted before he could make his way over to where Ishita stood.

"Bhai, did you like the surprise?" Asked Rinki excitedly.

He looked around then and noticed how the walls were beautifully decorated, the colourful streamers and twinkling fairy lights giving the entire room an enchanting glow.

"I love it!" He replied, "And you invited Ishita too?"

"You weren't expecting her?" Rinki asked him, confused. "We would never celebrate your birthday without her, bhai."

"Thanks, Rinki. Thank you so much!" He said, giving her a quick hug, leaving her surprised, and walked towards Ishita.

"Long time!" He said as soon as he had reached her side.

"Don't blame me. You're the busy one," she remarked. "Mihir told me how much you both have been slogging these past few days."

"I was busy," he agreed. "But you could have called. I would have made time for you.. for us," he said to her meaningfully.

She felt like she was seeing him in a new light, now that she was more aware of their equation, feeling more attuned to his feelings than usual.

"Anyway, I'm glad you could come today," he continued, smiling at her gratefully.

"It's your birthday, Raman. I wouldn't miss it for anything!" She said to him earnestly.

"Oye, you lovebirds! Time to cut the cake!" They heard Toshi call out to them, and they walked over to join the rest of the family who was waiting around a delicious-looking birthday cake.

They cheered and sang for Raman as he blew out the candles and cut the cake, and his heart soared as he realized how lucky he was to have his family, on one hand, who had left no stone unturned in trying to give him all the happiness in the world, and Ishita on the the other, who was the sole reason he was with his family today. If not for her, he would have been languishing alone in Mumbai, lonely and depressed, and he would always be thankful to her for knocking some sense into him when he had needed it the most. But it wasn't only gratitude that he felt for her, he thought with a smile.

The acute need to be with her at all times.. the contentment he felt whenever he saw her smile...the effect her proximity had on him...it all added up to only one thing. He was falling...no, drowning in love with her.

Ishita laughed along with everyone else as she saw Raman's siblings smear cake cream on his face and realized how much she had come to love this family. Would she get a chance to be a part of it, she wondered, and blushed as she realized what that would mean. Would she be lucky enough to have Raman as her life partner? Would he be kind enough to accept her as his?

Raman slipped into his room to wash all the cake off him, having finally managed to escape Romi and Rinki, who had covered every inch of his face with cream, and as soon as he had disappeared, they, along with Mihir, began whispering to each other excitedly.

"What are you guys up to?" Ishita asked them curiously.

"We're discussing the gift that we've got for bhai," Romi replied to her. "Wait till you see it, bhabhi. It's awesome!"

"Oh! What did you get?" She asked them eagerly.

"No, you'll have to wait till he opens it, bhabhi," said Rinki. "But I'm sure he'll love it, right Mihir?"

"You bet!" Mihir replied to her with a wink.

Ishita herself had thought long and hard about a birthday gift for Raman. She hadn't been able to buy anything for him, given that she had had no idea that it was his birthday. But after giving it a lot of thought, she had made up her mind about what she would give him. Hadn't she been waiting for an occasion to confess her feelings to him? Well, she couldn't hope for a better chance to take that leap now. She would pour out her heart to him tonight. She would tell him that she loved him! After all, what could be more special than the gift of love?

Raman got out of his room only to be ambushed by his family yet again. He was made to sit on the sofa forcefully for the "gift-giving ceremony", as they called it, and he sat obediently while they fought among themselves over who would be the first to hand over their gift to him.

"We are the eldest and we'll be giving our gift first, and there will be no further argument over this!" Exclaimed Mr.Bhalla at the top of his voice to which everyone fell silent immediately, and Mr. and Mrs.Bhalla happily extended a small gift wrapped box towards Raman, which he opened eagerly to find an elegant silver-strapped watch inside.

"Wow! Ma, Papa, thanks for this. It's beautiful!" Said Raman, as he hugged his parents gratefully.

"Our turn now!" Squealed Rinki, and Romi carried over a huge square-shaped something wrapped with decorative paper towards Raman.

"Bhai, this one's from me, Romi bhai and Mihir. Open it," Rinki urged him and he obliged, curious to know what these devils were so excited about.

But when he tore through the wrapping paper and saw what was inside, he was so surprised that for the next few seconds, he could do nothing but stare wordlessly at what he held in his hands. Ishita went over to Raman to see what had stumped him and her own eyes widened once she managed to take a look at their gift.

It was a huge photograph of the two of them, encased in a beautiful wooden photo frame. The picture was from the party, just after Raman had recited his poem for Ishita, with Raman and Ishita standing together, her hand in his, and them gazing into each other's eyes lovingly. To top it off, there was a caption printed at the bottom of the photograph that read "Meri Rooh hai Tu.." and Raman and Ishita looked at each other, deeply aware of how precious the gift was for both of them.

"When? How did you..?" Raman tried to ask his siblings, but found himself too overwhelmed to speak.

"This was all thanks to Mihir," Rinki spoke up.

"Yes bhai," Romi joined in. "He managed to get hold of this photograph from the party. And he also told us about the poem for which we're really thankful to him, by the way. Otherwise, we would have never known what a good shayar Ishita bhabhi has turned you into," he added and laughed heartily.

"Shut up, Romi," Raman scolded him, trying to hide his embarrassment. "And Mihir, tere pet me toh koi baat nahi rehti hai, hai na?"

"Bhai, don't blame me for this. I was so surprised to hear you recite poetry that night that I just had to share it with everyone. And now this gift of ours will forever be an evidence of your hidden talent!" He teased him, and laughed along with Romi and Rinki.

"Of course, and we'll hang it out here in the hall along with the other family photos so that we can share the story with anyone who comes home," added Romi.

"Oh no no, not here," Rinki chimed in. "We'll place it in his bedroom...oops, I mean, soon-to-be their bedroom." She winked and giggled.

"Enough, you people," said Toshi, as she noticed Raman and Ishita's embarrassed faces. "Spare them now, at least for Raman's sake. Look at him, his face is already as red as a tomato. He won't be able to take any more of your teasing." She added, unable to resist teasing him herself and they all burst out laughing at Raman's plight.

The doorbell rang just then, distracting them, and Toshi went towards the door to answer it.

"Ishita, we need to talk," Raman said to her urgently, making sure that they weren't being overheard.

"I know, Raman, I need to tell you something too," she replied.

He had an inkling of what she wanted to say to him, and hoped that his guess was right.

"Okay then, we'll go out for a bit after dinner," he suggested and she nodded wholeheartedly in reply.

"Pammi..!"

"Toshi...!"

They turned towards the door as they heard the squeals to find the two ladies embracing each other.

"That's Ma's best friend, and our long time neighbour, Pammi aunty," Raman informed Ishita.

"Oho, so is she the reason our Raman has been refusing to see all the girls that I've been suggesting for him?" Pammi walked over to Raman and Ishita and asked sternly.

Ishita looked from Toshi to Raman, puzzled, and Pammi suddenly burst out laughing.

"I was only kidding, my dear!" She said to Ishita and turned to Toshi, "Kitni pyari kudi hai. Raman is a very lucky man!"

"That we all are!" Remarked Toshi in reply, smiling at Ishita.

"Aunty ji, please don't embarrass me. I'm the lucky one to have met you all!"

"Oye ye aunty aunty kya laga rakha hai?" Pammi asked her, surprised. "Toshi is going to be your mother-in-law. So you better start calling her Mummy, right Toshi?"

"Of course, of course! No more Aunty ji from you, Ishita." Toshi chided Ishita while she nodded shyly.

"And when is the wedding, Toshi? We'll have to get on with the preparations accordingly!"

"How can I tell you that when I myself don't know anything about it! These two haven't told me what they've planned."

"Oh come on, Toshi. They have decided to get married, haven't they? Then we'll take care of the rest. Let's fix a date as soon as possible!"

"You're right, Pammi," Toshi said, and turned to Ishita, "Puttar, I think we shouldn't delay it anymore. We need to take things further now. So tell us when it will be convenient, and we'll come to meet your parents to discuss the wedding."

"The wedding?" Ishita repeated, alarmed at the pace at which Toshi was taking the matter.

"Ma, that's enough," Raman intervened, as soon as he sensed that the situation was about to go out of hand. "See, this is why I hadn't said anything to you before. I'm very busy with a project right now, Ma. Besides, what's the rush? We aren't going anywhere. As soon as things settle down a bit, we'll let you know. Right, Ishita?"

"R-Right.. Aunty ji.. I mean, Mummy ji.. Let's wait for some more time," she requested and Toshi gave in reluctantly.

"As you wish, puttar," she sighed.

"Oh, don't be disheartened, Toshi," Pammi consoled her. "We won't let these kids off the hook so easily. Sooner or later, they'll have to give in to our pestering. And like Raman said, they aren't going anywhere.. they'll always be right under our noses!" She said to Toshi with a wink.

"By the way, Ishita, aren't you a Tamilian? Since how long have you been in Delhi?" Pammi enquired.

"Since my childhood, Pammi aunty. My whole family lives in Delhi. And now I've set up my own clinic here as well. So I won't be going anywhere anytime soon," she replied with a smile.

"That's great, Ishita!" Exclaimed Pammi. "Lucky you, Toshi, this means your son will always be with you! Otherwise, kids these days are never interested in staying with their parents."

"I don't care much about that, Pammi. I only want them to be happy together, wherever they are. I'm not a very demanding mother-in-law, you see," she added to Ishita with a wink.

"But you should be demanding, Toshi. That's the only way you can keep your daughters-in-law in line," she joked with Toshi, while Raman looked at Ishita and rolled his eyes at their theatrics.

"Yes, you're absolutely right, Pammi," Toshi pretended to agree, and clearing her throat, spoke to Ishita.

"Ishita puttar, once you come into this house, you'll have to take over the cooking entirely... and you'll also have to massage my feet every night, do you get that?"

"As you wish, Mummy ji," Ishita giggled, playing along with them.

"Oh, and my most important demand.. I want grandkids.. at least two of them," said Toshi and laughed along with Pammi, while Raman placed a palm over his face, embarrassed, not noticing how the smile on Ishita's face vanished and how her body stiffened in response to Toshi's statement.

Ishita felt her world crash around her ears in an instant as she was cruelly reminded of the biggest truth of her life. Had she completely lost her senses? How could she have been foolish enough to betray Raman and his family? They knew nothing about her. If they found out about her disability, they would never accept her, and even if they did, she couldn't put them through the share of pain and loss that was only her's to endure; not after what they had already been through. It would have been a grave mistake on her part had she confessed her love to Raman. He had suffered a lot in his life, and she didn't want to add to his woes. His family deserved better, he deserved better. And she needed to walk out of his life. Now.

"Ishita? Puttar? Where are you lost?" Ishita heard Toshi call out to her, and she was brought out of her thoughts.

"Nowhere.. ," she muttered and Raman looked at her, wondering what was wrong.

"I need to leave now," she spoke up, startling them. "I just remembered that I have an appointment at the clinic. I had completely forgotten..."

"Ishita, you haven't eaten anything. I won't let you leave this way," Toshi said to her.

"It's really urgent. I must leave. Please." she repeated, her voice almost cracking and hurried towards the door before they could stop her.

But as soon as she stepped outside the flat, she felt a tug, and the next moment, she had crashed into Raman, his hands gripped tightly on her elbows.

"Hey," he whispered to her, "where do you think you're running off to?"

"Raman, I'm getting late. I need to be at the clinic," she replied, not looking at him, and struggling to get out of his grip.

"Fine..but didn't you have something to say to me?"

"Later, Raman. Please leave me," she said desperately, and pushed him slightly so that he would step back. He let her go then, but he had a strong feeling that she was upset about something.

"Ishita, are you alright?" He asked her, looking at her closely.

"Yes, I'm alright. Bye, Raman. Thanks for everything. Happy birthday!" she said in a rush, and hurried towards her car, leaving him confused.

One..

Two..

Three..

She counted her breaths as she sat in her car, as she exhaled slowly, to calm herself and to control the dam of tears that threatened to break and spill through her eyes. She needed to repair the blunder that she had made, and set everything right. She needed to go back home to her family, and also to where she was before she had met Raman. She needed to forget everything else and prepare herself for the inevitable now. After all, she was getting married in ten days...

Originally posted by: rutu83

I sense an update :D