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Part 4
Soon both of them were in Madhu's apartment. As much as RK tried to fight himself to refuse that offer but he couldnt. Being around her felt like he could breathe without having to feel the heaviness in his heart. RK looked around the apartment, which seemed a lively place unlike his. It had positivity alk around even though the house felt a little messy.
"Dont mind the mess.. I am not able to clean it up because of the recent adventures I had.." Madhu said with a cheeky smile.
RK gave her an amused smile. She was much comfortable about the whole matter today. She referred to it so casually.
"Its still better than what my place is like.." he said.
"I can very well judge that.." Madhu said nodding her head. "Anyways.. you sit.. while I clean this mess up... Sunday is still far off and I wasnt able to pay much attention to the house." She said keeping her bags and walking to the kitchen. RK sat on the sofa. He was feeling much comfortable here. Her home had so much positivity radiating.
She came back with a bowl of ice cream and sat with him as they ate. "You are so quiet.. dont creep me out Rishabh.." she said suddenly after 5 minutes of silence.
RK broke into a laugh hearing her. "Why are you getting scared?"
"Come on.. I hardly know anything about you except for your name and now you are sitting in my apartment and that too with a mysterious silence..!" She exclaimed.
"Ohh.. you are right by the way.." he said still laughing. "Dont worry I wont rape you.."
"Yeah i know that.. and that's the only saving grace.." she said shaking her head with a thankful expression.
"ohh so you have so much faith on a stranger then?" He asked with a smirk.
"Ammm.. you are not that much of a stranger at least..." she said with a smile getting up. She forwarded her hand to ask for the emptied bowl from RK and he handed it to her.
Madhu was now cleaning her drawing room while talking to RK. His presence made her feel much better and also safer. Otherwise being lonely in this house felt so depressing to her, specially after Sultan's betrayal. She was still arranging the newspapers in a stack when RK stood up and started collecting the magazines to put in the stand.
"You really dont need to do that Rishabh.." she said getting surprised.
"I feel like doing it and I will.." RK said shrugging without turning back.
"But.." Madhu said confused as a smile spread on her face. She didnt know why she felt so good with that gesture of his.
"You dont need to be stubborn in everything..." RK said casually as he arranged the magazines.
After some time they were cleaning the kitchen. While Madhu washed the dishes, RK wiped them and arranged them on the rack. Madhu would have a smile creeping on her face every 5 minutes seeing him. He was working so sincerely like a kid.
"so.. who are you?" Madhu asked after a while feeling the urge to know more about him.
"Huh.. whats that?" RK asked confused.
"I mean.. I know your name.. but who are you actually? What do you do?"
"Well.. I completed my LLB almost a year back.." RK said shrugging.
"Ohh.. you are a lawyer.. great!!" Madhu said getting surprised.
RK gave her a half hearted smile.
"So do you practice?" Madhu asked not getting any further response.
"No.. I dont.." RK said in a clipped tone.
"Why?" She asked surprsied
"Because i dont want to join my father's firm" he replied.
" So dont.. practice on your own.." she said baffled.
"Didn't get time to think over it yet.." RK said wondering.
"How is that possible?"she said not believing.
"Since an year or even more than that.. the events and twists that occured in my life totally dismembered all my plans for my future." He said while looking at the plate he was wiping but he seemed unnerved now.
"Ohhh... and what were they?" She asked quite carefully not able to hold back her curiousness any more.
RK looked at her for a few seconds not able to decide whether to tell her or not. He kept himself busy in the plates while he thought for a while.
"Fine.. Dont tell.. I should realize that I am stupid that I told everything about me to a stranger and shouldn't expect that from others.." she said shrugging but she felt bad and actually stupid now. She closed the tap and was about to walk off when RK held her hand from behind. She still looked ahead to hide her anger and tears.
"She is Dipali..." he said still looking down. Madhu turned back now looking at him.
"Your girlfriend..?" She asked to confirm.
"She was my life.." RK said looking at her now.
"So now?" She asked confused.
"Thats what I am not able to decide.." RK said helplessly.
"Isnt that increasing the existent mysteriousness.." Madhu asked with a slight frown.
"Well.. should I tell from the beginning?" RK asked confused.
"That would be a lot of help.." Madhu said nodding her head.
Flashback
RK walked out of the door of the moot court hall with a smirk on his face. He had yet again won the simulated case. His professor was happy with him. He walked into the canteen looking around and there she was. A smile played on his lips seeing her as she waited for him.
"Why did you walked out of the hall?" RK asked sitting on the opposite chair. Dipali looked at him and smiled naughtily.
"I didn't want to make you nervous.." she said with a haughty smile.
"Nervous of you?" RK asked amused. "You know me better than that.." he said dismissing.
"Yes I do.. Have it.." she said giving him a bite of the burger she had been eating.
"So you felt hungry suddenly so you came here.." RK said taking a bite of it while she laughed hearing him.
"dont laugh.. i will leave you if you get fat.." RK said acting firm.
"we both know what the truth is" Dipali said challenging him.
"No I am serious.." he said acting.
"Ohhh.. then I will seduce you into loving me again.." She said casually concentrating back on her burger.
"You are nasty.." RK said annoyed that his trick couldnt last long while Dipali burst into a hearty laugh.
RK was now walking into his house, his eyes shining with a slight smile as he remembered the last joke he had annoyed Dipali with. "Rishu..." he heard his mother call him as she walked towards him.
"Hey sexy.." RK said winking at her while Radha looked at him exasperated.
"You are so shameless.." she said with widened eyes.
"I just told the truth.." RK said looking at her amused.
"Had a good day huh?" Radha said lovingly caressing his hair.
"When you bless me each day how can it go any wrong..." RK said with a smile.
Just then Paabo walked in. "Radha I have to go for my evening walk.. you tell the servants what to cook tonight and look after it.."
"Yes paabo.." Radha said immediately and paabo went away.
RK looked at her amused. "What happened?" Radha asked.
"Why does she have to tell you that daily..? As long as I remember its you who have taken care of household work anyway.." he said laughing.
"Sshh.. she is your grandmother.." Radha said controlling her laugh as she patted on his head.
RK was sitting in his room one day when Radha arrived. She sat beside him, and smiled at him naughtily as RK looked at her confused.
"There are rounds about your marriage going downstairs.." she said smiling.
But RK's smile vanished hearing her. "Mom..."
"What happened Rishu?" She asked confused.
"I love this girl from my batch.." RK said getting serious and this time Radha's smile vanished.
"Rishu... you know your dad right?" She said with wide horrified eyes.
"Yeah but what is the problem... she is nice girl and from my profession.. we have helped each other out through these 5 years.. and most important I love her alot.." he told her.
"Dont tell all that to me.. You love her, that's a reason enough for me to accept her but your dad... he would not approve of her..." Radha said panicking.
"we will talk to him mom.." RK said getting restless.
"What do you want to talk of?" Came Balraj's voice from the door.
While Radha went pale, RK tried to behave as normal as possible maintaining his cool.
"Dad... there is this girl whom I love and I want to marry her..." RK said.
"hmmm" Balraj sounded seriously. "Who is she?"
RK smiled hearing that his father was considering it while Radha still stayed rooted to ground.
"Dipali Bhatia.. she is my batch mate.. we have been together since 5 years.. she is a very nice girl dad and she loves you all so much"
"What does her father do?" He asked without taking any heed of RK's words.
"He is a government employee.. assisstant manager.." RK said casually as if it didnt matter.
"So Balraj Kundra's son will marry the daughter of a mere government employee?" He turned to him with a disgusted look.
"Why does that even count? I dont have to live off her dad's money... she will come to this house" RK said confused.
"No!" He almost screamed. "She won't come to this house!"
"But why?" RK said getting panicky.
"Why you ask? Are you seeing this mansion? I am Balraj Kundra.. the number one lawyer of this city. I have bought and sold cases of such government employees.. what are they in front of me? And you want me to bring that petty man at par with me?" He screamed.
"Dad.. I dont care what her father is.. I know who she is and I love her.." RK said firmly.
"You love her... Do whatever you want with her.." Balraj said casually. "But she wont come as bride in this house" he said firmly.
"How can you even say that?" RK screamed not able to hear such an insult to his love.
"Rishabh! Lower your tone..!" Balraj scolded him.
"Why are you behaving like that..? Its my life and I want to marry her.. thats it.." RK said now agitated.
"You will not!" Balraj screamed angrily. "And that is final..!"
"I will see what you can do to stop me" RK said in a cold tone and turned around walking away.
The next day RK was sitting with paabo.
"That girl is not of our standard" Paabo said looking unbelievably at him. "She is not of our caste.. she is not of our status.. there is nothing in common.."
"She is brilliant in her profession.. she thinks exactly as I do.. and I cant even count how much we have in common.." RK said restlessly not able to believe how was that so difficult to understand for his grandmother.
"Rishu.. I cant understand how can there be anything in common.. Your monthly luxuries alone must be more than what her father earns for the whole family.. She has different cultural background as well.. she is not of our caste.. we are highly rated caste Rishu.. we should take pride in our ancestory.." Paabo said with a haughty expression.
"Taking pride is other thing while being arrogant is another" RK said trying to reason with her.
Paabo looked at him exasperated. "How can you answer me back like that.. you have never done that!" She looked at him for a second. "What witchcraft has that girl done over you?!"
"What" RK said baffled.
"Whatever magic might have been done.. I know how to break all the spells.." came Balraj's voice from behind.
"You cant do anything.. I love her.."
"There is nothing money cant buy Rishabh" Balraj said with a smirk.
"She wont be lured with money and neither would I" he said determined.
"well you are right.. she didn't.. but her parents did.." Balraj said casually sitting on the sofa.
"What have you done?" RK asked now dreading.
"A few warnings and a lot of money... perfect potion for everything" Balraj said with a satisfied smirk.
"No.. that cant be!" RK said turning to run for Dipali.
After a lot of hunting for Dipali and her parents RK was sitting distraught at the footpath in front of her house. It seemed as if they vanished in thin air. A little boy came to RK and stood in front.
"Are you RK?" He asked.
"Yes" RK looked at him hopefully.
"Dipali Di has given me this for you" he handed him a letter.
RK opened the letter and started to read.
"Rishabh.. know that I didn't betray you. You are my only love and nothing could possibly sway from being yours except for one thing.. and thats my parent's lives.. I wish I could just say that I will come back but I fear for my parents.. They have been harshly forced to move out of town and I am not told where we are going. I can only ask you to move on.. This wasnt the end I imagined for us.. but either ways our love is complete.. I will miss those cake parties we planned for our old age.. Love, Dipali."
A tear fell from RK's eyes as he tried to make himself believe that this wasnt the truth. He wished it was another of their fight when they both would decide to break up and then after an hour they would be sitting and chattering away hogging on pizzas.
As time passed RK came to know that his father had made goons slip into Dipali's house who threatened all of them of death. Dipali even stood up for her love but then her father was shot a bullet on his leg and was threatened that if she resisted more, the bullet may ascend higher. They were given quite a sum of money and were threatened never to be seen back in the city ever again.
RK was sitting in his room the other day as he remembered his time with Dipali. She had become his part in the last 5 years. Whatever he did was associated with her. From eating her favourite veggies to driving which he taught her. Seeing the moon to taking deep breaths which she regarded highly seductive. One moment he would smile thinking of those and another he would cry thinking of her being gone forever. He had tried searching for her but then Balraj threatened to kill her if he found her. RK was drinking when Balraj came from behind.
"I want you to come to court with me.." he said from behind.
"I wont" RK said firmly.
"Why are you so distraught for a girl?" He said not believing.
"She was my part" RK said angrily.
"What do you want? Girls? Just that.. Have how many ever girls you want, I won't interrupt. Its your age, enjoy!" Balraj said with a slight laugh.
RK closed his eyes not able to bear the insult done to his love by his own father.
"You dont want to come now.. fine.. we will try that later.. pull yourself together.. enough mourning for one girl.. there are dozens out there.. but marriage has to be done in equals. " he said the last part firmly and walked off.
FLASHBACK ENDS
"That night I went to a club to drown my sorrow and my own father's vulgar remarks echoed in my ears.. how low he considered his son to be, and even lower his love that he equated my love with mere hunger for a body... I was trying to make myself believe that it was not him.. i mean how can a father encourage his son to go on such stray path.. The next morning I remember I woke up next to a naked girl.." RK said looking down now in guilt and disgust for himself.
Madhu held his shoulder to comfort him.
"You know why I am feeling this connect with you..?" RK said looking at her with a slight excitement shining through his eyes.
"No.." she said softly.
"Because that day when I woke up.. I saw your face which had so much innocence unlike all the others I have been with.. You didnt seem like you belonged there.. and when you woke up you were shocked.." RK said with a slight chuckle and Madhu joined with an embarrased smile.
"Sitting in that room I heard your cries echoing in the bathroom. I felt I heard myself.. The one who had done that mistake for the first time.. You felt like a portal to my old self.." RK said as if tired.
"Where is Dipali?" Madhu asked.
"I dont know..." RK said looking down again in hurt. "And honestly I don't even try to look for her anymore.. because I know if I find her ever, my dad will no more have even that much of mercy.. he will kill her this time.. he knows dangerous men Madhu.. he is a lawyer.. murderers and kidnappers are ready to do anything for him as a repayment for saving their lives from court.." he had hatred in his tone this time.
Madhu looked at him shocked. Trying to swallow the fact. "But you shouldn't let your love slip away just like that.. I know what loyalty means and I know how expensive it is.. You are both so in love with each other.. you just cant let your love lose.."
"Loyalty.." RK said with a sarcastic chuckle. "I am not even worthy of her anymore.."
"That's for her to decide.." Madhu said with a frown.
"Do you really think I should search for her? Could I possibly reunite with her?" RK asked with a hopeful look.
"Yes you can.."
"But what if she refuses now.." he said in second thoughts.
"You can atleast have a proper farewell.. a closure to move on maybe.. You cant spend all your life drinking every night and sleeping around.." Madhu said with her hands on her hips.
RK didnt know why but he broke into a slight chuckle hearing her..
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