Index in page 1, the post right after Chapter 13
Chapter 17 - The Long Awaited Day
Recap - Jodha misses Jalal during Sukanya's pre wedding week and wishes that she somehow gets to meet him. But little did she know that Sukanya had already invited Jalal over for the wedding under the pretence that he was Raghav's best friend as a surprise for her. Jalal's parents flown down to India and were also present at the wedding. As Jalal introduces Jodha to his parents, Raghav comes over to pull him away leaving Jodha all alone with his parents.
"Thank you very much my dear." Hamida said to Jodha.
"Ammi please don't thank me, I haven't done anything that is worth your gratitude." Jodha unknowingly calls Hamida ammi.
Both Humayun and Hamida smiled as they heard Jodha call the latter ammi.
"No child, your ammi is right for thanking you. You gave us our son back." Humayun said.
"Abbu please don't say that, I... I did not do anything. It was Jalal's decision to make it up to you."
"Jalal was right wasn't he Hamida?" Humayun turned and asked Hamida.
"Yes he was." She replied.
Jodha looked at the two of them confused. Hamida brought her palm to Jodha's right cheek and caressed it saying
"Jalal told us that the moment when we see you, we will fall in love with you the same way he did when he first saw you. And he was right, we fell for you the moment we saw you and we couldn't ask for a better partner for our son. Thank you very much for coming into our Jarar's life my dear."
Jodha's eyes welled up with unshed tears by the love Jalal's parents poured on her. All her doubts, fears and insecurities went away when she heard Hamida say that they could never have found someone better for Jalal.
She was so overwhelmed that she couldn't find any words to speak, all she could do was hug Hamida tightly and thank her for giving birth to Jalal and raising him to become the person he is not realizing the pain that flashed through Hamida's eyes and the guilt on Humayun's face before she was called by her cousins.
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"He chose well, didn't he?"
"He did. He has made us so proud. I can't believe he is no longer our little boy."
"That's where you are wrong, he will always be our little boy, our Jarar."
"Humayun, do... do you think..."
"What is it Hamida?"
"Do you think he might want to meet his..."
"No. Hamida, please, we talked about this before."
"I know, I just... Sometimes I just, I just think of the what-ifs'."
"But Hamida, you don't have to worry about that. He is our son and he will always be our son no matter what."
"I am sorry for being like this. I just... Everything is so overwhelming for me." Hamida said as Jalal came back to greet them.
"Ammi, abbu, are the two of you good? Do you need anything?"
"No Jarar, come here, let me have a good look at you." Hamida said as shepatted to the space beside her.
Jalal sat between his parents and thanked them for coming.
"Of course we would come son, we wouldn't miss a chance to meet Jodha." Humayun said.
"Do... Do you like her?" Jalal ask nervously.
"No, we don't." Humayun said with a cheeky glint on his eyes while Hamida who understood his intention fought hard to keep a straight face in front of Jalal.
"You... You don't like her?" Jalal asked slightly taken aback.
"No, we love her very much Jalal." Humayun finally told him whereas Hamida could no longer hold her laughter and laughed out.
Jalal who had been confused on why his parents didn't like Jodha now understands that they were playing a prank on him.
"Seriously abbu, you had to pick this time to joke?"
"Well I couldn't possibly let this opportunity slip now could I?"
"Really though, do you guys like Jodha?"
"We adore her Jarar." Hamida answered this time followed by Humayun who said.
"And we are proud of you son, not only for choosing Jodha but also for the man you have become."
"I... I am sorry that I never gave the two of you a chance to see that. If I could, I would have changed the past but I can't. I..."
"It's okay son, if you hadn't done what you did, who knows if you would have become who you are today."
"I am who I am because of the two of you and I honestly regret saying that I only realize it now."
"Better now then never Jarar. Now run along and tell Jodha that we can't wait to welcome her into our family." Hamida piped in.
Hearing this thrilled Jalal as he had been thinking of his future with Jodha and he couldn't wait to share this news with her. He of course still remembered to kiss his ammi on the cheek and hug his abbu tight just like he used to do when he was young before excusing himself to go in search for Jodha.
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Jodha was just about to walk to Sukanya's room after she changed into her green lehenga when she was pulled aside by someone.
"Jalal?" She said as she saw the person who pulled her aside.
"You look breathtaking in this lehenga." His husky voice said.
"I am?" She asked as her cheeks grew red.
"Uh huh, even better than the photograph I saw the other day at your place."
"So, I didn't look good in the photograph then?" She faked her anger and pushed him away.
"No you did, it's just that you look even better in person than in the photo." He pulled her closer than before.
"Well then, aren't you lucky you have me in person standing in front of you?" She spoke shyly.
"Indeed I am lucky." He chuckled and said "I love it when you wear green."
"Because it is you r favorite color?"
"No, well yes, but it is also because it reminds me of the day we first met."
"You still remember the color I wore on that day?" She asked surprised that he could remember after so long.
"Of course, how could I forget the fact that you mistook me as a thief." He teased.
"I did say that I was sorry." She pouted.
"And I forgave you for that. But seriously, I can never forget that day."
"Because I mistook you fo..." She was stopped halfway when Jalal brought his palm to cover her mouth.
"Will you let me finish my sentence first?" He asked her and after she nodded, he continued his sentence whispering into her ears saying "Because that was the day I fell in love with you."
Jalal moved his palm to cup Jodha's cheeks, his eyes gazing into her glassy tear filled eyes and said "I didn't expect to fall for anyone, as a matter of fact, I never thought that I would ever find someone who would accept me, my past and someone who would see me for me and then I found you Jodha. You accepted me and changed who I am. You don't know exactly how you changed me but trust me when I said that you did. You gave me back my life Jodha, my family, and I don't know what to do to repay you."
Jodha caressed his right cheek, willing herself not to cry but she couldn't stop herself. She never knew that he loves her to this extent and she was so overwhelmed with what he said that she finally let out the words he was waiting to hear for so long.
"I love you Jalal."
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