SS:TUJHSE NARAAZ NAHI ZINDAGI CHAPTER:6 Last part UPDTD PG:67 22/09/16 - Page 34

Good to hear that Aazu 🤗

CHAPTER-4

Baba has a sober and serious face, when he took Nidhi's hand in his palm, while his other hand caressed her head, when he spoke- "Nidhi beta... Bas ab tu aa jaa... Iss ghar mein, hum sab ke saath... Iss ghar ki bahu banke... Meri beti banke... Humesha-Humesha ke liye..."

Nidhi had a smile, when baba had so fatherly held her hand, and caressed her hair; but the smile faded somewhere after hearing him out. She sat still, didn't pull her hand out or moved an inch, but she was quiet.

"Kya hua meri bachhi...? Tu kuch bolti kyu nahi?" Baba looked mildly concerned. Ashutosh too sat still looking at Nidhi so immobile, while Hiraman Kaka stood with a bated breath. Nidhi shook her head slightly, as if nodding her head side to side. She wasn't saying no, but it wasn't a yes too. It was her way to shake herself out of the stillness of shock and apprehension that struck her hard, the moment she heard about her marriage.

It was one thing to not think of any other man other than Ashutosh all her life, and it was another thing to plunge into a completely formal, legal and acceptable status of a relationship. "At this age? Now? At the brink of being 40 years? What would everybody say?" Nidhi's thoughts kept creepping from every direction of our mind.

She must have thought aloud it seemed that Nidhi heard a mildly agitated voice of Ashutosh from her side- "Samaaj... Society... Log... Inke baare mein sochti rahogi na Nidhi, toh hum apni kismat ka wohi haal dubaara kar baithenge jo aaj se 15 saal pehle kar gaye they. Kya mila usse? Doori, takleef, akelapan... Uss waqt tumhe rokne ke liye mere paas mere pyaar ke alaawa kuch bhi nahi tha. Par aaj toh aisa nahi hai na?" Ashutosh looked very agitated as he stood up pulling his chair away and walked along the hall continuing- "Aaj toh wo haalat nahi hai na? Today I am sufficient enough to support you, if that was the concern back then. Aur itna sufficient hoon, that even if you don't work, then too we could sit and eat for decades."

"ASHUTOSH!" it was baba in his strict voice of finality, that asked him to calm down and sit back. Though he still was agitated, he breathed out a heavy breath and sat back on his chair. Baba smiled back at Nidhi, trying his best to calm an extremely quiet Nidhi. "Beta, ye duniya, log, unse humare relations, humare apne hi banaaye hue hote hain. Though we form a part of this society, but the society doesn't make the whole of you... Does it?" baba didn't wait for an answer as he continued- "Beta, human psychology hai hi aisi. Humein bachpan se yahi toh sikhaaya jaata hai. To form opinions, to let the others know our judgement. We have to make opinions about anything and everything.But unfortunately human thinking hai hi aisi, ki sabhi, har situation mein kuch na kuch kharaabi... kuch negativity nikaal lete hain... Tum agar ye soch rahi ho, ke log aaj kuch toh kahenge, tumhari ya Ashutosh ki umar ko lekar, ya ab shaadi kar rahe ho... ya kuch bhi... Toh log toh tab bhi... 15 saal pehle bhi kehte... Ladka kamaata nahi hai, pyaar andha hota hai, wagairah-wagairah. You know that right? Beta, duniya ki sochti rahogi, toh khud ko kahin kho dogi... Aur apne aap ko inn sab mein kahin mat khone dena meri bachhi... Tu samajh rahi hai na?"

Nidhi finally nodded... But said nothing... So baba concluded- "Tu aaraam se soch inn sab baton ke baare mein... Look into every aspect of this... Think thoroughly what you want, what the both of you want together... What you are going to do if not marry... What would you both do to stop the wagging tongues when you'd not marry and continue meeting... What would the scenario be when you both would be at my age, when there'd be nothing else... Think everything, and then decide beta... I know you have lived almost half of your life alone, but beta, there comes a time in life, when you don't just need a spouse or partner, you need a companion... A companion that stays by you until death... Until eternity..."

Nidhi nodded, as she stood up... Baba asked Ashutosh to drop Nidhi off safely to her house... Nidhi hugged baba again, and held her hands joint in a Namaste to Kaka, and left off quietly with Ashutosh.

The journey back was as silent. Neither did Nidhi spoke, nor did Ashutosh... The honking of the horn once in a while, and the whizzing of the lesser late-night traffic of Lucknow, were the only sounds that were audible to the both of them. Once the car stopped in front of Nidhi's apartment, that Nidhi finally spoke- "Chalo saath coffee peete hain..." .. Ashutosh nodded negatively. Nidhi's face fell seeing him so dejected, she probably has hurt him with her thoughts back home. She had just begun mentally derogating herself when he spoke- "Adrak ki chai pilaaogi toh aaunga..." Nidhi's face was back with colours. He wasn't that angry. He was disappointed, she knew that, but not angry at her. Nidhi was happy for that.

She climbed down his Honda City, and he followed after locking the car. They both nodded in acknowledgement to the neighbours, two doors away from Nidhi's, who stood by seeing off some of their guests. Nidhi and Ashutosh came into her flat, and closed the door behind... Nidhi went into the kitchen, and Ashutosh moved around the house...

Finally both sat on the sofa, Ashutosh on a single seated, and Nidhi on the longer one, with her feet tucked under her; adjacent to Ashutosh... A few minutes had passed in complete silence, when Ashutosh kept his cup on the table, and held Nidhi's free hand in her lap... "Nidhi, itna kya soch rahi ho? Do you have doubts about us?" Nidhi nodded vehemently in a no... Ashutosh was still quiet... She knew, he wanted to hear more from her... She huffed out a deep breath and kept her cup back on the centre table. She looked at him and put her other hand on his... Then her eyes slid down, probably at their joint hands, they symbolically were giving her a strength of union... She began speaking, unconsciously her thumb playing with the little hair of his knuckles- "Ashutosh, once we had walked different ways, marriage was an out of the league question. I had already dropped the idea at all... Baba and dadi buaa died too in that very effort. All these years, I had just stopped thinking about it... Then meeting you after so many years was such a relief, that even then I wasn't able to think further... Though by each passing day I became sure that there would further be no life without you, yet the topic of marriage froze me into daze. The society, family, everyone has toppled my life so much that it takes pain to re-arrange your broken pieces, and to not dread to be re-shattered by such people. Though baba's words are a balm to think of, his last words have broken by icy daze, but Ashutosh, I don't know where to start, how this would happen, I am just completely blank. I don't know how one fine morning I would wake up, go along, tie the nuptial knot with you, pack things off and be at your place forever. It isn't that it's just we who exist in this world, there are neighbours here, our colleagues, your acquaintances, my relatives, yours too... How are we going to put that all up to everybody?"

Ashutosh got up with their hands still in each other's, and sat on his knees before her, and spoke, very softly- "Nidhi, think and tell me, is it a crime if we would marry? Are we setting any wrong example to the society? Is there anything wrong with marrying legally and staying wilfully together for the rest of our lives? You tell me?"

"No..." was Nidhi's wet-clogged throat bringing the voice... "There's nothing wrong... At least I don't feel so..."

"Even I don't Nidhi!" Ashutosh's eyes were misting, while he could see Nidhi's were already clouded... "Then what is it to think so much for Nidhi?"

Nidhi had launched herself in his arms right then, with the sobs chocking any other voice out of her... She just cried the pains out of her system, that were hers alone from the past one and a half decade... Ashutosh too kept on wiping his cheeks in between that were flooded with thick -pain induced tears... It was a hassle with life to struggle and get the one the heart always wanted. No matter after how many years it took, but settled in for the one and only...

Nidhi pulled off after some time, and wiped her tears, and then began laughing a watery smile amongst her tears... Ashutosh slipped next to her on her sofa, and Nidhi spoke- "You know Ashutosh, fairy tales have spoiled our younger lives too much... When I was young, fallen in love with you, there were dreams in my eyes... How would we marry, what colour I would select for our D-day, browsing through henna designs were the best pass-time... But you know, they all did not happen... And I can't do them any more now... They wouldn't be a part of me, the childishness of the young bubbly girl... But whatever it is today, I would trade whatever I have for this... This isn't the fairy tale of my thoughts. We wouldn't probably have the life that we had thought 2 decades back. But whatever it is, it's worth living for. I would want to spend the rest of my life with you, how many ever years it may be... Our little dreams may or may not come true... You and I are the reality, and I want to stick with it forever..."

"Me too..." Ashutosh had held her in a one arm hug, when her had murmured. Then spoke again- "Nidhi... You still haven't told me..."

"What?"

"Would you marry me?"

Nidhi Giggled... "You hadn't asked me..."

"Ok! Would you marry me Nidhi?"

"Of course!"

They both laughed together... Ashutosh kissed her forehead... And Nidhi lay her head on his shoulder... Both were at ease...

~~THANK YOU FOR READING~~

God! It has slowly started becoming a hassle posting topics here these days...

Everytime I open IF page here with my laptop, the site would completely change, and I just can't post the story...

It took me around 7 attempts hopping between chrome and opera mini to any how post the new chapter...

Chalo the final result is with you guys...

Enjoy!

Loved it sooo sooo much ! Thanks Aazu for your thoughts that U have shared of a life after an age.

Nidhi's silence did kill Ashu and his agitation is so obvious reading Nidhi's mind. Loved him outraging becos it consist of love and only love of Nidhi !😳

The silent journey has got a lovely and beautiful words of each other. Loved them talking, loved to hear nidhi and her thoughts. Result : Yes Yayyya Yaaayyy

What next ?? The marriage and the ceremony or the people with ugly voice to down them both ?? Eagerly waiting to know as due to the life has given them a lovely bite, they are here to taste it.

Loves Aazu, ❤️huggies tightest 🤗