The Dark Before The Dawn - A Nazar/PiyAnsh FF (Completed) - Page 17

Chapter - 08 (Last Chapter)

It was 7am in the morning. Vedashree as usual, was offering prayer while encircling the Tulsi plant on their terrace. For years, she had battled with her fear of Mohana and her Nazar (Evil eye) on the entire family, specially Ansh. Her faith in Goddess and prayer were the only two things that had kept her sane. But now, even when Mohana was gone, she wasn’t relieved. She felt restless thinking about Ansh and Piya. It had been months now since they had separated. With each passing day, the situation seemed to worsen and she couldn’t understand how to help her kids. She felt helpless than ever.

She started to make the Goddess’s mark when Chaitali’s voice brought her back to reality, “Bhabhi!!! What are you doing?” “Offering puja, what else?” “But bhabhi! Why are you making this weird sign?” It took Vedashree a moment to realize that she was only spreading Sindoor (Vermilion) across the surface but it was nowhere near a Trishul (Trident) sign. She felt embarrassed as if she had gotten caught while cheating. “Sorry Chaitali! Don’t know what I was thinking! Let me make the mark again.” She bent down to take care of her mess when Chaitali asked her, “You are missing Piya, aren’t you?” Vedashree stopped in her motion and heaved a sigh. Of course she was missing Piya! Despite visiting each other frequently, an awkward silence prevailed between them. Yesterday was Piya’s birthday. For days Vedashree was planning on visiting her and persuade her to return home. But she noticed Ansh had left the house early morning with Neha. She was hopeful that may be some miracle would happen and Piya would come back. But nothing had happened. She tried calling Piya but her phone was unreachable. She was freaking out thinking about every possible scenario but didn’t know what exactly had happened and whether everything got fine between them or not.

“Let me help you.” Chaitali bent down to help Vesdashree clean up the mess. “What do you think bhabhi?” “About what?” “Yesterday Ansh and Neha left early morning and didn’t even inform us. Do you think they have gone to bring Piya back?” “I hope so Chaitali. It’s all messed up.” She sighed. “We have always been so scared of Mohana and her Nazar that we were desperate for a Daivik to save Ansh. But we kept ignoring how it was taking a toll on their relationship and now everything is messed up.” Chaitali was about to say something when she noticed Ansh’s car in the parking lot. “Ansh is back bhabhi! Let’s go downstairs.”

“Maa!!! Chachi!!! We are back!!!” Vedashree was a little surprised. The joy in his voice was obvious. She hurriedly got down the stairs. Shekhar and Avinash too gathered in the hall. To her surprise, Vedashree found Piya and the kids with Ansh and Neha. But it wasn’t like before where Ansh and Piya would act in front of the kids. The genuine happiness was visible in their eyes. Piya came forward and took her blessings. Vedashree felt overwhelmed. She couldn’t believe that Lord had finally listened to her prayers. It seemed perfect! The entire family beaming with joy, with no fear of any impending danger.

After a while, Ansh sent the kids to their room and told Vedashree that they needed to talk. Neha took a deep breath, “Devi Maa! For the first time my bhai is doing something for himself. Please bless him!” “Maa! I know, I haven’t really been myself lately. Piya and I were going through something and I failed to do what was right. But it didn’t just affect us but all of you too! For that, I apologize.” Ansh folded his hands in front of Vedashree. “What are you saying Ansh? Why are you apologizing? After so long you and Piya have reunited. We should celebrate this day.” Overjoyed, Vedashree was about to leave the room for some arrangements but Ansh stopped her. “There’s something else I need to tell you.” He paused for a moment.

“I am thinking about starting everything afresh maa! I think we should relocate.” “But what’s the need for that Ansh? Mohana is gone and we don’t have any threat from her or any other Kalishakti. Why do you want to shift?” “Because, this house doesn’t only remind me of our happy memories but also the times when Mohana terrorized us. So I was thinking, may be it’s time we left behind all the bitter memories and started somewhere else.” “That’s not a bad idea Ansh.” Shekhar came forward. “But we can take things slow. It's not easy to relocate. Besides we have kids. What about their school? There’s a lot of things to consider.” “Actually papa! I have already taken care of that.” Ansh smiled but the Rathods were surprised. “Remember my friend Rajeev?” “The one who is a realtor?” “Yes! I have been contemplating about it for quite some time now. I was talking with him yesterday and he told me about a few openings. I liked a couple of them. If you guys like it, we can start the paperwork.”

“The idea is fine Ansh. But I don’t know! We have been living here for so long and all of a sudden you want to shift; it doesn’t feel right.” “But badi maa! What's wrong with shifting? Our ancestral house is in Bandap. But you guys moved out after dadi maa died, right?” Neha tried to back Ansh up. “Let’s not be hasty kids! Ansh has a point. But at this age, sudden changes alarm us. We can definitely check out the places Ansh has selected. It’ll require some time too. So hopefully, even we’ll come around.” Avinash tried to become the buffer between them. “Wow ACP Avinash!!! Such wisdom! Looks like you are finally becoming an oldie.” Chaitali said with her weird mannerism. The family members started laughing but Piya felt restless. It was only the tip of the ice-berg. Only God knew what would be their reaction when she and Ansh would tell them about their plan! She looked at Neha and the later held her hand to reassure her and tried to smile.

Ansh brought out his laptop and started showing the designs to the Rathods. Thankfully they liked the apartments that Ansh had selected. “The flats are nice Ansh. These are almost identical to our current house.” “Yes maa! That’s why I picked these two up.” “But this one is quite spacious. In fact more spacious than ours. But the other one isn’t so big. Why did you pick that up?” “Actually maa! I picked that up for us.” The sudden announcement dumbfounded everyone and if that wasn’t enough, Chaitali loosened her grip and the coffee mug in her hand fell down and broke into pieces making the situation even more dramatic. Ansh observed everyone's reaction and cleared his throat, “I have specifically selected these flats because both of them are on the same floor and we’ll be living together.” “Except we won’t.” Vedashree was on the verge of crying. “What was the need for all thesed rama Ansh? If you wanted to move out, you could have simply asked. Piya had already done that and at this point, I appreciate her honesty than your sugarcoating.” She started crying.

“Ansh! What nonsense is this? And Vedashree stop crying dear. It’s just a proposition, not the end of the world!” Shekhar tried to calm her down. “I am sorry for hurting your feelings maa! I truly am! But what we are doing right now, it isn’t healthy either. Not for me, not for you and not for our family.” He paused for a moment. “My whole life, I have done whatever you have asked me to do. But I am not alone anymore. I have my own family now and I have certain responsibilities towards them also. When Piya took the decision to leave, I had an option. But instead of taking the right decision, I let her walk through that door with my kids. I repeated the same mistake that I had committed seven years ago. I did not try to understand my wife’s pain and burdened her with our kids’ responsibility. Not to mention how I had squandered her heart all over again. But I did that because I could never leave you or papa alone. You are my parents! I can never ever do something which would hurt you. And I thought, staying here would be the right decision. But it wasn’t maa! I have died every moment and you guys have felt that too. Not to mention how I haven’t been there for my wife and kids and wronged them too. I wish I could understand it sooner and save you all from this misery! Being here physically when I have lost myself, can never bring you happiness. But striking a balance can ensure that. That’s why, I took this decision. So please, try to understand my point of view too.” Ansh pleaded in front of Vedashree.

Vedashree was unfazed by his words and looked at Piya. “Piya! When I saw you today, I thought my family would be completed again. But I could never imagine that you of all people would create such a situation one day that my Ansh would raise his voice against me.” Piya was not surprised. In fact, she half expected such accusation. Yet it broke her heart when Vedashree accused her of snatching Ansh from her. She bent down on her knees and held Vedashree’s hands. “Maa! I know you are angry with me and you have every right to be. But I will still stand by my decision. I was not wrong in expressing my concern about my kids’ safety and I will never apologize to anybody for that.” Everyone, including Ansh and Neha was hell shocked. “I am a mother too!!! I know the pain of separating from a child because Adi wasn’t with me. I could never do that to another mother. Then how could I do that to you when you have been my mother ever since I had entered into this house? Which is why, I walked out but never forced Ansh to follow me. But what I did was selfish. Because I was only thinking about my kids. I have relation with the entire family and I intend to stand by all of you. But I want to move forward maa. We have committed tons of mistakes in the past and endangered our kids’ lives. I don’t want to repeat that same mistake again. But I also know a mother’s love and how much a child yearns for his/her mother because I have grown up without one. That is why Ansh and I decided this. We want nothing but happiness for our family and that doesn’t only include me and our kids. It includes all of us. But as their parents we need to take care of their needs too. Is that really too selfish of us if we want to safeguard our kids?” Piya asked Vedashree looking into her eyes.

“We have had this discussion earlier too Piya. And you are the one who didn’t consider our side. Don’t you think it’s selfish of you to expect us to give into your demands? And now you are using Ansh too?”

“Papa please! I know you are upset with us but please don’t take it out on Piya!” Ansh requested Shekhar sternly. “Ansh! You are gonna behave like this now?” Chaitali was astonished. “Maa please! Give them some break!” Neha finally lost her cool. “You all are behaving as if bhai and bhabhi murdered someone. For God’s sake! Look at you guys! Bade papa you! You can’t watch badi maa cry and speaking rubbish about bhabhi! Have you guys ever considered what bhai and bhabhi had gone through all these years?” Neha was exasperated.

“Of course! I should have understood it was you. I thought you would help Ansh persuade Piya. And here you are defending them and insulting us.” Chaitali glared at Neha. “I am sorry bade papa! I did not intend to hurt you or insult you and badi maa. But can't’ you guys really see how you are abusing two people who have literally sacrificed everything for you guys? It took me one hour to notice how bhai had been suffering. But this has been going on for months. You people knew everything. Yet, you let them continue it! How could you become so selfish!!!” Tears were running down her face out of frustration.

“Neha!!!” Shekhar was furious but Ansh intervened. “I am seeking forgiveness on Neha’s behalf papa! She didn’t mean anything.” Ansh went near Neha and wiped off her tears. “My little angry bird!!! Always ready to jump at anyone to protect me.” He smiled at her and turned to Shekhar, “A long time ago, when Mohana was threatening Piya with maa’s Praan-Piyala and she was acting, at that time you wanted me to accompany her. But I didn’t. Because no matter how the situation was, she had been wrong. And today I am supporting Piya because now I realize where I have been wrong all these years and I want to correct my mistakes. This is my decision papa. If you have any issue, then talk to me. But don’t rub it on Piya or Neha.” Ansh said firmly while holding Piya and Neha’s hands.

Shekhar was about to say something but Avinash’s words dumbfounded him, “I don’t think the kids are wrong here bhaiya! We have always been so scared of Mohana and everything that we never noticed how our actions were affecting them. And now it’s not only about Ansh or Piya. We have to think about Adi and Pari too. They are special. What’s the harm in it if Ansh shifts to the adjacent apartment instead of staying with us in the same house? At the end of the day it’s only a partition. Ansh has been living with us but was he really present all these months? We can’t let our kids suffer for our selfishness.”

“Avinash! How could you say these things? Have you forgotten what Vedashree has done for Ansh? She had never conceived because of Ansh and Kajal. And now when everything is fine, Ansh just chooses to follow Piya over some hypothetical danger? It’s not about apartment Avinash, it’s about priority.”

“If that’s the case, then whom are you prioritizing papa? Maa or me?” Everyone was hell shocked at Ansh’s question. “Today, for the first time I took a decision and you are making me count maa’s sacrifices.Then what about Piya? Tell me what you would do if you had seen maa fighting every alternating day just to protect us and then getting blamed in return? Maa is shattered just at the thought of me living in a separate flat. Then please enlighten me what should have been Piya’s reaction when she had to witness Pari’s demise? When we should have believed her, we kept questioning her and gave Mohana the time needed to strike back. Maa could have died papa! But Piya gave a portion of her life to revive maa. I have lost counts how many times she has safeguarded our family. But at the end of the day, she is the one who gets cornered. Maa sacrificed for me and I can give up my life for her. But as Piya’s husband and the father of her kids, I have responsibilities towards them also. If you wish to blame me for this, then go ahead. You have every right to that. But you have no right to insult Piya or drag Neha into this.”

Vedashree was astonished at Ansh’s words. She couldn’t believe her son could say something like that! “When did you change so much Ansh?” she was quivering. “Probably since the moment I realized how much I had wronged Piya, Adi and Pari in my quest to become your ideal son.” A lone tear escaped his eyes. “Please maa! For my sake, try to understand my point and bless me so that I can start a new life with all of you. No one can take you place in my life maa, no one! Not Piya, not my kids, not even God Himself! But let me live my life too! Let me be the husband who would stand by his wife and protect her no matter what. Let me be the father who could become the role model for his kids. Please! I beg you!”

Piya came forward and lent Ansh her support. “We want a normal family like everyone else. But at the same time, we want our kids to grow up with confidence and be sure of what they want. To ensure that we need to prepare them. But we can’t do that if we are in constant fear that it would somehow cause any trouble for you or they might develop a complex that their power is a curse for the family. That’s the only reason, we want to live separately. You were asking me how could I separate Ansh from you? Now I am requesting you to understand our perspective and then tell me how are we wrong?”

Vedashree got perplexed and was about to say something when they heard Adi and Pari screaming in their room. “Mumma!!! Papa!!! Come quickly!!!” Before the elders could say something, Piya rushed towards their room followed by Ansh. “What happened?” Chaitali was perplexed. “Let’s go there and find out ourselves.” The Rathods hurriedly went to the kids’ room. “Are you guys alright?” Piya hugged Adi and Pari tightly. “We are fine mumma but look what we have done!!!” Pari broke the hug and pointed towards a particular direction. Piya couldn’t believe her eyes. It seemed like Pari had created a witch mirror with water and Adi had conjured a class of fireflies that were flying across the mirror. “What the hell were you guys doing? Didn’t we ask you to practice only when mumma or I am around? What if something had happened to you?” Ansh got really angry. “But papa we did it yesterday only! And we have had tons of practice.” Adi tried to defend their action. “Yes! But that included fireflies only. Whose idea was this?” “It was Pari’s idea.” Adi promptly pointed towards Pari. “This Lappujhanna!!!” Pari cursed her fate. “Simply ratted me out!!!” Ansh and Piya both looked at her and as a last ditch effort Pari made a puppy face. “Actually papa!” “What?” “Adi surprised mumma with those fireflies and I wanted to compete with him. I thought if I could create a witch mirror, then I could conjure anything inside that mirror.” “But she couldn’t and needed my help.” Adi proudly exclaimed but stopped immediately looking at Piya and Ansh’s faces.

“Come here you two!” Piya pulled the kids into a hug and stroked their hair as a gesture of comfort. “You two have really disappointed me today!!!” She said it in a serious tone and the kids got alarmed. “Your papa and I have always encouraged you to use your powers. But that doesn’t mean you get to do that for silly competitions. It may be a game for you but what if you had hurt someone?” “But nobody got hurt mumma!” “Are you sure?” Piya waved her hand and suddenly the fireflies inside the mirror got alerted and the sparkles amalgamated into a big ball of fire that was about to touch the mirror’s surface. “Oh no!” Pari tried to control it but felt she couldn’t use her powers anymore. Lucky for her, Piya took control over the fire and Ansh took control over the mirror and made it disappear. Adi and Pari were shaking when both Piya and Ansh hugged them. “You two are special and one day, you will become even more powerful than us. But you are still very young and you don’t know the extent of your powers.” “Today it was your mumma who took control over your power. So she didn’t let anything happen to you. But God forbid, if it were some other Kalishakti(s), you might not be able to stop them and they would entrap you using your own power.” “That’s why we have always urged you to practice only when at least one of us is present with you.” “We love you guys so much and we won’t survive if something happens to either of you.” “We didn’t want to frighten you but make you realize the gravity of your action. We are sorry!!! But do you guys realize now why papa and I are so specific about rules?” “Yes mumma!!! We would never do anything like this again!” Pari and Adi said apologetically.

“Enough lesson for today.” Ansh took them both in his lap. “Let’s have some fun!!!” He looked at Piya and she took Pari in her lap. “Concentrate on your power and create a witch mirror.” “But mumma!!!” “You trust me, right?” “Yes!” “Then do it!” Piya reassured Pari with a smile and the later carefully created a mirror when Piya touched her hands. “Now, take Mata Rani’s name and think of a forest at night. Have no doubt in your mind. Mumma is right here with you!” Suddenly Pari felt confident and followed Piya’s instructions. To her astonishment, she saw a forest to be formed in the mirror. “Mumma!!! We did it!!!” “You did it!!!” Piya kissed her cheek. “Now Adi! It’s time for us to show what we can do.” Ansh winked at Adi and held his hands. This time, Adi tried to conjure a panda and sent it across the mirror. “What are you doing?” “I just remembered Kung Fu Panda and wanted to conjure Po.” Piya had a hard time controlling her laughter and whispered into Pari’s ears, “It’s your mirror. Don’t lose focus. Take control of it.” Pari gave a mischievous smile and made the panda dance. “Hey!” Adi was irritated. “Here there’s no villain. So he can definitely dance, right mumma?” “Right!” Piya gave her a high five. Adi got annoyed for a moment but seeing the dancing panda, a smile crept across his face. All four of them started laughing, unaware of the fact that the whole family had been witnessing everything.

“What more proof do you need?” Neha asked the Rathods. “Look at them! They are so happy together and there are certain things which should be handled in their way, not by being frightened or guilt-tripping them for their powers.” “I second Neha!” Avinash told directly looking at Shekhar. “We did it wrong with Ansh. But we can’t continue this cycle and make Adi and Pari's lives miserable too. They deserve happiness.” Shekhar couldn’t understand what to say when Vedashree spoke up. “They are right Shekhar Ji!!!” Before Shekhar could speak up, she had entered into the room.

“Dadi look what we have created!” Adi and Pari exclaimed. “It’s perfect! Just like you two!” She kissed their cheeks and moved towards Ansh and Piya. “I am sorry! Until a few minutes ago, I was angry with you two, specially you Piya! But as they say, sometimes we learn valuable lessons from our kids.” She paused for a moment and looked at Adi and Pari again. Their joy brought a smile on her face. “I have spent majority of my life trying to protect Ansh. He has been the ideal son any mother could have ever hoped for and I guess, somewhere along the line, I started feeling proud of my sacrifice and it blinded me. To the extent that I couldn’t notice how it was suffocating my child and he started to hide his true feelings from me. I could never realize how much he had repaid for my one sacrifice that his siblings could do. Now I feel grateful to Devi Maa that at the very least, he got some support system in the form of his siblings.” Vedashree tried to control herself but her tears betrayed her. “But if I have ever wronged someone more than Ansh, then it’s you Piya! Despite my best wishes, I endangered your life several times. I didn’t stand by you when you needed me the most and I was so afraid of losing Ansh that I chose to ignore your agony and let you leave the house. I am your culprit. If it’s possible, please forgive me!!!” Vedashree folded her hands. “Maa what are you doing!!!” Piya hurriedly touched her hands and hugged her. Ansh hugged them both and the entire family joined him and they all had a group hug marking the end of their misunderstanding.

“Vedashree is right Piya! We have been too selfish in our love and you two had to suffer a lot because of us. But not anymore.” Shekhar apologized. “From this moment on, we are going to do the right thing and ensure our kids’ bright future.” Avinash said with a bright smile. “We accept your decision wholeheartedly and give you our blessings.” Chaitali added. “But you are committing a mistake here.” Vedashree continued, “The whole purpose of this decision was to ensure a normal life for Adi and Pari but don’t you think by isolating them, you would instill a seed of doubt that we are never gonna accept them?” Ansh and Piya got startled and looked at each other. “I think it’s better if we buy both the flats but use the smaller one to train them. But ultimately, we should live together so that the kids understand that they will be loved no matter what and we’ll also be able to mend our ways and possibly help you two with their upbringing.”

“Sounds perfect to me!” Neha exclaimed. “Exactly Ansh! You, Kajal, Neha, Rishi - all grew up together. You had your own world in a sense. And you guys were worried about acceptance, right? We have worked that out. So think about it. Wouldn’t it be nice if all your kids grew up together?” Avinash said smilingly. The mere memory of the four siblings was enough to bring a bright smile on all of their faces. After discussing for a while Piya and Ansh along with their entire family decided that they would stay together. They felt blessed that after all those months that seems like a dark, never ending night, finally a new day began with hope and endless possibilities. To celebrate it, Ansh took his kids’ hands and created fireworks while Piya kept smiling looking at them. At last her wish got fulfilled! Finally she was with her Ansh and the family had truly accepted them for who they were!

And thus, everything got settled. The Rathods moved out of their old house and shifted to their new home. After her vacation got over, Neha returned to USA. Apart from their family-business, Ansh started collaborating with other humanitarian institutions to build a hospital for the poor and a fund that would provide scholarship to brilliant students specially in the field of medicine. It was his way of fulfilling his long cherished dream of becoming a doctor. As for Piya, she was happy with her job and started helping Nishant, Saavi and Naman in their work. She had always loved plants and opened a floral shop with the help of Guruma.

Everything was perfect until one day, when a fateful incident changed their lives forever. Adi and Pari’s exam got over and the family went on a picnic. The day went smoothly with everyone laughing and enjoying. At the evening, Piya requested Vedashree to look after the kids and then told Ansh to get their car as they needed to go somewhere. Ansh was surprised. After the hectic day he didn’t expect Piya to be up for another adventure. But looking at the sparkle in her eyes, he didn’t feel like saying “NO” to her. After driving for almost two hours, finally Piya showed some mercy on him and told Ansh to park the car. “You’ve got to be kidding me!!!” Ansh was cursing his fate. “What’s with this girl and Alibag! If she wanted to come here, we could have chosen this spot only for our picnic.” “Come on Ansh! Let’s go!” Piya was literally dragging him. “Wait! Let me blindfold you first.” Seeing how ecstatic Piya was, Ansh felt gratified. But he was exhausted. “Please Piya! Show some mercy on your husband! Why such childishness at this hour! We have to return too.” “Actually, we don’t. I have already informed maa that we are not returning tonight.” “What the!” Before he could say something else, Piya used her Brahmastra (Ultimate weapon) - her puppy face and requested Ansh to accompany her into the jungle, “Can’t you do this much for my sake? Pleeaasseeeeeee!!!” And that was it! The mighty Daavansh had been defeated! He bent down a little so that Piya could blindfold him. "You know, now I realize why Pari is such a drama queen. She has gone after you.” “Thank God for that dear husband!” Piya started laughing. “At least I am thankful that despite being your carbon copy, Adi does have some of my qualities and knows how to have fun.” “Yeah right!” Ansh said while trying to maintain his balance. “Of course! Sometimes you need to loosen up a little to enjoy life. Alright stop! We’re here!!!” Although Ansh had decided to remain indifferent to pull Piya’s leg, he couldn’t help but felt overwhelmed. It was the exact same spot where years ago, he had found Piya; lying unconscious and disclosing her greatest pain. The only difference was, this time, there was a blanket lying at a corner and it was beautifully decorated with flower petals and candles around it. “Not bad Mrs. Rathod! What’s the occasion?” Ansh tried to smile but suddenly he noticed tears in Piya’s eyes. “Hey! What’s wrong?” He got alarmed. “Nothing!” Piya tried to smile and touched her forehead with Ansh’s. Ansh got surprised seeing the sudden change in Piya’s behavior.

“This is the place where you got to know me in true sense. I was alone, defenseless and told you about my pain. Even when we weren’t together, I used to think about this particular moment and my anger and pain would subside.” Piya held Ansh’s hands. It was then when he noticed like that fateful night, they were surrounded by fireflies. Suddenly the dark forest seemed to light up and it was the brightest around Piya; specially near her abdomen. “This place is really special for us Ansh. Which is why I brought you here tonight. Because I wanted to make the announcement special.” “What announcement?” Ansh was still clueless. “I am pregnant Ansh!!! We are having a baby!!!” Ansh was speechless. “I was confused at first too!” Piya smiled shyly. “That’s why I wanted to get it confirmed before telling you. We are having a baby!!!” She said excitedly and placed Ansh’s hand over her womb. Ansh was still silent. Looking at his reaction, Piya got alarmed. “Aren’t you happy?” “No!!!” Piya’s face turned pale listening to his words. “I am not happy Piya!!! I am thrilled!!!” Before she could react, Ansh took her in his lap and started twirling. “Ansh stop! What are you doing? I am feeling dizzy!” “Oh sorry!” He gently put her down and hugged her tightly. “You don’t know the happiness you have given me today!!! I still can’t believe it!!! It’s a miracle!!!” Ansh couldn’t understand what he should do to express his happiness. “I have always regretted that I wasn’t there with you when you were pregnant with Adi and Pari. I regretted how our kids had to suffer because of us. But with this baby, we’ll make everything right. We’ll give it everything that we had missed - love, a complete family and assurance. It’ll have the best parents in the world. God I can’t tell you how happy I am today!!!” Forgetting Piya’s earlier warning, he hugged her again and twirled taking her in his lap. “Piyansh!” “What?” “Let’s call our baby Piyansh! I know “It” is gender-neutral but still, it feels a bit odd. So I decided this name. After all it’s Piya and Ansh’s Ansh (Part).” “Piyansh! I love this name! Why don't we select this name for our baby?” “Well, we could if it’s a boy. But I don’t know how well this would suit a girl.” Piya said smilingly. "In that case, we may modify it a little like, adding an "A" or "I" at the end. But I love this name!" Looking at how Ansh was beaming with joy, Piya felt a strange pain inside her heart. All she had ever wanted was to see such genuine happiness on his face. She didn't realize when tears started rolling down her cheeks. "Hey! What's the matter love?" Ansh was concerned. “I am fine Ansh. I am just overwhelmed!” She replied with a smile. “I wish I could stop time and live in this moment for eternity, in your arms!!!” Piya held onto Ansh tightly and closed her eyes. "Then what's stopping you?" Ansh lowered his head and looked directly into Piya's eyes. "We can't live in this moment for eternity but we can make this moment eternal!!!" “How do you plan to do that?” "Like this....." He smiled at Piya and resumed twirling while singing a song.....

Saajna!!!

Saajna!!!

Hooo Saajna!!! (Piya joined Ansh)

Tanhaiyon Mein Phir Yoon,

Mulaqaat Ho Na Ho!!!

Tanhaiyon Mein Phir Yoon,

Mulaqaat Ho Na Ho!!!

Dil Ki Tere, Dil Se Mere,

Phir Baat Ho Na Ho!!!

(Both of them singing together)

Tanhaiyon Mein Phir Yoon,

Mulaqaat Ho Na Ho!!!

Dil Ki Tere, Dil Se Mere,

Phir Baat Ho Na Ho!!!

Tanhaiyon Mein Phir Yoon,

Hooo!!!

Hooo!!!

Hai Ishq Ki,

Baatein Buri,

Dikhti Nahin Iss Mein Dushwariyaan!!!

Hai Ishq Ki,

Baatein Boori,

Dikhti Nahin Iss Mein Dushwariyaan!!!

Kaante Lage,

Hai Phool Se,

Shabnam Si Lagti Hai Chingariyaan!!!

Sholon Ko Phoolon Mein Dhal Jaane Do!!!

Sab Kho Gaya,

Iss Raat Mein,

Dikhta Nahi Ab Kinara Humein!!!

Na Hai Khushi,

Na Roshni,

Andheron Ne Kheecha Dobara Humein!!!

Raaton Ko Raaton Mein Mil JaaneDo!!!

Tanhaiyon Mein Phir Yoon,

Mulaqaat Ho Na Ho!!!

Dil Ki Tere, Dil Se Mere,

Phir Baat Ho Na Ho!!!

Saajna!!!

Saajna!!!

Hooo Saajna!!!

Aana Tera,

Jaana Tera,

Dil Toot Ne Ka Bahaana Mera!!!

Aana Tera,

Jaana Tera,

Dil Toot Ne Ka Bahaana Mera!!!

Na Yaad Mein,

Na Khwab Mein,

Aansun Mein Ja Na Thikana Mera!!!

Ashkon Ko Aankhon Se Gir Ne Na Do!!!

Jeena Mera,

Marna Mera,

Khuda Yeh Karein Bas Tere Hath Ho!!!

Haathon Ko Haathon Se Mil Jaane Do!!!

Tanhaiyon Mein Phir Yoon,

Mulaqaat Ho Na Ho!!!

Dil Ki Tere, Dil Se Mere,

Phir Baat Ho Na Ho!!!

Saajna!!!

Saajna!!!

Hooo Saajna!!!

And that’s how it ended……. Two mere mortals savored their moment of togetherness and made it eternal with Goddess's blessings…….

******* The End *******