Hello everyone. Shikha here. I am new to the forum but have been a silent reader of all the wonderful stories and compositions and I would say without an ounce of doubt that the forum is blessed with such terrific writers👏❤️
The motivation for this TS came from the simple fact that RiAnsh do everything in this world except 'speaking to each other'🤔. Hence, I have tried to make them 'speak'😆 their heart out and have hopefully been successful, even by the slightest of it, in bringing out the emotions.
Please give it a read and let me know how you felt after reading it - really means a lot😊. Constructive criticism is heartily welcome - would help me improve my writing🤗.
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Context - Kabir and Anupriya have been punished for their deeds and RiAnsh are finally together after fighting against all odds. This is a night where they expose their broken souls to each other and allow their love to heal them.
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PART 1
The night was serene and beautiful. The moon seemed to hum a soft lullaby as it kept a watch over every beating heart. The silvery white moonlight which tiptoed into the room through the open window extended a hand and proceeded to intertwine its fingers with the yellow light that emanated from the flames of candles arranged in small stubs.
As Riddhima opened the door, the resplendence of the room extended a warm welcome to her. The entire room was ornamented with numerous candles and tiny rose petals embellished the bed and the floor. As her vision wandered across the room devouring the beauty, it rested on a tiny piece of paper that lay on the nightstand. She walked towards it and picked it up.The note read –
“Riddhima,
Kai musibaton se guzarne ke baad aaj tu aur Vansh ek ho paaye hain. Humesha iss parivaar ki fikr rehti hai tum dono ko. Beta, kabhi kabhi apne liye waqt nikaalna bhi bohot zaroori hota hai. Isliye, tere aur Vansh ke liye meri aur Siya ki taraf se yeh ek chhota sa tohfa hai. Hamesha khush rehna.
- Teri Daadi.”
A beautiful smile bloomed on her lips and her cheeks turned crimson as her mind deciphered the implication. Keeping the note back on the stand, she walked towards the window to indulge in a silent conversation with the moon – a companion who had always been there for her whenever she needed comfort and love. The moon was probably the only presence in her life that would return to her even after momentary disappearance, unlike every other person who would leave her alone forever. Since her childhood, she would spend long hours of the night staring at the moon whose tranquility would kiss away the anguish of her heart and lull her worries to an ephemeral slumber.
The conversation came to a halt when the warmth of a familiar pair of arms engulfed her in a secure embrace.
“Kya soch rahi ho?”
“Kuchh soch nahi rahi, chaand se baatein kar rahi hoon.”
“Achchha? Kya main jaan sakta hoon kya baatein ho rahi hain?”
“Kuchh khaas nahi, bas samajh lo jaise humaari khaamoshiyaan ek doosre se baatein kar rahi hain – just a normal conversation.”
“Jaise do dost karte hain?”
Riddhima smiled and rested the back of her head against Vansh’s chest.
“Nahi……humaara rishta benaam sa hai, aur yahi iski khaasiyat hai.”
“Kyun?”
“Benaam rishton mein ek alag sa sukoon,ek alag sa assurance rehta hai. I have learnt this from life. Rishton ko naam de dene se jaise unse related expectations badh jaati hain. Hum bohot zyaada ummeedein lagaayein baithte hain jisse dil tootne ke chances badh jaate hain. Waise bhi, har jazbaat ko lafzon ki zaroorat nahi hoti.”
Vansh’s voice softened a little.
“What about our relationship? Yeh to named hai – husband and wife, phir isme woh sukoon kahaan hai?”
Riddhima smiled once more and turned around to face him. His eyes seemed to have turned a shade darker, indicating his failure to have found an answer to the self-raised question. Her discernment of his unwavering gaze conveyed to her that his mind, which is usually a clear sky with a light shade of translucency, had been heavily overcast with numerous clouds of uncertainty.
Taking his hands in hers, she planted two soft kisses on the back of his hands and looked up for their eyes to meet again. She smiled at her successful endeavor of helping those beautiful eyes slowly get back their hue. Holding his hands with their fingers entwined and palms facing forward, she walked towards the bed with Vansh following her. Once on the bed,Vansh rested his back against the headboard and Riddhima nestled herself on his lap as he pulled her into a snug embrace. Placing a kiss on his left cheek, she rested her head against his left shoulder.
“Naam to hai, magar duniya ke liye, aur humaara rishta iss duniya ke set definitions mein restricted nahi hai. Jab hum dono mein se koi ek kisi musibat mein phass jaata hai, to doosre ke dil ko pata chal jaata hai – ek bechaini jaise dil ko jakad leti hai. Jab hum ek doosre ke saath hote hain, hum safe aur secure feel karte hain. Problem kitni bhi badi kyun na ho, aisa lagta hai jaise hum saath milkar koi na koi raastaa dhoond hi lenge. Koi proof nahi, koi indication nahi, magar dil ek doosre ki dhadkanon ko mehsoos kar lete hain. Inn feelings ko kya naam doge? Koi naam nahi hai – bas ek assurance hai ki haan, jab tak woh mere saath hai, harr darr, harr takleef ka saamna karne ki himmat hai mujh mein. To bataao, hai humaare rishte ka koi definite naam? Itni mushkilon se guzarne ke baad bhi, itni dooriyaan bardaasht karne ke baad bhi aaj hum ek doosre ke saath hain, ek doosre ki baahon mein hain, nahi hai kya woh sukoon?”
A lone tear trickled down his cheek and landed on her bare shoulder. She sat up and turned to face him. His eyes had nothing but love for her. They seemed to be adorned with scintillas of affection, yearning,devotion, passion, care and a zillion other emotions, and her heart knew that every bit of it, every tiny part of him belonged to her. Wiping the watery trail the single drop of tear had left behind, she craned her neck upwards and kissed his forehead to reassure him that she was there – with him, for him. He closed his eyes and let another drop of tear escape. She kissed it away at once. Cupping his face in her palms, she planted soft kisses on his eyelids,nose, cheeks, jaw and chin and then rested her forehead against his. Their lips lightly brushed against each other.
“Vansh.”
He opened his eyes.
“I am here.”
He continued to look down.
“Vansh.”
He instantly pulled her into a tight hug. With every passing second, his grip on her tightened, trying to hold her as close to him as possible and at the same time, trying not to hurt her. Her hands moved in smooth circles on his back as she whispered sweet nothings into his ear to comfort him. She could feel his tears trickling down her back, soaking the cloth around the hook of her blouse. The man who always maintained a tough exterior in front of the whole world, including his family members, was here in her arms, letting his guard down for her to see how vulnerable he was. The man who would cross all boundaries to protect his family without sparing a single thought about himself was weeping uncontrollably in her arms, seeking protection from his inner demons – petrifying memories of his troubled past which had been beset with betrayal, abandonment, loneliness and various other nightmarish occurrences. The man who acted as a pillar of support for everyone around him had buried his face in the crook of her neck, his tears meticulously delineating his exhausted soul. He was tired – tired of fighting against the world, against his puerile family members and most importantly, against his own self. He was broken.
After a long while, when the crying had subsided to sniffs and quiet sobs, Riddhima pulled back and looked at Vansh for a moment.His eyes were closed, and his countenance had donned a light shade of red. He was presumably trying to regain his usual self of the man who would conceal his fragility in the guise of firmness. The effort, however, met futility the moment she slipped out of his lap. He grasped her wrist immediately as a reflex, his eyes making a desperate plea to her for undoing the act. To his relief, she sat beside him and pulled him into her arms. He relaxed his head against her chest and wrapped his arms around her waist. She held his face in her right palm and caressed his cheek with her thumb, while her left arm moved up and down his back in gentle, smooth strokes. The two hearts synchronized their beats as they sang in unison a mellifluous song of solace. The tuneful melody continued for a short while before Vansh started speaking.
“Pata hai Riddhima, main 15 saal ka tha jab meri Maa hum sab ko chhodkar chali gayi Dad ke business associate Mr. Awasthy ke paas. Unke chale jaane ka exact reason aaj tak pata nahi chala. Dad had told us she eloped with Mr. Awasthy. Jab main thoda badaa hua, tab Daadi ne bataaya ki Mom…”
Riddhima felt his arms tighten around her waist as images of the diabolical actions and pretentious concern of the evil woman,whom he had once loved more than his biological mother, flashed before his inward eye. She gave him a tender kiss on his forehead. Vansh took a deep breath and continued.
“Anupriya…Daadi ne bataaya tha ki Anupriya ka humaara business join karne ke baad Mom-Dad ke beech misunderstandings badh gayi, jiske chalte woh ghar chhodkar chali gayi. Mr.Awasthy ne sirf sahaara diya tha unko. Khair, wajah jo bhi ho, the fact is, woh mujhe chhodkar chali gayi – unke liye mujhse zyaada important unke apne reasons the. Maine kai raatein bitaayi hai Daadi ki god mein apni maa ke liye rote hue- ek baar unke gale lagne ke liye, ek baar unki god mein sarr rakhkar sone ke liye,ek baar unke haathon se khaana khaane ke liye.
Pata hai sabse zyaada mushkil kya tha? Siya aur Ishani se iss baat ko chhupaana aur unke saamne normal behave karna, as if everything was alright. Woh dono mujhse poochha karti thi maa ke baare mein, aur main koi na koi random reason deke unhe chup karaa deta tha. Siya to phir bhi maan jaati thi, magar Ishani thodi badi thi, usko samjhaana mushkil hota tha.
Waqt guzarne laga. Jin andheron se darr lagta tha, wahi humraah ban gaye, daraavne khwaab jaise saathi ban gaye. Dad business mein uljhe rehte the, humaare liye unke paas time nahi hota tha. Daadi ke baad woh Anupriya thi jisne hum sab ka, mera khayaal rakha. Usse mujhe woh pyaar mila jo ek bete ko apni maa se milta hai. Mujhe kya pata tha, sab kuchh sirf ek dikhaava tha, ek chhalaava tha – woh pyaar, woh care, woh concern sab jhooth tha. Uske actions mein kabhi bhi kuchh bhi fake mehsoos nahi hone diya usne mujhe. Sach hai waise, pyaar andha kar deta hai insaan ko. She never loved us,never loved me – not that day, not today, never.
Maa se mile dhokhe ne mujhe tod diya tha Riddhima. Tumhe pata hai main unse nafrat kyun karta tha?”
He craned his neck upwards to look into her eyes for a moment and then regained his earlier position.
“Main unse nafrat karta tha, shaayad aaj bhi karta hoon, isliye kyunki sirf wahi ek rishta hai jo mujhe unse connected rakhta hai. Unke diye dhokhe ne unse pyaar karne nahi diya, magar dil ne unse jude rehne ka doosra raasta banaa liya, ek naya rishta jod liya jise main aaj tak tod nahi sakaa. Shaayad isi rishte ne mujhe 3 saal pehle majboor kar diya tha apni maa ke qaatilon ko dhoondkar unhe sazaa dilwaane ke liye. Isi rishte ne mujhe tod kar rakh diya tha jab mujhe lagaa tha ki main apni maa ko insaaf dilaane mein naakaamyaab raha.”
Riddhima’s heart felt heavy at his last statement. Though unintentionally and in a fit of misapprehension, she had been the cause of his misery. Sensing her discomfort, he placed a soft kiss on her chest over her heart before he continued.
“Zindagi se itne dhokhe mile mujhe ki main apne saaye pe bhi bharosa nahi kar paaya, iss baat pe yaqeen nahi kar paaya ki woh mere saath hai. Dad ki maut ke baad poori family ki zimmedaari mujh par aa gayi. Har problem maine singlehandedly face ki hai, chaahe woh ghar ki ho ya business-related. Hamesha koshish ki hai ki main apne parivaar ko protect kar saku, unhe har khatre se bachaa saku chaahe iske liye mujhe haiwaan bhi kyun na banna pade, aur main ban gaya. Akele ladta raha, duniya se, apne gharwaalon se, khud se. Jhooth aur dhokhe se sakht nafrat hai mujhe, uske aage jaise kuchh bhi……kuchh bhi dekhna mere liye impossible tha, until….”
He paused. Eager to know about the puissant reason which had been successful in bringing about a change in the man of unswerving determination,Riddhima said, “Until?”
He smiled.
“Until you came.”
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I did proofread but there may be mistakes😕 Thank you for being patient with me🤗😆❤️
Anupamaa
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
