God's plan is better than mine!
Premise:
ACP Virat Chavan is in the last night of 3 days of highly secretive and rigorous training in the outskirts of Amravathi. Some of the best IPS officers of Maharashtra State Police were chosen for the training to prepare them for impending face-off with dreaded smugglers from Melghat forests of Amravathi. The police officers were in an environment very close to real life confrontation with the smugglers in the deep recesses of the forest where there is no cell coverage. The teammates interact with only walkie talkies and gather at the camp site by the end of every day.
Sai Joshi is amidst a weeklong holiday break from her medical school for Holi. She is using this break to come to terms with the most twisted and mysterious disappearance of Prof. Pulkit Deshpande, her professor and alleged husband of her Sister-in-law. Sai is trying her best not lose her trust on her professor yet...and struggling to locate him before her husband Virat comes from training.
Both wife and husband are terribly missing each other as this is the first time they are away from each other since their marriage few months ago...
Part 1: Melghat Foret Camp site, Amravathi
Virat came out of his tent after a warm bath that eased his mind and body from the last grueling training session which marked the end of his 3 day training. He joined fellow IPS officers who were laughing away all their struggles over some drinks and delicious food. Couple of officers are from his own batch of IPS training who are very close to him. Shivam, his best friend is posted in Nanded is recently engaged and was discussing his marriage plans with other friends. Virat is unusually quiet this time, Shivam observed. He knows that his friend is a man of few words but he is a fun loving person when both of them are together. But this time when they met, he seemed to sulk a lot and talk less. So he suggested Virat that they should go for a walk for this will be last few hours they can spend some personal time together before they leave the next day morning.
"Virat, ek walk par chale?" Shivam thumped on his friend's shoulders breaking his stupor towards the candle on the table. All these days, he found Virat mostly staring away into blankness!
"Haa yaar, chalte hain. Next time tumhare shaadi pe hi mulakhat hogi shaayad", replied Virat trying to gather his thoughts and pulling up for a walk.
"Oh yes, I will come to your house and invite you and your wife Sai. Cant wait to see our wives also become good friends like us.", beamed Shivam.
Sai's name brought a faint smile on Virat's lips. Yes she would become friends with anyone he thought. He knows his wife is very charming and kind. How could anyone not like her!
"So hows your married life Virat? I know the circumstances of your marriage yaar. I mean only you could take such a huge responsibility with so much grace. Afterall, I know your bond with Kamal Sir. If not for these unfortunate circumstances, I am sure Kamal Sir would have proposed his daughter's marriage with you anyway," declared Shivam.
Virat laughed at his suggestion. But took a pause to wonder at such occurrence. Is he really that eligible, that Kamal sir would offer his precious daughter to me! He has seen their bond, and he knows Kamal sir would always give the best for her daughter. So is he the best choice that Sai can have? If not, he should make sure she feels so...Now a days, all he thinks is to make Sai realize his affection for her. He wants her to think that whatever God has planned for them is for their best. He already realized it! Yes he did for the first time when she went to meet DIG's office to clear him off charges, next when she brought Pakhi back home not feeling any less in doing so, and next when she stood up for her aunt, her brother and now her sister! He cant imagine his life with someone who is any lesser than what he has now. She makes him feel like a King with the most priceless possession, a Kohinoor! his Kohinoor.
"Arre Virat phir se ghum hogaya?, Biwi yaad aagayi kya?" winked Shivam.
"Haan yaar. Shaadi ke baad pehli baar usko chodke aaya hoon. Hope she is fine. My mother is there to take care of her. They are now inseperable!", Virat said assuringly.
Shivam noticed in these few days that Virat keeps quite or simply blushes when the friends tease him about his marital life with Sai. He enjoys their banter but he has no pleasant memories to share with them. So Shivam took the liberty to give his friend some free advice.
"Virat, you are my best friend and I have known you closely. I am proud to say that you are my friend. Really. I know you always think about others first and never expresses your feeling even when required. But yaar when you have a life partner in your life, you have to express your feelings to build the trust and love in the initial days. Especially considering your marriage and how it happened you have to be more vocal about your feelings for Sai. May be you are already but knowing you, I thought of giving you some gyan. Dont take it otherwise. " quipped Shivam.
"Nahin yaar. you are my friend. You have every right to guide me, especially when you have been in a relationship with the same girl for such a long time! Shilpa is very lucky to marry you. I am sure Sai will like her too!", said Virat.
They came back to the camp site and Virat hugged his friend good night for they will leave to their respective places early in the morning.
Virat lied down, and he knows he has only few minutes before he drifts into deep sleep, thanks to body numbing training they had over the day. Over the last few days, these are the only few minutes he will have to remember his wife. He wonders how he remembers every interaction with her so vividly etched in his mind, from the time she greeted him on stage with flower garland to the last discussion he had before leaving her for the training. He could not inform her directly that he will not be able to contact her for next 3 days as they will be in forest area, out of reach mostly. He is sure she will understand, afterall she is the daughter of a policeman. He is restless now, unable to sleep and unable to hold his overflowing love towards this girl whom he is going to see after 3 long days. If not for training, passing these 3 days would have been like a lifetime for him. Never did he realize he would miss her this much! his badbad devi, he laughed. Her pure smile and cute antics tug his heart, even while recollecting them now. He just wants to pull her into a tight hug in which he could pour all his emotions! Why is he unable to form any words? he questioned himself. Whatever the reasons were before, he is sure that he will not be able to hold him in check the next time he sees her! There is too much love inside his heart for her which will spill at the moment he sees her tomorrow and he is prepared to accept whatever entails it!.
WIth that thought, Virat drifted off into a peaceful sleep!
Part 2: Sai and Virat's bedroom, Chavan Nivas.
Sai has been emotionally drained for the past few days trying to find answers for Pulkit's disappearance. The last two days she was too busy to sit and breathe, let alone eat and sleep. Today when she came to her room, she felt heavy in heart, dazed and lonely!! This room has been her comfort zone from all the daily taunts and insults thrown by the family. It is like coming into her own world full of hopes and dreams, smiles and flirtations. Today, it seemed this place is as good as the rest of the mansion that she lives in...why will it be any good, without the presence of someone who makes this space of hers so special, she snapped.
Sai missed her husband a bit more every day when she was alone in this room, scrambling her way through the knots in her head. Today she remembered him more, to the point of missing him terribly. Afterall, he was her only source of comfort . Be it endearments or disagreements, there was never any negativity in their confrontations. Any fight between them had only nourished their relationship, when she pondered. They never had disagreements, only questions! Questions whose answers will likely destroy all the walls she created around her heart. Questions only he could answer. She tried to seek them from him without waiting for his words...but alas she has no patience nor the atmosphere here in this family let her wait for him to open up. Pakhi's constant presence around her husband and the knowledge of their past relationship hovers on her every action towards him. It is like someone waiting for her to go wrong and get hurt and claim the prize... her prize! Sai's eyes swelled up with tears and a tide of jealousy rose through her heart. She ran towards her study table where her Aaba's smiling photo dragged her into an emotional breakdown. She cried hugging her Aaba's photo.
"I am not this Aaba. I am not this. I am not a selfish person who can feel this amount of jealousy for another person. I sometimes feel so ashamed at my thoughts towards her. I dont want to be that person", lamented Sai almost begging her father to come back and say that what she feels towards Pakhi is natural.
"Aaba, you always said when something we plan does not happen, Bappa has a better plan for us. I did not understand then. But now I wanted to believe in it. Whatever conspiracy you and Bappa had between you, I ended up losing you, and finding Virat Sir. How cruel Aaba. I have gone through despair when you left me Aaba. I dont want to fall in that pit again. It will be very hard this time. Last time I had Virat Sir. This time, if he is the reason for that despair, I will not be able to gather myself again.", Cried Sai to her father.
"I see his growing affections towards me Aaba. I want to believe that whatever his past was and whatever his commitments were, he is trying to get past them and reach me. I know people can get over their heart breaks but I know you also Aaba, I know you loved my mother till the day you left this world. What if Virat Sir has such strong emotions for Pakhi didi. What if he cant love me fully. What if I remain his responsibility and compromise for the rest of his life? I could not get past these questions Aaba. But, but I also see the concern, love and regard for me in his eyes. I know him as a person with high moral values so I dont think he loves Pakhi anymore than a good friend. I want to trust his actions and move forward but his words on the day of our wedding come back to me at all the right times in a wrong way. His silence forces me to shut myself up and hurt him so much that the agony in his face breaks me down! ", now almost choking while gathering her emotions.
After a while, she remembered Virat through all their good times and how she felt like hugging him every time he does something special for her especially on the day of her results. He was the only one who was rejoicing in her acheivement as his own! She looked back at her Aaba, kissed him again and brought her back to self.
"Now when he is not there for 2 days, I see what I am missing. I want to say sorry to him for all the hurt I caused him. I want to tell him that there were times, I saw his actions and truly understood his growing feelings towards me. Aaba, from the day one of our marriage, I saw him as my friend, guide, mentor and husband. He can never phantom my feelings towards him. Who will not like a person who is willing to commit for life with the daughter of his Guru to withhold the promise to a dying man. He never made me feel that this marriage is a deal for him unless I brought it upon him. He is someone every girl dreams of! And I dont want to lose him on my baseless assumptions. Yes Aaba, next time I will try to find answers from his actions. I will not push him away if he is comes closer to me. I believe in Bappa's decision and your trust on him and follow it." She said while gesturing with her hand moving staight. Sai, next time just focus on his eyes and smile. Not his words. Dont try to extract water from desert. Feel the sand! She thought" laughing heartily.
With that thought, she went to their cupboard and took Virat's White shirt, smelled it once before wearing it and pulling it close! With a sense of victory in her mind, she went and slept on the Virat's side of their bed.
Part 3: The hug
It was early morning and Chawan Nivas folks are all decked up and ready for breakfast at the dining table when Virat's police car came to halt with a loud screech. Shivani was talking (not taking :P) a walk and coming back home when she ran towards Virat and greeted him with a hug. She asked him about his wellbeing after rigorous training but found Virat gobbling up most of the words in a hurry, almost running inside the house. He glazed through living room like a live radar without hearing to Shivani's accusations that he has changed after he married Sai.
Pakhi was striding towards him when he turned and ran towards the stairs, shouting away to his Aai that he is fine and will be back downstairs in few minutes. Pakhi saw him take 3 stairs at a time almost falling forward at the last step. Her neck crackled and brought her to reality and to the truth. He is someone else's.
Sai had been awake early in the morning and tried to study a bit as she was not able to do in the last few days. She doesnt want to immerse herself in books when Virat is here today or tomorrow. She planned to ask him to take her out for a day so they could spend some time with each other. She could also explain to him patiently about Pulkit's case and get him on board with proper investigation. She finished her studies and was about to go to restroom when she heard the footsteps!
She turned towards her bedroom door and there he was gasping for air, broad smile on his face and eyes full of expectations. Sai just saw the man who is so desperate to see her after 3 long days. She just ran towards him screaming 'Virat Sir'!.
Virat saw the bundle of his joy dashing towards him in his white shirt and opened his hands for an embrace but it turned out to be a bone crushing hug that nearly knocked him down!
He gathered his strength and steadied both of them before he knew that whatever was stopping him from using his words before is no more there. He could only see him, Sai and this moment where they are hugging in comfort. And the dam broke.
"Sai, I missed you so much. I missed you. Whatever my past is, our past is., it does not matter to me. I know only one truth now. I cannot live without you. this is my truth and will be the same going forward. I will make sure nothing can change this truth.", said Virat as calmly as only he can.
Sai did not respond like always. She just absorbed what he said and tightened her hug. After few minutes when Aai's voice from downstairs bought them back to present, they both looked at each other with tears overflowing. Virat broke the silence again!!
"Sai, why are you wearing my shirt?", asked Virat half expectedly for the right answer.
"Because I missed you Virat Sir. and wanted to feel close to you.", said Sai sniffling her nose.
And they both hugged again!.
Note: This is what happens in reality given the current status of their relationship. But in 'Ghum'verse, both would have served hot Jilebis why they did not miss each other and prepared us for one more separation 🤣
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