Hey Ghum family,
So here I am with another chapter. I have no idea how it turned out. All I know is that I enjoyed writing the first part of the chapter. They are so confused about their relationship. I enjoyed writing a smarter Virat than the show. He is trying to understand Sai's silence.
So that's it. Hope you will like it.
Virat woke up and didn't find Sai in the room. She came out in a beautiful red color georgette saree from the bathroom after taking a shower, blotting and squeezing her wet hair with a towel. She walked to the dressing table and put the towel on the chair. She put the bangles on her hands and adjusted her bindi. Virat who was still in his bed watched her. She looked so mesmerizingly beautiful that he was unable to take his eyes off her. His heart always played the guitar whenever she was in her wet hair and today she was even wearing a saree, that too a red one. He slapped himself with both his hands to come out of this beautiful vision. Sai looked at him in the mirror confused.
When she joined Ashwini in the kitchen, Ashwini immediately put kala teeka behind her daughter-in-law's ear, « How beautiful you are looking. Bappa, keep the evil eye away from her. »
Sai smiled and bent down to touch her feet for the ashirwaad. Ashwini pulled her up and hugged her. Some time later when everyone gathered around the table for the breakfast, Ashwini requested Sai to sit and have breakfast with her husband and the rest of the family members while she was going to serve everyone with Pakhi's help. Sai took a seat next to Virat. As it was sunday, they all were taking their time and enjoying their family moment. In the middle of the jokes and laughter, Sai stopped chewing and put her hand in front of her mouth as everything around her started spinning. Virat noticed it and looked at her.
« Sai ? », he whispered her name in the ear.
She got up and ran to the stairs leaving everyone puzzled and worried. Virat excused himself and followed her to check on her. She went directly to the washroom. He reached there and heard her throwing up from the outside.
« Sai, theek ho ? », he asked.
No response but she came out after some time and passed by him to finally sit down on the bed. He asked her again but she kept quiet. Ashwini joined them a minute later. Worried, she wanted to know what happened to her and why did she leave so abruptly the table. Sai told her that she felt a little dizzzy and nauseous and ended up throwing up all the food she had.
Virat widened his eyes, « Mein toh yahan invisible khada hoon. I kept asking her and she kept royally ignoring me. »
« Oho how much do you fight. », Ashwini complained then asked Sai, « Are you feeling better now ? »
« Ho, Aayi. », she replied nodding.
« Bas toh chalo neeche. », Ashwini said.
As soon as they came down, while Mohit and Samrat were worried about Sai, Shivani joked with a mischievous smile, « Is this a sign of a good news ? »
The silence installed around the table. Pakhi who was pouring a glass of water went totally numb by the information making the water overflow on Kaku.
« Patralekha, what are you doing ? », Kabu startled her out of shock.
« Sorry Kaku... I mean Badi Mami. », she blundered.
Virat and Sai, embarrased, looked down. This was unexpected. Both went back to their seats. While everyone went back to their discussions, Virat looked at Sai's red cheeks. She was as embarrassed as him. They didn't share such relationship yet and his family was already thinking about them becoming parents. This hit him in a weird way. He couldn't understand why he was thinking about it when they were clear from the beginning that they woudn't share this kind of relationship ever. Lost in his thoughts he didn't realize that he was devouring her with his eyes. Mohit and Samrat who noticed that wanted to have fun.
« Sai Vahini you are looking so gorgeous today, shayad kisi ki nazar lag gayi aapko. », Mohit said.
« I have to go. », Sai and Virat said at the same time standing up.
« Aise kaise ? Sai Vahini cooked everything so perfectly seasoned for you, you should eat twice more. », Mohit indirectly taunted Pakhi making Virat sit down again.
Sai left for her room while Virat's eyes followed her. Every single person could see how he was blown away by her beauty.
She picked a book and her phone and sat down on the floor leaned against the bed. Unable to concentrate she put the book and the phone aside and recalled how Shivani joked about them announcing a good news. If only they knew that they made a deal of not having such husband wife relationship, their dreams would be shattered. « A deal husband », she thought and laughed inwardly. As much as she thought it was a good deal back then that much irritated and upset she was about it now. Being a wife just by name was getting on her nerves. She slapped herself in the face for thinking such nonsense. Virat who came in the room a while ago raised his eyebrows for her action. He sat down next to her startling her out of her thoughts.
« How are you feeling now ? », he asked.
« Good. », she replied.
This question brought awkwardness between them, both remembering what happened during the breakfast. Her phone vibrated and she picked it up to check. She didn't give importance to it and put it down back on the floor. Devyani just came in and pulled her up and without giving any explanation pulled her out of the room. As her phone vibrated again, Virat called her to get her phone but his eyes fell on the notification bar. Before the screen could go on auto-lock, he picked it up and hesitated. He wasn't the kind of man who would check anyone's phone that too his wife's but with the current situation he didn't want to take any risk. With a heavy heart, he read both the messages.
**I think I have never thanked you for our friendship. Thank you for being a great listener. Thank you for being my « Problem Sharing » partner.**
**Thank you for filling my life with joy?**
Reading such deep lines stupefied him. All sorts of questions were roaming in his head. Who was that person saved as « SW » on her phone ? Friendship ? So she has a friend with whom she shares her problems ? She also helps that person by listening to his or her problems ? Why does she behave like a loner then ? Why is she so against friendship ? Is it really a friend or is it...the stalker ? This thought terrified him. No. Why would the stalker thank her for the friendship ? Was the sender a guy or a girl ? And why did she delete all their previous conversations ? He put down the phone and got up. Unable to stop his mind from having different kind of thoughts he paced up and down. She was refusing to share anything with him because there was already someone else. He was happy that there was at least someone with whom she was freely discussing about her problems but it was also annoying him. He always wanted to be her « Humsafar » for at least during the next five years but she always considered him a stranger or even at times a foe. His heart was also restless by the negative thoughts. What if it was the stalker in delusion. They might have discussed once and he was now obsessed with her. « Ahhh Virat stop torturing yourself and start investigating. », he said to himself.
Next day, Sai spotted Saurabh and decided to meet him. She took out a few sheets from her bag to pretend in front of Officer Deshmukh that they knew each other.
« Saurabh. », she called him and once he turned around surprised, « Thanks for the notes. It helped me alot. »
He didn't know what she was upto but played along and took the sheets, « You are most welcome. »
« I need your help. Do you have time during lunch ? », she asked.
He raised his eyebrow, « Yeah !. »
Saurabh joined her during their lunch break. As Officer Deshmukh wasn't far away and he could hear everything, she wrote on a paper why she called him here.
« I don't understand this point. », she said showing him the paper.
He read the note and replied back on the paper, « If I explain to you this way maybe you will understand better. »
Their conversation looked like two mates studying together but the notes had a different meaning. She was trying to make him understand that their friendship was special to her and that's why he needed to stop this. He explained to her that he can't control his feelings. How can he let go the only person he ever loved ? They exchanged meaningful notes for a good half an hour trying to reason with each other before going back to their classes.
That night Virat couldn't sleep while Sai was peacefully sleeping next to him. He turned to see her. He was pretty sure the Saurabh that Officer Deshmukh mentioned was « SW » of her phone.
The next day Sai used her free time in the library. After some time someone took a seat in front of her. She looked up and got surprised. She looked around her and Officer Deshmukh had disappeared.
« What are you doing here ? », she asked.
« Keeping an eye on my wife. », Virat replied.
Sai received a message from Saurabh related to Virat. Virat tried to read her expression while she checked her phone but didn't bother to reply. She went back to her notes.
« Who is it ? », he asked.
She looked up surprised by the question, « No one important. »
« No one important or your best friend Saurabh Wagh ? », he asked directly.
Before joining her, he went to the college administration to collect informations about a certain Saurabh W. Taken aback Sai froze there, looking at him with her big eyes. He raised his eyebrows to ask her to reply.
She composed herself, « He is not a friend but a mate. »
Amazed by her blatant lie he carressed his lips with his fingers by resting his elbow on the armrest.
« Officer Deshmukh used to sit a little far giving me space. », she said avoiding the eye contact.
« Are you seriously going to compare your husband to Deshmukh ? », he asked fake shocked.
« A husband only by name. », she muttered.
« By name or for real, I am still your husband. », he stated the fact.
She stood up to get a book from the aisle. He held her hand when she passed by him.
« When will your anger towards me disappear ? », he asked.
« When pigs fly. », she replied.
He let her go and smiled. She walked towards the aisles with a smile. He spotted Aniket and gestured him to come.
« Nachiket, I needy our help. », Virat said.
« Aniket Sir, and sure how may I help you ? », Aniket replied.
Virat explained the entire thing to Aniket who ensured him that the surprise will be ready.
A few hours later Virat held Sai's hand and pulled her inside a classroom. Before she could say anything, she saw a dozen of pig design helium balloons to the ceiling. Her confused and angry face changed into a smile. That smile then turned into a laughter. She looked at the balloons like a happy child with sparkling eyes. She was touched by the efforts he put to make things back to normal between them. She so wanted to jump into his arms. Virat was overjoyed seeing her like this. After so many days he could finally be the reason of her smile and her happy laughter. Then suddenly she went from laughing to crying and he couldn't understand why.
« Sai ? Why are you crying now ? », he asked but as she didn't reply he tilted her chin up, « Sai, speak to me. I have never seen you so fragile. Where is that sherni gone ? »
She wiped away her tears, « I am getting late. »
He pinned her to the wall to get the answers he was asking for days. Awkward she couldn't look into his eyes then she noticed a picture on the floor and widened her eyes. As her attention shifted somewhere else, he looked in the direction she was looking. He saw the picture too and went to pick it up. While he looked at it, Sai cursed herself for being so emotive. Now she was caught and so was Saurabh. Just then Saurabh entered.
« Excuse me Sir, this is mine. », Saurabh wanted the picture back.
Virat recognized him. He saw his photo in the morning. He gave it back without saying anything. Saurabh thanked him and left but before stopped for a couple of seconds to give Sai a smile. She returned him a half smile. Relieved that they weren't caught she walked out of the room. Virat followed her, unhappy with the unexpected turn of events. Finally he had a chance to make her talk and even get the old Sai back but that Saurabh ruined everything.
On her way to the next class, Sai stopped at the rehearsal room and went inside. A few students were dancing while Aniket was performing a song. Standing there she envied them but soon was brought out of her thoughts by Saurabh's message.
**I want you to dance. Don't sacrifice your passion for me. You are an awesome dancer.**
Sai looked down. She didn't withdraw her name because she pitied him. She did because her heart wasn't ready to dance knowing that he couldn't dance. She turned around to leave and collided with Virat who was standing just behind her. Unconsciously he encircled her waist with his arm. Her eyes refusing to look at him, he understood at that exact moment that she lied to him when she told him that she wasnt't interested about the event anymore.
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