Pieces of a cracked mirror [updated page 16, date: 10/12] - Page 9

Their friendship is so pure and emotional. 😍

His pain longing for his family and her. 😢

Do keep writing here and on Wattpad 🤩

♥️🌹

Aww this was so beautiful. Loved reading this. Please do continue your stories - I love reading them. 

Sheer brilliance Anushkha 👏. Such well worded, beautifully told story 👍🏼. I love the momentum your building up, towards their love story ❤️!! Can't wait for the passionate, possessive love to take over. I so wish we had such layered writing in the show as well. I will definitely keep revisiting this masterpiece. Waiting for your next update, whenever you can. Kindly tag me too!!

P.S: Pallavi loves pampering herself in RR's shower is it 😉??

Yes! Yes!

Thanks for writing & tagging me Anoushka for this piece❤️

If there's one dialogue of Jaya Rao that has stuck with me & horrified me since the starting it was this - "what kind of a monster am I, that my own mother wishes me dead?" - I could never get over how a Mother who loved her children (stayed so lovingly with Keerthi then) could spew such venom at her firstborn💔

So when you write this piece specifically with that dialogue as the main backdrop it just wrenches open the door of the initial MHRW days. Probably when Geeta Ma'am came & the tone of the Mother warmed down & the relationship was already on the verge of reforming again - it finally started to ebb away.

So glad to see that Pallavi was here to share his pain while Raghav opens about these things to her. And to support him with her words mentioning to forgive his mother cos yes -It isn't understandably how she left a 17yr old out into the wild unprotected space after what happened with the family.

Awww... thanks love! ❤ 

Thanks for reading. Glad you liked it...

PS: 😂😂😂 maybe she does... perks of a millionaire best friend.. 

Thanks for reading. I love writing on them and would enjoy further reviews on them like yours.. keep em coming... 

Thank you for reading. Glad u r enjoying.. 

Thanks for reading! I am so obsessed with them.... so I keep drabbling on them.. hope you continue to give ur reviews on my works.. 

A/N :- One month after 'Scarred'

The Proposal 

"I cannot believe it Amma! I cannot believe... How could you even do it?"

"Raghav.. I just..."

"No! What were you thinking! What were.. I don't even know what to say!"

"Arre I was just... I didn't know this will end up here. I just thought.."

"What did you think?"

"How am I supposed to know she was the mother of your business partner? I just know her as Mrs. Khanna.. my recently arrived neighbour.."

Raghav groaned miserably while raking his hand through his neatly gelled hair which made his unruly curls come out almost endearingly. Pallavi bit her lower lip, admonishing herself thoroughly for letting her thoughts drift towards an unbelievable track as she tried desperately to bring her mind to the problem at hand than mooning over her best friend's rakish looks while he prowled around Jaya Rao's living room like a caged beast. 

Jaya actually looked quite a bit shamefaced herself. She had no idea, how her gossip and hidden desires would have reflected so majorly on Mrs. Khanna's mind that a little conversation had snowballed to such an extent which resulted in her son's current predicament.

"I don't understand. Why don't you just say it was a misunderstanding and clear up the matter? Simple as that.."

Keerti said flopping beside Pallavi while Raghav gave her a withering glare. 

"It is far more complicated than you could possibly understand Chelli.."

"Hmph! As if..! Just tell me and see.."

"Mr. Prasanth Khanna is not only my business partner, he is a very important investor in my company. He owns thirty percent of the shares of Jayati Jewels. His chain of luxury hotels span the width and length of the country and the media basically eats out of his hand."

Raghav said tiredly and occupied the single empty couch beside Farhad who was furiously typing in the laptop kept on the centre table keeping an ear open to the conversation even as he tried his level best at damage control. 

Pallavi threw her hands about childishly.

"Yeah okay! We got that already Rao.. that he is very very rich and very very important. But isn't most of your partners? And what I don't understand is why will he back out even if the misunderstanding is cleared?"

Jaya and Keerti nodded simultaneously having the same question in their minds. Raghav leaned forward and kept his already furiously churning mind heavily on his clutched hands which were supported on his knees. 

Farhad took mercy on his Anna, and decided to clear all the doubts all together.

"Its not like that Pallavi. Actually, Prasanth Khanna is famous for his pious nature and old school habits and believes. He follows a rigorously traditional lifestyle and has rigid beliefs which are nigh unshakable."

"He means to say that he is archaic and ancient."

Raghav said matter of fact-ly, screwing his face in distaste at the man's choice of living obviously, earning an eye roll from Farhad and the glares from the other three women in the room. Farhad continued undeterred.

"So.. we were understandably surprised when he agreed to partner our deal of expansion knowing that Anna.. well.. Anna is Anna.."

That brought out a few chuckles in the tensed room and it was Raghav's turn to roll his eyes. 

Yes, of course, he was seen as an alcoholic womanizer with a healthy dose of luck on his side and buckets of silver tongued charm. The black sheep in the business community who has no qualms and no moralities while shoving people left, right and centre till he reaches the top. 

Well, Raghav would say suck it up and deal with it.

He has not been born with a silver spoon, he has had to work his way from the very bottom to the top. Those supposedly white shrouded people seated on their golden thrones may look down upon him from their high horses only because they didn't have to get their own hands dirty. Doesn't mean they have achieved their successes taking God's way out. 

It is an open secret that the corporate world hates Raghav Rao. 

They hate his wits, his guts, his charm, his devious winning techniques and his easily achieved victories. All in all, they loathe his very name only ever tolerating him and his glittering success because they know he will rule and no one wants to be on the bad books of the king... now do they?

The only mistake they do is thinking that Raghav doesn't know that. 

Oh he does...

And he loves it. 

He loves all the jealousy driven personal attacks they make, the envious glowering as he passes them to take his awards, the hushed whispers in venomous shadows back bitching about this 'boy' who had bested them in their own game. He loves all of it.

But what he hates as he had come to know of late, is that how sometimes his infamous fame affects the ones he loves. Had this situation not involved her, he wouldn't have given it a second thought.

But... 

Farhad continued oblivious to his employer's internal musings.

"Mr. Khanna would have never agreed to partner with Jayati Jewels if his mother whose word he takes as gospel not pointed towards it. And that happened only because Mrs. Khanna, his mother is under the belief that... uhh.."

Farhad stuttered and Jaya felt her face inflame while Raghav rolled his eyes again trying not to show how flustered he actually feels due to this. Pallavi gulped nervously feeling an old fashioned blush painting her cheekbones complimenting the light pink salwar she is donning at the moment. 

"Just say it Farhad. Dear Amma has obviously declared it and now most of the world might be knowing about it."

"Raghav!"

Pallavi said in an admonishing voice while Jaya looked around for the best place where she could hide her face. 

"That... uhh.."

"Leave it Farhad. I will say it for you then. That apparently I am settling down. I am getting married. To my best friend. Bring in the dutiful and beautiful lady to tame the Devil... a changed man.. what the f**k else was that old...  going on and about in the meeting?"

He breathed out heavily finally revealing the phantom in the room. Pallavi felt the blush increase, scorching her entire face along with her delicate ears which thankfully were hidden underneath her long dark tresses. 

Jaya sighed and Keerti chuckled enjoying herself thoroughly at her elder sibling's poorly hidden embarrassment. Farhad finally shut the laptop with a thud and exhaled defeatedly. Raghav knew the verdict even without him having to spell it out. All these years of working with his secretary had taught him to decipher his every nuance physically and other wise.

"Its bad Anna.. if Mr. Khanna cancels the deal, which he will... we will lose his ancillary investors and we had already given the contract of the new showrooms in thirteen different places. If we cancel those contracts we stand to lose almost five million in liquid assets only as the cancellation charge itself. And all this, not considering the huge media spectacle which might result in the Aggarwals and the Ruias backing off as well.. we know how close knit those two groups are after their familial alliance."

Pallavi felt her head spin with all the information as she saw Raghav's face go paler and paler by the second. If his expression is anything to go by, this was looking far worse than any of them could have imagined. 

Who knew Jaya's desire to get Pallavi married to Raghav and her casually mentioning about her plans to her neighbour would result in such a pandemonium. Jaya had not intended to let slip her desires to Mrs. Khanna. But there was something so amicable and genial about the old lady that she couldn't help herself and revealed that she intended to get them married, to the septuagenarian. And Mrs. Khanna had apparently told the same to her son only making it sound as if they are engaged and probably will get married soon. And the paparazzi had gotten the drift as usual and before Raghav could manage the spark, it had already turned into a wildfire. 

'Hyderabad's notorious former gangster turned corporate shark is ensnared by a beautiful young woman of modest holdings. A classic tale of a cliched romance between the Beauty and the Beast. A rich arrogant prince who would finally get tamed by the gentle peasant girl.'

And here they all were, cooped in Jaya and Keerti's humble abode trying to find any loophole and solution to this situation for hours.. without any success.

"What will be the total losses? How will we recuperate?"

Raghav finally said in clipped tones. He would deal with the hysteria later, right now he would compartmentalize. He needed to get Pallavi away from his mess. Admitted this time it was his mother's fault completely yet he couldn't allow his Saree ka Dukaan to get harangued or bad mouthed in any way due to her association with him. 

It had already happened once... he wouldn't let it happen again. 

"Too much Anna.. we might need to close two of our showrooms here and the one in Chennai."

Farhad answered meekly as the audience took in sharp breaths. Raghav felt his mind pull apart in a multitude of directions as he simultaneously started planning the future actions in his brain. The pooling in of his company's funds, the potential buyers he needs to find, the relocation of employees if possible....Dammit! He has to postpone the salary raise he was planning before this mess... he didn't know whether he could find all those employees jobs.... so much work.. 

He heard a sniffle then and looked sharply to the left, leaping out of his seat with the agility of a tiger.

Jaya tried hard to control her tears yet a few defied her and rolled down her face. She was looking absolutely miserable. 

"I am so sorry Raghav. All of this is my fault.. if only I had not.. "

"Amma.."

Pallavi saw his charcoal eyes soften for the first time that day and he knelt in front of his mother taking her hands in his gently. His voice when he spoke next was so tender that she might have been unbale to hear him had she not strained to do so. 

"It is okay Amma. Don't cry please... you haven't done anything intentionally. Don't worry, I will handle everything. Do not blame yourself please."

"But how will you Raghav. Didn't you hear Farhad? He.. I.. all these losses.."

"Aah Amma..! I am getting insulted now. I am Raghav Rao.. remember. Have faith in your Devil of an offspring... He wouldn't let anybody down. I'll think of something. We might face initial trouble but with time I will gain back my present footing. There are ups and downs in business. I'll take this in my stride. Maybe it was God's way of putting a strife in my path.. lest I was becoming complacent. And God speaks through mothers.. don't worry Amma. I'll pass this test as well."

Jaya smiled faintly at that and Keerti and Farhad chuckled but Pallavi felt something else. She felt a burst of hot white in her chest which seemed to constrict her lungs. A hot white burst of pride mixed with a familiar pleasing stab of pain which she had learnt to associate with her maverick Devil of a friend. Only this time, this sensation trumped over all of her other senses making place in the base of her throat and the corners of her eyes. 

How selfless can this man be? How delightfully contradicting...  

But how can she be still seated like a dullard while her Ghamandi Rao is paving a way for his own ruin for their sakes. 

Pallavi deserted her seat and knelt beside Jaya, feeling Raghav's mildly confused gaze and took a deep breath trying to handle the nerves which had started erupting due to the fear of what she was about to say. But for the first time, she felt no apprehension thinking about the consequence of the action she was about to suggest. 

"I have a better solution."

She felt all eyes on her while she had kept her gaze fixed on Jaya's saree clad knees. Then she abruptly looked up into her eyes and said it, determined and steady. 

"I will marry your son."

--------------------------------------------------

Raghav and Pallavi stood leaning at the opposite ends of the doorway looking at the luminescent moon shining like a silver plate in the winter night sky. Pallavi felt the cool draught of air bring goose bumps in her bare arms and she rubbed them for warmth. She looked up and saw Raghav staring blankly at the moon. His face was a picture of calm yet she knew where to look to find the actual state of his mind. 

Eyes never lie, and today his eyes seemed lost. Maybe lost in the fabric of his past or the unknown canvas of their future. She heard Jaya, Keerti, Farhad, the newly arrived Krishna, Milind, Nikhil and Sharda's excited voices drumming from further inside the house as they furiously prepared for their impromptu wedding. 

Yet as she observed her future husband, she found no change from his usual candour.

His hair was now completely free of product, falling softly over his forehead, the gold chain glinting in the moonlight draped across those shapely collar bones as she could devise the powerfully built chest muscles rise and fall through the opening of his Prussian blue shirt which hugged his ripped abs and the slate grey blazer hung over his chiselled frame. He was just as handsome as ever yet today the pale moonlight playing hide and seek with the shadows made him look breathtakingly beautiful. 

He turned his gaze towards her as if realising her close scrutiny and seemed to be frozen in time.

She was beautiful. 

That was not new. 

Raghav had always thought Pallavi as beautiful.

When she would be seated across the table in he café frowning at the bill she forced to split, or when she is half drenched in the sweltering Hyderabad sun running around her little Saree shop, pallu tucked firmly in her waist, or whether she would fiercely argue the relevance of mindless action in his favourite Bond movies wearing his oversized clothes or whether she would look at him like he has hung the stars and the moon, flushed in a delightful red, clad in a plain pink kurti and salwar. 

Pallavi Deshmukh was the very definition of beauty for him. 

He had dreamed of her with a fervent embarrassment, desired her with an unhealthy obsession, wanted her approval like an affection starved kid and had feared her with a humiliating passion.

Yes he is scared of her...terrified of this fair skinned willowy woman who is one fourth his weight, has a girth of his palms and gets neatly tucked beneath his chin.

Raghav is petrified of what she makes him feel. 

This primal need of tearing her clothes off and making her scream his name till she is hoarse, feeling her skin wrapped in his, her lips against him, her hair splayed on his pillows and over his naked body as he whispers his ardour in her tired ears.... scares the living daylights out of him. This constant fear of looking into her gorgeous grey brown eyes and see the terror of the monster lurking inside him reflecting there, devours him from he inside. The certain truth that one day she will realise her worth and run away as fast as her feet would take her makes his stomach lurch painfully. 

Yet here she stands, suggesting they marry, trusting him with herself and their relationship all for the sake his professional life.

Seems like a horrible game of poker gone wrong.

'It is unfair.' 

A deal is made with equal proportion of the spoils on either end and here he finds nothing that she will get out of this. 

'Not a deal... '

He remembers his mother's voice from half an hour prior. When Pallavi had suggested they marry Raghav had thought about a contract marriage. He had thought that was what she was suggesting. It was needless to say Jaya had been ecstatic to the boot yet as she strongly reprimanded them saying if they decide to tie the knot.. then it should be due to mutual consent, the foundation being the desire to stay with each other.. not a deal made on a piece of paper. 

'There is no need to taint a sacred bond as such. We have many sins to count anyways, no need to add to the burden.'

He sighed and decided to outright ask what was circling in his brain since then, turning him half mad. 

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you agree to get married?"

"I.. I didn't want you to sacrifice on my behest.."

"But the mess was made in my life. I had a responsibility to clear it. You didn't have to.."

"I know Raghav. I didn't have to. I wanted to. You have helped me time and again. And I have never have had a chance to repay."

"Why would you think to repay? That was my duty as a friend. Am I not your friend?"

He sounded hurt and Pallavi immediately took his hand in her dainty one quick to assure. 

"You get me wrong. That's not what I meant. You are my best friend Raghav. I know how much you care.. and I would like you to know that I care just as much. I.. care about you Raghav. About your family.. Amma, Keerti... Farhad.. all of them.. this seemed like the right thing to do."

Raghav sighed and looked away again but didn't take his hand out of her grasp.

"That's just not all Pallavi. This is marriage we are talking about. I know you care... but.. I don't think you have thought it through. This marriage will forever bind you to me.. I.."

"You make it sound like its a bad thing."

Pallavi cut him off softly and he looked at her sharply and then gave a sad chuckle which kind of broke her heart. She could smell the self loathing coming off in waves from him. 

"Oh you have no idea darling! You have just seen one facet of me Pallavi.. and I can't blame you. I have always hidden away my darker side from you. You don't deserve the monster that I am.. I am contended with being a part of your life. Point is, if you see all of me.. I am afraid.. I will lose you... and I... I don't know how will I cope if I ever lose you."

He said all of it so lightly that she had to take a minute for the actual meaning to register. And when it did, she took a sharp breath. Leave it to Raghav Rao, to say something so impactful and heart breaking in such an easy-going and monotonous way as if you are just discussing the weather. 

"Raghav..."

She came closer instinctively and cupped his cheek with the other free hand even as he refused to look her way. She would have none of it. She forced him to look at her and what he found in those watery depths of her eyes made the armour around his heart chink slowly. The cracks in those widened. 

"You think I have seen only one side. But I know all of you. And even if there is something you have still managed to keep hidden from me which is doubtful, know that.. there is nothing that can ever make me run away. If push comes to shove I will punch and kick my way into that impossibly thick skull of yours but I will never abandon you. No matter what... irrespective of our amended relationship. I will never leave you alone... you have my word. Please do not hide.. not for my benefit."

He looked into her eyes for a long time. It might have been a few minutes but to them it felt like eons have passed in that moment. He finally put his palm over her hand on his cheek and pressed it a bit. The colour returned to his face and she smiled brilliantly. 

"But Pallavi. I know I am not depriving anyone with this arrangement.. yet don't you think you are losing your chance at love by agreeing to this?"

He winced at his own words and Pallavi sighed before his words caught up to her. 

"Wait.. this applies both ways Raghav. You are losing that as well.."

"Nah! Went down that road once.. believe me nothing pretty waits for you at the end. It's useless according to me.. but.. you seem like someone who probably does believe in soulmates and all that ridiculous stuff."

Pallavi felt a twinge of jealousy thinking about whoever had managed to capture Raghav's heart and then was embarrassed at herself for the same. She had detected a note of bitter hurt lacing underneath his nonchalance. There was a painful past there. 

She felt a sadness creep up her soul at that. 

"Nah here also... I am done with love and fairy tales Raghav. I had believed in love stories at some point, but life.. happened. And now I know that they were just that... stories. I can't afford to live with that notion again. All I want is to spend my life with someone who understands me, respects me, supports me, lets me be myself and yet cares for me in a way. I don't need love neither do I want it any longer."

She found herself believing all the words she spoke. They were friends. Best friends. They knew each other like the back of their hands. They were independent individuals sharing the love for a family with the same passion, they enjoyed spending time together and were lonely otherwise. The marriage didn't seem like a complete disaster in her eyes. Then she saw his eyes brightening for some reason. 

He almost looked shy when he spoke next and she would be lying if she said she didn't find it absolutely adorable. 

"I c..can do that."

She grinned at him squeezing his hand back as if in approval and acceptance. 

I can do that too...

She thought. 

"But.. that brings me back to my original question. How are we supposed to do this thing..."

Pallavi rolled her eyes.

"It's marriage Raghav. Not cryptic coding."

"Actually I know how to do cryptic coding. A friend had taught me once. It's fun actually. Once you get a hang of the syntax it becomes so easy...."

"Raghav. You are rambling."

"I am..? Ahh.. whatever. So.. how do we do this thing.. marriage?"

Pallavi felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips as she looked back at the moon. Raghav was still the same... she realized. As he will be even when he would be her husband. He would still be that overgrown man child who throws a temper tantrum when he doesn't get his way and then turns impressing-ly perceptive and unpredictably wise when she needs him to. 

Nothing has changed between them and yet everything has. 

The two stood there in complete silence letting their hearts do all the talking as laughter from their loved ones drifted from inside the house to envelope the oblivious couple as if protecting them from the further ravages of destiny and the world at large. A happy little bubble of their own making. 

Only time will tell, whether Raghav and Pallavi's story would stand it's test or will it shatter apart like the pieces of a cracked mirror.