Zaalima - Story Completed

Aarohi, Kairav could understand. Jab koi cheez usne thaan le then she's obstinate. Aur Abhimanyu toh Aarohi ki zid thi. Bachpan se lekar aaj tak, Aarohi Akshara se insecure thi. Agar Aarohi Papa ki pari thi to Akshara Sirat ki jaan aur pariyon ka jaan se kya mukabla. It was like deja vu when jab Abhimanyu ne Akshara ko chuna. Par Abhimanyu. How could he?

Kairav was gobsmacked at the scene before him. Abhimanyu and the Birla clan strode into their home as if the tilak fiasco never happened to ask for Aarohi's hand in marriage. The brass of these people!

Abhimanyu's cold voice and frigid conduct convinced Kairav that this was not what Abhimanyu truly desired. When Abhimanyu first came to the Goenka house with Akshara's proposal, his cheeks maintained a faint pink hue, his smile was reminiscent of a schoolboy in love, and his voice was laced with honey. The man that stood before his Bade Papa today bore little resemblance to that Abhimanyu. What have my sisters done to him?

"Humari ek condition hai" Bade Papa decreed. "Pehle Akshara shaadi karegi. Aakhir woh Goenka family ki badi beti hai toh aude ke hisaab se Aarohi should marry after her sister."

Mimi and Badi Mumma concurred, but Aarohi fumed in silence. I was moments away from winning Abhimanyu but phirse Akshara hum dono ke beech dewar pa rahi hai Aarohi hissed under her breath.

Meanwhile, Abhimanyu's knuckles blanched as he dug his nails deep into his palm. Akshara ko kissi aur ke saath dekhna Abhimanyu ko manzoor hi nahi tha.

Akshara, who was silent throughout the exchange, meekly spoke up. "Nahi Bade Papa. Main abhi shaadi ke liya ready nahi hoon. Aarohi ki khushiyon ko meri wajah se hold par rakne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai"

"Par kyun Akshara?" Neil questioned. Neil continued despite Harshvardhan Birla's eyes burning a hole into his head. "You moved on, right? Then, why don't you marry someone else?" Neil was clinging to the hope that Akshara would voice her true feelings and stop this disaster from happening.

"Moving on doesn't have to mean marrying someone." Akshara directed her following remarks to Abhimanyu as she grimaced at him. "It means to focus on your career, on your pre-existing relationships, and most importantly, uska matlab hai khud ka khud se rishta jodna." It took Akshara a moment to tear her eyes away from Abhimanyu's but when she did, she noticed Aarohi's scornful face and sighed.

"Toh phir theek hai. Akshara ne apna decision suna diya hai and I see no reason to wait for this marriage. Main apne publicist ko call kar leta hoon to prepare for an announcement." Harshvardan eagerly turned to his elder brother. "Bhaisaab, we should do the announcement at the hospital. Iss se humari reputation ko kafi fayda hoga."

The Goenka-Birla exchange ended with a brief tilak ceremony that day. What should have been a happy occasion felt like a funeral. The Birla youth held disdainful and uneasy sentiments. Mahima's mind was racing with ideas of how to stop this Rishta. The Goenka's, at least the sensible and empathetic ones, were troubled out of concern for their eldest daughter. Then, there was Akshara.

Akshara felt as if someone was suffocating her. Akshara learnt to live with Aarohi's abhorrence, but could she do the same with Abhimanyu? The venom in his voice, the fury in his eyes, and the way his veins popped out pierced her heart. Agar woh Pune chali jaate toh baat aur hoti. Kam se kam, usse Abhimanyu ka gussa ka samna toh nahi parta. Kam se kam, usse kissi aur ke saath na dekhna parta.

There was a voice in her head, taunting her. You're a coward, Akshara. A coward. Ye sab tumhara kiya hai toh abh tum bhagna kyun chahti hoon. Bar bar is kamre see dur jaane ke bahane kyun dun rahe ho

Ye tamasha ase nahi chal sakta Kairav thought to himself. I have to do something to support Akshu and save Aarohi from her zid and a loveless marriage. And so, Kairav made a call that night to change this story's ending.

Any guesses about who Kairav called? Hope you guys liked the first edition!

I loved this story..

Loved it 🥰 pls continue soon 😊

I hope he called Naksh or better Luv and Kush so that they can come and knock some sense into their father.

This was wonderful. Please tag me when you update.

Thanks for writing 😭😭

Gives a happy feeling to us hopeless souls ...

Given that all of us want someone from the Singhanias to come and save Akshu, I'm hoping Kairav called Naksh. That'll be the one good thing this boy can do xD

Loved the writing, loved how everyone's emotions were aptly portrayed.

Eagerly waiting for the continuation ❤️❤️

I hope he called Naksh

Akshu poor girl hope you will be free from this pain

Superb dear... Continue soon

I’m loving this.. please write more

Thank you so much for writing this.

Finally Kairav did something.

Did he make the phone call to Naksh or to Mishti?

2A

Time heals all wounds, or at least that's what people say. But Abhimanyu and Akshara preferred to differ. A week went by with Kairav did his utmost to suppress chatter and thwart the progress of Aarohi's wedding to Abhimanyu, but alas, his efforts were futile. Kairav and his interference slowly knocked Akshara out of first place for Harshvardan Birla's least favourite Goenka. On the following Monday, both families conjoined to design the wedding.

But he wouldn't give up. Kairav kept peeking at the door, waiting for his surprise to arrive.

The atmosphere, save for Aarohi Akhilesh and Harshvardan's excitement, was gloomy and pale. Everyone else went along with the flow, nodding in agreement, having given in to their circumstances. Aarohi's joy dimmed down as the Goenka's, known for large functions and gatherings, offered little input. She kept prodding Bade Ma and Mimi for ideas. She wasn't met with the enthusiasm she desired.

Agar Akshara ki shadi hoti toh sab ase nahi react karte. Pura Udaipur ko dulhan ki tara decorate karte. Aarohi reflected. Par koi baat nahi. Waqt ke saath sab mere saath honge.

On the other hand, Akshara kept herself busy in the kitchen, unable to share the same space as Abhimanyu. Their relationship got to the point where neither could be in the same room publically together without creating a scene. They were too stubborn for their own good.

An hour into the discussions, the doorbell finally rang, and Kairav rushed to greet the delivery person.

"Kairav beta, kya aya hai?" Mimi asked. The delivery, a life-sized box decorated in lavish purple wrapping paper left at their doorstep, commanded everyone's attention.

"Pata nahi, Mimi" Kairav lied. "Par Akshu ka naam likha hai. Akshu!" He called. "Yaha aao."

Before Akshara entered the room, Kairav signalled everyone to stay silent.

"Ji, Kairav Bhaiya"

"Ye tumhare liya aaya hai"

Akshara was perplexed at the box in front of her.

"Open it," Kairav ushered from where he stood behind her. Aarohi fumed as Akshara stole the spotlight again.

"Huh?"

"Kya hua Akshu?" Manish asked.

"Bade Papa, the box is empty."

As she turned to face the rest, Akshara collided with a hard chest. The impact of the collision caused her to stumble a bit, but two fit arms wrapped around her waist and prevented her fall.

"Tum?" Akshara questioned. When Akshara opened her eyes, she expected to meet two soft, expressive brown orbs that looked at her with utmost care and concern. She anticipated a gentle hand to caress the hairs that fell on her face and made her feel secure.

"You sound disappointed Akshu. Kissi aur ko expect kar rahi thi?" The mystery man suggested.

I promise I have a plan (sorta)

Expecting sanam puri😎

Please update soooooon🤗, don't leave it on cliffhanger for long ❤️