Now this may not be what @jaspreet21 had in mind when she put in that prompt, but it gave me this idea, and I hope you like it...
"I love you too!", Imlie whispered, loud enough that he could hear. He turned around when he heard it, warmth exploding in his chest.
He knew, he had known that she too felt something for him, but he had thought that she would never be able to say it. And it wasn't like he had any issue with that. It wasn't that he would stop loving her if she never said it back, but it felt great.
It felt bloody awesome to hear that she, Imlie, loved him, Aryan.
A few hours before.
The Rathores had thrown a success party. It was a great occasion. An overall happy occasion. The success party for the daughter-in-law of the Rathore Household. Her show on the Bhasker Times Channel had just won a prestigious award, and they couldn't be more proud of her.
Life for them in the previous year had been kind of roller coaster for them, from the settling in Delhi, to the marriage of the Rathore heir, nothing had been planned and nothing could have been predicted.
Life has thrown one curveball after another for Aryan Singh Rathore. He had done everything in the previous year for revenge against Aditya Kumar Tripathi, and now he was going to come to his house for a success party, for a success he had no hand in. Somewhere along the way his goal of revenge had turned to protecting people from the consequences of decisions taken by Aditya Kumar Tripathi. Well, one person, Imlie.
And then he fell in love with her.
Well, it was not something he didn't realise was happening. Because no one can blame Aryan Singh Rathore of not being self aware enough to realise that he was falling in love. He held himself back for a long time, stopped himself from feeling more than a million times, only to end up married to her.
Now, when he looked at it, it seemed inevitable . He was him and Imlie was Imlie, and he fell in love with Imlie. He didn't actually know the exact moment, but it was within the million moments they had spent together.
It could be on their wedding night, when she stood up for herself, and said she wasn't ready for anything, let alone what a marriage demanded. It could be when she tried on the wedding dress and selected the one he liked the most. It could be when she ran that piece on that orphanage he volunteered in. It could be when she asked to be his partner when she wanted to save her village. It could be when they shared the pain they had faced in their life.
Hell, it could be when he offered her his hand for the first time and she took it.
But he fell hard.
And she didn't.
While he was self aware to realise he loved her, he was also aware enough to realise she didn't love him. At least not for a while after their marriage. But then something changed, something happened and she lost it.
She lost herself, her attention lost, her reluctance lost, her hate lost, her inability to do things with him post marriage lost.
Because for a period after their marriage, she couldn't find it in herself to even look him in the eye. It had hurt, but he understood. He missed it, her ability to look him in the eye and challenge him, but for a month, she couldn't look him in the eye.
But something changed in the second month of their marriage. He felt something shift and he didn't know the reason for it but he was happy nonetheless.
For Imlie, this has always been an arranged marriage, but for him it was much more. He had confessed his feelings for Imlie to Arpi Di and she had got him married to Imlie through, there was no other way to say it, proper channels. She had seeked out Imlie's parents, and she had asked, properly for Imlie's hand in marriage for Aryan. She had convinced everyone for this match and when Imlie had seen her family happy, she had agreed too.
He had tried to be there for her, be on her side. He had told her that he would handle everything if she didn't want it, to get married, but she had shut him up, like she usually did, and explained to him that her mother and her father were happy with his proposal, how everyone thought that they were a great couple. That it would be good for them too.
She had asked for time too, on their wedding night, and he was ready to do anything for her.
And now, in their third month of marriage it was getting more and more difficult to
give her the time she had asked for. Every morning he got up with her beside him, and controlled himself from grabbing her in his arms. Every night, when she finished her night routine and came to lay in bed beside him, always with her book, he wanted to grab that book and throw it away and kiss her lips to soothe the ache of her biting them. Every day he struggled to control his urge to hug her when she smiled at him. Every evening he controlled himself from shouting "Mine!" when she presented something amazing on the channel.
His control has never been tested to this limit.
And today, she had decided to drape herself in a red and black sheer saree with a backless, full-sleeved, black blouse that made him control himself from dragging her to the bedroom to have his wicked way with her. Damn the party. Damn her needing time.
But, alas, there were things to do, and he had to do them, so as to make this party and night progress faster. He had to talk to so many people, he had to charm his investors, he had to impress his board directors, he had to take care of his employees, he had to keep an eye on the Tripathi's. He had to look out for the terrible-twos, Aditya and Malini.
This night could not have gone any faster.
Seriously, he was tired just thinking about it.
And now, the show must go on, and he was the main bloody character.
He was talking to the investors of his many other businesses, when he saw lmlie and Mr. Tripathi talking, when he saw Mr. Tripathi with tears in his eyes and Imlie with fury in her eyes. He moved his eyes away to just excuse himself, and he saw Imlie with tears in her eyes and Mr. Tripathi leaving in fury.
He saw Imlie moving to the kitchen and he followed behind her. He saw her wiping her tears away. He saw her putting her brave face on. He saw her notice him and her facade fading away for a moment before coming back even stronger. He saw her bracing herself by taking a deep breath.
He prepared himself for the hurt he would feel for what she was about to say. He braced himself too and asked, "Kya kaha Mr. Tripathi ne tumhe? (What did Mr. Tripathi say to you?)", his face twisted like he had bit a lemon when he said Mr. Tripathi's name, his distaste clear on his face.
And apparently his distaste caused Imlie's hackles to rise and she answered the question with another question, "Tumka kaa? Uu humse baat kareke chaayi, par humka tumka naahi bataay ke chaayi. (What is it to you? He wanted to talk to me. But I don't want to talk to you.)"
Aryan sighed, deflated, he asked, "Kab tak, kab tak tum mujhe apni zindagi ke uss hisse ke baare mein kuch nahi bataogi? Kab tak main tumhare zindagi ka hissa nahi, sirf ek kona bana rahuga? (When, when do you plan to share that hurt of your life with me? When do you plan to make me a part of your life rather than the corner you have put me in?)"
Anguish flashed in Imlie's eyes. She looked at him in disbelief and asked, "Tumka laagat hai ki tum humri jeevan ka hissa naahi ho? Tumka laagat hai ki hum tumka kone mein phek diye rahe? (You think that you are not a part of my life? You think that I’ve thrown you away in a corner in my life?)"
Aryan scoffed and replied, "Toh aur kya sochu main Imlie? Kuch hafte pehle tum mujhse nazrein bhi nahi mila rahi thi. Aur aaj, aaj tum apne uss Babu Saheb se baat karne ke baad yaha aagayi. Rone. Kya tumhare zindagi mein mere liye jagah hai? Kya tumhare dil mein mere liye jagah hai? Ki meri saari zindagi main sirf tumhe waqt hi deta rahunga? (What else am I supposed to think Imlie? You couldn't even look me in the eyes a few weeks back. And today, today you came here after talking to your Babu Saheb. To cry. Do you even have space for me in your life? Do you have a place for me in your heart? Do I have to spend my entire life giving you time?)"
Imlie looked at him like someone had ripped her heart out of her. She, with tears in her eyes, asked him, "Humre... Babu Saheb? Tum ee sochat ho humre baare maa? Ki humka, kaa, Babu Saheb ke wapas jaana hai? Ki humre jeevan maa tumre liye jagah naahi hai? Ki humre dil maan tohar liye…? Agar aisa hi sochat ho tum humre baare maan toh humein waqat kaahe diye rahe? Humein chod kaahe naahi diye? (My.. Babu Saheb? You think of me like this? That I, what, will return to Babu Saheb? That I do not have space in my life for you ? That I do not have a place in my heart...? If you think so little of me, why did you give me time? Why did you not leave me?)"
Aryan saw red. She thought he was capable of leaving her? She thought it was that easy? Hell no. It wasn't and he told her so, "Tumhe lagta hai ki main tumhe chod dunga? Ke main tumhe jaane dunga? Ke yeh mere liye itna aasaan hai? Well guess what Mrs. Imlie Aryan Singh Rathore, tumhare baare mein kuch bhi aasan nahi hai. (You think I will leave you? That I will let you go? That it's this easy for me? Well guess what Mrs. Imlie Aryan Singh Rathore, nothing is easy about you.)"
Imlie scoffed and replied, "Agar humre saath rehna tohar liye itna difficult hai, toh humka chodna hi tohar liye sahi hai. Tumse naaraz hone ka haq toh humein naahi hai aur naahi humain mila. (If it is so difficult for you to live with me, then leaving is a right for you. Getting upset with you is a right I neither have, nor ever will.)"
This time Anyan scoffed and asked, "Tumhe haq nahi hai? Tumhe? Imlie tumhe jitna haq hai naa mujhpe utna kissi ko bhi nahi hai. Are you kidding me? I love you Imlie! Iska matlab jaanti ho? Tumhe mujhpe mujhse bhi zyada haq hai. (You do not have the right? You? Imlie, the right you have upon me is the right no one else has. Are you kidding me? I love you Imlie! Do you know what that means? You have more right upon me than I myself.)"
Imlie gaped, unsure if she heard correctly, "You love…me?", she asked without even realising that she was saying it out loud.
Aryan's eyes widened, he couldn't be so stupid. Right? No, he opened his mouth to explain something, anything but she was running away.
Imlie was running away from him after he had confessed. Imlie was running away from him, his love.
His heart broke.
He broke.
And then he let tears drop.
Imlie did not know where she was going. She just did not want to stop. The Aryan Singh Rathore, the man she called many names, the man who was her support system, the man who never left her alone, the man who had placed himself within her soul, loved her.
And Imlie was freaking out.
It wasn't like she was unaware of the changes between them. It wasn't like she didn't realise the shifts between them. It was just that she had just settled and she didn't want things to change anymore.
Him saying those three words changed things. Things she didn't want to change.
She found herself in front of a car, his car and she quickly asked the valet for the keys. Once she had them she settled in the car after unlocking it, not noticing that the key slid off her saree as she settled in the car, just before she leaned out to close the door.
And then she breathed.
She was alone, finally. She could sort through her thoughts. She could sort through the changes. She could sort through his words.
She could sort through what that meant for her.
He had been amazing as a husband, giving her time, space, everything she asked for. Sometimes the things she didn't ask for too. And she didn't know when, but she started accepting him as a husband.
And she knew the exact moment she realised she was in love with him. She knew the exact moment when she realised that the reason she couldn't look at him after their wedding was not because she was scared of him, but because she was scared of falling in love with him.
But then she saw an accident, she saw the couple behind the wheel of the car that was not a part of the accident, but that stopped immediately after it. She had got down to see what was up with them when she realised that the man, a seventy something man, behind the wheel was breathing shallowly, and the woman beside him, hit on her head, probably bashed her equally seventy year old head on the dashboard because of the force of that break.
She had immediately asked people for help to get them into her car and took them to the hospital. Her heart was in her throat the whole time. She was so scared for them.
But she did reach the hospital in time. She did save both of them. They both would go home safe that night.
And then she went into their room and found them smiling there, holding hands, lost in their own world. These people who had mostly been married for so long, were so in love, that she could see it with a couple of smiles and hand holding.
The lady noticed her and beckoned her inside. She entered the room asking how they were and what not and had left room with their story. She had listened to the old man describe the woman as wild and she had listened to the old woman describe the man as stubborn. She had listened to the stubborn man on how he followed the wild woman and she listened to the wild woman on how she had settled with the stubborn man.
She left with two things. A great piece of advice from the old woman, "A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets. So find yourself someone who fights for you.", and she left with a want throbbing within her. The want of being with someone that long. The want of building something like that.
And she could only imagine Aryan in her life that way. She could only see Aryan when she imagined herself a partner. She could only imagine Aryan as the one she wanted to grow old with.
That day she realised that even if she can imagine a life with Aryan in it, she can't even conjure a thought of Aryan not in her life.
That was when she promised to herself that she would love Aryan, always. That she would make this marriage work.
That she would grow old with Aryan.
And she did work on it. She listened to him, she helped him, she supported him. She tried to make him as happy as she was.
She had been doing a great job, she could see it in the way he was happy. She could see him be happy with her.
But it all came crashing today.
Today was supposed to be one of the best days of her life. She was happy. Her show had been a hit. Aryan's channel had been a hit. The party had been a bit.
But then he appeared. Aditya Kumar Tripathi. The bane of her existence. All she had thought was, wasn't it enough, that he belittled her in office that he was doing it here too.
But she was used to his insults and faunts. She was used to him feeling like he had the right to her consolation. She was used to him giving himself so much importance.
And it started out that way today too. His belittling, his star-reporter rampage. His assumption of her stealing his spot. His assumption of her stealing his limelight. His assumption of her destroying their marriage.
Her nonchalant reaction to his words were what ignited the fury in his eyes. His claims of Aryan buying the award for her show was what led to tears in her eyes.
When he left in his fury, leaving her reeling on what he said, she realised where she was and tried to find some peace and quiet.
But then he followed her like he always did. He followed her and she thought he could not know. He came for her and she thought that she wasn't going to give him this ache. He stood before her and she thought she wasn't going to let him feel any more guilt.
But that had spiralled out of her control. So fast. Like him. Like her.
Then he was confessing and she was panicking and it was all a mess.
A great mess.
As Imlie sat there, not wanting things to change, not wanting him to change, she realised how much she had wanted to hear those words from him.
Now that the panic was receding, relief and love was all she was feeling. She couldn't believe she had run away from him.
She had run away from him.
No! No!
She had to go to him. She had to tell him too. She wanted to go to him too.
The door didn't open.
She was trapped.
Again.
Malini had heard every single word of the exchange that had taken place between Aditya and Imlie. She could not believe the hold Imlie still had on her husband. How could she still manage to make Aditya so stupid? How could Aditya be so senseless in all matters regarding Imlie?
God, how she hated her.
So she did something about it.
She followed Imlie to the parking lot and saw the keys to the car fall out. She smiled, presented with the amazing opportunity, she grabbed the car keys from the floor, aware that Imlie could see her any second, but not really afraid of anything. She locked the car, making sure that the door wouldn't open from the inside.
And as soon as she was turning around to leave her locked in the car, she met Aditya’s eyes.
She panicked.
Aditya had followed Imlie to the kitchen after their conversation. Yes, it was true that Imlie had stolen his spot in the Newspaper, it was also true that Imlie had stolen his limelight on the Channel too. But it was also true that the award she had won was on her own merit. It was because he had won the award too and he knew that that award was one of those that could not be bought.
But then he had ended up between what looked like a heated confrontation between Aryan Singh Rathore and Imlie, and he had felt a weird kind of satisfaction watching them fight over them. He felt happy that they were fighting.
It wasn't like he couldn't see that Imlie loved Aryan. The love on Imlie’s face was clear as day on her face. She had looked at him like that before. But he could never gauge what Aryan felt for Imlie.
In the beginning he had thought that Aryan had tempted Imlie, seduced her. But somewhere in the middle, he began noticing the looks Imlie sent Aryan’s way and he determined that Imlie had seduced Aryan.
He felt happy that Imlie had failed in getting him. He felt happy that Imlie too loved someone who didn't love her.
But then he heard Aryan Singh Rathore confess that he loved Imlie and he lost his mind.
He heard Aryan say he loved Imlie and his brain short-circuited.
All he could think was that now Imlie would be happy. That Imlie would be happy and he would be miserable.
As always.
So he was shocked when Imlie ran away from the kitchen. He saw Aryan Singh Rathore cry.
He decided that Aryan would never have Imlie, that he would always cry.
So, in a moment of pure madness, when he saw Malini locking Imlie in the car, he didn't stop her. He took the car keys from her, shoved them in his pocket, and bribed the valet enough to know when to keep his mouth shut.
He would not let Imlie be happy, not when he was miserable.
Imlie, who had just felt her panic recede, felt another rush of panic through her.
She was trapped in the car. Again. She couldn't get out. Again. She felt scared. Again.
She was hyperventilating. Again.
No, she was not the Imlie she was the last time she was trapped like this. She would not panic. She would hold on. She would look for a way out. She would use her brain.
She would get back to him.
She would not let him think that she didn't love him.
She looked around herself and saw her phone there, discarded. She thanked Aryan again, for drilling into her mind that she should carry her phone everywhere with her. She hadn't even realised she had her phone, so lost she was in her panic.
She took a deep breath, and called the one person who would come without fail.
She had run.
Imlie had run.
Why would she run?
He knew she felt something for him, he had always thought it was love, but now, after watching her reaction, he was beginning to doubt himself.
Could she not feel the same for him? Could she not be in love with him?
No.
No. He prided himself for being the one who knew Imlie the best, who understood her the best. She might be feeling complicated feelings right now. She might actually be contemplating her feelings right now. But one thing was clear, she did have feelings for him. And he was not going to give up.
He was going to help her with her feelings. He was going to make her realise that having his love didn't have to complicate things. He had to make her see the love he had for her.
And he would not back up.
He loved her.
And that was going to be enough.
He took out his phone to call Imlie, only to see her name flash on the Caller ID. He smiled between the tears, relieved that she was calling him.
He picked up the phone and began to ask where she was when she interrupted him, "Aryan, humka bachao! Hum eeha bandh ho gaya hai. Aryan, Aryan, please humka bachayleo…(Aryan, save me! I am trapped here. Aryan, Aryan, please save me…)", he heard her cry.
It felt like not even two seconds had passed since she had run, but an eternity had passed anyway. She was in danger.
Of f*cking course.
She was such a magnet for problems, what did he expect? He would go after her, she would embrace him, they would live happily ever after?
No, this was Imlie. She courted danger.
But this was not the time to get angry. He would have plenty of time for that later. At least she had her phone on her.
He asked her to calm down, slowly, realising that she was panicking, “Imlie, shaant, shaant, tell me, tum kaha bandh ho? Waha se kahi nikalne ka raasta hai kya? Apne aas paas dekho aur mujhe batao.(Imlie, calm down, tell me, where are you trapped? Is there any way to get out of there? Look around and tell me what you see.)
He heard Imlie take a deep breath and he in turn took a deep breath, finally he heard Imlie hiccup, and then she replied, “Hum tumri pehli Mrs. Mrs. Lambi Gaadi maa bandh hai, humse chaabi kho gayi hai. Hum eeha, gaadi rukaye khaatir jagah mein hai. Aryan, humka bahut dar lagat hai.(I am trapped in your first wife, Mrs. Lambi Gaadi, and I’ve lost the keys. I am here in the parking lot. Aryan, I’m scared, alot.)”
Aryan breathed a sigh of relief, she wasn't far, she was just in the parking lot. She was scared but she wasn't panicking. She was crying, but she was not dying.
He quickly got a set of his keys and ran towards the parking lot. All the while telling Imlie what he was doing. He reached the parking lot and found his car there. He saw Imlie’s eyes, they were closed. He shouted Imlie in the phone, distracted, he hadn't noticed when she had stopped saying anything.
He quickly unlocked the car, disconnecting the call and shoving the phone in his pocket.
He opened the car door and caught Imlie before she could fall on the ground, as she was leaning on the door. He checked her breathing and her pulse, and was relieved to realise that she was still breathing. Her heart still beating.
She was fine.
He quickly lifted her, bridal style and proceeded to make his way towards his home through the back entrance, not wanting to make any scene.
Once he settled her down on their bed, he looked at her all over.
And then he thanked God that she was fine. She was well. She just fainted. And from what he could see, it wasn't because of shortage of air, but because of how scared she was.
He could never understand how she could be so stupid and smart at the same time. How she found herself in danger constantly. How she made him worry constantly. How she was always so resilient.
There was actually never any doubt that he would lose his heart to her.
He gently removed a flick of hair from her forehead. He could feel the frown that was threatening to come out on her face because of it. He chuckled at her antics.
Today, when she asked him to save her, he was scared for her life. She had become so much to him in so little time and he was so scared of losing her. God forbid if something had happened to her, he wouldn't know what he would do. And that in itself was scary for him.
Aryan Singh Rathore losing control.
He sighed. He had a party to end. He had a family to explain their whereabouts. He had a wife to take care of.
He kissed her on her forehead and proceeded towards the main living hall.
If he had an option, he would declare that the party was over and curl into bed beside her. But as he had said before, the show must go on.
"I love you too!", Imlie whispered, loud enough that he could hear. He turned around when he heard it, warmth exploding in his chest.
He knew, he had known that she too felt something for him, but he had thought that she would never be able to say it. And it wasn't like he had any issue with that. It wasn't that he would stop loving her if she never said it back, but it felt great.
It felt bloody awesome to hear that she, Imlie, loved him, Aryan.
He couldn't really believe it but he knew that he had heard it right.
She was awake and she was calling him to her side.
And you know what, damn the party.
He sat down beside her and helped her get up from her position so she was eye level with him.
She once again was not able to meet his eyes.
She once again was avoiding looking in his eyes.
He sighed and took her hand, interlacing their fingers together. He tugged on it a few times, noticing her noticing his tugging but avoiding it all the same.
He smiled at her antics again.
But before he could say anything else, she, having found her bravery, looked him in the eyes and repeated, "I love you too Aryan."
And she said it so softly that it seemed like his heart would beat out of his chest at the speed it was racing.
She looked at their hand, interlocked and continued, "Aur jab hum humri sautan, uss Mrs. Lambi Gaadi maa bandh the, humre man mein sirf ek baat ki chinta thi, ki tumka ee malum naahi hai ki hum toka kitna prem karat rahe. Ke hum tumre bina iss jeevan ke baare maa soch bhi naahi sakat hai. Aur…(And when I was trapped inside your mistress, Mrs. Lambi Gaadi, I was worried about just one thing, that you do not know how much I love you. That I can't even think of my life without you in it. And…)”
And the thing was Aryan could see her struggle. He could see that she was tired, and couldn't continue. So he did what he thought was best for her, and he leaned forward and said, “Teesri baat udhar rakhe? (Do we keep the third point a credit?)”
And it had its intended effect. She laughed at it.
But then her laugh died down, and with fresh tears in her eyes she shook her head sideways, “Naahi, humka tohar ee bataaye ke rahe. Bus dooi minute. (No, I want to tell. Just two minutes.)”
“Hum tohar bina ee jeevan naahi jee sakat hai, aur hum tohar sang aapan pura jeevan bitaaye chaahat hai. Toh kabhi bhi, humre jeevan maa aapan jagah par shaq naahi karna. (I can't live this life without you beside me, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, never doubt the place you hold in my life.)”
Aryan smiled, warmth flooding within him. He was glad that he had her. He was glad that she loved him. He was glad that she found within herself to trust him after the blunder that was her first marriage.
He was just glad.
He was in love.
He was loved.
