AryLie FF - Aryan&Imlie - Epilogue Page 32 (Dt. 13 Mar) - Page 19

The Rathore's - Part - I

Arpita Rathore, a.k.a Arpita Didi, Aryan’s Sister

Arpita knew about loss in life.

They had lost their father when they were young.

It had made their mother strong, it had made Arpita responsible and it had devastated Aryan. She still remembers how he had not spoken to anyone for a week. Not one word out of his mouth. It was like he got stuck in between two worlds, undecided where he wanted to go.

Their mother got stuck in grief for a long time too, she lost her husband, the father of her children, her partner. But she emerged out of it stronger than she was ever before.

Arpita was lost without her father’s touch in her life. He was a hero to her, and the light that lit her path. But she came out of it with a sense of responsibility towards her mother and her brother. She dedicated herself to them.

Aryan didn’t speak for a week, stopped going out anywhere, stayed in a corner and never let anyone near him. But then he was okay. He was okay, and he was back to as he was. Supportive and mischievous at the same time. Responsible and careless together. Ready for her and her mother anytime.

But he was unhinged. It was like he lost his ground. Like he was floating away.

Arpita grew up, Aryan grew up, and their mother, she faced the real world.

But suddenly, they turned from three to four.

Arpita fell in love. He was a gem of a man. Her Arvind. He got assimilated into their family so easily. Her mother’s blessings included him. Her brother’s mischief included him.

Arvind, he was, he was the one that grounded Aryan.

For all the mischief, she knew Aryan had many thoughts running in his head. For every piece of sarcasm he emitted, she knew he saw the world in a way that no one else did.

And Arvind saw that world right there beside him.

If Arpita was honest with herself, she felt that her brother, Aryan, being like he was today was because of her. If she had just moved on from her grief fast enough, she would’ve been able to stop what he had become today. If she had just seen him while she was stuck in her own grief, shared hers with him, her brother would be more like Aru today.

She knew Aryan would hate himself for her thinking like this, but this was a truth she realised within herself.

Her UNB turned to ASR, and she couldn’t do anything about it, too lost in her own grief.

When she finally woke up, she was too late.

He was gone. The Aru. The UNB. The kid. The boy.

He was only ASR. The protector. The businessman.

She watched as her mother tried to get him back. She watched as she smiled and laughed in front of him, scolded him for little things, made him eat his favourite things, and learned english so that he would talk to her. And after, after she only cried in the night over the son she lost. She watched as a mother lost her hope of getting her son back day by day.

That was what prompted Arpita to face her fear and pray for her brother.

And her prayers were answered too.

In the form of Imlie.

At first, Imlie was just another girl that got a reaction out of her brother when her mother and she could not. The way he raged because of the girl and the way she raised his hackles amused Arpita to no end.

Then one day, Aryan was asking her to let her stay in the house and Arpita was not really shocked by that either. Her brother may be rude, business minded and prance around like a conqueror, but he never has been able to turn away from those in need.

It was when he began toeing the girl’s personal life to help her that she was alerted of what Imlie was slowly becoming for Aryan. The outburst the day Imlie had an assignment with her now ex-husband came to Arpita’s mind. That was not Aryan.

That was UNB, through and through.

The irritation, the anger, the incredulity, the disappointment, everything that were traits of the Aryan before and not of the one now.

The first time she really felt that Imlie could be Aryan’s was when they danced together for the first time. All those months back. In the Tripathi house. Her Aru had returned. He was smiling. He was dancing. He was happy. And all because of Imlie. Oh, she had tried to make her mother understand Imlie’s circumstances, but somewhere inside, seeing her brother the way he was, she began to hope.

During the whole nightmare that was Imlie’s ex-husbands wedding, she saw more and more glimpses of Aru and UNB than she had in the last four years. After the wedding too, her brother licking the Kadhi was something ASR of now would never do.

After that, a multitude of things happened that made her see Aryan and Imlie in a new light.

Aryan not letting Imlie leave without taking credit where it’s due.

Aryan following Imlie to Tripathi House to stop her from being humiliated more.

Aryan following Imlie to Tripathi House just because he was worried.

Aryan moving to the Tripathi House because he wanted to help her? Save her? Missed her?

Aryan being jealous of Imlie’s ex-husband.

And in between all of this, how could she forget Aryan Singh Rathore scolding an anklet because of its owner. The great Aryan Singh Rathore scrambling for words. The one and only Aryan Singh Rathore smiling alone, without a reason.

But what bothered Arpita was that she only saw Aryan. It was only Aryan. There was Imlie, but she was always the same as she was with everyone. There wasn’t anything different with her behaviour with Aryan.

Maybe Arpita had only seen Aryan all her life so she knew when he changed. Maybe Imlie did change with Aryan and she just could not see it. But Arpita remained cynical.

She didn’t want her brother hurt ever again.

And Imlie was quickly becoming capable enough to hurt him.

And then she was stuck inside a car, and her brother got stuck beneath a tree and Imlie was there.

The thing was, Arpita saw Imlie when everything happened. Her worry. Her rage. Her fear. Arpita lived through a heartbreak wrapped in another. One at seeing her brother so hurt, and one at seeing Imlie being so heartbroken over her brother being hurt.

After they were in the hospital, she saw her breaking over Aryan, just like they were, his mother and his sister. Just like she had, when she had lost Arvind.

Arpita only realised this after Aryan was awake and fine, when she was clear-headed enough to think that it was not just Aryan.

It was Imlie too.

It was Aryan&Imlie.

Imlie, like her, had seen much in life. She didn’t know the extent of what her previous relationship did to her, but from what she had seen, the deeds of Malini, the half-assed apologies from the Tripathis, the little scheme they played, the panic attack Imlie had at even the thought of sitting with Aditya in any dais, and also how much she hid away all the slights people had committed against her.

It made her fearless, but also vulnerable.

Imlie had fought Aryan so that Arpita could come out of her trauma, but she remained blind to her own.

Her not sharing what she went through, unwilling to share her burdens with any one, made her strong beyond belief, but also, those burdens weighing in on her, made her so weak. It was a constant state of confusion with her, weak or strong. Fearless and vulnerable.

Aryan and Imlie, or Aryan&Imlie.

But after that, she stopped seeing Aryan. Aryan vanished from the Aryan&Imlie, and suddenly Imlie was the only one. Arpita wanted to hit her brother, but she knew there must be a reason. A reason why Aryan reverted back to the ASR. A reason valid enough to leave Imlie all alone in the equation they had worked so hard to create.

And she cried the day she found out the reason.

Her brother had made revenge a crutch.

Her sweet innocent Aru, who saw the world through a totally different lens than all of them, had made revenge his crutch, and that clutched everything Aru from the ASR.

A newspaper article, Aditya Kumar Tripathi, fired from The Bhaskar Times, his journalist license revoked, his achievements stripped, a list of all the articles that had made questionable claims which held little evidence, a list of all the people who were affected by those articles, and between those names, hers.

Fury raged within her.

Her brother, her brother had not let that night go. Her brother held onto that night and planned everything that had happened ever since. Her brother uppended them to move to this place because he wanted revenge.

Revenge on what was hers. Arvind was her husband. Arvind was her love. Arvind was hers.

Aryan had no right to do this, he had no right to bring this about.

When she had said this to his face, he had not countered. He stood there, took it all. He stood there, and listened to her shouting at him while they both cried. He listened as she handed out all the anger raging within her. He said nothing when she blamed him for doing something Arvind would’ve never wanted.

He didn’t move when she accused him of changing to someone Arvind wouldn’t recognise.

After all that happened, she couldn’t even face him.

She didn’t want to face anyone.

But Imlie got in her face. Fearless.

She had tried to make her understand, but Arpita wouldn’t listen to her. Arpita didn’t want to listen to anyone.

But Imlie didn’t falter. Imlie, never once faltered.

Imlie stood up and slowly, as if proving a point, said, “ArvindJi uu ke bhi kachu lage rahe.(ArvindJi means something to him too.)”

And that made Arpita stop.

She had forgotten the one thing that made her blame herself for the state of her brother now. She knew that was true. She knew how much Arvind had grounded Aryan. She knew what Arvind meant to Aryan. And then too, she had accused him of not thinking about Arvind. She had claimed Arvind for herself in front of him.

She looked up at Imlie, afraid, but Imlie just smiled through her own tears and said, “Hum jaanat hai uu jon kiye, uu sahi naahi hai. Uu ka apan jeevan ka maqsad badla banaye ka faisla sahi naahi rahe. Par uu, uu toot rahe the. Aapko dekh ke. Kaki Maa ko dekh ke. Aur uu ke paas kachu naahi tha, konu naahi tha, sahaara leve khatir. Uu aapko sahaara dete dete ee bhool gaye rahe ki uu ka bhi sahaara chahi.(I know what he did was not right. The decision to make revenge the purpose of his life was not right. But he, he was breaking. Watching you. Watching Kaki Maa. And he didn’t have anything, anyone, to draw support from. Being supportive to you made him forget that he needed support too.)”

Arpita looked down at her hands. She had always thought it anyway, but today, hearing someone else say that Aryan lost his support while being the support for them, it pinched her heart.

A sob wracked through her body which prompted Imlie to sit down beside her, hug her and comfort her. She was by her side as she broke down. As she resonated with all that happened.

And she realised she wanted Aryan. She wanted her brother. She wanted him with her.

Suddenly, as always, he was beside her. She never needed to call him, she never needed to say anything. He was there for her when her heart called for him. He always listened when she couldn’t call him.

Just like before. This one thing remained unchanged. Her brother being there for her when she needed him was a constant no one could ever break in their life.

Imlie left her in Aryan’s arms, and kneeled down in front of her. She took her hand, grinned, and exclaimed, “Yaad hai aap humka kahi thi, ki aapko aapke bhai ko kabhai bhi bulaye ki zaroorat naahi padi hai? Uu naahi badla hai Arpita Didi. Aur naahi kabhai badlega. Aapko kabhai zaroorat naahi padegi uu ka bulaye ki.(You remember you had told me that your brother need not be called for him to come to you in your time of need? That hasn’t changed, Arpita Didi. That will never change. You will never need to call for him.)”

Arpita clasped her hand in Imlie’s and nodded gratefully.

Imlie smiled at her before her gaze found Aryan’s. She watched as her demeanor changed. She watched as Imlie visibly pulled herself back. She watched as she became vulnerable.

She still didn’t know what was up with them. What Aryan did meant for them. But the way Imlie looked at Aryan, and the way Aryan looked at Imlie, she needn’t worry about them.

Imlie smiled once again, and looked back at her, but this time, her smile didn’t reach her eyes when she said, “Aur ee baar aapki baari hai. Apan bhai ka sahaara banne ki. Uu ka wapas apan jeevan ka maqsad dhundhe khatir uu ka madad kare ki. Ee baar, aap sambhal lijiye apan Aru ko.(And this time it’s your turn. To be your brother’s support. To help him find another purpose in his life. This time, take care of your Aru.)”

After that she was running away. It was clear on her face. She was running away. She turned to look at Aryan and the way his eyes never left her, even when she was running away, just made her realise that Aryan did not consider her his only support now. He wanted Imlie to support him too. He wanted Imlie to be someone to him too.

Now, she only waited for him to grow up, once again, and take off the ruse he had going on with himself.

That night, she also realised it would take them long.

Because that night she found Aryan&Imlie again.

They were in Aryan’s study, face to face, having an argument, and Arpita thought, why did she always find them in this situation? Why always her?

She had heard them before she had found them, and she hadn’t liked what she had heard one bit.

Imlie had said, “Toh tohar maqsad humesha se hi Aditya Sir ki tabaahi rahe?(So, your purpose has always been Aditya Sir’s destruction?)”

And she couldn’t believe this girl, how could she blame Aryan for Aditya’s faults when with him and stand up for him Aryan nonetheless behind his back? How could she ask Aryan that question when she had just defended him in front of her just a few hours back?

Her pace stopped at that question, she moved backwards to where that question had come from to see them in the middle of the study.

She had waited anxiously for her brother to answer, and when he didn’t, she had winced at the way Imlie had scoffed.

She watched as Imlie turned away from her brother only to stop when he asked, “Sawaal kya hai tumhara Imlie?(What is your question, Imlie?)”

Imlie closed her eyes, her lids freeing the tears stuck in them, and answered, “Kachu naahi.(Nothing.)”

Aryan grabbed her elbow and turned her back to face him, she went willingly. He pulled her towards him and asked, “Kya tum yeh jaanna chahti ho ki main tumhe tumhare Babu Saheb se alag karne ke liye zimmedaar hun? Yaa fir yeh jaanna chahti ho ki tumhare Babu Saheb ko main aage kya karunga? What Imlie?(Do you want to know whether I’m responsible from seperating you from your Babu Saheb? Or what I have planned next for him? What Imlie?)”

But Imlie remained mum. She didn’t utter a word.

Aryan let go of her, frustrated. Arpita could see the outburst coming from him and grimaced when he let it out, “Obviously, tumhare Babu Saheb ke aage naa tumhe kabhi kuch dikha hai, naa uske alawa tumne kuch socha hai.(Obviously you cannot see anything except your Babu Saheb, and neither could you think about anyone else.”

Imlie, her fire back in her, replied, “Uu humre Babu Saheb naahi hai.(He is not my Babu Saheb.)”

Aryan was the one who scoffed this time, “Haan, isiliye hi mujhse sawaal karne aa agyi naa tum?(Yeah, that’s why you’re questioning me, right?)”

Imlie snorted and replied with another question, “Toh kaa kare hum, kaa kare?(So what do I do, tell me, what do I do?)”

Aryan turned away from her, but she grabbed his elbow and made him look at her, and asked, “Tum hi kahe rahe naa, ki hum dost naahi hai. Ki hum keval tumre employee rahe?(You were the one who kept on saying we are not friends. That I am just your employee?)”

Aryan pursed his lips and asked, “Uska iss baat se kya lena dena hai Imlie?(What is the connection between these two things Imlie?)”

Imlie moved away from him then, two steps back. Aryan looked as she stepped back from him, and then his eyes found hers.

Her breath hitched, her voice broke, and she asked, “Kachu lena dena naahi hai? Kachu naahi?(There’s no connection? Nothing?)”

Aryan, frustrated, asked again, “Aakhir puchna kya chahti ho?(What are you even asking?)”

Imlie pulled herself together and asked, “Ee puchna chahat hai ki tohar maqsad maan hum kaha rahe? Hum ka hai? Tohar mohra? Tohar dost? Kaa?(I wanted to ask where I am in your revenge plan? What am I? Your pawn? Your friend? What?)”

Aryan’s speech faltered, his eyes amiss, while Imlie moved towards him again and asked, “Humse bahut log sawaal kiye, tohar aur humre rishte khatir, bahut sawaal. Hum jaanat rahe ki humar beech kaa hai. Hum kahat rahe ki humar beech jon hai uu humar beech hai. Aaj hum jaanna chahat hai, ki hum tohar liye kaa hai? Ki tum, jon humari dosti bhi naahi acceptiyawat ho, humre baare maan kaa sochat ho? Aaj humre mann maan, pehli baar, ee sawaal ka jawaab clear naahi rahe.(Many people have questioned me about the relationship between us, many questions. I know what we have. I’ve always said that what’s between us is between us. Today, I want to know, what am I to you? That you, who never accepts my friendship, what do you think of me? Today, for the first time, I do not have a clear answer to this question.)”

Aryan watched on as Imlie asked him the question. Arpita waited for her brother to answer them. Imlie looked at him as he was the one who moved away from her.

He tried, he really did, he began, “Hum—(We—)”, but he couldn’t continue.

He looked at Imlie with his eyes wide, her questions unanswered by him. Out loud he couldn’t answer, and inside, he couldn’t think. Arpita watched as Aryan’s emotions played on his face. She watched as he began to try again, only to be interrupted by Imlie, “Agar jawaab naahi hai, toh kam se kam humka jhooth naahi bolna. Aaj ke baad hum seh naahi paayi hai.(If you do not have the answer, then at least don’t say I’m lying about this. After today, I won’t be able to take it.)”

Aryan looked away from her, Imlie looked at him, and Arpita watched as Aryan didn’t say anything, and Imlie moved away from him.

She watched as Imlie left him.

Arpita facepalmed at her brother’s incapability to comprehend and express what he was feeling. This UNB has been a pain in her ass since they were kids.

But now, somewhere along the way, he had become a pain in the ass for someone else.

Imlie.

At least this time he was the kind of pain Aru would’ve been too.

Too lost in his own world to see when he entered someone else's.

But she had faith in both of them.

Because the way their worlds were intertwining, that wasn’t ordinary.

Aryan&Imlie, they were extraordinary.

Now if only the both of them let go of some of that bullheadedness.