Present
It's 14 February. Four years ago, Tejaswini used to wait for this day, dreaming about her Sapnon ka Rajkumar who'll arrive on a white horse and whisk her away to his fairyland. How foolish she was! Tejaswini almost laughs at herself. She has paid a great price for her naivety. But worse is, she is not alone who suffered due to foolishness.
Tejaswini's phone rings. The name Akashwani Office displays on her phone screen.
"Hello Kaka," Tejaswini says, "I was waiting for your phone. So I have to come at Akashwani office this Sunday for the Classical Music special."
A mature voice from the other side tells, "I'm sorry, Tejaswini. The Classical Music special program is shutting down. The listeners don't want to listen to classical music and they want more rock and pop flavour."
Tejaswini's eyes were filled with tears, "But Kaka, this weekly programme is my only source of income. What'll I do now? I cannot even go back to Amravati as Aai doesn't want to see my face. How'll I survive, Kaka?"
The man on the other side said, "I know, Tejaswini beta. Mohit was one of my closest friends and I'm feeling so helpless that I'm not being able to do anything for his dear daughter. There's another way..."
"Kaye Kaka?" Tejaswini wiped her tears from the hand that was not holding the cellphone.
"I can talk about you to other radio stations. But you'd need to sing romantic Filmy songs..."
"No Kaka," Tejaswini's voice was now firm, "I won't sing romantic love songs ever."
"Sorry Beta."
Tejaswini fell on the floor of her dingy room. She has been living in a one-room chawl since an year–away from Vedu, away from her Aai. Teju–the apple of her Aai and Baba's eyes. But she deserves all this. She deserves even worse after what she did.
Tejaswini's phone rang again. She hurriedly picked up the phone.
"Hello Kaka."
"Tejaswini, Hi. I'm Virat," the voice from the other side said, "Remember me? I'm the lawyer who carried out the divorce proceedings between you and Dr. Neil."
"Yes?" Tejaswini was too surprised to react. Dr. Neil! After two years, she was hearing that name but she had never forgotten him. How could she? Neil was the person whom she had broken and destroyed in the worst way possible. But how could she fake her love for Neil? She had loved Rutu with all of her heart? How could she give Neil what wasn't even hers anymore?
"Miss Tejaswini? Are you there?" Virat's voice pulled Tejaswini out of reverie.
"Yes...Yes."
"There is a problem, Miss Tejaswini."
"A problem?"
"Yes, actually your and Neil's divorce was never finalized because you both didn't live together for at least six months. So for the divorce to be finalized, you both have to live together for 6 months to show the court you've given this relationship a chance."
"A chance?" Tejaswini was in a daze, "But I haven't talked to Neil after the divorce. I don't even know how can I..."
"You don't worry about that," Virat said breezily, "I have told Neil about this complication. He'll discuss the same with you."
And with this Virat disconnected the call.
At afternoon, doorbell rang.
Tejaswini draped a dupatta over her Kurta and opened the door. Standing in front of her was Neil.
Flashback of three years ago
"I l...love y...you, Aparajita," Neil tells Tejaswini over the rooftop with full moon shining. Tejaswini stands there shocked.
Neil comes towards Tejaswini to embrace her, but Tejaswini pushes Neil back and screams, "Stay away. Don't you dare touch me."
Neil starts becoming more nervous, "Sorry, sorry. Main aapko hurt nahi karna chahta tha. I know aap Baba ke jaane se bahut dukhi hain."
"Baba nahi," Tejaswini rages, "Even if Baba was here, I'd behaved the same towards you. I don't love you. I will never love you."
"But why, Aparajita? W...why y...you cannot l...l...love me?" Neil's body was trembling right now.
"Because I love someone else," Tejaswini said, "Aparajita, Aparajita. I'm not your Aparajita. My name is Tejaswini Chawhan, not some Aparajita."
"Whom do you love?" Neil asks finally. His eyes are now dead and his body is completely still.
"Hai koi," Tejaswini said, "Dr. Neil. Aapse zyaada charming, aapse zyaada handsome and successful. And you know he doesn't stammer like you. He is not meek and timid like you. He is everything you are not and you'll never be. And he always calls me by my own name. Aapki tarah darte darte nahi. Poore haq se."
Flashback ends
Neil was standing at the threshold. Tejaswini said, "I am sorry."
"What?" Neil was shocked.
Tejaswini said, "I'm sorry that I didn't ask you to come inside. Please come."
Neil kept on standing closer to wall till Tejaswini sat down and motioned for him to sit.
Neil looked all around the cramped room Tejaswini was living in and asked, "Where is Rutu?"
Tejaswini dug her nails into her wrist.
Then she spoke, "I left him."
Neil cocked his eyebrow and looked straight into Tejaswini's eyes, "You? Left Rutu?"
Tejaswini was going to blurt something then she cleared her throat and said to Neil, "Yes, I left Rutu because I was bored of him. And moreover he was becoming very irritable after his show started selling less tickets."
"Samjha mujhe," Neil nodded his head, his eyes focused on Tejaswini who was shaking her legs furiously. Neil faintly smiled remembering how Teju used to shake her legs when she lied, "So Viratji must've told you that our divorce is not yet finalized...
Tejaswini cut in, "Yes, and we must live together under a single roof for six months."
"If you don't have problem, Aparaj..."Neil said, "Sorry Tejaswini, I mean. Since last month, I'm posted in Mumbai itself as a Senior Resident Doctor. So you can stay at my home. We'll stay in separate rooms, don't worry and I won't bother you."
"Hmm," Tejaswini nodded, "I've packed my bags. Let's get it done and dusted and then we'll never cross each other's paths again."
"I'm waiting for you in the car in front of chawl gate," Neil said.
After Tejaswini locked her room at chawl, and as she was crossing the chawl threshold, she looked at Neil standing beside the same car in which he dropped her from Nagpur to Amravati when she took him for a driver. She looked back at the chawl that gave her refuge when she was utterly alone. Tears brimmed inside her eyes. She turned back and walked towards Neil who was standing beneath a huge hoarding advertising upcoming concert of rockstar Rajvardhan. Tejaswini had stopped listening to non classical music but she got to know from people at Akashwani that identity of Rajvardhan was mysterious as he always wore a mask and that he managed to surpass even Ruturaj in terms of popularity.
Flashback
Tejaswini's Aai was crying. "Think once again, Teju. You will not get anyone else who loves you like Neil."
"I'm sorry, Aai," Tejaswini was also crying, "But I choose Ruturaj and will always choose Ruturaj over Dr. Neil."
Flashback ended
Neil opened the car door for Teju.
Teju said to herself, "This time I won't let Dr. Neil fall in love with me. I'll do everything to make him hate me so that he can move on in life."
Meanwhile, Neil was making Tejaswini wear seat belt as she was deep in thought, "This time I won't let you go Aparajita. This time I'll make you want me."
"How come you've stopped stammering? You haven't stammered a single time in our meeting since last one hour," Tejaswini asked as soon as the seat belt clicked.
"Me...wh.. what?" Neil became awkward, "N...no. Y...you are mistaken. I...I still stammer."
Tejaswini narrowed her eyes but till then Neil started driving and on radio, the song "Ghum Hai Kisi Ke Pyaar mein" started playing.
....She deserved this to learn about the world...waiting for the next chapter 
...Today is a good day two version of same characters 
I'm looking forward to the upcoming chapters. And I agree with Tejaswini's mother. Nobody can love Tejaswini as much as Neil loves her. 
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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