Part Seventeen: Operation RuRo Reunion
– A Love Rekindled, A Bond Tested –
Goenka House – The First Step
The next morning, Ruhi entered the kitchen to find a small post-it note stuck to her favorite tea mug:
"Your smile makes mornings brighter. – R"
She blinked. Her cheeks flushed.
“Abhira!” she called, holding up the note.
Abhira peeked in, all innocent. “Yes?”
“This is from Rohit, right? Did you put this here?”
Abhira shrugged with a smile. “Maybe the universe ships you two.”
Ruhi glared, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.
Meanwhile, Armaan texted Rohit:
"First note – delivered. Next: Her favourite dish. And don’t be cheesy."
Poddar House Kitchen
Rohit stood in chaos—flour everywhere, sooji in one hand, and panic on his face. Armaan held up his phone, where Abhira appeared on video call from the Goenka house.
Abhira : “Rohit, halwa banana hai ya kitchen udana hai?”
Rohit: “Bhabhi, bas Ruhi ke liye perfect banana hai… but yeh mujhse ho hi nahi raha!”
Abhira : “Relax! Ghee garam karo, fir sooji daalo… slowly. Armaan, help him!”
Armaan : “Chef Abhira, hum kaam pe lag gaye!”
As Rohit stirred nervously, he almost added salt instead of sugar. Abhira shrieked on call, “Rohit! White ka matlab hamesha cheeni nahi hota!”
After a few more hilarious goof-ups and guidance from Abhira, the halwa was finally ready—golden, fragrant, and full of love.
Armaan patted his back as they left for Goenka house.
___
She gasped. “Is this…?”
Abhira walked in, casually sipping coffee. “Tastes like memories, doesn’t it?”
Ruhi narrowed her eyes. “You’re helping him, aren’t you?”
Abhira grinned. “Maybe. But you’re still eating it.”
___
Abhira and Armaan – On a Call, Planning from Their Balconies
The evening sky blushed pink, soft light spilling over both balconies across the city.
Abhira leaned on the railing, phone pressed to her ear. “You’re really doing this for your brother,” she said quietly.
Armaan’s voice crackled gently through. “Yes, I’m doing this for my brother, but more than that, I’m doing it for their love. Maybe for us, too.”
There was a pause.
Abhira’s voice was softer now. “Helping someone else fall back in love… it makes me think about what I lost.”
“What we lost,” he corrected gently from his side.
She didn’t reply immediately. The silence stretched, but it wasn’t cold. Just thoughtful.
“I still don’t know if I can trust you again,” she admitted.
“I’ll earn it,” he said. “One step at a time. Like we’re doing for Ruhi and Rohit.”
A beat passed.
“ I have an idea for the next step,” she said, a spark of mischief in her tone.
Armaan smiled, even though she couldn’t see it. “Tell me.”
“A family picnic. Something warm and simple. Let them feel the love again… without distractions.”
Armaan nodded, already imagining it. “Perfect. I’ll handle the food.”
“And I’ll handle the games,” she said, a light laugh escaping her lips.
For the first time in a long while, they sounded like them again.
Ruhi’s Surprise – A Family Picnic
Two days later, Abhira pretended to need help organizing a picnic for Daksh. Everyone gathered in the park—Goenkas and Poddars both.
Goenka–Poddar Family Picnic – A Day to Remember
The afternoon sun filtered through the trees, dappling the park with golden flecks. Laughter bubbled through the air as Daksh ran around with a balloon, his tiny footsteps leaving joy in their wake.
Ruhi sat cross-legged on the picnic mat, eyes trailing Rohit, who was struggling with a kite that refused to cooperate.
“You know,” she called out, “the kite's supposed to go up, not wrap around you like a burrito.”
Rohit glared playfully. “This kite clearly holds a grudge. Maybe it remembers I forgot our 1st meet anniversary.”
Ruhi rolled her eyes, but a smile crept up. “You forgot because you were binge-watching cricket reruns.”
“I had a plan!” he defended. “The match was symbolic—it ended in a tie. Just like us.”
She shook her head, laughing. “That was the worst excuse ever.”
Just then, Daksh came crawling to Rohit and smacked the kite, giggling like he’d defeated a villain.
Rohit scooped him up. “My little superhero! You saved Papa!”
Ruhi’s heart fluttered hearing that word again—Papa. She watched as Rohit blew raspberries on Daksh’s tummy, making him squeal.
“You’re really trying,” she said softly.
Rohit turned to her, his voice sincere. “Because I lost you once. I won’t make the mistake of taking you—or our son—for granted again.”
Ruhi swallowed a lump in her throat. “It’s not easy. But… you’re making me remember why I fell for you.”
He smiled. “Maybe someday I’ll get to hear you say that out loud again.”
Meanwhile – Abhira & Armaan, Close But Not so close
Abhira sat on the edge of a low swing, gently pushing herself with her foot. Armaan approached with two chuski sticks—bright red, dripping slightly.
She blinked. “Where did you get those?”
“Magic,” he smirked. “Also, the guy by the gate who thought I was buying these for my kid.”
“Well… we did lose our kid…” then she paused.
Armaan sat beside her, not pushing the swing, just letting it sway. “I know. And I miss our baby every day.”
Silence fell like dew—soft and heavy.
“Do you ever imagine it?” she asked. “If everything hadn’t happened?”
“All the time,” he replied. “I think about you sleeping with your head on my chest… a tiny hand grabbing my finger… midnight milk fights…”
Abhira chuckled through misty eyes. “And I’d be arguing about how to fold the baby’s blanket.”
He smiled. “And I’d pretend to disagree, just to watch you lecture me.”
They sat like that—two people broken, but gently stitching the pieces together.
“You’re helping Ruhi and Rohit. Maybe… maybe this is your redemption arc,”.
She didn’t pull away when their fingers brushed.
___
Ruhi, Rohit & Daksh – The Surprise Moment
As the sun dipped, Rohit took out a small, lopsided hand-crafted scrapbook. It had finger-painted hearts and Daksh’s tiny prints.
Ruhi opened the cover.
Page 1: A photo of the three of them from Daksh’s first birthday.
Page 2: A note in Rohit’s messy handwriting:
"I missed some of the memories. But I promise to make a lifetime of new ones—if you’ll let me."
Page 3: A tiny drawing Daksh had done —three stick figures holding hands.
Ruhi’s eyes shimmered. “Rohit…”
“I know it’s not perfect,” he said, nervous. “But I wanted to show you I’m trying.”
She reached for his hand. “It’s more than perfect.”
Daksh giggled and clapped, crawling into both their laps.
Rohit looked over to Armaan and Abhira mouthed: Thank you.
Back on the swings—Armaan & Abhira
Abhira leaned into his shoulder for a brief second.
“That was a good idea. The scrapbook.”
Armaan shrugged. “Stole it from an old -drama. Don’t tell anyone.”
She smirked. “Your secret’s safe. For now.”
Then she sighed. “You really are doing everything to fix your brother’s story.”
Abhira “I just hope one day, someone helps fix ours.”
She looked at him—really looked—and this time, her eyes didn’t carry the same distance.
___
Park Afterglow – Ruhi and Rohit Plotting
As the families packed up after the picnic, the warm air still carried laughter. Rohit walked beside Ruhi, holding Daksh, who had dozed off on his shoulder. His arm brushed against hers intentionally. She didn’t move away.
"He looks peaceful with you," Ruhi whispered.
"He looks like you," Rohit replied softly. "Sweet, stubborn, and impossible to stop loving."
She blushed, but then turned thoughtful. "You really want this again? Us?"
He paused, looking into her eyes. "Not want. I need it. I need you. And I know I have to work for it. But while we're fixing us... maybe we help them too?"
"Them?"
Rohit nodded toward the swings where Armaan and Abhira were still sitting, their conversation subdued but steady.
"They love each other," Ruhi said quietly. "Even now. You can see it."
"But they’re both bleeding inside. Too afraid to open old wounds," Rohit added.
"Then maybe we don’t open wounds," Ruhi said, smiling softly. "Maybe we give them moments. Gentle ones. The kind that heal."
---
Goenka House - Late Night Plans
That night, Rohit video called Ruhi while pacing his room.
"Okay," he said. "We plan something. Just the four of us. Casual. No pressure."
"Something nostalgic maybe? Remind them of who they were before the pain."
Ruhi smiled, adjusting her dupatta. "Remember how Abhira loved those quiz nights? And They used to get all competitive about it?"
Rohit grinned. "Let’s recreate that. I’ll get Armaan Bhaiya to agree. You handle Abhira Bhabhi."
---
Next Day - Convincing the Stubborn Hearts
Abhira was folding Daksh’s clothes when Ruhi burst in.
"We’re doing game night. No arguments."
Abhira raised an eyebrow. "Game night? What are we, in college again?"
"Exactly," Ruhi beamed. "You need to laugh, and Rohit and I... we need to try. You, me, Armaan, Rohit. Just us. No drama."
Abhira hesitated. "I don’t know... it’s weird being around Armaan like that. We’re still broken."
Ruhi sat beside her. "Sometimes healing isn’t about grand gestures. Sometimes it starts with small smiles."
Meanwhile, Rohit cornered Armaan, who was brooding with a law journal.
"Game night, bhaiya. You, me, Ruhi, Abhira Bhabhi."
Armaan sighed. "She barely trusts me. What if I say the wrong thing again?"
"Then you apologize again," Rohit said gently. "But don’t miss this chance. She didn’t shut the door, Bhaiya. She left it open just a crack. You walk through or you wait outside forever."
___
END OF PART SEVENTEEN
Bigg Boss 19
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
