The Monsoon Promise - Ajay X Bindiya [Karan Arjun]

Writer - ExoticDisaster

Graphicer - Phir_Mohabbat

Couple - Ajay/Karan and Bindiya from Karan Arjun

Storyline Troupe - One night that changes everything

Bollywood Element - Rain scene

Bindiya smoothed the edge of her embroidered dupatta as she looked up to the stars, sitting at the backyard. Dupatta – something that she was getting used to over the last three months—a replacement for the gothic clothes she wore in a rebellious way for past twenty years.

But she had completely transformed for Ajay. She was always in love with him, but Ajay, he always saw her as a pesky shadow who always annoyed him. So, she decided to drape herself in feminine grace to woo him. He sometimes tried to push her away but had never stopped her from pursuing him. They both were enjoying the phase, when the past had struck like lightning.

Ajay was Karan. Vijay, who was a stranger to them, was now his brother, Arjun. Their family, their property, their brutal death—it all spilled out in vivid, painful memories.

Bindiya had accompanied them to the village out of fierce loyalty. She was there when Ajay and Vijay reunited with their mother, Durga Singh, a scene of heartbreaking joy that made Bindiya feel like she was witnessing a miracle. She was the shield, the silent helper, ensuring the meals were cooked, the doors were locked, and the peace of the house was maintained even as they planned their retribution against the men who took Karan and Arjun's lives.

But in the whirlpool of revenge, Bindiya realized she had lost the very man she had tried so hard to win.

Ajay no longer pushed her away. He no longer reacted to her efforts.

When she, nervous and hopeful, took a seat next to him one day, he didn't tense up and scoot over. He simply continued listening to Vijay, discussing the strategy to enter Durjan Singh’s Haveli.

She wasn't just losing Ajay; she was starting to lose herself.

She started to feel like just a part of the scenery; like a necessary fixture in Karan's relentless quest for justice. She now dressed girly, but her beautiful new dresses felt like costumes in a drama that wasn't about romance, but about revenge.

Soon, depression had started to settled over her. She often cried into her pillow, feeling like her entire effort—the abandonment of her true self—had been made irrelevant by destiny.

Lamenting on her thoughts, she wiped a tear, when she felt someone sit beside her.

Ajay.

She looked at him. He was quiet, looking at the sky. His posture was familiar, the slight slump of his shoulders when he was exhausted, the way his knuckles gripped his knees. It was the man; she had fallen in love with.

But when he finally lifted his gaze to meet hers, she saw depths she had never navigated. Ajay’s eyes had always been a clear, sunlit pool; now they were an ocean, stirred up by an ancient storm. But he right now, she realised, wasn't Karan; it was Ajay, the man haunted by a history he didn’t ask for.

"It’s late, and you are awake," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

"Also, you.” She said looking back at the stars. “Not sleepy?”

He didn’t answer that, just moved closer and put his head on her shoulder. Bindiya’s heart skipped a beat at first, and then started beating faster.

"Do you ever wonder who I am?" he asked in a low voice. “Ajay, or Karan?”

Bindiya reached out, her fingers hovering on his cheek. "You are both. You are here, and you are fighting for what is right."

He let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob. "Fighting. Yes. I am fighting two different battles. The first is for Ma. And the second..."

He finally turned to face her. Reaching out, he gently brushed a stray curl from her face—a gesture so intimate and unexpected, it made her heart beat more fiercely.

"The other battle," he continued, his voice dropping to a low intensity, "is the one I am losing miserably. It’s with myself, to keep you safe and untouched by this darkness."

Bindiya’s breath caught. " You barely speak to me, Ajay. I thought..."

"You thought I didn't care," he finished for her, the guilt evident in his voice. He took her hands in his. "Bindiya, the truth is, I haven't been silent out of disinterest. I have been silent out of terror."

And then, they both felt cold drops on them, followed by a massive wave of wind rushed across the backyard. A sudden, roaring monsoon downpour.

Bindiya stood up, trying to make her way inside the house, saving herself from the rain. But Ajay pulled her swiftly into his arms as the rain continued to fall upon them.

“Ajay," she whispered, trying to calm her racing heart. “We both are going to fall sick.”

He leaned in, meeting her lips softly.

The world outside vanished for Bindiya. There was only the rhythm of the rain, the warmth of Ajay’s lips against hers, and the overwhelming sense of finally, belonging. It wasn’t just a kiss, it felt like a promise, sealed. When they finally broke apart, both breathless, Bindiya felt as though she had just been reborn.

"You came here for me," Ajay said, hand caressing the crook of her neck. "You changed your whole life, your style, your personality, just because you thought Ajay would prefer a girl like this. You gave up being the real you, who could climb trees faster than me, for this soft, beautiful version."

"And now it doesn't matter.” She replied, as tears welled in her eyes. “Now Karan needs a warrior, not a sweetheart."

"It matters, Bindiya." He countered fiercely, yet softly. "It matters so much that when I look at you, I feel like I am doing injustice to you. When I was just Ajay, I had nothing to worry about. Now, every plan I make involves the risk of someone getting hurt."

He paused, swallowing hard.

"Whenever you sat next to me, I never pulled you closer because I was terrified. I was terrified that if I allowed myself to love you now, the universe will interpret it as happiness and rip you away from me, just like it ripped away everything from Karan."

His gaze locked onto hers. "I tried to put a wall between us. I thought if I kept you at arm's length, you would be safer.”

Bindiya sniffed, lowering her head, her grip on his shirt tightened. Ajay pulled her closer, making her rest her head on his chest.

"When I close my eyes, I see the darkness of my past life. But when I open my eyes, all I see is you. You are the only part of this complicated existence that feels undeniably good. You are my hope."

He embraced her, tightening his grip on her.

"I love you, Bindiya.”

She didn't speak. She didn't need to. All the months of doubt, the quiet tears, the feeling of rejection—everything vanished at those three words.

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer.

"Ajay," she breathed, her voice thick with relief and love. "You never dragged me into this. I came willingly. I am not fragile. I am your shield, your support. I love you. I always have.”

"Please," he murmured. "Stay with me. Don't ever let me think I have to face this without you."

The rain raged on, but for the first time since he had become Karan, Ajay knew exactly who he was, and who he belonged to. He was the man who loved Bindiya, and that love was the only truth he wanted to live at that moment, and all his life.

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