MunRik SS In Between Part 3 updated

A short scene or story for MunRik, since I am not happy with the lack of screen space for them.

In Between

The night air drifted softly through the half-open windows, carrying a warm breeze that made the curtains sway like slow breaths. The room glowed under mellow yellow lights, wrapping everything in a quiet, golden calm. Munni stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her dupatta, her reflection steady — almost too steady for a bride.

“Chale?” Ritik asked gently as he stepped inside.

The door clicked shut behind him.

The moment he saw her, he paused.

She looked breathtaking — not because of grandeur, but because of simplicity. The red lehenga fit her petite frame perfectly, flowing around her like a soft flame. The gold jewelry rested lightly against her skin, catching the warm light and glowing instead of shining. She didn’t look decorated. She looked complete.

“Hmm…” she murmured, as if his voice had pulled her back from somewhere far away.

He walked in slowly, hands tucked casually into his pockets.

“Maine poocha chale… ya phir hamari Collector Madam ko thoda aur waqt chahiye sajne sawarne ke liye?” he teased, his tone playful, eyes warm.

She looked at him through the mirror first. Then slowly turned.

He didn’t look sad.

No heaviness. No hesitation. Just that familiar calm smile — the one that always made everything feel normal.

And that unsettled her.

Why wasn’t he hurting?

Why did she want him to hurt?

Was she the one who was sad? But Why?

In less than an hour, she would be married to Rahul — her senior, the man who respected her, who had returned with sincerity in his eyes and regret in his voice. He had apologized for doubting her, for asking her to cut ties with the only friend and family she had ever known. There had been no doubts in his tone, he wanted to make this work.

There was no reason to question him.

And yet her chest felt tight, as stared at Ritik.

Was she still in love with the man standing in front of her?

How unfair that thought felt. Like she was doing exactly what Rahul had accused her for.

This was the same man who had once crushed her with his pride. Who had made her feel small for loving him. Who had said things she had never fully forgotten.

And still… here she was.

Looking at him like this.

“Kahan kho gayi, Munni?” Ritik snapped his fingers lightly, smiling.

She blinked. “Kuch nahi,” she replied softly.

“Toh phir chalein?”

He turned toward the door.

“Aap Rahul ke paas kyun gaye?”

Her voice was calm, but it stopped him instantly.

He turned back slowly, surprised — though he shouldn’t have been.

“Matlab?” he asked.

“Aap jaante hain… aap Rahul se mile the. Isliye usne mujhse maafi maangi. Par kyun?”

The breeze shifted again, lifting a strand of her hair.

He exhaled gently.

“Kyunki tum meri dost ho, Munni,” he said simply. “Aur main kaise dekh sakta tha ki meri wajah se tumhara rishta toot jaye? Rahul tumhare liye perfect hai. Haan, usne thodi jaldbaazi kar di… hamara rishta samjhne me liye. Par usme uski galti bhi nahi hai, pata nahi Mitali ne usse kya kya keh diya.”

He stepped a little closer — unconsciously.

“Sach kahun… main tumhe khush dekhna chahta hoon. Aur Rahul tumhe khush rakhega, iss baat par yakeen hai mujhe.”

His voice softened.

“Aur ek baat kehna chahata hun… phir himmat mile na mile.”

She didn’t move.

“I am sorry, Munni. Uss din ke liye. Jab maine tumhari feelings ka mazaak banaya. Jab maine tumhe disrespect kiya. Kitna stupid tha main… kitna egoistic.”

He gave a small, self-mocking smile.

“Tumhara dil toda tha maine. Aur sirf dil nahi… tumhari izzat, tumhari self-respect ko bhi chot pahunchayi. Maine tumhe feel karaya jaise tum kam ho.”

He shook his head lightly.

“Sach yeh hai… kam main tha. Main insecure tha. Log kya kahenge, apne status ko leke, kitna idiot tha na mein, mera status to kuch tha hi nahi us waqt.”

His eyes lifted to meet hers.

“Woh sab hone ke baad bhi tumne meri help ki, meri dost bani. Tum bohot achhi ho, Munni… aur tum utna hi achha ladka deserve karti ho. Isliye main Rahul ke paas gaya tha.”

He hadn’t realized when he had taken her hands into his.

Their fingers rested together — naturally.

“Ab khush?” he asked gently, lowering his head slightly to meet his eyes.

She nodded, not knowing what to say.

“Good.” He smiled.

He turned again toward the door but extended his hand fully this time.

“Chalo. Sab intezaar kar rahe hain.”

There was no rush in his voice.

She placed her hand in his.

As her fingers curled around his, his heartbeat quickened — a quiet betrayal he masked with a steady expression. He wrapped his fingers around hers gently, memorizing the warmth without meaning to.

They walked toward the mandap side by side.

He loved her.

Not in a dramatic, sudden way — but in the slow, steady way. He had always felt most like himself around her. Always.

If only he had understood that six years ago — the day she had confessed her love.

He had been foolish. Small. Cruel in the name of pride.

Rahul was kinder. More deserving.

That was why he had made sure she would not lose something good because of him. Because she had always given him what he lacked, the confidence in himself.

Even if his heart was breaking at loosing her for the second time. He knew things would have to be different now, he would have to maintain his distance for her benefit.

He stole a last glance toward her she was looking ahead, but her eyes seemed lost.

Together, under the warm night air, they walked in silence — a silence that held regret, affection… and a love that would remain unspoken.

Ria

Loved the plot. I am glad that Rahul regretted his decision and decided to marry Munni and Hritik being a key part is even great. Hritik's regret for insulting Munni in the past was really nice.

Nice to see a MunThik os.Shocking that hrithik cleared rahul's misunderstanding and he apologized to munni.Munni Hrithik's conversation was emotional.Hrithik apologizing to munni realising that if he had understood her love that day things would have been different today was emotional.

This is a really nice story. Loved it!

I love how it was Ritik who helped Munni and Rahul patch up and Ritik himself reflected the way he insulted Munni in the past, and the way Rahul respects Munni.

Very fresh to see this Keep writing

Part 2

An hour had passed.

The sacred fire in the mandap had burned low, the priest offering uncertain reassurances to the elders. Guests stood in uneasy clusters, murmuring explanations no one truly believed — traffic, car trouble, network issues.

Munni sat across from the mandap on the bridal seat.
Her red lehenga pooled around her like a quiet sunset. The jewelry still shimmered under the lights.

Everything was ready.

Except the groom.

Tulsi held her hand tightly. Pari hovered near her shoulder.

“Sab theek hoga,” Tulsi whispered.

“Haan Munni, Rahul aajayega,” Pari added, though even she sounded unsure.

Across the courtyard, Ritik stood with his phone pressed to his ear.

“Not reachable.”

Again.

His jaw tightened. His shoulders rigid — the opposite of Munni, who watched everything unfold as if it belonged to someone else’s life.

The chaos.
The whispers.
The embarrassment thickening in the air.

And somewhere beneath it all — a stillness she didn’t understand.

“Munni, tumhara phone.” Shobha’s voice pulled her back.

She answered.

“Hello?”

Rahul’s voice came steady. Too steady.

“Munni, main nahi aa raha.”

Silence.

“Kyun?” she forced out.

A long exhale.
“Kaash iska jawab asaan hota.”
“I’m sorry.”

The line went dead.

She kept the phone to her ear for a few seconds after the call ended.

Then she stood.

She walked toward Ritik. He was still dialing. Still trying. Still refusing to accept what was already clear.

She stopped in front of him.

He looked up immediately.

“Woh nahi aa rahe,” she said.

Flat. Gentle. Final.

The world seemed to pause.

Before he could respond, she turned and walked inside.

Tulsi, Shobha, and Pari followed, their arms around her as they disappeared into the house.

The courtyard emptied slowly.

Chairs stood askew. Sofas lay rumpled. Flower petals were crushed beneath hurried footsteps. The mandap fire had faded to ash.

Ritik remained near a pillar, phone still in his hand.

Not calling anymore.

Just staring at the dark screen.

He replayed his conversation with Rahul.

Rahul, Munni bohot achi hai. Caring hai. Selfless hai. Thodi shararti bhi hai. Tum dono bohot khush rahoge saath mein.

Had he pushed too hard?

Had Rahul sensed something?

Had he seen what Ritik himself had tried so carefully not to acknowledge?

This wouldn’t be the first time his pride had cost Munni something.

The first time, it was her love.

Tonight… it was her wedding.

Mitali.

Arguments that turned into silence.
Silence that turned into signatures.

He had married out of wounded pride. Out of loneliness. Out of proving something — maybe to Munni, maybe to himself.

It hadn’t lasted.

When he learned Timsy wasn’t even his biological daughter, he hadn’t fought.

He had been too tired of pretending.

The divorce had been mutual. Expensive. Quiet.
Clean on paper. Messy everywhere else.

The marriage hadn’t broken him.

His fear had.

But Munni?

She didn’t deserve this.

For one selfish second, when Rahul hadn’t shown up, he had felt relief.

And that thought disgusted him.

Hours later, night gave way to dawn.

Munni slipped out of her room with quiet, measured steps. She couldn’t stay.

In the last few hours, she hadn’t thought about humiliation or broken rituals. Instead, she had been lost in memories of Ritik — laughter, midnight conversations, the way he had helped her with night school without ever making her feel small.

But memories were never kind for long.

They turned.

His voice.
His anger.
The look that reminded her of her place.

A maid.

The warmth of the past curdled into shame.

She had endured enough.

She stepped into the courtyard—

“Subah tak ka intezaar kar sakti thi.”

She froze.

Slowly, she turned. The first light of dawn brushed her face. She looked exhausted.

He stepped closer.

“Munni… sach batao?” His voice was low but urgent. “Kya main wajah hoon? Kya Rahul meri wajah se nahi aaya?”

“Kyun aisa lagta hai aapko?” she asked calmly.

“Kyunki… tum jaanti ho kyun.”

Her chest tightened. She didn’t know how to read him. Didn’t know if he felt something — or if she had imagined everything all along.

He took a step closer. Words hovered at the edge of his mouth — reckless, unfiltered — but he swallowed them. The relief that she wasn’t married burned in his chest, and he hated himself for it.

“Ritik…” she said quietly. “Mujhe jana hai. Please. Main aur yeh nahi kar sakti. Gharwalon ko meri taraf se sorry keh dijiyega… par mujhe kuch waqt akela rehna hai.”

“Please, Munni. Hum sab hain yahan tumhare liye. Tulsi Maa, Dad, Shobha didi… aur main.” He paused. “Tumhara dost.”

The word lingered.

“Please, Ritik. Mujhe space chahiye… aapse.” Her voice stayed steady, but a single tear escaped. “Main yeh dosti nahi nibha sakti.”

That broke him.

Not the tear.

The distance.

He moved instinctively, but she raised her hand gently.

No.

Then she turned and walked away.

Ritik stood frozen.

He wanted to call her back. To confess. To undo years in a single sentence.

But he didn’t.

The house behind them was stirring awake.

In the courtyard, beneath the soft gold of dawn, there was only silence — heavy with what had been said, and heavier still with what hadn’t.

For now…

that silence would have to be enough.

Shocking that Rahul didn't arrive to marry munni.like hrithik asked munni,was it because of him?I am shocked that munni doesn't want to maintain their friendship. But why?shocking that hrithik and mitali are divorced and timsy is not his biological daughter.Then who is Timsy's real father?

Wow... I loved this couple pre leap. I was disappointed post leap. This story is satisfying all my cravings. You have made them look so good. Please do continue. I am eager to see how the story would progress and how they come together

Waiting for the next part.

Part 3

Days turned into weeks.

Ritik threw himself into work, deliberately keeping his distance from Munni. He knew that if he tried to move closer, she would only push him further away.

It didn’t help that their paths still crossed.

The new factory project meant frequent meetings with the government office — and Munni was the officer in charge. The last few times, Ritik had carefully inserted buffers between them: Tulsi Maa, Angad, sometimes even Mihir. He let them lead the discussions while he remained in the background.

No one questioned him directly, but they noticed.

Tulsi Maa especially.

After the wedding chaos, she had gone to Munni immediately, offering the comfort only she could give. Since then, she checked in on her often.

Still, Munni kept mostly to herself.

She skipped several family gatherings, always citing work or prior commitments. But Ritik knew better.

She wasn’t avoiding the Viranis.

She was avoiding him.

And that realization hurt more than he expected.

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“Kya kaha phir usne? Pari ki mehendi ke liye aa rahi hai na woh?” Mihir asked from the dining table as the family gathered for breakfast.

Tulsi placed a stack of paranthas onto Ritik’s plate before replying.

“Iss baar toh kaha hai aayegi… par pakka nahi pata.”

“Agar nahi aayi na toh uske ghar jaake le aaunga main aur Vrinda,” Angad declared dramatically. “Hum bhi toh uska parivar hain. Usse hamare saath hona chahiye.”

“Please bhai,” Ritik said quietly, finally speaking. “Agar usko space chahiye… toh hume dena chahiye.”

The table fell silent for a moment.

Ritik stared down at his plate.

If only he could erase the past.

The cruel words.
The six years lost between them.

If only he had understood his own feelings sooner. If only he had looked for her earlier.

But life didn’t offer rewrites.

Angad studied him carefully before leaning back in his chair.

“Itna space mat do,” he said lightly, though his eyes were sharp. “Ki aur chhe saal beech mein aa jaaye.”

The words landed harder than the teasing tone suggested.

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The Virani house was alive again.

Music drifted through the courtyard. Guests arrived in vibrant outfits. Fresh marigold garlands hung across every doorway.

It was Pari’s mehendi.

Her second chance at happiness.

Munni’s car stopped outside the Virani house.

She stepped out slowly.

The decorations, the flowers, the laughter spilling out of the house — it all felt strangely familiar.

Just a few months ago, these same lights had been lit for her.

She inhaled deeply before walking toward the entrance.

In the months since that night, she had kept her distance from the Viranis — except for Tulsi Maalkin and the unavoidable meetings related to the factory project.

She had also closed the chapter with Rahul.

Not with anger.

Just clarity.

And in that clarity, one truth remained stubbornly unchanged.

She still held a space for Ritik.

Whether she wanted to or not.

Ritik, for his part, had respected her wish for distance. But somehow, he always seemed to find quiet ways to check on her.

She had overheard one of his calls with her assistant once — asking casually if Munni had been working too late again.

Another time she heard his voice faintly in the background when Tulsi Maalkin called.

And then there was Vrinda bhabhi, who had suddenly started insisting on “girls’ nights.” Vrinda had eventually let slip whose idea it had been.

Munni had pretended not to notice.

But she had.

The only thing she didn’t know was why.

Was it guilt?

Friendship?

Or something else entirely?

The last time they had stood face to face — in that quiet dawn courtyard — it had felt like Ritik wanted to say something.

Or maybe she had imagined it.

Maybe she had only seen what she wanted to see.

Not this time.

This time, she wouldn’t hide behind silence.

She would say what she felt.

And if it ended in heartbreak again…

At least she would know. She would move on this time, maybe shift to a new place and leave the only family she had known behind.

Munni straightened her dupatta, squared her shoulders, and stepped inside the Virani house.

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Ritik was busy managing the guests, the kids, making sure the ladies seated around the mehendi area had enough food and drinks while they got their hands decorated. At the same time, he was trying his best not to stare at Munni.

The moment she had entered the living room, he had felt her presence.

She looked beautiful in her green floral lehenga, paired with light gold jewelry that caught the warm light of the room. More than that — she looked relaxed. Happy, even. Not like the tense lines he had seen on her forehead the last time she was here, and not like the guarded, professional expression she wore during their factory meetings.

She moved easily through the crowd, smiling as she greeted everyone. The kids gathered around her immediately, and she happily listened to their stories. Soon enough, the ladies dragged her to sit for mehendi.

Now she sat on the floor cushions in the center of the living room, one hand carefully held by the henna artist while the other rested under her chin. She listened intently as Garima and Sunny animatedly told her about their school adventures.

For a brief moment, she looked up.

Their eyes met.

Just a second.

A silent acknowledgement.

No words.

Ritik looked away first.

He picked up the tray he was holding and walked toward her. Bending slightly, he placed a steaming cup of tea on the small table beside her.

“Chai,” he said quietly.

For a moment, they looked at each other again — both seeming like they wanted to say something, but neither did.

He straightened and walked a few steps away.

Then—

“Aah!”

The sharp sound of pain cut through the chatter of the room.

Ritik turned around instantly.

The cup of tea he had placed moments earlier had toppled over, the hot liquid spilling across Munni’s hand.

She instinctively pulled back, wincing as the heat hit her skin.

Garima and Sunny froze beside her.

“Sorry Munni di! Humse galti ho gayi!”

“It’s okay… it’s okay,” Munni tried to reassure them, though her voice tightened with pain.

Ritik didn’t think.

He was beside her in seconds.

Gently, he took her hand, careful not to disturb the fresh mehendi. His other hand steadied her back.

“Chalo,” he said softly but firmly. “Isse saaf karna padega.”

Without waiting for her response, he guided her out of the living room towards the kitchen.

Sad that munni started avoiding virani functions too to avoid hrithik.angad telling him not to give too much of space which makes another 6 years pass away was nice.Hrithik rushing to munni when she got hurt was touching.

Is pari getting married to ajay?