Chapter 1:- FINALLY
Rati couldn't believe what she had heard, rather she didn't want to hear it. Believing was out of the question. She felt a stinging pain in her heart as she thought of it. No, Arjun cannot just leave the show.She forced herself against believing the harsh reality. She thought of it as a terrible nightmare and brushed it away.
But it wasn't just a scary nightmare, it was reality, reality which she couldn't bear to face. Her co-star Arjun was leaving Miley Jab Hum Tum for good. He had gotten a better offer and along with that he was displeased with the way the creatives had been playing around with his character.
No she cried in her mind, no Arjun you cannot leave the show, MJHT is incomplete without you! No DONT LEAVE! She hadn't spoken to him about it yet, truth was she couldn't bring herself to tell him not to leave, for her sake. It was wrong. But what was happening was also wrong.
Arjun had announced that he would be leaving MJHT ever since they started another Mayank-Nupur misunderstanding and fight. He felt it was too much. She agreed wholeheartedly with him, but was too attached to her character and show to leave it. Ever since Arjun announced his departure she felt excruciating pain.
The Creatives were planning on showing a massive fight between Mayank and Nupur, ending with Mayank storming out and going for a drive. He would meet with an accident and his face would get badly disfigured. Then he would be getting a plastic surgery and a new face.
Rati couldn't imagine someone else as Mayank except Arjun, her Arjun. She didn't know why she just thought of that. She applied her make-up and went out to give her shot, her last shot with him.
No it can't be, it just CAN'T! Rati forced herself to believe. How can Arjun just leave her and go. How can he leave MJHT and go? He was Mayank. The fans wouldn't accept anyone else as Mayank and most importantly, she wouldn't. She wouldn't. She couldn't. She just couldn't accept someone as Mayank except Arjun.
She walked into the outhouse set quietly, not saying anything. She glanced around the room and didn't see him. Had he left without a final goodbye to her? No that couldn't be possible. He hasn't given his last shot with me yet. She paced around the room restlessly, worried as hell. Where was he?
"Hey guys," she heard a warm, familiar voice. She turned and saw him standing, flashing his million-dollar smile to everyone.
"So ready Arjun?" Mohit asked. "To give your last shot?"
"Yup dude," Arjun said, hi-fiving Mohit. "Ready as ever."
Ready as ever? Is all this just so unimportant to him? Rati was greeted by a smiling Sanaya. Rati smiled faintly, it not reaching her eyes. While talking to her on-screen sister, her eyes kept fleeting towards Arjun who was talking to everyone animatedly.
That is Arjun. Spreading happiness as always. I know he is upset. I wish he would just say it out.
"Arjun, Rati come to give your last shot together," the director called. His words stung. She nodded and walked towards the living room set. Arjun smiled at her and advanced towards a hug. She stepped behind and looked away. He looked at her with a confused expression.
"Getting into character," Rati said, almost reading his mind. "We are supposed to be fighting."
Arjun looked at Rati's eyes and saw that it was deep red. Had she been crying?
"What's wrong?" he asked, softly, tilting her chin up.
With great difficulty Rati met his eyes. His passionate eyes poured into her eyes, asking her a million questions, mainly the one question. Wont you miss me? Rati shook her head, trying to make this easier for both of them. She thought of acting all cheerful around him so that he wouldn't feel bad.
"Guys get back to the scene please," the director said.
Arjun and Rati shot the scene with such finesse that it looked like they were really going through such a fight. Finally it was the time, the time for them to utter their last word to each other on the show.
"Main jaa raha hoon Nupur," Arjun said. "Mujhe tumse baath karke apna time barbaad nahin karna chahta."
"Jao jao," Rati said. "Tumhe kaun rok raha hain."
With this, Arjun advanced towards the door. Rati froze. Realization finally hit her. Those were the last words they spoke to each other on the show. Their last scene, their last shot. Her heart couldn't take the piercing pain anymore and she collapsed onto the ground, tears flowing out of her eyes. The tears didn't stop and she didn't want them to. She had been carrying this pain for so long, it becoming numb but today it all came out. She couldn't take it any longer. She didn't care who was watching her. She knew the door would shut any moment, indicating that they were no longer in the same frame together. But it didn't.
Arjun turned back to look at Rati and was aghast at the sight that met his eyes. She was on the floor crying her heart out. He ran towards her and hugged her tightly. Rati looked up with deep red eyes, tears flowing out. Arjun didn't know how to react when she cried. She had cried in front of him only once before and that was when his hand was fractured a year ago.
The director got frustrated and wanted to get back to shoot, but some crew members understood that Arjun and Rati need to be alone at this moment. They made they director understand. The two of them had to release the pent-up feelings and emotions within themselves. Within five minutes the two of them were alone.
Arjun took her onto a bench and made her sit there. Rati wiped her tears and pulled herself from Arjun's hands. She looked down and wiped away her tears. She felt the pain again as Arjun touched her shoulder and she shook his hand away.
"Leave me alone Arjun," she said.
"I will Rati," he said. "Today is my last day of shoot. I will leave you."
"Go now only why do you want to talk to me?" she asked angrily. "Leave me and go! Isn't that what you want to do?"
"Rati why are you talking like this?" Arjun asked making her face him.
"Don't act as if you don't know anything Arjun," Rati screamed. "When you have taken the decision to leave me why are you asking me all this?"
"Is my leaving the show what this is all about?"Arjun asked. "You are crying because I'm leaving?"
"I don't want to talk to you," Rati said. "Go away."
"Rati understand," Arjun said.
Rati got up and looked at him.
"How do you think I'm feeling about the whole thing? Have you ever thought about that?" Rati asked. "Others may miss you, but you don't know how impossible it will be for me to work on this show after you leave."
"Rati," Arjun said. "You don't know hard is it for me to do this. I will miss you too."
"Miss me?" Rati asked. "Arjun I don't know what to say."
"Rati I-,"
"HOW CAN I SEE SOMEONE ELSE AS MAYANK SHARMA?" Rati asked. "HOW CAN I LET SOMEONE ELSE GET CLOSE TO ME?"
"Rati calm down," Arjun said. "You will get used to it."
"Will you get used to it?" Rati asked calmly, looking into his deep eyes.
Arjun paused, unable to answer. Would he get used to it? No, he wouldn't. He couldn't imagine a day without seeing the happy, smiling Rati, spreading sunshine everywhere she went. He would miss her terribly, heck! He couldn't even imagine how hard it would be for him after today. The SBB segments, the SBS segments when he sang songs for her, he meant it. He liked her, a lot. How would he be able to spend even a day without Rati, his Rati.
"Don't you have an answer Mr. Arjun Bijlani?" Rati asked. "I demand one."
"Rati...," Arjun said. "I will get used to it."
"Don't lie to me Arjun," Rati said. "I can see through you."
"Rati I will forget," Arjun said.
"Like hell you will forget," Rati said and hit his shoulder. "How dare you say that? How dare you say you will forget me? How dare you?"
Saying this she hugged him tightly, pulling him closer to her. Tears flowed again and she sobbed onto his comforting chest, unable to keep her feelings within her anymore. Arjun held her close and hugged her tightly. He wanted her to be this close to him, today and forever.
"How can you leave me and go when I love you?" Rati asked. "I love you so much."
Arjun froze. He didn't know whether he had just heard her right. Had she just told him that she loved him? Had she really spoken those three words he had being dying to hear from her?
Rati also froze in his arms. She couldn't believe what she had just told him. She loved him? How could it be possible? After all they were just friends! How could she love him?
Then she realized what had been happening to her for a long while now. Why she felt butterflies when he was around her, why she felt so miserable when he was off the sets and why she was dying because he was leaving the show. All these questions pointed to one answer, that she loved him. She always had, hadn't she?
She just then realized she had just spoken out those words to him. What would he think of her? Will their long and beautiful friendship break because of a mistake of hers? She tried to free herself from his grasp, but he just held onto her tighter.
"I love you too Rati," Arjun said, kissing her forehead. "I love you much more than you can imagine."
Rati's heartbeat increased and she slowly looked up, into his eyes. She noticed there were tears in them.
"Yes, I love you Rati," Arjun said.
"I love you Arjun," she said. "Don't ever leave me and go."
Arjun shook his head and wiped away her tears.
"I wont," he said.
Rati felt happiness creep up through her as she held onto the man she loved, never to let go. Just then the director and the crew members came there.
"Arjun can we have you here for your accident and driving shot?" the director asked.
"There is no need for that," Arjun said. "Because I'm not leaving."
The director looked at him in amazement.
"Now we will have to re-write the whole script," he said.
"Okay while you are doing that can Rati and I have some time out for ourselves?" Arjun asked.
Rati blushed at hearing this comment.
"Sure go ahead," the director mumbled.
With this, Arjun Bijlani and Rati Pandey walked out of the sets, to spend some time together, alone. They had confessed their love, finally.
End of Chapter 1. Yup, it starts from their confession, aka, my wonderful dream😳 Rest of the FF is their story of being in love, etc, etc. Love, Nidz
Ishaani
Cricket
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