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Dil Pe Kisi Ne Dastak Di,
Tum Ho Ya Tanhayi Hai,
Jagte Hai Wo Aankhon Mein,
Jisne Neend Churayi Hai,
Hosh Ude Hai Aaj Hawaon Ke,
Jaane Kiski Khushbu Aayi Hai,
Tumse Milkar Bhi Tumse Doori Hai,
Pyaar Mein Fasla Zaroori Hai,
Chahe Milna Ho Ya Bichhadna Ho,
Ek Kahani Abhi Adhuri Hai...
***
"Tum takleef mat karo, mein apne aapko sambhal saktha hoon...raat bohaut ho chuki hai...tum jaake so jao" Arjun avoided meeting her eyes. He turned to look away and both stood in silence for a moment. Arjun, suddenly, made defined steps toward the staircase. Arohi's worry filled gaze followed his right wounded hand, which was still bleeding, as he took his firm steps away from there. Arohi, to both Arjun's and her surprise, calls out "Rukhiye" Arjun's feet immediately halt, in their tracks, upon hearing her soft voice. He remained facing away from her. Arohi not knowing why she called out, begins to play with her saree pallu, nervously. Arjun turned his head slightly to let her know that he was listening.Arohi looked up, towards him, she stood silent for a while before she spoke: "Err...woh..." her voice stuttering. "Aap ne khaana nahin kaya...mum ne kaha na, ke kaali pet mein mat sona...waise bhi swasth ke liye acha nahin hai...umm...you go ahead upstairs...mein khaana lekar aathi hoon" Arohi finishes and turns around. As she is about to go get the food, his husky vioce stops her in her tracks."No!" he blurted out sternly, tumhe yeh sab karne ki kor zaroorat nahin hai, mujhe bhook nahin hai...don't bother" Arjun finished as he continued to head to the stairs and up to his room. Arohi turns around and watches him leave. For some strange reason she felt a pinch as he walked away alone. Arohi shook her head in disbelief and turned and went into the kitchen. She stared at the food that was sitting out waiting for him. This guy seriously needs to be taught the importance of eating... Arohi thought as she walked over grabbed and plate and tray and started to fill it with food. Aaj subah bhi, unhone khaana theek se khaya nahi...are khana toh door unhone ne toh usse chua bhi nahin...and if I remember correctly...someone said that this man doesn't eat food made outside of this house..toh yeh aadmi kis chees pe jeetha hai?...what does he think...he's some buddha that can survive on one grain of rice (<- credits to Tink for this line lol i just had to use it ) Arohi thought over Arjun's unhealthy habits...although he doesn't eat food outside, which is good, but looks like he doesn't eat at all.. Arohi hated when people neglected food, it was one of her pet peeve's, she always made sure those around her ate properly. She would even give her food to people who were unfortunate if she ever bumped into anyone of that sort. Log kaise khaana bhool jathe hai? ...it's ridiculous...I mean I understand if you can't afford it then what can you do ...but when your so fortunate to have food ...and don't eat it...and then it just ends up in the trash eventually...Arohi shakes her head at the thought of some peoples behaviors. Arohi finishes loading the tray. She puts the remainder of food in the refrigerator and goes to grab a glass of water. and then coming home late...what is that about ...what work does he do that he requires his whole life to revolve around that only...he says he's usually gone most of the day...and when he is home I've noticed he's drowned in his files...if I didn't know any better, I would say this man was looking for excuses to avoid being around ...avoid interactions with his family...or anybody for that matter Arohi placed the water on the tray and lifted the tray heading out of the kitchen. Our relationship may be strained...lekhin isse koi farak nahin padtha...inko aaj mein khaali pet sone nahin doongi Arohi determined, takes her steps up the stairs. She walked in the room, and saw him sitting facing away from her on the bed. She put the tray on the table near her and looked at Arjun who was struggling to bandage himself up. She watched him not knowing whether she should help him or not. She didn't know what he would think. But as she watched him struggle, she just pushed those thoughts aside and headed toward him. Arjun was oblivious to the fact that Arohi had entered the room until he felt her shadow fall on him. She made her way to stand in front of him. Arjun glances over at her quickly and then continues to bandage his hand without any success.Arohi looks down at Arjun, who's still sitting on the bed. Mein itna kyun soch rahi hoon?...agar koi aur hota, koi ajnabi bhi...toh mein uski madat bina jhijak karti ...toh iss baar mein aise kyun react kar kahi hoon...mere rukne ka koi karan toh hoi nahi sakta...haina... Arohi thought as Arjun completely ignored her presence. She looked at him and moved forward a bit " Err...umm... laaye..mein aapki madat kar deti hoon" Arohi put her hand forward reaching toward the bandage. Arjun looks up to see her hand moving closer and immediately pulls his hand back, "Mein theek hoon, kudh kar saktha hoon" he spoke as he looked away and tried again. She shakes her head in disbelief at his stubbornness. It was clear there was no way he was going to do it himself. Getting fed up watching him fail miserably, she rolls her eyes throwing her head up in the air and snaps "Hai Baghwaan! Aap fikar na karein..mein kaatoon ghi nahi" she said flustered with his behavior " Saaf saaf dikh raha hai, ki aap se nahin roha hai... abh zidd chodho...mera baandh ne se aap mar nahin jaoge...pakka ...now hand it over" Arohi stands with her hand open palmed in front of him, waiting for him to give her the bandage. Arjun doesn't react. He sat there surprised at her sudden change her tone. He had never expected her to be so bold, she seemed like the reserved, quiet type. Arohi suddenly just snatches it out of his hand only to have him immediately snatch it back. Arjun was getting irritated at her behaviour "Don't make me say it again!" his voice rough "Maine kaha na, khud kar sakta hoon" fikar karne ka natak chod de...jaa yahan se" he said harshly. Arohi is taken aback by his comment and points her finger at him "hey excuse me...kisne kaha ke mein natak kar rahi hoon?" Arjun confused with her question, he didn't understand why she was suddenly worried for him. Arohi looked agitated "Mein natak nahin kar rahi hoon...mein kisi ko zakhmi nahin dekh sakthi...chaahe woh aap ho, Romit ho, mum ho...ya koi aur ho...so don't get any ideas okay..." Arohi kneeled down on both knees in front of Arjun and pulled his hand carefully but forcefully. She didn't bother about the bandage. Instead she reached into the first-aid kit and pulled out the cotton puffs and some normal saline to clean his wound. Arjun decided there was no point in arguing as it seemed as though she wasn't going to leave and he did know that it would take him forever to do it himself anyway. Arjun looks up, staring into space in front, feeling defeated "Kyun kar rahi hai yeh sab? Kyunki mum ne kaha tha? he asks curiously. She glances up at him and then focuses on his wound again. "Nahin" she said loudly so he get's that she means it. "Mein aisi hi hoon...dekhiye aap agar koi ajnabi bhi hote, tab bhi mein yeh karti...agar ek gali ka kutha bhi hota" Arohi says casually as Arjun jerks his head in her direction "toh bhi mein fikar karthi" she finishes. "Toh mein tere liye gali ka kutha hoon?" he asked teasingly with a hint of irritation in his tone. Arohi paused what she was doing and looked up at Arjun who turned his head to look forward again. "uh No i didn't mean that" she felt the need to explain "mera matlab tha ke agar mein ek gali ke kutha ke liye fikar kar sakthi hoon, toh phir mujhe aap ke liye kyun nahin...aap toh mere..." Arohi stops speaking not knowing how to finish that line, she looks down and finishes up wiping the wound. Both were silent for a while. "Tumhe yeh sab karne ki koi zaroorat nahin...mein kudh se..." Arohi interrupts him "kuch mat kehna! Aap aur mein ...dono jaanthe hai ki aap akele...ek haath se...yeh sa nahin kar sakte the". Arohi puts the stuff she was using off to the side and grabs the bandage out of Arjun's hand. She begins to gently wrap it around starting from the lower forearm, working towards his palms. The wound was deep...it looked like something quite sharp dug right into his hands and was dragged across. Arjun sat silent as he knew she was right. He looks down at Arohi, who is concentrating on wrapping the bandage properly. "Thanks" he said calmly and looked away quickly. Arohi looked up surprised at this sudden change in mood. She smiled as her eyes expressed her surprise. Arjun caught this from the corner of his eyes. "Mein aapse kuch puchoo?" Arohi asked suddenly, Arjun looked at her "hmm" he nodded. "I have been thinking about this...and I can't seem to understand you.." Arjun looks on curiously. "Aap ki problem kya hai?" Arohi avoid meeting his eyes. "Matlab?" he asked confused his mood seemed a bit more heated now. Arohi secures the end of the bandage and then brings her hands down. She looked at him a while before continuing on "Would it kill you to smile?" Arjun looks at her what was she trying to say? he thought. Arohi continued to speak as she stood up and moved back a little towards the table. His eyes followed her. "Aap aise jeethe ho jaise koi mayine hi nahin raktha...aap kudh bhi nahin...aap apne gham mein itne doob chuke hai, lekhin aap ko andaaza hai ki aapki mum aur Romit ko apne saath leja rahe hai" Arjun is processing what Arohi is saying "Do you see that they can read your every thought...I can see they both worry for you and your happiness...and seeing you, avoiding living your life...always consumed with work " Arohi turns and walks towards the window. "mum aur Romit aapke liye jeethe hai, bohat pyaar karte hai aapse ...aur shayad aap ke liye mar bhi sakte hai...did you hear their worried voices downstairs...there was more than just concern for your wound...there was fear there too...what are you doing with your life" Arohi stands playing with the curtains by the window. Arjun stands up suddenly, shocked at what she is saying. Not even two whole days here and she already caught all this. Arjun stood silently, in thoughts and listening. He knew she was right. He does avoid life but he had his reasons. The one person he would live that life happily for was no longer with him...and the only reason he was there now was for mum and Romit. His train of thought is interrupted as Arohi's lecture continues "It's like you don't see the value of the two people who only breathe for you. You're so into your own world that you don't see that they know that you are unhappy... Bas ek baar aap apni duniya se nikhal kar dekhiye...dekhiye un chehron ko, jo aap ko dekhthe hai...koshish kijiye ke sirf ek din ke liye aap aapne gham ko bhulake unhe kush karne ke liye jiye...Mujhe patha hai ke kisi khaas ke bichadne ka ehsaas hai aapko...aur yeh aap ki dukh ka karan bhi hai, par kya aap ko ehsaas hai ke aap ki udaasi sab ki udaasi hai" Arjun looks away from her and stares a the side wall. "Aap sab ko kudh se alag rakhte hai, par kahin aisa na ho ke sab aap se itna dhoor chale jaye ke wapas bulane pa laut ke na aaye" Arohi turns around to see Arjun, he is not looking at her. She was hoping something she was saying was actually registering. He was so silent, which made her fear more as she couldn't judge his reaction. "Mujhe pata hai ke aap ke ateet ne aap ko bohat dard diya hai, aur mein yeh nahin kehti ke usse buladho...but at least try to live past it for the sake of those who are with you right by your side. Don't let what's in your hands slip out because of a scar from the past.
***
Arjun looks at Arohi, and remains silent. "What are you proving by living a sad life?" not smiling, keeping conversations minimal, drowning yourself with work...files...aren't you getting tired? How can you just live like that? Have some fun, lighten up... smile ...trust me that would do so much for mum...just smile and everyone will smile along with you. Push your sadness aside...don't be selfish...if not for yourself, then live for those who are there for you...your loved ones. For those people who, if you let them, will show you that life is not that bad afterall...yeah you'll get bumps and bruises along the way, but you yourself are the one stopping those from not healing. Arjun finally speaks looking straight at Arohi . "unhi ke liye toh jee raha hoon...warna yeh shaadi..." Arjun stops speaking and looks away. "kabhi nahin hoti...I know but unfortunately for both of us...yeh hogaya...aur aap ki family ko achi tarha se pata tha, ke aap bhi yeh shaadi nahin karna chahte aur aapne sirf unke liye kiya...woh sirf aap ko khush dekhna chahte hai...and how long before they see we're both unhappy. What do you think that will do to them when they're hopes crash to the floor? Agar aap sach mein unke liye jee rahe hai, toh ek robot ki tarha unki baat maan na hi nahin...unhe dikhaiye ke aap koshish kar rahe hai...ek normal zindagi jeene ki...jisme andhera kam aur roshni zyada hai" Arjun turns towards her and before he can say anything she speaks again "hamare families chahte hai ki hum ek doosre ke liye aise feelings share kare, jo exist nahin karte...aur shayad honge bhi nahin ...aur agar hume unhe khush karna hai, unhe yakeen dilakar...toh hum yeh karenge...we will do whatever it takes ...I don't know why but mum ka caring nature...har din mein unhe dekhthi hoon, aur woh mujhe inti pyaar se pukaarti hai ke I start to feel guilty...but mein chahti hoon ki unko woh khushi mile, jo sirf aap unhe de sakthe hai ...aap ko todha toh badalna hoga...aur hume aur achi acting karni padegi" Arjun walks over to Arohi, standing facing her "What are you trying to say ...that we should ..." frustrated at the thought of having to act like he loves her he throws his hands in the air while turning to the side "we can't ..." Arohi interupts him "be friends?" she asked completing his thought, knowing very well thats not what he was going to say...Arjun taken aback by her question "Kya? Friends?" Arohi nods her head and moves to face him "Haan friends..." she smiles "Kyun? Koi problem hai kya?" she asked teasingly trying to lighten the mood a bit. She knew she talked a lot in fact she did not even expect to. It kind of just spilled out. Arjun looks at her surprised, it was visible that the comment had created a certain comfort level with the whole situation. He shakes his head 'no' implying it's not a problem but is confused as to what she is trying to say."I think what we need is a label for this relationship or whatever it is we have...if we accept each other as friends...knowing the other person has no such feelings of love then everything should be easier right? Is se mood halka hojayega..aur awkward mehsoos karne ke baje hum unke comments ke hasenge. Yeh jo hichkichahat hai hamare beech mein, jo benaam ehsaas hume baanh raha hai ek rishte mein..wohi hum dono ko bechain kartha hai...it makes us feel uncomfortable with each other. If we consider each other friends, get to know the other like that, talk casually, and just behave like friends...everyone will see that bond as love ..we know it's not but it will keep everyone happy...I mean people have mistaken friendship to be love so many times...and that's what we want to happen here...and it will also make our job easier...it's not hard" Arohi finished as she looked a Arjun hoping he would be ok with the idea. Arjun was staring at her in awe, while in his own thoughts Mujhe nahin patha tha ke yeh ladki itna bol bhi sakti hai...ab tak toh yeh itna chup thi...zaroorat aane par hi bolti thi...par aaj isse kya hogaya? ...what the hell happened today? Is it even the same girl? Kahan chupa kar rakha apne is 'Jhansi ki Rani' avtaar ko? ...having the audacity to stand here and lecture me...but she's right...maybe this will be easier if we become friends? ...Sarita aur Romit jaante the ki mein aage badne ke liye tayaar nahin tha...shaadi ke liye...lekin unke liye kiya maine...lekin agar mein aise ajeeb vyavhaar kartha raha...toh ek na ek din unhe pata toh chal hi gaayega... Arjun was in deep thought when Arohi's voice interrupted him "Arrey, mein inti buri bhi nahin hoon jo aap ko inta sochna pad raha hai, mujhse dosti karne ke liye..." Arohi suddenly sticks her hand out in front of him. "So what do you say? Mujhse dosti karoge?" Arjun looks down at her hand and then back at her face. He then raises his right hand and shows her his bandaged hand. Arohi upon realizing she can't shake the hand, lowers her hand. She looks at him and squints her eyes a bit "so that means ...yes?" she smiled Arjun lips curve into a smile too. Arohi nods happily "Arrey wah ...so you do know how to smile...aap pe yeh smile acha lagta hai...you seem more normal now" Arohi teased "Pata hai...main soch bhi nahin saktha tha ki tum inta bol bhi sakti ho" he said as he walked toward the bed. Arohi's eyes follow his figure "Uh, aap kahan ja rahe hai?" Arjun turns around, stopping in his tracks "I'm going to do what normal people do at this time ...sleep" he teased "Uh no you're not...abhi nahin...aur tab tak nahin jab tak is kaali pet mein main kuch bhara na dhoo" Arohi said as she pointed towards the food tray. Arjun looked to where she pointed and looked back at her. "Maine bataya tha ki mujhe nahin khana...mujhe bhook nahin hai" he said seriously. "Well jitna mein aap ko jaanti hoon...aap ko sirf ghar ka kaana acha lagtha hai...aur aaj toh aap poora din ghar pe the nahin...iss ka matlab aapne kuch khaya hi nahin...and here you can know something about me now...I HATE it when people don't eat properly...so I suggest...aap ke bhalayi ke liye...don't get on my nerves and eat...and if you argue I will force it down your throat" Arjun looks at her shocked "so you have violence hidden deep in you too eh" he teased as he walks over to the table to eat. Truth is he was hungry..but he just didn't want to bother with it. Arohi smiled and followed behind. Both were surprised at how natural they seemed to fit in the picture now...they just decided they would try to be friends but the strain seems to already have disappeared. Arohi was also in shock as to what she had said throughout the night. She never expected to say so much. Arjun sits down and struggles because of his hand. Arohi notices and goes to help. She sets the food properly in front of him and searches for a spoon. She realizes she must've forgotten it. Arjun looks at her and Arohi looks up at him then decides to just use her hands. Arjun looked at her surprised as she suddenly brought the morsel of food to his mouth. He moves his head back and looks at her confused."Do you really want to see my violent side...I told you I will force it down if I have to...now be a good boy and just eat it" she smiled. Arjun lips unconsciously curved into a smile. They seemed to have a better rapport this way. Arjun didn't argue, he opened his mouth and took the food in. Arjun was quite surprised with how her words actually got to him. What I became after that day...how could I not see what I was doing to mum...Romit ...they live to see my happiness and I couldn't see that they saw right through my happy act ... well I guess I knew that ...but I just wanted to believe that they had believed it...and her (Arohi)...she just made everything fall right into place so simply...it's strange...we just decided to do this friendship thing..and I already feel more at ease with the whole situation...I guess knowing that she only looks at me as a friend helps...but this will be good... Arjun thought as Arohi continued to feed him. Arohi suddenly looked up and spoke breaking Arjun's thoughts. "Uh...humein Romit ke bare mein kuch karna chahiye" Arohi stated casually. "Matlab?" Arjun asked confused. "Matlab...hum dono ko kareeb lane ke liye uski nautanki kuch zyada ho raha hai ...don't you think?" Arohi said as she fed him another morsel, her voice showed some irritation with the mention of Romit. "Matlab, woh mujhe pasand hai...aur mujhe lagta hai hamari khoob jamegi...and I know if I wasn't the victim of his teasing I would enjoy his character soo much more... lekin mein unfortunatly victim hoon ...hum dono hai...aur ab mein nahin seh sakti...toh please kuch kariye na..." Arohi pleads. Arjun laughs and starts coughing suddenly. Arohi quickly hands him the water. He drinks it then responds. "Shall I kill him?" he teased. Arohi looked at him annoyed with his reply. "Haan...uske chedkaani se toh hume bachke rehna padega...but Romit will be Romit. Woh aisa hi hai...hum usse badal nahin sakte... Aur yehi toh usse ...Romit banatha hai" Arjun gets interrupted. "I know his fun, lovable bubbly nature...I am fond of it too...but his brain thinks faster than you can imagine... his ability to think of such comments on the spot...he won't spare a single chance to embarrass us...and you know that...yes we'll now just laugh it off...but seriously I'd rather not get into that situation...some of the things he says...god does he hear himself..." Arohi finishes her complaint. "So what is it you want me to do..." Arjun asks curiously as he takes the last bit of his food in. Arohi looks up at him thinking ... "hmm...ek baar soch ke dekhiye...we just need to make sure we don't give him the chance to tease us...we should be ok...Woh bevakoof toh hai nahi aur aapko aachi tarah jaanta hai...aur usse yeh pata hai ki aap mujhse door rehne ki koshish kar rahe hai...he wants us to be closer right...that seems to be what he keeps trying to do.." Arohi says as she gathers everything onto the tray, cleaning up. "What are you suggesting?" Arjun asks. "Close the distance" Arohi says casually, as Arjun eyes widen "Matlab?" he asked confused. "Arrey, hum dost ke tarha rahenge sab ke saamne...agar hum ek saath bait kar...baatein karein...just interact well and he won't need to try and play cupid..." Arohi looks at Arjun. "Arohi, woh bacha nahin hai...ki achanak hamare bartvaar mein badhlaav dekh kar yeh soche ki humme pyaar hoyagaya hai...ya asia kuch ..." Arjun states. "Aap sahi keh rahe hai...woh bacha todhi na hai ...and normally no one would believe it...but seeing someone who hasn't been himself in years suddenly change...I think they would believe that we're actually accepting this relationship...and well we are technically...just not as husband-wife...but that they don't need to know" Arohi smiled "Right" Arohi took the tray in her hands and stood up, Arjun also stands. "Arohi, hum sirf dost ke tarha rahenge...todhe dino ke baad uska yeh ched-chaad sab rukh jaayega...woh toh sirf is liye kar raha hai kyun ki hamari nayi-nayi shaadi hui hai...usse thoda waqt do, woh apne aap chup hojayega...and anyway after the yelling this morning I don't think he'll bother us again...don't think about it too much...now lets get some sleep while the night is still young" Arjun smiles and walks off toward the bed. Arohi looks at him..."You'll see he won't stop...like you said Romit will be Romit..." She yelled after him and then walked towards the door to leave. Arjun turns around "Aye Arohi" he calls out. Arohi turns around. "Uh... Thanks" he says sweetly. "For what...oh for the food...yeah no problem" Arohi smiles. "Yeah for the food too...but also for this..." he shows his right bandaged hand. "Tu hai to bohat choti si lekin baate badi badi karti hai" Arohi smiled "I guess it's the quiet ones that bark" he teased. "Umm...are you calling me a dog now?" Both looked at each other and laughed. " Ey sun...teri baatein acchi lagti hai..."Arjun smiles and turns to head to the bed as Arohi turns to leave through the door. Both were glad that they had this conversation. They were glad that whatever tomorrow will bring they both were going to be ok with it. Arohi heads back upstairs after a little while and finds Arjun is already asleep. She also crawls into her side of the bed and soon falls asleep.
***
~ * ~ M o r n i n g ~ * ~
Arohi wakes up really early the next morning. She turns to her side and looks through the see-through curtain and notices Arjun is still sleeping peacefully. She quietly sneaks out of bed and goes for a shower. She comes out after a while, with her long hair wait, hanging loosely behind, dripping onto her jade green saree that had off yellow colored designs all over. Arohi clips the upper half of her hair together at the back and puts on her sindoor. She glances over at Arjun who began to stir a bit in his sleep. She turned towards him, once she was all ready. He looked as if he were shivering. She decided to cover him properly but when she walked closer to him she saw that he was sweating. Arohi looked confused. Suddenly Arjun pulled his covers over his head. Arohi just smiled and walked out of the room.
***
Arohi heads down the stairs and notices it's quiet. Since it was still early she figured everyone is probably still sleeping. Arohi decides that she will make breakfast and heads to the kitchen. She didn't know the family's likes and dislikes so she wasn't sure what to make. Arohi thought for a while and decided she would make her favorite, Puran Poli.
***
As Arohi is cooking, upstairs Arjun stirs in his sleep and ends up waking up. He notices Arohi is not there and figures she must be down. He gets up and heads to the bathroom. He comes out after a while in just his pants and his red towel around his neck. He goes into his cupboard and pulls out a cream colored kurta. He brings it with him in front of the mirror and places it down. He picks up a brush in his left hand and combs his hair.
Downstairs, Arohi has finished making breakfast. She places everything in a hot case and looks at the time. She figures everyone should be getting up soon and decides to make tea.
Back upstairs, Arjun throws on his kurta and struggles with the buttons. He tries a couple of times and then decides to just leave it unbuttoned. Arjun heads out of his room and down the stairs. He notices the silence and realizes no one must be up yet. He hears noises in the kitchen and figures it must be Arohi ...he wasn't sure why she was there so went to see. Arohi was just about finished making the tea, she was mixing the sugar in the cups. Arjun stands surprised to see Arohi making tea and the smell of the food...was making him hungry "I hope you plan on sharing those cups of tea" Arjun teased startling Arohi, who jumps a little hearing his voice suddenly. Arohi turns around to see Arjun standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. Arohi smiles "Good morning" Arjun nods "Good morning" Arohi glances at Arjun's hand. She notices that it's a bit swollen "How's your hand" Arjun looks down at it "Fine..." Arohi looks at him "Um ...shayad humein doctor ke paas jaana chahiye, yeh jaane ne ke lye ke sab kuch teek hai ya nahin" she suggested "Nah...Mein teek hoon...aisi choti baaton ke liye mujhe doctor ke pass jaane ki koi zaroorat nahin...jahan mein kaam karta hoon, yeh sab chalta hai " Arohi turns around and grabs one cup of tea and walks over to Arjun "choti si baat eh...this can become a big matter you know if you don't check it out..." she tries convincing him. "No Arohi, chinta mat kar...mein teek hoon" Arohi nods at Arjun and hands him the cup of tea. He takes it in his left hand "it's good Arohi" he says drinking the tea. Arohi smiles and then suddenly points at his kurta. "Umm...do you realize you haven't buttoned ..." before she finishes he nods "Uh ...haan...woh ...I tried but..." he said as he showed his bandaged hand to her. Arohi smiled ... Arohi then pointed at herself then at the kurtha buttons "er main karoon ...?" she offered to do up the buttons. Arjun looked down at the kurta and then back at her...and nodded a yes. Arohi steps closer and closes the buttons. She looks up and smiles and then looks away. Suddenly her smile fades. Arjun notices this "Kya hua" Arohi looked at Arjun and then looks away behind him. She closes her eyes. "Arey Arohi kya hua" Arjun asks a bit worried when he heard a voice from behind him. "Vah...Vah ..." Romit standing behind them at a distance. Arohi opens her eyes to see Arjun who realized that Romit was there and what the probably was. Arohi sees Arjun look up to the ceiling with an expression that said 'why did he have to come now'. Arjun looked at Arohi and Arohi gave him a look that says he's not going to spare us now. "kya zabardast jodi hai tum dono ki" Romit said as he walked closer to them. "Mujhe pata hai Bro ki is waqt tumhe apne ghayal haath pe bohat pyaar aa raha hai...Bhabhi ke inte kareeb aane ka mauka go mila hai" Romit runs his hand through his hair smiling big. Arohi's head jerks toward Romit as Arjun turns to face him, giving his glares. "Mera matlab...woh ab aapki pyaari baiko tayaar hone mein aapki madat jo kar sakti hai ..." Arohi and Arjun stare shocked at Romit , both get embarased. Arohi looks down. "Matlab..aapke ke kurte ki button lagane mein madat...aur mujhe yakeen hai ki Bhabhi toh yeh kaam kushi se kardengi...aap donu ke mann mein toh laado phoot rahe honge na ... but can you guy keep it behind closed doors...within four walls...waking up and seeing this first thing in the morning ...what my innocent eyes are subjected to...please control yourselves" Arohi cheeks turn red. His comments were just too much. "Romit" Arjun shouts "Bas kar!" Romit smiles "Arre Bro, aise chilla mat...mein jaa raha hoon...tum dono ko akela chodoonga...par pehle apni chai toh lene do mujhe ..." Romit runs into kitchen grabs a cup of tea and walks out smiling at both Arohi and Arjun who were watching. Romit leaves. Arjun turns to Arohi who looks at him annoyed. "Romit toh Romit hi rahe gya...lagta hai yeh kabhi sudre ga nahi" Arjun shrugs his shoulders. Arohi shakes her head and walks back into the kitchen to send mum her tea as Arjun leaves.
***
Half an hour later Sarita, Romit and Arjun are seated at the table to eat breakfast. Arohi brings out the food. She begins serving mum. "Arjun beta, your hand...it's swollen...you should go to the doc..." before Sarite could finish Arjun cut her off "Mein teek hoon mum...kuch nahin hai ...kuch dino mein teek hojayega..." Arjun brushes the topic off. Arohi while serving Sarita is staring at Arjun's hand. She then walked over to Arjun . Before she can serve him Romit's voice stops her. Both Arjun and Arohi look at him. "Bro...mujhe lagtha hai ki Bhabhi ne kal raat aap ka khaas khayal rakha hoga na" Arjun is glaring at Romit but this only makes him continue "mera matlab she banadged your hand nicley ..but maybe a little too tight?" Arohi and Arjun stared at him confused. Sarita just sat silently listening. " I mean it's so tight it's swelling.." Arohi and Arjun looked at each other and then at Romit. They were more confused as they expected a teasing comment. "Arrey Bro, what did you do to Bhabhi that she gave you such a punishment..." Romit teased. Arohi looked down as Arjun glared at Romit. Sarita smiled as she watched both Arjun and Arohi's reaction. Arohi gives Arjun a look that says 'he won't spare any chance'. Arjun looks down at his food to avoid Arohi's gaze. Romit had noticed that Arjun and Arohi were interacting better but he was sure there was still a certain distance between them. Arohi walks over to Romit and almost just throws the food into his plate while giving him rude looks. Romit avoids looking at her and just eats his food. Arohi also takes a seat beside Arjun and across from Romit. "Wow Bhabhi...you are so sweet ...making Bro's favorite dish when he's unwell..." Arohi looks up shocked to hear that her fav dish is his fav as well. Romit continues "but why not be sweeter and feed him...the poor guy isn't able to eat it...he's in so much pain na ...just look at him staring at the food not knowing what to do like a little kid...I'm sure woh aapke haathon khushi se kha leinge anyway...come on Bhabhi" Romit gestured toward Arjun. Both of them gave him harsh glares at him. Romit smiles "Bhabhi...the yesterday I told you to make him stop staring at me like that and now you too joined him...yeh bohat bari na insaafi hai...". Both were getting annoyed. Sarita noticed this and decided to divert the topic " Arohi beta...you cook well...Puran poli is really good..." Sarita praises Arohi as she reaches over to Arjun's plate and breaks the food and feeds him. Arjun happily eats from Sarita's hands. Arohi smiles watching them. Sarita watches Arjun eat and she notices he is different. She watches him and then decides to pull his leg a little "Now you tell me, who makes your favorite food better...me or Arohi?" Sarita asked teasingly. Romit smiled "Good question I would like to hear the answer to this too...are you going to say Arohi and make mum feel bad or are you going to put down the food Arohi made with so much love?...come on say it.." Romit asks teasingly. Arjun sat silently looking at the Romit and Sarita who were waiting for and answer. Arohi thought for a while and then quickly finished her food and shot up out of her seat. Romit, Arjun and Sarita turned to look at her. "Kya hua beta" Sarita asks observing that Arohi's face was quite discomforted suddenly. "tum theek toh ho na?" Sarita asked worried as Arjun and Romit look on concerned. Arohi shakes her head 'no' and says "Mein theek hoon" and goes to leave but suddenly clutches on to the chair with one hand and her stomach with the other. Her face looks pained. All three stand up worried as Arjun automatically goes to support her, placing his hand on her back "Kya hua Arohi " he asks again. "Kuch nahin...mein teek hoon ..tori der aaram karoogi toh theekho jaongi" Arohi starts to walk away. "Arohi Beta...you don't look well... " Sarita starts when Romit interrupts " haan Bhabhi...let's go to the doctor..." Sarita nods agreeing. "Nahin!" she kind of yelled, surprising everyone. "Sach much mein teek hoon". Sarita shakes her head in disapproval and orders Arohi to go to the doctor. "Nahin mum...I don't like hospitals ...mein teek hoon" Romit smiles "wow just like Bro...rab ne bana di jodi he to hates going to doctors..." Arohi looks at Romit while Arjun pays no attention to him. Arjun walks closer to Arohi "Who does like hospitals? Aur Arohi abh tum bachon ki tarah behave karna bandh karo aur chalo... Chalo na abh " Arohi looks at Arjun in thoughts. Arohi doesn't move so Arjun just drags her with him. Sarita is happy seeing Arjun like that and Romit also stands smirking at the two. "Romit, gadi nikal" Arjun says as he pulls Arohi with him. Romit rushes in front of them and goes to get the car. Arohi smiles watching Arjun. Arohi stops in her tracks making Arjun turn around, he looks at her "leave me...I don't want to go...i will be fine...I don't need to" ..Arjun interrupts. "You're clearly are in pain...don't be stubborn...if you fear hospitals or doctors...toh aaj uss darr ka samna karne ka time aagaya hai...abh chup chap betho...zyada nakhre mat kar aur chal" Arjun drags her and opens the back door for her and gestures her to get in. Arohi looks at him then gets in as she hides her smile.
***
They arrive at the hospital. Arjun tells her to go but she sits unmoved. Arjun rolls his eyes and gets out of the car. He then opens her door and pulls her to come out. Arjun noticed she didn't look like she was in pain anymore but he figured it's best to go check anyway. Romit goes to park the car. Arjun lead her into the hospital and knocked on the doctors door. When they hear the doctor tell them to come in, the doctor stood facing away as Arjun and Arohi approached. They both were at his table when he turned around and looked surprised. "Arohi beta...tu yahan?" he asked smiling. Arjun looked on confused as Arohi smiled "Hi Sharma Uncle...how are you?" Dr.Sharma smiled. "I'm good...I heard about your wedding...I'm so sorry I couldn't make it...this must be your husband" Arohi looked at Arjun's confused face and smiled "Haan, Arjun Sriram Patil" Both nodded their heads at each other "toh kya hua beta...is what's wrong...why are you here?" he asked concerned. "Woh actually doctor she" Arjun starts speaking as he points at Arohi when she interrupts "nothing...nothing is wrong with me" Arjun looks at her surprised, suddenly Arohi takes his right hand and place it on the table "Yeh...yehi hai problem...dekhiye isse...it's swelling...and actually it feels hot too" Arjun looks shocked at Arohi as Dr.Sharma looks at the bandaging. "Actually he got hurt at work yesterday and well he refused to go to the hospital so I did the dressing last night...but this morning when I woke up I noticed he looked like he was shivering but then was sweating at the same time...I guess a fever was starting..." Arjun was dumbfounded at what was going on. He was shocked that Arohi had just did all that drama to get him to the doctor. He was surprised at how much she had caught on to..."And look now his hand is also swelling...I think it's an infection?" Arohi looks straight at Arjun. Dr. Sharma says "haan beta...it's probably getting infected. I will take a look myself and then redo the dressing...don't worry ok" Arohi smiles at him "Ok uncle...I'll wait outside" she gets up to leave. Arjun watches her go still shocked.
***
Outside Arohi bumps into Romit. Romit looks around for Arjun and then just asks her where he is. Arohi wasn't sure what to tell him. She stood looking here and there. "Bhabhi...mein tumse pooch raha hoon...Bro kahan hai?" Arohi looks at Romit "woh ...he's inside with the doctor..." she quickly walks past him off to the side where the chairs are and sits down. Romit follows her and sits down beside her. "Toh doctor ne kya kaha?" he asked curiously. "Kuch nahi...acutally pata nahi" Romit looks at her confused "matlab? The doctor didn't tell you anything? oh ho ...kya Bro tumhare liye saari jhaankaari patha karke tumhe bahar bejh diya aaraam karne ke liye?" he teased. Arjun and Dr.Sharma had arrived there just in time to hear Romit's comment and looked at each other and stood silent. Arohi glanced over at Romit and smiled. As Arjun and Dr.Sharma were about to move closer to them, they stopped hearing Arohi . "Actually Romit...tum sahi ho, woh mere liye hi andhar hai...getting treatment" Arjun and Dr.Sharma looked on confused. "Kya? We bring you to the hospital to see the doctor and he is getting treatment?" Romit asked confused. "Haan Romit tumhe pata nahin... agar mein bemaar padjaoon toh ilaaj ki zaroorat inko paregi...tum filme nahin dekhthe...yeh toh hamesha hota hai...jaise ki, jab hero ko chot lagtha hai toh dard ka ehsaas heroine ko hota hai ...yeh bhi kuch aisa hi hai" Arohi bites her lip from laughing. Dr.Sharma shakes his head watching Arohi as Arjun couldn't help but smile at her pulling Romit's leg. Romit sat silently confused. " Yeah so I had the pain ...and he is getting the treatment...it's simple Romit...go watch some romantic movies you'll see for yourself...couples always have weird connections like that". Suddenly Romit and Arohi look up hearing Dr.Sharma laugh. Arjun and Dr.Sharma make their way closer to Arohi and Romit. Arohi is a little embarrassed that they heard that. "I see you haven't changed at all Arohi.." Arohi smiles and stands up along with Romit. Arjun and Arohi avoid each other's eyes. "On a serious note, Arohi , Arjun's hand will be fine in no time...just make sure he takes the medicines and you will have to dress his wound twice daily. Making sure to clean it well...I already did one for today so you can do another one in the evening" Dr.Sharma is explaining to Arohi as Romit realizes that Arohi must've made this drama to get Arjun to the hospital. He smiles at that thought. Romit looked at Arjun who was watching Arohi. Romit smiles as Arjun is thinking about how slickly this girl planned to get him here ...no planned to make him go there on his own...he had no idea. Romit was sure now that these two were definitely comfortable with each other...but he could still see there was some distance and he was sure that romance was definitely not there. He knew his Bro...he wouldn't move on that quickly, but Romit is determined to make sure he does forget Supriya and fall for Arohi. Romit also noticed that Arjun's behavior has changed, he definitely seemed normal again. The Arjun he knew once upon a time. He was grateful to Arohi for that...he was sure she had to have done something...now only to get him to realize that Arohi is now his wife...his life. Dr.Sharma says he needs to attend another client and bids goodbye. As Arjun and Arohi turn to face each other for a little bit and then at Romit they notice him smiling a lot at them. Romit doesn't say a word and walks right passed both of them, heading to get the car. This left Arjun and Arohi surprised. "Mujhe pakka yekeen tha ke yeh zaroor kuch kahega..." Arohi says looking after Romit. Arjun smiles "I guess tumhare mazaak ne usse chup kara diya...so it's my understanding that teasing people is something you do often too eh?" he asked smiling...Arohi looked down embarrassed. "So I guess what goes around comes around" he winks and walks to leave. Arohi follows him silently.
***
Romit is waiting in the car. Arjun gets into the front while Arohi gets in that back. Romit turned to Arjun "Kya hai yeh Bro?" Arjun looked at Romit confused as Arohi looked up at Romit too. Romit turned sideways so both could see him well. "Bhabhi ne kaha na...ke jab ek ko dard hota hai, doosre ko uska ehsaas hota hai ..." both look at him "Tumhare haath mein toh chot lagi hai na..toh dard toh waha peeche lag raha hoga" he said pointing toward Arohi "toh you should be back there comforting the crying soul" Romit laughed "Bhabhi ne kitna nautanki kiya, tujhe yahan laane ke liye ...sach mein...Bhabhi ko bohat dard mehsoos hua hoga na..." Arjun glares at Romit. "Bro..mujhe gussa nahin aayega...you have my permission and blessings to go sit back there" Romit began laughing again. Arjun turns to look out the window, and he notices Arohi rolling her eyes in the side mirror.He hears her murmur under her breath "was wondering why this dog wasn't wagging it's tail yet..." Arjun smiled hearing that and then with a straight face turned to Romit "Apni chedkaani bandh kar...aur chup-chaap gaadi chalaa" he said sternly. They head home.
***
CONTINUED BELOW
Health and Fitness
