Dil Jaanta Hai - Thread 3: Author's note - pg 47 - Page 30

Originally posted by: RA17

Ch24

So, Aman made reservat5ion for aarya most importantly for his good friend

wow nightingale story is good kat n hug hayee poor yash wil he acknowledge the feelings you are creating seeing aman n aarti

Well, Aman had to have a special relation with Arti no? Friends hi sahi, but a hatke friend who can tease and flirt with her.

like this logical reason part you wrote in italics also this alliance is not as mostly shown based on friendship but true in practical sense hmm nice one dear( are you anyways from management background )

Friendship and business should not be mixed - recipe for disaster. And yes, i do have an MBA, form a very reputed place at that. Though my profs will probably disown me now 😆. One thing i learned in MBA - look for opportunities in everything. Which is exactly what Aman did - and he found an unexpected gold mine in SEL.

n love in between you put aarti equal share of her personal life thn n now how two people has makes her feel n react different in same scenario kindof

That was essential. Prashant broke her confidence in herself as a woman. Yash has to build it up - and bechara does not even know about it - yet.

n was it just like that or what to put the strory behind nightingale hmm as yash got his answers what about me i know i have to wait as me too so lazy one make you wait for mine hai naa

i am answering you now...kuch reh jaye to let me know (i am sure u will 😉).

aman teasing n yet rectifying in a way glowing wow

well i don't know y kat but it seems that with aman you are hinting towards two things out of which dumb person like me not able to comprehend the meaning can you tell me ( i know i am asking a long explanation you can your time or pm me later)

Hmmm - for once i don't know what you have in mind. What two options? Batao toh i will explain further - if explanations are even necessary.

n then again cute aarya moment yash cant keep himself away when it comes to aarti hair wat to do

n then orphan again become second home to aarya n aansh n they being ther for the love n support which kids want

How can i leave hte orphanage out?

rattan debut yes indeed aarti saying the sont worry she will not keep kids hungry or yash convincing gupta n how n later ammi coming that all is so so cute Kat

n yeah aarya happy hug to share their first success in delhi really nice Kat

hmm i know i have thrown lot of question on you will wait you to answer it oki dear

tc .. love you

need not to say but your aarya are so close to me spl then all i can say thanks a ton for regular updates n pm

Originally posted by: Pd2012

Now I feel that it is high time that I should comment on your work.
Excellent Job.

I am sorry for not commenting till now even though I used to press Like button.
Coming to your FF I loved the way you kept this FF so realistic and that is what attracted me.
Waiting for next part.

Originally posted by: elanpremi

They are longing for each other but they misinterpreted their feelings. Hope they will start a conversation to clear it out. Wonderful update as usual. I can't wait for your PM the moment I saw ur update at the forum's main page. Once I receive your PM I'll reread again dear, it is that good.

Originally posted by: kratzyfan

i didn't mean that😆...but what storm are u talking about😲

i already commented on chapter 26 in ur blog..is that so called storm is coming later in the story or soon

Sleep was an elusive companion that night. Yash stayed on in his office room, loathe to go to the bedroom and face Arti. When finally the rain let up before day-break, he went to the balcony and dozed a little in the arm-chair that was acting as proxy till their jhula was delivered. But the respite was only too brief. The dawn broke over the horizon, the early morning rays unrelenting in their intensity. Yash awoke and stretched, every bone and joint in his body aching. Grimacing at his foolishness he stayed in the balcony till he heard Arti in the kitchen and then he went to the bathroom to freshen up.

Arti had spent an equally restless night - the latent desire and its accompanying guilt being her constant companion through the hours. She had finally dozed off, while sitting on the bed next to Ansh, holding on to one of his small arms tightly in hers. The morning brought no relief, the restlessness from the previous night carrying over into the day.

Yash entered the kitchen fresh from his shower, with a new resolve. His friendship with Artiji was too important and too precious to risk. He would continue as they had till date.

Arti sensed Yash's presence as soon as he entered the kitchen. She remained rooted to the spot, unwilling to move, not knowing how to react. She did not know what to say to him, how to face him. Had he seen the naked desire on her face last night? She had stood staring at herself in the mirror in their bathroom after she left the office - willing what she saw in her face to go away. And yet, her face had clearly showed her need for him. It was as-if the need, the passion she had seen in his eyes had etched itself on her face... Had he seen it too? Would he forgive her for it?

"Good Morning Artiji", Yash said attempting a light tone. He busied himself, getting the cups out and putting the bread in the toaster. "G... Good Morning Yashji", she replied, her voice still husky, shaky with emotion.

He sensed her unease and gave her some time to recover. Then he said chattily, "Do you have plans for the day?" She looked at him in surprise; they both knew each other's schedules. So, why was he asking such a question?

Yash mentally hit himself on the head, Idiot! What a question - they both knew each other's schedules. "I meant, nothing special planned for the evening, right?" Oh god! Had he lost his brains to his libido???

Arti looked at him questioningly, not saying a word. Yash went on, trying to salvage the situation, "Aman has been asking about you since you both hadn't met for a while. So, I asked him to come to dinner tonight." Oh blast! Now he would have to invite Aman to dinner and come up with a reason as to why he should behave as if this was all pre-planned. "Oh, and I asked Ahmed and Zoya too. I hope that is ok?" Please lord, let Ahmed and Zoya be available tonight. He did not want to spend a few hours watching Aman flirt with his wife! What was he thinking!! Though, at least tonight was taken care of - he did not think he could spend the evening and night hours with her without...without doing something stupid.

Arti was relieved. She did not think she could spend the evening and night hours with him without...without doing something stupid. "Oh, ok. No problem. Dinner won't be very elaborate though, I won't have time to shop today". She stopped as Yash started shaking his head.

"No, no, no need to cook dinner. Ratan has a few new menu items he wanted tro try out so I asked him to make some of them for tonight. I hope that is ok?" he asked. Gawd! One more thing to do. Hope to goodness Ratan did have a few new menu items planned! And he better shut his mouth now before he made a complete and utter fool of himself. "In fact, I have to leave right now to meet him - he wanted to review a few things with me."

To Yash's intense relief, Aman had happily agreed and both Ahmed and Zoya were available too, though Ahmed was on call that night. Praying that nothing would require his attention at the hospital, Yash urged them to join the dinner. Their friends joined them early in the evening - at Yash's insistence.

Aman and Zoya knew each other from work and Ahmed had met him on previous social occasions. The two men got on like a house-on-fire and with their shared concern over Arti, Aman and Zoya bonded well too. So neither was surprised when Aman whispered furiously at the first opportunity, "What's going on? Why were we suddenly invited? Some occasion?"

Zoya poked Ahmed and said to her husband, "See? I told you something is going on". Ahmed rolled his eyes and said curtly, "Even a blind person can see that Zoya. But will you let them be?"

"NO!" she exclaimed and turned to talk to Aman instead. Ahmed could hear the whispered conversation, but chose to ignore it. Instead, after a few minutes he got up and joined Yash who was setting the table. "Everything ok, Yash? You need any help?"

"No thanks, Ahmed, I am fine" Yash replied, unaware of the hidden layer in his friend's questions. Both he and Arti believed they were acting normally with each other and especially in front of their friends, completely clueless that their very body language gave them away. These three of their closest friends had been witness to the budding comfort level between them, the shared closeness and friendship that had developed over the last few months. Today, they barely even looked at each other, yet were supremely aware of the other; they barely spoke to the other unless required to, yet their ears were attuned to conversations in which the other participated.

The party went on till quite late, with both Arti and Yash urging their friends to stay on. Finally, when it was past 10pm the three left, refusing all attempts to have them stay longer. Yash and Arti stood at the door, watching till the lift doors closed, whisking their friends away, whisking their shield away. They went to bed silently, without exchanging any words. Ansh was already asleep and they settled into their usual places, one on each side of the child. But instead of facing Ansh, and each other, holding the child like they normally did, they lay flat on their backs, stiff, uncomfortable, pretending to be asleep.

Yash left early the next morning, claiming an urgent client meeting. He did not call even once during the day, unusual for him. Arti debated whether she should call, but let it be. As the evening progressed with no sign of him, she started getting restless. His last meeting was supposed to end at 5, it was close to 7 and there was no sign of him. She finally gave in and called - and it went straight to voice-mail. Frustrated, Arti banged the phone down and immediately regretted it since a startled Ansh started crying. Soothing the child took time, he could sense her unease and it made him even more upset. Finally she got him to stop crying and taking advantage of that, she fed him and put him to bed.

By then it was past 8 pm. Arti tried Yash's cell phone again - with the same results as before. Frantic with worry, she called Aman - the last meeting of the day had been with the political clients and Aman was going to attend.

"We finished just after 5 Arti and Yash left at that time. Have you tried the orphanage?" Aman said once Arti had filled him in.

Of course! Yashji must have gone to meet Ratan again. Thanking Aman, Arti quickly called the orphanage. "No Arti bitiya, Yash beta did not come here today" the manager said. A sense of dread filling her, Arti insisted on talking to Ratan. He said the same thing, "Bhaiyya did not come here Didi. I spoke with him in the morning today, but that's it."

Desperate now, Arti tried calling Yash again, but could not get through. Not knowing what to do, who else to call, she started pacing the room. More than two hours later, her cell phone rang. She grabbed it and without even checking the caller id, frantically pressed the answer button. "Yashji? Where are you?" she could not keep the panic out of her voice.

"Hi Arti, its Zoya" came her friend's breezy voice. "Yash just left, I called to let you know. He should be home soon."

He had been at Ahmed and Zoya's the whole time and had not even bothered to inform her!?! Here she was worrying sick about him and there he was enjoying himself with her friends! Her frantic worry was replaced with a cold seething rage...

Earlier that evening...

Ahmed had come to the restaurant with some of his hospital patrons and as he was leaving, he noticed Yash. He was sitting at the bar, nursing a glass, a lost bewildered look on his face. Quickly bidding his patrons goodbye, Ahmed went to the bar and called Yash. There was no response, not till he touched Yash's shoulder.

"What are you doing here Yash? Aur kahan khoye huye thei?" Ahmed asked, shaking his friend gently. (Where were you lost?).

Yash shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and smiled wanly at his friend. He had not expected to meet Ahmed here. In fact he had come to this hotel, and this restaurant, not only because it was familiar but because he felt... He felt safe here... Safe from prying eyes. But he could not be annoyed with Ahmed for finding him - if anything, he was relieved to meet a friend who knew them both, cared about them both...

"What are you drinking Yash?" Ahmed asked nonchalantly, but Yash did not miss the undercurrent of tension in his voice. He shook his head, "Just coke, nothing alcoholic." He still remembered that night when he had drunk himself blind, the morning when Artiji had to clean him up. He was not going to repeat that again...

"So, what are you doing here at the bar?... Hiding? From her?" Ahmed asked sitting down next to Yash.

Yash looked at him in surprise, "So obvious is it?"

Ahmed shrugged, "I know you both, and I have known Arti for years. It was obvious there was some tension between the two of you that night. And today you are here - at a bar - though at least you are not drinking alcohol."

Yash smiled, "I have learnt my lesson." They fell silent, the two men lost in their thoughts, a comfortable silence between them. After some time, Ahmed said, "Come on, come home with me."

"Oh! No. I can't... I don't want to go home right yet" the truth tumled out of his mouth before Yash could stop himself.

Ahmed's mouth twisted into a knowing smile, "I know. I meant come to my home." Not having a reason to refuse, Yash agreed and they left.

As he drove, Ahmed stole a look at his passenger. Yash still had that lost, bewildered look. Sympathy for his friend and concern for Arti drove him and Ahmed asked, "Tell me Yash. Zoya and I have known Arti for a long time - perhaps we can help you."

Yash closed his eyes and then opened them to look at his friend. Ahmed noticed a small glimmer of hope in the bleak eyes and nodded encouragingly. With nothing to lose and knowing he could trust Ahmed blindly, Yash gathered his thoughts and started...

"Artiji and I agreed for this punar vivaah only for Ansh's sake. He needed a mother, and she filled the role admirably, even when she met him only on social occasions. We both knew we loved other people, were still grieving for the loss of our partners. We knew this relationship was just for Ansh - that's all we ever agreed to be - parents to him.

Over the last few months, we have become good friends. We are business partners too now, and the understanding and friendship we share is even more precious." He turned to look at Ahmed who nodded his head understandingly as he continued to drive.

"Something changed though Ahmed... I don't know what or how, but I started to want more than that..." He kept his guilt about not feeling guilty at betraying Arpita's memory to himself. That was between him and his conscience. He sighed as he recalled that rainy night. "I wanted more but... Artiji is not ready for that, she is still deeply in love with her first husband."

Keeping his eyes straight on the road, Ahmed chose his words deliberately, "Did she say that Yash?" When his friend shook his head, he asked, "Then how do you know? How do you know she does not want to move on or that she is still lost in memories of Prashant?"

His choice of words disturbed Yash. He still remembered how Arti had looked at him that night... he had seen the same hunger, the same need that filled him, which had been his companion for days but had overpowered him that day... the need and deep desire for this woman which he could no longer hide, from himself or from her. And he thought he had seen a reflection of that same need, but just for a moment. He had not been able to stop himself then - he had reached out to her... But she fled - fled as fast as she could from him. But not before he saw the deep disgust replace what he thought had been desire...

Unable to share anything about that night, Yash just shrugged his shoulders. Ahmed sighed then, "I think it's high time you talked with Zoya."

Once they reached home, Ahmed briefed Zoya about his conversation with Yash. "You need to tell him about Prashant. He needs to understand." Zoya mused for a moment and then nodded.

She joined them with tea and snacks. Yash picked up a cup, but didn't even pretend to drink. Zoya exchanged glances with Ahmed and then cleared her throat, "Yash'." When he looked at her, she continued, "Do you know about Prashant? About Arti's marriage with him?"

"Only that they were college sweethearts... just like Arpita and I" he said.

Zoya nodded, "Yes they were. And perhaps Vidhi will have told you, Arti in a way had to force Prashant to marry her. He proposed to her, ummm... took advantage of her trust in him, and then was preparing to leave. If Arti had not gone to him that day and told him she was going with him to his parents' house..." she shrugged, "Perhaps he would have come back for her... but perhaps not. Who knows".

"They got married with his parents' blessings and his parents became her biggest blessing. She found the father and mother figure she had searched for all her life in her in-laws. But... I am not sure about Prashant, even now, even after so many years." He looked at her in surprise and she tried to explain.

"Oh she loved him all right. Blindly. She would do anything for him, change herself anyway he wanted. And he loved her too - as much as he was capable of loving I guess. But ... ok, before I go any further you need to know that I wasn't an unbiased observer. I loved Arti as a friend and sister even then, and I never liked Prashant very much. He was a nice enough guy otherwise, but I would never have chosen him for Arti. She needed some one who could match her at every level, intelligence-wise as well as emotionally. Prashant took, but he was incapable of giving."

She twisted her fingers together, trying to collect her thoughts. "Arti never said anything to me. She never discussed her marriage or Prashant with anyone. I only knew, or suspected, because I had seen how she changed. I knew her for a few months before she got married - and she was a laughing, happy person, lighting up a room with her mere presence, making everyone she met smile. Much like she is now" and she looked at Yash pointedly. "After marrying Prashant she changed. She stopped meeting her friends - we both continued to meet since we worked together, but she stopped going out. She still smiled, but there was always an underlying strain in her smile. And she changed even her appearance. You know, she liked wearing western clothes, trousers and skirts especially to work. And then suddenly one fine day she stopped. Because he did not like it... .and I still remember the forlorn look in her eyes as she tried to defend him to me. Prashant did not even realize how he broke her confidence - and he never attempted to rebuild it. That was the day I asked Ahmed to marry me - that day I realized how lucky I was to have Ahmed who did not try to change me."

"When she got pregnant you know what Prashant did?" She clenched her hands tight, as the old anger raised its head. "He. Left. Her." She said, her words a staccato. "The day that was the most important for her, the day she got the biggest news of her life, he left her because he did not want a baby."

She breathed in and continued, "Yes, he came back. And to his credit, he took very good care of her. Arti started to dream again... and then everything came to an end - in one instant." Her eyes were layered with unshed tears now as she relived those days. Ahmed came and stood behind her, holding her shoulder tightly, giving her strength. She placed her hand over his and squeezed it. "Arti died that day... a part of her died with him, and with her unborn child. It took her months to even acknowledge the loss, and she grieved for a long time, ready to live her life as a widow... Till Ansh came into her life... Till you came into her life Yash."

"Me?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes. I was with her then" and she recalled the time they both had gone with her Abbu to meet Yash at the airport. "Ansh made her alive again, true. But you made her aware of herself. Till she met you again in Delhi, she lived in an emotional limbo, caring about me, caring about the children at the orphanage, but not reacting to anything. She built a cocoon around herself where she did not have to feel... and no one could penetrate it. And then you came... for the first time in months I saw her restless. I saw her wondering about another person, I saw her bothered. She cared... she did not want to, but she did. She could not help herself."

"And then you both finally married and came back to Delhi... And I saw the difference Yash. She was smiling again, really smiling. She was happy. Yes, she had Ansh - he filled the hole she had in her life, he fulfilled her need for a child. But I also saw the old confidence back in her, a spring in her step that had gone missing since Prashant stepped into Delhi. I saw her laugh, enjoy herself, tease, play, fight - my old friend was coming back. And in the last few weeks she really did - she was back, my sister was reborn."

"I don't know what happened between the two of you. I don't know what the tension is. I can only request you Yash - please do not hurt her like Prashant did. You gave her back to herself; you re-introduced her to herself - please do not take that away from her." Zoya looked at him intently, willing him to understand. "Give yourselves a chance - you have something precious, allow it to develop. Please."

His mind in a whirl, Yash left the Ansari apartment. Ahmed came with him - he was going to drop Yash back at the hotel so he could pick up his car. On their way over, Ahmed could see the struggle reflected in Yash's face as he tried to make sense of everything Zoya had told him. Once they reached the hotel, he stopped Yash before he could get down. "Zoya has a way with words - it is one of the qualities that makes her the brilliant lawyer she is. But Yash - every word she said was true. Today, she was not manipulating her words, not using her mastery over the language to influence you. She was speaking from the heart - telling you exactly what she saw her friend endure over the years. Describing the changes she saw in Arti - with both her marriages. One marriage forced her to change herself, withdraw herself, broke her confidence. The other helped her find herself again, brought her confidence back, brought the smile back on her face."

Yash looked at his friend intently, a flicker of hope in his eyes, a hope he was reluctant to nourish. But Ahmed had no such hesitation. "She cares about you Yash, very deeply. Whether it is love or not, I don't know. But its for you to find out, its for you to cherish. Take the first step - you may be surprised."

As Yash opened the door of his own car, he felt more at peace than he had in the last two days. There was just one more thing he needed to understand - and only one person who could help him. He pulled out his cell phone and called Vidhi. When she answered, he heard a surprised, "Yash Bhaiyya? Is everything allright?"

"Yes, everything is all right" he said, hoping it was really so. "Bhabhi listen, I need to talk to you about something."

"Bolo?" she said. (Tell me).

"Bhabhi..." He hesitated a moment, and then took the plunge, "That day, you know, when it was Artiji's anniversary of her first marriage? We had gone to the mandir, and she did a puja. And then... then she put her old mangalsutra in the puja thaali as part of the dakshina... Why did she do that Bhabhi?"

There was a moment's silence at the other end. And then Vidhi asked, "Why don't you ask her?"

He shook his head and then realizing she could not see him he said, "No, I can't ask her. Please Bhabhi - she is your best friend. Please tell me why she did that."

Vidhi countered with another question, "How has her behavior been since then?"

Yash sighed to himself - this was the crux of the matter, wasn't it? "She seems to be fine, happy, cheerful. In fact... in fact Zoyaji told me that she was back to being the Arti she had known before she got... before she married Prashant."

"And what does that tell you?" Vidhi asked again.

"Bhabhi! Please! Don't - don't teach me - just tell me. I can't ... I can't bear it any more. Just tell me - spell it out for your bewakoof devar - please!" he begged, unable to keep the desperation out of his voice any longer. (foolish brother-in-law).

Vidhi's voice was soft. "She gave the mangalsutra away because she does not need it any more Bhaiyya. For Arti, as with most women, the necklace was more than a symbol of marriage. For her, it was the memory of the one love she had known, the symbol of the family she had hoped to have. But she does not need that any more. She has you Bhaiyya, and she has Ansh. She has the living proof and symbols of love and family with her. She does not need a material reminder of her past anymore."

Yash closed his eyes in relief as he finally allowed hope to surge through him. "Thank you Bhabhi, thank you!"

Originally posted by: kdsubs

Thank you Sharmeen. And the pictures are lovely 🤗.