New FF - Heart Will Go On | Chap 18 : Page 35 - Page 16

First of all, thank you all for the wonderful feedback, comments and likes!! You guys made my day. I am so sorry I am not able to comment and thank each of your individual posts. Chapter 15 is below. Please enjoy and let me know your feedback.

Chapter 15


"What have you done Shobha??" asked Dr.Shankar in a sad and defeated tone...


"What did you want me to do? huh? Tell me?...did you want me to let you know then and there, that our daughter had left...and that she left everyone at the mandap???That our daughter who we thought respected us and our opinions, she just decided to leave like this, at this stage, when it was too late? ...I really did not know what to do...engagement was done in such a grand way...all those people who attended it...and...if the wedding did not take place...I..I could not think of anything..."


"Shobha...you could have atleast...I dont know...Scindia ji, I had no idea. Please trust me...I dont think I even have the courage to ask for your apology. I think first, I have to go and find my daughter...if she is okay or not, and what exactly she has in mind...if there is anything I can do here, please let me know...whatever decision you and your family makes, we will oblige...regarding Aarti...I dont know much about her...she is from Shobha's side of the family who needed a place to stay...I never really got the chance or took the time to know her..." he bowed to them and left starting to make calls...trying to find out location of Arpita...like any worried father would do.


"Gayathri ji, please forgive me. Tell me if you would do anything different if you were in my place..." she did a namaskar to all of them and left with Dr. Shankar wiping away her tears.


"...What...Bauji...They dumped the situation on us and left.." said Pankaj angrily. "Bauji...I am worried about Yash..." he added.


"Me too Pankaj...lets wait for him to finish his conversation with that girl...and what can you really ask Dr.Shankar to do...did you not see how worried they are about their daughter?"


"Whatever it is, isn't she the daughter-in-law of this house and Yash bhaiyya's wife now?" asked Vidhi naively. "I mean Yash bhaiyya did tie the mangalsutra around her neck...legally, they are married... aren't they?"


Gayathri looked at Vidhi and understood what she was saying..."...she...she is wearing his mangalsutra...".she was looking into space in deep thought.


"Gayathri, we need to think practically about what our options are at this time.."


"...What do you mean Ji...What? What are you thinking of getting a divorce or the marriage annulled?" she asked in shock. Gayathri was a lady who deeply valued traditions, family honor and respect. She almost turned white in shock...and stared at Suraj Pratap...


"Gayathri..." he tried to explain to his wife...


"No, Yash just got married...he...what...you...NO!"...Realization dawned upon Gayathri that Suraj Pratap was probably going to take some extreme step...


"What are you planning..? Please let him make the decision this time...and Aarti...it seems like she does not have anyone? Shall we just get rid of her like that...?? I am sorry, I am a mother...and as a mother, I cannot agree to any injustice to Yash...and let me make it clear...neither to that poor girl!...try to understand, we cannot have any young girl wish bad upon Yash, or our family" she too broke down crying. The house that was filled with laughter and happiness in the morning turned into a tense scene in the night.


.."Aarti..?" Yash called out to her again after he gave her the time she needed to let it all out...a couple of minutes later, he saw her lifting her head up and looking in his direction, with her eyes still down...


"Yashji"...with her voice breaking..."I...I really dont know what I want or what I should do...I am not understanding anything. This morning I packed everything up. I was ready to leave tomorrow and start my life in the US...I had a plan..I had a dream...all that...my train is tomorrow." and she started to sob again.


Aarti was on the floor hiding her face in her knees, arms crossed between her legs and sobbing, and Yash helplessly looking at her...not sure what he can do...should he go and console her...should he wait...he was feeling very restless in his heart...and he could not see her like this in this condition...


After a few minutes, Aarti looked up with red eyes and there were no more tears flowing down...she was probably too tired to cry anymore...she looked around the room...only then she realized...it was not only her but this family was also impacted by the whole situation...they seemed to be a very close knit, and respected family in the society...and all those pictures on the wall...she did not how and why but she suddenly just blurted out..."Did you love her?"


Yash looked at Aarti, who was also looking into his eyes directly now..."I dont know...I hardly knew her...I mean, we were engaged and we met a couple of times..you know, the typical arranged marriage...she was a nice girl. Maybe if she had told me the truth, I could have talked to our parents and cancelled the wedding...but it all happened so fast that my head is still spinning..."


"I am sorry..I didnt mean to..." Aarti realized Yash may be feeling uncomfortable to talk about Arpita to her...and she just blurted out a stupid question...


"No, its ok...I needed to talk to someone anyway..." he said giving a weak smile..


After a few minutes of awkward silence, "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something? Because I am famished!" Yash asked suddenly changing the subject.


"I didnt eat anything for obvious reasons.." Aarti replied in a weak tone..


"Ma always says that you cannot think properly on an empty stomach, so here..eat this apple, its healthy too" he said handing out an apple to her from the fruit basket that was next to the bed. Yash silently thanked Vidhi for the fruit and water that was left in the room along with the other ridiculous decoration..atleast he didnt have to step out of the room for it. His family will pounce on him with questions when he steps out...


Both of them were silently eating the fruit without any more conversation. Every time they bit into the apple, it made an awkward crunch sound...and they just looked up to each other...trying to munch as silently as they could.


"I want to go back to my hostel room..." she said without looking at him..


"Yes, of course...I can drop you off myself..." Yash said bluntly. Something hurt him about the way she asked him...but he only understood it well...it was not fair to have any kind of expectation in the current situation.


As Yash and Aarti stepped out of his room, his anxious family all got up...and looked in their direction...before anyone asked any question, Yash was smart enough to quickly tell all of them...

"I am going to drop Aarti at her hostel room. Please dont ask us any questions now. I know you all are worried. I will come back once I drop her.."


Everyone was shocked but knew only too well to handle this sensitively..


it was a silent car ride...Aarti and Yash were lost in their own thoughts...not sure what life has in store for them and what tomorrow means for them..


"Thank you" Aarti finally said softly.


"For what..?" asked Yash.


"For THIS" she looked at him with pure gratitude in her eyes.