Gopi's childhood friend? Ahem glanced roughly at Gopi noticing how close she was sitting to Rahul. Why does he even care? He asked himself, better him than me.
'Jai shree Krishna' Ahem said politely before heading up to his room to work. A while later Mani came up with his tea and for some reason this infuriated him. He stood up and began pacing his room, his fists balled.
Who did that illiterate girl think she was? He had never seen her laughing or smiling like that around him, yet around this person...
Quickly, he left his room under the excuse of needing to talk to his Kaka but as he reached the landing, he glanced down to see Rahul kissing Gopi's hand. Then her forehead before hugging her. Such a sweet and simple thing yet for some reason Ahem wanted to rip Rahul's head off for doing so.
What was going on with him? This wasn't the first time he'd felt like this. He didn't know why but he was possessive of her and that scared him.
With one final glance down he escaped back to his room intent on confronting his Gopi later on.
*********
"Ahem dikra. Come down it's time for dinner" He glanced up to see his mum smiling at him from the doorway, the sky outside the window had darkened considerably and he was surprised to see that he had been completely enthralled in his work that he didn't notice the time fly by.
"Ji Mum, lekin could you have a plate sent up. I really need to finish this"
Kokila smiled at him "You work so hard, you know how proud of you I am"
"It's all for you Mum"
"Ok, I'll have a plate sent up immediately" He smiled in response, he was absolutely starving seeing as how he hadn't eaten anything since lunch.
Not ten minutes later, he could hear the indistinguishable sound of Gopi's bangles before she appeared in the doorway with his tray. As always her eyes were downcast and he realised it was around him that she didn't smile or laugh. It was around him that she was never happy, never care free always scared.
And he realised that it was his fault.
Here he was getting annoyed, angry because she dare smile around someone that wasn't him. Yet when she did smile at him, he got angry at her, She was his wife, whether she liked it or not, whether he like it or not. They were supposed to spend the rest of their life together and she was too afraid to be around him.
He glanced up as she nervously walked towards him and placed the food on the table.
"Ji..woh...Do you need anything else?" Her sweet voice filled the room. He tried to see her face but was surprised to see her pallu covering it.
'What did you expect?' his conscience said to him 'That she'd forget and risk you shouting at her again'
"No, I don't want anything else" At his words Gopi quickly turned before practically sprinting out the room.
Away from him.
He looked at the food on the table.
He wasn't very hungry anymore.
*********
A while later he left his room, to look for Gopi and was surprised to see Rahul sitting down next to her, talking.
Just the two of them.
They made quite a good couple and it was obvious he'd treat Gopi better than he ever could. He was looking at her with such tenderness and Ahem watched as he gently tucked a loose strand of Gopi's hair behind her ear.
"Arre Ahem, come I need to speak with you in your room" Kokila said to him. Silently he followed behind her but couldn't help glancing back at the pair and was surprised to see Gopi watching him, sadness in her features.
"Ahem, I've been thinking about this for a while" Kokila immediately began "You see when I first picked Gopi to be your patni, I wasn't really thinking about you, I wanted a submissive bahu, who would work hard, never talk back and Gopi fit the picture perfectly. Unlike Rashi who is who I had originally gone to see"
This surprised his mum, he'd never known his mum went to see Rashi. He imagined being married to her and shuddered. She would have bled his bank dry.
"I wanted Gopi to first be my bahu before your wife and that is where I went wrong above all other relationships is a husband and wife relationship and Gopi became my bahu but never your wife." She paused "But now I have decided no longer will you and Gopi be married, she's already moved her things into the guest room and will remain there until the wedding"
"Wedding?" Ahem questioned uncertainly.
"Ji, Gopi's wedding to Rahul" Kokila said loking at him. The words rang in his ears. Gopi, remarried. No, how can that be, she was his wife. He couldn't think straight yet he couldn't help but see images flashing before his eyes.
Rahul putting sindoor on Gopi.
Gopi cooking for him, ironing his shirts.
Sleeping in his bed.
Rahul touching her-
"NO!" he shouted. Kokila's eyes widened as did his, he couldn't believe that he's said that out loud.
"No what Ahem dikra? Do you not want her staying in this house?" Ahem couldn't even look at his mum "Ji here are the papers to sign, give them to Gopi afterwards to sign" Kokila turned to leave but stopped after noticing their wedding picture. Gopi looked so happy in it, she glanced back at Ahem before getting ready to deliver her piece de resistance.
"Ahem dikra bring down that picture" confused Ahem looked at were she was pointing and was surprised to see her pointing at his wedding picture. He stood on the stool and gave it to her wondering what she wanted to do with it and was surprised to see her put in the bin.
"You were right Ahem dikra, she wasn't good enough to be your wife" and as his mother walked out those doors he felt his heart drop. She was good enough to be his wife, it was him who was not good enough for her.
Quickly he ran out of his room to the guest room only to collide with her. He watched as Gopi scrambled to pull on her pallu and listened as she immediately began to apologise when really it was him who needed to apologise to her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to his room and locked the doors behind them.
"Gopi, I don't even know where to begin but first please look at me" Hesitantly he watched as she raised her head but her eyes didn't meet his. He led her to the bed to sit down, before kneeling in front of her. "I have wronged you so much in the year that we've been married and you, you didn't deserve it. I blamed you when I should have blamed myself, I hurt you, I belittled you and made you cry,but still despite all of that you stood by me"
"Ahemji-"she began.
"Gopi let me say this" he replied calmly " I know I don't deserve you but please, don't end our marriage, don't marry Rahul"
"Lekin, I'm not good enough for you and at least this way you and Anita can get married"
"I don't want Anita Gopi, I only want you. I'm not confessing my undying love Gopi but I want us to make our marriage work because frankly I don't think I'll be as happy with someone else as I could be with you. So Gopi if you say can we stay together and fix our marriage"
"Woh...mein" Gopi stuttered.
"Here are the divorce papers Gopi, sign if you want us to end our marriage" he turned around.
"Ahemji" he heard Gopi say but still he didn't around. He watched as Gopi walked round and stood in front of him and was dumb struck as he watched her rip them in half.
A smile enveloped his face at the sight of her sweet smile. Remembering their wedding picture, he retrieved it from the bin and hung it on the wall where it belonged. He then walked up to Gopi and hugged her from behind and that's how they stayed looking at their wedding picture on their bedroom wall.
Hope you enjoyed reading that, guess I should leave a challenge now.
Gopi ran away from MM 3 months ago and by some stroke of luck Ahem see's her again in the shopping centre. What happens next?
Edited by Traxy101 - 14 years ago