Originally posted by: achiever
</div>thnx so so much.. planning some more romance and passion.. the only problem is how to fit it logically in the story..!😆
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Originally posted by: achiever
d best part s d way u layer d characters n chip in details n d way u intelligently plot dem,i mean d way u analyse,d psychology part,kudos bud,but wud wish d 2 weeks wud pass soon n v l get an update asap!😛
Chapter 36: Tum bin jaaon kahaan'
When he stepped back out thinking a bit blushingly abt his own mischief, he was in for a biggest shock of his life! He cudnt believe tht he had heard those words from Nidhi's mouth! We got stuck at Nana's house, Nidhi had said to her baba! "yes..he had taken me to nana's house baba" Nidhi was saying to her baba over the phone!
He stood thr stunned. He felt as if he was suddenly thrown out in some outerspace where nothing cud stretch beyond tht darkness and stillness! He gulped down to digest wat he had jst learnt! Nidhi had been so oblivious to his presence there.. she hadn't heard him open the door neither had she thot tht he mite jst b in tht earshot range to wreck this havoc upon him! He sighed silently and looked at her with worn out expressions! Why was it tht he was suddenly feeling tired and pretty old! "No, I don't think so he has recognized our connection yet!" she said. "No baba.. I haven't told him yet!" she had added sadly' well' at least he felt so! He was still in his thots wen kaka called thm for breakfast and Nidhi jst quickly uttered a bye on the phone and rushed out! Just like that! He stared briefly at the closed door and gave a heavy sigh! Suddenly, it was as if his brain had stopped working and he seriously didn't know wat he was supposed to do, say, or even think! He slumped on the bed feeling totally obscure! He sat thr breathing deeply and letting his brain rest for awhile. Why was it tht wen it came to Nidhi, his heart and brain started acting strangely! He sighed again and stared aimlessly around the room!
Suddenly, a cool breeze swept over him and he felt something soft caressing him teasingly on his hand! He looked at it.. it was her red dupatta rustling very lovingly and teasing him very naughtily on his hand ' as if it had been ordered to do so by its very own possessor Nidhi! He smiled to himself as a warm feeling slowly crept up his heart! The taste of her sweet lips revisited his tastebuds and the soft touch of her lips re-tingled his skin! The sensation was still very much thr and this duppatta jst rekindled it! He sighed and picked it up as it continued to flutter as if it wasn't going to relent till he pressed it to his heart and gave it a hug! He obliged.. he had to.. afterall it smelt and felt so much of Nidhi! He gave a longing sigh and closed his eyes!
Y was it tht God luved to joke with him the most out of those 1.21 billion crore ppl! He cried in his mind. Ywas all this happening in his life! He sighed and looked at her her dupatta again! As the gold on it shimmered lightly in the morning rays illuminating the room thru the window, the tender feeling tht thy had shared from last nite came back to charm him. It reflected the radiance tht he had seen on Nidhi's face, which had gleamed with such pure love and looked so much more beautiful due to the innocence it had held tht he jst cudnt get it off from his mind from thn on! It had been imprinted so deep into his heart tht no amnt of dbt or suspicion can rub it off! If his baba's heir wudnt have been Nidhi, surely the reaction wud've been different. Bt knowing tht its Nidhi, the hatredness or the bitterness tht harbored in there for so long jst wasn't creeping up! Knowing tht Nidhi was the same person responsible for all the pain tht he had endured for so long, for the beautiful life tht he had forgone to live in search of the truth, and for those hopeful emotions tht he had held back in a fear of losing it all once again, it jst wasn't coming! Thr wasn't a single shard of hatredness in him for Nidhi even if he wanted to bring it out! Why was it tht he wanted to embrace the same person who had been responsible for his abandonment! Can love make things so simple and easy.. jst like tht? He wondered. Jst last nite, tht bitter feeling had revisited him, but he had pushed it away and today wen he thot abt it, it was as if it never existed!
"Oh.. u r jst sitting'" She suddenly peeked thru his door with caution and jerked him out of his thots with a loud cry! He jst stared back at her. She had been looking as beautiful as she had been last nite! She pushed the door wide and cried, "r u jst going to sit and keep pondering or come out for bfast!" She complained cutely! "I m getting late and baba is yelling.. please!!" she cried again. He pondered over her words.. shudnt he b the one complaining here.. or rather shudnt he b angry on her for her lie! A thot visited his mind! But she had no clue whatsoever abt wat was going on in his mind! She glanced back thru the door as if to check and then came running down to him to settle softly beside him on the bed. "u'know ..I thot u mite have again left something behind.." she whisphered with a teasing giggle! Her eyes had sparkled momentarily with mischief but thn shyness had crept up in thm and her cheeks had jst blushed with slight redness! "u took so much of time!" she added in a low voice as he continued to stare at her! He sighed. No.. hecannot possibly get angry at her! He got up and picked up his shirt from the floor quietly. He then opened the upper most drawer of his side table and pulled out a "do not touch" tag. She looked at him puzzled. He then pulled out a carry bag from his cupboard and put the dupatta and shirt in it! Nidhi kept staring at him with a puzzled look! He carefully placed the bag with her dupatta and his shirt on the side table and tagged it with the "do no touch" tag! Her eyebrows arched and she cried,"wats this?" "Nothing!" he replied coolly and walked out into the living room! Nidhi followed him looking quite perplexed! He was suddenly behaving quite odd! Y did it felt to her as if he was keeping something to himself! She wondered as she settled on the dining table.
Kaka merrily resumed narrating the ancedotes from his childhoon while serving the breakfast. Nidhi happily listened to it but he looked quite thoughtful, she observed. Looking at him, Kaka remarked tht he took too much of time today thn he normally did and tht if baba had been ther he shud've surely gotten a lecture on time management! He narrated an incident related to it! Tht got Nidhi quite interested and she asked him more abt his baba! Ashutosh sighed. She seemed genuinely interested in knowing abt baba! Thn y was it tht she had not cared to preserve his memories from tht house.. y had she left it in ruins! He sat mulling in his trademark fist-on-lips thinking posture! She was now asking abt the house! "Y u want to know more abt the house?"he asked suddenly. She was taken aback for awhile but thn shrugged her shoulders and counter questioned him,"Y shudnt I?.. I mean..it has been an important part of ur life.. a house reflects so much abt the type of person one is.. I want to know how ur baba was..u know u r moulded by him' and pretty well I wud say!" She grinned! Somehow, he didn't seem to have any interest in bfast today! His mind was preoccupied with jst one question.. if she genuinely cared for him thny was she doing this.. y was she lying! He sighed! "u know how important the house and baba had been in my life..rite?" he asked her again! She stared at him for his strange sort of question! "Of course!" she shrugged and answered trying to find a reason behind his such question! Thn y' he wanted to ask but he didn't! He cudnt!
He took a bite of his toast and put it back instantly making a pretty ugly face as if it tasted bitterly! Suddenly, he was starting to feel quite irritated! He took a sip of his tea and plunked the cup back on the table startling Nidhi! "wats this kaka!" he snapped at kaka! "y wat happened.. it tastes okay" Nidhi defended kaka. He jst pushed it away and started to get up but Nidhi stopped him,"Wait.. kaka has made ur fav bfast at my request!" she pleaded. Kaka rushed in to bring his fav sprouts paratha and placed it in his plate! "wait I will make u some fresh tea.." she offered. He refused. But she urged him lovingly and he cudnt refuse anymore! He took a bite of paratha and nibbled on it for long! When Nidhi came back with his tea, he was still nibbling on the same bite! Nidhi looked at kaka questioningly! Kaka jst shrugged. Nidhi offered him some fruits and he jst glared at thm as if thy were some unedible item! Nidhi offered to make some juice, but he declined. It seemed as if nothing was pleasing him. Neither the tea nor his fav bfast tht kaka had specially made at her request! Not even the toast tht cudnt b prepared any differently thn how it had been! She jst sat gazing at him with worried expressions! Wat was the matter with him! She thot for umpteenth time now!
He finished his paratha reluctantly and pushed his plate away and got up abruptly. "I think I shud better change!"he said suddenly. "but u have already changed.. !" she cried. "I don't like this purple color.. I bettr change to white!" he said and left to change for a white shirt hanging his coat on the chair. Kaka stared after him and remarked to Nidhi tht it was prudent to leave him alone wen he was in bad mood! Nidhi didn't think so! She wanted to know y he was suddenly in a bad mood! When he opened up the door, she looked questioningly at him! He looked at her strangely.. as if he was unsure and walked away quietly! She followed him into the car worryingly! She knew he was in no mood to share!
And she was so true coz on their way back to her home, he kept pretty silent. "wats the matter?" she finally asked him. "Do you think I shud search for the owner of tht house?" he asked her abruptly instead. "I'I.." she stammered. So tht was wat is bothering him! She thot anxiously! The owner of the house! She bit her lip worriedly. He looked at her anxious face and sighed to himself! For once he didn't know, how he shud act!His brain wasn't helping him in forming a plan against her! If his brain helped, he cud make her reveal everything.. bt it jst wasn't working the way it shud somehow! Her face had looked pretty worried and he sighed again. Shud he really put Nidhi intoworry?..The straight forward way was to confront her.bthe cannot. She had to reveal it herself.. thr has to b a reason if she was keeping mum...He thot. "I have hired a detective again to search for baba.. in fact he is the same detective hired by ur baba for me!" He tried to change the topic, at last deciding to give both him and Nidhi a rest on this issue! "wat?" she cried,"baba had hired a detective for u!" she nodded her head disbelievingly! "Y?"she cried again. "he cannot b trustful on a stranger courting his daughter who is half of his age Nidhi"he explained! "oh' its so wrong.. so very wrong!" she cried! "U mean I shudnt hire a detective!" he asked. "No.. I mean not trusting each other!" "one cannot trust strangers Nidhi!" "bt cudnt he have put trust on me?" He looked at her. She was very serious and it looked as if she was talking to herself. She sighed disappointedly! "Nidhi.. he is a father.. he was jst concerned for u.. it has nothing to do with not having trust on u Nidhi.." he said tenderly. Suddenly tears had crept up in her eyes for some reason tht he didn't know! "Nidhi.. please..its not a big issue.. look at it practically.. y r u getting so sentimental on this.. u know how much faith ur baba has on u" he tried to reason out. She nodded a yes but looked away from him! He didn't quite understand wat was the matter with her. He hated wen he cudnt control the situation! And this situation was so not in his control.. rather it was in Nidhi's control.. and it was so hard for him to wait for Nidhi to open up.. and wen she worried like tht it made him more frustrated!
Nidhi was barely holding up her tears! She knew he was worried, but she cudnt possibly tell him wat was bothering her! She stared out from the window of the car! Oh how can she tell him tht she had jst realized tht his baba had known all abt his past, his baba.. all along thr r'ship!And tht she was the granddaughter of his baba and the riteful owner of his house!Tht she was one who was responsible for all his woes till now! Tears trickled down her face and she tried to hide it from him. Had her baba trusted her with this truth it wud've been lot easier' she wudnt have to lie to him.. whatever happened she wud've been frank with him rite from the beginning.. and if he hated her thn..thn it wudn't have been so hurtful!Bt she cud understand Y her baba had kept quiet..it was his guilt after learning the facts abt her nana' may b it was his way to repent by allowing her to bring tht happiness in Dr. Ashutosh's life! May b tht can make Dr. Ashutosh forgive her baba and her nana! She didn't know!All she know was tht her baba had been at crossroads.. As a responsible father and as an obliged son-in-law he had been in dilemma! It was jst her will tht was giving thr r'ship an upper hand! Bt will thr luv withstand this test? She really didn't know!
Her tears had begun to pour fast and she quickly wiped thm off as thy were threatening to reveal her! Ashutosh cud take it no longer and he finally stopped his car on the side road and questioned her sharply. "Nidhi.. will u please tell me wats going on?" She cudnt meet his eyes but she kept mum. He sighed and asked her more gently,"Is something bothering u?" "please Nidhi" he urged her gently. Oh, he was so concerned for her! He cared for her so much and she jst hated herself for lying to him!
She cudnt even curse the day she had learnt the truth! It was the most memorable day of her life! The day tht she can never ever forget! Oh how can she! It was the day tht he had revealed his past. It was the day tht he had first proposed to her. It was the day tht he had had dinner with her family for the very first time.. and it was the day tht he had tried to kiss her passionately for the very first time! Thr r'ship had jst grown more intimate! And thr wer so many beautiful memories from tht day. She sighed. That day, she had gotten so overwhelmed by the amount of happiness tht she had received tht she jst cudnt sleep and she had so wanted to share it with her mom. She had opened up her mom's chest and going thru her belongings, she had accidentally come across her nana's photo.. holding her mom in her hands and smiling so brightly! Tears again trickled down her face as it all came to haunt her now. It had been a painful revelation coz she had recognized her nana's face instantly from the photos on the walls of his house, but she had decided to keep quiet thn. Everything had turned so beautiful jst tht day! And more importantly, he seemed to b moving on.. he was so happy and content! She felt thr was no point in raking up the painful past when their today was so happy! Bt she hadn't known tht her baba had known it too.. for long.. even before she had revealed to him today!
"Nidhi.. please.. " Ashutosh urged her again. He jst cudnt c her crying this way! She was brot out of her thots by his very concerned voice and she looked deeply into his eyes struggling with herself as to whether to tell him or not! His eyes were seeking truth! "tell me everything Nidhi.. please" he asked her in a meaningingful tone. He cud understand wat was bothering her. She knew she was lying to him and tht was bothering her! But he didn't know y she wasn't coming clean! It was hard for him to mistrust her intentions but it was unbearable for him to know tht she was keeping something very important from him, which was bothering both him and her equally. She wiped off her tears and looked away. "Its nothing.. really.. it was jst tht.. I felt bad tht baba was spying on u.." she lied again! And he looked away sharply. A slow anger began to rise in him! Y she had to be so stubborn always! He left her at tht and drove away quietly!
When thy reached home, dadi bua welcomed him with a scorn! But he greeted her and Col. Verma cordially. Col. Verma asked him abt last nite and he jst replied with a short answer,"I wanted Nidhi to visit my baba's house. Its in quite remote jungle sort of area and v got stuck in rain thr. And Nidhi got fever again. And we cudnt get out in rainstorm in time and had to spend nite thr! I am really very sorry abt all these." "Huh!"was Nidhi's dadi bua's reply,"and will tht stop the murmurs tht have started making rounds abt Nidhi in our society!" she yelled! "Dadi bua.. wat can Dr. Ashutosh do abt tht.. ppl will talk anything behind our backs.. v don't need to take it seriously!" "Huh.. ur this very attitude has led us to this day Yog.. tht today ur daughter has guts to run away from the house without informing us and spend a nite with her boss!" "Dadi bua!" Nidhi shrieked with anger! "Nidhi plz!" her baba tried to intervene! "No..Baba.. how can she talk like tht..abt Dr. Ashutosh.. abt me!" she cried. "Nidhi.. let me handle this plz.." Ashutosh intervened and turned to Dadi bua,"please tell me wats the problem.. I had no intention of keeping Nidhi back.. we wer jst stuck and believe me thr was no way out..I..!" "I don't know abt all these.." she cut him rudely,"wat happened and y it happened! I jst know tht u r responsible for it! And u cannot run away from ur responsibilities Dr. Ashutosh.. u and only u r responsible for Nidhi's maligning reputation!" "Do hell with my reputation dadi bua!" Nidhi yelled. "Please Nidhi!" Dr. Ashutosh cried. "wat happened!" he asked dadi bua. "yesterday someone saw Nidhi running away with u in ur car and since thn thr is but one murmur in our society tht Nidhi has ran away with her middle-aged doctor boss! U know how many ppl have come to inquire after her and offer thr sympathies! Yog has no social life bt I do have.. wat cud I answer thm! How much can I lie! U cannot hide much in a such a small society doctor.. v have known each other since this society had formed' u know wen a girl runs away without informing their parents and wen she doesn't return home at nite' wat stories ppl make!" suddenly dadi bua's tone had changed from shrieking to a pitiful one! "I m sorry.. it was unintentional believe me!" "I don't know whether it was intentional or not.. and ur sorry cannot undo anything! I jst know tht my daughter has grown wings to fly away without having concerns for her family or its reputation.. this past month, I thot she was getting back on track.. bt alas! Wat a fool I was! But enuf is enuf, if she is going to b defiant thn let us have her way! I want u to take her responsibility.. I want u to own up ur responsibility.. I want u to get engaged to her!" "Wat!" this time it was Col. Verma who cried out loud! Both Nidhi and Dr. Ashutosh too looked at her with a shock! "Bua u cannot make such imp decision on some fancy gossip!" he cried. "gossip Yog gossip! this is no gossip any more Yog this has become a fact.. for how long we can hide from society.. and for how long shud v let Dr. Ashutosh run away from his responsibility.. Nidhi's young blood, if God forbid anything wrong happens, who will b responsible!" "please Dadi bua I m a grownup and responsible girl!"Nidhi retorted "I know tht pretty well.. Nidhi!" her dadi bua cried sarcastically. "Bua such decision cannot b taken in haste.. let us think abt it with a calm and sensible mind.. its matter of my daughter's life!" Col. Verma cried. "thts wat I m telling u Yog.. u have already given lot of liberties to ur daughter so give her some more.. let her take her own responsibility if u cannot discipline her! If she is so adamant abt Dr. Ashutosh, thn let her face this world by herself.. let her face the consequencies for real and thn learn her lesson! Let us not protect her anymore. Let her face the heat by herself.. afterall its wat she wants! Does she even care abt our worries!" she cried! Col. Verma was lost at words. Nidhi had gotten too far this time! And in a way bua was rite, she wasn't listening to thm.. she hadn't been in their control at all. And he wasn't sure if he cud even make her change her mind! He had seen how it had affected her this past month! She was his daughter and her pain hadn't escaped his eyes even thru her smiles!
Thr was a brief silence for a while. Nobody uttered a single word. Nidhi looked at Dr. Ashutosh. He was looking at Col. Verma, who looked lost in his own thots! "I need to talk to Dr. Ashutosh!" cried she and almost dragged him away into her room to dadi bua's chagrin. Col. Verma cud do nothing but stare at his defiant daughter! Dadi bua gave him C-I-so-told-u-look. She nodded with severe disapproval and commented,"Nidhi has completely gone berserk I m telling u Yog!"
When she closed the door behind him, he cudnt help cry at her outrageous behavior! "Wats happening Nidhi.. r u out of ur mind!" he cried. "yes.. and no!" she cried feeling nervous! "Wat?" "I mean.. I know u r going to say yes.. bt pls say no!" "wat!" he cried out loud this time! She breathed in heavily and gesticulated as if telling herself to calm down! He grabbed her shoulders and asked her,"Nidhi.. wats happening.. y r u so confused.. u have to tell me!" he demanded looking deep into her eyes. She was on the verge of telling him the truth. Oh.. how can she keep lying to him wen thy needed to decide on such a wonderful thing of their life!But' but she was afraid tht it mite not remain wonderful at all thn.. it jst mite..end! The house tht witnessed such beautiful moments of thm mite jst make it all crumble down! Cud he remain unaffected from his past.. Can he keep luving her with same intensity, passion, and purity without any malice or regret or self-reproach... can their luv remain as pure and true as it is now without any shadows affecting thm from their past.. She sighed.She was unable to decide. Ashutosh observed her quiety. There was inner turmoil in her and he cud see it very well. Oh how he wished she wud let him help her out! For once he was so very tempted to ask her baba everything instead.. but No.. tht wudnt brk this unseen wall tht had started to erupt betn thm! Only Nidhi can brk it and she has to! But she looked so unwilling! He sighed disapprovingly.. y was she making him do this! "okay.. I will try!" he said reluctantly and strode out without even glancing at her! Her heart sank! She knew he had felt bad. Thy had so waited for this day. It was supposed to b the happiest moment of their lives and she had turned it bitter for him. And he.. he had accepted it without even questioning her! Oh.. she hated herself!
Wen she came out, he heard him say. "I am so sorry Col. Verma but I have an emergency surgery to attend.. I need to go to hospital ASAP.. again I m very sorry.. " he apologized and asked for their leave politely. Nidhi sighed! He cudnt make himself say No! Oh how cud she have even asked from him something like this! She ran after him. He had walked out of the door without even glancing at her!
"I will visit in the evening!" she cried knocking at his window as he turned his car to go away! He didn't answer and drove away and Nidhi stood staring after him dejectedly! She saw a few heads peeping out of neighboring windows. She glared at thm and went in! It was all because of thm tht had raised this emergency in her life! For the first time, she cursed thm. Wen she went in, Dadi bua asked wat thy had decided abt engagement and she informed tht thy haven't decided on anything yet! Col. Verma looked at her questioningly and she told her baba tht she wasn't able to reveal the truth to him yet. He asked her why and she replied tht it wasn't tht easy! It involved the most important ppl of her life and revealing the truth will have its repurcussions and tht she will need some time and before tht she cannot even think abt engagement. Dadi bua enquired abt the mystery behind their talk and she was informed tht Dr. Ashutosh was the same orphan tht her nana took under his care! Dadi bua slumped into her chair with dumbfounded expressions and exclaimed,"I cannot believe this.. y.. y is God playing such tricks with us!" "may b he wants me to repent for my misdeeds!" "u didn't do anything wrong Yog! It was Dr. Mathur!" "No bua.. u don't know the whole story yet.. its my wrongdoing tht my daughter mite have to pay for!" Col. Verma said with a sigh and looked at Nidhi who went away feeling sad! Bua looked at Col. Verma with questioning eyes!
Neither Ashutosh nor Nidhi talked to each other for the rest of the day! Ashutosh waited for her call, but she didn't and tht made him more annoyed! He was literally snapping at every body! Even a slightest of error was making him highly angry. The staff was already keeping wary of him but Dr. Rangnath had no choice! He was bearing the brunt! Wen Nidhi visited KGH in the evening, Dr. Rangnath cudnt help express his grievance! "Dr. Nidhi.. looks like its one of those days when anything or rather everything riles him up badly!" Nidhi looked at him alarmed. "No.. not tht he is unjust or targeting unduly rather, bt its jst tht the amnt and measure of his anger doubles up! He justifies his nickname "Dr. Hardstone" on such days!" he replied wryly and went off. Nidhi sighed. She had met Dr. Mallika earlier and she looked more sad and dejected. Dr. Mallika hadn't said it bt she was now afraid tht Dr. Mallika mite have tried to approach him yet again and he mite have had snapped rudely at her too!
She was jst abt to enter his cabin wen she heard him yelling at someone from inside! When she knocked, he suddenly quietened down. She had called him up as soon as she had stepped out from the auto and he knew she was at the door! And after a while, she saw the attendant coming out of the door looking pretty distressed and quite pitiful! She pursed her lips determindedly and entered his cabin!
"wats happening here?" she asked. "wat..?"he asked. His anger hadn't subsided completely.. he had jst stowed it away temporarily! "U know!" she cried. He breathed in to calm himself down. "wat r u talking abt?' he finally was able to ask her calmly. "u know!" she cried again. "wat Nidhi?" "y r u taking out ur anger on others.. if u r angry on me, y don't u jst bring it all on me.." she yelled.. tears sprang in her eyes! He jst stared at her! "y r u punishing others for a mistake of mine! Punish me.." she cried. Tears trickled down her face. "Nidhi.." He cried suddenly getting up from his chair. "blame me as much as u want and not others.." she cried and wiped off her tears and ran to the door! "Nidhi'wait!" he cried. She had reached the door but he was able to stop her jst in time! He grabbed her arm and cried,"u know I had been feeling like a buffoon since this morning!" She jst stared at him.. tears again trickled down her face and he tried to wipe thm off. But she wiped thm off instead,"y do u care if u hate me so much!" she cried and opened the door to get out but turned back and uttered in a low voice,"please.. don't ever call urself tht.. u r not buffoon.. No!" and she went away jst as she had come! The door closed behind her heavily and he stared at it disbelievingly! He stomped heavily back to his chair! Now, wat was tht! Shudnt he b angry on her instead! Shudnt he b walking away on her! Bt her words echoed in his mind and her loving eyes flashed across his eyes'"don't ever call urself tht.. u r not buffoon.. No!"
He threw his keys on the table and cried,"huh! And wat abt u trying to make me one!" He thrust into his pocket and threw the concert tickets in the dustbin! "So much of a date!.."he cried! he had planned to take it slow with Nidhi. He wanted to give her time but things jst went out of control! He admitted he cudnt control his anger but he didn't know y Nidhi was angry on him wen he cudn't even make himself angry on her! He pondered as to y it was always him who had to lose in their fight! He gave a frustrated sigh and paced in his cabin!
He gave up wen he cudnt find a way out to his problem with Nidhi.. His brain had somehow stopped functioning properly! He decided to let the matter rest and walked out into the parking lot!
Nidhi was standing near his car looking quite sad! "Hate me as much as u can.. bt I m not leaving u.." she cried stubbornly wen he reached her. And he cudnt help chuckle at her statement.. she thot he was hating her..Oh..how in the world can he ever do tht! He looked at her. Her face was puffy, eyes a bit wet, but she looked quite determined! Oh how he loved her ways! He opened the door for her and she got in quietly! He drove silently not knowing wer he was heading to.. he jst drove randomly on the Lucknow roads! Nidhi was keeping quiet and he didn't know wat else to do! At last, he spotted an ice-cream parlor and decided to stop! She remained seated in the car and he bot her her favorite chocolate icecream! Chocolate was a grt mood booster, he knew it and especially for Nidhi it held so true! And he was so rite. She cudnt help give a delightful smile! He chuckled! She was really a kid wen it came to icecreams and chocolates and wat a better way to re-start the conversation tht thy had left! "u know I hadn't known tht my baba's heir was going to b so cute and adorable tht I wudnt b able to hate her even if I wanted to!" he said. And she cudnt help looking at him with a lot more love and admiration over her ice-cream! She licked at her ice-cream cone and uttered a sorry! He cudnt help chuckle at the cute picture she made! He cudnt determine wether she luved the ice-cream more or him!
"Oh.. Nidhi..!" he cried and pulled her closer. "U thot I wud hate u.."He cupped her face gently and said,"oh.. how can I ever hate u Nidhi.. u have filled my heart with so much of love tht thr is no place for hatredness.." Even the chocolate cudnt stop the tears tht formed in her eyes and he wiped thm off gently and stroked her face lovingly! She looked at him with apology! He winked at her reassuredly. "I hadn't known tht u were going to overhear it and let suffer ur own self!"she cried with a cute pout. He smiled,"I really hadn't liked it wen u hid such an important thing from me Nidhi.. bt I jst cudnt make myself angry at u!" she looked at him with a feeling of extreme adoration! He gave her every reason to luv him so devotedly! "u know I shud thank nana some day tht he didn't adopt u.. otherwise ours was going to b a pretty complicated rship!" she said thoughtfully and seriously. But he cudnt help himself laugh"yeah'tht.. yeah..!" and he laughed at the irony of the circumstance! "How wud I have even known tht the grtst bane in my life was going to turn out to b a grtst boon afterall!" He cried happily! For once in his life, he had felt extremely relieved. "u know.. I really feel like buffon.. for all these years, I had shed tears and wasted my life for nothing!" he cried. "U r not a buffoon!" she cried suddenly and he cudnt help chuckle! "U r Not!" she cried again! And he looked at her admiringly for her luv and blind devotion! If anybody had dared to call him buffoon, she wud surely have given thm her famous 5-point knock out punch, such was her look! He laughed hard! If he cud, he wud've kissed her rite thn and thr! "U r laughing at me!" she cried. "No..Nidhi!" "I know!" she pouted mildly. He stopped laughing. "Y wud I.. wen I know tht teasing u instead wud make u blush so fine tht I wud want to kiss u' hmmm?" thr was mischief in his eyes and she blushed at his statement. "thr u go' c.." he picked at her cheeks and uttered lovingly! She blushed some more! The amount of her blushes had yet again increased since last nite and her re-discovered shyness was making his heart ache all over again!
She looked at his laughing face affectionately having her ice-cream. It was so good this way and she wanted it to remain this way forever! But alas she had to confront some more bitter truth thn this and she didn't knew how it wud end! And while she finished her ice-cream, he made some quick calls to KGH. In his worry, he had apparently missed giving some important instructions. When he turned to her finishing his call, she looked quite okay. He wanted to tell her tht Dr. Rangnath had been worried abt their fight! It was strange and amusing! The whole staff of KGH had been so accustomed to seeing thm together by now tht none of the eyebrows raised or the ears stretched or the mouth murmured on seeing thm together in hospital or in his cabin now! And in fact Dr. Rangnath had informed him to his utter surprise tht thy wud b in fact pretty happy instead if thy patched up!! The rumors of thm breaking up had made solid rounds after the convention incident! He chuckled at the strange ways of world! Little did he know how it worked! Every office has its own tale of luv birds to tell and if it was one of true luv thn it was regared with pride and not contempt! and Ashutosh-Nidhi's had been KGH's tale of one of rarest of true luv afterall!
When she finished her ice-cream, he drove away again. She had again looked quite thoughtful and he knew she was still holding up a lot bigger thng inside her' the mystery behind the pain tht her baba was experiencing was still thr and he knew it involved him..and her.. but he will need to give her time to open up.. she was insecure abt his reactions may b.. and he had to reassure her tht nothing can come betn thm.. nothing! When he dropped her home, he really wanted to kiss her. But alas.. he cudnt.. Didnt she ever have such thots.. he wondered. He tried to read her expressions but he cudnt gauge if she desired it as much as him! She arched her eyebrows to question him at his pondering face.. but she received a mischevious side smile and a distinct glitter in his eyes and she knew it was better if she not asked! She blushed and went away bidding him good nite and sweet dreams! He drove away and pondered mischeviously as to wether to make her feel desirous of him or not.. he knew by her earlier reactions tht it wasn't going to b too hard afterall! He chuckled! While it was going to satisfy the male in him immensely, it was for him to decide whether he wanted to c tht bold Nidhi or was jst happy with this shy Nidhi! He sighed! He cudnt believe tht he was thinking in these terms! The Dr. Ashutosh was thinking abt luring a girl! He laughed at himself! Now tht thr engagement was on the cards.. it really sounded very tempting tho!
***oops looks like this one got quite bigger.. hmm.. bt hope u all will enjoy it as much as previous chapters.. wanted to bring in some romance otherwise it wud've been pretty teary update.. yet again i had to sacrifice the story for thr romance😆.. bt the whole mystery will b revealed soon.. and fear not.. coz Ashu is jst gonna handle everything with much ease! He is a chnged man afterall!😛*****
Plz do comment on how u found this chapter.. and the story going forward.. have some internet probs so wudnt b able to come online much... bt wud visit to read all ur wondeful comments.. so keep posting..
ciao TC!
Originally posted by: achiever
Great Chapter keep on writtingChapter 36: Tum bin jaaon kahaan'
When he stepped back out thinking a bit blushingly abt his own mischief, he was in for a biggest shock of his life! He cudnt believe tht he had heard those words from Nidhi's mouth! We got stuck at Nana's house, Nidhi had said to her baba! "yes..he had taken me to nana's house baba" Nidhi was saying to her baba over the phone!
He stood thr stunned. He felt as if he was suddenly thrown out in some outerspace where nothing cud stretch beyond tht darkness and stillness! He gulped down to digest wat he had jst learnt! Nidhi had been so oblivious to his presence there.. she hadn't heard him open the door neither had she thot tht he mite jst b in tht earshot range to wreck this havoc upon him! He sighed silently and looked at her with worn out expressions! Why was it tht he was suddenly feeling tired and pretty old! "No, I don't think so he has recognized our connection yet!" she said. "No baba.. I haven't told him yet!" she had added sadly' well' at least he felt so! He was still in his thots wen kaka called thm for breakfast and Nidhi jst quickly uttered a bye on the phone and rushed out! Just like that! He stared briefly at the closed door and gave a heavy sigh! Suddenly, it was as if his brain had stopped working and he seriously didn't know wat he was supposed to do, say, or even think! He slumped on the bed feeling totally obscure! He sat thr breathing deeply and letting his brain rest for awhile. Why was it tht wen it came to Nidhi, his heart and brain started acting strangely! He sighed again and stared aimlessly around the room!
Suddenly, a cool breeze swept over him and he felt something soft caressing him teasingly on his hand! He looked at it.. it was her red dupatta rustling very lovingly and teasing him very naughtily on his hand ' as if it had been ordered to do so by its very own possessor Nidhi! He smiled to himself as a warm feeling slowly crept up his heart! The taste of her sweet lips revisited his tastebuds and the soft touch of her lips re-tingled his skin! The sensation was still very much thr and this duppatta jst rekindled it! He sighed and picked it up as it continued to flutter as if it wasn't going to relent till he pressed it to his heart and gave it a hug! He obliged.. he had to.. afterall it smelt and felt so much of Nidhi! He gave a longing sigh and closed his eyes!
Y was it tht God luved to joke with him the most out of those 1.21 billion crore ppl! He cried in his mind. Ywas all this happening in his life! He sighed and looked at her her dupatta again! As the gold on it shimmered lightly in the morning rays illuminating the room thru the window, the tender feeling tht thy had shared from last nite came back to charm him. It reflected the radiance tht he had seen on Nidhi's face, which had gleamed with such pure love and looked so much more beautiful due to the innocence it had held tht he jst cudnt get it off from his mind from thn on! It had been imprinted so deep into his heart tht no amnt of dbt or suspicion can rub it off! If his baba's heir wudnt have been Nidhi, surely the reaction wud've been different. Bt knowing tht its Nidhi, the hatredness or the bitterness tht harbored in there for so long jst wasn't creeping up! Knowing tht Nidhi was the same person responsible for all the pain tht he had endured for so long, for the beautiful life tht he had forgone to live in search of the truth, and for those hopeful emotions tht he had held back in a fear of losing it all once again, it jst wasn't coming! Thr wasn't a single shard of hatredness in him for Nidhi even if he wanted to bring it out! Why was it tht he wanted to embrace the same person who had been responsible for his abandonment! Can love make things so simple and easy.. jst like tht? He wondered. Jst last nite, tht bitter feeling had revisited him, but he had pushed it away and today wen he thot abt it, it was as if it never existed!
"Oh.. u r jst sitting'" She suddenly peeked thru his door with caution and jerked him out of his thots with a loud cry! He jst stared back at her. She had been looking as beautiful as she had been last nite! She pushed the door wide and cried, "r u jst going to sit and keep pondering or come out for bfast!" She complained cutely! "I m getting late and baba is yelling.. please!!" she cried again. He pondered over her words.. shudnt he b the one complaining here.. or rather shudnt he b angry on her for her lie! A thot visited his mind! But she had no clue whatsoever abt wat was going on in his mind! She glanced back thru the door as if to check and then came running down to him to settle softly beside him on the bed. "u'know ..I thot u mite have again left something behind.." she whisphered with a teasing giggle! Her eyes had sparkled momentarily with mischief but thn shyness had crept up in thm and her cheeks had jst blushed with slight redness! "u took so much of time!" she added in a low voice as he continued to stare at her! He sighed. No.. hecannot possibly get angry at her! He got up and picked up his shirt from the floor quietly. He then opened the upper most drawer of his side table and pulled out a "do not touch" tag. She looked at him puzzled. He then pulled out a carry bag from his cupboard and put the dupatta and shirt in it! Nidhi kept staring at him with a puzzled look! He carefully placed the bag with her dupatta and his shirt on the side table and tagged it with the "do no touch" tag! Her eyebrows arched and she cried,"wats this?" "Nothing!" he replied coolly and walked out into the living room! Nidhi followed him looking quite perplexed! He was suddenly behaving quite odd! Y did it felt to her as if he was keeping something to himself! She wondered as she settled on the dining table.
Kaka merrily resumed narrating the ancedotes from his childhoon while serving the breakfast. Nidhi happily listened to it but he looked quite thoughtful, she observed. Looking at him, Kaka remarked tht he took too much of time today thn he normally did and tht if baba had been ther he shud've surely gotten a lecture on time management! He narrated an incident related to it! Tht got Nidhi quite interested and she asked him more abt his baba! Ashutosh sighed. She seemed genuinely interested in knowing abt baba! Thn y was it tht she had not cared to preserve his memories from tht house.. y had she left it in ruins! He sat mulling in his trademark fist-on-lips thinking posture! She was now asking abt the house! "Y u want to know more abt the house?"he asked suddenly. She was taken aback for awhile but thn shrugged her shoulders and counter questioned him,"Y shudnt I?.. I mean..it has been an important part of ur life.. a house reflects so much abt the type of person one is.. I want to know how ur baba was..u know u r moulded by him' and pretty well I wud say!" She grinned! Somehow, he didn't seem to have any interest in bfast today! His mind was preoccupied with jst one question.. if she genuinely cared for him thny was she doing this.. y was she lying! He sighed! "u know how important the house and baba had been in my life..rite?" he asked her again! She stared at him for his strange sort of question! "Of course!" she shrugged and answered trying to find a reason behind his such question! Thn y' he wanted to ask but he didn't! He cudnt!
He took a bite of his toast and put it back instantly making a pretty ugly face as if it tasted bitterly! Suddenly, he was starting to feel quite irritated! He took a sip of his tea and plunked the cup back on the table startling Nidhi! "wats this kaka!" he snapped at kaka! "y wat happened.. it tastes okay" Nidhi defended kaka. He jst pushed it away and started to get up but Nidhi stopped him,"Wait.. kaka has made ur fav bfast at my request!" she pleaded. Kaka rushed in to bring his fav sprouts paratha and placed it in his plate! "wait I will make u some fresh tea.." she offered. He refused. But she urged him lovingly and he cudnt refuse anymore! He took a bite of paratha and nibbled on it for long! When Nidhi came back with his tea, he was still nibbling on the same bite! Nidhi looked at kaka questioningly! Kaka jst shrugged. Nidhi offered him some fruits and he jst glared at thm as if thy were some unedible item! Nidhi offered to make some juice, but he declined. It seemed as if nothing was pleasing him. Neither the tea nor his fav bfast tht kaka had specially made at her request! Not even the toast tht cudnt b prepared any differently thn how it had been! She jst sat gazing at him with worried expressions! Wat was the matter with him! She thot for umpteenth time now!
He finished his paratha reluctantly and pushed his plate away and got up abruptly. "I think I shud better change!"he said suddenly. "but u have already changed.. !" she cried. "I don't like this purple color.. I bettr change to white!" he said and left to change for a white shirt hanging his coat on the chair. Kaka stared after him and remarked to Nidhi tht it was prudent to leave him alone wen he was in bad mood! Nidhi didn't think so! She wanted to know y he was suddenly in a bad mood! When he opened up the door, she looked questioningly at him! He looked at her strangely.. as if he was unsure and walked away quietly! She followed him into the car worryingly! She knew he was in no mood to share!
And she was so true coz on their way back to her home, he kept pretty silent. "wats the matter?" she finally asked him. "Do you think I shud search for the owner of tht house?" he asked her abruptly instead. "I'I.." she stammered. So tht was wat is bothering him! She thot anxiously! The owner of the house! She bit her lip worriedly. He looked at her anxious face and sighed to himself! For once he didn't know, how he shud act!His brain wasn't helping him in forming a plan against her! If his brain helped, he cud make her reveal everything.. bt it jst wasn't working the way it shud somehow! Her face had looked pretty worried and he sighed again. Shud he really put Nidhi intoworry?..The straight forward way was to confront her.bthe cannot. She had to reveal it herself.. thr has to b a reason if she was keeping mum...He thot. "I have hired a detective again to search for baba.. in fact he is the same detective hired by ur baba for me!" He tried to change the topic, at last deciding to give both him and Nidhi a rest on this issue! "wat?" she cried,"baba had hired a detective for u!" she nodded her head disbelievingly! "Y?"she cried again. "he cannot b trustful on a stranger courting his daughter who is half of his age Nidhi"he explained! "oh' its so wrong.. so very wrong!" she cried! "U mean I shudnt hire a detective!" he asked. "No.. I mean not trusting each other!" "one cannot trust strangers Nidhi!" "bt cudnt he have put trust on me?" He looked at her. She was very serious and it looked as if she was talking to herself. She sighed disappointedly! "Nidhi.. he is a father.. he was jst concerned for u.. it has nothing to do with not having trust on u Nidhi.." he said tenderly. Suddenly tears had crept up in her eyes for some reason tht he didn't know! "Nidhi.. please..its not a big issue.. look at it practically.. y r u getting so sentimental on this.. u know how much faith ur baba has on u" he tried to reason out. She nodded a yes but looked away from him! He didn't quite understand wat was the matter with her. He hated wen he cudnt control the situation! And this situation was so not in his control.. rather it was in Nidhi's control.. and it was so hard for him to wait for Nidhi to open up.. and wen she worried like tht it made him more frustrated!
Nidhi was barely holding up her tears! She knew he was worried, but she cudnt possibly tell him wat was bothering her! She stared out from the window of the car! Oh how can she tell him tht she had jst realized tht his baba had known all abt his past, his baba.. all along thr r'ship!And tht she was the granddaughter of his baba and the riteful owner of his house!Tht she was one who was responsible for all his woes till now! Tears trickled down her face and she tried to hide it from him. Had her baba trusted her with this truth it wud've been lot easier' she wudnt have to lie to him.. whatever happened she wud've been frank with him rite from the beginning.. and if he hated her thn..thn it wudn't have been so hurtful!Bt she cud understand Y her baba had kept quiet..it was his guilt after learning the facts abt her nana' may b it was his way to repent by allowing her to bring tht happiness in Dr. Ashutosh's life! May b tht can make Dr. Ashutosh forgive her baba and her nana! She didn't know!All she know was tht her baba had been at crossroads.. As a responsible father and as an obliged son-in-law he had been in dilemma! It was jst her will tht was giving thr r'ship an upper hand! Bt will thr luv withstand this test? She really didn't know!
Her tears had begun to pour fast and she quickly wiped thm off as thy were threatening to reveal her! Ashutosh cud take it no longer and he finally stopped his car on the side road and questioned her sharply. "Nidhi.. will u please tell me wats going on?" She cudnt meet his eyes but she kept mum. He sighed and asked her more gently,"Is something bothering u?" "please Nidhi" he urged her gently. Oh, he was so concerned for her! He cared for her so much and she jst hated herself for lying to him!
She cudnt even curse the day she had learnt the truth! It was the most memorable day of her life! The day tht she can never ever forget! Oh how can she! It was the day tht he had revealed his past. It was the day tht he had first proposed to her. It was the day tht he had had dinner with her family for the very first time.. and it was the day tht he had tried to kiss her passionately for the very first time! Thr r'ship had jst grown more intimate! And thr wer so many beautiful memories from tht day. She sighed. That day, she had gotten so overwhelmed by the amount of happiness tht she had received tht she jst cudnt sleep and she had so wanted to share it with her mom. She had opened up her mom's chest and going thru her belongings, she had accidentally come across her nana's photo.. holding her mom in her hands and smiling so brightly! Tears again trickled down her face as it all came to haunt her now. It had been a painful revelation coz she had recognized her nana's face instantly from the photos on the walls of his house, but she had decided to keep quiet thn. Everything had turned so beautiful jst tht day! And more importantly, he seemed to b moving on.. he was so happy and content! She felt thr was no point in raking up the painful past when their today was so happy! Bt she hadn't known tht her baba had known it too.. for long.. even before she had revealed to him today!
"Nidhi.. please.. " Ashutosh urged her again. He jst cudnt c her crying this way! She was brot out of her thots by his very concerned voice and she looked deeply into his eyes struggling with herself as to whether to tell him or not! His eyes were seeking truth! "tell me everything Nidhi.. please" he asked her in a meaningingful tone. He cud understand wat was bothering her. She knew she was lying to him and tht was bothering her! But he didn't know y she wasn't coming clean! It was hard for him to mistrust her intentions but it was unbearable for him to know tht she was keeping something very important from him, which was bothering both him and her equally. She wiped off her tears and looked away. "Its nothing.. really.. it was jst tht.. I felt bad tht baba was spying on u.." she lied again! And he looked away sharply. A slow anger began to rise in him! Y she had to be so stubborn always! He left her at tht and drove away quietly!
When thy reached home, dadi bua welcomed him with a scorn! But he greeted her and Col. Verma cordially. Col. Verma asked him abt last nite and he jst replied with a short answer,"I wanted Nidhi to visit my baba's house. Its in quite remote jungle sort of area and v got stuck in rain thr. And Nidhi got fever again. And we cudnt get out in rainstorm in time and had to spend nite thr! I am really very sorry abt all these." "Huh!"was Nidhi's dadi bua's reply,"and will tht stop the murmurs tht have started making rounds abt Nidhi in our society!" she yelled! "Dadi bua.. wat can Dr. Ashutosh do abt tht.. ppl will talk anything behind our backs.. v don't need to take it seriously!" "Huh.. ur this very attitude has led us to this day Yog.. tht today ur daughter has guts to run away from the house without informing us and spend a nite with her boss!" "Dadi bua!" Nidhi shrieked with anger! "Nidhi plz!" her baba tried to intervene! "No..Baba.. how can she talk like tht..abt Dr. Ashutosh.. abt me!" she cried. "Nidhi.. let me handle this plz.." Ashutosh intervened and turned to Dadi bua,"please tell me wats the problem.. I had no intention of keeping Nidhi back.. we wer jst stuck and believe me thr was no way out..I..!" "I don't know abt all these.." she cut him rudely,"wat happened and y it happened! I jst know tht u r responsible for it! And u cannot run away from ur responsibilities Dr. Ashutosh.. u and only u r responsible for Nidhi's maligning reputation!" "Do hell with my reputation dadi bua!" Nidhi yelled. "Please Nidhi!" Dr. Ashutosh cried. "wat happened!" he asked dadi bua. "yesterday someone saw Nidhi running away with u in ur car and since thn thr is but one murmur in our society tht Nidhi has ran away with her middle-aged doctor boss! U know how many ppl have come to inquire after her and offer thr sympathies! Yog has no social life bt I do have.. wat cud I answer thm! How much can I lie! U cannot hide much in a such a small society doctor.. v have known each other since this society had formed' u know wen a girl runs away without informing their parents and wen she doesn't return home at nite' wat stories ppl make!" suddenly dadi bua's tone had changed from shrieking to a pitiful one! "I m sorry.. it was unintentional believe me!" "I don't know whether it was intentional or not.. and ur sorry cannot undo anything! I jst know tht my daughter has grown wings to fly away without having concerns for her family or its reputation.. this past month, I thot she was getting back on track.. bt alas! Wat a fool I was! But enuf is enuf, if she is going to b defiant thn let us have her way! I want u to take her responsibility.. I want u to own up ur responsibility.. I want u to get engaged to her!" "Wat!" this time it was Col. Verma who cried out loud! Both Nidhi and Dr. Ashutosh too looked at her with a shock! "Bua u cannot make such imp decision on some fancy gossip!" he cried. "gossip Yog gossip! this is no gossip any more Yog this has become a fact.. for how long we can hide from society.. and for how long shud v let Dr. Ashutosh run away from his responsibility.. Nidhi's young blood, if God forbid anything wrong happens, who will b responsible!" "please Dadi bua I m a grownup and responsible girl!"Nidhi retorted "I know tht pretty well.. Nidhi!" her dadi bua cried sarcastically. "Bua such decision cannot b taken in haste.. let us think abt it with a calm and sensible mind.. its matter of my daughter's life!" Col. Verma cried. "thts wat I m telling u Yog.. u have already given lot of liberties to ur daughter so give her some more.. let her take her own responsibility if u cannot discipline her! If she is so adamant abt Dr. Ashutosh, thn let her face this world by herself.. let her face the consequencies for real and thn learn her lesson! Let us not protect her anymore. Let her face the heat by herself.. afterall its wat she wants! Does she even care abt our worries!" she cried! Col. Verma was lost at words. Nidhi had gotten too far this time! And in a way bua was rite, she wasn't listening to thm.. she hadn't been in their control at all. And he wasn't sure if he cud even make her change her mind! He had seen how it had affected her this past month! She was his daughter and her pain hadn't escaped his eyes even thru her smiles!
Thr was a brief silence for a while. Nobody uttered a single word. Nidhi looked at Dr. Ashutosh. He was looking at Col. Verma, who looked lost in his own thots! "I need to talk to Dr. Ashutosh!" cried she and almost dragged him away into her room to dadi bua's chagrin. Col. Verma cud do nothing but stare at his defiant daughter! Dadi bua gave him C-I-so-told-u-look. She nodded with severe disapproval and commented,"Nidhi has completely gone berserk I m telling u Yog!"
When she closed the door behind him, he cudnt help cry at her outrageous behavior! "Wats happening Nidhi.. r u out of ur mind!" he cried. "yes.. and no!" she cried feeling nervous! "Wat?" "I mean.. I know u r going to say yes.. bt pls say no!" "wat!" he cried out loud this time! She breathed in heavily and gesticulated as if telling herself to calm down! He grabbed her shoulders and asked her,"Nidhi.. wats happening.. y r u so confused.. u have to tell me!" he demanded looking deep into her eyes. She was on the verge of telling him the truth. Oh.. how can she keep lying to him wen thy needed to decide on such a wonderful thing of their life!But' but she was afraid tht it mite not remain wonderful at all thn.. it jst mite..end! The house tht witnessed such beautiful moments of thm mite jst make it all crumble down! Cud he remain unaffected from his past.. Can he keep luving her with same intensity, passion, and purity without any malice or regret or self-reproach... can their luv remain as pure and true as it is now without any shadows affecting thm from their past.. She sighed.She was unable to decide. Ashutosh observed her quiety. There was inner turmoil in her and he cud see it very well. Oh how he wished she wud let him help her out! For once he was so very tempted to ask her baba everything instead.. but No.. tht wudnt brk this unseen wall tht had started to erupt betn thm! Only Nidhi can brk it and she has to! But she looked so unwilling! He sighed disapprovingly.. y was she making him do this! "okay.. I will try!" he said reluctantly and strode out without even glancing at her! Her heart sank! She knew he had felt bad. Thy had so waited for this day. It was supposed to b the happiest moment of their lives and she had turned it bitter for him. And he.. he had accepted it without even questioning her! Oh.. she hated herself!
Wen she came out, he heard him say. "I am so sorry Col. Verma but I have an emergency surgery to attend.. I need to go to hospital ASAP.. again I m very sorry.. " he apologized and asked for their leave politely. Nidhi sighed! He cudnt make himself say No! Oh how cud she have even asked from him something like this! She ran after him. He had walked out of the door without even glancing at her!
"I will visit in the evening!" she cried knocking at his window as he turned his car to go away! He didn't answer and drove away and Nidhi stood staring after him dejectedly! She saw a few heads peeping out of neighboring windows. She glared at thm and went in! It was all because of thm tht had raised this emergency in her life! For the first time, she cursed thm. Wen she went in, Dadi bua asked wat thy had decided abt engagement and she informed tht thy haven't decided on anything yet! Col. Verma looked at her questioningly and she told her baba tht she wasn't able to reveal the truth to him yet. He asked her why and she replied tht it wasn't tht easy! It involved the most important ppl of her life and revealing the truth will have its repurcussions and tht she will need some time and before tht she cannot even think abt engagement. Dadi bua enquired abt the mystery behind their talk and she was informed tht Dr. Ashutosh was the same orphan tht her nana took under his care! Dadi bua slumped into her chair with dumbfounded expressions and exclaimed,"I cannot believe this.. y.. y is God playing such tricks with us!" "may b he wants me to repent for my misdeeds!" "u didn't do anything wrong Yog! It was Dr. Mathur!" "No bua.. u don't know the whole story yet.. its my wrongdoing tht my daughter mite have to pay for!" Col. Verma said with a sigh and looked at Nidhi who went away feeling sad! Bua looked at Col. Verma with questioning eyes!
Neither Ashutosh nor Nidhi talked to each other for the rest of the day! Ashutosh waited for her call, but she didn't and tht made him more annoyed! He was literally snapping at every body! Even a slightest of error was making him highly angry. The staff was already keeping wary of him but Dr. Rangnath had no choice! He was bearing the brunt! Wen Nidhi visited KGH in the evening, Dr. Rangnath cudnt help express his grievance! "Dr. Nidhi.. looks like its one of those days when anything or rather everything riles him up badly!" Nidhi looked at him alarmed. "No.. not tht he is unjust or targeting unduly rather, bt its jst tht the amnt and measure of his anger doubles up! He justifies his nickname "Dr. Hardstone" on such days!" he replied wryly and went off. Nidhi sighed. She had met Dr. Mallika earlier and she looked more sad and dejected. Dr. Mallika hadn't said it bt she was now afraid tht Dr. Mallika mite have tried to approach him yet again and he mite have had snapped rudely at her too!
She was jst abt to enter his cabin wen she heard him yelling at someone from inside! When she knocked, he suddenly quietened down. She had called him up as soon as she had stepped out from the auto and he knew she was at the door! And after a while, she saw the attendant coming out of the door looking pretty distressed and quite pitiful! She pursed her lips determindedly and entered his cabin!
"wats happening here?" she asked. "wat..?"he asked. His anger hadn't subsided completely.. he had jst stowed it away temporarily! "U know!" she cried. He breathed in to calm himself down. "wat r u talking abt?' he finally was able to ask her calmly. "u know!" she cried again. "wat Nidhi?" "y r u taking out ur anger on others.. if u r angry on me, y don't u jst bring it all on me.." she yelled.. tears sprang in her eyes! He jst stared at her! "y r u punishing others for a mistake of mine! Punish me.." she cried. Tears trickled down her face. "Nidhi.." He cried suddenly getting up from his chair. "blame me as much as u want and not others.." she cried and wiped off her tears and ran to the door! "Nidhi'wait!" he cried. She had reached the door but he was able to stop her jst in time! He grabbed her arm and cried,"u know I had been feeling like a buffoon since this morning!" She jst stared at him.. tears again trickled down her face and he tried to wipe thm off. But she wiped thm off instead,"y do u care if u hate me so much!" she cried and opened the door to get out but turned back and uttered in a low voice,"please.. don't ever call urself tht.. u r not buffoon.. No!" and she went away jst as she had come! The door closed behind her heavily and he stared at it disbelievingly! He stomped heavily back to his chair! Now, wat was tht! Shudnt he b angry on her instead! Shudnt he b walking away on her! Bt her words echoed in his mind and her loving eyes flashed across his eyes'"don't ever call urself tht.. u r not buffoon.. No!"
He threw his keys on the table and cried,"huh! And wat abt u trying to make me one!" He thrust into his pocket and threw the concert tickets in the dustbin! "So much of a date!.."he cried! he had planned to take it slow with Nidhi. He wanted to give her time but things jst went out of control! He admitted he cudnt control his anger but he didn't know y Nidhi was angry on him wen he cudn't even make himself angry on her! He pondered as to y it was always him who had to lose in their fight! He gave a frustrated sigh and paced in his cabin!
He gave up wen he cudnt find a way out to his problem with Nidhi.. His brain had somehow stopped functioning properly! He decided to let the matter rest and walked out into the parking lot!
Nidhi was standing near his car looking quite sad! "Hate me as much as u can.. bt I m not leaving u.." she cried stubbornly wen he reached her. And he cudnt help chuckle at her statement.. she thot he was hating her..Oh..how in the world can he ever do tht! He looked at her. Her face was puffy, eyes a bit wet, but she looked quite determined! Oh how he loved her ways! He opened the door for her and she got in quietly! He drove silently not knowing wer he was heading to.. he jst drove randomly on the Lucknow roads! Nidhi was keeping quiet and he didn't know wat else to do! At last, he spotted an ice-cream parlor and decided to stop! She remained seated in the car and he bot her her favorite chocolate icecream! Chocolate was a grt mood booster, he knew it and especially for Nidhi it held so true! And he was so rite. She cudnt help give a delightful smile! He chuckled! She was really a kid wen it came to icecreams and chocolates and wat a better way to re-start the conversation tht thy had left! "u know I hadn't known tht my baba's heir was going to b so cute and adorable tht I wudnt b able to hate her even if I wanted to!" he said. And she cudnt help looking at him with a lot more love and admiration over her ice-cream! She licked at her ice-cream cone and uttered a sorry! He cudnt help chuckle at the cute picture she made! He cudnt determine wether she luved the ice-cream more or him!
"Oh.. Nidhi..!" he cried and pulled her closer. "U thot I wud hate u.."He cupped her face gently and said,"oh.. how can I ever hate u Nidhi.. u have filled my heart with so much of love tht thr is no place for hatredness.." Even the chocolate cudnt stop the tears tht formed in her eyes and he wiped thm off gently and stroked her face lovingly! She looked at him with apology! He winked at her reassuredly. "I hadn't known tht u were going to overhear it and let suffer ur own self!"she cried with a cute pout. He smiled,"I really hadn't liked it wen u hid such an important thing from me Nidhi.. bt I jst cudnt make myself angry at u!" she looked at him with a feeling of extreme adoration! He gave her every reason to luv him so devotedly! "u know I shud thank nana some day tht he didn't adopt u.. otherwise ours was going to b a pretty complicated rship!" she said thoughtfully and seriously. But he cudnt help himself laugh"yeah'tht.. yeah..!" and he laughed at the irony of the circumstance! "How wud I have even known tht the grtst bane in my life was going to turn out to b a grtst boon afterall!" He cried happily! For once in his life, he had felt extremely relieved. "u know.. I really feel like buffon.. for all these years, I had shed tears and wasted my life for nothing!" he cried. "U r not a buffoon!" she cried suddenly and he cudnt help chuckle! "U r Not!" she cried again! And he looked at her admiringly for her luv and blind devotion! If anybody had dared to call him buffoon, she wud surely have given thm her famous 5-point knock out punch, such was her look! He laughed hard! If he cud, he wud've kissed her rite thn and thr! "U r laughing at me!" she cried. "No..Nidhi!" "I know!" she pouted mildly. He stopped laughing. "Y wud I.. wen I know tht teasing u instead wud make u blush so fine tht I wud want to kiss u' hmmm?" thr was mischief in his eyes and she blushed at his statement. "thr u go' c.." he picked at her cheeks and uttered lovingly! She blushed some more! The amount of her blushes had yet again increased since last nite and her re-discovered shyness was making his heart ache all over again!
She looked at his laughing face affectionately having her ice-cream. It was so good this way and she wanted it to remain this way forever! But alas she had to confront some more bitter truth thn this and she didn't knew how it wud end! And while she finished her ice-cream, he made some quick calls to KGH. In his worry, he had apparently missed giving some important instructions. When he turned to her finishing his call, she looked quite okay. He wanted to tell her tht Dr. Rangnath had been worried abt their fight! It was strange and amusing! The whole staff of KGH had been so accustomed to seeing thm together by now tht none of the eyebrows raised or the ears stretched or the mouth murmured on seeing thm together in hospital or in his cabin now! And in fact Dr. Rangnath had informed him to his utter surprise tht thy wud b in fact pretty happy instead if thy patched up!! The rumors of thm breaking up had made solid rounds after the convention incident! He chuckled at the strange ways of world! Little did he know how it worked! Every office has its own tale of luv birds to tell and if it was one of true luv thn it was regared with pride and not contempt! and Ashutosh-Nidhi's had been KGH's tale of one of rarest of true luv afterall!
When she finished her ice-cream, he drove away again. She had again looked quite thoughtful and he knew she was still holding up a lot bigger thng inside her' the mystery behind the pain tht her baba was experiencing was still thr and he knew it involved him..and her.. but he will need to give her time to open up.. she was insecure abt his reactions may b.. and he had to reassure her tht nothing can come betn thm.. nothing! When he dropped her home, he really wanted to kiss her. But alas.. he cudnt.. Didnt she ever have such thots.. he wondered. He tried to read her expressions but he cudnt gauge if she desired it as much as him! She arched her eyebrows to question him at his pondering face.. but she received a mischevious side smile and a distinct glitter in his eyes and she knew it was better if she not asked! She blushed and went away bidding him good nite and sweet dreams! He drove away and pondered mischeviously as to wether to make her feel desirous of him or not.. he knew by her earlier reactions tht it wasn't going to b too hard afterall! He chuckled! While it was going to satisfy the male in him immensely, it was for him to decide whether he wanted to c tht bold Nidhi or was jst happy with this shy Nidhi! He sighed! He cudnt believe tht he was thinking in these terms! The Dr. Ashutosh was thinking abt luring a girl! He laughed at himself! Now tht thr engagement was on the cards.. it really sounded very tempting tho!
***oops looks like this one got quite bigger.. hmm.. bt hope u all will enjoy it as much as previous chapters.. wanted to bring in some romance otherwise it wud've been pretty teary update.. yet again i had to sacrifice the story for thr romance😆.. bt the whole mystery will b revealed soon.. and fear not.. coz Ashu is jst gonna handle everything with much ease! He is a chnged man afterall!😛*****
Plz do comment on how u found this chapter.. and the story going forward.. have some internet probs so wudnt b able to come online much... bt wud visit to read all ur wondeful comments.. so keep posting..
ciao TC!
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