Hey everyone!!
So I wrote a KC Special OS! After you read it you'll know why it's special.. and NO its not a RaYa c-night on the terrace so don't get excited LOL. 😆... Anyways it starts off at the end of Thursdays episode.. Hope you guys like it!
Enjoy!
P.S. been up all night writing and its been a while since I've written, AND im suffering from Writers Block so sorry if it's not the greatest 😉
Priya: You know something…Hum dono ne unknowingly ek dusre se kitne mails exchange kiye hain.. I mean main toh regularly likhti thi uss mail account mein. Aap ko shayad yaad hoga ek baar ek maa ne apni beti ke liye request ki thi ke aap bookshop pe aaye aur books sign kijiye.
Ram: Haan haan, of course yaad hai.
Priya: Woh mail maine likhi thi… Pihu ke liye..
The fake smile wiped off his face before she even finished her sentence. The sarcasm and jealousy that was glinting in his eyes was quickly replaced by seriousness and a spark of pain.
Ram, with a pained voice: Woh tum thi?
Priya: I really can't believe it…
Priya's eyes filled with tears at this realization. She couldn't believe that indirectly she had been in touch with the man of her dreams, the love of her life, Ram, for all these years. It was as if destiny had planned this for them, once again, just like it had that day when he spoke to her in the bathroom.
Ram realized that he had been communicating with Priya without even knowing it for the last 5 years. And she had been struggling to take care of his baby, their baby, his princess, Pihu… She had struggled so much to make ends meet every single day and yet provide their daughter with everything that she needed and wanted. He realized that the last 5 years had not been easy on her either. That she had dealt with a lot too. That email, the one that had touched his heart many months ago, was Priya asking Anjaan to sign some books so she could make ends meet for Pihu… and Rajat had refused stating he didn't do public appearances. If only he had known… He would have taken away all their troubles and neither of them would have had to suffer…
Rajat: Ram..
Ram turned to Rajat and slapped him with his left hand. He grabbed his collars and shook him.
Ram: 5 saal tak tumne meri hi biwi ko pareshaan kiya Dubai mein… Teri vaja se meri biwi aur beti ko itna sab kuch sehna pada ke uss ne Anjaan ko awaaz di usski madad karne… Mujhse kya kaha tha tumne? Ke she's a nuisance, ke rent kabhi time pe nahi milta hai, ke baatein badi badi karti hai, ke she's an idealist.. Kya tumne ek baar bhi nahi socha ke uss ke paas ek 5 saal ki beti hai jisse woh support kar rahi hai? Ke maybe she has a reason for not paying your bloody rent on time lekin woh tumhe bata nahi sakti, ya uski koi majboori hai? Agar uss waqt main nahi hota, aur woh saari kitaab tumse sigh nahi karwaai hoti, toh Priya aaj bhi musibat mein hoti… Uss waqt mujhe nahi pata tha ke woh kitni badi musibat mein hai, lekin woh mails padh ke ab mujhe ehsaas ho raha hai.. aur woh bhi sirf aur sirf tumhari vaja se. Kash maine tumhe apni aur Priya ke baare mein nahi bataaya hota… Kash maine tumhe dobara pyar karna sikhaya nahi hota…Toh shayad aaj uss board pe Priya Sharma ki bajai Priya Kapoor likha hota… Lekin mujhe kya pata tha ke tum meri hi biwi se pyar karne lago ge… Aur ek hi pal mein meri 5 saal ki dosti ko thukra bhi doge… That's why you're doing all this right? Yeh book caf, a Priya Sharma and Rajat Kapur enterprise? Because you love her? Isiliye toh tum itna involved ho gaye ho iss case mein, jis case mein hum dono bhi itna involved nahi hai. Hum dono koshish kar rahe hain hamari beti ke liye ek dusre ke saath rehne ke liye, lekin tum toh itna involved ho gaye ho iss case mein. Kya saabit karna chahte ho humein ek dusre ke khilaaf khada kar ke? Ke tum kitna pyar karte ho Priya se? Ke badle tumhe kuch bhi nahi chahiye? Ke tumhara pyaar kitna mahaan, kitna bada, kitna selfless hai? Ya phir main kitna bura hoon kyun ki mujhe bhi apni beti ke saath rehne ka haq hai? What the hell are you trying to prove Rajat? Biwi hai meri aur Bhabhi hai teri, yeh baat kabhi mat bhoolna, kyun ki yeh baat main tujhe kabhi bhool ne nahi doonga.
He let go Rajat's collar and looked at a teary-eyed, shocked Priya one more time, with a pained expression in his eyes before walking out of the coffee shop. His anger for Priya had been replaced by his anger for Rajat upon learning how much Priya really went through trying to raise Pihu alone… And yet deep down inside the pain still lingered and he wondered once again why she had hid the truth of his daughter from him, when he could have been there and they could have raised her together…
Priya stood there, stunned with Ram's outburst with tears flowing down her cheeks. She could never have imagined in a million years that Rajat would have fallen in love with her. She was married with a child damn it. How could he do that? Is that why he had suddenly changed and had started helping her out, the last few months? Because Ram had somehow made him believe he was in love with her?
She slowly wiped her tears and quietly left the book caf, leaving Pihu behind, assuming that Kady would bring her home later on.
Back at Kapoor Mansion, Ram sat in his black chair with a drink in his hand. He pulled out the picture of Priya and Pihu that he had quietly taken from her album the other day when they were looking at all Pihu's things before the orientation.
Vikram entered the room and poured himself a drink. He sat down across Ram on a chair and stared at him, waiting for him to speak, while Ram stared at the picture in his hand.
Ram, in a pained voice: Woh Anjaan ko likhti thi. Apni beti ke future ke liye madad maang ne. She struggled a lot in Dubai with Pihu. Aur sab Rajat ki vaja se. Uss ne kitna pareshaan kiya Priya ko in 5 saalon mein. She was really struggling to make ends meet Vikram. Ek baar mujhe Anjaan ke ID par ek aurat ki email aayi, request kar rahi thi ke Anjaan uss ki bookshop par book signing ka event par aaye, lekin Rajat ne mana kar diya tha kyun ki woh public appearances nahi karta tha. Woh Priya hi thi Vikram. Uss ne Pihu ke liye woh mail bheja tha. Aur maine Rajat ke kehne par uss ki madad karne mein mana kardiya… I denied my own daughter a future…
Vikram: Ram, dekh yeh teri galti nahi hai. You didn't know ke woh Priya hi hai.
Ram, looking down at his drink: Haan lekin phir bhi. Phir bhi mujhe guilty feel ho raha hai. I should have forced Rajat to help her. Kitni takleef hui hogi usse Pihu ke har ek khwaish ko poora karne mein. Aur tu Priya ko toh jaanta hai, she'll never ask anyone for help nor will she ever say no to Pihu. Pata nahi aisa kyun lag raha hai ke ek baar phir yeh sab kismat ka khel tha. Kismat ne yeh sab kiya hum dono ko ek dusre ke saamne khada karne ke liye.
Vikram: Shayad yeh wakai kismat ka khel tha Ram aur Priya ko milwane mein. Ram, tu aaj bhi Priya se bahut pyaar karta hai. Then why are you fighting this so much? Aaj teri baat sun kar aisa lag raha hai ke Priya ki takleef ke baare mein tujhe itna dukh ho raha hai.. Kya tu usse itni takleef dobara de payega usse Pihu se alag kar ke? Kya tu nahi chahta ke tu, Priya aur Pihu ek saath rahe? I know she hurt you, lekin kya tera gussa tere pyaar se badh kar hai? Kyun tujhe aaj iss halat mein dekh kar mujhe aisa lag raha hai ke tera Priya se nafrat karne ka natak ab aur din nahi chalne wala hai.
He finished his drink and they both sat there, in silence, while Ram thought about all the emails that he had exchanged unknowingly with Priya, and all the times he had felt her presence around Pihu in Dubai, and how always wanted to see Pihu smile without even knowing that she was his daughter. He sat and thought about the time when him and Kady had gotten Rajat to sign all those books to help "Pooja" out and the few times when he himself purchased so many of Anjaan's books just so he could help her. And he sat and wondered why he had felt so compelled to help Pihu and her mother. And the answer was right in front of him, in the picture; because she was his Priya and Pihu was their daughter.
He sat there and thought about all the struggles she must've faced raising Pihu alone, especially in Dubai. How she must've struggled to make ends meet, and fulfill all Pihu's wishes and demands without ever making her feel like they were at a loss for money. How hurt she must've felt when she wasn't able to give Pihu what she wanted for whatever reason. And finally, how guilty she must've felt keeping Pihu from him for all these years…
The next day
At the sound of the knock, Priya opened the door to see Dadi and Krishnaji standing there with a sargi.
Priya: Maa, Dadi, aaye na..
The two of them sat on the couch, while Priya made them some tea. She came and sat down next to them.
Priya: Aap dono yahaan?
Dadi: Oye Priya Puttar, hum tujhe milne nahi aa sakte?
Priya: Are nahi Dadi, aisi koi baat nahi hai..
Krishnaji: Priya, yeh mera barso ka sapna tha, main apni haath se, apni Ram ki biwi ko, Karwa Chauth ki sargi doon. Bas, yeh sargi tum lelo.
Priya: Aap dono ne mere baare mein socha, aur yeh sargi mere liye lekar aaye, lekin dusri taraf is baat ka bhi ehsaas hai Maa ke meri absence mein Mr. Kapoor dusri shaadi kar chuke hain, aur aap dono jo yeh sargi lekar aaye hain, uss par ab mera haq nahi banta…
Dadi: Priya Puttar, Golu aur Ayesha ki shaadi ki vaja toh tu jaanti hai. Pichle 5 saal mein uss ne yeh vrat bhi nahi rakha, toh iss saal bhi nahi rakhegi. Lekin phir bhi agar tujhe aisa lag raha hai ke kyun ki Ayesha teri behn hai, yeh sargi par uss ka haq hai, theek hai, hum usse de denge…. Chal, abhi hum chalte hain, Karwa Chauth ki bahut saari tayyariyaan karni baaki hai.
Dadi and Krishnaji stood up and walked out of Priya's flat. The minute they left, Priya closed the door and slumped down on the couch with tears forming in her eyes.
Priya, in her thoughts: Pichle 5 saal se main yeh vrat Ram ki lambi umar ke liye rakhti aayi hoon, aur Ram ki tasveer ko dekh kar maine yeh vrat toda hai aur iss saal bhi main aisa hi karungi… Kash usse yeh ehsaas hota ke main un se kitna pyar karti hoon aur hamesha se karti rahungi…
The next evening…
The next evening, Ram was sitting in his study, reflecting over everything that happened over the last few days. Arguing with Priya over stupid things for Pihu, and the day he side hugged her in front of the principal and didn't want to let her go. It was the first time he had hugged her in 5 years. And even though she was attempting to show how uncomfortable she was, he could tell how flustered she really was at his touch. He remembered seeing Pihu in tears after school and it just broke his heart and hurt even more that Priya would think that he put her in that school to see her get hurt. But at the same time, seeing Priya in tears hurt him in a whole other way and he knew how much it hurt her to see Pihu in pain and she just needed someone to blame for it. And that made him think about how many tears they both must've shed in Dubai…
He thought about the day he had gone to pick up Pihu for the Pooja and how Pihu had insisted that Priya come. Somewhere deep down inside he so badly had wanted to ask her to come along too but in the end his hurt won and didn't bother. He thought about when Pihu had asked to see his and Priya's room and he entered and found that it was exactly the same in spite of him telling Ayesha to change it out of anger. He hadn't stepped in that room since he had told her and resorted to sleeping in one of the other many rooms in the house. The pain of change had been too much for him to handle but at the same time he couldn't be in the same room because it reminded him of how she betrayed him. When he stepped into the room with Pihu, deep down inside he had been glad that Ayesha had not changed it. It would nearly have killed him to see all his and Priya's happy memories thrown out and changed. And when Pihu revealed that Priya had told her about the room and how it would be, his heart swelled but he felt a stab in the heart when she said that Priya had also said that a big house doesn't always mean a happy house. His anger resurfaced and he was angry that Ayesha had not changed it. His heart and mind were in a constant battle with each other, sometimes his love over powering his anger and sometimes vice versa. Sometimes he just felt like he wanted to forget about the past and move on but then a small voice would ask him if he was really able to trust Priya again after all that she did. Sometimes he felt like his anger was taking over and all he wanted to do was make her miserable, but then a small voice would ask him if he could really do this to the woman he loved with all his heart. And then to make things even more complicated, Pihu was also in the picture and they both had to think about her first.
The shrill ring of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts and he glanced down at the number and smiled, knowing who it would be at this time.
Ram: Hi Rockstar, kaisi ho?
Pihu: Hi Papa. Main theek hoon, aap mujhe milne kab aa rahe hai? Mujhe chocolate ice cream khani hai.
Ram, laughing: Oho, Princess ko chocolate ice cream khani hai? Tum batao, main kab aaoon?
Pihu: Abhi aajaye na. Mujhe abhi ke abhi chocolate ice cream khani hai aur Mamma ne mana kardiya.
Ram: Theek hai darling main ice cream leke thodi dehr mein aata hoon aur hum saath mein mil kar khayenge. Ok?
Pihu: Yay! See you soon Papa.
Ram: Bye Rockstar.
He hung up the phone smiling. There was always one person whom he could never be confused about and one person who could always make his day better.
He got dressed and was walking towards the door when…
Ayesha: Ram..
He turned around to look at Ayesha, waiting for her to speak.
Ayesha: Aap kahin jaa rahe hain?
Ram: Haan mujhe thoda kaam hai..
Ayesha: Ok, aap jaldi wapas aaye, aaj woh Karwa Chauth hai na..
Ram: Toh?
Ayesha: Maine bhi aap ke liye vrat rakha hai…
Ram: Kyun? Pichle 5 saal se tumne yeh vrat nahi rakha toh aaj kyun? I already told you Ayesha, ke you don't have to do all this. And I know ke tum ne yeh vrat sirf isiliye rakha hai kyun ki Priya wapas aagayi hai. I already told you ke you don't have to worry. Main apni beti se milne jaa raha hu and I won't be back until she lets me leave, so mera intezaar mat karna.
Without waiting for an answer, he storms out of the house, leaving Ayesha speechless.
Standing in front of Priya's flat, he knocked on the door a few times. Neha opened the door to see Ram standing with a bag in his hand.
Neha: Fatty, tum yahaan kya kar rahe ho?
Ram: Yaar tum dono mujhe hamesha wahi sawaal kyun karte ho? Main yahaan kyun aaunga? Apni beti se milne na? Pihu ne phone kiya tha. Usse chocolate ice cream khani thi, so I brought it for her. So, main andar aa sakta hu ya phir yahan khada rahu?
Neha, stumped by his reply, just steps aside, letting him in when Pihu comes running.
Pihu: Papa, aap aagaye? Aap chocolate ice cream leke aaye na?
Ram sees her and everything that happened yesterday comes flooding back to his mind. He remembers the revelation that Priya had written to Anjaan asking for Pihu's future. All he wanted to do right now was hug his daughter, and show her that he was here for her. That while he was aroumd, no one would ever need to ask anyone for anything again. He kneels down to her level.
Ram, quietly: Hi Rockstar, Papa ko ek huggy milegi aaj?
Without a second thought, Pihu wraps her small chubby arms around his neck and rests her head on his shoulders. Ram holds her tight for a second, his eyes squeezed shut, and then he stands up, with her still in his arms and carries her over to the table. He puts her down on a chair and shows her his cheek. Pihu plants a sloppy kiss on his cheek and looks up at him, waiting for her ice cream.
Ram: Yeh lo aap ki chocolate ice cream.
She smiles at him and then digs in to it, relishing every bite like it was her last.
Ram notices Neha still standing by the door, watching the encounter that just took place in front of her. He looks around, his eyes scanning for Priya, and not seeing her, he walks over to Neha.
Ram: Priya kahan hai?
Neha: Chhat par… Apna vrat todh rahi hai…
Ram, choked out: Vrat?
Neha: Haan aaj Karwa Chauth hai na…
Ram, quietly: Priya ne vrat rakha hai? Toh tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?
Neha: Priya sab ke jaane ka intezaar ka rahi thi. Uss ne yeh vrat chup ke rakha hai, jaise ke pichle 5 saal se rakhti aayi hai. Dadi aur Krishnaji aaye the Priya ko sargi dene. Lekin uss ne mana kardiya kyun ki uss sargi par sirf Ayesha ka haq hai because tumhari shaadi ho chuki hai usse. Priya nahi chahti thi ke kisi ko pata chale ke woh yeh vrat rakhti aayi hai aur aaj bhi uss ne rakha hai. Im sure Ayesha ne nahi rakha hoga na? Ya phir shayad Priya ke aane ke vaja se rakha hoga lekin dil se toh nahi. Ram I know ke you're hurt ke Priya tumhe 5 saal pehle chod ke chali gayi, lekin uss ne yeh sab sirf tumhare liye kiya aur yeh sab karte hue usse bahut badi galti ho gayi. Lekin yeh 5 saal uss ke liye bhi asaan nahi the Ram. Aur tum bhi achhi tarah se jaante ho ke Priya tumse kitna pyaar karti hai. Aur hum sab jaante hain ke tumhare iss gusse ke peeche tumhara Priya ke liye pyaar chupa hai. Hum sab jaante hai ke tum usse kitna pyaar karte ho, kyun ki agar tum nahi karte, toh tumhe itna dukh nahi hota. Priya ne pichle 5 saal se tumhari lambi umar ke liye yeh Karwa Chauth ka vrat rakha hai aur har saal woh tumhari tasveer dekh kar yeh vrat todhti aayi hai. Lekin aaj tum yahaan ho, toh uss ke paas jao Ram aur usse apne haaton se yeh vrat tudhwao. Shayad tum nahi jaante ek aurat ke liye iss vrat ki ehmiyat lekin Priya jaanti hai aur yeh uss ke liye bahut maayine rakhta hai. Aaj ke din toh yeh gussa chod do aur sirf apne pyaar ke baare mein socho. Woh pyaar jo aaj bhi tum Priya ke liye mehsoos karte ho aur woh tumhare liye.
Ram stood there, staring at Neha. Without saying another word, he left the apartment and headed up to the roof where it was decorated. He saw Priya standing there with the channi in her hand. She was wearing a gujrati style saree with a green blouse. Her hair was tied in a bun and her side bangs were hanging out. She looked ethereal. His mind flashed back to their first Karwa Chauth when he had yelled at her for removing his Chennai tickets from his bag only to find out that that plane had crashed and she had indirectly saved his life by stopping him from going. He closed his eyes, wondering, if this was the reason he was alive today. He was sure he would have died after finding out that Priya was dead. How had he survived these 5 years? And his answer was standing right in front of him. Priya would never have let him die.
He walked up to her just as she was looking at his picture and stopped in front of her. She lowered the picture and looked up at him with tears in her eyes, frozen to the spot. She couldn't believe it. For the first time in 5 years she was breaking her fast with Ram standing in front of her instead of with his picture. She just stood there, gazing at him, completely in a daze. And he stood there, with his own eyes filled with emotions, seeing the love and the tears in her eyes. They stood, looking into each other eyes, for what felt like eternity. Priya snapped out of her daze when Ram reached out a hand and gently brushed her side bangs out of her eyes as they were disturbing his view. She completed the rest of the rituals and bent down to seek his blessings. He helped her up and made her drink her first sip of water.
Not knowing what the status was between them at this moment, and why he was here, she turned to walk away when he grabbed her wrist. She stopped without turning to look at him and closed her eyes as tears now escaped and rolled down her cheeks. She opened her eyes and slowly turned around to face him with tear filled eyes. He looked at her with moist eyes and they stood again, their eyes locked on to each other, conveying their pain as well as their love and the millions of other emotions that were running through their hearts.
He raised his other hand and gently cupped the side of her face, brushing away the tears that were rolling down her cheek one by one with his thumb. He took a step forward and gently tugged on her wrist, pulling her into a hug, cupping her head against his chest. He let go of her wrist and wrapped his arms around her as his hand rested on her head, caressing her hair gently. Her arms came up around him as her fingers dug into his back. She closed her eyes as she silently sobbed with her head resting on his chest. It had been 5 years since she had been in his arms. He could feel her body racking with silent sobs and he continued to caress her hair gently, his own eyes releasing the tears that he had held in check for so many days. He rested his lips on her hair as he continued to hold her tight.
Priya, whispering: I'm sorry…
He didn't respond, he just planted a few kisses on her head and continued to hold her. She felt his heart pounding against her cheek and she instantly felt his emotions and knew that he had tears in his eyes. She savoured this moment, wrapped in his strong muscular arms, with his heart beat thundering under her cheek. 5 years had felt like a life time, and every day she dreamed of the day when this would happen. And now, that it finally had, she had no intention of letting go and from his grip around her, it didn't seem like he wanted to either…
Ram held her as tight as he possibly could, sure that he was squeezing the air out of her. He didn't want to let her go. It had been too long and for the first time in the last month or so, he finally felt right, like he belonged, and like things were back to the olden days when it was just him, Priya and their love…
They both broke the hug, a little flustered when they heard Pihu's voice calling them..
Pihu: Mamma!! Papa! Kahan ho aap log? Mujhe bhook lagi hai!
Priya, quietly: Chaliye… main khana lagwati hoon…
Ram held her hand again to stop her.
Ram: Ruko…
He reached over to the table and broke off a piece of the sweet that was on the thaali. He held it up to her mouth. She opened her mouth and he fed it to her with his hands. He brushed his thumb across her cheek one more time, wiping the remainder of her tears, then wiped his own with the back of his hand, and then led her inside, still holding her hand, his fingers entwined between hers, never intending to let it go…
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