Hum Bane Tum Bane EDKL UPDATED Story Complete 26-2-2020 - Page 51

Posted: 4 years ago

CHAPTER 27- ANNIVERSARY

With Yuvi’s behaviour sorted and the Anu’s chapter behind them, the entire focus was on the upcoming event. Bella was being a real taskmaster and both the Sehgal boys were working their asses off. Bella wanted the party to be a legendary one and she was working very hard to achieve that result. Mahir and Yuvi appreciated her dedication and shared her vision and hence worked without complaints. 

One day at the dining table Sumitra announced that she wanted to say something. 

“Bella and Mahir, you both have been working really hard for the last few days.” She said. 

“Hey! What about me?” Yuvi protested. He got a sharp whack from Polo. 

“So, as I was saying, BeHir have been working very hard and they deserve a break. So I have decided that they will go out for a few days.” Sumitra declared. 

“But Ma, the party is next week and there is s much to do.” Bella protested. 

“It’s your first anniversary in two days Bella. It is not something that would come ever again. We want you to celebrate it away from all this stress. You can come back exactly two days before the party. That gives you about 4 days in all.” Andy told her. 

“But dad, we are okay with not going out now,” Mahir said. 

“Shut up! No arguments, both of you! You will do as we say, and we say your flight to Goa leaves tomorrow morning. So, go and get some rest.” Sumitra announced. 

“But ma, what about our bags? Our clothes? We didn’t get any time to pack those things...” Bella began but she was cut off by Sumitra.

“Suhani has seen to it. She has packed your bags and Pratham has packed yours, Mahir. You both are all set. Now just go.” 

Bella looked at Suhani and saw that she was smiling devilishly. “Okay, Suhani show me what all clothes have you packed?” Bella asked. 

“Why do you want to know?” Suhani retorted. “I know you well enough by now. And anyways your holiday wardrobe has ma and mom’s seal of approval. So you need not worry about anything. And if you are worried about comfort then let me tell you, all the clothes are very comfortable and airy.”

Bella looked at her suspiciously and she smiled back innocently. Once the dinner was done, Bella and Mahir headed to their room. 

“Did you know ma was planning this?” Mahir asked Bella.

“No! I had no idea. Anyways it’s a good thing that we get a few days off before the big event Mahir.” Bella replied. 

“You are saying this? Bella Sehgal, the taskmaster herself is saying this? Wow!” Mahir asked her in mock surprise. 

“Shut up, okay! I am not so bad.” Bella retorted. 

“Bella, try being your own boss for one day. You will know just how bad you are. Even Yuvi is terrified of you and works hard so that you don’t lose your temper on him. You know back in the day when dad was still trying to get Yuvi to join the family business, Yuvi didn’t even follow dad’s commands the way he follows your orders.” Mahir replied. 

“Am I so bad Mahir?” Bella asked him, her voice somewhat hurt. Mahir noticed that and bit his tongue. He should have watched his words. In reality, Bella was a perfectionist and being that she expected everything to be perfect. She was never inconsiderate but she hated laziness at work. And Yuvi worked hard because he knew that. He and all of their subordinates knew that Bella herself put in a lot of efforts and did not let anything come in her way of achieving the desired results. But that did not mean that she was unreasonable. If someone had some genuine problem, she was ever ready to help them. Her subordinates knew that and hence didn’t mind when she demanded perfection. 

“Ummm you do know that I was kidding right?” Mahir asked her. 

Bella looked at Mahir, surprised. Mahir continued, “Mostly. I mean you are a perfectionist but then you are reasonable as well. To most of your employees anyways. But for me? You are especially ruthless.”

“What? Me and ruthless?” Bella asked him incredulously. 

“Well... Everyone will be rewarded according to their work... everyone except me,” Mahir pouted. 

“You, my dear husband, will be getting a lot more than rewards. Just wait until we get to Goa.” Bella replied coyly. 

“Is that so?” Mahir pulled her close. 

“Ummhmmm” Bella nodded her head. 

“So, will I get to see a preview of what I am about to get? Mahir asked while pulling her over to the bed. 

Next morning, as BeHir were getting ready to leave for their vacation cum honeymoon, Bella stumbled a little as stepped out of the bathroom. Mahir caught her before she hurt herself. 

“Careful Bella!” he said as he led her to a nearby chair. “Are you okay?”

She just nodded her head but the nodding motion caused a wave of nausea to wash over her and pressed a hand to her mouth and rushed to the bathroom with Mahir following her, looking worried. She was bent over the sink and when Mahir tried to support her, she pushed him away but he firmly held on to her. When she was very sure that nothing was coming out, Mahir once again led her out. She had a pounding headache now. She sat on the chair clutching her head while Mahir poured her a glass of water. He offered her that and she took it gratefully. But one sip later she pushed the glass away. Plain water was making her feel sick. Breakfast was still some time away and so Mahir insisted that she lie down for some time. She didn’t argue. She was feeling exhausted by then.

After lying down for fifteen-twenty minutes, she felt much better. In fact, she was very hungry. As they went downstairs for breakfast, she requested Mahir that he was not to mention her spell of sickness to anyone. Not even mom or ma. Mahir promised her that he won’t. Breakfast went pleasantly enough. After breakfast, Suhani brought out a surprisingly small bag for Bella. Mahir’s bag was well sized. When Bella looked suspiciously at Suhani, she winked. Suhani and Pratham were headed to Coorg and their flight left later that day. 

They both bid a cheerful goodbye to their family and started off on their first vacation together. One flight and a short drive later they were in a fancy sea-facing hotel. Their villa had a great view. In fact, Bella was delighted to find that their one wall of their bedroom was completely glass and the door opened onto a deck, complete with deck chairs and a private pool. They could see waves crashing against the rocks some distance below. As soon as they entered the room, she threw open the glass doors and took a deep breath, breathing in the smell of salty fresh air. 

She just stood there, looking out at the sea and enjoying the light breeze that blew from the sea when Mahir joined her there. She felt him hug her from behind and melted into his embrace. Mahir rested his chin on her shoulder and sighed in contentment. After a long moment, Bella turned to look at him. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement as she looked at him. 

“Let’s explore the rest of the villa,” she said. Mahir bent down and scooped her up in his arms and Bella gasped at being suddenly lifted off her feet. He carried her back into their bedroom and out through the door that led to their living room. Even the living room was fairly secluded with one entrance opening out into a small secret garden complete with a small fountain and a hammock. 

Bella gave a delighted squeal at the sight of the hammock and threw herself in it. Mahir smiled at her childlike delight and his smile grew even wider when she invited him to join her there. The hammock was just wide enough for the two of them and hence it was very cosy. Bella suddenly hugged him tightly. When she looked up, she saw that Mahir was looking at her lovingly.  They both continued to lie in the hammock for some more time before they got down and headed inside the villa once again. Now there was just one room left to explore. Their bathroom. Hand in hand they both headed to the door they had not yet opened.  

It was a spacious room which was cut directly into the cliff on which the villa was perched. One wall was a complete rock and the ceiling was partly glass, allowing natural light inside the room. It had a huge tub sunk into the floor and fairly large shower area. 

“Like the room?” Mahir asked her. 

Bella simply nodded her head, too delighted to speak. They both came out to the living room once again and settled on the massive couch. Bella hugged herself closer to Mahir as he stroked her hair lightly. Just then Bella’s mobile pinged in her pocket. She saw that Suhani had messaged. 

‘I hope you like the room. Consider this as one of your first-anniversary presents from me and Pratham. Love, Suhani.’ 

Bella typed back, ‘You know me too well. The room is beautiful. I love it! Bye... PS: One of the presents? Meaning?’

Suhani’s reply was a devil smile emoji. 

Bella shrugged and looked at Mahir who was watching her keenly. 

“This is all Suhani and Pratham’s idea. This room is an anniversary present from the two of them. In all the rush of planning the event, I completely forgot to them something. Shit! I am such a bad friend.” Bella told Mahir. She was looking very guilty now. She knew that Pratham had booked a holiday in Coorg for him and Suhani and so Bella had thought she will get a gift for Suhani once the event gets over. But looking at the room around her, she was touched and was feeling even guiltier for not having thought of something for her best friend. 

“Bella, you were busy with the preparations so...” Mahir was interrupted by Bella. 

“That’s no excuse, Mahir. I should have thought of something.  She did all of this for me and...” Mahir let her rant till she was done. And then he quietly went to the other room where he had kept his phone and brought it out. 

“Relax Bella. Since you were busy with the preparations, I went ahead and got them an anniversary present. I hope you approve of it.” Saying this he showed her a photograph of a spacious studio. Her jaw dropped. 

“We are gifting them a studio Mahir?” she asked him. 

“Yes. I hated the fact that my brother was working in a rented space. He would have never accepted it otherwise. But I managed to get Suhani to convince him to accept this as an anniversary gift from us. Pratham is talented. He deserves to own a space of his own. His own little den. It’s at Kala Ghoda. The studio has a small apartment at the top that will serve as his workspace plus he can stay there overnight. I thought they both deserve to have their own space to sneak off to when they need privacy. The apartment has a bed that can be folded back into the wall and kitchen with basic amenities. It’s not much but then I didn’t want to go overboard. I didn’t want him to feel incompetent. I hope what I did was right?”Mahir asked her uncertainly. 

“Absolutely Mahir! This is perfect. Even I wanted them to have a studio of their own but then I knew Suhani would never accept it if I gifted them that. And Mahir, it’s a start. Pratham is as ambitious as he is determined. He will build it up from here. And with Suhani as his partner, they will go places. I am sure of it!” Bella replied. 

“Phew! Okay, so what’s your other gift? The first gift is so perfect that I can’t wait to see what she has gifted you in particular.” Mahir was looking around enthusiastically as if he expected a gift to materialise out of thin air. 

Bella shrugged. “No idea. She just sent a devil smile emoji... No wait, here’s another message from her.” Bella read out the text aloud.

‘Check your bag. The gift(s) are for you but Mahir bhai will enjoy them more. You are welcome bhai.’ Wink emoji. 

“Ummm what is this supposed to mean? The gifts are for you, but I will enjoy them more? What does it even mean?” Mahir asked her confused. Meanwhile, Bella’s face had lost its confused look and was looking cross between exasperated and apprehensive. She was also shaking, partly out of nervousness and partly out excitement. Now she understood why her bag was so small and light in weight. Mahir was looking at her reactions in a bewildered manner. 

“I... I will just come. DON’T follow me.” Bella shouted over her shoulder as almost ran to the bedroom where she had dropped her bag. Mahir was even more confused by her reaction. 

Bella rushed to her bag and opened the chain to find scraps of black lace at the top with a handwritten note tucked in its folds. She opened the note with trembling fingers.

Dear Bella, the note said

Last time I gifted you lingerie was because I was helpless. I was helpless to see my best friend destroy her chance at a happy married life with her own hands. I know you had tried to tell bhai and he had rejected because he knew what you didn’t know then. His younger brother loved you. But despite knowing that, I argued with myself that just because you couldn’t have Mahir as your life partner, it didn’t mean that you should settle with Yuvi. I knew you deserved better but you were adamant. Your argument that Mahir bhai promised to look out for you was the lamest one I had ever heard. That was the only time I had heard my extremely rational friend say something so stupid. I was helpless to see my best friend marry a man who was wrong for in more ways than one. 

Finally defeated and resigned to fate, the ‘wedding gift’ was my last-ditch attempt to warn you, to give you a wakeup call before the inevitable happened. The gift and my bitter words were my way of letting you know that you will lose your identity post-marriage and you will only be a sexy body, nothing else. I know you got the message. Your eyes told me as much yet my words were not enough to convince you to call off the wedding. It was during those days that I saw how blind love can get. Despite being madly in love, I had never really understood the madness that is love. It was your love for bhai that was making you marry Yuvi. You trusted bhai and not Yuvi. It was madness, sheer madness. When Yuvi went missing from the house, it was heartbreaking to see you collapse like that. When you confided in me that you intended to leave the city and go, I had to do something. 

Anyways, the point is that when bhai agreed to marry you, I was the happiest person in this entire world. I wanted to be there when bhai convinced you, but Pratham convinced me to let bhai handle the situation. And you know the rest of the story. 

Letter from here onwards is addressed to Mahir bhai. Bhai, it was exactly a year ago that I had marched up to your room, banged on the door and spoken those harsh words to you. I am sorry but I am NOT at all sorry. If given a chance, I would do the same thing all over again. A year ago I had handed over MY Bella to you. My best friend, my sister, the first love of my life. The one who laughed with me, cried with me, loved me with all her heart, the one who fought for me, the one who stood with me when no one did, she was MY Bella till last year. Last year, I stood at your room’s door because I knew that she deserved you. I was not at all sure if you deserved her. Today I know that you deserve her as much as she deserves you. 

Your loving sister, 

Suhani

PS- This is my attempt to help you get rid of the fear of lingerie that I had instilled in your heart. I hope this helps. 

Bella looked around confused. What was Suhani talking about? Especially the last paragraph of the letter made zero sense to her. As she pulled out the black lacy thing, she recognized it as the one which Mahir had gifted her. She wondered how Suhani found out about it. The rest of the bag was full of a lot of lace but there was plenty of satin as well. The most embarrassing one was the one that Mahir had gifted her. Unsurprisingly, there was not a single normal dress in there. She sighed. So that was what Suhani meant when she had said that her wardrobe had Ma and mom’s seal of approval. She blushed suddenly thinking about wearing any of that stuff. 

She heard Mahir calling out to her worriedly and realised that she had been in there for a long time. She went back out the note and handed the note to Mahir. She told him to read it when he looked at her puzzled. As his eyes travelled lower, he became more and more uncomfortable. This was something he had never shared with Bella. The reason why he had gone to her room to propose marriage was known only to Suhani. Pratham and him. He looked at Bella, waiting for her barrage of questions but she was looking distracted. He decided not to pursue the topic. 

“So, ummm... Suhani’s other gift is lingerie?” Mahir asked her. 

“Yes,” she said absentmindedly. 

“Hey! What’s on your mind Bella? If you are uncomfortable wearing that, it’s absolutely fine by me. We will go to the boutique tomorrow and buy some normal clothes for you.” Mahir assured her. 

“No, it’s not that. Some parts of the letter don’t make any sense to me. I guess you got some explaining to do. Let’s leave that for later. I am hungry. Let’s eat something.” Saying this she walked towards the door and waited for Mahir to follow her. 

Once they came back, they enjoyed a spectacular sunset together. Since their room looked out at the sea, they had an uninterrupted view of the sunset. As the setting sun’s rays lighted up the deck, Mahir looked at Bella and said a silent prayer to God for bringing Bella in his life. Bella was lying on the other deck chair. She was still in the clothes that she had worn while travelling. Mahir had changed into a pair of shorts and was lying shirtless. Bella was finding it extremely difficult to not get distracted by the shirtless perfection lying just a few feet away. 

When the blazing reds and fiery oranges changed into mellow blues and velvety purples, Bella stirred and got up. Since they had had some really heavy snacks, they had decided that dinner was not an option. When Mahir tried to follow her inside, she motioned for him to stay put. She went inside and pulled the curtains so that he couldn’t see inside the villa at all. He was curious as to what she was doing. He could hear her move about the room. At one point he heard the bang of a door and guessed that she had gone for a bath. 

It was fairly dark now and when a couple of mosquitoes decided that Mahir’s blood was very appetizing, Mahir got up and switched on the fairy lights that decked up the deck and also the mosquito repellent machine. Bella had still not returned. Mahir smiled at the closed door and pulled curtains. They had not spoken a single word since they had returned. They had just laid there in adjoining deck chairs, holding hands and silently admiring the view. While many would have tried to fill the silence with some form of conversation, BeHir had avoided doing that. It was extremely comforting to lie there, holding hands and watch the sun sink lower as the sky changed colours. They would occasionally see a group of birds fly across the sky with one or two stragglers bring up the rear. It was soothing to hear the sound of waves and an occasional cry of some sea bird. Indeed, the silence was the best conversation. 

Mahir had made a mental note to get a time-lapse of the sunset the next day. He was now beginning to wonder about Bella. She had been gone for nearly an hour and a half now. In the meanwhile, Bella was facing a dilemma of her own. She had taken a bath and had stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy white bathrobe. She went to her bag and was contemplating on what to wear. She had two options, either she could wear the clothes that she had worn while travelling or she could wear one of the nighties gifted by Suhani. While, most were wearable satin and lace had always seemed like a naughty combination to her. Add to it her dilemma that the one which Mahir had gifted her was laying right in front of her. 

It was embarrassing to even look at, she couldn’t imagine wearing it. But she also knew that Mahir would be delighted if she wore that. So she picked it up and proceeded to put it on. Once it was on her body, it was even more embarrassing to look at herself in the mirror. She was unable to fathom the reason why she was feeling so shy. She looked at herself in the mirror with great difficulty and said, ‘Come on Bella! You can do it. It’s just Mahir out there and you know he will never judge you. He loves you and you love him. He is the same guy you tried to seduce while pretending to be drunk on your wedding night. Stop behaving like a newly married girl who is about to face her husband for the first time. You have been married for a year now. You can do it!’

After giving herself this prep talk, she turned and went towards the deck and pulled back the curtains before she lost her nerve. Mahir heard the swish of curtains being moved and looked. In the light that spilled from inside the villa he could see Bella standing there. As she moved towards him, his jaw dropped. It was evident to him that she was wearing the lingerie that he had gifted her and she was looking gorgeous in it. He had tried to picture her in that set ever since he bought it but nothing from even his wildest imaginations could match up to how she was looking just then. 

She sashayed up to him and tried to strike a pose but before she could Mahir has stood up and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back just as tightly. He released her after some time and made her sit down in his deck chair. That’s when he noticed that she was not very comfortable in that dress. She kept tugging at the hems but it didn’t help since it was lingerie, it was meant to expose skin, not cover it. 

“Hey! You okay?” he asked her gently. 

She nodded her head somewhat shy that he had noticed her nervousness. 

“You want to head inside?” Mahir asked her. 

She shook her head. 

“Bella say something! Your silence is driving me crazy.” Mahir told her. 

In response she bent forward and kissed him sweetly on his lips. He was caught off guard for a moment before he responded. They continued to kiss for some more time before moving to the bed. 

After some time, as they lay tangled in each other’s arms, Bella tried to sit up. Mahir removed his hand from her torso and allowed her to sit properly. 

“Mahir, I want some answers.” She announced. 

Mahir nodded his head. He had been waiting for this since she had read Suhani’s note. He had answers to all her questions and she deserved to know the answers. 

“Bella, before you ask me anything, let me tell you, this is the last secret that I had kept from you intentionally. I didn’t want to end up telling you something that would hurt you and I felt this bit of information was strictly a need to know thing. But now that the matter has come up, I plan to give you the entire story. 

Posted: 4 years ago

Originally posted by mafaaza12


Hmmmm😒. I lost my mobile month back. Got new one few days back. 

Hey I hope you are able to retrieve all the contacts and data in your previous phones. 

Posted: 4 years ago

Hey, great update. Please update again soon. Also, if you have time then please also update the other one. 

Posted: 4 years ago

Originally posted by nuomi.riceball


Hey, great update. Please update again soon. Also, if you have time then please also update the other one. 


Which one? Hate you? I think that one doesn't have any more scope. If I add one more FB I might open up a few loop holes instead of closing them. I guess people wanted to know how BeHir recovered after they lost their kid. Those two FBs showcase that sufficiently. To add something would be foolish I feel. 


But this one I will update. Can't give dates. But yes I will finish this story. 

Posted: 4 years ago

CHAPTER 28 ANNIVERSARY PART II

“I have two questions, Mahir. One is regarding Suhani’s note. The other one is what was going on in your mind when I refused to marry Yuvi. I want to know the entire truth Mahir.” she told him. 

Mahir was a bit startled by her second question. The truth was he had never admitted it even to himself that in those moments that she was refusing to marry his brother, he had desired her. While he consoled her outwardly, somewhere buried deep down in his heart, the forbidden desire to have Bella all to himself was rearing its head. The monster that he had suppressed for the past few months was roaring its silent approval for the developments that were happening. He had suppressed those thoughts because even after marrying Bella, the thoughts that had flashed in his mind made him feel ashamed of himself. For Bella to ask that exact question... it meant that somewhere she had guessed and she wanted to hear it from him. He took a deep breath and started narrating...

FLASHBACK

Mahir was leading a drunk and shirtless Yuvi back to his room. He looked furious. Yuvi was not completely senseless and hence knew that he was in trouble. When they reached his room, Mahir deposited him of his bed and poured out a glass of water for him. He made Yuvi drink it. 

Yuvi had already been feeling completely indecisive regarding his wedding with Bella. He desired and admired her, but he was still not ready for commitment. While it looked bad to anyone seeing them, nothing had happened between him and Vish. They had just been having a friendly game of truth or dare in which one dare was that he play the rest of the game shirtless. So that’s how he had lost his shirt. But then as he exited the room after completing the game, Bella had spotted him and assumed the worst. Before he could defend himself, she had called Mahir and he was sitting on his bed with Mahir glaring at him. 

“Bhai...” Yuvi began, “Bhai, nothing happened. I promise.” His voice came out slurred. Mahir could barely make out his words. 

“Leave your excuses for some other time Yuvi! You are getting married in a few hours time for god’s sake! This is no way to behave. You cannot go around sleeping with other girls after you have committed yourself to someone. I...” Mahir was cut off by a knock on the door. 

Bella and Suhani stood in the doorway. Bella looked hurt and Suhani was looking beyond furious. Even in his drunken state Yuvi could not stand Suhani’s death glare and looked away at Bella. But she was not looking at him. Her gaze was fixed upon Mahir. 

“May I talk to you for a moment Mahir sir?” she asked. 

“Yes of course. Come in.” Mahir replied. 

“Not here. Can you step out for a bit?” 

“Sure...” Mahir was interrupted by Suhani’s icy cold voice cutting in. 

“No Bella, let’s talk here itself. Even he needs to hear what you have got to say.” There was so much contempt when she said he that Yuvi flinched. With great difficulty, he focused his attention on Bella. 

“Baby, I swear nothing happened... We were just playing...” He stopped speaking because Suhani had taken a step towards him with a very dangerous expression on her face. Bella had to restrain her. Mahir glared at him and he got the point. He was to shut-up. His explanation of nothing happened was assuring no one. 

“What happened, Bella?”  Mahir asked her. 

“Mahir sir, I can’t marry Yuvi. You had said that this will stop. That he will understand. But he clearly hasn’t and well I can’t marry someone who isn’t ready to commit completely.” Bella said all this without looking at Yuvi even once. 

“Baby please...” Yuvi’s half-hearted attempt at explaining himself was once again stopped by Suhani’s glare. 

“Bella, please don’t take any rash decision! I will talk to him first thing tomorrow morning.  He loves you, Bella. I have seen that in his eyes. The way he fought with Dad to get him to approve of you was... I have never seen that in him.” Mahir tried to reason with her even as his heart told him that he was not doing the right thing by trying to convince Bella. The right thing would be to let Bella break off the engagement. 

“Don’t you think the time is past to discuss and make him understand Mahir Bhai?” Suhani asked him. 

“Suhani!” Bella was shocked at the tone that she had used to address Mahir. 

“No Bella, not today. Let me speak. Mahir bhai, I am sorry that I have to use this tone with you. I have absolutely no issues with you. But this is the question of my best friend’s future.” Suhani’s tone had softened considerably. 

“I understand Suhani. You are concerned about Bella, but trust me when I say I will look out for her. I will always stand by her, no matter what.” Mahir replied.

“You will. But she is, unfortunately, marrying your brother and Yuvi is nothing like you. I do not doubt your ability to keep your word and stand by her in her time of need but will he do it? It matters not what promises you make, they are immaterial. You standing by her in time of need is not going to solve anything. If anything, it will complicate matters further. It will raise questions regarding the nature of your relationship with her. What matters is, will he” she gestured towards a still shirtless Yuvi sitting slumped against the bed frame “stand by her, no matter what? Will he be the kind of husband that she deserves? Can you promise me that he will cherish her and keep her happy? Forget happy, will he be loyal to her?” Suhani had asked some vital questions and raised some valid doubts. 

Mahir looked at Bella who looked back at him with so much trust in her eyes that he felt ashamed of himself for a moment. But along with trust, he read an unknown emotion in her eyes that flashed and was gone before he could decipher it. He was unable to meet Suhani’s questioning gaze. He looked at Yuvi who was gazing at the floor, avoiding looking at anyone. 

“Tell me bhai can you promise me this on his behalf?” Suhani was still waiting for an answer from him but he had none. Technically him promising anything of Yuvi’s behalf was wrong. And Yuvi was so volatile that no one could say anything on his behalf. If the same question had been raised with respect to Pratham, he would have blindly said yes, my brother would never cheat on his wife and that any girl marrying him is lucky. But then again in Pratham’s case, no one would be required to raise such a question. His behaviour was impeccable while Yuvi was a different story altogether. Suhani guessed as much. She answered her own question, “No you can’t.”

“Suhani I can’t commit on Yuvi’s behalf but I can assure you that I will personally ensure that she remains happy and... ” Mahir began guiltily but was interrupted Suhani’s next question. 

“Okay bhai, it’s fair enough that you can’t commit on your brother’s behalf. Tell me, what will you do if he goes behind Bella’s back? You say that you will ensure her happiness. Fine, then tell me how will you do it if at all what has happened today, had happened tomorrow night?” Suhani had interrupted him once again. Even as he thought about how he would ensure that his brother’s wife remained happy if his lusty (there was no better word for it) brother went behind her back, Mahir couldn’t help but admire Suhani. He was immensely happy that such a pure-hearted girl was marrying his brother. 

But just then, the pure-hearted girl was giving him and his other brother death glares. He awkwardly cleared his throat. Technically there was no way he could sort out the situation if, no sorry when it arose. The best thing would be Bella would break off her engagement and walk away with some of her dignity intact. For a moment one thought flashed through his mind. A thought, so tempting that he involuntarily shivered. For a fleeting moment he thought that if Bella broke off with Yuvi, then he, they might have a chance. Maybe he could correct his past mistakes and start afresh with Bella. Maybe with Yuvi out of their way, Bella might still want to be with him. Maybe, despite his foolishness, she still had feelings for him. He knew that he certainly loved Bella, and would never be able to love Anu. Just for a fleeting moment, these pleasant and happy thoughts flashed through his mind. He was rudely brought back to reality by Yuvi once again mumbling, “Baby, I swear! Nothing of that sort happened...”

He looked at his drunken brother trying to justify his behaviour and knew the right thing would be to set Bella free and admit that he would be incapable of protecting her. If, if at all, anything was to follow... No! Nothing would follow. He refocused his attention on Bella and Suhani. 

Bella saw Mahir hesitate for a long time and spoke, “Stop it, Suhani. That’s enough. Mahir sir is as it is doing a lot for me and my family. And he has promised that he will speak with Yuvi. And he has promised to protect me, no matter what. I think that is enough. We should leave now.” She had been observing him with narrowed eyes and something in them hardened even as he struggled to come up with an answer.

“But...” Suhani started saying something but Bella pulled her out of the room. 

Left alone with his thoughts and a drunken Yuvi, Mahir threw one look at his brother and decided that saying anything to him just then would be useless. He walked out of the room and the door banged behind him. 

FLASHBACK ENDS

“Hmmm. So I was right...” Bella said. 

“You were right? About what were you right?” Mahir asked her suddenly apprehensive.

“Answer my second question and then I will tell you,” she replied mysteriously. 

“Okay... So, after we had put Baba to sleep in your room, I had returned to my room. I wanted to be sure that Yuvi had indeed run away and well my insecurities about what the world would think had resurfaced and I began to call up Yuvi. Just as I was making futile attempts to contact Yuvi, Suhani barged in...”

FLASHBACK

“We need to talk!” Suhani announced as she entered Mahir’s room without bothering to knock. Pratham was trailing behind her and he looked scared. And no wonder, one look at Suhani was enough to convince anyone that, one word out of line and that girl could’ve ended up murdering just about anyone. 

“Suhani, don’t worry! I am trying his cell number. I am sure I will be able to through to him. He will return...” Mahir’s lame explanation was interrupted by Suhani’s derisive laughter and Mahir shrank back. 

“You are still trying to call him, Bhai? Are you really so naive to believe that Yuvi will come back once you talk to him or are you a fool?” Suhani’s voice was surprisingly calm. She continued, “I think you are a fool bhai. Sorry, Pratham, I respect bhai as much as you do, but today it is the matter of MY Bella’s life. And I won’t spare anyone who has contributed to destroying it. And you, Mahir bhai have the lion’s share in destroying it.” 

“Listen Suhani, calm down. I will sort it out. He will come back... He will have to come back.” Mahir mumbled the last statement. 

“He won’t come back bhai! At least not until it’s too late.” Pratham said while supporting Suhani. 

“Pratham, what else can we do? He will have to come back. I will get him home.” Turning to Suhani, Mahir said, “Suhani, trust me I understand what you are going through...”

“You understand bhai? You understand nothing! Absolutely nothing! Have you ever seen your sister getting ditched at the altar by an a*****e? No, you haven’t! Have you ever seen the man who has been a second father to you try and burn himself alive because he couldn’t face the humiliation? No! Have you lived through months dreading... no not dreading, knowing that your worst fears are going to come true only for them to come true? No, you haven’t bhai!” Suhani was on the verge of cracking now. She was clinging to Pratham for support. 

Mahir looked at her with fresh respect in his eyes. Even when she was murderously angry, she was a fine sight in a blazing red lehenga. In fact, her red lehenga made her even more imposing. Seeing her love and concern for Bella, Mahir thanked the lord for the thousandth time for gifting his brother a girl so pure. He hoped that his other brother’s actions would not cast a shadow on Pratham and Suhani’s relationship. 

Pratham had led Suhani to a nearby chair and had her made sir down. She was breathing very heavily now. Mahir went forward and sat down on his knees and tried to take Suhani’s hand in his but she snatched her hand away. Mahir looked at Pratham helplessly but received no support from him. He could see that Pratham was disappointed in him. He knew his brother well enough to know that even Pratham felt that he ought to have let Bella break off her engagement to Yuvi while she still had a chance. 

“Suhani, I will bring him back. Bella won’t be humiliated.” 

“Bhai, do you really think that bringing Yuvi back will solve anything?” Suhani asked him exasperated. “He has already made it clear that he doesn’t wish to marry her. You will bring him back and force him to marry her. But do you really feel that this forced marriage will keep either of them happy? No, it won’t! And by expecting that Bella will marry Yuvi once you get him back, you are humiliating her even more. It’s not her fault, so why should she accept a husband in charity?”

Mahir sighed. Suhani was right. It was not fair to expect Bella to accept Yuvi after he clearly rejected her. “Okay then Suhani, you tell me what to do. Because, frankly speaking, I see no way to resolve this mess and save Bella from getting humiliated even further.”

“Marry her bhai.” 

If he had not seen Suhani’s lips move, Mahir would have never believed his ears. He was stunned to hear Suhani tell him to do exactly what his heart wanted him to do. He continued to look at her, too shocked to move even as the bound and suppressed monster broke free of its shackles and roared its loud approval. Suhani was looking at him eagerly. 

He ignored the monster’s roar of approval with great difficulty and shook his head. “I can’t Suhani, it’s not correct,” he told her.

Suhani’s face fell. 

Mahir continued, “It’s not right to have feelings for your younger brother’s to-be wife. It’s wrong... I can’t... I shouldn’t...”

“That means you admit that you do have feelings for Bella, Bhai.” Pratham interjected quietly. 

Mahir looked at his younger brother and saw him looking at him with great expectation. He suddenly felt very angry. 

“That is beside the point. It matters not what I feel for her or whether I feel anything for her. It won’t change the fact that it is wrong. We should not be having this discussion at all.” He snapped. Turning to Suhani he continued, “I know I had promised to look out for her and I will fulfil my promise. I will search for a suitable groom for her. I promise you Suhani, I will not let Bella suffer.” 

“Whether right or wrong, it doesn’t change the fact that you do feel for the girl who was, until a few minutes ago, supposed to marry your younger brother bhai. Nothing will change that. You owe it to her. She misjudged you and now she is suffering, being called all kinds of names. She thought you could protect her, but she was wrong. Why are you making her suffer for your misjudgement? You misjudged your brother and that’s why she is in this position. You owe it to her to try and mend things. You owe it to her to offer her a way out of this mess. Think about it bhai, please...” Suhani’s pleading was making him even angrier. He was trying to restrain the mad hope that was showing him all kinds of possibilities and Suhani’s words were adding fuel to an already uncontrollable fire. 

“It won’t happen, Suhani.” Mahir’s angry retort was drowned out by Pratham saying, “If you had just let her break off the engagement yesterday bhai, she would not have had to face this situation. Or you could have simply admitted that you would be unable to protect her but even yesterday, you assured her of your support and now when she needs your support, you are saying that you can’t.”

“You think I don’t realise that?” Mahir shouted. Something within him had snapped and he was feeling angrier than he had ever felt in his life. “Do you think that I am blind to not see the damage that I have inflicted on the girl I love the most? Yes, I love her. I have always loved her and will continue to do so. But I can’t do what you guys are expecting me to do. Point number one, I am supposed to marry Anu. Marrying Bella will be like betraying Anu, which I can’t. And second, Bella will never accept me. I burnt that bridge a long time ago.”

Mahir had crashed to the floor and he sat there shaking in grief and anger, his face buried in his hands. Suhani got up and went to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Bhai, you won’t be betraying Anu if you marry Bella. You would be betraying her if you married her, knowing that you will never love her. Do you think any girl deserves that? And as far as Bella is concerned, I know which bridge you are talking about. Trust me when I say, she knows why you reacted that way on that day. She knows that even as you were rejecting her, Yuvi was trying to convince dad to agree to his and Bella’s wedding. She doesn’t hold it against you. She understands that you didn’t wish to betray your brother.”

Mahir looked up at Suhani in surprise. She nodded her. Mahir got up and wiped his eyes and said, “Okay then! You say that she has forgiven me for that day but what about the last many months during which I was actively encouraging her to accept Yuvi? How will she forgive me for those? And after spending months after months behaving as though I am simply her friend, do you think she will accept when I suddenly tell her that I love her? I haven’t told her even once that I ever had feelings for her. How am I going to convince her of my newfound love for her?”

“It’s quite simple bhai! You don’t tell her that you love her. You simply go up to her and offer to marry her. Propose her a compromise and wait for her response. You leave the decision to her.” Suhani told Mahir. 

“Yes bhai, you can tell her about your love later on as well. Right now just go and propose marriage to Bella.” Pratham eagerly agreed with Suhani. 

“R.. Right now? Are you out of your mind Pratham? I can do this in a few months or at least a few weeks time. If I go and propose marriage right now, she is going to think that I am a sleaze who is just taking advantage of her situation.” Mahir had grown all hot and bothered at the thought of proposing Bella that very day. 

“Come on Bhai! Anyone who knows you even remotely will know that you can never be sleazy even if you tried and then you and Bella have worked in very intimate conditions. If you were a sleaze, it would have shown in your previous behaviour.” Suhani reasoned with Mahir. 

Mahir nodded his head. That was true but... 

“What are you thinking about bhai? Just go!” Pratham encouraged him. 

“But what about the relatives? They are going to call her all kind of names if she... I mean if we get married today itself.” Mahir’s question left both Prathama and Suhani exasperated. 

Suhani sighed and spoke in a would-be calm voice, “Bhai, people are already calling her all kind of names. She is bearing all of it alone. If you guys get married, she will have you with her. Bhai, this is the only chance you will get. I understand this is not the right time to propose marriage but she will be leaving this city never to return again once this wedding is over. Today, she might not take this offer very kindly but come tomorrow, you will never get a chance and then you will be forced to spend the entire life wondering about what could have happened if you had taken the chance. Please bhai, give you destiny a chance to surprise you. You will never know until you take a chance.”

Mahir looked at Suhani and nodded his head. He was not very sure that Bella would take his marriage proposal very kindly but he had to try. He had to do something to undo some of the damage that he had unknowingly inflicted. She might hate him for his error of judgement. She might never forgive him for pushing her towards Yuvi in the first place but he would bear all of it happily if it meant that some of the guilt would get eased in the process. He would happily be her trophy husband if it meant that he got to spend his life with the girl he loved. Her mere presence would mean the world to him. He got up and resolutely went to the door and stopped. He turned back and hugged Suhani tightly with one arm and pulled Pratham in with the other. He released them and strode from the room with the hope that Bella would give him one chance to rectify his mistake. 

FLASHBACK ENDS

“Never even in my wildest dreams did I even think that you would not just agree but accept me so wholeheartedly. So, imagine my surprise when I found you drunk and hell-bent on seducing me on our wedding night. Your reasons made sense but then you invited me to sleep with you and I was so confused. When you made the first move... I must have sounded like a dumbo but it was all so confusing. Our first time together... I hardly remember any details except that I was very happy. Not because all of my fantasies were coming true but because you had accepted me and did not hold a grudge against me for my stupidity.” Mahir ended the story with a happy sigh.

“Oh Mahir!” Bella hugged him tightly and he stroked her hair for a long time. She finally moved and looked up at him. Come on let’s sleep now. Goodnight!”

“Whoa! Not so fast Bella. Tell me what were you right about?” Mahir pulled the blanket off her head and looked at her questioningly. 

“Ummmm... Okay... I will tell you.” Bella said. “So, after I had pulled Suhani out of your room, she was very angry with me for not breaking off my engagement with Yuvi when I had the chance. She was also angry that I had believed in you and your lame promise despite knowing that it would be practically impossible to do anything once the wedding happened.”

“Yeah I knew that you were going to receive an earful from her once you reached your room.” Mahir received a glare from Bella for this statement. 

“When she questioned me about the same, I shared with her something which I had observed. I had seen your expressions change from apologetic to admiring to hopeful to sad to dead. I guessed you were admiring Suhani for her love and affection for me. When you looked hopeful, I thought maybe you would let me break off the engagement and then we both might have a chance because by then Mahir I already knew that you loved me. I had known it since the day we kissed that you had feelings for me. You are not someone who will get carried away in the heat of the moment. You would not have responded, and that too with such enthusiasm and passion if you didn’t feel anything for me. So I hoped you would let me do that but just then Yuvi spoke up and you lost the hopeful look. It was replaced by cold determination and that’s when I knew that you did not have it in you to admit your feelings for me, nor did you have the guts to admit that you would be helpless if Yuvi went behind my back. And so I decided that I will marry Yuvi. I was feeling extremely vengeful that day. I gained sadistic pleasure seeing you lose hope because frankly speaking, it was your fault that we didn’t have a chance. I wanted to make you suffer, I wanted you to feel the helplessness when you would be unable to do anything for me. Till a few days before the wedding, I was sure that you will be able to make Yuvi see sense but when I saw him step out of Vish’s room, and still you were trying to say that he will see sense, I decided that you deserved to see the girl you love all broken and crying. I am sorry Mahir...” Bella said in a small voice. 

Mahir looked stunned at this revelation. He had never guessed that his actions had pushed Bella to this extent. Bella on her part had never admitted this to Mahir because even a year later, she still felt guilty for having had such thoughts regarding Mahir and for having wished to see him suffering. But, that day, she decided to tell him the truth. 

“Initially, I understood that you didn’t wish to betray Yuvi and hence you were busy pushing me in his direction. I felt that I owed it to you to try and make my and Yuvi’s relationship work because I was impressed that you would give such a huge sacrifice for your brother. But that day I had snapped and... Well, you remember I had told you that one-day Suhani came to me with that lingerie? She gifted me that set after we went from your room. She could see that in my madness to get revenge from you, I was destroying my life.” Bella ended her with a sigh. She refused to meet Mahir’s gaze. 

Mahir simply pulled her in for a very tight hug and held her to him for a long time. Finally, when he released her, he told her, “Bella, you need not feel guilty or ashamed for having thought that way. When I look back, I see how stupid I was. I could have never lived with myself if you had turned into a bitter person because of my mistakes. Come on it’s getting late, let’s sleep now. And Bella? I do not think any differently about you after knowing this. Now that it has been said, let’s leave it behind and move on.”

Mahir pulled her close and switched off the lights and they drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms. 

Posted: 4 years ago

CHAPTER 29 ANNIVERSARY PART III

Next morning when Mahir woke up, he saw that Bella was already up. Sun was streaming in from the glass wall and sea was sparkling like a thousand diamonds in the early morning sun. As he lay there soaking in the sight, he heard a blood-curdling scream. It came from the bathroom. Really scared, he rushed to the bathroom and collided with a terrified Bella who was rushing away from the bathroom. He managed to balance Bella who was wrapped in a towel and looked at her panicked. But as far as he could see, she was perfectly fine. But even then she looked terrified. She gestured towards the bathroom. 

“What is it, Bella?” Mahir asked her concerned. 

“There... in the bathroom... Get rid of him... Please!” Bella managed to wheeze out a few words that made no sense to Mahir. She sai something else too but Mahir didn't catch that. All that he gathered that there was someone in the bathroom that had terrified Bella. His first instinct was that someone man had entered their room and was hiding in the bathroom and he rushed to the bathroom and bolted the door from outside. And then went living room to call the hotel security. He was halfway through dialling the security desk when he saw that Bella was looking at him puzzled. 

“What? Do you think I am going to deal with him alone? Hell no! I am calling in the hotel security team. They can deal with him.” Mahir whispered. 

“Mahir, why the hell are you whispering like in a bad spy movie? And why did you bolt the bathroom door? And don’t tell me you need hotel security to deal with something so insignificant. He startled me and that’s why I screamed.” Bella’s questions and reactions were puzzling Mahir. 

“Bella someone is hiding in our room’s bathroom and you are calling it insignificant?” Mahir asked her puzzled. 

“Hiding? Unless you call boldly sitting on the bathtub’s edge hiding Mahir.” Bella told him. 

“And despite knowing that he was sitting on the bathtub’s edge, you screamed? Bella you could have quietly come and told me, right?” Mahir asked her. 

“How was I supposed to know Mahir? I didn’t see him till after I was inside the tub... Anyways, I should have been more cautious. I mean the bathroom has been carved in his domain but still... Are you going to deal with him or no?” Bella asked him. 

“Hang on! What do you mean by bathroom has been carved in his domain? What the hell are you talking about? Mahir was genuinely puzzled now. 

“What are you talking about Mahir?” Bella asked him irritated. 

“Why are you irritated with me Bella?” Mahir asked her in a hurt sort of voice. 

“Shouldn’t I be? I mean all I asked is that you go and deal with that spider in the bathroom and you were ready to go and call the hotel security Mahir.” Bella retorted. 

“Spider? What spider?” Mahir exclaimed. 

“Are you drunk, Mahir? I have been speaking about a spider... Why are you laughing? What’s so funny Mahir?” Bella was seriously pissed now. 

Mahir continued to laugh and Bella grabbed a pillow from the sofa and threw it at Mahir. 

“Ouch! Hey! That’s not fair!” Mahir protested. 

Bella had grabbed another pillow now and was advancing Mahir with a menacing look on her face. She raised the pillow to hit Mahir but before she could do that, she felt her towel loosening and she dropped the pillow on Mahir’s head and clutched her towel before it could come completely undone. 

“That’s not fair Bella! How can you deny me such a gorgeous view?” Mahir asked her. 

“You, Mr Mahir Sehgal will first go and deal with that spider. I am as it is not feeling too well. My head is heavy and I feel like I can eat an entire horse. I need FOOD!” Bella shouted the last word.

“Okay! Okay! Fine! I will go and kill it if it is not already dead seeing your gorgeous self in the bathtub.” Mahir said while going towards the bathroom. 

“No, wait!” Bella suddenly shouted. “Don’t kill it. Here.” She grabbed a complimentary laundry bag from the shoe rack and tossed it towards Mahir. “Catch him in this and leave the bag in the garden. He will go when he wants to.” 

Mahir shook his in an exasperated manner and went towards the bathroom. He cautiously opened the door and saw that in Bella’s defence the spider was quite a big one and very ugly looking. Sharing a bathtub with something so ugly and wriggly would terrify anyone. He opened the laundry bag and placed it in the spider’s path and waited patiently for it to enter it. Soon, the spider entered the bag. Mahir quickly pulled the drawstring and closed the bag. He then went to the living room and called the reception desk and told about the spider. The girl at the reception promised to send someone over. 

Bella, still in her towel went to the bedroom when she found out that someone from the staff is coming. Soon a staff member came and examined the spider in the bag. He declared that although not dangerous, the spider was quite a rare one and the local animal rescue group would be more than happy to release it in the nearby woods. Once the spider was out of the room, Mahir went back to Bella. 

“Bella, I am glad you told me not to kill it. It seems the little fellow was from quite a rare species. Now he will reach his proper home. Come, don’t you want to take a bath?” 

“NO!” Bella said. 

“But why?” Mahir asked her puzzled. 

“What if more spiders come?” Bella asked. 

“Come on Bella! We are here for a few more days. Are you going to go without taking a bath for so long? Come, I will give you company. Anyways, the tub is big enough for both of us. Why waste water when we can take a bath together?” Mahir’s devil-like smile made Bella blush. 

“Are you sure this is about water conservation and protecting me from spiders?” Bella asked him in mock suspicion. 

“Yes, quite sure!” Mahir replied innocently. “Why? Are you doubting my intentions?”

“Nope, not at all!” Bella told him.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Mahir peeled off his t-shirt and picked up Bella in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. 

After taking a bath, Mahir dressed up in a fresh pair of t-shirt and shorts while Bella sifted through her bag looking for something that didn’t have lace on it. Mahir came in after about twenty minutes to see her still in her towel. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he approached Bella. 

“Nothing but a towel is a good look on you Bella. I think you should make this your regular attire.” Mahir told her. 

Bella looked up at him exasperated. “I need to have a word with Suhani about packing bags.” She told him, clearly irritated. “There is no rule that says that honeymoon wardrobe should consist only of lace and satin.”

“Relax Bella. You can wear one of my t-shirts, okay?” Mahir told her soothingly. 

Bella looked relieved. Mahir went to his bag and grabbed a t-shirt from it but instead of handing it to Bella when she extended her hand for it, he raised his hand high. 

“Come on Bella! You can do better than this. If you want my t-shirt, you will have to earn it.” Mahir told her with a devilish smile. 

“Stop it, Mahir!” Bella said trying to grab the t-shirt. 

“Bella, I am not asking for much. I just want my daily dose of vitamin L.” Mahir’s smile widened. 

“Vitamin L?” Bella asked him puzzled.

“Ummhmm. The doctor has said that unless I get plenty of vitamin L, I might lose my memory again. So, give me vitamin L and you get the t-shirt.” Mahir told her. 

“What is Vitamin L?” Bella asked him. 

“Vitamin L is...” Mahir leaned in close to her and gave her a small peck on her lips. 

“Mahir! Overdose of vitamin L is harmful... “ Bella retorted. 

“Think about it... Unless and until I get a kiss, you won’t get my t-shirt. I don’t mind if you stay in your towel for the rest of the trip.” Mahir said as he placed his T-shirt back inside his bag.

Bella pouted and sat on the bed with a sulky expression. 

“Come on Bella, it's just a kiss. You give me a kiss and I will give you my t-shirt.” Mahir coaxed her. 

Bella smiled suddenly and turned to Mahir and kissed him suddenly. Mahir responded with equal enthusiasm. They both continued to devour each other’s lips for a long time. When they parted, Mahir looked at Bella in wonder. 

“Wow Bella, your kisses have improved tremendously since we have come here.” He told her as he handed her his t-shirt. 

Bella put on his t-shirt and looked around for bottoms and found Mahir admiring her. 

“What? Give me a pair of shorts Mahirr.” She said. 

“Oh yes, wait” Mahir pulled out a pair off his shorts and handed them over to her. 

Once Bella was dressed, they proceeded to order breakfast for them. Bella had insisted on ordering omelettes but when she saw them, she felt a wave of nausea hit her and she rushed to the bathroom. Mahir followed her, worried. 

Once she stepped out of the bathroom, Mahir made Bella sit on the sofa and offered her some water. Just then his phone rang and he saw that Sumitra was calling him. 

“Mahir, you are not to tell Ma about this,” Bella warned him.

Mahir nodded his head as he agreed that there was no use worrying ma over it. He picked up the phone. 

“Yes, ma?”

“How’s your trip going so far?” Sumitra asked.

“It’s going great. The view is amazing.” Mahir replied distractedly. 

“Mahir, I know with Bella there, you are bound to be distracted but you can surely spare a few minutes for your mothers, right?” Sumitra asked in a mock hurt voice. 

“What? Of course ma, that is not the case.” Mahir replied startled. 

“Relax Mahir, I am just kidding. I had just called to tell you that Bella’s monthly hamper is here. I hope you are providing her with desserts.” Sumitra informed him. 

“Oh! Well yes, Ma. I will make sure of that. Bye.” Mahir replied. 

“Wait, Mahir, Polo wants to speak with you,” Sumitra told him. 

“Hi, Mahir! How’s Bella?” Polo’s enthusiastic voice made Mahir smile. 

“Hello, mom! Bella’s fine.” He told her. 

“Okay good. Now I won’t disturb you any more. Just ask Bella if she liked her holiday wardrobe.” Polo asked mischievously. 

Sumitra snatched the phone from her hands and disconnected the call after saying a hurried goodbye to Mahir. Mahir had not really registered Polo’s question and so he didn’t realise anything. He went back to Bella to find her intently looking at her mobile screen. The sound of Mahir entering the room made her jump. 

“What are you looking at so intently Bella?” Mahir asked her. 

“Ummmm the calendar. Why had ma called?” Bella asked him. 

“Nothing, your monthly hamper has been delivered so she had called me to remind me that your period is due and that I should be giving you all that you are missing because we are in Goa,” Mahir replied. 

“The hamper had come in the last month as well...” Bella started saying but was interrupted by Mahir. 

“Of course it did. It comes every month, remember?” 

“Yes, I do remember.” Bella snapped back. 

“Then why...” Mahir asked. 

“All I am saying is that the hamper came last month but I didn’t get my periods,” Bella told him. 

“Come on Bella! Of course, you got your periods last month. You remember you had accused me of calling you fat and Ma and mom had scolded me for that?” Mahir reminded her. 

“No! That was the month before.” Bella corrected him. 

“No Bella, I remember clearly...” Mahir started saying but stopped when he saw that Bella was glaring at him. 

“It’s my body right? I bleed every month so I think I will know my cycles better than you.” Bella snapped at him. 

Mahir sat down beside her and tried to think and realised that she was right. The incident which he was narrating was from the month before the last. He turned to look at Bella who had buried her face in her hands.

“Okay, so you are right. You missed your periods. But how does it matter? You will get them in this month. Don’t tell me you miss the cramps and the bleeding.” Mahir’s casual voice infuriated Bella but more than that she was surprised at Mahir’s lack of basic knowledge.  

“Don’t you realise what this probably means?” She asked him in surprise. 

“No...” Mahir replied. “I hope your period doesn’t start while we are here. It would spoil our honeymoon...” 

Bella just kept staring at him for a long time before he realised that Bella’s hadn’t said a single word. He stopped talking and looked at her enquiringly. 

“Mahir, will you shut up for a minute? Don’t you realise what this might mean?” Bella asked him again. 

“Bella, what is it?” Mahir asked her now seriously concerned. 

“Mahir, I missed my period last month. I was never late before this. I have been feeling waves of nausea for the last few days, I am hypersensitive to smells... All of this adds up to just one conclusion. I am pregnant.” Bella declared. 

Mahir looked stunned for a moment before plastering a fake smile on his face. 

“Wow! Congratulations I guess.” Mahir was aware of fake his words were sounding. In reality, he was stunned that something of this sort could happen to them when they were least expecting it. While having a family with Bella was a dream that he wanted to pursue, he was not sure if he was ready to share his Bella with anyone yet. Also, fatherhood was a huge responsibility and he was just not ready for it yet. Yet, he didn’t want Bella to feel any of his uncertainties and so he continued to act cheerful with her. 

Bella on her part was stunned to see Mahir’s response. She had hoped that since they were always in sync with each other, they would be on the same page even with this decision. Mahir’s enthusiasm sent her reeling. She was not ready for motherhood yet. She wanted to experience life before she settled down. While experiencing motherhood had always been on her to-do list, the timing was extremely wrong. Getting pregnant barely a year into their marriage was not ideal for anyone. They were just beginning to know, love and appreciate each other. A child would complicate matters at this stage. But there was also denying the fact that she was, in all probabilities halfway through her first trimester whether she liked it or not. The entire situation was weighing her down and was making her feel suffocated but seeing Mahir’s enthusiasm, she suppressed her own feelings and pretended to be happy about the development. 

They spent the rest of the day pretending to be happy about the unexpected and totally unwelcome development. By the time it was evening, both were mentally exhausted. They had never lied to each other to this extent. That night was their anniversary night but when they went to sleep they were sitting on the opposite sides of the bed, unable to meet each other’s eyes. Bella cleared her throat a couple of times before saying a lame good night and pretending to sleep. Mahir gave up soon after and they both slept far away from each other, the unborn child already creating a barrier between them. 

After a disturbed night, Bella woke up feeling like her head would burst if she didn’t speak to Mahir. Mahir’s condition was no different. As soon as they heard the other person stirring in bed they abruptly turned towards each other and blurted out ‘I am not yet ready’ together. 

“Wait what?” Mahir asked her stunned. 

“Yes Mahir, I am not yet ready to embrace motherhood. Don’t get me wrong. I want to become a mom one day but now is not the time. We have barely started our lives and we still have a lot to achieve before we go the family way.” Bella explained. 

“Bella I get it. Even I feel the same about us becoming parents at this stage. But then I thought you would be upset if I told you about my feelings... I mean motherhood is a big deal for any girl and well it would suck if the one who helped you create a being within you suddenly declares that he is not ready for the child after the deed has happened. I didn’t want to be that guy who likes to have all the fun but then shirks his responsibilities.” Mahir’s words assured Bella. 

“But Mahir nothing changes. I mean I am pregnant. The child is inside me. Apart from the fact that we know that we both are not yet ready for it, nothing has changed. I mean, ready or not the child is going to come out bawling in approx eight months from now and we will have to deal with it.” Bella told Mahir. 

Mahir chose his next words very carefully because he knew that what he was about to suggest was by no means easy and he wanted to make sure that his words didn’t hurt Bella. 

“Bella, it’s your body and you decide what you do with it. No one, not even me, your husband has any right to dictate decisions concerning your body. A child will change your body in more ways than one. You get to decide whether you want to let it happen.” Mahir explained to her. 

“What are you trying to say, Mahir?” Bella begged for more clarity. 

“I am saying that it’s not too late for an abortion and if abortion is what you want, I will stand by you, unconditionally,” Mahir told her firmly. “Look I do not endorse abortion. It’s cruel and inhuman from a certain perspective. But you know what is even crueller and inhuman? It’s cruel when a child is born when its parents are not ready for it. It’s inhuman when the child feels unwanted in its own home. When the parents unknowingly or sometimes even knowingly make the child feel guilty for its birth. Bella, I don’t want that for our child. I want our child to feel loved and wanted. Growing up, my family situation was not the most normal one, but me and my sibling were always loved and ma, mom and dad strived hard to ensure that we never once felt like they regretted having us. And right now, I don’t feel like I will be able to make my kid feel loved. Not when I see a lot of my and your dreams at stake. So, if you want it, we will visit a gynac as soon as we reach Mumbai. And, if you decide that you want to go through with the pregnancy, I will still stand with you because no matter what I feel, I have promised to stand by you in all of your decisions. And Bella with you willing to share the responsibility of the child, I feel ready to tackle this challenge as well. But I can’t/won’t do it if you are burying your dreams for this one thing.”

Bella’s eyes welled up tears at Mahir’s words. She knew it must have cost him a tremendous amount of courage to say those words but she appreciated him for giving her a way out. 

“I need some time to think. This is a huge decision and I want to think it out completely before I decide anything. I think we will probably have to talk with a gaynac about the implications of an abortion if we do go for it.” Bella told him. 

Mahir nodded his head and hugged her. Bella hugged him back. After some time Mahir spoke, “Do you want to head back home? I know this is too much to take in. And you would probably want to visit a gaynac as soon as possible.”

Bella shook her head. “No Mahir, one more day won’t make much of a difference. We as it leave tomorrow evening.”

“Okay, if you are sure,” Mahir replied. 

“Mahir, can you do something for me?” Bella asked him. 

“Anything for you Bella,” Mahir replied. 

“Go and get a pregnancy test kit for me. I know we can get it from the hotel as well but I don’t want this news leaking to the media before we have decided a course of action.” Bella’s request sounded reasonable to Mahir. 

He immediately went out to the nearest medical store and got two test kits for Bella. In the meanwhile, Bella sat in the room bouncing her feet nervously. Finally unable to sit still, she got up and went to the mirror and raised the t-shirt that she was still wearing and tried to see if she had begun to show. But no, her tummy was as flat as it had ever been. She gave a sigh of relief. She pulled up some sites that gave information about pregnancy symptoms. Some of her symptoms matched while some didn’t. The empty villa was driving her crazy. She picked up her phone to dial-up Suhani’s number but then remembered that Suhani was on her honeymoon and she shouldn’t disturb her. She threw her phone back on the bed. The urge to call up Sumitra was too strong to ignore. While, what Mahir had said made sense, she was not sure if Sumitra would approve. She didn’t want to sour her relationship with Sumitra because of this. Just when she thought she wouldn’t be able to take it any longer, she heard Mahir enter their villa. She rushed to him and he handed her the package. 

She rushed to the bathroom and pulled out one test and read the instructions carefully. In the meanwhile, it was Mahir’s turn to pace the room impatiently. He kept on resisting the urge to bang on the bathroom door and ask Bella what was happening. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Bella stepped out holding the test in her hand. 

“Well? What is the verdict?” Mahir asked her eagerly. 

“We need to wait for three minutes before the results appear,” Bella told him impatiently, her eyes glued to the test. 

She placed the test on the coffee table and waited impatiently for three minutes to pass. When Mahir tried to pick up the test, she slapped his hand away. 

“Don’t touch it, I peed on it, Mahir.” 

Mahir made a face as they waited for the longest three minutes of their life so far to pass. Finally, alarm on Bella’s phone went off signalling the end of the three minutes. They both turned anxiously to look at the results. 

Posted: 4 years ago

CHAPTER 30: YUVI’S SECRET

When they looked at the test there was just one red on the indicator which meant that Bella was not pregnant. Bella let go of the breath which she didn’t realise that she had been holding till now. She looked at Mahir and his face reflected the same relief that she felt. 

“Phewww! I am so relieved Mahir.” Bella said. 

“Me too.” Mahir agreed. “Well, this calls for a celebration. You wait here, I will go and buy a dress for you from the hotel’s boutique. We are going dancing.” 

With this declaration, Mahir bounded out of the room. Bella laughed at his antics and went to take a bath. After taking a bath, she stepped out of the bathtub and saw the second pregnancy test which Mahir had bought for her. Curious, she decided to take the test one more time, just to be very sure. 

When Mahir cam back, he saw Bella sitting on the bed with a forlorn expression on her face. She looked up as soon as he entered the room. Mahir saw her expressions and rushed to her. 

“What happened Bella? What’s wrong?” he asked her. 

“Mahir I took the other pregnancy test...” she told him. 

“And?” Mahir asked her worried. 

“And nothing. Even it turned out to be negative...” Bella told him simply. 

“Then why are you sad?” Mahir asked her in a puzzled voice. 

“ I am not sad but I was just wondering what it would be like to be pregnant?” Bella told him. 

“Oh! Well, Bella, you will find it out when you get pregnant. Till then put his on and get ready. We are going out for the day.” Mahir told her relived. 

Soon Bella was standing in a pair of shorts and a tank top. She turned to find Mahir looking at her appreciatively. She raised her eyebrows at him but he shook his head. He went up to her and offered her his hand. 

“Shall we?” he asked her. 

She just nodded her head and they both went off. 

When they got back the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon and they could hear birds beginning to chirp. They both were totally spent from all the dancing that they had been up to. Exhausted, Bella dropped on the bed and looked at Mahir. 

“Mahir, this was the best first anniversary ever!” she told him. 

“Really? Even with the pregnancy scare and the fact that we spent the entire day avoiding each other?” Mahir asked her amused. 

“Especially then,” Bella said. 

“Well, it was pretty special for me too,” Mahir replied. 

“Come on! Let’s get some sleep.” Said Bella while pulling him towards the bed. 

They both crashed on the bed together and drifted off to sleep. 

When they woke, it was about 1 PM and their flight left in six hours leaving them with just a couple of hours to pack their bags and get ready. 

Mahir got down to packing their bags while Bella ordered room service for them. Once they had had their food, Bella turned to her bag and pulled out the clothes that she had worn while coming to Goa. 

“Wait!” Mahir told her. He went to his bag and pulled out a pair of jeans and a cute top from them and offered them to her sheepishly. 

“Mahir! Where did you find this?” Bella asked him shocked to her clothes in his bag. 

“Well... Suhani had packed these with explicit instructions to give them to you for the return journey.” Mahir told her. 

“You!” Bella shouted and rushed at him with a pillow in her hand. “You had a pair of normal clothes with you but still you made me wear a bathrobe and your clothes? How could you?” 

Bella continued to hit him with the pillow for a long time. Eventually, she stepped back, exhausted. Mahir took advantage of that and pinned her to the bed and hovered over her.

“What are you doing Mahir?” She asked him irritated. 

Mahir suddenly dropped down and kissed her passionately. She responded to him just as enthusiastically. When they parted, they both were breathless. 

“Let’s stay for another few days,” Mahir said. 

“Of course not! We need to get back for the function and also we need to visit a doctor.” Bella said. 

“A doctor? Why?” Mahir asked her puzzled. 

“Because pregnant or not we can’t deny that I haven’t gotten my periods for nearly two months. We need to find the reason.” Bella told him soberly. 

“It can’t be worse than an unplanned pregnancy right?” Mahir asked her. 

“Honestly Mahir, I don’t know. I am scared, really scared.” Bella confessed. 

“Look, Bella, I am pretty sure its stress taking a toll on your health. That's all. We will visit the doc tomorrow itself. And till we do, not a word to Ma or mom, understood?” Mahir consoled her. 

She nodded her head and they started off for the airport. When the landed in Mumbai, Yuvi was waiting for them at the airport. BeHir totally expected Yuvi to pull their leg but he was uncharacteristically quiet. When Bella questioned him, he changed the topic. 

Next day BeHir decided to visit their doctor whose wife was gynac. Mahir called up the hospital to schedule an appointment as early in the day as possible but he was told that the earliest appointment was already given to someone. So an appointment was scheduled at 10:30 AM. After having breakfast, BeHir escaped Polo and Sumitra’s teasing and headed to the hospital. They got there a little early and Mahir told Bella to wait outside in the waiting area while he went to get them some coffee from the cafeteria. 

As Bella was leafing through some magazines from the magazine stand, the door of the gynac’s cabin opened and someone stepped out of the cabin. She didn’t pay much attention to the guy until he spoke to the girl with him. 

“You go on to the car, I will get the medicines.” The guy said. 

Bella’s head snapped up at the familiar voice and she saw Yuvi leading out a heavily pregnant girl from the cabin. 

“Yuvi?” Bella called out. 

The guy stopped in his tracks and then slowly turned to face her. It was indeed Yuvi. Bella tried to catch a glimpse of the girl’s face but she had quickly turned her face away. Yuvi was looking shocked and embarrassed at being caught. He mumbled something to the girl and she hurried away as fast as her heavily pregnant form would allow her. In her haste, she didn’t see Mahir coming back from the cafeteria empty-handed as the cafeteria was not yet opened for visiting patients and she collided with Mahir. 

In the meanwhile, Bella had approached Yuvi and was questioning him. 

“What are you doing here Yuvi and who’s that girl with you,” Bella asked Yuvi. 

Before Yuvi could answer her, Bella saw the girl collide with Mahir and Mahir steadied her. Mahir’s eyes flashed with recognition and he said, “Vish Khanna?”

Bella stopped in her tracks when hse heard Vish’s name. She looked at Yuvi who refused to meet her eyes. Just then the doc’s assistant called Bella’s name. 

“You are not going anywhere till you answer a few questions. Do you get that?” Bella told Yuivi who just nodded his head. 

Mahir led Vish back to the sitting area and Yuvi rushed forward and tenderly took her hand in his hand and made her sit down. Both were looking immensely guilty. Having ensured that Vish was sitting comfortably BeHir headed to the doc’s cabin. Bela threw one last glance at them and saw that Yuvi was rubbing her hand gently and had his other arm around her in a comforting embrace. Bella smiled to herself and went inside the cabin. She had seen what she needed to see. 

Inside, Mahir was questioning the doc. 

“Doctor, Yuvi... I mean Vish...”

“Doc how far along has Vish’s pregnancy come? I mean, how many months?” Bella asked what Mahir was struggling to say. 

“Strictly speaking I should not reveal this to you but yes, since I know your family so well, I will tell you. Vish is just completing her eighth months. Yuvi had requested that I don’t speak about it to anyone.” The doctor replied. 

“Oh! Okay.” Mahir replied. 

“So what made you both visit me?” the doctor asked them. 

“Doc actually I have missed my periods for two months in a row and I am not pregnant. So I just thought I should visit you...” Bella told her. 

“When did you take the test?” doc enquired. 

“Just a couple of days ago. I had actually forgotten that I didn’t get my periods last month. When they didn’t start even in this month I took a test.” Bella replied. 

“I see. How has your schedule been in the last few months?” doc asked. 

“Crazy” both Bella and Mahir replied. 

Mahir elaborated, “Actually I fell down the stairs and suffered from temporary amnesia. So Bella had to singlehandedly manage a very important project which completely disrupted her sleeping and eating patterns. And then after that dad gave her the responsibility to organize a big party that is coming up in the next few days. So that again didn’t help.”

“So this has been going on for three months now? Doc asked. 

“No actually more than that. This is the immediate schedule but even before that my schedule was not exactly normal.” Bella replied. 

The doctor looked thoughtful for a bit as Mahir and Bella looked on anxiously. Finally, she spoke, “ Look, this sort of thing won’t do Bella. I know you are a young and ambitious girl, but nothing, I repeat nothing comes before your health. Since you have an important event coming up in the next few days, I won’t insist on a full health check-up right now. But once this event is over, I will require you to schedule a full health check-up to ensure that nothing other than stress is affecting your monthly cycle. Right now I will prescribe you some meds that will get the cycle back on the track. But before that, I need to be absolutely sure that you are not pregnant. We’ll do a blood pregnancy test. Come with me.”

Bella got up to follow the doctor but Mahir remained rooted to the spot, his face unreadable. When Bella saw that Mahir had not moved an inch, she said, “Come on Mahir, please don’t make me go through this alone.” 

But still, Mahir didn’t move. Now seriously alarmed Bella rushed back to him. “Mahir, what’s wrong?” 

Wordlessly he got up and followed the doctor. Puzzled, Bella followed him and laid down on the bed while the doctor prepared the needle. Once everything was ready, she warned that it will hurt a bit and Bella simply nodded. Mahir looked at the doctor and said, “ Can’t we do this a bit differently? I mean science has advanced so far. Why use a needle at all? Why can't we ummmmm do this digitally?”

“What?” the doctor asked amused. 

“I mean, why use a needle at all?” Mahir asked. 

“Mahir! Don’t tell me you are scared of needles!” Bella exclaimed. 

“Well... Ummmm... I don’t like them.” Mahir replied. 

“No one loves them. But to be scared of them is next level. Come on. You can wait with Yuvi. I will manage on my own.” Bella told him. 

Mahir looked relieved but shook his head and proceeded to hold her hand as the doctor took her blood sample. Bella looked at him fondly and Mahir caught her staring at him. He raised his eyebrows at her. She shook her head and simply said, “ I love you.”

The doctor cleared her throat loudly and they both looked at her embarrassed. She was smiling down at them. She told them that the test results will take some time to come out and that they were free to go. She would call them once the results came to her and then she would prescribe medicines accordingly. 

As soon as they were done, BeHir stepped out of the doc’s cabin and looked at each other. Now for the next complication that was waiting anxiously for them. Yuvi and Vish were looking extremely apprehensive as they approached. 

“Come on Yuvi. This is no place to have this conversation. Let’s go somewhere a little more private.” Mahir told Yuvi, his expressions unreadable. 

Bella took charge of Vish and led her towards their car. She told Yuvi to follow them in his car. Vish was shaking with anxiety. She kept looking at Bella and Mahir anxiously and opening her mouth to say something but nothing would come out. Mahir drove in silence till they reached Pratham’s studio. Suhani and Pratham were surprised to see them land up there unexpectedly. Even more so when they saw a heavily pregnant Vish and a guilty-looking Yuvi. Suhani rushed to pull up a chair for Vish and once she was settled, turned to Bella. 

“What the hell is going on?” she asked her. 

“Yuvi has some explaining to do,” Bella told her looking at Yuvi who looked at a loss. 

Mahir, Pratham, Suhani and Bella were looking at Yuvi expectantly and Yuvi had deer in headlights look on his face. He was avoiding looking at Bella and Suhani. But his brothers were offering him no comfort either. Nobody spoke for a long time and as the silence stretched, Yuvi became even more restless. Finally, unable to take the silence any longer, Vish got up and went and put a hand on Yuvi’s shoulder. Her touch seemed to give him strength and he squared his shoulders and looked at Mahir and Pratham and said

“I know you have tons of questions for me. And rightly so. I will answer all of your questions.” 

“No, I have no questions for you because I do not know where to start,” Mahir replied. “Or maybe I do have a question for you. Why did you hide it from all of us? And when and how did this begin in the first place?” 

“Mahir... I...” Vish started saying something but was interrupted by Mahir. 

“I am sorry if I sound rude right now but  I am talking to my brother.” Said Mahir without even looking at her. 

Yuvi shot Vish a comforting look and she nodded her head. He turned to Mahir, “Bhai, I reconnected with Vish quite accidentally. I had gone out for my friend's party one night when I met her there. She was very reluctant to reconnect with me knowing that her words were what prompted me to ditch my wedding and run away. And then she had also heard of the accident. But bhai I kept on trying to convince her that it had all worked out. Bhai the reason why I accepted your and Bella’s marriage so easily was that by then I had realised that I loved Vish. When my car spun out of control and I realised that it was probably the end, only one thing came to my mind. I would never get to see Vish again. And even when I was facing certain death, this single thought was painful. Even more painful that the glass cutting my skin or the impact shattering my bone. Once I was awake, I was a changed man. I didn’t pursue Vish because I wanted to give fate a chance to surprise me. I went about my life, doing exactly those things that I had been doing till then but at the back of my was a constant wish that if I ever met Vish again, nothing else would matter.”

Vish gave a small sob and everyone looked at her. Suhani had made her sit down once again. She was holding Yuvi’s hand tightly. Yuvi looked at her with such tender expression that Mahir and Pratham looked away and Suhani stopped herself from saying ‘awwwww’ with great difficulty. He raised her knuckles to his lips and kissed them tenderly and put an arm around her. It was awkward considering that they both were sitting in different chairs but still he rubbed her back till she had calmed down some. Once Vish was calm enough, he continued,

“And then my fate surprised me by bringing her back into my life. And once she was back, I was not about to let go of her that easily. I continued to persuade her that it was not her fault but in vain. To be honest, she still thinks that Bella is mad at her for instigating me to run away and also for being with me on the night previous to my wedding with Bella. One day I couldn’t take it any longer and confessed my feeling to her. And to my utter delight, she said. ‘As selfish as it may sound, I love you too’. That was all I needed. And I... I mean... we...”

“We mutually decided to get into a relationship.” Vish finished Yuvi’s sentence. 

Bella had been observing the two of them closely till then finally spoke up. “That’s all well and good Yuvi but you ignored the first question completely. Why did you not tell any of us about your relationship with Vish? Why did you hide it from the entire family even after knowing that you were going to become a father? If you were so sure that Vish is the one for you, why didn’t feel like letting us know?” 

“Because of me,” Vish replied. 

“Are you sure baby?” Yuvi asked her, concerned. 

“Yes, I am very sure. It’s not fair for you to take the blame for my fears.” Vish replied. She then turned to Bella and continued. “I was the reason why Yuvi didn’t say anything to anyone. Because I was not sure of how I would face you after being the reason for your heartbreak. Despite knowing that you and Mahir were happy together, I could not bring myself to face you. Even when we found out that I was pregnant, I didn’t have the guts to approach you. Yuvi did his best to convince me that you had forgiven him but still I was apprehensive. I know it's stupid but still. I know its too late to say sorry but still, sorry for everything.”

“Vish I never held you responsible for whatever happened as it was not till very recently that I found out that you had given Yuvi the brilliant idea that he didn’t love me. I had no way of knowing what had happened after I left his room. Yes, I did resent you when I found you with Yuvi under very suspicious circumstances but that was momentary. Once I was married to Mahir, I frankly didn’t spare you much of a thought. I was too busy dealing with the aftermath of my sudden wedding with Mahir to resent or hate you. Sorry, this sounds very rude but it is the fact. And if this idiot had mentioned this a little earlier, I would have cleared it to you sooner.” Bella told her. 

Vish looked relieved. “So you are cool with our relationship?” she asked Bella hopefully. 

“Of course! I am happy in my life and I want nothing but happiness for Yuvi too. If his happiness is with you then I have no issues. But I can’t guarantee you that Ma and mom will be just as welcoming of you. You have denied them both an opportunity to pamper you and be a part of their grand child’s life. You will have to work hard to convince them.” Bella’s answer relieved some of Vish’s stress. She gave her a smile and Bella smiled back. She then turned to Yuvi and asked him, “Were you by any chance the secretary who picked up her call the other day?”

“Well yeah. I was so scared that you will recognize my voice but thankfully you didn’t.” Yuvi told her. 

“Hang on! Hang on! I have a very important question for you all.” Suhani interrupted them. “Where the hell did you two meet these two so early on in the morning?” she asked Bella and Mahir. 

“At gaynac’s.” Mahir replied before Bella could stop him. 

Suhani looked surprised and the gave a delighted squeal and hugged Bella tightly. 

“Whoa! Suhani calm down. It’s not what you think it is. We had a pregnancy scare back in Goa. The test results came out negative but we visited the gaynac just to be absolutely sure.” Bella told her. 

“Oh! Alright.” Suhani replied somewhat deflated. 

Just then Mahir’s phone rang and he answered it. When he was done talking, he turned to Bella.

“Okay so the reports came out negative. The doctor has given a go ahead with those tablets.”

“Thank god!” Bella sighed with relief. “We will get those tablets on the way home.” Turning to Yuvi and Vish she said, “ And you two! You are coming home with us.” 

“Okay.” They replied meekly. 

Posted: 4 years ago

CHAPTER 31: Polo’s confession

When they reached home, Sunitra and Polo were shocked and hurt to know that Yuvi and Vish had hidden something so important from them. Bella broke the news to them as gently as possible. She also made them hear out all that Vish had to say before reacting. After hearing the entire story, Sumitra looked furious. She refused to accept Vish as her daughter-in-law as she no longer considered Yuvi her son. No amount of convincing that Yuvi really loved Vish could get her to change her mind. Also, she had issues with Vish. She still held a grudge that on the morning when Bella was to marry Yuvi, they had found Vish on his bed. Yuvi invited her but never forced her. The fact that Vish disregarded the fact that Yuvi was to get married ina few hours time made her equally guilty. Also, she didn’t find Vish’s reasons convincing enough. In her opinion, it was a way to avoid accountability. The fact that they didn’t inform the family meant that they were never serious about each other. 

Seeing Vish’s ashen face, Polo grabbed Sumitra and pulled her to her room. 

“Sumi di, I get it that you are hurt but please try to understand her.” Polo pleaded. 

“Come on Polo please do not defend her.” Sumitra raged. 

“I am not defending her. What she did was stupidity. Hiding from the family never helps but I understand her because years ago I was in her shoes and I wish my mother had understood my situation.” Polo’s words stunned Sumitra and she looked at her in shock. Polo continued. “When I discovered that I was pregnant, I hid it from my mother for as long as I could. You will never understand Di what I went through just as I will never understand what you went through when you found out about my affair with Andy. I loved Andy. Ever since our college days, I had loved Andy. But then he married you and I was heartbroken. But we had the same group of friends and hence we stayed in touch. When Andy first mentioned that things were not good between the two of you, I immediately blamed you as I believed that you didn’t deserve him first place. Andy believed that you were ignoring you on purpose and I believed him. He never lied to me but he kept giving me his version of the story how you were focused on Mahir and business and how he was not your priority anymore. He believed that your emotional unavailability was by choice and I believed him without once considering your side of the story partly because I didn’t know it and partly because I didn’t want to know it. I imagined how I would have handled the situation far better than you and my ego and arrogance convinced me that you were incompetent. It is so easy to live in your own selfish bubble and we both were doing just that. Even we didn’t realise when we crossed the line and then there was no turning back. In the meanwhile, our moms volunteered at the same NGO and were beginning to become friends. Your mom would mention how Mahir was not keeping well and the business was suffering.”

“I remember your mom had once come to visit Mahir at the hospital when he had to be hospitalized,” Sumitra remembered being on the verge of breaking down when Polo’s mom had comforted her at the hospital. “Andy’s phone was unavailable and I was not well. I was pregnant with Yuvi and the first trimester was especially tough for me. And Mahir had a very high fever. I was on the verge of breaking down when your mom had comforted me.”

“Yes that evening when she came back home, she caught me with Andy and was furious. Once she had thrown Andy out of the house, we had a showdown. No matter what she said, she couldn’t convince me that what I was doing was wrong. Finally next day morning she brought me to the hospital where I saw Mahir lying pale on the bed, barely conscious and you tending to him despite the fact that you were vomiting continuously.”

“We met for the first time, I think. I thought aunty had come to check on Mahir and brought you along.” Sumitra said. 

“Yes, that was the first time we met. I remember that someone from the office came to you with some files that needed your signature and once Mahir dropped off to sleep, you took up those files. Mother then dragged me home and asked me if I still felt that you were incompetent. My selfish bubble burst and I had to face the harsh reality that I was wrong. I made Andy see this and told him that we would never meet. It took us some time to get through to him but we managed.”

“Yeah, things improved drastically in the next few months. Andy was way more available and he was super understanding of my situation too.” Sumitra recalled. 

“Well, I was trying to deal with my heartbreak when I realised that I was pregnant. I hid it for as long as I could but then I contacted Andy. I didn’t want an abortion and so Andy promised to help me secretly. Our relationship had ended long before you discovered it Di. I moved out of my parent’s house under the pretext of work. Andy settled me in a flat and now it was his turn to do the balancing act. Despite our best efforts my mother found out about my situation and blamed me for the whole thing. The entire time I was dealing with anxiety and self-hatred. I was anxious about my future and hated myself for being the reason why you were indirectly suffering. Andy assured me that he would not dessert me nor would he hurt you but still I was scared. And then once mother found out, I was even more scared. Being ashamed of your own self is something I would not wish upon even my worst enemy. Once you lose respect for our own self, it’s difficult to live. I endured those days for Pratham. I neither had a baby shower nor did my son get a proper naming ceremony. I hated myself for gifting the tag of being an illegitimate child to my only son. He was just too sweet Di. I lived each day just to see him smile. But I knew one day he would ask me why his father visited him like a guest and I would not have an answer to his question. It was years before my mom forgave me and accepted Pratham. It was a lonely life Di. I know why Vish couldn’t bear to face Bella because it is damn difficult to face someone you broke. I have faced it and so I know Di. Please give her a chance just like you gave me. “ Polo pleaded with Sumitra. 

Sumitra was sitting there stunned. She had never known how and when things went out of hand in her life. Now that she knew, she looked at Polo with newfound understanding. Surprisingly after Polo explained it to her, she could understand why Vish was afraid to face and her. As a principle, she and Polo avoided the awkward topic of their past. But that Polo had broached the topic herself as she couldn’t see Vish and her sad face when Sumitra refused to even listen. Seeing Sumitra nod her head Polo was relieved. As Sumitra tried to exit the room, Polo stopped her. 

“Sumi di, there is something more.” She said. 

“Don’t Polo. I am not sure if I can survive another revelation of this magnitude.” Sumitra told her weakly. 

“Don’t worry, this goes hand in hand with the previous confession. When I first came to Sehgal House, I was so mean to you and kids. To be honest I was insecure. I had made peace with the hidden existence and then you dragged me out into the light. I feared for my Pratham’s future. I was afraid that you would stop Andy from funding Pratham’s education and so I tried to keep Andy away from you. I would do that and then hate myself for being so selfish. It was complicated for me. But then one day after our fight I had gone to check on Pratham but he was not in his room. Really scared I searched everywhere for him but I couldn’t find him. I was about to knock on your room’s door when I thought to ask Mahir if he had seen Pratham. When no one answered my soft knocking I opened the door to find Mahir looking blearily at me, his hair tousled and eyes heavy with sleep. Pratham was sleeping peacefully on his one lap while Yuvi had rested his head on his other lap. Kuhu was sleeping between his legs. He simply told me that he is fine and laid a protective hand on Pratham’s forehead. That scene touched me to the core and then no matter how insecure I felt, I couldn’t be nasty to the boy who had comforted my son. I think that night changed a lot of things for all of us. As years passed I became more and more secure that you and Mahir would do no injustice to me or my son. I am sorry for all the times I hurt you.”

Sumitra smiled and patted Polo’s hand lightly. She then went downstairs where everyone was anxiously waiting for the two of them to come. Polo smiled and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. 

“I am still very much upset but I can understand why Vish chose to hide everything from us. But you are still on very thin ice.” Sumitra told Vish. 

“I will do anything to earn your forgiveness aunty,” Vish told her eagerly. 

Sumitra smiled at her and hugged her. Suddenly Bella, Suhani and Polo also joined the hug. When the women parted they were all smiling. Sumitra then declared that Vish would stay with them till her delivery post which if YuVish wanted, they could get married. Vish declared that she wanted to get married ASAP and hence an auspicious date three months post her delivery was selected. 

Once everyone had retired to their rooms after an eventful morning BeHir went to Sumitra. 

“ Ma, we wanted to talk.” Bella began. 

“Go ahead.” Sumitra encouraged them. 

“Ma, we had a pregnancy scare in Goa. It was a false alarm but those few hours that we thought that I was pregnant put a lot of things in perspective for us. We realised that we were not yet ready to become parents and before I took a test, we had mutually agreed that we would undergo an abortion if I was indeed pregnant. I wanted to tell you this because, for me, the bond that we share is far more precious than anything else. I don’t want anything to come between that bond and while our decision was not something you would have approved of, I wanted to know whether you would have supported me if it had come to it?” Bella asked her. 

Sumitra didn’t answer for a long time before looking at Bella intently. 

“I have always supported you Bella and will continue to do so. Becoming a mother at 24 was my choice. But I understand if you are not yet ready. I would never judge you for taking a decision regarding your body. But I am glad that you didn’t have to go through the pain of an abortion. Because no matter how justified, the emotional pain of having killed your own kid, the guilt is too much to bear. And I would not wish that even on my worst enemy. I never let anyone know but when I found out about Andy and Polo’s affair, I had recently realised that I was pregnant once again. I was beyond happy as having a big family had always been a dream of mine. When I realised that Andy had another family with Polo and Pratham I underwent an abortion as I was unsure of my and my kid’s future. No one knows about this, not even Andy. I told this to you because I want you to know that I understand that sometimes in life some decisions need to be taken and those decisions make you question your judgement. But know this Bella, no matter what, your decisions will affect you the most and you will be the one who will face the consequences of that decision. So, it doesn’t matter what I or anyone else for that matter feel about any of this, what matters is that, did you think through this before arriving at this decision? Was this decision taken in haste or did you give yourself time to think about it, weigh its pro and cons before taking it? If you can answer these questions, my opinion will not matter. Bella my support will mean nothing if, ten years down the line you are going to wake up with regrets. I don’t regret any of my decisions and I want you too to lead a regret-free life.” Sumitra’s revelation stunned Mahir. He looked at his mother with newfound respect. Sumitra noticed him staring at her and smiled at him. 

“Sorry Mahir, you were far too young to have understood my situation. And anyway, my sweet, brave little boy was as it is battling a situation that was far beyond his capacity. I didn’t want to burden your little shoulders with this as well.” 

“But ma, you battled with all of the problems all alone,” Mahir said. 

“Yes, and you were my strength all along Mahir,” Sumitra confessed. 

Seeing that the mother-son duo was having a moment, Bella decided to quietly slip away from there but when she tried to get up, two pairs of hands stopped her and pulled her back down.  Sumitra pulled BeHir in for a hug and that moment felt perfect. When they parted, Bella felt like she understood Sumitra slightly better. 

Next couple of days went by in a blur. The big event was fast approaching and Vish’s presence meant that Yuvi was constantly distracted. While Bella was lenient with him, Pratham had a tough time as he stepped in to replace Yuvi on the team. Andy had decided to announce Yuvi and Vish’s wedding on that day itself and so everyone was preparing for the inevitable questions that the press would throw at them. Mahir was being extra careful that Bella didn’t overexert herself at any point. 

On the day of the event, Andy casually welcomed Vish into the family. Sehgal’s PR team handled the situation in such a way that the media didn’t get a chance to sensationalize the news too much. The event was a huge success. While giving a statement to the press Andy publically said, “ A year ago, I made Bella my successor on Mahir’s insistence. Although I knew this girl was capable enough to handle any challenge that life threw her way, I had a father’s bias towards my son. I was sure that no one could be a better successor than my own son Mahir. Naturally, I was sceptical when Mahir suggested her name but I trusted my son’s judgement and went with his suggestion. Today, a year later I could not more proud to say I am glad that I named Bella as my successor. She has surpassed me in merely a year. I look forward to seeing what she does in the years to come. I just want to say that I am super proud of Bella and Mahir. Keep up the good work!”

Andy heaping praises on anyone was unheard of. But this time around he genuinely felt like he had to appreciate Bella and Mahir. The event, in general, was a huge success and with Vish’s official entry into the Sehgal family added an extra flair to the event. That night everyone returned home tired but happy. 

Vish’s due date was fast approaching and with each passing day Yuvi was freaking out more and more. He was glad that he had his family for support during those last few days and he would have gone mad with anxiety without them. It had been a nightmare dealing with the whole pregnancy thing alone. Being responsible was new for both of them and being responsible for the life of an unborn child, that too their own was nerve-wracking. He had somehow managed it but was glad that he didn’t have to deal with it all alone anymore. He had cancelled all of his shoots and was spending time with Vish. They both knew that it would never be just the two of them ever and they were making the most of those last few days. 

Vish had settled well in the family. Her misgivings that Bella and/or Sumitra will treat her differently although not entirely wrong had not come true. The fact that she chose to endure the whole pregnancy alone because she didn’t want to hurt them made Sumitra feel like Vish was not so bad after all. Also, Vish was extremely childish and innocent and no one could stay mad at her for long anyway. So with each passing day, Sumitra and Vish were growing closer. 

One day, after dinner Andy announced that he wanted to make an announcement. He asked everyone to gather in the living room. Once everyone was present, he said, “I want to say some really important things to all of you. First of all Sumitra and I have mutually decided that all our personal properties and assets will be equally divided amongst our four kids. So each of you will inherit a part of our properties.” 

Andy’s announcement was greeted with stunned silence. Pratham and Polo looked at each other shocked.

“But dad I...” Pratham began but was cut off by Sumitra.

“You are my son Pratham. And I want you to inherit as much as my biological children. Is that understood?” 

“But ma did you ask... I mean I...” Pratham stuttered trying to think words that would not offend anyone but would still get his concerns across. 

“No, I didn’t feel the need to ask anyone. It is but obvious. I never differentiated between you kids. If a bar of chocolate was divided into four equal parts for the four of you then why not this?” Sumitra asked him. 

Pratham looked fearfully at Kuhu who was looking at her mother intently. Kuhu felt Pratham’s gaze and scoffed. 

“Of course you expect me to oppose ma. Of course, you expect me to have an issue. And you are right I do have an issue with the fact that you think I will oppose this arrangement. If as a kid I could share my chocolate with you, I can certainly share this. Look, I might not be great with emotions and all but I do think you are one of us.” 

Pratham gave a delighted whoop and went pulled Kuhu in for a tight hug. Before she could protest Yuvi joined them and pulled Mahir with him. The three of them continued to squeeze her till Sumitra and Polo pulled them away from her. Kuhu looked furious and dishevelled. She was glaring daggers at Pratham who was smiling broadly at her. Yuvi had a devilish smile on his face and he was the one who was responsible for Kuhu’s tousled hair. 

“Careful Pratham or Kuhu might change her mind,” RJ warned him. 

“Yes, I have changed my mind. You can keep whatever Ma gives you but you CANNOT call me your sister EVER!!! And this applies to both of you as well. All your rights as my brothers have been revoked.” Kuhu declared. 

Pratham, Yuvi and Mahir laughed and Yuvi leaned in and ruffled her hair some more. With a furious roar, Kuhu began chasing Yuvi around the living room. She grabbed a cushion and continued to chase him till she managed to catch up with him and pummelled him mercilessly till he begged for mercy. Just then the cushion flew out of her hands and landed at Bella’s feet. Bella picked up the cushion and tossed it back towards Kuhu and she continued to pummel him. Finally, exhausted she got off him. 

“Thanks, Bella!” Kuhu exclaimed. 

“Bella that’s not fair! I thought you were my friend and hence on my team.” Said Yuvi from the floor where he was still lying. 

“Of course not! Girl power!!!” said Bella and turned to give Kuhu a high five. Even Kuhu raised her hand before awkwardly letting it fall to her side. She cleared her throat loudly. 

“Ahem... Thanks for your help. I didn’t need it but thanks anyway.” 

Bella nodded her head. 

“And I still don’t like you and find you irritating, okay? Nothing has changed. Understood?” said Kuhu. 

Bella nodded her head again. 

“Okay, so if you all are done shall we continue?” Andy asked patiently. 

Everyone nodded their heads.  Andy continued,

“Second of all, Bella and Mahir will inherit the entire business since they have been instrumental in its growth. I hope no one has any issues with this arrangement.”

Everyone shook their head. They knew no one other than BeHir deserved the business. 

“Now Polo you wanted to say something?” Sumitra asked her. 

“Yes, Sumi Di!” Polo nodded her head enthusiastically. She dramatically took a deep breath and continued, “ I have decided how I will distribute whatever I inherited from my dad. Although I am too young to make a will I hear even kids of 22-23 make wills these days. So I also made one on Sumi Di’s insistence. When I made this will I had no idea what Jaan and Di were planning. I am not as great as Sumi di to treat everyone equally and all. I am a biased woman and I have favoured one person in my will. My personal assets have been divided into five parts out of which two will go to one person and the other three equal ones will go to the rest of you. Everyone here knows that I have always favoured Mahir over all of you and so Mahir will receive two-fifth of my personal assets while rest all of you will inherit one third. Mahir at the ripe old age of 8 proved instrumental in bringing us together as a family. And Mahir if you love me you will not argue with this decision of mine.” 

Mahir simply nodded his head while Bella gripped his hand tightly. 

“Okay now that we are done with the dramatic announcements for the day, let’s have a coffee together?” Andy asked. 

Everyone settled in the living room and servants brought out freshly brewed coffee as per everyone’s preferences. They all sat down chatting together for a long time. Sumitra and Polo were narrating tales from Yuvi, Pratham, Mahir and Kuhu’s childhood when Vish gave a loud gasp and clutched her stomach. She soon gave a second gasp and Yuvi looked at her concerned. 

“Baby are you okay?” he asked her. 

She frantically shook her head and managed to gasp out, “I think its time...”

Posted: 4 years ago

Chapter 32: All’s Well That Ends Well

Her words were followed by a moment's total silence and then frenzied activity. Yuvi rushed to his room to grab Vish’s bag which he had packed a couple of days ago while Mahir rushed outside to get the car. When Yuvi came downstairs he supported Vish to the car while Pratham promised to get everyone to the hospital ASAP. Vish grabbed Bella’s hand and pulled her with them to the car. Mahir drove the car while Yuvi and Bella comforted Vish in the back seat. 

“Take deep breaths Vish,” Bella told her. 

Vish nodded her head and looked at Yuvi. 

“This is it Yuvi! We are almost there,” she said. 

“Yes,” he breathed back and squeezed her hand. 

Suhani had already called the hospital. So when Mahir drove through the hospital gates, they were ready with a wheelchair for Vish. Bella and Yuvi lowered Vish into the chair while Mahir proceeded to park the car. Pratham drew up almost immediately and Suhani rushed to Bella and helped her wheel Vish to the special room that was reserved for her. Yuvi went to complete all the formalities. Once all the paperwork was done Yuvi rushed to join the rest of his family. 

“Is it over yet?” he panted as he skidded to halt in the lobby.

“Of course not Yuvi. They have just taken her to her room. I don’t think she is ready yet.” Sumitra told him.

“Come sit.” RJ patted the seat beside him and Yuvi sat down. 

After what seemed like an eternity the doctor appeared in the lounge. 

“Yuvi, she is asking for you.” The doctor motioned Yuvi to follow her. Yuvi got up and to his surprise found that he was trembling. He took a deep breath and followed the doctor. Once Yuvi moved away, Kuhu took his pace besides RJ. They exchanged a few words and RJ nodded his head. He motioned to the rest of the family to follow him. When Bella tried to follow, RJ stopped her. With a reassuring smile, RJ pushed Kuhu forward. Kuhu awkwardly shuffled forward and took a seat beside Bella. 

“Look, I know Anu behaved like an ass,” she began suddenly. 

Bella looked startled at this sudden statement. 

“Anu is an ass and nothing can be done about it. I gave her a sound scolding later but then I couldn’t desert her when everyone was being nasty to her. Tomorrow if Suhani behaves like an ass, will you stop loving her?” Kuhu asked Bella. 

“Ummm no. I wouldn’t stop loving her. She is my friend and I love her the way she is.” Bella replied unsure of where things were headed. 

“And okay maybe I didn’t exactly welcome you with open arms when you first came home. I am sorry for that. You see, first of all, you are exactly the opposite of me. And then you indirectly broke my friend’s heart by marrying Bhai. Also, you broke my life long dream of living under one roof with Anu. It pissed me off. We will never be best of friends but I would like to be on cordial terms with you if you can put our past behind us.” Kuhu finished her speech and looked at Bella expectantly. 

“Kuhu, I get it that Anu is your friend and I unintentionally broke her heart. And I would like nothing better than to have a normal relationship with you but that still doesn’t mean that I would be okay if Anu starts frequenting our house.” Bella told her. 

“Look Bella if I wanted that to happen, I would have straight away said that. I know you will not want Anu anywhere near you and Bhai and I understand why. If some girl had pulled this kind of stunt on RJ, I would have personally killed her. Anu won’t ever come to Sehgal House. This offer for truce doesn’t come with any strings attached.” Kuhu’s forthright way made Bella smile and she grabbed Kuhu’s hand and shook it vigorously. 

“And one more thing Bella, if you ever try to hug me, I will declare you an enemy for life. Get that?” 

“Yes, of course, Kuhu!” Bella agreed. 

Mahir and RJ who had been secretly listening to this exchange smiled at each other and went before either of the girls caught them. 

In the meanwhile, Andy and Sumitra were sitting alone in the cafeteria. Polo, Suhani and Pratham had stepped out for a bit. It had been ages since Sumitra and Andy had spent time with each other. Polo’s confession was still ringing in Sumitra’s ears and she wanted to talk to Andy about it but didn’t want to unnecessarily dig up old issues that had been buried a long time ago. 

“So, you are going to become a granny at any moment. How does that feel?” Andy asked her. 

“I am excited I suppose. I really don’t know. I mean I didn’t exactly get a chance to process the situation before it was upon us. How about you?” she asked him. 

“Me? I am nervous as hell.” Andy replied. 

“Nervous? Why?” Sumitra asked him surprised. 

“Well, I was not exactly an ideal father, to begin with. And now with this mini Yuvi entering our lives... I don’t know... I am scared Sumi. My kids never judged me for my mistakes. What if my grandchild judges me? What answer will I give if my grandchild asks me why is Polo around? I don’t know. I am not sure I am ready for this yet.” Andy confessed. 

“Andy, no matter what, we will always be there for you. Your family will stand by you, Andy. Your kids will make sure that you never face this situation. Please, relax. This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Don’t ruin it for yourself.” Sumitra consoled him. 

“Thanks, Sumi,” said Andy.

“Come on Andy! I am not about to let you sulk now that I am going to have to take care of a kid all over again. Judging by Yuvi and Vish’s maturity levels, it’s going to be our job to take care of the baby as its parents are still kids.” Sumitra laughed trying to imagine Yuvi as a father. 

Just then Bella and Kuhu entered the cafeteria with Mahir and RJ. The four of them sat together and ordered pastries to celebrate Bella and Kuhu finally becoming friends. Sumitra smiled seeing Kuhu and Bella joking and laughing with each other. She felts Andy’s gaze on her and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Thank you, Sumi for raising them right. Even with all the mess that I created, your kids did not lose their path. That’s all you Sumi. Thank you for teaching them to respect a father who didn’t deserve any respect. Thank you for making them good human beings. Thank you for not snatching them from me and most importantly thank you for accepting Polo and Pratham so graciously.”

Just then Polo entered the cafeteria with Suhani and Pratham. Seeing Sumitra and Andy were having a moment, Polo was about to step out when Sumitra called out to her.

“Come and join us Polo!”

Polo awkwardly pulled up another chair at their table.

“Are you sure Di? I mean I can...” Polo began awkwardly but was stopped by Sumitra. 

“No. I want you here. You see Andy was just thanking me for raising the kids right. You deserve a part of the credit too. After all Polo, you helped with the kids all the time. You accepted them like your own and that’s why they grew up together. Don’t you think so Andy?” 

“Of course!” Andy agreed wholeheartedly. “ Sumi, Polo you have been terrific moms and your kids are lucky to have you.”

“Di, I don’t like Jaan’s tone,” said Polo mischievously. 

“Yes, Andy! Calling them my kids won’t let you off the late-night diaper changing duty. Nor will it let you off late-night play-time when Vish is sleeping. Understand?” Sumitra said in a mock stern voice. 

“I didn’t mean it that way!” Andy defended himself.

“You better not mean it that way Jaan. Otherwise, we both will give you hell.” Polo threatened Andy even as Sumitra craked up. Andy raised his hands in mock surrender. 

“No, but on a very serious note, thank you both of you for enduring me and most importantly standing by me. I know I have hurt both of you and I am sorry for that but I am also thankful for whatever you both have given me.” Andy smiled warmly at both of them. 

“Andy, this triangle... It is a part of our lives now. Our kids survived this and so will our grandkids. Don’t worry.” Sumitra assured him. 

“And Jaan, I know I never should have been a part of this equation. If at all a time comes when your fears come true, we can always say I am some distant aunt of Mahir, Yuvi and Kuhu’s staying with you all. I wouldn’t mind that.” Polo’s suggestion earned her a smack from Sumitra. 

“We will do nothing of the sort. You are who you are and we will NOT lie. Our kids have no issues and they will bring up their kids in a manner that would equip them to face any situation that may arise. Now come, let’s go to the waiting room otherwise Yuvi will panic.”

“Come on kids, let’s go!” Andy called out to Kuhu and others. 

Suhani giggled suddenly and Andy looked at her surprised. 

“Sorry, dad but that sounded a lot like a parent collecting kids from the playground at the end of playtime. Papa and uncle would do it all the time to me and Bella.” Suhani responded. 

Even Andy cracked up and they all headed to the waiting area just outside Vish’s room. When they got there, everything was quiet. 

“How come there is no activity going on here?” Andy asked surprised that it was all so quiet. Just then a nurse came hurrying along and Andy approached her. “Excuse me but have they shifted Vish to the OT?”

“No, not yet.” she replied and hurried away. 

“Why is it taking so much time? It’s been two hours since we got here...” Andy trailed of worriedly. 

“Oh, God Andy! You are a father of four kids and you are still asking this question?” Sumitra reprimanded him. 

“Jaan, she is just having contractions now. It will be still some time before she is ready to deliver.” Polo explained patiently. 

“Oh! Okay.” Andy replied deflated. 

They all settled down on the couches outside Vish’s special room. Since Sehgals were very important people, separate area had been cordoned off for them and other than select staff members no one was allowed there. An occasional nurse would come and give them regular updates. Rest everything was quiet. Barricades had been set up about a block away from the hospital to ensure the family’s privacy and also to ensure that rest of patients did not suffer in any way. 

After about a couple of hours the doctor came out and told them that they were shifting Vish to the OT and that she was ready.  They wheeled her out on a stretcher and she gave them all a smile through her clenched teeth. She looked determined. Yuvi held her hand till the OT and then he stepped back. While he waited for the nurse to bring out him scrubs a thought struck Bella. 

“Yuvi did you inform Vish’s parents?” she asked him suddenly.

“NO!”he almost shouted. 

“Whoa! Calm down. It’s not too late. Let me call them.”said Andy. 

“NO DAD!” Yuvi looked terrified at the very thought. 

“But why?” Sumitra asked him confused. 

“They don’t approve... And so Vish has cut off all ties with them. They wanted her to have an abortion and she refused. I don’t blame them for not trusting me but Vish took it quite personally and I am letting her handle it her way.” Yuvi explained. 

Sumitra mustered a small oh. Nurse was back with scrubs for Yuvi and he put them on and faced his family, especially Mahir. Mahir gave him a small encouraging nod and Yuvi took a deep breath and went inside the OT.

What followed were the longest thirty minutes of their lives. Finally, after what seems like an eternity the Doctor reappeared and announced that it’s a girl. Doctor’s announcement was followed by briefest of silence as everyone present processed the news and then they all we hugging each other and celebrating with each other. In her excitement, even Kuhu hugged Bella and then stepped back suddenly awkward. Bella smiled broadly at her and whispered, “Don’t worry! No one will know.” And winked at her. Kuhu smiled at Bella and moved on to hug Sumitra. 

Yuvi stepped out of the OT looking dazed but grinning broadly giving the impression that someone had conked him on the head. As soon as he stepped out his siblings pounced on him and the four of them shared a warm hug. Then his parents pulled him for a hug. By the time Polo let go of him, he was crying out of sheer happiness. Suhani punched him lightly and gave him a brief congratulatory hug. Finally Bella stepped forward and surprised him by pulling him in for a short but warm hug. 

“Congratulations Yuvi. And now stop crying like an idiot,”she told him. 

He nodded his head vigorously even as more tears spilt from his eyes. Finally he managed to stop his tears and looked around at his family. Just then the OT door opened and Vish was pushed out on a stretcher. She gave them all a radiant smile. 

“Go with her Yuvi. We will have time later.” Andy encouraged him. 

Yuvi nodded his head and followed Vish inside her room. After a few agonizingly long minutes the Sehgals were allowed inside the room. There they found Vish lying down on the bed with a tiny bundle in pink lying beside her. Yuvi was crying again. Even Vish had tears in her eyes as she gazed at her daughter sleeping peacefully beside her. She tried to sit up when the Sehgals entered but Sumitra motioned her to lay down. 

Sumitra and Polo both approached the baby together did a ritual to ward off the evil eye. Sumitra noticed that Yuvi was standing a bit away from the bed.

“Go on Yuvi, pick her up,” Sumitra told him. 

Yuvi looked at her lost. “I don’t know how...” he trailed off.

Sumitra went and picked her up and Polo helped Yuvi make a cradle with his hands and Sumitra gently placed the baby in his arms. As she settled in her father’s arms, she smiled a little and Yuvi’s eyes misted over once again. He gazed adoringly at her as she slept in his arms. After a few moments, Yuvi placed her besides Vish. Yuvi then looked at Vish who nodded his head. 

“Kuhu we have decided that you will name her.” Yuvi told Kuhu. 

“Are you sure? I mean...” Kuhu looked uncertainly at Vish. 

“Yes, I am sure Kuhu. We want you to select a name for her.” Vish assured her. 

“Well, in that case, I name her Yuvisha... It has both her parent’s names in it.” Kuhu declared. 

“Hello, Yuvisha! Welcome to the family.” Mahir and Pratham greeted their little niece.

Just then a nurse came in to shoo them all. Yuvi lightly kissed Vish’s forehead and told her to sleep and followed his family out. Once outside, Andy turned to Yuvi and pulled him in for a tight hug. 

“Dad!” Yuvi hugged him back. 

When they parted, Andy was looking at him fondly. 

“You have disappointed me many a time Yuvi. When you ditched Bella and ran away, it was the last straw. But now all of that is behind you. I see that you have changed a lot and you are not the same irresponsible Yuvi you once were. Looking at this Yuvi I feel you will prove to a far better husband and a far better father than I ever was.”

“Dad, please. We have no complaints. Sure our family was not the most normal family out there but then we had a family. I had my brothers who fought for me, who fought by me. I had a little sister to cherish who was worse than any of my brothers when someone dared to trouble anyone of us. I was lucky enough to have two mothers who loved me and cherished me and my siblings. I have no complaints about my life so far and I will make sure that my kids has none too.” Yuvi consoled Andy. 

Mahir, Pratham and Kuhu also stepped forward and hugged Andy. Seeing RJ, Suhani and Bella standing in one corner, Andy beckoned them to join him. When they stepped away from each other, they noticed that both Sumitra and Polo were busy clicking their photos. 

With Vish and baby both sleeping, Sumitra insisted that even the family should return home. After a few hours sleep, everyone got down to work. If everything went well Vish was to return home that evening. With only a few hours left, Sumitra and Polo had busy day ahead and they kept rest of the family members on their toes for the rest of the day. They had already prepared a nursery for the kid but now that they knew it was a girl they tweaked the interiors a bit to better suit a girl. While Pratham and Suhani stayed with Vish, Yuvi, Andy, RJ and Kuhu helped Sumi and Polo in setting up the nursery. 

Bella had volunteered herself and Mahir for shopping duty. As soon as they had had a little breakfast, they hurried outside. They both were very excited to shop for Yuvisha. Their first stop was a massive toy shop. Mahir had never really entered a toy shop before. As in his knowledge was limited only to boy’s section. He nearly went mad at the sheer variety of toys available for girls. Bella had to stop him from buying stuff that would be too advanced or unsafe for Yuvisha. For instance, Mahir wanted to buy a three feet tall Barbie house for her. 

“Mahir this will tower over her. We can’t get her this right now. And anyway it's not safe for her to be playing with such tiny pieces.” Bella explained to him. 

“But Bella just look at these couches and that bath area is so perfect! And look at this little doll. She is just like our Yuvisha.” Mahir pouted. 

“Mahir we can’t get her this till she is at least five or six years old.” Bella reasoned with him patiently. 

“But this set will be sold by then,” Mahir argued. 

“Of course! But you will find something even better by then. Trust me.” Bella consoled him. 

“Sure?” he asked her.

“Yes,” she assured him. 

Same thing happened in the soft toys sections. Mahir wanted to buy a giant bear for her but Bella was strictly against it. 

“NO Mahir! We can get a few small ones for her. But this giant is almost half my height.”

Mahir pouted and kept him back. As Bella was looking a few toys for infants Mahir sneaked back to the large bear and asked a store attendant to pack him up for him. When Bella missed him, she went looking for him. 

“What are you doing here? And where is the giant bear?” Bella asked him suspiciously. 

“He is crying because you didn’t take him home,” Mahir told her sulkily. 

“God Mahir! You are such a child!” Bella laughed and pulled Mahir to infant’s toys section. 

Once they were done shopping, they went to pay for their purchases. There the attendant brought out the large bear wrapped in gift wrapping paper. 

“MAHIR!” Bella looked at him exasperated. 

“He insisted that he wanted to come home with us. And I got him for you.” Mahir smiled innocently at Bella. 

Bella gave him an exasperated smile. 

“Fine!” she said. “Mr Teddy will sleep with me on our bed and you, my dear husband will sleep on the floor. Just like you did on our wedding night.” 

“Not fair, Bella!” Mahir complained.

Once the bill was paid Bella carried him outside to where their car was parked. 

Once toys were taken care of, they went shopping for baby clothes. There even Bella could not restrain herself and went crazy with Mahir. Once all the necessities like diapers and undersheet rubbers were taken care of they both went crazy while shopping for the cutest and the most adorable clothes for Yuvisha. Once they were done with the shopping, they both sat in a coffee shop while their driver dropped off the packages at Sehgal Mansion. 

Mahir ordered a coffee for both of them and sat back in the chair. 

“Phew, Bella! I am tired. Who thought shopping for a kid will be so tiring.” 

“I know!” Bella agreed. 

“Tell me one thing, why didn’t we do this shopping earlier on? I mean We had almost three weeks to shop for all the necessities.” Mahir complained. 

“That’s because it’s inauspicious to shop for the baby before its arrival.” Bella told him. 

“What rubbish Bella!” Mahir scoffed. 

“It’s true Mahir. And there is a reason behind it. Newborns are not made to wear new clothes. For the first few days, Yuvisha will be wearing Kuhu’s old clothes. Her skin is too delicate to wear fresh clothes. She would need used clothes otherwise her skin will get irritated. And in older times there would be a lot of uncertainty regarding a pregnancy. Not all babies survived. So the elders discouraged everyone from anticipating happiness. And anyways Mr Genius, how will you know a baby’s gender before she came into this world, huh?” Bella raised her eyebrows at him. 

“You may have a point there...” Mahir agreed. 

“ I  make an excellent point. Come on now, finish your coffee quickly. We have to reach home to help ma with the decorations,” said Bella. 

They quickly finished their coffee and called up their driver. He had just come back to pick them up. 

That evening only Yuvi, Suhani and Pratham went to get Vish from the hospital. Rest of the family members waited for them at home. Vish and Yuvisha received a grand welcome from everyone. Vish was overwhelmed at the love that was showered on her and her daughter. Another surprise awaited her. Sumitra and Polo had personally called up Vishkha’s parents and invited them over to welcome their grandchild home. Vish was overjoyed to her parents there. Sumitra had assured them that Vish would have the Sehgal family’s support, no matter what. That had assured Mr and Mrs Khanna and they had decided to join the Sehgals in celebrating the arrival of their very first granddaughter. 

They all had dinner together and just as they were planning to shift to the living room for a cup of coffee, Vish gave a huge yawn. She looked embarrassed. 

“Sorry Aunty...” she began but Polo interrupted her. 

“No sorry. You will obviously be very tired. Come on let’s get you to sleep.”

Polo led Vish to her room and made her lie down. Vish took Yuvisha in her lap for feeding. Yuvi had followed them and helped Vish with Yuvisha. Once she was well fed, Polo insisted on taking her out so that Vish could rest. After having slept for majority of the time since she was born, Yuvisha showed every signs of staying up the entire night. With Yuvisha out of the room, Yuvi put Vish to sleep and joined her on the bed. Soon both were fast asleep. 

There the entire family was busy entertaining Yuvisha. By the time it was 1 AM, everyone was yawning. No one had had a lot of sleep the previous night. Finally, Sumitra insisted that it made no sense for the entire family to stay up. They would take turns to look after Yuvisha. Mahir being the eldest claimed the first night with Yuvisha. Pratham and Kuhu grumbled a little but allowed it to happen. BeHir shifted Yuvish’a  portable cradle to their room and made her lie down in the cradle. 

“Listen, Bella, she will feel hungry in the middle of the night. Take her to Vish if she starts crying.” Sumitra instructed. 

Bella nodded her head and went to her room. Bella sat with Yuvisha in her lap till Mahir freshened up for bed and then handed her over to Mahir to go and get ready for bed. Yuvisha was showing no signs of tiredness. Bella and Mahir played with her till her eyelids began to droop. Bella then took her to Vish who was feeling quite fresh after her nap. After Vish fed her once again she insisted on keeping Yuvisha with her so that BeHir could get some sleep. It was nearly 5:30 in the morning by the time Bella returned to their room. Mahir was waiting up for her. 

“She is with Vish,” Bella replied to Mahir’s questioning stare. 

He nodded his head and patted the bed. Bella flung herself on the bed tired but happy. Mahir silently opened his arms she snuggled close to him. Mahir gave a content sigh.

“Everything turned out well didn’t it?” he asked Bella. 

“Yes! But last one year was a lot,” said Bella. 

“That’s one way to put it,” Mahir chuckled. “There were so many days when I felt that we will not make it through,” Mahir added soberly. 

“Like when Yuvi returned home. I was so afraid that Yuvi’s return would spell doom for our relationship,” Bella said remembering the fear and dread that she had felt. 

“Or when you were upset that I pretended to have lost my memory. Those few weeks were hell for me,” Mahir said remembering the uncertainty and the guilt that he had felt back then. 

“It must have been difficult to lie through the uncertainty and then confessing your fears to me... I am sure even that was difficult,” Bella said sympathetically. 

“Yes it was difficult. But more than that it was difficult to see you upset and broken,” Mahir confessed. 

Bella tightened her grip on Mahir. Mahir squeezed her back.

“But all of that is behind us now. We survived through all of that. I must say our first year of marriage was quite an eventful one. I mean from being accidental spouses to where we are today, we have come quite far, haven’t we,” Bella asked Mahir. 

“Certainly. The parts where I had you firmly by my side were a breeze but when I didn’t have you it was a nightmare to navigate through life. I never want to do that ever again,” Mahir said firmly.

“You won’t have to. I am staying right here for the rest of our lives to annoy the hell out of you,” assured Bella just as firmly. 

“I am glad,” Mahir told her. “Come on now sleep. We have a lot of work for tomorrow,” he added. 

Bella nodded her head and snuggled closer to Mahir as he switched off their bedside lamp. Sun was just beginning to peek out from behind the clouds and within few minutes their room would be flooded with early morning sunlight. Mahir got up and pulled the curtains so that the bright sunlight didn’t disturb them. As he snuggled back into the bed Bella asked him sleepily, “What do you think the future holds for us?”

“I don’t know but I can’t wait to find out. Together,” Mahir replied.

They both quickly fell asleep happy and content in each other’s arms, eager to live out their future together. 

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