Title and Plot by Bacillusbadius
Plot - Malhar ji apologized after 26 jan in his senses. Atul returns, initially really worried as father, but don't separate them, understands KalMaSh raabta. KalMa realisation in normal situation- natural, beautiful. Confession and happy ending. RomCom.
It was a week since the 26th January incident had happened and in the following days after that, Malhar had understood that Kalyani and Mai had not been associated with Sampada and Atharv's plan and had not aided them in any way. Malhar was absorbed with guilt for treating them with such contempt. They both deserved an apology from him.
He decided to go to Mai first as he felt that would be easier than facing Kalyani. He held Anupriya's hands in his and apologized to her, his eyes reflecting how sorry he genuinely felt, "Mai mujhe maaf kar dijiye, maine aapko aur Kalyani ko galat samjha."
"Malhar, mai samaj sakthi hun ki tumpar kya guzar rahi thi. Ab toh tumhe sab sach pata chal gaya hai. Chodo in baaton ko aur Kalyani ke saath khush raho."
"Mai, maine Kalyani ko kitne dukh diye, Kitna pareshan kiya use, kis muh se maafi maangun, kaise maaf kar payegi woh mujhe."
Anupriya gently placed her hand on his cheek, "Kalyani bhale hi umar me choti hai, aur usme bohot bachpana bhi hai, lekin woh tumhari bohot izzat karti hai aur woh samajhti bhi hai ki tum kis dard se guzar rahe the. Warna tum khud hi socho Malhar, jo ladki baar baar mujhe atyachar na sehne ka paat padathi hai, usne tumhare diye hue dard ko kyun chup chap saha?"
Malhar felt what Mai said was indeed true, Kalyani always stood up against the injustice meted out to Anupriya and even encouraged her to pursue her education. She was actually not a person who would take injustice and keep quiet about it. She could have just left him and gone, yet she had stayed. Why???
"Kyun Mai? Bataiye na !"
"Ab ye toh tumhe Kalyani hi bata sakti hai. Tumhe apni galti ka ehsaas ho gaya hai na, toh maafi maang hi lo usse, aur apne sawal ka jawab bhi maang lo. Aur haan, aage se meri beti ko pareshan kiya na, toh tumhari khair nahi." she pulled his cheeks and left.
After Anupriya left, he slowly walked towards their room, his mind in deep thought, Kalyani had been there for him at the very crucial moment of his career and his life. She had not thought twice before marrying him for the sake of Moksh and Anupriya and neither had she thought about her own life when she had tried to stop the blast that would have otherwise killed many and destroyed his career too. He had felt pride in his heart to introduce her as his wife in front of the whole crowd.
Kalyani was folding clothes and neatly arranging them into the wardrobe while little Pillu was sleeping in his crib. Malhar entered the room, went and stood behind her scratching his forehead, wondering how to begin.
Kalyani turned around and was startled to see him behind her, "Ma… Malharji, aap? Maine phirse koi galti kar di?" she asked apprehensively wondering what punishment was going to be meted out.
Malhar felt ashamed that she was scared of him, "Kalyani….galti tumne nahi maine ki hai aur sajaa bhi mujhe milni chahiye."
"Kya bol rahe hain aap Malharji?"
He kneeled down in front of her and held both her hands in his, "Kalyani, maine tumhe kitna pareshan kiya, tumhe uss galti ki sajaa di jo tumne ki hi nahi. Ab mai samaj gaya hun Kalyani ki tumne aur Mai ne jo bhi kaha tha woh sab sach tha. Mera gussa, meri nafrat sab maine tumpar utaar diya. I'm sorry Kalyani, I'm sorry. Please mujhe maaf kar do."
"Malharji……"
"Nahi Kalyani, maaf mat karna mujhe, tum mujhe sazaa do. Haan ! choti choti baton ke liye maine tumhe saza di. Maine Kitni badi galti kar di, mujhe saza milni chahiye Kalyani…." his body was shaking with sobs.
Kalyani also dropped to her knees opposite him, "Malharji, please shant ho jaiye… aapko maafi maangne ki zaroorat nahi hai Malharji, aap khud dard se guzar rahe the.. aur aapka gussa jayaz bhi tha, sab mere parivaar walon ke wajah se hua."
"Mujhe koi haq nahi tha tumhe shaadi ke liye majboor karne ka. Tumhari puri zindagi ek samjhaote ke saath guzar jaye, ye galat hai. Isliye hum iss rishte ko khatam... " he felt her hand over his mouth.
"Please Malharji, haan hamari shaadi majboori me hui, lekin humne ye shaadi Pillu ke liye kiya na, toh ab agar hum ise tod de toh takleef hamare Pillu ko hogi na. Isliye aaj ke baad kabhi aisa mat sochiye."
"Lekin Kalyani, tumhari khushi ka kya? Tum jis pyaar ki haqdaar ho, woh mai shayad tumhe de nahi sakta aur mai tumhari puri zindagi kharaab hote hue nahi dekh sakta. Moksh ko thode din takleef hogi par woh teekh ho jaayega."
Kalyani had tears in her eyes, "Mai apne Pillu se door nahi jaa sakthi. Mujhe koi parwah nahi agar aap mujhse pyaar na karen toh. Hum dost banke toh reh sakte hain na..? Pillu ke liye. Aur mai aapke saath safe feel karthi hun. Mujhe kahin nahi jaana aap donon ko chodkar."
"Moksh ka toh samaj me aata hai, lekin maine tumhe kya diya hai Kalyani, sirf dard. Phir bhi tum mujhe chodke nahi gayi. Kyun Kalyani?"
"Kyunki mujhe pata tha ki aap bhale hi bahar se bohot Jailer types ka bartav karte hai, par aap bohot ache hai aur jaise hi aapko sach pata chalega aap zaroor samaj jayenge ki maine koi galti nahi ki."
"Kalyani… "
"Bas Malharji, please aur kuch mat boliye. Maine aapka apology accept kar liya aur mai aap dono ko chodke kahin nahi jaa rahi hun, samjhe aap?"
Malhar couldn't help but smile, his heart felt light after asking for forgiveness and he promised to himself that he would care for her every little need and be a good friend to her. Whether they would fall in love with each other or not, he was not sure yet.
*************************
A few months passed and they were both getting used to being friends, comfortably sharing each other's thoughts among themselves. He helped her with her college assignments, took her and Moksh out during the weekends. Slowly, both of them had begun liking each other.
Often during college hours Kalyani was daydreaming. Neha nudged her one day, "Kya Kalyani, har wakt tum kahin kho jaati ho. Romance sab ghar pe rakho, yahan hamare saath chill karo na."
"Chup.. Main koi romance ke baare me nahi soch ri hun."
"Hmmmm… sab pata hai hume." her friends laughed together.
Kalyani rolled her eyes, "Acha… teekh hai !! Mai Malharji ke baare me hi soch rahi thi. Mujhe na kuch samaj me nahi aa ra hai ki unke aas paas hote hi mujhe aise ajeeb se sapne kyun aate hai, kaan me gaane kyun bajthe hai...bas aise hi mai kho jaati hun. Ye sab ho kya raha hai?"
"Are budhu, tum unse pyaar karne lagi ho." Palak laughed at her.
"Pyaar…? Kya bakwaas kar ri ho Palak."
"Kalyani, kitni useless ho tum. Tumhe apne pati se pyaar ho gaya...pagal kahin ki."
On her way back home, Kalyani whispered to herself, "Kya sach me mai Malharji se pyaar karthi hun?" A smile creeped to her face.
Malhar was late that night and when he came in Kalyani served him his dinner and then brought him a cup of green tea. Moksh accidentally pushed the cup of tea from Malhar's hand and it dropped on Kalyani's bed which she had laid out.
"Kalyani tum yahan bistar pe so jao, mai niche so jaata hun, mujhe aadat hai bina bed ke zameen pe sone ki."
Kalyani hesitated a moment but then said, "Malharji, aapko neeche sone ki kya zaroorat hai. Itna bada bed hai, aap isime so jaiye. Mai aapko disturb nahi karungi. Pakka."
As they laid down, Malhar drew the blanket on both of them and switched off the lights. They turned the opposite side not facing each other. Kalyani's heart fluttered at the mere thought that her husband was on the other side of the bed. She held her end of the blanket close to her chest and closed her eyes lost in sweet dreams.
Malhar on the other hand could not sleep so fast. His heart was beating fast in his chest. It was not the first time a woman was lying beside him but it felt like the first time he was truly in love. Yes he had slowly fallen in love with Kalyani. She had wiggled her way into his heart and lit up his entire being. He turned to look at her angelic face and blew a kiss towards her before closing his eyes.
They were both in love with each other, craved for each other's company but hesitated to voice it out, not yet comfortable to admit it.
From then on, they began sharing the bed.
************************
Atul Deshmukh, Kalyani's dad had been released from jail and he came to Ahilya Niwas to relieve Anupriya from the duty of looking after his daughter and to take his daughter with him.
He got the shock of his life when she stood there in front of him beside a man and a kid in her arms.
"Anupriya, ye sab kya hai. Tumne Kalyani ki shaadi karwa di? Aur woh bhi ek aise aadmi ke saath jiski pehli shaadi se ek bacha hai. Uski umar hi kya hai, uski shaadi karwane se pehle mujhse puchna bhi zaroori nahi samjha?"
Anupriya calmed him down and led him inside the house, signalling Kalyani not to follow her but to go back to her side of the house. She then explained how Kalyani's wedding had taken place.
"Anupriya, maine tumhare saath bohot galat kiya, please mujhe maaf kardo. Lekin mai apni bachi ko pyaar ke liye taraste hue nahi dekh sakta. Ye shaadi tudwaani hogi."
"Atul, meri baat suniye, woh donon ab ek dusre ko samajne lage hai, donon ek dusre se pyaar bhi karne lage hai, lekin sirf bol nahi paa rahe hai. Aap thode din, unhe iss taraf se dekhiye, aap khud samaj jayenge."
Atul reluctantly agreed with her and began observing his daughter and her interactions with her husband and kid.
As a month passed, Atul had developed a liking towards Moksh. The little guy had won his heart. Slowly he had begun to understand that Malhar was a gem of a person who had been wronged by the Deshmukh family.
Atul realised that the three of them indeed had a very special and beautiful relationship. His daughter was in love with her husband and he had observed his son-in-law too adoring her. Anupriya was right, they were in love but had not admitted it to each other.
He smiled to himself, relieved that his daughter was married to a good man. He began to take steps to get to know Malhar better and form a good bond with him.
*****************************
Kalyani was relieved that her father had accepted Malharji and Moksh.
She was preparing for her exams and helping Anupriya do the same. Malhar managed the cooking and got a helper to look after Moksh and other household chores while she studied. The other side Aao Saheb also had relieved Anupriya from her household chores to study. Soon, their exams were over and Malhar encouraged Kalyani to look for jobs.
One day, Kalyani had attended an interview and on the way back home entered a cafe for a cool drink as she was feeling tired. She sat in a corner seat from where she could look out through the glass and see people walking on the road as she sipped her drink.
Her eyes fell on a couple standing outside laughing easily, high-fiving each other at some joke they had cracked. She wished she could do that too with her Malharji. She observed the couple more closely and her eyes popped out of the sockets as she saw the man of her dreams, her Malharji. It was Malhar who was standing there chatting with another woman. The sweet drink tasted bitter in Kalyani's mouth and she quickly paid for it and went home.
In the confines of her room, she couldn't hold her tears anymore. She hugged her Pillu and poured out everything to him.
At night when Malhar came home, he sensed something off in her mood. She didn't smile at him, didn't look him in the eye and didn't even talk to him. Usually she had loads of things to tell him but that day she was quiet. She handed him his dinner and left the room in pretext of cleaning the kitchen.
Malhar finished his dinner and came into the kitchen to wash his plate. He saw her holding the edge of the sink and sobbing.
"Kalyani, kya hua hai tumhe, kya pareshani hai, batao mujhe… ."
She just turned around quickly and ran away from there without answering him. He left the plate there and ran behind her. She was running towards the garden in the backyard.
He quickly caught up with her, "Kya baat hai Kalyani, mujhe bolo, kyun bhaag ri ho?"
"Kuch nahi….." she answered without looking at him.
"Acha? Toh phir aise muh chupakar kyun bhaag ri ho?"
"Aap jaiye yahan se, aapki girlfriend intezaar kar ri hogi. Mere saath time waste mat kijiye."
Malhar was frustrated, "Tumhara dimaag hil gaya hai kya? Kaun girlfriend? Kiske baare me baat kar ri ho?"
Kalyani looked up at him, her eyes flashing anger and tears filling her red eyes. "Oh…..aapko pata nahi mai kiske baare me baat kar ri hun? Kitne innocent bane khade hain mere saamne. Maine sab apni aankhon se dekha Isliye koi jhoot mat boliye."
"Kalyani…...kya dekha? Kuch bhi bole jaa ri ho.. "
"Yaad hai cafe ke bahar aaj uske saat has has ke baat kar rahe the, hi-five de rahe the. Ab yaad aaya kuch?"
Malhar realised what she was talking about and began laughing loudly. His cute wife was jealous. That made it all the more hilarious for him.
He was laughing at her. Kalyani was now furious and she turned away and walked further into the yard. Her tears were flowing freely.
Malhar again caught up with her, this time holding her closer to him.
"Kalyani, woh meri dost thi college me. Ye dekho.." he showed her a picture in his phone.
There were three people in it. Malhar, the girl and another man. Kalyani looked up at him questioningly.
"Ye meri college mate Anita aur uska pathi Abhishek. Mai cafe me coffee pine gaya tha aur ye donon wahan mile mujhe. Bas hum aise thodi college ki yaadon ko taaza kar rahe the."
"Maine jab dekha, toh ye aadmi wahan nahi tha."
"Kyunki woh gaadi parking se laane gaya tha."
"Sach… ?"
"Bilkul, kal ye dono hamare ghar ka rahe hai tumse aur Moksh ne milne."
Kalyani's arms went around him as she buried her face into his chest. The tears which she had shed wet his thin night shirt.
"Meri koi girlfriend nahi hai Kalyani. Mere paas toh sabse khoobsurat, young and hot biwi hai toh mujhe girlfriend ki kya zaroorat hai."
She tightened her arms and Malhar felt it was the right moment to confess his feelings to her.
"Maine jo dokha khaya uske baad maine kabhi nahi socha tha ki main zindagi me dobara kisise pyaar kar paonga. Lekin mujhe tumse pyaar ho gaya Kalyani."
Kalyani couldn't believe what she was hearing and released her hold on him to look at his face.
He looked into her eyes tenderly, "I love you Kalyani. Mai tumhare bina nahi jee sakta."
Her face broke into a luminous smile and her arms went around his neck. "I love you too Malharji. Main bhi aapse bohot pyaar karti hun. I love you."
They needed no more words as atlast their hearts had become one. Their eyes spoke volumes as they stood there in the moonlight lost in each other, oblivious to everything else in the world.
A new beginning filled with love awaited them.
*****The end*****
Real Estate
Bade Achche Lagte Hain Naya Season
