Life as we know it - A Kalma FF - Chapter 29 - Page 74 - 31.03.2021 - Page 57

Originally posted by: Kalmalover

Excited ❤❤

Thank you Alifya ❤️ the chapter will be up in sometime now...

Originally posted by: HalderDIYA0

waiting😊

trying to upload it....but it's not posting...checking if it's a word limit issue

Originally posted by: HalderDIYA0

oh .. ok

Yea looks like some issue with my account...I have raised a ticket with the IF tech support team...they are working on it... hopefully soon I ll be able it'll be resolved and I can update the story..

Thanks for the patience ❤️

Sorry for the delay once again. Hope you enjoy this chapter ❤️❤️

Chapter 29 – Contemplation

Malhar bolted from Kalyani’s room as soon as he realized that she was onto his lies. Kalyani on the other hand, was perplexed by his squirmy behavior. She laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling, as a million questions sprinted through her mind. Ever since her return, she had noticed that something was amiss, and that everyone always walked on eggshells around her. This made her contemplate between the reasons behind her family’s strange behavior. She couldn’t decide if they were trying to hide something from her or if it was just their way of coping with the trauma that they had been through while she was away. But more than anything else, it was Malhar’s behavior which was troubling her. She recognized the fact that he cared for her, but his actions these days were sending out mixed signals, which made her wonder if he considered her as something more than just another family member.

Kalyani needed some answers and she needed them now, but she also realized how fragile his emotional state was. Therefore, she decided not to push him towards anything that he wasn’t ready for. She herself was unsure about how she felt, she had never viewed him as anything other than her cousin’s husband but now she felt different. This was all new territory for her. So, she did not want to lead him on until she was sure about what she wanted. She accepted that there were sparks between them, but she wanted to be sure if it actually meant something before proceeding forward. She began seeing flashes of their time together in the mall, the abandoned warehouse, their earlier encounter, and began smiling automatically. After a while of tossing and turning in her bed, Kalyani had finally drifted off into sleep.

Next morning, Kalyani woke up late because of everything that had transpired the previous night. Both Malhar and Virat had left for their respective jobs, Moksh was off to school while Anupriya and Sarthak were sitting in the foyer discussing Kalyani’s condition. They both knew that in Kalyani’s mind, she was still 19 years old meaning that sooner or later she would want to go back to college, and that this was an impending problem which needed to be catered to as early and discretely as possible. So, they both decided to inform Kalyani that since the academic year had already rolled out while she was recovering from her accident, she would have to wait another term before going back to college. In the meantime, they wanted to hire a private tutor that could help Kalyani get up to speed on what she had learnt during her UPSC prep days. This way she wouldn’t stray far from her line of expertise while she recovered from her condition. And once that was completed, Sarthak decided to arrange for Kalyani to shadow an officer in the civil services to continue getting practical exposure.

In the meanwhile, Kalyani had bathed and dressed herself. She had finished relishing her mother’s breakfast and had joined her parents in the foyer for some tea. She still walked with a limp, but her ankle was much better than before. Sarthak helped her sit on the couch while Anupriya handed her a teacup. As the trio conversed, Sarthak and Anupriya discussed with Kalyani on what they had decided earlier. Kalyani was initially saddened by the educational gap that she had to incur, but was also excited at the same time, to start the specialization course while she waited to get back to college. Anupriya and Sarthak were relieved to have handled the situation well, Sarthak stepped out to make a couple of phone calls for arranging the same while the mother-daughter duo continued their conversation.

Now that her gap year was sorted out, Kalyani’s mind again went back to pondering about Malhar. She wanted to know more about what happened with him during her absence, so she casually began asking her mother, “Aai, can I ask you something?”. To which Anupriya nodded her head in approval. Kalyani continued, “Aai, has Malhar ji moved on from Sampada? Is there someone special in his life? Do you think he is interested in seeing someone?” The curiosity and the hint of jealousy beaming through Kalyani’s eyes were enough for Anupriya to deduce that her daughter was once again beginning to fall for Malhar.

Anupriya was enraged, she didn’t want Kalyani to develop any feeling for Malhar without knowing the entire truth about him. She wanted to nip this attraction in the bud itself, so she sternly said to Kalyani, “What is it to you, Kalyani? Malhar can do whatever he wants to do with his life. It does not and I don’t want it to concern you, Okay. Stop brown nosing your way into his life.” Kalyani was taken aback by the sudden shift in her mother’s demeanor and responded back by saying, “Aai I was just asking out of curiosity and nothing else, but has something happened between you and Malhar ji, you seemed to hold a grudge against him for some reason. Is everything alright?” to which Anupriya retorted, “Kalyani, we have discussed this ad nauseam. I don’t want to hear about it anymore. Nothing has happened between me and Malhar. I just want you to concentrate on your life and not his. “

The angst on Anupriya’s face was evident to Kalyani, it bolstered her assumption that something was being hidden from her. But she also didn’t want to upset her mother anymore, so she dropped the matter and decided to uncover it on her own. At the same moment, Sarthak re-joined the mother-daughter duo and informed Kalyani that her private tutelage would begin from the next day. Kalyani was ecstatic to hear the news as she now had finally found something to divert her mind. The rest of the afternoon went by in a blink as Kalyani was busy looking into the pre-requisites for her course.

Later that afternoon, Moksh was back from school. He got off his school bus and ran towards Kalyani who was sitting on the front porch listening to her music. Kalyani gave him a tight hug and kissed his cheeks. She enquired how his day had been and walked him into the house. Moksh, being his chatty self, gave her an elaborate answer. Kalyani pinched his nose in awe of his adorable story and helped him freshen up. Right on que, Anupriya got Moksh his evening milk and cookies. Once Moksh was all fed, Kalyani helped him with his homework and the mother-son duo spent the remaining time playing video games. Malhar who had returned home early from the station, stealthily entered the room and startled the mother-son duo making them scream in surprise. The happiness on Moksh’s face was a testament to how glad was being with his mother and father together and that was melting Malhar’s heart. Moksh playfully wrestled with his dad in excitement and the trio shared a heartwarming moment.

Virat who had also returned home now, stood at the entrance of Malhar’s room witnessing the trio rejoice. He knocked on the door and greeted the trio, as did they. He hugged Kalyani much to the annoyance of Malhar and enquired about her ankle. He put his stethoscope around Moksh’s neck and playfully said to him, “Dr. Moksh, do you want to help me examine your Kalyani’s ankle?” He whispered in Moksh’s ears, “We will even give her a big injection, if she doesn’t listen to us” and winked at him. Moksh giggled at that thought and high-fived Virat in excitement while Kalyani was rolling her eyes at them for ganging up on her. Soon, Virat and Moksh escorted Kalyani out of the room leaving Malhar behind. Malhar was enraged at Virat for hijacking his moment.

After dinner, the entire family was sitting in the foyer making conversations. Virat was enlisting Sarthak’s help in understanding some legal documents. Kalyani finally shared the news about her course with both Malhar and Virat who were thrilled to hear about it. Malhar thanked Sarthak with his eyes for coming up with this idea and for looking out for his wife.

Virat expressed, “Kalyani, I am so happy for you, but this news calls for a celebration missy, I not letting you leave until you give me a treat right now.”

To which Kalyani responded by saying, “LOL Virat, take a look at the time. This isn’t Mumbai, nothing is going to be open around this time of the night, but it is not a bad idea either. It’s so warm outside, I’d kill for an ice cream actually. I think the ice cream shop nearby should still be open, let’s go and check it out”

Both Moksh and Virat jumped at the opportunity to go out for an ice cream while Malhar was giving Virat the stink eye. Malhar was not a petty man but Kalyani’s closeness with Virat always irked him which didn’t go unnoticed by Kalyani. She looked at him and said, “Malhar ji, why don’t you join us. We won’t be out for long. Please, come with us.” And pulled him by his arm. Though Anupriya was annoyed by this, she didn’t voice her opinion in front of everyone in an attempt to avoid creating a scene. Sarthak on the other hand, nudged Malhar with his elbows and indicated him to accompany Kalyani. Malhar agreed and since the shop was nearby, the four of them headed out on foot.

Will Kalyani understand Malhar's feelings and confront him? Will Anupriya let Malhar into Kalyani’s life knowing that the entire accident truth is still not out? Is Virat just a friend or more than that? Find out more in Chapter 30

Thank you all, so much for your patience and for all the love. Your comments and likes, encourage me to keep going. So please do share them

PS - @halderDIYA0 & @Sathwi_99..gals I am truly overwhelmed by your support and patience with my FF. Thank you so much 🥰. This chapter is dedicated you two.

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