To the teacher who gave us a free hour... Thanks a ton! I could start this chapter cause of that! 😆
"To Suraj's place, of course."
While Rishab had said that like he was answering what was 2+2, Chakor kept gaping at him like he had stated a paradox. It was beyond her understanding, how Rishab expected her to just up and move into Suraj's house. Chakor, at this point, felt guilty of making Suraj remember his past, a downright painful road for him, for sure. It felt like she was a burden on him, and she didn't want to make matters worse or more complicated by asking another favour of him.
On the one hand was Yuvi and her and their safety, and on the other sat Suraj. Surprisingly, the thought of Suraj outweighed her concern for her son and herself by a long shot. She didn't want him to suffer anymore, not now, when she knew his entire story.
"I can't, Rishab. I mea..."
"Then what do you intend to do?" They turned sharply to see Suraj standing at the doorway, cross legged, leaning on the frame. Chakor just stared at him, her mouth open with unfinished words. Suraj uncrossed his legs and walked toward them, pulling out a chair for himself. He nodded at Rishab and then glanced at Chakor, an eyebrow raised. "Well?" He urged, almost mocking her.
Chakor just continued staring at him, a bit hurt by his tone. She finally forced down the lump in her throat, and addressed him. "Suraj, you seriously can't expect me to just move in, not after what..." she stopped herself from continuing her sentence. "After what happened today." He finished for her, and Chakor looked away, whereas Rishab dropped his head. Silence for a few agonising minutes following that.
"What, are you scared of me now?" Although he said that in a curt voice, Chakor could sense his hurt, it rang in her ears like all the temple bells together. Suraj was the one who looked away this time, and he proceeded to get out of his chair.
Just that simple motion, and Chakor was on her feet. When he had had his back towards her, and had got up to leave, Chakor felt like she would never see him again. God knows why. But she didn't want to analyze the question now, or ever.
Before he could get up completely, she held his shoulders and pushed him down, back into the chair. That surprised him, and he looked up at her with huge eyes. She squeezed his shoulders hard and leant forward, toward him, till she was right in front of his face.
"Damn it Suraj! Stop flying with your opinion!" Chakor screamed. Wow, that coming from the one who ran away without listening 5 years ago. Pot, meet kettle.
"Don't jump to conclusions. Such stupid ones, too!" He tried to move back, but she held him there. Her eyes softened a bit, and she held his face with both hands. "You've suffered enough. And I don't want you to suffer anymore. I was the one who made you meet with your past, when you had already moved on. And I don't want you to go through that...". She was cut off midway by his hand covering hers. She became aware of their closeness and the fact that she was still holding his face. He held her hand and gave it a light squeeze and looked up at her with hurt in his eyes.
"If I had really moved on, Chakor, then I wouldn't have reacted the way I did today," he said slowly, before letting go of her hand and glancing away. "I wanted to help you, but I... I don't know what came over me. I just..." Suraj stopped abruptly, like he had choked on his own spit.
'He needs to be set free.'
Rishab's words echoed in Chakor's mind. Her jaw tightened and she inhaled deeply. She came closer to him, till their foreheads touched. "Then, we're gonna get through this, TOGETHER." She said in a soft voice, a voice so soft that only Suraj could hear her. But to Chakor, it felt like she had screamed her message out to the entire world. But that was also true. HE was her entire World, and would always be.
They stared at each other for a while, their breaths mingling, all the unsaid messages seeping in to their understanding, and slowly, painfully slowly, Suraj moved forward to claim her lips.
.
.
.
"The bed room's down the hall way, I believe," Rishab muttered and Chakor pushed herself up on Suraj's shoulders with such force that he almost fell off his chair. Chakor walked a couple steps away from the both of them, her face beet red. Suraj glared at Rishab, raising his hands in a questioning manner. Like hello, article 17 (a) of the Bro Code states that you let your bro have his lovey dovey time. What did YOU just do, nincompoop?
Rishab raised his eyebrows just the same. 'No PDA in front of minors.' He mouthed. "Who minor?!" Suraj almost shouted, and Rishab shifted his eyes to the right, and Suraj turned behind, only to find Yuvi there, drowsy and rubbing his eyes, yawning continuously. He glanced back at Rishab with an 'Oh.'
"Ma...maaa," Yuvi called out in a throaty voice, yawning again. Chakor turned, noticing him, and rushed toward him. She mentally scolded herself for shouting so loud. She picked him up and kissed his cheek.
'Someone else also wants a kiss,' Rishab thought to himself and chuckled.
"Sorry, baby. I was too loud."
'He probably WANTS you to be loud for him, but, you don't understand.' Rishab was having fun now.
"Come on, let's go to your room and get you back to bed."
Rishab was almost hitting the table trying to not laugh out loud. 'That sounded so wrong, I wonder how Suraj is controlling himself.' He shook with suppressed laughter and glanced to the side at Suraj, who had buried himself in the files before him. 'Spoilsport.' He thought, and tried to stay quiet so as to not wake Yuvi again.
Suraj, meanwhile, unaware of his surroundings (i.e. the trying not to die from laughter Rishab) started looking through the files that he had asked for from Rishab. Frankly, he was quite impressed with the thorough research. That's what Suraj liked about Rishab. He was as serious about his work as he was about joking around. Rishab was the irony of his own self.
He considered the possibilities. After what happened today, it was a no brainer that his fa... *that person* would go so far as to kill Her. He shuddered thinking of what could have happened, had he not arrived here on time. It seemed justified, Rishab's suggestion of asking Chakor to move out for a while.
He turned a page, and his eyebrows shot up. So Vivaan would get both parts of the property if Chakor was dead, since he would be the next immediate custodian. Suraj dropped the file on the dining table and sat back in his chair. He seemed exasperated.
Rishab, now serious, picked up the file Suraj had been viewing and looked at the page. Keeping it aside, he looked at Suraj.
"What do YOU intend to do?" He asked.
"What else CAN we do? They're trying to kill two birds with one stone. It's obvious she can't stay here anymore, they might come back. And... he's not the one who would back down, you know." Suraj tried hard not to take *his* name.
Rishab slowly nodded his head and looked at the paper again. He sighed and Suraj glanced at him, questioning. "You know, this is just my suggestion, but..."
"Go on." Suraj urged.
"It's obvious they're going after Chakor because of this," he pointed at the file, "reason. And also because they've never seen Yuvi. I was thinking, even if they do manage to harm her, and NO, I'm not going there," Rishab didn't have the mental strength to think about such scenarios, he could only speak of them in a probable sense.
"Vivaan is going to get the custody ONLY because Yuvi has no other relative of any sort." "Your point being?" Suraj was confused, since the whole topic seemed rhetoric now.
"My point is..."
***
Chakor came out of Yuvi's room only to see both the men standing in the hall way, speaking in hushed tones.
"You can do this, bro. You NEED to do this," she heard Rishab saying, patting Suraj's shoulder. Rishab noticed her standing close by, and smiled at her. "I'll be going now, it's getting late." He turned back to Suraj and shot him a thumbs up. Suraj smiled weakly and nodded.
Chakor saw him to the door, while Suraj stood there, lost in thought. She bolted the door again, and idle thoughts filled her head. Rishab was gone now, and Yuvi was asleep, this time soundly. It was just the two of them now. She gulped, thinking of their... 'close contact' before.
'Don't be a pervert Chakor, it's not like anything is gonna happen. Calm down.' She told herself.
'Liar, you're expecting something to happen, ain't ya? IN FACT, you want something to happen, right?' Her conscience whispered back and she almost unbolt the door and threw out her conscience. With a huff of self encouragement, she exhaled and made her way to the hall. 'Be brave,' she chanted, mustering up courage to face him after their 'moment' before.
She found him sitting on the couch, and with soft, fleet steps, she moved toward him, and sat down on the other side of the couch. His train of thought broke when he felt the couch cushions lowering on the other side. He turned and looked at her, and did so for a good minute. Chakor, meanwhile was getting unnerved by the second.
"Chakor." Suraj spoke to grab her attention. She looked up and gulped. His serious look sent tingles all over her body.
After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke again.
"Let's get married."
.
.
.
All of Chakor's built up courage jumped out of her body and walked out the door.
***
While Chakor saw Rishab to the door, Suraj sat down on the couch and thought about what he had said.
"My point is that... if Chakor wasn't his ONLY relative, then it would be harder to get the custody of Yuvi."
"Yeah, but, Vivaan is his father. First relation. The Court wouldn't consider anyone else in such a case, even if such a relative did exist."
"But Yuvi... he doesn't consider Vivaan as his father now, does he?" Rishab's eyes were gleaming, and Suraj was slowly beginning to comprehend what he was trying to say. "Say, if you were to have legal custody of Yuvi as, well, as his father, that would foil their plans of getting custody of Yuvi. And we can be assured that Chakor would be out of danger for a while."
"It's not so easy, Rishab. For Chakor, it was easier to get his custody since his mother died and she was his aunt. But in my case, my... *step-brother* is still alive, so I wouldn't be able to put up such a request."
"Well, that was only ONE way." Rishab said slowly, and Suraj was alert now. "And I'm not talking about such an approach. The last thing I want to do is relate You with those people." Rishab grit his teeth at his statement, and some where deep down, Suraj was happy to have made such a companion.
"What I'm saying is," he spoke in a low voice, "you would be getting custody, AS his father, if... you were to marry his mother, right?"
.
.
.
"What?!"
He squeezed his eyes shut. Rishab did have a point. Thinking about it calmly now, Suraj would have to say, it seemed like a master plan. Vivaan's right as Yuvraj's biological father would be belittled if Yuvi already HAD another person who was his 'father'. And since the little guy had already accepted HIM as his father, his chest swelled with pride as he thought this, getting custody would be that much easier. All he had to do was...
He gulped. What would her reaction be?
"You're acting like a teenager. Man up and tell her, Bro! If not now, then when?! It's already been 5 years. And don't ask me how I know. It's literally written All. Over. Your. Face. that you LOVE her." Rishab had mocked him, literally poured a gallon of fuel to his embarrassment fire.
He felt the presence of another person on the couch, and turned to find Chakor.
"You can do this, bro. You NEED to do this." God, Rishab's thoughts kept plaguing his mind. Probably because he had hit the jackpot and had literally guessed everything correctly, Suraj mused.
He saw Chakor fiddling with her dress, and glancing around. He had been staring at her for a long time now, after all.
"Chakor." He called her, and she looked up.
'Now or Never, Suraj.'
"Let's get married."
.
.
.
Two minutes had passed since then, and Chakor had kept gaping at him with impossibly huge eyes all this time. Suraj had patiently waited till he could stand it no more, and stood up and walked in front of her.
Chakor looked up at him and... was Suraj always this tall? She wondered, for he literally towered over her right now.
"Why?" She finally managed to say. Suraj gulped, wondering whether that was an indirect rejection. In a soft but clear voice, he told her the conversation he had had with Rishab. Chakor slowly nodded her head while processing the information, but it didn't escape his eyes that she looked a bit sad.
'It seems more like a business deal.' Chakor thought. She shook her head the next moment. 'No, he's put so much thought into this. He's doing so much for me, and here I am, being selfish!' But no matter how much she tried to convince herself, her Heart said otherwise. Even though so many years had passed, when He had returned, and she knew that their relationship still retained its sparks, and was better than ever now, she had expected her dreams to come true.
Naturally, like every girl, she had expected a dream proposal. She scolded herself again, and looked up to Suraj... only to find the wall clock there.
Suraj, sensing her sadness, had knelt down in front of her, and had taken her hands in his own. She looked down sharply, becoming present to him. It looked like he was searching for words as he played with her fingers, before finally entwining them. Shivers ran down her spine. This was surely deja vu.
*He squeezed her hand once, and brought it down to his lips and kissed the back of her palm.*
Yes, surely deja vu.
He glanced up at her with love filled eyes, and her breath hitched.
"That's not the only reason though." He said, kissing her hand once again. He paused for a few seconds, before looking up at her again.
"Chakor, we need to talk about what happened all those years ago."
Fan Fictions
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
