Hey folks,
Being an IshRa fan, I've always wanted Subbu to make a re-entry on the show to add some spice to Raman and Ishita's love story. But since I don't see that happening, I've come up with my own version of a Subbu-Ishita encounter. So this one deals with how Subbu's appearance in her life affects Ishita.
I haven't written anything in a really long time, so forgive me if the writing's a little rusty. Also, its slightly lengthy, and I hope its gripping enough for you guys to read through it till the endđ
Do hit the like/comment button and let me know your views!
"Vandita's place? Tomorrow?" Raman asked her, looking up from his laptop.
"Yes," replied Ishita as she arranged their clothes in the closet. "Actually, Bala jiju has invited some of his old college friends over for dinner tomorrow night. Apparently, they haven't met in ages, and now that they're all in Delhi at the same time, they've decided to meet up."
"That's nice, but why do you have to go there?" He asked, trying to mask his annoyance.
"Because Vandu akka has asked for my help. Besides, she shouldn't be exerting herself at all in this stage of her pregnancy. So I'll go over and give her a hand", she replied.
"Okay, but you don't have to stay over. I'll come and pick you."
"Raman", she tried to explain, "it'll get really late by the time I finish up. I'll come back the morning after."
"That's not a problem," he said, unrelenting, "Just give me a call. I'll come."
It was at such instances that she wished she could read minds, especially her husband's. "Why are you being so unreasonable about this?"
Because I'll miss you.. He thought to himself. "Umm, Ruhi.. she gets really unmanageable when you're not around. And she needs to get ready for school the next day. I won't be able to handle her", he lied.
She sighed in exasperation. "Mummy ji will manage. I've already informed her. And its the weekend, Raman. No school for Ruhi."
"Why can't you just listen to me for once?" He lashed out at her, "I said I'll come by and pick you up."
"And I said I won't come. You can do what you wish about it!" She retorted and stomped out of their room in anger.
There! He had done it again. All he had wanted was to let her know that he wished to spend some moments with her, at least at the end of the day; because the rest of the day, every day, was either spent at work or in catering to the needs of their families. If he told anyone that it had been more than a year to their marriage, and he hadn't even kissed his wife yet, people would call him crazy.Only he knew how he was always in search of an opportunity to let her know how much she meant to him. Instead, he had now picked a fight with her, and upset her for no fault of hers. He groaned inwardly at the thought of how angry his Madrasan would be with him, and how long it would take for her to forgive him this time.
"Always taunting or speaking in riddles!" She muttered as she picked up the books strewn across the floor in Ruhi's room. "What is his problem anyway? Adamant! Short tempered! Not one sweet word out of his mouth.. I must be a fool to expect an entire I love you' out of him. Raavan Kumar!"
She turned when she heard a giggle, and saw Rinki standing at the door, trying to stifle her laughter. "Sorry bhabhi," she said, when Ishita glared at her. "I just came by to check if Ruhi had taken my earphones."
"They're not here, Rinki. Ruhi is at her paati's place. Maybe she's taken them with her there."
"Oh. No problem. I'll take them from her later. Here, let me help you with this mess", she said as she began putting away the crayons and books lying around. "So bhabhi", she continued as she noticed Ishita's frown, "I assume the colourful expletives were targeted towards Bhai?" Ishita chuckled and replied, "Who else?"
"But you both are really cute, Bhabhi. In fact, I'd be really happy if my future husband and I would be even half as adorable a couple as you both are."
"Careful what you wish for, Rinki. You don't want a Raavan Kumar in your life"
They both burst out laughing at that.
"Don't worry, bhabhi. Mine will be a true Prince Charming", said Rinki with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Ishita laughed at the silly expression on Rinki's face. "Prince Charming?"
"Of course, bhabhi. The one who comes riding on his white horse, saves the damsel in distress and sweeps her off her feet. Sigh!"
"You amuse me, Rinki. Real life is way more complicated than fairy tales", said Ishita, rolling her eyes, as she remembered all the complications in her own life.
"But it's equally magical, Bhabhi. Like your relationship with Bhai", replied Rinki, with a wink, and left the room as she heard her mother call for her, leaving Ishita with a bemused smile.
The next day, Ishita left her clinic in a hurry to get to Vandita's house in time to help her with all the preparations. Vandita and Bala were busy with the arrangements when the doorbell rang. Must be Ishu, Vandita thought to herself and with a smile, she opened the door, which vanished the instant she saw who it was at her doorstep.
"Hello", she heard the handsome man say.
"Hey Subbu," said Bala, who had joined Vandita at the door. "Glad you could make it. The guys were all hoping you would."
"Won't you invite me in, Anni?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Vandita stammered, opening the door for him to come in, "Bala didn't tell me you were coming. Besides, you're early. The guests will arrive only in another hour or so", she told him, putting on a fake smile for him.
"That's okay. I have a few calls to make anyway", he said and excused himself.
Vandita dragged Bala into one of the rooms and hissed at him in anger, "What is wrong with you? Why did you invite him?"
Bala looked at her puzzled. "Subbu knows most of my friends. We used to hang out together. What's the problem?"
"I've asked Ishu to come here, Bala, to help me out", she said and placed her palm on her forehead in frustration.
"I had no idea", he muttered. She looked at Bala's shocked expression and added sternly, "I'll try to make her leave as early as possible. But, meanwhile, if your brother hurts her in any way, he'll have to pay for it, Bala".
"Don't worry, Vandu, I'll try to keep Subbu busy with our friends. You take care of Ishu." She nodded, and turned as the doorbell rang again. To their dismay, Subbu had reached the door before them, and opened it to find Ishita standing at the door.
This is awkward, she thought to herself as they stood facing each other, neither of them able to initiate a conversation. The very next moment, though, Vandita intervened. "Hey, you're late!" she exclaimed, and pulled Ishita into the kitchen, and with one look, instructed Bala to keep Subbu away from her sister. "Ishu, I am soo sorry!" She began as soon as they were out of earshot, "Bala didn't tell me that Subbu would be coming, and I didn't tell him that you would be coming.. You know what? You should leave, I'll manage. We've already ordered all the food. I just need to serve it.."
"Akka," Ishita interrupted her, "quit worrying. For how long will you protect me from him? We're in the same family, and this was bound to happen someday. Besides, we're both married to different people, and happily so. It'll be fine!"
"You sure, Ishu?"
"Yes, I am! Come now, lets get to work, shall we?" She smiled at her akka, who still looked unconvinced, but gave in, because she knew Ishita inside out. She wouldn't leave Vandita on her own today, until she was sure that she wasn't being burdened.
Soon, their friends began to arrive. Ishita counted close to twenty heads and accordingly began arranging and serving all the snacks and refreshments. Vandita made it a point to introduce her to all their friends. "Bhalla?" One of them questioned. "You married a Punjabi?"
"Not just any Punjabi," quipped Vandita, with a wide smile, "She's married to THE Raman Kumar Bhalla, CEO of the year!"
"Akka!" Ishita exclaimed, embarrassed.
"Oh, look at her blush", teased Vandita. "Anyway, could you guys excuse me? I need to make a call to amma and check on Shravu. I've sent him there for the night, otherwise he would've caused a ruckus here." She laughed and left. Ishita smiled in return, and turned back to the ladies, when she noticed that one of them was looking at her strangely. She felt uncomfortable and out of place, and went into the kitchen to check on the dinner preparations.
"Ishu?" she heard his voice, and turned to find him standing at the door, with the same charming smile that used to make her heart flutter not long ago.
"Hey Subbu, how have you been?" She asked, trying to sound as indifferent as possible.
"Good good." He stepped closer to her, and after a moment's pause, added, "Listen, I've been thinking about getting in touch with you, but I...I knew you wouldn't agree to meet me. So now that you're here, I want to tell you that I am truly, deeply sorry for what happened, Ishu."
She let out the breath she was holding. So, at long last, he finds the decency to apologise for his deeds, she thought to herself, happy that they could finally let bygones be bygones.
"I'm sorry that your life is ruined because of me", she heard him say next.
"Huh?" she uttered, unable to understand what he meant.
"You know what I mean. You had to get married to a divorcee with two kids, who probably doesn't even love you like I did. And amma told me, you also have to deal with his ex-wife all the time? God, I can't even imagine."
He held her hands in his while she stared at him dumbfounded. "We had the most amazing relationship, Ishu. But what could be done if the fates were not in our favour? Not everyone is lucky in love. I hope you come to terms with that, and try to forgive me. Because I really feel that you would have been so much happier with me, and I am very sorry for having left you stranded".
She took a few moments to register the nonsense spewing out of his mouth. And when it did, she felt anger course through her veins. For the first time in her life, she yearned to strangle someone with her own bare hands. Before she could react, though, she heard Bala jiju call out to them. She saw him at the door, looking at them with a worried expression. "Err.. Subbu, come on out. People are wondering where you are", he said, dragging Subbu outside with him, and shooting her an apologetic look at the same time. She stood rooted to her spot, taking deep breaths to calm herself. But no matter what she did, his callous remarks rang in her head. She let herself out into the hall, with the intention of giving him a piece of her mind.
She saw him standing a few feet ahead, with a group of people. She marched towards him but stopped in her tracks when she realized that they were speaking about her.
"Ishita Raman Bhalla. Such an unfortunate soul, I say." On stepping closer, she realized that this was the same woman who had been staring at her a while back.
"Raman Bhalla is the most obnoxious man among all the top notch executives. I accompany my husband sometimes to the parties hosted by these tycoons. A few months back, we attended the function where they awarded Raman Bhalla with the Asia Business Head award. And on collecting the award, the man thanked his ex-wife while his wife sat in front of him! Can you believe it? I knew she looked familiar when I saw her today. I remember her from the party. The poor girl was devastated that day. I also read somewhere that his ex-wife is currently staying in his house with them. He is so obsessed with his ex. I wonder how Ishita lives with a man who doesn't love her."
"True true, Sonal", said Subbu, and added with a sly smile, "he probably only uses her as a nanny to his kids".
Oh, the nerve of this man! She was about to move towards them when she spotted Vandita standing in a corner, chatting with another group of people, and realised that anything she said to these people would only create a scene, and she didn't want to be a cause for her akka's worries. She had seen how tensed her akka had been for her this evening, and with a heavy heart, decided to let it go for the moment.
She retreated to the solitary confines of the kitchen and gripped the counter tightly as she felt angry tears well up in her eyes. She knew she did not need to explain anything to anyone. Heck, she didn't give a damn about what anyone thought about her. But seeing Subbu after all this time with that smug smile of his, and listening to him rave about his non-existent importance in her life had rattled her. She let the tears flow, craving for the comfort of her home, and her husband's arms around her. Raman! She remembered their trivial fight, following which she hadn't spoken to him the entire day. If only she had agreed to his plans, she could have been with him tonight, watching him work, or getting into another silly argument about some mundane issue. And those moments would have been her happiest of the day. Oh, what she wouldn't give to hear his voice right now!
As if on cue, her phone rang and she saw her husband's name flash on the screen. She gasped, and wiping her tears in a hurry, picked up the call.
"Hey Madrasan", her heart skipped a few beats as she heard his husky voice.
"Hi..", she answered tentatively, not wanting him to know that she'd been crying.
She heard him let out a deep breath. "Still angry with me, are you?"
"Raman, I.."
"Hold it, Ishita, I don't think I have the stamina to tolerate another lecture from you".
She chuckled through her tears.
"Listen, could you come over to the balcony?" he asked her.
"Balcony? Raman, what.."
"Shh Ishita, you never listen to me yaar. Just walk towards the balcony. No questions, understood?"
She remembered that the balcony in Vandita's house overlooked the children's park within the complex. She smiled and walked over, guessing that he probably had come over to pick her up after all. But nothing had prepared her for the sight that greeted her below.
There were innumerable candles lit up in the park, arranged in a huge pattern that read, "I LOVE YOU ISHITA" to anyone who looked at it from above. Her hands flew to her mouth as she stared at the words open-mouthed, and happiness as she had never known before washed over her heart. It was several moments later when she noticed Raman waving out to her from below that she realized that she had dropped her phone in shock. But nothing else mattered to her at that moment. So she ran, like a woman possessed, through the hall, ignoring Vandita's frantic calls, down the stairs, and towards her husband, straight into his waiting arms.
Vandita wondered what was wrong as she saw Ishita bolt through the door in such a fashion. She had seen her come out through the balcony, and went over to check what the matter was. The next moment, all of their friends had followed Vandita into the open gallery as they heard her loud squeals. Bala rushed towards her to calm her down lest she hurt herself in her delicate condition. "Look Bala," she squealed again, unable to contain her excitement. "Aren't they adorable?"
"Is that Raman Bhalla? But...isn't he in love with his ex?"
"What?" asked a surprised Bala.
"Sonal, are you crazy?" chuckled Vandita, "Raman is head over heels in love with my sister.
"As is Ishita", added Bala, for Subbu's benefit, who looked like he'd seen a ghost!
"He would probably kill you if he heard you say that. He hates Shagun's guts." Vandu laughed as she looked adoringly at the lovebirds down below.
Ishita held on to him tightly, fearing that it would all be a dream, that he would disappear the moment she let go. "I love you too, Raman," she whispered into his ears, "I love you so much."
His strong arms around her, and his sturdy body against hers felt as comforting as she had imagined. A fresh spurt of tears escaped her, but she didn't hold them back, because she wanted to experience each feeling that this moment brought upon her.
He caressed her back lovingly, and buried his face in the crook of her neck, savouring her closeness and the sensations it evoked in him. It was only when he felt her body shake that he realised that she was sobbing.
He pulled apart a little. "Hey, hey," he said wiping away her tears. "I'm really sorry about last night. I admit I was a jerk. Look, I won't force you to come back with me. I only came by to meet you," he said. "You go back and enjoy the party, alright?"
"Are you kidding me?" She asked him incredulously. "Please, please take me home, Raman!"
"Seriously?" He laughed, voicing his surprise. "And what about Vandita?" He instantly regretted reminding her, as he saw her forehead crease with worry. "Arey yaar, don't fret. I'll ask Romi to drop Neelu here. She'll help Vandu with everything."
She smiled her beautiful smile at him and gesturing towards the candles said, "Thanks for this, Raman, thanks for everything".
He sighed and placed a palm on her cheek, and inched his face closer to hers, eager to feel her soft lips against his. She closed her eyes, and drew in a sharp breath, as she waited for him to close the distance between them. But the very next moment, they were broken out of their trance by loud hooting sounds from above.
They looked up and saw Bala, Vandu and their friends clapping and cheering for them. "Go get a room, the two of you, will you?" Bala called out, and laughed as he saw Ishita bury her head in Raman's chest out of embarrassment. Raman smiled and waved out to them, then led Ishita to his car, and drove away, leaving behind a teary-eyed Vandita and a very sullen-faced Subbu. Vandita ushered their friends back inside, and turned to find Bala and Subbu standing against the railing.
"You were right, Subbu", Bala said, "Not everyone is lucky in love. But our Ishu surely is. Because if she had truly been unlucky, she would have ended up with you!"
Ishita kept stealing glances at him like a love-struck teenager throughout the drive back home, and wondered if her heart would burst with the love she felt for this man. He parked the car, and was about to open the door, when he felt her hand over his.
He looked at her and smiled. "We're home. Would you care to step out, madam?" he asked her playfully.
She shook her head in response, leaned in, and placing her arms around his neck, pulled him towards her until his lips met hers. His arms automatically encircled her waist, and he drew her to him, crushing her soft form against his muscular frame. She felt her heart stutter and stop, and clutched on to him for dear life, as she felt him deepen the kiss with each passing moment. He broke apart from her, when he realized that they were in a parking lot, and not in the privacy of their bedroom. Her proximity was driving him crazy, so he gently withdrew from her and asked, "Do I get one of these every time I tell you that I love you?"
"Oh this wasn't for that", she replied with a twinkle in her eyes, " this one was for being my Prince Charming tonight!"
"Prince Charming?" he chuckled, brushing his fingers lightly across her cheek. "I thought I was your Raavan Kumar."
"Well," she replied as they stepped out of the car, "you saved the damsel in distress and swept her off her feet. You're definitely a Prince Charming."
"Damsel in distress? You, the sword-bearing Jhaansi ki Rani?" he guffawed.
She punched him in the shoulder and linked her fingers through his.
"Yes, the damsel in distress who fell madly in love with her Prince Charming", she replied with a wink.
And as they walked towards their home, hand in hand, she had to admit that her life was indeed as magical as a fairy tale. Maybe even more so!
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
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