"Tell me Raman! Why are you acting this way? You are always so concerned about me? And now this sudden jealousy? What is the meaning of all this?"
"Ishita..."
"Raman are you starting to-"
He thought he knew what was coming up next, was she going to say love? He was so unsure of everything going on in his mind and heart that he would sound like a mess if she was going to ask him what he thought she was going to say. So in an attempt to avoid a conversation about his feelings, he tried to cut the conversation short...
"I...I care for you for you because I can't see you hurt or in any pain...I might be "jealous" because it makes me angry when I see you with other people. You know when you complained to him about me...I didn't like it. I don't know, I just hate it when you don't like when I do or say. It's never happened before where I care so much about what someone says. And...all this means you're a really important person in my life. That's all."
"So why am I so important? What has made me so special than everyone else?"
She knew there was something in him that he couldn't express. He was hiding something and she wanted to know what it was. She wanted him to speak up and tell her what he was feeling. They were more than friends, there was more than mere attraction in their relationship, but what was it? She wanted to ask if it really was that love? Love that seemed impossible and a faraway dreamland could possibly be in front of her. But she needed to hear it from him, because she knew they shared the same feelings, but what would they name this is all she wanted to know and as he spoke she thought it would finally happen...
"Ishita...I don't know... you just...you came into my life. We got into this marriage and we were supposed to stay as friends. And I don't know I just started coming close to you. You gave me some sort of happiness and peace. You won my trust and confidence over in a short while that I ended up sharing my past which I would kept from everyone. Slowly it's changing even further, I...started to like you more than a friend, I was becoming attracted. And now you have just took over my life. I don't know when or how, but I need you."
"Raman..."
"Shh. You asked me to tell you this. My life is my family. And now the center of my family, my life is you. My day starts with you when you wake me up or I wake up to see your face. Small everyday things with you are normal now. I eat with you, joke with you, text you, just talk about everything and anything, and spend time with you and Ruhi. Of course with you means chotu as well. That's what my life is now and I'm happy it's like this. I don't know what I should call this, but whatever it is I want it to stay. I hope you understood any of this because this is what I feel...and this is all I want for the rest of my life... I want my small happy family and these relationships to be the way they are now..."
He took Ruhi into his arms as he put his arm around her shoulder. This was all he wanted from life now, his girls in his arms. While he cherished his family, she was left speechless and in tears as he finished speaking. This man had let her enter his soul, he never kept anything from her and poured his heart out to her as she merely asked him to. He didn't hide anything, he just spoke from his heart and won her over once again. He still couldn't give their mutual feelings a name, but she didn't care anymore. This heart felt confession on his was all she wanted. And now all she knew was they needed to be together and that's what would happen. She hugged him tightly as she shed a tear and could only tell him...
"They will, we will always be like this..."
She stayed in his arms as she realized maybe they couldn't voice out exactly what they felt, but as long as they felt those feelings, it would be okay. They broke their hug as Mani came back and Raman's frown returned.
Clearly these two could not be friends she thought to herself and smiled at her husband's face as her friend entered at the wrong moment. They looked away from each other as Mani sat down and tried to make conversation as he had awkwardly and unintentionally walked in on their private moment. Soon Ishita got busy in talking with Mani about her life in these 2 months as she praised Raman for being there for her in a tough time and listened as Mani talked about his life in the past 2 months.
Whenever they laughed or talked about incidents Raman was unaware of or people he didn't know, he would try to pass time with Ruhi and silently drink his coffee admiring her smile. He felt like the odd one out in their conversations, but Ishita was there. She noticed he wasn't being his usual self as he couldn't talk much with them. Not wanting him to feel left out, she tried to do something to make him feel comfortable and grabbed his right hand with her left underneath the table. He was taken back by her sudden move, but as he looked at their hands held together tightly while she continued to talk to Mani, he let out a huge smile and felt somewhat accepted on this coffee meeting...
~~~~~
The 4 people walked out of the mall. Raman still holding her hand and keeping her close to himself as he refused to let her away from him. As they exited the mall, Ishita slumped by one of the benches outside. Immediately he was kneeling on the floor asking her with happened.
"I can't walk Raman. My feet hurt and I'm too tired!"
"Ishita, our car is nearby, just a few more steps."
"Raman I can't. I'm going to fall the minute I get up." She dramatically told him.
"Okay relax, you hold Ruhi, actually no I'll take Ruhi with me and get the car. You stay with Abhimanyu."
Raman walked away carrying a tired Ruhi in his arms and looked back at Ishita once again as she looked tired as well and headed to bring the car around for her. While he was gone, Mani sat down by Ishita and started to tell her what he had been wanting to say whenever Raman would leave...
"Ishu...your husband, he's..."
"What?"
"He's kind of an arrogant type of guy. I mean he didn't talk to me at all, I even got weird cold stares from him. And he was so angered at the mention of his work. How do you stay with him?"
"Mani, he's not arrogant. In fact he's anything but that. He's just a reserved person. More into his family and content with that only. He's really nice. Didn't you just see, I told him I couldn't walk and without a second complaint he went to go get the car for me? "
"Are you saying all this about him only because he married you and gave the baby a name?"
"It's much more than that. If you only talk about the baby, he has given this unborn child more than its own father gave it. But we are talking about me, I said he's nice for more than just my baby. He...he has given what no one could give me Mani. A true life partner...a companion that I cans hare my whole life with. A person who I trust, care for, spend a good time with, and get all that in return. Mani he's completed my life. That's what he's given me. That's why he is a perfect husband for me..."
"And your perfect husband is here with your perfect ride!" Mani joked and waved good bye to her as Raman brought over the car, but in his heart he genuinely thanked Raman once for giving his first love Ishu the love she always longed for...
~~~~~
They both drove back silently as they were both lost in their own thoughts. He was in a confused situation. He had spoken out his feelings to her and she reacted positively, but he still wanted to name those feelings and couldn't figure out what exactly was going on with him and her. He knew she shared those feelings with him as he looked into her eyes while talking. They spoke everything he did and her hug just repeated the same to him...
While he was lost in his own world, she found herself continuously thinking about her words to Mani. They were so similar to what he said and still she was unable to voice out what she felt in simple words. She couldn't get her heart and mind to figure out what was happening and what exactly were the feelings she shared for Raman...
They both came out of their thoughts as the car halted in front of their building. He got out and went around the car first opening the door for her and then opening the back door to get Ruhi. As he picked up Ruhi, he tried to carry some of her bags, but couldn't with Ruhi in his arms. She simply held his arm and smiled before taking her bags and closing the doors of the car for him.
Their silence and thoughts continued as they walked up the stairs with him watching her and staying behind her to make sure she was alright and she smiled at his usual protectiveness. As they reached their apartment, he tried to pull out his keys, but Ruhi was continuous moving from one shoulder of his to the other and he couldn't get his keys. She simply put her hand into the pocket of his pants and pulled out his bundle of keys while he stared at her the whole time.
She looked for their keys when suddenly a soccer ball came toward her hitting her leg making her drop the keys. He picked up the keys and asked her if she was fine as they both turned to find Shravan coming towards them with a sorry face and an angry Vandita. She ran over to Shravan scolding him for his carelessness and behaviour nowadays.
As the child went inside upset after apologizing and taking his soccer ball, Vandita looked at Ishita and Raman. Ishita once again found herself hiding herself and covered her shopping bags with her purse where the names of the shops were written. Vandita noticed the same andhad an idea of what that shopping probably was. She hung her head low as she tried to speak...
"I'm..I'm so sorry for Sharvu's behaviour...I really am."
"No need for a sorry, he's a kid." Ishita put up a smile and told her.
"But the ball hit you, he should have been careful. It could have hurt you or...your baby."
"When did you become like Raman? Nothing will happen to the baby."
"I...I don't know what to say...Ishita...I just want to say those things I said you...were wrong. I was trying to something to you, but once I think back it all sounded really wrong and insensitive. It's not what I wanted to say at all. And Raman-"
But before she could continue, he had cut her off...
"Ishita, Ruhi is tired. I'm taking her inside, you also come with us."
And he walked inside without a second look while Ishita helplessly gave a smile to Vandita before heading inside leaving their neighbour and concerned friend regretting her words...
__________________________________________________________________
Hope you all liked it and will leave your feedback, looking forward to it!
Sorry everyone for the delay in the update and for this short update as well. I wasn't having the best of days and wasn't planning on update, but since some of you requested and I already skipped an update before, I wrote this out quickly. Really sorry if you didn't enjoy it...
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