IshRa SS - Crossroads Chapter 15 Pg 88 *CONCLUDED* - Page 63

Originally posted by: avni_19

Aaahhh suchhhaa beautiful update and an awesome confession. How sweet and cute tht was...

Loved everything, from the confrontation to Jassi aunty yelling at thm thn the internet truth to confession to marriage talks to kissing huggie session. Simply beautiful!

Cont soonnn...!

Originally posted by: maanvir

Hey Neeti!

Awww...
I can fill dis space with an awww...
Bcz dis updt made me go awww...

I am serious!
U knw I had butterflies in my stomach wen Raman said I love u damn it...
Oh wat a scene...

I hv a habit whch is gud & also bad at times dat I visualise everything dat I read...
N until I get a clear picture of wat is happening there I read dat part again & again so dat it fits into my imagination...
This is y I get irked at times and if the story dsnt fit into my imagination or I am unable to visualise it I quit reading that story...
But I am glad dat with ur story I didn't hv to go thru the trouble of reading it again and again coz it easily came into my vision...bcz each part u wrote was so well described dat it didn't take much effort in visualising it...
Dats the first thing I lyk abt ur story...

the second thing I lykd is that der is no unnecessary dragging of the plot...
everything happened quick yet had its own beauty...

Great job dear...

I read dat u r going to end dis with the next update...
I wudnt force u to continue this story...bcz I knw dis wud b the best tym to end it as per the plot in ur mind...
But yeah I wud ask u to begin writing anthr story ASAP...
reading ur works is alwys a treat...
So plz do write more & plz pm me...

Thnx...have a great day 😃

Originally posted by: rufana10

amazing update
loved it so much 😃
liked ishra confrontation and confession 👏
loved d way ishita put an end to raman's continuous blabbering 😆😳
jassi aunty's dhaba got famous bcoz of ishra 😆
loved ishita's 'i luv u' chit to raman 😳
plz don't end it so soon dear 😭
eagerly waiting for d next update 😊

Originally posted by: neethuMG

Awsm updt...

Originally posted by: sukanksha

Part 13

Neethi you are stupendo fantabulousically fantastic...
It was the besest update..
Amma is arggghhh... What to say about her. What ever she did was wrong but still it was bcz she loves her daughter a way to much
Subbu is such a namard...
N Raman aww my hero has no effect on knowing about her incapability
Running to read next

P.s. Yes everything is normal in life now

Originally posted by: sukanksha

👏 three cheers for Neethi hip hip hurray hip hip hurray hip hip hurray...
Girl u nailed it again.
the confession n reply all was so dreamy...

Jassi aunty 😆 aww at her best hehe.

But it is ending 😭

Start a new one 😉

Hello,

So this is it. The final chapter.. Honestly, I had planned to end the story with the previous chapter itself. But I couldn't resist getting Ruhi into the picture somehow so I thought I'll add an epilogue for that purpose. However, the short epilogue turned into a long chapter and now I have to put it up in two posts. 😆

It's a bit on the emotional side, and I really hope I've done justice to the story. Please let me know if you like it!

And most importantly, a big thank you to all my readers who have stuck with Crossroads till the end. This was my first SS and your comments were what encouraged me to write each chapter.😊

Love,

Neethi

~Chapter 15a~

Four years later..

The Bhalla house was abuzz with excitement. There were calls to be made, sweets to be distributed; there was so much left to do, and Toshi was throwing a fit trying to get everything done in time for their arrival. The Iyers had already arrived early in the morning to help the Bhallas with the preparations, with Mrs.Iyer puttering around the house, to check if anything had been missed out.

"Samdhan, no agarbattis! Do you want the entire place to be filled with smoke when they come?" Toshi hollered at Madhu, as she spotted her placing incense sticks in a corner of the room.

"But, Santoshi, doesn't it smell heavenly, now?" She asked her cheerfully. "Besides, it's a very auspicious day and we must.."

"I don't have the time for this," Toshi warned her. "This is my last warning. Either you throw these out of the house, or I throw you out of the house!"

"Santoshi! I will not be spoken to this way. This is my daughter's house, too."

"Mummy-" spoke up Romi from behind them, trying to interrupt their fight.

"Oh really, Madrassan? You wait... You just wait till Ishita gets here. She will definitely-"

"Mummy, she's already here," Romi interrupted her again.

"What?" They both turned to him, distracted.

"I said, she's here," Romi repeated, enunciating each word slowly. "Bhai just called from downstairs. They'll be here any minute.

And as if on cue, the doorbell rang, and Toshi and Madhu scurried around, screaming for everyone to get to the door quickly.

A few moments later, the door was opened, and on the other side was the most beautiful sight that the family had ever laid their eyes on. There stood Raman and Ishita, along with the latest addition to the family, their bundle of joy, cradled in Ishita's arms.

"Eep! Bhabhi, she's so adorable. Please let me hold her, please, please!" Squealed Rinki as she stepped towards them.

"Hey, I'm the elder bua. I get to hold her first" piped in Simmi.

"Arey, but I'm the maasi," Mihika joined in, "You know, ma-jaisi'. So, I come before any of you."

"Quiet!" Toshi screamed. "What is wrong with you girls? At least wait till they come in!"

She pushed them aside and stepped up in front of Raman and Ishita to perform the aarti.

"Kisi ki nazar na lage tum teeno ko," she said to them, overwhelmed by emotion, while Ishita smiled at her through her tears.

"Ma, enough with the drama already," Raman said, earning him a whack in the arm form Toshi.

"You think all this is a drama? She is my first grandchild, Raman!" She glared at him.

"Offo, Toshi ji," Mr.Bhalla intervened, "will you please get this done quickly? You see, even I need to get in line to hold my granddaughter," he said, to which they all laughed, making way for Raman and Ishita to step inside.

"So, Raman, finally a dad, huh?" Said Bala, greeting him with a hug. "How does it feel?"

"I can't explain, Bala," he replied, "It hasn't even sunk in completely."

"It will," he assured him with a smile.

Raman walked over to where Ishita sat, and took a seat beside her on the sofa. Placing an arm around her shoulder, he looked lovingly at their daughter, who was fast asleep in her mother's arms. She was so beautiful, with her eyes tightly shut and her tiny fingers curled into fists, he felt that he could spend an entire lifetime just staring at her, doing nothing else.

"Bhabhi, I've kept your bags in your room," Rinki announced and hovered expectantly for some time until Ishita gave her a questioning look. "Bhabhi, please give her to us. Promise we'll call you if she needs anything."

"Okay, okay," Ishita gave in, laughing, and carefully handed over her baby to Rinki, who went inside, along with Simmi and Mihika, excited at having got a chance to spend time with their niece.

"Ishita puttar, you should go get some rest, too," Toshi suggested.

"Wait, Ishu, I've made fresh fruit juice for everyone. Don't go until you've had it" Vandu said from the kitchen, bringing a tray of glasses along with her.

"Thanks Akka. This is just what I needed" Ishita said to her gratefully, taking a glass from her, and sat back on the couch.

"You must be exhausted no, Ishu?" Vandita asked her sympathetically.

"Go sleep for some time, Ishu, you really need it," said Mrs.Iyer. "Ayyo, you were in pain for such a long time. Your Appa and I were so worried."

"I know Amma, sixteen hours of labour," Vandita agreed. "If it had taken any longer, we would have had to admit Raman into some ward there," she added with a giggle.

"What? Why?" Ishita asked, surprised.

"Vandita!" Raman glared at her, signalling her to keep quiet.

"Oops!" Vandita exclaimed, but by then everyone in the room were trying very hard to keep their faces straight.

"Ishita, you're very brave. But unfortunately, I can't say the same for my son," Toshi managed to speak between her giggles, "He fainted while you were in the labour room, puttar."

And they all burst into peals of laughter, while Ishita looked at Raman, shocked.

"Come on Ma, I.. slipped and hit my head," Raman tried to defend himself.

"Oh no no, Bhai," Mihir spoke up. "I was there. You were pacing, and you suddenly collapsed. It took us around ten minutes to revive you."

"Okay, I fainted," Raman finally admitted and Ishita's hands flew to her mouth. "Ishita, yar, you were screaming in pain. I was really scared."

"Aww!" They all exclaimed in unison, making Raman go red in the face.

"Okay, that's enough for now," said Mr.Bhalla, shaking with laughter himself. "By the way, Ishita, Raman, have you decided on a name yet? Actually, we need to give one to the hospital for the birth certificate."

"No, papa," Raman replied, "We haven't. We'll let you know."

"Tell us by evening, Puttar. Mr.Iyer and I will go the hospital and get it done."

"Ishita, I think you should really get some rest now. We'll take care of everything else here," Toshi advised her. "And Raman, we need a few supplies for the baby. Would you go out and get them?"

"Okay, Ma" he obliged and went out while Ishita slipped into her room to get some much needed sleep.

Mrs.Iyer looked at her daughter and son-in-law leave and immediately turned to Toshi, placing a hand over hers.

"Thank you, Santoshi, thank you so much," she said to her tearfully.

"What has gotten into you now?" Toshi asked her, surprised.

"It's just.." she tried to explain, her voice choking, "My Ishu was so broken. Then Raman came into her life, and you accepted her into your family. It's only because of you that my daughter is so happy today. I don't think anyone else would have done what you've done for her."

"Oho Madhu," said Toshi with a sigh. "How many times have I told you that it's the other way around. The day she entered Raman's life, she turned it around for all of us. She is the one binding all of us together, Madhu. And you won't understand what I go through whenever I see the contentment on Raman's face," she added, wiping off a tear from the corner of her eye. "Mata rani knows how much I have prayed for this child to come into this world. Not for me, not for this family; but because it was the only way that I could think of, to repay Ishita for her goodness."

Mrs.Iyer blinked back her tears, unable to say anything in reply to that. So she held on to Toshi's hands a while longer, each of them trying to comfort the other silently.

"Mihiku, what's up?" They were distracted by Vandita's voice.

"Akka, I'm bored. I need to leave for work in some time and the baby is still asleep. Now, all day I'll be thinking of how I didn't get a chance to play with her," she complained.

"Don't behave like Shravu, Mihika," Bala chided her, chuckling. "Do you know how diffucult it was for us to send him off to school today? He kept saying that he wanted to come and play with his new sister."

"But this is not fair," Mihika replied morosely. "It'll be really late by the time I get back. I won't get any time with the baby."

"Get one of your own, then," Vandita said to her with a wink.

"Akka!" she exclaimed, scandalized and looked at Mihir, who buried his head into a newspaper that was lying around.

"You can't hide for long, Mihir," Toshi intervened. "Vandita, it's a good thing you brought it up. Since we're all here, we need to discuss their wedding. They've been together since two years now, and it's already been six months since Mihika has shifted to Delhi. It's about time we get them married."

"Another Punjabi-Madrasi wedding? Iyer saab, time to gear up for World War 4, I think!" Mr.Bhalla warned Mr.Iyer.

"What World War?" Mrs.Iyer remarked. "We managed everything just fine during Ishu and Raman's wedding."

"Oh, you mean how we decided to combine all the rituals and got everyone, including both the pandits, confused?" said Mr.Iyer, laughing at the memory.

"Or how the Madrasis kept complaining about the loud Punjabis, and the Punjabis kept complaining about the boring Madrasis?" Vandita added.

"And how we guys ran around protecting Bhai's shoes, while the bride's sisters had no clue that they were supposed to steal them," Romi joined in and laughed along with Mihir.

"Okay, we agree it wasn't...perfect," said Mrs.Iyer.

"But had you seen the looks on Raman and Ishita's faces during that time?" Toshi continued, "They only had eyes for each other," she reminisced. "And look at how successful their marriage is. Wasn't that the whole point of it? So I say we get these two married off in a similar fashion."

"Akka, periyamma, I'm getting late. See you all in the evening," Mihika said, realizing that the focus had shifted back to them and almost ran out to escape the discussion.

"Err.. Toshi aunty, even I have a lot of work. You see, Bhai will not be coming to office and so, I need to take care of a lot of things," he kept on rambling and followed Mihika outside, ignoring everyone's protests.

"Don't worry, Toshi aunty, we'll grill them when they get back," Vandita was consoling Toshi, when Raman entered the apartment with a few grocery bags.

"Ma, that's everything that you had asked me to get," he said, handing her the bags, and looked around for Ishita.

"Is Ishita inside?" He asked her, to which she nodded in reply.

~Chapter 15b~

He opened the door to his room to find Ishita deep in slumber on their bed. He smiled at the sight, and closing the door softly behind him, walked up to the bed and sat beside where she lay, his eyes drinking in every little feature of her face.

The last couple of days at the hospital had been a blur for him. All he remembered were those agonizing hours during which he had died a thousand deaths each time her piercing screams had reached his ears, followed by the wondrous joy he had felt when he had held his little angel in his arms for the first time. He had looked at Ishita then, wanting nothing more than to gather her in his arms as well, because all their struggles and all the pain that she had gone through had finally borne fruit. Their child, the symbol of their love, was finally here, and there was no more reason for her to feel that they were incomplete. But with the families fussing over her and the baby the entire time, he had been unable to spend a minute alone with her.

Now, having finally managed to sneak in a few moments with her, he watched her sleep and felt a wave of relief wash over him, because even though she looked worn out, he could see the fulfillment on her beautiful face, and felt proud that he had been able to give her the one thing that she had always craved for.

He slipped in beside her and slid his arm under her shoulders, gently nudging her closer to his body. She snuggled into him, sensing his warmth even in her sleep, and wrapped an arm around him, resting her head on his chest.

How had he survived all those years without her? He wondered as he stroked her hair lovingly. His entire life revolved around her now. He had gotten so used to her presence that all he wanted with every breath of his, was to hear her voice or the sound of her laughter, feel her body against his, or even get into annoying fights with her. Because, with her, every moment was blissful. And now that their daughter had come into their lives, he knew it would get only better.

Their daughter... He rolled the words around in his head so that he could get used to them. He remembered those days when the thought of a child hadn't even crossed his mind. They were happy together, and that was all that had mattered to him. But as time passed, it had become difficult for them to remain content within the bubble that they had created for themselves. Inquisitive friends and overly concerned relatives had begun probing Ishita about why they were childless, bringing forth her dormant insecurities. She would try her best to evade their questions but would secretly spend days on end, thinking about it, nursing her guilt and sadness. There had been times when Raman had known that something was bothering her, but whenever he had asked her about it, she had brushed him off, assuring him that she was fine and that he was being unreasonably overprotective towards her. However, she had been unable to keep it from him for long..

***

He came back from work that day to find his house swarming with all the aunties from their neighbourhood.

Oh no,' he groaned, Not another kitty party.'

Spotting his mother nearby, he went over to her and pulled her aside.

"Ma, you didn't tell me that you were hosting another one of your get togethers today!" He complained to her.

"Puttar, I'm sorry, it was a sudden plan. But it'll be over soon. You go on inside, I'll ask Neelu to make some tea for you."

"No Ma, it's okay. Where's Ishita?" He asked her, looking around.

"She must be in the kitchen. I had told her that I don't need any help, but she just won't listen. You try explaining to her, puttar. Maybe she'll listen to you," she shook her head and walked off towards some of her guests.

He chuckled as he heard his mother complain about her yet again. She was probably the only mother-in-law who had a problem with how helpful her daughter-in-law was. Well, if Ishita really wasn't needed there, then he wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste. Spotting her in a corner of the room with a few ladies, he rubbed his hands together in glee, and decided to grab her and whisk her away from there.

"Ishita, I'm telling you for your own good," he heard one of the elderly ladies say to her. "It's all fun during the initial days, but marriage is not just about love and romance. It is very important to start thinking about kids from the beginning itself, dear."

"I agree with her, Ishita," joined in the other lady. "If you don't start planning now, it might get too late for your body when you're actually ready for it. And think about what will happen then if you're not able to give your in-laws a child. Raman adores you now, but after some time, when all the novelty has worn off, he won't care about you. Even your in-laws won't respect you."

"Yes, after all, a woman is complete only once she becomes a mother!"

"But aunty, my Ishita is already a complete woman," Raman spoke up from behind them. He had heard their conversation and had seen how Ishita's face had fallen at their words. He walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "She doesn't need to prove anything to earn our love and respect."

"But beta, we were only.."

"I understand, aunty. But you worry too much. Ishita and I are perfectly happy and nothing will change that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work with my wife," he said to them sternly.

"Sure.."

"Youngsters these days.."

They muttered as they walked away from them.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked her as soon the women had left.

"I'm...I'm fine, Raman," she replied to him, looking a little lost.

"Come inside, I need to talk to you," he took her hand, and began walking towards their room.

"Ishita..Ishita puttar," Toshi called out to her and hurried towards them.

"Ishita, come with me. Pammi has brought some beautiful sarees for us to see. And they'll look lovely on you. Come, have a look."

"Ma, can we do this later? Pammi aunty stays next door. You can go see the sarees any time you want," he said to her, trying to get Ishita to stay back with him.

"But all the good ones will be taken by then, Puttar," she said and walked away hurriedly, pulling Ishita along with her giving him no chance to speak with her.

Later that night..

He watched her as she stood in front of the mirror, removing her jewellery. She seemed distracted and he worried if she was still thinking about what those women had said to her. Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his chin on her shoulder, nestling his face into hers.

"You look beautiful tonight," he said to her softly.

"You say that to me everyday, Raman," she giggled. "I think you'd say the same even if I walked around in rags!"

"Maybe, but you're wearing a saree today! You know what that does to me," he said, tightening his hold around her.

"Yes, I do," she laughed and turned her face towards his to place a peck on his cheek. "But I need to change now. So let me go."

But instead of letting go of her, he turned her in his arms and looked at her intently.

"Why didn't you say something to them?" He asked her suddenly.

"What?"

"You took their words seriously, didn't you?" He asked again, and she understood.

"Raman, I.. I couldn't help wondering if they were right," she said to him, unable to meet his eyes.

"Ishita," he sighed, "I thought we had a deal."

"But Raman-"

"Shh" He placed a finger on her lips. "Hadn't we decided that we won't let this be an issue between us?"

She looked down guiltily and nodded.

"So you broke a promise. Now we'll have to punish you for it," he said to her teasingly.

"Really? And what kind of punishment are we talking about?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

He chose not to answer, but in reply, moved his hands to the gap on her waist, running his fingers over her bare skin, tickling her.

"Raman!" She yelped and jumped back. "No, Raman. Stay back. You know how ticklish I get," she said to him as he made his way towards her, trying to close the distance between them.

She leapt away from him and ran around the room while he chased her, but it only took him a few swift movements to get her back into his arms.

"Yes, I know!" He replied mischievously, and holding her against him with one arm, he used his other arm to tickle her neck and her sides until, doubling up with laughter, she fell on the bed, pulling him along with her.

He propped himself up on an elbow and stared at her adoringly as she continued giggling. How he loved seeing that smile on her face! She looked like a vision, her eyes closed, her cheeks flushed and her hair splayed behind her on the bed. Unable to resist, he rolled on top of her, and took her mouth in a passionate kiss. She gasped, the sudden contact surprising her, but then he deepened the kiss, and she wrapped her arms around him, helplessly responding to the sensations he evoked in her.

They had always been attracted to each other, even before they were married, so he had known that intimacy with her would come effortlessly to him. But he hadn't been prepared for the maddening desire that would possess him whenever she touched him, a yearning so desperate, it only intensified each time they made love.

He tugged the saree off her, tracing soft kisses along her body, his mind going numb with pleasure at the way she moaned his name.

This...this is what he had wanted. Her complete love, her abject surrender. He wanted to make her forget everything, so that she would feel only him, and nothing else. So he continued pleasuring her, touching, kissing, caressing every inch of her, while she wove her fingers through his, her body writhing each time his lips brushed across a sensitive spot. And when he felt the warmth between them turn into raging heat, he eased into her, filling her up, consuming her, as he himself prepared to drown, giving in to the desires that flamed through his being.

He woke up a few hours later and groggily reached out to her only to find himself alone on the bed. Rubbing his eyes with his palms, he sat up and looked around in the darkness, wondering where she had gone off to in the middle of the night. Slipping on his pyjamas, he got out of their room and wandered through the hall in search of her. Unable to spot her anywhere, he turned around to leave when he saw that the balcony door was open. That was where he found her, standing alone with her back to him, shedding silent tears.

***

...And that was the moment he had realized that no matter how hard he tried, that was a pain that he could never cure her of. He had always been fiercely protective of her, defending her, supporting her whenever the need had arisen. But he had failed to understand that it wasn't the words of others that hurt her, but her own want for a child and her inability to give birth to one that bothered her more. He realized, defeatedly, that he could protect her from the entire world, but not from herself. So before things could get out of hand, he decided to do something about it...something that he should have done long back. He fixed up an appointment for them at one of the leading fertility clinics in town.

He had tried his best to keep her calm and prepare her for any outcome, but his heart had broken at the way she had clung on to his hand, as they sat across from the doctor, waiting, while he went through all of their reports. And then he had spoken the magic words..

"Mrs.Bhalla, you may not be able to conceive naturally, but you do have options. Have you heard of IVF?"

That was all that she had needed to latch on to. He had been skeptical initially, not wanting her to go through a process which, from what he had gathered from the doctor, seemed to be a very painful one. But the hope and joy that had shone in her eyes at the knowledge that they could have a child of their own had moved him, and he had given in, albeit reluctantly.

And then had begun a battle of hope versus reality, which would go on to test their resilience in more ways than they had thought possible. They went through multiple failed attempts over the span of several months, and each time, Raman had watched on helplessly, as Ishita was made to go through various invasive procedures, the pain of which had been too much for him to bear. And after three such unsuccessful trials, he had had enough. He made up his mind that he would not put her through the ordeal again, even though she had begged him for one more chance.

Ishita's hopefulness through it all had amazed him, and had made him, too, crave for their child. But he did not wish for it at the cost of her well-being. Besides, he did not want their marital life to be defined by this failure and he decided that it would be better for both of them to move on and find other dreams to fulfil. But, on Ishita's insistence, he had agreed for another trial, only on the condition that it would be their last one.

And that one chance had proved to be the one that had fulfilled their wish.

"Raman, I'm pregnant!" She had cried out one evening, throwing her arms around him.

He had been too stunned to react for a few moments, but as her words registered, he had hugged her back, finally succumbing to his emotions and breaking down along with her.

The nine months that had followed had been the happiest for both of them. He had never seen her that cheerful, the pregnancy along with the constant pampering by his parents and in-laws alike giving her face an extra beautiful glow, while for him, each day through that period had been filled with thrill and excitement, in anticipation of the arrival of their miracle child.

And now, as she lay peacefully asleep in his arms, he couldn't help but release a sigh, relieved that everything had gone in their favour. She woke up all of a sudden, feeling his movement, and sat up, surprised to see him lying next to her.

"Raman? When did you come in? Did I oversleep? And where's our baby? Is she awake?" She bombarded him with a barrage of questions but he pulled her back to his chest, wrapping his arms around her.

"Shh!" He silenced her. "Our baby is fine. There are plenty of people outside to look after her. So I suggest you stop thinking about her for a few minutes and worry about me instead."

She laughed and cuddled close to him, taking in the feel of his chest and the smell of his cologne, both of which she could never get enough of.

How had she gotten so lucky? If she had been happy the day she had married him, she couldn't even begin to define what she felt today. Right from the inexplicable joy she had felt when she had known that she was carrying Raman's child in her womb, to the wonderful sensation of feeling her baby stir within her, and finally to holding her little one in her arms - she had felt happiness course through every pore of hers, forgetting every ounce of pain that she had borne through it all. And she had been thrilled to witness Raman's joy too, the look on his face as he had laid eyes on his daughter the first time, saying it all.

Raman! She had always known the depth of her own love for the man, but his unconditional love for her had often taken her by surprise. He had been her rock, always standing by her, whenever she had needed him, and it was only because of him that she had been able to find the strength to endure each ache with a smile. What had she done to deserve so much love?

"Raman?" She called out softly.

"Hmm?"

"Why do you love me so much?"

"What?" He chuckled and got up, looking at her curiously.

"I want to know," she continued as she sat up with him. "Just tell me why."

He stared at her intently, wondering what was going on in her mind and thought about how he would explain it to her.

"Do you see that picture?" He pointed to their photograph from the party all those years ago, and she nodded in reply. "And do you see those words written under it?" She nodded again. "I hadn't prepared any of that beforehand, Ishita. All I had to do was stand there and look at you, and the words had flown straight out of my heart. You know why?" He asked her tenderly, brushing his knuckles across her cheek.

"Because you truly are my other half, a part of my soul," he continued. "So, you see, I can't help but love you."

"Meri rooh hai tu!" she uttered the words, as she smiled at him, overwhelmed.

"And the same goes for our daughter too now.. she's a tiny bit of our soul, too," he smiled back at her.

She blinked back her tears and leaned towards him to kiss him, but they were distracted by a wailing sound followed by an urgent knock on their door. Raman sighed, knowing that it would be futile to expect more than just a few minutes with his wife without any disturbance, and went to the door to open it. It was Rinki and Simmi on the other end, and they barged into the room towards Ishita along with the baby.

"Bhabhi.. we tried everything, but she won't stop crying," said Simmi desperately, urging Ishita to take the baby into her arms to quieten her.

"Give her to me," said Raman and Simmi gladly handed her over to Raman, who rocked her in his arms a few times, instantly making her go silent.

"See how it's done? You girls don't know anything!" He mocked his sisters.

"Bhai, that's not fair!" Simmi complained. "You've been with her since she was born. She recognizes you. Give us some time. Once the baby gets to know us, we won't give her to you at all," she threatened him.

"Do we have to call her baby all the time?" Asked Rinki. "Bhai, Papa ji said you'll be selecting a name for her today. Have you thought of one?"

"Umm.. actually no," replied Raman.

"Actually, yes!" Said Ishita from behind them.

She walked up to Raman and leaned against him, placing her hand under his and holding her baby along with him, while Raman looked at her curiously.

"We have?" He asked her and she nodded eagerly.

She turned back to glance at their photograph and then at him.

"Ruhi," she uttered and his face broke into a wide smile. She couldn't have come up with a more perfect name.

"Ruhi it is," he said, as he realized that in their journey together, which had been fraught with ups and downs, and twists and turns, they had finally come to the place they had always wanted to be in; and while he wouldn't call it an end, it was definitely a new beginning for them.

Originally posted by: neethuMG

R u going to updt?
If u r ending this one pls start a new one as soon as possible. Im giving u a hint a one with these 2 are poles apart nd lots of f8ng like start yhm nd little little romance to big one.