Lucid Dream [SS] Abhira - Part 5 Page 24 - Page 18

Just came across your story and read all parts its interesting and different.

Your style of writing is amazing.

Plz tag me in future updates.

Originally posted by: velvetrose

Just came across your story and read all parts its interesting and different.

Your style of writing is amazing.

Plz tag me in future updates.

You've been added to the tag list 😃

Thank you so much for the warm words. So glad you are enjoying the story.

Hey,Thanks for tagging me.Got a little late for reading but enjoying your story more than current plot on screen.Great Job.

Originally posted by: iheartChai

Riddhi 🤗

Sometimes we don't need all that hyper drama. Life is dramatic enough especially navigating between family relations 😆 I know last chapter had more other character conversations then Abhira moments so I was afraid it would be boring for people. Thank you for such kind words and I'm happy you are enjoying what I've written thus far.

I just saw in one of the introduction threads that you are from Bangalore? I visited there once with one of my good friends (she happens to be watching YRKKH with me. She's my translator 😆). Her family was going back to India and invited me come with them too. I didn't get to eat dosa at MTR 😔

Oh you must eat "mysore masala dosa", there are many good places. You should the next time you visit Banglore.

Originally posted by: Nikki_love

Next update plssss

Update is coming...hopefully with the next couple of days.

Hello Everyone! 🤗

Sorry for keeping everyone waiting 😕 I thought I would have this up sooner but real life kept happening and got busy. Just wanted to say that when you get to the date part I swear I had certain things already planned before the Akshara and Abhi date was shown on TV so any similarities is only coincidence

Lucid Dream Part 5

Akshara carefully carried a tray with two hot mugs; one filled with black coffee and the other with chai down the hallway. She curiously peered through the doorway of Arohi’s room and saw her sister busily working on her laptop. She took a calming breath before she gently knocked on the door announcing her entry.

Arohi looked up acknowledging her presence and took the cup of coffee being offered to her. She took a quick sip but noticed her sister still standing in front of her. “Thank you. I needed a pick me up,” she replied.

“You’ve been studying for a few hours. I thought you could use some,” Akshara explained.

“How’s your cold? Feeling better?”

“Much,” she said before she gave out a gargled cough. “Sorry. It sounds a lot worse but I’m okay.”

Arohi nodded. “You should be fine in the next couple of days. You only have two more doses of the medicine to take.” Noticing how her sister was still in her room she put the mug down on her desk and straightened herself in her seat. “Is there something else?”

Akshara placed the tray on the empty side of her desk and nodded. “Arohi, I need to talk to you about something important.” She clutched her hands together and swallowed nervously. “I know we’ve had our differences. We don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things.”

“We definitely don’t.”

“But I love you and want nothing but the best for you.”

“Why are you saying all these things?”

Akshara took a breath and stated, “I’ve been seeing Abhimanyu.”

“Seeing?”

“Dating,” Akshara clarified.

“D-a-ting?” The memories of that horrible day when Abhimanyu had stormed into the engagement function with rage as he unleashed his fury on her flashed before her eyes. Her fist tightened and an unnerving anger rose up inside of her. “Wow, this is unexpected. The same person who I was engaged with? The same person who humiliated me on my engagement day? The same person that Bade Papa told us not to interact with unless it was for work…you’re dating Him?”

“Arohi…”

“And you’re saying you want me to be happy and only want the best for me? You are amazing Akshara. I wish people could have sisters just like you. A sister who snatches and take things away…no regards to feelings…just do whatever she likes…gets unduly involved in your life’s business…pretending to be innocent but turned into a backstabber…”

Akshara just stared at her with wide eyes unable to believe the rant that was happening in front of her after weeks of peace between them she had thought things had settled. But the venom was still there. The same hurtful words always used in every emotional outburst of hers during their fights. “Stop Arohi Goenka,” Akshara commanded. “Don’t test my patience today. Let me remind you that even though he broke the rishta, you agreed to breaking the engagement. You don’t even love him. You told me yourself. And you obviously did not respect him enough as a person to even talk to him about the medical college entrance exam and you flew off the morning of your engagement to go take that exam…which turned out to not even exist. ”

Arohi raised her eyebrows at the way her sister was talking. There was an edge of defiance that on rare occasions she had heard before in their fights in the past, but today there was something different in the way she was looking at her and the way she spoke. “If you really care about me you would have nothing to do with Abhimanyu. If you were anything like a real sister you would stay away from him. But instead you want to bring him in between us.” she fired back. “You think Bade Papa, Bade Mama, AG, or Mimi will agree to this affair that you are having? He cheated us Akshara, our family. No one trusts him in this house. ”

“He's nothing like that.” Akshara defended. “The circumstances were as such that things happened out of everyone’s control. Everyone was to blame for this: Me, Abhimanyu, You, everyone. And how dare you say that I don’t treat you like a real sister. I stepped back when I thought you loved him. I’ve had feelings since the trip. But I suppressed them to give you the happiness you wanted. Giving up my love for him was something I was willing to do. But your lies made a mockery of that sacrifice that both Abhimanyu and I made…mine to you and his to his mother.”

“Well, if you were so willing to give it up before, why can’t you do that after what I faced as your sister? But fine if you can’t do that for me because I mean nothing to you then you can at least do that for the family if everyone is at fault.”

“Arohi…”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Arohi commanded as she got up from her chair and took her sister by the arm leading to the door. “Just get out of my room. And if I catch you sneaking out to meet him I’ll tell Bada Mama. And just you wait when Bade Papa and AG come home they will find out from me first.”

Akshara opened her mouth to speak but was only meant with the door slamming in her face. She closed her eyes as a few tears dropped rolling down her cheeks. This reaction was what she had been afraid of. “Aru, why don’t you ever understand me?” she said to herself quietly. “Why?”

********************************************************************

Abhimanyu turned his motorcycle off and put his helmet on the side mirror before hopping off. He had received a troubling text voicemail message that had him reeling with anxiety. He quickly made his way to their secret spot as he had already seen the parked red motorcycle on the side of the road. “Akshu?” he called out as soon as he made it to the rocky outcrop. He was cut off guard when she ran into his arms. “Akshu?” he questioned softly as he held her. He pulled back to see tears were starting to form around her eyes. “The conversation did not go well, did it?”

“I thought after weeks of calm all of this was behind us. We were talking again and she seemed to have moved on. But I guess I was wrong. It’s always the same thing she never understands anything I do…it’s always her feelings are hurt…her wishes are broken…it’s not like I don’t understand but I’ve given so much to her and she still cannot see, why? How much more can I show her? How more do I have to do before she understands? Why? Why did this have to happen to us? Why?”

“Akshu calm down,” Abhimanyu gently spoke as he had noticed her breathing was becoming labored. “Take some breaths please.” His eyes flexed with worry as he felt her fingers dig into his shoulders as she continued to struggle to take in air. His mind immediately flashed back to the last day of the festival when she had collapsed into his arms and how Arohi had appeared, solving the panic attack by admitting something had all been a joke. “I’m here. It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay. Let’s take some breaths together, shall we? One...two…” He could see Akshara following his lead. “Very good…three…four…you’re doing great…five…six…” He then guided her to take a seat on the smooth rock bed.

“I’m okay,” Akshara replied once she had regained her breathing. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” He sat down next to her and held her hands. “These panic attacks you’re experiencing are usually associated with a deep emotional trigger…anxiety…fear. This wasn’t the first time you had them, the one at the hospital and the one during the festival trip. At the festival trip I had to hum to get you to hum and come back. Arohi then told you it was all a joke and not to take her words so seriously, didn’t she? There’s something else isn’t there between you two? More than just what happened during today’s fight?” Abhimanyu could sense hesitation in the way Akshara’s eyes moved and looked down and away from him. “We all have a past. So I can understand. I don’t want to pressure you. I want to help if you’ll let me.”

Akshara took a deep breath and nodded. “It was a really windy day. The weather was so strange that day. Sirat Ma had gone to the temple to pray for Papa due to an issue with his flight. Arohi ran off to go to the mandir despite the bad weather. I followed behind to make sure she was okay. She made it to Sirat Ma first and then…Sirat Ma came down to meet me as I was going up. She-she slipped and roll…rolled down the steps and hit her head. We tried to keep her awake, her eyes opened and we were relieved and then…and then she told me to take care of Arohi. And then…then she passed before us.”

Abhimanyu felt his heart sink knowing what she had been through and gently wiped her tears away, “You experienced so much pain so young. I’m sorry.”

Akshara let herself be cradled back into his arms and then spoke against his shoulder, “If I hadn’t tripped and been more careful maybe…maybe she wouldn’t have come down and slipped and she would be alive today. ”

Abhimanyu pulled back and shook his head. “You’re not responsible for what happened that day.” He cupped her face. “It was an accident.”

“Arohi loved Sirat Ma so much. If I could give anything in the world for her I could. But, she never understands me or my intentions. I’m always the one who took her mother away from her.”

“You lost your mother that day too. Arohi, Kairav, you…you all lost that day.” Akshara nodded her head as he continued to wipe the tears rolling down her cheeks. “You can take care of your sister. But don’t let this guilt be the reason. You also have a right to choose things for yourself too,” Abhimanyu stated. “I’m sorry…I’m really sorry that I made things worse. If I had paid more attention-- “

“Abhi, how could you have known anything about my relationship with my sister if no one told you?”

Abhimanyu brought her back into a hug and sighed deeply, “I wish I could take all this pain away for you.” He felt Akshara curl into him crying while he gently rubbed her back letting her rest in his arms for as long as she needed. Eventually, she pulled away admitting, “I haven’t done that for some time now,” and patted under her eyes wiping the tear stains away.

Abhimanyu tucked her loose hair behind her ears and asked, “So, what exactly did Arohi say when you told her about us?” Akshara sighed and retold him the conversation. “I can’t believe she said all of that. I apologized to her that day. I even talked to her again when she came back to work to make sure we kept our personal and professional relationship separate and she agreed.”

“Her ego’s bruised Abhi.”

“It was quite inflated,” shaking his head before letting out a sigh, “power couple…”

“What are we going to do now? Arohi is going to be watching me.”

“We’ve been very careful. I know our plan was to talk to Bade Papa and AG first but it looks like we may not have a choice and will need to talk to Bade Mama and Mimi before Arohi tells them the story in her way.” Abhimanyu took her hands into his and gave an affectionate squeeze, “We’ve done nothing wrong. We fell in love, that isn’t a crime.”

“I know,” she replied, nodding in agreement. “We’ve done nothing wrong.”

********************************************************************

Neil sat on the park bench scrolling through his Instagram account checking if there was anything interesting in his feed to look at. He checked the time and sighed, “Where is this—“

“Chamkadar…”

He looked up and saw Arohi approaching him. He furrowed his eyebrows and complained, “Meet me at the park in 15 minutes it’s urgent you said. I’ve been waiting for 30 minutes.”

“I’m sorry Bade Mama needed me to help with some of the prescription refills for Bade Papa and Mimi. I needed to take care of that.”

“Oh, well that’s fine but at least text me a message,” Neil replied.

“I thought I did.” Arohi looked at her phone and frowned. “It’s written out but I guess I didn’t hit the send button properly. It never got sent. Sorry.”

“So what’s going on? Why did you ask to meet?”

Arohi sat on the bench and turned towards him. “I need some advice.”

Neil chuckled, “You need my advice?”

Arohi nodded. “Honestly I’m not even sure why I’m even asking you.”

“Well, if you aren’t sure you don’t have to tell me and I can go home,” Neil replied and started to stand up.

“Akshara and I had a fight.” Neil looked back and sensed an uneasiness as Arohi fidgeted on the bench. He sat back down and gave a nod for her to continue. “She told me she’s been seeing Abhimanyu.”

“You sure you want me to hear the rest of this? I mean considering who I am,” Neil asked.

“I know,” Arohi sighed. “Even I’m surprised. But you also know the whole history. I don't have to explain anything to you. Just be objective. You gave me good advice with that team situation so I’m counting on you to do the same again.”

Neil looked at her with a slightly stunned expression not sure if he should really continue sitting there or leave. After a few seconds of silence he replied, “Well, this is a lot of pressure. I’m not sure I can handle this.”

“Be serious Neil.”

“Okay, so you fought because Akshara told you that she was seeing Bro. Continue…”

“Is it wrong that I would be upset? Abhimanyu was the same person I was engaged with earlier. I was humiliated on my engagement day. Fine your brother was upset but even I have feelings too. Is it wrong for me to feel betrayed by my own sister? Why is she bringing him back into our lives?”

Neil blinked trying his best to formulate a response to her answers. “Bhaiya has anger issues and he’s worked really hard to control the temper he has. But that day even in his anger he had enough sense to ask all the guests to leave before he told his reason for calling everything off. We know what happened next. It was a bad argument all around. He apologized. And you never really cared about him in the first place; you just wanted him for your Power Couple dream.” Arohi frowned at his last comment but remained quiet. “So why does it matter if he’s dating Akshara?”

“I could care less about who he is dating. But why is Akshara dating him?”

“Because they are both in love with each other…have you been living under a rock, Chipkali? And why are you always so angry at Akshara? She’s not the one who broke your engagement.”

“She’s a reason for it breaking,” Arohi retorted angrily.

“So you’re jealous of your sister?”

“Heh, jealous? You've got to be kidding me. Why would I be jealous of someone who has no ambition in life? Who prefers to go around strumming her guitar and sing all day?”

“Wow, you’re incredible Chipkali. You are jealous of your sister.”

“Shut up Neil,” Arohi yelled and stood up.

He immediately got up and ran in front of her blocking her path. “Running off isn’t going to change that fact. You’re the one who asked for my advice. You want to tell me why Arohi?”

“I’m not jealous. I’m angry at her. She’s the reason for everything bad that has happened in my life.”

Neil’s eyes flexed with surprise. “You were fooled weren’t you? Thought our relationship was all rainbows and sunshine? That’s her little happy go lucky act. Smiling like a fool to fool everyone else. I know the truth about her and her ways. She gets everything in this life while I have had to fight for my rights.”

“What happened Arohi?” Neil asked calmly, trying to process what she was telling him. He’d interacted with Akshara enough to know that this picture that Arohi was trying to paint was furthest from the truth. He just couldn’t understand why she viewed their relationship in such a way. “This is more than just this fight…this anger that is inside. What happened?” Arohi looked at him unsure if she could tell the story of her mother’s death to him. It was something so deeply personal. Besides her family no one else knew.

“Does this have something to do with that time at the mandir?”

Her eyes widened at his words, “How do you know?”

“The look on your face right now was the same look you had that time at the mandir when you almost fell down the stairs. What happened?” Neil stood there patiently before following her back to the bench to sit. He silently listened as she told him everything that had happened the day her mother had died. Neil’s face softened and he handed a pack of tissues that he had in his vest pocket. Arohi took them and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m really sorry Arohi for your loss.”

“Do you normally carry a pack of tissues?” she asked to divert the weird atmosphere she was feeling after sharing her story and seeing the way Neil was acting. She wasn’t use to this type of behavior from him.

“It’s Nistha’s. She had me hold onto them for her when I was out with her yesterday. I forgot to give them back to her.”

“Thank you,” Arohi said, handing them back. “So now you know.”

“Thank you for sharing this with me. It is never easy losing a parent. I know this may sound strange and I apologize if this upsets you but you have Mimi, Bade Papa, Bade Mama, AG, your cousin Vansh, your brother Kairav, and your sister Akshara…they are all still here with you. These are the people in the present…let go of the anger, pain, and guilt of the past.”

“Are you asking me to forget everything?”

“No, I would never suggest that. Instead of remembering the pain, why not cherish the positive memories left behind? Aren’t you tired of carrying this anger with you? Until you learn to let this go your relationship with Akshara won’t improve.”

“And why would I even--”

“So you plan on hating on your sister for the rest of your life?,” Neil cut in, “What a great plan.”

“If she hadn't gone up and slipped then Mama would not have gone down.”

“And if you hadn’t gone to the mandir your sister would not have followed,” Neil countered. “What happened that day was terrible. It was an accident Arohi. One that neither of you are responsible for.”

“You speak all these big wonderful lines. What do you know about any of this?” Arohi said with agitation.

“I know a lot more than you think,” Neil replied. Her words had triggered him, reminding him of his place in his own family. The orphan, the Birla family took in. “Look, the way I see things is we can’t control the past but we have control of the future. You can decide how you want to live. Are you going to let this pain take over your life or are you going to focus on what you have now?” Neil sighed, “I know the situation with Bro and Akshara is awkward but they both love each other a lot. At some point all of us…the families have to come to terms with this.”

“The families hate each other,” Arohi replied. “They will never be happy. I’m being practical here. Bade Papa and your father hate each other…we’ve seen how they fight.”

“If we don’t try then how do we know if things can work out? Some of us have to meet halfway,” he answered and got up from the bench.

“Neil…” Arohi called out as she stood up looking at him, suddenly sensing this unexplainable feeling in the pit of her stomach, afraid she had upset him with her words.

“I love my brother and I will always support him when he’s right and help him when he’s wrong because that is what siblings do. And I see Akshara as my soon to be Bhabhi and consider her part of my family now and I will always protect them. You decide where you want to stand in all of this.”

********************************************************************

Harshvardhan Birla looked up as a file was placed on his desk. Dr. Mahima Birla flashed a smug smile, making him nervous. It was never a good day for him when his sister-in-law looked at him in that way. He picked up the file and started reading the contents and momentarily looked up when he heard his elder brother Dr. Anand Birla enter the office.

“I believe with that report you will find the answers to your questions. It makes a very strong case as to why she is an asset to this hospital regardless of your own personal feelings about her.”

“Are we back at this again?” Anand sighed looking at his brother. “I thought this case was closed a month ago when we agreed professional and personal matters should not be mixed.”

“Akshara has not done anything on a professional level that would warrant a dismissal. Just because there were some personal family matters that involved her does not mean she should be let go. We decided to keep her sister Arohi when there were some legitimate grounds for a dismissal. Arohi was the fraud,” Mahima stated.

“Why are you defending that girl Akshara so much?” Harshvardhan accused.

“That report I just gave you explains everything. It is a month’s worth of data and observations. The patients are happy with her work. The staff are content and have no complaints about her work ethic. I just want peace. What is the problem besides your personal agenda?”

“The mere mention of her name and Abhimanyu flares up defending her as if she can do no wrong. That is biased behavior and we cannot have staff thinking they cannot discuss matters without some outrageous reaction from him. Differences of opinion are common and should be handled as such. I’m just looking out for the good of our patients. All facets of care should be looked at.” Mahima couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she knew of the incidents Harshvardhan was speaking of. Ones he had no business sticking his nose into but did so because it involved some high profile politician or business affiliation. The families usually demanding rush treatment due to their own lack of medical knowledge, understanding of post op care, or awareness in mental health and well-being.

“She’s a therapist and has her degree for it. She’s helped in some serious trauma cases like that Oberoi case that just closed today. She’s earned her place here. As for Abhimanyu, he needs to control his emotions and look at things objectively. I’ll have a talk with him,” Anand stated, trying to calm the situation down.

“I don’t understand. Does Akshara have some magical pixie dust that she just sprinkles on people? Both of you now feel this way about her?”

“Can we all move on?” Mahima asked. “What happened is in the past and we cannot change the past. We should all move forward and focus on more important things such as our patients. Please.”

“As far as I am concerned both the Goenka sisters have been very professional in their work here at the hospital for the past two months. I see no grounds for any type of dismissal. I want this case to be closed for good. No more mention,” Anand said with utmost finality on the matter. He looked down at his pager reading the message. “I have to go.” As he stood up from his chair to leave he gave his last warning, “Harsh, case closed.”

The younger Birla nodded in defeat. “Yes Bhaisaheb, case closed. No more mention.”

********************************************************************

Akshara walked into her office and sighed as it felt like she had a stack of never ending paperwork to complete today. “Another working lunch break,” she mumbled to herself as she sat down at her desk and pulled her lunch bag from the bottom left drawer. Her eyes widened when she finally noticed a small gift box sitting on her desk. It was about the size of a credit card. She untied the red bow around the white box and lifted the lid; inside was a key and small note. She unfolded the paper and smiled recognizing the handwriting. All it had was a time and an address. “8pm? I better get working on these case files if I am going to be able to get out of here and meet him in time.” Akshara quickly reached for her phone and shot off a quick text message before returning to her work.

An hour later she rolled her neck and took a pause from the laptop to do some light stretching before putting away her empty lunch containers. She heard a gentle knock on the door making her glance at the clock to note what time it was. She wasn’t expecting anyone as her next appointment was scheduled for 2:30pm. “Come in,” she answered. To her surprise it was Abhimanyu. He quickly entered the room locking the door behind him and inspected the blinds making sure they were closed. “Abhi, what are you doing? You saw my text about tonight? You know we shouldn’t be doing anything while we are in the hospital. What if someone saw you?” He ignored her questioning and walked towards the desk immediately pulling her close and giving her a kiss in greeting. “Yes, I saw the text.” He then leaned his forehead against hers, “Ten minutes? Ten minutes of calm?"

“What’s wrong Abhi?” She watched as he made himself comfortable on the sofa near her desk.

“If I go to my office she’ll show up.”

“She?” Akshara inquired furrowing her eyebrows. Her mind flashed back to the incident when the Health Minister’s daughter Ruby had barged into his office and attempted to make advances on him. The memory unknowingly triggered her right fist to clench. “Who is she?”

“She’s sweet…” Abhimanyu mumbled in fatigue with his eyes closed as he tilted back onto the sofa cushion. “But if I have another kalakand I’ll have to drink methidana water for a month.”

“Why is She feeding you kalakand?” He lazily opened one eye and noticed her clenched fist and the way she was staring at him. The left corner of his lip rose ever so slightly before falling straight hiding a small mischief brewing in his mind. “She pulls my cheeks too,” he sluggishly continued as he yawned. Abhimanyu felt the sofa softly dip next to him as Akshara continued her interrogation. “Pulling your cheeks? Who is touching you?”

“Last time she asked for my measurements…”

“Measurements? What measurements?"

"Sherwani?"

"Sherwani? What kind of question is that to ask a doctor? Who is this person who is asking these things and touching you? Abhi, this is harassment. This is like the Ruby incident. You need to report this right now.”

“She wants to make methi paneer for me. That actually sounds good…” patting his stomach, “maybe it’s because I haven’t had lunch yet?”

‘What? Why is she making you food? You are not taking her food. Who is this patient? Tell me the room number right now.”

“Room 1525,” he replied.

“Miss Room 1525, I’ll go speak to her right now,” Akshara huffed. “Who does she think she is? Miss Room 1525 feeding you sweets, touching your cheeks, asking for your measurements, making you food! This Miss Room 15,” pausing suddenly as it dawned on her, “25…” Abhimanyu’s eyes flew open when he felt both his cheeks being pulled at the same time. “Abhimanyu Birla...” Akshara barked.

“Ahhh…” he cringed..

“You thought that was funny didn’t you?”

“Did you have to pull so hard?” he replied, rubbing his cheeks as he sat up. “I’ve never seen you jealous before. It felt kind of nice.”

“Honesty Abhi,” Akshara frowned. “I thought we were dealing with another Ruby.”

“I’m sorry.” He apologetically pulled her into a hug and leaned back into the sofa. He cradled her enjoying the feel of her weight on his chest and the scent of her floral perfume around him. “I was joking a bit with you but Mrs. Datta is trying to feed me kalakand every time she sees me. Her husband had heart surgery a day ago. They are a sweet elderly couple. She’s been talking about her granddaughter so you know…”

“Is that so?”

“Your boyfriend is a doctor and somehow that makes me sought after. It isn’t the first time.”

“I trust you to handle the situation since you’ve handled these things in the past. Just how many situations?” Akshara asked while her finger playfully rubbed a button on his shirt.

Abhimanyu grinned, detecting the hint of jealousy still present in her tone and gave a squeeze, “If I tell Mrs. Datta then someone may overhear and find out about us before we’ve had the chance to tell our families.” He then placed his hand on hers making her lift her head up to look at him. “I usually tell them I'm their doctor and I’m there to focus on their treatment. And I politely decline. But soon I’ll be able to tell them that I’m married…very happily married to the most caring and beautiful woman in this world.” He gave a wide grin making her smile in return. “Happy?” She simply nodded in reply. “Good. I need a 15 minute nap…” he yawned and set the timer on his watch. Akshara laid her head back down on his chest and closed her eyes listening to the beating of his heart. Abhimanyu wrapped his arms around her, thankful for this moment and hopeful for their future.

********************************************************************

"Yes, this is Harshvardhan Birla. That is correct Birla Hospital, we were the ones that treated her. It’s great that a key eyewitness was able to be treated and overcome her trauma to now be able to testify in such an important criminal case. Justice should be served for the families of the victims. We are a hospital so our primary purpose and focus is on patient care. From the moment a patient steps into our hospital they are treated with the utmost care by our accomplished doctors and medical staff. Birla Hospital prides itself on providing first class care to anyone who walks into our doors. Correct, music therapy was used. A few words about music therapy? Well, music is a very powerful tool that transcends any language. There is no language requirement for music for someone to appreciate it or connect to it. So we at Birla Hospital believe in the healing power of music. It can help someone psychologically, emotionally, physically, spiritually, cognitively and socially. It is still a fairly new discipline but one that we believe combined with practical medical techniques provided by our respected and knowledgeable doctors in the medical community will help our patients get better faster. Yes, Birla Hospital has a dedicated music therapy program. Yes, I can definitely send some brochures. Yes, thank you very much. Have a good day.” Harshvardhan hung the phone up with a smile. It had been his fifth call today regarding music therapy being offered at Birla Hopsital and the trauma patient that would be testifying in a major murder trial. Despite his personal feelings about the musical arts with each call he was able to utilize his public relations skills to craft an enthusiastic and powerful response highlighting Birla Hospital’s innovative thinking and first class medical staff. He was slowly starting to think that perhaps his sister-in-law had been right, bringing in ‘that girl’ to start their own music therapy program to enhance the type of treatments they provided was a sound decision. Birla Hospital was receiving fantastic promotion and praise. He had already received several requests from esteemed political and prestigious business leaders who wanted to book medical appointments and surgeries with them. And it was all because of ‘that girl’ his son was crazy about.

Deciding to stretch his legs he exited his office and was making his way down to the cafeteria to get himself something to drink. As he rounded a corner he heard some voices arguing loudly in the hallway. The smile on his face disappeared when he saw a middle aged man trying to enter a room while Akshara was standing in front blocking his way along with one of the male orderlies. Behind the man were two women, he assumed one was the wife and the other was the mother-in-law. They were both crying. He spied Abhimanyu in the opposite corner starting to clench his fists. He knew of his son’s temperament and the extent that he could go to. He had been on the receiving end of his anger many times and lost count of the number of vases that had been broken over the years at home. But when Akshara entered into his son’s life it was like his anger had increased ten fold. Should anyone utter a word against the young woman he reacted like an explosive volcano. “Just great,” he sighed to himself. “Every time I think things have settled, That Girl always gets herself in some situation that causes Abhimanyu to blow up. I cannot afford a fight after all the great PR news we had today.”

“Please Mr. Mehta let Dr. Birla do her duty. Your daughter is being treated right now,” Akshara calmly stated.

“Listen, I told you I wanted someone else. Why isn’t Dr. Anand Birla seeing her or Dr. Abhimanyu Birla? I want the best. I’m sure Dr. Mahima Birla is fine for normal situations but my daughter is very sick. And who are you? Are you even a nurse? If you cannot give me what I want then I’ll just take my daughter elsewhere to be treated.”

“Please Raj, let the doctor do her job,” Mrs. Metha cut in pleading with her husband. “We can’t take her away now.”

“You keep quiet and let me handle this. I told you to make sure we had a male doctor.” Akshara caught Abhimanyu’s glance as he was showing signs of pouncing on the man who had made the chauvinistic comment and did a downward motion with her hand telling him she was fine and not to engage.

“I’m a Birla Hospital staff member. And I can tell you that your daughter is receiving the best care from the best doctor for this situation. Dr. Mahima Birla has received all these accreditations which makes her more qualified for the situation at hand then either Dr. Anand Birla or Dr. Abhimanyu Birla,” handing a pamphlet to Mr. Mehta, “It’s all listed right there.”

Mr. Mehta glanced at the pamphlet in his hand as the door to the room opened and Mahima stepped out into the hallway. She was well aware of the situation as Mr. Mehta had been arguing with her when his daughter suddenly crashed and the orderlies forced Mr. Mehta and family out of the room while she and the nursing staff tended to the emergency. “She’s stable right now and resting.”

Mr. Mehta silently looked back down at the pamphlet again prompting Akshara to continue. “You’re welcome to take your daughter out of Birla Hospital if you wish but you will not find anyone else male or female who will be able to treat her the way Dr. Mahima Birla can because she is the best and this is the best hospital for this treatment.”

“Raj, we wanted the best care for Preeti. So many of the neighbors recommended this hospital. This place is the best.”

“I suppose Ma,” he replied. He then looked at Mahima, “These accreditations you have,” holding up the pamphlet, “I’m counting on you.”

“Of course Mr. Mehta. Your daughter is a priority for me and the rest of the staff. We are committed to her treatment,” Mahima stated.

Harshvardhan saw his son quietly leave without a word and return to his duties. Well, this is different. He thought to himself. Better go now before anything else gets messed up. He fixed his tie and walked forward approaching the group. “Mr. Mehta please rest assured your daughter is in very capable hands with Dr. Mahima. I’m Dr. Harshvardhan Birla and I run this hospital. You all must be feeling fatigued. I was just heading down to the cafeteria to get something to drink. Why don’t you join me? It will be on the house. “Sachin,” he ordered, addressing the orderly, “Take Mr. Mehta and his family down to the cafeteria. I'll follow shortly.”

“Thank you Akshara for calming the family down,” Mahima said.

“I’m just glad it did not escalate any further.”

“If you’ll excuse me,” Mahima stated as she saw a nurse approaching her with some reports in hand.

Harshvardhan stood there in awkward silence prompting Akshara to speak first. “I’ll take my leave Sir. I have another therapy session to attend to.”

“Akshara,” he called out.

She immediately turned and looked at him expectantly. “Ji Sir?”

There were many scathing remarks he could have unleashed on her such as why she was getting involved in a medical matter when she was not a doctor, why she did not follow procedure and call for a senior nurse or staff to handle this situation but the innocent look in her eyes threw him off for some reason today. “Uh, what you did today. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome Sir.”

“Not only this but with the Oberoi case that was recently closed. I’ve already received several calls about Birla Hospital’s music therapy program. Keep up the good work,” Harshvardhan stated.

“Thank you Sir,” Akshara formally replied. Harshvardhan gave a half nod and began walking away. When she was sure he had disappeared from view she breathed a deep sigh of relief and then smiled looking upward with folded hands. “Thank you Kanha Ji. Thank you for letting that resolve without any further drama.”

********************************************************************

Akshara smiled as she drove up the hill suddenly unable to contain her excitement. She had realized half way through listening to the directions on Google Maps where her ultimate destination resided, the Birla farmhouse. The front lights were turned on welcoming her as she parked the car into the driveway. She quickly made her way to the front door taking out the key that had been gifted to her in the afternoon and inserted it into the front door. There was a gentle click as she turned the door knob. She gasped as a large heart shaped balloon with the words I Love You greeted her sight. On the floor was a path of red, white, yellow and pink rose petals leading from the doorway to some location further into the house. She closed the door behind her and started to walk the flowery pathway. She momentarily stopped at a side table in the foyer noticing a gift box. Upon opening it she found a sparkling sheer red saree inside and a note. A blush of pink colored her cheeks as she read the note before closing the box hugging it to her chest. She then continued her journey on the petaled path that led her to a bathroom to change.

A few minutes later she was dressed and following the rose petal pathway again but this time making her way towards the back porch where the pool was. The only thing she could see was the soft pool lights illuminating a warm blue glow. The minute she slid the sliding glass door open the white lights hanging on the wooden fence lit up. The petals that had been multicolored were now a solid red on the outside pool deck.

Standing in front of a round table that was clearly set up for a romantic dinner for two stood Abhimanyu. He was wearing a well fitted black dress shirt, vest, pants, and shoes. The only pop of color was a red handkerchief folded and nicely tucked in the top pocket of the vest. She felt her cheeks growing warm as she caught his gaze. Despite the fact that it always made her stomach do a flip it also made her feel good that he was that attracted to her. A few delayed seconds later Abhimanyu gave a suave smile as he picked up a single rose from the table and walked his way towards her.

“You look beautiful,” he greeted giving her the rose.

“Thank you,” Akshara answered. “How did you set all of this up?” looking around at the red and white balloons tied randomly around the back porch and the rose petals that were leading them to their dining table.

Abhimanyu offered his arm which she took and answered, “Neil and Parth.”

“They did? Why are you troubling them so much?”

“Troubling? They offered to help,” Abhimanyu defended. “I can’t believe you're more worried about them. What about all of this? This was my idea, you know.”

“And I love it,” Akshara answered, giving him a kiss on the cheek to calm him down. He stopped walking and continued to give a pouty face pointing to his left cheek. She grinned and planted a kiss there as well. “Happy?” He titled his head a little complementing his feelings and then tapped his lips. Akshara let out a chuckle and then stood in front of him reaching up on her tip-toes as her arms wrapped around his neck and kissed the tip of his nose. Abhimanyu scowled in response. “Behave or you won’t get any more,” Akshara softly threatened.

“Is that so?” Abhimanyu answered, holding her waist tightly to him.

“Please tell Neil and Parth that I love how they decorated everything. You promise to do something for them?”

Abhimanyu innerly groaned at how she had doused the romantic moment with her one question. He let her softly go and nodded. “Yes, I’ll tell them. I’ll buy them dinner to thank them.”

“That’s so wonderful,” she smiled, taking his arm again and started walking. “By the way how did you know my saree size?”

“I don’t. Nishtha helped.”

“Nishtha?” Akshara repeated. “I only spoke to her last week. She needed help with picking out a song for class. We never talked about sarees.”

“I might have asked Kairav to give her one of your sarees to get the measurements done,” Abhimanyu confessed.

“Bhaiya? You got Kairav bhaiya involved too?”

“What do you mean getting him involved too? I just asked him to give the saree to Nishtha. She and Neil went to the store together and I think Shefali came later to help decide on the saree. They took pictures and showed me the best ones.”

“So, Parth bhaiya, Shefali bhabhi, Neil, Nishtha, and Kairav bhaiya…”

“I will take them all out for dinner as a thank you, okay?” Abhimanyu promised. He then looked at her with pleading eyes. “Can we please focus on you and me?”

Akshara nodded. “Thank you for the saree. I love it.”

“You’re welcome,” he said as he pulled out the chair for her to sit in. He then took a clear wine bottle that had been chilling in the ice bucket. “It’s just water,” he explained as he opened it and filled her flute glass first. He then removed the silver domes from their dinner plates revealing a creamy tomato riagatoni. “I hope it’s still warm.” Pulling the napkin off of a basket he continued, “We also have some fresh baked rosemary bread.”

“It smells so good,” Akshara replied with a smile. “Sit down Abhi, you must be starving. You barely had lunch before you had to go into surgery. It went well?”

“Yes, it did,” Abhimanyu answered as he sat down and started eating.

They took their time enjoying each other’s presence. Their conversations covered all sorts of topics from work, family gossip, latest songs, general news events, and how they planned on tackling their family into accepting their relationship. Eventually, it was time for dessert. Akshara held an expectant look wondering what Abhimanyu had planned for them.

Seeing her anticipation he smiled and then wiped his mouth with the napkin before getting out of his chair. “Before we get to dessert,” offering his hand, “I wanted to give you something.”

“Another gift? Akshara questioned in wonder. She stood up and followed him as he walked to an area of the wooden fence that hung a large heart shaped light. He gently twirled her once and brought her in close placing his hand on her lower back. Akshara looked on recognizing the emotion in his eyes and then softly looked away with a shy smile. She felt him step back causing her to look towards him again, her eyes flexing in surprise as he knelt down on one knee. “Abhi?”

He gave a delicate grin and took her left hand into his. She felt his thumb graze across her knuckles before dipping down ever so slightly on her ring finger and pausing in place. “Honestly, I never thought a day would come where I would meet someone who would challenge me to rethink my own beliefs on relationships and what it means to be happy. I was content with what I had. I thought I would never need anything else. But then you came into my life and everything changed. My world seemed brighter, the air fresher, the colors more vibrant, the music much sweeter…and my heart smiled a lot more. Thank you Akshu for coming into my life..for changing my world. I never thought I could feel this complete…but your love…the love you give me makes me whole. I know we still have a long road to travel before we can officially be together…we are getting closer and there may be more obstacles ahead but together…if we are together I know we can cross them all. I want us to make a promise tonight.” Abhimanyu reached behind a bouquet of red and white roses in a large red vase and pulled out a ring box. “Will you make this promise with me? Will you be by my side? Will you walk with me down this road of life together? He lifted the lid to reveal a gold ring with a small heart in the middle, "Will you accept my heart?"

Rehna tu pal pal dil ke paas

Stay close to my heart forever, dear

Jurhi rahe tujhse har ik saans

May I share every breath with you

Akshara had been listening standing there speechless and feeling overwhelmed by the man kneeling in front of her. The memories of their beginning filtered through her mind. She inwardly chided herself recalling how slow she had been in recognizing and vocalizing what she had been feeling in her heart. That hesitation had nearly cost them everything, those days had been a painful and intense time for them but fate was on their side. Eventually, everything worked out for them to be together.

Khud pe pehle na itna yakeen, mujh ko ho paaya

I couldn’t trust my inner feelings earlier

Mushkil si ghadiyan sab huyi, ab jo tu aaya

The moments turned intense as you have arrived

She never thought she could feel this loved or special before but he always made her feel this way. Her Abhi. Even when he was not around his love made her feel protected, gave her strength, and a place where she could be herself.

Ik baat kahu tujhse

Could I say something to you?

Tu paas hain jo mere

Since you are here…

No longer with any doubts in her mind she smiled and answered, "I promise. I promise to always be by your side. I promise to walk with you in this lifetime and beyond. I promise to take care of your heart forever.”

Despite knowing that she loved him, Abhimanyu couldn't squash the nerves that had been building waiting for her reply. When she vowed to be with him, his eyes lit up and a huge relieved smile spread across his face. He slid the ring onto her ring finger and kissed her hand before standing up.

He then pulled out a ring from a little pocket on the left side of his vest displaying it between his thumb and index finger. It was a simple gold band with a carved heart in the middle. “Couple set,” he explained rather shyly.

Akshara grinned and took the ring ready to place it on his ring finger. “Will you make this promise with me? Will you be by my side? Will you walk with me down this road of life together? Will you accept my heart?”

Seene se tere sir ko laga ke

I want to put my head on your chest

Sunti main rahu naam apna

And keep hearing your heart say my name

"I promise. I promise to never walk in front but always by your side. I promise no matter what happens I will never give up on our life together in this lifetime and beyond. I promise to take care of your heart for forever and eternity,” Abhimanyu replied. He smiled as he felt the ring slip onto his finger. He pulled Akshara into his embrace, her head resting on his chest and gave a silent prayer of thanks for this moment.

Seene se tere sir ko laga ke

I want to put my head on your chest

Sunti main rahu naam apna

And keep hearing your heart say my name

As if reading her thoughts, Abhimanyu asked gently, “You hear it? My heartbeat? Every beat has your name Akshara.”

Oh likhdi tere naam jindri jaaniye

I have devoted my life to you

Bas rehna tere naal ve zaruri ae

It has become my necessity to be with you

She looked up, recognizing immediately his clouded eyes of desire. Their lips were inches from each other. As he bent his head down further to capture her mouth she pulled away, turning from him making him smirk at the sudden shyness while he grabbed a hold of her wrist preventing her from running away. He twirled her back towards him with such force that she landed with her palms against his chest. He then gently tilted her chin upwards making them lock eyes. He watched as Akshara’s eyelids closed, submitting to the moment. He bent down brushing his lips tenderly against hers at first before letting his inner desires take over. The feel of her hands wrapping around his neck pulling him closer despite there not being any space left between them was driving his senses on overdrive. His fingers curled against the exposed skin of waist fighting the urge to explore more. A few minutes later he reluctantly pulled back with his mouth still close to hers, his forehead tilted forward breathing roughly. He leaned towards her ear and whispered, “I should get dessert.”

Rehna tu pal pal dil ke pass

Always keep close to my heart

Judi rahe tujhse har ek saans

May I share every breath with you

Seene se tere sar ko laga ke

I would lay my head on your chest

Sunta main rahoon naam apna, naam apna

And hear your heart chant my name, my name

Akshara's eyes opened as she felt his heat moving away from her. She turned to see him walking into the house. She tapped her forehead trying to bring herself to her senses. If things would have continued they may have found themselves in a predicament like that morning in the hotel room after the convention. It was getting harder and harder for her to stay within limits and she could feel Abhimanyu having the same problem. She turned around and looked up at the night sky, noticing how hazy the moon was looking as some dark clouds passed by. She took a deep breath and muttered, “I need to get married to this man before he drives me insane.”

“You say something?” Abhimanyu asked, causing her to turn around in surprise.

“I was just looking up at the sky. The stars look so pretty.”

“They shine brighter out here away from the city,” Abhimanyu explained. He then pulled from behind his back two kulfi pops. “Malai or pista?”

“Malai. You know pistachios can help lower your chances of cardiovascular disease? They also have fiber and can help keep your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol in check.”

“Really?” he replied and handed the pista kulfi to her. “For your long life and health.”

“Abhi, no you wanted the pista one,” Akshara argued.

“No, mine now,” he said and quickly opened the package, stuffing into his mouth and giving a good lick. His eyebrows danced up and down as if taunting her that he had won.

She giggled at his silliness. “Fine, this time Dr. Abhimanyu Birla.” She watched as he walked towards two lounge chairs near the pool. He took one seat cushion and placed it near the edge of the pool and motioned for her to sit. He then removed the other cushion laying it down next to hers. He took off his dress shoes and started to roll up his pants. “Abhi let me help,” she offered, seeing him struggle with one hand. He lurched back as if he did not want her to touch his feet. ‘Abhi…”

“I’ll do it,” he replied and handed his kulfi to her. He sat down on the cushion and quickly rolled both pant legs up before dipping his feet into the pool. “Thank you,” receiving his kulfi back, “Now, this feels nice,” splashing his feet around. He took a few bites as the ice cream was melting quite fast.

Akshara smiled and hiked her saree up a little as she took off her shoes and did the same. “This does feel good,” she said.

Abhi glanced up at the dark sky and with pensive thought started sharing, “You know sometimes I think about moving out of the house. Take Ma with me and live separately.” Akshara glanced over at Abhi, concerned with his sudden confession. “I know you wouldn’t agree to this thinking. Why would I choose to separate from my family? You’ve never lived under the Birla roof. Our family...the environment is very different from yours. At times I get scared that I’m going to bring you there. You deserve to live in a happy environment. But I know you wouldn’t agree to living separately. I try really hard to control my temper…but he pushes me too far sometimes…and we fight.”

“Your father?”

“Sir..” he gently nodded his head looking straight ahead. “Ma always says she’s caught between us. I don’t want you to be caught between either.”

“What happened between you and him? Why do you have all this anger for him?”

“His ego, his attitude, his disrespect towards others…I cannot pick just one.”

“Was this because of some misunderstanding?”

“There is no misunderstanding. He is who he is. He only knows PR…public relations. Anything else is pointless to him. He doesn't even know how to honor relations.”

Akshara could sense his anger and placed her hand on his. “Abhi…”

He blinked as if coming out of some far off memory, “I’m sorry Akshu. I didn't mean to talk about such things. We should concentrate on us."

"Us is family. We are not only forging our relationship but the relationships that we will have with our soon to be in-laws. You to Bade Papa, Bade Mama, Mimi, AG, Vansh bhaiya, Kairav bhaiya, and Arohi. Me to your mother, father, aunt, uncle, Parth bhaiya, Shefali bhabhi, Neil, and Nishtha. I am sure we can find a solution."

"For Harshvardhan Birla there is no solution."

"We don't know if we don't try Abhi."

"I don't want to fight about this."

"We aren't, we are having a discussion. I just want to help. If you can help me with my guilt over Sirat Ma, why can't I help you?" She understood his silence and knew when he was ready he would share everything with her. She just needed to remind him she would always be there for him. "I made my promise. I am not going anywhere." She gave his hand an affectionate squeeze.

"I'm sorry," he replied.

"Done?" She asked, giving him a sincere smile. He handed the stick over to her. She placed the wooden sticks into her open kulfi wrapper and set it aside on the ground. “Good, now I can do this.” Abhimanyu twitched his head as he felt water splash upwards toward him. It was soon followed by laughter. He huffed and immediately scooped up some water from the pool, throwing it back at her. The dense splish splashing sounds echoed in the backyard as an all out water war started between them.

“Oye, not so much!” Abhimanyu coughed as he felt a solid puddle of liquid land on his shirt. All he heard was shrieks of laughter. “Oh, you're going to get it now if you don’t stop Akshu,” he warned as he started to get up.

“No, Abhi, no…” Akshara pleaded, trying to move away from the edge of the pool. She stopped when she saw him lose balance, slipping on the wet lounge cushion and falling with a plop into the pool. She covered her mouth with her hands in shock. “Oh My God, Abhi are you okay?”

Abhimanyu wiped his face with his wet hands as he treaded water. That was not how he thought things were going to go. He looked over at Akshara’s face. “Laughing?”

“No,” shaking her head trying to prevent herself from bursting out in giggles. His generally slicked up hair was now hanging down plastered against his forehead almost covering his eyebrows.

“You’re dying to laugh,” Abhimanyu accused as he flipped his hair back, sadly making it look worse. He now had half his hair standing up pointing to one side making it look like a sagging fin. Akshara accidentally let out a puff causing Abhimanyu to swim closer to the edge. She realized her mistake and covered her mouth tightly with one hand as she tried to get up from the floor. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quick enough and he grabbed a hold of her ankle with one hand and the lounge chair cushion with the other. “Why don’t you join me?” he asked. With one fluid motion he slid the cushion into the pool making Akshara fall in with a splash.

“Abhi!” she screamed, now thoroughly drenched. She puffed her cheeks in anger watching him laugh. She hit the water with her hand hard making him flinch and wipe the droplets from his face. He swam over, cornering her to the swallow side of the pool where both their feet could touch the ground. “Now we’re both wet,” she pouted.

“Correct. Both,” he smiled in return

“Your hair,” Akshara laughed, pointing at it, causing him to frown childishly. She reached out and ran her hands through his hair trying to fix it for him. He tried to shuffle back at first but due to the water he was too slow to keep her hands from touching his hair. He never liked it when his mother messed with it. But as he felt her hands gently brush through he walked forward enjoying this new imitate sensation she was suddenly owning rights to. “Abhi.”

“Hmm?” he murmured as he placed his hands on either side of her resting them against the edge of the pool.

“Ever thought of changing your hairstyle?”

“Why?” he questioned, blinking back the thought. He felt her delicately tussling his hair so his bangs rested slightly to the side against his forehead but were out of his eyes. “You don’t like it?”

“No, I do,” she replied. “I was just asking.” Their eyes gently locked again and she could feel the tension rising between them once more. She welcomed the first few soft kisses before putting her hands on his shoulders pulling back. They both looked at each other in wonder. “Is it raining?”

Abhimanyu looked up and noticed that the moon was no longer viewable. He felt a few droplets fall from the sky and then looked down as rings were spreading randomly in the pool. There was a quick sudden pick up of rain and then silence. “Let’s get out of the pool before the rain starts again. And it’s getting late and you need to go home.” He took her hand into his and they slowly walked to the pool steps. He sighed, “At least you have some dry clothes to change into.”

“You don’t have any clothes here?”

“No. This may be our farmhouse but we never keep our clothes here. We usually pack what we need and bring it here.”

Akshara looked down at herself feeling heavy due to the weight of her soaked clothes and sighed. Abhimanyu had taken off his vest and was ringing the water back into the pool. She picked up her shoes and started to walk back towards the house when she felt her foot slip against some scattered flower petals. Her shoes went flying and she braced herself for impact. But as usual it never happened as Abhimanyu was there holding her. “Count on you to slip on wet concrete in your bare feet,” he playfully chided.

“The rose petals are slippery when they are wet,” she defended.

“Okay,” he answered and swiftly lifted her up with her legs hanging over his arm.

“Wait, my shoes!” Akshara requested. Abhimanyu nodded and walked back to where they had landed. He bent down low enough for her to pick them up. “Thank you,” and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Now back to the house.”

“Yes madam,” he answered, making her break out into giggles. They heard a roar of thunder making Abhimanyu hurriedly but carefully head back into the house.

********************************************************************

Akshara quickly grabbed her things and rushed into the Goneak villa. She was so thankful that Arohi was on night duty and not at home. The living room was empty, making her smile that she wouldn’t have to explain herself to anyone. As she got close to the staircase she heard her name being called. She turned around to see her brother. “Bhaiya, you scared me.”

He glanced at his watch, “It’s rather late,” sensing her concern, “I told Bade Mama and Mimi that you were waiting out the storm at a coffee shop.”

“Thank you Bhaiya.”

He nodded but then continued, “How long will you keep this a secret? Sooner or later all of this…you’re going to get caught. I can’t always be here to cover for you. And you know if Aru was here…”

“I know Bhaiya. We’re working on it.”

“I just don’t want you to get in trouble, that's all. I want you both to control the situation instead of having it control how things come out.”

“I know,” nodding her head. “Oh, thank you for helping with the saree,” Akshara stated with a smile.

“How does it look?”

“It’s beautiful but it’s a little wet right now.”

“Wet?”

“I sort of fell into the pool,” she said with a bashful look.

“What? Did you slip?” Kairav questioned. “You really need to be careful. You’re the only person I know who would fall into a pool.”

Akshara furrowed her eyebrows and pouted. “Abhi said something like that to me today.”

Kairav ignored her expression. “He isn’t wrong.”

“Hey!”

“You should go upstairs and dry your hair,” Kairav replied, trying to change the topic.

“I’m going to take a shower. Goodnight Bhaiya.”

“Night Akshu.”

********************************************************************

Abhimanyu poured himself a glass of water and drank it down in one gulp. He needed to steady himself for the conversation he was about to embark on with his father. Their conversations were more confrontations than discussions. Generally leading to a shouting match between the two before his mother would always have to intervene to calm things down. As he made his way to the study room he made eye contact with his mother who was organizing the coffee table getting ready for some guests coming over for lunch. He gave a nod which she reciprocated and motioned with her hand to remain calm. He tilted his head to the side and gave a half grin answering he would try his best. He then went up the stairs towards the study. He took a few deep breaths before knocking on the door. He heard a muffled greeting and opened the door to see his father sitting behind the desk with his laptop open. Harshvardhan looked surprised to see his son standing by the doorway. “Abhimanyu?”

“I need to talk to you about something important.”

“Sure,” he replied and closed his laptop. “What is it that you want to talk about?”

“My marriage,” Abhimanyu replied as he stood in front of the desk. His hands were stuffed in his pockets. The elder Birla looked on in astonishment. “Both of the rishtas were decisions that you and Ma made. And I know at the time for a particular young woman you liked and whom you felt could be my life partner and the bahu of this household. Arohi Goenka.” Harshvardhan glanced briefly downward in fleeting acknowledgement of a decision that he now regretted. “Today, I want to put forth my choice. Who I want to…”

“Akshara Goenka,” Harshvardhan stated before his son could complete his words. It became obvious the moment his son started talking about marriage where this was going to lead. All roads of late always lead them to ‘that girl’ Akshara Goenka. “Why are you so obsessed with that girl? What has she done to you for you to keep chasing after her? The first tilak she kept quiet and refused to answer your questions. Then she came to this house and told you she was not interested in you. Then there must have been some fight or something that instigated you to declare you were willing to marry anyone. But despite getting engaged with her sister you were always there shielding her. Why? I just don’t understand.”

“In your eyes you only see a son who has gone crazy or has become obsessed. Why can you not see that your son is in love?” Abhimanyu questioned trying to maintain a respectful tone. “Why do I have to prove that I’m not crazy? Is it because I never acted this way about a girl before? I studied hard throughout high school and college with one goal in mind. I sacrificed my time…actually I wouldn’t even call it a sacrifice as I gladly gave my time in the pursuit of something I wanted to do. To become a doctor and help people. I joined Birla Hospital and even became a PR tool for you to use whenever you pleased. My goals happened to align with what you wanted. A son who is a doctor. But now when it comes to my happiness…things that affect my life I am not allowed to make that decision for myself? My wife has to be approved by you when I’m the one who has to spend the rest of my life with her? How is that fair?”

Harshvardhan took a breath and replied with a steady tone, “How can we go back to that family again and ask for a rishta? Think about this rationally, what family would agree to this for the third time? The first time things were a mess because of your mother.” Abhimanyu’s lips pursed in response to that comment but he remained silent. “Then the second time you convinced Manish Goenka for the arranged marriage to Arohi despite their concerns of your bold love declaration for her sister during the first tilak. Then you broke the engagement. And now you want to go back again for That Girl?!”

“Akshara,” Abhimanyu corrected.

“And has Aksahra said anything to you at all or are you rushing into things again like before? That girl came to our house and told us she was not in love with you and that there may have been some misunderstanding.”

“That won’t happen again Sir.”

“What guarantee do you have?”

“Because I’ve been dating her,” Abhimanyu answered.

“What?!” Harshvardhan replied in shock. “You’ve been dating her?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of relationship is this? To hide this secretly?” Harshvardhan angrily questioned as he got out of chair.

"Mine and mine alone. I don't need your permission or anyone else's on who I decide to date or who I fall in love with. I am getting married to Akshara."

"Not without my permission," Harshvardhan replied. "I will not go back to that house and I will not approve of this secret relationship. She is playing games with you."

"She is not playing games. I decided to keep our relationship quiet because of all you people. I had enough interference, especially from you Sir!"

"You people? You people?" Harshvardhan repeated as he walked closer to his son. "We are your family and we know what's better for you."

"Do you? If you truly understood anything about me you would understand my happiness lies in her," Abhimanyu replied, his eyes blazing.

"See what this girl has done! Wrapped you around her finger. You are just going to follow her around like some lovesick puppy dog. You followed your mother's tail for most of your life and now this girl…is the new one you are following. No care for your father and how he feels in all of this."

"Have you ever really cared about me? It's always been what you wanted. Always…use me in Birla Hospital to further your reputation with high profile businessmen or political leaders…PR is the only thing you care about. You have no regards to my feelings or Ma's or Neil’s because you are a selfish man Mr. Harshvardhan Birla!" Abhimanyu shook his head in disappointment. "I don't know why I even bothered to talk to you. I should have just eloped and it would have made things easier." He then turned to see his uncle Anand standing by the doorway in shock. He wasn't sure how much of the conversation he had overheard but he was boiling over with anger that he didn't care. He just swiftly walked out of the office leaving the two brothers alone.

"That boy has gone mad! I'll tell you. His brain is just filled with the name Akshara! She is going to be the downfall of this house. I should start removing any vases or breakable furniture from the home. Be prepared to sit on the floor Bhaisaheb. We will have our dinners picnic style! My son used to run behind his mother and now he's going to run after his wife. He's going to be permanently tied to that girl's pallu!"

Anand took a deep breath before he spoke, "Harsh, take a few breaths and calm down." He then put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Things are going to be fine."

"How are things going to be fine? He wants to marry that Akshara and I don't want her in this house. The Goenka family has caused us enough problems. I don't want to invite anymore but that boy just had to fall in love with her."

"Look, this matter of Abhimanyu’s wedding is something for you and Manjari to decide. You are his parents. But it's no secret that you and Abhimanyu don’t see eye to eye on things. The boy is in love and he's told you about the girl he wants to marry. If you want to start healing your relationship with your son, why not accept Akshara?"

"Bhaisaheb?" Harshvardhan replied with surprise.

"Just hear me out. Akshara comes from a good family…the Gonekas are well known around the city they are not riff raff. She has been professional at work and as Mahima has shown, is well respected by the patients and staff. She gets along with Manjari. You won't have to worry about saas bahu drama at home. Your son will be happy as well. Isn't that ultimately what you want? I know you love Abhimanyu a lot. Let this be your way of showing love. A father's gift to his son." He could still see the concern in his younger brother's eyes and he simply gave a tilt of his head. "Just think about it."

********************************************************************

Vansh carried the plate of kachoris to the living room and placed them on the coffee table. "They are really hot, Kairav be careful. Akshara is frying up a few more."

"I will handle with care. Tell her not to make so many. We already have so many snacks…popcorn, chocolate, chivda, pakoras we are running out of room here."

"It's been a long time since we had a movie night with just us."

"True Mimi and Bade Mama are out at a friend's house for dinner. So it's just us Goneka kids," Kairav replied.

Vansh checked his watch and sighed, "Where is Arohi?"

"I am her Bhaiya," she answered as she entered the house with a bag. "I got our drinks. Thumbs Up and Limca."

"Great, just finished frying the second batch," Akshara said as she walked in. She glanced over to Arohi who was handing the drinks to Vansh. Their eyes met briefly before Arohi looked away in disinterest. Kairav walked forward to take the plate of kachoris from Akshara. "Oh, let me get the napkins." She turned around and started walking only to have her ankle suddenly twist; she flared her arms backwards and felt herself being caught. She looked up expecting to see her brother but instead saw a pair of different brown eyes. "Aru?" She said in surprise.

"Honestly, why are you so clumsy?" Arohi replied as she helped her sister stand up straight. After their argument a few nights ago they hadn't been talking. They were keeping their distance from each other.

“Thank you Aru.” She gave a slight nod and then walked away to help Kairav re-organize the space on the coffee table.

“So what should we watch tonight?” Vansh asked as he turned on the TV. “Something old or something new?”

“Anything but Hum Saath Saath Hain,” Arohi pleaded.

“Why? What’s wrong with that movie?” Akshara inquired as she handed her brother the napkins.

“We always end up watching it,” she sighed. “Anything but that. What about, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days?” Arohi offered.

“No!” Vansh and Kairav both replied.

“No chick flicks,” Vansh explained.

“It’s actually quite funny and isn’t really a chick flick, “ Arohi defended. “It makes fun of us girls too.”

“It’s actually nice,” Akshara said.

“I don’t want to see that movie,” Kairav said, shaking his head. “Let’s pick something else.”

“How about Horror?” Vansh and Kairav suggested.

“No!” the sisters replied in unison.

“I don’t want to be scared. You remember the last time you convinced us to watch a horror movie? I couldn’t sleep for days,” Akshara said.

Arohi shook her head, “No, absolutely not. Akshara forced me to sleep with the lights on. If she gets scared I'll send her to your room Bhaiya.”

“Okay, okay so no Horror,” Kairav affirmed.

“Then comedy? Let’s just watch a classic,” Vansh suggested. “Andaz Apna Apna?” The three siblings nodded their heads in agreement. “Great, hey we decided that pretty quickly. We usually debate for 30 minutes and then Mimi crashes our movie night and we end up watching Hum Saath Saath Hain.”

Everyone was soon settling into their spots on the couch with plates filled with food. Vansh glanced over and noticed a contemplative look on his cousins’ face. “What’s the matter Arohi, you have something on your mind?” Akshara shifted her gaze over to her sister with nervous anticipation if she was going to mention anything about her and Abhimanyu dating. As of now Vansh was the only Goenka youngster that did not know about her relationship. “I’ve just been thinking, don't you all feel it’s been odd how Bade Mama and Mimi have been going out a lot? And that Bade Mama has been talking to Mrs. Kaushik a lot?”

“I know, I noticed it too,” Vansh replied. “I think the friends house they are going to are friends of Mrs. Kaushik too. Something must be happening.”

“Not a conspiracy theory again,” Kairav said.

“But I agree with Vansh bhaiya that something is surely happening. All those calls with Mrs. Kaushik cannot be just a coincidence. What if they are looking for rishtas for one of us?” Akshara coughed as she was in mid chew of her kachori causing Kairav to give her a concerned glance. He offered her something to drink. But she shook her head indicating she was fine. “I already had my turn even though it failed,” Arohi continued oblivious of the coughing fit her sister was having. “Akshara is the eldest daughter in this house. It could be her turn next.”

“Maybe,” Vansh replied. “But so soon?”

“The sooner the better to stop all rumors about us. What’s one way to make people talk about something else? If something big happens from our side like a Goneka wedding.”

“People who talk will always talk. They remember the good and the bad,” Kairav stated. "Bade Mama and Mimi are not having rishta talks about Akshara."

"How are you so sure?" Arohi questioned eyeing her brother intently. She wondered if he knew something more than he was letting on. She knew Kairav was always closer to Akshara after all they had the same parents. Did he know about Akshara dating Abhimanyu?

“They are not having rishta talks about you, me, or Vansh,” Kairav continued without hesitation. “Let’s not over think things. With Bade Papa and AG gone I don’t see them trying to set up rishta talks, especially what happened last time.” Both Akshara and Arohi recalled the memory of the first tilak and swallowed uncomfortably. “Let’s not bring up such talks again. It’s been a long time since we enjoyed a movie together. Let’s enjoy tonight.”

Vansh nodded his head in agreement. “Yes, we’ve been through a lot. Let’s concentrate on having fun tonight. And don’t you worry if something happens I will step in and offer myself up. I’m the oldest here.”

“Vansh bhaiya…” the three siblings uttered.

“My only request is that she can make kachoris. You all will do that for me right?” Everyone broke out into laughter at his request.”

“Absolutely bhaiya. We will make sure she can cook all your favorite foods,” Kairav said.

“A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Vansh jokingly quoted making everyone laugh again. “Thank you for taking my sacrifice into consideration.”

“Bhaiya not only will we make sure she can cook for you but that she is also a good person who will love you for the way you are,” Akshara pledged.

“Thank you Akshu,” Vansh replied, smiling warmly.

“And we will help you vlog all the functions and ceremonies,” Arohi added. “You’ll get even more views and subscribers to your channel.”

Fake whipping tears Vansh replied, “I feel so touched. You guys are the best!” resulting in another round of rancorous laughter.

********************************************************************

Song: Pal Pal Dil Ke Pass

Lyrics: Siddharth-Garima

Credit English Translation to Lyrics Raag: https://lyricsraag.com

********************************************************************

Pre-cap Part 6

“Sorry Bade Papa and AG, something happened with the car. I’m at the shop getting it fixed. I sent a driver to come to the airport and pick you both up.” Manish read out loud.

As the luggage was being put into the car the driver side window slowly rolled down revealing a smiling face. “Bade Papa, AG, welcome back!”

Manish held a perturbed look on his face while AG just looked confused. “You? What are you doing here?” Manish sternly asked.

“To take you home, Bade Papa.”

********************************************************************

Hope you all enjoyed this part. There was so much going on 😆

Let me know what you guys think 😃

Hehe and who do you think came to pick up Bade Papa and AG?

Tag readers x 1

Tag readers x2

Tag readers x3

Update on Page 24

Tag readers x4

Update on Page 24