Hey y'alls! Back with a new OS, brought you by my frustration with Kuhu today! Hope you enjoy! :D
I Trusted You
Set in the same universe as 'I Trust You'. Mishti told Abir about Meenu's plans the day of the haldi, as we saw. After, the story picked up like it did on the show. Meenu demanded that Mishti not be present for the wedding, so she left. Abir found out, stopped her, and they confessed. Kunal had no choice but to get married. He told Kuhu the truth on the wedding night. When she came for her pagphera, Kuhu said a lot of sh*t to Mishti, as did Varsha, like we saw in the episode today. This picks up after that.
Read the first OS here - I Trust You - A MishBir OS
She had agreed to go on a date with him! Abir really couldn't believe his luck. Just a few hours ago, she'd said that she would only go out with him if he could solve the mystery surrounding her "boyfriend" (which, by the way, he wasn't jealous. At all.) and he'd had butter Ketu to do the job for him, though he doubted she would, seeing her skepticism. He'd all but given up on his dreams of a date,and then she called, saying she'd meet him. He was over the moon about it!Finally. Some time to be a normal couple, to spend time with her, be close to her. It's all he'd wanted, but their families had other things in mind. With all the excitement surrounding Kuhu & Kunal's marriage, and his mother'snefarious plans, he hadn't had a chance to spend any time with her since theconfession, barring those few minutes in her room earlier in the morning. Heneeded some Mishti time asap. Now, he would be getting it.
He felt like a teenager about to go on his first date, what with all the butterflies in his stomach, and the anticipation in his chest. He could hardly wait. Determined to make their first date something that they'd both remember for the rest of their lives, he set out to prep for it,not leaving even the smallest details to chance. It took some pushing and nagging, but he was able to set it up exactly how he knew his Angry Chorni would love. Just as he was about to call her to discuss the logistics ofgetting there, his phone beeped with a new message. He smiled wide on seeingher name pop up on his screen. She was just as excited as he was!
Sorry, Abir, but main aaj tumse nahi mil paungi, it read. Abir read and re-read the message a couple times to make sure he'd got it right. Hadn't she been the one who'd called, saying they could meet today? Why was she cancelling now? Worried, he immediately called her.
Mishti looked at her ringing phone and sighed. She should've expected this. Of course he'd call her the second she cancelled their plans for the evening. What was she supposed to do now? She didn't want to lie to Abir, but then… She didn't know how to tell him the truth either. Abir absolutely adored Kuhu. How was she going to tell him that Kuhu was one of the people who didn't want them to be together?
Not wanting to lie, yet unable to tell the truth, Mishti ignored his call and then promptly switched her phone off, stuffing it into a drawer, lest she give into temptation and call him.
Abir frowned as he heard the phone ring and ring and ring. She didn't answer! The next time he called, he was greeted with an automated message letting him know that her phone was off. Something big must have happened, he concluded. That had to be it. Why else would she cancel a date she had asked for if that wasn't the case? Determined to find out, Abir left for the Maheshwari house.
Mishti was lying in bed, holding her locket close to her chest as silent tears fell from her eyes. Kuhu & Varsha Aunty's cold words rang in her ears on repeat. Varsha Aunty wasn't happy because she lived with them? Really? Was she really that bad a person?
Tu sirf parivaar todna jaanti hai! Kuhu had said. Meenakshi Aunty had said it, too. Was it true? Is that why so many people thought that way? Had she broken the Maheshwari family?
But then, she remembered what Abir had told her the night of the Sangeet. Tum sirf jodna jaanti ho. Todna nahi. (Yes, I know it was a dream on the show, but not here. That MishBir convo happened for realz. It was just the confession that didn't.) And, if she had to choose one thing to believe, she'd desperately hold on to what he'd said.
That's how Abir found her once he'd jumped in through the window, again. Cocooned into a ball, crying. His heart broke at the mere sight. Nothing mattered to him more than her happiness. Not a single thing. Not even his life, his family, his happiness. He'd give it all up for just one smile from her. And here she was, crying her eyes out.
Unable to stop himself, he walked over to her,sat down on the bed, and lightly caressed her hair. Mishti startled at the movement and looked up to see Abir gazing at her. She was dreaming about him again, she thought fondly. Of course she was. But, his expression was wrong ,she realized. He wasn't smiling like he had been in the morning. Well, he was smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes like it normally did. This was more of a sad, sympathetic smile. Did the Abir in her imagination also fit to her moods?
"Hi," Abir whispered softly.
Mishti was taken aback. "Tum real ho?" She asked.
Abir couldn't help the snort that left him when she asked him that. Of course he was real. Did she think she was hallucinating?
"Last time I checked, haan," he replied, a little cheekily, wanting to see her smile, even if just for a second.
Mishti immediately sat up at his words and hugged him tight, needing him more than anyone else at the moment. His embrace brought with it a solace she had never experienced elsewhere. Ever. She felt loved, safe, protected.
Abir, sensing that she needed this, hugged her back just as tight, murmuring in her ear the entire time, assuring her that he would always be there for her, no matter what, and that he loved her more than he loved anyone else in the world.
Time stopped having any meaning then. It could have been seconds, minutes, or hours, but neither of them noticed just how long they sat there, wrapped up together.
"Kya hua?" Abir asked her, still hugging her to himself. "Kisine tumse kuch kaha kya?" Mishti nodded silently.
"Haldi wali se baat abhi bhi naaraaz hain?" He continued his line of questioning. Again, Mishti nodded, not offering any other explanation.
"Mishtiiii," he said, pulling back and making her look at him. "It's okay. Thode dinon mein sab theek ho jaayega. Sab kuch pehle jaisa ho jaayega. Happy."
"Kuch theek nahi hoga," Mishti told him, finally finding her voice.
She'd told Abir that the dynamics of her relationship with Kuhu were not something she could easily explain, and that was because half the time, she didn't understand them herself. But, after today, it had been pretty clear where they stood. And now that she had the clarity, she couldn't hold it in.
Abir was always there for her. One message and he knew something was wrong. He immediately came to her, to check on her, to make sure she was doing okay. He cared so much. He loved so much. He deserved the truth. All of it. The good, the bad, the ugly. She'd always felt somewhat guilty about hiding the truth of her relationship with Kuhu from everyone, but more importantly from Abir, and today, she just wanted to let that guilt go.
"Yeh tum… Aisa kyu keh rahi ho?" Abir asked, confused at her despondency. The Mishti he knew could find the silver lining in the darkest cloud.
"Tum pooch rahe the na… Ki main aur Kuhu…Hum dono ka rishta kya hai?" She cross questioned.
Abir nodded. He didn't like where this was going. He'd always harboured hope that despite whatever differences they had,somewhere, Mishti & Kuhu's relationship was salvageable. But, if Kuhu had made his Mishti shed even a drop of a tear, well, he wouldn't be able to forgive her.
"Pehle na…" Mishti started, "Main khud hi itni confused thi. Pata hai… Main aur Kuhu… Humaara relationship hamesha se kaafi love - hate type wala raha hai. Bachpan se… Jabse main iss ghar mein aayi hu… Kuhu ko mujhse bohot problems rahi hain. Usse lagta hai ki maine usse uski family cheen li, uske hisse ka pyaar cheen liya… Uska room cheen liya. Bachpan se hi… Jab bhi uski life mein kuch bhi galat hota tha… Woh hamesha mujhe blame karti thi."
Abir looked at her, completely flabbergasted. He didn't even know what to say to this revelation. He never knew Kuhu's animosity ran so deep.
"Aur aaj… Aaj phir usne mujhe blame kardiya. Usse lagta hai… Usse lagta hai ki mera duniya mein ek hi mission hai… Kaise uski life mein problems create kar saku. Aur ab… Ab woh phir wohi sab kehne lagi. Usse… Usse lagta hai ki main… Main… She thinks I don't love you, Abir," Mishti sobbed, hugging him once again. "Usse lagta hai ki main yeh sab drama kar rahi hu, taaki uske peeche Raajvansh House aakar uske aur Kunal ke beech mein problems create kar saku."
Abir hugged her back, now completely shocked. How dare Kuhu question Mishti's love for him? How dare anyone do that? He never gave anyone any sort of permission to question Mishti over him, especially not over the genuineness of her feelings for him. He knew she loved him. That was all that mattered anyway.
"Isliye… Isliye she doesn't want us together, Abir. Woh chahti hai ki main tumse door chali jaun. Humaare beech problems create karna chahti hai. Aur usne aisa pehli baar bhi nahi kiya hai. Iske pehle bhi… Usne… She tried to create misunderstandings. Woh email… woh Kuhu ne bheja tha, Abir," Mishti told him in the flow of things. Now that she'd started talking, she couldn't stop. She needed to get it off her chest.
"Kaunsa email?" Abir finally asked, finding his voice. He was still trying to process everything. This wasn't the Kuhu he knew. The Kuhu he knew was a sweet, charming, bubbly girl who could make anyone smile with her silly talks. His bro didn't hate Mishti. She didn't say mean things to Mishti to make her cry.
"Woh… Woh Kunal wala," Mishti answered reluctantly. "Uske aur Shweta ke photos jo the… Woh mere laptop se mera ID use karke… Kuhu ne email kiye the."
Abir was stunned. He couldn't believe it. This was just too much. Too much.
"Aur… Aur kya kiya… Kya - kya kiya hai Kuhu ne?" He asked. He was already dreading the answer, but he needed to knowthe entire truth.
"Woh bas… Woh har cheez ko lekar mujhe taana maarti hai. Mere dressing style ka mazaak udaati hai, mujhe behenji bulaati hai. Pata hai… Yeh sab toh hamesha hi hota tha. But… But phir bhi mujhe lagta tha ki woh kamse kam thodi toh care karti hai meri. Pata hai… Abhi thode time pehle jab humaara jhagda hua tha toh usne mujhe sorry bolne cake bake kiya tha. Aur… Kuch dinon pehle jab main upset thi toh usne meri favourite ice cream laakar di. Bidaai ke time bhi… Usne kitna tightly hug kiya tha," Mishti recalled, a sad smile on her face.
"Woh… Woh yeh sab karti thi na… Toh mujhe yehi lagta tha ki shayad woh mujhe itna bhi hate nahi karti. Shayad… Shayad kisi din hum dono sach mein behnon ki tarah rahenge… Jaise woh Ananya Di ke saath rehti hai. Lekin aaj… Aaj usne… Usne itni badi baat keh di. She said…Usne kaha ki main ek broken home se aayi hu, toh mujhe sirf ghar todna aata hai. Woh… Woh chaahti hai ki main uski life se chali jau. Woh kabhi meri shakal bhi nahi dekhna chahti. Aur… Aur usne… Usne meri feelings pe sawaal uthaya, Abir! Main…" She was starting to get a little hysterical. Looking up at him, she held his face in her palms, asking him, "Tum… Tum jaante ho main tumse pyaar karti hu, right? Main… I love you, Abir. I swear. Meri feelings… Meri feelings jhoothi nahi hain. Yeh koi dramatics nahi hai. Yeh… Yeh meri zindagi hai. I love you!"
"Shhhh," Abir shushed her, resting his forehead on hers. "I know. Pata hai mujhe. Tum karti ho mujhse pyaar, kitna main jaanta hu. Tab bhi jaanta tha jab tumne kaha hi nahi. Tumhe… Tumhe kabhi kehne ki zaroorat nahi padti, Mishti. Tumhaare bina kahe bhi mujhe samajhaa jaata hai. I know you love me. Just like I love you."
Saying so, he pulled her into a tight hug. "Kuhu ko koi haq nahi hai tumse aise baat karne ka. Tumhaari feelings ka iss tarah mazaak udaane ka. But… Main hu, Mishti. Tumhaare saath. I trust you."
He rocked them back and forth, calming Mishti down, slowly, but surely, lulling her to sleep as he hummed in her ear. When he felt her breathing even, he looked down to see that she'd fallen asleep, still wrapped up in his arms. Gently, with utmost care, he unwrapped his arms from around her and made her lie on the bed. He pulled her comforter over her ,cocooning her in warmth. It was then that he noticed one of her hands forming a tight fist. He hadn't noticed it before, too occupied with other things. Slowly, he unfurled her fingers to see the locket he'd presented her with just yesterday. She'd been missing him, he realized. He looked at her, his heart leaping in joy at the discovery, but then quickly sobered up when he realized just why she'd done that. Carefully, he picked up the locket and placed it on her bedside table. Unable to stop himself, he bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. He sat there for sometime, just watching her sleep, happy that she had found some sort of peace. She carried so much pain inside her, and the incident today seemed to have affected her so badly. She needed this.
He wanted to stay for a while longer, for forever really, watching over her, protecting her from everything bad, but when he heard voices coming closer and closer to her room, he was forced to take his leave. As he prepared to jump out the window, he looked at her one more time and vowed to himself that he would never let her cry like this again.
xoxoxoxo
Kuhu smiled to herself as she walked into the Raajvansh House. Kunal had told her she wouldn't be coming back again just this morning, but then, he himself had come to pick her up in the evening. She'd been over the moon, thinking he'd finally let go off of his anger, but on the way back, he'd assured her that he was doing it only because Abir had left him with no other choice. That deflated her a bit, but she was still happy to go back, and decided that she'd somehow make Kunal see the light. She wouldn't let Mishti ruin the one good thing her life.
Everyone was busy in one thing or the other, not really having the time to sit and chat with her, so she made her way to Abir's room who was suspiciously absent from the living room. She thought she'd joke around with him for a bit. Spending time with him was always fun. He never failed to make her smile.
Abir sat in his room, staring at the painting, lightly caressing Mishti's cheeks. His mind was still a jumbled mess, Mishti's words echoing in his ears.
Usne kaha ki main broken family se hu, toh mujhe sirf ghar todna aata hai.
How dare she? How dare Kuhu say such vile and untrue things about Mishti? His Mishti… The one who had probably done the most to ensure Kuhu & Kunal got married. This is how Kuhu saw it fit to repay what she did?
"Hi, bro!" Kuhu exclaimed, flouncing into his room, announced.
Abir looked up, startled, and immediately turned the painting over, not wanting Kuhu to taint the sacredness of it.
"Hi," he replied dully. He was in no mood to see her at the moment. And he told her so. "Main abhi busy hu. Mujhe akela chod do."
Kuhu was surprised to hear him talk to her so briskly. He was always a bundle of smiles and excitement around her.
"Hashtag never," she replied jovially. "Tum mere bro ho, bro. Tumhe kaise akela chod du? Waise… Yeh kya chupa rahe ho?" She asked, pointing to the overturned canvass.
"Tumhaare kaam ki cheez nahi hai," Abir replied staunchly, as he covered the painting with the purple cloth.
"Yaar… Aaj tumhaara mood itna kharab kyu hai? Main toh bas pooch rahi thi. Kiski painting hai? Meri??" She asked, excitedly. "Isliye chupa rahe ho na? Kyuki abhi tak complete nahi hui hai aur phir tum baad mein mujhe present karke surprise karna chahte ho? It's okay. Main tab bhi surprised hone ki acting kar lungi."
"Main tumhaari painting kyu banau? Tumhaari nahi hai," he replied, turning away. He felt like he couldn't stay in he rpresence for one more bleeding second. Whenever he looked at her, all he could see was Mishti cowered into herself, crying. She'd made his Mishti cry. He would never forgive her.
"Ohhh. Toh koi secret crush wagerah hai kya? Tum mujhe bata sakte ho. Main kisiko nahi bataungi. Hashtag humaara secret," Kuhu said. If Abir liked someone, it would mean that Mishti's feelings were one sided, which meant she wouldn't be coming here to ruin her life. Yes. This was great. Kuhu would make sure that Abir & whoever was in the painting got together asap.
"Mujhe tumhe kuch nahi batana, Kuhu," he replied, stressing on her name, showing that he didn't want to use the nickname they had for each other. He never would from this day forward. "Ab please… Chali jao yahaan se. Hashtag leave." He couldn't help himself and his voice rose a little as he said that.
Understanding that he didn't want her there, Kuhu quietly left the room, still confused as to what had happened that was making Abir behave so coldly with her.
Abir watched her walk away, making sure she left before closing the door to his room, not wanting anyone to intrude on him. It had pinched him to behave that way with Kuhu. She was his bhabhi, his brother's wife. He'd always envisioned them having a great relationship. A bond like the one he shared with Ketki. A tear dropped from his eye as he saw all the lost possibilities. It would never happen now. Kuhu would never be his sister. She would only ever be his brother's wife to him now, nothing else. He would be civil to her for the sake of the family, but there would be no warmth in their relationship. No friendship, no happiness. No one hurt his Mishti and got away with it. Not even Kuhu.
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So, hope this was good. I absolutely loathe how Kuhu behaved with Mishti today and seeing Abir pamper her so much, knowing how she treats Mishti, makes my blood boil. So, just my way of getting that frustration out. :)
Please vote and comment! :D
Ganesh Kartikeya
