Chapter 9

Tvfanatic85

@Tvfanatic85

Chapter 9 – Let go of the past

“Aap log dono ghar ja rahin hain abhi isi waqt. 4 weeks se isi stress main ghum rahin hain aap dono.Kab last soye the theek se aap dono yaad hain aapko. Kukki aur Sneha ke pass main aur Sharma family hain. They are perfectly fine Doctor has said they will discharge them on Monday. You will go home. You both need to go away and you need some rest.”

“No” Rishab and Prerna said it together

“Mr & Mrs Bajaj agar aap theek nahin hongi aap un bachiyon ka khayal kaise rakhenge. We are here. We are here. Please” Mr Mehra

“Fine let us meet them both” Prerna and Mr Bajaj together

“No, you are going home.Abhi right now. you will not come back until Monday and take rest. Thak gayi hoon aap logo ki aise faces dekh dekh ke. Fix whatever it is and comeback. I am here for Sneha. Now” Kukki said from behind

Mr Bajaj and Prerna reached home and she asked Chandu to get dinner ready. She went to freshen up in her room and sat at the table for dinner. When Mr Bajaj didn’t come for along time, he prepared a food tray and went into the Study. Without saying she took another glass and poured herself some. Mr Bajaj was surprised.

“You don’t need anything food or anything else if you have this, it makes you feel better after this so maybe I will too.” She drank all in one go and start coughing and spit out half. Mr Bajaj smiled at her reaction, he poured another glass of water and gave it to her which she finished in a moment.

“Thanks. This!!! how do you drink this?” Prerna

“Aap khana kha lijiye aur rest kijiye mujhe bhuk nahin hain” Mr Bajaj

“Isse pet nahin bharta.Please kuch kha lijiye. Please”. And was leaving when she heard Mr Bajaj

“Main sirf Komolika se Mrbasu ka pata chahta tha woh tab tak nahin batati jab tak Mr basu ko khone kadar nahin hota. Uske liye mujhe jo sahi laga maine kiya”

“Na maine kuch pucha na mujhe janana hain. Jo Rishta aapka Sneha aur Kukki se hain who mera bhi hain,jis tarah you wanted to protect Sneha I wanted to protect Kukki, isme aapki meri life main ya meri aapki life main importance se kuch nahin hain. Doyou know what it felt like when I woke up and found out about everything? All went well but what if it…? Do you how scary that thought is ki main nahin”

“Do I know Do I know”Giving a sarcastic laugh

“We cannot keep doing this again and again. Please aap khana kha lijiye aur jaake rest kijiye you need it”and with that he poured another drink.

Frustrated she left. She tried to sleep in their room but she just couldn’t so she went to Kukki’s room.

In Kukki’s room Prerna found Kukki’s scrap book that she had made with her. She saw all the moments that they had spent together and every time he looked at Mr Bajaj in any pic her heart skipped a beat. At one time she had thought of him as a curse but today this man was a blessing. The way he fought for Sneha, what he was ready to do for Sneha. She had to get him out of this madness. But somewhere her tiredness took over and she slept.

Mr Bajaj missed her he missed her in his arms her rants her stupidity her smile. He had drunk a little too much and the hunger made it worse so he finished the last drink in a shot and went to his room. During his path he saw Prerna in Kukki’s room asleep on her bed. He put a blanket on her and kissed her head. He wanted to join beside her but she was sleeping peacefully and he didn’t want to disturb her. Prerna woke up just as he left. 

He went to his room and since his head was spinning, he went and stood under the shower. He put on the stream to hot and kept increasing the temp. The sharp droplets were hitting him like needles and he liked it. Thinking about the whole month about what he had said to Prerna and what they are going through. Just then Prerna walked into the room. She could hear the stream and called for Mr Bajaj but when Mr Bajaj didn’t respond she got scared and went in and found Mr Bajaj under the stream.

“Mr Bajaj?” Her hands went into the stream and she jerked it out realizing how hot it was.

“Mr bajaj kya kar rahin hain bahar aaiye bahar aaiye ” but he didn’t budge and she went near beside him under the stream and tried to change the temp but he kept moving her hand away.But Prerna kept fighting and was able to make the temperature as cold and they both stood like that in the shower for a long time. She took his face in her hands.

“Rishab” and held his face in her hands.

Rishabh held her hands near his face “Woh 8 hours jab who dono OT main thi, Kukki aur Sneha ke saath saath aapka aur mera Rishta was at stake. That fear that fear of losing you all”

She grabbed him by his arms “Isi baat ka to gussa hain mujhe ek baar aur koshish to karte samjhane ki,nahin manti to daant lete chila lete aur phir karlete apni manmani waise bhi kiapne akele kyun suffer kiya and you are right main yeh decision nahin le sakti thi kabhi bhi nahin. but I wish I wish main us waqt strong ban pati aapke aur Kukki ke saath hoti aapke saath khadi ho pati. aakpo akele sab kuch kaise handle kiya hoga aapne kaise.”  And hugged him and Rishab hugged her back.

“Isse jyada dar mujhe zindagi main kabhi nahin laga. par Sneha ki jo halat thi mujme himmat nahin thi ladne ki aapko samjhane ki. mujhe laga jo hoga dekh lunga, bas Sneha aur kukki theek thak bahar aa jaye sab dekh lunga. Mujhe laga yeh mera decision hi hona tha, mere liye ek decision ki wajah se yeh sab kuch hua hain so.”

She broke the hug and looked straight at him “Aapke akele ka tha decision, wasn’t I a part of it.Apne proposal rakha tha maine mana in that way meri jyada galti hain. Nahin”

“Prerna?”

“What Prerna Please Stop punishing yourself. Hum yahan hote ya wahan yeh sab hota par Agar aap nahin hote to aaj Sneha nahin hoti mere pass who nahin hoti so please stop. Manti hoon aapne mujhe kuch dino ka dukh diya hain par aaj meri har Khushi aapse hain aapki wajah se hain. Sirf aapse. Aur dusri baat You are not alone anymore. Aap ab akele nahin hai main hoon, aaj ke baad kabhi aapka koi bhi decision aapka nain hoga hamara hoga. You will never do anything alone. Never. I will be there always. Ladke jhagad ke shayad be man se par hum saath lange“and Rishab nodded“Aur Aur Kukki meri beti hain suna aapne. Suna apne. AAj sun liya dobara agar aapne bola”

“AApki beti hain sirf aapki beti hain, aap hi ne to di hain mujhe, aapne hi ne to di hain mujhe” and he hugged her

“I missed you. I missed you so so much.”

“Maine miss nahin kiya aapko. Naraz aapne kiya tha aapko manana padega. Us din to bade shaan se Aapne bola tha aap mujhe mana lenge har baar har b…” And before she could finish MrBajaj kissed her as if saying to her “Sorry for not telling you about Kukki”but no words coming out

“for not saying this before” and he continued

“for taking so much time tosay this and I missed you I missed you so so much” and somehow after weeks they both felt like they could breathe that they were whole. But as much as Rishab wanted to continue stopped and was about to leave when Prerna hugged her from behind.

“Please don’t go please.”

“Prerna I don’t want tohurt you; you are not well, you are weak and.”

“You are my strength and y oucan never hurt me. I am fine, I am fine”

and that is all that he needed to hear.They freed each other from the wet clothes that they were wearing and Mr Bajaj picked her up not leaving her lips for a second. Prerna tied her legs around his waist and hands around his head and they moved to the room where they both drowned themselves into one another forgetting everything. No words were necessary between them. At first Rishab was restless, impatient, demanding but Prerna matched him at every point surrendering everything. She knew It was his way for holding onto something, forgetting his pain, making himself believe that she was there and would always be. She trusted him And just like that when Rishab realised that it became too much for her he slowed down making her feel loved, making her feel cherished and erasing any doubt that she ever had in her mind and then went on to marking each and every inch of hers as his and she let him because she was his with every fibre of her being she was his Prerna and he was her Rishab.

It was almost as if they came to a conclusion that they were done, they were done being apologetic for their choices for their circumstances for other people’s mistakes for other people’s opinions.

After some hours while they were lying next to each other and Mr Bajaj was telling Prerna about his talk with Kukki before the transplant.

“Meri beti bahut stronghai” Prerna

“Haan sirf aapki?” MrBajaj

“Hamari Rishab Hamari”Prerna and MRBajaj didn’t say anything and just looked at his eyes pleading and Prerna understood.

“Rishab Rishab Rishab” and she started trailing kisses on his face every time she said it

 But just then Mr Bajaj suddenly got up as he remembered something.

“Kaha?” Prerna

“One minute” Mr Bajaj

He went to get his  and took out a small jewellery box from it.

“Yeh?”

Rishab opened it and Prerna found his mother’s ring that she had been wearing for so many days. They had removed in hospital for some tests and she had given it to Rishab and in all the madness that followed she hadn’t worn it again.

“May I?” Prerna nodded with teary eyes.

Rishab took it and put it on her finger just like their wedding day. Prerna noticed that now it had two stones.

“Kukki and Sneha. Aap Kukki aur Sneha sab kuch hain mere.” And he wiped a tear “Prerna?”

“Mere baba kahte the jo apni marzi se na ho usme ishwar ki marzi hoti hain, hamari Khushi chupi hoti hain. It is destiny and you are mine Rishab” with tears in her eyes.

“Please aap phir se rona mat suru kijiye. Actually, acha hain mujhe manane ka mauka mil jayega”

“No Rishab chodiye” and with this they continued.

Rishab woke up in the early morning hours to find Prerna missing. She was sitting in the balcony floor having coffee and looking at rising sun. Rishab came from behind and sat next to her on the floor and engulfed her in his arms.

“Coffee? Maine Maa se baat ki thi Kukki aur Sneha theek hain. We can go around afternoon.” Prerna and MrBajaj nodded.

“Kukki has issued orders.She was missing us but uska reason tha ki akele main hum ek dusre ka murder na karde so bula lo.” And both started to laugh.

 “Can we do this every morning just 10 mins you and me and nobody else?” Prerna

“Yes, if the turn of events remains the same every night?” and smirked.

Prerna smiling turned her face away. Mr Bajaj tried to move her hair to one side of the neck and whispered into her ear

“Aap theek hain? Jyada hurt to nahin kiya maine aapko?” Prerna turned around and hugged him tightly andsaid

“Just do a shave, please.”While caressing his face and they started laughing and he touched her head to his and they sat like this drinking coffee and that is how this whole scenario became a ritual.

Chapter 10 - https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/5163074?pn=29#153393256