Chapters 1-3

Meera M

@journalgirl321

Hey everyone ! My name is Meera, and I am relatively new to posting on this forum. But I have been  watching YRHPK since episode 1 and I have been silently following this forum ever since then. Kunal and Kuhu's story has intrigued me from the very beginning, and like many other KuKu fans, I have been in a depressive state about the lack of development in their story. So, in case anyone is interested,I am writing a fanfiction based on how I would move forward with the story if I was one of the writers. Here it is! Let me know if it's cringey, stupid, and/or if you love it.

P.S. The title of the story is based off of the song by Lata Mangeshkar ji, written by RD Burman for the movie Sunny (1984). If KuKu ever had a theme song other than"Bekhudi", I would want it to be this song :)

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CHAPTER 1

(After returning from the mandir, the entire Rajvansh family is buzzing with excitement. Abir was to be wed to Mishti, and that was reason enough to celebrate. After a long evening of excited chatter, everyone trickled upstairs to their respective rooms, retiring for the night.)

Kunal threw the doors to his room open, and strode in. "Kuhu! Arey Kuhu, kahan ho tum?"

Kuhu walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. "Chilla kyun rahe ho tum?"

Kunal walks over to Kuhu, beaming. He grabs her by the arms in excitement and exclaims,"Dekho! Maine kaha tha na! Mishti aur Abir bhai ki shaadi hokar hi rahega! Kuhu, I'm so excited. Finally bhai ko apna pyaar mil hi gaya!"

He guides her over to the edge of the bed and sits her down. "Kuhu, panditji ne abhi kaha tha ki shaadi ka muharat Feb 15th ka hoga. We don't have a lot of time. Tumhe abhi se planning shuru karna padega. I know it'll be a lot of work, but hum saath milkar kaam karenge. It'll be a ton of fun!"

Kuhu's eyes widened slightly. February 15th. That was the exact date of their final day together.How did Kunal not remember?

"Kunal, Feb 15th to..."

"Haan Kuhu, I know ki bohot jaldi hai, lekin kya karein, hum sab ne itni der kardi un dono ki shaadi karne mein, so we owe it to them," Kunal said with vigor and enthusiasm. He got up from the bed and walked to his laptop. "I'm cancelling all of my meetings for that day. I wouldn't miss the wedding for the world."

Kuhu opened her mouth to complete her sentence, but Kunal was already engrossed in his laptop.She angrily got up from the bed and marched over to the closet. She moved the clothes aside and stared resentfully at the calendar with the 15th circled with a giant red marker. A million thoughts flew through her head. How could Kunal just forget about the most important, pivotal day of their life together? Was he really that apathetic?

"Kunal, tumhe sach mein yaad nahi hai ki Feb 15th par konsa important event hai?"

Kunal looked up from his laptop, bewildered. He wracked his mind, trying to think of something, but he just couldn't.

"Nahin to?Nothing is happening on Feb 15th."

"Are you sure, Kunal? Acche se socho" Kuhu snapped.

"Arey baba, kuch nahin hai Feb 15th par. You must be mistaken." Saying this, Kunal shook his head and chuckled. He closed his laptop and left the room.

Kuhu's face flushed pink with anger as she balled up her fists. She was so done. She was so donebeing the only person that gave a damn about their relationship. She stared at herself in the mirror, eyes pooling with tears of anger and sadness, lips trembling.The dreams she had seen for herself crumbled to ash, and old wounds opened up, leaving her vulnerable, alone, and scared. She was back to square one, where everything, at any given time, was about Mishti. Her relationship problems were because of Kunal's mother wanting revenge on Mishti. Her brother, whom she respected and loved the most, left for London brokenhearted and shattered because of Mishti. Her family, whom she treasured, only found true happiness in Mishti's happiness, not hers. And now, even when she was alone with her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Mishti was the only thing he could talk about.

That night, Kuhu decided. She was done being second best. She was done being the shadow. She was done being at the mercy of everyone else besides herself. She was done pitying herself.

CHAPTER 2

(fast forward to one day before the wedding)

As the sun rose upon the Rajvansh household, it was another eventful day . The house was bustling, as the wonderful smells of breakfast permeated the air, vivacious chatter between Ketki and Maami ji about what they were wearing to the haldi echoed in the house, and Meenakshi and Kunal discussed logistics. Meanwhile, Kuhu was at the Maheshwari house, directing caterers, ordering around staff, and helping put up decor. Everyone is talking excitedly, hovering around Mishti. Varsha looked around to find Kuhu and walked over to her.

"Kuhu? Tum itna kaam kyun kar rahe ho? Aao, tum bhi Mishti ke saath ready ho jao," Varsha said gently.

"Arey mumma, aapko dikhai nahi de rahi hai? Yeh decorators ko meri direction ki zaroorat hai. Aur mujhe aur bhi bahot saare kaam hai. Aap jaiye, main ready ho jaungi thodi der mein." Saying this, Kuhu waves away Varsha.

"Kuhu, tumhe lagta hai ki main tumhara dard nahi dekh sakti? Maa hon main teri. Sab dekh sakti hoon," Varsha said concernedly.

"Kaunsa dard? Kaisa dard? I'm fine Mumma. #Don'tOverthinkIt," Kuhu said in a strained, but reassuring tone.

"Don't overthink it? Meri beti, jo chatterbox raha karti thi, vo aaj chup chaap khadi hain. Kisi se baat bhi nahi kar rahi hain. Main bohot worried hoon tumhare liye beta," Varsha said anxiously.

Jasmeet walks over, overhearing the conversation. "Bhabhi, yeh sab na, uss mooh boli ki vajah se hai. Agar vo nahi hoti, to shayad hamari Kuhu khush rehti."

Kuhu was quick to reply. "Aise mat boliye, chachi ji. Isme Mishti ki galti nahin hai. And trust me, I'm fine." Saying this, she went back to rearranging the flowers.

Kuhu was, in fact, not fine. She had spent the entire previous night tossing and turning on the sofa, and had spent half of that night in the bathroom suppressing her sobs so as to not wake anyone. She was depressed, but she wouldn't let anyone see that side of her. Today, everyone would see strong Kuhu. Resilient Kuhu. A Kuhu that is giving, a Kuhu that is nothing but loving. Today, Kuhu was determined to be selfless on one of the happiest days of her sister's life. She refused to be branded as the just "the jealous sister", because it was so much more than that. Anyway, all of it was about to end soon, wasn't it? Kuhu would leave, and never have to face any of her family again.

After the haldi, Kuhu was cleaning up when she heard a voice behind her.

"Kuhu, ghar chalein?" Kunal stood behind Kuhu with a small smile on his face.

Kuhu carelessly glanced in his direction and replied, "Nahin. Mujhe bohot kaam hai. Tum ghar jao, mujhe kal ki preparations karni hai." She was about to pull down some flowers from the wall when she immediately felt dizzy. She stumbled, and a pair of strong, firm hands grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back up. She looked into Kunal's eyes, and for the first time, really saw them. They were pools of light brown, hazy sunlight. She saw her reflection through them and caught a glimpse of something... was it regret, perhaps?

Kuhu shook her head and steadied herself. "No, Kuhu. Not now. Don't make this harder for yourself," she thought.

Kunal shook his head. "Kuhu, tumne subah se kuch khaya?"

Kuhu hesitated, then shook her head no. Kunal looked at her with concern.

"Ruko, main tumhare liye kuch lekar aata hoon," Kunal said anxiously.

"Nahin. Koi zarurat nahin hai. I can take care of myself just fine, Kunal," Kuhu snapped.

"Oh really? Is that why you were on an empty stomach? Pura din? Seriously Kuhu, had hai yaar," Kunal turned around to get her something to eat when he felt a hand pull him back.

"Maine kaha tha na. I don't want your damn help. Apne help apne paas hi rakhna," Kuhu said rudely. She walked past him, away from his sight.

Kunal felt confused.What had he done to warrant such rude behavior from her? Had he unknowingly said or done something offensive? He shook it off and attributed it to pre-wedding nerves. Denial. The best form of therapy.

On her way upstairs, Mishti stopped Kuhu. "Kuhu, thank you so much yaar. Everything looks amazing. Tumne bohot mehnat ki hai, uske liye I owe you," Mishti said cheerfully.

Kuhu gave Mishti a look that Mishti couldn't comprehend. Was it pain? Was it loathing? Or was it just sadness?

"Parivaar mein no sorry, no thank you. Tum apne fairytale jiyo, main apna kaam karungi. Tumhe mujhe thanks kehne ki zarurat nahin hai," Kuhu said, and began walking up the stairs.

"Kuhu?"Mishti stopped Kuhu again.

"Kya hai?", Kuhu said irritatedly.

"Tum theek to ho na? Matlab sab theek hai na?" Mishti said concernedly. "Main janti hoon ki jab main tumhari jethani ban kar aa jaungi, to shayad tumhare liye thoda ajeeb hoga. But I promise, I won't get in your way. I won't interfere in your life," Mishti reassured Kuhu.

"I'm fine Mishti. And anyway, tujhe hamare rishtey ke baare mein fikar karne ki koi zarurat nahin hai," Kuhu waved her hand dismissively. "Waise bhi, main kahan uss ghar mein rehene vali hoon," she muttered quietly under her breath.

"Kuch kaha tumne?" Mishti asked

"Nahi. Tum jao, sab tumhara wait kar rahe hain. #SabKiFavoriteCelebrityBeti." Kuhu turned around and climbed the stairs, trying to hide her face before tears came spilling down her cheeks.

CHAPTER 3

It was the day of the wedding. The previous night, after everyone had slept off, Kuhu had brought her suitcase out from underneath the sofa and had started quietly packing it.In the morning, she hid it again, so that she wouldn't have to explain it to anyone.To Kuhu's despair, Kunal still did not remember that today was her last day in the Rajvansh family. But she was not in any mind to remind him. After all, if he didn't care about her staying or not staying, then why should she care to tell him?

Kunal was awake early. He went out on a jog to clear his head early in the morning before the wedding in the evening. As he jogged through the cool morning mist in the park, something struck him. February 15th. It was an oddly familiar date, but not because of the wedding. What that was, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Kunal's mind wandered away from the topic and he began thinking about the past week's events. The mehendi. The haldi. The grandeur. The festivities. It brought him back to his own wedding with Kuhu. A bashful smile spread across his face as he thought of Kuhu. Kuhu. His lovely, drop-dead gorgeous, sweet wife. Whenever she walked past him, he could smell flowers and springtime, with just a hint of cinnamon. Whenever she talked to him, his eyes would lock with hers and he would get lost. Whenever she laughed, he would smile listening to the musical tinkling in her laughter.

His smile, however, quickly soured as he thought about the past week. She had not been herself at all. She would barely talk to him, avoid him at all cost, wouldn't make eye contact with him, and dismiss him every time he approached her. Come to think of it, Kunal couldn't even remember if she laughed, let alone smiled even once in the past week. What could be the problem? What had happened to her?

He stopped to drink water. As he splashed his face with water, it hit him. His mind flashed back to the calendar in the closet. February 15th. That's why that date was so familiar. It was her last day as his wife. A wave of panic hit him. He had completely forgotten. How could he have been this careless? Is that why she had been so irritable the whole week?

Kunal sat down, unable to process what he had just remembered. Today was her last day as his wife. Her last day in his house. Her last day in his life.

Kunal sprinted home, but to his despair, Kuhu had already left for the wedding venue to set up. He showered and got dressed, and was ready to leave for the venue, but Mami ji stopped him and asked him to help with the gift bags, as they had not been fully packed. Unable to refuse, he was stuck at home, while each precious minute of the day drifted by. Would he be able to reach Kuhu in time? And if so, what would he say to her? What would he ask her to do?

TO BE CONTINUED... hopefully. Only if you guys really like it.