Chapter 13

4 years ago

Meera M

@journalgirl321

Chapter 13

Kuhu looked at her brother despairingly. She walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, massaging her temples. 

“I don’t know. I really don’t know,” Kuhu said after a very pregnant pause, rather frustratedly. 

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Nishant snapped, hovering over Kuhu. “Mujhe laga ki shayad tumhe space ki zaroorat thi, isiliye maine jhoot bola tha. Lekin—“

“I know. And I’m sorry,” Kuhu said, taking his hands in hers. “But aap ek baar meri baat suno na.”

Nishant sighed resignedly, and lowered himself on edge of the bed next to her. Kuhu took a deep breath. 

“Look, I know, aap ko bura laga. Lekin yeh sab jo kuch bhi ho raha hai, mere liye bohot hi confusing hai. #MajorConfusion. Aur main koi bhi decision jaldbaazi mein nahi lena chahti. Par…” Kuhu trailed off, not knowing what to say. 

“Dekh Kuhu. It’s not about my feeling bad, it’s about you having the freedom to make a decision without any pressure. Aur agar Kunal yahan rahega, toh shayad—“

“My judgement could be clouded,” Kuhu finished for him. “I know. Lekin Nanchak, Kunal’s changed. Main dekh sakti hoon. Tumhe pata hai? Kal raat, hum dono ne kulfi khayi. Woh bhi roadside pe! Aur pata nahi, lekin uss waqt mujhe sach mein laga ki… I don’t know… ki shayad kuch hai hamare beech. Aur kal raat aapko pata hai usne kya bola? Usne bola ki mein uske liye bohot kuch lagti hoon. That I’m… important to him, I mean a lot to him. That has to mean something, right?” Kuhu rambled excitedly. 

Nishant looked at his little sister concernedly and squeezed her hands tightly. “Kuhu, I think ki tumhe sochna chahiye ki tum life se kya chahti ho. Think hard about it. Agar Kunal ke saath rahogi toh… you might spend the rest of your life in uncertainty; ek aisi zindagi jahan kuch bhi guaranteed nahi hai. Uska pyaar bhi nahi,” Nishant said gravely. 

Kuhu looked down at her feet. “Nanchak, is anything really ever guaranteed in life?”

Nishant got up and walked over to the balcony, gazing outside. “Ab, yeh toh pata nahi hai mujhe. But I know this for sure: If you leave him, you could come with me and start afresh in London. No regrets, no looking back. And I can guarantee you that I’ll always be there for you.”

Kuhu sat in a pensive state, unconsciously twisting and turning her engagement ring, her knee bouncing up and down rapidly. 

“At least tell me you’ll think about it, Kuhu,” Nishant said turning to look at her. 

Kuhu cleared her throat. “Um… yeah. Main sochungi.”

Nishant smiled. He walked to her and cupped her cheek. “You know I love you, right? And I want the best for you.”

Kuhu looked up him, a shadow of a small smile on her face. “Yeah. I know.”

Nishant chuckled and tousled her curls. “Good.” 

Kunal was about to make his way up the stairs to Kuhu’s room, when his phone rang. 

“Bol Ketu.”

“Bhai, woh actually, I forgot to tell you. Aaj raat, ek chhoti si party hai, Pramukh Desai ke ghar par. I know that parties aren’t really your scene, but I thought that it’d be a good opportunity to try to persuade him on partnering on the summer festival,” Ketki said, matter of factly. Ketki had joined the business shortly after Kuhu had gotten shot, so as to distract herself from everything that was going on, and help her father and her brother. She discovered an intense passion for business, much like her Kunal Bhai’s passion, and had been relentlessly working since then.

“Arey yaar, main toh bhool hi gaya tha party ke baare mein,” Kunal groaned. Pramukh Desai was quite a piece of work; arrogant, flamboyant, a bit too flirtatious for a man his age, and an extremely stubborn negotiator. But he had a lot of connections with contractors in Bhuj, and Kunal wasn’t willing to let that opportunity go, especially when he had an invitation to his house. 

“Bhai, agar aap jaana nahi chahte, toh it’s okay, main akeli bhi jaa sakti hoon.”

“No no, nonsense,” Kunal sighed. “I’ll be there.”

“Bhai, main soch rahi thi ki maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring bhabz along? She knows how to work a crowd, and she’s an excellent people person,” Ketki asked. 

Kunal pondered. It wasn’t a horrible idea. Plus, it would get Kuhu out of the house. But would she agree?

“Theek hai, I’ll ask her. Par pata nahi ki woh maanegi ya nahi,” Kunal said. 

“Great! Toh main aapko wahin milungi, at around 7 o’clock.”

“Sure. Bye,” Kunal said, hanging up. He glanced upstairs. Somehow, he’d have to convince Kuhu to attend the party with him. 

Kuhu was busy on her laptop when Kunal entered the room. “Kuhu! Tumse kuch poochna tha.”

Kuhu looked up. “Kya?”

“Woh… aaj raat ek party hai, kisi business associate ke ghar par. I was wondering if you’d…” Kunal trailed off, hesitant to ask her.

“If I’d what?” Kuhu looked at him confusedly.

“If you’d like to come with me,” Kunal blurted out hastily. 

Kuhu was surprised. He wanted her to go to a business party with him? 

“Kunal… main wahan jaa kar kya karungi?” Kuhu asked, unsure of why he was asking her to accompany him. 

“I just thought that it might be a good opportunity for you to get out of the house after so long. Aur waise bhi, you like parties, no?”

“Kunal, I like parties, but not business parties,” Kuhu groaned, shutting off her computer. 

Kunal walked to her bedside and sat next to her. “Please? Mere liye? I promise, we’ll leave right when you get bored or tired.”

Kuhu looked intently at him. There was a flicker of hope in his eyes and his tone was genuine.  

“Fine,” Kuhu relented. “I’ll find something to wear.”

Kunal beamed at her. There was still a chance for them to work. 

What do y’all think will happen at the party?? Leave your comments!