AryLie OS ~ Boyfriend

Boyfriend

“Imlie, will you please, for once, listen to me?” Aditya Kumar Tripathi said as he followed Imlie to her desk in the Bhaskar Times’ office.

“I said, I'm not interested! What part of no can you not understand?” Imlie snapped, her voice going a couple notches higher resulting in sudden silence in the office. Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice, and suddenly, they were the centre of attention. Aditya looked taken aback at Imlie’s outburst while she glared at him, her eyes blazing with fury. Aditya had been chasing her for the past one week, literally begging her for a chance to listen to him but Imlie was not interested. She had given him one whole year of her life – one whole year of dancing to his tunes, catering to his whims, pushing her dreams and aspirations to the backseat just so she could make him happy. At merely 18, she had made him the centre of her universe just because he was her husband. But naive that she was, she hadn’t realised that for any relationship to work, both parties needed to have a 50-50 share in it.

Whispers erupted around them as speculation ran rife about what had transpired. Though, given everyone knew that senior journalist, Aditya Kumar Tripathi, and the new BT intern, Imlie from Pagdandiya, had only recently divorced, it wouldn’t take a genius to know what exactly the commotion could have been about. But before the whispers could reach a crescendo, another voice crushed them into silence.

“What’s going on here? Back to work, everybody!” Aryan Singh Rathore's crisp voice sent everyone scurrying back to their desks. Imlie stood rooted to the spot in embarrassment, not knowing where to look while Aditya seemed bored.

“Imlie, are you okay?” asked Aryan.

“I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have created a scene,” Imlie replied, her voice barely audible, timid.

“You're sorry?” Aryan asked incredulous. “If anyone here should be ashamed, it is Mr. Tripathi, for putting you in such a situation.”

Aditya spoke up at that, “Mr. Rathore, sir, I'm talking to my ex-wife here and you're no one to interfere in our matters.”

Aryan didn’t miss the way Aditya enunciated his words, but he wasn’t someone to be easily provoked. The man was an idiot. Until a week ago, Mr. Tripathi and his wife had let no opportunity slide to refer to him as Imlie’s boyfriend. Now, since Imlie and Aryan had brought out the real face of his manipulative wife before the family, he was back to chasing Imlie, his ex-wife, for a second chance.

“Ex-wife, Mr. Tripathi,” Aryan reminded him coolly, emphasizing the word ex. Right now, you're misbehaving with my employee, in my office. Consider this my first and last warning. If I see you misbehaving with any of my employees one more time, I'll have HR preparing your relieving letter before you even know what hit you.”

Aryan swiftly turned to leave, then paused and turned back to Aditya saying, “Oh, and Mr. Tripathi, if you want to talk to your ex-wife, you better take it elsewhere – if she agrees.”

With that, he was gone, leaving a fuming Aditya behind, who vowed to take the conversation someplace where Aryan would definitely not be able to interfere. But he’d have to figure out a way to get Imlie to agree first.

Imlie sat back at her desk cursing the mess that was her life right now.

***

There was a knock on his cabin door as Aryan wrapped up the last virtual meeting of the day and turned off his laptop.

“Come in,” he called, picking up his phone and skimming through his schedule for the next day.

Imlie walked in just as Aryan looked up from his phone.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Um, I... uh...”

Aryan raised a brow at her inability to form a sentence today, where usually she could chatter non-stop. He knew from experience; her faltering and hesitation was never a good sign.

“Imlie?”

“Huh?”

“I asked, are you ready to leave for home?” he clarified as he got up from his chair.

“I need to stop by at the Tripathi house so I'll be late. You go ahead,” Imlie answered, thinking back to the phone call she had received from her ex-mother-in-law.

“All okay?” Aryan asked, pocketing his phone.

Imlie took a deep breath before speaking. “Aparna maa... wants... wants me to give Mr. Tripathi a chance,” she finished, not meeting his eye.

“Imlie? Look at me,” he urged, walking up to where she stood.

She looked up, hesitating to meet his eyes, afraid of the disappointment she would find in them. All through her divorce with Aditya and after, despite being a stranger, Aryan had stood by her side like a rock. Every time she had tried to give up and crumble, from the first time that Aditya had mentioned divorce, she had found Aryan beside her – he had been a stranger to her, her boss and mentor, but had gone on to become a confidant and friend.

“No one, and I repeat, no one but you have the right to decide that. Do you understand?” he asked, placing his hands on her arms.

She nodded, “She wants me to just listen to him once, if nothing else.”

“And you do not want to refuse her word,” he stated the obvious, amazing her at how well he could read her.

“Imlie, relationships succeed or fail due to the people in it, not the ones around. Just keep that in mind,” he said simply, without pressurizing her to drop her plan. Given the number of times he had seen her fall weak and break when it came to that family, she was surprised he didn’t prevent her from visiting them outright.

She nodded. Any further conversation was cut short by a knock at Aryan’s cabin door. He turned just as the editor of Bhaskar Times, Mr. Khurana, walked in.

“Aryan, I just heard from Mr. Karan Kulkarni’s office. He is finally willing to meet you to discuss our takeover offer for his daily. He’s invited you to a business dinner today evening, in two hours,” Mr. Khurana said, looking at his watch.

“That is short notice. I have other engagements today,” Aryan replied.

“Should I ask your assistant to check if they can be rescheduled?” Mr. Khurana asked enthusiastically.

“Personal engagements, Mr. Khurana,” Aryan replied to the editor’s disappointment.

“Alright, I'll let them know and see if he's willing to reschedule to a later date,” Mr. Khurana said and took his leave.

“I should get going,” Imlie said.

“I'll drop you,” Aryan said, picking up his car keys from his desk.

“But, you just said you're busy?” Imlie asked confused.

“Let’s go,” he said, ignoring the question.

***

The ride from the Bhaskar Times office to the Tripathi house was a quiet one. Imlie sat in silence staring out the window while Aryan drove through the Delhi evening traffic. He wasn't used to seeing her quiet given the chatterbox she was. But the incident with Mr. Tripathi in the office today seemed to have left her vexed. The man was a moron and his mother wasn’t helping. Despite knowing what a jerk he had been to Imlie, never trusting her and always subjecting her to ridicule, questioning her professional growth and casting constant aspersions on her character, his mother still wanted Imlie to give him a chance.

Though, it wasn't a surprise given that all the family cared about was their precious son and his wishes, while Imlie did his bidding – anything and everything Aditya did or needed, the answer was Imlie. The Tripathis didn't need a wife for their 35- year old son, they needed a damn babysitter. The Tripathis were a thankless bunch capable of driving a person to the brink of insanity. And given that emotional manipulation was their forte, he knew that that this meeting was going to be a tough one for Imlie. While this wasn’t his battle to fight, there was also no way he was going to let Imlie walk into this alone. He pulled the car to a halt before the Tripathi house. Imlie still sat lost in thoughts.

“Imlie?”

“Huh?”

“We’re here.”

Imlie pushed back her hair with both her hands, holding her head for a few seconds, and took a deep breath.

“Thanks,” she said unlocking the door and stepping out of the car. “ABP, you’re... coming in too?” she asked as Aryan also stepped out of the car.

“No, I've got a few calls to make. I'll wait here till you're done and then we can head home,” he replied.

Imlie braced herself and headed towards the house. However, from the opposite direction, he saw Aditya stalking towards the house with Malini chasing him, screaming her lungs out.

Oh, here we go again, thought Aryan.

***

“Aditya! Aditya, will you please listen to me?” Imlie watched Malini call out as she tried to match her husband’s pace as he headed towards the Tripathi house.

Aditya spun around, exasperated, “Malini, we’re done! It's over. Kindly go back home and take care of yourself and the baby.”

“But you've got to listen to me, Aditya!” She pleaded, trying to keep up with him as he started walking again.

“Go home, Malini. Imlie will be here any minute and I want to talk to her alone,” he replied, ignoring her pleas.

Imlie wasn’t surprised at this behavior of his. With Aditya, everything and everyone became secondary. It was always only his thoughts, his feelings, his wishes and his desires, that took precedence over everything else. Judging by the tense atmosphere, she knew this showdown would continue for a while. So, she decided to wait there in silence until one of the two noticed her.

“Imlie, Imlie, Imlie!” Malini screamed in agitation. “Aren’t you sick of repeating the same thing? And what makes you think Imlie will be here alone?”

“Malini, enough! I've listened to your nonsense more than necessary and I regret not trusting Imlie because of you,” Aditya snapped in response, coming to a stop beside her.

“Oh, and you trust her now?” She sneered.

“Yes. She’s coming here, and this time, I don't want you to create any misunderstandings. So please, leave,” Aditya said, his anger seeping into his words.

“Heights of delusion! She’s moved on with that boyfriend of hers, why don't you accept it? What makes you think she will now come back to you, Aditya?” Malini clenched her teeth, “In fact, I won’t be surprised if she walks in here, hand-in-hand with him.”

“Aryan is not Imlie’s boyfriend,” Aditya snarled.

“Because you say so?” Malini scoffed back.

“Because, I know her — Imlie?” Aditya stopped short as his gaze fell on Imlie, standing near the steps to the Tripathi house.

There was a time when Imlie had craved to hear those words from him, begged him even. But today, those words did not bring her any joy. Today, those words meant nothing. They did not even act as a salve to the wounds of her bruised heart.

“Imlie, thank you so much for coming!” Aditya said, stepping closer to her and reaching out for her hands.

Imlie jerked them away.

“Ah, Imlie dearest is here!” Malini sneered at Imlie. “Let’s see now if Imlie dearest forgives Aditya and turns his life into sunshine and rainbows or dumps him without a thought.”

Imlie responded to her insolence with controlled patience, “Malini didi, I am not here to argue with you. Either you wait there quietly while we talk, or you go your way and leave us alone.”

“To hell with both of you!” she cursed, and turning on her heels, stalked out of there.

“You wanted to talk, I'm listening,” Imlie told Aditya quietly.

“Okay, okay, fine. Let’s go inside the house,” he said, offering her his hand.

“I’m good here,” Imlie said, crossing her arms.

“Okay...” he said, not pushing her further. “Imlie, thank you so much for coming. Finally, we can talk without Aryan’s interference.”

Imlie raised a brow.

“Imlie, I am really sorry for everything that has happened between us,” Aditya began. “You have no idea how much it hurt me each time I thought of you and Aryan together, but I'm glad it was all a mistake. Honestly, I never wanted to believe it but Malini always presented the situation in such a way that I was compelled to believe it.”

Imlie decided she would not intervene till he was done, so she stood quietly as he continued.

“But now, I'm glad it’s all over. Neither Malini nor Aryan can manipulate us anymore. Imlie, I really love you and want you back in my life,” he pleaded.

“Please, Imlie, say you forgive me. I can’t wait for us to start our lives together,” he said, folding his hands before her for emphasis.

“Forgive you because you were hurt, forgive you because it was a mistake, forgive you because you were manipulated?” Imlie asked.

He nodded.

“Sure, okay,” she shrugged.

Aditya hadn’t expected it to be this easy. But he wasn’t going to spend time overanalysing it if she had agreed so easily. “I knew it! I knew you would forgive me because you still love me, always have, always will!” The excitement dancing in his eyes made Imlie’s heart sink to her stomach. She braced herself for what she knew was coming next.

“Oh, Imlie, I can’t wait for everyone to know that we’re getting back together!” he exclaimed, reaching out for her hands, once again.

“But I didn’t say that,” Imlie said, puncturing his excitement.

“But, didn’t you say you forgive me?” he asked, confused.

“And how does that mean we are getting back together?” Imlie retorted.

“But if you can forgive me, why can’t you give me another chance?” Aditya tried to reason.

Imlie heaved a deep sigh. This was going to be a difficult conversation and she needed to gather all her strength if she wanted to stand tall in this discussion. She couldn’t afford to be swayed by his puppy eyes or charmed by his words like all those times in the past. She braced herself and looked up. Her eyes fell on Aryan who stood on the opposite side, leaning across his car speaking into the phone. As she stared at him, he looked up, as if sensing her gaze on him. Their eyes met for a brief moment and he nodded. She returned the gesture with a small smile, grateful for his silent strength by her side. She had started doing this a lot lately. Whenever she felt like she was falling back in a particular situation, it was either his words, or his quiet presence, that gave her the strength she needed to keep moving ahead.

Pulling herself to focus on the situation at hand, she replied, “I will forgive you only so that you stop following me around in the name of seeking forgiveness. I may forgive you for the sake of the few moments we shared in the past one year, but that doesn’t mean I can forget the wounds your words have inflicted on my heart through the year, and after I walked out on your abusive ways.”

“Give me one chance, Imlie. Let me right all the wrongs we’ve had to face,” Aditya said, refusing to give in easily.

“When asking for another chance, do you even realise that you are still married to Malini didi, however wrong she may be?” Imlie asked, trying to make him see sense.

“It’s over between Malini and me,” he argued.

“That’s not the point! She is still your legally wedded wife! How can you start chasing someone else at the first sign of trouble in your relationship?” Imlie asked, furious at this obstinacy.

“What relationship? She used me, manipulated me! Just like Aryan is manipulating you now,” he retorted, once again, doing what he was good at – conveniently pinning the blame of his failures on others’ shoulders.

“Let me correct that for you – you chose to listen to her, you chose to believe her, and you chose to spew all that vitriol at me,” Imlie said, her eyes blazing with fury. “You’re asking for another chance, but you're not even genuinely remorseful about your actions. Everything is either Aryan or Malini's fault. And you think that absolves you of everything?”

“But – ”

“You and I are done!”

“Imlie... You love me and my family!” Aditya tried throwing in the family card as a last-ditch attempt.

“Yes, I love your family, unconditionally, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten the way your silence shattered my heart each time that I had to put up with their untoward behaviour before I received their acceptance as your wife,” Imlie replied, her temper reigned in on a fine thread of patience. “I haven’t forgotten the days you made me feel like I was an unwanted burden, an annoying pest. I haven’t forgotten the nights I spent alone in that corner of the house thinking where I had gone wrong, and wondering if I would ever be accepted as your wife. I haven’t forgotten the times you made me feel how I would never be good enough for you because I wasn’t city-born and educated.”

Aditya stared at her stunned, shocked into silence for never having been on the receiving end of her ire. He’d often seen Imlie fume on others. But when it came to him, she had always maintained a respectable stance in all their interactions.

“Each passing day with you diminished my self-worth but I ignored it. I ignored it because I kept making excuses for your behaviour as this marriage was forced upon you, and attributed your actions to anger and disappointment. But you, never ever did you accept that I was as much a victim in this marriage of force as you. And yet, despite your brute ways, I continued making excuses for you and was even fool enough to fall in love with you. Yet, that hardly changed anything between us. Till finally, I could not take it any longer,” Imlie said on a rush, wanting to let out all the pent-up frustration that she had bottled within her for over a year.

“Don’t you miss me, Imlie? Don’t you miss us?” Aditya asked, appealing to her emotional side.

“I do not. Nor do I regret walking out one bit. Rather, I’m glad I managed to escape the toxicity that was our relationship. But it wasn’t easy, and I would have kept sinking deeper into the abyss of despair had I not met Aryan after I walked out of your house. Because it was Aryan who made me see that my self-worth was not dependent on how some ex treated me. It was Aryan who made me see that I was much more than a failed relationship. It was Aryan who made me see that I was capable of achieving anything that I put my mind to. He was the one who reintroduced me to my old self, my real self,” Imlie finished, looking up to where Aryan stood.

The admiration and gratitude that Aditya saw in Imlie’s eyes enraged him, “Can't you see, Imlie, he’s using you to agitate me?” He screamed, furious.

“He’s using me?” Imlie snapped back at Aditya, gritting her teeth to keep her temper in check. “Until a week ago you kept saying that I've used him to jump up in my career. Can you at least decide which is it?”

Aditya was left gaping by her words, “You’re willing to call yourself a gold-digger for that man?”

“Your words, not mine,” Imlie shrugged.

“If by saying this, you’re trying to prove that that man really means something to you, I’m not convinced,” Aditya mocked.

“Suit yourself,” Imlie shrugged and moved to walk towards Aryan’s car.

“Imlie, wait!” Aditya called out after her but she didn’t stop.

He followed her to where she now stood beside Aryan who was still busy on the phone.

“Wait, we’re not done,” Aditya said.

“For me, this conversation is long done,” Imlie said, and then did something that Aditya had only ever thought Imlie capable of doing in his imagination. She reached out and held Aryan’s hand, intertwining her fingers with his. As Aditya looked on, Aryan didn’t so much as flinch as if holding hands was the most natural thing for them to do. “Now, if you will excuse us, my boyfriend and I have a family dinner to attend. Kakima is waiting for us at home.”

Aditya stared at them, dumbfounded. He saw Aryan give her hand a gentle squeeze and nodded, as if to indicate that his phone call was almost done, as he continued speaking into the phone.

“Imlie?” Aditya asked shocked.

“Yes, Mr. Tripathi?” she replied.

That felt like another blow to Aditya. She had started talking just like Aryan. She’d gone from addressing him as Babusaheb – a moniker that held so much respect; a title that held her love, care, and concern, her name for him that she had continued to use even after their divorce – to then addressing her as Aditya sir. It had irked him but it still held some modicum of respect. However now, with Mr. Tripathi, she had effectively turned him into any other stranger.

“You're doing this on purpose,” he challenged.

“Doing what?” She asked coolly.

“Putting on a show to make me jealous,” he replied, sulking.

“Oh, cut it, Mr. Tripathi! The world doesn’t revolve around you,” Imlie replied, refusing to take the bait.

“Because it does around Mr. Rathore?” Aditya snapped back. He was at the end of his tether after having tried every possible way to convince Imlie and yet not seeing her budge.

“Didn’t you say Aryan was my boyfriend? That I’d chosen him for his riches? So, why the shocked indignance now? What makes you think I'll leave all that now?” Imlie replied coolly, looking bored.

“You can’t be serious! Imlie, you were the one who believed that a person falls in love only once in their lifetime. Love once, marry once, die once. Wasn’t that your mantra?” Aditya finally said, using that one trump card that he knew would definitely work with Imlie.

Imlie, however, came back with an unexpected retort, once again, much to Aditya’s annoyance, “A person can be wrong about their beliefs.”

“Unbelievable!” he fumed. “I do not recognize this version of you anymore. You have changed, Imlie.”

“For the better,” she replied, aggravating him further.

Aditya stared at her. Imlie met his stare with equal intensity, refusing to be intimidated.

“Imlie? Are we ready to leave?” Aryan’s voice shattered the tense moment.

“Yes, I'm done here,” she replied. “Good bye, Mr. Tripathi. Wish you and your wife all the best in life.”

With that, Imlie and Aryan walked hand-in-hand to his car, leaving a furious Aditya in their wake.

***

Aryan and Imlie sat in silence through the ride, lost in their respective thoughts, as Aryan drove towards the Rathore mansion, through the late evening traffic. On one hand, while Imlie felt a sense of freedom having ended things with Aditya once and for all; on the other, she was baffled by Aryan’s silence. Her triumph today felt incomplete if she couldn’t share it with Aryan. He hadn’t reacted before Aditya, but he hadn’t said anything even during the ride. Their car had now entered the private stretch of road, lined with trees on either side, that led up to the Rathore mansion. The few minutes that they spent on this stretch every day while on their work to and back from office, were always her favourite for the quiet serenity they held. But today, she felt restless. She wondered if she had gone too far by announcing Aryan as her boyfriend, essentially using him to aid her cause.

“ABP?” she called out cautiously.

“Imlie?” he replied in a similar tone.

“Are you okay?” she carefully asked.

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?” he asked in return.

“Aren’t you mad at me?” she responded with another question.

“Should I be?” Aryan continued in the same vein.

“Ouf!” Imlie huffed. “Why do you have to respond to a question with another question?”

“Could it be because your questions aren’t clear enough?” he tossed back.

“I mean, are you mad at me because I just called you my... my... boyfriend?” Imlie asked cautiously.

To Imlie’s relief, his response was swift, without any hint of disappointment, or expectation, “C'mon, Imlie! I know you played Mr. Tripathi with that one just the way I’d played the office staff by announcing us as lovers, and our impending marriage, after Mr. Tripathi had tried to publicly shame you by publishing that vile obituary about your relationship.”

And just like that, he left her stunned, once again.

“My announcement had put an end to all office gossip, and you're expecting the same outcome with Mr. Tripathi. You just want him to leave you alone. Though I must say, you're learning fast!” he finished on a teasing note, yet the admiration was evident in his tone.

Imlie was overjoyed to realise she hadn’t done anything to jeopardize the beauty of their relationship. In the short time of their acquaintance, Aryan had carved a special place in her life and she could not ever afford to lose him due to any of her silly shenanigans.

“I learnt it from the best!” she replied, grinning.

“So long as you're learning!” he responded, his expression smug.

They settled into comfortable silence for the next few minutes before Imlie again broke the silence, “You know, I didn’t want to bring out the true face of Malini didi before everyone to prove how bad Malini didi is. I wanted to do it to —”

“To prove that you weren't the one who had wronged Mr. Tripathi or his wife,” Aryan completed her sentence.

“Yes. My intention was not to separate them – though I knew that was likely to happen. But at no point did I harbor any hopes of reconciling with him as a result. But I had underestimated his insistence. That’s why —”

“You had to put on this charade to show that you've truly moved on,” he finished, once again.

Imlie was amazed at how well Aryan understood her every single time, despite having met her barely a few months ago; while the man who had known her for more than a year, been married to her, was so gullible, and clueless about her.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he snapped, bringing her out of her reverie.

She shook her head, “I am just relieved you don’t mind.”

“We’re partners for a reason, right?” he asked, reminding her of the partnership they had struck to be there for each other through thick and thin.

She smiled, nodding, “Let's go home, partner.”

“Let's go, partner,” Aryan replied, as the car came to a halt outside the Rathore mansion.

Aryan was proud of the way Imlie had handled the whole situation with Aditya and his mother. He was glad that she hadn’t succumbed to the emotional pressure from either of them. She had held her own today and not going into the Tripathi house was a big achievement for Imlie who could never say no to them.

And while Aryan knew better than to make sense of Imlie’s shenanigans, today, her words to Aditya hadn’t felt empty. Though she had said what she did to get Aditya off her back, her words felt like they had come from a place deep within her. And that gave him hope. In the few months that he had known her, he had come to admire her tenacity when it came to fighting for her loved ones, her grit to keep going in challenging situations, and the empathy that she held in her heart for anyone she came across, despite having faced such abhorrent behaviour from everyone around her since childhood due to the illegitimacy of her birth. And before he knew it, she had crumbled the walls around his heart and walked right in.

Though she had come to matter so much to him; for her, he was just a friend. And Aryan had vowed to himself that he would always respect that. So, whenever she referred to him as her friend, he promptly corrected her saying that he was her boss and she, his employee. They were not friends.

Not accepting her tag of ‘friend’ was his way of keeping the walls up between them, of not creating any room for expectations from his side. Because, he knew her trauma, and what she had gone through in the one year of being married to Aditya Kumar Tripathi. He knew that her wounds ran so deep that she would not be open to even the idea of loving again, definitely not anytime soon – and she didn’t need to voice this thought for him to know it. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t want to burden her with unrealistic expectations. One year of it with the Tripathis and Aditya was more than enough for her to last a lifetime.

His love would not be her burden. She would never know about it till she was ready. He would wait forever for it, if he had to, and that was Aryan Singh Rathore’s promise.

-fin-

A/N: Hey, guys! This is an OS I wanted to write since the PD track when Malini kept addressing Aryan as Imlie’s boyfriend and nobody bothered to shut her up. I wanted Imlie to do it – before every single Tripathi, but never got around to writing it. Then the 'calendar' proposal happened and I just had

to write it. 😆 Still, I ended up taking my own sweet time to finish this and ended up leaving the Ts out. Hope ya'll enjoyed this one as much as you'll enjoyed Jungli. If you made it to the end, please leave me a review!