He sat next to her bed holding her hand not knowing what was wrong.. He made way for the doctor and stood next to her with a frown..
“Are you her husband..?” the doctor asked after examining Prerna..
“Friend..”he answered..
“Kya hua doctor..? is she fine..?”
“She needs a lot of care Mr.Bajaj.. As you know she is 7 months pregnant and from her past records I can say that she has been neglecting a lot of her necessary medicines.. voh toh inki kismat achi hai ki ab tak yeh iss pregnancy ko sustain kar paayi hain verna aise cases mein miscarriage ka bohot chance hota hai.. inko kal scan k liye clinic laiye tabhi main kuch properly keh paungi about the baby..”
He nodded and followed the doctor to see her off.. coming back he saw Prerna staring into space with her hands clasped tightly at her swollen belly.. Rishabh sighed and sat down besides her.. He poured in a glass of juice for her saying “main kuch nahi poochunga tumse jab tak tum khud na batana chaho.. aur yeh ghar mujhse pehle tumhara hai tum jab tak aur jaise chaho yahan reh sakti ho..”
She looked at him as soon as he said that, those were the exact lines that she has said to him when he first stepped into the Sharma House after his Father’s demise.. Sharma and Bajaj family were best of friends and so were their kids.. Rishabh was all naughty and charming until the day he got the news of his parent’s death in a plane crash.. after that Mr.Sharma got him home and treated him not just equal but more than Prerna..
“there is nothing to hide Rishi.. I don’t live with Anu anymore.. he divorced me and asked me to leave his house 5 months back.. I was working as a caretaker in a house but as soon as they got to know that I am pregnant they fired me..” Prerna said with a small painful smile.. while Rishabh was burning with anger..
“That Anurag never deserved you in the first place.. and how dare you work in this condition.. pehle yahan kyun nahi aayi tum..? kuch ho jaata toh..? do u even care that an innocent life inside you is totally dependent on you..?”
She lookedat his face which was red in anger.. “I didn’t know how to face you.. and we never met after you got married to Menaka.. I was afraid to ruin your marriage as well..”
“Me and Menaka are over Prerna.. and stop thinking about past.. whatever happened 6 years ago was just our destiny may be we were not meant to be together like that.. voh waqt hi kuch aisa tha.. main apne kaam mein itna ulajh gaya tha ke na tumhe time de pa raha tha aur na hi theek se baat kar pa raha tha.. uss waqt hum immature thhe Prerna.. maybe, breaking up was wrong but lets just blame it on the situation and move on with life.. aise awkward reh kar hum kahin nahi jasakte hain.. aaj na mera tumhare siva koi hai na tumhara mere siva.. toh pehla kadam badha kar uss dosti se ek nayi shuruwaat karte hain..” he said forwarding his hand with some tears in his eyes..
In return she just hugged him and cried like a baby.. while he sobbed on her shoulder..there were so many grieves buried inside their hearts.. Loss of their love..their families.. their friendship.. and finally the trust that was broken in their marriages..
Rishabh calmed down first and patted her back.. he cupped her face saying “Ab rona nahi ohk.. main kaka se keh kar dinner arrange karta hoon..” just as he got up she held his wrist “Rishabh.. kaka se kehna aloo ke siva kuch bhi bana le..” she smiled as she saw his nose scrunched up.. she knew how he loved aloo but right now in her condition she hated eating aloo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Oo0oO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next day was a better start than any of them has expected it to be.. they were not happy with their lives but they knew that they can breathe in fresh air, not bound to any relationships or guilt.. Rishabh first came to check Prerna right away.. he entered and saw her standing by the window, she turned and gave him a smile..“did you sleep well..? bohot jaldi uthh gayi..” he asked frowning at her..
“haan.. mera bhi mann tha kuch aur waqt sone ka par yeh janaab shayad apna rest pura kar chuke hain.. so by the time I sat up and soothed my baby, he kept kicking me..”she said caressing her tummy.. Rishabh smiled, this was the first ever connection he had with her baby.. the first ever memory that he is going to have of it.. “Chalo ab tum ready ho jao phir tumhare check up ke liye bhi jana hai aur thoda ghoom kar bhi aayenge..”
“Rishabh tum tension matt lo.. I’ll go with the driver.. tumhe office mein bhi kaam hoga na..” she said not wanting to disturb his life by imposing herself or her baby on him in any way..
“Maine tumse poocha nahi hai Prerna.. tumne jitni laparwahi karni thi apne saath tum kar chuki ho.. ab bas bohot hua..” he said in the final tone.. “Get ready and comedown for breakfast..”
Two Hours Later
An anxious Rishabh was moving back and forth in the doctor’s cabin as Prerna laid on the bed on the other side of the curtain getting an ultrasound done.. he rushed to the doctor as soon as he saw her coming out while the nurse helped Prerna to cleanup.. he got scared when he saw her serious face.. “Mr.Bajaj.. baby ke survival ke chances bohot kam hain.. agar survive karta hai toh bhi disability ke chances hain..”
“Prerna..?”he whispered..
“Unhe hum bacha sakte hain.. she is doing fine but the baby is underweight as Prerna was under a lot of stress in the past few months..” the doctor declared..
“kuch nahi ho sakta kya..?” Rishabh asked as lump formed in his throat..
“hum koshish kar sakte hain.. agar aap Prerna ka bohot acha dhyaan rakhe aur unke 8 months purey ho jaate hain toh hum kuch keh payenge..”
Rishabh felt like puking as soon as the information sunk into him.. he felt as if someonehas punched him hard in his stomach.. It was the baby that Prerna had fought for.. It was the baby that has got them under one roof after years.. It was the baby that he just felt this morning.. he was scared if both of them are going to get another blow from life.. He did not even know if he will ever be able to tell this to Prerna or how will he be able to handle her in the worst of the situation.. He still composed himself and faced Prerna with a brave face..collecting her new list of medicines he took her home..
“Kya kaha doctor ne..? sab theek hai na..?” Prerna asked as soon as they stepped into the house..
“sab theek hai Prerna.. tumne jo apne saath itne waqt tak laaparwaahi dikhayi hai ab bas ussi ki chinta karni hai.. tumhara baby weak hai lekin tumhare haath mein hai uski health.. khush raho aur healthy raho yehi zaroori hai iss waqt..” Rishabh said in a typical RB style, gulping the lump in his throat..
While a scared Prerna held his hand and clutched it asking “tum kuch chupa toh nahi rahe na Rishabh..? main apne bache ke liye kuch bhi karungi, jo tum bologe voh karungi.. main ab bas aur ek rishta nahi kho sakti..” she whispered..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Oo0oO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ek arsay ke baad jab log milte hain,
toh har mulaqaat mein ke choti si kahani chhupi hoti hai..
Prerna’s all the needed stuff was shifted to the guest room on the ground floor.. Rishabh made sure that not even a single thing is left that she might need and it is not in her reach.. He got her good books to read so that she doesn’t get bored as her major time is going to be spent resting and he knows what a bookworm she is..
“Tumhe yaad hai ke mujhe books pasand hai..” Prerna asked in a surprise..
“Ofcourse.. yeh kaise bhul sakta hoon main.. 2 din mein ek book khatam kar deti thi tum.. subah se sham har waqt ek book tumhare haath mein hoti thi..” Rishabh said smiling at that memory of young Prerna with nerd specs and a book.. “Ab chashma nahi lagati kya..?” he asked scrunching his nose..
“Nahi.. Anu ko acha nahi lagta tha toh maine surgery karvake number hatva diya..” she said.. he just hummed and went about to arrange something for them to eat..
After a few days
She smiled when she saw him arranging the books properly on the rack.. it has been almost a week that they have come back from the doctor.. if not a 100% happy, yet her days have stopped being gloomy.. he did keep his promise of not asking her anything about her past that she was not comfortable in sharing.. now a days she felt like waking up in the morning as it was his face that she sees first thing in the morning.. for past one week Rishabh had been sleeping on the mattress that he has arranged on the floor of Prerna’s room for himself.. he just wanted to stay close to her in any time of her need now.. sharing the bed didn’t seem appropriate to him as yet..
“Tum ek hafte se kaam par nahi gaye ho Rishabh..” Prerna reminded him
“I know.. I am managing everything from home.. don’t worry..”
“I just don’t want your work to suffer because of me.. tumne bohot mehnat se iss company ko itna acha banaya hai.. and I don’t..” she was explaining only to be cut in between by him “mera kaam main samhaal lunga Prerna.. iss waqt tum aur sirf tum hi meri priority ho..”
She kept staring at him for a few minutes till he came by her side to help her in getting up and going around for her daily chores.. she frowned as he avoided any discussion.. “Itna kam kyun bolne lage ho tum..? pehle vala Rishabh toh mujhse har baat bola karta tha apne mann ki..”
“Pehle jaisa.. pehle vale Rishabh ne jab bhi apne mann se kuch maanga toh zindagi ne humesha usse khaali haath hi rakha hai.. pehle jaisa ab kuch nahi raha Prerna.. sivaye iske ki aaj bhi iss dil mein sirf tumhare liye hi jagah hai.. main tumse aaaj bhi..” Rishabh stopped when he realized that it was may be too early to say things like that.. doctor has asked Prerna to relax and not stress over anything..
While Prerna knew what he exactly wanted to say but she was glad that he stopped.. “hum saath hain Rishabh aur ek dusre ka sahara banke rahenge.. par isse zyada aur kuch nahi.. main ab maa banne vali hoon Rishabh, college se just pass out hui tumhari girlfriend nahi hoon..” Prerna said it out loud and clear for him.. Rishabh pressed his lips together and nodded to what she said..
“hmm.. samajh gaya.. ab araam se ready hokar bahar aao breakfast ke liye..”
Breakfast was a silent affair.. Prerna felt that tinge of pain when Rishabh was talking of his past.. but alas she couldn’t ask him anything.. she wanted to know what happened to his marriage but that was something he never talks about.. she was nibbling at her food when she heard “Theek se khao Prerna.. don’t eat like a bird.. tumhari plate khaali chahiye mujhe..” While she gasped in pain even before she could reply..
Rishabh sprang out of his chair as soon as he saw her eyes widening in pain and she was soothing her tummy.. he immediately started soothing her tummy with her but froze as soon as he felt a hard kick against his palm.. she moaned again and hid her face in his arms.. “Shhh.. sab theek hai Prerna.. the baby is just making its presence felt..” he kept on rubbing his palm on her back till her pain subsided..
She finished her breakfast with him by her side, sitting close and stealing glances of her face from time to time to check on any of her discomfort.. he filled her a glass of water and went in to get the medicines.. he smiled lightly when he again saw her frowning with some bit of water spilled on her salwar and she was busy soothing her baby bump.. she might have choked onto a sip due to another hard kick, he guessed..
Settling her on the bed with her Cookie Jar, which was something new to him.. he was surprised when she requested him for those but was more than shocked to see her have those mouthful with a tiny glint of mischief in her eyes.. He shook his head at the thought and he pulled the end of her wet salwar up to fold it till her knee.. as soon as he did that he frowned looking at a big pink n brown scar near her ankle.. she looked at him as she felt his thumb lightly touching her scar.. she hesitantly pulled her leg back from his grip..
“Yeh kya hua pair mein..?”
“kuch nahi Rishabh.. yeh toh bohot mahino purani chot hai.. dard nahi hai sirf nishaan reh gaya hai..” she said passing him a smile looking at his concerned face..
“Kaise lagi thi Prerna..?” he insisted
“Garam paani ka glass slip kar gaya tha mere haath se..” she told him normally..
“Aur..?” he whispered..
“aur..? aur kya..? chot lagi thi, waqt ke saath theek ho gayi..”
“Nahi.. aur kitni jagah hain aisi chot..? kitne zakhm hain tumhare aur, jo waqt ne bhar diye hain..?” he asked looking into her eyes..
She looked into his determined eyes but she got abit conscious and looked at her right shoulder.. his eyes scanned her path of that hesitant gaze.. the shoulder where there was another scar.. that scar was her ex-husband’s gift to her when she told him that she was pregnant.. Rishabh slowly pulled down her sleeve abit to see that scar.. on an impulse he kissed her scar softly making her flinch at his touch..
He cupped her face and kissed her forehead letting his lips stay there a few more moments.. “Aur bhi hai..?”
“Kyun poochrahe ho..? kya hoga jaankar..?” Prerna asked cupping back his face in her palms.. she could see her pain in his eyes..
“Mujhe dekhna hai ki aur kitni baar tumhe meri zaroorat thi lekin main nahi tha tumhare paas tumhe uss dard se bachane ke liye..” he whispered letting tears roll down his eyes.. “Meri Prerna toh ek naazuk si gudiya ki tarah thi na jo mere zara sa zor se pakadne se bhi darr jaati thi.. toh aaj itni strong kaise ho gayi..? kya kya saha hoga tumne akele jo aaj tum kisi dard se bhi nahi ghabrati ho..”
“usne tod di tumhari naazuk gudiya Rishabh..” Prerna said sobbing into his arms.. “Mera har sapna tod diya usne.. jo bhi maine apne pati se expect kiya tha usne sab ulta hi kiya humesha.. mere bache ko usne apna maanne se hi inkaar kar diya.. ek pal mein meri saari khushiyon par daag laga diya usne..”
Rishabh cried with her and he did let her cry so she lets all her grief out.. he left a trail of kisses on her face and calmed her down.. he gave her a small smile and wiped of those tear tracks from her cheeks.. “Ab main hoon Prerna.. jo hua voh humara naseeb tha.. magar ab koi tum par ek ungli bhi nahi utha sakta yeh main vaada karta hoon.. Meri Prerna ki har khwahish puri hogi.. humare bache ke saath kuch galat nahi hoga kabhi..” saying so he leaned in to seal that promise with a light kiss while she too closed her eyes to feel his love in that kiss..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Oo0oO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don’t care who was a part of our story
as long as you are my happy ending and I am your forever after..
It was late in the night when Rishabh felt a pillow hit his head.. he snickered and again slept on his back.. this time the pillow hit him abit hard on his face.. he sat up with a start only to see Prerna sitting in her place with a not so happy face..
“Kya hua Prerna..?”he sulked sleepily..
“Nakul kaka ne pasta banaya tha aaj shaam ko.. voh mil nahi raha kitchen mein..”
“kyunki voh maine khatam kar diya tha na.. toh milega kaise..” he said cheekily.. while she fumed “jab poocha tha tab toh mana kia tha tumne.. toh mera pasta khatam kyun kiya..? ab main kya khaun..? mujhe bhookh lagi hai aur kaka ab kal subaha ayenge..”
“Arre toh gussa hone vali kya baat hai.. kal subah kha lena phir se banva kar..”
“NAHI.. abhi matlab abhi.. bas.. jao mere liya jaakar pasta lekar aao..”
“Abhi..?” helooked at her perplexed..
“Haan.. aur agar abhi nahi lene gaye toh aaj jaakar garden mein sona..”
He dragged himself into the kitchen and thought of making it himself as he saw kaka preparing some extra sauce for tomorrow and kept it in the fridge.. so it will just take him 15 minutes to boil it and mix the sauce.. he looked around but he didn’t know where were the other ingredients..
“pasta kahan hai..?” he asked Prerna as the other day Prerna made kaka re-arrange most of the stuff in the kitchen according to her.. so that she is able to find her munchings easily..
“voh almirah ke upar plastic ke jar mein hai..” Prerna said with a smile and again got into her book..
“Zyada hasne ki zaroorat nahi hai.. mera bhi mann hai khaane ka issiliye bana raha hoon..sirf tumhare liye nahi..” he said as a matter of fact, to which she just teased him more before he ran to the kitchen.. next minute Prerna heard a sound of clatter from the kitchen but before she could go and see whats wrong there he stood on the door with his hair covered white in maida..
“Ohkk.. so that was maida and not pasta in that plastic container..” he said in a stern voice keeping his hands on his waist.. while Prerna doubled up in laughter looking at him like that.. “I am sorry Rishabh.. may be mujhe galat dhyaan hoga..” she said in between her laugh..
He so wanted to keep a straight face but looking her laughing like that for the first time in last few days, he was happy too.. he let her be like that and turned to his room to get fresh.. after a few minutes when he came back to clean the kitchen he saw her making sandwiches on the other side of the counter.. he was glad that she did not attempt to clean the floor herself..
After cleaning the mess he had created he just looked at her.. only to see her engrossed in slicing the tomatoes.. he recollected how he was always mesmerized at her mere sight when she used to cook.. her hair tied in a loose bun and an apron tied at her waist.. the only difference now was that the apron hung loosely around her neck but she still looked as serene and beautiful to him as she used to look back then.. he smiled and settled on the counter next to the plate..
He contemplated for a minute but it was now or never.. he knew she might just slap him or not talk to him after this but he knew that it was important to both of them.. “Marry me Prerna..” he said in one breath.. while Prerna was shocked at his casual proposal.. but before she could react loudly and harm herself, he held her shoulders lightly saying “mujhe pata hai tumne pehle hi mana kar diya hai aur tumhe lagta hai ki main tumhpar koi ehsaan-vehsaan kar raha hoon and all that.. lekin Prerna tum nahi samajh rahi ki main bhi kitna akela hoon.. I need you to share my life with you.. hum humesha se hi ek dusre se pyar karte thhe lekin aaj hume voh mauka mila hai ki saath milke apni zindagi mein aage badhh paayein..”
She calmed down looking at his calm face.. she hugged him keeping her head on his shoulder.. “Nahi Rishabh.. shayad yeh waqt sahi nahi hai.. main koshish kar rahi hoon lekin.. somewhere Anurag still haunts me.. mujhpar mere baby ki responsibility hai.. tum kyun iss rishtey mein bandhna chahte ho..?”
He knew she will take her time and eventually she will accept him too.. so he just kissed her forehead lightly saying “7 years ago, I asked the girl of my dreams out on a date, today I asked her to marry me.. she said NO both the times..” she smiled listening to him as he reminded her how she turned him down when he asked her out in the college for the first time..
Kismat ko hai yeh manzoor kya keeje..
Phir Le Aaya Dil, Majboor Kya Keeje..
Raas Na Aaya Rehna Door Kya Keeje..
Dil Keh Raha, Usse Mukammal Kar Bhi Aao,
Woh Jo Adhoori Si Yaad Baaki Hai..
Woh Jo Adhoori Si Yaad Baaki Hai..
As the time passed Rishabh was very regular with Prerna’s check ups and feedbacks.. he kept a tab on all her medicines and diet.. thankfully the time doctor has given had passed.. Prerna was 8 months pregnant, the baby was still very weak.. Prerna was delighted when Rishabh told her about the nursery he was thinking to make just next to his room on the first floor.. the first thought that crossed her mind was that may be not the father but still there is somebody apart from her who cares for the baby..
She loved how he was taking care of tiny little things that the baby will need.. but she dared not ask him that, dreading that even he might turn cold just like Anu.. she knew the only problem Anurag had from her being pregnant was that the baby will take most of her time and ofcourse her pretty body will be out of shape for him for awhile..
That night she slept talking to the baby in whispers and thinking of Rishabh.. next day was Rishabh’s Birthday.. and she knew he has no plans for himself.. she thought of something and never knew when she slept..
She woke up when she felt a feather light thing trace her cheek.. she saw Rishabh sitting next to her with his right palm on her baby bump and left hand had a beautiful red rose.. “Happy Birthday Rishabh..” she wished him with a warm smile and a small peck on his cheeks.. he smiled his best saying “Thank you.. chalo ab ready hoke aao.. aaj main tumhe treat dene ke mood mein hoon..”
Her eyes shone as he mentioned treat.. “Pancakes..?” she asked but made a face when he didn’t answer her, instead went out of the room giving her space to freshen up..
Half an hour later he saw her coming out of her room with her favorite love story book in her hands.. he smiled and uncovered a stack of her favorite pancakes with lots of chocolate sauce and nutella to go with it.. just as she was taking her first bite she looked at him asking “Tum kya khaoge..? tumne pancakes khana kab shuru kar diya..?”
Rishabh smiled nd pinched her nose saying “Tumhari yaad aati thi tab bana leta tha..jaise pehle tumhare kehne pe tumhare liye banata tha.. bas tabhi se taste develop ho gaya..” she felt her eyes wet when she heard that.. how much this man has done for her althrough her life yet he always treated it like he does that for himself and not her.. what she loved the most about him was that he was not uptight or shy about accepting what he feels for her.. and he made sure that she knows how important she is in his life even now..
She kept calculating in her mind how to go about the conversation.. but she just held his hand as he was about to go with their plates.. she gestured him to sit and forwarded her book to him with a small smile saying “Meri taraf se tumhara gift.. acha na lage toh accept matt karna..”
He looked at the book confused.. ofcourse he had read it before on her insistence but she knows he was not fond of books so why this gift..? he frowned saying “I know this is your prized possession.. but main dobara yeh book nahi padhne vala hoon.. still I’ll keep as it is given by you..” he said with a dimpled smile..
“bina gift khole hi reject kar diya..?” she said with a pout..
He looked ather caculatively and began examining the book.. just as he flipped the paperback cover he gasped reading “Marry Me Rishabh.. I love You..”
He looked into her eyes to see if she was really serious about it.. seeing her nod lightly he just took her into a big hug and filled her face with kisses making her giggle..
“Yeh mere liye mushkil hai Rishabh.. lekin mujhe pata hai main sirf tumhare saath hi khush reh sakti hoon aur tumhe khushi bhi de sakti hoon.. mujhe nahi pata ki tumhara ateet kya tha lekin mujhe bharosa hai ke mera Rishabh mere saath aur mere baby ke saath kabhi kuch galat nahi karega..”
“Mujhe khushi hai ki tumhe bharosa hai apne Rishabh par.. aur main promise karta hoon ki tum dono ko kabhi koi kami nahi hone dunga.. toh kab karna chahengi aap shadi soon to be Mrs.Bajaj..?”
Rishabh saw her blush slightly but soon it was replaced by the pain that hit her hard.. she clutched his hand and screamed in pain making him realize that it was the time that she was to be taken to the hospital.. they were prepared for it as her doctor has mentioned it earlier that she may have to go for a premature delivery..
“Shhh.. baby hum aagaye hain hospital.. bas kuch der aur phir tumhare haath mein baby hoga jiske liye tumne itna sab sehen kiya hai..” he let go off her hand with a light kiss on her forehead..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Oo0oO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7 months have passed since that day when Prerna was rushed to the hospital.. Rishabh heaved a huge sigh of relief when the doctor told him that Prerna gave birth to a tiny baby girl and both of them are out of danger.. doctor left him not without mentioning that it was surely a miracle that has happened in this case with the kind of complications and deficiencies Prerna had..
Rishabh promptly named her Sneha Bajaj on the hospital form.. he was in tears when the nurse let him see ‘His Lil Kukki’ through the glass as she was to be kept in the NICU for a few weeks.. He sobbed like a baby himself when he hugged Prerna after her delivery giving rest to all his fears.. Prerna was also happy with the name Rishabh chose as she was the biggest source of love and happiness of her life.. but things soon changed as they both got the baby home after a month..
They were married now and Sneha was also officially their’s yet she saw some bit of uncertainty from Rishabh’s side whenever she leaves Sneha with him.. her biggest fear was coming true.. she was still unsure if Rishabh took Sneha as a hindrance in their relationship just like Anurag did.. deep in her heart she knew that Rishabh is way different than Anurag, but her experience tempted her to compare between them..
While for Rishabh things were a bit different.. he had his set of insecurities.. he still remembers it all very clearly, how Menaka told him to never mention the baby ever in their marriage just because she was sick of even thinking how Rishabh and everyone around her will go crazy for the baby once it comes and she will stand second in her life.. she blamed Rishabh for using her just to have a family for himself and nothing else.. Rishabh was scared, dreading if some day Prerna will also say that Sneha is HER daughter and he married her in a weak moment as he wanted a family to call his own..
Rishabh arranged for everything that sneha needs.. from a helper to take care of her when Prerna is doing her chores to all her toys and clothes.. but what he didn’t do was coming closer to kukki when Prerna is around.. he plays around with Sneha, cuddles her in his warmth and pats her when she is uneasy when Prerna is not around.. and he knows that his little princess has started to know her dada by face now.. she makes all sort of faces looking at him at the dinner when she was settled in her walker..
After dinner he promptly follows the helper and the baby to the nursery while Prerna is in the kitchen.. that is his time with his kukki, as he loves to call her that fondly.. he quickly gathers his baby in his arms and asks the lady to leave as a routine.. Kukki squealed when she saw Rishabh..
“Kukki..” Rishabh whispered flicking his nose with hers.. much to his delight she catches hold of his hair and brings his nose closer for her to bite.. he would talk to her.. swing her in his arms, even change her in her night clothes and takes her back to their bedroom where she sleeps on the cot connected to Prerna’s side.. He gave her some toys and went to check a few files when he realized that Prerna is about to come..
Prerna felt gloomy when she sees Rishabh hardly paying any attention to Sneha.. but none the less she loves him too much to pick up a fight against him.. she wanted their marriage to work and she thought that with some more time Rishabh will start getting close to Sneha if she doesn’t ignore him for Sneha.. that ways there won’t be any ground for his displeasure..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Oo0oO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few days later.. Rishabh came back from the office abit early.. he looked around for his Kukki Baby or Prerna but both were not there.. Hearing him call Prerna entered from the garden side door with Sneha in her arms.. “arre aaj jaldi aagaye tum..”she exclaimed..
“haan voh thodi tabiyat kharaab lag rahi thi toh meeting ke baad directly ghar hi aagaya..”
Prerna quickly went and placed Sneha with her toys on the carpet outside the kitchen while she got into making some coffee to relieve his headache.. while Rishabh went to change.. He came rushing down after a few minutes when he heard loud wails of Kukki..
He was shocked to see a tiny cut on her forehead that was bleeding.. he quickly gathered her in his arms trying to sooth her.. “Kya hua Kukki ko..?” he asked Prerna who rather stood there in tears herself..
“Voh main..tumhare liye coffee.. yahan akeli khel rahi thi yeh.. pata nahi kaise..” she fumbled as she genuinely didn’t know how Sneha hurt herself..
“Tumhe kisne kaha tha yahan isko akela chhod ke coffee banana ke liye..? kahan hain kaka ya shanta bai.. unhe yahan help ke liye rakha hai na toh tum kyun meri beti ko akela chhod ke gayi..?” he fumed..
“Voh aaj shanta bai ne off liya hai and kaka market gaye hain..” she whispered..
“Meri beti ke maamle mein koi bhi ignorance nahi chahiye mujhe Prerna.. koi kaam ho ya na ho, tum aaj ke baad kabhi usko akela nahi khelne dogi.. dekho kaise khoon beh raha tha uska..” he said pecking Sneha who was still whimpering hiding herself in her dada’s arms..
More than Sneha getting hurt or Rishabh’s shouting Prerna was surprise to see the possessiveness that Rishabh’s words held for Sneha.. her heart skipped a beat whenever he said “Meri Beti”.. she gathered herself and went after Rishabh and Sneha as Rishabh took her to their room.. She was shocked when she saw him talking sweet nothings to Sneha while changing her and patting her for a tiny nap, after a gentle kiss in her hair.. Without a word she took Sneha from his hold and gave her the milk bottle which quickly made her eyes heavy and pushed her into a deep slumber..
Rishabh sobered up when he saw Prerna’s questioning gaze on himself.. He knew he has to open up now.. he has to let her know his deepest fears and let them go..
“Kyun Rishabh..?”she asked him finally.. “Aakhir ekdum se itna pyar Sneha ki taraf.. why now..? after so many months.. jab main thakk gayi yeh intezaar karke ke kab main tumse yeh share kar paungi ki aaj Sneha ne mujhe pehli baar muskura kar dekha.. ya aaj usne pehli baar tumhara favorite aalo khaya.. ya aaj shayad jab tum ja rahe the toh usne tumhari taraf apna nanha haath badhaya tha.. Aur yeh Kukki kya hai..? itna kamm lete ho uska naam ke apna hi diya hua naam bhul gaye..?”
“Aisa nahi hai Prerna.. Mujhe pata hai.. sab pata hai mujhe.. kab meri princess ne apna pehla kadam badhaya.. kab usne tumhare baal kheenchne shuru kare.. kab usne pehli baar kuch khaya.. kab voh beemaar padi.. main apni jaan se bhi zyada pyar karta hoon apni Kukki se.. tumhe kya lagta hai ki kyun maine usko Sneha naam diya..? kyunki bas vahi ek meri aisi khwahish thi jo main dil mein dabaa kar baitha tha apni pehli shadi ke baad.. Sneha Means Love.. and thats all i ever yearned for.. I call her kukki coz you craved for cookies all the time before her birth.. i find it cute for my baby girl..”
Rishabh had tears in his eyes when he pulled Prerna closer and took her to the couch in the corner of their room.. He sobbed for a minute before he continued.. “Menaka ses haadi toot ne ka mujhe koi dard nahi tha Prerna.. kyunki humne ek dusre se kabhi pyar nahi kiya tha.. hum sirf uss Rishte ko nibhana chahte the, jiske chalte mujhe usse thodi attachment zaroor ho gayi thi.. usne jo maanga maine usko diya.. lekin maine usse sirf ek cheez maangi thi.. My Family.. aur usne mujhe uske liye hi mana kar diya.. uske liye paisa hi sab tha aur mere liye rishtey.. toh maine usko voh diya jo usko chahiye tha aur khud ko azaad kiya uss shaadi se jo kabhi puri hui hi nahi..”
She cupped his face and held his ear asking a bit sternly “Toh mujhe pehle kyun nahi bataya Rishabh..? maine tumpar bharosa karke sab bataya.. lekin tumne shayad ab vishwaas karna hi band kar diya hai apnon par..”
“Main darta tha..” he whispered.. “Main na chahte hue the tumhe Menaka se compare karta raha.. aur dil mein yeh darr baith gaya ke kahin kisi din tum Kukki ke liye mera itna pyar dekh ke mujhse yeh na keh do ki mujhe tumse zyada uski parwaah hai.. Main zindagi bhar iss baat ko nahi maanunga ki Kukki meri nahi uss Basu ki beti hai.. aur agar kabhi tum mujhse yeh keh deti toh main yeh bardaasht nahi kar paata..”
Her grip loosened on his ears when he said that.. she somewhere knew what that fear was.. even she was living in the same kind of fear that was born out of her past relationship.. “I am also Sorry Rishabh.. agar main pehle himmat karke tumse haq se kehti ki Sneha ko apni beti ki tarah pyaar do toh shayad aajtak yeh sab nahi hota.. main bhi darr gayi thi ki kahin tumhe aisa na lage ki maine tumse sirf Sneha ke liye shadi kari thi.. main tumhe vishwaas dilana chahti thi ki yeh shaadi maine humare liye kari.. humare pyar ke liye kari hai..”
He just looked into his eyes making both of them realize how wrong they both have been playing in their relationship.. they were trying to build a relationship that was already touching skies.. they just had to pull down the wall they had created around them due to their insecurities.. Rishabh pulled her closer into a passionate kiss that said all about his love to her, while she reciprocated knowing that for the first time in these 7 months of their marriage that they are finally going to complete their marriage tonight, taking their bond to the next level..
“Are you sure Priyu..?” he whispered into her neck..
“isse zyada sure main pehle kabhi nahi thi Rishabh..” she whispered back lying down comfortably and arching her neck for his better access..
IF YOU LOVE THEM, TELL THEM..
HEARTS ARE OFTEN BROKEN BY THE WORDS LEFT UNSAID..
Drop in your reviews..My other OS that I posted 2 weeks back..
Luv Rucha
comment:
p_commentcount