Krishna Mohini TS "To Mumbai"
Part-2: The Sunrise
4:45 AM
"Good Morning passengers. This is your captain speaking. First I'd like to welcome everyone on..."
Mohan sat up startled as the announcement started. The sound was not too clear... always interrupted by some sort of static as you hear on the radio. He could hear a few words properly here and there. But those words were English. The captain seemed to be talking about temperature and speed. He got worried for his sister. She didn't know as much English as him. He turned around to look at his sister. Krishna Didi was trying her best to understand the announcement.
"Relax, Mohan," Ketan said as he eased onto his seat ready for his next nap.
"Aryaman-sir is with your sister. He will take care of her."
Mohan nodded. The airplane was so luxurious. The seats were more comfortable than bus seats, but the windows were so small. Many beautiful women wearing sarees stood in the aisle and performed synchronized steps according to the safety instructions playing on the announcement. He buckled his seat belt just as they instructed. He resisted the urge to look back at his sister so as not to disturb Ketan, who had closed his eyes to sleep as soon as the safety instructions started playing.
Krishna craned her neck for the third time now, she was still not able to see how to buckle the seatbelt. The passenger in front of her was blocking her view.
"What's the matter?" Aryaman asked.
"I can't see," Krishna said quietly. Aryaman realized how short she was and smirked.
"Let me help you with that." he offered softly as he leaned in to fasten her belt. The delicate scent of jasmine enveloped him once more, and as he glanced up, his eyes met hers. Seeing her this close reminded him of the first time they met. Under the ocean. Even back then, her eyes had some magnetifying force that stopped him from looking anywhere else. Her sharp eyes were filled with so much light and life. Right now, he saw himself reflected in her bright orbs. Without breaking eye contact, he caught one part of the belt with his left hand.
"Jasmine." He whispered while his right hand went down.
Her eyes expressed her confusion.
"Why is the jasmine scent still lingering on you even now, even after you removed that gajra?" His voice was barely louder than a whisper as if he didn't want anyone to know about this conversation.
Krishna blushed. She felt uneasy when Aryaman noticed the scent, as it felt too personal. Her heart started beating fast. Was it her imagination, or was Aryaman's face much closer to hers than before? She could feel Aryaman's fingers near her, even though he didn't touch her.
"Attar." She replied as she didn't know what else to do in this situation.
"Attar?"
"Yes, Ratna-bhabi applied a few drops of attar on my neck. I think it didn't come off even after I changed."
"Yes, It didn't come off." Aryaman agreed. His right hand was still searching for the other half of the belt. He could feel her dupatta between his fingers. Finally, he found the other part of the belt. His eyes did not leave hers even once. While pulling the belt up, his fingers slightly grazed her waist causing her eyes to widen and gasp.
The barely audible gasp was what snapped Aryaman back to reality. He realized what he was doing and quickly looked down and buckled her belt. He leaned back on his seat and fastened his seat belt. He looked in the direction opposite of Krishna to calm himself. The flight attendants were continuing their demonstrations. That means their interaction lasted for just a few moments. Why did it feel like an eternity and a half had passed during those tiny moments?
He closed his eyes. They should have gone for first class like they always did. It was because they were in this congested economy class, that he was noticing Krishna more. The plane started to move.
'Great,' He thought sarcastically. He forgot about the extra rattling of the plane felt in economy class during the take-off and landing. It had been decades since he traveled in economy class. If it was not an emergency, he would not have preferred this.
He looked at Krishna. She appeared scared, gripping the handrests so tightly that prying her hands off would require a crowbar.
"Don't worry," Aryaman said. "It is normal. This shaking will end in some time."
She nodded and closed her eyes tight. "Can you see if Mohan is doing ok?" She asked meekly.
He craned his neck to see the seats in front. Mohan was looking outside the window. He assumed that Ketan had already slept. The airline's safety demonstrations had weird soporific power on him.
"Mohan is fine." He assured her. "He is enjoying his first flight."
Despite herself, Krishna smiled with her eyes closed. At least Mohan is comfortable. At least she still had Mohan with her. They have only each other after all. The shaking reduced and she opened her eyes. She looked outside the window. The sky was not exactly dark anymore it was dark blue. She could see the roads and houses as some lines and dots.
She craned her neck to see Mohan. Aryaman-sir was right. Mohan looked like he was happy. She wondered about the bizarre nature of fate. Just a few days before, her Mohan was trying to end his life. He was that fed up with his life. She still blamed herself for his condition. She was not doing a good job of making him mentally strong enough to face all life's difficulties. She decided to do a better job of healing him. She would help him be mentally strong. She would make sure her Mohan remains happy for the rest of his life.
He was feeling all those weird thoughts because he was sad. That was it. She will make sure he won't feel that sad anymore. He will get educated. He will become successful in his life. She will make sure of that.
Aryaman looked at the woman sitting beside him as she got lost in her thoughts. At first, she looked relieved seeing her brother...but gradually her face turned dark as if revisiting some hidden monsters from the past. He wondered what it was.
He looked away.
It was not like he had less things to think about. He knew Kundan-uncle would be furious. His mother would be devastated. Everyone will be sad. And Ananya would be inconsolable.
For as long as he knew, he and Ananya knew that they would marry each other. It was decided by elders even before the kids knew anything about marriage. They both grew up knowing one day they would have to tie the knot. After they both reached the age where they understood what marriage meant, both of them had different reactions. Eagerness and Acceptance.
Aryaman had accepted marriage with Ananya as a natural part of his life. He had never been romantically interested in her, but to be fair, he was never romantically interested in anyone. During his school days, he was passionately chasing his dreams of becoming a rockstar. His whole college life was spent clearing off his runaway dad's debts by doing different part-time jobs while studying. Slowly, he became the adult of the house and started making decisions for his young siblings, sheltering them, and being a pseudo-parent. With these many responsibilities on his shoulders, he was just glad that he did not have to decide anything about his marriage. This decision made everyone happy, and it was super convenient for him that he need not think about anything. Ananya loved him enough for both of them to survive the future without any stress.
His path was properly decided. Marrying Krishna threw all those plans into a fire.
"Aryaman-sir?" Krishna called him out of his thoughts.
He turned to face her. She looked as if she had taken a resolve.
"Thank you for listening to my absurd request about Mohan. I don't know how you convinced our Father but I will always be grateful towards you."
Aryaman wondered if he should tell her the truth about the 5 lakhs check but decided against it. It doesn't matter anymore. What's done is already done.
"But I promise you, that Mohan will never be a burden on you or your family. Mohan was... is... and will always be MY responsibility. I will care for Mohan on my own. I will work hard and pave the road for his future."
Aryaman stared at her for some time before talking. "Krishna, I know you are a strong woman. You don't need anyone's help. You are quite independent. So if this is your decision, I will not go against it."
"But," He continued. "I have heard that couples share equal responsibilities. So, don't I also have a right to share your burden with you?"
Krishna smiled at him. "You really are a nice person Aryaman-sir. But Mohan is not my burden. He is my life. His happiness and respect are the most important thing for me. I have been doing this all my life and I will continue to do so. I am confident of that."
Aryaman smiled.
"Ok, Krishna. I am also sure about your abilities but, please promise me that, if ever I feel like you need help, you will not stop me from supporting you."
Krishna did not answer just looked at him. Such a kind-hearted person was being punished for helping her. Still, he did not bear any grudge against her or her brother. Aryaman-sir truly deserved better. Her eyes stung with repressed tears.
"Krishna... will you promise?"
Krishna smiled and said, "I promise."
Aryaman leaned back still looking at her. He didn't know why but he started the conversation, "So, you looked after Mohan, all your life?"
Krishna also leaned back and looked at the color-changing sky outside the window. She smiled and said, "Yes. Our mother was weak after giving birth to Mohan... So I had to take care of him most of the time..."
And Krishna talked about her brother, her mother, her childhood. Aryaman kept listening to it. Listening to someone else stopped him from overthinking about his problems. His eyes roamed around her face. She always looked so spirited when she talked about her brother. Her eyes were... just... so...so... alluring.
"How beautiful!!" Krishna exclaimed softly.
Aryaman came out of his thoughts. Krishna was looking at the sunrise. The window outside showed a view that looked more beautiful than any painter could ever imagine putting on his canvas. The greyish-blue sky tried to merge with the dark earth while ribbons of yellows and oranges separated them. The sun was rising.
Krishna quickly stretched her neck to see if Mohan had noticed the view, and coincidentally, Mohan also looked back to see if his sister had missed the view. They both smiled at each other.
This sunrise symbolized a new beginning. Aryaman saw Krishna staring at the sky with hope and determination. The rays from the sun painted her edges with a golden hue. She looked unearthly, divine in that moment. Aryaman's breath hitched in his throat. She turned to look at him and smiled. Aryaman involuntarily smiled back. Yes, this was after all their new beginning.
The end
This is part-2 of a TS
Here is Part-1:
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/krishna-mohini/5355447/krishna-mohini-ts-to-mumbai-part-1
thank you soo much for this 
I loved it... Wish makers had also shown some details before the couple entering the home.
looks like Arya loves it
or he thinks drama toh bohot hone wala hai sone ka time nahi milega abhi soo jata hun
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