Be Mine Forever ✔️

~ 14 ~

Janaki was lost in thoughts when Suhaas shook her a little and whispered, "Why aren't you eating, Atta?"

"Nothing. I was thinking about something," said Janaki.

Janaki looked at Arpita and Yash, who were happily enjoying the meal as Jai was feeding them.

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After having lunch, Radha and Raghu retired to their room. Jai, Suhaas, Yash, and Arjun were sitting in the living room and watching a cricket match. Janaki was oiling Arpita's hair while Arpita closed her eyes, enjoying her mother's pampering.

After a while, they heard the doorbell. Yash went to open the door and saw Meena, Surekha, and Akarsh standing at the door.

"Come inside," said Yash.

Akarsh ran inside, shouting, "Atta!"

Arpita opened her eyes and said, "Hey, Akki!"

He hugged her, kissed her baby bump, and said, "Hey, girlfriend! Come soon; I'm waiting for you."

"Girlfriend?" Everyone said, looking at him astonished.

"Yesh! This baby girl is my girlfriend," Akarsh said, jumping like a monkey while pointing at Arpita's baby bump.

"Akki, who told you about this girlfriend and boyfriend?" Meena asked, going towards him.

Akarsh hit his forehead and said, "Uffo, Amma! I didn't have any girls as friends, and she is going to be one. So, girl and friend will be a girlfriend."

Everyone smiled, listening to him.

"Then what about Nayana? She is also a girl, right?" asked Surekha.

"Nah! Ammamma, she will be my little sister. My little Noni," Akarsh said, grinning.

From the time he talked with Nayana on the phone, he was very excited to meet her.

"Noni?" Janaki asked, looking at him.

"He gave a name to Nayana; that's Noni," Meena said, looking at her son, who was giggling as Yash was making funny faces.

"How are you feeling?" Meena asked, sitting beside Arpita.

"Better," said Arpita.

"When did you come, Arjun?" Surekha asked, looking at Arjun.

"Morning, Aunty," said Arjun.

He then looked at Akarsh and asked, "Hey, champ! Do you want chocolates?"

"Yeah!" said Akarsh.

"Not again," Meena said, groaning.

"What happened?" asked Jai.

"He already ate enough chocolates this week," Meena said, glaring at her son.

"You used to eat them every day," Surekha said, coming to the rescue of her grandson.

Meena hit her head and said, "Not again, Amma. You repeat the same dialogue whenever I scold him."

Everyone chuckled while listening to her.

"You go and take a rest. We will look after dinner arrangements," said Meena.

"Vanam and I will look after them. You don't take tension," said Janaki.

"No problem, Aunty. We will take help from Vanam if needed," said Meena.

Janaki sighed and said, "Your wish. Go and rest for some time. There is a lot of time to prepare dinner."

"Okay!" said Meena.

"I'm taking Akki with me," Arjun said, picking up Akarsh in his arms.

Arpita went to her room with Jai and Janaki. Arjun and Akarsh went to Arjun's room, while Surekha went to the guest room. Meena and Suhaas stayed back in the living room.

"So, how far has your love story come?" Meena asked, looking at Suhaas.

"It didn't start yet. We texted each other a few times, but it was just a conversation of three or four sentences. I'm not understanding how to confess my feelings to her. What if she doesn't reciprocate my love? What if the small bond that we share now fades away after my confession? I don't want to lose her. I don't even know when she made a place in my heart and became an important part of my life," Suhaas said, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"You are afraid that you might lose her just like Prisha, right?" Meena asked him.

"Do you know about her?" Suhaas asked her.

"Once Arpita told me, I think it was the time when you were in London. You neither told them about your departure to London nor were in contact with them. She was concerned about you and upset with your behaviour. When I asked her, she told me how you had changed after your parents' divorce and Prisha's rejection," said Meena.

"I grew up seeing my parents, who were madly in love with each other. Though their marriage was an arranged one, they fell in love with each other after marriage. No matter what, they used to take care of each other, even if they fought. They used to understand each other's unsaid words. But we didn't know what happened to them all of a sudden. One fine day, they said that they were parting ways. I was 20 and Pranav was 14 then. I had to be strong for him. They gave us the choice to stay with whomever we wanted. Their one decision shattered our happy world. I won't blame them; maybe they weren't happy with each other and were pretending to be happy in front of us. They spent twenty-one years with each other, so I thought that there might be a strong reason behind their decision. I have never asked them the reason either, as I hoped that one day they would tell us on their own. I lost belief in love, but then Prisha entered my life. She was my junior. I never noticed her before, but I saw her dancing during our college anniversary celebrations. I somehow made her my friend. I used to follow her everywhere secretly, and one fine day she caught me. Maybe she understood my intentions and said that she was already engaged. After that day, she stopped talking to me, and even I didn't force her. I just cherished the moments that I had spent with her for a short span of time. After that, I started to focus on my studies and career. After the death of my grandfather, the responsibility for his business fell on my shoulders. So, I started to take care of it while pursuing my master's. I didn't even understand when my lifestyle had totally changed," said Suhaas.

"One day everything will fall into place, Suhaas. All we have to do is wait for the right time and do our best at everything that we can do," said Meena.

Suhaas looked at the women in front of him with respect. Life wasn't easy for her either; she faced a lot in her married life. Before her marriage, her life was a fairytale; she was a princess to her father and mother, but after her marriage, it was no less than a nightmare for her. She was tortured mentally and physically, yet she stood strong for her son, her mother, and herself. She went through a lot and fought with that monster and his family.

"What about you, then?" asked Suhaas.

"What about me? I'm happy in my life," Meena said with a small smile.

"Don't you want someone who will be there for you, holding your hand till your last breath and through all your ups and downs? Someone who will love you wholeheartedly despite your past," Suhaas said, looking at her.

Meena composed herself and said, "I don't know, Suhaas. What if he and his family will not accept Akarsh? I don't want him to suffer. He and my mother are the reasons that made me sit alive in front of you guys today. If something happens to either of them, I can't bear it. I'm happy with what I have. If destiny has some other plans for me, then I'll accept them wholeheartedly. I can't go back into the past and change everything. I can't undo the suffering that I've gone through. I have learned something from my past and have moved on from it. I don't want to look back and cry over whatever happened in the past. I agree that I have suffered a lot in the past, but then look at the bright side. God has sent an angel into my life in the form of Arpita, and now I have a big family who loves me, cares for me, respects me, and trusts me. That's enough for me."

"You know what? You are a superwoman," said Suhaas.

Meena smiled, listening to him, and said, "Every woman is a superwoman."

"That's true," said Suhaas.

They sat there talking for a while; after that, they retired to their respective rooms.

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Hey guys!!

How are you all?

It's been a longgggg time since I gave an update on this book. Now, I'm going to concentrate totally on this book and will try my level best to give regular updates. I may not promise to update twice a week, but I'll definitely give an update in a week. I hope you understand this.

Anyway, how is the update? Did you guys like it? 

Keep smiling and take care ❤️