MARAASIM (Relations)

Memories

"Ladki, ladki! Sarphiri, nakchadhi... Anurag, kya bol rahe ho tum?" Manvi asked

"Agar main doctor nahi hota na...toh main usay... usay... usay..." he gestured to kill her as she had really annoyed him a lot for the day.

"Lekin hum doctors oath jo lete hain, Hippocratic oath" he swore and tied his arms around him.

"Anurag, calm down!"

"Kaise calm down? Meri beti khana khaye bina so gai uski wajah se" he remarked.

Manvi sighed and said "Anurag, kal subah uthte hi tum usay kuchh khila dena hmm?"

"Lekin"

"Abhi yahin so jao" she requested.

Anurag nodded and was about to move to the guest room but stopped at Khushi's room.

"Manvi, main Khushi ke sath so jaun aaj?"

"Lekin Anurag main..."

"Ghabrao mat... main tumhara fayda nahin uthaunga" Anurag commented jokingly and a small smile played on Manvi's lips, she nodded lightly to him.

Anurag changed his clothes and lay beside Khushi, caressing her head lightly. Khushi turned to him in the sleep and clutched his shirt in her little fingers. In a few minutes, Anurag too fell asleep. Manvi adored the picture of the daughter and father. She lay on the other side of Khushi and kissed her forehead. She leaned further and was about to kiss Anurag on his forehead too but then stopped herself thinking about something.

She covered them in a blanket and took another for herself. She turned around, her eyes were moist. A memory crossed before her eyes.

A few surrounded her. They didn't even care that she was pregnant. They wanted to kill her. A woman had a kerosine box in her hand and she threw it over her.

"Mummy ji please, please mat keejiye aisa please..." she begged for her life but the lady wasn't sensitive to her pleas, in fact, she didn't seem a human when she lit the matchstick to set her daughter-in-law on fire all alive.

Anurag was lying on the floor, blood was still oozing out of his head. Something gave him the inner strength and he got up. He could see hazy visions of everything around him. He slowly tried to get up. He saw that the woman was about to light the fire. He immediately ran up to them and pushed the woman away.

"Khabardar! Khabardar jo kisi ne ek aankh uthaakar bhi dekha hai Manvi ki taraf!" He warned everyone.

"Janwar kahin ke!" He held Manvi's hand and took her from there.

At present

At that very moment, Manvi realised how much she was in love with this person. She knew that Anurag didn't see her the same way that she did. It hurt her sometimes but she couldn't do anything about it. She knew he was attached to her only because of Khushi. She was the connecting key between them.

The following day, when Khushi woke up. She found herself in Anurag's arms and he was lying next to her.

"Popsy!!" Her eyes shined and she punched lightly into his chest. Anurag heard her chuckling voice and woke up immediately.

"Popsy... aap aa gaye!" She chuckled.

"Haan meri princess, main toh kal hi aa gaya tha" he replied.

"Par Popsy maine aapka kitna wait kiya... uff fil main sho gayi...Sholly Popsy" Khushi cutely slapped her head.

"Nahi mera baccha, Popsy sorry hain... mujhe jaldi aana chahiye tha na mujhe... I am really sorry baby" Anurag said holding his ears.