When I Met Him | fin.

Seven

That morning they were cuddling in bed and talking about their life after marriage.

“Rishu, if we'll have a daughter then we'll name her Adhya.” said Devansh.

“Why?” She asked him.

“Because that's my favorite name.” He smiled.

“Hmm.” She hummed.

She was supposed to take a flight back to Jaipur in the evening. So they got ready and went for a brunch date. They spent the entire day together and then Rishika and Arjun boarded the flight to Jaipur.

The flight landed in Jaipur at night. Rishika and Arjun reached home. But the next morning, Rishika was continuously vomiting. Her mother and Chahi were scolding her for being reckless. But then Arjun entered the room with a stupid grin and sat beside her, “What happened? Are you missing Devansh so much that you got sick? Both of you were together whole day and whole night yet you aren't satisfied?”

The ladies had a mini heart attack hearing him. But before they could start interrogating her, she ran inside the bathroom to vomit again.

When she came back, tired of puking again and again and sat down on the bed, her mother asked her, “Thum dono ke beech kuch hua toh koni naa!?” Doubting if she and Devansh slept together and she got pregnant. Now how could she tell her that they did slept together, kissed, made out, cuddled but didn't reach that point yet. So she shook her head denying their doubts.

Her head turned to Arjun who began laughing nervously seeing the glare she passed him.

“Mummy, I was just joking.” He told their mother.

But that couldn't save him from what was about to happen next.

✿ ✿ ✿

Arjun was peacefully sleeping on his bed when suddenly he felt a kick on his butt. He shouted in pain but Rishika held his hair and shushed him.

Their mother came running to see why he shouted and saw Rishika sitting over his back and pulling his hair.

“Rishika, you are about to get married but your childishness hasn't ended yet.” She scolded her.

Arjun began laughing like a donkey Rishika called him. But that's all he could do. Avenging on that kick was not an option because Rishika was a legit prankster.

But one more prank happened on him when she put sugar and tea in his coffee later. Poor Arjun.

✿ ✿ ✿

When Rishika told her mother about what happened on that night in Bangalore. Her mother replied that, “I don't know what to say as my mother had told me to compromise when I was in a similar situation. But I don't want you to tell the same to your daughter.”

Something changed inside Rishika after hearing her mother say that. She thought if her mother could endure abuse, maybe she could too. But did she want to tell the same to her daughter? No, she didn't. She was told to compromise so she will do so. But she didn't want to pass down this mentality to the next generation.

It's sad, but it's true.

✿ ✿ ✿

He fell in love. With Rishika. Once again. But this time a little harder. Because she forgave him. It seems very twisted but maybe that's how it feels when you forgiven for a punishable mistake.

Abuse had been a part of their lives. They weren't the victims, their mothers were. As a kid, Devansh had heard his mother's cries at nights and bruises on her face. Anger issues were a part of his personality naturally, it was in his blood. He wasn't sure if he would be able to control something that was a part of his nature. But he knew he won't be proud of it. Of hitting his wife. He was hanging somewhere in the middle. There were equal chances of him failing or succeeding to control the anger residing inside him. It was upto his will if he wanted to break this cycle.

While Rishika's story was quite similar too. She remembered hiding under the bed with her brother to block the sound of her mother crying. Arjun was lucky though. He was sent to boarding school in seventh standard and then studied law in United Kingdom. But Rishika was brainwashed over the years. She had almost forgotten to stand up for herself. Compromising became her nature. As a kid, she thought men hitting women was fine. But gradually she understood the hypocrisy of her world. She could see the difference between right and wrong. But she was told to close her eyes and blindly follow the norms. She did the same. But she wanted to break this cycle. Because she didn't want her daughter to go through the same in the future. She was ready to compromise if Devansh hit her someday. But she didn't want the same for her daughter in the future.

On the surface, their lives looked happy. But behind that happiness were a hundred questions they couldn't ask and a thousand fears they couldn't share.