Manjha A String of Complicated Relations

Blissfully Unaware

The next three months went by too quickly for Shambhavi. A new routine had been set along with their already existing one in the Academy. Now, every other weekend, the girls would spend their time at the Rathore house at the behest of Sanyukta Rathore.

Sanyukta Aunty, as Shambhavi liked to call her, loved having the girls over. Within those three months, Sanyukta Rathore had successfully wriggled out Anisha and Shambhavi's stories from them. So, not only did Shambavi know Anisha's story but Anisha and Sanyukta Ma'am were the only ones who knew the actual reason behind Shambhavi joining IOTA.

Their training had been getting more and more tougher by the day, but they knew that at the end of their five-month long training, they would become senior cadets, and everything would become a tad bit easier as well. Soon after the midterm, they would be allowed to go home for a period of 10 days.

Anisha had decided that she would be going with Shambhavi. It was a lucky coincidence that Adhya's wedding date fell in that month, so Shambhavi and Anisha would be able to be present there. The entire 10 days of their mid term break would be spent in attending the wedding.

Shambhavi had invited Sanyukta ma'am verbally but was waiting for the wedding cards to arrive so that she could formally invite the Rathores. Moreover, Aniket had to be invited too. After all, they were going to go to Kumbhalargh for the wedding. 

Aniket and Shambhavi had been having many conversations every other weekend when he would drive her back to the academy. Their conversations varied. At times, they talked about themselves and their respective mothers. Sometimes, the conversation steered towards Shambhavi's sisters as well.
Aniket knew quite a few things about Shambhavi, but he felt as if there was something that she was not comfortable sharing with him. He also knew that Shambhavi was holding herself back. She was not read, perhaps, for these foreign feelings but Aniket was willing to wait.

Shambhavi, on the other hand, was wary of her feelings. She had faced so much in her life. She had seen her mother's trust being betrayed brutally. She had seen what it did to her, and the life that Shambhavi and her sisters had to live because of that betrayal. That was the main reason for her to be treading cautiously and not taking any steps with respect to her and Aniket's feelings.

It was a Saturday, so the girls were going to the Rathore house that evening. They would most probably stay the night as well, in the guest room, which was now known as the girl's room. It was lunchtime when an orderly came to tell Shambhavi that she had received a parcel. Anisha and Shambhavi both went to the administration office to collect the Parcel. Opening them they saw beautiful wedding cards.

Later that evening, in the Rathore house Anant, Anisha Shambhavi and Sanyukta ma'am were looking at the cards and planning for the wedding, when Anant asked, "Did you notice, Shambhavi?"

Shambhavi looked at him curiously and Anant pointed out something at the card. Shambhavi was left speechless. On the bride's side of the card, the bride's mother's name was written as it should be, but instead of father's name, Shambhavi's name was mentioned to be the sister to the bride. '
Shambhavi did not let her tears fall but she had a pool of unshed droplets swirling in her eyes. Anisha and Anant hugged her as she smiled happily. Though, the three friends did not know that Sanyukta ma'am had clicked a beautiful photograph of that moment.

After that point, Shambhavi was mostly quiet. Even when Advith and Aniket came back home, she did not talk much. Advith noticed that and asked Anisha about the same. She just shook her and said, "She'll be fine later, just let her be."

After dinner, everyone had retired to their rooms but Shambhavi was sitting on the porch facing the backyard of the house with the invitation card in her hand. She was staring at it intently when suddenly a cup of tea was placed beside her. She looked up to see Aniket standing with a cup of tea in his hands as well. He sat down next to her and glimpsed at the sky.

They did not talk for some time as she handed the card to him. He took it and smiled; he was going to congratulate her when she spoke up. "My sisters and I did not have a very good life. It was because of our father. I umm...," she was having trouble forming the right words and making sure not to tear up while conveying her thoughts. So, she tried her best and continued, "I knew that Adhya would not include his name in the card but including my name where his name should have been, is something I did not expect her to do."

Aniket smiled and said in a very soft tone, "Why? It is obvious that she respects you, and for her, I think that it was never the question whether your name should be on the card or not.

"Shambhavi, life is not always what you want it to be. It tests you as well as rewards you. If you continue being worried about the test, then you won't enjoy the reward. You have been working for your sister's well-being for so long that in the due process, you have completely forgotten about yourself. This is your sister's way of honouring you and of reminding you about just how thankful she is and what you mean to her. This is your reward. You need to enjoy it without questioning. If you have been given something in this life that is good, it is because you deserve it. Not everyone gives something and expects a return gift," Aniket said in a very serious yet kind voice.

He wanted to make her see that there was more to life than what she had witnessed. He wanted her to see the beauty of life; he wanted her to see the good in people.

Shambhavi had silent tears running down her face by now and she did not even notice them until Aniket wiped them with the pad of his thumb. She quickly wiped the rest of the tears, thanked Aniket for the tea and told him that the card was his invitation.

"I would have come without the invitation. I mean, come on, I am the king of Kumbhalgarh. Who would stop me?" he said with an air of playful arrogance.
Shambhavi burst out laughing. They continued their conversation with Aniket making Shambhavi chortle every now and then.

Both Advith and Anisha were watching them while standing inside the house. "They're so cute," Anisha said as her entire focus was on the young duo sitting at the porch.

Advith was also concentrating on them so much that he did not notice until after he had said, "Sure they are, not as much as us though."

Advith and Anisha both realised what Advith had said and blinked embarrassedly.

"We should probably head back to our rooms before they notice us," Advith said breathlessly and hurriedly.

"Yes, definitely," Anisha also said in a rush. They both turned back and went away sprinting to their rooms, hiding their blushing faces.

All the while the two confidantes who were talking on the porch, were blissfully unaware of the entire world around them.