THE FORGOTTEN COUPLE: ARHANA

EPISODE 14

The car stopped suddenly and Aryan got out and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" asked a perplexed Shahana.

"Wait here, I will be back in a moment." Aryan shouted back at her, before disappearing somewhere.

Shahana was waiting impatiently in the car. It has been fifteen minutes since Aryan had gone. She was wondering where could he have gone.

Her train of thoughts was broken by a knock on the window. 

"Come out, I have got something for you." Aryan said with a smile.

As soon as Shahana stepped out of the car, Aryan held an ice cream cone in front of her.

"From where did you bring this?" Shahana cast a questioning glance at Aryan.

"That's not important, just have it before it melts." he smiled.

They parked the car and sat on the bonnet, enjoying the ice cream.

Shahana was feeling very light. Sitting there, having ice cream with Aryan seemed so perfect. She felt a surge of happiness flowing through her, as if the missing piece of her life has been filled.

"Thank you" she looked at Aryan with grateful eyes.

"Mention not. Remember, it's not for you. I brought it because I was craving for it." he said with a smile.

"I know." she giggled.

"You look cute while laughing." Aryan blurted out accidentally.

"Huh?" Shahana stared in surprise.

Aryan felt caught and smiled sheepishly. "I mean...... you look better while smiling than when you fight with me." he tried to cover the slip up.

Shahana didn't say anything and turned her face. It stuck Aryan as odd.

"What happened? You didn't retort back?" he could not prevent himself from asking the question.

Shahana stared at him. She was having a war of thoughts in her mind,  deciding whether to tell him or not.

He is a reliable guy, you can trust him.

How can you be so sure that he will understand you?

But he knows something is troubling you. He said in the forest.

It's your secret, nobody should know about it.

Sharing your problems reduces the pain.

 "Are you in any dilemma? You can share it with me if you want. If you don't want to tell the reason, I won't mind at all." Aryan said as he noticed Shahana getting into thoughts which he didn't want. He wanted her to be happy.

These words assured her a lot. She knew that she could trust him. Her senses told her that he would never betray her.

"No, actually you reminded me of someone....... the person whom I loved a lot." she said a bit sadly.

"Loved?" the past tense caught Aryan's attention.

"Hmm.....loved. She is no more now." Shahana said with tears filling up her eyes.

"May I know, who is she?"

"She is the one because whom I have seen the light of this world, the one whose priority was me before herself. She is my beloved mother, my maa. Do you know Aryan, how much I long to use the words maa, how much it pains to be reminded every time that you are an orphan. I know Prachi and maasi loves me very much, but.....still she is maasi not maa. No one can take the place of a mother. People say that they are unlucky because God has not given them luxuries of life, but they forget that they have God himself in the form of mother. Actually I envy you, Ranbir and even Prachi because you all have mothers. I am surrounded by lots of people yet I'm alone, as if there is a vacuum in my life. You may think I'm over reacting or that I'm weird, but believe me, it pains.....pains a lot. " Shahana said with tears clogging her voice.