Abhigya Stories Collection

Give Me Tonight

Hello everyone, I am back with a new OS. The title is from a book by Lisa Kleypas.

Just a warning, some people might find certain things in this story objectionable, so read at your own discretion.

I don't know why, I wanted to write a light hearted story and thought of an idea but when I developed that story, it has become a melodrama fest.

Haven't proofread.

"I don't want to get married now, Bhai." Purab tells him as he sat opposite to Abhi in his study.

Abhi sighs loudly. "She has no one, Purab."

"I am just 24 years old." Purab tells him irately.

Abhi looks up at him tiredly and says, "I understand that. but you know, Pragya's parents and Dad and Mom had decided ages ago that Pragya would be married into our house. After her parents passed away, 5 months back, she has been living alone in UK hostel. Now that her studies are over, so Dad and Mom want to fulfill the promise made to their dead friends."

"I haven't seen her after she left India when we were kids." Purab mutters.

"No one has seen her." Abhi points out to him.

"I don't even know her."

"Even we don't."

"This is not fair." Purab says adamantly.

"I know, when she comes you talk to her. She might agree to wait till you are ready or you guys can come to a decision together." Abhi tells him as he started to get to work.

"What if she disagrees?" Purab asks him.

"Let's hope she is a loving, understanding girl." Abhi says as he started getting back to work.

Hearing a knock at the door, Abhi bids the person to enter.

"Sir, your parents are calling you both down." Robin pokes his head in and tells him.

"She is here." Abhi tells Purab as he stood up.

Sighing in depression, Purab gets up.

As they walked to the living room they could hear Pragya talking. She sounded excited.

"She is so excited!" Purab moans in depression.

Abhi couldn't help smile as he listened Pragya talk about her flight. "She is beautiful." Abhi tells Purab with a smile.

"Shut up!"

"There you are." Jhanvi says smiling seeing Purab and Abhi.

Pragya stops and smiles happily seeing them. "Hi, Abhi." Pragya says smiling.

Abhi and Purab were a little taken back hearing her addressing Abhi instead of Purab.

"Hi." Abhi replies.

"And that is Purab." Jhanvi tells Pragya.

"I know." Pragya replies smiling. "Hi Purab."

"Hi." Purab replies surprised seeing her being so familiar with him.

"He is my facebook friend." Pragya tells Jhanvi.

"Ah..." Jhanvi replies smiling.

"You never mentioned, Purab." Abhi tells Purab in a teasing tone.

"You never accepted my facebook request." Pragya tells Abhi as she pointed a finger at him.

"Oh..." Abhi was surprised hearing that. "I am not very active on it."

"I know." Pragya tells him smiling. "That is why I send Purab a request and I check your profile through his profile." Pragya tells him chuckling.

"My profile?" Abhi asks surprised as he looked at Purab.

"Is something wrong with her?" Purab softly whispers to Abhi.

Tej and Jhanvi look at each other hearing what Pragya was saying.

"Why don't you freshen up, Pragya?" Jhanvi asks her smiling.

"Sure." Pragya replies smiling.

"I know you are eager to talk to Purab and get to know him..." Jhanvi starts to say.

"Why?" Pragya asks confused. "Why do I have to get to know him?"

Purab turns to gape at Abhi and sees him gaping at Pragya.

"You both are going to get married." Jhanvi gently reminds her wondering if Pragya had any problem.

"Purab?" Pragya asks shocked. "I am to marry Abhi, right?"

Hearing the question, there was pin drop silence in the room.

Pragya looks at Abhi wanting an explanation while Abhi stood there, blood completely drained from his face.

"What?" Tej asks her shocked.

"Pragya, we were thinking Purab for you." Jhanvi gently tells her.

"But I love Abhi." Pragya replies getting agitated.

"You don't know me." Abhi tells her, unable to hide his shock.

"Ever since I was small... I thought.... we were getting married." Pragya tells him as eyes filled with tears.

"But Pragya, we never said anything like that." Jhanvi gently tells her.

"Purab is my age." Pragya points out. "He is just 3 months elder to me, so I thought I was marrying Abhi."

"Pragya..." Jhanvi starts in an appeasing tone.

Pragya looks at her and when she realized she was going to say something to convince her, she turns her gaze back to Abhi and asks him, "Why are you silent, Abhi? please say something."

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Abhi felt his heart break but he had nothing to say other than the truth and he informs her, "I am already engaged, Pragya."

Hearing him, Pragya staggers back in shock. Jhanvi quickly holds her.

"Jhanvi, why don't you take Pragya to her room?" Tej gently tells him.

"Why do you have to be so blunt?" Purab furiously whispers to Abhi. "Couldn't you be a little kind?"

Abhi gulps seeing Pragya staring at him in shock.

Seeing Jhanvi about to guide Pragya to her room. Purab stops her. "I'll take Pragya, Mom."

Then without waiting for any reply, Purab walks to Pragya and holding her shoulders, he leads Pragya to her room.

**********

Purab gently makes Pragya sit on the bed.

"Are you okay?" Purab asks her in concern.

"He is marrying someone else?" Pragya asks Purab as she looked at him.

"Yes." Purab replies in a soft whisper.

"What about me?" Pragya asks as tears fell from her eyes.

"Please don't cry." Purab tells her as he wiped her tears.

Bursting into tears, Pragya hugs Purab and starts wailing.

**********

Half an hour later, Purab comes out of Pragya's room and softly closes the door.

"How is she?"

Purab turns to the sound and find Abhi standing nearby.

"Terrible." Purab replies.

"I just didn't know how to tell her." Abhi tells him regretfully.

Purab nods. "I know, brother."

Abhi sighs thoughtfully.

"Maybe later, you talk to her." Purab tells him and starts to walk off.

"What do I tell her?" Abhi helplessly asks him.

Purab turns to him and tells him. "Tell her to give me a chance."

"You want to marry her?" Abhi asks shocked.

Purab shrugs. "She needs someone in life."

**********

Pragya had stayed in her room the whole day. At night, when everyone had gone to sleep Abhi knocks on Pragya's door. He doesn't hear any reply and was about to go when he hears her sniff. He opens the door and finds her lying on the bed.

"Pragya..." he softly calls her.

Pragya turns to look at him and realizing it was Abhi, she gets up from the bed and runs to him, throwing herself at him.

"How can you marry someone else, Abhi?" Pragya asks as she cried. "Don't I mean anything to you."

Abhi's first instinct was to tell her that other than her name, he really didn't know anything about her but then the way she was crying stopped him.

"I am sorry, Pragya."

"You are all I have, Abhi." Pragya tells him as she looked into his eyes. "I have no one else."

"You've my parents... my brother." Abhi gently tells her.

"But you're all I want." Pragya tells him as she cried. "Ever since I was small, I have only thought about you."

"Pragya... there is someone else in my life." Abhi gently tells her.

"Can't you call off the wedding?"

"I can't."

Pragya closes her eyes in pain. Seeing the tears falling from her eyes, Abhi wipes her tears.

"I am sorry that I am the reason that you are sad. But the truth is I can't do anything about it." Abhi tells her as gently as he could.

"Do you love her?" Pragya asks as she looked into his eyes.

"I can't call off the wedding."

"But do you love her?" Pragya insists.

"I won't call off the wedding, Pragya." Abhi tells her in finality.

Sad and rejected, Pragya steps back.

Abhi takes her hand in his and gently guides her to the bed. He makes her sit and kneels in front of her.

"Will you please listen to what I have to say?" Abhi asks her.

Pragya nods in reply.

"What do you know about me, Pragya?" Abhi asks. "Other than my name, my family and my age? What do you know about me?"

"But I love you, Abhi."

"You love the idea of me. not me. we don't even know each other for you to love me." Abhi tells her.

"But I do." Pragya argues.

"Listen to me, Pragya." Abhi says as he forcefully cupped her face, he was losing his patience. "You have been in love with the idea of a fiancé, not me. we don't know each other. You don't know me for you to love me."

When Pragya was about to say something, Abhi says in an angry tone, "Don't say you love me."

Pragya sadly gulps as she looked down.

"Purab said he wants to marry you. why don't you give him a chance?"

"No." Pragya says immediately.

"Please Pragya, for me?" Abhi asks hoping her so called love to at least make her a little reasonable.

"I'll do anything and everything for you. but not this." Pragya tells him as she cried.

"Pragya..."

"If you don't want me then I will go from here. But please don't ask me to marry someone else."

"Give him a chance, Pragya. Once you get to know him, maybe you'll fall in love with him. And you will get over this infatuation of yours."

"No."

"It's been not even a day since you have come here and because of you my whole family is depressed. They feel like they committed a crime. It's not their fault that you assumed things. I can't see my family like that. it kills me to see them like that."

"What do you want me to do?" Pragya asks him as she looked him in the eye.

"Stop crying. Be nice to my family and please give Purab a chance."

Pragya nods and tells him, "You don't worry. I'll do it."

Abhi was completely surprised to see her give in and he had no idea why she just did. And it kind of unnerved him with this change in her and he had no idea why.

"Thank you."

"You don't have to say, thank you. I'll even give my life for you, Abhi." Pragya tells him as she lovingly caressed his cheek.

That gentle touch of hers, made his heart slam against his chest, made him light headed and his breathing shallow. Abhi quickly moves back seeing the way her touch had affected him.

"You should sleep." Abhi tells her and quickly turns to leave. Then he notices the food kept on the table. "You didn't eat?"

"I am not hungry." Pragya replies.

"I know you haven't had anything since you've come here. So, eat something." Abhi tells her sternly.

Pragya nods her head.

**********

Abhi had a restless night thinking of Pragya. He knew he was not at fault for the way Pragya thought, but still he felt guilty. Her tears were disturbing him.

Getting ready for the day, Abhi was about to climb down the stairs to go to the living room to meet his family when he hears Pragya speaking to his family. He stops to listen.

"I am very sorry for the way I behaved last night. You all were so kind to me and I had no right to behave like that. Please forgive me." Pragya politely tells them. "It's my mistake that I assumed things."

Hearing her repeat what he had told her the previous night, his heart breaks a little. He realized that he had hurt her more last night.

"Purab... if you are interested then I want to give us a chance." Pragya tells him.

Purab smiles and walks to her. He takes her hand and smiles at her, "Even I want to give us a chance."

As if sensing him, Purab curiously look up. Purab looks at Abhi. Seeing Purab looking at something, Pragya turns to look. Seeing Abhi quickly moving behind the pillar to hide from Pragya, Purab hugs her distracting her. and he felt Pragya stiffen in his arms.

**********

Instead of going to his family, Abhi had gone to his study to work. He somehow wanted to avoid Pragya.

After sometime, Robin comes to call him for breakfast. Having no other option, he decides to go down.

As Abhi neared the dining room, he could hear his family laughing and Pragya excitedly talking to them. It all felt so weird for him. This Pragya was completely different from the one he met the night before. No one would say she is heartbroken.

The moment he entered she stopped talking. He looks at her and sees her looking at him. As their eyes locked, he saw tears starting to fill her eyes. She quickly looks down and he could see her trying to take deep breath.

"Hey, you were in the middle of something." Purab tells her as he tapped on her shoulder.

"Haan... where was I?" Pragya asks as she nervously continued to look down.

"Your teacher caught you."

Taking a deep breath, she looks at Purab smiling and continues to tell a funny story about how she had got caught cheating for exam. And not even once did she look at Abhi's side.

"What plans for today, Pragya?" Purab asks her.

"No plans." Pragya replies shrugging.

"I was thinking maybe we can go out today."

"Yeah sure." Pragya replies smiling.

"Is it okay if I take an off today, Bhai?" Purab asks looking up at Abhi.

Abhi looks at Purab and couldn't help it, his eyes automatically moves to Pragya and sees her looking down, he turns to look at Purab and replies, "Yeah sure."

"Great." Purab smiles.

Soon after Abhi left for work.

**********

"You work in Abhi's company?" Pragya asks curiously as they walked around the mall aimlessly.

"Yeah. Bhai started a business sometime back."

"I know." Pragya softly whispers.

Purab didn't know how to reply to that, then he decided not to reply to that and continue talking. "After I finished college, I joined his office."

Pragya nods.

"What are you plans? Any plans to work?" Purab asks her.

"I want to start a boutique."

"Nice." Purab says smiling.

**********

By the time, Abhi got back home, Purab and Pragya where home. Pragya avoided Abhi and he didn't bother her during dinner.

After dinner, when he was sure everyone had gone to sleep, he went to see Pragya as he wanted to thank her for what she did that day. He could see that his parents were more relaxed today.

He knocks on her door and there was no answer. He opens the door and finds her lying on the bed and crying her heart out. Hearing her heart wrenching sobs, his heart broke.

"Pragya." Abhi softly calls her.

Pragya turns to look at Abhi then sitting up, she tells him. "I can't do this, Abhi. it's killing me. please stop making me do this."

Abhi walks to her and he kneels in front of her. "I wanted to thank you for what you did today. My family is feeling so much better already."

"It's so difficult, Abhi." Pragya tells him.

Abhi wipes her tears and tells her, "Don't give up, Pragya. Keep going like this and very soon you'll laugh from your heart. And Purab will make a place for him in your heart and you'll forget this silly crush."

Pragya looks at Abhi for some time as what he had said sunk in and her heart broke again. She sadly looks at him, and says "When my parents passed away, Jhanvi aunty and Tej Uncle had called me. Every day they called me to make sure I was fine."

Seeing the tears falling from her eyes, Abhi wipes her tears.

"But you didn't." Pragya softly whispers.

Abhi gulps and cups her face. he had heard about their accident and eventual death but apart from praying for their soul and for Pragya, he hadn't really thought much about it.

"I kept waiting for you to call. I kept thinking why you didn't call. I was all alone and I kept waiting for your call. I thought maybe since we never spoke, maybe you didn't know what to tell me. it broke my heart but still I waited for your call. I thought you might come and see me because I was all alone and you knew I had no one. But you didn't. I kept waiting for you to come or call me. I just didn't understand why you wouldn't call me." then looking into his eyes, she says in a heartbreaking voice, "Now I know why... I meant nothing to you."

Abhi closes his eyes in pain.

"Please don't cry, Abhi." Pragya begs him as she wiped away his tears.

Without opening his eyes, Abhi leans down and takes her lips in his. The moment their lips touched, he realized what he was doing and starts to pull back when Pragya wraps her hands around him and pulls him closer to her, kissing him. When she started kissing him, he lost all his rational thinking and he pulls her closer to him and kisses her hungrily.

They slowly part. Trying to catch his breath, Abhi looks at Pragya and she was looking at him in daze. As hope and a smile started breaking out on her face, he quickly moves back.

"I am sorry. It shouldn't have happened." Abhi says agitatedly.

Then he sees her heart break again. He couldn't see the pain on her face and turns to walk off.

"Abhi..."

"A girl is waiting for me, Pragya." Abhi tells her without looking at her.

"What is her name?" Pragya softly asks him.

Abhi takes a deep breath and whispers without looking at her. "Tanu."

"Do you love her?" Pragya asks him softly.

Abhi hesitates for a few seconds then without replying to her, he walks out of the room.

**********

It was the strangest thing, Purab and Pragya got along like a house on fire. Everyone including Abhi was surprised by it. Abhi was quick to realize that Pragya was no longer faking her interest in Purab, but genuinely cared for him. But he didn't talk to Purab regarding it and Pragya, he had avoided her ever since they kissed.

One night, Abhi was working in his study when he hears a knock at the door. He bids the person to enter and looks up when he hears the door open. He stops in shock seeing Pragya enter. He had been avoiding her for the last couple of days as he couldn't get their kiss out of his head.

"Pragya?" Abhi says softly as he stood up his heart beating fast.

"You've been avoiding me." Pragya softly tells him.

"Don't you think it best that we avoid each other?" Abhi asks her back.

Pragya walks towards him and stands in front of him. "I miss you, Abhi."

Unable to hide his irritation, Abhi tells her, "We haven't even spent time together for you to miss me."

Seeing that Abhi was avoiding to look at her face, she asks sadly. "Why won't you even look at me, Abhi? Do I disgust you so much?"

Hearing her question, Abhi looks at her eyes and sees the sadness there he couldn't lie. He shakes his head in negative.

Pragya leans up and takes his lips in hers.

"Pragya..." Abhi starts to stop her.

Pragya cups his face and kisses him. And he couldn't resist. He pulls her close to him, gripping her hair, he deepens the kiss.

When the passionate haze diminished, Abhi was furious at himself for his lack of self-control when it came to Pragya. He was starting to realize that Pragya was a temptation that he couldn't resist.

"Abhi..."

"Why the hell do you do this, Pragya?" Abhi asks her furiously as he ran his hand through his hair. "How many times do I have to tell you that there is a girl in my life. Why the fuck don't you understand that?"

"Because I know you don't love her." Pragya whispers. "You always avoided answering when I asked you about it."

"That doesn't give you the right to do all this." Abhi tells her furiously.

"When you don't love her why are you not accepting me?"

"Because I don't love you. I don't know you. you are just a fucking stranger to me."

"You are right, but the truth is you can't resist me when we kiss."

"Stop throwing yourself at me. I am engaged."

"Why can't you break the engagement, Abhi? why is it easy for you to break my heart but not your engagement?" Pragya asks him sadly.

Abhi looks at her helplessly then sighing he tells her the truth. "A while after I started my business, I was trying to find investors for it so I could expand my business. Tanu's father was one of the people I approached. He loved my ideas and he invested in my business. He is the major investor for my business. I've expansions and I made more investments. Sometime after that Tanu's father brought the proposal as he liked me. I thought she is a good match for me and decided to marry her. If I call off the wedding now, he is going to pull off the money and I am going to be in debt. I like Tanu, she is nice. I have promised her that I will marry her. I don't know you. so, I would rather marry Tanu than marry you and be in debt."

"I have a house in UK. One in Bareilly. I have been saving up some money to start up a boutique. I will sell my houses and give you all my savings..." Pragya starts to say as she looked into his eyes cupping his face.

Abhi takes a furious breath, and asks her in uncontrollable fury, "HOW CAN YOU BE SO DESPERATE? SO SHAMELESS? DON'T YOU HAVE ANY SELF-RESPECT?"

"Abhi..."

"Get the hell out of my sight." Abhi furiously tells her.

"Abhi..."

"Don't ever show your face to me. get out of here NOW!"

They hear the door open and both turn to look. They see Purab standing at the door.

Purab looks at Abhi and then he looks at Pragya and asks her, "Are you okay, Pragya?"

Hearing his question, Pragya runs to him and throws herself at him. He hugs her as she cried. "Come, I'll take you to your room."

He was about to walk out of the room but he stops and looks at Abhi, and tells him, "You don't have to love her, Bhai. you don't have to marry her. you don't have to accept her. but you can at least try to understand her pain."

"It's not his mistake. I was making it difficult for him." Pragya tells Purab.

Purab pats her head gently then looking at Abhi one last time, he walks off with Pragya.

**********

Abhi was raked with guilt for what he told Pragya. He knew she didn't deserve it but with the way she was pushing him, he was starting to feel trapped. When it came to Pragya, he had no self-control. He had cheated on Tanu twice now with Pragya. But still Pragya didn't deserve to be treated like that. and she had defended him to Purab.

He goes to Pragya's room to apologize to her.

**********

Purab helps Pragya settle on her bed. He puts the blanket over her.

"Now, you sleep tight." Purab tells her as he patted her cheek.

He was about to leave when Pragya holds his hand.

"Do you really want to marry me?" Pragya asks him.

Purab smiles and sits next to her. "Do you?"

"No." Pragya replies. "I can only love him."

"I know." Purab kindly smiles at her.

"Then why did he say that you wanted to marry me?"

"I didn't want to marry you, Pragya. Because I am young and it is not my age to marry. But that day, I felt bad for you. Bhai and my parents told me that you had no one but I never really bothered about it. But when you realized that Abhi is engaged to someone and I saw how your dreams had crashed, I felt bad for you. my heart went out to you. I brought you here and you were crying that you've no one other than Abhi. that is when I realized that you really had no one. I felt sorry for you. I pitied you. And I felt it my responsibility to be a companion to you and told Abhi to talk to you." Purab explains.

"And now?" Pragya asks him.

Purab cheekily grins at her, "I still don't want to marry you."

Pragya smiles hearing that.

"We don't connect like that. We connect differently, we have that best friend for life vibe."

"I know." Pragya says smiling happily.

Purab leans down to her and offers his hand to her. "What say? Best friends for life?"

"Best friends for life." Pragya promises as she happily held his hand.

"Now, no more lies and no more secrets." Purab tells her.

"I promise."

"And no more fake happiness."

"You knew that?" Pragya asks surprised.

"I've been spending a lot of time with you, so I know when you're genuinely happy and when you're faking happiness for Bhai's sake."

Pragya sadly smiles.

"Tomorrow we are going clubbing."

"No." Pragya shakes her head.

"Okay... We're going to get drunk..."

"I don't drink." Pragya cuts him off.

"There is always a first. And we are getting drunk and crib about my brother."

Pragya smiles hearing that, "I don't think I can ever crib about him."

"Then how about, cry over him?" Purab asks smiling.

"OKAY!" Pragya says happily.

Chuckling, Purab leans down and kisses her on the forehead.

The door opens and Abhi stops in shock seeing Purab practically lying on top of Pragya.

"What the...?" Abhi stops in shock.

Sighing Purab sits up, "If you are here to scream at her then she is going to sleep. You come some other time."

"Purab... go." Pragya gently pushes him as she starts to sit up.

"Stop sucking up to him like this." Purab scolds her and walks off. "Don't make her cry again." Purab warns Abhi and closes the door.

**********

"What the fuck was that?" Abhi asks her furiously unable to control his jealousy and possessiveness.

Pragya sits up and looks at him. "You're right, you brother did make a space for himself in my heart."

In two long strides, Abhi was by her side and he furiously holding her upper arms, pulls her up. "What the fuck are you saying?"

"It's true." Pragya tells him.

Blinded by jealousy and possessiveness, he slams down his lips on hers and roughly starts kissing her wanting to hurt her. But the moment, Pragya started kissing him, Abhi loosened his grip on her, the kiss turned passionate and hugging her close to him, he kissed her.

"You can't see me with anyone else, then why are you pushing me away?" Pragya asks him as she placed soft kisses on his chin.

When Abhi doesn't reply, Pragya tells him. "Purab and I have decided to be best friends, we can't see each other in any other way."

Pragya feels him gently run up his hands on her arms. She starts kissing his neck and whispers to him. "He is my best friend but I haven't told him how you have been kissing his supposed fiancé. Just like how you haven't told your fiancé about it."

Realizing that he was again losing the battle with himself, Abhi pushes her away. "Why don't you understand, Pragya? That there is someone else in my life? Whom I promised a life together with? Who is waiting for me. You are asking me to break someone's heart because you don't want your heart broken because of a stupid crush!"

"It's not a crush." Pragya tells him feeling hurt.

"If not crush then what the hell is it? What do we know about each other? Have we even talked properly? Do you know anything about me? I know absolutely nothing about you."

"Abhi..."

"All we have is this sexual attraction. You can't spend your life on just sex!"

Pragya gulps hearing that.

"Since you're not going to be marrying my brother, I don't think you should be staying in my house anymore." Abhi tells her.

As fresh tears spilled from her eyes, Pragya watched Abhi walk out of her room.

**********

"He told me that I shouldn't stay in your house anymore." Pragya tells Purab as they sat in Purab's room drinking beer.

She hadn't even finished one-fourth of her first can while Purab was on his third can.

"This is not just his house. It's mine too. You're my best friend and you'll stay here."

"I will not do something that he doesn't want me to. And I don't want to stay here anymore." Pragya tells him.

"Don't say that." Purab tells her.

"I can't stay here and watch him live with Tanu." Pragya tells him, her heart breaking at the thought.

Purab keeps his hand on her shoulder understanding her pain. "I am sure, Pragya. If you had met him before he got engaged to Tanu, then he would have chosen only you."

"I know." Pragya replies as she wiped her tears.

"Who do you have there in UK?" Purab asks her in concern.

"I've some friends."

"If you ever feel lonely, call me."

"I'll." Pragya tells him smiling then she takes her mobile and books her ticket.

Once the booking was done, she sat there hugging her legs thinking about Abhi. as she thought of Abhi and a life without him, she started silently crying.

After a while she asks Purab. "Can you give me your phone? I want to talk to Abhi."

When he didn't reply, Pragya turns to him and sees that he had passed out. Pragya with great difficulty picks him up and puts him on the bed. Then she takes his mobile and using his thumb impression, unlocks it. She notes down Abhi's number and leaves the room.

**********

"Hello?" Abhi answers the call.

"Abhi."

"Pragya?" Abhi asks surprised.

"Yes. Can you come to my room, please?"

"Why?" Abhi asks in a stern tone.

"I want to tell you something."

"You can tell me over the phone."

"Please, Abhi."

"Fine!"

Abhi opens the door and walks in to find it empty. He curiously calls out to her. "Pragya?"

"Coming." Pragya replies from the bathroom.

Abhi turns and closes the door. He hears the bathroom door open and turns to look at her. the moment she came into his view, he stopped breathing.

She was wearing those type of sexy night dress that had noodle strap which didn't even reach her upper thigh. Nothing has ever turned him on like this in his entire life.

"I am going, Abhi. Tomorrow noon is my flight." Pragya tells him with tear filled eyes.

Abhi starts to take a step towards her and he realizes what he was going to do. He quickly turns around to leave the room.

"Abhi..."

"Stop it, Pragya!"

"I bought this dress to wear for our suhag raat." Pragya tells him sadly.

Abhi closes his eyes tight to calm his raising heart.

"Abhi." Pragya calls him.

"Please stop it, Pragya. This is wrong." Abhi requests her.

"I am going tomorrow, Abhi." Pragya tells him again.

Abhi turns to look at Pragya helplessly. "There is another girl in my life, Pragya. Why are you not understanding that?"

"I know, Abhi. Tanu is there in your life. but please, Abhi. please forget her for tonight. please give me tonight." Pragya pleads him as her hands went to the strap of her dress and she slips it down. Within a second her dress was pooling at her feet. "Please love me tonight, Abhi."

Seeing Pragya standing in front of him naked, Abhi's heart stopped beating. He stopped breathing seeing the exquisite sight in front of him. Without even realizing he extends his hand to touch her. seeing his hand, Pragya moves towards him and that broke his trance. He quickly turns around and hurries to the door.

His hand was at the knob when Pragya hugs him from behind.

"Please, Pragya. Please don't do this to me." Abhi pleads.

"Please love me, Abhi. just for tonight."

"I am begging you, Pragya. Please, let me go. I already betrayed her, please don't make me do this too. I will fall in my own eyes, Pragya. Please, I am begging you."

"You live your whole life with Tanu, Abhi. Please give me tonight. please love me, Abhi like I love you." Pragya begs him as she tightened her hold on him. "I am scared, Abhi. I have no one else. I will be alone all my life. if you love me tonight then I'll live in that memory all my life. otherwise I don't think I could go on living."

"Stop it, Pragya."

"After I leave tomorrow, we will never see each other again, Abhi."

Abhi's heart skips a beat hearing that. he lets go off the door knob. His hand raises up and he puts the latch on the door. Hearing him lock the door, Pragya moves back as she looked at him. Abhi turns around and looks at her.

She moves forward and he meets her half the way as their lips found each other's.

Pragya watched as Abhi stared at the ceiling, lost in thoughts. He hadn't said anything. She watched the rise and fall of his chest. As the erratic breathing steadied, his chest rise and fell slowly. But he didn't say anything. He didn't look at her. Seeing him about to get up from the bed. Pragya quickly throws her hand over him to hold him.

"Leave me." Abhi says angrily as he tried to get his pants from the floor.

"Please don't go, Abhi. please stay with me tonight." Pragya begs him.

"Leave me."

Realizing he was too strong for her, Pragya quickly rolls on top of him.

"Please don't go, Abhi." Pragya tells him as she straddled him.

Abhi tries to remove her when Pragya falls on him and starts kissing his neck. Abhi stiffens feeling her inexperienced kisses on his neck. Then she started grinding against him. Abhi groans as his body betrayed him yet again.

He knew and, he knew that she knew too, a gentle touch of hers was his undoing.

Unable to control himself, Abhi rolls Pragya over and in a swift motion enters her. Pragya gasps feeling the length of him.

"Abhi." Pragya calls him.

Abhi looks at her and then he stops in shock seeing the tears in her eyes, fearing he had hurt her.

"Why don't you believe me, Abhi? I love you. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. I've always loved you, Abhi. and I'll always love you. please believe me, Abhi. I truly love you."

"I believe you, Pragya." Abhi tells her feeling so emotional.

"Please don't stop." Pragya whispers to him as she hugged him.

They started moving against each other.

"I love you, Abhi."

Abhi looks at her and sees tears roll down her face.

Abhi leans down and suck in her tears. "I know, baby. I know."

Relieved, Pragya hugs him tight as they took each other to fulfillment.

"I've to go." Abhi whispers as he tried to get up.

Pragya quickly wraps her legs around him to stop him. "Please don't go, Abhi. please let me love you tonight. in this whole world, I have no one else to love other than you. let me love you to my heart's content. Please love me like you truly do, Abhi. just tonight." Pragya begs him.

Abhi looks into her eyes and vows to her, "I'm never going to forgive you for this, Pragya."

"I know, Abhi." Pragya whispers with tear stricken face.

**********

Pragya put her things in her bags as she packed up. Her thoughts went back to Abhi. He had left her room without a word early in the morning. And she had laid there on her bed crying.

She had thought a night with Abhi would ease her pain but it only magnified her pain. Now she knew how it is to be loved by him, she not only has to live without him, she has to live without his love too.

Seeing that it was 8:30, Pragya quickly leaves her room, hoping to catch Abhi before he left for work. She didn't know why exactly she was going to look for him, but she had to see him one more time.

She sees him walking towards the stairs and hurries after him.

"Abhi." Pragya calls him.

He stops and hesitates for a few seconds. Then he turns around to face her.

"Abhi..."

His mobile starts ringing. He checks the caller ID and answers the call. "Hello, Tanu?"

Pragya's heart breaks hearing the name.

"Yeah, I can meet you there in 45 mins.... See you." Abhi says and hangs up the call.

And Pragya understood why she had gone looking for him, she had hoped that he would say that he wanted to be with her when he sees her.

"What is it?" Abhi asks her indifferently.

She fought back her tears and tells him, "I am going today."

Abhi turns around to walk off then he stops and turns back to look at her.

"What did you achieve by last night?" Abhi asks her.

"Abhi... I..."

"You cornered me. You forced me, Pragya. You took advantage of me. you seduced me." Abhi tells her in a hurtful tone. "Do you know..." Abhi asks her as he leaned down so he could whisper to her, "What you did to me last night, if I had done to you, do you know what people would call it?"

Pragya stops breathing realizing what he had implied, her eyes fill with tear, realizing how much she had hurt him.

Abhi moves back and tells her, "If this is your love then I am better off without it."

Pragya closes her eyes as tears fell from her eyes.

"I can't believe I was..." Abhi stops as he looked away.

Pragya's eyes shot up, her heart slamming against her chest willing him to finish what he was going to say.

Abhi looks back at her and tells her, "If you had given me a little space, a little time, I might have called off the wedding because I was starting to..." Abhi stops as his eyes filled up. "Now, keep your word, Pragya. we are never ever going to see each other."

Pragya stood there and watched as Abhi walked off.

**********

Abhi was sipping on a glass of water as he waited for Tanu to come.

"Hi Abhi." Tanu says as she walked to him smiling.

"Hi." Abhi says as he stood up.

"I was surprised to see your message that you wanted to meet." Tanu says as she took a seat.

Abhi sits down opposite her.

"Is everything alright?" Tanu asks seeing that Abhi was looking pretty serious.

"I wanted to tell you something." Abhi tells her hesitantly.

"Yeah, tell me." Tanu tells him as she sat up realizing that whatever that he wanted to tell her wasn't good.

"Tanu... I am very sorry..."

"What is it, Abhi?" Tanu asks feeling nervous.

"I can't marry you."

"Wha... why?" Tanu asks as she went pale. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No... it's not you... it's me." Abhi quickly tells her.

For some time, she didn't say anything, she just sat there lost in thoughts.

"Why do you want to call off the wedding?" finally she asks softly.

Abhi looks away as he tried to find a way to tell her the truth that would be less painful, telling the truth bluntly, how that hurts he had seen it with Pragya.

"ABHI!"

Having no other way to tell her the truth, he tells her, "Last night I cheated on you."

He sees her eyes fill with tears and she quickly looks away.

"I am sorry, Tanu." Abhi tells her.

Tanu looks at him and tells him sadly, "You could have just not told me this. You could have hidden it from me."

"I could have." Abhi agrees. "The truth is, I realize that as long as she is there, I can never be loyal to anyone else."

Seeing her face, Abhi realized that whatever he had told her, has made her furious.

Tanu stands up as furious tears stung her eyes. She was about to leave when she notices the water he was drinking. She takes the glass and throws the water on his face. then slamming the glass on the table, she walks off.

**********

Much later, Abhi walks into his house and finds his parents worriedly waiting for him.

"Abhi... what is happening?" Tej asks him as he hurried to him. "Mr. Kapoor called saying that you called off the wedding? We were trying to reach you. what happened? Mr. Kapoor is furious and on top of that you were not answering his calls too."

"What happened, Abhi?" Jhanvi asks him worriedly. "Did you really call off the wedding?"

"Yes."

"But why?" Jhanvi asks him confused.

"It won't work out, Mom." Abhi answers her and starts to walk off.

"Did you know Pragya also left today? Purab went to drop her to the airport."

"Hmmm."

"Bhai." Purab calls him as he hurried in. "What is Mom saying? Did you really call off your wedding?"

"Yes." Abhi replies as he turned to look at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Purab asks him furiously. "Why didn't you tell Pragya that you were calling off the wedding? Right now, she is on a flight to UK."

"Good." Abhi replies and walks off.

**********

"All Settled?" Purab asks on the phone.

"Yeah." Pragya replies. "How is Abhi?"

"Ermm... ermm..."

"What is it, Purab?" Pragya asks getting worried. "Is he alright?"

"He called off his wedding." Purab hesitantly tells her.

"What?" Pragya whispers in shock. "When?"

"Last week. The day you left. He is saying they won't work out."

"What?" Pragya asks shocked. He had been so sure of Tanu then... oh God... "Did he say anything about me?"

"No." Purab quickly replies.

"We promised no lies." Pragya reminds him realizing whatever Abhi had said is not anything good.

"I asked him why he didn't tell you that he was going to do it. That now, you were on a flight to UK..." Purab stops as he hesitates on what to tell her.

"What did he say?"

"He said, good." Purab softly whispers.

Pragya closes her eyes realizing she didn't deserve any better for what she did to him.

"He said her father will be take his funding." Pragya says as her heart slammed against her chest.

"He did." Purab tells her with a sad sigh.

"And?"

"Bhai is in some financial trouble now."

Pragya closes her eyes realizing that she was the root cause for all of Abhi's troubles.

"He has been talking to each of them and has convinced them to give him time. he is strong and smart; he will sort it out. You don't worry."

"I could arrange some money..."

"He is too proud to take money like that. Dad offered to break his FD, it is not even one-tenth of what Bhai needs now. but it would have been a great help still he refused."

"It's all because of me." Pragya tells him sadly.

"What did you do?" Purab asks her.

"I can't tell you that." Pragya says remembering their night together.

"We promised no secrets."

"I need some time to share it with you." Pragya tells him sadly.

"Okay."

**********

"Hey Pragya, what's up?" Purab asks as he answers her call.

"I want to see you." Pragya tells him.

Chuckling Purab tells her, "Darling, I am Purab, not Bhai."

"Please Purab."

"What happened, Pragya?" Purab asks her in concern.

"I'll tell you when I see you."

"Okay... I'll come on skype now."

"No... no... I want you to come here." Pragya clarifies.

"To UK?" Purab asks shocked.

"Yes. You've visa, right? That day you told me you've."

"Yeah, it is valid for a year or so." Purab replies confused. "But you want me

to come there?"

"Yes. Please, Purab. It is very important otherwise I wouldn't have asked you."

"Okay."

**********

A week later, Purab walks in with Pragya to her small apartment.

"There is only one bedroom. You can use that; I'll sleep on the living room sofa-bed." Pragya tells him as she gestured to the bedroom.

"I'll take the sofa-bed; you can stay in your room."

"No..."

"Trust me, Pragya. I can sleep anywhere. So, you sleep in your room."

Pragya nods.

"I just don't understand why you would sell your 4-bedroom house and move into a 1-bedroom apartment."

"That house was too big for me." Pragya whispers. "Too lonely in there."

Hearing her, Purab hugs her.

"You can freshen up in there. I'll warm up the food by then."

Purab nods wondering why Pragya looked so nervous. Maybe it was to do with whatever she wanted to tell him.

After dinner, Purab helps Pragya clean up. Once she was done, he asks her. "Do you want to talk now? Or wait till tomorrow morning?"

Pragya thinks for a few seconds and tells him nervously. "I would rather have it now."

Purab nods.

They both were sitting on the sofa as Pragya nervously gripped her hand wondering where to start.

"Come on, Pragya. tell me. This silence is scaring me." Purab tells her as he kept his hand over Pragya's.

"I promised you that I will not keep any secrets from you. but I did. And I want to tell you that."

"What is it?" Purab asks confused.

Pragya looks at Purab then looking down at their hands she confesses. "I did a horrible thing."

"What horrible thing?" Purab asks confused.

"An unforgiveable thing."

"What is it?"

Pragya closes her eyes as tears fell from them. "I am no longer able to look at myself in the mirror. I am so disgusted at myself."

Purab looks at her in shock wondering what could be so horrible that she is so disgusted with herself then realizing he asks her in shock, "Did you have a one-night stand?"

Remembering the night, she had spent with Abhi, she nods. "Something like that."

Purab sighs in shock. "What are you doing, Pragya?"

"I wasn't thinking straight. I was so desperate."

Purab loudly sighs as he thoughtfully run his hand through his hair.

"What I am about to tell you, promise me that you won't tell Abhi."

"Why would I tell Bhai?" Purab asks confused. "It's none of his business. Anyway he rejected you. so, he has no right to know whether another man has come into your life."

And that is when Pragya realized that Purab had misunderstood. She was about to correct him then decided against it.

"Promise me that whatever I tell you, you will not tell Abhi. No matter how much you want to tell him. How much ever it hurts you, you won't."

"I won't."

"Promise me, Purab."

"I promise."

"Not like that, Purab. I want you to promise on someone."

"Who?" Purab asks confused.

Pragya takes his hand and keeps it on her stomach. Purab's eyes open in shock and his heart skips a beat.

"Pragya... are you?" Purab asks her in a whisper.

Pragya nods. "Promise me, you won't tell Abhi. no matter what."

"Pragya..."

"At least till I give you permission."

"But what if he asks me, Pragya?" Purab asks helplessly.

"Why would he ask you?"

"In case he sees you with the baby and he asks me? I have never lied to him and I will never lie to him. He is my brother, Pragya."

"We will not be meeting each other." Pragya tells him remembering what he had asked of her when they had met last time.

"Still... you don't know what can happen in the future."

"Okay, you can tell him about the baby if he asks you about the baby. otherwise, no. don't even mention the baby to him or anything about me."

"Okay." Purab nods. "I promise on your baby that I will not tell Bhai anything about your baby or your till you give me permission to talk about it or if Bhai asks me about the baby."

Pragya smiles at him in relief.

"Who is the father?" Purab asks her.

"Please don't break this promise, Purab." Pragya requests him as she held his hand over her stomach tight.

"Of course not, Pragya. this is your baby; I will not do anything to harm the baby in any way."

"This is not just my baby." Pragya confesses to him. "It's your brother's too."

"What?" Purab asks as blood drained from his face.

"This baby is your nephew, Purab."

"NO! NO!" Purab says as he tried to take off his hand from her stomach.

"You promised me, Purab." Pragya reminds him as she held his hand tight.

"Bhai has the right to know about his baby. Bhai has to know."

"No, Purab."

"I've to tell him. I can't hide such a big thing from him." Purab says he got up agitated.

"Please Purab, I already ruined his life. please don't ruin it any further."

"What are you saying, Pragya? I can't understand."

"I am the reason he called off his wedding."

"Then why aren't you with him now?" Purab asks shocked.

"I hurt him."

"How?" Purab asks at his wits end. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I was so desperate. I was so depressed. I did an unforgiveable, horrible thing. He said he will never forgive me."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Purab asks losing his patience.

"I seduced him."

"Pragya..." Purab walks to her and holds her shoulders. "I can understand that, you love him so much, you panicked."

Pragya shakes her head in negative.

"What?" Purab asks confused.

"I forced him. I took advantage of him." Then closing her eyes, she breaks into sobs as she whispered. "I think... I... I raped him."

Purab quickly leaves her shoulders and steps back. "You are talking about my brother, Pragya!" Purab shouts unable to hide his fury and pain.

"I am sorry, Purab." Pragya whispers.

"After all this, you want to hide his baby from him?" Purab asks furiously.

"He said he will never forgive me for what I did. If he finds out, we made a baby... he..."

"That is his decision to make. Not yours to guess."

"He told me that we should never meet again."

"And it will be his decision whether he wants to meet you after he finds out about the baby."

"You don't understand, Purab. He called off his wedding because of what happened. He is in debt because of me. I don't want to burden him with this baby."

"It should be his decision, Pragya."

"I am not going to hide the baby from him, Purab. Abhi will always have the first right over our baby. I'll tell him. Once, he is out of his debts, I'll tell him."

"And what if he decides to get married before that?" Purab asks her in shock.

"If he even thinks of getting married then you should tell him about his

baby. not before that, please Purab. Let him live in peace for some time. that is all I can give him now."

"I don't want to be a part of this, Pragya." Purab tells her.

Seeing him taking his bag, Pragya tells him. "My baby needs his chachu the most now, Purab."

Purab stops and helplessly look at her. he drops his bag, "You are making me pay a huge price for our friendship, Pragya."

"I love him so much, Purab. I can't hurt him anymore. He neither asked for it and wanted it. I forced it on him. Let him solve all his problems. Then we will tell him, I promise."

**********

Purab wakes up hearing gagging sound. He sits up and sees the bathroom door ajar. Realizing Pragya was throwing up, he hurries to the bathroom and finds her slouching on top of the closet and throwing up.

"Are you okay, Pragya?" Purab asks her as he rubbed her back.

Pragya nods as she stood up a little tired. She flushes the toilet and walks to the wash basin to wash her face.

"Thank you, Purab."

Purab without saying anything walk out of the bathroom.

They were silently having breakfast. Purab hadn't talked to her since the bathroom incident.

Pragya looks at Purab and sees him intently looking at his plate. She knew what she is making him do is wrong but she couldn't disrupt Abhi's life now. From Purab she always found out what he was going through, and she knew that Abhi was over working himself now to face the crisis in his business.

"How many months?" Purab asks her softly.

"9 weeks."

"How long have you known?" Purab asks her looking up at her.

"The day I called you asking you to come, that day I found out."

"Last week?" Purab asks shocked. "How didn't you know before that?"

"I didn't." Pragya replies shrugging. "Only when I started having morning sickness, I realized."

"We should tell Bhai, Pragya. please?" Purab requests her.

Pragya leaves her spoon on the plate then leaning back on her chair, she tells him sadly, "These two months, away from Abhi, I had time to think. I got clarity and I realize how wrong I was."

Without saying anything, Purab looks at her.

"I was only thinking from my side. Ever since I was small, my parents had told me that I would have to marry Tej uncle's and Jhanvi aunty's son. Before we shifted here, do you remember that your whole family had come to see us?"

Purab shakes his head in negative.

"You were so tiny then. Shorter than me. the bratty kid. And then there was Abhi. the big boy. And I thought, I am to marry Abhi. He scolded you for irritating me. I was just 5 years old then, and I thought my future husband was scolding the boy for irritating me." Pragya looks at Purab as her eyes filled with tears. "it never occurred to me that he was scolding his younger brother for misbehaving. From that day on I believed that I belonged to Abhi and he belonged to me."

Purab keeps his hand over hers seeing her so broken.

"As long as I can remember, I have loved Abhi. I have waited for Abhi. It never occurred to me till Tej uncle told me one day that I wasn't engaged to either of you. all it was a pact between two friends even before they got married that their children would marry. If my parents had another daughter, then it might have been her who would have married either of you."

"Unexpectedly I lost my parents. Overnight, I was orphaned. I was all alone. It nearly killed me when Abhi didn't come to see me when my parents passed away. Every day I waited for him to come or call me. he never did. Instead of realizing that I meant nothing to Abhi, I started making excuses for him. Because that gave me a hope for life. that I had at least Abhi in life. When your parents called me asking me to come home so they could fix a wedding date, I was ecstatic because now I didn't have to live without Abhi. He is going to be with me all my life."

Remembering that day, Pragya shudders, "I come to your house and I am thrown into this nightmare. That Abhi is not mine. He was someone else's."

"Instead of handling it like a mature person, I went insane. I started desperately throwing myself at Abhi. begging him to call off his wedding. Abhi was right. I didn't give him space and time. I just kept pushing him. I didn't let him breath peacefully. I didn't think from his side. All I thought of was that I couldn't live without Abhi. that I had no life without Abhi. I didn't think of what Abhi wanted from life. that he was engaged to someone he liked. He made a promise to a girl which he wanted to fulfill. And I kept asking him to call off the wedding. Abhi kept telling me that I am a stranger to him. But I just didn't accept it. How can I be a stranger to Abhi when I loved him so much? It didn't occur to me that I was actually asking Abhi to sacrifice his dreams and life for me. I didn't realize that he didn't owe me anything. It wasn't his fault that I misunderstood everything. That I was living a fantasy. A dream which had no place in his life. Instead of understanding his situation, I tried to smother him with my love. I didn't even give him a chance to get to know me. I didn't give him the option of seeing if he could love me. if marrying me was worth sacrificing his dreams. I just cornered him and took away his choices. I was so selfish that I didn't even stop to think that Tanu was also just a girl like me who was dreaming of a life with Abhi. I knew Abhi didn't love her and that was enough for me. I didn't even for a second wonder whether Tanu loved him. I just didn't. Abhi was right, I wanted her heart broken so mine didn't break."

"That night, he begged me. he told me he would fall in his own eyes if he cheated on Tanu. we had kissed before that and he was living in guilt for betraying Tanu. I knew that but I turned a blind eye to all that because I was desperate. I was scared that I will kill myself one day because I had no one else. If Abhi could love me at least for a night, I might manage to survive in his memory. I refused to see that the night which was going to anchor me to living would be the night that would kill him slowly." Saying that Pragya breaks out into loud sobs.

Purab quickly moves to her and hugs her, keeping her head on his stomach.

"I tortured him so much, Purab. I can't hurt him again. He told me that we shouldn't meet ever again. I can't hurt him by going in front of him. Please Purab, at least let him clear up all the mess that I caused in his life. then I promise, I will tell him about the baby. He is so stressed now. He is struggling so much. I don't want to torture him more with this baby now. I already ruined his life. It would kill me if our baby also becomes a reason for his pain."

She looks up at Purab and sees that he had tears in his eyes. "Please, Purab. I can no longer be selfish. I love him too much. Please, for now keep our baby a secret. I promise you that when the time is right, I will tell Abhi. Our baby and I will always belong to Abhi. We will wait for him all our life. if he doesn't want me, just the baby then I swear Purab, I will give our baby to him. I will do anything for his happiness. I promise."

"Okay." Purab tells her in a calming tone. He kneels down next to her and promises, "For now, let things be how you want it to be."

"Thank you."

"Now, stop crying. It is not good for the baby."

Pragya nods and wipes her tears.

Once she had calm down, Purab tells her smiling. "In all this, I forgot to tell you something."

"What?" Pragya asks him curiously.

"I am so happy that I am going to be a chachu." Purab tells her smiling.

Pragya smiles hearing that.

"Congratulations, Pragya." Purab tells her as he hugged her.

Pragya hugs him and tells him, "And Congratulations to you too, chachu."

**********

Purab walks into his house and sees Abhi walking out.

"You are back"

Purab nods as he smiled at him.

Abhi nods. "I'm going to office. Will you be coming?"

One thing, he never told Pragya was that ever since the day Bhai had called off his wedding, he hasn't smiled. Finally, realizing the turmoil that his brother was going through, Purab walks to him and hugs him.

"What?" Abhi asks shocked. "What happened? Everything all right?" Abhi asks as he hugged him.

"I missed you." Purab says as he couldn't tell him the truth. Nobody in his family knew that he had gone to see Pragya, he just said that he was going to meet a friend.

"What new drama is this?" Abhi asks suspiciously.

"You are not the same." Purab says softly.

"I am getting late." Abhi tells him as he tried to leave Purab.

"Are you happy, Bhai?" Purab asks him as he looked at Abhi in concern.

Abhi looks at him in exasperation. "There is shit happening in office and you are asking this non sense?"

"Bhai..."

"I don't have time for this crap." Abhi tells him and walks off.

**********

"Mom..." Purab calls out to his mother as they sat for breakfast.

"Yes?" Jhanvi curiously look up.

"Do you know any nice name for a girl?"

"Girl?" Jhanvi asks confused.

Hearing the strange question Abhi and Tej curiously look up from their plates.

"My friend is going to have a baby. so she was asking for suggestions."

"Oh..." Jhanvi nods and thinks.

"Dad... Bhai... any suggestions?"

Tej thinks while Abhi shrugs.

"How about Ghaada?" Jhanvi asks excitedly.

"Ghaada?" Purab muses curiously. "Any other suggestion?"

"Aditi?" Tej asks.

"Okay... Aditi... I like that." Purab says smiling. "Bhai, do you have any suggestions?"

Abhi starts to shrug then he says, "Aadhya. I always thought that if I have daughter will name her that."

"Aadhya?" Purab asks making a slight disinterested face.

"Abhi, if you want to name your daughter that why are you giving that name to his friend?" Jhanvi asks him smiling curiously.

Hearing his mother, Abhi looks at her for a few seconds then leaving his food, he just gets up and walks off.

Jhanvi sighs sadly seeing Abhi walk off. "When is he going to be fine?"

Purab looks at Abhi's retreating form then turning to his mother, he tells her, "Pack food and give, Mom. I will give it to him in office."

Jhanvi nods.

"And just give him time. he will be our old Bhai." Purab tells her smiling.

Jhanvi hopefully smiles.

Purab takes his phone and sends the message.

Aadhya. Then a disgusted emoticon with it.

I think you should go with Dad's suggestion. Aditi. Or Mom's, Ghaada.

Immediately Pragya replies.

So, is Aadhya's chachu going to be here when she is born?

Purab couldn't hold his smile and replies.

Tickets confirmed. Tomorrow night is my flight. Please hold on till then, Aadhya.

**********

"Bhai, just stop there." Purab says pointing at a jewellery store.

"Why? You will be late for your flight." Abhi says.

"I'll come quickly. My friend just messaged that she had the baby last night. I thought after my friend's wedding, I'll go see her baby too. First time, I am seeing the baby, I want to gift her something." Purab explains.

Abhi stops the car. Purab gets out and walks to the store.

Once inside the store, Purab finds the ugliest two chains there and then waited for Abhi to come looking for him.

Few minutes later, Abhi walked in.

"Purab... what is taking you so long? You are going to miss your flight." Abhi says ask he walked to him.

"Bhai." Purab looks at him happily. "I am just confused between these two. Which one do you think I should pick? My stupid friend is not checking her messages."

Purab almost laughed out loud seeing Abhi flinch when he saw the chains.

"There are no other options?" Abhi asks confused.

"These are beautiful, right?" Purab asks with a straight face.

Abhi almost grimaces.

"Okay, show him the other chains." Purab tells the salesman.

"We don't have time for that." Abhi tells him.

"I'll check-in online. You just look at the other chains." Purab tells him as he took his phone to act as if he was checking-in. he had done that before he left home itself.

Abhi moves forward to look at the options.

"This one is nice." Abhi tells Purab.

"Okay, pack that." Purab says without even looking at the chain.

The salesman starts to pack that.

"Oh this is beautiful." Abhi whispers softly.

Purab curiously looks up and sees Abhi looking at anklets.

"You are right... we'll take the anklets instead of the chain." Purab tells the salesman.

"But do newborns wear anklets? Won't it become tight soon?" Abhi asks curiously.

"This one is not for a newborn, sir. But you can use it for a newborn baby. you just have to put it around their ankles twice." The salesman tells them.

"Great, we will take that." Purab declares and quickly takes the card from his wallet and offers the salesman.

Abhi frowns and quickly holds Purab's hand. "Isn't that company card?"

"Yeah... I maxed out on my card." Purab explains.

"What the hell, Purab? How can you use company card for personal use?" Abhi asks angrily.

"You can cut it from my next month's salary." Purab tells him.

"You can't mismanage office funds like that." Abhi tells him sternly.

"Bhai, my credit card is maxed out. I don't have money now."

Abhi furiously leaves Purab's hand and takes out his wallet. Then hands the salesman his card.

"Thanks, Bhai." Purab tells him smiling.

"If I see you do something like this again..."

"Never." Purab promises.

Few minutes later, Abhi drops off Purab at the airport.

"Call when you reach." Abhi tells him.

"Will do." Purab promises.

They didn't know he was going to UK. He had told them that he was going to Jaipur because only a Jaipur flight was there around the same time as the UK flight which would fly to a destination in India from the international airport. He will message from the flight when it is time for the Jaipur flight to land and tell them that he has some network issue and not to call him.

**********

Purab excitedly sits on Pragya's hospital bed as they cooed at the baby.

"She is opening her eyes." Pragya says excitedly. "Give me the photo."

Purab quickly hands her Abhi's photo.

"Aadhya, see Papa." Pragya says excitedly to Aadhiya as she showed her Abhi's photo. Aadhya curiously looks at Abhi's photo. Pragya keeps the photo on her cheek. "Papa give Aadhya kissie." Then she lightly keeps the photo on Aadhya's lips. "Give Papa a kiss, Aadhya."

"She doesn't even know what a kiss is." Purab tells her rolling his eyes.

Sheepishly smiling, Pragya keeps the photo on the side. "Now, Mama's turn." Pragya kisses her daughter.

"My God... She is so perfect." Pragya says crying happily as she cradled her baby in her hands. "I never thought I could love someone as much as I love Abhi."

Purab looks at the baby with happy tears.

Pragya worriedly looks up at Purab and asks him. "Abhi would love her as much as I love her, right?"

"Yes." Purab tells her as he held her hand.

Pragya smiles happily. "Now, show me."

Purab smiles. "Okay, gift time for Aadhya."

He quickly takes out the box and opens it.

"Look what Aadhya's Papa bought for Aadhya?" Purab asks as he took out the anklets.

"That's so beautiful." Pragya says emotionally as she watched Purab wrap around the anklets twice on Aadhya's ankles.

Once Purab had finished putting the anklets, Pragya holds Aadhya close to her and lovingly whispers into her ears. "Papa sent you anklets, Aadhya. This way, Papa is going to be with you all the time."

Aadhya gurgles making Pragya and Purab smile.

"Now, chachu's gift." Purab says excitedly.

"That's so pretty, Purab." Pragya says with a smile as she looked at the bracelet he had put for Aadhya.

"If Bhai, Dad and Mom were here, they would have been so happy." Purab tells her softly feeling a little sad.

Pragya's heart breaks hearing that. Gulping sadly, Pragya looks down. "But Abhi is still struggling, right?"

Purab nods his head sadly.

**********

Pragya was picking up Aadhya from her crib when she hears the skype call. Smiling Pragya quickly answers the call with one hand while she held Aadhya with the other.

"Is she up?" Purab asks smiling.

"She is her father's daughter. As punctual as him. On the dot." Pragya tells him happily. "Just a sec, Purab."

Pragya walks to the wall where she has hang a huge portrait of Abhi. "Aadhya, give Papa a kissie." Pragya says as she held her daughter close to the photo.

Aadhya kisses the photo.

"Now, give Mama a kissie."

Pragya happily smiles feeling the wet kiss on the cheek.

"A kissie for chachu." Purab tells her.

Aadhya kisses her own palm giving Purab a flying kiss. Chuckling, Purab gives her a flying kiss.

"Pragya, so it is confirmed. I'll reach tomorrow night."

"Okay, great. I'll pick you from the airport."

"No... anyway you have no car. And I will be reaching late night. So, I will stay at a hotel and come to your place day after."

"It's no trouble for me, Purab. I'll take a cab. You stay here."

"I found a hotel near airport, I will sleep comfortably and come."

"Okay. so, I will see you day after."

"And I have to attend an official dinner day after night, so you also come with me."

"Why should I come?" Pragya asks shocked.

"Because I will be bored there and babies are chick magnets." Purab tells her cheekily.

"Stop using my daughter to meet girls." Pragya tells him outraged.

"Okay... I won't use her as a chick magnet but you come with me for the party, otherwise I will be bored."

"Okay."

**********

Pragya excitedly opens the door hearing the doorbell.

"Hey!" Purab happily says as he opened his arms for her.

Pragya excitedly hugs him.

"Are you ready?" Purab asks her as he dropped his bag in.

"You rented a car?" Pragya asks surprised seeing the car on her doorway.

"Yeah. You say everything is nearby and make me walk. Now, where is my darling niece?"

"she is ready and waiting to go." Pragya tells her as she pointed to Aadhya who was on the floor playing.

"She is grown so much since the last time I saw her." Purab says happily as he picked her up. "She is becoming the spitting image of you."

Seeing Purab, Aadhya starts excitedly laughing.

"We need a car seat. Her pram has a car seat attachment. I'll get it." Pragya tells Purab as she hurried to get it.

"Great."

After Purab fixed the car seat. They left for the party.

**********

"Okay... I'll just go meet the host and come." Purab tells Pragya.

"Okay. I'll be here. Do you want me to take her?" Pragya asks pointing at Aadhya, whom Purab was holding in his arms.

"No, let her be with me."

"Okay."

Since Purab was busy with other guests, Pragya was aimlessly walking around the party. Every now and then, she would look for Purab, to make sure Aadhya was fine.

The moment Abhi walked into the party, Pragya saw him. She had stopped in shock seeing him. She stopped breathing. At first, she couldn't believe it was him. Her eyes filled up seeing him. As she looked at him, looking as handsome as ever, in a black formal suit, he had a beard now and his hair was over grown now. she quickly moves away so that he doesn't spot her. she found a place where she could look at him without he finding her.

Spotting Purab, Abhi walks to him.

"Hey." Purab smiles at him.

"Where did you get this baby from?" Abhi asks surprised seeing the baby in Purab's hand.

Purab gently rocks Aadhya in his arms.

"Did you meet Mr. Dave?" Abhi asks curiously as he looked at the baby.

"Yeah I did." Purab says and notices Abhi frowning.

Aadhya was busy playing with Purab's car key. She was intently looking down as she played with it. Abhi tilts his head to the side as he moved to his left slowly trying to see Aadhya's face properly. The moment he saw her face, he stopped breathing and he went completely pale.

"Pragya." Abhi whispers softly.

Aadhya was the spitting image of Pragya.

Seeing Abhi looking at their daughter, Pragya covers her mouth so she doesn't burst out crying.

"She is Pragya's daughter. Isn't she?" Abhi asks Purab without taking his eyes off Aadhya.

"Yes." Purab replies as he gulped, then he started praying hard.

Abhi gulps hearing that.

"I have to go." Abhi says suddenly as his eyes filled with tears and pain filled his face.

"Don't..."

Abhi cuts him off and tells him in a furious whisper, "You should have told me that she was going to be here."

"Bhai..." Purab starts to talk and noticing Aadhya going to put the car key into her mouth, he quickly takes it from her hand. "No."

Aadhya shouts in outrage, distracting Abhi for a second. Purab quickly gestures as if he was throwing away the key behind Abhi. Aadhya follows his hand and her gaze falls on Abhi. Seeing her Papa, her face breaks out into a big smile and she extends her hand to him.

Seeing Pragya's daughter extend her arm towards him and smiling at him, just the way how Pragya had smiled at him the very first time they had met, Abhi quickly picks her up in his arms. As was her habit, Aadhya leans towards Abhi and kisses him on his nose.

Seeing Abhi pick up their daughter and Aadhya kiss him, Pragya couldn't control herself and she started crying. Then she saw Abhi kissing their daughter on her cheek. Unable to control her emotions, Pragya quickly runs out of the party hall and runs to the restroom. She gets into a toilet cubicle and burst into loud tears.

When her Papa kissed her, Aadhya again kisses him on his cheek. Then feeling his facial hair brush against her nose, she crunches her nose and then sneezes onto Abhi's face. Abhi chuckles and his eyes fill with tears. "Bless you." Abhi says with a smile.

Purab who had noticed Pragya run out of the party hall, goes behind her. then he waits outside the restroom for her to come out.

Finally, Pragya comes out after she had composed herself. The moment she stepped out she notices Purab.

"Why didn't you tell me he was here?" Pragya asks him hurt.

"You wouldn't have come, if I told you." Purab tells her.

"Does he know she is my daughter?" Pragya asks him.

Purab nods in yes.

"So he knows that she is our baby?" Pragya asks as covered her mouth in order to not cry out loud.

"I don't know, Pragya." Purab tells her unable to shake off his suspicion.

Understanding what Purab was indirectly telling her, Pragya's eyes fill up with tears. Realizing that she would start loudly crying any second now, Purab quickly hugs her. covering her face on his chest, Pragya asks him as she broke into loud tears, "He thinks I had someone else's baby?"

"We can tell him, Pragya." Purab tells him.

It took her a while to calm down. The thought that Abhi would think she had someone else's baby was killing her.

"Pragya, we can tell him that Aadhya is his." Purab once again tells her.

"Why is he here?" Pragya asks him.

"He is here to sign a deal. Mr. Dave, the host, he is going to invest in Bhai's business."

"Will that solve all his problems?"

"No... but this will be a huge relief for Bhai."

"Then we will tell him when all his problems are over."

"Pragya..." Purab helplessly tries to stop her.

"For now, this is enough. He saw our Aadhya. He held her in his arms. Aadhya saw her Papa. This is enough." Pragya says then she looks up at his face. "Thank you so much for this, Purab." With fresh tears filling her eyes, Pragya leans up and kisses his cheek. "Thank you."

They walk back into the party hall and sees Abhi busy with Aadhya. He was playing and laughing with her. Aadhya was also happily laughing with her father.

"After that day, when everything was ruined, since then..." Purab tells Pragya as he watched his brother with tears, "Since then, this is the first time I am seeing him smile."

Pragya looks at Purab in shock and asks him, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"It would have killed you." Purab tells her as he looked at her with tears.

Realizing the pain Abhi had gone through because of her selfishness, she hugs Purab to stop herself from crying.

A while later, Purab tells Pragya. "We need to leave now. I've an official call scheduled in one hour."

"No, Purab." Pragya says as she gripped his hand. "First time, Aadhya and Abhi are together. Look how happy they are. Please let them stay together for some more time."

"Let me see what I can do." Purab tells her and walks off.

Pragya assumed that Purab was going outside the party hall to make a call but she was shocked to see him walk to Abhi instead.

**********

"Bhai..." Purab calls him as he stood next to him.

"Hmmm?" Abhi replies without looking at him as Aadhya was playing with his beard and mustache.

"I've to leave now. I have a zoom call scheduled in 20 minutes."

"Okay."

"The thing is I am supposed to drop Pragya home, but now I don't have time. Will you drop her home?"

Abhi turns to Purab in shock then unable to hide his fury, he asks "Have you gone mad?"

Hearing him talk in anger. Aadhya starts pouting, her eyes fill with tears.

"Oh no... she is going to cry." Purab says worriedly.

Abhi quickly looks at her and realizes that Purab was right. He quickly starts bouncing her in his arms.

"No baby... no darling." Abhi lovingly whispers to her.

"Bhai, I am getting late. Will you drop her?" Purab asks seeing Abhi was distracted.

"I'll put her on a cab." Abhi replies in an irritated tone.

"Cabs might not have car seat. Here the rules are strict about these things."

"Fine." Abhi replies as he kept rocking Aadhya in his arms.

"Here is the car key. I'll take a cab and go." Purab says as he put car key in Abhi's pocket.

"I am leaving in 5 minutes." Abhi tells in a warning tone.

"She is ready to leave whenever you are." Purab tells him then he says gently. "She is there."

Abhi looks to where Purab has pointed and sees Pragya standing there staring at them. The moment he saw her, his heart started slamming against his chest. He felt his eyes fill up. He felt his heart break. All the pain returning tenfold.

"Okay, bye." Purab says and walks off.

Abhi was staring at Pragya and she was staring right back at him. Then he sees Purab walk up to her and talk to her. then he sees her panicking.

**********

"Pragya..." Purab keeps his hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"Haan?" Pragya replies as she continued to look at Abhi. She couldn't break eye contact with him, even if she wanted to.

"I'm leaving. Bhai will drop you." Purab informs her.

And that broke her out of her trance. Panicking she turns to Purab. "What?"

"Bhai will drop you and Aadhya home."

"No... Abhi told me to stay away from him." Pragya tells him panicking.

"Yes, he knows you are here. And he agreed to take you home."

"I'll walk home."

"Don't be crazy. You're not walking home with Aadhya."

"Abhi won't like it."

"It's just a 20 minutes ride. He will come get you when it is time for him to leave. I'll see you later." Purab tells her and walks off.

**********

Aadhya was already upset about Abhi shouting and now he was no longer playing with her. he wasn't even looking at her. and she started crying.

Hearing Aadhya cry, Pragya hurries to Abhi.

"Oooh... oohhh." Abhi says as he gently tried to calm her.

"Can I?" Pragya softly ask Abhi.

Nodding, Abhi hands Aadhya to Pragya. Aadhya hugs Pragya. Pragya starts rocking Aadhya.

Abhi watched Pragya with her daughter with an inscrutable expression.

Pragya looks at her phone for the time, and realized that it was almost time for Aadhya's feed.

"It's time for her feed. If she gets hungry then she will be cranky. I'll go feed her?"

Abhi nods his head.

Pragya starts to walk out the party hall and notices Abhi walking with her. her heart was slamming against her chest having him so close to her. she wanted to apologize to him for all that she did, she wanted to beg his forgiveness for ruining his life, she wanted to touch him, hug him, cry in his arms, and she wanted to scream at him for thinking that she could have someone else's baby. She didn't do any of those because she knew how much Abhi hated her and she didn't even have the right to look at him after all that she did.

Pragya was about to enter the room when she stops and turns to Abhi. "Do you mind waiting?"

Abhi just looks at her in disdain.

Seeing the way, he was looking at her, Pragya shifts Aadhya in her arms and tells him, "If you have other plans or want to leave, then please carry on. Just leave the car seat at the reception. I'll take a cab."

Without replying, Abhi just stares at her.

Realizing that he didn't want to have even this type conversation with her, she quickly goes to feed their daughter.

**********

Sometime later, Pragya comes out with Aadhya. She doesn't find Abhi where she had left him. She felt a little sad realizing that he had left then she couldn't fault him for not wanting to spend even a second with her. she felt her heart break a little realizing that he didn't kiss Aadhya goodbye. She knew she was about to cry and quickly shakes her head to stop herself. Aadhya still hasn't slept and she would get agitated if Pragya cried.

She was about to walk to the reception to ask about the car seat when she notices him in the smoking section, leaning on the wall, he was smoking a cigarette, his eyes on her. she stood there as she waited for him to finish. This time she couldn't hold his stare. She nervously started adjusting her daughter in her arms as she avoided looking at him. She wondered when he had started smoking. Did he always smoke? Or was it something he had started because of her? she wondered why Purab never mentioned it.

Pragya was so hard at trying to distract herself from him that she realized only when he had come and stood next to her. when she looked up at him, he turns and walks to the car park area, he had removed his coat and was carrying it in his arms. Abhi stops at the car park looking curiously. Pragya was about to point out the car Purab had rented when Abhi presses a button on the car key and a car's headlight flashes. He walks to that car and Pragya follows him.

Abhi unlocks the car and Pragya gets in the back and places her daughter on the car seat. Noticing that she was struggling in the dark to fix the buckle, Abhi gets in the car as he threw his coat on the passenger seat and quickly turns on the light.

Surprised at the light, Pragya turns to Abhi and whispers softly. "Thank you."

Abhi doesn't reply. Pragya quickly buckles her daughter and adjusts the blanket she had left in the car over their daughter. Done, she switches off the light.

Abhi checks the navigation on the car for the last destinations.

"The second one." Pragya tells him.

Abhi sets the destination to that and starts the car.

Noticing Aadhya sleepily yawning, Pragya gently pats her.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Pragya softly asks her. then she softly starts humming to her.

Few minutes later, Aadhiya sleeps off. Pragya lovingly caress her. then leaning down, she kisses her on her right cheek, where she had seen Abhi kiss her. Pragya leans up and turns to look at the front and sees Abhi watching her through the mirror. Pragya nervously looks away.

"That's my house." Pragya tells him as she pointed at her house.

Abhi stops the car in front of her house. Pragya switches on the back seat light and quickly unbuckles the baby seat. Abhi opens the car door for her, surprising her. she gets out of the car and leaning in, she takes the car seat out.

"Thank you." Pragya tells Abhi as she closed the door.

Abhi looks at her for a few seconds then he looks at Aadhya and speaks to Pragya for first time that evening. "You've a beautiful daughter." His voice was filled with emotions. Then he leans down and kisses Aadhya lovingly.

Pragya's eyes fill up hearing that. She whispers to him as she fought her tears, "I am so happy you like her, Abhi."

"Why wouldn't I like her?" Abhi asks her as he stood up straight and his eyes were filled with tears.

"Because she is my daughter." Pragya whispers to him sadly.

"It doesn't matter who her parents are. One can't help falling in love with her." Abhi replies.

Then without saying anything else he steps aside so she can walk in.

Understanding, Pragya walks into her house. She turns to look at him and sees him still waiting. Realizing that he was waiting for her to close the door, she closes the door. After she closed her door, Abhi stood there for a few seconds, then he walks around to enter his car when his mobile started ringing.

"Yeah Purab?" Abhi answers the call.

"Bhai, please go inside her house."

"What?" Abhi shouts in confusion.

"Please Bhai, just go inside her house. Ask her for a coffee. When she goes to make the coffee, the first door to the right, go in there. It is her bedroom."

"What the fuck are you saying?" Abhi asks outraged.

"Please Bhai. just do it."

"I don't want to meet her family. I don't want to see her husband." Abhi says getting agitated as he started opening the car door.

"I am begging you, Bhai. please do it."

"NO!"

"You have been suffering, she has been suffering. Even I am living in my own personal hell... please Bhai, just do this."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you that."

"What the fuck? I am not going to do that."

"Please understand, Bhai. I can't tell you. but you have to do this." Purab desperately begs.

"Purab... What do I tell her husband if he asks how we know each other?" Abhi asks getting helpless realizing Purab was desperate.

"Trust me, Bhai. and no one is going to ask you anything."

"Fine."

Abhi rings the bell as he started feeling restless. He had to wait almost a minute before the door was opened. Seeing him, Pragya stops in shock. And he stops in shock seeing her blood shot eyes. She had been crying.

"Abhi?" Pragya softly whispers.

Nothing had ever been weirder for him in life than asking Pragya just then, "Can I get a coffee?"

Pragya's eyes widen in shock. "Sure." Pragya replies as she opened the door for him.

"Thanks." Abhi whispers as he followed her and looked to the right to find the bedroom door.

"Please sit." Pragya gestures to the sofa.

Abhi nods. Abhi walks to sofa and Pragya walks to the kitchen.

The moment, she was out of his sight, he keeps the phone to his ears and asks Purab, "Do I really have to do this?"

"Yes. Please."

Abhi quickly walks to the bedroom. He hesitates as he kept his hand on the door knob.

"Don't waste time. open the damn door before she comes back."

Taking a deep breath, Abhi opens the door. The first thing he saw was the crib. He walks to the crib and sees Pragya's daughter sleeping. He lovingly caresses the baby ignoring the pain in his heart.

"LOOK AROUND THE DAMN ROOM, ABHI!"

Abhi looks up and his eyes locked with his. "What?" Abhi whispers in shock.

He hears Purab sighing in relief. "Come outside, Bhai. I am right here and I will answer all your question."

Abhi turns around and walks out. He softly closes the door. he starts to walk out. He was about to reach the door when Pragya calls him from behind.

"Abhi?"

Abhi turns back and sees Pragya coming towards him with the coffee.

"Thank you." Abhi whispers as he stared at her. his heart slamming against his chest. Having no other go, he gulps down the coffee. There was so many things he wanted to ask just then, but fearing those would cause her pain, Abhi doesn't ask her anything. He hands her the mug. "Thank you."

Pragya nods.

Abhi quickly walks out.

"Bhai." Purab calls out to him.

Abhi turns to his left and sees Purab. He walks to him. Purab had tears in his eyes.

"Ask me, Bhai."

"Why does she have my photo in her room?" Abhi asks in shock. He felt as if his heart would burst any second now.

Purab closes his eyes in disappointment. "You're asking the wrong question, Bhai."

"Where is her husband?" Abhi asks wondering if Pragya is no longer with her husband.

"NO, Bhai!" Purab says in exasperation. "Ask me the right question!"

"What the hell do you want me to ask?" Abhi asks at his wits end.

"I can't tell you that." Purab tells him helplessly.

"Why the hell can't you?" Abhi ask in anger.

"Because I promised." Purab tells him helplessly.

"What?" Abhi asks in confusion.

"Before that baby was born, before I knew the truth. I promised on that baby that I won't tell you anything."

"What?"

"I didn't know it then, Bhai... I really didn't. but I made that promise. And I know it is all superstition. But I am scared. What if something happens to her if I break the promise? I can't risk Aadhya's life like that." Purab tells him as he hugged him desperately.

"Aadhya?" Abhi asks in shock. "Her name is Aadhya?"

Purab looks up at Abhi in shock, wondering how that had slipped his mind.

Cupping his face excitedly, Purab tells him, "Yes. Aadhya. Please ask me now."

Abhi looks at Purab and his heart skipped a beat. He stopped breathing. He asks him as he looked into Purab's eyes, "Aadhya... is she mine?"

"YES, Bhai. YES! She is." Purab says feeling relieved. So relieved that he started crying in joy.

"No." Abhi whispers as he stepped back. "You're lying."

"No, Bhai." Purab says as he held Abhi's hand. "I am not. She is your daughter. Aadhya Abhishek Prem Mehra."

"What?" Abhi asks in a bare whisper as tears started falling from his eyes.

"Yes, Bhai. Why do you think she came to you the moment she saw you?" Purab asks him. "Since the day, she was born. The very first thing she did. Everyone morning the first thing she does when she wakes up is give her Papa a kiss."

Abhi turns around to go back into the house, Purab quickly holds him.

"Leave me, Purab."

"I'll. But you need to know everything, Bhai."

"What is there to know?" Abhi asks him as he turned to him in anguish.

"She told me everything, Bhai. everything."

Abhi stops in shock hearing that. "Everything?" Abhi asks in a soft whisper.

"Ask me the right questions, Bhai. Please."

Abhi watches Purab for a while then he asks, "Why did Pragya hide my daughter from me?"

Relief washed through Purab hearing the question. He was about to answer that when Abhi asks him another question. "What all do you know about my daughter? Tell me every single thing that you know about my daughter."

"Thank you, thank you." Purab says in relief as he hugged Abhi.

**********

Pragya was sitting on her living room floor as she cried. Hearing the door open, she turns to look and stops in shock seeing Purab and Abhi walk in. one look at Abhi's face she realized that he knew.

"Abhi." Pragya softly whispers his name as she stood up.

Abhi puts up his hand to stop her. "Purab told me many things but I want to hear from you, Pragya."

Pragya gulps worriedly hearing him.

When she didn't reply, Abhi asks her, "Is that baby my daughter? Is Aadhya our daughter, Pragya?"

Hearing him, ask that to her face, Pragya asks him in outrage. "How could you even think that I would have a baby with someone else, Abhi? How could you? you told me you believed that I love you and so easily you thought that I gave your place to someone else? That I let someone else touch me? how could you, Abhi?"

"Yes, I did." Abhi replies with tears in his eyes. "I believed you had a baby with someone else."

"Chee." Pragya turns her face in disgust as she closed her eyes in pain.

"Do you know why?" Abhi asks her. "Ever since you left, it occurred to me many times, that Pragya could get pregnant. That we might have made a baby. but never once I was scared or worried. not even for a second I thought otherwise, because I knew..." Abhi stops and then he corrects himself, "I believed that if Pragya is pregnant then she would tell me. I had that faith in you, Pragya."

Pragya turns to Abhi in shock.

"When Purab told me that Aadhya is my daughter... that she is our daughter, I called him a liar. Because I knew Pragya would never keep my daughter away from me. She loved me too much to give me that kind of pain. Come what may, she would never betray me like that. I had that trust in your, Pragya. and you broke my trust."

"Abhi..." Pragya starts to go to him as she started crying again.

Abhi puts up his hand to stop her. "Stay back."

Pragya stops.

"Four months, Pragya. my daughter is four months old. You didn't tell me? that's not right. Even 9 months before that she was with you. for 13 months, my daughter has been in this world and you kept her hidden from me."

"I... I..." Pragya cries unable to tell him why she did what she did.

"She is my daughter. How could you think that I would hate her because you gave birth to her? because you seduced me so I wouldn't accept her? because I didn't ask for her, does that mean I don't deserve to know her? God didn't just give her to you, He gave her to you and me. she is as much my daughter as she is yours! Then how did you think that I wouldn't want to know about her now? She is my flesh and blood, Pragya!"

Abhi furiously paces in her living room. Still unable to believe that Pragya would hide their baby from him. Pragya falls on her knees as she broke into loud tears, realizing that she had hurt him once again. Purab was silent watching everything.

"It's true I am in debt. I am struggling to keep my company afloat. It is true. But how could you think that Aadhya would be a burden on me? Even if I was a pauper, I would raise her like a princess, Pragya. YES, I am going through a million problems now, but how could you think that Aadhya would take away the peace from my life? how could you think that I would feel burdened with her? I think of her as God's gift for all the pain that we went through."

Kneeling next to her, he tells her, "How did you think she would take away the peace from my life? I haven't known what peace is in a long time. Today when I took her in my arms, I felt at peace. I felt happy. I didn't understand why I felt like that. but now I know, it is because she is my daughter... our daughter, Pragya. how could you keep her away from me?"

Pragya hugs Abhi and bursts into tears. "I am sorry, Abhi. I am sorry."

Abhi hugs her and lets her cry.

**********

"Please don't cry, Abhi." Pragya begs as she wiped his tears.

"It's true that I told you we should never meet. But how could you think of keeping Aadhya away from me?" Abhi asks her.

"I am sorry, Abhi. but I would have brought her to you once all your problems were over." Pragya tells him.

"And what if I had not lived long enough to solve all my problems?" Abhi asks her.

"Please don't say that, Abhi." Pragya says shocked hearing that. the very thought of something happening to him, killing her.

"You never thought you would lose your parents so soon. but you did. So, you know there is no guarantee to life, then how did you think that we have all the time in the world for you to hide our daughter from me?"

Pragya quickly covers his mouth with both her hands. "Please don't talk like that. please, Abhi."

"You're being cruel, Bhai." Purab tells him gently as he stood next to Abhi.

"Please don't say that. I'll die if anything happens to you." Pragya begs him.

Abhi furiously grips her arms and shakes her to stop her.

"You're all Aadhya and I have." Pragya tells him.

"I won't stay away from her anymore." Abhi tells her in finality.

"You don't have to. She is your daughter. You have the first right on her." Pragya tells him vehemently.

Abhi nods hearing that.

Hearing Aadhya's sound through the baby monitor, Pragya quickly hurries to the bedroom. "I think she is waking up."

Pragya walks to the room and sees that Aadhya was still sleeping but was getting disturbed with the light. In all the emotional turmoil of seeing Abhi, she had forgot to turn off the light. Pragya quickly turns off the light and switches on the night light.

Pragya was about to walk out of the room and finds Abhi at the door.

"I forgot to switch off the light. It was disturbing her." Pragya explains to him.

Abhi nods and he walks to his daughter. He looks at her as his heart brimmed with love. He wanted to take her in his arms. Hug her, kiss her and cry in joy, but he didn't. he didn't want to disturb her sleep. So, kissing his fingertips, he keeps his finger on her cheek. Abhi turns to walk out and sees Pragya at the door watching him with tears. Without saying anything, he walks out.

"Since, there isn't much space here. I'll go to the hotel." Purab tells Abhi and Pragya. "And Bhai give me your room key, I'll bring your clothes when I come in the morning."

"No, Purab. Don't go." Pragya quickly tells him.

"You stay here. I'll go." Abhi tells him thinking Pragya would be uncomfortable with him.

Pragya quickly holds his hand and requests him very sweetly. "Please don't go, Abhi. please stay here. Stay with Aadhya."

Abhi was surprised by her request. "But Pragya,.."

"Please don't say no, Abhi. Aadhya and you've never stayed together. Don't go. You and Purab sleep in my bedroom. I'll sleep on the sofa-bed."

Even though, Abhi so much wanted to stay there, he couldn't let Pragya sleep on the sofa uncomfortably. "You stay comfortably. I'll come in the morning."

"I won't be uncomfortable. Please, Abhi. Stay."

"I don't have any clothes." Abhi says unable to come up with any other excuse.

"You can wear Purab's clothes."

"His clothes will be small for me."

"Please, Abhi. Aadhya has never stayed with her Papa." Pragya tells him as her eyes filled up.

Seeing her tears and hearing what she said, Abhi was about to give in. he would just sleep in the clothes that he was wearing.

"I'll give you clothes." Pragya tells him.

"Huh?" Abhi looks at her confused. Did she think he could fit into her clothes?

"Give him a beautiful gown, Pragya." Purab tells her grinning.

Abhi gives him a look.

"No." Pragya says. Abhi turns to look at her, and Pragya worriedly tells him, "Please don't scream at me."

Abhi nods. He couldn't even think of screaming at her when she was being so earnest.

Pragya hurries to her bedroom and very quickly comes back. She offers him, his shorts and tshirt.

Abhi frowns seeing that, he had assumed that he lost it at the laundry.

"I took it from your room." Pragya whispers softly.

"You mean, you stole, you thief." Purab points out acting shocked.

Pragya turns a little pink hearing Purab. Seeing her blush like that and the thought that she had stolen his clothes, Abhi couldn't help it and a small smile slips through his lips. His first smile ever since he found out that Aadhya was theirs.

Abhi takes the clothes from her.

"You'll stay?" Pragya asks hopefully.

Abhi nods his head in yes.

"Thank you." Pragya says excitedly.

And he couldn't control his smile anymore.

Seeing him smile, Pragya smiles at him with tears in her eyes.

Then Pragya quickly hurries to the closet and takes out a fresh towel. She gives it to Abhi.

"You can shower in there." Pragya tells him as she pointed at the bathroom.

Abhi nods and walks to the bathroom.

After his shower, Abhi was wearing his tshirt when the tshirt grazes through his face and he stops. Then he slowly sniffs in the send. His tshirt was smelling of Pragya.

He pulls down the tshirt on his body. He gently runs his hand over the tshirt as his heart beat fast.

Abhi comes out the bathroom and Purab goes to the bathroom to change his clothes. Finding the living room empty, Abhi curiously looks to the bedroom and finds Pragya changing the bedsheets. He was a little disappointed. He liked that his tshirt smelled of her. and the sheets now lying on the floor would also smell of her.

Then coming to his senses he quickly shakes his head. Purab was also going to sleep there and he didn't want Purab to sleep on the same sheet as she slept on the previous night. He realized that he was being narrow minded and possessive, then he mentally shrugs, he is what he is.

Pragya gathers the dirty linens and turns to leave the room. She sees Abhi standing at the door holding his dirty clothes. Pragya walks to him and takes his clothes from his hand.

"I'll put it for wash now."

Abhi was about to tell her that he would take it home and wash it then realizing that he most probably will have to change his travel plans now because of Aadhya and Pragya, he nods. "Thanks."

Pragya walks off to put the linens in the laundry basket then she goes to the kitchen and puts Abhi's clothes in the washing machine. Quickly she puts his clothes for wash. Then she keeps the timer on her mobile, so once the washing was done, she could turn on the dryer before she went to bed.

**********

By the time Pragya got back to the bedroom, Purab had changed him clothes. She sees Abhi watching Aadhya sleep. Hearing her, Abhi turns to look at Pragya.

"You should sleep here, Pragya. I'll sleep on the living room floor." Abhi tells her.

"No... no." Pragya says as she hurried to him. Then taking his hands, she leads him to the bed. She makes him sit on the bed. "You sleep here."

"Pragya..."

"No, Abhi. please." Pragya requests him.

Abhi nods his head.

"We are sleeping here?" Purab asks from the door.

"Yes." Pragya answers.

"Okay then." Purab says as he walked to the bed and got on. He stretches on the bed comfortably.

Smiling happily, Pragya walks to the crib and picks up Aadhya. Then she walks to the bed and gently lays her in the middle.

"I kick a lot in my sleep, that is why I make her sleep on the crib. I am scared I would hurt her." Pragya explains to Abhi.

Abhi nods as he watched Pragya without taking his eyes off her. Pragya adjusts the blanket on their daughter.

"You won't kick her, right?" Pragya asks Purab worriedly.

Purab frowns that she had addressed that question solely at him. "I didn't like that you're only asking me that and not Bhai."

"Abhi would never kick Aadhya." Pragya says offended.

"You really need to stop hero worshipping him." Purab tells her irately.

Pragya turns a little pink hearing that. then quickly recovering, she turns to Abhi and tells him. "You should sleep."

Abhi nods.

"Don't lock the door. she will wake up for her milk in sometime. I'll come and get her then."

"Okay."

"Good night." Pragya tells him and leaves.

Abhi watches her leave and once she had closed the door, he continued to stare at the door, his eyes filling with tears and asks Purab softly, "She had been waiting for this day, isn't it?"

"More than you can imagine." Purab replies.

Abhi sighs sadly, he turns around and looks at Aadhya. She was sleeping so peacefully. His heart brimmed with love and his eyes filled up again. He looks at her ankle to see the anklets. He gently lifts her legs then leaning down, he kisses her leg and the anklets.

"Thank you for tricking me into buying this." Abhi tells Purab.

Purab smiles in reply. "She wanted something from you that Aadhya could wear all the time so her Papa would be with her always."

Abhi smiles sadly. Then he looks at Purab and tells him, "Thank you for being there for them."

Purab smiles at him, "They are my family too, not just yours."

Abhi nods. "I know."

"Are you angry with me for not telling you sooner?" Purab asks him worriedly.

"She had stopped you with the promise. I understand that." Abhi tells him. "You were only looking out for our daughter."

"And how can I be angry with you when I am not even angry with Pragya?"

Purab smiles hearing that.

**********

Pragya wouldn't sleep. She couldn't control her joy knowing that Abhi now knew about Aadhya and he loved her as much as she loved their daughter. Now, Aadhya would get her Papa's love and Abhi would watch their daughter grow. Thinking that Abhi and Aadhya were together, her eyes started filling with tears. In all her joy too, the fear for her grips her heart. Abhi seemed to want only Aadhya. He didn't say anything about her. But she quickly shakes it away, she will not be selfish again. Abhi will live his life the way he wanted.

Pragya was lying awake on the sofa bed. She had put Abhi's clothes in the drier mode. Now, nothing else to do, she just lay on the sofa-bed as she thought about Abhi and Aadhya.

Hearing Aadhya cry through the baby monitor, Pragya quickly gets up from the sofa-bed and hurries to the bedroom. She softly opens the door so as not to disturb Abhi and Purab, and finds Abhi starting to walk out with Aadhya in his arms.

"She woke you?" Pragya asks as she picked her up.

"I didn't sleep." Abhi tells her.

Pragya nods understanding. She was about to leave the room when she heard.

"SSSSHHHH. SHHHHH."

Pragya turns and sees Purab in sleep turning around in bed getting irritated with Aadhya for crying and disturbing his sleep.

Pragya looks at Purab furiously.

"Go. She is hungry." Abhi tells her as he stared at Purab.

Pragya nods and leaves. Abhi walks to the bed and he hits Purab on his back hard.

"WHAT?" Purab sits up in shock coming awake.

"Did you just shush my daughter?"

"Huh?" Purab asks scratching his head.

"She was hungry!"

"Sorry... she was crying into my ears." Purab replies then he turns around and go back to sleep.

Realizing there was no use talking to him, Abhi gets off the bed. He curiously walks out to check if Pragya was comfortable.

He sees her sitting on the sofa with her back to him as she fed Aadhya.

"Did you hear that, Aadhya? Papa was scolding Chachu for you." Pragya lovingly tells her as she fed her. "You see how much Papa loves you. Papa loves you a lot."

Abhi simply leans on the door frame as he listened to Pragya talk to their daughter.

**********

Abhi had slept off sometime in the wee hours of the morning. He feels some wetness on his cheek and curiously opens his eyes and finds Pragya kneeling next to the bed, holding Aadhya.

"Did we wake you?" Pragya asks worriedly. "Aadhya just came to give you a kiss."

Abhi shakes his head as he sat up. Then smiling he takes Aadhya in his arms. Aadhya excitedly jumps in Abhi's arms as she gripped his beard with both her hands.

"She loves your beard." Pragya tells him smiling happily, seeing Abhi with their Aadhya.

"I know." Abhi replies smiling. "I was actually thinking of shaving it off."

"Don't. it looks good on you." Pragya quickly says without thinking. Then realizing what she had said, she says softly. "I mean, Aadhya loves it."

"Okay." Abhi replies smiling.

"Do you think Aadhya would want me to cut my hair?" Abhi asks as he played with Aadhya.

"No." Pragya replies as she looked down. She loved his new look. It made him all the more handsome.

"If that is what you want then it will be like that." Abhi says as he continued to play with Aadhya.

For a second, Pragya felt that Abhi had said that to her and not Aadhya. Then she was furious at herself, didn't she have enough with misunderstanding his gestures and romanticizing everything?

**********

Abhi had left with Purab early morning so he could get his luggage and for a breakfast meeting Mr. Dave regarding the investment. Pragya had gone with Aadhya to her boutique to handle some emergency work. Then she had gone to get grocery and hurried back home so she could get home before Abhi and Purab got back, even though Purab always had a spare key of her house with him, she wanted to be there when they got back.

They got back home by midmorning.

"How did it go?" Pragya asks Purab when he was alone. Abhi had got a call, and he had gone outside to talk.

"It went well. The funds should be transferred in a week or two." Purab tells her happily.

Pragya sighs in relief and she happily thanks the lord. "I am so happy, Purab. He is happy, right?"

"He is." Purab tells her smiling.

"I didn't get to thank you." Pragya tells him, she takes his hand in hers and says sincerely. "Thank you so much, Purab. Thank you for telling him the truth. He and Aadhya are so happy and it is all because of you."

Purab smiles at her. "I knew he would love her. I never doubted him."

Then remembering, she asks him, "When did Abhi start smoking? Did he always smoke or...?" Pragya stops as she worriedly looks down.

"He had picked that habit in college but he quit when Mom caught." Purab tells her.

"And he started again because of me." Pragya says sadly.

"He can quit also." Purab tells her.

"You didn't tell me."

"You were already worried for him; I didn't want to increase your worries."

Pragya sadly smiles. "I troubled you a lot, didn't I? I made you go through hell."

"You did." Purab agrees. "And it was worth it for I got to spend time with Aadhya and you."

Pragya smiles happily and hugs him. And Abhi walks in.

Abhi frowns seeing them hugging. Pragya quickly moves away. Abhi shakes his head and walks off. when the hell was he going to be comfortable with the fact that Pragya's best friend was his brother and they were a very huggy friends?

**********

Abhi was typing away on his phone as he walked to Pragya's room. When Pragya quickly holds his hand.

"Abhi... Abhi..." Pragya whispers to him.

"What?" Abhi turns to her curiously and sees her watching Aadhya.

Aadhya was lying on her play mat on the floor. She was lying on her stomach and was trying to lift herself up on her arms. They watched Aadhya try for a few seconds then she falls flat on the sheet.

Pragya sighs disappointedly.

"What happened?" Purab asks as he joined them.

"For two weeks she has been trying."

"Trying what?" Abhi asks her curiously.

"To roll over." Pragya tells him. Then she turns to watch Aadhya to see if she was going to try but Aadhya had got busy with her toy. Pragya sadly sighs, "Now that Abhi was here, I was so sure she would roll over today."

"What does Bhai being here have to do with her rolling over?" Purab asks out loudly what Abhi had been thinking.

Pragya shrugs, "You know, I thought he being here would have given her some moral support."

Abhi gapes at her. Purab gives her an exasperated look.

"Pragya, do you even hear the shit that you speak?" Purab asks her.

Pragya becomes embarrassed hearing that she quickly turns around and walks to her bedroom.

"Stop insulting her like that." Abhi tells Purab.

"You might be getting a kick out of the way she puts you on a high pedestal, right?"

"Shut up!" Abhi says and walk off.

Abhi walks into her room and finds her picking up Aadhya's toys from the floor.

Seeing him enter, she asks him nervously, "Did I embarrass you?"

"No." Abhi replies then he looks away as he couldn't hide his smile and he didn't want to embarrass her any further.

"Don't worry, she will roll over soon. let her take her time." Abhi tells her finally turning to look at her.

Pragya nods then she sadly says, "You have been missing so much, I just wanted you to witness... something... anything... soon."

"I'm going to be with her so I'm sure I will be able to witness it all." Abhi tells her smiling gently.

Pragya smiles hearing that. then starts putting Aadhya's toys into her storage box.

"It's a nice photo." Abhi tells her softly.

Pragya turns to look at the wall where his photo was hung. "I know... Purab said that he clicked it. Your office party, right?"

Abhi curiously look at her and sees her looking at his photo.

"I meant this photo." Abhi tells her as he showed the photo he was holding.

Pragya curiously turns to him and sees him holding the photo frame she had kept there which had Tej Uncle and Jhanvi Aunty.

"I wanted Aadhya to know her family." Pragya tells him.

Abhi nods and keeps it back on the table. Then he takes the framed photo of her parents.

"That's my parents." Pragya tells him.

"I know." Abhi replies then he asks her softly. "Do you miss them?"

"Yes." Pragya replies gulping.

Hearing the sadness in her voice, Abhi looks at her.

"I know what it is to live without your parents, Abhi. Please believe me, I would have brought Aadhya to you when all your problems were over."

"I believe you, Pragya. I know why you did what you did. I might never understand your reasons but I understand your insecurity. And I know, even I am responsible for your insecurities..."

Pragya quickly cuts him off, "No, Abhi. you were not responsible for anything. It was all my doing."

"Pragya..." Abhi calls her name to stop her. "I forgive you."

"You do?" Pragya asks her eyes filling with tears, smiling in relief.

"I do."

"Thank you." Pragya tells him smiling with happy tears.

Abhi smiles in reply.

Pragya starts to leave the room and Abhi gently calls her. Pragya turns to look at him.

"Thank you for Aadhya." Abhi tells her with a smile.

Pragya smiles at him lovingly, "You gave her to me."

Abhi with a smile watches Pragya walk out. Purab was right, she did put him on a high pedestal.

**********

"Where are you taking her?"

Abhi who had been working curiously comes out of Pragya's bedroom hearing Pragya's angry question.

"What happened?" Abhi asks her then he notices that Purab had got Aadhya in her pram all set to go out.

"He is taking her out." Pragya tells Abhi.

Abhi was surprised seeing Pragya make an issue out of it. He wondered why she would have an issue?

"Just going for a walk, will be back soon." Purab tells her in a calming tone.

"Walk?" Pragya scoffs. Then she turns to Abhi and complains, "He is always taking her to flirt with girls."

"WHAT?" Abhi turns to Purab in fury.

"He says babies are chick-magnets."

"I'm going to kill you, Purab." Abhi tells him in a furious whisper.

Purab rolls his eyes. "Relax. I am not taking her to get a date today. I have no time to date in this trip. This trip is as it is very hectic."

"Yeah? Then why are you taking her?" Pragya asks him, hands on hips ready to kick his nuts if she has to.

"Don't you think you both should talk?" Purab asks her in a mocking tone.

Hearing the question, Pragya automatically relaxes her stance while Abhi looked at Pragya then at Purab.

"Not about Aadhya but about each other. So, by taking your daughter out for a walk, I am giving you the privacy to do so." Purab tells them. "Okay. bye."

They both watched as Purab left the house with Aadhya. Then they looked at each other.

Pragya waited for Abhi to say something while Abhi waited for her to speak. When they remained silent for a while, Pragya assumed that Abhi wasn't ready to talk.

"I was in the middle of cooking dinner." Pragya nervously tells him.

Abhi nods. Pragya quickly hurries to the kitchen.

**********

"Pragya..." Abhi calls her as he walked into the kitchen.

"Yes?"

"What passport does Aadhya hold? Indian or British?"

"Indian." Pragya replies.

"Okay."

"You are Indian... So, I..." Pragya explains.

Abhi nods. "I just wanted to know if I needed to get Visa for her, that is why I asked." Abhi explains to her.

Pragya nods as she quickly looks away, her heart slamming against her chest in panic. Pragya realized that Purab was right, she couldn't keep procrastinating.

"Abhi..." Pragya softly calls him, seeing that he was walking out.

"Yes?" Abhi turns to her.

"You are taking Aadhya to India?" Pragya nervously asks him.

Abhi frowns hearing her. "Pragya, I already told you that."

"I know." Pragya replies then looking down she worriedly asks, "What about me? Do you want me to come?"

Abhi stops in shock hearing her question.

"Aadhya is still small. She needs me. at least till a time she can get healthy supplements from other food. I know you hate me and it is difficult for you to be in the same place as me... I'll stay somewhere else and come to your place when you are at work, so you don't have to see me."

"Purab told me that you once told him, if I didn't want you in my life then you would give Aadhya to me and go away. Is that true?"

"Yes. You'll always have first right on her, Abhi." Pragya tells him and then unable to hide her pain, she breaks into sobs, "But you'll let me see her once in a while, right? Please, Abhi?"

Abhi walks to her and holds her shoulders. "I don't hate you, Pragya. I can never hate you and I never will."

Hearing him, Pragya looks up at his face and stops in shock seeing his face, "Why are you crying, Abhi?" Pragya asks him as she cupped his face in concern.

"Please don't love me like this, Pragya. I don't deserve it."

"You deserve the best, Abhi. You are the best."

Abhi shakes his head at her then he tells her, "Aadhya is as much your daughter as she is mine. We have equal rights on her. she needs her mother as much as she needs her father."

Pragya closes her eyes in relief hearing that.

"Pragya... please look at me."

Pragya looks at him.

"I was just about to apply for your Visa when I realized maybe Aadhya holds a UK passport like you." Abhi explains to her. "You are coming with me. as soon as we get home, we are getting married."

"You want me in your life?" Pragya asks him in shock.

"Aadhya and I need you in our life."

Hearing him, Pragya cries loudly and hugs Abhi. "I'm sorry, Abhi. I hurt you a lot. I ruined your life. I am sorry."

"You didn't ruin my life, Pragya. you'll never ruin my life."

"It is because of me that your life is a mess. I'm sorry, Abhi."

"It's okay, Pragya. I don't hold you responsible for it. But if it makes you feel better then I forgive you for everything." Abhi tells her as he hugged her tight.

"Pragya..." Abhi gently tells her. "I can't leave India. I've too many commitments there. My family is there. I owe people money there. I can't move here. So, you have to move to India with me. I know you have a boutique here..."

Pragya looks at Abhi's face and tells him, "Aadhya and I belong to you, Abhi. Wherever you are, we will come there."

Abhi leans down and kisses her forehead feeling grateful to God for her. "Thank you."

**********

The next day, Pragya had found an agent who would sell her boutique and house.

As Abhi finished up his meetings with Mr. Dave, Pragya started sorting the things, she wanted to take to India, due to the luggage restrictions they had decided to ship the less important items that Pragya couldn't do without but could wait to get them and discard or sell the remaining items.

Pragya was walking towards her bedroom when Abhi quickly holds her and turns her around, her back against his chest. Surprised, Pragya was about to look at him when she stops seeing Aadhya lifting herself in her arms and rolling over.

"She did it, Abhi! She did it!" Pragya says excitedly jumping in joy.

"Told you she will." Abhi says smiling as he continued to hold her.

They both were happily looking at Aadhya who was now lying on her back as she looked at the ceiling in surprise when they hear Purab.

"I'm sitting next to her. maybe instead of Bhai, I think she got her moral support from me, Pragya."

"Yeah right!" Pragya says irately though her cheeks were turning pink in embarrassment. She quickly walks off making Abhi and Purab chuckle.

**********

Finally, Abhi made the inevitable call to his parents.

"Hello Mom? Is Dad home?" Abhi nervously asks.

"Yes. Do you want to talk to him?" Jhanvi asks him.

"Can you put it on speaker? I want to talk to you both."

"Okay... we are here. Is everything alright, Abhi?"

"Erm... Mom... I'll be bringing Pragya with me when I come."

"Really?" Tej asks happily.

"Did you meet her? How is she doing?" Jhanvi asks excitedly.

"She is doing good... Mom, as soon as we reach, we want to get married. Can you make arrangements for that? I'll let you know the flight date soon; you please arrange everything on that day or the next."

"Why so suddenly, Abhi?" Tej asks shocked.

"We need time to plan the wedding. We have to invite everyone." Jhanvi tells him.

"We are not coming alone."

"What do you mean? Who is coming with you both?" Jhanvi asks confused.

"We are coming with our daughter."

"What?" Tej asks shocked.

"What are you saying, Abhi?"

"We're bringing your granddaughter home."

**********

Abhi was checking online to order Aadhya's crib and pram as they had decided to sell off those while Purab was helping Pragya pack.

"YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"

Abhi curiously looks up to see what had set off Purab. Then stops in shock seeing Pragya holding that huge portrait of his.

"Aadhya loves this photo." Pragya meekly tells Purab.

"She has her father with her in flesh and blood. She will be fine."

"But this is a nice photo."

"I've a soft copy of it, I'll make another one for you. just leave that here."

"How can we leave it here?" Pragya asks him shocked.

"How the hell are we going to take it?" Purab asks her exasperated.

"We could wrap it up and send it as luggage." Pragya says shrugging.

"Do you have any idea how much that damn thing weighs?" Purab asks her. "I nearly sprained my back putting up that on the wall for you."

"We have to take it." Pragya stubbornly tells him.

"FINE! Put it in the cargo lot."

Pragya gasps in shock. "How can we send it in cargo?"

"Why?"

Seeing Pragya about to look at him, Abhi quickly turns his face acting as if he was busy on the phone.

"It's Abhi's photo." Abhi hears Pragya whisper to Purab. It took all he had to not laugh out loud just then.

"You are driving me mad!" Purab declares.

"I feel sad, Purab." Pragya whispers to him.

"Just put a damn photo of yours with it, so Abhi's photo won't feel bored and lonely. It will even keep Abhi's photo company the long journey home." Purab says pissed as he got up and snatched Abhi's photo from her hand.

"hopefully, Abhi's photo and Pragya's photo will even make Baby Aadhya's photo on the way." Purab says as he kept the photo among the cargo lot.

Irritated, Pragya turns around and walks to her bedroom.

Abhi quietly gets up and walks to Pragya's room. He finds her taking out her things from her cupboard. He walks to her and holding her shoulder, he turns her around. She gasps in shock. Abhi leans down and takes her lips in his. Abhi kisses her hungrily. Pragya wraps her hand around his neck and kisses him back in equal hunger.

"You should stop worshipping me like this." Abhi whispers to her as he kissed.

"I don't worship you, Abhi. I just love you."

"I just don't understand what I did in my life to get your love." Abhi tells her as his eyes filled up. "I love you, Pragya."

Hearing him, Pragya stops in shock as she looked at Abhi.

Seeing her staring at him, he tells her, "I know I don't deserve you but I love you, Pragya."

Pragya's eyes fill with tears hearing that. "I know you don't love me, Abhi. I don't know why you're lying to me."

"Pragya, I love you." Abhi repeats in shock hearing her.

"Please don't lie like this, Abhi. if you are trying to keep me happy then I am already happy. After all, that I did, still you are accepting me, you are marrying me, you are giving me a place in your life, I have Aadhya, I have Purab. Tej Uncle and Jhanvi Aunty are so happy we are getting married, they are so eager to meet Aadhya... I'm happy, Abhi. I'm very happy. I've got more happiness than I deserve in life, Abhi. I don't need anything more and I don't deserve anything more."

Abhi looks at her as his eyes filled with tears, "So, this is how much it hurts when I called your love, an infatuation and silly crush? When someone calls the biggest truth of your life, a lie?"

Pragya looks at him in shock and asks him, "How can you love me?"

"Why can't I love you?"

"Is it because I am the mother of your daughter?"

Abhi shakes his head in negative. "Do you know the first time, I saw Aadhya, I fell in love with her. because she was your daughter. When I held her in my arms, I felt as if you were with me. It killed me when I thought you had moved on in life. when I thought you gave my place to someone else."

"But you hated me then."

Abhi shakes his head in negative, "I never hated you, Pragya. I can never hate you. I never wanted to hate you."

"But I hurt you a lot, Abhi. I ruined your life."

"I told you before also, Pragya. you didn't ruin my life. and as long as you're there how can my life be ruined?"

"But..."

"It took me a long time to realize that I love you, Pragya. I was so angry with you that I didn't realize that I was hopelessly in love with you."

"But Abhi... I don't understand." Pragya whispers too scared to be happy right then.

"I told you it kills me to see my family upset and you had put aside all your pain and heart break, and smiled for my sake. That night, you were begging me to let you stop the drama. You were going through hell, so I would be happy. I fell in love with you then. But I didn't realize it then." Abhi tells her as tears fell from his eyes.

"the truth was I was fighting with myself. A part of me wanted to call off the wedding because I couldn't see you in tears. But a part of me just didn't believe that you could love me. because we didn't know each other for you to love me. I was a little worried that you might realize that I am not what you thought of me and that you were chasing a mirage all that while. So, I was so confused. I just didn't know what to do. And you were not giving me time to think. Then that night... the choice I wanted to make for myself, you forced it on to me. I was feeling so trapped and angry. My anger clouded my thinking and I let you go."

"After you left, I started feeling lonely and depressed. I had Mom, Dad and Purab but still I was lonely and depressed because you were not there. And that is when I truly understood you, Pragya. I at least had my family still life was so depressing. Each day felt like a chore. And you had lost your parents and within months you lost me too. I didn't understand how ugly loneliness could be and how it makes us behave insanely. Once, I had experienced loneliness and depression, I understood why you had panicked and behaved like that. I realized that it wasn't your fault. Whatever happened was my fault too. I should have tried to understand you. I should have treated you kindly. Like how Purab did with you then Pragya, our life wouldn't have become this messed up. that is when I realized that I love you."

"Why didn't you tell me then? Why didn't you come for me then?" Pragya asks as she cried angrily.

"How could I come, Pragya? I was in debt. I was scared you would blame yourself for my situation. I didn't know, Purab had told you everything. I was scared that you think you ruined my life. so, I thought, I will sort everything and come for you. I knew you would wait for me however long it would take. And that day I saw you with a baby."

"And you thought Aadhya was someone else's." Pragya accuses him.

"Even before I realized that I love you, I was very possessive of you. I got jealous when I saw you with Purab. And that day, when I thought... I went insane. And you looked so miserable, I thought that because of me you were in a loveless marriage and suffering. I felt betrayed that you left me. I hated myself that I pushed you away. I was so angry that Aadhya wasn't mine. I felt that there was nothing left in my life. my life was no longer worth living."

Pragya furiously slaps him. "Don't you dare ever say that."

"Sorry." Abhi tells her as he held her hand.

"Why didn't you tell me you love me all these days?"

"Purab told me how insecure you were and how you lived in guilt. And I was the reason for it all. I was scared that you might think I wasn't worth it."

"You're worth that and more." Pragya tells him as she cupped his face.

"I am not worthy of you but I am going to spend my life trying to be worthy of you."

"Do you really love me?" Pragya asks him feeling happy and elated as her eyes filled with fresh tears.

"I do, Pragya. I do. It might be hard for you to believe because of the way I treated you before. But believe me, Pragya. I love you. I love you more than anything else in this world. I understand why you find it hard to believe that I love you. because even I don't understand why you love me. Purab told me about how we had met when we were kids. I just vaguely remember that incident but still I don't know what made you love me for all these years so passionately. I just don't but I know that you love me."

"I do." Pragya tells him crying happily.

"And I love you." Abhi tells her with happy tears.

"Now, we will never be separated, right?" Pragya asks him.

"Never." Abhi promises her.

Pragya throws herself at Abhi and he happily hugs her.

**********

Sometime later, Pragya comes out of her bedroom to look for Purab and finds him sleeping on the sofa bed with Aadhya sleeping next to him.

"Purab... Purab... wake up." Pragya excitedly shakes him.

"Get lost." Purab sleepily mutters.

"Abhi loves me." Pragya excitedly tells him.

Purab opens his eyes irately and tells her, "Your daughter doesn't let me sleep at night and you don't let me sleep during the day. Both come into my ears and screech. Get lost."

Seeing he was again going to close his eyes when Pragya excitedly tells him, "Abhi told me he loves me."

"What is there to tell? Isn't it pretty obvious."

"What?"

"JUST GO, PRAGYA!"

Hearing him, Aadhya quickly wakes up crying.

"ARGH! See what you did? You woke her up." Purab angrily says. "Mother and daughter screeching into my ears."

Pragya angrily hits him then she quickly picks up Aadhya and tries to calm her.

When Aadhya didn't calm down, she carries her to her bedroom.

"What happened?" Abhi asks as he looked up from his laptop.

"Woke up from her sleep." Pragya tells him. "I'll try feeding her and putting her to sleep."

Abhi nods.

"Purab is sleeping in the living room." Pragya tells him.

Realizing she needed privacy, Abhi was about to leave the room.

"Would you be uncomfortable if I feed her here?'

Abhi was surprised and shocked at her question. "No." Abhi replies.

Pragya smiles and closes the bedroom door. She sits on the bed and starts unhooking her shirt.

Abhi gulps seeing that. "Aren't you uncomfortable with me sitting here?"

Pragya looks at him then smiling shyly, she shakes her head in negative.

How did he forget, Pragya was never shy with him?

Keeping his laptop to the side, Abhi moves towards Pragya. he lovingly caresses Aadhya's head. Then he lovingly kisses Pragya's temple. Smiling happily, Pragya keeps her head on the crook of his neck.

"I missed you, Pragya."

Cheekily smiling at him, Pragya tells him, "We haven't even spent time together for you to miss me."

Abhi flinches hearing that. "You are going to have your revenge with me, aren't you?"

Smiling, Pragya kisses his cheek. "I love you. and I missed you terribly."

**********

Pragya was cooking when she felt Abhi hug her from behind.

Surprised, Pragya looks at him. One hand, he had wrapped around her waist and with the other, he was holding Aadhya in his arms.

"Aadhya and her Papa were missing Aadhya's Mama terribly." Abhi tells her.

Pragya giggles hearing that.

"And Aadhya's chachu is going blind and diabetic seeing this overly cheesy scene." Purab declares from the kitchen door.

"You could just leave silently too." Pragya points out.

"And have my dinner burned?" Purab asks her.

Pragya quickly reduces the heat and stirs to avoid the food getting burned.

"I hear confessions were made." Purab says.

Abhi turns to Pragya in shock. "You told him?"

"Yeah." Pragya says shyly smiling.

"We really need to have boundaries here. You can't go and tell him every single thing." Abhi tells her.

"Specially waking me up from my sleep to share your big news."

"You woke him up and told him?" Abhi asks shocked.

"I was so happy."

Hearing that Abhi couldn't help smiling. "Even me."

"Even me." Purab adds.

Abhi closes his eyes in irritation.

"But next time, I would appreciate it if you could wait till I finish my sleep to share your big news. You know, I love to gossip as much as the next guy, but my sleep is also precious."

"Get lost, Purab." Pragya tells him.

Cheekily grinning, Purab walks off.

"He took care of you both well." Abhi states as he looked at Purab's retreating back.

"Bhai's precious cargoes. That was what he used to call us." Pragya tells him smiling.

Abhi smiles hearing that. "I'm so relieved that he was there for you."

"He is my best friend and he is the closest person to you." Pragya tells him.

Abhi smiles hearing that.

"Abhi... you're not sad that you couldn't marry Tanu, right?" Pragya asks him worriedly.

"She is a nice girl, Pragya. and she deserves someone who will love her and who would be loyal to her." Abhi tells her. "I can only love you and be loyal to you."

Pragya softly smiles hearing that. "But all the problems in your business..."

"I'll solve it, Pragya. now, with Mr. Dave's investment, it is going to get better. I'm confident."

"You'll be fine, right?" Pragya asks him worriedly.

"Yes, darling." Abhi tells her. then grinning he adds, "Now, I am going to get a super-rich wife, and if any problem I can borrow money from her."

"You would take money from me?" Pragya asks surprised.

"If you're in financial trouble and I had the money, it would kill me if you didn't take money from me. So, how can I give you the same pain?" Abhi asks her lovingly.

"How much money you want?" Pragya asks him excitedly.

Abhi chuckles. "I am fine for now. next major payment is only in three months."

"But..."

"You need to start your boutique back home, right?"

"That I can do later also."

"It is your dream and dreams shouldn't be kept waiting."

Pragya smiles hearing that and she lovingly hugs him.

**********

After dinner, Abhi was helping Pragya load the dishwasher when Purab comes to the kitchen fully dressed.

"Going somewhere?" Abhi asks him.

"Since your fiancé and your daughter are hell bent on ruining my sleep. I am moving to a hotel."

"What?" Pragya asks shocked.

"I haven't slept properly since I've come here." Purab tells them. Then turning to Abhi, he says, "Come here."

Abhi curiously walks to him.

"I just wanted to make sure you understand something."

"What?"

"Neither is Aadhya interested in being a big sister now, nor am I interested in being a chachu for the second time now. Are we clear on that?"

Abhi scowls at Purab.

"Do we understand each other?" Purab asks him.

Abhi continues to scowl at him.

"If you have any issues then I'll happily cancel my hotel booking and stay here."

"We are clear." Abhi quickly says.

"Good." Purab tells him. Then he looks at Pragya and sees her blushing beetroot red. "Ciao."

**********

"I'm sorry for that night, Abhi." Pragya whispers to Abhi as they snuggled in bed.

Abhi pulls her close to him and nibbles on her lips. "Please don't say that."

"I'm sorry I seduced you like that."

"Pragya, that night..." Abhi takes her hand in his. "It is true that I felt forced and cornered that night but there is another truth too."

"What is it?" Pragya asks him as she looked at him curiously.

"That day, I wasn't able to leave that room, not because you were touching me or you were naked. You told me that we might never see each other and that thought nearly killed me. And I couldn't leave your room and you that night."

Pragya smiles hearing that. "I love you, Abhi."

"And I love you, Pragya."

"You ready for round 2?" Pragya asks him with a sexy smile.

"That night you were full of stamina with back to back action. I was starting to wonder what happened to you." Abhi says as he pulled her over him.

Pragya starts to straddle him and then stops. "What time is it?"

Abhi leans up to look at the clock and then groaning sadly he falls back. "20 minutes more for her to wake up."

"I'll go take a shower and come then." Pragya tells him then leaning down, she kisses him on his lips. "After I feed her, we will have time for back to back action."

"We are going to hit speed bumpers like this for a while, aren't we?" Abhi asks.

Pragya laughs happily hearing his question.

*** The End ***

I really wanted to write a light hearted story where Pragya is engaged to Purab and falls for either his best friend or brother, but this story turned out like this. I don't know how many people liked this story with these flawed characters. Please do leave your comments and votes.

- Lazy