MARRY.
"Will you marry me Prachi?" Prachi stared down at the boy who was her best friend, the same boy who was still on his knee and had just proposed to her. The question reverberating in her mind.
Propose........... Will you Marry me?............ Marry...... MARRY!........... Being someone's............... Being someone's for life......... The whole life............... Being someone else's......... Someone who is her friend............. Just Friend............
Being someone's that is NOT Ranbir.
Being anyone's that is not Ranbir.
Ranbir!
Prachi's head snapped up to look at the face of her 'the one' looking at her with the most broken look ever. No, it wasn't his face that conveyed how broken he was. It was those chocolate orbs that she had lost herself into so many times. The eyes that had been her anchor in adverse situations looked lost. The eyes that had given her hope looked at her dull.
Prachi's heart felt a jab when she saw his lower lip tremble. The unshed tears in his eyes were like a dragger through her being. All she wanted was to run to him, hug him and assure him that she was his, only his. To kiss that look out of his eyes. To hold him so close that he could hear her heartbeat that screams out his name. But her feet were rooted to the spot. All feelings and control striped from her body.
Her heart pierced as she saw his crestfallen face. She bore the weight of breaking his heart, but can she handle the burden of defying her best friend as well?
"No" Prachi gasped out loud, taking a step back. Looking straight into Ranbir's eyes.
"What?" Most asked, not hearing what she said.
"No, No I- I can't- I can't do this." Prachi muttered over and over, taking a step back. She stumbled as her knees turned weak and someone held her in the nick of time. Aarav hurried to his feet, stepping forward but stopping in his track as a tear dropped out of her eyes. Her eyes still trained on those chocolate ones.
"Prachi-" Pragya started but Prachi cut her short.
"NO." She said in a final tone, looking at her mother.
"And YOU" She turned to Aarav who sported an unreadable expression. Her eyes blurry with tears as she realized that she might lose one of her best friends today.
But when she remembered how broken those earthy eyes looked, everything else just jumped out of the window. Just pure anger residing in her conscious being. Anger on the one that made those lively eyes look dead. Herself included.
"How could you? How dare you?" She scream asked the quiet boy who was just looking at her, mum after uttering those five words.
"What were you thinking Aarav? Were you even thinking something?"
She knew that she was doing wrong and is crushing another part of her heart. But the sheer hurt she was feeling was blinding her to even see anything rational, let alone think.
"You are my best friend Aarav, You, you were there when almost no one else was. You always knew how I feel about you, and you knew what I will feel when you will say those words to me. You are a beautiful part of my life that I cherish as an important one. You are my best friend. Then why? Why did you have to go on and ruin everything?" She heaved as ceaseless tears run down her blush-covered cheeks.
"How could you even think so?" She asked, her voice breaking as she held her forehead with one hand and closed her eyes to clear her eyes as well as her head.
"Prachi, child, just listen to him once." Pragya insisted and Prachi's eyes snapped open.
"What do I liste-" she halted her words as her forehead creased.
"You knew about this?" The words came out much like a statement than a question. Her voice was a mere whisper.
Still, the words were carried to everyone for the silence was deafening. Even the insects had stopped all their noises as if they too understood the graveness of the scene unfolding.
"You Knew!" Prachi accused, her face screaming disbelief.
"Prachi just hear us out," Abhi interjected and her shock increased ten-folds. Her jaw agape.
"Child just-" Pragya tried again but the girl interjected again.
"Who else knew?" She asked, voice emotionless.
"Just the three of us." Aarav answered, speaking for the first time. "I wanted to have their permission before it."
Prachi looked around, observing everyone's faces that showcased different emotions.
Vikram, dida, Aryan, and Shahana looked at her with sympathy while her parents looked at her desperately. Ranbir was devastated and even Piyush seemed out of character as he sported a sober look. Pallavi and Rhea were entirely different cases. Both looked at her with a mixture of irritation and boredom. But she didn't miss the spark of hope that they carried in their eyes.
Something stirred within her and Prachi shook her hea vigorously. She turned and went straight to the parking lot, where their cars were parked. After mentally calculating how everyone will be comfortable with the seating space, she took one key from the butler and drove off, thanking heavens that Aryan had pestered the daylight out of her for learning driving in these past months. The rearview mirror showing that everyone had seen her leaving. Good. At least they won't be worried for her.
~*~
It's been half an hour since everyone had returned home. Thanks to Prachi's calculations, they had seated comfortably. With Abhi-Pragya, Vikram-Pallavi in one car. Aryan, Ranbir, Dida and Rhea in one car and Aarav, Piyush and Shahana in the last. They had found the car that Prachi took from the resort already parked in the house, assuring that she had reached safely, physically at least.
Well, that's what they thought for a while, till the old house helper rushed to them with tears running down his face and told that Prachi has locked herself in her room.
Almost everyone had rushed to her door and had tried every single way to get it open without breaking it down. Everyone, almost everyone had tried to talk to her, to get to her, but no one had any luck. Not even Pragya or Shahana had been able to get the door open. Ranbir had been so anxious that he had decided to climb in through the window, but at last, Prachi had opened the door partially.
Needless to mention that she looked awful.
Prachi had just stood there at the doorframe, slightly opening the door, eyes downcast, and had asked what they wanted at one in the night. She had initially refused to talk to anyone but after much persuasion by Aarav, she had let him in, saying that they need to talk in private. Though Ranbir boldly wanted to refuse, he couldn't since his chief had allowed them to talk and had taken the rest to the living room.
And now, it's been fifteen dreadful minutes and every passing second was multiplying the restlessness that Ranbir was feeling. How he wished to just go and barge through the door, or better, just peek through the window.
But Aryan was restraining him from doing any of the options. And here he was, jaw clenched as another sixty seconds passed. Every single moment filling his heart with an unknown fear. He knew he was never going to marry Rhea at any cost, but Prachi marrying someone else? It would be even more painful than them just being apart. Anyone else having any sort of claim over Prachi. His Prachi tying lifelong knot with someone else. The thought was enough to ignite a fire in his nerve endings. Unable to look at the anxious family, he faced the window, looking at the moon.
"Why are you crying?" Rhea's voice echoed in the quiet hall and Ranbir turned to look at her. She was sitting on the couch with her arms crossed in front os her and her eyes trained at the house helper.
"Prachi baby, she was crying bitterly when she came back." The old man replied. "She is really sweet, nothing bad should happen to her. She is the only one except Ranbir baba who asked and cared for my health when the elders went to the Kuldevta's temple. Seeing such a pure soul in anguish, I just couldn't get a hold of myself."
"Oo so that's why you were on leave that day?" Aryan asked and the man nodded slightly.
"It's okay, we are here, we will take care." Vikram said polietly. "It's really late, you should go and rest."
"I don't know what the whole ruckus is about?" Pallavi said, "Aarav is a good guy, he is well settled and even a good friend of Prachi. What problum do she have with this marriage?"
"Exactly my thought. He is a nice guy. What else do a girl need? Mom, dad I think you both should talk to Prachi and get her ready for this marriage. She won't refuse you." Rhea supported.
To the two of them, it was a golden opportunity to get Prachi out of their lives as well as Ranbir's. According to them, once Prachi got married to Aarav, then Ranbir would have no choice but to move on and accept Rhea as his wife and love.
Rhea actually thought Prachi to be lucky to get Aarav as a choise or else in her opinion all Prachi ever deserved for stealing her Ranbir was that hooligan, uncultured, manneless, Sanju. Or even worse.
"Prachi never thought of Aarav as anything other than her good friend. Rhea, for her to get proposed by him out of th blue must have been so shocking." Dida said.
"And there are a lot other things a girl needs to accept anyone as life partner except for him being a good guy or friend." Pragya explained further. "Anyone can have a good understanding with you, but for marriage, there need to be a special connection. Be it before marriage or after marriage like in the case of your father and me."
That caused for Rhea to shut and lean back in her seat a bit more. Ranbir turned back again to look at the sky where the moon was now covered by a patch of passing cloud.
"I just hope this don't ruin their friendship." He heard Piyush say, but didn't turned this time.
"It won't," He heard his father say. "Prachi is an intellighent girl, she will never let something like this come inbetween her friendship with Aarav. She is the forgiving and forgetting type. If she refused to this proposal, she'll just pick it back up from the evening, when it hasn't happened yet. It may take some days for her to forget it completely, and those days might be awkward, but after a few days everything will be back to normal."
Ranbir just took a deep breath and looked as the cloud passed leaving the moon back in it's full glory.
Just twenty-four hours prior she was in his arms, right under this moon's shimmering light. Though accidentally and reluctant and distant by her stubbornness, but still; there was a reassurance that she was still for him and he for her. And now, a boy had proposed to her in front of him and the entire family.
Something he had never been able to do.
Now that he thinks of it, maybe he should have also proposed to her in front of everyone instead of proposing her in her room. Why had he not done it?
He already knew that she too loved him, only if he had proposed to her in front of everyone. Then no misunderstanding would have happened. He should have done it when his mother liked Prachi, maybe he should have just admitted to his mother and Dida when they had heard him confess his love for Prachi to Maya in that shopping mall.
He should have told them the entire truth that how he was madly in love with Prachi and she too loves him but was still confused. They would have understood. Or maybe he should have blubbered out his love for her in front of everyone when he was drunk on holi. There would have been no mistake.
But he had not, and so he was to wed her sister instead. On top of that, someone else had proposed to Prachi.
Not only that, almost everyone was hoping for her to agree to marry Aarav.
Marry.
No, Prachi broke up with him, true, but he has seen that love in her eyes. That care, that longing that he feels could be found in her eyes too. When her guards slip that was. The other times, her eyes resembled nothing but the emptiness that resides within her. So he was hundred and ten percent sure that she won't agree to this marriage at any cost. No, she won't. She would never. Right?
"She won't agree right?" He voiced his thought to Aryan, to seek reassertion.
Receiving no reply, he looked up to see his 'brother-from-another-mother' just staring at the stairs, his burrows furrowed. He looked up in the direction of his gaze and straightened up seeing the girl of his dreams and the boy who proposed to her making their way downstairs.
Instead of all the chaos or everyone rushing to their feet or numerous other distractions, his eyes zeroed on her right hand that had a cut that was bleeding. Not much now but the trails showed that it had bled enough before.
He was about to move but stopped in his tracks when Prachi's voice echoed through the hall. Faint and hollow, but strong.
"Are you okay with this marriage?" She asked, looking straight at her parents. At her father, who wasn't there for almost all her life and had struck a deep bond with her when she had entered the new city and was trying to get used to the fast-track life but then had royally ignored her upon registering that she was, in fact, the daughter that he had been craving for since past twenty long years.
At her mother, who had her whole life wrapped around her, and as much as it hurt, she too had turned blind in her love for her other daughter that she knew well was a criminal. But Prachi didn't hold them guilty for the behavior they had shown her in last some months, nor do she hold grudge against them for treating her like any other furniture of the house till her drowning incident.
They held the topmost place in her life, be it for any emotional decision or any practical one. Like this. It was for their happiness that she had sacrificed her first and true love to the wicked womb sharer of her.
So how can she take a decision that may alter her whole life without their opinion?
And as soon as she asked the question, Ranbir's heart sank.
Pragya came forward and held both her hands, a sad smile on her face. "He asked us first Prachi. He had asked us on the day you slipped into the pool." she said softly and Shahana muttered 'pushed' under her breadth and shared a knowing look with both Aryan and Ranbir, who had heard her.
Pragya continued, "To be honest, we were slightly taken aback by the sudden proposal. It wasn't that we thought that he wasn't a good person or we doubted him in any manner, but the same day we had said that we don't want to get you married so early. But when he talked to us and we considered the way you are happy around him, we agreed."
Those were the word that turned Prachi's inside hollow and filled Ranbir's with grief. Prachi felt herself turn numb and turned to Shahana and Piyush, completely ignoring Ranbir who was right next to Shahana.
"Do you agree?" Prachi asked and Shahana just looked at Ranbir with sympathy, but her eyes caught Rhea's fiery ones instead. She then turned to look at Aarav who was just looking at Prachi and then to Piyush who hugged Prachi saying that he was more than happy.
Shahana took a deep breath and nodded lightly, giving no expression whatsoever.
"Then I too agree." Prachi gulped down the lump in her throat. "Yes Aarav, I will marry you." Her voice thick with the tears she tried to stop, though no elder seemed to notice it as they were already congratulating each other. Only those who were well aware of the situation were able to detect the hollowness of her eyes and the dying soul of his.
To Ranbir, it seemed that the air was knocked out of him and his lungs refused to intake any oxygen. The back of his throat burned, choking him and tears stung his eyes. He didn't stay there any longer and made his way out of the house. All he knew was that he wanted to get away from anyone and everyone who knew him or had ever seen him.
Pallavi tried to stop him but Vikram held her back, shaking his head at her authoritatively when she tried to pull away and motioned Aryan to follow him instead.
The boy did as said and followed the heartbroken soul. No one noticed as the two boys made their way out of the living room. No one but one.
She might be avoiding her, but when he left, a strange feeling engulfed her. A feeling of what? She couldn't comprehend.
"Come on guys, let's go to sleep," Abhi announced after everyone had congratulated the new couple. "After all, we have to leave for Mehra mansion tomorrow."
Calling it a night, everyone bid goodnight and made their way to their respective rooms.
Prachi went to her room and locked the door. She turned to find Shahana already sitting on the bed, her face sober. Without wasting a single minute, Prachi ran to her and almost tackled her back with the force.
The other girl just sat there as her sister sobbed uncontrollably in he arms, just stroking her hair and saying reassuring words to her.
"I broke him Shahana, I-I broke him completely..... His-his heart must be...must be shattered into pieces. Why Shahana? Why? Why does he have to go through so much pain over and over again and why do I? Why do I have to be the one to deliver it. Why Shahana?" She sobbed, trying to catch her breath.
"Calm down Prachi, please calm down." Shahana muttered over and over again.
"How can I calm down Shahana? You don't understand what he must be going through." Prachi greived, burying her face in her hands in hope that hiding it may take away some of her guilt and self hatered, but it didn't helped.
Her own tears reminding her that he too must be going through the same, only much difficult. She lay her head on her sister's welcoming lap and pulled her knees close to her chest in try of keeping herself together. Slowly, she dozed off in deep slumber, tear marks visible on her cheeks and her face deprived of any light.
~*~
Aryan quickly made his way to the car that Ranbir got settled in. Ranbir was about to rebuke him from stopping him from going anywhere but got surprised instead when the other boy opened the door and got seated in the passanger seat.
Aryan just buckled his seat belt and staired straight ahead, waiting for him to start driving.
Aryan turned his head to the side and raised an eyebrow at the other boy. "What? You need a person to drive back home when you are totally wasted."
Ranbir just pondered for a minute before driving off to somewhere.
A/N:- Hey Jiggly puffs, how are you all doing? Well, apart for cursing me of course.
Here is the next chapter that you were waiting for. And Hey! It's not that late.
Do tell what you think of it. Please make sure to Vote and Comment if you liked it. Also share your views on the writing and progression of the story. Feel free to point out any errors you find and as always, in line comments are most welcome.
We have reached twenty fifth chapter of the story and it was possible just because of the love and support you all provided. It is all you that made it possible and I am eternally grateful of you all for it.
A heart felt thankyou to all of you Readers and Pranbirians out there be it the vocal ones or the silents. Thanks to every single one of you.
Lots of Love,
Simran