Happy Sunday to you all!
Priya was in kitchen, arranging everything after dinner very absentmindedly. She was confused seeing Ram's behavior after he came back from office. Not that he directly showed any anger or talked to her differently but something wasn't right and Priya felt that as he was avoiding talking to her directly.
"Hua kya hai Mr. Kapoor ko? Lunch time mein toh thik thak the aur office se jab ghar aaye tab bhi thik the par kuch toh thik nahi lag raha. Woh baat nahi kar rahe hain mujhse. Maine kuch kaha kya phirse jisse unhe bura laga? Kya karti hai Priya! Tu already unhe bohot hurt kar chuki hai. Ab kya kiya?", Priya thought as she started thinking what went wrong suddenly.
Pihu fell asleep in Ram's arms so he took her upstairs and made her sleep on the bed. He held her knuckles and placed a kiss on them, staring at her lovingly.
Ram(whispering): Pihu bachhe main na sochta hoon har waqt kaisa hota agar paanch saal pehle Dad ke birthday ke din woh sab nahi hua hota. Aaj Shivi zinda hoti. Aur sab kuch normal hota. Priya aur main saath hote aur aap aati hamari zindagi mein. Jo jo hua kaash nahi hua hota. Maine aur Priya ne kitna kuch miss kar dia.
Ram sighed deeply and caressed Pihu's forehead.
Priya entered there after some time and saw Pihu peacefully sleeping while Ram was lost in his thoughts. She went near him and that made Ram aware of her presence. He looked at her then shifted his eyes on Pihu.
Priya(softly): Mr. Kapoor can we talk?
Ram again looked at her for some seconds then nodded. They both went to the balcony and stood by the railing facing each other.
Priya: Sab thik hai na? Aap gussa hain kya mujhse?
Ram(looking downwards): Haan thik hai sab.
Priya: No you're avoiding me. Maine kuch kiya kya phirse? Aap bol sakte hain mujhe.
Ram didn't speak a word. Just then his phone buzzed. It was on the table so Priya also saw that it was Adi. Without waiting another moment Ram cut the call. Priya frowned looking at that.
Priya: Umm...Adi se gussa hain aap? Mr. Kapoor mujhe kuch samajh nahi aa raha. Dopeher ko hi aap bilkul thik the par dinner time se aapka mood off hai. Baat kya hai?
Ram took a deep breath, trying to control his frustration.
Ram: Priya Annulment papers tumne kyun leak kiye the?
Priya was taken aback listening to his question. She looked at him blankly not knowing how to tell him she didn't do that.
Ram: Soch rahi ho jhooth bologi ya sach?
Priya pursed her lip and swallowed hard, understanding that he knew.
Priya: Maine....nahi...kiya tha. Mujhe nahi pata papers kaise leak huye the. Sorry maine aapse jhooth bola.
Ram: Pata hai mujhe. Woh tumne nahi kiya tha. Mere Brinda Adi Kunal Vikrant unn sabne kiya tha.
Priya(shocked): Par kyun?
Ram: Hamari shaadi bachane ke liye of course. Par tumne kyun blame khud pe liya ke tumse huye hai, tum lawyer ke paas gayi thi, aur woh Neeraj tapak pada Lawyer ki baat bola. Kyun? Aur baad mein kyun nahi kaha mujhse kuch?
Priya looked at Ram feeling guilty.
Priya: Woh Nandini Kapoor...umm she was talking very angrily with Adi and then aap bhi usse poochne lage. Adi bohot muskil mein lag rahe the. Toh maine bol dia ke meri wajah se papers leak huye hain.
Ram: Wow! Very good Priya. Blame khud pe lena koi tumse shikhe! Kya zaroorat thi jhooth bolne ki!
Priya: The way she was behaving with Adi mujhe bura laga. Adi dost hain aapke Mr. Kapoor. Aur...
She stopped suddenly.
Ram: Aur kya Priya?
Priya(slightly teary): Hamari shaadi toh waise bhi khatam ho rahi thi. Kya hi ho jata? At least Adi ke saath aapka rishta toh kharab nahi hota.
She looked away while Ram stood stunned knowing the reason behind it.
Ram: Kaise kar leti ho aisa? Me...mere liye?
Priya: Mujhe nahi pata Neeraj kahan se aa gaya aur lawyer ki baat karne laga. Then he blackmailed me saying if he didn't get his job back he would tell you that I don't have a lawyer and I leaked those papers on purpose. I'm sorry. Mujhe aapko bata dena chahiye tha.
Ram sighed loudly.
Priya: Aapko Adi ne bataya?
Ram: Haan aj! Paanch saal baad!
Priya: Mr. Kapoor bohot purani baat hai. Let it go.
Ram: Let it go? Priya! Tumne blame khudpe liya aur Adi ko bachaya! Yeh baat usne mujhe nahi batayi! Tum ne bhi nahi! Kispe bharosa karoon main? Koi kuch nahi batata mujhe. Kyun? Kyunki main zyada emotional hoon? Tum logo ko yeh lagta hai ki main kuch handle nahi kar sakta?
Ram's voice broke saying the last few words.
Priya: Mr. Kapoor aisi baat nahi hai.
Ram(tearfully): Toh kaisi baat hai Priya? Kyun mujhe kuch nahi batate ho tum log? Ishaan ki baat nahi batayi aur khud jail chali gayi. Mujhe akela chod dia. Toot chuka tha main Priya. Mujhe zaroorat thi tumhari. Kaise sab kuch bhool jayun? Tum bhool sakti ho jab main tumhe chodke chala gaya? Nahi na? Mujhse bhi nahi ho raha. Nahi bhool pa raha.
Priya(holding Ram's hand): Hum annulment papers ki baat kar rahe the na....yeh baatein karke kyun khudko hurt kar rahe hain?
Ram(tearing flowing down his eyes): Mujhse nahi ho raha Priya. Mujhe mere paanch saal wapas chahiye.
Priya started crying seeing him breaking down. She went closer to him, wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug.
Priya(caressing his hair slowly): Mr. Kapoor mujhse hota toh main ab tak kar deti. Par yeh possible nahi hai na. Ab aage badna hoga hume.
Ram's cries intensified while Priya's heart wrenched feeling his pain.
Priya(caressing his back): Main aur Pihu hai na? Hamesha aapke saath rahenge. Aap akele nahi hain ab.
Ram continously cried resting his chin on her shoulder. Priya knew he was holding back his feelings so that he could handle Pihu and her. He was trying to be strong but there's storm going on inside him.
Ram finally calmed down after sometime but it felt like eternity to Priya. He held onto her like his life was depended on her.
Priya: Sab thik ho jayega Mr. Kapoor. We're both trying.
Ram stayed silent while Priya caressed his hair.
Ram(in a very low voice): Pihu nafrat karegi hum dono se jab usse sach pata chalega. Rapunzel ki story kuch saalon baad kaam nahi karegi Priya.
Priya sighed deeply.
Priya: Hmm. Pata hai. Hum sirf yeh wish karte hain ke woh hume maaf karde.
After sometime Ram broke the hug and looked at Priya with deep sadness. Priya grabbed the bottle from the table and handed it to him. He drank some water then sighed. She held his hand and made him sit on the chair and sat down beside him. She held his hand in between her hands.
Priya: Mr. Kapoor hum sab se bohot saari galtiyan hui hain. Adi se toh aap bohot pyaar karte hain isiliye aapko itna farq pad raha hai. Woh bhi toh aapse bohot pyaar karte hain. Itne saal sukh dukh bante hain aap sab ne. Main yeh nahi keh rahi ke aapko gussa nahi hona chahiye. Aapka gussa jayaz hai hum par. Adi kabhi jaan bujhke aapko hurt nahi karenge. Shayad bhool gaye honge yeh baat. Hamari zindagi mein toh roz kuch na kuch hota rehta tha. Hai na? Unhone kiya bhi toh hamari shaadi bachane ke liye na? Nahi toh aaj shayad hum ek saath nahi hote.
Agar aapka mann hai toh baat kar lije. Mr. Kapoor aapke dost aap se bohot pyaar karte hain. Aap lucky hain unko paake. Haan woh bhi galti kar dete hain. Hum perfect toh nahi na. Maine toh galtiyan pe galtiyan kiye hain. Agar woh aapni galti manna chahe toh? Baat karke sort ho sakta hai? Aapko kya lagta hai?
Ram stayed silent for sometime then cleared his throat.
Ram: Adi se expect nahi kiya tha yeh maine. Nahi Brinda se. Nahi Kunal Vikrant se. Nahi...
Priya: Mujhse. Jaanti hoon. Mr. Kapoor hum jinse sabse zyada pyaar karte hain woh hume sabse zyada hurt karte hain. I think we both know that. Hume yeh decide karna hota hai kya hum woh galtiyan maaf kar sakte hain ya nahi. Ab aapki marzi aapko kya karna hai.
She patted his hands a few times.
Priya: Ek aur baat hai. (Spookily) Sochiye adhi raat ko sunsaan sadak pe aapki car kharab ho gayi. Aap bahar nikle dekhne ke liye. Wooohhoo! Aapki dono taraf jungle hi jungle. Aapko darr lag raha hai ke bhoot na aa jaye. Phir aap kisko call karenge sabse pehle? Adi ko.
Ram closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Ram(rolling his eyes at her): Tum gande ghost stories likhna start kardo. It will be nice. Darra dia! Aa gaya samajh mujhe. Call kar raha hoon Adi ko.
Priya(with a smile): Okay Goodnight.
Priya stood up and was going inside that's when Ram held her hand with a little pout. He scanned all around him. The balcony light was on but it was dark outside. He swallowed hard.
Ram: Tum baithogi yahan mere saath? Please?
Priya(chuckling): Mr. Kapoor! Aap itne mein hi darr gaye. Tch. Tch. (She sat down on her sit and looked into his eyes) Sochiye main andar chali gayi. Kuch der baad yeh light on off on off ho raha hai. Then suddenly huusshhh off ho gaya. Piche se ek safed.....
Ram: Okay okay chup! Darao mat mujhe aur. Aur nahi sunna tumhare saste ghost stories. Baithi raho yahan.
Priya pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing.
Ram glared at her then dialed Adi's phone number. Adi picked up in a second.
Adi: Ram tu thik hai Ram? Kuch garbad hai? Main aaun?
Ram: Nahi sab thik hai.
Adi's voice sounded chocked like he was crying for a long time.
Adi: Oh...Ram?
Ram: Hmm?
Adi(crying heavily): I'm...sorry. I'm sorry. Tujhe gussa rehna haina mujhpe koi baat nahi par please mujhse baat karna bandh mat kar.
Tears again started falling down Ram's eyes.
Adi: Mujhe pata hai maine bohot badi galti ki hai tujhe na batake. I'm sorry. Main phir kabhi aisa nahi karunga. Tujhe sab batayunga. Brinda mana kare toh bhi batayunga. Please tu baat kar mujhse. Tu mujhse baat nahi karta toh mujhe bilkul achha nahi lagta. I'm sorry I'm really really sorry. Ram tu sunn raha hai na?
Ram(in a nosy voice): Hmm.
Adi: Tu kyun ro raha hai? Please mat ro. I'm sorry maine bohot hurt kiya tujhe. Galti ho gayi mujhse.
Ram: Phirse aisa mat karna mujhse. Okay? Tujhe agar lage bhi ke baat sunke mujhe dukh hoga phir bhi batayega mujhe. Promise?
Adi: Sab batayunga. I promise. I promise. Kuch nahi chipayunga tujhse. Maaf kar dia tune mujhe?
Ram: Haan nahi toh aur kya karoon? Tu itna royega aur sorry bolega toh kaise gussa rahunga!
Adi: I'm sorry. Tu thik na? Main jayun tere ghar?
Ram: Nahi nahi. Main thik hoon. Sab thik hai. Tu aur pareshaan mat ho.
Adi: Kaise na pareshan houn main? Tu ro raha hai aise meri wajah se. Maine tujhe kitna hurt kiya.
Ram: It's okay Adi. Tu kabhi mujhe jaan bujhke hurt nahi karega mujhe pata hai.
Adi: Tu best friend hai mera. Tujhe hurt karne ka soch bhi nahi sakta. Par yeh galti ho gayi mujhse Ram. Aur Priya ki koi galti nahi hai tu please uss par gussa mat hona. Galti meri hai mujhpe jitna gussa karna hai karle. Please don't be angry with her.
Ram: Nahi hoon gussa main ab. Khush?
Adi deeply sighed.
Adi: Ram main samajh raha hoon tu bohot upset hai aur hona bhi chahiye. Tere saath jo hua hai bilkul sahi nahi hua hai. Par Priya ne meri madat karne ki thi tab aur tujhe toh ab pata hai na Nandini aunty kaisi hai. Uski koi galti nahi hai.
Ram: Tu Priya ka advocate banke usse defend karna bandh kar Adi. Usse professional blame-taker bann jana chahiye.
Priya looked downwards feeling guilty of her actions.
Adi didn't say anything, just sighed. Brinda came and grabbed the phone from Adi.
Brinda: Jaan!
Ram: Tu toh baat hi mat kar mujhse Bri! Tujhse aur bhi zyada gussa hoon main! Tu toh bol sakti thi na!
Brinda: Ram I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Mujhse bohot badi galti ho gayi.
Ram: Tujhe pata tha Bri!
Brinda: Haan. Aur aaj yaad aaya ke tumhe yeh baat pata nahi hai toh bataya. Jaan tum naraz ho humse pata hai aur hona bhi chahiye. Maine jo kuch bhi kiya bilkul thik nahi kiya. I'm sorry.
Ram's shoulder dropped as he felt tired. Priya held his hand tightly and gave a small assuring smile to him.
Ram: Tu bhi promise kar ke aisa kabhi nahi karegi phir se. Bri sach jitna bhi karwa ho tu batayegi mujhe. Promise me.
Brinda: I promise Ram. We just want you guys happy.
Ram: We want that for you all too Bri.
Brinda: Okay ab aur mat rulao mujhe. Pihu so gayi? Priya thik hai?
Ram: Haan haan Pihu kab ka so gayi. Priya hai mere paas yahan.
Brinda: Phone do usse.
Ram passed the phone to Priya.
Priya: Haan Brinda.
Brinda: Priya hume bata dena chahiye tha pehle jaan ko. We're sorry. Hamari wajah se woh tumpe gussa hai.
Priya: It's okay Brinda. Tum log stress mat lo hum thik hain.
Brinda: Nahi Priya. We know that it's very complicated right now. Hum nahi chahte hamari wajah se tum dono mein phirse problems ho.
Priya: Aisi baat nahi hai. We're fine.
Brinda: Okay.
Priya passed the phone to Ram.
Brinda: Jaan we're okay na?
Ram: 85%.
Brinda: Ahhh! Thank God. Tum gussa hote ho toh bilkul achha nahi lagta.
Ram smiled.
Brinda: Okay jaan main phone rakhti hoon. Mujhe kabab mein haddi nahi banna. So Goodnight.
Ram: I wish that was the case. Goodnight Bri. Adi ko bhi. Bye
Brinda: Bye.
They cut the call. Ram looked at Priya and gave a small smile.
Priya: Everything okay?
Ram nodded.
Ram: Thank you.
Priya: Kis liye? Oh woh bhoot ki story ke liye?
Ram chuckled.
Ram: Nahi! Tum samjhane ke liye.
Priya smiled.
Priya: Waise aur bhi stories hain. Main sunayun?
Ram: No thanks. Already bohot entertain kar chuki ho aur mat karo. Chalo tumhari hobby ka time ho chuka hai.
Priya softly smiled at Ram and stood up. Ram stood up quickly and held her hand then went close to her. He looked into her eyes then softly kissed her forehead.
Ram(softly): Goodnight.
Priya smiled and kissed Ram's cheek gently.
Priya: Goodnight.
Ram smiled at her. They went inside the room and slept peacefully with Pihu.
This was a short chapter as I didn't wanted to mix it with the therapy one.
Hope you all liked the chapter.