Note - Please don't expect too much logic! It's just a pure work of fiction!
- - - - -
Rishab spotted a lady clad in black knee length dress walking towards their table waving her hand at them.
"Hello, Mr. Kundra. Mrs. Kundra" the lady greeted them with a delightful smile. Rishab recognized her in a blink but Madhu looked utterly clueless.
Is she my husband's yet another ex-girlfriend or something? Madhu suspected with jealousy spinning in her mind as she sized the lady standing too close to her husband. She looked talk and gorgeous. Her face looked vaguely familiar but still Madhu couldn't tell who she was, maybe she could if the lady had taken her shades off.
"It's a pleasure to see you after all these years." The lady said.
"Likewise, Dipali" Rishab smiled and gestured her to take a seat opposite to them.
"Ohh ohh!" Madhu said out loud remembering Dipali, the stalker who broke into their house twice and tried to kill her but ended up shooting her husband's arm.
"How are you doing?" Rishab asked politely.
"I'm good. And I can tell you guys are good too, happily celebrating your wedding anniversary here in this beautiful place"
"How do you know that?" Madhu asked curiously.
"Trust me, this time I didn't use a bug to hear your conversations secretly. I was just watching you two from the counter exchanging gifts and when I asked what's going on here to the waiter he said whatever little he overheard from your phone conversation with your kids he presumed"
"Oh. So you work here?" Madhu asked.
"No, actually it's my restaurant. I own three more hotels and resorts and a spa here in Mauritius." Dipali said proudly.
"Oh that's great" Rishab felt honestly happy for her. He never held any grudge or ill feeling on Dipali for what she did to him and his wife. He absolutely understood her reasons behinds her wrong deeds and felt only sympathy and compassion for her.
"As soon as my husband recovered from coma and got discharged from the hospital, we relocated to Mauritius to start a new life leaving behind our dark past. I sold Purple Orchid Hotel, Mumbai and all the other properties I solely inherited and with that money we setup hotel business here and by God's grace it's going good."
"That's really an impressive comeback, Dipali" Madhu adored her for what she achieved now despite of facing shit in her early life.
"Thanks to you two for giving me a chance to change" Dipali laced her fingers together and thanked them wholeheartedly.
"Hey, c'mon. Please, don't do this" Rishab pushed her hands down to rest on the table, not liking her thanking them. They didn't do anything big, just forgave her and let her live her life. Dipali nodded and dabbed the corner of her eyes with a tissue she grabbed from the table.
"Sushant!" Dipali called her husband who just entered the restaurant carrying a little boy of 3 years in his arms. "C'mere"
"What's it, babe?" Sushant walked to his wife with a loving smile not noticing the couple sitting on the table opposite to his wife.
"Look who we have here?" Dipali pointed to Rishab and Madhu.
"Police officer, Rishab Kundra, right?" Sushant asked though he was sure he was right. How could he forget the man who arrested him on his wedding night?
Rishab nodded. Madhu waved at the little boy in Sushant's arms who was smiling adorably at her.
"Good to see you here, Sir" Sushant said and held his hand out for a shake and Rishab took it. "Hello, ma'am" Sushant smiled at Madhu and she reciprocated it.
"Daddy" Sushant's son called him softly but louder enough to grab everyone's attention. Feeling everyone's eyes on him, the little boy got shy so he leaned closer to his dad and whispered something.
"Alright, champ" Sushant said with a laugh.
"What was he saying?" Dipali asked her husband.
"He said he wants that pretty aunty to cut the cake huh" Sushant said pointing to Madhu.
"Why don't you say that for yourself, Dishu?" Dipali asked ruffling her son's messy hair.
"You are pweety, auntie" he said as his cheeks changed to the deepest hue of pink. Madhu laughed and held her hands out of him to jump in and he came to her too willingly.
"What's your name baby?" Madhu cooed.
"Dee...deehaant" he struggled to utter his name correctly.
Madhu looked at Dipali to clearly tell his name. "Dishant. Our ship name. Di from Dipali and Shant from Sushant" Dipali explained.
"Oh that's lovely" Madhu said and kissed Dishant's messy hair.
"Daddy, auntie kished me" Dishant didn't complain at all but said in glee.
"Ah! Seems like your son is so smitten for my wife, already. I better take her away from him before he completely steals her heart" Rishab half joked and half serious with what he said. Madhu rolled her eyes at his possessiveness.
"Cake" Dishant reminded Madhu when she was about to pass him back to his father.
"Add this cake amount to our bill" Rishab instructed as he took the knife and passed it to Madhu to cut.
"Oh no! It's a compliment."
"No, it's fine..." Rishab started to protest.
"No, Sir, please. Don't say no and embarrass us. This is the least we can do for the big favour you guys did to us in the past" Dipali requested to accept the complimentary cake.
Reluctantly Rishab agreed and gestured Madhu to cut the cake. She put multiple slits on the cake and then with a fork she took some of the icing and fed the little boy in her arms.
"Thank you" he stressed the words and pressed a kiss on Madhu's cheek surprising her. "I like you" he softly whispered.
"I like you too, cute boy" Madhu kissed him before letting him go to his mother's arms.
"Shall we leave?" Rishab asked when Madhu ate the last of her cake. She nodded and wiped the corners of her mouth with the napkin.
"Next time when you guys visit Mauritius do bring your kids. They will love it here." Sushant suggest.
"Sure" Madhu agreed. After politely denying Sushant and Dipali's offer to have dinner with them that night, Rishab took his wife to the surprise destination.
--0--
"Wow, beautiful Island. I could see only blue everywhere and its so calming and enchanting. Wish we belonged to this place, Rishab" Madhu gushed gleefully. Rishab moved closer to her and tucked her windswept hair behind her ear.
"Your smile is more enchanting" he softly muttered before pressing his lips against her.
"So what are we here for? Are we going boating or swimming and sunbathing?"
"No, actually we are..." He hesitated, scratching his forehead.
"C'mon, spill" she said and laughed.
"You see the banner over there?" He asked pointing to a two storey building highly visible from where they were standing and on the rooftop of that building there was a huge vinyl banner designed with eye-catching colors but what caught Madhu's attention were the words "You Can Fly" written in bright red color.
"You...you are going skydiving?" Madhu shuttered and shivered at that thought. "Rishab, have you gone nuts?" She shouted. "No way in hell, I am letting you jump from sky, husband!" She said with finality.
"Madhu..."
"Don't you see that caution board there, Rishab? It clearly states 'SKYDIVNG and just being here is DANGEROUS' so what the hell are we doing here? C'mon, let's get the hell out of this place" she held his hand and tried to drag him but he didn't move even an inch.
"Madhu, listen to me yaar, please"
"No! No! No! I am not going to stand here and watch you take a free fall having my heart in my mouth" she said vehemently shaking her head.
"You don't have to watch me jump..."
"Then?"
"You are going to jump along with me" Rishab said, testing her.
Madhu gaped at him for good two minutes before laughing like a loon.
"You gotta be kidding me" she said amidst her laugh. "Really Rishab not only your romance but also your sense of humor is upgraded!"
"Madhu, I am serious." He said getting little irritated with her taunting laughter.
"No, you can't be serious. If you are also I don't care! I am not going to jump midair from a freaking flight" She said stubbornly and pushed her husband's chest, pushing him away from her.
When she turned around to walk away from the damned place, Rishab held her wrist and stopped her.
"I have been planning this for months now and I won't let you sabotage my plan, Madhu" he brought her there for a reason. It wasn't just a holiday trip or second honeymoon or wedding anniversary surprise or whatever but something more, something serious.
"Plan?" She frowned momentarily. "Oh yeah, right!" She smirked, running her fingers through her tangled mess of a hair. "Why am I even surprised? My darling husband never takes me out without a freaking secret plan!" She talked more to herself than to him as she paced to and fro.
"Madhu, this is part of your exposure therapy. You have to come out of your fear of heights" he calmly stated.
Dr. Sameer had exposed Madhu to various treatments and therapies and with her immense cooperation and Rishab's constant support, almost all her phobias were treated and cure except for acrophobia.
"Bullshit! This is fucking madness. You will kill me if you don't drop this diabolic plan of yours"
"Don't talk to me like that, Madhu! You know I hate it when you use cuss words" he warned her. She rolled her eyes and turned her face away from him.
"Take me back to the hotel room now" she barked.
"No, we are not going, not until we go tandem skydiving"
"Suit youself!" She yelled at him. "I am going back to the hotel, pack my things and board the next flight to India. I am done with your second honeymooning shit!" She spat the words at him as she boiled in anger. "I shouldn't have come with you at all, leaving my babies alone there" She groaned dropping her head to her hands. "I am the biggest fool out in this world!" Her words came muffled. "I will never go anywhere with you ever." She said softly crying.
"Madhu, baby, listen to me, please." He wrapped his arms around her waist and she nestled her head against his chest without resisting him.
"Baby, you know I won't do anything which is not good for you, right?" He asked softly. She nodded in affirmation.
"You know I will never put your life in risk, right?"
"I know... but why now? I don't understand this. Please, Rishab, don't force me... I can't do this... I am so scared of heights" she cried hysterically clutching his shirt sleeves tightly.
"Madhu, calm down and listen to me, will you?" He cupped her face with his palms and waited expectantly for her to agree to listen to him.
"I am listening" she said with a strangled sob.
"Madhu, do you remember your fear of darkness and how you had overcome it?" He asked. She nodded remembering their love making in the dark. "Now, I am telling you this, Madhu, you were never feared of darkness. You only feared of what happened in the dark."
"Is there any difference?" She asked with a confused frown.
"Yeah, once your horrid memory took place in the dark replaced with a pleasant memory you started loving darkness, don't you?"
"I do"
"So even now you are not scared of the heights, Madhu. You are just scared of the fall." He said, smoothing her lips with his thumb to stop trembling. "Last time you were ruthlessly and forcefully thrown out of the window from such a height by Balraj causing you to fear heights but this time you are going to fall from the sky on your own accord..."
"Own accord? No, you are forcing me to do something I don't want to do." She cried hitting his chest. "I don't want to die here. I want to go home. I want to go to my babies."
"Madhu, stop crying, people are looking at us" he hissed and hugged her, hiding her teary face in his chest.
"Madhu, please, you need to overcome this fear then only you will be freed from your horrible past"
"Please, find some other way, Rishab. This...this skydiving is no less than committing suicide."
"No, it's not. It's safe"
"How can you be so sure?"
"I possess tandem skydiving licence, Madhu, so I am aware of what I am getting us into." he said with a shrug. She blinked her eyes in shock. "Trust me, baby, I am well trained. I will take care of you so you needn't worry at all" he said and gently planted a kiss on her lips.
"You never told me about this?" Madhu accused him.
"After completing college and before joining in police service I was a skydiving instructor for two years" he admitted.
"Wait, that's not the answer for my question. I asked why you never told me about this" she repeated her original question.
"The very next day we got married I came to know about your acrophobia. You were afraid to even stand near the balcony railing and you still are..." He paused.
"Ugh! Rishab, you are pissing me off. Tell me why you didn't tell me so far?"
"Skydiving is my passion, Madhu!" He yelled.
"Okay?" she gave him a puzzled look.
"I know you will emotionally blackmail me and keep me away from my passion" he said sighing.
"I would never do that" Ouch! She felt wounded by his words.
"Yes, you would. Why, even few minutes back you told me 'No way in hell I am letting you jump from sky, husband' so you dare not deny" he said, air quoting her exact words.
"You still go skydiving?" She asked though she already knew the answer. Of course, her adventure freak husband will be obviously following his passion, no matter what.
"Yeah, I still go skydiving in Aamby Valley, Maharastra but I got trained in Mysore, Karnataka." He mostly had gone skydiving when his wife and kids were on their summer vacations. Skydiving helped him to relax. "I have even taken Veer once..."
"How dare you take my baby?" Madhu screamed grabbing his T-shirt.
"Hey! Kids are not allowed to do skydiving. He just came to watch me skydive and he absolutely loved the mere watching experience. He said he will go skydiving with me when he turns 18 years" he had never taken Naira with him because he knew his daughter can never hold his little secret from her mother.
"My baby boy will never go skydiving..." Before she could throw a fit he cuts her off
"You don't get to decide that. Veer will decide what he wants and what he doesn't want in his life and same rule applies to Naira as well" he warned her.
"Alright! So even I get to decide what I want and what I don't want! I don't what this skydiving shit experience"
He sighed. "You are the most stubborn woman I have known ever, Madhu" he said through his gritted teeth.
"Look, kids half your age are daringly ready to face this fascinating experience but you are throwing too much tantrum" he said showing Madhu a group of teenagers getting ready to board the flight.
"It's not easy, Rishab. Even in flight I never sat near the window. Now to think of jumping off the flight from like what? 5000 ft height?"
"10000 ft, baby" he corrected her, calmly.
"I think I am going to faint" she held her head with her hands when it started spinning.
"Stop acting, Madhu" he waved his hand and looked for his friend.
Acting? Madhu's nose flared with anger but she couldn't put a fight with her husband because she knew she brought this to herself.
Ugh! Why the hell I acted 'faint' the other day? Why the hell I admitted 'I acted' to him? Now, see he doesn't believe me when I truly feel dizzy. Madhu, guess this is your version of 'boy crying wolf'. She thought picking at her nails.
"Madhu..." He called when she remained silent lost in her thought.
"Hmm" she snapped out of her reverie and looked up at him.
"We are getting late. We need to attend the oral training before they maneuver us to the airplane"
"Rishab, just answer to my one question"
"What?"
"Are you sure that I will be completely out of my acrophobia after taking this stupid adventure?" She questioned.
"I don't know" he replied honestly. "Even your psychotherapist Dr. Sameer wasn't sure when I suggested this to him. He worried you will get anxiety attack...but still I want you to try, Madhu, because my instinct says this will work and this surely will put an end to your fears." He said with conviction.
"Rishab, now this whole thing scares me tenfold more. I beg you, please take me home..." She begged him with tear filled eyes.
"Madhu, don't make it hard on me." He pulled her in his arms and hugged her tightly to stop her shiver "Agree to my wish. I will grant your wish" he whispered near her ear. She lifted her head up and looked straight into his eyes. "We will have one more baby as you wished" he said. He was desperate to make her agree.
"I don't even know we will go back home alive to see our twins but you are talking about another baby?" She scoffed. Getting frustrated he whacked her head with his knuckles, of course not painfully. He can never hurt her in any way possible.
"I will take you back, safe, to our twins, I promise" he kissed her forehead as if sealing his promise. "Oh and we might have already made a baby. I didn't use protection last night" he reminded her so that she won't think he was negotiating with her by offering her a baby. He already decided to have another baby with her.
"Then I could be pregnant, so it's not good for me to go skydiving" Madhu said taking advantage of what he just said.
"Only you can twist my words to your favour, Madhu but still I am not giving up! You are going with me"
"Why are you being stubborn, husband?" She asked, exasperated.
"Because I don't want you to regret the chance you got but you didn't take!" He shouted throwing his hands in air. "Take this damn chance for me, Madhu!"
She looked at him in stunned silence.
"Please, baby, come with me. Let's chase your fear now so that we can chase it away once and for all" he pleaded stretching his hand out for her to take. "Madhu, I am with you..."
"I know, Rishab. You never let me fight my fears alone. You were, you are and I know you will always be with me" she whispered and finally placed her hand over his and with other hand she wiped off her tear stained cheeks. "Husband, I love you" her voice croaked with all the crying.
Rishab grinned before pulling his wife in his arms and kissing her soundly on her lips, nearly bringing her to her knees.
--0--
After attending skydiving lessons and watching videos after videos on how to jump from the airplane, how to deploy the canopy, how to control the parachute and how to ground safely, they signed all the paperwork and boarded the plane.
"How long it will take?" Madhu asked gripping Rishab's hand tightly.
"Roughly 20 - 30 minutes" he said and kissed her hand entwined with his.
"You will be piloting the canopy, right? Because I didn't get a think from what they said and showed" She started panicking.
"Relax, Madhu." He brushed his lips against her temple to calm her nerves.
"So Micheal is your friend?" Madhu asked looking at the bald, fair and talk guy sitting opposite to them with his student skydiver. When their eyes met they shared a polite smile.
"Yeah, actually he was my trainer. He worked as a tandem skydiving instructor in Mysore when I learned. I didn't know that he moved to Mauritius and started a skydiving center on his own until two months back I found him on Facebook." His friend Micheal invited him to his skydiving center in Mauritius and that's when Rishab decided the surprise destination to take his wife to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary.
"Small world. We are meeting faces we have already seen and known here" Madhu smiled after hours. He nodded returning her smile.
"You wanna go first with your lovely wife?" Micheal asked Rishab. He turned towards Madhu and silently asked 'shall we?' and for that she shook her head in no and squeezed his hand painfully.
"Don't worry, dear, your husband is a fine instructor. He will land you safe on the ground." He patted Madhu's head before walking towards the exit and jumping.
"Madhu, it's our turn to take the dive" he said after few minutes as he once again checked the harness attaching him and Madhu.
"Oh God! I feel nauseous" she tried to turn around and hug her husband but the harness kept her in place.
"We are going to dive now and then I will kiss you in air" he said to divert her mind from her anxiety but then he'd already planned to kiss her midair. He had never done that before and he can't wait to do it now so he dived from the plane taking Madhu along with him.
"Ahhhhh" Madhu screamed with her eyes tightly shut and her face slightly tilted back and pressed against his neck. Rishab can vouch and say this time her screaming was louder than the screams she screamed when she was in labor pain.
"Madhu, open your eyes and spread your hands as if flying" he instructed.
"No" she cried and her body shivered against his.
"Madhu, open your eyes and turn your head to your left. They are taking video and photos." Along with 4 solo skydivers and 2 pairs of tandem skydivers, three cameramen had dived to take videos and photos of the skydivers and for which they were separately paid in big bucks.
"Veer and Naira will love to see a clear snap of us" he deliberately reminded about the twins so that she will cooperate with him.
After taking a deep breath, Madhu slowly opened her eyes, looked straight at the bright sun and then looked down at the blue sea for a second before turning her head to her left only to be kissed by her husband on her cheek from behind and the cameraman clicked few candid shots.
Madhu tilted her head up further to take his mouth in hers and he made her task easy by bending his head down and meeting her lips midway. They kissed each other with all consuming love and passion.
"Husband, I love you" she literally screamed at the top of her lung earning a hearty laugh from her husband and he captured her lips once again for a fierce kiss.
Once they pulled apart, Madhu felt much calmer, relaxed, happy and carefree.
"I feel like flying" she said in awe as she spread her hands wide open and breathed deeply. He wished he could spread his hands as well and interlace with her soft fingers but he had to pilot the parachute so he just kissed her head.
"The sky is so clear, blue and sunny..." She enjoyed the feel of cool breeze hitting her face.
"Yeah, lucky for us, the weather is perfect for skydiving" he said. "Look down baby you could see the entire island" he dipped her head with his chin.
"Wow, the view from here is breathtaking" she cupped her open mouth with her hands.
"How are you feeling now?" Rishab asked.
"Feeling so... liberated. Feeling so... alive." Madhu said, turning her face and looking up at her husband. He smiled triumphantly. He wanted an end for his wife's endless fears and finally the day came. She'd overcome her fears and now she was free to have dreams but not nightmares.
"Thank you so much, Rishab, for everything" she said with glossy eyes and her lips perfectly curved to a smile embellishing her ethereal beauty.
"I love you, Madhubala. I will do anything and everything just to see this smile on your beautiful face, always." He said and kissed her lips chastely.
"Happy Anniversary, Madhu" he whispered near her ear and licked it with his tongue.
"Happy Anniversary, Rishab. This day will be one of most memorable days of my life" she said with happiness shining in her eyes. He smiled.
"This is going to be little bumpy, baby" he instructed before landing.
--0--
"So how was your first skydiving experience?" Rishab asked loosely hanging his hands around her waist.
"Oh Rishab, the initial free fall was so thrilling as it nearly gave a heart attack but then... the view... the breeze... the slow descending... you, me and our kiss, well kisses... everything was so beautiful. I would love to go again" she said grinning widely.
"Ahaan" He cocked his brow in surprise. He knew she enjoyed the experience but never expected her to want to go again. Well, his wife was always full of surprises. "Next time we will go bungee jumping" he said and winked.
"Deal" she fist pumped him, laughing. "I will go anywhere with you" she beamed at him.
Right then a guy came and handed over their photos and videos taken while flying.
"Omg!" She slapped her forehead in embarrassment as blush crept up her cheeks. "We are not going to show this lip-lock photo to our babies"
"Alright" he laughed and together they checked the remaining photos and videos which came out just perfect. Well some photos were funny but still perfect in a funny way.
"So baby?" She asked circling her arms around his neck.
"Yes, baby" he teased as if he didn't get her.
"You really want a baby, right?" She asked shyly looking at his chest.
"Yes, of course" he assured her with a smile.
"But you were stubborn on not having any more babies" she stated with a frown.
"But you wanted right?" He asked. She immediately nodded her head hardly containing her blissful thought of having another tiny baby in her arms. "So yeah, what my lady wants is what my lady gets" He vowed and bit her cheek playfully.
"Ah!" She yelped. "But why?"
"Because I always want my lady to win" He said pressing his forehead against her.
"Husband, I love you" she whispered before claiming his lips in hers for a loving kiss.
--0--
9 months later,
Rishab, Madhu and the twins welcome a new member, a little baby boy to their family and they named him ARJUN Rishab Kundra.
Veer and Naira adored their little brother to the core.
20 Years Later,
Veer completed Mechanical Engineering and joined Indian Army just like his mother wished. (He joined Indian army out of his free will as he wanted to serve the nation just like his dad and definitely no compulsion from his mother)
Naira completed Law Degree and now she was a practicing advocate. (Specialization in Criminology)
Arjun was studying 3rd year medicine and aspiring to become India's finest Neurosurgeon.
Rishab was a retired commissioner of police and now touring around the world with his beautiful wife, Madhubala, spending every minute with her. Oh and he still hadn't got tired of hearing his wife say "Husband, I Love You"
Both their parents Radha-Mohan and Padmini-Malik lived their old age happily knowing their kids and grandkids were happy.
THE END!!!
Finally, I'm done with HILY!!! Phew!
I'm not crying or even feeling sad but just feeling happy and accomplished because I am satisfied with the ending of this story. LOL
I really had a great time writing this story and hope you all had too reading.
I will surely miss this Rishbala terribly because they happened to be my favorite!!!
I will miss Veer, Naira and of course Arjun though I couldn't write much about him.
I will miss everything about this story but above all I will miss your lovely comments.
Well, for one last time make me happy with your comments. (Please try to give a decent comment with few lines but not just a word or two. I have invested lots of time in writing this story so please be little reasonable guys because I think I deserve it)
Don't forget to VOTE, COMMENT & SHARE!!!
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT!!!
P.S – Good news to Rishbala fans, this book will forever remain in FANFICTION category. I'm not going to edit the lead names and post it in Romance or Gerenal Fiction category. Not only HILY but also LSAM & BABY DADDY will be in Rishbala Version.