Hello everyone... Ramadan Kareem
Sorry for being absent like this... I had a terrible cough infection for two weeks and then Ramadan started... and was not in the mood to write anything. But today is my wedding anniversary (3 years!!!) and I thought I would write something for you all. Please note that, this story is not that great... just ainvayi... I thought of posting another story (Slow Burn) but that was pretty long so I decided to write this short story instead.
"Happy Birthday."
I wake up hearing her whispering that into my ears. For a moment I forget everything, all the pain and betrayal and smile happily as I opened my eyes. I turn to look at her and there she was smiling at me lovingly.
"Madhu..."
"What does the birthday boy want as a gift?" she asked me as she wrapped her arms over me lovingly.
I just couldn't help be honest and tell her. "You."
"Silly, I am yours. What else you want?" Madhu asks me chuckling.
I shrug in reply feeling anger over her lies. I sit up from bed and she follows me with a smile not even registering the fact that I was not smiling at her anymore.
"Don't get mad." Madhu tells me in a regretful tone, "I have to work late tonight. I tried getting out of it but I just couldn't. So we will celebrate your birthday tomorrow. Okay?"
"Obviously work is more important." I crib as I got up from bed and suddenly she holds my hand. I turn back to look at her and she was watching me curiously.
"Is everything alright?"
"Why? You think something is wrong?" I couldn't help ask back mockingly.
Madhu hesitates for a moment then she kneels on the bed and moves towards me, "I don't know... something feels so off between us lately. You seem distant. Everything is fine, right?"
"What could be wrong?"
"I don't know... after that day we never made love." Madhu hesitantly says reminding me of the one time we made love.
"You are always busy, Madhu. And the rare times you come over to my place I am not in the mood." I tell her and walk off.
"Do you think I am ignoring you?" Madhu asks me as she followed me to the washroom.
"Why do you feel like that?" I ask her back and she looks at me confused and hurt. God! I just couldn't help marvel at what an awesome actress she was. She should definitely give the movies a try.
"If there is anything we should talk about it."
"I am all ears, love." I tell her and slam the door on her face.
After my shower, I come out of the bathroom and sees that Madhu was no longer in the bedroom. I walk to the kitchen to check on her and sees that she was busy talking on the phone.
"Come on... I had to wish him and make plans for tomorrow otherwise he would get suspicious." Madhu was whispering onto the phone. I felt my blood boiling as I realized who she was talking to, my so called best friend Sultan.
"Yeah... I'll come to your place at 6 in the evening." She whispers to him just before she hung up.
She has been having an affair with him behind my back. I would have never believed that Madhu or Sultan can ever cheat me. When Dipali had told me about their affair first, I had brushed it off as her jealous and spiteful nature as I had chosen Madhu over her. But then she had proved it to me and I caught Madhu lying to me over and over when she said that she would be working late and I would see her with Sultan. But till now I never confronted her because I thought and hoped that this would be a passing fancy for her and she would get over him and come back to me because it would simply kill me if she chose him over me. But slowly my patience and tolerance were draining. This was the last straw. She couldn't even spend the day with me for my birthday. She had to go to that Sultan!!! I couldn't take it anymore without even telling her anything I walk out of my own house.
I was trying to work in my office but my thoughts kept going towards Madhu and Sultan, the two people I trusted more than myself were cheating on me. why did Madhu feel the need to stray? Wasn't I enough for her? she would say that I was everything to her then what happened now? Hearing the door open I look up furiously to see who had dared to barge into my office without my permission.
"Looks like you are in a bad mood." Akash jovially says seeing my furious look.
"What do you want?"
"What plans for birthday?" he asks me as he plopped down on the couch.
"Nothing." I tell him as I turned around to my laptop.
"Then let's watch today's match at Sultan's place." Akash excitedly tells me.
I curiously look up at the clock and see the time to be 6:30, Madhu would be with him now. Finally, something snapped in me and I decided to end everything once and for all. I quickly stand up and says, "Let's go."
"Now?" Akash asks in a panic.
"Yeah." I reply wondering why he was panicking suddenly.
"The match is not now it is later. We need to get there by 7:30 only." Akash tells me.
I couldn't help wonder whether Akash knew that Madhu was with Sultan now and that is why he is telling me to wait. The possibility was making me beyond furious and I tell him as I drag him out of the chair. "We are going now."
"He won't be home from office now."
"I know where he keeps the spare key." I tell him and drag him out.
"Wait... I want to smoke." Akash tells me as we started walk into the apartment as he pulled out a cigarette.
I check the time and realize that it was 7:15 already. Akash had taken the longest route and was driving at snails speed to get here.
"You smoke. I am going up." I tell him wanting to catch Madhu red handed as I was starting to realize that she would be leaving anytime soon.
Without waiting for reply I walk in and I hear him cursing as he followed me to the lift.
I ring the bell and wait for Sultan to open the door. As I stood outside I hear hushed whispers and footsteps. Looks like Madhu was still inside and now she was trying to hide from me. I was about to take the spare key when Sultan opens the door for me.
"HEY!" Sultan says in a very fake smile and says "Didn't expect you." as he gave furious looks at Akash.
"Why do you look so upset to see me?" I ask him as I walked in pushing him away.
"I am not upset." Sultan quickly says as he followed me in.
"Where is she?" I ask him as I looked into the bedroom.
"Who?" he asks me confused.
"Come out, Madhu. I know you are here." I shout out loudly as I looked for her.
"How did you know?" Sultan asks me in shock just as a very sheepish Madhu walked out of the kitchen.
I see that Madhu was about to say something and I just didn't want to hear any more of her lies and ask Sultan, "How I found out that you two are sleeping behind my back?"
"What?" Madhu shouts in outrage at me while Sultan looked at me shocked.
"Oh! Don't act as if it is not true, I have been on to you both for months now."
"What are you saying?" Madhu asks me furiously as she stepped towards me in fake outrage.
"You think you could lie to me and I would never find out. You lie to me that you are working late and I see you with him at restaurants."
"You got it wrong." Madhu hastily starts to explain.
"No, Madhu. I haven't. Let's just end these games here. I am sick and tired of this. And I am sick and tired of you." I tell her in disgust because I wanted to hurt her like I was hurting.
"Please don't say that. I love..." Madhu starts and I cut her off.
"I don't love you."
Madhu's eyes fill with tears and I find some solace in her tears.
"The truth is, ever since I got with you I have regretted my decision in choosing you over Dipali. I tried my best to make it work but then I just can't. You asked me why we never made love after that, the truth is you are so bad in bed that you can't even take care of me there."
Her face turn pink in mortification as tears fell from her eyes. Somehow her tears were no longer comforting and I couldn't look at her tears and I turn to Sultan who was staring at me in shock. "And you! I thought you had better choice. I couldn't get rid of her because of our so called relation why didn't you get out of the relation when you realized how bad she is in bed?"
"What is wrong with you? Do you even realize what you are saying?" Sultan asks me in a furious whisper as he pulled me towards him. "How could you even think that Madhu and I would... disgusting. I can't even think of that and you are saying all this."
"HEY! Come on! Don't act all outraged. I am cool with all this. Anyway Madhu and I are over. I am getting back with Dipali. So you and she... I don't care whether you two want to continue with your affair or not." I tell them with a careless shrug.
"There is nothing between Madhu and me!" Sultan tells me furiously as he stared behind me.
"Then do you want to tell me what you two were doing behind my back all these months and what Madhu is doing her..." I stop my question as I was turning around to face Madhu and see all of my friends standing there behind the couches and near the curtains. When did they come? Were they hiding?
"It is your first birthday after you and Madhu got together and Madhu wanted to make it special for you. for the last three months, day and night she has been planning to make it special for you and I was just helping her." Sultan tells me furiously.
I whip around to look at Sultan in shock as my heart broke at once and I felt an immense joy in knowing that Madhu was still mine. "No."
"Yes. Ask anyone here." Sultan tells me furiously. "You are my best friend. I would never do that to you. and Madhu... all these time I was with her planning your stupid surprise party, all I could think and hope was that I find a girl who loves me like she loves you."
"But Dipali said..." I start to say and stop as I asked myself that how I could have believed Dipali over Madhu and Sultan.
"What did she say? And when did you start taking her word over mine and Madhu's?" Sultan asks me furiously.
I looked at him helplessly as I realized that I had no answer to that.
"We were just trying to make your birthday special. We were not cheating you." Sultan tells me in a hurtful tone.
"Sultan, i..." I start to apologize to him when I realized that there was someone else that I should apologize first and beg for forgiveness. I turn to look for Madhu and sees that she was not there.
"Madhu?" I look around in panic and I start to run inside to check on her when Akash tells me in a furious tone. "She left."
"What?" She left and I didn't notice?
"When you said you were getting back with Dipali, she had quietly walked off."
"No... no..." I mumble as I ran out of the flat to look for Madhu.
3 years later
After that day, I never saw Madhu. I looked for her everywhere even went to her house but her parents had refused to tell me where she went. They wouldn't even let me near their house after that one time. She changed her number and job. It was like she had vanished from the face of earth and I was still stuck on that day. Looking for her and waiting for her. I still love her and I hoped against hope that she also loves me back even today.
Ever since, I landed in Mumbai last week I have been thinking of Madhu all the more as this was her hometown. I was flying back home today and I was equally happy to be running away from a place that was so close to her heart and at the same time I was sad to leave the place that was so close to her heart. I started walking towards the business class lounge when I stopped in shock as I caught a glimpse of her. I followed the woman to the bookshop hoping and praying that it be my Madhu.
As I walked towards her as she walked over reading the titles of the book on the shelf as I saw her head turn slightly and I realized it was my Madhu. I hurried to her and holding her hand I turned her around to face me. She turns around with a frown on her face and the moment she sees me, her frown drops and as the realization dawns her eyes fill with tear. She quickly pushes my hand away and start to walk off.
"Madhu..." I call her as I was about to hold her again when she whips around and ask me, "What do you want now? Is there anything left to say?"
"That day... I didn't mean any of that. I was lying because I was hurt and I wanted to hurt you."
"I don't care." Madhu tells me and starts to walk off.
"Please listen to me, Madhu. I love you. I have always loved you. I don't know how I lost faith in you and started doubting you."
"If you truly loved me, you would have asked me the first time you got suspicious. You didn't."
"It was my mistake, Madhu but please don't punish me for that."
Madhu turns to look at me as she helplessly listened to what I had to say.
"I looked for you everywhere, Madhu. So that I could tell you that I truly love you and you are the only girl in my life. I am sorry that I doubted you. I know, what I did that day was unforgivable, I broke your heart and trust in me and insulted you like that in front of all our friends, but please give me a chance, Madhu. I love you a lot."
"I don't love you anymore." Madhu softly tells me and her soft words killed me. I had somehow expected to hear this from her, after what I did to her I didn't deserve her love but this was just too painful.
"I broke your heart, Madhu and I know you should also get a chance to break my heart but please... give me one last chance." I pleaded her.
She helplessly looked at me.
"Where are you going now?" I asked her hopefully so that I could follow her there and try to win her back. "Where do you stay now? I looked for you all over."
"I was in Delhi for a while. Then two years ago we moved to US." Madhu tells me.
"We?" I ask her as I felt a heavy weight fall on my chest. "Who we?"
As if to answer my question I hear a man's voice. "Madhu."
We both turn to look at the sound and I see a man with a baby who looked about some months old walk towards her.
"Can you hold her for a few minutes? I need to pee real badly." He whispers to her.
"Yeah, sure." Madhu replies as she ignored me completely and started to take the baby from him. The moment the baby was separated from the man, she started crying.
"No... no." he says as he rocked the baby in his arms and settled her again on his chest.
Madhu gives him a regretful look.
"Fine, I will just hold it in." he tells her helplessly and I saw the corners of Madhu's lips twitch into a smile. She loved him! It was there in the way she looked at him and smiled at him. I step back in shock realizing that she had moved on and I have really lost my chance with her.
"Are you done with your shopping?" he asks her.
"Yeah I was..." Madhu starts to reply as she turned to look at me.
"I am sorry... were you..." he asks as he turned to look at me. "I am sorry, I didn't realize that you were talking." He tells me smiling and turning to Madhu, he asks her with a smile, "Who is this?"
"erm..." Madhu turns to me and then she makes the introductions. "This is Rishabh Kundra." Then turning to gently caress her baby she tells me, "This is our daughter, Rishika."
"Unofficial name. I still haven't approved it." Rishabh Kundra tells me with a smile.
"RK..." Madhu calls her husband and he turns to look at her. "This is Mukund." She tells him and suddenly he whips his head towards me and he looks at me murderously. He takes a step towards me and tells me in a furious whisper, "You have some nerve coming before her after hurting her like that." I gulp seeing his fury at me.
"RK... RK..." Madhu gently calls him as she held his arm and pulled him back. "Everything is fine. Please."
RK steps back still glaring bloody murder at me.
"RK... please?" Madhu gently tells him.
RK nods as he stared at me and then turning to her he asks her in a calm tone surprising me given the murderous look he was throwing at me, "Do you want to talk to him?"
"I... RK... I will come soon."
RK nods at her and then turning to me he tells me as he moved closer to me, "You got away once but don't think I would let you off again if you hurt her once again. You bring a tear to her eyes and I will kill you."
I nod in reply because he was glaring at me murderously.
"I will be right over there." RK whispers to Madhu and Madhu nods in reply. Then placing a reassuring kiss on her temple he walks away with the baby. Madhu watches him walk away and then turning to me she tells me in a calm tone. "I love him."
I nod in reply because suddenly words were eluding me.
"We were in the same high school. He was in love with me since then. I never saw him after high school but on the last day of school he had told me that he was going to come for me one day." Madhu says with a nostalgic smile. "I never took him seriously then but he did come. After your birthday, I had come home and realizing I needed a change I went to my Aunt's place. He had come looking for me there and proposed me. I told him everything."
I listened to her like a zombie while Madhu gently wiped her tears and strangely it was of joy and not sadness. "He gave me two options, either he talk to you and clear up everything and get us back together, or I marry him because he was not going to go away till he made sure that I was happy." Madhu looks at me with a smile and says with a shrug, "I chose him."
"You are happy." I stated the obvious.
Madhu nods her head and tells me, "It took me a while to forget you but I did. My RK... he is so good, I never realized when he made a place for himself in my heart. He is my life now."
We remained silent for a while after that then she gently tells me, "Move on. I am not going to come back to you. I love him and I am happy with him." then without waiting for a reply, she says a crisp Good bye and walk off. I stood there watching her walk out of my life.
Sometime later, I walk into the Business Class Lounge and I see Madhu sitting with her baby sleeping on the pram with a lost look. I realized that I should walk away before she sees me again and was about to walk off when I noticed RK join her and sits down next to her. Madhu turns to look at him with a smile. "Happy, now?"
"Ecstatic. I thought my bladder was going to burst."
Madhu chuckles hearing him.
"We should wake her up." Madhu tells him.
"Let her sleep."
"Then what if she wakes up during takeoff? She would start crying."
"I will take care of her then." RK promises her as he kept his hand over her shoulders and Madhu leans to him smiling.
"I hate it that she loves you more." Madhu tells him.
RK smirks at her, "What to do, love? I have that effect on my girls."
Madhu rolls her eyes hearing that.
"I think she loves you less because of the name."
"I am naming my daughter Rishika. I don't want any arguments on that."
"What about my Madhumati, Madhuri and Madhumita?" RK asks her.
"I am not going to give birth to one more of your fangirls."
"You ruined my high school dream of my suhag raat and now you want to ruin my high school dreams on my perfect family?" RK asks her exasperated.
"I ruined your suhag raat? And it was not certain fears of a certain virgin guy?" Madhu teases him.
"I was just being considerate for your feelings because you were not smart enough to fall in love with me back then." RK tells her a little flustered.
Madhu chuckles hearing that.
"And if I remember correctly then I had someone begging me in the morning for..."
"GOD RK! She is going to hear you." Madhu says in panic as she quickly covered her daughter's ears. RK starts chuckling hearing that.
"By the way... reunion was fun."
"The girls were so shocked to see how hot you look now." Madhu tells him with a chuckle.
"Yeah... But more than that did you see how shocked the guys were that the geek finally got the beauty?" RK asks her with a smirk.
"Sometimes, I feel that you are stuck still in high school." Madhu tells him as she sat back.
"Cheered you up, didn't i?" he asks her with a smile.
Madhu smiles at him hearing that she hugs him happily.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks her in a gentle caring tone.
"He said he loves me and he had lied that day because he wanted to hurt me like how he was hurt."
"Hmmmm"
"I told him that I have moved on and he should too."
"Do you wonder what would have happened if he hadn't misunderstood you?" RK asks her curiously.
"I might have married him. I might have been happy too." Then turning to look at him she says "I would have been so unlucky then."
"Unlucky?"
"I wouldn't even know what I was missing out in life."
"Maybe, Madhu... we might have still ended up together." RK tells her.
Madhu smiles at him and tells him, "Whether it was Mukund or someone else, I would like to think that whatever course my life takes me to, that road would and should lead me to you."
"I would have found a way to get to you." RK tells her.
"RK..." Madhu gently calls him as she rested her head on his chest.
"Yes?"
"I am ready to have my heart broken any number of times, I am ready to be hurt like anything if those roads leads me to you."
I watch as RK lean down and gently place a kiss on her temple. I turn around and walk away, I have watched enough. Madhu was happy in her life and she was with someone who loved her more than I could ever love her. RK trusted her so much that he willingly left her alone with me to talk, a man she had once loved, dreamed of a life with and even shared physical relation. RK loved her so much that he was willing to talk to her about me. I don't think I could love or trust or have faith in Madhu like that. RK truly deserved her. I was sad and happy at the same time for her and me. I walked away from her life as finally I realized one thing, this was not my story, and it was theirs. I was just a medium to connect them. I was a bridge she had to cross to get to her true love. Like Madhu said, all her roads leads to RK and not me.
I had actually planned the beginning part with RK and Madhu marrying someone else later her husband dies and RK becomes her pillar who helps her through it and she again falls in love with RK. But then I didn't want to kill of such a nice guy to portray RK as the true love for Madhu and changed the story like this. I might write RK-Madhu backstory as another OS, haven't decided on it yet but have left bits and pieces of the storyline on that in this story in places.
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- Lazy