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Shruti entered her home, the Chauhan's mansion and found the living room silent. Nobody's present here. If it had been like before, then today this living room would have been echoing with the conversation between her and her father early in the morning.
She exhaled softly and proceeded to walk inside. She stopped on her track when Pakhi's voice rang in her ear,
" Di?"
She turned her attention to her and found her coming out of the kitchen.
" Di, are you okay?"
Pakhi walked toward her and Shruti forced a smile before nodding.
" Let me call everyone," Pakhi said and turned to call family members but just then Aryan and Ekta came out from their respective rooms. Seeing Shruti, the speed of their steps increased and a smile appeared on their lips. Tears instantly gathered in the mother's eyes.
" Shruti," Ekta reached near her and grabbed her shoulders. Her heart swelled with joy and without wasting any time she embraced her daughter and placed her head on her generous heart.
" Maa," Shruti whispered and hugged her back. Her eyes filled up and hold tightened around her in a secure grip. Ekta broke the hug and showered Shruti with a kiss on her forehead filled with fondness.
" You are okay, right? You are not hurt anywhere right?"
" Yes, maa. I am all okay," Shruti replied and wiped her mother's tears.
Shruti looked at her brother and was about to say something when a manly voice entered her ears,
" Shruti?"
It was Rajdeep who came running after realising his daughter was here to meet him.
" Papa?"
Shruti smiled widely and ran to him and threw herself into his embrace.
" Shruti, meri beti," he uttered and cupped her cheeks. His eyes roamed on her body as if he was searching for any physical injury.
" I am okay, papa. I am okay," Shruti replied to his unsaid question.
Rajdeep again hugged her and Aryan looked away as he felt his eyes filling up. Pakhi successfully noticed him.
Aryan waited for a while before leaving the mansion. Shruti wanted to stop him but decided to talk to him later and spend the time with her parents.
It was evening time. Pakhi was present with Ekta, Rajdeep and Shruti in the living room. Rajdeep tried very hard to get the truth out of Shruti but she was adamant about her decision.
" And you mean you too love each other? Do you think I'll believe this, Shruti? Do I not know my daughter?"
Shruti sighed heavily, " please, papa. Try to understand. I am just doing what is right."
Rajdeep was displeasant by the fact that both of his children married in a strange way. Rajdeep took a pause of a few seconds before asking,
" Is he coming tonight?"
Shruti nodded hesitantly and Rajdeep avoided her gaze before saying, " I will talk to him then."
" Papa-"
Rajdeep showed his palm to her, " I want to know if he really loves my daughter as you claim."
His voice screamed sarcasm. Pakhi wondered what Rajdeep would talk to her brother. Not even Ekta and Shruti had an idea of his intentions.
Ekta ordered maids to cook dinner and Rajdeep did not utter a single word until the arrival of Aryan and Jaydev. Aryan was first to come home.
Shruti stood up and before she could call him, he went to his bedroom. She frowned, not knowing the reason behind his ignorance toward her.
Pakhi, whereas, did not want to interact with him anyhow. She would like to disappear so that he doesn't take her to New York or whatever. She will choose loneliness over going on a trip with him.
Aryan took out tickets from the drawer and glanced at it. With a heavy heart, he tore both the tickets into two pieces and threw them in the dustbin. He really wanted to go with Pakhi and entertain her. He understood in delay that when Pakhi herself is not ready, then he cannot do anything forceful.
He'll have to take every slow and steady.
He removed his overcoat and heard a voice,
" Bhai?"
He turned around and stared at Shruti silently. She stepped forward while asking,
" Why are you avoiding me, Bhai?"
He shook his head side by side, " I am not."
" You are. You have not shared a single conversation with me since I came."
He turned his gaze low on distress and she stood in front of him.
" What's wrong, Bhai?"
He looked back into her eyes, " why did you marry him?"
She chewed her lower lip and walked toward the couch, " why don't we sit first?"
He nodded and sat down beside her on the couch.
" He forced you right?"
Aryan asked.
Shruti nodded after a pause of almost one minute. Aryan's frown grew deeper and he waited for her to tell him the truth.
" He threatened me to marry him otherwise he would destroy Keshav's career and Papa's business. I know you will say that you can save Papa but what about Keshav? He doesn't even know that he's my husband now."
" Explain," Aryan said and she sighed before continuing,
" You know Keshav, Bhai. He isn't the guy who would be able to bear it after knowing that he was one of the reasons Jaydev married me. He is sensitive and takes things deeply. He may feel so guilty even if you save him. Jaydev has shown himself as his friend and helped him with his restaurant. Keshav shares a good bond with Jaydev. He has finally achieved something and I don't want to pull him down."
" So you will take the trouble on you?"
She smiled slightly and looked down to her lap, " our marriage is limited to 6 months only. And do you think I will let his 6 months go in peace?"
Aryan clicked his tongue and Shruti turned her gaze at him.
" I know you love Pakhi so much but he.. he has not yet forgiven you. He is still blinded with lies and misunderstandings people have put in his mind. I will somehow save myself but don't leave Pakhi at any cost. Not even for me."
He gulped down the lump forming in his throat and chewed the corner of his lower lip. His expression and gaze depicted he was getting overwhelming.
" Bhai," Shruti held his hands and Aryan exhaled deeply then leaned his back on the couch.
" I feel like I ruined your life. If I had not married Pakhi, Jaydev would not have done this to you. I do not know how to handle relationships at all. I ruined the lives of 4 people because of my-"
He rubbed his face and quietly wiped his tears, not letting Shruti notice his gloomy eyes.
" Bhai-"
" And see where I have come. I can't convince my wife that I love her. I couldn't save my sister. I..I couldn't clear the misunderstanding between him and I."
He uttered with guilt in voice and fluttered his eyelashes down.
" Bhai, it's not like that. I know your way was wrong but your love for Pakhi was never false. I have seen you dying for a single glimpse of her and keeping distances with her until she did not turn adult. I know your love is pure, Bhai but..you just don't know how to express it."
He shook his head, " and I can never."
" You can, Bhai. You just need to have little patience and calm your aggression. Pakhi can't understand you unless you show your true self to her. Show her how much you love her but not by snatching her freedom and claiming ownership of her but providing her with comfort and care."
He licked his lower lip and said in a defeated tone, " vo mujhe apne kareeb aane hi nahi deti. Dar jaati hai mere se."
( She does not let me go close to her. She gets scared of me.)
She smiled, " then you can try another way. Try to understand her, Bhai and you'll know the way to her heart."
He took a deep breath and looked at her, " what about you? Will you go with him?"
She hummed, " I have to. But don't worry, I have kept him scared."
He frowned in curiosity and she started sharing tactics she pulled to irritate Jaydev. Aryan couldn't hold himself from laughing when she told him about the witch incident.
" Oh my God? Is he still scared of ghosts and all?"
Shruti smiled and chuckled, " I guess so."
Their moment was disturbed when a knock was heard on the door. They looked at Pakhi who nervously said,
" Dinner is ready and..Bhai has come."
Her voice turned low at the mention of her brother.
" Okay," Shruti stood up along with Aryan and both walked outside the room with her.
As they reached the living room, they found Jaydev with Ekta and Rajdeep. Both the men were having intense eye contact which Shruti broke by calling her father.
" Let's eat dinner," Ekta said.
" Yeah, we should. Come Jay," Rajdeeb said to Jaydev. His hostility felt forced. Still, Jaydev took a deep breath and followed them.
During the dinner, the silence turned deeper and more intense than before. Women shared a nervous look to one another while Men ate their food in silence.
" Mm, dinner is tasty," Shruti dared to break the silence and blinked several times when men looked at her.
Jaydev was first to shift his focus back to food. Interesting fact was that they prepared his favourite dish. Ekta must have done this.
Shruti glared at each of the men and Pakhi bit the inside of her lower lip to suppress her laugh.
" Raj, you wanted to say something?"
Ekta said to her husband who nodded two times.
" After dinner," he replied.
It was enough for Ekta to shut her mouth and not say anything further. They somehow ate their dinner in complete silence then made their way to the living room.
Rajdeep took his seat and Jaydev sat opposite to him while Aryan sat down beside his father. Pakhi sat down beside her brother. Shruti sat beside her father and Ekta was beside her son.
" Let me get straight to the point," Rajdeep said and Jaydev shifted his attention from his watch to him.
Rajdeep pointed at Shruti while saying, " as my daughter and you claim that you two loved each other but because of my son, you chose to marry secretly, am I right?"
Jaydev glanced at Pakhi before nodding. A small smile spread on Rajdeep's lips and he continued,
" Means you were scared of my son?"
Jaydev spread his left arm behind on the couch headrest and said, " yeah, just like your son was scared of me while marrying my sister."
Aryan clenched his jaw and felt like punching him right across his face but refrained himself.
Rajdeep chuckled, " can't accept a wise act from both of you. In the end you two proved why you were best friends."
Jaydev almost rolled his eyes and commented bitterly, " it's just a useless title given to us."
Rajdeep looked at Shruti then back at him and said, " keeping your words in mind, I have come to a decision."
" What decision?"
Shruti asked with frowned eyebrows and Rajdeep continued, " Aryan and Pakhi's marriage happened in haste and now my daughter's too. Of course you kids may not be bothered by all these things but we are. You may not be bothered by worldly matters but we are. We somehow managed to solve Aryan and Pakhi's matter but we cannot resolve the matter of Shruti and you even if we want to. Fingers will be raised on my daughter. If you love my daughter so much then what is the harm in accepting her in front of the world?"
Jaydev's frown grew deeper while a smirk formed on Aryan's lips as if he understood his father's intentions. Shruti's heartbeat accelerated in anticipation. Only if she could stop her father from opening her mouth.
" I...did not understand," Jaydev said and the same situation was with Pakhi.
Smirk grew wider on Rajdeep's lips as he uttered,
" Marry my daughter. With full rituals and blessings of elders."
Rajdeep Chauhan dropped a bomb on Jaydev's head. Ekta and Pakhi widened their eyes while Shruti looked at Jaydev fearfully.
Fearfully? Because Jaydev would never agree to marry someone. His principles, promises to his past lover won't allow him to. Her father flipped the whole table and pulled him to a point which would only defeat him.
His expression said everything. His silence answered Rajdeep's question.
" Marry my daughter or leave her right now. You can divorce her in 6 months but she'll stay with us only."
Pakhi felt angry seeing Aryan enjoying everything. What can she expect from him?
Rajdeep confidently put his one leg over another and looked at him sarcastically.
" I am still the mastermind of deals, son. Don't forget I am a businessman."
Jaydev's hands fisted and eyes darkened in rage. Pakhi quickly held his hand to calm him because he may ruin the situation in anger. Everyone here knew his weak point. His aggression.
" So? What do you say?"
Rajdeep asked.
" Raj, you should not-"
Ekta tried stopping him but he cut her off in the middle,
" I am right, honey. I'm just uniting lovers."
" Papa, how about you give him time till tomorrow?"
Shruti asked and Rajdeep refuged,
" Lovers should not wait to marry. I expected an instant yes from him and he is strangely silent. I wonder if he loves you or not?"
Jaydev's anger increased when Rajdeep mentioned love in every sentence.
" So, is it yes or no-"
" Yes!"
Shruti widened her eyes hearing Jaydev's reply. Not only her, Jaydev left 3 more people shocked by his reply.
" That's a brave act, Son. So, don't you think we should not wait for marriage? Next week will be okay, no?"
Jaydev scratched the end of his eyebrow, " as you say."
" Perfect! Till then, Shruti is staying with us-"
" Not at all, father-in-law."
Jaydev interrupted him. Rajdeep frowned and he added,
" We are married, no matter if it's on Papers. A wife should stay with her husband. I am sure, my mother-in-law knows it better. I am not refusing to marry. But I won't leave her as you know how much I love her."
He stood up and fixed his blazer, " you took all my problems. I will happily marry your daughter once again next week."
Rajdeep parted his mouth to speak but Jaydev walked toward his wife and held her hand,
" We should leave now. It's getting late."
Shruti chewed the corner of lower lip and hugged her parents one last time before leaving with him. His grip on her hand showed she is not going to have a peaceful night.
Aryan stared at Jaydev until he fully disappeared from his sight.
" You shouldn't have done that, Raj. Don't underestimate him. He may do something opposing."
Rajdeep's silence depicted he was worried about the same. Aryan knew that Jaydev won't accept his defeat easily. He will surely do something.
Pakhi sighed heavily and went to her bedroom.
She changed her clothes into comfortable ones then started removing her makeup. When she was done, she took the dirty makeup cleaner and walked toward the dustbin. She threw it into the bin when her eyes caught the sight of flight tickets.
" Did he tore the tickets?"
She asked herself and heard an answer from the entrance of the room.
" Yes."
It was Aryan.
She turned around and Aryan closed the door after entering inside.
" Why?"
Pakhi asked.
" Because you did not want to go," he replied and took off his shirt.
She raised her eyebrows amusingly, " Have you started respecting my wishes?"
" Maybe," he put his shirt on the couch and Pakhi couldn't stop herself from staring at his bare back.
Her cheeks flushed when he turned his head behind and caught her red-handed. He smiled and unbuckled his belt.
" Are you happy now?'
Pakhi tucked the strands of her hair behind the ear and nodded. She made her way to the bed and sat on it. He put the belt on the couch and went to bed.
" Congratulations. Your brother and my sister are getting married properly."
He said sarcastically and leaned his back on the bed headpost. She turned her head to his direction and said,
" I thought you knew my brother better."
" How so?"
" Do you think he will easily fall in your trap? My brother, unfortunately, doesn't hesitate to pull any trick to defeat his enemies."
" You mean he plays dirty?"
He teased her.
" Just like you," she looked away.
" Correction, darling. We both are different."
In the above sentence, he lay down and closed his eyes to sleep. She too turned off the table lamp and lay down. She faced him and put her palm under her cheek.
She stared at his face and waited for sleep to consume her but it never happened. He slept long ago while she was still struggling for it. Sudden interest in touching his face crept up on her.
She chewed the corner of her lower lip and slowly raised her free hand. She gulped as her hand reached an inch above his cheek.
Reminding herself that he was asleep and wouldn't know a thing, she slowly placed her palm on his cheek.
Her heart skipped a few beats, pupil dilated and the inside of cheeks tickled. Her hand felt small on his face. His light beard caresses her palm and she failed to control her urges to caress his cheek.
Her desire to touch her husband's face grew and she looked at his lips. His lips felt soft and their colour was a shade darker than her own.
She brought her thumb closer to his lips and touched the lower lip with the pad of her thumb.
He is dangerously handsome. His beauty can captivate anyone. He can bring people to their knees by his mesmerizing looks. It won't be a lie to say that girls desire such handsome men- well, at least she does.
Her eyes widened at the above thought and the worst happened when he faced her and lazily opened his eyes.
She stopped her movement. Her hand did not dare to move from his face. She became a statue while he blinked looking into her enlarged eyes.
" Sona nahi hai aaj?"
( Don't you want to sleep?)
Her cheeks turned crimson due to embarrassment. He smiled slyly and tried putting his hand on her but she was quick to pull her hand from his face.
" Ye..yeah, I was..waking up."
She blabbered.
" Waking up?"
" I mean sleeping," she mentally slapped herself and turned her back to him.
He chuckled and she closed her eyes tightly. Her cheeks turned warm due to blushing. However, Aryan grabbed the blanket and put it on her.
She felt his fingers in her hair and the next second, he was stroking her hair until sleep finally welcomed her. After ensuring himself that she was asleep, he drifted into his dreamland again.
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