Chapter 68

Ten days passed by and both Aadhi and Manjari returned to their work though Rishi never forced them. Aadhi who had a little morning sickness managed to work but she would a leave a little early. They were yet to reveal the news of their baby to their family and Rishi took care of her like she was a delicate doll.

Everything was settled between Vimal and Manjari. Vimal was doing better and with his father and mother he spent a week at their farm house. He was feeling better and started working from office now but Hari was still the CEO.

Rishi got ready for office and Aadhi got ready in a beautiful salwar. She was invited by Chaitra to her home and Aadhi decided to reveal the pregnancy to her friends alone. She was ready to have fun and tease Chaitra as it was the day she would be meeting the groom her parents had chosen for her.

Rishi: Aadhu, stay safe, have food on time and if you feel any sickness then you will call me immediately.

Aadhi: Rishu, I will be fine and I m not a baby so stop worrying baby..

Rishu: You will always be my baby, Aadhu.

Rishi kissed her forehead and once they were out Rishi informed the driver to drive slow and safe. He informed Aadhi to call him upon reaching Chaitra’s home. Aadhi bade bye to him and got in the car. She picked up Malini and together they reached Chaitra’s home. As soon as they reached her home, Chaitra’s parents welcomed the girls with a hug.

Malini and Aadhi rushed to Chaitra’s room and saw her draping a saree. They crushed her in their embrace and Chaitra fanned her face for breathe once they let go of her.

Chaitra: I would have been dead by now even before I was married.

Malini: Would you complaint if your soon to be husband hugged you ? You girls will enjoy your husband’s hug but poor friends will have to endure all the complaints now.

Aadhi: As if you aren’t a girl and you will not enjoy your husband’s hug. You would have given birth to two babies only if you had agreed to the proposal  your parents got for you but you were a sacredy cat.

Malini: I m enjoying my life, no commitments, no rules and I will marry if I find someone who will be just like Crushy baby verson 2.0 or Vimal bro.

Chaitra: You will stay single forever then. you are the dumbest girl Malu. Everybody is unique in their own way. I feel we should be a little talented to bring out the best in a person.

Malini: Yeah…yeah… whatever and by the way you look so sexy. Tell us about your meeting with him.

Chaitra: He is son of my father’s friend but before we made a formal meeting with family I wanted to meet him out of home so we met thrice at a cafe. I had to discuss a lot and he understood so today they will be here for a formal meeting with the family and probably fix a date for engagement or marriage may be.

Aadhi: Wow, so happy for you Chaitu, now we can’t wait to meet our brother in law.

Malini: Hey Chaitu, this choker doesn’t go with the color of the saree, wear something simple with big jumkhas.

Chaitra: Alright, pick the jewel box from my wardrobe, I just placed after picking these jewels.

Malini nudged Aadhi to get the box and Aadhi knocked her head before she opened the wardrobe. She opened the box and froze on seeing the contents in it. Chaitra who saw the box too froze and gulped on seeing Aadhi. Malini looked between both Aadhi and Malini puzzled.

Malini: What are you two staring at ? Our brother in law might arrive anytime so get ready Chaitu.

Malini peeked into the box to select the jewel but gasped on seeing the contents and plopped on the bed opposite to Aadhi.

Malini: What the fuck ?

Chaitra: Aadhi…

Aadhi looked at her with tears in her eyes and showed Vimal’s photo to her.

Chaitra: Aadhi, please don’t misunderstand me. Let me explain please..

Aadhi: How long ? How long you have hidden this from us ?

Chaitra: Six years but Aadhi you are my best friend and I would never sacrifice our friendship for anything. You are my friend first and everything happened later. Not just Malini, even I was scared and that is the reason I never expressed my love to anyone even the person himself.

Aadhi: You could have talked to me Chaitu..

Chaitra: Aadhi, let me get ready and we shall talk later about this, please

Aadhira: This is already too late and you want me to wait and watch you marry someone else ? You will not leave this room until we talk about this.

They heard a click sound and saw Malini locking the door and glaring at Chaitra.

Chaitra: I love him and I really do but I was too late because I was scared of losing your friendship and when I was ready he found that bitch. True love is to see the person we love, live a happy life and I locked my love in my heart forever but when you started revealing about Manjari’s behaviour I was worried and I prayed for him everyday that he should be happy until the day I witnessed her true colors with my own eyes. He doesn’t deserve such life Aadhi, I wanted him to be happy even if its not me. I talked to him and knew he was strong in his decision of divorcing her but she never made it easy for him. She blackmailed him, hurt him so much that I couldn’t watch him suffer so when I met him at a cafe I gave him idea to divorce her and when we got to meet the second time, I informed him that we should never meet until the divorce because I know she would play dirty using me. The day she signed the papers he sent a message and thanked me.

Malini: Stupid girl, now that everything is over why do you want to marry someone else ? You could wait and talk to bro.

Chaitra: No, its not easy for me to do that. First I don’t want him to think that I was a bitch home wrecker and gave idea so that I will have my chance with him and I don’t want to be a rebound to him. He will never trust a woman in his life atleast not anytime soon and I don’t want him to accept me because I fell in love with him. He deserves a love and that should happen when he find peace in the first place and I deserve someone to fall in love with me and not just as a responsibility or out of pity. Love should happen naturally and he only see me as his sister’s friend so he will never accept me and I don’t want my life or my love to be forced.

Aadhi: How could you decide this even without letting him know about your love for him and giving him a chance ?

Chaitra: First love is very beautiful and I want to cherish that. Let his heart heal at its own pace and he will find someone who will cherish him the way he deserves, this time he will choose the right person for sure.

Aadhi: Chaitu, I m not asking you this because he is my brother but why do you want him suffer from the heart break when you could heal him with his love ?

Chaitra: Do you think that would be easy for both of us ? He will feel trapped once again Aadhi, he might feel being forced and I don’t want to do that to him.

Malini: What about you then ? Will you be ok to marry someone whom you don’t love and what if gets to know about your love someday ?

Chaitra: He knows everything about me, he understood me and we sort of agreed to start fresh as friends. I want to give a chance to this like an arranged marriage. Not that all love marriage succeeds and not all the arranged marriages fail.

Aadhi and Malini hugged her and Aadhi wiped her tears feeling guilty.

Aadhi: We have been the worst friends and failed to know your love. Only if I had noticed then everything would have happened in the best way for everyone.

Chaitra: Nonsense, you would have not met your crushy baby then ?

Aadhi: Universe would have found a way to bring us together, not at the cost of my brother’s life and your love for him.

Chaitra: Your soon to be brother in law is a nice person and I will be happy.

Chaitra’s mother knocked on the door and Malini opened it immediately. She informed about the groom’s famli arrival. Chaitra pulled Aadhi and Malini along but Malini refused to tag with them.

Malini: I need to use the washroom so you two carry on now.

Aadhi with Chaitra entered the living and saw the family waiting. Chaitra passed a gentle smile to the groom who smiled back at her. Aadhi stood behind Chaitra’s parents and watched the family discuss everything about marriage. Finally, they set a wedding date that was only two months away.

Aadhi fisted the ends of her shawl and smiled at Chaitra. Both families sat for lunch and finally Aadhi and Malini left from Chaitra’s home.

Aadhi: Wish Chaitra confessed her love to bro and they had a happily ever after. They both don’t deserve this Malu.

Malini: My instinct says they will have a happily ever after.

Aadhi: Idiot, she made a decision and I don’t want to force her. The date is already fixed Malu.

Malini: Don’t you believe in love and didn’t  you say that true love finds away to its destiny ? I don’t know how but I think bro will be her destiny. Lets wait and watch who will play the cupid in their life.

Manjari knocked on Rishi’s room and entered inside when he let her in. With a smile she sat opposite to him and Rishi stopped his work giving her all his attention.

Rishi: Yes, Manju, you need something ?

Manjari: Bro, will it be ok if I don’t come to office tomorrow ? It feels suffocated to be locked in the room and its like a routine to visit office and home so I want to go shopping.

Rishi: Sure Manju go ahead, do you want to go alone or should I call mom to keep you accompany ?

Manjari: No bro, she is always worried about me and I might take my own time and mom won’t be able to keep up with me so I will go alone.

Rishi opened his draw and picked a card and passed it to her.

Rishi: I got this card for you Manju, I know you have your own income but I want to be assured that you have me to support you. Anytime you need something you could call me.

Manju: Thank you bro, I will take my leave then.

Rishi watched her leave the room and looked at his mobile for the umpteenth time but there was no message or calls from Aadhi which was very surprising. He expected atleast couple of photos from her with her friends but there wasn’t any.

Rishi gave up waiting and call Aadhi which she attended and spoke in a sleepy voice.

Rishi: Aadhu, where are you baby ? I have been waiting for your call since the moment you left in the morning.

Aadhi: Rishu, I m home..trying to sleep.

Rishi knew something was bothering her so he picked his wallet and walked out of his office still on call.

Rishi: What happened to my baby, did something happed ?

Aadhi: A lot happened and I don’t know what to do Rishu. Its feels so suffocating but its ok, I will feel better in sometime. You carry on with your work and we shall meet when you are home.

Rishi: Did you have ice cream love ?

Aadhi: No Rishu, I don’t want anything, I just want to sleep and forget everything.

Rishi: What happened at Chaitra’s home ?

Aadhi: I don’t want to talk about it now. I need to relax and I will tell you later on what happened but I m a bad friend Rishu, worst friend.

Rishi: You are the best friend, best sister, best daughter, best wife and you will be the best mom to our baby so don’t call yourself bad. I love my Aadhu so much and she is the best.

Rishi continued to talk to her while he drove home. Aadhi heard the door open and Rishi cut the call and kicked off his shoes before he cuddled her in bed. Aadhi snuggled into him and Rishi kissed her forehead.

Rishi: Now tell me what happened.

Aadhi explained everything and started sobbing against his chest. Rishi cupped her face and wiped the tears.

Rishi: Aadhu, before we were married you never attemped to find me and you believed that I would come into your life if we were destined so if they are destined to be together sure some magic will happen so stop worrying about things that are not in our control. You and me never let anyone to interfere in our life even when we decided to stay apart for six months. I said it should Vimal and Manjari’s decision about their life now I repeat the same, it should be Vimal and Chaitra deciding their life. We shall pray and manifest for the best to happen in their life.

Rishi kissed her eyes and Aadhi relaxed in his embrace.