Aarohi, Kairav could understand. Jab koi cheez usne thaan le then she's obstinate. Aur Abhimanyu toh Aarohi ki zid thi. Bachpan se lekar aaj tak, Aarohi Akshara se insecure thi. Agar Aarohi Papa ki pari thi to Akshara Sirat ki jaan aur pariyon ka jaan se kya mukabla. It was like deja vu when jab Abhimanyu ne Akshara ko chuna. Par Abhimanyu. How could he?
Kairav was gobsmacked at the scene before him. Abhimanyu and the Birla clan strode into their home as if the tilak fiasco never happened to ask for Aarohi's hand in marriage. The brass of these people!
Abhimanyu's cold voice and frigid conduct convinced Kairav that this was not what Abhimanyu truly desired. When Abhimanyu first came to the Goenka house with Akshara's proposal, his cheeks maintained a faint pink hue, his smile was reminiscent of a schoolboy in love, and his voice was laced with honey. The man that stood before his Bade Papa today bore little resemblance to that Abhimanyu. What have my sisters done to him?
"Humari ek condition hai" Bade Papa decreed. "Pehle Akshara shaadi karegi. Aakhir woh Goenka family ki badi beti hai toh aude ke hisaab se Aarohi should marry after her sister."
Mimi and Badi Mumma concurred, but Aarohi fumed in silence. I was moments away from winning Abhimanyu but phirse Akshara hum dono ke beech dewar pa rahi hai Aarohi hissed under her breath.
Meanwhile, Abhimanyu's knuckles blanched as he dug his nails deep into his palm. Akshara ko kissi aur ke saath dekhna Abhimanyu ko manzoor hi nahi tha.
Akshara, who was silent throughout the exchange, meekly spoke up. "Nahi Bade Papa. Main abhi shaadi ke liya ready nahi hoon. Aarohi ki khushiyon ko meri wajah se hold par rakne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai"
"Par kyun Akshara?" Neil questioned. Neil continued despite Harshvardhan Birla's eyes burning a hole into his head. "You moved on, right? Then, why don't you marry someone else?" Neil was clinging to the hope that Akshara would voice her true feelings and stop this disaster from happening.
"Moving on doesn't have to mean marrying someone." Akshara directed her following remarks to Abhimanyu as she grimaced at him. "It means to focus on your career, on your pre-existing relationships, and most importantly, uska matlab hai khud ka khud se rishta jodna." It took Akshara a moment to tear her eyes away from Abhimanyu's but when she did, she noticed Aarohi's scornful face and sighed.
"Toh phir theek hai. Akshara ne apna decision suna diya hai and I see no reason to wait for this marriage. Main apne publicist ko call kar leta hoon to prepare for an announcement." Harshvardan eagerly turned to his elder brother. "Bhaisaab, we should do the announcement at the hospital. Iss se humari reputation ko kafi fayda hoga."
The Goenka-Birla exchange ended with a brief tilak ceremony that day. What should have been a happy occasion felt like a funeral. The Birla youth held disdainful and uneasy sentiments. Mahima's mind was racing with ideas of how to stop this Rishta. The Goenka's, at least the sensible and empathetic ones, were troubled out of concern for their eldest daughter. Then, there was Akshara.
Akshara felt as if someone was suffocating her. Akshara learnt to live with Aarohi's abhorrence, but could she do the same with Abhimanyu? The venom in his voice, the fury in his eyes, and the way his veins popped out pierced her heart. Agar woh Pune chali jaate toh baat aur hoti. Kam se kam, usse Abhimanyu ka gussa ka samna toh nahi parta. Kam se kam, usse kissi aur ke saath na dekhna parta.
There was a voice in her head, taunting her. You're a coward, Akshara. A coward. Ye sab tumhara kiya hai toh abh tum bhagna kyun chahti hoon. Bar bar is kamre see dur jaane ke bahane kyun dun rahe ho
Ye tamasha ase nahi chal sakta Kairav thought to himself. I have to do something to support Akshu and save Aarohi from her zid and a loveless marriage. And so, Kairav made a call that night to change this story's ending.
Any guesses about who Kairav called? Hope you guys liked the first edition!
