Kyon Nahi ✓ || (neirohi)

19. devar bhabhi

19. devar bhabhi

Aarohi placed her head on the bed behind, Neil seated besides her and although they were not holding hands, Aarohi felt more comfortable this way, slowly breathing as they enjoyed the silence. She was never the person for emotional intimacies, she never liked hugging, or holding hands, or kisses or anything that remotely meant sharing her heart and feelings.

"If you don't mind me asking," Neil asked, as they sat on the floor, legs stretched ahead and eyes shut. "Why are you and Manish sir at loggerheads? I mean, isn't he too tough on you?"

Aarohi sighed, although her eyes were shut, she could see the past in front of her like it was a beautiful movie. It was a decade back but she remembered that incident really well, because the mind never forgets painful memories. It was when Akshara had almost overdosed on the pills back in UK and Kairav had brought her home and now the entire family was in a fix, searching for Rehab centres, praying for Akshara's safety and crying because if their parents would be here this would not happen.

Manish Goenka was always a tough man, he was the proud father of Karthik and loved his son dearly, and more than that, he loved his pride and dignity and Aarohi had never seen him ever in crisis, but that time, he broke. He cried, sobbed even, miserably when Akshara was admitted in the Hospital and was then to go to Rehab for her treatment.

"Akshu was 20 when she almost overdosed, and ghar pe maatam chaa gaya," Aarohi spoke, mindlessly, eyes still shut, "we had lost our parents, the family had lost two people altogether and no one wanted to lose another Goenka, I did not want Akshara to die. She was the only one after Kairav bhaiya who was a close reminder of our parents, and I did not want her to die." Neil looked at her, she was softly breathing, she looked miserably beautiful. "And I was too old enough to understand how gravely Akshara was affected by our parents' death. She was the one who called them, rather screamed at them to leave me unattended and come visit her school function. And they died on the way."

Aarohi chuckled, shaking her head, "Tumhe pata hai, everyone in the house took it as an accident, because it was an accident." She opened her eyes now, looking ahead, "but I blamed her. She never told this to anyone, it was before she left for her music studies, and I was too lonely that time, missing them and just like that, I blamed her for their deaths' and after that the trauma intensified for her..."

"It was not your fault. Tum bacchi thi."

"Haan, I know but Akshu bhi toh bacchi hi thi. And the fact that I caused her to rely on the pills and she almost died because of that, was a wake-up call for me." Aarohi sighed, now pulling her legs closer to her chest, "I realised that, I wanted my sister because I could not afford to lose another one. I just could not lose another person, I just could not watch someone lay dead in front of me, and defintely not my sister." She tilted her head, and held her own hand, pressing it firmly because that was her own way of providing comfort to herself. "That was the first time I saw Bade Papa cry, crash down on the floor and cry in Bade Mama's arms, and I fell so miserable. I always thought that Bade Papa is the strongest pillar in this family, he'd take care of everyone but unko jab maine waise dekha, I..." She paused, holding her hand firmly, "main dancer bannna chahti thi, mumma ke saath dance karna bohot zyaada accha lagta tha..."

Neil was surprised at the revelation, he would have never gussed that Aarohi out of everyone would love to dance and also want to pursure it further. She never seemed like the expressive artist type.

"But I pursued medical, for two reasons." Aarohi sniffed, wiping the tear from her eye before it fell on her cheek again, "money to support my family, aur Akshu jaise baccho ki madat karne ke liye, every kid deserves a better childhood."

"And inn sab mein tumne apne aap ko ghuma diya,"

Aarohi chuckled at Neil's conclusion, turning towards him, "bahot koshish ki maine, dhundne ki aapne aap ko, and..." Aarohi sniggered shaking her head, "and all my actions only caused more reactions, because my way was not the ideal way for the family. And the more I tried finding myself, the more I got lost and the more Bade Papa and the others were angry. I don't blame them, generation gap and my indirect ways of being stupid added to the feud between us." She licked her lips, gulping and relaxing her head on the bed-rest. "Phir woh last year..."

She stopped, rather froze, the incident replaying in her head. It was a year back but still felt like it just happened to her and she was also intoxicated, to an extent that she only remembered the scenes that still causes her to shudder.

"Anyway," She got up, abruptly, and ran her hand through her hair. "I think that's enough sob stories for today, I'll just take a shower and sleep off this feeling." Neil nodded, and approached the door, the things Aarohi had buried in her mind was insane to him, because he was an open book, his heart and his words, they always were in synch but Aarohi was messed up in her own way.

Neil stopped before he could leave the room, turning to face the girl, "Aarohi,"

"Hmm?"

"Ek baari tum apne family se..."

She shook her head, "And I hope you don't too," She gulped, locking her eyes with his, "trust karti hu Neil, don't break it okay?"

Neil plainly nodded, and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him only to be startled to see Akshara outside, she seemed to have heard everything, her tears were evident to the fact.

_

"Toh aap chahti ho ki main Aarohi ke saath rahu?"

Neil was in a dilemma, on one hand he had Aarohi who had trusted her with her feelings, even though she had not completely opened up, but something was better than nothing but on the other, he had Akshara, asking him something that would violate their trust.

"Neil, I know, I am being very selish by asking you to give up your own time and..." Akshara took a deep breath, and composed herself, "but I have never seen her open up to anyone like she did with you today and maine kitni baar try kiya ki woh mujhse apni dil ki baatein, uski insecurities ya uske woh jazbaat bata de. I tried being soft towards, tried being an listener, and now I even tried being angry with her so she could just for once open up with me but she never did."

The fact that Akshara was merely pretending to be angry to get Aarohi to open up was both comical and strange for him but it did make sense somehow.

"I gave her a lot of time, Neil, a lot of time for her to open up but she did not." Akshara sighed, and Neil could see how she was trying to compose herself from not crying out loud. "And I know I am the reason for her to be this cold with herself and others,"

"Bhabhi, aisa nahi hai..."

"Come on Neil," Akshara chuckled, the sad note of her pain tugged at his heartstrings, "I am not blind, there was some truth behind Aarohi's outburst the other day and it did not affect me a bit, because I know I am to be blamed. But I also know that Aarohi has a mountain hidden in her heart, and I cannot even reach the foot of that mountain," Neil looked at his to-be sister-in-law, "My mental is not that strong to carry both of us plus she will never tell me what's wrong because she cares for me."

"Par bhabhi main..."

"Ek arse baad Aarohi kisi se aache se baat kar rahi hai, tumse apni dil ki baat share karti hai, aur tumhare samne woh roti bhi hai," Akshara held his hand, tears of joy glistening in her soft eyes, "I have never seen her cry, never and I may sound abusrd, but I always wanted her to cry and let it all out. After meeting Abhimanyu, I felt the true joy of being happy only because I could cry, and main aur Kairav bhaiya ke saath toh woh kabhi nahi share karegi, issliye tumse request karti hu."

Neil was taken aback at Akshara who left his hand and folded her hands, pleading but he shook his head, instantly holding her hands. "Bhabhi..."

"Please, Neil. Ek bhabhi-devar nahi, toh ek behen ke naate aayi hu." She asked, teary eyes, "you just have to let herself open up, let her have a breakdown, let her guard down for once. Please, Neil, please usske saath rehna."

Neil could not fathom the pain these three kids must have been through when they all saw their parents die, and the fact that each of the reacted differently to the trauma and while Kairav somehow got back on his feet, accepting love, Akshara found Abhimanyu, still trying to handle herself, only Aarohi remained who was not ready to move on because she was still stuck in a loop.

"Theek hai bhabhi," Neil assured Akshara, forwarding a glass of water towards her, "you don't worry, I'll try my best to help Aarohi out, aur aap bilkul tension mat lena, ye devar apni bhabhi ke liye kuch bhi kar sakta hai."

But what Neil really wanted to say was that he'd be with Aarohi anyway, even if Akshara would not have asked him to.

Blame her stupid eyes and his stupid heart.

_

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