Raghav and Pallavi reached the room.
"Raghav tum please thoda bahar rukoge woh actually mujhe change karna hai." Pallavi asked with hesitation.
"Ya sure."
Pallavi changed her clothes into her normal t-shirt and pajamas. After changing her clothes she took Raghav inside. Raghav kept staring at her in awe.
"Aise kya dekh rahe ho? Pehle kabhi dekha nahi hai kya?" She said disturbing his staring session.
"Nahi matlab tumko kabhi aise t-shirt aur pajama mein nahi dekha na isliye."
"Toh gharpe obviously yeh sab hi pehenti hoon. Gharpe thodi na sarees pehnungi."
"Haan barabar." He said and took off his kurta.
"Yeh kya karne ki koshish kar rahe ho tum?" Pallavi asked scared.
Raghav saw that she was scared and decided to tease her again.
"Wahi jo miya biwi raat ko karte hai." Saying so he came closer to her.
"Tum sachme mere pati nahi ho." Pallavi replied trying to be confident.
She pushed him.
"Aur mere saamne jyaada bano mat mujhe karate aata hai."
"Chill Saree Ka Dukaan, mein majak kar raha tha. Mein change kar raha tha. Waise toh mein shirtless sota hai par aaj tum hai to mein tera respect karke shirt pehnega." He spoke laughing.
"Par tumhare kapde?"
"Farhad ko mene already bola tha to usne drop kar diya hai."
"Okay."
Raghav also changed his clothes and sat on the bed.
"Pallavi you don't have to sleep on the floor. We will manage on this bed. We will sleep on each of the ends. "
"Okay."
"Btw, I didn't know that you are married." He said with a tinge of sadness as he remembered the reason why they were in this room together. He was just a replacement of her HUSBAND who wasn't here.
"Because I am not." Pallavi spoke earning a shocked expression from Raghav.
"What ???"
"It means that I was married to Mandar but he died on our wedding day itself. So, technically I am not married but widowed."She spoke with a sad smile on her face.
Raghav felt bad for her.
"Did you love him?" Raghav asked her pushing her limits a little further.
"Idk.. I never got the chance to love him. Ours was an arranged marriage. We met some 3 or 4 times before our engagement and during the preparations of marriage. Whatever we spoke was through calls and video calls."
"Ohhh." Raghav felt an unknown satisfaction after listening that she did not love him.
"You were asking me who Mandar was so I hope you got your answer." She said.
"Why are you all hiding it from Aaji?"
Pallavi told him the entire situation and he understood it.
"Sometimes you have to do somethings for others even if it means that you have to go through pain." Pallavi spoke describing the situation.
"Yes ofcourse otherwise why would I share the room with you?" He laughed earning a glare from Pallavi.
"But this was the safest option you had. Otherwise you would have to share the room and bed with Amruta." She also teased him.
"You are much better than that Chipku ladki. " Pallavi glared at him."I meant Amruta or whatever her name is." Raghav corrected himself before Pallavi hits him black and blue.
"Why do you always have a negative opinion about everybody?" Pallavi asked him as she really wanted to know how can someone be so pessimistic.
"I don't have a negative opinion. I have a realistic one. I don't hate or dislike everyone around me."
"Then tell me who was the last person you liked and when?" She questioned him as she knew he didn't have any answer.
"You." He spoke immediately.
Pallavi was surprised.
"Don't give me this surprised look. I meant now that everything is cleared between us I don't have any issue with you." He cleared his side of the story.
"Ohhk"
"Anyways let's sleep." Pallavi said to avoid th topic.
"Yes."
"Waise Saree Ka Dukaan tum logo ko dekhke lagta nahi hai ki yeh log tumhara in laws hai." Raghav said trying to make a conversation with her. He was interested in knowing her.
"Kyunki unlogo ne kabhi mujhe aise treat hi nahi kiya ki mai unki bahu hoon. Hamesha beti ki tarah hi treat kiya." Pallavi said proudly. She really loved them a lot.
"Bindiwala Aunty se tum pareshaan nahi hota kabhi. Kitna oversmart aurat hai woh."
"Pehle pehle bohot hoti thi. Par main bohot hi choti jagah se aati hoon toh mujhe adjust karne ki aadat hai. Isliye adjust karte karte 2 saal beet gaye aur unki kab aadat pad gayi pata hi nahi chala." Pallavi spoke about Kaku.
"Par aadat padne se irritation thodi na kam hota hai." Raghav countered her.
"Irritation kam nahi hota par chijon ko let go karna aasan hota hai." Pallavi said.
"Waise tum mujhe itne sawal puch rahe ho, tumhari life ka kya scene hai?" Pallavi found little courage to ask him.
"Mera life ka kya scene hoyega? Main toh hamesha se akela tha. Mere paas paiso ke alawa kuch tikta hich nahi hai toh jo hai wahi pakad ke baithta hai mein." Pallavi felt bad when Raghav said this.
Raghav thought for a while and asked her about Keerti and Amma as he thought it was the perfect time.
"Tumhara woh dost Kriti.."
"Kriti nahi Keerti"
"Haan wahi. Us Keerti ko kabse janta hai tum?"
"Tum uske baare mein kyu puch rahe ho?"
"Aise hi"
"Woh actually Krishna ki dost hai. Jab mene dukan sambhalna start kiya tab dukan loss mein chal rahi thi. Tab Krishna ne use bulaya tha taki woh fake accounts banakar humari help kare."
"Fake accounts matlab?"
"Baba ko heart attack aaya tha Mandar ke gujar jaane ke baad to woh dukan nahi jaa sakte the aur Nikhil bhi chota tha isliye unhone woh dukan mujhe de di. Par mujhe business ka B bhi nahi aata tha kyunki mein ek psychologist hoon. Fir bhi mene puri koshish ki woh dukan sambhalne ki, par kuch workout hi nahi hua. Agar Baba ko loss ke baare mein pata chalta to unko kuch ho jaata. Isliye phir Keerti hume fake accounts banake deti thi." Pallavi remembered the old days.
"To tumhara Baba ko kuch nahi pata?" He asked in disbelief.
"Tab nahi pata tha par ab pata hai. Jab dukan unke naam hogayi tab mene losses se leke tumhare case tak ka sara sach unhe bata diya."
"Ohh!! Tum bata diya isliye woh Sanki Buddha I mean tumhara Baba merese thodasa acchese baat kar raha tha." Raghav corrected himself when Pallavi glared at him.
Raghav could see on Pallavi's face that she was very guilty about hiding things from her Baba. He kept hands on her shoulder and made her face him.
"Pallavi tum guilty mat feel karo. Tumne jo bhi kiya woh tera Baba ke acche ke liye kiya aur waise bhi mera Amma bolta hai ki kisike acche ke liye jhoot bolna galat nahi hota." Raghav tried to take her out of her guilt.
"Waise tumhari Amma hoti kaha hai?" Pallavi asked diverting the topic towards him.She could see the change in his expressions.
"Jhooti toh sahi par abhi ke liye saas hai na woh meri isliye pucha." Pallavi joked to ease out the situation.
Raghav laughed at her attempt.
"Accha toh ab mein tera pati bhi hogaya? WoW Saree Ka Dukaan!!! I am impressed."
"Lagta hai tumhare kaan saaf nahi hai, mene kaha ki jhoot ki saas."
"Par unhe saas kaha toh mein pati hogaya na?" Raghav confused her in her own words.
"Itna kyu desperate ho rahe ho khudko mera pati banane ke liye. Waha woh Mangalustra pehenate time bhi wahi bol rahe the." It was her turn to smirk now. She came closer to him. "Bolona Raghav." Moving forward with each word she now came face to face with him.
Raghav was nervous as hell. Pallavi couldn't control her laughter anymore and started laughing.
"Kya hua Ghamandi Rao itna kyu nervous ho rahe ho? Khudka game khudke upar palat gaya toh bura lag raha hai?" She asked laughing and pulled his cheeks.
He had still not come out of that shock and she pulled his cheeks which was more surprising for him.
"Haan toh kyun nahi hou main nervous. Mereko kya pata tum majak kar raha hai. Mereko laga ki tum mera ijjat lutega isliye nervous ho gaya mein." He replied after getting back his composure.
Listening to this she started laughing even more. Her laugh was contagious he thought.
After this laughter session they finally went to sleep.
Author's Note - This was kind of a filler chapter just to have a fun conversation between Raghvi. Hope you all like this chapter and do give me your feedbacks in the comments.
Date - 30th April 2022.
