Mohabbat Ki Hain, Gunah Nehi

The Reunion

"5 years, 3 months and 20 days since we last met. Only if I knew then that I would have to stay away from you for even longer. You must have came back by now. How I wish I could see you and tell you about my feelings. If only our families hadn't become rivals. It's been two years since we last talked on the phone or even texted. I know you are angry but I can't do anything. I have to stay away from you for my family." Aman held a picture of Roshni and him from the day before she left close to his heart. He stroked her picture.
Rubina walked inside his room and he hid the picture under his pillow. "You don't need to hide anything Aman. I already know" she said. "Ammi, I was just-." "You don't need to explain anything to me. I know how much you love her and how deep your relationship is. I miss her a lot as well. Oh by the way, I talked to Salma today and she told me that Roshni has come back. Karan went to pick her up and although she didn't say anything, disappointment was clearly visible in her eyes. Why don't you go and meet her."
Aman chuckled when he heard this. "Ammi, it's true that I really want to meet her and talk to her. I know she must be angry with me for not answering her calls or texts for the past two years but you know very well what will happen if I meet her. Don't you remember how her family cheated us. How heartbroken Abbu was when he realised that his best friend cheated him. I know Asad uncle is your brother but it doesn't change what he did to us. We almost became bankrupt and got humiliated in front of everyone when he got our biggest investor to cancel a deal and invest in his company. Don't you remember how hard we all had to work to make up for it and pay the other investors. It has been 2 years but I can never forget that. For the first time in my life I saw my Abbu in a state where he wasn't able to do anything and looked so helpless."
Rubina had tears in her eyes as past memories washed over her. "I know Aman. I know that what my brother did was not anywhere near right. He didn't even think once about me or any of us before doing that but Roshni, she wasn't even here. In fact she doesn't even know about all this rivalry or anything. Then why are you punishing her when it doesn't have anything to do with her? "I know she has no fault in any of this and I am also not punishing her but I also know very well that the moment I see her I will forget everything, all this rivalry and whatever there is and I will hug her, kiss her, hold her so close to my heart that she can hear each and every one of my heartbeats which beat for her in her name. I don't know what all I will do but I will do something and I can't afford that right now. I have changed myself with great difficulty over these two years. I can't let my love and affection for her allow her family to take advantage of us again. I'll call Karan and ask him to get her something without her knowing."
       After saying this he walked out of his room leaving Rubina alone. She sighed. Aman was not like this before. He and Roshni were so close since childhood that not even a day went by without them seeing each other and today he was staying away from her despite being incomplete without her. It was true that she had always wished for Aman to marry Roshni ever since they were children. Roshni was the solution to all of Aman's problems. If Aman was the lock then Roshni was the key. She smiled to herself as she remembered the time when Aman was sick with fever and how Roshni went and sat with him inside his room despite everyone telling her not to. She had persuaded them using some logic which only made sense to her. She sat beside him all night and even fell asleep in that position. The next morning, everyone were surprised when Aman's fever went down as if it was never there. He was up and about playing and jumping with his best friend for life. "If only Roshni was the solution to all these problems" thought Rubina.
A week later
Roshni had found out about the rivalry. She was broken from inside and thought that her Khanbaba hated her. If he didn't then why did he not answer any of her calls or texts? Why did he not try to see her even once? If only she knew he was dying internally from not seeing her.
There was something that didn't make sense though. In the version that she had heard of the story, the investor coming to their company was purely coincidental and circumstantial. The Khan family had almost gone bankrupt and blamed her father for stealing the investor and broken all ties with him. Slowly as time went on, the resentment grew and eventually blinded the two once best friends. Only their fathers were very involved in the rivalry. Everyone else wished for it to stop and for everything to go back to normal. As she thought about it, she had to agree that it couldn't just be circumstantial and that something else was going on.
Aman walked inside his office. As soon as he sat down he could feel something. It was as if he was at ease all of a sudden. As if all his problems had vanished. "Roshni" he called out. Only her presence could do that to him. She came out from behind the couch. He was mesmerised looking at her.