What if - Rishmi FF

Part 13

A week has passed since the meeting with the judge and only a week is left now. For Rishi this week was going to be very eventful. He was really impatient to confess his feelings to Lakshmi but she had been busy with Ahana. Rishi also had to find out the entire truth of the misunderstandings regarding Lakshmi and who attempted to kill her and very importantly he had to make his feelings clear to Malishka. He had decided to finish the Malishka chapter today as he didn't want to delay it. He is still not aware that Malishka planned everything with Balvinder or that she created the kundali fiasco. He still thinks she is a nice person and loves him. He didn't feel the same way about her and is in guilt that he had to break her heart. Afterall she did get him married to Lakshmi to save his life, she loved him. He had tried to keep Lakshmi away but he couldn't..he fell in love with her without even realising and he couldn't imagine a life without her anymore. If he went ahead with the divorce he would be destroying 3 lives and since he would never be happy he would not even keep Malishka happy.
Thinking about all this, he calls Malishka. Lakshmi hears him calling her and talking to her and planning a meeting with her. She leaves the room.
Rishi asks Malishka to meet him in the evening after office at Candies cafe.
Malishka is excited on the other hand that Rishi wanted to spend time with her. She is unaware of the storm approaching her.
At the breakfast table Rishi tells Lakshmi to not make dinner for him as he is going out with Malishka and will have dinner with her. Neelam and Karishma seem delighted at this news.
Sonia: Oh wow bhai aap dono date pe jaa rhe ho. Kaha jaa rhe ho? Candies? Malishka ka favorite hai na wo
Rishi: Date nai hai Sonia bas Milne jaa rha hoon usse. Kuch baat karni hai. Aur haan Candies hi jaa rhe hai hum.
Lakshmi seems sad listening to all this but keeps doing her work. Rishi notices this but doesn't say anything. He thinks he will clear all her misunderstandings soon.
In the evening Malishka is all happy and excited to see Rishi. She comes and sits beside him hugging him. Rishi is uncomfortable but doesn't say anything.
Malishka: Rishi I am so happy hum finally time spend kar rhe hai saath. And that gavar Lakshmi wo nai hai yaha
Rishi: Malishka please maine tumse hazar baar kaha hai Lakshmi ke baare me aise baat mat Kia Karo, mujhe acha nai lagta.
Malishka: Acha theek hai, mujhe uske wajah se apna mood kharab nai karna.. let's eat
They order food and eat. Rishi then orders dessert.
Rishi: Malishka Maine tumhe yaha kuch bahot important baat karne ke lie bulaya hai.
Malishka: I know tum yehi baat karna chahte ho na ki tumhare divorce ke baad hum jaldi se apni wedding date fix kar le.
Rishi: Nai Malishka. But hum dono se hi related kuch baat hai. Samajh nai aa rha tumse kaise kahu.
Malishka: Arre Rishi bolo na. It's me. Tum mujhe bata sakte ho.
Rishi: Tum ho islie to ghabra rha hoon. Dekho Malishka there's no easy way to do this. Aur ab nai bataya to shayad apne saath saath tumhari life bhi kharab kar doonga. Malishka ab main tumhare saath kuch feel nai karta jaisa pehle karta tha. I don't think I am in love with you anymore if at all jo tha wo pyar tha to. Mujhe tumhe leke waisi koi feelings nai hai.
Malishka is shocked to the core. She couldn't believe it, it's like her worst nightmare was coming true.
Malishka: (teary) Rishi tum ... Tum ye kya keh rhe ho. You love me na baby and I love you. I love you most in the world. Tum mujhse alag nai ho sakte. Ye sab us Lakshmi ne kia hai na. Usne tumpe koi black magic kia hai. Kuch kia hai na usne tumhare saath. Jo bhi hai Rishi we'll take care of it together. You can't do this. You can't leave me.
Malishka gets hysterical and everyone around starts staring at them.
Rishi: Malishka Malishka please calm down. Hosh me aao. Aur ye kya keh rhi ho, Lakshmi ne mere saath kuch nai kia hai. Ye meri feelings hai. Aur ye aaj se nai kaafi waqt se aisa hi chal rha tha. Pata nai main khud ko samjha rha tha ya tumhe ki main tumse pyar karta hoon but mera dil to bahot pehle hi Lakshmi ko apna maan chuka tha. I don't why main denial me tha. Hum bahot ache dost reh chuke hai Malishka. Even before we got into this relationship, we were best friends before and I owe it to you ki main tumhe sach bataun apna final decision lene se pehle..
Malishka keeps crying: To hell with your friends bullshit.
She grabs his collar and tries to hug him forcefully.
Malishka: Rishi feel Karo meri dhadkane. Feel Karo wo pyar jo tum pehle karte the jab main tumhare kareeb hoti thi.
Rishi pushes her away.
Rishi: Malishka please don't embarass yourself. Mujhe kuch feel nai hota tumhare paas aane se.
Malishka: Tum kaise bhool sakte ho hamara pyar Rishi, kaise bhool sakte ho tumne mujhe propose kia tha. Mujhe promise kia tha ki mere saath shaadi karoge, hamesha mere saath rahoge
Rishi: I am really really sorry Malishka but apni feelings apne dil ko to main control nai kar sakta na. Main tumhari zindagi ke saath nai khel sakta. Tumhe jhooti umeed nai de sakta ki main tumhare saath rahunga. Agar maine tumse shaadi ki to main khush nai rahunga aur tumhe bhi khush nai rakh paunga. It will be a compromise which will destroy both our lives. Please samajhne ki koshish karo.
Malishka: Arre kya compromise Rishi. Yaad hai hamara rishta bhi to aisa hi shuru hua tha, sab Hume chidhate the and then you asked me out. Waise hi tum Lakshmi se door ho jao, mere saath raho and you'll feel the same for me like before.
Rishi: Exactly Malishka hamari relationship bhi dusro ke bolne se shuru hui thi, but with Lakshmi sab kuch bahot organic tha infact kisi ne kabhi kuch nai kaha tha mujhe jab mujhe uske lie special feelings aane lagi thi. Uske saath time spend karne ka man hota tha. In fact kisi ko samajh bhi nai aaya tha, sab to yehi sochte the ki ek saal baad main use chhor dunga.
Malishka: Acha aur jo ye aayush ahana aur dadi hamesha tumhe pyar pyar bolte the wo tumhare relationship ko force nai kar rhe the.
Rishi: Wo force nai kar rhe the.. wo kuch aisa bol rhe the jisko leke main denial me tha. Mujhe already dil hi dil me ye baat pata thi but main accept nai karna chahta tha. I was scared ki Lakshmi won't share those feelings and that main tumhe hurt kar doonga.
Malishka: See Rishi tum khud keh rhe ho tumhe mere feelings ki parwah hai. Matlab you care for me. You still love me.
Rishi: Nahi Malishka. I don't. I love Lakshmi. Khud se bhi jyada. Sabse jyada. Main nai reh sakta uske bagair. Aur islie main usse divorce bhi nai loonga.
Malishka: But wo to tumse divorce chahti hai na. Wo pyar nai karti tumse Rishi. She is a cheater a fraud. Wo sirf tumhare paison ke peeche hai. Use bas paise aur power chahiye. She doesn't care about you. Aur apshakun bhi hai tumhare lie na wo to.
Rishi: Bas Malishka. Enough.. Lakshmi mujhse pyar karti hai ya nai janna mujhe tumse. Wo hamare beech ki baat hai. Aur wo agar mujh se  alag hona chahti hai to main use azaad kar dunga but main tumhare saath ek jhoote rishte me nai rehna chahta. Please understand Malishka. It's over between us. I am very very sorry. Main hamesha tumhara friend ban ke tumhari life me rehna chahunga. But that's it. A friend. Usse jyada kuch bhi nai. If you want to. Agar tum mujhse kabhi baat nai karna chahti to bhi I understand. It's your choice.
Malishka: Nai Rishi main tumhe apne life se nai jaane de sakti.
She starts breaking stuff in anger.
Rishi : Malishka abhi chalte hai yaha. You need to calm down.
Malishka: Ye nai ho sakta. You can't leave me..
Rishi asks the waiter to put the bill for everything on his tab and takes Malishka from there and drops her home. She is still sulking in the car but Rishi keeps quiet. On reaching her house she opens the car door and goes out angrily crying. Kiran sees her and asks what happened and Malishka tells her that Rishi ended things with her. She goes to her room crying. Rishi comes behind her and Kiran stops him from going towards her room and asks him to leave and that he had broken her daughter's heart. Rishi feels bad but leaves.
After dropping her home, he goes back. He is exhausted mentally and physically. Afterall he had ended a relationship in his life which mattered to him so much at one point. Lakshmi sees Rishi coming in all shattered and exhausted. Till now she was a little angry with Rishi because of his plan with Malishka but seeing him in this state she gets worried and goes to him hurriedly.
Lakshmi: Rishi kya hua tumhe. Tum iss haalat me. Kya hua sab theek hai na? Malishka theek hai na?
Rishi is amazed at how pure hearted this girl was. She was asking about the girl who always kept abusing and torturing her.
Rishi: Main theek hoon Lakshmi. Bas aaj kuch bahot purana khatam ho gya.
Lakshmi: Khatam ho gya matlab. Rishi tum pehle chalo. Let jao. Aaram Karo. Tum theek nai ho.
Rishi: Lakshmi main Sona chahta hoon. Kya hum kal baat kar sakte hai please.
Lakshmi: Of course. Tum chalo change kar lo fir so Jana.
Rishi goes and changes into night clothes and lies down on the bed. Lakshmi switches off the light. She goes to her side and then turns towards Rishi. Rishi extends her hand and puts his head on her arm. Lakshmi shifts to a comfortable position and then caresses his hair with her other hand. She makes him sleep.
Rishi sleeps in her arms in peace trying to bring  the storm inside him to a halt.

This part focused on Malishka and Rishi breakup but I really wanted to end this so called relationship so that Rishi could start his chapter with Lakshmi without any doubts or strings attached. And I wanted Rishi to break up with Malishka because he knew he didn't love her and not because he thought she was a bad person or because of what she did with Lakshmi.
Please provide your feedback if the plot makes sense or even otherwise.😊