Tum Kaafi Ho ✓

t h i r t y t h r e e. girl talk and bear hugs

t h i r t y  t h r e e. girl talk and bear hugs

"Would you hate me if I say that I really like my father, the man I vowed to hate."

Pranati was perplexed at the words of her daughter and kept thinking about it the entire time. Her words, her expressions and her tone, all of it made Pranati feel both stupid and pathetic. 

Stupid because she did not like the fact that her daughter willingly wanted to be close to a man who hurt them profusely.

And pathetic, because she was being unreasonable about Jugnu's feelings. Jugnu deserved to have a father, and if she wanted to give Reyansh a chance, then that was her choice.

In all, Pranati was in a fix. She did not know what to do and chose to keep it all bottled up. They had less than a week here and she did not want her biased feelings to hamper over her daughter's well-being. So she avoided Reyansh and kept to herself, trying to not get involved in anything other than being Jugnu's mother.

For the sake of her sanity and her daughter, she remained silent over the confession and hoped that Jugnu wouldn't choose her father over her.

Because that would break her heart in a way it could never be fixed. 

So for most of the next day, Pranati stayed quiet and aloof, replying in one word to the Khuranas' and being lost most of the time. But post lunch, Reyansh caught up to her and confronted her about her weird behaviour.

"What is wrong?" He cornered her when Jugnu was playing video games with Maan and Armaan. He was not going to take no for an answer. "Spill it."

Pranati refused to meet his eyes, lately she felt way too comfortable with him and she hated it. So she avoided his gaze and tried to leave the other way only for Reyansh to block her path with his arm, hand on the wall and a intimidating scowl on his face.

"If you don't tell me what is wrong, how am I going to help you?"

She looked at him, jaw clenched and lips pursued. "I don't need your help." 

"I know you are bothered by something, and I know how you fake smile," He air quoted the words, stepping closer to her. "It might work on everyone else, but not me. So tell me, what is wrong?" 

Pranati averted her gaze, hands nervously playing with the other and her mind torturing her with scenarios that scared her. She hated how selfish she was being but if Jugnu wanted to stay with the Khuranas', if she wanted her father more than her mother, if she did not want to go back with her then what was she to do? 

She wondered if Reyansh would understand the dilemma she was in. She wondered if he'd be happy to know that his daughter accepted him as her father. She wondered if he would steal her away from her if given the chance. 

After all, Reyansh and his family loved the kid. She could see how attached they were to her and how much they dotted on her. Jugnu loved them too, she would have a good life here and would never have to face any sort of financial difficulties, she could go in the best school and get the best life. She would never have to hear any derogatory comments about her existence, she would never have to give up her childhood living aggressively and she would live a life she truly deserved. 

The thought of Jugnu choosing her father was enough to kill Pranati's spirits. After all, she was alive only because of her daughter. If Jugnu did choose her father, Pranati knew she'd die a thousand deaths before actually dying.

She looked up to meet Reyansh's eyes and the latter was perplexed to see her eyes glisten with tears. He let go of his dominating stance and held her shoulders, concerned and worried.