Mishka - The gift of Love

37|| It's about time!

Mishka POV: 

After I held Hukum with all those built-up emotions, we finally went to have some food and then parted ways since he had important tasks to attend to, including finding the culprit. Meanwhile, I went to Vaanya's chamber to look after her.

In the past, I used to feel envious or perhaps jealous of her because she always seemed to have a better understanding of Hukum than I did. Her bold nature and constant closeness to Hukum often made me feel small. It was as if I wanted to retreat into my shell like a snail or a turtle would when sensing danger.

That was then, and this is now. Today, I feel sorry for her. I feel her pain of losing the love she had so much faith in, losing hope of surviving. Now I realize how lonely she was. Being an only child is a curse. While it has its own perks, such as undivided love from parents and the fulfillment of all wishes, no one understands the pain of the loneliness they dread. I had brothers, but I was always neglected, so I can relate to the woman in front of me. She had Hukum and his brothers, but they always treated her like a plague—maybe that's too harsh a term, but still, she never had anyone to share her happy and sad moments with.

"Kyu kar rahi ho iski itni seva? Jaanti ho na tumhe aur Rajkumar dono ko maarne ke peeche iska bhi haath hai?" Suman ne dheemi awaaz main pucha taaki koi sun na le. Main to bhagwaan ki shukhra guzaar hun ke meri Suman ko sahi salamat mujhe wapas kar diya warna mujhe to darr tha ke kahin sach main use maut ki saza na deden. 

"Why are you taking such good care of her? Don't you know she had a hand in trying to kill both you and the Prince?" Suman asked in a low voice so no one would hear. I am grateful to God for returning my Suman to me safely; I feared she might actually be sentenced to death.

"Are pagli, yeh bechari sirf pyaar chahti thi. Aur pyaar ki chahat rakhna koi galat baat to nahi hai! Hum bhi kabhi inki tarah pyaar ki talaash main the aur jaanti ho na kya nateeja nikla tha uska? Jab humse itni badi galti ho sakti hai to inse kyu nahi? Aur fir mere paas to tum ho inke paas kon rahega yadi hum bhi chodke chale gaye toh?" Kuch galtiyaan aisi hoti hain jispe apka koi bass nahi chalta. Kitne bhi chalaank ya hoshiyaar ban jao parantu jab budhi ka pher palat hota hai to apko vinaash ke raste par chalne se koi nahi bacha sakta. Aur wapas aane ka sirf ek hi zariya hota hai: Chotein khakar sabak sikhkar wapas ana. 

"Oh, silly girl, she just wanted love. And wanting love is not a bad thing! I was once searching for love just like her, and you know what the result of that was, right? If I could make such a big mistake, why can't she? And besides, I have you, but who will she have if I leave her too?" Some mistakes are beyond our control. No matter how clever or smart you are, when fate turns against you, no one can save you from walking down the path of destruction. And there's only one way back: learning from your mistakes and returning wiser.

"Tum yeh sab idhar udhar ki baatein chodkar mujhe zara yeh batlao ke kya khichdi pak rahi hai tumhare aur Aariz miyaan ke beech main?" 

"Forget all this, tell me what's brewing between you and Aariz?" I asked with a smirk and the look on Suman's face was priceless. 

"Kyaaaaa?..... Mera matlab hai kya pakegi? Kuch bhi to nahi woh humare dost hain jaise tumhare hain aur bas!" Suman ki baaton se aisa lag raha hai jaise ke chor ko range haathon pakad liya ho. Aur uska jo 'Kyaa' itni zorr se nikla hai aisa laga jaise na jaane kya puch liya ho usse. 

"What?..... I mean, what could possibly be brewing? Nothing at all! He is just a friend, like he is to you, and that's it!" From Suman's words, it seemed like she had been caught red-handed doing very private business. And the way she exclaimed 'What' so loudly made it seem like I asked something scandalous.

"Mujhse to jhoot tum na hi bolo to acha hai! Hum tumhe bachpan se jaante hain, aur jitni vyaakul tum hui ho sirf Aariz ke naam pe, pehle to kabhi itna vichlit nahi dekha kisi purush ke naam pe!" Suman ko hum jitna chhed rahe hain utni hi woh laal tamatar banti jaa rahin hai.