"If I Was There"

Chapter 12:- Marriage Proposal!!!!

As Ruhi and Aarohi entered the Goenka house, mixed emotions lingered around them. They entered the house to receive one of the greatest shocks: yes, Manish had called the Birlas for Abhira's marriage.

"Come, Aaru, sit," said Manish in a taunting way.

"Yes, Aaru, come and sit. But what about you, Abhimanyu? As far as I remember, your foot wasn't in a condition to walk. So, are you still getting married? What will people say?" said Kairav, taunting both Manish and Abhimanyu, while Manish looked at him angrily.

"Kairav, is this the way to talk?" said Manish angrily.

"I was stating the truth, Bade Papa. Oh, Abhimanyu wouldn't have liked it. I am sorry, Jija Ji," said Kairav in the most sarcastic tone possible.

Neil could clearly see the disappointment in Aarohi's eyes, yet he was also disappointed with his family.

"Just because of Bhai, everyone is here. The whole family isn't happy with this alliance, except for some of the Goenkas. Maa and Papa are sitting here because they love Bhai," thought Neil, looking around.

"Hi everyone," said Ruhi cutely.

The Birlas were also lost in Ruhi's smile for a second. They didn't know why, but they felt a strange connection with Ruhi, as if someone was there.

"Here, look at my family! What an amazing family I have here. Not even a week has passed, and Badepapa is thinking of Akshara and Abhimanyu's marriage. But I think Abhimanyu did the best thing in his life by leaving me. Seriously, if he hadn't left me, I wouldn't have Neil. And how would I have this cute unicorn, Ruhi," thought Aarohi in her mind with confused thoughts?

They all talked for a while, and Abhimanyu and Akshara's alliance was fixed. It was the first marriage of Abhira, and Kartik knew that soon the time would come when Aarohi and Neil would fall in love, and the next two years would take Neil away from Aarohi.

After some time, the Birlas left.

"Aaru, I am so happy," said Akshara, hugging Aarohi.

"I am also happy for you because I think I wouldn't be happy with a person like Abhimanyu Birla. Make sure you also stay happy because his attitude will not let you," said Aarohi in a warning tone while Akshara just looked at her.

In the evening, Aarohi was going out of the house when Neil came in. They both collided with each other; Aarohi fell on the floor while Neil was above her. They shared eye contact for a moment and were lost.

"Can't you walk properly?" said Aarohi, coming back to her senses.

"Oh, I am sorry. Actually, wait a second; it wasn't my fault alone. You were also walking carelessly; that's why you collided with me," said Neil, looking at her.

"What are you doing here?" questioned Aarohi.

"Oh, I came to meet Ruhi. Can I?" asked Neil with puppy eyes.

"Ruhi? Why do you want to meet her?" questioned Aarohi.

"I don't know, but that girl felt like someone close, a piece of my heart. It's like I know her not just from today, but from a very long time. It seems like she is someone related to me," said Neil, remembering Ruhi, and his eyes could clearly show the emotions he was having in his heart.

Aarohi just looked at him and thought in her mind, "He doesn't know that she is his daughter; still, he feels connected to her. What if he gets to know that she is his daughter?"

"Aarohi, can I meet her?" questioned Neil again.

"Sure, she is upstairs with Vansh bhaiya," said Aarohi, showing him the directions.

As Neil stood in front of the room, the door opened, and Ruhi and Vansh were playing games. Neil didn't know why, but seeing Ruhi happily playing with Vansh brought a smile to his face while Vansh and Ruhi were lost in their game.

"Hi, Ruhi," said Neil, looking at her with a big smile. Ruhi just looked at him.

"Ruhi, I said hi to you, but you didn't reply," said Neil again, looking at her with hope in his eyes. But Ruhi didn't reply. Neil, who was getting hurt by this silence, found it very difficult; the air was also getting uneasy around him.

He took a pause and spoke, "Ruhi, are you angry with me?" questioned Neil, looking at her. Vansh was about to say something, but Neil gestured with his hand to stop.

Neil went towards her, bent down to her height, and was on his knees.

"Ruhi, please tell me if you are angry with me, and if you are, what is the reason? I can't tolerate this silence," said Neil, looking at her with hope in his eyes.

"You knew that your bhaiya broke the marriage with sweetheart; still, you were there in the kfternoon to celebrate," said Ruhi angrily as she folded her hands in front of her chest.

"Ruhi, first of all, it's afternoon, and secondly, I didn't want to hurt Aarohi, but Bhai was so adamant that Maa and Papa had to agree with him," said Neil, trying to make Ruhi understand.

"But you could have stopped or at least asked him to delay it. She is so sweet; does she deserve this pain?" said Ruhi. The pain in her eyes was clearly noticed by Neil.

Neil, who was seeing himself in her pain, wondered if it was the same for him. He didn't know why the destinies of these three were the same, why that pain didn't leave their lives. But Neil knew that he couldn't make Ruhi understand everything, as she was a child, and explaining these complex things was a difficult task. He needed to work with the situation carefully.

"Ruhi, sometimes elders make decisions that are hard to believe. Sometimes it is not in our hands, and I cannot explain everything to you, but I promise you that I won't let any harm come to you or your sweetheart," said Neil, his emotions clearly visible in his voice and face.

Ruhi, who was standing, listened to Neil and didn't stretch the topic further.

"Can I take some rest?" was the only thing Ruhi could say to Neil.

Precap:- Pain...Guilt....

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So here is the new update. Hope you all liked the update and if you liked the update do vote and comment down your views regarding the chapter. Thank you for giving your precious time to my story.

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