yun hi tu mere saath rehna

Chapter Thirty One

“Sirf Rohit wali baat nahi thi na?” Abhira asked Armaan as the two of them sat in the garden of the Rajvansh Villa. After accepting the job at Asha Kiran, Abhira had dragged Armaan away, wanting to talk to him. She knew that something big had happened. Armaan wouldn't have had such a bad panic attack over a job. Kaveri giving away his position at the firm to Rohit would have never affected him like this. It was something else. 

“Nahi,” Armaan admitted. “Sirf woh baat nahi thi. Kal raat, maine decide kiya tha ki main firm chod dunga. Aur apne decision ke baare mein baat karne jab main Papa ke paas jaa raha tha…”

Armaan recounted the entire incident from the previous night, accidentally eavesdropping on everything that Vidya had said, and how much it hurt him. “Mujhe laga ki woh mujhe sautela hi sahi, beta toh maanti hain. Lekin, iss tarah se mujhe khudse alag kar dengi? Maine kabhi nahi socha tha, Ira. Rohit ke aage unhone mujhe kabhi nahi rakha. Meri feelings, mere sapne, meri khushi… Woh sab unke liye important hi nahi hai. Theek hai, ek baar ko main maan loon. Lekin, woh toh mujhe apna beta hi nahi maanti. Kitni asaani se unhone Papa se keh diya ki main sirf unka beta hoon. Jaise ki hum dono ke beech koi rishta hi nahi hai. 

Itne saalon mein maine sabse zyada pyaar unse kiya. Unhe har rishtey se upar rakha. Unke liye apni saggi Maa tak ko main bhul gaya. Kabhi apni Maa ke baare mein baat nahi ki, unke baare mein poocha nahi… Yeh sochke, ki Mrs. Vidya Poddar ko bura na lag jaaye, taaki unka dil na dukhe. Tumhe pata hai… Mujhe toh yeh yaad bhi nahi ki meri Maa dikhti kaisi hai. Aur maine kabhi yaad karne ki koshish bhi nahi ki. Sirf unke liye.

Apna sab kuch maine unke liye luta diya, bilkul waisa bann gaya jaisa woh chaahti thi. Unki khushiyon ko hamesha khudki khushiyon se bhi zyada importance di. Sirf iss umeed mein, ki kisi din… Kisi din woh yeh baat bhul jaaye ki main sautela hoon. Sirf ek din, ek pal ke liye… Woh yeh kehde ki unke liye main aur Rohit ek hi hain. 

Kitna gadha tha na main? Kitna paagal? Main toh bhul hi gaya tha… Jiss aurat ko meri Maa se itni nafrat hai, woh mujhse kaise pyaar kar sakti hai? Maine apni Maa ke saath bohot bura kiya hai, Abhira. Ek aisi aurat ke liye jo unse nafrat karti hain, main unhe bhool gaya. Shayad iss baat ki hi saza mujhe mil rahi hai. Jab main apni khudki maa ki qadr nahi kar saka, toh koi aur maa mujhse kyun hi pyaar karegi? Yehi deserve karta hoon main.”

“Armaan!” Abhira exclaimed, tears dripping down her eyes continuously. “Tum… Tum aisa kaise soch sakte ho? No, Armaan! Jo unhone kaha woh galat hai. Tum toh bohot achche ho, sabse achche ho. You're the best. Tum iss world ke best bete ho. Tum jitna achcha aur koi nahi hai. You deserve the entire world. Iss duniya ki har khushi tum sabse zyada deserve karte ho.”

Armaan hugged Abhira, sobbing into her shoulder. “Toh phir woh mujhse pyaar kyun nahi karti, Ira? Maine aisa kya kiya hai ki unke mann mein mere liye itni kadwahat hai?”

“Tumne kuch nahi kiya hai, Armaan,” Abhira assured. “Tumhaari koi galti nahi hai. Galti sirf unki hai. She's insecure, aur woh apni insecurity ki wajah se hi yeh sab kar rahi hain. Unka aur Papa ka rishta kabhi achcha nahi raha kyunki Papa se woh shaadi zabardasti karayi gayi thi. He didn't want to marry anyone after Shivani Maa. Lekin shayad Dadi Sa ke pressure ki wajah se unhe karni padi. Papa ne shaadi toh karli but woh dono kabhi khushi nahi the. And that always coloured her perspective. Papa ka gussa tumpe nikal raha hai. That's it. It's not your fault.”

“Kabhi kabhi toh mujhe lagta hai ki main pyaar ke layak hi nahi hoon. Tum bhi kyun mujhse pyaar karti ho? You can do so much better,” Armaan insisted.

“Shut up! Tum mere Khadoosmaan ke baare mein aisa nahi bol sakte! Main iss duniya mein sabse zyada sirf aur sirf tumse pyaar karti hoon. Samjhe tum?” Abhira argued. “Aur sirf main hi nahi, aur log bhi hain. Badi Maa, Bade Papa, aur baaki sab family wale bhi tumse pyaar karte hain. Aur phir… Chacha Sa, Chachi Sa, aur Chorus Gang bhi toh hai.