"Mujhe sari pehen na nahi aata," Armaan watched his wife fume.
"Oh," Armaan said awkwardly and turned on his expensive loafers, exiting the hotel room where his bride and he had halted for the night. The drive from Mussoorie to Udaipur was almost sixteen hours, and neither Armaan nor Abhira could drive anymore.
He felt awful as he approached the hotel manager with a lump sum of cash. "Mujhe kuch anarkalis chahiye. Extra small aur small ki sizes helpful hogi."
The hotel manager graciously accepted the request, and Armaan returned to the hotel room. Clad in a white salwar suit, Abhira Sharma—now Abhira Sharma Poddar—sat on the bench near the window. With tears in her eyes, she reminisced about her mother, who had passed away due to Armaan. Armaan's brain could not stop playing his mentor's last moments, entrusting her daughter's responsibility to him. He could not stop thinking about how frail Abhira felt in his arms as she performed the last rites of her mother.
He had ruined everything once again. Before, it was Vidya Neotia, but now it is Akshara Sharma.
But he could rectify this.
He could never bring back Akshara but would take care of her daughter forever. There would never be a moment when Abhira felt alone or neglected. He would be there for her every waking moment as she navigated life.
She was just twenty-one.
Abhira had to finish college, join a reputed law firm, and become a Supreme Court judge as she had dreamed of. Armaan would be there for her; after all, her mother had given up her life to save him.
This companionship was extremely minuscule compared to what his mentor did. He could not repay what Abhira's mother did, but he could try—and he would try all his life.
Sitting before her, near her feet, he questioned softly, "Kuch khaogi?"
"Bhook nahi lagi," Abhira said, her face forming into a scowl.
"Kuch nahi khaogi tho bimar pad jaogi," Armaan said.
"Why does it matter?" Abhira snarled. "Mumma is gone."
"Woh tumhari sapnon main zinda hain," Armaan said, and Abhira stared at him shocked. Her red chooras clinked, and they both looked down at the simple pieces of jewellery that signified something deeply pious.
"Please, kuch khaalo," He said, and Abhira, with tear-stricken eyes, nodded.
He and Abhira would reach Poddar House tomorrow, and Armaan had to be prepared for his grandmother, Kaveri Poddar, to meet his now-wife, Abhira Sharma.
***
A/N: This is a reboot of the show, but my style. I love the tropes Armaan and Abhira had: grumpy x sunshine (although I prefer the female protagonist being a grump), marriage of convenience, age gap, and the most important one being the girl who changes everything in a family. I just want to explore traditional family dynamics with a free-spirited girl like Abhira without her having to face such severe abuse at the hands of men like Sanjay and mothers like Vidya.
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Not Meant to Be
Fanfiction| abhimaan story | Armaan Poddar is now married to Abhira Sharma after his mentor is shot and requests him to marry her daughter. While he could never repay his mentor for her selflessness that saved his life, he can fulfill his promise of caring fo...
