Exploring Love...the shade of PINK

Innocent Pink - Part 5

Hi my ink lovers!

Kaahe ki short story likh rahi hu me?

Har chapter 5000-6000 words ka hai or aap log comment likhne me aalsi. 

tell me your inputs!

do you want TBFF's update or the completion of this story. I will update as everything is in editing mode.

Buhbye My Sweeties 

words-8024

The motorbike hummed under Dev's hands, but his mind was a roaring storm. His Maasa's words kept repeating like a poisoned mantra—"Ek gaon ki gawaar aurat kabhi iss ghar ki izzat ban sakti hai kya? Agar vachan na hota tumhare Bapu Sa ka to kya wo kabhi is ghar ki bahu ban pati?" Was that really what they thought of her? Of Bhabhi Sa who silently bore everything?

His jaw clenched. He had stayed silent too long. Too long.

By the time he reached home, dusk had fallen. The house glowed with faint lantern light. And there she was—Vrinda. In her same simple saari, dupatta tugged over her head, waiting at the threshold like always. She smiled softly.

"Thak gaye ho, Banna? Khana laga doon?"

He only nodded.

She served him gently, like every day, setting the plate with trembling but practiced hands. The aroma of handmade rotis and ghee-laced dal filled the space, but Dev couldn't taste a thing. His eyes stayed on her—on the weariness in her movements, the shadow under her eyes, the quiet that clung to her like a second skin.

She looked up, puzzled. "Sab thik hai, Banna?"

Dev's throat tightened. He said nothing. Just lowered his eyes and continued eating in silence.

But that night, as he lay on his cot, Dev knew something had shifted in him. Something deep. Something irreversible.

The evening air felt heavy as Raghav climbed the familiar steps to his Masa's quarters. His heart pounded with a mix of anxiety and resolve. He came for Chavi's marriage which was fixed last month. He tried many times to talk with Dev but everytime he talked only related to Chavi's marriage nothing else.

Yes one month passed after the last conversation held with Dev!

He answered monosylablly

Every step echoed like his own guilt, but he steeled himself. This was for the best. Seema and he belonged together. Vrinda... she would understand, wouldn't she? She had no place in his heart anyway.

His Masa sat on the cot, sifting through Chavi's wedding preparations—lists of guests, saree swatches, jewelry boxes half open. She looked up, surprised by his unannounced visit at this hour.

"Raghav? What brings you here at this time? All well?" she asked, adjusting her dupatta.

Raghav inhaled deeply, trying to find the right words. His throat felt dry. "Masa... I wanted to speak to you about something important. Something... personal."

Her brows lifted, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "Tell me, beta. What is troubling you?"

"I want to get married again," Raghav said, his voice low, almost ashamed. "To Seema. I should have been with her all along. Vrinda... I've tried, Masa. But my heart—my heart isn't with her."

For a moment, Masa said nothing. She sat back, letting his words sink in. Then, slowly, a small smile played at the corners of her lips—a smile that masked the bitterness she carried inside.