Ishqana Dil

Part 51

A/N: Shorter than usual again, sorry. I'll go find something to cheer myself up before starting the next one...

"Humein baat karni hai tumse."

She scrambled to her feet nervously and opened to her mouth to say something but decided against it and stared at Uma silently instead. Uma shifted uncomfortably and looked away and Amaya noticed the redness of her eyes. She bit her lip. So, when she had thought there was something off about Mantu, she had not been wrong... Something had happened between these two...

"Thank you."

She felt a frown form on her face. "Huh?"

Uma looked up rigidly, her eyes full of tears. "Humne kaha, thank you. Uss raat... humaari jaan bachaane ke liye..." She tried to speak up but Uma closed her eyes and shook her head, stopping her. "Let me talk. It's already difficult for me to... Thank you for that night... and I am sorry for everything else..."

Somehow, her heart broke for this girl who had endlessly tried to make her life hell as she watched her face crumple just slightly. "Uma... It's okay... You don't have to... Uma, kuchh hua hai, kya? Maine Mantu se bhi poochha but ussne mujhe kuchh nahin bataaya... Please... you tell me?"

"Mantu ko... ussko pata chal gaya..." Uma nodded, swallowing.

"About what?"

"Everything..." she shrugged and Amaya inhaled sharply. "About that night, about the fact that I knew you loved him and still tried to separate you two... he hates me..."

She shook her head feverishly. "No, Uma! Why would you say-"

"He has made it clear... he doesn't want to see me again... he doesn't want me around Chiklu and you... but I needed to talk to you before I left-"

"Jaane se pehle? Where are you going?"

Uma gave her a small, sad smile. "Humaari Mausiji... voh Patna mein rehti hain, na? Toh hum unke ghar jaa rahe hain... Badi Amma wanted to go on a pilgrimage too but she couldn't because of me. She will have the opportunity now... Haan toh... I needed to talk to you before leaving... Mantu won't even look at me and I completely understand..." She broke into a sob that brought tears to Amaya's eyes too, then sighed and continued. "I was foolish to think that he should love me too just because I loved him. I understand this now but... it's too late and... I mistook his friendship and kindness for love for so many years... I thought he would finally see that we were... you know... I thought it would just be the three of us, Chiklu, him and me... And then you came in like a storm, drew him in..."

She chuckled and shook her head. "I always blamed you, I never thought I might be at fault... Of course, Mantu has the right to fall in love with the person he wants! Why did I ever think...?" Uma sniffed and wiped her nose furiously. "You were right... I was so selfish... I don't deserve him at all! I never tried to understand him, how would I keep him happy? He should hate me! You should have let me die that night, it would have been easier for everyone... Why did you have to save me, Amaya?"

Her lips wobbled under Uma's half-questioning, half-accusing glare but she swallowed her tears and steeled herself. "You... you must have heard about my dad... no? Rishi Mathur... business tycoon... f-f... fraud... bankruptcy... h-he w-as framed b-but... h-he thought he h-had l-let us down... you know? H-he committed... c-comitted suicide too... they f-found his... his... b- they found him in the sea... Do you h-have any idea h-how it f-feels, Uma? Y-you lost your p-parents too d-didn't you? H-how c-could you d-do that to M-mantu?" Without thinking, Amaya stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Uma tenderly as the girl began to cry. "I s-saved you so that h-he w-wouldn't... I s-saved you f-for h-him... and f-for yourself b-because you have a whole l-life ahead of you, okay? Things c-could be g-going badly but it w-will get better... And I... I saved y-you for myself too... You know... I always think... if someone had been there when dad... he would still be with me today and..."