It Happened One Night ✔️

Part 1: Tera Rasta Mein Chodoona

May 2015 - Wednesday evening
Raman Bhalla's Office

Finally, the meeting was over.

Raman placed the files on his table and sat down, dropping his head into his hands as he did so. He was exhausted, and it was almost nine pm, but he knew that he had to carry on.

He had to find more meaningless meetings to attend, push everyone into a frenzy with his unrealistic demands, anything, everything, just to avoid going home. Because if he went home, he would be faced once again with the distance between Ishita and himself, with how she treated him politely, like a stranger. If he went home, he would have to see the hurt in her eyes again ... No, it was better that he just stayed here, away from her. Away from those accusing eyes.

It had been one month now.

One month since the ugly truth behind her amma's accident had been revealed. One month since Ishita had told him that she understood why he had done what he had, as a father, but that she could not trust him any more. That she would stay on in his house, as Ruhi's mother, but that she would not have any expectations from him, any expectations as a wife, ever again.

"Aap ne mera bharosa tod diya hai Raman, aur bharosa ek baar tut jaaye, toh phir jud nahi sakta" ( You broke my trust Raman, and trust once broken can never be rebuilt) Her words resonated in his ears over and over.

He remembered how they had been before his perfidy had been discovered by her - how they had been coming closer to each other, the developing trust, the little glances, sharing their days with each other, and their little touches... the way their fingers would brush and linger when she passed him his phone, his hand on her shoulder when he passed her doing her chores, their heads almost touching, breath mingling, when he would take Ruhi from her arms. Something had been developing between them, something special, something precious, and now it was gone.

They had been living in his room as strangers. He watched as she slept each night on the sofa, her face turned away from him. She no longer fought with him over his late night TV, no longer argued with him over silly little things. He missed their nokjhok, their little fights so much, ached to hear her call him "Raavan Kumar" just once more.

It was all over. And it was all his fault.

"Ishita Ishita Ishita" his heart screamed out. "Please forgive me Ishita"

"Bhai, kya hua bhabi ko?" Mihir had come into the room unbeknownst to him, and was crouching next to him, looking up at him in concern. Mihir, his friend, colleague and confidante, who had stood by him in this entire sorry saga, even while making his displeasure known to Raman in no uncertain terms.

Raman hadn't realised that he had shouted her name out loud, hadn't realised that the tears that he was shedding inside were flowing down his cheeks.

He wiped furiously at those tears now, wondering why their estrangement hurt him so much. Wondering just how he could explain to Mihir what he himself didn't understand.

"I ...I don't know Mihir" he said slowly" Woh ... Bas... Mihir, I am breaking inside, I don't know what to do. I need Ishita. I need her forgiveness."

"But why Bhai" Mihir kept his face straight, hiding the elation that he felt at Ramans words. He knew this was his chance to get Raman to come to terms with his feelings for Ishita, and he had to play his cards right. "Bhabhi is doing what she was supposed to, isn't she? She is taking care of Ruhi, giving her so much love. That's what your arrangement was, right? So why does it matter how she is with you. You never wanted to marry her anyway, did you?"

"Dammit, Mihir, all that has changed and you know it. Before all this happened, Ishita and I had become friends. I realised her goodness. I enjoyed her company. Amma's accident brought us closer. But then Adi ... and now... I am lost without her. I need her."