Kaira OS

Home Again

Naira trusted the man in the arms she lay in peacefully. Siddharth... Kartik she reminded herself had touched the cords of her heart since the time she saw him. She knew he was special, she didn't know past special or future special, just special.

He was the only person who offered me some normalcy, he was the only person who I was able to trust, he was the only person who didn't advice me all the time, and he was the only person with who actually talked to me. My family usually got the clipped responses, I didn't know anything about them.

Siddharth...Kartik I nudged myself again, Kartik was indeed a better name, and it sounded far better with my own, Naira. Yes, I knew what he had done, and how he exchanged the babies, how he didn't tell anyone about it? How he cheated apparently? But who did he do it for?

Me.

He was worried that I would..., well a fat lot of help that do, I anyways lost my memory.

But he was right, he knew the old me would react badly to that, yes he probably could have informed someone, and did it some other way, but would or could comes down to didn't.

And for what was taken away, from me, only I was allowed to be upset with him about it, everyone else got everything they should have had. But what was mine, what was his, ours, was taken away forever, if all he thought was to give me a few moments of happiness until the calamity struck, wasn't he being punished too brutally?

My family told him that he was to stay away from me, his family hadn't really been generous about forgiving him either if I was reading it right?

Inspite of that, he wasn't complaining, my family had banned Kartik from being near me, so I was with Siddharth, no one knew who Siddharth was. And yes it was as stupid as ingenious, because I knew and didn't know them both. But I was thankful that he was there, and became my first anchor to the world. At times when I wanted to run, he made me think, if I really did want to run. And when I thought I should give up, he pushed me to betterment.

There came the question? Did I trust him, and my heart and brain both had answered, yes! That was the only person I actually trusted. He hadn't told me how special I was to him, he just did it. Be it dance partner, weird demand partner, personal doctor, he was there when ever I needed him, and funnily he was the only one who was actually there.

He was caressing my hair, probably looking at me this moment, I wanted to know what he was thinking, "Kartik" I asked

He didn't respond, I probed further, "Kartik"

"Say that again" he whispered, there was a heaviness to that husk, almost like there was so much hidden, and yes I figured what was with him.

"Kartik" I said lovingly, tasting the name as it rolled on my tongue, it did feel very familiar, more familiar than Naira.

"Yes Kartik. That's my name, your Kartik, your Mendak, forever and always." He said with so much affection caressing my cheek, his eyes staring into mine, that I was lost in the depth of those orbs. But I didn't know how to voice what I wanted to say, I was stuck.

"Shh. I'm right here, you can answer whenever, and there is no right or wrong answer to this, it's only what you feel like jaan." He said, almost reading my mind before I knew what I wanted. But here, right here, I knew this man knew me better than me, better than the people downstairs.

There was a knock on the door, when he started to fidget around to sneak away, but I didn't want him to go. I wanted him to stay, I wanted him with me. I couldn't trust anyone, but him I couldn't make myself to not trust, my heart didn't even ask that question of him.

I asked him to stay, and went to open the door, as a very expected visitor early in the morning, it was Bhaiya, and I prepared myself for an earful, and was about to give him reason when he stormed inside my room, and picked Kartik up, almost hurled him up.

"What in the name of bloody hell do you think you are doing here with my sister?" He asked, holding his collar.

"Naksh, wait, let me explain this to you" Kartik was saying, while trying to get Bhaiya's hands off his collor.

"Explain!? You think you can explain? Lying to my sister more like it, taking advantage of her condition. Feeding your delusions to her. Enough! I have had enough, when your sister cut her ties with you, you are nobody to us. you are never to come back here, never." He was saying.

"Naksh" Kartik pushed him away, while saying, "I haven't been doing what you keep accusing me of. And before I'm your brother in law, I have another more important relationship here, and it's as much as her home as yours, or have you forgotten that Naksh?"  Kartik asked him raising his eyebrows.

"No, you are nobody. You are no one to anyone. Now get.." Bhaiya went in to push him again, when I pulled him back.

"STOP IT"

"Stop it at once. And Bhaiya he is not a nobody, He. Is. Kartik Goenka. And. He. Is. My. Husband. remember!?." I taunted.

Seriously, to hear him say that the family was not exactly forgiving was one thing, but this? He is my husband and that is not the way I would see anyone talking to him.

"How long has this been going on? How long have you been treating him like that? And for what reason? Because he gave me a momentary happiness? Because he gave me someone else's child to cherish a few happy moments before I was to face the harsh reality? Or because he cared too much, that may be I wouldn't be able to take the truth, which I eventually wasn't?" I asked him, I wanted to know why he was being treated like that.

"Someone else's? It wasn't anyone else's, it was Krish, my baby. And don't act like you know everything, you have no idea. He took it away from us, and gave it to you, you were getting way too much attached to it." He snapped.

"And thus you thought that taking him away at one instance was the right idea? You couldn't ask him why he did that? You couldn't give him one benefit of doubt?" I asked him. I noticed Kartik was trying to get me away, he was trying to calm me down, pulling my shoulders with gentlest pressures.

"It wasn't that. He didn't tell us. He couldn't have known what would happen to you. Even I didn't know this would happen to you, and how could you ask me, it was my child, stolen away from me." He said. And I figured I didn't really have a counter for that. "I didn't know what would happen" He almost whispered and I pretended not to notice that, Kartik did the same to him.

It was then, just on instincts, I started packing my bag, and Kartik saw me for a second, and without a question proceeded to help.

"Now listen to me, you are not going anywhere. Not with him." Bhaiya shouted, "He would use you, and your condition, you cannot trust him." 

He came to me, and before I could even react, Kartik was there in front of me, holding him away, "Naksh just because I'm quiet, doesn't mean you cross all the boundaries, the woman beside me is my wife, and dare you touch her. I wouldn't be so calm in saying this again. Do. Not. Touch. Her." He said, with a voice, colder than ice.

"And to answer your question, Bhaiya, he is the only one I trust just at this moment. I cannot come to trust you, we would excuse ourself from your premises, until we can mutually trust each other back again" I replied

With that, both of us left. When in car, he asked me, "Where to now?" And I stared at him? He had a house right? Where we stayed before? So what was he asking exactly?

"I mean, you don't know people in Goenka Villa either. Are you are sure you want to go there." He answered staring at my incredulous face.

"I know you, and that is enough, for now" I replied. And it was. For once, it didn't feel all wrong, it didn't feel like an impending doom, it didn't feel misfit.

With him, it may not be perfect but it was Home.