<|| Udd Chala. ||>

|| Part Two of Three. ||

Mishti glanced towards the lake & a sigh of overwhelming relief came over her when she recognised the familiar body structure sitting on the bench, his back to her as he rested his elbows on his knees & his bag on the floor, beside him.

She slowly made her way over towards him. Not wanting to disturb him as he was clearly lost in his thoughts. She covered his eyes with her hands & gently leaned down to rest her cheek on his. "Mishti" his voice strained, he was clearly in deep turmoil. She felt his eyes moist underneath her fingers so she took her hands away & made her way around the bench, sitting down beside him & staring at the burrowing of his eyebrows. Her anger at his inability to return her phone calls & his decision to disappear all vanished when she saw how troubled he was.

Her heart ached seeing him like this so she took his hand in hers & squeezed it gently. She waited for him to speak. She wasn't going to talk. She wasn't going to say anything. She was just going to listen. "I'm sorry." he managed, staring into her eyes before taking her cheek with his free hand. "I'm sorry I can't seem to do anything. I promised you that I'd protect you. But I froze"
"It doesn't matter, Abeer"
"It does matter!" he exclaimed. "what's the point in making promises to you, if I can't keep them?" He said & she took his hand in her own again.
"You've always kept your promises" She reminded him, tilting her head slightly. "You'll keep this one too. I know you will."
"I just don't know what it is!" he exclaimed, taking his hands away & resting his head in his hands. "Every time Kunal says something to you or about you, I try to oppose him but..."
"But you can't." She said & he turned his head slightly towards her. "I'm not mad" she shrugged
"But, the other day..." he said slowly
"Yeah, the other day I was mad because you hid it from me." She said & he looked down at his hands, recalling the look on her face when she walked away from him that night. Both times. "But then I realised" she began & he looked up at her again. "I realised that he's not just your brother. Ever since your baba left, he's been like your son." She told him & his facial expression said he was trying to register what she said as he sat up to face her. "It's true Abeer. You've become this father figure for him & like a father, a real father" she reminded him, not to confuse her father with anyone. "like Bade Papa, he will go to any lengths to protect me, because he loves me. But Abeer" she said, taking both of his hands in hers. "Bade Papa would never stand back & support me if I've done something wrong, he will always, always take me aside & tell me that I've made a mistake. But he will do it with love."
"How do I do that Mishti?" He asked her desperately, he was at his wit's end. He didn't know what to do anymore.
"What was it you said to me when you came & got me from the airport? Nafrat chahe kiitni bhi badi kyun na ho. Usse pyaar ke aage ghutne tekne hi parte hain."
"I've tried to explain to him Mishti, with love. But he just doesn't want to listen! Maa..." he began but Mishti cut him off.
"Then what do you suggest? Disappearing & leaving me?" She asked & he looked up, noticing the cheeky glint in her eyes. She wasn't taunting him. She was teasing him.
"I was never going to leave you. I was going to call you & take you with me" he smiled & she folded her arms, sitting back.
"Leave it. You can't even answer my calls & you want me to up & leave with you!" She scoffed & he smiled, sitting back with her & placing an arm around her so she nestled into his chest, resting her head on his torso & wrapping her arms around him.

"Sorry." He said & kissed the top of her head. She looked up to meet his gaze.
"I'll forgive you this time but next time you ignore my calls, I'll come here & throw your phone in this lake!" She told him, pointing in front of them so he chuckled.
"It won't happen again, Angry Chorni. I promise"
"Good." She said & rested back into his arms. "So" She began carefully. "What have you thought?" She asked & he took a sharp intake of breath.
"I'm not sure..." he sighed. "I don't know what the right thing to do is."

"Abeer" she looked up at him slowly & he met her gaze, he read the look in her eyes.
"No Mishti" he warned her. He knew exactly where she was going. "You're not signing it. I don't care."
"Abeer, if it reassures Kunal then why not?"
"Mishti, I'm not spending my life reassuring every single person of our love. No."
"Then what other option do we have?" She asked & he sighed, releasing her from his arms & taking her hands in his.
"Mishti..." he began.

"Abeer. No" Now it was her turn to warn him. Because she knew where he was going. "We're not moving out."
"Mishti, please, you, me & Baba..."
"No Abeer, We spoke about this. We agreed"
"Yes, but that was before all this happened!"
"It doesn't matter. We'll never be happy being away from everyone. From Naanu, from Maama-Maami, Ketki, Atul, Jugnu Bhaiyya, even your mum & Kunal." She listed everyone in tat house. "Could you really see yourself happy being away from them? Truly?" She asked & he sighed.
"No, but if we don't then they'll keep finding reasons to break us apart"
"& we'll let them?" She challenged him. "Are we that weak?"
"Of course not" He sighed. "I just don't want to live with that constant threat over our heads. I want our chota sa, simple sa, bohat khoobsurat sa ghar"
"I know you do" She smiled, putting her hand on his cheek as she recalled him describing the painting he made of her. "& we can still have that, with everyone else"
"No Mishti. We won't live there. You, me & Baba. We'll go somewhere else"

"Ajeeb Rajvansh!" She sat back, her arms at her side. "First you tell Bade Papa that you want me to be stubborn & when I'm trying to be stubborn, you're overly stubborn!" She scoffed, making him chuckle.
"I didn't realise you'd be this stubborn, did I!?"
"I've had practice" She shrugged, looking up at him.
"Please, at least think about what I'm saying"
"Only if you promise to think about what I said"
"Deal" He told her & opened his arms for a hug, to which she obliged.

They both sat there, on the bench, staring out at the lake, just enjoying the silence & the beautiful moment between them.