Twinj: My Lifeline

Chapter 15

Hey guys!! Thank you all very much for all the love that this story has been receiving! I hope you guys actually like the story as much as you claim to. Happy reading!

Twinkle appreciated the amount of efforts her family had put in to make sure the ceremony would be perfect. They had evidently practised for hours to pull off those performances. She couldn't believe she would be going away the next day, leaving behind all that had been hers so far. She and Kunj were standing together, enjoying the show. Twinkle really wished she could get to dance with the prince of her dreams, but knew that would have to remain another unfulfilled wish like so many others that she had cast away owing to the equation between her and Kunj. As she watched a couple dance to a romantic medley, she imagined herself and Kunj in their place, both of them looking at each other with so much love that they forgot the rest of the world; she imagined him twirling her and pulling her close to him, whispering words of affection in her ears that she giggled at. She was jerked into the reality when the song stopped and the clapping began. She turned to look at Kunj, who seemed to be unaffected by it all. She sighed and then looked away, to catch Yuvi and Chinki watching them. She smiled awkwardly at them and turned away quickly, hoping they hadn't noticed anything.

Twinkle was seeing off the guests with Leela when Kunj came by, and pulled her away sneakily. Had it not been for him shushing her, she would definitely have screamed out loud. "What.." she began, and he completed it for her with a "..do you think you're doing?" She crossed her arms and gave him an uninterested look making him laugh. She finally gave in after a minute or so, and laughed along, setting aside the volcanic eruption of thoughts that was about to happen in her mind. "Alright, I needed to discuss something really important with you. That's why I did that, and your mother is now looking for you." He said, beginning very seriously, and then adding an observation he had just made as they stood hidden behind a pillar. Twinkle bent a little to see her mother looking around confusedly and giggled. When she turned back to Kunj, she saw him watching her in what she thought was a daze. She snapped her fingers in front of him, not giving her mind time to cook up another imaginary romantic situation right then. He seemed a little lost and told her he had forgotten what he actually needed to say, and would call her up if he remembered. He then left with his parents, who had been talking to Leela. Twinkle was left confused, not knowing what she had to make of that look in his eyes or his desperate attempts to cover it up when she caught him.

Twinkle changed into comfortable clothes and had been finishing whatever was left of her packing when Leela entered her room. "Ma? How come you haven't slept yet? Weren't you worried that we wouldn't be able to wake up early enough tomorrow?" Twinkle asked, zipping up her suitcase. She turned around when Leela didn't say anything, to find her sitting distraught on the bed. She rushed to her side immediately and held her hands in her own, looking at her carefully to make out what was wrong. Leela looked at her daughter with tear filled eyes, scaring Twinkle further. "There's something that you have all the rights to know, and I needed to tell you before you became their daughter-in-law, because then you'll be theirs, and I won't have any rights on you." Leela began speaking in a rush, when Twinkle stopped her by offering her a glass of water. "Ma, you need to know this. I'll always be your daughter, no matter what else I'll also be tomorrow. You'll always have the most rights over me, even more than myself. I love you, and I know you love me the most, so don't you ever think you can get rid of me!" Twinkle said, adding a "Don't know how long I'll actually live there anyways." mentally. She tried to speak as cheerfully as she could, since the emotions were actually getting a little too much for her to handle.

When Twinkle thought that Leela was ready to speak, she initiated the conversation that Leela had actually come there that night for. "What did Mrs. Sarna do that you had no other go than to agree for this alliance, Ma?" Leela gulped hard at that. How would she ever tell her daughter the truth, she wondered. Twinkle edged closer to her and cupped her mother's face. "I know that is what you've come to tell me, Ma. I've waited patiently so far too, but now I need to know the truth." Twinkle said. Leela was surprised for sure that Twinkle had guessed the purpose of her coming correctly, but she knew it was the moment of light. She had to reveal it to her right then. "Usha Ji..." Leela began hesitantly, and looked at Twinkle, who gave her an assuring nod. "She would snatch away the company, this house, everything if I hadn't agreed. She would have harmed you, she had said. Even if I would have somehow managed to save you, we would have been thrown to the streets mercilessly. This house, it was your father's dream. You are all I have, how could I have let her do something to you?" was all Leela managed to say before breaking down. Twinkle couldn't believe it; Usha had black mailed Leela to get Twinkle to marry her son, but why? She thought it was more important to convince Leela that she wasn't wrong right then than to ponder over her thoughts, so she did.

"She promised me she would take very good care of you, Twinkle. I know I did a horrible thing, but I was swayed away by the idea that this would give you a much better future than I could ever afford to. Usha Ji apologised repeatedly for having to force me into this, Twinkle. She just wanted the best for son, just like I wanted the best for you. I don't think you'll understand this right now, but she wasn't wrong either." Leela explained when she was able to control the havoc in her mind. Twinkle nodded, not knowing how else she could respond to that. Their attention was drawn to Twinkle's phone which began to ring right then. Leela smiled, a genuine smile, when she saw the screen read 'Kunj'. "The family actually adores you, Twinkle! Had I known you would be getting so much love there, I would have been the first to approach Usha Ji for this alliance. It's just that I had this burden of having made a deal out of your life on my heart, and I needed you to know the truth." She said, wiping away the tears that had streamed down Twinkle's cheeks. Twinkle immediately cut the call and got back to Leela, but in turn, Leela told her, "Pick the call. Don't ever avoid conversations. They are really important. Be honest always, Twinkle. I know the two of you aren't really ready for a husband-wife relationship right now, but I've seen your friendship. You should treasure it, that's what is going to grow into love." She then wished her a good night, and walked out, leaving her to attend her call.

Twinkle just stood there, watching cluelessly. "He won't fall in love with me, Ma! But I won't disappoint you either, I'll always try my best. Although I can never try to make this an actual marriage, I'll always treasure our friendship." Twinkle whispered, a fresh stream of tears rolling down her cheeks. When Kunj called her again, she did pick up. Surprisingly, he could make out just from her voice that she had been crying. "I need you to wipe away those tears and smile. Seriously. Else, I'm not going to speak to you at all." He said, and she had to agree. "I finally remembered what I wanted to speak to you about. Which side do you want?" He asked excitedly, but Twinkle found it strange. "Side of what?" She asked, earning a giggle. "The wardrobe, dumbo! What else did you think? Which side of me?" He teased in between his laughter, managing to make her giggle too. He sighed in relief, her laughter brought him a different kind of peace altogether, and he didn't know why.

But we know why, don't we? ;) Alright, that's it for now, guys. Big wedding episode coming up. Stay tuned. Lots of love!