Yuvaan
"What is the status of the case?" I asked.
"Sir, it's almost ready, but, Nishtha ma'am might need to come to the court to give her testimony."
"No. She will not do that."
"Sir, that will strengthen the case."
"I know, but I don't want her going in the public eye. If she wants to give her testimony, then I would say that she can write it down, that's the only way. I don't want her to go there."
"Alright Sir."
I drove back home after my meetings were done and I quickly got a bunch of flowers for Nishu. I got home and saw my family sitting in a confused state. These all!
"What is going on?" I asked casually.
"Yuvaan," Maa said, "What is going on? Why did Bua's case get into public even when you told us you wouldn't be doing that?"
"Because she deserves it. As simple as that. You didn't think I would just let her go without giving her a taste of the public humiliation that she gave Nishu. I'm not letting this go."
"Yuvaan, does Nishtha want this?"
"I know what Nishtha wants, she wants this all to be over, but I also know that she wants the respect that she lost - and that's exactly what I'm going to give back to her."
"I hope you know what you're doing."
"I do, Mom. Now, where is my wife?"
"She'sâ"
"Right here." Dad said, walking in with her.
We turned and they looked like they were coming back from somewhere. Strange.
"Where were you all?" I asked them.
"Well, we needed to meet the venue, ready for Vamika's engagement."
"I see, and?"
"Well, it's all sorted. The engagement is in 3 days and the Sood's are also aware of it. We need to start shopping."
"I agree. Where is Vamika?"
"She's upstairs. I'll text her to start getting ready. Nishtha, do you want to join us for shopping?"
"Aunty... I... I have work to do."
Mom looked around, then back at Nishu, "Who are you talking to? Which Aunty?"
Nishtha gave a small smile and looked down, "I meant Maa."
"That's better."
Within 30 minutes, everyone left, leaving only Nishtha and I at home. I walked towards her room, "Hi Nishu."
She glared at me and went back to ignoring.
"Nishu..." I sat next to her. She moved away but I caught her arm, "Why do you run away?"
"I believe you don't need an answer for that."
"Nishu, I'm ready to spend the rest of my life apologizing to you, but can you try to forgive me?"
She stood up, anger glaring in her eyes.
I got up, "D...Did I say something wrong?"
She came towards me with anger in her eyes, "Something wrong?! Did you say something wrong?! Yuvaan you were the first guy in my life and I gave you my... my everything. I didn't once think. I loved you so much, heck I still loved you even after we got married when you went off cheating on me. I always only wanted one thing. TRUST. You can't trust me. You don't know how to respect or trust me. I don't know how you found out about my partial coma and my other things but they're not for you to know so back off and forget about it."
"I can't just forget it Nishtha."
"We'll learn to. Just like you conveniently forgot about me after your lovely Bua shamed me in front of everyone publicly."
I grabbed her hand and pulled her close, "You really think I forgot about you?! Nish, you're the love of my life, you really think I forgot about you?!"
"Oh please! the love of your life? who are you fooling Mr Nanda? I was NEVER the love of your life. You never thought anything of me. I don't even trust your words, everything feels like a lie."
She was crushing me by her words.
"Why would you say that? I meant everything I said after I found out about..."
"What about before that?! What about the 3 years that we were together?! Did you mean anything then? Or was that all a lie?!" She yelled.
"It meant everything!" I yelled back, desperate to make her understand me, "I'm sorry about all that happened, but Nishu I meant everything that I said and did after I found out and our relationship, our 3 year long relationship, it meant the world to me."
"Sure it did, that's why you threw me away the second you could, before and now." She yelled.
"Nishtha I said I'm sorry. I know my approach was wrong, and I have no justification, except that I really didn't know what I was doing when I was 22, and now, when I'm 26, the audio file looked a bit too convincing and I didn't want to yell or snap more at you and that's why Iâ"
"That's why you threw me away the same way you did before you could have asked me. Here, IÂ thought that this time you might hear me out and you might think about me, but no. How can I forget? You're still your Bua's nephew."
She was hurting me.
But, I deserve it.
"Nishtha...." I said, "I'm sorry. I have no excuse and I won't sit and make one. I won't defend myself but please hear me out. I really messed up and I know that. I'm trying to fix things and I will, give me time."
She stood up and came near me, anger sparking in her eyes, as she yelled, "Fix things?! If you break a glass na Yuvaan, it can't be fixed. What you broke wasn't just my heart, it was me. It was me as a whole. YOU CAN'T FIX IT."
"I... I will." I said, I felt tears in my eyes, "I will fix you, I'll fix us Nishtha. I'll make us better, I'll make you smile agaiâ"
"SHUT UP." She yelled, "SHUT UP. Don't give me all these meaningless words. I don't want you to fix anything - because I don't want my wounds fixed by the one who broke them. You don't need to taste the whole sea to know it's bitter. I'm good without you."
"You're my wife Nishtha. I... I can't justâ"
"When have you ever been my husband? For me to be your wife? The relationship between a wife and a husband is more than just calling each other that, Yuvaan! You don't know what being married is, because the whole bloody reason you married me was to fix your playboy image."
She's so wrong about that. But, I can't tell her the truth. I froze, hearing her. Nishtha hadn't ever lashed out. I'm glad she did but, it hurt me what she was saying.
"Nishtha, Iâ"
"I'm sorry Mr Nanda, but I'm not falling for this or you again, I'm done. So, let's just stick to this formality of the relationship till it lasts and then we divorce and go our own ways."
That broke me. No.
She can't walk away from me. She can't leave me, she can't just.... She can't go.
"No. Nishtha." I said, holding her hand, "No. I'm not letting you go, you're not leaving me. We are coming back, we're not leaving."
"I'm not leaving you? Yuvaan, we left long back. There's no us, Yuvaan."
There's no us.
The Nishtha I knew could never say that.
"There was and always will be an us. You can do whatever you want, but, I'm not letting you go. I can't let you go, I made that mistake once and I won't make it again, please give me a chance Nishu, please don't do this."
"Stop it. Just stop it. I don't want to argue with you. I don't even want to talk to you, please just leave me alone and do whatever you want."
"Nishtha, my sister is getting married, we Ned to be on talking terms." I can't believe I was using Vamika as a way to make her talk to me.
"I never denied that, I'll be there for Vamika and your parents. You don't need to worry about that."
"Nishtha," I grabbed her waist, "Please baby, all I'm asking for is one chance. Last." I caressed her face. I could see her eyes shifting away from me, I caught her chin lightly and made her look at me. I saw tears in her eyes, but she instantly looked away, "Nishu, please look at me."
She didn't. As expected. I trailed my arm up her arm and cupped her face. I felt her breath get uneven.
I still have an effect on her.
"Nishu, you know I still affect you." I whispered, as I came closer to her, carefully pulling myself in the crook of her neck.
"You don't affect me." She tried to speak. I could feel her trying to push me away, but her body went against her instantly, "Go, Yuvaan."
"I can't, baby." I whispered against her neck, "I found my addiction, this scent.... For the last 4 years, I've missed your lavender scent. I got it back, I can't leave it now. You're an addiction that just doesn't leave."
"Go." She whispered. I looked at her, pulling her close, slowly bringing her face towards mine. I saw her eyes look around. She's nervous, but she doesn't need to be. I cupped her face, my other hand still around her waist. I slowly came in closer, until she looked at me then suddenly, her eyes widened and she pulled away, pushing me far.
"Nishtha..." I tried to speak, but she looked at me with tears in her eyes and then walked out of the room, leaving me in tears I was hiding.
â¨