45. Cleared Misunderstandings

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Aryaman returned to the palace to see Maitri packing her things without any excitement.

"Am going for the rounds, you want to come?" He asked her, wearing his Rolex watch. Maitri nodded her head and ran to get her things. A chauffer drove them around the city as Aryaman interacted with different shopkeepers while Maitri pretended to be happy for his sake when from within, she just wanted to pull him to her and ask him to stop her from going. She smiled all her way to home for him, but he didn't look at her even once.

Aryaman and Maitri returned to the palace. Maitri dreaded every minute as the palace was approached.

"Please stop the car"

"We are almost there" The driver replied. She nodded her head and removed her heavy necklace and earrings with shaking heads. Aryaman opened the door as it came to an halt and strode inside the palace. Maitri hurried behind him.

"Maan" She screamed his name repeatedly as he walked away quickly. She stood in the large hall screaming his name.

"Can't we go to USA together, without ending this relation?" She asked breathing in deeply. He ignored her and continued walking upstairs.

"Do you know why I fell in love with you?" She asked as tears slid down her cheeks. Her question made him stop of the stairs.

"Because I thought that Aryaman Rishav Ranawat is the only man who understands Maitri Rathore more than understands herself" She took small steps towards him. He turned around to look at her.

"You know that its true" He said in a small voice.

"If its true then why did you ask me to choose between you and my dreams? Maan, I married you on the condition that you'd allow me to live my dreams then why did you make me choose? I believed in your promise Maan...blindly. I believed in all your promises because I love you Maan" She stood there as more tears flowed from her eyes.

"I was hurt when you broke that promise because you made my fear come true i.e that there's no difference between you and other men. Maan... probably you forgot but let me remind you, am not Maitri Rathore anymore I am Maitri Aryaman Ranawat, your wife, and you had said your Queen would never have to choose between anything then how did you present a scenario in which I would have to choose between 2 choices" She tried to keep her tears at bay as she explained to him. Aryaman turned around to go to his room to understand the situation he created for her.

"I won't go to USA" She said crying hysterically. Aryaman stopped and looked at her.

"I don't want to go to USA if not with you. I will only go if you are coming and when you say we can go. I can't live without you" More tears followed as she looked at him helplessly.

"You had drawn a line between us right, see I've crossed it and am on your side" She showed him the imaginary line between them and stepped on to his side.

"Why can't you live without me?" Aryaman asked her crossing his arms at his chest. Remaining of the family members looked at them silently, not interfering in their moment.

"Because I love you, more than myself, more than my dream and more than my self-respect" Maitri locked her gaze with him as she took small steps towards him.

"So you will leave your stubborness of USA?" He took a step towards her.

"Yes" It took her alot of courage to say the word but if it meant choosing him at the end she was ready to gamble it.

"Okay" Aryaman turned around and walked away to the room. Maitri looked at Kaira and Rishav crying hysterically.

"Throw some tantrums dear, that's when he will understand" Rishav wiped Maitri's tears and asked her to go behind him. She entered the room to see him standing in the balcony. Taking a deep breathe she went and stood beside him.

"You are ready to sacrifice your dreams for me?" He asked not looking at her.

"As long as I have you by my side I don't regret it" She said looking at him.

"Why were you stubborn about it in the first place?" He asked her. She chuckled and looked at the garden below them.

"Because I... doesn't matter anymore" She said smiling sadly, praying to her stars that her mother's history never repeats with her.

"My Queen never has to fear Maitri Aryaman Ranawat" Aryaman pulled her to himself and caged her between himself and the railing, making her look into his eyes.

"Am not like your father Maitri. Our children will never have to go through what you had to go through. They will live their lives on their terms without excess responsibilities and pressure, the way me, Avi and Aaru lived" He cupped her face and wiped the tears that were flowing.

"I know Maan but I can't help but be scared about it. I've tried...alot but it didn't work. It is a fear that is instilled in me for ever since I started understanding things. I didn't even want to get married but after going to USA I saw that not all couples are like my parents, some are like your parents too, who love each other, respect each other are always there for each other. Maan...I've never seen papa be there for mumma. I didn't believe in love until I went to USA, talked to new people, understood their dynamics of relations. I slowly adapted to new thinking and probably with time maybe even this fear will go" She said hugging him tightly, fearing he will walk away from her like all the other times.

"Why were you against of us going?" She asked still hugging him tightly.

"I was scared that you'll forget me once we go there. You will get so busy in setting up your business that I'll get side tracked" He hugged her with more force.

"You really think I'll forget you Maan? You are my pillar of strength, my home, my comfortable space" She looked up at him as more tears flowed down her cheek.

"Maan aap hai toh main hoon. Aapke saath rehke maine pyaar karna sikha, pyaar jatana sikha, aapne kaise hote hai yeh seekha, aur aap keh rahe hai main aapko bhool jaati. Where's a bat so I can hit you with it so your brain functions the way it is supposed to" She broke the hug and looked around for something to hit him.

"Mayu" He tried holding her but she way angry on him.

"Don't Mayu me right now. I kept thinking that you turned out to be like dad and here you are doubting my love for you" She punched his stomach which didn't hurt him even the slightest.

"I really thought you'll forget me once we go there" He said trying to hold her hands and hugged her.

"You know what, I'll tear those damn tickets. Where are they?" She broke the hug around moved inside the room to look for those papers.

"Its too late Maitri" Aryaman said following her inside. She turned and looked at him with hurt.

"You... Where are they? Papaaa Maaa" She looked at Aryaman angrily and walked out of the room into Rishav and Kaira's room who looked at her worriedly.

"I told your son that I don't want to go away from him and he has hid my tickets and isn't giving them to me so I can tear them." She said hugging Kaira as she cried hysterically. Rishav and Kaira looked at Aryaman who looked at Maitri with a smile.

"Arya now its getting enough" Rishav looked at him shocked and in anger. Aryaman gave the envelope to him and asked him to open. Once he opened even he started smiling and passed them to Kaira who also smiled and gave it to Maitri to have a look at it.

"See ma, I told him am not going anywhere without him and he is roaming with my tickets with him" She sat down on the floor and sobbed loudly.

"Arey duffer read it fully" Kaira hit her head with the papers and asked her to read again.

"We both are going to USA?" She asked after reading the papers and looked at Aryaman. He nodded his head.

"You aren't angry at me?" She wiped her tears and asked. He refused and opened his arms for her. She didn't waste a second and hugged him by throwing herself in his arms.

"Go romance in your own rooms, leave mine alone so I can romance with my wife" Rishav said smiling, happy that the differences. they had were finally cleared.

"I was thinking of sleeping with ma tonight"

"Woah woah woah no. You have your wife to sleep with, go sleep with her, leave mine to me" Rishav said pushing both of them out of his room as Kaira and Maitri laughed seeing Aryaman and Rishav banter.