Those last few days of her stay in the Mehra Mansion, when Pragya kept calling him "Abhishek" he indeed found it a bit off, but he never asked her why she did. He never sat down to even think that why he consciously never asked her for a reason. Then she left. True that he was a bit lost in his own house after she left, but he learnt to manage. The first few months were rough, he felt her absence now and again, but he knew she was happily teaching away in some distant land far away from all his tensions and a harrowing press. It eased his guilt somewhat, and then there was Tanu - jumping at every opportunity to be all over him. Then there was a lot of work going on, he had also bought that Media Company around that time, so work, family, friends and music had successfully taken Abhi's mind off Pragya. It was only about some ten months later, when Abhi had tried calling her (it was her birthday, and Abhi just wanted to wish her) that he realized she didn't use the same number anymore. He had even called the university, only to find out that she wasn't even working there anymore. A surprised Abhi had called up Purab to enquire. "Yeah bhai, she isn't there anymore. She is somewhere else." - There was a tone of finality in Purab's response, it almost felt like he silently made it clear that he wasn't going to entertain anymore questions about Pragya from Abhi. Abhi didn't push either. As long as she was fine, he didn't need to know more.

As time passed, chashmish moved to a silent corner of his brain. Abhi was still a humorous, brash and successful rockstar, he hadn't changed. Sometimes when he sat at his verandah to compose music, the couch never reminded him of Pragya. Her books were gone from their bedroom, but the shelf still remained, in fact now it flaunted his newly acquired trophies, but he never glanced at it longingly. Any given day, when he was introspecting, Pragya would never cross his mind. Yes, while going through family albums with daadi (daadi kept selecting photos from the albums, to frame and hang them in the hall) once in a while they would come across some photos of Pragya. Daadi would gently run her finger on the photos sighing and Abhi would simply smile if he remembered any funny incident he and chashmish shared before the photo was captured. Pragya Mehra was only restricted to Abhi's good memories, not beyond.

***

Abhi had failed to understand how exactly Aakash failed to join him in his press release today, when until morning he kept ranting about how important it was for them. As far as Abhi remembered, he was there until the thing started. He had got a call and he excused himself to take it. Then he just never returned. Abhi knew Aakash was very responsible, then why would he fail to show up? After the press release, he left the auditorium and was walking towards the lobby to enquire about him. That is when he saw him, and there was a crooked smile on his face. "Ah, finally he is over Rachna. A new girl in the block" he thought and walked up to them. He was leaving with her from the venue, when Abhi caught up with them.

"Ah I was wondering what was keeping Aakash my responsible manager cum brother away from such an important press release today, but now I guess I know. Only someone as stunning as you can manage the impossible my lady" he finished with the perfect smoothness and waited for the lady to turn back and get the biggest surprise of her life - a compliment from none other than the rockstar Abhi! He hoped she didn't faint! But when Aakash turned around, he looked anything but smug to have a lady such as her beside him - instead he was looking anxious? And maybe a little scared even. Abhi was wondering why, when the lady turned to face him - and it was in fact rockstar Abhi who got the biggest surprise of his life.

"If my taste in music had changed even the slightest bit to your favour, I would be a girl thrilled beyond my wit, at receiving such a compliment from the rockstar himself! But alas, I am no fan!" sniggered Pragya at a thunderstruck Abhi and then continued jovially, "How are you Abhishek?"

Abhi for the first time in his life was at a loss for words before a lady. He simply stared at her, making no effort to hide his shock at the sight of Pragya without glasses! It took him a mere fifteen seconds to just digest that there weren't any glasses! Before going ahead to notice that she had even put on a bare minimal eye makeup! She had let her loose curls fall freely down her back, only she had cropped her hair, it wasn't as long, it just crossed her shoulder by a bit. She was wearing a rich plum coloured V-neck casual day dress that went onto a few inches above her knees and to compliment that she wore a pair of stilettoes.

"Pragya?"

"Yeah"

"Pragya Arora?"

"Yes"

"Pragya Sarla Arora?"

"Umm no. Just Pragya Arora" laughed Pragya

"How are you? How have you been? Where have you been? And what are you doing here and you have CHANGED SO MUCH?" Abhi couldn't stop himself. Who thought walking out of a press release, he would bump onto his ex-wife who changed from a submissive and average looking housewife to an eye fluttering almost diva! To think she is a professor! Beauty with brains! Abhi found himself pitying Pragya's male colleagues at work. Focusing on research around her must be difficult for them.

"I am doing great Abhishek, and seems like you are good too. I am sorry I have to rush now, actually Bulbul is in labour and I need to be at the hospital you know. Please excuse me for now?" replied Pragya warmly.

"Oh! Bulbul's in labour and Purab never told me? Fine, I will go with you guys too if you don't mind Pragya? And instead of postponing our catching up, we can do it in the car?"

"Sure"

As they all got into the car and drove towards City Hospital, Aakash was mentally making a rough draft of his will. Once he reached the hospital and faced Purab, he might not get the chance he thought.

"So Abhishek, how are everyone at home?" asked Pragya turning towards Abhi.

"Please call me Abhi! And they are all fine. Daadi's health falters once in a while, but mostly she is fine too."

"Oh and there is an addition to the house members now"

"Tanu?" smiled Pragya

"No, Chameli."

She had vaguely heard somewhere that rockstar Abhi and supermodel Tanu's relationship were on the rocks. Raghav had mentioned. So did they break up and he got married to this woman named Chameli, thought Pragya.

"Chameli, your wife?"

"No, Robin's wife. He got married recently" chuckeld Abhi.

They caught each other's eyes for a second and both burst out laughing. Bless Robin and his Chameli she thought.

"Pragya you must come and see daadi sometime. She would love to see you"

Pragya's main reason for not coming to India was she didn't want to mingle with the Mehra family. She knew she had moved on, but she was too reluctant to even check if she could comfortably be around them. In all probability she could, but what if she couldn't? But today sitting next to Abhi casually and chatting like he was an old friend, with her heart doing nothing out of ordinary, she realized she had broken that last thread too. She heard herself saying, she would love to go and visit daadi once more.

***

When Aakash, Pragya and Abhi entered the hospital, precisely in the order of their names, the word "SHOCK" was tattooed across the faces of all her family members sitting outside Bulbul's labour room. Sarla forgot to hug her daughter after seeing her in Mumbai after so long. If by the power of vision one could kill, Purab was trying just that on Aakash. Only her daadi ignored everything else and went ahead to hug Pragya and welcome her.

"Aakash I thought you were going to ensure di and bhai never met!" hissed Purab, after pulling Aakash to a corner.

"Purab, I tried my level best, but bhai saw us just when we were leaving the hotel and ever since then they are inseparable like Raj and Howard! And honestly Purab, they are doing pretty great, you needn't worry."

Purab turned around to see Abhi waiting along with his family while Sarla finally broke from her trance and was hugging and welcoming Pragya home.

A few hours later, the doctor announced that Bulbul had given birth to a baby girl. They were all ecstatic and while hugging their family around, Abhi and Pragya hugged each other after four long years. Pragya was surprised to feel so extraordinarily ordinary while hugging him - but she felt happy at the same time for finally being able to easily accept Abhi as a friend and nothing more.

When they all went to visit Bulbul, they were congratulating the new parents and talking about the baby. Rockstar daadi was teasing that Bulbul's baby had taken after her naani, hence she was so chubby. Everyone laughed at that.

"See Purab! I had thought of the perfect nick name for her! Golu!" cheered Pragya, which was followed by a round of "naahhh", a typical scenario during fixing a name. Each name had shippers and haters. Many names were up for voting.

"Junior" suggested Purab

"Chotu" smile Bulbul

"Motu" laughed daadi

"Golu" piped Pragya again.

"If we are playing with her chubbiness, then why not..." but before Abhi could complete, Pragya knew and she completed on his behalf "Fuggy!" and to that they both laughed uncontrollably.

***

In the next few days, Pragya was busy taking care of Bulbul in the hospital along with her mother and daadi, when scores of relatives and well-wisher's dropped by to congratulate them. Once discharged, Bulbul was brought home with little fuggy, and they had a nice family dinner. Since fuggy needed feeding in every two hours, Pragya was sleeping with Bulbul and fuggy at night, to help Bulbul wake up and get used to the timings. Once fuggy was asleep, Bulbul and Pragya finally had the much needed time to catch up with each other. Bulbul told Pragya how deeply happy she was that for her daughter Pragya had made such an exception and come to Mumbai. Pragya had just smiled. However Bulbul had noticed the casual vibes that came off from Abhi and her di, she needed to know.

"Di, you and Abhi ji-sorry, Abhi - are you both really getting along that well? Di, if it hurts you one bit even, I will talk Abhi into not visiting us. You don't have to put up a faade for us"

"No Bulbul, we really are quite okay in each other's' presence. Honestly Bulbul, I always knew I had moved on and Abhi could now be an acquaintance for me, but even I didn't realize we could be almost friends. And the thing is, it is no faade, I am not hurt anymore Bulbul, Abhi ceases to have a hold on me"

Bulbul was glad to know that. With Abhi and her di's equation improving, she knew there wouldn't be any awkwardness around. And if he had no hold over her at all, maybe she could find out if anyone else had.

"Di, is there anyone else in your life? Any new knight in shining armour" giggled Bulbul like a teenager, reminding Pragya of their earlier days.

"Dhat badmaash! No there is no one there" Pragya spoke abruptly to look at a disappointed Bulbul. But she didn't notice. Her thoughts had drifted far, to the States, where a certain gentleman is probably sitting and watching the news now. He will keep an eye on the Indian news too now since she was here. Pragya smiled and turned to look at her sole confidant for life before she continued.

"Actually Bulbul, there sort of is, a certain someone, I want to talk to you about. His name is Raghav"

Bulbul smiled at the revelation. When her di herself accepted that there was someone in her life, it wouldn't be that difficult to make her talk. She probed, "Raghav. Not bad di! But is this that Raghav? Your colleague? The one we met last time for that birthday dinner, when Purab and I had come to visit you?"

"Yes, him. Raghav. Raghav Chopra. He is the department head of Mathematical Economics at Stanford"

"But di, when I asked you last time, after that party, that if there was something you had denied nah?"

"Yes Bulbul, because there truly was nothing. In fact there still is nothing between us. He had told me that he had feelings for me, a long time back, but intends to do nothing about it. And I have always considered him as someone I was close to."

"Di, would you say, he is someone you can tentatively have a future with?"

"Oh No Bulbul! I have no such plans. I am happy in my space. I have no wish of settling down with anyone. It's just that you wanted to know if there was someone special in my life, and I thought, not mentioning him would be lying."

***

Things were going well. The family had accepted Abhi and Pragya's friendly behaviour with each other. Abhi would drop by as casually as he did, when Pragya wasn't around. Oneday Abhi needed to go for a recording in Pune and he knew Pragya loved CadB's (A Pune Speciality - a cross between a thick chocolate shake and a mousse), so he had asked her to join him. Though her mother was a bit reluctant, Pragya agreed to join him and to distress her mother, she got Purvi along with them. Abhi didn't seem to mind Purvi coming with them. But just when they were about to touch the highway, Purvi got a call from work and she urgently needed to be in for the day. A disappointed Purvi left, and Abhi and Pragya continued.

They had a series of light banters all through the journey. They laughed freely and spoke openly. After the recording, with a stomach full of CadB, they both started off for Mumbai. On their way back, close to Khandala, when the sun was setting, it was so beautiful that Pragya decided to stop the car a little off the highway and enjoy the sunset before continuing. They were standing while their back rested on the car. It was beautiful. So serene.

"Pragya let's go now! I have to drop you off before your mother decides to put me in the bar for having you kidnapped!"

"Uff Abhi, nothing like that will happen! And why are you always in a hurry. Can't you stop by from life for a few minutes and enjoy nature?"

"Not when I have an ex-wife to drop home to an over anxious ex-mother-in-law and then go ahead and meet another candidate from my daadi's forever long list of eligible Mehra Bahu's!" replied Abhi slightly amused. Pragya laughed.

"So, daadi have taken full charge again? And you are playing along one more time?"

"Yes and No. Daadi has taken full charge. And I am not playing along this time."

"So you are finally ready to actually marry from daadi'd choice of girls?" asked Pragya surprised.

"Yes, provided, I like her too. I kept that clearly before her this time. And she agreed. And the good part is, so far, I haven't met one I like" chuckled Abhi.

"Wow that's great Abhi. Congratulations! And well who knows? Maybe today will be your lucky day you may find the girl of your choce!" wished Pragya heartily. She felt happy for daadi and Abhi both. But she was intrigued of the change in Abhi.

"Abhi, how is it that you agreed to marry by daadi's choice? I mean your choice is quite different isn't it?"

"Stayed with people of my choice. Turns out they don't rub the right way." Replied Abhi curtly.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have - I know - I read somewhere about you and Tanu - But if it was so mutual, then why do you sound so bitter?"

Abhi took a deep breath. It was time for a confession, something he hadn't shared with anyone, because it felt deeply personal.

"Pragya, whatever reason you read wasn't the main reason for our breakup. I haven't told anyone about it until now but ---"

"Then don't tell me either. Let's go back to the car." Suddenly Pragya found herself shutting up again. It was one thing that she was friends with Abhi. But to be his secret keeper? That required a deeper bond, and she was not sure she wanted that attachment with him anymore.

"Please Pragya let me say this. I have been hiding this pain inside me for too long" Abhi whispered. Pragya just stayed still. Seeing her quietness, Abhi continued.

"Pragya, Tanu was pregnant with my child when she got her first film offer. When we came to know of her pregnancy, I was delighted, I wanted to marry her at the earliest. That was when she got the offer. And - and she aborted our child for her first ever break in the silver screen." Finished Abhi with a huge sigh. Pragya had turned into a stone hearing this confession. She shuddered to think of Tanu's act and Abhi's pain. She just patted Abhi on the shoulder for a bit and breathed out deeply.

"So Pragya, what's your story? Any new love interest?" asked Abhi with a dimpled smile. Pragya could see how much he had hardened. He had exposed himself before her for just one moment, and now he was back to his shielded self.

"Yes, just one"

"Wow Pragya! Awesome! Any name taking here?"

"Yes - Life" smiled Pragya

"Jeez chashmish! Such a clich you are!"

***

It had been sometime now, half her vacation was over. Pragya realized, she should have met Abhi's daadi earlier, but with little fuggy around that didn't happen. The time when daadi had come to visit fuggy, she wasn't at home. Now she decided to visit her today. She spent a beautiful evening with daadi. Abhi's daadi was ever so happy to be seeing her. But she felt her Pragya looked a bit incomplete. She had come to visit her in one of her old monochrome pale blue anarkali suits. But there was something missing daadi felt - other than her specs. Then she realized it was the lack of kumkum and mangalsutra that she wore in Abhi's name, that made her look incomplete in daadi's eyes. Abhi wasn't around when Pragya went to meet daadi, hence while chatting with daadi, she had revealed a lot to her about the Mehra's.

Daadi had mentioned that Aaliyah was now fully taking care of Abhi's Music Company. It took so much away from her to move on without Purab, that emotions had taken a backseat in her life. She always buried herself in work, such that she didn't have time to acknowledge any other thoughts. Wasn't that exactly what Pragya had done too? She wished even Aaliyah would finally find the peace she had found for herself. Similarly daadi told her the version of Abhi and Tanu's break up he told daai - after Pragya's departure, when the press didn't find Pragya to grind, the news coverage raged on with a new theme. They printed news of supermodel Tanu being the cause of rockstar Abhi and his wife's divorce. This increased her media presence by manifold, and soon she got her first movie break. With increase in work and limelight, once again her and Abhi's relationship seemed to take a backseat for her, and in due course of time, almost three and a half years back, the relationship fell apart. She even leant that the older daasi had passed away due to old age, some three years back and Indu daasi had moved back to Ludhiana after the demise of her son-in-law, to be with her daughter. Daadi had even shared her grief of Pragya and Abhi's marriage not working out, and apologetically told her that she has been looking for bahu again. Somewhere hoping Pragya would decide to return, but also somewhere she knew, it wasn't going to happen.

All this news from daadi's visit had muddled Pragya. She was away for four years and nothing had changed so drastically in her life in the last four years. But back here in Mumbai, these four years seemed to have changed and altered the course of many lives - strengthening people like Aaliyah ad Abhi and marring people like baadi daasi and Indu daasi's son-in-law. Or maybe there drastic changes in her life too, only she never had a close one near her to point. For ma, Bukbul and Purab, the changes were gradual and hence they didn't mention it to her - but she had noticed her change in Aakash and Abhi's eyes that evening she landed in Mumbai. While she was lost in her own thoughts, sitting next to the sleeping form of fuggy, her phone rang.

"Hey! Why are you up at this hour? Isnt it around 2 a.m. there?"

"Hi Pragya! No, actually it is around 4pm here."

"Where are you Raghav?"

"New Delhi."