KYA HUA?

Prachi woke up in the morning to see her favorite face looking at her with a warm smile, and an involuntary small smile tugged its way on her's too. 

"Good morning." She rasped and the smile on Ranbir's face turned into a full-blown grin. 

For a moment Prachi looked at him. More like stared. As if waiting for him to disappear in thin air. This had happened quite a few times. Her waking up to see him looking at her. Smiling. Grinning. Only to blink and come in contact with her cold, quirky, empty surrounding.

"As someone who's an early bird, like yourself, this wouldn't be considered as a morning, Chikchiki." Ranbir chuckled, glancing at the watch on his wrist. As a response, she only let out a strangled breath she held onto. Her smile widened to an extent that hasn't been reached in months.

"What time is it?" Prachi asked, looking to the large window in hopes to get some idea from the lighting provided by the sun. 

"A little after ten," Ranbir answered, amused, "Do you want some water?" he asked genuinely and Prachi looked at him nodding softly. 

He straightened her, helping her sit with the help of some pillows behind her back, before handing her the water glass, letting her guide it this time, but still refusing to let go completely. As she looked around, she saw that the number of the machines attached to her had decreased to almost zero. The only needle attached to her was the saline drip, that too, as she could see, left less than half. Which should end by the next hour.

"The doctor came to check on you while you were asleep," He informed when he saw her looking at her pint. 

"There wasn't any need to wake you up, so they didn't." He added, taking her unpinned hand in his, softly running a thumb on her skin. And for a fleeting moment, she felt like he too was assuring himself that she really was there.

"They were here too." 

Prachi doubted that she heard a bit of hesitation in his voice, but her own pounding heart drowned it.

"Who?" She asked, even though she had a fairly clear indication of whom it may refer to.

"Umm." 

"Who?" Prachi asked much pressingly.

"Everyone?" Ranbir answered, his tone questioning, tiptoeing around her emotion hurricane.

Everyone. Everyone was here. While she slept. While she couldn't even feel them. 

Not that she could feel their support while she was in her senses.

"They, they were here?" Prachi asked, happiness glimmering in her eye.

"Yes, they were," Ranbir answered, slightly taken aback by Prachi's sudden surge of happiness. 

He had expected her to be indifferent, or Angry at them for everything they did to her, or any other emotion. Anything but this. 

"Chief, Purab chucks, Pragya aunty, Aryan, Mom, Dad. And even Dida." He informed her and observed as her smile grew bigger with each name he took. "Chief was telling that Dasi was so adamant to come and see you that she refused to eat anything unless they bring her here to see herself if you were alright."

"Then?" Prachi asked with childlike curiosity, eyes wide.

Ranbir chuckled, "Then they video called her, showed her that you were asleep, that is when she finally relaxed."

"Where is Shahana?" Prachi frowned. There was no way that she would not have visited her, if not been right by her side the whole time.

Ranbir was about to make any excuse, deciding not to tell her about the incidents that took place with Shahana in fear of giving her restlessness. But the faint voices from the hallway attracted their attention. The talking voices grew consistently. And as soon as they were outside the door, it was clear that it wasn't talking. 

It was, in the scarcity of any better word, bickering.

"I still insist, let me call a nurse for the wheelchair."

"Shut up, I'm just a little weak, not paralyzed."

"You are not just a little weak, you are too weak, that's why you swayed about twice on your way here, and that speaks tons given that your room is at the other end of the corridor."

"Okay okay, but we are already here, what's the need of it now?"

The response was only a grunt before the door opened and Prachi met with the answer to her question. There stood Shahana, peeking in the room and smiling brightly when her eyes met with Prachi. 

"Is she awake?" Whispered Aryan from somewhere behind Shahana.

Prachi giggled before replying herself. "Yes, 'she' is awake. There is no point in whispering now. Your catfight would have awakened Kumbhkarana himself, what is a little medicine induced sleep for you two?"

Shahana entered, followed by Aryan who followed her with apt attentiveness. Eyeing her every step with a sharp focus.

"Why are you looking at her like this? And Shahana what happened to your head?" Prachi asked, her voice dripping with concern. She tried to get up, hoping that it may make her seem more strong as she demanded answers. 

Ranbir hurried to her side, holding her as she jerked up. Their concentration from the other girl dispersed for merely a second and that turned out to be as disastrous as a toddler left unsupervised in a candy store.

Prachi flinched as the sound of clattering echoed through the room. Ranbir moved to the side to see the table kept near the door turned sideways, and the small peace ornament placed on the table lay shattered on the floor. 

They raised their eyes to look at Shahana, looking down, or rather not looking. Her eyes were glazed over as her head hung low, her arms flapped outwards for balance and her body slouched forward.

"Shahana!" All three of them exclaimed, the highest voice being that of Aryan. Which also held the most scared tone. Aryan already had his hands wrapped securely around her shoulders. Eyes wide and face drenched in fear. 

"Shahana, you- you come here," Aryan said and, without waiting for any response, lead her gently towards the couch near the far wall of the room, guiding her to avoid any piece of glass.

Odd enough, it was the first time that Prachi noticed the creme couch in the room since she had woken up. 

"I- I told you that you are too weak." Aryan stuttered, kneeling in front of her while holding both her hands in his, the other hand supporting her head. "But you, you never listen to me. You never listen to anyone! What if anything have had happened to you. The doctor has asked you to rest, but no, you have to parade the whole hospital like the tiny Shatabadi express that you are."

"Aryan, don't shout, my head is already pounding." Shahana threatened, bringing his scolding to a halt.

"What, what happened?" Prachi asked, trying to get up while Ranbir did his best to keep her seated in her bed. Her pint wasn't even nearly finished yet. "Shahana, Shahana, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Shahana replied drunkenly while she still tried to get control over her body. She closed her eyes before opening them wide and again blinking. Her eyes zoned in on the face in front of her. 

It wasn't that she hasn't seen him before. She had been seeing this face for almost two years. She had cursed this face enough to know it. But that look, that look of utter fear and concern was what held her gaze. She had never seen this much concern on him. And, as if it were a dream, it was for her. 

No one, except for Prachi and Pragya, had seen so much concern for herself in no one. But the person sitting in front of her held onto his breath when all that happened to her was a little dizzy spell. 

Those eyes, brown with specks of honey, had always been filled with mischief, but today they were filled with an unknown emotion. An emotion that she could not name, but she surely recognise.

"Kya hua?" Prachi softly asked, high enough to only be heard by Ranbir.

"Pyaar." He replied in the same tone.

"Not to you, Baklu," She whisper shouted, "I meant what happened to Shahana?"

"Nothing til now, but I guess it is taking effect on her too." Ranbir replied, not paying attention to what Prachi had asked.

Prachi looked at him funny before shaking her head disapprovingly and turning back to her cousin and best friend.

"Are you fine Shahana?"

Prachi's voice broke the small bubble. Aryan quickly got to his feet, letting go of Shahana's hands and standing next to her. Shahana looked down at her hands and clasped them together to stop herself from feeling the sudden loss of contact.

"Is someone going to answer me?" Prachi demanded.

"Actually," Ranbir began, "When you ran out of the hall that day, after professing your undying love for me that will go on for forever and forever making you unable to let anyone take the place I hold in your heart, in front of both your and my family, and refused to marry that Aarav at all-"

"This is not what I asked," Prachi snapped, trying to not pay attention to the heat that rose to her cheeks, "And besides, I never said that. Now get to the point."

"So Shahana followed to the direction to where you went, and she saw that you were unconscious and three men were trying to take you somewhere. She screamed for help but that only made the kidnappers notice her and hit on her head with a decorative metal ornament there that caused her to faint and they took her with you." Aryan explained and Prachi nodded.

A long silence followed while Aryan, Shahana, and Ranbir waited for Prachi to react. Prachi, on the other hand just stared down at her hands. 

"Prachi?" Shahana asked tentatively, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" Prachi counter questioned.

"Because you didn't say something to scold me."

Prachi just smiled in response, "As is my scolding you would stop you from doing this kind of thing in the future. And besides, I would have done the same. That's what sisters are for."

Shahana just gave her a teary smile. She would have also jumped onto Prachi for a hug, but Aryan kept a firm hand on her shoulder to keep her seated. He hasn't forgotten her dizzy spell just yet.

"You are awake?" The nurse coming into the room took everyone's attention. "Good, it is time to remove your drip." She said and moved to the clear bottle hung near Prachi's bed to see that it was almost empty.

"Thank you for staying here," She said to Ranbir, "Actually there was an accident last night, and the staff was very shortlisted."

"No, no it's okay. It was the duty after all." Ranbir dismissed with a smile.

"Thank you really," The nurse persisted, "There are only a few that understand the fact that the doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff are also human like them, otherwise mostly just take us to be servants or caretakers that should parade around them day in and day out."

"Of course you guys are human," Ranbir said, "But you didn't get the meaning, it was my duty, to stay here." he smiled down at Prachi who felt the color rise to her cheeks for the nth time since she had woken up.

"Huh.." the nurse looked to and fro between them before an understanding look dawned on her and she grinned.

"Ooohh." The nurse nodded and Prachi blushed some more in response.

"Well, your vitals are normal, you will be discharged by the evening." The nurse informed as she turn off the drip and forwarded her hand to pick Prachi's.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." Shahana exclaimed, "Uhh, Prachi vo actually...."

"You should go and rest too." Prachi said, trying to hold her smile.

"Yeah, good thought." Shahana said, walking straight to th door. "Are you coming?" She softly asked Aryan and he smiled at Prachi before following her.

"Is Shahana...?" Ranbir trailed off as he saw Prachi nodding.

"Scared of needles getting in or out of skin. God knows how she would have agreed to get a drip herself." Prachi wonderd while nurse did her job.

"Hmm... Either god knows or Aryan does." Ranbir added.

"He was there?" Prachi asked and Ranbir nodded in response, taking his seat next to her as the nurse left.

"Why don't you relax there on the couch?" Prachi asked, "It seems comfertable."

"Because then, I can not do this." he answered taking her hand in his and interwined their fingers together.

Her hands felt cold in his. Ranbir wrapped his other hand aroung her's to warm them up. Such a simple gesture, but was the most effective medicine that could mend her. She could already feel the broken pieces of her heart gathering themselves. Finding each other to rebuilt the part of her that had died long ago by the scarcity of feelings.

She looked up from their hands to look up at his face. It's been so long since she had seen him this close with out worring to get away from him. 

She always wanted to see someone looking at her with love and adoration. And the fact that she never got her father to look at her like that only made her crave for it more. When she had first noticed Ranbir with that look, she couldn't believe that it was for her, and when it got clear that it was, in fact, for her, she had cluched her heart and forced it down to its original place when it had started to jump in her chest.

The love she always wanted to see, she had to avoid. The eyes that she couldn't look away from had become the ones she had to avoid. Not because they didn't loved them anymore, no, the love had always been increased from the last time that they potrayed. It were the questions that held her back. The hurt that stopped her. And the longing that....

Well, but not now. Now when he was here with nothing but love for her, she didn't look away. His soft brown hair falling down on his forehead, a smile playing on his lips. His face looked ashen but the light in his eyes and the crinkles around his lips made him look more alive than he had since that day in college.

"You look exausted." She noted, raising her other hand to cup his cheek and trace a thumb over his dark circles.

"Does these dark circles make me look bad?" Ranbir asked in a small voice.

Prachi just shook her head, her lips turning upwards, "This beautiful smile of yours doesn't let anyone notice any other thing. You look perfect."

Prachi's eyes widened when she registered what she just said, quickly retracing her hand from his face, covering her mouth with it, she sat straight, not even glancing at him while Ranbir bit his lip to stop from laughing.

"What did you say?" Ranbir asked, moving to sit on the corner of the bed, grinning brightly.

Prachi just shook her head squinting her eyes closed. 

"What did you say Prachi?" Ranbir questioned again, taking her hand off her mouth.

"Nothing." Prachi squeaked.

"Did you say I have a beautiful smile?"

"No." Prachi replied quickly, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

"Yes you did, and you said that I look perfect too." He mocked.

"I did not." Prachi snapped, schooling herself.

Ranbir took back his hands and said dejectedly, "Okay then, you mean that I am not good enough you." 

"I didn't say that." Prachi replied taking his hands back in her.

"You are not saying that I look good, neither are you saying that I deserve you and you haven't worded out that you even like me til now. What is it that you want?" Ranbir pressed.

Prachi just looked at him. She had just got him back. It hasn't even been twenty four hours yet. She can not loose him again. Her heart had just started to heal, she won't be able to handle that pain again.

She couldn't loose him when she had just got her. But he was slipping away. Again. And she didn't even know what she did wrong this time.

"I- I'm sorry Ranbir. I didn't mean that." Prachi said, panic strickned. "I didn't wanted to hurt you. I'm- I'm sorry if I said something wrong. Please forgive me. I really didn't meant anything wrong."

Ranbir's head snapped back up when he heard her talking breathlessly, She never behaved like this. He was shocked beyond anything to see her like this. And the words that she said made him wanting to kick himself.

"Please. Ranbir, Please." Prachi pleaded, "I'm sorry. Please don't leave me. I can't handle it again."

"Prachi," Ranbir said in disbelief, pulling her in his embrace, and she too wrapped her's around him, the thought of letting go nowhere near her mind, "Shh.. Shh. It's okay. I'm sorry. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving you. Ever! I'm sorry, I'm right here." He said again and again. He don't even know what made Prachi react like this.

"You are not mad? Or hurt? Or I don't know, leaving?" Prachi whispered.

"No" Ranbir pulled back to look into her eyes. To show her that it was just an absurd thought of his.

Prachi nodded, pulling back. But she still didn't let go of his hands, holding them in hers tightly.

"Ranbir," Prachi said after a couple of minutes, looking once again at their hands.

"Hmm?"

"I'm really sorry."

"What for?" Ranbir knew it wasn't the recent events.

"For everything." She raised her eyes to look into his.

"It doesn't matter Prachi." Ranbir replied softly. Wiping the tear that left her eye.

"No, Ranbir, I know I hurt you. And I know it was really bad. But please don't hate me. I had to do it. I didn't wanted to, but I had to. I had no other choice." She added when she saw him about to say anything. "I'm not giving any excuse for what I did. There could not be any. I know I shouldn't. But I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything. I would have right now but I don't know how to. Believe me, everything happened so suddenly that even my mind hasn't even registered it all yet. Once I get a hold of every emotion, I will tell you."

Prachi looked at Ranbir expectantly, waiting for his responce when she got that he won't say anything, "Say something."

Ranbir sighed, placing her hand on each side of her face, "First of all, I love you, Prachi. Get this through. You can use that murder plan of yours and Shahana on me and I still would say 'Thank you' to you.

You can beat the crap out of me like you did to those goons that night while being blindfolded and I would be happy for the fact that you can defend yourself. Because I. Love. You. And that would never change whatever be the situation.

And I want you to remember this when I say that I know. I know everything. Rhea, her blackmailing you, putting the deal in front of you, your suffering, everything. Not only me, everyone knows everything. You don't need to worry about anything."

"But Ranbir-"

"No, I said you don't need to worry about anything. The only thing you need to worry on is your health, and-"

"And?"

"And...." Ranbir dragged, moving his hand lower to her neck. Feeling as her pulse raced under his palm.

"And?"

"And this romance deprived lover of yours." Ranbir said, pouting.

Prachi gasped, swatting his hand away. "What nonsence?"

"Nonsence?" Ranbir exaggerated, "You think of my poor heart as nonsence? Oh chickchiki you don't know how hardly I kept myself in control these past months. You don't know I already had my bag in my car. All I had to do was to kidnap you and drive away."

"You would not have done that!" Prachi said with confidence clear in her voice.

"And how can you say that?" 

"Because you love me. And you know I would never have married you as a runaway couple."

"Oh I know that, but all I had to do was to kidnap you, make you confess that you love me and the rest, the rest we would have handeled together. You may not have married me, but would also not have left my side right?"

Prachi sighed, he knew her too well, "Right."

"So, now say that you love me." Ranbir asked with a bright smile.

"No." Prachi crossed her arms in front of her.

"Why?" Ranbir whined.

"Because you were about to kidnap me."

"So..?"

"So I can't say 'I love you' to my kidnapper."

"But I didn't kidnap you."

"But you were about to."

"So what? I was abou to save you."

"So what, If I go around saying 'I love you' to my kidnapper than the first in line would be Sanju. Do you want that to happen?"

"No." Ranbir almost shouted.

"Then stay quiet."

"What yaar Chikchiki?!?"

"DON'T CALL ME YAAR!!!"

A/N:- Hey koala bears, missed me?

Here is another chapter for you all, with some emotions, some confessions, some battering and a lot of Pranbir. This time an extra long one to compensate for the delay.

Do share your views on the chapter. If you liked it make sure to Vote and Comment. Inline comments would be a delight.

Lots of Love,

Simran