Aashna's pov:

Everything seems calm...too perfect. I can't help but imagine if it's the calm before the storm?

I was not able to get a minute of sleep that night after returning from Chandigarh.

It has been a week now, with June finally ending, the sunflowers in my garden dried up due to excessive heat. But that's what they need, isn't it?

Sunlight?

An excess of something is always fatal.

I have distanced myself from Shubman, after that day. He was suspicious of what I was doing, but I was victor in getting away with it saying that he needs to focus on winning the world cup and not think about these things.

I've been a mess since then. Always apprehensive that Shubman might be fed with lies any moment and break it off.

I did not tell him the truth. What happened that day is still safe with me.

Not because I think he'll not believe me, I'm not sure, for all I know he could believe me if I am convincing enough or he could choose to believe his mother's word over mine, that choice is his to make.

But because I don't wanna ruin the most beautiful relation the world can ever offer someone. That of a mother and a child.

I don't care what kind of person his mom is but I do know that Shubman loves her above anything. And I am no one to take it all away from him.

I am not gonna be the one to come in between of a mother and her son.

I know it's value because I have longed for such thing all my life. And for someone who I love the most, I do not wish the same.

Shubman can find his happiness in another woman with time. Another woman that will amuse him. Be a good wife, offer him all the things that I can offer, or maybe even more.

But he can't get another mother. That one is permanent. So I let him have his grant. And pull out mine.

I know that I'll never be able to love someone else like I love Shubman. Or do the things that I wanna do for him. But I'll survive knowing that he sleeps peacefully at night blessed with his mother's presence in the house.

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It's evening and I'm finally finished with everything including work, gym, swimming and table tennis-a childhood hobby.

I'm lost in giving food to Bear when I heard my phone ring. But I don't pick up till I'm done with his work.

Once I've finished giving him food, I went to check who was calling me.

It was Shubman. Well, it's around 9, and I'm free so guess I have the tine to talk to him. Feeling anticipated to hear his voice, I call him back.

He picks up almost immediately.

I open my mouth to say something but he beats me to it.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE??!!"

"Well...hello to you too...?" I said.

"No Aashna, seriously! WHAT DID YOU SAY TO MY MOM?!" He shouted.

"What are you saying shub? I-"

"No don't act like you're all innocent!!" He shouted again.

"Shub tum yeh kya-?"

"EK BAAR ME GHAR ME AA JAUN? FIR TUM DONO KO DEKH LUNGI!! SAMJHI?.......Ye tumhari lines nhi thi!!?" He asked me.

"Meri lines......kya-"

"Aur kya kaha tha tumne meri maa se? Ki Shubman ka brainwash tum chutkiyon me kar dogi? Huh?" He asked me and I grabbed a couch to sit down.

I'm simply too shocked to say anything.

"FUCKING ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!!" He shouts loudly into the call and I feel tears fill up my eyes.

"Ok, mujhe nhi pata that who told you all this but I swear shub, tumhari kasam mene esa kuch-"

"Aashna, Aashna, Aashna.....PLEASE!! Save it, aur kitna pretend karogi??" He said mockingly.

"KYA PRETEND KIYA MENE, TUM KYA BOLE JAA RHE HO TUMHE PTA BHI HE? You're not even letting me speak!!" I finally find my voice.

"Kya pretend NHI kiya, ask that! I thought you loved me for me, not for my money, not for my fame, but I guess I was wrong!! Jese sab thi, esi hi tum ho, you're no different!" He spat.

"Aur tum mera brainwash karogi, arey TUM jesi ladkiyan hazaron he duniya me, you think I'll fall for YOUR lies? I can't believe ki tunne mujhe pure 2 saal se zyada phasa ke rakha, arey galti toh meri hi he, koi apne standard ki date karta toh atleast wo esi giri huyi harkat toh nhi karti jesi tumne kari he!!" I can't believe that my Shub is saying all this to ME.

"These are not your words.......this is not my Shub?" I said while trying to recollect myself.

"FUCK OFF WITH YOUR SHUB, mujhe apne jhoote emotional drama me mat phasao!! Aasu bohot jaldi aa jate he tumhare, demand par ro sakti ho tum, right? Pata nhi samajh kese nhi aaya mujhe ki koi itni jaldi rone wala insaan drama hi karta hoga!" He said.

"Tumhe ye sab drama lag rha he, you think.....I'm fake?" I said not believing he said that. I always thought Shubman understood my sensitivity, a little emotionally unavailable he might be, but I never imagined that he'd think my emotions are fake.

"Fake toh tum ho hi, pata nhi kesi kesi bachpan ki aur apne mummy papa ki kahaniyan suna ke mujhse sympathy le li tumne, bhai jo ladki apne maa baap ki na ho saki wo meri kese hogi?accha tell me, apne birthday wale din tumne sach me self harm kiya tha ya wo bhi drama tha?"

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT WHEN YOU KNOW HOW TRIGGERED I GET BY THIS?" I shout at him.

"Don't. You. Dare. Raise your voice at me, You are guilty here, not the victim!! Me ladkiyon ki respect karta hu isliye shaant hu, warna tumhara ye haal karta zindagi bhar yaad rehta, apni maa ke liye me kuchh bhi kar sakta hu, KUCHH BHI, KEEP THAT IN MIND!!" He said angrily.

I don't know what else to say anymore, he technically considered our whole relationship fake.

It was the most real thing I ever had in my life. My only hope to keep going and love myself that at least I did something right in my life. But I guess I'm wrong yet again.

"Now listen to me you GOLD DIGGER, back the fuck off, GET OUT of my life, STAY AWAY from me, my family, my career-" his voice cut off and there was some noise of an arguement going on the other side.

"Hello? Aashna, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, tu iske words ko mind mat karna, yeh pagal he, and don't feel bad, you haven't done anything wrong, we all love you, accha but right now we have to go, I'll call you asap!" It was shahneel di's voice who had seemingly snatched the phone away from Shubman. She cut the call so fast.

But....what is the use? He already said what he had to say to me. He can't take back his words. He questioned my entire personality. He hurted my self-respect.

It was not my Shubman, it was a man who was blinfolded by his mother's words.

But he is not a kid, he must know what he's saying and to whom he's saying that.

He chose to believe someone who had known me for 1 hr over himself who has known me for 2 fucking years.

But what to do when that someone is his mother.

He has hurted me today. And he keeps the potential to hurt me in the future, to doubt me, to questions my character.

I can tolerate being hurt all I can but not a word against my self-esteem and I shall no longer be engaged to such a man who lay a finger on my nature.

We are personally and officially OVER!
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Do listen to this song^

Shubman's pov:

I haven't been really free since Aashna came to meet my parents.

With the world cup coming up and all, they're training us pretty hard and it's keeping us busy.

I got to talk with my dad for moments and he said that he thinks Aashna is a really good girl but mom hasn't said anything about it.

Today, I have some time off so I just wanna have a long talk to my mom about Aashna and her views.

After we all have dinner, I practically drag her into my room and make her comfortable on my bed, then I lay beside her and try to flatter her by doing that.

Then I began the conversation.

She was reluctant to talk about it but finally broke the ice when I pushed further.

"Arey beta, mujhe toh bilkul nhi pasand esi ladkiyan, pta he kya kya bola usne mujhse?"
She said and I felt a little pang of hurt because I didn't know what to believe....I don't think Aashna would've said something inappropriate to my mom.

"Mummy mujhe pta he aap usko pasand nhi karti par esa bhi kya bol diya usne?" I asked suspiciously.

"Pta tha mujhe,ki tu meri baat par bharosa nhi karega, maa ki to umar hi gayi he, ab toh kal ki aayi ladki hi acchi lagti he tujhe." She said and her eyes filled with tears and I suddenly feel pathetic for saying that to my mom.

"Arey nhi mummy, ye matlab nhi tha mera.....aap bolo, mujhe aap par pura bharosa he." I said and she continued.

She told me things that were hard to believe for my ears, my mind and my heart.

But I trust my mother more than my important organs, more than my life.

More than........Aashna.

"Ab tu hi bata beta, konsi maa chahegi ki uska beta esi ladki se shaadi kre jo usse pyaar hi nhi karti? Tujhse pyaar nhi karti toh hamse to kya karegi?" She cried with deep sobs, pressing her face into her hands and that brought tears to my own eyes. I hugged her to my chest and rubbed her back lovingly.

"Mu-mummy please, a-aap rona band karo, me abhi breakup karta hu usse, aapke liye to me esi kitni ladkiyon ko chhodh sakta hu!"

I get up from my bed, take my phone and dash out of the house.

Fuming rage is coursing through my veins. I badly want to hurt something. Or someone.

I take out my favourite motorbike and get out in fresh air for a ride in empty night streets.

I drive till my mind has decided what I had to say to her. And god knows it's malignant.

How dare she bring tears to my mother's eyes, make that woman cry whom I love more than anything.

She may not like Aashna but she'll not make up such a lie about someone.

I park at the ground and sit down. It's the ground where I have been playing cricket all my childhood before I began at mohali stadium.

I try to call Aashna but she doesn't pick up. Fuck her, I should've.

After a while, she calls me back.

I don't wanna hear her petty hellos so I begin right away.

And she's acting like she doesn't know what I'm talking about. Just hearing her voice brings that adrenaline rush back in my chest and I begin to spit poison at her through my words.

After all this, she still has the audacity to call me "her shub"

Finally, at the end, I swallow the lump of emotions in my throat and as I'm telling her to stay away from me, my phone is snatched away by someone. As I turn to attack the thief, I get slapped by a muscular palm and I take a minute to comprehend that I just got slapped by my best friend Abhishek and Shahneel has my phone in her hand.

I try to take my phone back, struggling against Abhay but she says somehing that makes me stop.

"Shubhi, tu sabse bada bewakoof he, chutiya no. 1 award of the year goes to you. Congratulations on fucking up the most real thing in your life for someone's selfish lies!"

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Shahneel's pov:

After Aashna went home, I completely forgot about the camera I had hidden, but later that night, I finally came to my senses and mentally cursed myself for not taking it out on time.

I was just curious about their conversation, that's why I hid the phone in that room, and thank god I did, because these two women didn't tell us any gossip about what happened inside that closed door.

Who doesn't like gossip!?

I thought I'll take it out the first thing in the morning but it slipped out in procrastination.
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I was walking to my room at night when I heard some noise from Shubhi's room. Mom was there?

Unlikely. But I still eavesdropped and I was shocked to hear all the things mom said aboit Aashna. Mom hates her, it's evident. But Aashna never hated mom. Could she really say it to her.

What shook me to the core was the fact that Shubman believed her in one go. It's not his fault, he is the youngest and the most pampered by their mom, so it was natural for him to be most attached to her.

When I heard footsteps, I quickly hid myself and watched shubman go out of the house fuming in rage and banging doors behind him. I heard the engine of his royal enfield go off and looked out of the window to see which direction he went to.

If Aashna really said those things to her, then it must be recorded in the camera of the phone I hid, I have to get to the root of the problem.

But where was the phone? I went into mom's room before she came and began searching for the bloody phone which was no where to be found.

But then I saw it, it was kept in the darkest corner of her bedside drawer, maybe she had kept it thinking it was left there mistakenly.

The video would have automatically shut down after 15 minutes due to storage issue and with no activity going on in the phone, it would've been shut down due to screen saver setting.

That was a plus piont, there was no way for my mom to delete the proof now.

I quickly retrieved the phone and kept it secretly in my pocket and ran out of the room before anyone saw me.

I quickly switched the phone on and straight went to the photo gallery.

There it was, the whole video of their chat. I clicked play and the video started by myself adjusting the camera, no one came in for 1st five minutes but then, mom came in followed by a nervous Aashna adjusting her dupatta over her shoulder.

She sat down at the edge of the sofa in the room with her face down and back straight. She looked so sanskari sitting in front of her mom.

She looked tamed, poised and a well mannered girl, I doubt the so called fact that she said those things.

Hoyi ni sakda' I thought.

After watching the whole video, tears filled my eyes at my mom's lies. How could she do that to her own son, break his heart like that? How could she do that to such a sweet person who didn't even talk back to the insults she threw at her character?

I knew she needed to act quickly before Shubman took a wrong step.

I tried calling him but he wasn't picking up.

I called his childhood best friend Abhishek, maybe he was with him, the two usually hung out together.

"Hello, Abhay, Shubhi tere saath he kya?" I asked frantically.

"Nhi toh di, lekin kya hua, you seem tense?" He said tensely.

"Yaar baadme bataungi, siyappa ho gya, we have to find Shubman, wo gusse me ghar se gaya he, hurt he, I'm scared, kahin kuchh-" I can't say further.

"Don't worry di, aap ruko me aata hu, if he's hurt and angry, maybe I know where he can be!" Abhay said and I thanked him.

I hope Shubman is alright!

Moreover,

I hope Aashna is alright.
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As we drive to the ground, I explained the situation to Abhay who was utterly confused.

When we reach there, we see a person sitting on the pavement, a bike parked next to him.

He was shouting like crazy on the phone, it is him.

We found him!

We quickly ran up to him and I snatched his phone away, he turned to attack me in reflex but Abhay beat him to it by delivering a punch to his face....uhhh...it hurted me more than him but it was needed at that time.

I saw Aashna's caller ID and put the phone to my ear, I tried to pacify Aashna who was silently sobbing and hung up.

I turned to them to see Abhay struggling against a raging Shubman who was taller and more muscular than him and was trying to get him off.

"Let him go!" I said and Abhay reluctantly let him go only for him to march towards me and snatch his phone recklessly from my hands.

"Yeh kya kar rhi he, pta he tujhe usne kya kiya he?!" He screamed at me and I remain unfazed.

Who is he trying to scare? I'm not one fucking bit intimidated by his actions, he thinks he's too grown up now, I'll show him who's the older bitch.

He continues to race forward and backward with his head in his head breathing heavily like a dragon.

"Shahneel......shahneel-" he tried to get his words out but was interrupted by his explosive anger.

I waited for him to calm down but I guess that could take ages so I decided to drop the bomb.

"Shubhi, tune......apni life ki sabse badi mistake kar di he!" I said seriously.

"Shut up, jab tujhe kuchh pta nhi he toh beech me bhi mat aa!" He said getting in my face.

"Mujhe sab pata he!" I spat at him angrily.

"Dimaag kharab ho gya he tera, have you lost it?!" He shouted.

"What you have done is wrong!" I said.

"Oh really, you tell me what is right?" He said laughing ironically.

I took a deep annoyed breath. Bachpan me bhi nakhre jhelo, bade ho kar bhi nakhre jhelo in bhaisaab ke, kya life he?!

"I stood up for my mom, I did the right thing, I realised all the lies she ever told me!!" He said still breathing heavily.

I smiled at his naivety.

"And what if she isn't the one lying?" I said very calmly.

"So u wanna say that mom is lying? Shahneel, she lied, she betrayed me!! Wo itni characterless-" I don't let him finish the sentence because I deliver one tight slap to his left cheek.

That is the hardest I've ever hit him.

He shuts up immediately.

"Agar aaj tune itni acchi ladki ko characterless bola he na? Toh tera ghar kabhi nhi bss sakta!" I said clenching my teeth.

"Me nhi bol rhi hu ki mummy ne jhoot bola, yeh video bol rha he!" I played the video to him and he kept watching it without any sound or action.

After the video ended, he swallowed thickly and looked at me with tear filled eyes.

I can't help but feel a little hurt by this.

I step forward and wrap my arms around his shoulders and hugged him to me. He buried his face in my neck and his silent tears soaked my shirt.

"Shubhiiii.....Shubhi! Ye time rone ka nhi he baccha! Chalo, come on! Rectify your mistake asap! Call her!"
I said through my own tears.

He quickly pulled apart and dialed Aashna's number so fast as if he had it in his default memory.

As expected, she didn't pick up.

After a few dials, it said that her phone was switched off.

Shubhi threw his phone in frustration and screamed and hit the pavement, blood rushed out of his knuckles while me and Abhay tried to stop him.

He started to cry heavily hugging himself to my chest and I let him cry and tell us that he'd never forgive himself if something bad happened.

We picked him up supporting him by our shoulders and helped him to the car. I drove Abhay's car while Abhay rode Shubhi's bike to our place.

Blood was coming out nonstop from his knuckles, probably fractured. He had to calm his anger, otherwise it would be bad.

We rang the doorbell to our house and mom opened the door.

She gasped loudly and stepped aside and we made Shubhi sit down on the couch.

I told Abhay to leave and he left reluctantly.

I looked up to succumb my tears on seeing Shubhi's condition.

Wrinkled shirt, bloody hands, a little blood coming out of the corner of his mouth from Abhay's punch. His cheek red from my slap. And a lot of nonstop tears on his face. He looked like a mess. And only one person was to be blamed.

Mom sat down beside him and tried to touch his bicep but he jerked her hand off.

"Kya haal bana diya he mere bacche ka uss ladki ne-" she said but Shubhi cut her off.

"Bas karo mummy! Ye sab aapki wajah se hua he!" He shouted.

Dad came out sleepily and asked what had happened.

I gestured for him to wait.

"Meri wajah se? Lekin beta me to tujhe-" mom tried to say again.

"Mummy, ab bohot ho gya, ab me nhi sununga aapke jhooth!" He said.

"Pta tha mujhe toh, ki tu ab bhi uss ladki ki baaton par vushwas kar rha he!" Mom said faking her cries.

"Shahneel, what do we do?" He said to me.

I took out the video and showes it yo everyone. Mom had nothing to say.

"Bolo ab, kuchh bol rhi thi aap Aashu ke baare me?" Shubhi said through clenched teeth.

"Kaka-" she tried to touch his cheek but he pulled away and stood up.

"Me aapse baadme baat karunga! Abhi I'm going to Agra, to make it up to Aashna." He said hurriedly and picking up his car keys, he left.

He left behind dad's shout to tell him not to go so late at night. Or mom's desparate cries.

He left to see his love.

And although very mad at him for saying shit to her, I was proud of his effort and understanding.

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AUTHOR'S RANT: hey guys!!!! The drama is finally here. Now you gotta say it was an interesting chapter.

Also introducing, the very handsome and talented......

.....drumroll please........

ABHISHEK SHARMA!!!

Yayyy!!

Alright so please vote and comment, more drama coming forward!!!.....

Little miss delulu but live you guysss.

❤