Bold Italic - Pragya
Italic - Abhi

Abhi reaches his house and goes to see Aaliya.

He knocks her room door and calls her name loudly.

Aaliya! Please open the door.

Aaliya opens the door and asks, "What now Bhai? You won't even let me sleep peacefully is it?"

Aaliya, I am sorry but I really need to talk to you.

Aaliya, "What now?"

He tells everything he is feeling now and he knows he is wrong with his actions towards Pragya.

Aaliya "Bhai, it's good that you have changed so fast but do you think Pragya will be able to accept it?"

No! I know that but I need to talk to her. At least I have to tell her about it. And I am damn sure right now she will be blaming herself for my actions. I don't want her to do that.

Aaliya," I don't think she will do like that."

No you don't know her. I know she always blame herself for everything. She doesn't blame others at all.

Aaliya "How sure are you of this?"

I know Aaliya. I don't know how to prove you that I know about her.

Aaliya looks at him in silence for a while and Abhi says, Aaliya... I know you're not believing me. You might be thinking this is also my part of my revenge. But trust me! I am not going to take revenge on her anymore. I have just realized that I can't accept that she will be away from me forever.

Aaliya "It's not about I believing you. I hope she believes you."

For that I need to talk to her. Please Aaliya, just ask King where she is. I know that he knows where she is.

Aaliya "Even I know where she stays now."

Aaliya! What are you saying?

Aaliya "She is at King's House."

Is it? Then let's go. I want to talk to her now.

Aaliya "Bhai, please control yourself. It's very late now and we can't disturb his family."

But Aaliya she will be blaming herself.

Aaliya "I understand but....."

If not I will go there. I mean secretly.

Aaliya "No! You can't do like that. Just wait for few more hours and it will be morning Bhai. The first thing in the morning we will go there."

No Aaliya, you don't know about her. She will not only blame herself but also take decisions that will make her far away from me forever.

Aaliya," Okay let me talk to King."

Abhi nods his head in response and she calls King. She informs about Abhi wanting to talk to Pragya now.

King "Now? Do you know what's the time now? And she just slept after so much of difficulty. I can't wake her up again."

Aaliya "Yes I understand but Bhai is saying he will not wake her up but his presence itself will be aware by her. He says he had done like this before too."

King "That's before but now things are different."

Aaliya "Please King. Give a chance and we will be also there right so... "

King contemplates and then says "Fine! Faster come."

Aaliya "Thank you so much!"

Abhi and Aaliya then leave to reach King's House.

Aaliya tells "Bhai, make sure you don't make things worse now."

No... I won't Aaliya.....

They then reached his house and King who was waiting outside for them saw Abhi's injured hand.

King "I can't believe you had hurt yourself when you can hurt others."

Abhi in response never said anything and King asked them to follow him without making any sounds as he didn't want his family members to be awake.

The trio went to the room where Pragya was. King opened the door slightly and they saw her  sleeping with Sarla ma.

King," How do you think I can allow you to go inside her room when she is sleeping with Sarla ji?"

I don't have to go in. From here itself she will know my presence.

King and Aaliya looked at each other in disbelief while Abhi was only looking at Pragya.

Abhi?

She told in her with eyes closed and King," This is insane... "

Pragya wakes up and looks at her mum before looking at the door slightly opened.

She walks towards the door to close it when Abhi said, Pragya I need to talk to you.

You're here?

King, "Yes even Aaliya is here."

I don't want to talk. Ma will wake up.

Pragya please.... Just for a while. I won't take long.

Okay....

She replied by carefully closing the door and King asked them to talk at the guest room while Aaliya and he will be waiting outside the room.

King, "You have only 15 minutes to talk to Pragya. Not anything beyond that Mr. Abhi!"

That's more than enough for me.

He replied while Pragya entered the room first followed by Abhi.

There was a moment of silence before Abhi said, I know you would have cried a lot and never told Uncle and Aunty about me being the reason for your tears.

She never replied and he continues, I know you are also blaming yourself for trusting me. I am sorry Pragya. I know I am wrong but you know about me right, I am a bit stubborn and egoistic.

I don't know about you Mr. ABHI! I really don't know you. If I had known about you then I would have know about your intentions as well. I didn't know you were all the while planning to hurt me unintentionally. But tell me how it is unintentional when you are planning it? You made Dadi to fix alliance with you, you were engaged to me, you broke the engagement and then you proposed me, you made me love you, you made Dadi hurt me, you made me almost to marry someone else. All this is well-planned with the intention to hurt me then how the hell can it be unintentional?

Pragya your anger is right but I don't know what went inside my mind that I thought of taking revenge towards you. I am really very sorry! I know it's difficult for you to forgive me. But....

But what?

I hope you can forgive me someday. Because I love you!

You said you don't love me to Aaliya!

Yes I did but I realize I do love you.

Is this part of your next plan?

No Pragya! I had enough of it. I really lost my mind doing all that to you. Actually this might sound crazy but I just realized this. I said I love hurting you not in the sense to hurt you forever but in the sense that nobody other than me have the rights to hurt you. I only have the rights to love and hurt you!

She sighed and was about to walk away when Abhi pulled her towards him.

Pragya, please.... I know I am wrong but you can't walk away from me. Can't you see the truth in my eyes?

She looks at him and she said, I don't see anything!

You are seeing it but you are not willing to feel it.

Let me go! If not I have to shout and wake up everyone.

He loosens his grip on her while she moving away from him said, Whatever you say now will only make me feel you are trying to....

Trying to take revenge on you! I know you will say like this. For this only I am here to tell that, think whatever you want about me but never blame yourself for what I did.

I will blame myself for trusting and falling in love with you. You not only hurt me but also my parents. They were feeling hurt in my home town when I was not happy about marrying someone else. Together with me, they also suffered. That's unfair!

I am ready to apologise to them.

No! You won't! I have not telling anything about you. I don't want them to find you bad.

Why is that so when you know I am bad?

Because I loved you! I don't want them to find the person I loved was wrong. I don't want them to feel I am still bad at finding love.

Pragya! You're again blaming yourself. This is what I don't want you to do.

This is my life and I know what to do. You don't have interfere in it.

But Pragya, if you never tell them about me then how will I leave from your life?

You don't have to leave.

What do you mean?

I will leave! You want me to break up with me right? I will come up with something real for now to break up with you.

Pragya! You can't do that!

Why I can't? Trust me, this time I will make it more convincing and I will do it to the same media that had spread the news of us loving each other.

No! That will be a chaos for your life.

For your life or mine?

For you only Pragya! Think about it. I am a celebrity. I can deal with it and once I have something more successful in my life then my personal life will be forgotten but for you it is different. People will talk all kinds of things about you! Uncle and Aunty will be affected by it too.

Don't try to change my mind. I will do what I want.

Abhi goes near her and forcefully pulls her to him again.

You will never do anything like that.

Abhi stop behaving like this! You have lost the right to even touch me.

Let it be! But I can touch a girl as I am a boy!

Disgusting! Let me go!

Pragya, if you listen to me then I don't have to do all this.

I said I won't!

Okay then don't listen but have it!

Abhi kissed her lips suddenly and she was stunned at his behaviour.

She pushed him away and said, How many times I told you! I don't like to do all this before our marriage!

Abhi smirked hearing her and she realized what she have told.

Look! I didn't mean it that way. I just told it as....

As you still love me! It's as simple as that.

Mr. Abhi, don't try to be funny. You leave from here. There's no point in talking to you.

Ms. Pragya, we will have our marriage and do whatever I want. I can wait!

Rubbish! Stop blabbering.

I am not blabbering. I am serious. And if you want me to prove my love for you then I am ready for it.

He replied and she looked at him in confusion.

I am ready to face any challenges by you to prove I am in love with you.

Challenges? Are you kidding?

Look Pragya, your parents are thinking we are still in love. I know you don't want to ruin their beliefs. And at the same time, you know the truth about me and would be having the hesitance to accept me. So the only way to resolve this problem is you give me challenges to prove that I love you.

What if I give you challenges but I still can't believe that you love me?

Then that's bad luck for me. I will accept my defeat and leave from your life forever.

Okay! I hope you will accept your defeat soon.

That's impossible!

He then leaves the room while she was standing and thinks why did she even easily agrees to his words everytime!

King "You seem to be very happy."

Abhi then tells that he asked Pragya to challenge him so that he can prove he loves her.

Aaliya "Challenge? What kind of a challenge?"

I don't know what will it be but I am ready to do anything.

King "But Mr. Abhi you took more than 15 minutes."

I know and you too never stop me so I continued the timing.

King "Smart! I didn't stop you as I didn't want to stop her. I didn't want her to bottle up her emotions for too long. I hope she had vented it out."

She did. She still loves me!

He said remembering his kiss and her words after that.

King "I think you better leave now and anything else I will ask her to talk to you tomorrow."

Aaliya "Ya Bhai. Because of you I haven't slept properly."

Let's go Aaliya!

He walked ahead and Aaliya don't understand this change in her brother. It seems to be strange to her.

Aaliya left saying bye and thanks to King.

As for King, he enters the guest room where Pragya was still inside.

She was seen crying and hugged King once he was near her.

He is again manipulating me!

King "What are you saying Pragya?"

Why am I still trusting his words when I can see he is manipulating me! I shouldn't trust him King. What should I do not to trust him? Please tell me!

King "Pragya, you are confused. First calm down."

NO King! I need to control myself not calm down.

King "Ssssh... You can control yourself if you are calm."

She continues to cry in his embrace while King thinks, Abhi had done the worse to Pragya and he won't let him do more to her anymore.

She soon calms down and breaks from the hug.

King....

King "Pragya, don't blame yourself for being a trouble in sharing your pain with me. I have also shared my pain with you when I lost my parents. It's the same! We are friends and we are there for each other at all times."

Thank you King! If you are not present, I don't know what will I have done.

King," You wouldn't have done anything wrong as I know how much you love your parents. You wouldn't have done anything that will trouble your parents."

Yes right.... Even he said the same thing.

King "Who? Abhi? He understands you that much? That's surprising!"

It's nothing to be surprised when he wants to hurt me and made the attempt to understand my feelings and thought process.

King "That's right. So what have you decided? He blabbered something about challenge. Is it true?"

Yes King but I don't know why I agreed now.

King "You still can disagree to it. It's not as if you signed some contract with him."

But he is right too. It's the only way that he himself will leave from my life.

King, "Okay then give him challenges that he can't do. I mean you know him for sometime so...."

Don't say that again. I don't know him! I don't know anything about him. I failed to know him that he was hurting me!

King, "I am sorry. I will never say that again. We will plan the challenges together and as soon as possible we will try to get rid of him from your life!"

Okay.... I am going back to sleep....

She said and walked towards the room she was sleeping earlier.

Pragya's conscience appears on her side," You really want to get rid of Abhi from your life?"

She never replies and continues to walk when her conscience said "Why are you not answering me! I asked you whether you really want to get rid of Abhi from your life?"

I don't want to answer you.

"Why dear? Why? Because you still love him right?"

No! I loved him not anymore.

"Liar!"

Listen, just go away and don't make me mad now. Already my parents are worried for me.

King "Pragya! What are you doing? You still haven't gone to sleep?"

I am going now.

She replied and quickly goes to the room while her conscience felt she have to do more to make Pragya that she still loves Abhi.

The next day, Aaliya found Abhi playing guitar in his studio room.

Aaliya" Did you slept or not?"

I did Aaliya. It's 2 pm and you're the one who woke up very late.

Aaliya" Obviously when we reached at house at 4 am then what else I can do other than sleeping till late."

Sorry! Because of me you have to suffer....

Aaliya," I didn't suffer but tell me what makes you look so energetic?"

Love! What else?

Aaliya," Love? Strange.... "

Aaliya all this while I never realize my love for her and today I am realizing it and I am enjoying it. I feel energized that I am in love!!

Aaliya," But Bhai don't you think you have changed so fast? I mean it is still unbelievable."

Why is it unbelievable? I don't understand.

Aaliya "Look Bhai, yesterday your truth came out and then Pragya was shattered. Then you came back to house and made a mess before leaving somewhere alone. After you came back, you told me you have changed and you love Pragya. All within a day! That's strange and unbelievable when people take months and years to realize their mistake."

I don't know. But all I can say the times that yesterday that I was unable to meet or talk to Pragya made me feel it as months and years. Actually I can't even be normal without seeing her for a day when Dadi asked her to break up with me. Back then I thought, it was my acting to be in love was very deep and I was affected by it. But no! I was really in love with her and that's why I couldn't stay away from her by not seeing or taking to her!

Aaliya "Bhai.... I really don't know what to say. I will support you if you remain like this but....."

Trust me! I will remain like this. I can't think of loving someone else other than Pragya in my life!

Aaliya smiles and asked whether Pragya or King call him.

He shook his head negatively and she said she will come back after freshening up.

Aaliya "Bhai!!!" she yelled from her room and Abhi quickly rushes to her room.

What happened?

Aaliya "8 missed calls from Pragya. Why did she call me when she can call you!"

She don't want to talk to me so she called you.

Aaliya, "Oh... Let me call her back now."

Okay....

Aaliya called and Pragya answered.

Pragya told something to which Aaliya said, "Bhai can't do all that. He have never done it before."

Pragya says, This is my first challenge and if he can't do then ask him to accept defeat and go away from my life.

Pragya ends the call while Aaliya looks at Abhi.

Whatever it is tell me. I am ready to do anything Aaliya.

Aaliya," No you can't do what she had said."

Just tell me Aaliya then I will decide whether I can do or not.

Aaliya informs him what Pragya want him to do.

Aaliya "She knows your fear of it and how can you do it Bhai?"

Aaliya, can you do me a favour?

Aaliya "What Bhai?"

Go and bath first as you're smelling quite bad.

Aaliya, "Bhai!!!"

He chuckles as he leaves her room and thinks, You are always smart Pragya. It's just that I made you a fool in believing me blindly but not anymore.

Aaliya after sometime returns to his studio room and sees him missing.

"Did he really went there to do it? What is he thinking of himself!" she mumbled as she takes the stairs down and sees Dadi.

Dadi "Have this on the way." She said passing a tiffin box.

Aaliya, "Thanks! Did Bhai tell where he is going?"

Dadi "No he only told you know where he is going to. He even got blessings from me but I don't know for what."

Aaliya "Bhai na.... He is becoming crazy in love."

Dadi "Nothing serious right? He had already injured his hand."

Aaliya "Nothing serious. I will tell you once I come back with him."

She said and leaves hurriedly while Dadi hopes nothing goes wrong for both her grandchildren.

Aaliya reaches the place and looks for her brother.

She finally sees him and says "Are you crazy Bhai? Are you really going to do this now?"

Oh please Aaliya, it's not as if I am going to die by doing this.

Aaliya "But Bhai! You have never done this things before!"

Abhi smiles in response while he knows someone is looking at him from a distance.

Aaliya "But Bhai you have a very bad fear of darkness and this place is so dark, and its ridiculous to clean up this place in darkness. For God's sake, you don't even clean up your own room then how will you do cleaning here?"

My love is asking me to fight with my fears. I am happy about it.

Aaliya "Bhai, you can have people to clean up this place."

Aaliya, it's just a storeroom in King's guesthouse. I know there is no lights but there is windows here where I can open them and the natural lights will help me see and clean up this room. By the way, It's King's property and how can I ask people to work here when he himself can do it! Afterall, this is a challenge to prove my love, and I can't let others do it.

Aaliya," Where is she? I will talk to her."

I am here. Aaliya, I know you're concerned for your Bhai but I am not concerned about him. So let him do if he is willing to accept the challenge.

Aaliya "Pragya, do you even know what you are trying to do with Bhai? He is a rockstar and how can he do this cheap things!"

Aaliya, cleaning is not a cheap thing!

Yes cleaning is not a cheap thing and what he did to me was a cheap thing!

Aaliya, you just leave us alone. She will be here to check on me and I really want to complete this challenge. Don't tell anything else that will upset her. Please leave!

Aaliya reluctantly leaves the storeroom while Abhi says, I like this challenge! I love how you're here to look at me.

Stop blabbering and Do your challenge!

Abhi starts to clean up the place and she starts to read a book by sitting in a corner.

Abhi sighs loudly after sweeping the floor.

She ignored it and he said, I have to admit that this storeroom is very big. Why does King needs to have such a big storeroom in his guest house?

He is not like you. He have a big heart and everything he have is big because of that.

He never replies and continues to work.

Feeling upset?

She asked mockingly and he shook his head negatively.

Then why are you silent?

I am focusing on my work. By the way I even saw YouTube on my way to here in how to do cleaning.

She hearing that chuckled and teased him saying, You should be the first person in the world to watch video on how to clean!

What else can I do? At house, Hari prakash do all the cleaning and at work, there are people to do it. I never had the opportunity to do all this.

Okok, don't talk and do the cleaning. I had promised King the storeroom will be completely clean.

Definitely!

He smiles and now starts to mop the floor.

He continues to clean the room making Pragya amazed and wonder whether his fear of darkness was a lie he told her.

He finished everything and then said, Done! I am done.

She checks his work of cleaning and was impressed that he cleaned well for the first time.

Not bad....

How many marks?

He asked excitedly.

Marks? Why should I give you marks?

You're a lecturer right? Then you have to grade my work performance!

Oh... Okay... I can say 6 out of 10.

Only 6? I was thinking like 10 out of 10!

Nobody gets a perfect score and I will never ever tell you're perfect.

Okay I know you're still angry at me and I can understand.

So now you have done this first challenge of yours, you can leave now.

I thought you will tell something else.

What?

Actually I thought you will ask me something else.

What?

I thought you will ask why I wasn't scared of this darkness.

Simple! There was still light from the windows like you said to Aaliya.

Yes but it's still quite dark. The thing is you are here and that's why I was not scared. You know when you are beside me I am not scared of anything!

She never tells anything and leaves the room.

Pragya returns and says, Don't waste your time. Leave from here.

I am leaving just that....

He said by taking off his shirt and she shrieked, What are you doing?

It's sweaty! Can't you see me sweating? I am so wet so I took off my shirt.

She closed her eyes and said, Do whatever you want but not here.

She then turns away to leave the room.

Arrey, why are you still standing there?

Nothing! I am leaving!

She says and leaves while Abhi smiles.

Sneek peek to next part,

King "I think it's not a bad idea. We should get married Pragya."

What are you saying King?

King "I am serious Pragya. We are good friends and we can be good life partners too."

Pragya looks shocked at his words and sees Abhi looking at them.

Thank you everyone for all the amazing support towards this story!