She reached her house and saw him sitting in the living area. He stands up seeing her.

"Finally you are back. He just fell asleep." he said looking at her.

"What happened to him? Let me go and see him first." She said

Abhi "Wait Pragya. I know you would know what's wrong with him once you see him. But listen to me first."

"Now you are making me scared. Just tell me it Abhi!" she said

Abhi "He had a mild heart attack. Luckily, I was here and called for your family doctor as your number was unreachable."

"Heart attack? He don't have it!" she replied.

Abhi "A mild one. Nothing serious as of now. So don't get worried now."

"How can I not get worried? He is my dad!"

Abhi "Yes I know but before that you have to understand you need to spend more time with him. He only have you now and I hope you allocate more time for him."

"I am going to see him." She says and he lets her go.

After sometime, she returns and sees Abhi still there.

"Thank you so much!" she said as he stood up to talk to her.

Abhi "It's okay. Actually I came here to tell don't do anything funny and in the process forget about your dad."

"I don't understand what you mean."

Abhi "About me. Like trying to find about me and then not....."

"I won't do like that. Whatever it is my dad is highly important to me."

Abhi smiles and says "Take care of him and I got to go."

"Sure! But you are also highly important to me."

Abhi "Not again!" he says closing his eyes in disbelief.

"After my dad, you are the one who makes me curious to know of."

Abhi "You were curious to know about your dad? What do you mean by that?"

"I was curious about his dislike towards certain things that were unusual. Then I got to know his dislike was a reflection of my mum's dislikes and way of life."

Abhi "Oh..."

"You won't ask how my mum passed away?"

Abhi "I know...."

"How do you know?"

Abhi "Purab told me. She died because of a bad treatment by a doctor for her leg injury."

"Yes and that's why my dad want me to be a doctor who doesn't make that mistake. I also had a dream of becoming doctor from young."

Abhi "Now don't think about past. It won't be good for your present."

"If I tell the same to you, will you accept it?"

Abhi "My past is different from yours so my words won't apply to me."

"Alright but why are you not telling it to your loved ones? Let it be I am not the one, but at least you can tell it to your friend, Purab or Dadi right?"

Abhi "How do you know that even Dadi doesn't know about it?"

"I know that she is not your own Dadi. You met her when you were young in a market and she brought you up out of sympathy towards your loneliness. Am I right?"

Abhi "Pragya, stop trying to find about me! It's of no use when I myself is useless!"

"How can you say you are useless? Don't underestimate yourself Abhi! We know your worth. We know how useful you are to arts! Do you know how popular you are among art lovers! I am really proud of your achievement and people are really looking forward for more of your works!"

Abhi" It's a materialistic world and don't get carried away by those things. They are like shadows."

"What's your problem? Why are you so negative?"

Abhi "This is me and I can't change so don't bother to ask why am I negative!"

"Acha... Fine then tell me what you are going to do next."

Abhi "Next as in?"

"In your life. You said no to me. You said no to telling me about your past. So I am wondering whether there is a yes to anything else?"

Abhi "I said yes to Bulbul." he said looking away.

"Lie! She said yes to Purab and not you. And Purab also said yes to her. That's why I was in hospital today."

He looks back in confusion and she continues to tell what happened earlier today.

Abhi "I am glad for Purab and Bulbul and thanks for your effort to make them understand their feelings for each other."

"It was not only to make them together. I made the effort to make my line clear as well."

Abhi "Pragya....."

"I am not upset with whatever you have done. I trust you and whatever you do there would be a valid reason behind it. That's what I believe."

Abhi "This is not about your trust or belief."

"Then what is it? Why can't you tell it openly so that I can change myself to be suitable for you?"

Abhi looks back in a way that she is not able understand his emotions.

Abhi "Why do you have to change yourself to be suitable for me? What are you blabbering?"

"Maybe you feel I am not suitable for you. That's why you don't want to take the step forward to get closer to me. So I felt I can change myself as per your expectation."

Abhi "Are you mad? Love doesn't need changes. It is not about changing for the person you love!"

She sighed and asked "Then how can I know about you? I really want to know about you."

Abhi "What you know about me is enough and it is enough for us to be just FRIENDS! And nothing else!"

"Just FRIENDS?" she asked in disappointment.

Abhi "It's more than enough for both of us. Now go and look after your dad."

She was about to say something when she heard her dad calling.

Abhi "Go now Pragya!"

Dejected by the way he responds, she heads to see her dad.

After a few days,

"It's a dead-end for my love." She said

Bulbul "No Pragya. Don't say like that. We will do something to know about his past."

"Don't give me fake hopes Bulbul. Like what my dad said love can't be forced, it is the same for a person to tell about himself. We can't force it out of him. He have full rights not to share with us!"

Bulbul "No Pragya....maybe Purab can help us in this. I can talk to him."

"I don't think it will be of any use when Abhi is very determined not to let things out."

Bulbul looks worried in response.

"I am not going to do anything further. I just want to take care of my dad. I actually asked you to meet me as I want to tell that Dad and me are leaving the country."

Bulbul "Forever?" she asked in shock.

"Obviously not! How can I leave everything here behind? It's a business meeting and I felt he shouldn't go alone considering his health condition. So I am accompanying him."

Bulbul "Alright. Do you want me to inform about this to Abhi?"

"No! Don't tell to Purab too."

Bulbul "I can understand why you don't want me to tell Abhi but why Purab too?"

"I don't want anyone close to him know about my whereabouts. I just need a peace of mind for sometime Bulbul."

Bulbul "I understand and take care of yourself."

"Sure!" she says and Bulbul asked "When and where are you leaving to?"

"I will be leaving tonight and I don't want to share where I will be leaving to. It's not that I don't want to tell you but...." She hesitates.

Bulbul said "It's fine Pragya. Have a safe trip and keep in touch with me."

She smiles in response and hugs Bulbul before leaving.

She reached her house and is surprised to see Abhi.

"You're here?" she asked blinking her eyes as it was unexpected of him to turn up here now.

Abhi "Yes! And I am here to inform that I have changed!"

"Changed?" she asked looking puzzled.

Abhi "Changed so that I can marry you!"

"Not again!" she sighed thinking she is hallucinating now.

Abhi "You're not hallucinating! I am here for real."

"I don't believe you." She replied.

Abhi "Uncle!"

Shortly, her dad came and said "Pragya, he is here for real and he have changed."

"I don't understand all this." She says and sits on the sofa.

"Trust me dear. He is changed and I am very much happy to welcome him to our family." her dad said by sitting beside her

She looks at her dad then at Abhi.

"Changed for what?" she asked her dad.

"Changed to say yes to your love!" he said.

"But I thought there shouldn't be a need to have changes in love." She replied

Abhi "Changes happen in everything Pragya. Love is also susceptible to changes."

"Now what you all want me to say?" she asked.

"You don't have to say anything dear. It's all going to happen after we are back from the business trip." her dad said

Abhi smiled looking at her and she was perplexed on what to say.

"Why does he all of a sudden is saying yes to me?" she wondered looking at him.

"And he have told everything about his past to me." her dad whispered to her.

"Everything?" she asked loudly.

"But I won't tell you dear. It's a secret between me and my son in law." he said

Abhi looks on at her and she could only walk away to her room with mixed feelings.

"What is the sudden change for? Why can he tell everything to my dad and not me! Is he trying to play with me now? And how can dad agree before I agree!" she thought by slamming the room door.

Sneek peek to next part,

"Are you trying to be close to me or close me?"

Abhi "Both I guess." he chuckled which irritated her.

"Look! This is not done yet. I know usually girls are complicated but in my case it's reverse!"

Abhi "Ask your dad Pragya, he will tell you how simple I am. There is nothing like you are thinking."

She disagrees and walks away while he follows her with a smirk.

Thank you and hope it was a good read 😊