In collaboration with hainyehchaandni

.....

Shiva walked around the town, trying to find Raavi. He was going berserk. And rightly so! His wife was missing for the last 6 hours! And no one had tried to find her! Both her families assumed she was with the other family! What kind of family were they? How did they not realise that she was missing!

Maybe if they’d started looking for her earlier.. they could have found her by now. Where could she have gone? He ended up at his tree. He climbed and sat at his usual spot. Playing with the creeper, he began to wonder why he wasn't able to find Raavi in that bungalow.

Location toh udhar ka hi tha, par uska phone bhi nahi laga. Lagne se pehle mera phone dead ho gaya. Maar goli iss phone ko, aur kaha dhundhu usse, pure sheher mein dhundh liya.

Kaha hai tu chipkali, kyu sata rahi hai mujhe aise?

“Ae gadhede”

Shiva looked around to see who was calling out to him, ready to blast whoever it was that dared to piss him off when he was already so worried.

“Aee idhar udhar kya dekh raha, neeche dekh”

Shiva looked down. He shook his head and narrowed his eyes. There stood, Chotu Shiva, looking at him, a mocking look on his face.

“Tu? Tu yaha kya kar raha hain? Jaa yaha se. Raavi kaafi nahi thi ke tu bhi aa gaya. Tu toh samajh,” he said, wishing he’d stop seeing people around.

“Main vo krne aaya hoon, jo tu nhi kr paa raha”

“Kya matlab?”

“Matlab yeh, ke Raavi ko tu dobi bolta hain aur khud ko dekh”

Shiva got down from the tree. Ready to burst on kid Shiva, spewing nonsense. He looked around only to realise that he was alone. He scratched his head and thought to himself, main yeh sab soch soch ke pagal ho jaunga. Yeh Raavi mil kyu nhi rahi? Vo mil jayegi toh-

“Toh kya haan?”

Shiva spinned back to see kid Shiva again, standing with legs and arms crossed, shoulder resting on the bark of the tree across him. 

“Raavi na, sahi keh rhi thi. Tu bilkul nhi badla. Abhi bhi ladaku vimaan hain jo sabse zyaada apni Chipkali se hi ladta hain.”

Shiva huffed in annoyance, “Acha, tu bada aaya bolne vaala. Yaad nhi tune kaise kaise usko rulaya hain aur pareshan kiya hain.”

Chotu Shiva pinched the bridge of his nose at the blame game and stated, pointing a finger at him, “Sab yaad hain mujhe, pan shayad tereko yaad nahi hain ke tere vajah se bewajah usko kitni takleef hoti hain”

Shiva stayed silent, as a series of flashbacks went through his mind, of moments of them as kids and then after they were married where he had hurt her because he blamed her for actions of her family, the latest being the kangan fiasco at the haveli.

Seeing him stay silent, chotu Shiva said, “Tu pyaar karta hain na usse? Abhi kuch din pehle tak toh tu usko I love you bolne ke liye mare jaa raha tha. Yeh kaisa pyaar tera, jisko apne pyaar par bharosa hi nhi hain?”

The question drained out every other thought for the moment, except for everything that led him to feeling that she might be involved in the whole IVF fiasco with Anita and Kamini bua. He walked back slightly and rested his back on the tree opposite, shoulders slumping, suddenly feeling weak physically as well as mentally.

“Pan vo videos. Aur vo vahi thi room mein, Anita kesaath....Vo sab....”

Chotu shiva chuckled and said, “Tu bhi jaanta hain vo Anita kaisi hain. Aur vo bua bhi. Aur sabse badi baat tu Raavi ko bhi bachpan se jaanta hain. Usse dekhta aaya hain. Chahe nafrat ka hi sahi, pan ek rishta humesha se raha hain. Pehle tu yeh galti kar chuka hain, apne rishte pe doosro ko haavi hone diya hain. Ab jab vo teri biwi hain, jab tu usse pyaar karta hain, toh us rishte ko nibhana bhi chahiye na tujhe.”

Shiva closed his eyes. Her face swam across. Her pure gentle soul which always brought happiness around encamped his being. He remembered how she was by his side during the kanwad yatra; how she came back home even after he served her with divorce papers; how she took care of Dhara through all her mood swings and shenanigans; how her pure heart never even took the slightest offence at all the taunts his mom threw at her.

Yes, she had gotten angry at the loan paper fiasco. But that was also for her own place and identity in the family. She wasn’t the kind of soul who’d plot and plan for revenge no matter how much someone offended her. He remembered all the times he had insulted her, misbehaved with her, made her bear the brunt of his anger he felt towards maami. But she never expressed anything else other than her hurt and disappointment. And that too was only after they were married and she demanded respect as a wife.

His wife. His WIFE. He opened his eyes, to see chotu Shiva disappear and his heartbeat went racing. He HAD to find her.

He had to find her somehow. There were enough people in the house to search for Dhara Bhabhi. But no one was even thinking about Raavi, let alone get on their 2 feet to search for her. God knows where she was and in what state, his heart thumped hard against his chest, fear creeping in like the day she almost got kidnapped.

"Mujhe phirse usse dhundhne jaana hoga." He said out loud, straightening himself.

As he moved forwards, he lost his footing and swayed a bit, realising he hadn't eaten anything in a very long time. Since the hospital, he hadn’t eaten a proper meal, given that they took him directly to jail from there, and he immediately searched for Raavi when he was released.

"Khud behosh ho gaya toh chipkali ko kaise dhundhunga?" He plucked a fruit from a nearby tree, and ate it for temporary sugar supply to his body.

Ghar jaake khaata hu kuch, phir uske liye bhi khaana rakh lunga ek dabbe mein. Kya pata kidhar hai ye aafat ki pudiya, usne kuch khaaya bhi hoga kya?

Shiva got on his bike, and drove back home as quickly as possible. He couldn't lose her again.

...

Raavi blinked her eyes open, adjusting to the light again. She had tried to call Shiva and had even knocked over the steel vessels to grab his attention, but he didn't seem to hear it.

Mujhe yaha se nikalna hoga. Kaise bhi karke ghar pohonchna hoga.

Raavi eased herself off the bed, feeling light headed from the sedation and possible chloroform she was doused with.

Thodi der, Raavi. Bas thodi der.

"AYE LADKI!" The lady yelled, and Raavi's senses heightened in the moment.

She stared at the lady, and saw her walking towards her, unlocking the latch of the door. Raavi frantically looked around for anything that could save her, but it was just an empty bedroom.

Just as the lady was about to grab hold of her, Raavi grabbed the steel jug and tossed it in her direction, hitting her straight down her nose, and made a run for it while the lady howled in pain.

She ran until she was outside the gates of the bungalow, losing her breath already. There was no one in sight, not even a cycle.

Raavi, aankhein khol, distract yourself. ABCDEFGHI-

The motor of a vehicle made her snap her neck in that direction, and she dragged herself to the rickshaw, sitting in.

"Uncle. Ghar chalo." Raavi said, shutting her eyes and holding her head in her hands.

"Bitiya, le toh jaayenge, lekin ghar kaha hai aapka?" The uncle asked.

"Huh? Haa. Woh... Carter Road, bungalow no. 23." She answered, resting her head on the side.

"Arre, aap toh wahi-  aapko ek ladka dhoondh raha tha, bas abhi thodi der pehle. Keh raha tha aap unki patni hai-"

"Haa bhootnath hai woh ek number ka, lekin aap please jaldi kijiye, ye log ne mujhe kidnap kiya tha, aap.... tssssk..... aap chaliye na please." Raavi pointed at the house she left, wincing. Her head felt like it would burst any second and she'd plop down on the main highway.

The rickshaw driver understood, and sped up, reaching Pandya Niwas within minutes.

"Uncle ji, mere ghar se jo bahar aaye, unse paise le lijiye, theek hai? Thank you." Raavi stumbled out of the rickshaw, calling out repeatedly to the only person on her mind, letting go and succumbing to the darkness as soon as she felt a pair of arms engulf her.

....

Shiva reached home and ate whatever he could find, because his only primary motive was to not faint while searching for Raavi. His mind was constantly running, thinking of all the places she could possibly be.

Mujhe bohot darr lag raha hai. Na Mami ko khabar, na Maa ko. Hey bhagwaan, Iss chipkali ko kuch hone mat dena, bas.

Just as he stepped outside to resume his search, he saw a rickshaw stop in front of his house, and a flash of red and blue stumble out, barely keeping herself on her feet.

Raavi.

It was like someone breathed air into his lungs. She was okay, alive and didn't look hurt. Yes, maybe a little pale but that could be the sunlight.

She was here. Safe and sound. Back home.

"RAAVI?!" Shiva yelled and ran towards her, as she slowly turned around.

"Shiva!" She croaked, losing her footing.

Sirf 5 seconds longer, Raavi. 5 seconds.

Just as Shiva reached her, she let go, falling unconscious the moment she felt his arms wrap around her, whispering "Shiva" and grasping the front of his vest, before everything went black.

In the momentum, they fell to the ground, with Raavi on Shiva's lap, as he sat down in the middle of the road.

"Raavi! Ae chipkali!" He patted her cheeks, completely panicking at her unconscious state. "Aankhein khol na gadhedi!"

Shiva looked up at the rickshaw driver, who was just as confused. "Bhaiyya, aap ko kaha mili ye?"

"Beta, woh ek bungle se bhaag ke aayi, woh Vivekanand Nagar se, aur kahi ki koi isse agwah karne ki koshish kar raha tha. Bohot dari hui thi. Aapko bhoot keh rahi thi."

Bhootnath.

"Kuch nahi hoga tujhe." Shiva told her, as he scooped her up in his arms, calling out for Krish.

"Krish, inke saath jaa, aur dekh ke woh bungle mein abhi bhi koi hai kya, jaa jaldi apna wallet leke jaa!" He told Krish, turning towards the rickshaw driver.

"Thank you, bhaiyya. Isse ghar laane ke liye. Thank you!"

The driver nodded, and left with Krish, as Shiva ran into the house, placing her on the cot of the living room.

"Raavi?" He gently called out to her, rubbing heat into her palms, his voice clogging up by the passing minute, "Dekh na idhar, uth! Please?!!"

Suman and Rishita came running out to the aangan, surprised to see Raavi.

"Ae Shiva, ye kaha se aai?! Kya hua hai isse?" Suman asked worried.

"Pata nahi, kahi se bhaag ke aayi aur behosh ho gayi, Maa, ye theek hogi na?" Shiva asked, reaching for the jug of water and sprinkling some water on her face.

"Ye-ye aankhein kyu nahi khol rahi hai? Maa dekh na, ye aankhein nahi khol rahi! Raavi!" Shiva patted her cheeks, wiping the water from her face gently.

"Shiva, ruk beta." Suman explained. "Woh behosh thi, phir bhaag ke aayi, aur waapas behosh ho gayi. Thoda tem de usse."

Shiva nodded, his eyes not leaving Raavi for a second, as he sat down next to her on the floor.

He clasped her hand in his, and pulled them to his chest. Tears escaped as he looked at her pale face and frown lines on her forehead. He moved to straighten them out when he felt her fingers trying to wrap themselves around his hand. He started rubbing her hands again and patted her cheeks lightly till he saw her eyes fluttering.

“Aye Raavi, hosh mein aa! Theek hai tu?”
Raavi focused on his worried face and tried nodding her head, but unable to do so just blinked to let him know that she was fine. He bent his head on his hands, which were still clasped around hers, and said, “Kaha chali gayi thi tu gadhedi. Pata hai, main kitna ghabra gaya tha? Yeh tu kya danger magnet bann ke ghoomti rehti hai?”

Raavi looked around to see Suman and Rishita, looking over Shiva’s shoulder, worried. But her focus shifted to Shiva quickly as she remembered the events of the day. Her head ached again as she tried to sit up.

“Ae gadhedi, kya kar rahi? Leti reh, tujhe aaram ki zaroorat hai.”

“Ae Shiva, isse andar le ja,” Suman said, knowing they needed to talk. The sooner, the better. She turned back to leave, but on afterthought she added, “Doctor ko bula le. Kahi isko zyaada chot na lagi ho.”

She tugged at Rishita too, silently asking her to leave them alone.

Shiva looked at Raavi struggling to get up.
“Ae chipkali, ruk na. Kya jaldi hain uthne ki, main leke jaata hoon na.”

Saying so he picked her up and walked to their room.

“Ae, yeh lock kisne kiya?”

“Vo.. Maine hi kiya tha..”

“Kyu?”

Without replying Raavi quickly unlocked the room still in his arms. As he stepped into the room, he saw the decorations.

Only saw them because his brain didn’t register anything. Raavi searched his face, blushing slightly, while he quickly laid her down, pulling the pillow so that she could rest her back. He saw the cardboard and pulled it out.

He looked at the I love you written for a solid minute. His stance fixed, leaning over her. Raavi looked at him curiously, waiting for his reaction.

“Shiva?” She said waving her hand in front of his face. He looked at her and then looked back at the I love you again. He looked around to see the decorated bed properly. He touched the leaves before his eyes finally settled on her now tomato red face.

“Woh main.. Woh uss din tune.. toh maine socha..”

Shiva sat down and pulled her into a bear hug, staring at the I love you still. He pulled back and cupped her face with his one hand, the other on her shoulder. He leaned forward and as their foreheads touched, he felt multitudes of emotions.

“Tujhe kuch bolne ki zaroorat nahi hai, Shiva. I know tu gussa hai mere se. Maine tujhe jail bheja. I wish mujhe time milta yeh sab hata dene ka pan..”

“Yeh sab chodh,” She said, pulling back, “Tu theek hai? Tu jail se kab nikla? Tujhe unhone kuch kiya toh nhi,” she asked at full speed and checked him to see if he was hurt anywhere, while Shiva stared away at her.

Seeing him stay silent, she asked fearfully, “Kya tujhe ab bhi lagta hai ke woh sab.. Anita di ke saath milke maine-"

Before she could complete, Shiva stopped her, “Nahi, uss waqt gusse mein tha mai, aur itna saara kuch saath mein ho raha tha, mujhe laga....Pan mujhe pata hai tu Dhara bhabhi se kitna pyaar karti hai. Tu aisa kabhi nahi karegi. Yeh sab woh teri naagin behen and tamatar Seth ki behen ka kiya dhara hain. Unko toh mai dekh lunga-"

“Hum”

“Kya?”

“Hum dekh lenge unhe. Pan tu promise kar, apne gusse pe kaabu rakhega?”

Her eyes filled up as she continued, “Main thak gayi hoon, sabko tujhe jangli bolte huye sunte sunte. Main yeh nahi keh rahi ke tera gussa hona galat hai, pan usko dikhane ka ek tareeka hota hain. Aise tu kisi ke peeche kainchi leke nhi bhaag sakta na Shiva!”

Shiva nodded his head slightly, understanding her stance. “Pan main yeh bhi jaanti hoon, shayad maine police bulake, haalat ko aur naazuk bana diya,” she added, bending her head and looking at him through her eyelashes.

“I’m sorry”

Shiva turned his face slightly away not knowing how to react. She placed her palm on his cheek and turned him towards her. Leaning forward, she kissed the cheek she had slapped, lightly.

As Shiva looked at her with a slight smile, she pulled back and said, “I’m sorry tujhe thappad maarne ke liye bhi. Mujhe uss waqt kuch nahi soojh raha tha, sivaaye iske, ki tujhe kuch bhi karke roku, tujhe kuch aisa karne se jisse ki tu galat na ho jaye.. aur phir jo hua.. uske baad..”

“Shhh,” Shiva said, placing his finger on her lips. “Main samajhta hoon,” he said as Raavi’s face broke into a smile.

After a moment of silence, Shiva asked, “Tujhe pata hai humari sabse badi galti kya hai?”

Raavi nodded her head in no and he continued, “Hum humare beech humesha doosro ko leke aate hain. Humare beech jo hai, vo humara hona chahiye. Woh iss baat pe humesha depend kyu karta hai ke hum doosro ke baare kya sochte hai? Ya doosre humare saath kya karte hai?”

They both got thinking on his rhetorical question.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

They chuckled at their foolishness. It was time to put all these mistakes behind them and fix it all, slowly and steadily.

They looked at each other, their souls overwhelmed, at having reached each other and them having the much needed conversation, clearly reflecting on their faces.

He cupped her face again and kissed her lightly on the forehead. He pulled back and saw her eyes, glistening with unshed tears and leaned in to kiss her forehead again.

“Chal tu so jaa. Baaki baatein kal karte hai,” he said, getting up and holding her shoulders to help her lie down.

“Ek shart pe!”

“Kya ek shart pe gadhedi, haalat dekh apni. Rest toh tujhe krna hi hoga, main kuch nhi sunn raha.”

“Nahi, ek shart pe,” she said again, pouting in fake-anger.

“Acha bol,” he asked, sitting down next to her again, wondering what his khurafati wife was up to yet again.

“Tujhe aaj se mere saath yaha room mein sona hoga,” she said, her pout intact.

“Itni si baat? Arre gadhedi main toh kab se wait kar raha tha. Pan tu hai ki- Chalo woh kehte hai na, uske ghar mein der hai, andher nhi,” he said chuckling.

“Shivaaa” she exclaimed, lightly hitting him.

“Acha chal, bohot ho gaya tera, ab mai kuch nahi sununga. Kal subah se pehle teri aankhein khuli na toh main-“

“Oof Shiva! Kya hain? Jab dekho dhamkiya. Main tere dhamkiya se nahi darti! Theek hain na?”

“Accha? Nhi darti?”

“Haan, nahi darti!”

“Pakka? Soch ke bol rahi hain na?”

“HAAN!”

“Theek hain, phir mai chala bahar sone, tu so idhar akele.”

Saying so he got up to leave, but she held his hand, and requested, her voice low, dripping with need, “Mat jaa? Please?”
Shiva turned back and said, “Kabhi nahi jaunga,” with sincerity that made her heart skip a beat.

He helped her lie down and got into bed, turning the lights off. Raavi entangled her pinkie with his as she struggled to stay awake. Shiva saw her falling off to sleep, and smiled softly at her, grasping her palm once she closed her eyes completely.

Maybe now was the dawn of their story. Not really a fresh start. Just a new chapter. Where they could begin their relationship with a clean slate.