####PAST IN ITALICS###

*Parvathi Pov*(MAHA'S MOM)

I entered Maha's room and walked slowly to the bed, staring at the pictures on the wall. It's been one month since I entered her, but now hearing Satish himself say don't be mad at her I don't know why I feel I am doing something wrong by being angry at her.

Stopping near one frame I stared at him smiling happily while holding our daughter. I smiled and pressed my fingers to his face.

Rakesh! Help me here. Why did she do this? Did I make a mistake by not telling Maha the whole truth? But... but I felt selfish and didn't want her to think me as weak. I had this confidence that she would just listen and leave the matter there itself.

Did I think wrong about her mindset? Do you think what I am thinking now is wrong? I continued to question him before closing my eyes.

You were always there whenever I need you. Now, I need you more than you can think. What should I do this time, Rakesh?

"I am fine, Mom!" I said, smiling at her and she frowned, but walked away.

I immediately let the tears flow thinking how did I end up so stupid. I placed my hand on my stomach finally accepting with a whole heart, which I have been imagining myself as false for two whole months.

How did I end up so stupid? I thought, glancing at the mobile to see him calling me again. Can't he understand I don't want to talk to him.

I heard a knock and immediately brushed my tears saying, "It's opened!"

"Hey! Heard you are lying under a rock. Is it true?" He asked, smiling and walked into the room.

"Please stop it, okay." I said, smiling and he immediately frowned.

"What is wrong? Sathish is calling me saying you are not lifting the phone only for past two weeks. He is saying he can't come here because of some tradition." He said, frowning and I took a deep breath but my tears released.

"Do you remember two months back Maheshwari said she used to like Sathish when we talked about secrets?" I asked and he nodded.

"She lied to us. She completely lied to us." I said, brushing my tears and took out the diary I found in her house when we all planned her birthday surprise at her house in the basement.

"I found it one week after her confession." I added and passed the diary.

"She loves him!" he mumbled and added, "For the past five years." After looking at the date on the diary.

"Yes! That's why she never dated anyone and always said she will marry someone her parents will choose. How could she lie to us?" I asked and he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Paru! Maybe she had her reason and why are you worrying Sathish over this. Within one month you both are going to get married." He pointed out.

"He was beside me when I found the diary and he knows about it. And... and I read it completely." I mumbled.

"How can you read her personal diary?" he asked in a disappointed tone.

"I just did and... and I made him read it forcefully after I did." I replied and he froze in his place.

"Are you mad?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yes! Because inside... inside I felt he is not mine anymore. I can never love him like that like never. We... we both started dating because we were expected to from both our families. And we were so comfortable with each other to know we will have a happy life. I even love him but... but this is what real love is. Sathish and I felt lost from the past two months and I can promise you he too felt shaken up." I said holding the diary.

"Okay! You are having cold feet." He stated, but I shook my head.

"No! I didn't talk to her after finding this diary ignoring her. I had these two months to think about everything. I am angry with her okay, I am completely angry for hiding all this and... and I cried at a few pages. Why did she act happy before us? Why did she went against our group rule?" I asked crying and he held me rubbing my back.

"It's okay! Maybe to not hurt you she hid this." He mumbled, but I shook my head before telling him what I decided.

"Don't do this." But ignored him and called both of them to meet me at the juice shop tomorrow.

"You can't meet him." He pointed out, but I ignored his words finally feeling sure of my decision.

"What is it?" Maheshwari asked, smiling and I slapped her making both men move towards us.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked and she frowned, but when I showed the diary, she glared at me before taking it away.

"It's personal." She mumbled folding her hand.

"I want to cancel the wedding." I said and three of them fell into silence.

"But why? This relates to myself and no one else. You both love each other and should marry." She said, standing up, but I made her sit down.

"I am worried, Sathish. I am worried that we both will regret if we continue with this marriage." I said looking at him.

"Paru! I... the preparations and... and our parents." He mumbled and I smiled.

"You know, even I thought about them only. Shouldn't we both think about how can we stay away from one another?" I asked and he closed his eyes before nodding.

"Shut up both of you. You both lost your mind. You are ruining your lives based on some stupid diary." Maheshwari stood up screaming.

"And... and what do you both think? That I will end up with him just because you both don't marry? And why would he? You both are couple from beginning and will be for me till the end." She added brushing the tears away.

"Maheshwari!" I mumbled, but she shook her head.

"Don't forget your parents if they hear you both cancelling it. It is for merging companies if you don't remember." She pointed out and I closed my eyes knowing she is saying the truth.

"Are you saying he should give up the chance of having a life partner for whom he is everything? And I too miss the same?" I asked and she frowned rubbing her temple.

"This is all my mistake." She mumbled and sat down.

I sat there looking at three of them for a few minutes before saying, "Fine! Let's get along with the marriage and live a normal life and if you both think each one of us should have an amazing life then do something about it."

"And Maheshwari, I got to know what actual love is because of you." Saying that I left the juice shop to reach the hospital.

"You need to be very careful with your pregnancy. I think you should join hospital for a few weeks until we can make sure the baby is fine." Doctor dropped another bomb making me gasp.

"I will take care of myself." I said and she nodded, understanding my situation with me being unmarried and pregnant knowing well how a family could be about that.

"When were you going to say?" I got startled hearing his voice and glanced to my side when I walked out of the hospital to see Rakesh.

"I followed you! And here you are doing a mistake even more now." He said frowning.

"Do you think if I will be tremendously happy going along with the marriage, I would have come to that decision?" I asked and he sighed before holding my hand.

"I was irresponsible, wasn't I?" I mumbled and he snorted.

"No one is here innocent, Paru. You made your choice and it is your life to make it." He said and I shook my head, smiling even though I know I should break down thinking how to break this news to my parents.

"Oh god! How much time will it take for two people to decide something?" I asked pacing the room.

"You shouldn't do that in that condition." He replied and made me sit down.

"And you are too fast, always going straight to it just like Sathish. You both are perfect, so it is not that bad to get married within a week." He added and I shook my head.

"You don't understand if they don't make some decision I have to break the news which will be completely ignored with me being a girl." I said and he stopped smiling knowing my thoughts about it.

"Hello?" I asked, lifting the phone.

"Am I... am I hurting you if I say I love her too? Am I being a douchbag if I suddenly fallen for her?" I closed my eyes hearing the questions.

"Maybe you are but I think we stopped dating for the past two months  so I will not call it cheating on me and when we read that diary and you started thinking about her from then only. Maybe going to some places together and being intimate and being comfortable may not be the main kind of love." I said smiling.

"We both will be wrong doing this at this point." He pointed out.

"Even I am wrong." I mumbled placing a hand on my stomach.

"We both are eloping." His sudden statement made me sit straight.

"Are you mad? Don't do such stupid thing. Let's cancel this wedding first." I said frowning.

"I talked to my Dad the same day you talked to us. He is completely against for cancelling. And it took lot of persuasion for her to accept me in the first place. I don't want to take chance." He said and I shook my head.

"They will hate you and will never accept her. And I will be given sympathy when it was my decision. It's okay! I will try to make them understand it is our decision together." I mumbled.

"Promise something, Paru." I suddenly heard her voice.

"What?" I asked, frowning.

"I will go with him only if you promise not to tell anyone you knew about this elopement. I know your parents and they will torture you with words." She replied and I stilled.

"This is wrong." I said and suddenly Rakesh chuckled.

"What we are doing is wrong from the first place." She mumbled and I closed my eyes before promising them.

"Now what?" I asked, looking at Rakesh after hanging up.

"Oh, Parvathi!" I heard a cry after half an hour and closed my eyes before glancing at Rakesh.

We both walked downstairs to see literally a mob there. I got the story of them both eloping and saw Mom crying, making me emotional too.

"She is in shock, she is in shock." Someone was saying and I tried to move but felt a little pain in my stomach.

"Rakesh! Take me to the hospital." I said  n a whisper after a few minutes he immediately did knowing my condition, but I fell into darkness on the way while travelling.

I opened my eyes to see him sitting beside me and I know somehow that it is bad news. However, what I heard from him after a few minutes was even more shocking.

"They got married and immediately called your mobile and I told them about your condition in panic." He said and I groaned.

"What did they say?" I asked him wetting my lips feeling tired.

"They are blaming themselves mainly Maheshwari and they are blaming the elopement and she is blaming her love. I tried to explain, but they are not listening and are angry too for not telling them and then that they would have never done it." He explained.

"It is a good thing I didn't share then. I don't want to stuck to a marriage where we both wouldn't have been happy  just because I was pregnant." I mumbled and held his hand feeling pain inside for losing that baby about whom I didn't thought much with everything else making me feel selfish to the core.

"Thanks for being with me." I added, but he shook his head.

"I was not able to bring you here in time to save your baby." He mumbled and I shook my head feeling tears.

"I have a problem and the doctor told me being pregnant was a miracle in the first place. Maybe that miracle fell short." I said, closing my eyes and he pressed a is to my forehead.

"I told your parents you are staying at a friend's place." He mumbled and I thought I thanked him before drifting off into sleep knowing we created a lot of mess by just thinking too much about all the things except the main one... the main one called pure love. At least now it got corrected with their marriage.

I am feeling guilty, Rakesh. What if me not telling her what actually happened completely, I got Sweety's life ruined? I should have told her everything and she wouldn't have never known anything about this if not for Maheshwari's letter. What was she thinking placing that letter in a five year old coloring book?

To this day I never regretted deciding to cancel the wedding and making both of them together. If I had not done that, then I would have never known your love and feel this craziness of love.

But... but now I am regretting my promise and many things. Maybe I should have just shut up without changing the story. But I never expected Maha to act anything on it. Why would Maha even do this?

Does she love him? But she never said anything like that. I brushed my tears away and smiled at him. Will you help me now again?

I feel inside that I am wrong, just like that day I felt wrong about marrying Sathish. Do you think this will be true like that? I asked before closing my eyes and suddenly felt peace.

"She is our daughter and I trust her." I mumbled, opening my eyes before stepping back, rubbing my eyes and opened the cupboards to see all her new Saree's here only.

I frowned and immediately started packing them while still thinking about the past a little by little smiling.

"What?" I asked him shocked.

"I love you! Will you marry me?" he asked, smiling and I immediately sat straight looking around to see we are still sitting on the roadside eating pani puri.

"Great! Two friends are not talking to me feeling guilty and one is saying that he loves me." I replied shaking my head.

"You deserve a wonderful girl which I am not always taking fast decisions and all like you always say." I mumbled and he frowned.

"What if I say I have loved you from the moment I saw you?" he asked and I coughed while drinking water.

"Are you serious? Why does everyone hide secrets from me? Why did everyone broke the rule of this group?" I mumbled frowning.

"We four are best at that. Now, will you?" he asked and I held his hand.

"I can't become pregnant and I have a feeling here that you will be an amazing father." I said but he shook his head.

"It's been a few months since I want to ask this, but I was waiting thinking you lost so much and I should give you time and we are not even dating. But... but today I felt like I am doing a mistake by not expressing my love. And if not with you then maybe I will not be that amazing father. There is a chance for you to but we can adopt too." He replied and I shook my head feeling tears.

"Can I get back to you later? I don't want to give an answer which could be resulting in you getting hurt. I do not want that with my whole heart." I asked and he nodded, smiling before brushing my tears away.

"I can't believe this." Maheshwari said suddenly hugging me and I hugged her back smiling.

"So, finally missed this friend?" I asked her.

"I am still angry at you and this guilt is killing me." She replied frowning and I sighed.

"From the beginning I kind of have an idea of losing that child and when it happened, I didn't do anything but then I cried and he was there with me always. However, I wished you were with me too." I said and she gasped.

"I am so sorry! Seems like I am still selfish thinking about only my feelings." She said but I rolled my eyes.

"It's okay! Now, tell me about your married life." I said and she gave a small smile.

"It is fine!" she mumbled and I frowned.

"Why?" I asked her and she closed her eyes.

"Well, we both are taking it slow with the circumstances in which we jumped and having these thoughts and all." She replied sighing.

"Please tell him I am more than happy and I am getting married too. Now, I want both of you there with happy faces clearing your thoughts. Otherwise, every mess we made would be worthless." I mumbled and we both chuckled.

"So, who would have thought Rakesh loving the Parvathi." She said teasing me and I can understand because I too can't believe.

"Please, we will just forget anything like this past even happened to us." I said when they actually came for the wedding and we did from that day.

I knew that day Sathish and I don't deserve the people like Maheshwari and Rakesh and I still feel the same. But if not for them, then maybe we would have got married together and settled for everything. Now, we have this experience of life which we will never give up for anything in this world.

"Good night!" I said, smiling at Sathish when I passed him on the way to my room and laid on the bed feeling peace to leave the doubts that Maha did this because of what happened in the past. Maybe one day I will tell her point to point truth without skipping anything but for now there are other things to regard.

There must be some serious reason and I will wait here until she feels she can tell me about it. I closed my eyes and drifted off into sleep.

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they all seemed to be silly and stupid? well, then they are :) i think there were two choices, either to get along with the person with whom you were with for long time or with a person who loves you like no one else in this world. I know i gave a vague one in the previous chap because i didnt want to get this depth because this could be written as one story in itself... Anyway, i will just keep it as extra for now... this is not an actual chap but to remove the doubts before they over shadow the actual story... 

1. She was already three months pregnant which she got to know two months back nearly and she ignored about it because there were other things that overpowered and she was confused and lost... and mainly the scare of being pregnant out of wedlock because of her parents...

2. Yes! Sathish was about to marry Parvathi but yeah fell in love with Maheshwari but didnt wantedly and it just happened like anytime... i think we can't choose whom we fall and how... it can be an incident, a look or something like knowing the feelings of other... point to be noted, it is my view...

3. Some events can never be in control and they just happen... and it was their choice to be intimate with other and they can't let go of love just thinking hey there was intimacy recently with other person i can't do this...

And main point, they are far from perfect maybe except Rakesh and maybe someone else... anyway plz let it be past like them and leave it... this explanation was supposed to be when Swathi's knows in a brief way but i had to type this immediately thinking myself into more depth because before this much didnt entered my head only... because in the end the main story is something else right... Anyways guys if they are not accepted then also fine :)

if explanation was too much, dont mind :)