Chap 28 Come Back With Me

Arun’s viral fever subsided after three days but left him feeling very weak and drained out. Ghazal took good care of him, and soon results started showing. After a week, it was time for him to resume his work and hence also the time to leave. A strange feeling of loneliness swept over her as he was getting ready to leave. She stood at the window of her room, looking out at the children playing in the lane, but lost in her thoughts of the previous week. Her two BHK flat had come alive with Arun and Vrinda’s laughter, as she had secretly enjoyed their lively togetherness. Sometimes even she had joined the duo in a game of ludo or chess or just a chit chat. She had cooked all their favourite dishes in the past week and three of them had sat together for all three meals and enjoyed them too.
              Arun came to her room but she was oblivious of his presence. He touched her on her shoulder and she turned to look at him. He was surprised to see her wet eyes and wiped a tear that had escaped to flow down her cheek. Her eyes had that look of sadness, he had often noticed in the last few days. Instinctively, he took her in his arms and hugged her comfortingly. She lost her control and supressed feelings just came out in the form of tears, wetting Arun’s shirt. They stood like that for what seemed like ages, with Arun just holding her and Ghazal simply giving vent to her long supressed feelings. Vrinda stood behind them, watching them silently from a distance, a smile playing on her pretty face.
                   It was Arun who spoke first. “ Ghazal come with me please. I know I’ve hurt you a lot, but give me a chance to make it up to you. Let’s start afresh, a new life together. I promise, you won’t regret…. I need you and Vrinda…. come with me dear.”
Ghazal didn’t say anything at first, just looked at him as if trying to read his thoughts and understand his feelings. “You need only your daughter, not me, isn’t it? I never had any place in your life…….”
              He put his finger on her mouth, before she could finish her sentence. “I could have taken Vrinda with me long ago, if that had been the case. I thought you didn’t want me in your life, but I’ve always loved you, from the very first day, I saw you. I was stupid and felt jealous, whenever I saw anyone else looking at you. I went blind with jealousy, when I heard you sharing your feelings with Mihir and not me. I knew both of you were just best friends, but I wanted him out of your life, so that I could have you for myself alone. I realised my foolishness but it was too late and you just decided to leave one day and I just let you leave. That was the most stupid thing on my part, I guess. I was hurt by your decision to leave and in turn hurt you more. Can you ever forgive me, my foolishness, my stupid ego? I love you Ghazal and want you in my life, more than ever.”
          “You what?? …..” she couldn’t believe what she heard, perhaps this was his first confession of his love.
“I LOVE YOU…. didn’t you know? Why do you think, I married you ,knowing full well that you loved someone else and had been engaged to be married, before that fateful accident?” Arun smiled at her.
“But you never said so before. You kept yourself busy always and never had time for me. You never talked to me…..” Ghazal said accusingly.
“I thought you needed time to recover from the loss but didn’t realise that I was putting you away from myself… Just give me this last chance my sweet wife….I would make up all that we have missed…its not yet late, come with me and start from the beginning…” Arun pleaded.
“Yes mama please say yes…”Vrinda’s voice surprised them both. She came and hugged them both.
Arun looked in Ghazal’s eyes with a question and Ghazal simply nodded. He took them both in his arms and hugged them tight, making a promise to himself, to never let them go away again.