For Rabul’s Girl…the finally final part of Purab and Bulbul’s story…enjoy!
Episode 42
Purab adjusted his pillow for the tenth time since he had lain down.
He couldn’t sleep!
Everything was just so messed up! He thought.
After their exit from the temple, all Purab had wanted to do was take his wife in his arms. To comfort her, make sure she was fine.
I mean, discovering that side to her parents must have been a real shocker for Bulbul, right? But that didn’t happen…. As soon as he’d opened his big mouth…everything went downhill from there!
Just when he thought everything would be okay, he had to ruin it! Just twenty-four hours ago, he and Bulbul were getting married at that Carnival…and in another twelve hours, they were all set to do it again… for the third time. He could just imagine Bulbul thinking: Marriage one: drunk mistake; marriage two: sober mistake; marriage three: ‘What the hell was Purab thinking!’ mistake! Purab shook his head.
His Bulbul was really one of a kind, he thought with a smile.
Both a fighter and a softie.
A girl who had grown up craving the love of her parents.
Atleast she had Sarla Maa there with her through it all.
Purab promised himself that he would give her so much love and happiness that she would forget all that had been lacking in her life before. He found himself wishing she were here now.
He was missing her, even though she was only a few doors away from him.
Purab wanted her here with him, but due to Dadi’s orders, he couldn’t even see or talk to her. Thanks Dadi! He thought, covering his face with both hands. He wondered if she was awake… He’d pondered on the idea of sneaking into her room once again, while everyone was asleep, but knowing Dadi’s penchant for getting up at all hours, he gave up on that plan. He guessed he would just have to wait and see what happenings tomorrow would bring.
Just like Purab, Bulbul too was still awake, with two hours of non-stop turning and twisting thrown in. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she had fallen asleep in her husband’s arms.
Now she was here…alone…in this bed…without him…not sleeping.
She remembered Pragya Di saying that Purab was just five doors away from her, when she escorted her to this room. But which side? She wondered.
There were rooms left and right of this one.
But still, how hard could it be to find? She thought. I’ll just check five doors.
She got off the bed and went to the door.
Opening it slightly, she poked her head through the small space and looked around.
Phew! The Coast was clear!
Everyone must be asleep, she thought.
Now to figure out where Purab was…
She was stealthily making her way down the hall when she realized that there were more than five rooms on either side! Nice going Bulbul! she said to herself. How stupid do you have to be not to realize that! This is a mansion for goodness sake! There are bound to be lots of rooms! She was deciding her next course of action, when she heard: “And just where do you think you’re going…?” I am so dead! She thought.
Bulbul opened the door slowly and stealthily walked into Purab’s room.
She didn’t want to make any noise, in case he was already asleep.
Thank goodness, it was Abhi who saw her and not Dadi.
She tried to come up with an explanation but he waved away her words.
He just smiled and pointed the way to Purab’s room and then went on his way.
She walked toward the bed, Purab’s back was turned toward her.
Then, as if sensing someone’s presence, he turned and saw Bulbul.
He didn’t say anything.
He just held her hand, looking at her with those s*xy, sleepy eyes of his and gently pulled her in to lay beside him. Purab really doesn’t like sleeping with his shirt on! She thought to herself.
He brought her in even closer and Bulbul went into the circle of his arms.
“Purab” Bulbul softly called his name.
Purab gently put a finger against her lips.
He didn’t want to talk and Bulbul realised it too.
Talking would just ruin this beautiful moment, which right now, to him, took precedence over everything else. He had his love here with him. This moment was perfect.
They didn’t need words getting in the way.
Bulbul shifted nearer to him, resting her head on his chest.
She could hear his heartbeat pounding away.
She felt him kiss her hair and Bulbul closed her eyes and then once again fell asleep in her husband’s arms.
Purab woke just before dawn with a sleeping Bulbul resting her head on his shoulder.
He smoothed the hair away from her face and lifted her in his arms.
As much as Purab wanted to stay with her like this, he need to get Bulbul back to her room before the others woke up and realised she was missing.
Walking to her room, he laid her on the bed and covered her with the blanket.
He turned to go, but her hand managed to grab onto his and gently tried to untangle it. Leaning closer to her, he kissed her temple and she snuggled further into the blanket. Just a few hours and he would have her all to himself.
Taking one last look at her, he then turned and went back to his room.
Bulbul woke up two hours later, realizing she was back in her room.
How did she reach here?
The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in Purab’s bed.
Even though they didn’t talk, last night gave her a little hope that things would be alright between them. Bulbul turned her head slightly and her gaze landed on the pillow next to her.
It was an envelope with a beautiful rose resting on top of it.
Sitting up on the bed, she picked up both.
Bulbul inhaled the sweet fragrance of the flower and then opened the envelope, reading the contents of the paper tucked inside….
Bulbul,
I know there are alot of unsaid things between us, and misunderstandings that need to be sorted, but for now, I want to tell you this…
Marrying you at that Carnival was the best thing that I have ever done in my entire life.
The second best was marrying you again at the temple in front your parents….and the third will be marrying you again today…
I’m telling you this now, because, I couldn’t let you go into this marriage, for a third time, thinking once again that it was all a mistake.
Because it wasn’t…atleast not for me. I have absolutely no regrets and I would do it over and over again if I could.
You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am totally, irrevocably, one hundred and ten percent in love with you Mrs. Bulbul Purab Khanna.
You stole my heart the moment you climbed onto that boat and my life hasn’t been the same ever since.
In such a short span of time, you became so important to me and I want to spend the rest of our lives proving to you just how much.
You are an amazing woman, whose beauty and innocence takes my breath away. You have no idea how fast my heart beats every time I see you…or how much I miss you every time you are not with me…even if it’s only a few doors away.
I want to go to bed every night with you in my arms and wake up to your beautiful face each and every morning…
I want to raise a family with you, with kids who are beautiful, intelligent and a little naughty…just like their mother.
I want to build a wonderful life with you and watch us grow old together…where, even then, you would look just as gorgeous as you do now.
You make me happier than I have ever been before…and I want the opportunity to do the same for you. Will you give me that chance? Will you give us that chance…to make each other happy?
I’m hoping you’ll say yes, because there is no way I’m letting you go away from me.
I better stop now, before Pragya Di, Mitali or Aliya comes knocking on your door to whisk you away for whatever they have planned for you.
Can’t wait to know your answer.
Yours,
Purab.
Bulbul was in tears.
This was the sweetest thing she had ever read….and it was written just for her, by the man she loved. What could be better than that?
She too wanted to let Purab know how she felt about him.
She got out of bed and looked around, searching the room for writing tools.
Finally spotting a notepad and pen on the nightstand, she went back to the bed and sat down.
She thought of all the things she wanted to say to him, but then she realized she needed only one word to convey her message. “YES!!!” Bulbul said the word as she wrote it down in big, bold capital letters.
She was neatly folding the paper and inserting it into the same envelope Purab had sent, when she heard a knock and then Pragya came into the room. “Oh hey, you’re up!” she said looking at Bulbul. “Good Morning!”
“Good Morning.” Bulbul replied, with a big smile on her face.
“You’re in a good mood.” Pragya asked. “Slept well?”
Better than ever before, she thought.
Bulbul nodded.
“Good” she said and then proceeded to call out a list of things that they needed to do before the wedding. “Get ready and I’ll see you downstairs in a bit, ok?” “Ok, Di.” Bulbul replied.
Pragya turned to go when she was stopped by the sound of Bulbul’s voice. “Umm, Di?” she called. Pragya turned back to her. “Yeah?”
“Can you do me a favor please?” she asked.
“Of course. What is it?”
“Can you give this to Purab for me please?” she requested, handing the note to Pragya.
Pragya smiled. “Sure.” and then left.
Purab and Bulbul got married yet again…and this time it was absolutely perfect!
They weren’t drunk…or marrying out of compulsion.
This wedding was filled with the love that they both felt for each other.
Their happiness was even greater as they had the most important people in their lives to share it with. Although her parents weren’t here, Bulbul didn’t mind too much as, thanks to Purab, Sarla Maa was here with her. What could be better than that?
Although she was a bit sad that Sarla Maa was going back to her hometown in Delhi.
Bulbul was married now so there was no reason for her to stay here.
Purab said that she could stay with them but Sarla Maa refused.
After all these years, she missed her home and wanted to return.
She made Purab and Bulbul promise that they would visit her when they could.
Finally, it was time for the couple to leave.
They arrived at Purab’s house where rituals were done to welcome the bride into her new home… She was then taken to her room by Pragya and Aliya.
Purab entered his beautifully decorated room and saw his bride waiting for him on the bed, her dupatta pulled to fully cover her face. He smiled and walked over to her.
Sitting on the bed in front of her, he slowly lifted the veil and was shocked to see his bride. “Akash!” he shouted in disbelief, placing a hand over his heart. “You almost gave me a heart-attack, man!” “Does this mean you don’t love me anymore?” Akash teased, referring to the night of the party when Purab drunk-called him. Purab ignored his teasing and pinched his cheek.
“Of course not.” Purab said. “I still love you…but not enough to make you my bride.”
Akash laughed and then Purab saw Abhi, Pragya and Aliya coming out of their hiding places laughing. Purab looked around, realizing Bulbul wasn’t with them. “Where is Bulbul?” he asked them.
“Shall we tell him?” Aliya asked. “Or let him find her himself?”
“What?!” Purab exclaimed.
Purab had been waiting for all day for the moment he could finally be alone with Bulbul.
Now he couldn’t even do that as these Mehras thought that a game of “Let Purab Find His Wife” would be more fun! “Calm down!” Abhi said to him. “You need to change.”
“Change for what?” Purab asked.
“We’ll tell you after.” Pragya said, holding out a package to him. “Go change.”
“Fine” Purab replied and then left to change, all the while wondering what the hell they were up to…and where they had his wife!
Bulbul walked into the pool area which was entirely decorated with flowers, lights, red and white balloons, a candlelit dinner and all the other trimmings. They really went all out, she thought.
It looked so beautiful and romantic. Bulbul felt like she was in a scene from from one of those date movies, where any minute now her hero would come in and surprise her.
She looked around. No sign of her hero here.
After taking her to Purab’s room and making her to change into this stunning floor-length red halter dress, Pragya Di and Aliya escorted her here and then left, not bothering to let her know what was going on.
She went over to the table and sat down there.
After five minutes, there was still no sign of anyone and she was beginning to get a bit restless. She got up and walked over the shimmering waters of the pool. Running a hand through her long, black hair, she eyed the clear blue water.
Bulbul smiled, thinking back to the happenings of the last couple days.
Everything had turned out alright, she thought to herself, feeling a whole lot relieved.
If it wasn’t for the betrayal of her parents, everything would have been perfect.
Atleast things didn’t happen per their wish, else she would be a very unhappy Mrs. Suresh Kaur right now. Instead, she was an extremely ecstatic Mrs. Purab Khanna…the sweetest, kindest, most adorably heroic man she knew and she loved him to pieces. She just wished Sarla Maa wasn’t leaving….but what could Bulbul do?
Sarla Maa wanted to return to her home.
She was the best mother any child could have asked for and Bulbul would miss her terribly.
Still lost in her own thoughts, Bulbul felt a pair of hands encircle her waist from behind.
Already knowing who it was, she turned in his embrace and then felt his lips swoop down on hers. Bulbul threw her arms around his neck, effectively pulling him closer, and responded to his passionate kiss. Purab slowly broke the kiss and touched his forehead to hers.
“I love you.” he whispered, his soft gaze on hers.
Bulbul felt her heart beating wildly in her chest.
Although she already knew he loved her, hearing those words from him was so much better than anything she could have ever imagined. “I love you too.” she replied. “You have no idea how much…”
Hearing her say those words, Purab kissed her again.
His heart was so overjoyed at her reciprocation of his love.
He felt as though he had been waiting forever just for this moment.
Purab finally raised his head…mainly for breathing purposes.
“Finally, I get you all to myself.” he said and Bulbul smiled.
Purab’s phone beeped.
“Well almost…one second.” he said and she nodded.
It was a message from Pragya.
“In case you were wondering what the romantic set-up is all about…this is your first date. We thought you guys could use a do-over since the first one turned out to be so crazy….and this time there won’t be any silly interruptions. Congratulations once again…both on your marriage and your second-first date! Enjoy!”
Purab smiled.
“What happened?” Bulbul asked after seeing the smile on his face and he told her what the message contained. Purab was so lucky to have friends like them in his life, Bulbul thought. Just like they were lucky to have him. “Now where were we?” he asked.
“I think it was, “Finally you get me all to yourself.” she quoted his words.
“Right!” he agreed, pulling her closer.
“So what are you going to do with me now?” she asked naughtily.
Purab laughed at her teasing tone.
“What do you want me to do with you?” he replied.
“Very Bad, Mr. Khanna” she said, poking a finger at his chest. “Replying to a question with a question.” Purab grasped her finger and brought it to his lips.
“No, it’s fair” he explained. “Now we each have a question to answer.”
“Spoilsport” she remarked. “You’re killing the romantic mood.”
Purab laughed and then his expression turned partly serious.
“Then what I’m going to say next might really dampen our date, but I think it needs to be said.” he stated. “What do you mean?” Bulbul asked.
“I know this is not the time to bring this up, considering that it might really spoil the romantic mood we have going here, but I really need to clarify this…and maybe apologize.” Bulbul was confused.
“Apologize for what?” she asked.
“For letting you think that it was all a mistake. I should have been clearer in my words. To be honest, I didn’t even know you might think that I was talking about us.” “It’s ok” she said. “I had no right to jump to stupid conclusions. I should have just asked what you meant.” “I was talking about your parents. I’m sorry for everything that happened back there with them…” He clarified. “I didn’t expect things to turn out the way they did. Suresh was no surprise, but realizing your parents were behind it was a real shocker. I can’t imagine how you must have felt. If I could undo all of it…I would.” He paused and then started again.
“I regret so much that I didn’t stop you from leaving my house that morning.” he said. “If I did, you would have been safely with me.” Oh! So that’s what he meant! Bulbul thought. I am such an idiot!
“It’s ok” she said. “I had no illusions about my parents but even that was too much even for them. But hey, everything worked out. We’re here together now, aren’t we?” Purab nodded.
“If it didn’t happen this way who knows where we would have been now.” she said.
“We would have still ended up together.” Purab stated.
Bulbul looked at him.
“How can you be so sure?” she asked. “We could have just agreed that our first marriage was a drunken mistake and gone our separate ways.” “You really think I would have let that happen?” he asked. “I finally found the perfect girl and you think I would let her get away from me…just like that?” Bulbul hugged her husband, her heart filled with so much love for this guy right here.
“I love you” She confessed to him once again and he returned her sentiments.
Their date continued, sharing a romantic dinner, dance, cute talks and stories of the past few days. Purab told her everything… The driver who returned his car.
Finding a mangalsutra and the paper in his jacket…and not to mention the wedding outfits in his car and telling her how he remembered everything after watching television. Bulbul laughed hearing his version of events.
For the first time in her life she finally felt completely whole and happy, and it was all because of this guy right here, Mr. Purab Khanna, her husband…her hero.
Precap- Abhi and Pragya are back…and worse than before :/
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Hey Guys! How are you all? I know I’m late yet again…sorry about that…things have been a bit hectic…
So finally Rabul’s story has ended…yaay! (No one is happier than me about that lol)
Although they were alot of fun…they were alot of trouble too 🙁
Thanks A Million to:
Lopez, Rabul’s Girl, Reshma, Di, Yogi, Anjali, Mythili,
Aizaellahi, Disha, Suhani, Achu, Kirthi and Vigan
for all your love appreciation and support.
Till next time…take care!