Link for Episode-16: Episode 16
Bakhuda Tumhi Ho-
Episode:17
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At the Office:
Kunj just couldn’t get over the morning incident. He was smiling like a creep, teenage boy. The phrase ‘Best Friends’ echoed in his head. He smiled wider touching his hand. He had been afraid that he would lose her. But now that fear was no more. Everything was sorted out between them which is why he was ecstatic.
Just then the door opened and in came Chayya but Kunj was so happy that her being there didn’t spoil his mood a bit. “Didn’t your wife come Kunj?” She mocked.
His heart fluttered at the mention of her! “No Chayya. She’s resting at home.” He replied in an equal mocking tone.
“Good. Come let’s have lunch together. I don’t think your WIFE is going to come.”
He arched his eyebrows. “Is that so?” He took his phone and dialed Twinkle’s number making Chayya confused.
Twinkle picked up the call in it’s first ring.
“Hey sweetheart.” Kunj bellowed cheerfully.
Twinkle rolled her eyes. “Is there someone around you?”
He chuckled. “Ohhh! How well you know me na! Actually… I’m coming home early today. So please cook my favorite… No forget that. WE are going out for dinner. Be ready till 8’o clock darling. Okay bye love.” With those words he hung up without giving a chance to Twinkle for an answer.
Chayya kept staring at Kunj. Her thoughts were as blank as her face!
Kunj moved his gaze to Chayya and his smiling expressions turned to serious and stern. “Now listen carefully Chayya, everything between me and Twinkle is sorted out. What did you think huh! That we would separate because of a mere misunderstanding! Grow up. What did you say that day, oh ya! MAY THE BEST WOMAN WIN .” He smirked. “LOOKS LIKE THE BEST WOMAN WON.” Making her chew her own words.
“And one more time you dare to do something and you’ll see worst side of me and trust me you don’t want it! Now get out before I lose my composure.”
Chayya shivered on his words and without uttering a word she dashed off Kunj’s cabin.
Kunj took a deep breath to clam his nerve when his phone rang and seeing the caller ID, he thought smiling widely. ‘Looks like Twinkle knew I was angry and wanted relief!’
He picked up the call. “Hey Twinkle. What happened?”
“Kunj! Were you asking me on a date?” She questioned innocently.
Kunj sighed on her question. ‘Seriously she’s too slow.’ The words clicked in his mind.
“Twinkle I… Wasn’t asking you on a date. Okay! It’s just… I’m going on a dinner with my best friend. Wait wait wait! Did you ACCEPT to come on a date with me when I called before?” He asked smirking, his voice laced with mischievousness.
“N… No I was just… Accepting the dinner invite… Of my friend. Ok bye!” Saying this she quickly disconnected the call making Kunj laugh and forgetting about that Chayya.
At Home:
Twinkle heard the car’s horn and rushed inside washroom once grabbing her dress because she didn’t want him to see her breaking. She spent a lot of time crying under the shower and letting her tears to flow away with water.
After she was done in dressing herself, she came out and saw Kunj standing in front of dressing mirror. He combed his hair, fixed his blazer and took the perfume bottle slightly pressing the knob and kept it back.
She was amused. “Wow! Everyday you would spray the whole bottle on yourself before going to office and today only so little.” She spoke coming close to her.
He smiled. “Because… Office is my territory and there… I don’t care about anyone but today, I’m going out with you. So… If you don’t like it… You know it’s too overpowering and will cause you a headache.”
She inhaled the scent and felt so heavenly. “What if I say… I like the perfume?”
He smirked biting his inner cheek. “Then you would’ve to come closer to feel it.” He said flirtatiously and that’s when Twinkle realized her position. She was leaning in the crook of his neck getting lost in the fragrance.
She instantly stepped backward embarrassed of herself while Kunj was hardly controlling himself to laugh hysterically. “C… Come fast!” She stammered and was about to leave the room when she turned back.
“Wait… I’ll be back in a minute or so.”
“What now? Planning to inhale some more scent?” He questioned amusingly raising his brows.
Twinkle’s breath struck in her throat but she managed to answer in a firm voice. “Just shut up please.”
“Fine tell me what happened now?”
“Woh… I’ll inform dad that we’re going out for dinner because if I don’t, he’ll keep waiting for us.”
Kunj nodded understandably and she ran out.
Once reaching Manohar’s room, she knocked at the door and slowly peeked inside. “Dad we… I mean me and Kunj are going on a dinner. So… Don’t wait for us and have your food.”
He smiled. “Ok.”
Just as she was about to leave, her eyes fell on a wall full of photo frames. What caught her eyes was a picture in which an old man with Kunj by his side. “Dad! Who’s this? You never talked about him. Nor have I seen him before.”
Manohar looked closely at the picture and answered. “This is Kunj’s maternal grandfather. He loved Kunj very much, they had a great bonding and still does, but you know after Kunj’s mom left, he never visited him or tried. Though his nana ji tried to talk to him many times but then soon he realized that he’s not the old Kunj anymore and gave up. Since then, he stays on farm all alone.”
Twinkle felt a pang of pain in her heart. “Dad can’t we…”
“Twinkle! Are you coming or not!” Kunj screeched from the hall.
“I think you should go. We’ll talk about this later.”
Twinkle nooded unwillingly and left from there.
At the Hotel:
The whole staff greeted Kunj and led them towards their table. It was beautifully set beside the swimming pool. The water had a different glow as it was reflecting the enchanting moonlight in the darkness of the night. The mild blowing winds making the atmosphere more romantic. She was completely mesmerized but what surprised her more was… All the other tables were empty. She looked around but there was no one besides the staff.
“Twinkle.” He pulled the chair like a gentleman to make her sit. She smiled and got seated. Kunj gestured the staff to leave.
“Kunj! Why are all those tables empty?” She asked in a low whisper.
“Twinkle you can speak freely, no need of whispering at all.”
She rolled her eyes. “Answer my question first.”
He sighed. “I booked the entire hotel for us.” He retorted casually as it wasn’t a big deal.
She gasped in shock. “You did what? Are you serious!” He shrugged. “Who books an entire 7 star hotel for a dinner of two people!”
“Twinkle calm down. I did all this for us. You know I hate disturbance and then it’s first time we’ve come out for a dinner so I wanted peace all around.” He paused. “That’s all.”
“But disturbance…”
Just then the waiter arrived with food. She was freaking out but kept silent in front of waiter but continued as soon as he left. “Kunj! Next time, you aren’t wasting money like this. Ok!” She commanded in a bossy-wifey tone.
Kunj pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. “Twinkle! I’ve earned all this for my family only. To give them a lavish lifestyle.”
“This isn’t lavishness Kunj. It’s stupidity! I mean…”
“Oh Puh-lease Twinkle! Can we continue this at home?”
She sighed and became silent because for after going home, she had planned something else.
Twinkle in mind, ‘I know Kunj. Today, I’m going to do something which will going to hurt you very much. But believe me… This is for your own good. When you’ll step in the fire of your past it won’t burn you, it’ll burn your pain. After all I’m not going to stay with you forever to help you. I’ll have to make you strong enough to live without me. I’ll make the REST of your LIFE the BEST of your LIFE. I’ll never let the pain from your past to punish your present and paralyze your future.’ She smiled sadly, tears brimming in her eyes.
Her trance was broken when she saw Kunj waving his hand in front of her. “What happened? Are you Ok?” He asked in concern.
She quickly removed tears from the corner of her eyes. “Ya! I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
He nodded totally unconvinced. “Then where were you lost? Planning to run away from me?” He chuckled but Twinkle didn’t find anything funny.
“What if I say yes?” She asked still lost in him.
“Then, I’ll bring you back obviously.” He said stuffing the fried rice in his mouth.
“What if I don’t want to come?” She asked again but this time looking everywhere but him.
He glanced her for some seconds, pain evident in his eyes. “Then I’ll throw you over my shoulder and bring you back. I won’t let you go anywhere. Even if that means locking you up in the room or tying you to the bed.”
“How mean!” She exclaimed.
He smiled sadly. “Call me selfish Twinkle. Call me mean or insensitive but this is the truth. Fate has always been so cruel to me! But I’m not going to let that repeat again.” He said holding her hand across the table. “I’m going to do everything in my power to…”
“Kunj I need to go to the restroom.” She abruptly got up not able to control her tears and rushed away far from his sight making Kunj surprised.
Twinkle wiped the streaks of tears from her face. She bit her lower lips to control herself from breaking into sobs. After some seconds she took a deep breath and strengthened herself. ‘No. I can’t distract myself by all this! Twinkle… You’ve to stay strong for Kunj.’ She took deep breaths two-three times before going back to her husband.
“Kunj! I think we should leave.”
He stood up worriedly. “Twinkle. Are you Ok? If you aren’t feeling well?”
“No I’m fine.”
“You sure? Your eyes are telling different story. Were you crying? Is something happened?” He asked with pure concern.
“Kunj. Nothing happened. It’s just because of headache. I’ll be alright once after taking medicine.”
“Emmm.. Ok! Come on let’s leave.”
He motioned her to move forward while she just nodded. Kunj was little surprised but decided to remain silent and not to press the matter. He didn’t even complaint about spoiling their first ever romantic-couple dinner.
At Home:
Kunj was lying on the bed in his T-shirt and track pants when Twinkle came out of the washroom and stood in front of the dressing table, combing her hair.
“Have you taken medicine?”
“Ya!”
“And how’s your headache now?”
“Better.”
“Are you sure, you’re Ok?”
“I’m fine Kunj.” She huffed.
“Very well then.”
After some minutes, he stood behind Twinkle.
“I… I brought this for you.” He said hesitantly placing on her neck a thin thread like platinum chain with a pearl embedded at the front. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The shine of the Platinum chain and the real pearl at the middle was yelling the cost of it.
“I don’t want it.” She said extending her hand to remove it.
“Why?” He asked unbelievably.
“Kunj that day the phone, I took it because you broke the old one and that bathrobe, just forget it! But I can’t take such expensive gifts from you. It goes against my self-respect. If I want it, I’ll buy it with my money.” She said firmly looking into his eyes through mirror. “And… The greatest gift you can give me is a healthy and happy YOU.” She added lovingly.
Kunj was proud to have a wife like her. He was ashamed of himself that someday he had thought that she was behind his money! He smiled. “Ok Twinkle. Don’t take it now. But someday when you’ll finally accept that everything belongs to me is yours, that day I’ll make you wear this.” He said placing the chain back in velvet case.
He went on his side of bed and laid down while Twinkle came on her side.
She didn’t know where to start from. “Kunj! I’ve to tell you a joke.”
He was surprised but didn’t object. She, then told some joke and he laughed.
She told the same joke again and he chuckled.
She said the same joke again, and this time he just smiled.
As she was about to start again, he interrupted. “Twinkle! What are you doing!”
“Arey! You didn’t laugh this time.” She complained twitching her nose.
“Because I can’t laugh at the same joke again and again!”
“Then why are you crying over the same pain since 9 years Kunj?” She questioned lower than whisper wriggling her fingers.
His heart went numb hearing those words. He felt like his body has become as cold as ice. Her words were hammering on his head like anything. ‘She knew! She knew everything!’
***
After an hour of complete silence, Kunj finally spoke.
“She died. I was left all alone. With no one to trust, no one to love.
The feeling, the happiness, the long long treasured relations, everything. I… I kept asking destiny why was it so cruel to me! What had I ever done to deserve this?”
“Kunj, Lord gives his best soldiers the toughest battles. Because He knows they can live through it. And you did. The pain that doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger.” She said caressing his hair while she sat with her head leaning on the headboard and his face resting on her lap.
He said nothing.
“When did it all start?”
“In college. I didn’t go to the college for a complete month. It was final year. My friends were worried for me. They came home and saw me like that. One of them worked for… The drugs dealer. He offered me too. I yelled at him and asked him to leave. But he kept coming and told me to try it once. I was tired of fighting with everyone and everything. And I lost. But I don’t regret it. I was all empty without food, water, emotions and love and… Drugs had it’s effect. The strong, ecstatic feeling set in. I felt… Much better. Because it gave me the only thing I wanted in that moment- an escape from my pain and lonliness. It made me… Numb. A different numb, you know… It was like… Just my body went under anesthesia and my mind was alive.
Active at it’s best! I felt relieved… Nothing could hurt me then.” He smiled sadly at those words. “Nobody could take this feeling from me. And after that… That’s where I started to live… In that artificial world with that fake happiness. And the best thing was… I stopped thinking about them… I never thought I could… Within the first week, I didn’t realize my dependence on that… Thing! After that, I felt the need to buy more of my slow poisoning. That’s when I realized… How much I needed it, to make me sane, to make me better and to keep me going. And I… Didn’t fight it. I readily accepted this harsh reality. Every time someone asked me- are you fine! The hot lava of pain flooded in and I desperately needed to go numb… So that I escape the pain.”
Before he could continue more, she placed a finger on his lips from the position she was sitting in and kissed his forehead. “I can’t see you like this Kunj.” She said trying hard to stop her flowing tears.
He smiled sadly. “Self destruction is the only thing that would keep me sane Twinkle. I know that. I’ve felt that. And right now, I feel like putting your life at threat by sharing all this with you because everyone who…”
“Sshhhh.” She tried to stop him from saying further but he gently removed her finger from his lips.
“No Twinkle. People like you who burn themselves for lightning other people’s lives have a special place in heaven. And me… I’m going to rot in hell. You’re too bright to shine in my dull world. You’re a… A bright start and I’m… Darkness.”
She smiled caressing his hair. “Stars don’t have existence without darkness Kunj.
And about hell… I would follow you to hell, because heaven can’t be ‘heaven’ without you. So… When we both are going to hell, let’s enjoy the journey.” She spoke smiling all the while.
Kunj took her hand in his and drop a soft kiss on her palm but couldn’t smile because all on his mind was how come she knew everything! “Who told you all this?”
“Forget it and look at the brighter side Kunj.
If you had an enemy like Rishab, you also have a friend like Yuvi. Every men isn’t like Rishab, some are like Yuvi too. And every women isn’t like your mom some are like Kalpana too, loving and selfless. Hate is a great burden to bear and too much self destructive. Moreover pain can’t be healed with pain. Hurt can’t be healed by hurting others. Just like darkness can’t kill darkness but a small speck of light can. Same way, only happiness and inner peace can heal your pain. Some people come in your life as blessings, others come in your life as lessons. And at the end of the day, both are necessary. Because even though people change, love hurts, friends leave, things go wrong but still… Life goes on. And you know Kunj, we never discover how strong we’re up til being strong is the only choice you’ve. After being so broken, you did something no one else could’ve done. You took over an entire company worth million and set new record of success. Everyone, even the nature gets tested. Even the moon has to go thru the phases of darkness to shine completely.”
She caressed his hair and continued. “You can cry Kunj. Tears are also prayers. They travel faster than words. Tears aren’t sign of weakness but of courage. Hiding your emotions is the first step of self destruction and never allows you to live. So let your heart be washed away with those tears so that the pain flows away and happiness takes it’s place.” She looked at his face, his expressions were still unreadable.
Finally he let the tears to flow from his eyes. Yes he cried! In the arms of his wife with a promise that the pain won’t master him any longer. Maybe our eyes necessarily needs to be washed with tears once in awhile so that we could see life with a clearer view once again.
Sometimes in life, no matter of how strong we’re, we need someone to care to support us. And she was right the less we open our heart to someone, the more our heart suffers.
That day, she realized one thing, that those who appear very strong, in reality have a very emotional heart and are very vulnerable! They just don’t show it to anybody because they’re afraid that others would take advantage of it.
“Kunj I know you had too much for today but… Will you do something for me?”
If anyone else would’ve said the same thing, he would’ve readily agreed but he knew Twinkle wasn’t like anyone else! There was always something different cooking in the bizarre brain of hers. He cautiously said, “depends on what do you want.”
“Kunj… Just… Forgive Rishab.” She answered in a low shallow voice. Kunj shoved her hand and got up. His eyes going red in anger.
“What the hell are you saying Twinkle!” He bellowed angrily.
She knew his anger was obvious. She held his hand again and sighed. “I know it’s not that simple for you but please at least try. Not for him, but for you! Taking revenge might calm you down for now but it’ll set you on a path from where there’s no return. A path full of hatred and killings. For your peace of mind, for your sake please.”
“No Twinkle! For what he has done to me is totally unforgivable. My hatred for him will never lessen!”
“Kunj when you hurt a person, you aren’t hurting him, you’re hurting yourself. And the only healing for that hurt is forgiveness. Don’t let your happiness be controlled by something you can’t control! Now… If you continue, you’ll hurt him, then he’ll hurt you… And this cycle will go on for the rest of your lives. Someone has to stop it! So why not you?”
“Twinkle! If you had asked me anything else, I would’ve definitely given you but not this! I’m sorry.” He concluded determinedly and pulled the duvet over his face pretending to be asleep.
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Thank you very much for reading.
Assalam-o-Alaikom peeps! Finally my exams have ended and it went really well Alhumdulillah, just pray for my good results and now that I’m free till my internship starts so you can expect episodes little earlier. As I’ve promised today’s Saturday so here you go with 17th episode. Sheesh! It was such an emotional one and I bet I was feeling myself as a psychiatrist or philosopher I mean the way I wrote the dialogues of Twinkle- hats off to me XD (well it isn’t wrong to praise yourself I guess :P) jokes apart but seriously I hope YOU guys enjoyed the chapter because at the end of the day what exactly matters are your views and likeness. I know maybe you guys will be like what the hell, how can Twinkle ask Kunj to forgive Rishab but on a serious note; revenge and hatred kills a person so… And then it’s Twinkle we’re talking about and that too be of Bakhuda Tumhi Ho, and she had her own valid reason for everything she does and asks.
AND AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION:
Actually I wanted to start one more story and that will be a suspense-filled, thrilling and obviously a romantic one. But at the same time I’ll show Kunj and Twinkle as Muslims, though my story won’t depict Islam but the characters will be Muslim. And if you’re like there’s naming issue then don’t worry, TWINKLE is a common name which I guess we Muslims can also use and about KUNJ, well if we add ‘I’ with Kunj- that means Kunji it becomes an Arabic word meaning ‘Key’ so I guess I can go with Kunj and Twinkle names with my superbly awesome theory XD but at the same time the rest of the cast and names will be different and obviously will be Muslims. That’s all I wanted to say for now and I’ll start on the way you guys will respond. No negativity is required just say yes or no or whether you guys are interested or not. I repeat I don’t want any kind of opposing, offending comments about religion particularly about “Islam” I won’t tolerate that and will straightly report TU. If you all want me to go with the idea then I’ll start soon else I’ll wait to write this one on Zoya-Aditya of Bepanaah *___*
Do share your opinions regarding episode and new fiction. I’m eager to read your suggestions and comments.
Keep smiling:-)
Love you all<3
Take care!