Hey, you all! Thank you so much for all your responses, I can never fail to say how much they mean to me. I’m so sorry, my updates have been getting slower, I just have a lot happening at the moment. But here’s a very long episode, Happy Reading!
PREVIOUSLY, Twinkle and Yuvraj talk to Aarohi about Twinkle’s decision; Aarohi refuses to accept the decision
EK TUKDA PYAAR – EPISODE 15
Twinkle sat in the living room and looked around, slowly sipping at the water in her hand. A lot of times, she couldn’t fathom how uncertain life was. She’d expected to spend time with her daughter after having returned home early after a busy week, but here she was – in the living room of the Sarna Mansion. She picked up her phone and ensured she’d typed her mother a message, mentioning about her late return.
Myra (sitting down opposite to her): I’m so sorry for all the trouble. You would’ve reached home by now.
Twinkle (shaking her head): I asked you not to apologise, Myra. It was no trouble. All I’d to do was message Maa and inform her.
She was returning from the firm when she’d seen Myra struggle with her phone, constantly picking up and disconnecting calls. She’d waited for a minute, observing how animatedly her actions were performed, and then she’d driven toward her. She hadn’t been able to book a cab and Twinkle had insisted on dropping her home.
Myra (in a concerned voice): Aarohi won’t be mad, right? She was, probably, expecting you’d spend time with her.
Twinkle: She didn’t really know. I, myself, wasn’t sure. I’d hinted at a slight chance yesterday night, but I doubt she was expecting it to happen. (pausing shortly and glancing at her wrist-watch) Where’s everyone else? I was planning on leaving quickly.
Usha (from behind): Arey, Aise kaise? I just called Kunj and asked him to return home early. You should’ve dinner with us, today.
Twinkle (standing up): Hello, Aunty! (in a hesitant voice) You needn’t have called him, Aunty. I should get going, now. It’ll be late by the time I return home and Maa will be waiting.
Usha: I’ll call Leela ji, and let her know you’ll be having dinner with us.
Twinkle (shaking her head): No, Aunty. I will have dinner with you all some other day. I will have to return home earlier today.
Bebe (from behind; carrying a tray): Acha, you can at least drink tea. I’m sure, Kunj will also be here by then.
Twinkle (in a hesitant voice): Aunty…
Usha: No, I won’t listen to anything. You can sit and have a cup of tea with us, at least. And Bebe has already prepared the tea, so you’ve to have it. She makes really good tea.
Twinkle (her lips curving into a small smile): Okay, Aunty. If you insist. But after having the tea, I’ll have to leave.
Myra (interrupting): After Kunj comes, you can leave. He’ll be too satisfied to walk you to the car.
Bebe (placing the tray on the coffee-table and pulling Myra’s ears): Chup kar, Badmaash! If only you’d taken the car today, she wouldn’t have had to take all the trouble.
Twinkle (laughing): Arey, Aunty! Trust me, it was no problem.
Usha: Acha, you’ve the tea. In the meanwhile, I was willing to discuss something with you about our business. We’d need some legal consultation, and I was thinking if you could help us.
Twinkle: Aunty, I won’t be able to take the case. I don’t sign-up cases that involve any sort of personal relations. (looking at her) But I can always take a look into it and hand it over to a junior colleague of mine. She has dealt with a lot of my cases and she should be good.
Usha (in a scrupulous voice): So, do I show the papers to you? Or, I’ll have to directly talk to her?
Twinkle: I will look into it, and brief her about the gist of the case. She will get on with the details, later.
She nodded and ascended the stairs to fetch the file from Kunj’s study. Twinkle stared at her retreating figure and pondered, concentratedly. She’d been talking to Kunj almost every day in the past few weeks, and he’d never mentioned about any legal consultation they’d required. She sighed and sat down, grasping a cup of tea in her hands and allowed the temperature of the beverage to warm her palms.
Sometimes, she wasn’t sure if Kunj had been fighting demons or he just didn’t want to share things with her. Every time they talked, he barely talked about himself. He always chose to talk about her and Aarohi. She understood it was a priority – a matter which was of utmost importance in their relation, but she wished, he’d share more with her. She wanted to know him – his problems – and stand beside him to support him, if he needed.
When she’d agreed to meet Kunj on her mother’s insistence last month, she’d promised herself, she wouldn’t make the mistakes she’d made before, again. She’d always been outspoken – much more than she needed to be – but it attributed to her profession and she couldn’t reform it. Twinkle didn’t expect him to be as outspoken as her, but she expected a meagre amount of trust to be developed in her. She wanted Kunj to open-up to her about his issues, slowly. But she couldn’t see that happening, at all.
A plethora of times, she’d forced herself to think, he probably had his own insecurities, but she’d failed to convince herself of that. She knew, he tried prioritising Aarohi in the relation, and she was truly grateful for that. But she wanted them to build a relationship, too. She knew it’d take time – perhaps, longer than she could imagine – but she hadn’t allowed her hopes to fail. However, Kunj seemed to be running away from her, and she didn’t know if she had the energy to chase him for too long. Especially after, all she’d dodged away in such a long time, she was uncertain, for how long she could bear his closed-off personality.
Usha (sitting down next to her): So, a few months ago, we’d collaborated with a small business for a social event they’d organised. But they’ve seemed to have frauded a few other businesses with all the financial help everyone’s extended forth. But now that they’ve been caught, they’re trying to drag us down and defame us, saying we’d equal contribution in it. So, we were wondering what sort of legal action must be required in order to save us from all of this. And I thought, I could discuss this with you, once.
Twinkle (paging through the file): I’ve to go through the file, Aunty. But I don’t think they’ll be able to do a lot. There are various ways to tackle such cases. One is to solve it outside the court so you can avoid the court-room occurrences. That’d mainly require another set of legal papers to be made. (pausing briefly and looking up; curving her lips into a soft smile) But I’ll let Saanjh decide that. I’ll just go through the file to brief her on the case.
She nodded and smiled at Twinkle. The previous day, Twinkle had seen her, she’d noticed, she didn’t have a lot of similarities with her son, but the warm and comforting smile she possessed, had felt too familiar. And she realised now, it was vastly similar to her son’s.
Twinkle (in a suddenness): Aunty, does Kunj know you’re discussing about the case with me?
Usha: No, but once he returns, I’ll let him know.
Twinkle (looking down and continuing in a hesitant voice): Aunty, I’ve a request.
Usha: Haa, Beta. Bolo.
Twinkle: Um, (sighing softly) I don’t want Kunj to know that you’ve discussed about the case with me. I don’t want him to know that I’m connecting you to a junior of mine for the legal advice.
Usha (taken aback): Par Beta, Kunj handles most of this, he will…
Twinkle (enveloping Usha Aunty’s hands quickly): Please, Aunty. I don’t want him to know.
Usha (nodding): Okay, I won’t tell him about it. But if he asks, I might have to tell him the truth.
Twinkle: You can tell him about everything; Just not the fact that you discussed the case with me.
Usha (surprised): Why, Beta? Is there any problem?
Twinkle shook her head and smiled, softly. She didn’t want Kunj to know about it, yet. Not until, he decided to break his walls and share things with her. This was, perhaps, a small case, but for someone without a legal background, it would be a bothering issue. And she was surprised, he’d chosen to overlook it and hadn’t shared with her – especially, considering her profession. She didn’t want this relation to be about her and her daughter, solely. She wanted him to contribute and participate, equally, and if that needed her to push him beyond his boundaries, she would. She’d ensure that both of them were contributing similarly into the relationship – if not equally.
————
When Kunj walked outside the house, the hustle-bustle of the city roads had begun fading, but a different aura had enveloped him. The familiar and beguiling smell of peonies and soap surrounded him and he shoved his hands into his pockets, smiling softly.
Kunj: You really had to go out of your way to drop Myra, didn’t you?
Twinkle turned around to face him, and the streetlights highlighted the softness of her face. Her tied hair flipped over her shoulders and her earrings clinked against the evening air. She smiled and shook her head.
Twinkle: Even if I had to, it wasn’t troublesome. I couldn’t leave her there alone after I’d seen her, of course. She might’ve had been stranded for longer.
Kunj: Thank you, then.
Twinkle (sighing): Don’t thank me, I said it’s fine.
Kunj: Is Aarohi fine? I talked to her for a long time that day, but she fell asleep mid-way through, after you’d left.
Twinkle (recalling the weekend): Oh, yes. She’s fine. I’d to talk to Yuvraj before he left, so I’d to leave from there. But she’s fine. Like I was telling you, I haven’t really broached the topic after that day, yet.
Kunj (after a brief second): What does Yuvraj have to say?
Twinkle: I think, he’s on accepting terms now. And he’s been really supportive. But as an ex-husband and as a friend, he keeps telling me, that I should ensure things between us – (pausing and looking at him) as in, you and me – shouldn’t go downhill, or uphill even, while we try to manage Aarohi. He keeps telling me, that either of those two courses would have a bad after-effect on Aarohi, as well as me.
Kunj (leaning against Twinkle’s car): You think, either of that is happening between us?
Twinkle: No, I don’t think so. But I think, since my prior experiences haven’t been the best, I’m scared, at times. But I’m trying my best to not let my fears overwhelm me.
Kunj looked into her eyes, and observed the faded gold freckles in her eyes. Her orbs were a dark shade of brown, contrasting to the shade of gold, but the brown was much more saturated, almost swallowing the gold of the freckles. He forwarded his hand and laced his fingers with hers, brushing his fingertips over her fingers, slowly.
Twinkle (stepping closer to him): Is there something you want to tell me, Kunj?
Kunj (scrunching his face): No, I don’t think so. Why?
Twinkle: You seem tensed. Is everything fine?
Kunj (stepping away): Everything is fine, don’t worry without having a reason.
Twinkle stepped away from him, letting her gaze fixate on him. He looked her and smiled at her, softly, trying to suppress the rising tension within himself. Kunj didn’t know if he wanted to talk about the ups-and-downs of his business with her, yet. He trusted her, but something within him felt constricted, dissuading him to open-up to her. He’d felt wrong doing it on several occasions, but he hadn’t been able to break the walls around himself. And it felt righter this way. He prioritised her and her daughter, and he’d presumed, Twinkle felt it better this way, too.
She hadn’t ever pushed him, and he’d been too grateful for that. Around her, he always seemed to forget about his worries, his insecurities. And as they continued growing closer, he’d begun forgetting his own worries. He’d never been able to accept his insecurities, but she was helping him forget those dark, sensitive thoughts and phases.
Twinkle: If you ever have something to tell me, you know I’m here. Right?
Kunj (nodding his head): I do, and I will tell you if there’s anything that needs to shared or discussed. You needn’t have to tell me.
Twinkle (in a soft voice): You do know, a relationship is always formed of two people, right? I’ve made this mistake once with Yuvraj, before, and I don’t want to repeat it in any way.
Kunj: You always talk of the bad sides of your marriage, Twinkle. Were there no good sides to it?
Twinkle (in a thoughtful voice): No, Kunj. We’d good times, too. And I think of those times, but they seem like they had all happened in an alternate reality. They just seem too… surreal, you know?
Kunj (idly tracing patterns on her wrist): Why is that?
Twinkle: I don’t really know. But I think, I and Yuvraj knew each other too well, which was good. Because I’d always heard form everyone around, that relationships develop when you know the other person. And I knew him too well. He knew me very well, too. But then, I saw the relationship falling apart, too. Back then, I didn’t even know what really happened. (letting out a sad chuckle) In fact, I didn’t realise even a few years ago. Because our relation practically had everything, you know? I thought, WE had everything. EVERYTHING.
Kunj (looking up): Then; What happened?
Twinkle (smiling and looking at the ground): But I realised, those things were never enough. I realised, Just knowing each other never helps in a relationship. It develops a relation, but it is not built and created. I realised; how important it is to understand each other in a relation. It is always the understanding that develops the intimacy of a relationship. It isn’t love or proximity that escalates the intimacy of a relationship, or of two people. When you share and discuss, and the other person is there to hear you and understand you, that’s when a relationship really develops a true meaning.
Kunj looked at her, noticing the sadness that had crept across her features. Her eyes looked tired and pained, and her lips trembled against the cold wind. He stepped forward and wrapped his fingers around her forearm to look into her eyes, directly. He figured, it was the tiredness from the entire week that was slowly seeping within her, that’d changed the aura around her. He lowered his head and rose one of his hands, gently placing it on her cheek – his fingertips brushing against her soft flesh.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he pressed his lips onto her forehead and felt her relax under his touch. He remained there, not disturbing the moment, and relished the moment of calmness and tranquillity. Minutes later, her fingers curled around his upper arm and she pushed him softly to step away from him. She looked up at him and smiled.
Twinkle: I should get…
Myra (from behind, interrupting): Kunj, Mami… (looking at Twinkle) I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were still here.
Twinkle (shaking her head): It’s fine, I was just going to leave. Bye; Good night! (she paused and looked at Kunj; a small, comforting smile stretched across her lips) Good night!
He nodded and waited for her to drive away – staring at the car when she drove away and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Myra: You’re all yourself around her, aren’t you? You seem really, really happy and peaceful around her.
Kunj (turning around toward her): I don’t really know.
And he didn’t. He walked inside the house, casually draping his hand around Myra’s shoulder, while Twinkle’s words whirled in his head. He didn’t know if he was doing the correct thing. He, desperately, hoped he was. Because if he didn’t, he was uncertain for how long he could fight and fidget against himself. He mightn’t be able to rip his soul apart and lay himself bare, before her. And it frightened him to bits and pieces, because he didn’t know if his walls were for the good, or for the bad.
————
When Twinkle settled down on her bed later that night and took out the file from her handbag, her mind drifted to the conversation that had happened earlier. She’d felt too weak to persuade him any further, and it had pained. She didn’t know, if she could help him fight his demons when he refused to share anything with her; Even an information where their business could be in danger, despite knowing she could’ve had helped.
She sighed and paged through the file. She’d felt at so much ease when his lips had touched her forehead. It had almost felt like, he was erasing the worries out of her mind. And he had, for a long time; until she’d realised, she wasn’t able to help him, at all. She wanted to provide him the comfort and congeniality he provided her, too. But she didn’t know how.
When her head began aching with the numerous thoughts and worries in her head, she closed the file and laid down on the bed, in the darkness of the room. Twinkle knew, she could be really persistent when she wanted to. And if she ever held that power over him, where she wouldn’t let him fight his demons alone, she wouldn’t. She’d ensure, he overcame the darker dimension of his life.
But that would only happen if Aarohi accepted the new life she wanted to provide her with. Until then, she didn’t really want other thoughts to cloud her mind. When the jumble of thoughts began swarming her mind, again, she shut her eyes and tried to vacate her mind. As minutes ticked by on the clock and silence engulfed, she slowly drifted to sleep, allowing the residual of the thoughts to be pondered on, for later.
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Alright, that’d be it for this episode, I’d love to know your thoughts. It has been a while, and it’s about time we look into the crux of the story: Aarohi’s acceptance, and Twinkle and Kunj’s relationship. Thank you!