LOVE, LIFE, SECRETS: Answers lie within – CHAPTER 71

CHAPTER 61 TO 70

Life of Mishti and Abir after the closure of Tia’s murder case…. Mishti’s mother wants her to get married and talk to Abir about it…. Mishti decides to talk to Abir about the reason for their break up in the past…. Abir feels suspicious of Kunal’s attitude regarding Mishti…. Meera decides to talk to Mishti about Abir and her relation…. Prachi and Ranbir are together…. Pragya feels happy seeing how Ranbir takes care of her daughter…. Ranbir and Prachi meet Abhi accidentally and Ranbir is shocked knowing about his relation with Prachi…. Abhi decides to meet Pragya after years to reveal to her about his secret meetings with Prachi…. Om and Ishana meet Daksh who doesn’t tell them the truth…. Om and Ishana decide to go to Pune to find the truth about Daksh…. Arjun, Anika, Prachi, Mallika and Dushyant meet Pankhuri…. Pankhuri reveals that Shaan killed Tia to Mallika…. Dushyant reveals the reason behind Tia’s murder to Mallika…. Arjun and the team decide to search OM and KM to find the proofs Tia had against the Malhotras…. Shivaay invites Arjun and Anika for Priyanka and Ranveer’s sangeet…. Shaantanu tells Adhvik about seeing Abhi and Prachi together…. Adhvik meets Gauri…. Adhvik tells Gauri about Abhi-Prachi…. Flashback of how Adhvik found out Gauri being Purab’s daughter…. Flashback revealing that Pankhuri is not Adhvik’s real sister…. Priveer sangeet – all people perform for their love…. Mishti meets Meera…. Flashback of the day of Abir and Mishti’s break up…. Meera asks Mishti to marry Abir…. Dushyant and Mallika sneak into Kapoor Mansion…. Arjun, Anika and Prachi sneak into Oberoi Mansion…. Shivaay sees Anika searching his study…. Rudra sees Arjun hiding in Oberoi Mansion…. Om sees Prachi taking some papers from Tej’s study…. Arjun and the team discuss their search… Shivaay meets Anika…. Om meets Prachi…. Rudra meets Arjun…. Arjun and Prachi tell everything about Tia’s death and Pankhuri’s arrest to Om and Rudra….

*****

CHAPTER 71: Lies always hurt

“Om, please stop the car”

Ishana exclaimed loudly making Om look at her shocked by her sudden loud voice…. He instantly pulled the car to the side of the road and applied the brakes….

Omkara: What is wrong with you Ishana, why did you shout like this?

Ishana: Sorry Om, woh I saw that tea stall and you know naa….

Omkara: I know adrak wali chai is your weakness.

She smiled sheepishly while Om shook his head…. This girl, however, grown up and mature she would become, would never lose the child she had inside her…. Ishana was about to remove the seat belt when Om stopped her…. His hand brushed over hers and he leaned towards her…. Ishana looked at him and he looked at her…. They were lost looking into each other’s eyes…. The loud honking of a car passing by broke their trance and they came back to reality…. Om moved back….

Ishana: Why did you stop me, don’t tell me you are not going to let me have my favorite tea?

Omkara: I am not going to stop you from anything, it’s just that we don’t have to sit outside, I’ll ask the man to bring our tea here, and we can have it in the car.

Ishana: Om, you really need to learn so many things.

He looked at her confused…. He did not know what she meant by this….

Omkara: What do you mean?

Ishana: Come with me, I’ll show you.

Saying so she removed the seatbelt and got out of the car…. Om too got down following her lead…. She went to the tea stall and ordered tea for them….

Omkara: Ishana….

Ishana: Om, chai ka majaa naa us car mein baithkar AC ki hawa ke saath nahi hai…. Chai ka alsi majja naa is khuli hawa mein, yeh hawa jisme mitthi ki khusboo hai, yeh hawa jisme ek sarsarahat hai…. Jise tum aankhe band karke mehsoos karo toh dil ko ek sukoon mile…. (Om, the real fun of having tea is not by sitting inside that AC car, its real fun is in this open-air, where you can smell the newly wet soil…. When you close your eyes, you can feel it and your heart feels peaceful)

Saying so Ishana closed her eyes and took a deep breath…. She smiled to herself…. All this while Om only kept looking at her…. He was lost in the simplicity Ishana carried around with her…. How she enjoyed the simplest things in life…. Ishana opened her eyes and saw Om looking at her…. Seeing him lost somewhere she snapped her fingers and broke his trance…. The stall owner came and served them their tea…. Ishana made herself comfortable on the wooden bench kept nearby…. She signed Om to take a seat beside her; he smiled and sat beside her…. Ishana was enjoying her tea while Om was only looking at her…. Ishana felt his continuous gaze on her and looked at him…. Feeling that she was now looking at him, Om turned his eyes to the road….

Ishana: What has happened Om?

Omkara: Nothing, kuch nahi hua hai. (Nothing, nothing has happened)

Ishana was not convinced by his answer but did not say anything further…. They drank their tea in silence with Om stealing glances at her….

Om was now sure what was happening to him…. He now knew why he was affected by Ishana…. He now knew the feeling he experienced every time she was near him…. He now knew what to call it…. Why her tears gave him pain…. Why her smile made him happy…. Why her happiness mattered…. Why helping her was important…. Why being with her gave him peace…. Why he wished to solve all her problems…. Why he could not let go of her…. It was all because…. All because he loved her…. Om felt a sudden surge of happiness inside him as he realized it…. He loved Ishana…. Om loved Ishana….

Omkara: I love her….

Om did not realize that he had said it loudly…. Ishana looked at him shocked….

Ishana: What did you say?

Om came out of his thoughts and realized the blunder he had created….

Omkara: Nothing, I didn’t say anything.

Om quickly got up from his place and walked to the stall to pay the money…. He did not know if it was the time to tell his feelings to Ishana or not….

Ishana however had heard him the first time itself…. “I love her”…. He had said the exact words…. But who was her, she did not know…. Was it Riddhima….

The rest of the journey went in silence…. Om did not speak anything, fearing he would blurt out his feelings…. While Ishana stayed lost in her thoughts thinking about whom Om loved…. Well, she would find out soon….

*****

“Aai” (Mom)

“Baba” (Dad)

“Where are you?”

“Aai…. Baba….”

Ishana called out for her parents as she opened the front gate and entered the little garden…. She looked around the garden for her father, who loved gardening, but he was not there…. She walked ahead while Om being a complete stranger to the entire place only followed her lead while observing the surroundings….

There was a small garden in front of the house…. It had a variety of plants and flowers…. A small pathway leads to the main entrance of the house…. There was a small verandah that had garden furniture…. There were flower plants all around the house, filling the atmosphere with sweet fragrance…. The house was simple yet elegant…. It gave a homely feeling as Om walked behind Ishana….

Ishana was about to knock on the door when she heard someone calling her name…. Both of them turned around and saw a middle-aged couple…. Om immediately recognized them as Ishana’s parents, seeing the tears in their eyes and the physical similarity they shared with their daughter….

Ishana: Aai…. Baba….

Saying so Ishana ran to them and hugged them tightly…. They too hugged her back…. Ishana’s mother kissed her forehead while her father caressed her face…. Om stood there silent not wanting to disturb their family time…. Ishana’s father noticed Om standing there….

Deepak: Who are you?

Omkara: Uncle, woh….

Ishana: Baba, he is Om, my friend, he is going to stay with us for few days.

Omkara: Namaste uncle, Namaste aunty….

Namrata and Deepak smiled at him as he greeted them…. They looked back at their daughter and smiled a knowing smile…. Om looked at them confused while Ishana mentally face palmed herself understanding what her parents were thinking….

Ishana: Let us go inside now; I don’t think we want to spend the night here.

Namrata: Haa haa, come Om beta, come inside.

Ishana’s parents smiled at their daughter while Ishana rolled her eyes at their antics…. Poor Om could not understand what was happening with the Kulkarnis….

*****

“This place feels so peaceful”

Om said as he sat down on the steps in the backyard of Ishana’s house…. Ishana smiled hearing him as she sat beside him…. They had finished dinner some time ago but because neither of them was feeling sleepy, Ishana suggested sitting in the backyard for some time so they could enjoy the breeze….

Ishana: I feel so happy; being back at your home is the best feeling in the world.

Omkara: Woh toh hai, ghar jaisi feeling aur kahi nahi hoti. (There is no feeling like home)

Ishana looked at Om thinking if she should ask him about Riddhima or not…. She wanted to talk to him about this for a long time but did not know how to talk to him….

Omkara: Ishana, where are you lost?

Ishana: Om, actually I was thinking about this for a long time, but I did not know how to ask you….

Omkara: Ishana, what has happened?

Ishana: It is about Riddhima….

Riddhima…. Om looked at her surprised…. Why did Ishana want to talk about Riddhima all of a sudden….

Omkara: About her, what is there to talk about her?

Ishana: Om, I have been noticing this for a long time. There is something wrong between Riddhima and you, you don’t talk to her much, or you don’t talk about her, also in the past months, I have hardly seen you meeting her, what has happened?

Om did not know what to say…. Ishana placed her hand on his and he looked at her….

Ishana: Om, you know you can share it with me….

Omkara: Ishana, actually….

Om began narrating whatever happened between Riddhima and him three months ago…. After Pankhuri’s arrest, dimensions of Om and Riddhima’s relations had also changed and Om could not understand why…. Riddhima did not talk to him much…. She avoided meeting him…. She was behaving differently…. After waiting for some days, Om decided to talk to her, not knowing he was going to get a shock for his life….

*****

*Flashback to two months ago*

Om had gone to Riddhima’s house to talk to her when he was surprised seeing Tej’s car parked in the parking lot…. He walked towards the door thinking, he was about to ring the doorbell but was surprised seeing the door open…. He looked inside and was shocked seeing Riddhima giving Tej a file…. Tej took the file and looked through the papers….

Riddhima: I hope the work you gave me is done Dad; I have got Om’s signatures on all needed places.

Tej: Of course, you have done the work properly; I knew you would not disappoint me. Now, I’ll show that Shivaay his real place.

Riddhima: Dad, but what about Om, when he’ll know what we have done, he’ll….

Tej: Don’t worry about him, he will never know what happened with him and I assure you, he’ll never doubt you. Om will never know that you lied to him and made him sign these papers.

Om was shocked hearing this…. He remembered the times Riddhima came to him for help and got some of the other papers signed by him…. And looking at Tej, he understood what was happening… She had lied to him…. One thing that he hated the most was lies…. And yet time and again, he was only given lies and lots of lies….

Tej turned to go out but stopped seeing Om…. Riddhima was more than shocked seeing him…. Looking at Om, both Tej and Riddhima understood that he had heard everything….

Riddhima: Om….

Omkara: Don’t you dare say anything….

Riddhima was frightened hearing Om’s voice…. Om looked at Tej….

Omkara: I never had any hopes from you Mr. Oberoi, but I also did not know that you could stoop so low for your selfish motives. And you Riddhima, never ever show me your face again.

Om walked towards Tej, took the file from him, took out the papers, and before Tej or Riddhima could react, Om tore the papers into pieces and threw it in the air…. Tej shouted at him but he did not care…. Om stormed out of the house….

*Flashback ends*

*****

Om finished telling whatever happened that day, while Ishana listened to him shocked by the revelation….

There were moments of silence before Om spoke….

Omkara: Pata hai Ishana, insaan sab kuch bhul sakta hai, par usase bole huye jhoot woh kabhi nahi bhul sakta. The only thing I ever despised was lies and liars, yet life always makes me face them. I hated Mr. Oberoi all my life for whatever he did with Mom, but Riddhima, she was a person I had always admired and trusted, how could she do this with me (You know what Ishana, a person can forget everything, but he can never forget the lies told to him. The only thing I ever despised was lies and liars, yet life always makes me face them. I hated Mr. Oberoi all my life for whatever he did with Mom, but Riddhima, she was a person I had always admired and trusted, how could she do this with me….)

Om could not say anything as tears flowed from his eyes…. Ishana felt her heartbreaking into millions of pieces as she saw tears flowing from his eyes…. Ishana did not think anything else and just hugged him tightly…. Om pulled her closer to him and covered her with his arms…. Ishana caressed his back trying to soothe his pain…. She did not stop his tears but let him let it all out…. She knew it was better for him to let go of his pain, rather than keeping the burden in his heart forever….

Realizing their position Om moved away from her after some moments…. Ishana too moved back…. Om wiped his tears and looked at the other side….

Ishana: Om….

Omkara: It is too late, we should sleep.

Ishana just nodded at him and they stood up to leave…. Ishana showed him his room while she walked away to her own room….

Om looked at her retreating figure….

Omkara: I love you Ishana, and I’ll tell this to you soon.

Ishana reached her room and locked the door…. She sat on the bed lost in her thoughts….

Ishana: I love you Om, but this is not the time for you to know it.

*****

Deepak and Namrata had witnessed the entire scene…. They looked at each other….

Namrata: They love each other….

Deepak: I know, and I hope they realize it before it is too late.

Namrata: I just pray to God that at least my Ishu gets a happy life, what happened with Devika….

Deepak: Don’t worry Namrata, we’ll not let anything like that happen with our Ishu. I’ll talk to Om and tell him to keep Ishu away from the danger.

He assured her while she just hoped for the best….

*****

Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well.
Here is the next chapter of the story, do share your views on the same.

So finally, Om has also realized that he loves Ishana, what turn will their relation take now? Riddhima’s lies are exposed and Tej’s plan got ruined, but will Tej keep quiet or plan something new? Will Ishana and Om find the truth about Daksh?

Keep reading and smiling!!!
Take care and stay safe!!!