Hi everyone, hope you are doing well.
Let’s get into the update.
Happy reading…
Six weeks later…
It’s been six weeks since Abhi and Pragya were officially a couple, six weeks of nothing but bliss and happiness, Sid and Roshni could not be excluded in this as they were now married, soon you may say, but they felt it was the right time, Roshni even surprised Abhi by asking him to be the one to give her away, which he happily accepted no one could be less happy than they were.
***
“There should be a very good reason to why you are skyping me at this time, ” Rachna said with a yawn.
“I need help. ”
Rolling her eyes she groaned, “what did you do now? Don’t tell me you scared the girl away because let me warn you, grandma has found a girl and honestly, I am just stopping myself from pulling her fake hair out, please save me from torture and tell me you haven’t scared her, ” she pleaded.
“No, I haven’t, actually I love her, well I think I do, but, I don’t know how to tell her, how do I tell her? ” he asked desperately.
“I don’t know, ” Rachna replied nonchalantly.
“Really Rachna, you are not being helpful, ” he snapped.
“Hey don’t snap at me, look I don’t know anything about her, you have even refused to show me a picture of her, you know her better than I do, so you should know something she would like. ”
“What if she rejects me? What if she doesn’t love me? ”
“Dude, you are not asking her to marry you, you are telling her what you feel, and speaking of marriage, you are needed here, your sisters’ wedding is in three weeks. ”
“Are you seriously telling me this now? Pragya and I have just started our relationship and you are telling me about Aliyah’s wedding? I just can’t leave soon, it’s too early, and wasn’t Aliyah supposed to be married about a month ago? ”
“You are her only brother, how can she get married if you are not here with her? I know its hard, even I don’t want you to leave, but you are needed here. ”
“But Pragya… ”
“Yes, I understand, ” she cut in, “but it will only be for a few days Abhi, besides you guys can talk every day, you know, you could call her every day. ”
“I just don’t want to leave yet, I am happy here, ” he muttered.
“Stop, you will make me cry, you have grown up now, ” she teased wiping away ghost tears.
“Just shut up. ”
“Okay… But seriously you are needed here. ”
“How long am I supposed to stay there? ” he asked.
“The wedding is in three weeks, you could come two weeks before the wedding and stay a week to help at the office, actually you are also needed there, I don’t know the details about that and one week with la Familia. ”
“Jesus Rachna that means I will be away for four weeks, that is equal to a month, why can’t I just attend the wedding and leave? ”
“I love you so much and I want you to be happy, if it was in my hands I wouldn’t even allow you here, but your family needs you Abhi, you have been gone for almost four months, they miss you especially your mom, and they all won’t stop asking me questions, honestly I can’t keep quiet anymore, and grandma she is unstoppable only you can stop her, please come back before she plans your wedding. ”
“Has she found a girl yet? ”
“Yes she has, she says she is the perfect girl for you, the epitome of elegance, so come here soon, tell her about Pragya and once you are back there, you can bring Pragya back here as your fiancee and then a few weeks later you both get married and live happily ever after like in a Disney movie, ” she said dreamily.
“Wouldn’t it be weird if I asked her to marry me before I tell her what I feel. ”
“That’s no problem, just tell her before you journey back here, ” she suggested.
“What? I tell her how I feel then disappear for four weeks, that would be unfair, don’t you think? ”
“Yes… But what would be unfair would be you leaving her wondering whether you love her or not, let her know how you feel before getting here. ”
“But won’t she feel hurt? ”
“Yes she will, but at least she will feel at ease. ”
“Mmmm, but how do I confess? ”
“I can’t believe you are asking me that? ”
“That’s the reason why I Skyped you, why else would I? ”
“I am not helping you with that one, figure it out yourself. ”
“I can’t think of anything. ”
“You are smart, you will think of something, but remember you only have a week, after that, I expect to see your face here at your sisters’ wedding. ”
“Fine, but honestly I don’t want to be there, I am so happy and free here. ”
“Trust me, I also don’t want you here as well, ” she said honestly, “good luck with your confession, I am going back to bed, thank you for disturbing my lovely sleep, oh and, make an effort, do something she wouldn’t expect from you, you know something surprising. ”
“Like what, jumping off a flying aeroplane screaming I love you? ” he asked sarcastically.
“Mmm, that’s different, very different, what would you be trying to prove, how high your love for her can fly? ” she countered with the same sarcasm, “it’s different and unique, do it, I just hope you will have a safe landing and you don’t die before hearing her reply, good night, ” and that’s how she disconnected.
“Women are the reason men have an early death, ” he said and readied himself for bed.
***
After days of thinking, he finally planned something, not to fancy, but at least it was something, he just hoped it would be enough.
“Where are we going? ” Pragya asked Abhi as he was driving them to an unknown location, he was behaving awfully strange for the past few days and she wondered what was bothering him.
“Relax we are almost there. ” a few more minutes of driving and they reached their destination, “here we are? I hope you love rock climbing, ” he told her once they got out of the car.
“I am not dressed for that, ” she said sheepishly.
“I already have that covered, you can change in these, ” he gave her a bag, Pragya took the bag with her and went to change in something more comfortable.
“I am ready, ” she announced.
“Fine let’s go. ”
“Wait, ” she stopped him, “are you okay? You have been acting strangely lately, ” which meant he was acting way too normal, not his normal self.
“I am perfectly fine, come now we need to go up or else all our efforts will all be in vain, ” he pulled her and together they went up the sloppy rocks, five hours of climbing they finally managed to make it to the top, Abhi being the first pulling Pragya up, “finally we have made it to the top, ” he said with a satisfied smile.
“Why are we here, and it would take hours to get down, by the time we get down it would be late, ” she told him.
“We are camping, ” he informed.
“What? ” she asked surprised by his sudden plan.
“For the night then we can leave tomorrow. ”
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier, I haven’t told anyone about my whereabouts, they will be so worried. ”
“Sid and Roshni know about this, don’t worry too much and there is something I really want, not want but need to tell you, ” he sighed suddenly feeling nervous.
“Are you breaking up with me? ” she asked looking at his nervous state.
“What no, of course not, I would rather jump off this cliff before I even think of doing that. ”
“Okay, but let’s move a little further from the cliff, ” she pulled him to a safe distance afraid he might do that, though not intentionally, but by accident, “now what do you want to talk about? ”
“Well… Pragya… I am leaving. ”
“What? ”
“Well not really leaving, I am just going away, ” he tried to explain.
“Umm… Doesn’t that mean the same thing? ” she asked totally confused, she knew he was trying to say something but he just didn’t know how to put it.
“No, not going away, I will be coming back, but I am needed at home and I have to go in a few days, ” he explained earning him a laugh, “why are you laughing? ”
“Is that what you wanted to tell me, you should have just said that you would be gone for a few days. ”
“Its weeks actually, ” he corrected and begun ranting before he could even see any reaction from her, “I understand if you are upset, honestly I didn’t want to go, it’s just that my sister is getting married and I am needed back home, ” he continued with his rants as she quietly watched him waiting for him to finish, she was so used to this, he tends to speak too much when he was nervous, and sadly, the poor guy never knows neither does he understand half of the things he says when he starts his ranting, “I am really sorry, ” with those words he completed his ranting but she didn’t say anything causing him to panic, “why aren’t you saying anything, please say something, I honestly didn’t want to leave soon, ” he explained more as she tried to bite back a smile, “why are you smiling? ”
“I am not angry with you, yes I am sad that you have to leave, but your family needs you, I can’t keep you from them, go its important that you attend your sisters’ wedding, ” she facepalmed him.
“Really, you are okay with it? Because I would stay if you want me to. ”
“No you can you can go, you are needed there more than you are needed her, ” she gave him a small kiss and a pat on his shoulder, “so that’s why you brought me here right? And that’s why we are camping because you want to spend these last few days with me before you leave. ”
“Yes. ”
“You are so sweet and you don’t even know it. Is that all you wanted to say? ” she asked.
“No, there is more. ”
“Okay go ahead. ”
“Give me a minute first. ”
“Sure take your time, ” he walked a short distance away from her and the rambling begun again, him giving himself a pep talk.
Pragya couldn’t hold in her laugh anymore, he looked so funny, whatever it is he wanted to tell her must be really important.
“You are enjoying this aren’t you? ” he asked slightly annoyed.
“Yes, ” she said in a muffled voice, “sorry, carry on, ” she encouraged him but continued laughing.
“Okay, I am ready now, ” he said and walked up to her.
“You know, it would be taking us hours to start a conversation if you do this all the time, ” the little confidence and courage he managed to build up suddenly disappeared when he heard that, his face was clear give away, “but again that is what I love the most about you, it makes you-you, ” she told him giving him a little boost.
“I really don’t know how to tell you this, ” he inhaled deeply, “I… ” clears throat.
“Do you need water? ” she asked, water always seemed to calm him down most of the time, that is why she made sure to carry at least four bottles of water with her when they were together.
“Yeah I think that would help, ” she took three bottles of water from her bag and gave him one.
“Do you need another one? ” she asked once he was done with the first bottle.
“Yes, ” in less than a minute he was done with his second bottle.
“More? ”
“No, I think I am fine now, ” she gave him a few minutes to compose himself and nodded for him to talk, “I really don’t know how to tell you this, ” she was about to say something when he stopped her, “no, don’t say anything because if you do, I might not be able to say anything, ” he let out a breath, “Okay, um… So I will say this just like it is, I won’t waste any time I will just get to the point, no beating around the bush, no moving in corners, I will just get straight to it, just hit the nail right on the head, I am so sure if I was asthmatic, I would probably have an attack right now, ” she wanted to yell at him to stop dillydallying, but she knew that – that would not help him, “please close your eyes, because I can’t say anything with you looking at me like that, ” heeding to his plea she closed her eyes, “I love you, ” immediately the words left his mouth his eyes went shut, as Pragya slowly opened her eyes surprised by what she heard.
“What? ” she asked in shock causing him to abruptly open his eyes.
“I shouldn’t have said anything, ” he regretted when he saw her facial expression, “I should have just stayed quiet, maybe I should jump off that cliff now, ” he mumbled and slowly walked towards the cliff, but stopped when he felt two arms wrap around him.
“There is no need to jump off the cliff, you don’t know how happy you have made me, ” he quickly turned around making her stumble backwards in the process.
“What? ”
“Yes… Now you save me the trouble of telling you first, ” she said with a smile. Abhi clearly understood what she meant, he might be the perfect definition of strange and weird, but he definitely wasn’t stupid, he was smart to understand what she meant.
“Really? ”
“Yes… I love you too silly, ” she replied with a chuckle, making him speechless, and pulled him for a kiss which he gladly reciprocated, the couple broke the kiss smiling at each other, “wow, ” Pragya let out a surprise-filled gasp as she looked behind Abhi, “it’s so beautiful, ” she said as she looked towards the horizon, it was the most beautiful sight she has ever seen.
“Yes, it is, ” he agreed with her, but he was not paying attention to what she was saying.
“How did you know this place? ”
“Umm… Google, ” he scratched the back of his head nervously.
“Thank you for bring me here, its really beautiful, ” she pulled him for a hug.
The lovely couple cuddled together as the watched the beautiful sunset, Abhi couldn’t be more proud of himself, finally, his quest was over, now all that was left to do was for him to go home and tell them, he had found The One.
To Be Continued.
Thank You For Reading.
Word Count: Approximately 2250 words.
Stay Happy.
Chichi ???