TRUE LOVE WILL THAW(RAGLAK)(CHAPTER-16)
On time. As promised. And thank you my lovely ppl for your wonderful support and all the love you’ve been showering on me right from the beginning and I found many comments from silent readers too yesterday. Thank you so much guys. Love you all.
“Never give up on things that make you smile”
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“Divorce papers?” Laksh asked trembling with his eyes fully wide. “Yes Mr. Maheshwari, Divorce papers of Ragini and Laksh Maheshwari” Kabir replied, rather coldly. “No No No Ragini is mine.” He yelled in high pitch.”She WAS” Kabir said correcting him.”No I’m I’m not going to sign them. Never when I’m alive” Laksh said, moving backward. “It’s ok Mr.Maheshwari I’ve my own style of getting things in my way, you need not stress. Have a peaceful night” , replied Kabir with a devilish smile.
“Anarkali! all good? That Uncle didn’t hurt you right? ” , the little Chotu asked hugging her neck from the car’s back seat. The series of the day’s incidents flashed through her mind and she nodded sadly in negative. “Good!” he pinched her right cheek. “Anarkali! You know I missed you a lot. I’ve got used to you and Kabir and now you both are getting married I can always be with you both. I love you Anarkaliiii” he screamed kissing her cheek. This made Ragini’s situation worse. She was again stuck in her life. Again everything got complicated. Again she felt choked with the atmosphere.
“Anarkali! Enjoyed the day?” Kabir asked with his charming smile. She nodded positively through her tears with a broken smile. “Great!” he sighed. “So morning we’ll undergo all the formal proceedings” he said,as he started his engine. “What kind of proceedings?” she queried. “Your divorce Anarkali. You forgot? Fine! Not a big deal. You relax” he said, rubbing her head. Ragini looked out through the window not able to face anyone. She could feel tears rolling continuously down her cheeks. Chotu had slept and strangely all through the journey Kabir had not opened his mouth at all. She wanted him to talk. Wanted him to ask, how she felt like? What she was thinking. But Kabir for the very first time chose to remain silent all through the journey.
“Anarkali!” he patted her shoulder and Ragini woke up rubbing her eyes. “Laado! Thank God! You are back. I was very scared thinking about you. Thank God! This is the last time you are meeting that Ogre.” her Dadima said. Ragini’s heart flinched. Because she knew how pathetic was Laksh currently. She didn’t respond anything and she immediately ran towards her room giving a lame excuse of being tired. Dadima looked at Kabir worriedly to which squeezed her hand and nodded with a small smile. “It’s getting late Paaro! I’ll take a leave” and left waving his hands to his Paaro.
“Arrey! Laado uth” Dadima screamed. “Yeah I’m up” Ragini woke up slowly only to realize what twist her Life presented her yesterday. She sighed and got up to leave for the music academy and find the man who can help her. Kabir. She quickly got ready for the academy and told her Dadima that she would eat out in Canteen with Kabir.
“Anarkali! Morning.” “Morning Anarkali!” the boys waved at her. “Morning” she greeted with a small smile. “Anarkali why did you leave me alone with this idiot yesterday?” Chotu asked annoyed making Ragini stare in confusion .”That’s nothing Anarkali. He’s just being over dramatic” Kabir covered up glaring at the little Chotu. “Dramatic Kaun? You or me?” Chotu asked menacingly. Ragini chuckled and questioned as to what had made the little prince lose his temper so badly. “I’ll tell you Anarkali or this fraudster’ll chop off the story and tell you something totally untrue” he said glaring at Kabir and Kabir gave up with a shrug.
“I was missing you badly and so this guy told me he’ll make me Halwa that would be better than yours and I literally begged him not to experiment on me. But no! He made his mind that he’ll definitely make Halwa. So I was helplessly left with a single choice of accepting what he said. And you know what he did?” Chotu asked rising his voice with his hands on his hip. “Hua kya then?” Ragini asked. “He decorated it with almonds and all those stuffs and gave me. Actually FORCED me. He inserted the spoon into my mouth and all I could taste was a very bad very very badly tasting some sort of cement like thing” Chotu told his Anarkali with a puking expression. “Kabir! you fed him some nonsense you shouldn’t?”Ragini asked menacingly and Kabir threw his hands in air.
“I fed him Halwa Anarkali” he told her. “Halwa is meant to be a sweet Gaddhe, not a salty porridge like thing”, Chotu shot back, to which Kabir grinned at Ragini and Ragini was shocked. “You made Halwa with salt?? Salt Kabir?”, her eyes widened. “Woh..Yeah I was actually confused” Kabir replied with his goofy smile and this made Chotu get more annoyed and he gave Kabir one hard punch and ran inside his school. Ragini started laughing at what Chotu did , “Chi Chi Chi does any friend laugh when another is in pain?” Kabir asked dramatically. ” You deserve to be beat very badly. Thank God that Chotu had no time to do that” she said laughing.
“This is something I keep dreaming Anarkali” said Kabir with a genuine smile on his face. “Dream what?”Ragini asked amused. “You and Chotu to be happy always. Keep smiling and laughing always” Kabir replied with a sincere smile and Ragini’s face turned pale. “I need to talk to you Kabir” she told him seriously. “Haan? tell me Anarkali” he asked, helping her with the coffee. “You won’t ask me how was my day yesterday Kabir?” “You need not worry about that Anarkali, I’ll handle everything. I know how to get those divorce papers signed” Kabir said, patting her cheeks. “No Kabi…Kabir Wai..Wait” she called him out only to see him walking away. “Anarkali I’ve lots of stuff to do.You pick him up from school and regarding my attendance, you don’t worry I’ve asked my sweetyheart Pooja to give a proxy”, saying which he waved to her and was very soon out of her sight. “Kabir..” ,she sighed sadly.
“Morning Mr.Maheshwari” greeted Kabir. “Don’t you think you should’ve waited out. I don’t like guests barging into our rooms” , Laksh remarked rather rudely. “But Mr. Maheshwari I guess things regarding Ragini are better if discussed here, rather in public”, Kabir replied with a cool smirk. “Ragini!!!
Don’t you dare call her name. Ragini was.. and is MINE”, groaned Laksh lifting Kabir by his collar. “Behave yourselves Mr.Maheshwari” shouted Kabir. “Mr.Maheshwari I’ll send the divorce papers through Ramu Kaku, sign them and send” Kabir told Laksh straightly. Laksh was totally trapped. So he decided to give up. “Mr. Verma Please Please give me some time. I need to meet Ragini and I assure you within 2 days I’ll make everything fine”, Laksh said politely for the very first time. Kabir sighed. “I’ll ask Anarkali to meet you and I hope you behave like a gentleman, do as you promised.”to which Laksh nodded.
“Anarkali?”
“Haan bolo! Why did you call? I am in class” Ragini whispered over her phone.
“Ragini! Don’t you know talking over phone is not allowed inside the class?” , her Ma’am asked, snatching the mobile phone from her hand.
“Arrey Anarkali! Kya hamesha class class? Don’t you get bored? And especially first hour I don’t know how you manage to sit in the rhinoceros class. I mean seriously yar. One-horned rhinoceros woh bhi. That Ma’am’s puff on her head looks exactly like that horn.” saying which Kabir started laughing, but was very soon cut by a loud voice on the other side.
“Mr. Kabir Verma. You are suspended !!! And you’ve given fake attendance too right? Suspended for 10 freaking days? Get that?” his one-horned rhinoceros yelled.
“Sorry Ma’am”, Ragini managed to tell controlling her laughter.
“Ragini Gadodia ! Out! Out I said”, her Ma’am screamed pointing the door.
Ragini was sipping her coffee in their cafeteria when someone pulled her hair and she knew who it would be. “Kabir I’m going to kill you. See mera attendance gaya!” Ragini said, faking a sob. “Anarkali ! Please!” Kabir said, laughing holding his tummy. “What happened?” Ragini asked baffled, with innocent questioning eyes. “Please don’t do that again. You can never fake anything. So please do not try something like that again.”, he continued laughing and muttered something which sounded like “And love too”. “What did you just say?” Ragini asked inquisitively. “What?” he asked and shrugged. Ragini gave him a puzzled look.
“Anarkali you got an important job. Don’t worry about Chotu, I’ll pick him up AND AND don’t worry about the food. Chotu already complained to Paaro about yesterday’s incident and she’d asked me to promise ‘That I’ll never cook again for Chotu’ and she’ll be cooking for us.” Kabir completed. “But Kabir. What is that important job?” Ragini asked, searching something in her bag. “Ragini and Laksh Maheshwari”, Kabir replied looking into her eyes. Ragini immediately stopped her work and stared at Kabir . The very name flips her whole world upside down. “Laksh wants to talk to you Anarkali regarding the divorce issue. Call him and know the place of your meet” he said, getting up. “I’m going to help Paaro and I’m very happy today. Free mein itne saare din holidays” Kabir grinned and gave her a flying kiss.
Nervous Ragini took out her phone and searched for Laksh’s number and she found out, the last time she talked to him over phone was before her marriage. She took a deep breath and dialled him.
“He..Hello” she whispered softly
“Ragini?” he asked, clearly she knew he had not saved her number.
“Laksh you wanted to meet?”
“Yes Yes Ragini. Yes!”
“Place?”
“Maheshwari Mansion. Raglak room”
She stopped breathing and she could feel tears rolling down her cheek.
“I’ll be waiting. Be here soon” he hung up. He knew the atmosphere would change her mind. He knew everything in his room is no more only his. Every single thing now has Ragini’s fragrance in it, which gives him hope to live.
“No Ragini. Be strong. Only you should control your mind”, she instructed herself and started to Maheshwari Mansion.
“Ramu Kaka? Where is Maa and Papa ji? ” she queried as she entered. “All have left to a nearby place. But Laksh sahab is in his room. You can meet him there”, Ramu kaka replied to which Ragini gave him a smile.
Ragini moved towards the room and she was extremely scared. Scared to see him again. Scared to see the same place again. Again meet the place where her life changed. Where every single thing would remind her the dreams she had seen, remind her the proximity with Laksh. She stepped inside the room to find Laksh with a bouquet in his hands.
“Ragini” he engulfed her in a bone crushing hug. But he never received a warm response this time.
“Ragini I know this is tough for you. Ragini and I also know I was the one who made your life miserable. I know these things shouldn’t have happened. But I’m such a big idiot. Rag..Ragini I need you. You are mine and that is destined. It is destined that we are made for each other. Even though so many incidents took place, why did I end up marrying you girl? Think. Because it was us always. Ragini Ragini I’m really sorry for trying to hurt you. I REALLY LOVE YOU RAGINI. All I need is YOU. Only you. Without you I’m like a corpse and whenever you are around me you fill me with life. You give me a reason to breathe. Please mujhe chodke mat jao Ragini. I love you.” He completed all in a go , still on his knees.
Ragini was gobsmacked with Laksh’s words. She was stunned and she stared at him emptily.”Ka..Kabir?”she asked. “No No Ragini. It is only us. We are still the same. Only when we sign those papers we’ll be divorced. We are still Ragini and Laksh Maheshwari” He replied, holding her arms and with lots of expectations flooding his eyes.
“No!” She jerked away his hands and with her eyes widened to the fullest. “I can’t trample someone’s heart like you did Laksh. Like how you crushed my heart. Not once. Twice. Thrice. My Dadima, Kabir and Chotu have so much expectations on me. Kabir and Chotu are 2 innocent souls like how I was when I met you for the first time and when I finalized that we’ll be together forever. Kabir is sweet, even though he never imposes anything on me, he might have some expectations on me as the only and true friend of my life. It is not easy to crush 3 hearts only because you say Laksh. Why do you never think about anyone else ?” Ragini screamed in a very high pitch.
Laksh was stunned. He never expected that from her. He looked shocked. While Ragini was leaving, he saw her weeping silently, through the mirror in front of them.
“Ragini” he called, gaining his strength. She turned back wiping those tears. He went near her, grabbed her hand and placed the divorce papers. “You choose” he said with a strong determination. “If you sign it, I’ll sign it silently. No questions. And If you deny, then I’ll go with the same decision”, Laksh smirked leaving Ragini shocked.
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Phew! Done with this part. Again the poor girl is stuck.Let us see what she decides and tell me what you want to be her decision through your comments. Thank you!