Hello everyone! Ananya here. Thank you very much for your love and appreciation for my stories. It’s wonderful to hear from you all, and I hope I’ll be getting to know more of you out there soon. Happy reading!
Twinj: My Lifeline: Episode 10
A quick recap: Twinkle reveals Kunj’s relationship with Alisha to Chinki and declares that she would still marry him as he requires her help. Kunj absent-mindedly draws a comparison between Alisha and Twinkle, and begins to develop positive vibes about his fiancé, who he now considers as a dear friend.
News that Kunj Sarna was to get married in a week’s time spread like wild fire. Preparations were underway in both the Sarna and the Taneja mansions. Usha had invited Leela and Twinkle over to her place to discuss the arrangements. Leela’s happiness knew no bounds when she saw both Usha and Kunj waiting for them at the door. Usha hugged Leela dearly and took her inside, asking Kunj to escort Twinkle, who was a few steps behind, chattering busily on her phone. “Twinkle!” Kunj called out impatiently after waiting for a minute. Realising that she didn’t hear him, he sprinted towards her. She put away her phone as soon as she sighted him. “Hi!” She said cheerfully, but Kunj was in no mood to exchange pleasantries. “You’ve come at the right time!” He said, confusing her. “I’m sorry?” She slowly spoke, wondering if he was actually happy to see her, or it was time for her to face yet another thundering truth.
Before Kunj could explain his statement, they felt a flash. Turning around, they saw a couple of shutterbugs at the gate, clicking as many pictures of the most talked about couple in town as they could. Kunj’s fans evidently found it a little too strange that he was having such a rushed marriage, and the bride was someone that they had never heard of before. The journalists seemed to be making the most of the situation too. Kunj indicated the security guards to get rid of them and turned back to Twinkle, who was still looking at them dumbfound. He giggled, realising that she would need some time to get rid of the fame he had to his name. Twinkle seemed to be annoyed at his laughter, making him laugh some more. She began to walk away angrily, but he caught up real quick. “Listen please!” He said, catching hold of her by her wrist. She stopped immediately, her eyes fixed on their hands. “Ma wants us to have a grand wedding” he declared, not noticing her gaze. He had to jerk her to bring her back to her senses. “What?” She asked, and he repeated his words. She simply looked at him as he went on about how futile he thought it would be, her heart hurt as she realised she would be fighting a new battle every single day, and she would lose each one. “I’ve got this!” She spoke finally, sounding as positive as she could and smiled assuringly at him. She then freed her hand and walked indoors, closely followed by Kunj.
Twinkle felt overwhelmed as she watched the catalogues spread out on the table in front of Leela and Usha. She was going to break their dreams too, she thought, sighing deeply. Usha stood up to welcome Twinkle and got her to sit beside her. Twinkle watched quietly as the ladies excitedly discussed all that they had been planning for years for the wedding of their respective children. When Leela left the room momentarily to receive a call, Twinkle knew it was time for her to act now. “Mrs. Sarna..” She began, wondering if she had to find something better to address her. Usha seemed to read her mind, and immediately asked her to call her ‘Ma’ instead, just like Kunj did, citing that she was be as dear to her as Kunj was, claiming she wasn’t a shrewd mother-in-law. Twinkle looked at Kunj, who was sitting opposite to her. He nodded encouragingly. “Ma..” Twinkle began hesitantly, and continued as Usha smiled at her, “We’ve agreed to get married in a week’s time as you have decided..” she took a brief pause, noticing all three Sarnas looking at her. “Would you also take our wish into consideration?” She asked, and Usha nodded gladly. “We want to have a simple wedding, Ma.. Not many guests, and no grand celebrations. Just the necessary ceremony in the presence of just family.” She said in a single breath, and then added, “.. and a few close friends”, hoping that would repair things a bit.
Usha looked at Kunj and Twinkle alternatively for what seemed like an eternity to both of them. Twinkle was worried Leela would come in any moment now, and she would definitely not agree. She had to do something quickly. “We don’t see the point of an elaborate celebration when there’s just been such a sad happening recently, Ma” She said quickly. Usha’s eyes widened in horror. Kunj rushed to Twinkle’s side. “I told her. She’s not just my fiancé, but also my friend, I couldn’t cheat her by hiding the truth.” He declared, Usha only looked bewildered now. “So, we’ll be having a simple ceremony?” Twinkle asked, mustering every ounce of courage she had. Usha simply nodded. Kunj whispered a ‘Well done’ to Twinkle and walked over to Manohar. “Looks like Ma’s orders no longer rule the house, no?” He asked him, Manohar just gave his son a strange look and then smiled at him, before leaving.
Driving back home, Leela couldn’t stop asking a hundred questions on what had made them decide to have a simple wedding. Twinkle had kept mum on it all, Kunj calling her his “fiancé and friend” echoing in her mind. It gave her a sense of solace, soothing her that she might not really be left all alone in her new home.
Usha, on the other hand, couldn’t contain her thoughts anymore. She burst into the study room, where Manohar was working. He turned around in his chair, sensing the urgency. “I’ve committed a huge mistake, haven’t I?” She voiced her fear. Manohar was about to respond, when she continued, “I had only been thinking about my own son so far. Not once did it occur to me that Twinkle’s whole life would be affected too.. I have destroyed her future., the poor child! She agreed to marry Kunj despite knowing about Alisha..” She sobbed, sitting on a nearby chair. Manohar just listened quietly. He had tried to warn her all along, she hadn’t paid heed to his words ever. “Oh my God! She’s in love! She loves Kunj!” She said suddenly, the realisation had stuck her out of nowhere. Manohar couldn’t agree more. They couldn’t think of a more convincing reason for Twinkle’s acceptance of the wedding. Usha cursed herself, but she knew it was too late to change things, and deep in heart, she thanked her good fortune that she had found Kunj the perfect girl.
Twinkle and Chinki were shopping in a mall that evening, given that they had so little time for everything. Twinkle wasn’t unaware that tons of pictures of her and Kunj from the morning were being circulated on social media. She had also noticed a few girls nearby, discussing a little too loudly what had made Kunj Sarna want to marry her. With every passing minute, their taunts and jabs were getting more and more mean, and despite Chinki’s repeated requests to Twinkle to say something, she chose to remain quiet. “That’s enough!” a voice boomed, making all of them turn around.
That’s it for now guys. Hope you liked it. Until next time,
Lots of love