TOGETHER AGAIN
I may be not with you everytime, but I will come back to you, maybe in some other form or name. But I will be in your hearts always. Because I Love you!
A/N: Hello! I am back with a new story. Actually this is a sequel for Naughty Pari's "The Ring Connected Us". I hope she likes it.
Happy reading.
It had been two months since Ruhana and Vineet were married. Ruhana woke up to silence everyday. Though she knew that she has Vineet and Akshay with her, yet , something was missing in her life. Noone pounced on her to wish her good morning, no one to hug her from back informing her that she's home, noone to pull her to the bed , just to hear a lori from her.
Today, too, she woke up and found Vineet sleeping cozily hugging her. She smiled looking at him. After her little sister, he was her reason of living. No matter, she made him wait, yet his love for her always increased. She gently removed his hand and moved into the washroom. When she came out, she saw him sitting on the bed….
"good morning! " she greeted him.
He smiled…."Good morning Roo…acha suno…abhi Akshay aayega…..kuch meeting ka discussion karna hain…maine bol diya hain ki breakfast aur lunch tum bana rahi ho." He said.
Ruhana smiled…."acha kiya! Waise mera bas chale toh usey keh du wo yahin rahe humare saath."
"Idea toh bura nahi hai biwiji!" he said looking at her.
Ruhana smiles a bit…."but main jaanti hoon, wo nahi maanega. Yahan usey palak ki yaadein aur satayengi." She said as tears welled up in her eyes.
Ruhana was a strong person, yet she was weak when it came to Palak and Vineet. Palak had been her sole reason of living since last 22 years. After their parents's death in an accident, she came to Mumbai. At that time, she was just 17 years old and Palak was just a 6 years old. These two had a long age gap, but it never came between them. She remembered something from her past….
*Flashback Begins*
Ruhana and Palak were happily living with their parents. One day, their mother went out and as palak was quite small, almost 4 years of age, she instructed Ruhana to take care of her. Ruhana made palak sit on the bed, and handed her a doll, and she went into the kitchen, to bring water. Within those 5 seconds, she heard loud cries of Palak, and she rushed into the living room. Being a kid, the doll slipped from her hand, and to hold that, palak lost her balance and fell off on the ground. Ruhana made her sit on the bed, and tried calming her, yet the little girl was still crying.
Meanwhile their mother came back and saw her crying…She came to them..
"Ruhana kya hua?"
"Mumma….wo…Palak neeche gir gayi." She replied scaredly.
Ruhana ….maine tumse kaha tha na…palak ko akela nahi chhodna...wo toh bachchi hain, agar zyada chot aati toh?" their mother scolded her.
Ruhana looked at her…."Sorry mumma….main toh bas paani lene gayi thi…" she replied innocently.
"Ruhana …main aakhiri baar keh rahi hoon…..Palak ko kabhi akele mat chhodna. Agar dobara aisa hua toh mujhse bura koi nahi hoga." Her mother warned her.
Ofcourse, Palak was younger and dear to her, but that didn't mean she didn't loved ruhana. She loved Ruhana, but she wanted Ruhana to learn her responsibility.
*Flashback Ends*
"Maine dobara wahi galti kar di Vineet…..phir se! Na maine Palak ko akele jaane diya hota , na yeh sab hota. Maa mujhe kabhi maaf nahi karengi! Maine unse kiya hua vaada nahi nibhaya…..main toh kabhi achi behen bani hi nahi…..agar main uska khayal rkhti, toh wo humare paas hoti."
Ruhana said looking at Vineet. He pulled her in his embrace, caressing her head. He kissed on her forehead and made her sit on the bed and he himself sat on his knees..
"Ruhana….tum please khud ko dosh mat do. Shayad yeh sab hona likha tha. Lekin iska matlab yeh toh nahi na ki hum jeena chhod denge. Tumne toh palak ka bahut khayal rakha hain….har wo cheez ki jo wo chahti thi. Tumhe pata hain wo kya kehti thi?" he paused to look at her.
She looked at him and he smiled a bit….
"jiju, mujhe pata hai aap Di se bahut pyaar karte ho, lekin wo meri wajah se aapse kuch nahi kehti….main Di ko bolungi ki ab main badi ho gayi hu aur apna khayal rakh sakti hoon. Pata nahi Di ko kya ho jaata hain, unhe sabse zyada meri chinta rehti hain. Aaj bhi wo mujhe kahin akele nahi jaane deti..aap please unhe samjhana….aur main di se kahungi ki wo aapse shaadi kar le!"
He smiled a bit…."pagli thi ekdum. Par kabhi kabhi pate ki baat kar jaati thi. Aur usne mujhse ek vaada bhi liya tha….ki main tumhari aankhon mein kabhi aansu nahi aane dunga….lekin maine toh vaada pura kiya hi nahi….ab agar usne mujhe haunt kiya toh kaun bachahyega mujhe?" He replied looking at her to make her smile.
Ruhana smiled a bit looking at him and rubbed off her tears. She held his hands….
"I'm sorry Vineet. Lekin…." But paused as he placed his finger on her lips.
"I understand. Tumhari jagah agar main hota toh shayad mera bhi yahi haal hota. Aur waise tum apni gudiya ko khush dekhna chahti ho na?"
She nodded and he smiled…."Toh phir please smile…us smile ki khatir!" she pointed to their family picture which was hung on the wall and Palak was hugging her smiling widely. Ruhana smiled and nodded. She looked at him….
"tum fresh ho jao. Main coffee aur nashte ki taiyari karti hoon." She said.
He nodded and walked into the washroom, while she moved into the kitchen. She prepared coffee and was thinking what to make for breakfast. She took the coffee and called for Vineet…
"Vineet…jaldi karo. Coffee taiyar hain."
Meanwhile, the doorbell rang. She opened the door and found Akshay on the door. She invited him in . He looked at her.
"Good morning Di. Maine socha ki breakfast ke saath coffee bhi aapke haath ki pi loon, isliye jaldi aa gaya." He said.
Ruhana smiled and ruffled his hair…"Acha kiya. Coffee taiyar hi hai."
"Kya Di, tum mere baalon se mat khela karo!" he said setting his hair.
Ruhana looked at him for a few seconds. She visualized her sister saying that to her. She came out of her trance on Vineet's voice.
"Arey Akshay…kab aaye tum?" he came out.
"bas abhi jiju! Waise ye rahi wo file jo aapne mangvayi." He said.
"baitho, abhi dekhte hain." Vineet said.
They sat down and Ruhana looked at them. She served coffee to them and moved into the kitchen.
Half an hour later, she called them for breakfast. It was 9:15 am. She served breakfast to them, when Akshay looked at her…
"Tum bhi kha lo!" he said.
"Han tum dono khao. Main taiyar hokar aati hoon. Fir kha lungi." She said and moved to her room.
"Acha acha ..jaldi aana." He replied as she walked into her room.
20 minutes later…
She came out with her handbag on her shoulder. She grabbed a cheese sandwich as she saw both Vineet and Akshay discussing something. She moved to them…
"aap logon ka discussion abhi tak khatam nahi hua?"
"Aaj meeting hai Roo….bahut kaam hain." Vineet replied looking at his laptop.
She smiled…"Acha thik hain Vineet. Main nikal rahi hoon office ke liye. U just take care."
"okay! You too take care. Aur tumhare paas tumhari keys hain na?"
She nodded and left bidding bye to them.
.
Ruhana's Office
Ruhana entered the office and was greeted by her collegue Vishal.
"Ruhana…Sir abhi tumhe hi yaad kar rahe they. Meet him before you go to your cabin." Vishal told her.
"Okay…I will see him. Thanks!" she smiled.
Vishal smiled…."Han….actualy shayad wo tumhe kuch aur kaam bhi dena chahte hain. And one more thing….aaj koi interview bhi hain…shayad hume hi lena hoga interview."
She nodded and then moved towards the cabin of her boss. Before she could do anything, the door of the cabin was pushed open and girl bumped into her, causing the file in her hand to fall. She bit her tongue…
"sorry sorry…wo maine dekha nahi." The girl picked up the file and handed it to her. Ruhana was shocked to see her.
The girl looked at her…"kya hua? Aap mujhe aise kyun dekh rahi hain? By the way…I am Manvika….Manvika Mehra. But please aap sir se kuch mat kehna. Aaj mera interview hain. Please!" Manvika looked at her with a pleading look and she rushed off.
Ruhana chided herself…"Stop overthinking Ruhana….aisa nahi ho sakta. "
She came out of her trance ,when her friend called her. She looked at her..
"Ruhana…where are you lost! Chalo….Sir bula rahe hain." She held her hand and they moved inside the cabin.
Having a quick talk with with the boss, they dispersed to work. But , something was disturbing her…the face she saw this morning. How could it happen? She was lost in her thoughts, and was brought back to reality by Vishal…She looked up at him…
"Vishal! Kya hua?"
"tumhe kya hua? Aaj kuch khoyi khoyi lag rahi ho? Sab thik toh hain?" he asked concernly.
"I am fine Vishal. Tum batao kuch kaam tha?" she asked.
"haan…wo new intern hain Manvika Mehra…sir chahte hain, tum usey kaam sikhao." He informed.
Her eyes widened, yet she smiled…."okay….where's she?"
"Main usey bhejta hoon." He said and left the cabin.
Within a few seconds, Manvika entered in. Ruhana smiled at her and signaled her to sit. She smiled and sat on the seat and passed her file to her. After checking her files, Ruhana started with a simple task assigning to her. Manvika smiled at her.
"Ma'am! Aap bahut ache ho. Mujhe laga tha ki yahan par sab bahut strict honge, lekin aap bahut sweet ho." Manvika said .
Ruhana smiled…."Strict toh honge Manvi lekin agar thik se kaam karogi toh koi naraz nahi hoga. Aur koi bhi help chahiye toh sab rahenge."
Manvika smiled…."Yeah! Main dhyan rakhungi"
Ruhana smiled and she left the cabin. At the same time, Ruhana's phone rang…She picked it up…
"haan bolo Vineet!"
"kya yaar…tum humesha pehchan leti ho!" he replied.
"ab main nahi jaanungi toh kaun jaanega. By the way…are you okay?" She said.
"Haan baba…I am fine. Yeh batane ke liye call kiya tha ki aaj late hoga." He replied.
"okay take care!" she said.
"ruhana…sab thik hain na?" he enquired finding her tone low.
At the same time, Manvi entered the room….
"ma'am, I need your help."
"Vineet, main baad mein baat krti hoon." She said and hung the call.
Manvika entered in and asked her for some help regarding the work she was doing. Ruhana explained it to her and she was listening it attentively. A smile made way on her face as she got what she was missing. She smiled at her…
"Yeh itna easy tha….maine hi miss kar diya. Thank you ma'am." She chuckled.
Ruhana smiled and patted on her cheeks…."Anytime. Waise Maanvi, tum Mumbai se hi ho?"
"Nahi ma'am, Actually main Pune se hu. Kuch waqt pehle Mumbai shift hui. Family ke naam par bas main aur meri mom hain." She said looking at her.
Ruhana patted her cheeks. She looked at her…
"meri ek behen bhi thi, aisa maa kehti hain, lekin maine usey kabhi nahi dekha." She said looking at her.
Ruhana smiles and cups her face….
"koi baat nahi ….main hoon na!"
Manvika smiles and nods her head. Ruhana smeared her hairs, a frown took place on her face , which didn't went unnoticed by Ruhana….
"Don't frown. Noone will play with your hairs."
Manvika looked at her surprised…."Aapko kaise pata ki koi mere baalon ko haath lagaye, mujhe pasand nahi?" she asked innocently.
Ruhana smiles…"Meri gudiya ko bhi pasand nahi tha ki koi uske baalon ko haath lagaye." She said in a low tone, Manvika watched her. Ruhana shaked her head…
"anyway, tum jao. Yeh kaam khatam karo. Uske baad tumhe ek cheez aur batani hain." She said looking at Manvika, who nods, and leaves.
Ruhana calls Vishal in her cabin. He entered in..
"Kya hua Ruhana? Itna urgently kyun bulaya?"
"Vishal, mujhe Manvika ke saare details chahiye." She said looking at him.
"Manvika mehra? New joinee?" he asked.
"haan…Manvika mehra….Mujhe aaj sham tak uske details chahiye…please Vishal." She said.
He patted on her hands…."okay….main koshish karta hoon nikalne ki. Par chahiye kyun?"
"Wo main tumhe nahi bata sakti Vishal. But please arrange for all her details….please." she looked at him in a pleading tone.
He noded. …."okay. Shaam tak mil jayenge…aur kuch?"
Ruhana nodded negatively and he left the cabin.
.
The day passed in a blur. Around Evening 7pm, She reached home and unlocked the door.
Home..
She entered inside and moved straight to her room to get fresh up and changed. When she came out of the washroom, her eyes fell on the papers Vishal handed her as she was leaving for home. She took out the papers, and the very first paper had Manvika's picture. She glanced at that and then at palak's picture.
Ruhana was shocked plus surprised , earlier that morning , because of the similarity she saw in her. Manvika looked exactly like Palak. Her style was free , just like palak. She stared it for some time, until the doorbell rang. She kept the papers on the bed and moved to open the door. It was Vineet and Akshay. They sat down sighing deeply.
She brought water for them...
"toh kaisi rahi meeting?"
"Jiju ka kaam tha Di…meeting toh successful honi hi thi. Wo deal jiske liye jiju itni mehnat kar rahe they…wo unhe mil hi gayi!" Akshay informed her happily.
" sirf mujhe nahi…hume! Waise bhi main jaanta hoon, is deal ke liye tumne kitni mehnat ki hain. Yeh meri nahi humari deal thi. " Vineet says.
Akshay smiles…."main toh aapki madad kar raha tha."
"Haan toh ab achi tarah se madad karo. Mera ya tumhara nahi, jo hai humara hain. Samjhe!"Vineet said patting his shoulders.
He nodded….."waise baat toh sahi hai aapki!"
She smiled…."Arey wah! Toh ab party toh banti hain."
"Exactly…lekin bahar nahi….aapke haath ke aaloo ke paranthe!" he said looking at her.
Ruhana smiled….."Sure, jao fresh ho jao aap dono."
"Okay…here I come!" and he rushed upstairs.
Ruhana watched him going. Upstairs was Palak's room, which had been his room, everytime he came there. He had even made room for his things in her room.
Here, Vineet kept his hand on Ruhana's shoulder…
" Akshay toh khush dikh raha hain. Shayad ab hume usey samajhana chahiye ki usey apni life mein aage badhna chahiye…hai na!"
"Haan Vineet! Usey aage badhna hi hoga." She said looking at him.
He smiles….."main usse baat karunga."
"Acha, ab jaake fresh ho jao. Main coffee aur khane ki taiyari karti hoon." She said.
He went to his room, while Ruhana went into the kitchen. A while later, they were sitting in the living room sipping coffee. Vineet and Akshay were discussing something, while Ruhana was thinking something.
"Dii!" she came out of her trance when AKshay shouted in her ear.
"kya hai akshay?" she looked at him.
"Sona hai toh jaake so jaao…..aise baithe baithe mat khoya karo. Lekin abhi bhook lagi hain." He said.
She smiled…."Give me 10 minutes. "
Saying so, she walked into the kitchen. Soon, Vineet and Akshay were sitting relishing the parantha's made by her. She looked at them and a smile formed on her face. A while later, they were done with dinner.
"Di main terrace pe ja raha hoon!" akshay shouted while climbing up the stairs. Ruhana, who was at the dining table nodded and went busy with her chores. A while later , she entered the room, and found Vineet sitting with the papers , she left on the bed. She sat near him. He turned to her…
"Ruhana….yeh sab kya hain?" he asked showing her Manvika's picture.
"Yahi sach hain Vineet. Isne aaj hi office join kiya hain. Main bhi shock ho gayi thi isey dekhkar….aisa laga jaise meri gudiya wapas aa gayi hain…lekin aisa nahi hain Vineet. Iska chehra humari palak se milta hain…."
"Suna tha maine ki ek shakal ke do log hote hain…aaj dekh bhi liya. Lekin mujhe iske bare mein sab kuch jaanna hain." She said looking at him.
"Par Roo…yeh humari palak nahi hain. Aur aise hi kisi ka chehra dekhkar tum kaise uspar vishwas kar sakti ho?" he said looking at her.
"Vineet….main aise hi nahi keh rahi. Main jaanti hoon , ki usme kuch baat toh hain. Mujhe pata lagana hain Vineet….i want to know. Tumhe meri madad karni hogi. Please!" she said holding his hands.
He cupped her face….."Okay okay…relax! Hum kuch sochte hain. Tum stress mat lo…okay!"
She nodded and sat on the bed, reading the papers. As she was looking into her bag, she found a paper, which Manvika gave her. She was surprised to read what was written on the paper. And something from the Manvika's details , shocked her.
.
A/N: I thought of it to be a One shot, but I am making it two shot. Hope my Gudiya likes it.
So, how is Manvika related to Ruhana? Are they really related? What surprised Ruhana?
Stay tuned to know more. Please R&R!