Chapter 35

kavin started the engine of his car, as purvi grew perplexed.

"kya kar rahe ho, dushyant ghar kaise aayega?"questioned purvi.

"auto, taxi, rickshaw, chalte hai sab delhi mein..." remarked kavin.

"arre, par, hum kahan jaa rahe hain?" followed-up purvi with a question.

"sabhar ka phal meetha hota hai, meetha nahi pasand..." retorted kavin as he drove away.


ishita looked at dushyant with bewilderment, as he wheezed awkwardly.

"funny story...uhh..." he attempted to diffuse the tension.

ishita just handed him the bag of riaan's belongings, that was rested on the sofa.

"daan kardena, duaein milengi tumhe..." she quipped, as he just kept it aside.

"kyun behave kar rahi ho aise?" he rebuked.

"kaise?" she questioned back.

"everyone is just trying to help you, why do you have to be so mean!" he retorted.

"i didn't ask anyone to help me! especially, you!" she yelled.

"excuse me?" he questioned in bewilderment.


the car stopped in front of a dhaba, as purvi grew more perplexed.

"kya, aath baj rahe hain raat ke, bhook nahi lagi?" remarked kavin, as he got out of the car, and purvi, followed reluctantly.

"tumhe kya lagta hai, samajh nahi aata mujhe, ki why you are always just, trying to get any chance to talk to me, or why your brother, was ready to invite me to your house, when i didn't want to talk to you!" argued ishita.

"what's that supposed to mean?" he asked rhetorically.

"dushyant, you, want me to be someone i can't right now..." she stated, almost tearing up.

"ishita..." he attempted to say something, but was interrupted.


they walked to the counter, where the owner was sitting, who instantly got up upon seeing kavin.

"arre, kavin!" he called.

"kaise hain aap?" asked kavin courteously.

"arre, sab badiya...tumhe humari yaad kahan se aa gayi?" responded the dhaba owner.

"bahaut bhook lagi hai, bas.." joked kavin, as the dhabha owner signalled a waiter to come.

"inka waala table ready kar...aur badiya se ghee laga ke, parathe de daal makhni ke saath..." ordered the owner to the waiter.

"tum kya logi?" asked kavin to purvi, who just didn't know how to react to what she witnessed.

"main bhi wahi kha lungi..." responded purvi.

"arre, anil kahan hai?" questioned the dhabba waala.

"ab yeh aur main hi khaana khaane aayenge..." replied kavin, with a smile.


"i am sorry dushyant, main, main, main nahi ban sakti kisiki girlfriend abhi...ya kuch bhi...i can't really trust someone right now...i don't want them to trust me, right now...i just, you should not be wasting your time with me..." confessed ishita, as she hugged herself, and averted her gaze to the side, with a tear rolling down her eye.

he walked over to her, as he rested his back on the sofa she was standing nearby.

"ishita, i love you...shayad, tabhi se, jab hum pehli baar mile the...i know, you are not okay right now, and i don't know how, but, i wanna help...because, i want you to feel better, not because i want anything from you..." he poured his heart out, as she considered a change of heart, and they shared an eye-lock.


the waiter served them the food, as kavin mouthed a small thank you.

"kavin, yeh sab..." attempted purvi to know what's going on.

"mom late ho jaayengi, khaana bana nahi, baaki maine satish ji ghar se nikalte hue keh diya tha ki main aur dushyant bahar se khake aayenge..." explained kavin, as he began to eat.

"nahi, woh...yahan iss tarah, kyun laaye ho mujhe?" asked purvi, as kavin stopped eating.

"jab main chota tha, mom kai baar 12 baje tak ghar nahi aati thi, night shift ke kaaran. papa ko toh khaana banana aata tha nahi, but chattore bahaut the, toh roz hi koi naya dhaba, stall ya restaurant try karne ko le aate the. pure sector-5 mein aisa koi dhaba nahi hai jahan maine nahi khaya hai, par yahan ki lassi bahaut pasand thi unhe, toh baar-baar yahi le aate the." reminisced kavin.

"papa ki death ke baad bilkul bhi nahi aaya yahan...until, uss din, jab hum elevator mein phas gaye the...ek, ajeeb sa sukoon mila. unki yaad aati thi, par, itna dukh nahi hua...uss din samajh aaya, ki i wasn't doing myself any favours by not moving on and letting him go." admitted kavin sadly.

"and, i realised, tum nahi toh koi aur maar deta...and tum pe gussa karke ya saza deke, mujhe chain nahi mila...isiliye maine maaf kardiya tumhe. aur meri papa hi nahi, same for ishita ke papa, aur woh toh tumse naraaz bhi nahi hai...maybe tumhe apne aapko, maaf kardena chahiye." concluded kavin, as purvi acknowledged.

"i still regret that people got hurt, because of me..." stated purvi.

"that doesn't mean you should yourself for that too...maybe, you just need to see it as what it was, a mistake. you can't really do much except for accepting them and learning from them." comforted kavin, as purvi pondered over it.