Jaise tum na... waise hum

Sushma's words bewilder Abhi

Tandon house 5 AM

Abhi felt a pain on his left temple as he woke up. He felt it with his fingers and got surprised to find his forehead bandaged. 'Yani who sapna nahi tha? I really got hurt!' he thought, 'Yani... Yani... Pragya bhi?'

He sat up on the bed and looked around to find Purab sleeping on the couch. 'Purab ka ghar?' He got up to call Purab and found Prashant sleeping on the floor. 'Nahi... Ye Purab ka ghar nahi hai' he thought, 'toh phir?'

He tried to recall the events of the night before. The best he could tell he had a dream in which he had met Pragya and she hadn't spoken anything, until he was hit by someone and got hurt. He felt his bandage again and thought 'It wasn't a dream... surely.' He recalled her saying "Dont worry, Hum aapko ghar le jaa rahe hai. You'll be fine" as he lay on her lap in the car and then brought him to her home. He looked around 'Ye Pragya ka ghar hai? Pragya zinda hai? Oh God... please... ye.. ye sach ho!"

He got up from the bed and walked out of the room. He looked around and found the opposite room open. He looked inside, there was no one. He walked towards Pragya's room, the door was ajar. He looked inside and could figure out it was a woman sleeping. He looked away as he didn't want to be misunderstood if it was someone else, but caught a glimpse of Pragya's face as he turned. He looked again and buried his mouth in his palms as he recognised her, let out a deep sigh, and whispered 'Pragya!'.

He opened the door and walked in, overwhelmed with joy, and tears welled up in his eyes as he walked towards her. He was scared whether this was another dream and really hoped it wasn't. He pinched himself just to check, even though he wasn't sure whether that was a fail safe method. He sat on the bed next to her, looking at her, as tears started to roll down his cheeks.

"Pragya" he whispered for he didn't want to wake her up. He ran his hand at a distance over her hair. He looked away and buried his face as he cried.

After a few moments he looked at her again, kissed the first two fingers of his right hand, and planted the kiss on her forehead. He was happy, happy to see her, happy that she is back in his life.

He got startled as he heard a knock on the door and looked towards it.

It was Sushma. Abhi got up as she came near by, and said as softly as he could "I'm sorry. I know mujhe yahan nahi hona chahiye. But... she is my... wife" and wiped his tears.

"Please, mere saath bahar aa jao" Sushma said.

Abhi nodded, looked at Pragya, and followed Sushma as she walked out of the room. He looked at her, the better lighting outside the room making her recognisable.

"You look familiar... I think I've met you" he said.

She nodded and said "Sushma Tandon, Mmarcus group".

"Oh...yes... well we do have a past." he said, "I'm sorry, it all happened because of..."

She interrupted him, "You have apologised for it and we have reconciled our differences".

"Over e-mails" he said, "Is bar personally karta hoon".

"Is baar mein Pragya ki ma hoon." Sushma said, "and I am sure you know I am not her mother, par mere liye woh meri beti hai".

She turned and gestured Abhi to follow her with a "Please" as she walked towards the stairs.

Abhi followed her as she said, "Its two years since she is living with me, aur aaj tak maine Pragya ko itni chaien se sote huve nahi dekha hai".

They reached the stairs and she gestured him to sit on one of the chairs besides it. After he sat down, she did too on the opposite chair. "And I want this peace for her all the time".