Lost Fate - Roohi & Rohit

6. ghost

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh"

The morning of Poddars started with the shriek of Roohi. All of them rushed towards the corridor, some half asleep, some fully awake and dressed.

"Kya hua, Roohi? Why did you scream?" Kaveri inquired, seeing a fully frightened Roohi in front of them.

"Woh... Dadisa..." Roohi tried to speak, struggling to catch her breath in between.

"Actually, woh mujhe dekhkar darr gayi..." Rohit answered while walking towards them.

"Kya?" Abhira asked raising her eyebrows.

"Woh... I am not really used to seeing him. Right? So, when I got up in the morning and saw him...."

"She thought it was my ghost." Rohit completed her answer trying to cover his smile. Everybody else laughed while Roohi held her head down.

"It's okay beta.... I also sometimes forget to put plate for him and then suddenly remembers it." Vidya said as Roohi smiled at Rohit who pouted.

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"Rohit ki birthday should be celebrated grandly this time, Manisha." Kaveri instructed while Manisha nodded.

"We will ask Roohi to organise it. She is the one who organises all these types of functions." Manisha chimed in, hoping to keep her distracted from Armaan and Abhira.

"Let her spend sometime with her husband, Manisha. Hum sab haina, we will manage." Vidya interrupted.

"Vidya is right. Let them spend a romantic time together. We will do something." Kaveri declared, leaving no room for further discussions.

Roohi entered the scene just in time. She stared at all of them before proceeding to talk something in Dadi Sa's ears. "Mummy sa ki chamchi!" Manisha muttered, earning glare from Vidya who muttered back "Jealous much?"

"Yeh toh khushi ki baat hain! " Dadi Sa declared elated while Roohi slightly smiled.

"Kya baat hain, Maa Sa?" Sanjay enquired.

"I had asked Roohi to plan a picnic for us. She has booked all of the tickets. All of your schedules are cleared for the day. Kal hum picnic pe jaa rahe hain." Dadi Sa said smiling. Cousin gang whistled while others smiled.

"We lost so many moments with our sons. We need to win them back." Kajal said as all of them smiled.

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"Yaar, mera floral print wala shirt kahan hain?" Rohit enquired to Roohi  who was sitting among a scattered set of dresses.

"I ate it when I was hungry." Roohi replied trying to find an appropriate dress for the picnic next day.

"Ha! Very funny." Rohit said making a face.

"Vahan aur bahut kapde hain na? Vaise bhi hum Goa thodi na jaa rahe hain, aise floral kapde pehne ke liye." Roohi shot back.

"Kaun jaata hain Goa voh bhi apne boring biwi ke saath?" Rohit said suppressing chuckling.

Roohi got up from the mess and slowly walked towards Rohit who was leaning on the door of their wardrobe. He gulped as she did not slow down while approaching him. She reached, their bodies inches away, her beautiful aura capturing his full attention. She reached out, ruffling his hair. He went pale, his throat dry. "You still think your wife is boring?" She muttered into his ears before grabbing a dress from the open wardrobe and walking back into the mess, smiling. He stood there, still in daze, smitten again by a woman, who will never be his.

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"Mujhe kuch ajeeb sa lag raha hain." Kajal said while rubbing her forehead with some balm. Sanjay looked up from his file worried. He sighed and got up, leaving the work his mother-in-law gave behind. 

"Bola tha ki mat karo... Par humesha tum kuch na kuch padhti rehti ho... Then, you will get headache na!" He said, slightly scolding her. He brought some tablet and a glass of water and gave it to his wife.

As she gulped it down, Sanjay stared at her. He remembered, years before, how she used to get dressed in loud and decorative manner. After their marriage, as a new bahu she used to wear beautiful, loud silk sarees along with some ornaments, fully dressed always. It was after Krish and Charu were born that she started to wear dull sarees. Sanjay noticed her tired face. She was never like this. Her hair was always set, eyebrows threaded, nails painted, always plastering a smile on her face. But Kajal has changed.

Sanjay sighed, unable to cope with the truth that their marriage was dying. That he was treating his wife, the same way his father treated his mother. He knew he was doing wrong to her, but couldn't build up the courage to break the cycle. He was stuck inside the loop, like a coward that he was, unable to let his wife and children enjoy a life than the stereotypical life.

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Staring at the night sky, Roohi tried to find the brightest star, which was her father and the star which accompanies him, her mother. She missed them. So more than what she pretended to. 

She could hear Rohit shifting in his couch, muttering something in his sleep. She smiled. The thought of him brought a sharp pain in her heart and a smile on her face. She looked at the bracelet on her wrist on which their engagement ring was fixed. It felt so surreal. How they were destined to meet, to live some fairytale moments, to give each other life long pain and to leave. Just like that.

The moments they were together, it was filmy and fairytale-like. Sometimes old school, slow burn romance otherwise pain inflicting, intimate moments. Each time, his skin grazed hers, she felt pain and burning sensation within her. Of a grief which she welcomed. Something which was a result of her actions.

"So Jao. Kab tak baahar rahogi. Thand lag jayegi..." Rohit whispered behind her, causing her to lose her balance. He slowly held her, his eyes still sleepy yet glimmering. He knew they were sharing a moment, yet wants to withdraw. She understood his wish, slowly getting on her feet.

"Tum soye nahi?" Roohi asked, mischief glimmering in her eyes.

"Kya lagta hain?" Rohit asked back earning a laughter from her. As she walked back into their room, Rohit stared at her, realising that she will never be fully happy around his brother.

"And she deserves all the happiness in this damn world." He whispered as she went to sleep

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So, ready for a dramatic and itv-ish picnic?

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