वादा करो नहीं छोड़ोगी तुम मेरा साथ

जहाँ तुम हो वहाँ मैं भी हूँ

छुओ नहीं देखो ज़रा पीछे रखो हाथ

जवाँ तुम हो जवाँ मैं भी हूँ

Author's POV.

She didn't believe her ears. Did she hear right.

He understood her silence and spoke,

"Humari maa ne usey janam nahi Diya.."

She was shocked. She looked into his eyes, but his eyes were lowered down. She palmed his cheek and rubbed her thumb on it.

"Sab ko pata hai?".

"Sab ko, sirf tumhe Aaj.. bataya humne. Sab matlab.. Ghar me sabhi ko.. bahar nahi."

She gulped.

He continued,

"Humare.. babuji.. kisi aur.. aurat ki taraf.. khich Gaye the.. humare hone ke kuch saal baad. Unhi se.. Abhisar.."

She was calming him by caressing his body lightly with her fingers. Now, she understood why his mother was like that. So bitter. So toxic. Because she had been betrayed. By her own husband. So badly.

"Janam dete, uski maa guzar gayi. Babuji ke kehne par.. maa ne apna liya.. lekin.. tum samajhti ho na."

She nodded her head and hummed.

"Bachpan me, maa ka pyaar nahi mila.. jaise jaise.. bada hua.. babuji se nafrat karne laga.. sirf.. humse.. Hume bahut maanta hai.. bahut izzat deta hai hume."

He laughed softly,

"Kehta hai hum uske baap saman hai, baap se badh kar hai."

She grinned.

He finally raised his eyes up, to look into her eyes. He held her hand that was caressing his cheek. He kissed on it and spoke,

"Priya, hum jhuth nahi bolenge tumse, humare pehle bacche ke samaan hai woh.. humare Dil ka tukda hai."

She smiled. Widely.

"Bahut chota sa tha jab humne pehli baar usey dekha tha. Tab se aaj tak.. apni har pareshani.. har khushi.. har dukh.. bas humse baant-ta hai."

He kissed on her hand again, caressing the back of her palm with his thumb,

"Maa-baap, dono ka pyaar nahi mila usey. Babu," she nodded, " baap ka pyaar hum de rahe hai, maa ka tum dogi na usey?".

She didn't knew, but she felt something motherly. Utter motherly. A lone drop of tear rolled down her eyes and he wiped it.

She nodded her head,

"Jaise aapke liye aapka bacha hai woh, aaj se humare liye bhi humara baccha hai woh."

He hugged her, tightly.

"Bahut pyaar karte hai hum aapse, Priya. Bahut."

She held his jaw and kissed on his forehead,

"Hum bhi."

He asked in a very low voice,

"Ek baat kahe, Priya?".

She hummed.

"Hum kabhi sapne me bhi apne aapko kisi aur aurat ke-".

She cut her off and spoke,

"Hume pata hai, aapko kehne ki zaroorat nahi hai."

He gulped and spoke,

"Hum.. jab se .. Jawan hue.. tabhi se humne.. soch kar rakha tha.. humara sab kuch.. sirf humari biwi ka hoga.. humare khushiyon par, gum par, humare sharir ke ek ek ang par, humare dimag, humare Dil, humara pyar, hum par,sirf humari biwi Raaz karegi.. kabhi koi aur nahi.. chahe woh jo koi bhi ho."

She gave him an ear to ear smile, feeling proud of her husband.

Her eyes fell on the wall clock and she saw the time, 3 am.

She immediately spoke,

"Bahut samay hogaya.. ab soiye.. nahi toh subhe aankh nahi khulegi humari... fir Hume hi daant lagaenge aap ki humne hi deri Kara di aapko."

He laughed mutely and spoke,

"Woh haq bas Hume hi hai, aur koi nahi daant laga sakta tumhe, samjhi?".

She nodded.

"Chalo ab doodh pilao, Hume Sula do."

He demanded like a kid, although he knew there was no milk inside her bosoms. He just used to suck the invisible milk out of it, to gain pleasure out of this act.

She laughed and asked,

"Jab aapka bacha aajaega toh kaise doodh piyenge aap?".

He smirked and replied,

"Uske jaagne se pehle hi saara khatam kar denge hum. Uske liye chodenge hi nahi kuch."

She laughed more.

He whined, "Pilao naa."

She nodded, forwarding her nipples towards his lips. He took it and started sucking it.

She caressed his head and he kept on sucking until he fell asleep.

***

She heard knocks on door.

Shit. She was naked. With her husband.

"Bhabhi," she heard Abhisar's voice from the other side.

"Bhabhi, bhaiya taiyaar hai na.. maa intezar kar Rahi hai bahar."

Shit.

He was sleeping.

In a deep sleep.

Over his wife.

Somehow she spoke, knowing that she'll have to lie as her mother-in-law was sitting outside, all ready.

"Ji..Taiyaar ho rahe.. kuch der aur."

"Theek hai bhabhi, hum bahar nikalte hai."

"Ji."

As she heard the footsteps fading, she immediately pushed him with all her force from above her body.

"Uthiye... Ji.. uth jaiye."

He moved, still trying to wake up.

"Ji.. bahut der ho gayi hai.. uth jaiye na.. warna bahut daant lagegi Hume."

He rubbed his eyes trying to open his eyes lazily.

"Uthiye abhigyan ji.. maa aur Abhisar bahar khade hai."

He sat up immediately after listening to her words in shock.

"Kya samay hua?".

"Samay? Dono bahar taiyaar ho kar aapka intezar kar rahe.. humne kisi tarah keh diya ki aap taiyaar ho rahe hai."

His jaw clenched and he cussed under his breathe.

"Pehle kyu nahi uthaya Hume?".

"Hum... Hum khud.. der se .. jaage."

He clicked his tongue and threw the duvet away in anger, uncovering both of them completely.

"Bina nahaye jaana padega Hume. Ajib stithi hai, nahi utha jaata tumse samay par toh Hume pehle hi bata diya Karo na," his tone serious.

He took out his clothes from the cupboard and started wearing it.

"Ji w-"

She tried to speak but she was cut off.

"Nahi sunna Hume kuch."

"Humara chehra mat dekho ab, aise hi jaogi sab ke saamne?".

He spoke in a loud voice that made her shiver.

He noticed her reaction and stopped speaking after that knowing that he was angry and he could hurt her by his words.

She stood up from the bed slowly, and picked up her saree from the chair. She wore her clothes one by one and wrapped her saree around her body which she had opened last night.

Making her hair into a bun, she pulled her veil down. She heard him opening the door of their room and walking out with the trunk in his hands.

She followed behind him. He directly stepped outside the main door with the trunks, ignoring the people inside.

She moved towards her mother-in-law and touched her feet.

Surekha placed her palm on her head and spoke,

"Dudho nahao, puto falo."

She nodded.

Surekha continued,

"Humare piche dhyan rakhna humare Ghar ka. Saari jimmedari tumhe saunp kar Jaa rahe hai. Itna toh bharosa kar hi sakte hai tumpe, kyu?".

"Ji, maa ji."

She stood up slowly, with the support of Priya. They walked outside.

Abhigyan and Abhisar were standing beside the cart.

She saw Abhisar touching Surekha's feet but she didn't react much and just placed her hand upon his head.

Abhisar touched Abhigyan's feet. He blessed him,

"Khush raho, khyal rakhna," his eyes moved towards Priya, "apni bhabhi ka bhi."

Abhisar nodded.

Abhigyan helped his mother climb the cart. She sat on it.

Abhisar was standing beside Priya. He noticed her eyes, that were welling. He spoke silently,

"Andar jaiye bhabhi."

She looked at him, confused. But he finished his words,

"Hume pata hai bhaiya naraz the, andar jaiye, bhaiya ko bhejte hai hum kisi bahane."

She thanked him with her eyes and he nodded. She walked inside her room and stood behind the door of her room.

After few minutes, she heard footsteps approaching. And she heard his voice,

"Priya."

More closer.

"Kahan ho Priya."

Extremely close, standing on the door of their room,

"Andar ho kya babu."

She hummed.

He came inside and saw her standing behind the door. He stood infront of her.

Her eyes had tears. Not because he scolded her. But because he was leaving.

The pallu fell from her head and she draped it again over her head. She bent down infront of him and touched his feet.

He placed his hand on her head and spoke,

"Khush raho," he pulled her up and hugged her, her head against his chest.

He caressed her head and spoke,

"Apna poora khyal rakhna. Samjhi?".

She nodded, still crying.

"Shayad ek hafta se jyada samay lag jae," her heart cried more, so did her eyes. He was leaving her for the first time after marriage.

"Sabse zaroori aur keemti cheez piche chor kar Jaa Rahe hai hum, Hume bhi dard ho raha. Hume bhi tumhare jaise rone ka Dil ho raha hai," he gulped, "tumhe haste muskurate dekhna chahte hai hum jab hum wapas laute."

She nodded.

She seperated them and cupped his cheeks in her palms,

"Aap bhi apna khyal rakhenge, hn? Hume bahut yaad aaegi aapki."

He nodded and kissed on her forehead.

Even he didn't knew why, but his hands shifted towards her womb. Their gazes fixed. They smiled. Caressing it lightly, he muttered in a low voice in her ear,

"Tumhe pata hai na hum kya kehna chah rahe?".

She nodded, smiling slightly.

He kissed on her temple.

"Ek raat me.. bahut kam sambhavna hai.. par fir bhi..Koi bhi baat ho, Abhisar hai yahan. Hn? Kuch bhi, Zara si bhi, tabiyat najuk lage, usey bataogi tum, Bina sharmae. Hume kisi tarah ki laparwahi manjur nahi hai. Ek hafte ki baat hoti toh Hume thoda dheeraj hota, shayad aur samay lag sakta hai hume."

She nodded.

He kissed for the last time on her forehead and her lips. He bent down a little and kissed on her womb and muttered,

"Pata nahi kyu, par humara Dil hume tumhe yeh kehne ko keh raha hai, Dono surakshit aur khush chahiye Hume."

She smiled, shyly.

He stood up and hugged her. He whispered in her ear,

"Apna khyal rakhiyega beta. Bahut pyaar karte hai hum aapse."

She nodded.

"Aate Hain," she nodded.

He broke the hug and walked away.

And she remained still. In the same position.