PreRish SS: Heart's Desire | Kasautii Zindagii Kay SS | Prerna | Rishabh Bajaj | KZK | Kasauti Zindagi Kay

Prerna entered their room and found her husband Mr. Rishabh Bajaj standing near the window. She stood leaning at the door to look at her husband. He was lost in thoughts about a rival company take over, and she was lost in him. Looked like he had just came out of the bathroom after a bath. His hairs were still wet and she noticed a drop of water made its way behind his ear, on his perfectly sculpted neck and entered into his Grey T-shirt. Prerna painfully restricted her imagination of how it would feel to touch the skin under that T-shirt. 

****

She shook her head and walked towards him slowly. She reached him and snaked her arms around him, hugging him from back. She leaned her head on his back, and closed her eyes relishing the feeling of being near him. Rishabh smiled as she hugged him. He held her hand, pulled her ahead and locked her in his embrace. She hugged him tight and rested her head on his chest, making his smile grow wider. They stood like that for a while, just holding each other and feeling the other's presence. 

‘Kya baat hai Mrs. Bajaj? Lagta hai aap mujhe miss kar rahi thi..?’, he asked and she nodded still hiding in his chest. He had been to Dubai for two days for a business conference and she had missed him terribly. Rishabh broke the hug and held her shoulders. She didn’t look at him, so he hooked a finger down her chin and made her look at him. She looked at him and found pure love in his eyes for her. 

‘Ab toh main aa gaya hu na’, he said and kissed her forehead. She nodded at him. ‘Toh kya ab mujhe ek smile mil sakti hai?’, he asked sweetly and she couldn’t help herself and smiled at him.

‘Agli baar aap apni business trips par Kuki aur mujhe bhi sath le jayenge’, she ordered him. ‘Vaise bhi business ke waqt aapko meri ki yaad toh aati nahi hai’, she complained and made a face. Rishabh found her antics really cute.

‘Aur ye aapse kisne keh diya Mrs. Bajaj?’, he asked.

‘Bas mujhe pata hai’, she looked sideways out of the window. 

‘Kuch nahi pata aapko… In do dino me ek bhi pal aisa nahi tha jab maine aapko miss nahi kiya. I really missed you Prerna’, he said and a smile graced her lips. She looked at him and he nodded. 

‘I love you Rishabh..’, she said and put her arms around his neck.

‘I love you too Mrs. Bajaj’, he encircled her waist and pulled her closer.

****

Prerna was snapped out of her dream as she heard the music on the radio. She shook her head as she realised that she was dreaming. She slapped her palm gently on her forehead and smiled sheepishly at her stupidity. She looked at her husband and realised that the song was not playing on the radio, but on her husband’s mobile. 

Tune O rangeele kaisa jaadu kiya, Piya piya bole matwala jiya

Tune O rangeele kaisa jaadu.. Kiya, Piya piya bole matwala jiya

Bahon me chhupake ye kya kiya.. O re piya..ooo

Tune O rangeele kaisa jaadu.. Kiya, Piya piya bole matwala jiya

She was amazed at realising that the lyrics conveyed exactly what she was feeling now a days. Her husband Mr. Rishabh Bajaj has surely done some magic on her. It had been almost three months to their marriage now. True that he had compelled her to marry him in exchange of Anurag’s freedom, but that was just a small part of Rishabh Bajaj’s personality. And she had seen many shades of this man in these three months. A doting and caring father, an extremely respectful husband, a humble and respecting son-in-law, her saviour, a son who misses his mother… and yet a man of power in business. He had a golden heart, which he hides from the world. There was a depth to him, that she was yet unable to reach, but she wanted to badly. He had surely done some magic on her, that her heart now beats for him only.

Pass bulake gale se lagake , Tune toh badal dali duniya

Naye hai nazare naye hai ishaare, Rahi na wo kal wali duniya

Pass bulake gale se lagake , Tune toh badal dali duniya

Naye hai nazare naye hai ishaare, Rahi na wo kal wali duniya

That was completely true. By making her come to his house as his daughter’s mother, he had completely changed her world. There was everything new here. New home, new responsibilities, new level of freedom and respect that she had never received in her previous life. Yes, after a few weeks of stay in the Basu badi with her husband, she had realised how naive she was to not see the stark contrast of lives she had experienced with the two men in her life. With Anurag, it was always a fight and perseverance of proof for her character, specially because of his family. His love had made her self sacrificing, self harming, foolish girl, who had shackled and consumed herself in the destructive fire of his love. She had forgotten herself for his happiness. Though she hated to say this now, but it had been a painful and exhaustive journey for her. 

On the other hand with Mr. Bajaj, it had always been a path where she was given the right to have her own choices. The decision of marrying him, was also presented to her as a choice. Even if as the only choice, but a choice. She had always received the level of respect, that every woman should, at his hands. She realised recently, that she had more freedom to become what she wants in this relationship. She was not expected to be sacrificing, ideal daughter-in-law of the house as in Basu family. But a strong, independent and powerful queen of the empire known as the Bajaj family. She was not supposed to forget herself for other’s happiness. Instead she was supposed to be evolving as herself as she spread happiness and love to him and his daughter. At first she couldn’t understand, but as time passed and the layers of his personality evolved, she realised that he really cared for her. He respected her and puts her on the same level of priority as his daughter. As she started to understand and discover him, she couldn’t help herself to fall in love with him. And this love was not painful, but relieving and uplifting. It didn’t have the fire to burn, but the warmth to cuddle. It was not exhausting, but refreshing and full of hope. It was not consuming, but life giving. 

Sapne dikha ke ye kya kiya..

O re piya...ooo

Tune O rangeele kaisa jaadu.. Kiya

Piya piya bole matwala jiya

She had accepted him as her husband wholeheartedly. That is why she was dreaming of him now. She had dreamt of a happy and loving life with him. She desired to be a part of his world, a part of his heart. The only thing remaining was confession. She wanted to let him know that she had fallen unconditionally in love with him. The difficulty was her nerves. She was nervous to confess that to him. What if he gets angry? What if he didn’t accept it? What if he rejects her love? 

Prerna snapped out of her thoughts as she saw him comb his wet hairs with his fingers. She smiled to herself and walked inside the room. She went and stood beside him near the window. He looked at her and gave her a thin smile.

‘Good evening Mrs. Bajaj’, he greeted her.

‘Good evening Mr. Bajaj’, she greeted back. ‘Mujhe nahi pata tha ki aap puraane gaano ka bhi shauk rakhte hai!’

‘Mere bare me aisi bohot si baate hai jo abhi aap nahi janti Mrs. Bajaj’, he smirked at her.

‘Toh aap batate kyun nahi?’, she asked and it surprised him.

‘Aap bhi toh nahi puchti’, he replied. He walked towards the couch, sat there and motioned for her as well to sit beside him. Instead she walked towards the bed surprising him.

‘Agar main puch liya karu, toh aap batayenge?’, she asked hopefully. 

‘Har cheez agar sahi waqt pe batayi jaye, to uska maza alag hota hai… agar us cheez ka sahi waqt ho, toh jarur bataunga’, he replied and she nodded. She then picked up his towel from the bed and walked towards him.

‘Aapki conference kaisi rahi?’, she asked as she approached him.

‘It was good. Quite informative’, he replied and saw that she went to stand behind him. She nodded and lowered the towel over his wet head. But before she could do anything, he held her hand.

‘Prerna ye aap kya kar rahi hai?’, he asked looking at her shocked.

‘Relax Mr. Bajaj, aapko hurt nahi kar rahi hu’, she said with a smirk. ‘Raat ko baal jyada der tak geele nahi rakhne chahiye, aapko zukaam ho sakta hai. It’s better that they are dried’.

‘Par ye aapka kam nahi hai. You don’t need to do it’, he said.

‘But I want to’, she replied simply and started to dry his hairs leaving him stunned. He sighed inaudibly as he relished the feel of her hands moving on his head. For a few moments there was silence as neither said anything. But then Rishabh broke it.

‘Uhh… Kuki aaj itni jaldi kaise so gayi?’, he asked trying to break the awkwardness.

‘Wo school se ane ke baad aaj hum bohot masti kar rahe the… Aap aanewale hai ye jaankar bohot excited thi, par itna khelne ke baad wo thak gayi aur use jaldi neend aa gayi’, she replied and he didn’t fail to notice the fondness in her voice, when she talked about their daughter.

‘Aur aap Mrs. Bajaj, aap bhi toh thak gayi hongi na?’, he asked.

‘Nahi, main toh aapka wait kar rahi..’, she bit her tongue at her slip, and it made him smirk. ‘I.. I mean, main nahi thaki hu. But thanks for asking’, she said. She quickly dried his hairs and started to leave from there.

‘Mrs. Bajaj’, he called out to her and she stopped in her tracks. ‘Aap kuch kehna chahti thi mujhse?’, he asked and she turned slowly to look at him.

‘Kuch kehna toh nahi tha.. Par.. kuch..kuch puchna chahti thi aapse?’, she said uncertainly.

‘Sure. Puchiye na?’, he prompted her.

‘I uhh… I don’t know if I have the right to… but.. agar aap bura na maane toh… toh kya main aapko Rishabh bula sakti hu?’, she asked hesitantly. He was really surprised at her question, but it also made him happy. He stood up and came to stand before her with a smirk. 

‘I would be honoured’, he said blinking his eyes once. ‘Aap meri wife hai. And you have every right to call me Rishabh, Mrs. Bajaj’, he said assuring her. As soon as she realised the meaning of his words, a smile started to grow on her face. 

‘You had a long flight… Aap thak gaye honge. Baithiye Rishabh, main khana yahi lekar aati hu’, she said enjoying the feel of calling him by his first name for the first time. He smiled at her and she left the room with a new hope and confidence in her heart. A hope that he might love her as well, and a confidence to confess her feelings soon.

Niki