Rejuvenating Love

15) He understood her?

Knock! Knock!! The knocks at the door awakened Kuhu. She quickly ran to her washroom to wash off the dried stains of her tears. Wiping her face afresh she opened the door and to her astonishment she found Anushuman along with an old lady.

'Hi! You didn't visit your parlour?', asked Anshuman. He wasn't expecting Kuhu at that hour though. It was just by-chance he decided to check on her while passing by her room.

"No, I was a bit tired. So I couldn't." Kuhu found an easy excuse showcasing her obvious weary eyes and exhausted features on face.

'I don't think she needs any parlour. She's so beautiful. She will even outshine the angels Rambha, Menka, Urvasi from the court of Lord Indra(god of Rains in Hindu Mythology). What would a mere parlour do to her glow in such case? No wonder why my son keeps dreaming of you all the day.' The lady smiled holding Kuhu by her chin and smooched her cheeks.

Bewildered Kuhu looked at Anshuman for a brief explanation to everything. He just smiled and tried to get the ladies acquainted of each other. "She's my mom. She couldn't wait to meet you. So I brought her here." Getting introduced to Anshuman's mom Kuhu touched her feet as a general obligation and said,"Please come in aunty. That would be comfortable for all of us."

"No it's alright dear. I've to congratulate Tanya too. Take care." She said with a sweet and loving gesture and Kuhu nodded. She headed towards Tanya's room hinting her son cutely to follow her. "Ansh! Take me to Tanya first." She ridiculed her son making him blush to crimson red infront of his crush.

"See you at the bachelorette. You're coming right?" Anshuman's eyes longed for her in these few hours a lot when he thought Kuhu had gone out. He was getting protective of her.

'Yeah. I will have to get ready first of all. Thank god you woke me up. Otherwise I would be sleeping the whole time.' Kuhu hit her head with her fingers regretting her deep sleep. Anshuman smiled at her pretty motions and left after his mom.

××××××××××××××××××

Mrs. Singh being optimistic of her own- imagined alliance asked,"She handles Rathore Empires. Isn't it? But will she work even after marriage?"

Anshuman rolled his eyes at her and snaking his right arm on his mom's shoulder lovingly he said,"Mom are you serious? Of course she'll work. Now don't be the typical mother-in-law of Indian serials." Mrs. Singh and Anshuman had a merry time but their words didn't spare the vigilant ears of Raghav who was passing by the corrider near Kuhu's room with his colleagues to check if Amit can get ready in time. Perceiving the conversation overheard he stopped in his tracks for a minute and held the railings tight enough to shower all his wrath on it.

At the party

"Has anyone of you seen Tanya anywhere?" Kuhu asked the colleagues from Kiran's gang after searching for Tanya in the whole hotel. One of them whirled to face her.

"Oh! See who has come. Kuhu Rathore! The one to snatch my Raghav. But girls, you know what? Raghav ditched her for that cheap Sonya. You know why? 'Cos she never met his manly needs. For how long could he stay stuck to this boring physique?" Kiran clutched the glass of her wine between her manicured fingers and offended Kuhu with her abusive complaints indicating a long drawn grudge on her. "So...............anyways you're asking for Tanya. Isn't? I saw her crying and hugging Amit." A smile mercilessly cut her lips after insulting Kuhu infront of her gang.

But for Kuhu this wasn't the time to reply and cut her down to size. She was worried 'cos Tanya excused herself from her friends to use the washroom and hadn't returned from about half an hour. Not a place did she leave searching for her in the whole party. On mention of Amit's name by Kiran suddenly she remembered she had seen Amit and Raghav rushing towards the lodging rooms. Hardly had the thought ended in her mind when she swiftly abandoned the banquet hall and headed towards the backside of the venue.

×××××××××××××××××××××

"Tanya! You alright? But why did you leave from the party alone? You could've asked me to come along." Kuhu asked Tanya cursing herself for not being with her bestie in her difficult situation. She didn't realise when tears slipped off her eyes while watching Tanya crying constantly . Kuhu hugged Tanya immediately to make her to feel that she isn't alone and she's safe in her arms.

"Who planned the bachelor's party?" Raghav roared to get the answer. "I'm asking something girls. Who arranged the strippers?" His red eyes spoke the intensity of temperature his blood must be boiling at.

"I didd all th..the arrangementss." Kuhu stood up to face Raghav and answer. She stammered while speaking because she was crying relentlessly and may be 'cos of facing the furious Raghav now.

"Kuhu are you okay?" Anshuman came running from nowhere and held Kuhu by her arms to enquire her condition 'cos he got impatient after hearing from someone about a stripper forcing on a girl from the party. But this gesture of theirs didn't get digested by Raghav. His tolerance had crossed all limits since yesterday. He responded instantly.

"Leave her you scoundrel! I can take care of her. I'm her boyfriend." Raghav shouted tumultuously and pushed Anshuman away from Kuhu.

"You bloody moron! She has moved on from you and your playboy charateristics. So stop being authoritative." Anshuman pushed Raghav back with his left palm.

"Stop it guys! Tanya is suffering and you both are fighting over such a mean reason.", whined Kuhu. She came in between them to keep them out of each other's reach orelse it would be difficult to cease their fight.

"And strippers were indespensable, weren't they? The essence of bachelorette isn't fulfilled in their absence. You're responsible for her condition. What if anything would have happened to her or her marriage would have suffered?" Raghav shouted at his highest tone budging the frantic and shivering Kuhu from her position.

"Stop it Raghav! Kuhu didn't have her hands in this. It was in the Tanya's last minute wishlist so I arranged it in the afternoon. I couldn't deny her 'cos she wanted everything for her wedding to be special." Anshuman proved Kuhu guiltless speaking the true incidents.

"Oh! So you're the lead character of this chaotic incident. How great of you to destroy your own cousin's wedding!" Raghav taunted Anshuman of his careless deeds and not to mention Raghav's tone is always enough to provoke the other man around.

"It's all my fault. I thought of having a wedding more luxurious than that of Rashmi. In a competitive mood I ordered Anshuman for the strippers. Don't blame each other please." Broken Tanya said everything still being in Amit's arms. Her collapsed self melted everyone's heart there. She stood up to go to her room away from this fight, from what she faced.

"Let's go Kuhu.",said Anshuman in a softer tone. This infuriated Raghav as if any timid fox had claimed upon the king lion's prey.

"She isn't going anywhere. I have something to talk with her." Raghav ordered them. A denial is not something Raghav gets to hear in daily basis. Even the state investors in the city know what costs them in return of a denial. Hailing from a world different to that of smart business may be Anshuman was unaware of Raghav's glam, his status and the aura of his power in the state.

"Stop us if you can!" Anshuman challenged Raghav and dragged Kuhu by her wrist.

Raghav clutched Anshuman by his collar and howled,"Don't you understand at once? She's mine. Stop claiming others' assests."

"She left you the day you cheated and insulted her before everyone. Come out of your dreams. She is free to be mine." Mine the word made Raghav respond with hatred and bile. Smack! He fisted his fingers and punched Anshuman's face hard enough to blow out a spit of blood from his mouth. As if Anshuman was ready to leave Raghav without a fight. He blocked and pushed away Raghav's next attack by his elbow and was about to hit him hard when.....

"Stop Raghav! Anshuman, you alright?" Kuhu parted Anshuman out of Raghav's hold and checked his injury.

"I'm fine.",said Anshuman palming aside his lips to stop the bleeding.

"let me clear out things to him. I will come to you after awhile. Please put on some antiseptic there meanwhile." Kuhu's eyes assured Anshuman of her safety with Raghav signalling him to leave them alone to solve their controversy and he left.

"Stay out of my life, my decisions, my happenings. Please. Your interference affects me. I don't belong to anyone. I'm a human being. I'm not anyone's property or asset. I love my independent life. I love my silences. I enjoy myself. I cherish my leisures. Having a break up with you have I learnt to prioritise myself first. And I always thank you for it. I beg you. Leave me alone." Kuhu requested him with teared up eyes and turned to leave.

"So you aren't connected to the Singhs by any alliance. You aren't marrying him?" Raghav was dying to hear the truth from the evening although expecting a negative response to his query in all aspects.

"Nooo.... Of course not." She rotated back and sighed out of her worn-out feelings. "Our professions, our thinkings, our behaviours nothing match with each other. We don't have the chemistry to spend our whole life together. And marriage is a far off thing." Kuhu said everything so tiredly yet the unreliable tears slipped off her eyes. Raghav rushed to her only to save the drop of her eye.

"I'm sorry Kuhu. Trust me I want you back. I can't see you being matched with any other guy everytime. You're mine. You belong with me. You know that's the truth. The thought of Tanya's condition today outraged me. What if you were in her place? I want you to stay with me, safe in my arms forever. I want to hide you from the world."

Raghav cried this time resting his forhead on Kuhu's shoulder. All those ways he hurt his love were not his mistake. He was sinless. It was the male instinct in him peeping out every now and then and hurting the feminine persona of Kuhu. Otherwise how could love hurt? Love is pious. Love is unimpeachable. Only a human skin when connected to earth forgets to love. Love never corrupts power taking the form of male dominance. It never claims its rights in the incarnation of female self-esteem. Of all, love is universal. It dwells in heaven, it's in hell. It feeds the beggar, it serves the billionaire. It posseses over the fleshless souls but sometimes remains incapable of filling the bodies of skin and blood.

"There lies the problem Raghav. Why do you think of me as a doll you want to adore your cupboard with? Why can't I be a friend to any person of my choice. Why do I have to abide by your rules and regulations? Why am I claimed as your property? I'm a living creature. Treat me that way. I don't wanna be your lucky charm 'cos charms don't have life. They are just carried for your own benefits. Do you want to carry me dead everywhere along with you? I want to breathe Raghav and a relationship with you is suffocating."

The words rushed out of her heart along with the tears from her shiny black orbs. Raghav hugged her tightly 'cos he wasn't ready to let her go yet. "Please don't leave me, Kuhu. Please.", pleaded Raghav.

"I have to go. You still don't get my point of view Raghav hence you are clutching me as a child. The day you understand my words I'll be back, as all yours. Or if my feelings don't catch up with your mind it could also be a never for us." She smooched his cheek for long so that she could capture the moment for herself. Pulling out of the shattered Raghav she finally broke the hug. Not even a look she gave him on turning and moving away from him. She knew if she had, she could have never recovered herself from him.

For him, her feelings were strong. But her morale from a woman's point of view was more avowing. She's first a woman and much later a lover. Therefore claiming her rights, staying unmoved by any kind of male dominance was her first duty. She had to set example for many other women out in love there. Staying selfless and sacrificing her one time love was the only way she could do that.

After walking a few steps ahead she found Anshuman who had probably listened and grasped everything by then and had decided he would never be a problem for such lovers connected by soul again. It was evident from his eyes.

*Flashback 3 ends*

Kuhu's bachelorette

"Strippers!" Tanya exclaimed and her legs started shaking on seeing them. That night's view danced in front of her eyes again. She was vulnerable and weak. Had something happened to her that night may be she wouldn't have lived her present so beautifully today. All thanks to her husband, Raghav and Sahil. They saved her valuable life.

"Who planned for strippers?" Kuhu asked getting astonished and recovering some glances from that dreadful night that occured with Tanya. Even Kavya got startled with the view of strippers in the party. Then who allowed them there?

"Surprise! We called them. Come on. Its a bachelor's party. Without them its impossible to think of a bachelorette." Smriti jumped out of nowhere to claim the credits of arranging a bollywood themed bachelor's party so ravishingly. But sensing the horrific expressions on the trio's face she comprehended this stripper concept didn't fit well. The glow on her face was on the verge of fading when Rashi came to the rescue.

"Hey! They have been called on-demand of your colleagues who compared this wedding with that of theirs. So Smriti and I thought of showing them their position.", said Rashi moving closer to speak near the ears of the girls.

"Which colleague?", asked Kuhu narrowing her eyebrows.

"Some Rash..mi, Kirann..and girls from their gang." Smriti pressurised her forhead recollecting the names of the demanding girls. Kavya widened her brown orbs at the dumb-struck Tanya and the vexed Kuhu.

"Relax sweetie! If we don't feel comfortable here, we can switch to the bar on the next floor or the Modern jazzy house music at the roof-top. Ignore them,okay?" Rashi tried diverting the girls' mood while winking and hinting a smile to cheer-up dejected Smriti. Rashi acted herself to be an engine while Smriti alongwith the rest of the girls transitioned themselves into bogeys and the train honked heading towards the bar next floor.