Ref episode no. 378 aired on 27/01/2022

Title - The night

They had to stay for the night in a hut as the storm outside was humongous. The over irritated Aryan Singh Rathore had instructed imlie strictly that they should stay in the hut for the night. He held her with the shoulder and arm like always but this time, the warmth of his burning body reached her skin.

She looked at him touching his arm but he didn't observe the look she gave him. The fear of losing was already present in her but the fear shifted to the person in front of her.

His things have started affecting her long back and her heart was giving so many hints to her whenever he got affected by anything.
Tea,
Now when his body was burning in fever, he didn't care and he went behind her to find the missing person. (You all know who that is🙄)

"You have fever " she said touching his neck near the collar

" I know " he said not acknowledging the touch of her skin and looking at the far away hut.

"Let's go" he said and she denied.

" You have fever " she said and he looked at her astonished.

This time she said in a much worried tone than before

" And how will that stop you from getting in, dammit ?" He said in disbelief

" You shouldn't have come like this ..." She said as if in a trance, fear more visible in her eyes.

" What ?" He asked

" Agar Toka kuchho ho jata toh ek aur bhoj na seh payenge hum apne sir par ...." she mumbled to herself.

[ If something happens to you, I am not ready to take another blame on my head ]

" Imlie ?" He said bringing her out of trance shaking her by her shoulder one more time.

Her eyes were almost filling up with water slowly when he looked straight into her eyes piercing her tears to stop in its place

" Imlie !" He raised his voice little more to bring her to reality.

" Ha ?" She said

" Chalo " he took her walking into the hut while she held his shirt near his elbow and walked in a fear of what happened with her when she walked in before like this.

The night was stormy outside and silent inside.

He had a lamp burning and that was just enough to give light not warmth. It was getting pitch colder with every passing minute.

Imlie could sense the uncomfortable behaviour of Aryan while he was going cold as he was down with fever.

She pushed the lamp near him but he refused.

She held his hand and did nothing but pressed it as a sign to let that be near him. He looked at her stern face demanding him to obey her words.

He was surprised to see stern and silent imlie.

A : " what happened?"

I : " nothing "

A : " how come you are silent and not revolting any decision ?"

I : " nothing "

A : " that's it .... No taunt back ?"

I : " what's your problem ? "

Aryan was little surprised by her stern behaviour towards him and that question actually made him feel that she was his boss at that moment.

He didn't answer and kept looking at her. The roles were exchanged for a moment. He was looking at stern imlie and for a moment, he was captured by her behaviour.

She saw him looking at her and his eyes caught her attention.

Those eyes !!

She always wanted to look at them in peace and he, losing his senses in staring at her, was a peace moment for her as she, as long as she wants, can look at his eyes.

But a disturbance in the environment shook her up and she snapped a finger at him. Both were out of the trance.

None of them spoke anything and there was a silence that was consuming the minds of both the people.

Then it howled.

She looked at him.

He looked at his abdomen and closed his eyes.

She knew it!

He was hungry.

And even before he could open his mouth, she was out of the hut.

He stood up went to the door and shouted, tried calling her name but nothing in response.

The fear crawled inside his body again as it was, when he knew she escaped the jail to save dumb tripathi.

He deliberately went out in her search in that stormy night but was caught held by wrist after walking ahead for few steps.

A: " imlie?"

I : " it is me! "

She held him and lead him to the hut and closed the door.

He looked at her and she turned around having the same stern look.

He raised his eyebrows and she folded her hands against her chest.

A : " what !?"

I : " are you nuts ?"

A : " no I'm Aryan Singh Rathore...."

I : " shut up ! "

A : " what !?"

I : " yes you heard it right ?"

A : " how dare you sa ....."

I : " I have enough dare to say anything .... What have you thought yourself of ? A he-man ? A Superman? A super hero ? What ?"

Aryan was bewildered by her sudden rage and action. She was pushing him inch by inch with her hand asking those questions.

A : " I ...."

I : " just shut up okay !?"

" You are down with fever.... High fever... You are hungry.... I went out to get something for you to eat and I AM WELL VERSED WITH MY VILLAGE AND STORMS IN LIFE AND IN ENVIRONMENT TOO " she stressed on last lines to make sure he wouldn't give such reasons as an answer for why he was forced to step out of hut.

He was struck.

Imlie was not okay with his behaviour.

I : " I can't bear to see someone in worse again " she declared fed up with everything that had been happening in and around her life for past few days.

A : " I am fine and this is exactly how I feel when you do such atrangi things "

Imlie felt a pang at heart when she heard that.

Out of all these unstable tripathi experiences with her, she also had developed a strange thing for her boss and his family over the past 1&1/2 year of her staying at Rathore Mansion.

With all new drama in tripathi house springing up everyday, all rotten things tripathi does in bhasker times and all those unsaid things ASR does for her have bloomed her with energy which she never had before.

Mixed experiences and nothing had made things clear to her. Neither the Tripathi's nor the Rathore's.

Held in chain of emotional turmoils, a beating heart of her with stitched bandages loved the healing hand touch which sewed her broken heart.

That touch which gave her heart the strength to beat again, make a room for herself again, flourish it's strength to whole body once again.

The touch, now and then, which comes to check on her bandages in most unusual times, has got the power to restore the broken pieces to hurt less and heal more.

And at one such unusual time, she had understood that the healing hand belonged to him, the one and only, her akkadbagga.

She understood it in the most atrangi way ever - when kaki maa was discussing her serial with her on a Saturday evening.

Kaki maa and she, share a great bond. They discuss things but one thing she never liked was listening to those boring serial updates at the end of their conversations. One such conversations, which made her realize things, made her thank her kaki maa for sharing it.

She recalled her own situation of walking away from Malini and Aditya when they taunted her about couple poses during their wedding rituals. She was at verge of crying when she saw Aryan, something changed in her, and she backfired at them with her sarcastic answer.

That one situation was recalled when kaki maa shared similar incident in her serial. Her kaki maa's words did take a place in her heart and mind.

" The one, whose mere presence fills you with strength of being you, is the one who keeps you above everything "

She didn't get it that day but as days progressed with mess of emotional dramas on either side of Tripathi's, left her heart's things unsaid to her own consciousness.

She slowly understood in unusual timings about the care, concern she was receiving from her boss and his family. The only thing she was refusing was to listen to her heart's instincts. Her heart was dropping hints and she was not taking it. Later, as a matter to teach her a listen, her heart started taking over her senses and slowly her brain to let her do things which were weird. She started feeling things, made her slip her tongue at times, made her care for him openly. At times, even make her conscious of his presence, touch and looks.

Though her heart was playing with her, her body kept it in control always.

Today when he touched her, his warmth made her brain to stop working. Her heart took the lead of controlling her body.

He was burning in fever and her brain was given rest as her heart would take care of the situation. It even kept the thought of saving tripathi at rest.

She did things much to his surprise but he was a priority now. But when he said those words, the pang in her heart brought her brain into play.

She turned around looking at him.

I : " is that a revenge to show how fed up you are with me ?"

She asked it out of no where

Aryan felt surprised

A : "I didn't mean it that way ..... " He said as if trying to explain like a boyfriend does to his girlfriend

I : " I understood " she said just the way a girlfriend reacts angrily to her boyfriend's reasoning.

Aryan found her behavior little different and this was not for the first time. In past few weeks, she behaved like this at times when he was affected by things

He didn't recognize this changed behaviour until his sister arpita made him look into the issue which he denied on the spot, because for someone who have been deprived of a loved one believing in love was not an option. No time for love only revenge.

Arpita made it a point to make him see her irritated behaviour he realised it in a instant in the office when she openly declared that she cared for him. He, at that point, thought that she blurted out of frustration, as aditya pestered her, saying her growing appreciation is the result of her closeness with CEO of Bhaskar Times.

situation ---------

" ha humein hein fikr aryan sir ki aur ek shabd aapke gande muh se unke liye kuch bhi nikla toh hum bhool jayenge ki aap senior hein aur hum daftar mein khade hein"

[ yes I have concern for Aryan sir! Mind you take one more word from your filthy mouth against him i will forget that you are a senior and we are standing in office ]

she shouted in the middle of main hall of BT when Adi pestered her with constant taunts.

she threw her ID card on the floor and stormed out of that place. Aryan had just come out of his cabin with editor. he looked at the crowd and Adi in the middle. He somehow understood that this guy had created another mess. His eyes automatically searched for the victim-turned-fighter Imlie. She was nowhere. He asked editor to clear the crowd and as said editor instructed everyone to just leave the place. He heard two of the employees discussing about what imlie said in the hall. He enquired about her to the gatekeeper and found she didn't leave the building. He walked to the conference room and when he was about to enter the room, he heard her speaking to her sita maiyya.

"kahe unka naam laatein hein adi sir ? ABP ne ki bigada hein unka ? "

[ why adi sir drags his name into this? what harm did ABP do to him? ]

" humein aryan sir ki burayi sahi nai jaati hein sita maiyya ..... hum ka karein .... ? humein vo kuch bhi kahe hum seh lenge par aryan sir ko nai ......"

[ I can't tolerate anything bad against aryan sir, what to do ? any taunt against me is tolerable not against him]

she sobbed conversing with her deity

Aryan stood still after listening to this. He understood what his sister was trying to say. He, for the first time felt a emotion that he never had before. It was not that he was cared less or not defended enough but it was never from an outsider.

outsider?

Imlie was never an outsider ..... or was she ?

It confused him. He, let go off the thought and went inside. He shouted at her for creating a mess and falling prey to emotions which she instantly blurted out her anger to him and stormed out to complete her assignments.

------------ situation ends

He had started observing her behavioural changes and at first tried to relate it to her pre- menstrual cycles. He kept track of her dates for few months but that didn't give him a connect of her behaviour change to her PM cycles.

Slowly but gradually he started getting used to her changed behaviour and tried to pacify her or deal with her.

They both grew closer to each other and their things without them knowing it.

All these thoughts grew heavier in head after her angry and disappointed reaction when she complained that he is fed up with her.

His brain couldn't take it as it was already burdened with high fever.

A : " but imlie......" he tried to say and his head started spinning.

his next words didn't come out and a noise was heard.

Imlie turned around to see an unconscious Aryan.

Her heart pounded hard as she saw his fallen figure. A battle of reactions between head and brain started in her.

Heart (h) : " see he's down .... "

Brain(b) : " he's trying to act to win "

H : " no he's not "

B : " he is .... He wins like this .... Always ... Remember?"

H : " no.... Don't misguide her .... He will truthfully do whatever he does... Be it a conversation, argument or caring you .."

B : " conversation ? Seriously ? "

H : " okay... Not conversations.... But others are correct right ?"

B : " okay but don't fall for his things imlie ... You will loose again... You will be hurt again... Don't "

H : " no.... Don't listen to that machine brain .... Go for him you stupid girl ..."
After she recovered from shock, she shouted

"ARYAN"

she tried to wake him up but it was all vain. His body was burning in fever and no food and lots of walking in storm to find his employee. she was mentally cursing herself for being so obstinate in letting him come behind her for a stupid search which was driven by emotion.

Nothing in surrounding seem to help her bring his fever down. She blew air from her mouth and tried to cool his face so that at least his heat of head would come down.

" ABP suno na ! Don't play with me like this ! I agree I was little rude but I'm sorry ... I will not do it again .... Plej plej plej utho na "

She tried waking him up

" ABP ! Dekho ! We are partners ! You can't leave me like this in between "

He didn't respond to her constant trails

His head was in her lap and his silence was tearing down her apart.

That moment she felt it was the end.

End of her feelings

End of their partnership

End of his care and concern

End of them - akkadbagga and jungli

Though he was just unconscious out of fever, her fear overwhelmed her conscience and she couldn't transpire the situation.

She was burdened with many things and this small situation made her go wary in that moment.

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"Jungli "

His voice shattered her soul

She looked in the direction of the voice

And what she saw made her go blank

Aryan was standing in Black 3- piece suit with his hands in the pocket and looking at her and she was stunned.

" Kya hua jungli ?" He said with his infamous one eyebrow raised expression

[ What happened jungli ?]

" Tum ?" She said flabbergasted

[ You ? ]

" Yes ! " He said

" Tum ka toh bhukhaar ..... " She couldn't complete when he started walking two steps ahead.

[ You had fever. ......]

" Jungli ..... "

She nodded her head with her eyes full of tears .....

" Maan kyun nai leti ho ki tumne apne ateet ko bhul ke ek naye raste pe chali ho ..... Vo rasta, jis mein tumhe tumhari vaje se apnaya jaata hein...... Kyun nai Maan leti ho ki tum ne apne ateet ki zimmedar nai ho ? Kyun nai Maan leti ho ki tum special ho ? Kyun nai Maan leti ho ki tum itni achhi ho ki tumhe kuch bhi mil sakta hein .... Kyun kheench Rahi ho khud ko aur vo bhi ateet ke taraf ? Mat jaao jungli ...... Bohot mushkil se sametna seekhi ho tum fir se USS chot ko kholo mat .... Mat karo "

[ Why don't you accept that you have forgotten your past and are moving in new direction ?

That path on which you are accepted the way you are !

Why don't you accept that you are not responsible for whatever occurred in your past ?

Why don't you accept that you are special ?

Why don't you believe that you can get anything you wish for, if you believe ?

You have build up yourself with lot of courage after you were broken now  don't let yourself fall back to your past and open the wounds that started healing.

Don't do that ]

She was surprised by the way he was speaking..... Actually requesting her .... Making her realise which she apprehended before.

" Par "

[ But ]

" Don't imlie " he said

She saw that spark in his eyes which were implying that he cared for her and that she was important to him.

She smiled and said,

" Teekh hein "

[ Okay ]

He gave a winning expression

" ABP tumne abhau kaha ki mujhe kuch bhi mil sakta hein .... Hein na ?" She asked after looking at him give a smile.

[ ABP! You just said that I'll get anything I wish for .... Right ? ]

" Ha !"

[ Yes ! ]

" Kuch bhi!?"

[ Anything ? ]

" Ha "

[ Yes ! ]

" Sachhi ?"

[ Is it true ? ]

" Ha imlie .... "

[ Yes imlie ...]

" Tum bhi ?"

[ Even you ? ]

" Ha of course! "

Her smile widened and eyes were rolling out  tears

He frowned and he was stunned on realising to what he responded to as yes

" jungli ?"

"Humka  ABP chahiye  "

[ I want ABP ]

" Kya bol Rahi ho ?"

[ What are you saying ? ]

" Vahi Jo tumne suna "

[ You heard me right ]

" Pagal ho gayi ho ?"

[ Are you mad ? ]

" Nai. .... Bas hum ko na akal avi gawa hein ki hum kya talaashi karne ki koshish  rahe theiy "

[ No ..... But I just realised what I was searching for ]

" What do you mean ? "

" Azaadi "

[ Freedom ]

" How !?"

" Tumhar pyaar mein vo azaadi hein .... Jo kahin pe nai mil sakti hein ABP  "

[ Your love gives me freedom which cannot be found anywhere else ]

" I don't love you "

" You do "

" I don't "

" Then why are you here ? "

" To protect my employee "

" Which employee?"

" How stupid  is that question ? I'm Aryan Singh Rathore and I'm....."

" You are owner of 10 business and CEO of Bhaskar Times ( BT ) ...... I know .... But which employee of yours is my question ..."

" I am responsible for my company imlie and I'm here to take care of my employee "

" Which one ?"

" Obviously the one who is in captive "

" Which captive ?"

" What is this imlie ? What is this stupid questioning ?  You very well know whom I'm taking about "

" No "

" What "

" I don't know of whom you are referring to "

" See imlie .... The one who is in captive needs to be free and I'm here to do the same "

" That's what ABP..... Whom are you here to free ?"

" My employee"

" Who ?"

" Imlie .... Godammit .... Cant you hear ?  My employee I said "

" Exactly,  who is that ? Who is that employee whom you are trying to save ? Who has made you come here even in your bad health condition ? Who has pestered you so much that you followed them to woods ? Who is that who has disturbed you so much that you didn't think twice to set out for a dangerous journey. ...? Who is that ABP ? Who ?"

Pestered by her questioning, he grabbed her hands again and shouted,

" YOU "

Imlie felt relieved

" I am here for you imlie.... Just because you are silly, stupid girl who lands in trouble always .... Somehow you attract every trouble knowingly and unknowingly. You are not in an age to bear something which your shoulders can't hold. You have seen so much in life in very early age. You have taken time to come out and I'm glad you stepped out. But trauma is one thing that keeps pulling you back and I'm here to protect you from falling back. I'm here to tell you that you are not responsible for some stupid Tripathi's foolishness. I'm here to tell you that you are not alone. I'm here to tell you that you are important. I'm here to tell you that I care....."

And that moment he stopped, left her hands and stood still not knowing how to react to what he just said.

" That's it. I just want this. My ABP for his jungli."

She said and hugged him hard squeezing him to realise what it is.

And then he disappeared from her hug
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Imlie realised she was in daze till this moment until she felt the warmth of his body again.

That was her dream conversation.

She looked at everything around her. Nothing changed. He was still unconscious and he was in her lap.

" ARYAN "

she cried realising what is the reality and her tears fell on his cheek.

" Sita Maiyya!!! plej plej plej ABP ko bacha lo ..... Mein ne aap se Sahara maanga tha aapne sukoon de Diya .... AAP vo mat cheeno na hum se ..... Plej plej ...."

[ Please save him. I have asked you for support but you gave me peace in the form of him. Now don't take him away from me ....please ]

She prayed and literally begged for his life to her deity.

She looked at him and cried again.

" Don't leave me partner. I can't let you go away from me. I WANT YOU ABP "

She cried and cried finally kissing him on his forehead.

Her tear drop fell on his face.

After a few minutes, there was a movement.

She felt his warmth again and this time it was her cheek.

She looked and she was astonished.

He moved.

He was trying to open his eyes slowly.

" Jungli " he said and she was overwhelmed to see him.

She thanked her Sita maiyya a thousand times and here he was being thirsty.

" Imlie ..." He said

" Ha "

" Water " he asked

And she kissed him hard as she knew nothing was there in that place to quench his thirst .

He was astonished. He held her back and said,

" What the hell ? I asked for water not "

" I know but there is no water here "

" So ? "

" so stop the nonsense and let the night be. I want to save us both "

Their lips just were in sync with each other and fit in as pieces of puzzle.

The slow yet smooth transitions that occured in between them lead them to drown into deeper depths of their hidden love which even they didn't realise. The kiss was just a beginning.

They have been there for a while when parted she kissed him on his forehead.

She had herself covered around himself to provide as much warmth as she could to make him comfortable.

Aryan was not in a state to ask or say anything. He was week and she was just soothing him with her cuddles.

The burn of fever, the weakness and the tiredness of walking so long didn't allow him to think anything about them.

He kept his thoughts on rest and surrendered to her for the night.

The way she was touching his body with her lips he was just drowning in it.

And then it was just their love that consumed the night.

The end

With love,

Writer_AK 🤗❤️