Two days later .

     
Gauri woke up to a tiny pair of hands shaking her and sleepily she lifted her son to the bed and opened her eyes to see his smiling face .
   
Looking at her son made everything better, he was moving his hands to indicate he was hungry that she realized a new days has begun, another day where she would have to be around him .
   
Arnav had taken her words into consideration, but decide to ignore it because he was here every single day trying to tell her nothing have to change between them and she need not walk away from him .
 
Her son was happy to have him around and so was she yet as the day for Lavanya wedding grew near she grew restless as well, worrying about their eventual heartbreaks .
 
" Let us  make you pancakes " She answered back, and if part of her made the decision because Arnav likes it, she can't help herself .
 
Usually he would arrive early in the morning and only leave after Rahul felt asleep, so she was disappointed when he didn't make it for the breakfast and not even text message to indicate his reason for silence .
   
She wanted to spend time with him as much as she can now because she will miss him terribly when it is all over. You need not let him go her mind whispered all the time but Gauri didn't have the courage to hold on to him .
      
Ishaan had taken Rahul out when the little one was disappointed just like her to not see Arnav which was why she was alone with her parents in the house. And her mother who had been waiting for the opportunity to speak to her alone choose that moment of privacy .

             
Gauri was in her room picking the dress for Lavanya engagement latter tonight all the while contemplating if she should call Arnav first when her mom entered the room .
       
" Beta, can I have a moment? " her mother asked her and even before she voiced it out, Gauri knew it would be about Arnav .
     
" Last night, I asked Arnav beta not to come today. " her mother confession brought a hint of anger within her because they can't just decide for her, at least not about Arnav .
      
" Why ?" she asked instead because she didn't understand her parents. They were the one who hoped she let go of the past and give Arnav a chance.
   
" Forget my reason, I was thinking of something else. Have you thought about anything else except him throughout the day " her mother asked and she couldn't lie so remained silent .
    
" I have seen you both before Gauri and I have seen how you retreated behind shell when you broke up,  every motherly instinct in me wants to spare you the pain but I also see you with him and I get why he is worth every pain to you . Do you still love him that much " her mother asked and how could she possibly explain that she never could stop loving him .
     
Her love for Arnav wasn't something that could change with time and seasons, it was a constant just like her love for Rahul .
    
" Then why won't you give him a chance Gauri " her mother asked her back, she held on to her doubts for so long that she didn't know if she ever will voice them out yet looking at her mother, she realized there is someone who will accept her words without question.

      
" Because I can't be his wife not in the literal sense, there can be no intimacy between us ma. I will never see that act as anything but painful reminder . How can I hold on to him, if I would keep that part of marriage away from him .
      
Don't tell me, it would get easier or I can overcome it, I talked with my psychologist. Not everyone overcomes what happens to them, they are some who can't ever get over it . What if I am one of them, and how can I ask Arnav to be married to me when I am sure our marriage won't have that important aspect " Gauri answered back, she never voiced it out before in fear anyone would dismiss her concerns but in her mother eyes there was no such thing only tears for her pain .
              
" Oh Gauri " was all she said as Gauri embraced her mother broke into tears . 
         
" Have you told him that? . You can't decide for him beta not like how he decided for you all those years ago ,I heard it from Lekha that he broke off with you because he didn't want you to wait ten years for him if your heart lied anywhere when he was gone , don't decide for him beta. Ask him before you make up your mind "  her mother spoke up before she left the room and yet Gauri didn't want to make him choose a life without intimacy for her .
                 
But she will tell him everything, because her mother was right . He need to know why they can't stay together and maybe it will bring her closure for the lingering hope in her heart.  Yet she selfishly choose to have him by her side till Lavanya's wedding and when it ends she decided to tell him but not a day before the marriage .

                   ******************

          
Arnav didn't know why he constantly kept worrying about Gauri, the fact her mother told him bothered him as much as her silence about the same . He kept constantly checking his phone to see if she will reach out first and so far that hadn't happen .

          
Arnav doesn't know why he keeps hoping to see her let him into her life that easily when he always knew the path before them won't be easy add to the fact, Kavya's date with Akash worried him too after the negative press they were too many abusive tweets in her time line that it was a cause of concern for everyone.
         
His sister took it all in stride and sometime he worry that she seems to except it as well as sort of her karma. Usually understanding his sister wasn't that hard except now. It was why he was surprised when his phone begin to ring and was disappointed to see it wasn't from Gauri but rather her mother .

      
" Is Gauri okay aunty ? " he asked suddenly fearing that her mother may have been right about asking him to stay away today .
   
" She seems fine Arnav, and I think I overstepped my line asking you to stay away. Both of them missed you and you know my daughter can be stubborn and won't call you on her own, since I was the one who asked you stay away, I called to take it back " Renuka aunty told him and it was enough for Arnav to drive towards Gauri house .      
 
Arnav was aware he didn't have much time to show Gauri that he will stay by her side through everything and he isn't keen on wasting any minute with a dead line looming over them .
     
When he walked inside the house, he found out that Rahul was still out with Ishaan which meant Gauri was alone in her room, after greeting her parents he walked inside the room to find her in tears, a fact that always broke his heart.

          
He didn't ask why she was crying because he knew the answer to it , though her mother told him she was fine, one look at Gauri told him that wasn't the case .
         
" Where were you ?" She asked once he sat beside her on the bed. He didn't ask why she was crying because  he didn't want to put her on the spot to talk about that either .
          
" Running some errands, you know today is Lavanya's engagement right and mom had a big list of thing she needs to buy the last minute " he spoke up,  all of them  mostly true except  his  mom choose to ask  his dad instead of him, but Arnav took it upon himself to keep his mind occupied .
         
" I couldn't even find the dress to wear" she spoke up as she stared at the pile of clothes in the bed  .
         
" Let us go shopping and a movie, we still got time before the engagement " he answered back instead anything to take her mind away from the sad thoughts.
          
" Just like that, you never do anything without planning for it over a month " She spoke up with a hint of smile as he realized she was talking about their previous dates and it was true, Arnav usually planned their date  till it sometimes felt like a scheduled events than date . 
        
        
" Not today, today we are going to be spontaneous " he spoke up as he gathered her into his arms and kissed her forehead to assure her it will be fine, if he felt her shrink from his embrace at the contact he didn't let it show in his face as he smiled back at her .
   
" I can't go to the movies. I don't like crowded places " she confided in him as if she blamed herself for it and he felt like a fool for not thinking it through.

    
" And you won't have to, let us just go shopping. " he told her but his mind was already planning something else .
     
To Arnav with his bad knee, shopping was the least favourite chore but with Gauri even that felt good and by the time the shopping ended he could see her face fall a little that the date was over and it gave him the courage to drive to the next destination hoping she won't freak out .

      
The moment the theatre came on sight, she froze up as she turned towards him with a accusing glance .

   
" I am not making it up Arnav, just you being here won't suddenly make all my nervousness disappear . Do you think I didn't try before, the first time I ran out of the theatre in two minutes then I braved it enough to see Kavya first move on theatre, and I spend every single minutes closing my eyes and probably fracturing Arun's hand by my tight grip " she spoke up as her eyes turned misty with tears about to fall .
            
" Gauri, I would never assume you make it up and I would never disregard anything you tell me either . You said you hate crowded place and you seem to have forgotten my sister is an actress who can arrange for a private screening, it will be just the two of us no one else . But if you don't want to I will turn the car  and we will go back home " he answered back, it felt like a brilliant idea when he asked Kavya to pull the strings now not so much
          
" Let us do it " She answered back as if she was sure it will be an unpleasant experience for her and he wondered if he shouldn't have pushed for it but his doubts disappeared once she walked inside the theatre and smiled back at him .
         
Arnav knew she loved watching movie and since the request came from his sister, the movie happened to be hers as well and it was why he had to close his eyes every once in a while because no matter what seeing his little sister romancing someone was not cup of his tea yet .

                 
And the awkwardness was worth it because every time he did so, Gauri laughed at him and it was worth it . He rather have her laugh at him then shed tears .
             
" Thank You Arnav " She whispered once the movie ended and she was still leaning on his arms and he wanted to lean into kiss her forehead, a gesture he did several time before but her reaction earlier made him wary of doing so anymore .
         
They were so many changes in both of them, yet this moment it felt like the past hadn't intruded on them ,this moment it felt like just the two of them and in some way it felt like a first date as well . And it gave him hope for the future .

P.S :" That it for now . Let me know your thought and feedback . Hit the votes if you liked it"

Juanita Reid