That weekend, Aravind's car came to a halt outside a modest independent house tucked away in one of Indore's quieter neighbourhoods.
Before the driver could step out to open the gate, the front door swung open.
"Aravind!" Ram Gopal called out with a wide smile as he hurried towards his old friend. Wrapping him in a careful embrace, he pulled back and frowned affectionately. "You should've called."
Aravind smiled as he patted his shoulder. "If I had called, you would've made twenty dishes for dinner."
"And what's wrong with that?" Malti asked, walking out. She looked him up and down before clicking her tongue. "You've become too thin. You don't listen to doctors, and now you won't listen to your friends either."
A helpless laugh escaped Aravind as he shook his head. "I'm beginning to think everyone has made it their life's mission to remind me that I've lost weight."
"Because you have," Malti replied without missing a beat. Gently taking his arm, she smiled. "Now stop arguing and come in."
The three of them walked inside together.
The familiar house welcomed Aravind like it always had. Family photographs decorated the walls, the aroma of freshly brewed filter coffee filled the air, and the little temple in the corner looked exactly the same as it had for years.
Settling into the living room, Malti handed everyone a cup of coffee before taking the seat beside her husband.
For a while, the conversation flowed effortlessly.
Ram Gopal complained that retirement had somehow made him busier than work ever had, making Aravind laugh.
Malti scolded both men for ignoring their medicines, earning herself two identical guilty smiles.
Old memories followed, then business updates, mutual friends, and stories that had been told countless times but somehow never grew old.
For a few precious moments...
It felt as though time had stood still.
Then the laughter slowly faded.
Aravind lowered his gaze to the finished cup in his hands before gently placing it on the centre table.
His expression turned serious. "I didn't come here just to meet you."
Ram Gopal's smile disappeared instantly. Leaning forward, he looked at his friend with concern. "What is it?"
Aravind remained silent for a few seconds.
When he finally spoke, his voice was calm but heavy. "I've come to ask for Appu's hand."
The room fell silent.
Neither Ram Gopal nor Malti spoke.
Both simply stared at him, trying to absorb what they had just heard.
After what felt like forever, Ram Gopal blinked in disbelief. "For... Rakshit?"
Aravind met his eyes and nodded once.
Malti exchanged a quick glance with her husband before looking back at him. "You know Rakshit doesn't want to marry."
"I know." Aravind spoke.
"And Appu..." she said carefully, choosing every word, "...she deserves someone who can love her."
The words settled heavily between them.
Aravind lowered his eyes for a brief moment before looking back at them.
"I know my son," he said quietly. His voice carried neither defensiveness nor denial. "Better than anyone.He isn't cruel or he isn't heartless. He has simply spent years convincing himself that he shouldn't let anyone come close."
Ram Gopal let out a long sigh before asking the question that had been weighing on his mind. "Then why do you want my daughter to marry him?"
Aravind looked straight at his oldest friend. "Because despite everything..." he paused, his voice filled with certainty, "...there isn't another woman I trust more than Appu."
He smiled faintly as memories crossed his mind. "I've watched her grow up. I know the values both of you have given her. She's honest. and patient. She's independent. And she's far stronger than she believes."
Malti couldn't help smiling at the words, but the worry in her eyes remained. "Aravind," she said gently, "our daughter isn't a responsibility we want to hand over simply because someone needs her."
"I want her to become someone's first choice." Malti tells him.
Aravind nodded slowly in agreement."I know. So do I."
His voice became softer. "But I don't know how much time I have left."
Ram Gopal's face fell immediately. "Don't say that."
A sad smile appeared on Aravind's face. "The doctors already have."
Silence settled over the room.
The ticking of the wall clock suddenly sounded louder than ever.
After a long pause, Aravind spoke again, his eyes fixed on the untouched cup of coffee before him. "I built this company for my son. He has given it everything. Every dream. Every sacrifice." His voice grew heavier as he looked up.
"But when I look at him now..." Aravind said, his eyes clouded with pain, "...I don't see a man who's living."
A lump formed in his throat. "I see a man who's merely surviving."
Turning towards Ram Gopal, Aravind continued in a voice that sounded more like a father's plea than a businessman speaking. "I can't leave this world knowing he'll spend the rest of his life alone."
Ram Gopal leaned back against the sofa, silently absorbing every word.
After a long pause, he asked quietly, "And you believe Appu can change that?"
Aravind smiled sadly and slowly shook his head. "No. I don't expect her to change him."
His smile faded into quiet hope. "I only hope she'll stand beside him..." he said softly, "...until he learns he doesn't have to carry the weight of life alone."
Malti's eyes glistened.
She looked at Aravind for a long moment before asking the question that frightened her the most.
"And what if..." she whispered, "...what if Appu doesnt wantto marry him?"
Aravind closed his eyes briefly.
When he opened them again, they held nothing but helplessness. "Then..." he said, forcing a faint smile that never reached his eyes, "...I'll spend whatever time I have left asking God to take me."
The room fell into complete silence.
No one knew what to say.
No one had an answer.
Only the quiet weight of a father's final wish remained between them.
Ram Gopal looked at Aravind for a long moment before nodding thoughtfully. Resting his hands on his knees, he said calmly, "You know my answer has never mattered more than Appu's. She's old enough to make her own decisions." A faint smile crossed his face as he added, "I'll speak to her first."
The tension on Aravind's face eased slightly. Letting out a quiet breath, he smiled gratefully. "That's all I'm asking for."
Malti, however, remained unconvinced. Looking from her husband to Aravind, she hesitated before voicing the question that had been troubling her all along. "There's one more thing, Aravind."
Aravind turned towards her. "Hmm?"
She searched his face for a moment before asking softly, "Will Rakshit agree to this marriage?"
A tired smile appeared on Aravind's lips as he leaned back against the sofa. "He will."
Ram frowned slightly. "You're that sure?"
"I know my son," Aravind replied with quiet confidence. Looking at both of them, he continued, "He may refuse today... tomorrow... or even next week." A determined smile touched his face. "But I'll make him understand. If this is my last wish..." he paused briefly, "...he won't turn away from it."
Neither Ram nor Malti replied.
They simply exchanged a silent glance, hoping with all their hearts that Aravind was right.
---
Later that night, the front door opened with a click.
"I'm home!" Aprajita announced cheerfully as she stepped inside, carrying a packet of popcorn in one hand and her handbag in the other. Kicking off her sandals near the entrance, she laughed to herself. "Ma, you should've come with us. The movie was actually good this time."
She looked up, expecting one of her parents to tease her.
Instead...
The smile slowly disappeared from her face. Both her parents were sitting quietly in the living room. Her father reached for the remote and switched off the television.
The silence felt... unusual.
"Appu..." he called gently.
Something in his voice made her heart skip. Her cheerful expression faded completely.
Placing her handbag on the sofa, she looked from her father to her mother. "What happened?" she asked, concern creeping into her voice. "Is everything okay?"
Ram Gopal gestured towards the sofa opposite him. "Come. Sit."
Without another word, Aprajita walked over and sat down.
A strange nervousness settled inside her.
For the next few moments...
No one spoke.
Finally, Ram cleared his throat.
"Aravind came home this evening."
The worry on her face softened slightly. "How is Uncle?" she asked immediately.
"He was fine," Ram replied with a nod.
Then he fell silent again. "He came with a proposal."
Aprajita frowned. "A proposal?"
Ram slowly nodded. "For your marriage."
Her brows knitted together. "Whose?"
Holding her gaze, Ram answered quietly "Rakshit's."
Silence.
Aprajita simply stared at him. For a moment, she wondered if she had heard him correctly. "...Rakshit sir?" she whispered.
Ram nodded once.
There was no excitement on her face.
No happiness.
Only disbelief.
Malti slowly reached across the table and held her daughter's hand.
"Appu..." she said softly, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Before you think about anything else, remember one thing."
Aprajita looked at her.
"You don't have to say yes." The words lingered in the room.
"If you don't want this marriage," Malti continued gently, "we'll refuse without a second thought." She smiled reassuringly. "Your happiness is far more important to us than any relationship."
Ram nodded in agreement. "There won't be any pressure from our side."
Aprajita lowered her eyes.
Her heart had begun beating faster.
The man she had silently loved for years...
Wanted to marry her?
No.
That didn't sound right.
Something was missing.
Rakshit Bharadwaj wasn't the kind of man who woke up one morning and decided to get married.
There had to be a reason.
A reason no one had told them.
She remained lost in thought.
Watching her quietly, Ram finally broke the silence. "You've just come home," he said with a gentle smile. "Go freshen up first. We'll talk later."
Still lost in her thoughts, Aprajita nodded absentmindedly and slowly got to her feet.
She walked towards her room without another word.
Only one question echoed in her mind.
Why me?
💛
The Bharadwaj mansion was unusually quiet when Aravind returned home.
Handing his car keys to the housekeeper, he slowly walked towards the study. The door was slightly ajar.
Inside, Rakshit sat behind the large oak desk, his eyes fixed on the laptop screen. Files lay neatly arranged around him, and even at home, work seemed unwilling to leave his side.
Aravind stepped inside with a faint smile. "You are working today too."
Rakshit looked up from the screen before closing the file on his laptop. "Tomorrow there is a board meeting," he replied, his gaze shifting to his father. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine."
Rakshit studied his face for a brief moment, unconvinced, but chose not to argue. Instead, he closed the laptop completely and said quietly, "You should be resting."
"I will," Aravind replied as he walked towards the armchair opposite the desk and settled into it. Looking at his son, his expression turned serious. "But first... there's something we need to discuss."
Sensing the change in his tone, Rakshit leaned back in his chair and waited silently.
"I met Ram Gopal today."
A faint smile appeared on Rakshit's face. "How is Uncle?"
"He's doing well," Aravind replied before pausing for a moment. Then, looking straight into his son's eyes, he said calmly, "I asked for Aprajita's hand in marriage."
The words hung in the air.
Rakshit's smile disappeared instantly. He stared at his father, unable to believe what he had just heard. "...What?"
"I've spoken to Ram and Malti."
"You did what?" Rakshit pushed his chair back and stood up abruptly, disbelief written all over his face. "Without even asking me?"
Aravind remained composed. "I know what I'm doing."
"No," Rakshit replied, shaking his head as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Turning away, he let out a humourless laugh. "You don't."
The room fell silent.
After a long pause, Rakshit spoke again without looking back. "I can't get married."
Aravind didn't react.
Instead, he looked at his son calmly and replied, "You have to."
Rakshit turned around immediately."I said I can't."
"And why not?" Aravind asked, his voice still steady.
A bitter laugh escaped Rakshit's lips. "You know why."
Silence filled the study.
Neither of them looked away.
Finally, Aravind broke the silence."I've already given them my word."
Rakshit's eyes widened. "You... promised them?"
"I did."
"You had no right," Rakshit said, his voice tightening with every word.
"I had every right," Aravind replied firmly as he slowly stood up. Looking at his son, he continued, "I'm your father."
Rakshit's jaw clenched.
He wanted to argue.
He wanted to refuse.
But the disappointment in his father's eyes made every word feel heavier.
"For once," Aravind said quietly as he walked a little closer, "stop thinking about why you don't want this marriage..."
He paused before finishing softly. "...and think about what you're refusing."
Rakshit closed his eyes for a brief moment.
When he opened them again, there was only one question on his mind.
"...Did she agree?"Rakshit whispered.
For the first time since the conversation had begun...
Uncertainty flickered across his face.
Aravind noticed it immediately.
A faint smile crossed his lips.
"Ram Gopal said he'll speak to Appu first," he replied. "The decision is hers."
Rakshit slowly looked away.
A strange sense of relief settled inside him.
She hadn't answered yet.
Taking a slow breath, Rakshit spoke without turning around. "I can't think about marriage right now."
"Rakshit..." Aravind called gently.
"No." Rakshit finally turned back to face his father.
His voice wasn't loud.
It wasn't disrespectful.
It was simply... resolute.
Holding his father's gaze, Rakshit said quietly, "I need you to understand this one thing. I cannot marry."
The words lingered in the silent room.
Without waiting for another reply, Rakshit walked past him and headed upstairs.
Aravind remained standing where he was, watching his son disappear down the hallway.
He knew his son well enough to understand what had just happened.
It wasn't anger that had made Rakshit walk away.
It was fear.
And until Rakshit found the courage to face that fear... No amount of persuasion would ever be enough.
💛
The next morning, Aprajita's home was unusually quiet.
For the first time in years, neither Ram Gopal nor Malti reminded to finish her breakfast or teased her for surviving on half a cup of coffee. Instead, they spoke about the weather, the newspaper, and the neighbour's new puppy-everything except the conversation from the previous night.
Aprajita noticed it. She was grateful.
Not because she had an answer...but because she wasn't ready to give one.
She knew what her heart wanted.
She just didn't know what Rakshit Bharadwaj wanted.
After getting ready, she picked up her handbag and walked towards the door. Bending down, she touched her parents' feet before looking up with a small smile.
Ram Gopal placed his hand on her head and smiled gently. "Drive safely."
Malti walked her to the door and adjusted a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "And don't think too much."
Aprajita managed a weak smile. "I'll try."
The drive to House of Bharadwaj felt longer than usual.
Every red signal gave her mind another chance to revisit the same questions.
Did he know?
Had Uncle spoken to him?
Was he angry?
Did he refuse?
Her fingers tightened. Of course he would've refused.
Marriage was probably the last thing on Rakshit Bharadwaj's mind.
By the time she parked her car outside the office, she had already made up her mind. "Work first. Everything else later."
Stepping inside, she greeted the receptionist with her usual smile before exchanging a few words with her colleagues. Placing her handbag on the desk, she switched on her laptop and buried herself in pending emails and the day's schedule.
For a while...
It worked.
Nearly twenty minutes passed before the private elevator opened with a soft chime.
Her fingers froze above the keyboard.
Almost instinctively, she looked up.
Rakshit stepped out in a perfectly tailored navy-blue suit and walked across the floor with his usual calm confidence. A few employees wished him good morning, and he acknowledged them with a brief nod before heading straight towards his cabin.
Not once...
Did he look in her direction.
Aprajita quietly let out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding.
Maybe he doesn't know.
The thought had barely settled when her laptop chimed.
A new message appeared on the screen.
From: Rakshit Bharadwaj
Come to my cabin. Now.
Her heartbeat skipped.
She stared at the message for several long seconds.
It was only a work message.
He had called her to his cabin countless times before.
So why...
Why did this one make her palms turn cold?
Taking a slow breath, she picked up her notepad and tablet before smoothing the invisible creases on her kurta.
Then she walked towards the CEO's cabin. Each step felt heavier than the last.
💛
Aprajita knocked gently on the cabin door before peeking inside. "May I come in, sir?" she asked, her fingers tightening around the notebook in her hand.
Rakshit looked up from the file he was reading and met her eyes for a brief moment. "Come in," he said quietly before closing the file.
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Before she could ask why he had called her, Rakshit gestured towards the chair opposite him. "Sit."
She hesitated for a second before pulling the chair back and sitting down.
Silence settled between them.
Rakshit rested his hands on the desk and looked at her steadily. "I'll ask you something," he said evenly. "I want an honest answer."
Her heartbeat quickened.
She nodded.
Keeping his eyes on her, he asked, "Did your parents tell you about the marriage proposal?"
She swallowed the lump in her throat before answering. "Yes." Lowering her gaze, she added softly, "Papa told me about Aravind Uncle's proposal."
Rakshit remained silent for a few moments.
Then he leaned back in his chair and asked, "And?"
She looked at him, confused. "Sir?"
"Your answer."
Aprajita looked down at her clasped hands. "I..." she began before trailing off. "I don't know what to say."
A slow sigh escaped Rakshit's lips. He looked at her calmly and said, "What's there to think about?" Pausing for a moment, he added in the same composed tone, "Just say no."
The words hit her harder than she had expected. She searched his face, hoping to find even the slightest hesitation.
There was none.
Looking at him quietly, she forced herself to speak. "I know you don't have any feelings for me."
Rakshit's expression remained unchanged.
Instead of answering, he held her gaze and asked softly, "Do you have any feelings for me?"
Everything around her seemed to fall silent.
Five years of quietly loving him.
Countless confessions she had rehearsed only in her mind.
Dreams she had never allowed herself to believe in.
All of it came rushing back in a single moment.
A faint smile touched her lips.
"No."
The lie left her mouth with surprising ease.
It was the first lie she had ever told Rakshit Bharadwaj.
And the hardest one she would ever have to tell.
Rakshit closed his eyes for a brief moment before letting out a quiet breath.
When he looked at her again, there was unmistakable relief in his eyes.
"Thank God."
His voice softened as he continued, "Then say no."
Aprajita lowered her eyes without replying.
After a long silence, Rakshit spoke again. "You deserve someone better than me, Aprajita."
Her fingers tightened around the notebook resting on her lap.
'No..
I don't want someone better.
I want you.' The words screamed inside her heart.
But they never reached her lips.
Gathering what little courage she had left, she looked up at him. "What about... Aravind Uncle?" she asked hesitantly. "He really wants this marriage."
Rakshit's gaze shifted towards the window before returning to her. "I'll take care of Dad," he replied with quiet certainty. "You don't have to worry about that."
She nodded slowly.
For some reason...
Those words made her heart feel even heavier.
After a moment, she stood up from her chair and held the notebook close to her chest. "If that's all, sir..."
Rakshit simply nodded.
She turned towards the door and rested her hand on the handle.
For one foolish second...
She wished he would stop her.
He didn't.
Taking a quiet breath, she opened the door and walked out, closing it gently behind her.
The cabin fell silent once again.
Only after she had gone did Rakshit lean back in his chair and press a tired hand against his eyes.
He had asked her to walk away...
Never knowing she had been choosing him every single day for the last five years.
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