𝐒𝐚𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐢 ~ 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 |𝟏𝟖+| - Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Author's POV:-
“Arjun ji, aap neeche kya kar rahe hain? Itne acche se bistar theek karke gaye the dono ke liye... aur aap neeche so rahe hain?” Sakshi asked as she stepped into the room, her voice soft but clearly surprised.
(“Arjun ji, what are you doing down here? I made the bed so nicely for both of us and now you’re sleeping on the floor?” )
Arjun looked at her while listening to some old 80's Hindi songs on the radio.
“Upar uth jaiye na... aap Lata ke paas so jaiye,” she insisted gently.
(“Please come up… you can sleep next to Lata,”)
He quietly switched off the radio. “Upar tu aur Lata ek saath so ja... main yahin neeche thik hoon,” he said flatly.
(“You and Lata sleep together on the bed… I’m fine down here.”)
“Ji? Kaisi baatein kar rahe hain aap? Mujhe sone dijiye neeche, mujhe aadat hai,” she said, picking up the extra blanket from the chair.
("Jii ?? What are you saying? Let me sleep down… I’m used to it,”)
He shook his head firmly. “Sakshi, mujhe bhi aadat hai... maine kaha na, tu upar soh jaa,” he said in a low voice, his expression unchanging. Her face fell at his words.
(“Sakshi… I’m also used to it. I am telling you na, you sleep on the bed,”)
“Dadi mujhe kaccha chaba jaayengi agar aapko aise dekh liya toh,” she muttered, reluctantly climbing onto the bed.
(“Dadi will eat me alive if she sees you like this,”)
He heard it but pretended not to.
Sakshi gently covered Lata with a thick blanket. The little one was already deep in sleep. Then she turned to face Arjun, her pout visible even in the dim light. It didn’t sit right with her that he was sleeping on the cold floor while she and Lata took the bed.
“Woh bistar thoda chhota ho gaya teeno ke liye...” she murmured guiltily.
(“This bed became a little small for the three of us…”)
He glanced up at her, “Tu phir se wahi baat pe atki hai? Kuch chhota nahi hai. Teri yeh kamra bohot hi achha hai...”
(“You’re are still stuck on this topic?? Nothing’s small… your room is really nice…”)
She smiled, the sound of her payals tinkling as she moved.
His gaze wandered to the top of the almirah, where a collection of small dolls sat.
“Yeh sab tere hain?” he asked, gesturing toward them.
(“Are these yours?”)
Her eyes followed his and she nodded, “Yeh sab mitti ke bane hue hain... maa ne banaye hain.”
(“These are made of clay… Maa made them.”)
Arjun’s brows lifted in surprise. “Yeh sab haath se bana hua hai?”
(“These are handmade?”)
She giggled. “Haan... sab haathon se. Achhe hain na?”
(“Yes, all handmade. Aren’t they nice?”)
“Bohot hi acche hain... teri maa toh kamaal karti hain,” he murmured, still staring at the handcrafted dolls.
(“They’re really beautiful… your maa makes them so well,”)
A silence settled in, comfortable yet filled with unsaid emotions. Suddenly, Sakshi had an idea. Grinning to herself, she picked up her pillow and began climbing down from the bed.
“Ab kya kar rahi hain? Kahan jaa rahi hain?” he asked, confused.
(“What are you doing? Where are you going?” )
“Aap thoda side hatiye na... mujhe neeche utarna hai,” she said, still grinning.
(“ Can you please move a little jii??… I need to get down,”)
He shifted his legs to give her space. “Par jayegi kahan tu?”
(“But where are you going?”)
She stepped down—only to trip over her saree. “Aaa...!” she yelped, landing right on top of him with a thud, accidentally hitting his face with the pillow. He groans loudly. His hands instinctively grabbed her waist to steady her.
“Sorry ji..aapko laga kya??” she gasped, hurriedly tossing the pillow away. She started to caress his face worriedly.
("Sorry ji?? Did you get hurt??")
He opened his eyes slowly. “Karni kya chahti hai tu pehale yeh bata mujhe..”
(“What are you trying to do?”)
She nervously licked her lips. “Woh... kya hai na... aapke paas sona hai ji,” she said sheepishly.
("Jii .. actually I want to sleep next to you...")
His brows rose as now he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist more comfortably. She placed her both hand on his chest.
“Achha? Mere paas sona hai? Agar galti se tere saath raat ko kuch galat kar liya toh?” he teased, pulling her slightly closer.
(“Really? You want to sleep next to me? What if I end up doing something wrong with you by mistake in the middle of the night??”)
She gazed at his face, smiling softly. “Aap kuch galat kar hi nahi sakte mere saath...”
(“You could never do anything wrong to me.”)
His teasing faded, and in the next moment, he gently rolled her down onto the mat and leaned above her.
“Itna bharosa hai mere upar?” he asked, his tone quieter now.
(“You trust me that much?”)
She chuckled and cupped his beard cladded cheek with tenderness. Her eyes welled up with tears.
“Kyunki aap mere baba jaise bilkul bhi nahi hain...”
(“Because you’re nothing like my baba…”)
His smile slowly disappeared as her words sank in. She gently touched the corners of his eyes, where little wrinkles formed whenever he smiled. He definitely looked cute with them.
“Tu ro kyu rahi hai?” he asked as he wiped away a tear escaping her eye.
(“Why are you crying Sakshi??")
She shook her head, not trusting her voice. He gently brushed her baby hairs off her face.
“Soch rahi hoon... kaash maa ko bhi aapke jaise ek pati milta... toh aaj unhe itna dukh nahi sehna padta” she whispered, adjusting the mat to make space for him.
(“I was just thinking… if only my mother had a husband like you, she wouldn’t have suffered so much,”)
He pulled her into his chest as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
“Woh shayad acche pita honge... par bilkul bhi acche pati nahi thein... bilkul bhi nahi hain...” she mumbled, his warm embrace comforting her.
(“He might be a good father… but definitely not a good husband jii,”)
He stayed quiet. He understood what she meant.He had more painful memories than her.
“Sab insaan ek jaise nahi hote, Sakshi... agar hote, toh humari maaon ko itna kasht nahi jhelna padta,” he said, lost in his thoughts.
(“Not all people are the same, Sakshi… if they were, our mothers wouldn’t have had such tough lives,”)
She looked up at him gently. “Aap apni maa ke baare mein soch rahe hain?” she asked softly.
(“What are you thinking about? Your maa??")
He didn’t say yes nor did he deny it but simply closed his eyes and continue patting her back silently.
“Aapki maa har waqt aapke paas hain ji... please aap royiye mat” she whispered, her own voice breaking.
(“Your maa is always with you, ji… please don’t cry…” )
He shook his head. “Main nahi ro raha, Sakshi... bas kabhi kabhi lagta hai... agar jaldi thoda aur bada ho jata .. toh shayad apni maa ko bacha sakta tha...”
(I don’t cry, Sakshi… it’s just sometimes I feel… if I had grown up a little sooner, maybe I could have saved my maa…”)
His words made her freeze.
“Kya kaha aapne...? Maa ko... kya hua tha?” she asked, raising her head.
(“What did you say, ji? What happened to your mother?”)
“Kuch nahi... so ja tu. Raat bohot ho gaya hai,” he said, avoiding her question.
(“Nothing… go to sleep… it’s really late now,”)
She sighed and snuggled back into his chest. She didn’t push further. Something told her he wasn’t ready.
But she now understood something deeply:
This man... loved his mother fiercely.
And something terrible had happened — something he couldn’t forget... or forgive.
“Utna dimaag mat chala... aankhen band kar aur so ja,” his voice startled her suddenly.
(“Stop overthinking… close your eyes and sleep,”)
She squeezed her eyes shut snuggling into his neck by wrapping her arms around him.
How did he always know... even with his eyes closed... that she was still awake?