SS: Gopi's Ehsaas Last Part updated pg 56 - Page 10

Part 5

When the door opened Ahem was shocked to see Gopi standing across from him, starring straight at him with the look of apprehension on her face. Ahem stood frozen starring back at her.

Ahem couldn't believe Gopi was standing in front of him, but how?

He looked over at Mr. Thakkral and back at Gopi who looked scared to death. He didn't know how to react or act.

Gopi twisted her hand in front of her because she was trembling from head to toe, she didn't know how Ahemji would react or what he would say. Is he angry? Would he be mad and think she purposely disappeared on that day? Will she be able to tell him all the things that had happened to her after she was tricked into leaving the train station?

The moment she had been waiting for, for the past three months, is here, and she didn't know where to start.

Say something Gopi, before Mr. Thakkral gets suspicious about your marriage, you know you haven't told him about your marriage to Ahemji.

Before Gopi could say anything Mr. Thakkral spoke up. "Ahem, I know you have lot of questions you want answers to, and I will leave it up to Gopi to answer those questions. But know that she had a good reason not to contact you and the family for the last 3 months." He then turned to Gopi. "I have brought Ahem here at your request, now it's up to you to tell him what happened three months ago, and why you have been hiding here."

Mr. Thakkral left Gopi and Ahem, still standing there starring at each other.

Gopi pulled the door open wider so Ahem could step in the room; soon as he stepped in she closed the door and stood with her back against the door, still twisting her hands nervously.

Ahem looked around the room and noting it was decorated nice, but nothing was out of place, it didn't look like Gopi had been living there for three months. He turned towards Gopi again and thought, what is going on?

Gopi walked towards Ahem slowly and stopped in front of him, Ahem noticed she didn't try to put the pallu on her head and thought good, that habit of hers had been really irritating. And if she started that again, he is going to rip the damn thing off of her head himself.

It took you long enough to come to your senses, but you know your thoughts are wandering.

Perfect timing, Ahem thought, I get ignored all this time even by you and now you come back as soon as Gopi comes back.

Ahem, you needed time away from constant badgering from all of us, isn't that what you wanted?

Ahem ignored his inner voice's untimely reappearance. "Gopi, what happened to you that day? And how did you come out to be in New Delhi?

Gopi tried to hold her tears back, but was unable to do so, and started crying. The more she tried to stop the tears the harder they fell.

"Ahemji'I 'woh .."

Ahem knew she was in no condition to talk, unless she calmed down, and he also realized Gopi was scared to death of something. He went close to her and took her hand in his; he then walked her to the couch and sat her down. He looked around and saw the kitchen to the right side of the house. He got up and brought back a glass of water for her. He held the glass to her lips so she could drink it. When she was finished he sat the glass on the table.

"Now calm down and tell me what happened that day, were you planning to disappear like that?"

Gopi's head snapped up at that and she shook her head no. "No I hadn't planned on disappearing like that, but I also hadn't planned on coming back to Modi Bhavan ever, after I came back from Nani's Place. I was going to take care of Nani for a while like maji asked me to and then once she was better, I was going to go live with Panna at her hostel."

Ahem was shocked to hear her say this. Ahem was also getting frustrated. "Then what happened on that day? Why did you disappear like that? Do you know how worried everyone is for you? We've been searching for you for the past three months. Don't you care that Mom is hoping you would come back soon?"

At the mention of her maji, Gopi looked at Ahem. "How is Maji? Is she ok?"

"Do you care how she is? If you had you would have never stayed away from her."

Gopi gasped at the anger in Ahem's voice. "What are you saying? Of course I care for maji, I love her like I would my mother."

Ahem took a deep breath, now is not the time to tell her about his mother. He needed to know why she disappeared like that.

"Gopi, please tell me what happened that day, before I go crazy."

Gopi gazed in distance, as if picturing what happened that day. "I had been waiting for Papaji at the entrance like he told me to while he went to pick up the tickets. He must have been gone about five minutes when a woman approached me and told me she was my mami's neighbor and mt mami sent her to bring me outside. She told me my mami said it was urgent something to do with mamaji."

Ahem waited for her to continue.

"I told her Papaji was coming right back and then we would both go with her, but the woman insisted I go with her right then and there, that mamji was frantic and crying. She told me she will come back to get papaji, so I went with her.

Gopi got up from the couch and started pacing. "When we got outside, I didn't see mamiji at all, but before I could ask the woman where my mamiji was, someone put a cloth on my face from behind me and I passed out."

Ahem was thoughtful, who would go to such length to get Gopi to disappear and why?

Gopi came back to the couch and sat down and looked at Ahem, who looked confused by her story.

"I know you have no reason to believe me, but that's how it happened."

Ahem nodded his head. "So what happened after that? How did you end up here?"

 Gopi was relieved to see him calm. "I don't know how long I was out, but when I woke up we were on a train, and the same woman was sitting beside me, but there were two guys with her also. When I asked them where my mami was they wouldn't answer me, they wouldn't tell me anything, no matter how much I cried or asked, they just kept threatening me, and told me if I didn't do what they told me to do they would make sure that you were also harmed."

Ahem thought for a minute, then asked Gopi, "Have you ever seen the woman or the two men in your old neighborhood?"

Gopi again shook her head no. "No, I never saw them before, but then Mami never let me interact with anyone; Mami rarely let me out of the house."

Ahem was not surprised to learn this, he had suspected that Gopi had not been treated right by her relatives, ever since he found out about Rashi and her behavior towards Gopi. But would her mami go to this extreme to get rid of Gopi? Can anyone be that evil? He needed to hear rest of Gopi's story.

"We will talk about your mami later, tell me what happened next."

Gopi frowned at his comment, but let it go. "The two goons were overheard talking about how my mami paid them money to get rid of me, and how they were going to make more money off of me by selling me to a highest bidder."

Gopi didn't give Ahem a chance to interrupt. "Mr. Thakkral's mother was with the group who overheard the two men. The men in the group fought the two goons, and tried to catch them when they ran, but they were unable to. I didn't know any of this until I woke up here, at Mr.Thakkral's home. The goons had given me something to make me pass out again. His mother had brought me home with her.

Ahem couldn't comprehend any of it, it sounded like a bad script from a TV movie, but he also knew Gopi's story couldn't be anything but the truth. He just now realized to what extreme Urmi and Rashi could go to, to control Modi Bhavan, but he still didn't understand why they decided to get rid of Gopi at that particular time.

Before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Gopi opened the door to see one of the servants standing in the doorway with a bag.

"Gopi beta, this is your Ahemji's bag, Dadiji sent it over."

"Ji, kakaji, you can leave it right here." The servant put the bag by the door and left, Gopi closed the door and leaned her forehead against the door.

Ahem watched her closely and wondered at her reaction, but didn't say anything, he had a feeling Gopi didn't tell the Thakkrals' everything about their relationship. Which was going to work in his favor.

What was you first clue Ahem?

Ahem mentally rolled his eyes at his inner voice, why couldn't it have stayed doormat like it had been for past three months or so?

Gopi took a deep breath and turned towards Ahem. "Woh, I didn't tell them the nature of our relationship, so they are going to assume you will stay with me while you are here, I am sorry."

Ahem went over to her. "I already figured this out, so why are you nervous?"

Gopi cleared her throat. "There is only one bedroom, so why don't you take the bed and I will sleep out here on the couch."

"Gopi you can stay in the bedroom, I will be fine here on the couch." Ahem waited for her reaction.

Gopi glanced at him, then, at the couch, he thought he saw her lips twitch in to a smile, but she quickly composed herself when he glanced at her. "umm.. the couch is too short for you. You will be more comfortable on the bed." She said this without looking at him.

"Ok, lets stop arguing and just both of us sleep on the bed, and I promise not to attack you." Gopi's head whipped around to him and her eyes widened in shock.

Ahem was amused at her reaction, took his bag and walked towards the bedroom. Gopi had no choice but to follow him.

Once in the bedroom, Ahem set his bag down and turned towards Gopi, who had stopped in the middle of the room.

Ahem walked to her and stood real close to her. "Gopi we have lot of things to sort out between us, including our marriage. I know I haven't been a good husband to you in the past, but that's not your fault. I would really like it if you worked on forgiving me for my past sins, and start fresh with me."

Gopi never in million years would have thought that her Ahemji would change his mind about her, is she willing to forgive him and give him another chance?

"Ahemji for now lets just sort out the issue of my disappearance and then we will see about other things." Gopi took her night sari and went in to the bathroom, while Ahem watched her thoughtfully.

*~+~*

 What should Ahem do to win Gopi's love? Is he ready to put his money where his mouth is regarding their marriage?