"Aap thik hai na?"

She asked him when she saw his shoulders shaking. He turned to face her and without any other word engulfed her in a tight hug. Yukti was surprised at his sudden move.

"You have no idea what you've done for them today. Yakshna ke jaane ke baad aaj pehli baar ghar aaye hai wo. And calling them Yaksh's nani nanu over your own parents who were sitting there was a big thing for them."

"Why would Yaksh call my parents nani nanu over his actual nani nanu?"

He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off.

"Haan jaanti hu ki mai bhi uski maa hu lekin mere parents uske nani nanu nhi ho jaayenge iss reason se. Wo haq mai uncle aunty se kaise chheen lu?"

He looked at her teary eyed and kissed her forehead. She looked surprised yet again and he patted her head.

"Come on! Let's go."

The rest of the evening went much happier and less awkward. Her parents left early. Yakshna's parents too got up after Yaksh slept having his dinner.

Ritvik was seeing them off and touching their feet. They called Yukti forward and she stood beside him.

"Shuru mai bura react kia uske liye sorry. Ek baar bhut gussa aaya tha. Ye soch rhe the ki tum hamari Yakshna ko jagah le rhi ho. Eklauti beti thi hamari."

Yakshna's mother started and stopped feeling her throat clog with emotions. She gulped her tears and said.

"Lekin I'm sure Yakshna bhut khush hogi ye dekh kr ki uska bacha kitne achhe haathon mai hai. Tumhare diye sanskar Yaksh mai abhi se nazar aa rhe hai. God bless you beta."

Yukti smiled and looked at Ritvik who too smiled looking at her.

"Mai maanti hu Yakshna ke jaane ka gum hum sab ko abhi bhi hai. Shayad zindagi bhar rhe. Lekin iss wajah se hum jeena nhi chhod skte na. Bhagwaan ne Yaksh aur Ritvik ji ki zindagi se Yakshna ko le lia toh tumhe bhej dia. I wish you both a happy married life."

Ritvik and Yukti both looked at them shocked. They left, leaving Ritvik in deep thought. Why would they wish him a happy married life with someone other than their daughter. He couldn't understand.

Yaksh was 10 months old. He would be 1 year old in two months and Yukti wanted to plan a party for his birthday. She just didn't know how to ask this from Ritvik.

"Ritvik! Kal ghar pr hi hai na tu? Pinky mausi ke yaha mata ki chauki hai. Sabko bulaya hai usne."

Her mother-in-law said and she smiled looking at her husband. Yukti had been feeling tingles in her body every time he's around after their first hug. She knew she shouldn't feel such because he was still not over Yakshna. But she couldn't help it.

"Mai kahi nhi jaunga. Aap aur papa chale jaana."

Ritvik said with a serious expression and left the room. Everyone frowned and then her mother-in-law's expressions changed too.

"Isse kya hua?"

Her father-in-law asked.

"Kal kya date hai Ritesh?"

She asked her husband who was as clueless as Yukti.

"15 July-lekin date se iske behaviour ka kya lena dena?"

"Yakshna ka birthday hai kal."

The entire room filled with silence. Yukti looked towards the room where Ritvik went and sighed.

Why was her fate and life so tangled up with Yakshna's. They even shared the same birthday.

She used to be so excited about her birthdays. Her mother would always bake a cake and her father would get her something or the other each time while returning from work. It was just the three of them and she loved it like that.

Her heart still aches thinking about how quickly they forgot that she was their own daughter when it came to their so called image in society. They didn't even think twice before approving and alliance for someone who already had a child.

Ritvik was a nice man but what if he was not so? Her life could have been destroyed.

Yukti entered the room and saw it empty. She frowned because Ritvik came here almost half an hour back and hadn't come out since then.

She peeked at the balcony and saw him sitting in the balcony. Yaksh was in his arms.

He had one of his arms wrapped around Yaksh's body as he slept and the other kept on the armrest of the armchair. His eyes were closed and he had his head rested back.

Yukti slowly took her place beside his armchair and cautiously kept her palm on his hand on the armrest.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. His eyes were red and she knew he had been crying.

He looked away from her towards the sky.

"Abhi bhi yakeen nhi hota ki...wo nhi hai yaha. Peechle hi saal toh uska birthday celebrate kia tha humne...she was 7 months pregnant witn Yaksh."

His eyes teared up again remembering her. He unconsciously intertwined their hands and said.

"You know what she said...keh rhi thi...ki agle saal uske birthday par toh...uska baby uski baahon mai hoga na..."

He closed his eyes letting the tears fall. Yukti too couldn't control her tears.

"She was so excited about the baby. Kitne planning kri thi usne. Baby aayega toh mai krungi...baby aayega toh mai wo krungi...and this is so unfair..."

He opened his eyes and looked at the sky as of blaming the Gods.

"Why did you take her away so soon? Apni baahon mai lena toh dur wo apne bache ko nazar bhar ke dekh bhi nhi paayi! Why did you do this to her? Why!"

He yelled and broke down in sobs. Yukti had never seen him so broken and vulnerable.

She carefully took Yaksh from him and placed him in his cot. She then wrapped her arms around Ritvik and he cried in her embrace.

"She had so many dreams with her life and her unborn baby. And it makes me so mad ki wo ek baar bhi Yaksh ko dekh tak nhi paayi. Why is God so cruel? Kyu sapne dikhate hai jab unhe pura nhi krne dena chahte toh? I miss her so much Yukti. I miss her so much."

Yukti didn't know what to say so she just rubbed his back and let him cry.

"Mai nhi jaanti ki bhagwaan ji ne aisa kyu kia. Lekin mai itna keh skti hu ki Yakshna didi would be looking at you and she'd be so happy and proud. You're an amazing father to Yaksh."

"You think?"

He asked looking into her eyes and she nodded.

"Aapne kabhi dekha nhi ki kaise uska chehra khil jaata hai jab wo aapko dekhta hai? You make him so happy. And that's what a good father does."

**************************************

Please do leave your comments.

Also, please vote for the story.������

Laters!!��❤️