Love Finds a Way !!!

Chapter 17

Dhruv turned as the door to the room opened. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Palak come in. And he thanked God she was safe. Had she done anything stupid he would never have forgiven himself. But as soon as she closed the door behind her doubts assailed him. What if she didn't agree to his proposal? What if she rejected him? What if she had decided to break up with him? What would he do then? And if after everything was alright what if Aarav said he couldn't help him? He tensed again. For now he should concentrate on one thing alone and that was Palak. If she agreed he would do whatever was possible to get everyone's approval. He looked at her. She seemed upset and a little sacred. Well, it was bound to happen considering she just met with Aarav in person and of course her sister too who, poor thing, had no clue about what the situation really was.

"Hey," he said as they stared at each other.

"Hey," Palak said he almost thought she would give in to tears.

He didn't know what had transpired in that room outside and he had been irritated with Aarav for making him wait here. He had wanted to be there with them but Aarav being Aarav, and then Dhruv had agreed he would play by his rules. He hadn't had any choice. He hoped his brother hadn't spoken harshly to Palak or her sister. He could be ruthless when it came to pointing things out.

"You okay?" he asked uncertainly.

"I don't know," Palak said with a pout and sat on the bed with a huff.

Concerned Dhruv immediately went to crouch near her feet. He peered up into her face. She looked stressed.

"Aarav wasn't harsh with you, was he?" he asked tightly. Though had his brother been harsh what Dhruv could have done about it was another issue.

"You told him," Palak asked almost crying, "about us," she queried again when he nodded his assent, "everything?" she asked.

Did she have to? His brother had known all about it. She hadn't told him, hell, she had met him for the first time just now so Dhruv must have involved him. Couldn't he have asked someone else from his family for help? Why his infamous brother?

"I had to Palak," Dhruv said trying to make her understand, "I messed up," he said frustrated with himself and rose restlessly to go stand near the French doors to the balcony overlooking the side lawns and tall coconut trees. He saw the hotel golf cart pass below. The balcony that was in front of the main sitting room wrapped itself around all the way to the bedroom. There was a white wrought iron table along with two chairs right outside the door. It was a great suite. His was on the other side with the same layout only his balcony overlooked the swimming pool and fountain side. "I should have stayed calm when you had come to me and told me what was going on," he said as he raked a hand through his hair, "I should have thought of the solution. It wasn't your burden to bear alone and yet..." he said and shook his head in disgust. "By the time I realized what I had done and said, you had disappeared," he told her, then turned to face her, "I didn't know who else to talk to and Aarav seemed the only one who could have helped, and he did," he said.

"Yes, he did," Palak said and rose from the bed to stand with her hands on her hips indignantly, "by telling my sister I was a thief," she said loudly.

"He didn't actually use the word," Dhruv explained hesitantly, "he just said you had taken something vital with you when you left and Kanak automatically assumed you had...you know..." he said and stopped. He didn't want to call her a thief to her face.

"And that was alright by you?" she asked wondering how Dhruv could let his brother deceive Kanak like that into finding her.

"No," Dhruv said firmly, "but you just met my brother Palak, do you honestly think he would have let me have a say," he told her, "besides we couldn't tell Kanak you were pregnant," he said, "would that have been a better idea?" he asked her.

Dhruv wasn't as smart as his brother but he wasn't dumb either. He knew he had to get her to side with him and accept what he had in mind not get her all riled up and reject his idea. He saw as Palak debated the sanity of what he had just asked her.

"No," she finally said as she crossed her arms over her chest to hug herself, "it wouldn't have been appropriate," she muttered.

"That was the only reason why I let him go with it," Dhruv said with a smile, "it doesn't matter how or why we did what we did Palak," he told her as he walked towards her, "we wanted to find you. And we were out of options. Your sister was the only one who could have helped and she wasn't willing to either," he said gently and Palak looked up at him confused, "she didn't know us, she didn't even know that you and I knew each other so," he said and shrugged. Then gently took her hands in his. "Look, Palak, I want to make this right for you, for me, for us," he said then sat on one knee as he took a jewel box out of his jean pocket, "will you marry me?" he proposed and opened the little velvet jewel box.

Palak stood there like a statue. Was he serious? Of course he was. Look at the ring. It was a huge diamond with sapphires all around it. It was the same ring she had seen and admired in the window of one of the shops when she had gone with him to the mall a couple of weeks ago. It had been very expensive. He had got the same ring for her. He did love her. How could she have doubted him? But she had. When he had told her to go for an abortion she had thought him to be the same as the other rich brats. And she had been so mad at her foolishness for falling in love with him, thinking him to be different she had left in a rush. Of course, there had been the other thing too. Her pregnancy. And she had been sacred. She hadn't known what to do. Or who to confide in. But he was here. He had found her. It didn't matter how. What mattered was he wanted to marry her. He wanted to take responsibility no, share the responsibility. What should she do? Should she say yes? But she had wanted him to propose to her even before she had found she was pregnant. So what was stopping her? What about Kanak? Palak was sure her sister would want to see her married too before anybody else found out about this. She was so happy. But what of his brother? What about his family? Would they accept her? She bit her lip as doubts crowded around her happiness.

"What is it?" Dhruv asked as he frowned. She had seemed happy but suddenly she was biting her lip.

"Dhruv," Palak said her eyes shining, "I love you. I really do," she said, "and I want to marry you too but," she said doubtfully, "what about your family? What if they don't accept me? We don't exactly belong to the same strata of society," she said slowly.

"Do you accept my proposal?" Dhruv asked her.

Palak nodded her head.

"Yes," she said smiling at him.

Dhruv took the ring out and put it on her ring finger.

"Then don't worry about anything else," he said as he stood up and kissed her forehead, "I will take care of it," he told her as he smiled at her.

"What about your brother?" Palak whispered as she pointed her thumb towards the door, "Will he agree?" she asked.

Dhruv realized Palak was scared of Aarav. He chuckled. It was expected. He had told her many stories about Aarav. And maybe he had been a bit rude just now. Aarav had the ability to scare Dhruv too at times but he knew Aarav didn't have anything bad at heart. He did what he did for the better of everyone. Whether it was the way he had handled Sagarika's divorce or Tanish's last fiasco. Of course, Tanish had thrown a fit not that it had fazed Aarav. And whether Tanish ever admitted this or not Aarav had come to his rescue one too many times. He had stood by everyone in the family even if he had hated doing it. And Dhruv knew Aarav would stand by him too. Right now he felt so relieved he didn't let Aarav's strange ways deter his mood. He had found Palak, proposed to her, she had accepted and all was well in Dhruv ville. Aarav would handle the rest. With that he hugged Palak reassuring her of the same.

What Dhruv didn't know that Aarav wasn't all that agreeable just yet? And he did forget a crucial factor in his life. His mother. Shilpa Virendra Singhania.

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