(Two years later. November 2018)
There are days when the night is the most awaited time for everyone. Joy continues to grow as the world gets darker. The lights have been turned on. Lamps adorn every corner of the streets, houses, and buildings. Dhol music began to be played. Families began to gather, joking and teasing each other. The fire of worship starts to burn, its smoke blesses the whole house, along with the hope of being reunited with the next Diwali celebration.
Aryan, dressed in his black sherwani, was driving south. Like that day, now he also brought an important mission with him. Today will be the most important day for his family. His efforts for these two years paid off with a sweet ending. His dimpled smile never left his handsome face. He couldn't wait to get to his destination and see that smile.
Today is Diwali. His father threw a big party to celebrate at their house. Of course in a very special way. This year's Diwali will be different than before. He even left his college for a few days because he didn't want to miss this. His father gave him an important task which he was happy to do. As the guests began to arrive, he slipped away to pick up his mother and his twin siblings.
Ten minutes later he arrived at the door of his mother's apartment. But just as he raised his hand to knock on the door, someone already opened it. His smile widened when he saw Kajol's smiling face. The woman looked so gorgeous in the black-and-gold saree that his father sent to her. Her black hair was neatly tied up with jasmine, typical of south Indian women.
"Hi, Maa. Can I hug you?"
Kajol chuckled and nodded. They shared a warm hug for a while. Ah, Aryan really missed that hug.
"You look very beautiful." he praised.
"Usually not?" Kajol smirked then laughed again as Aryan blushed. "I am kidding."
Aryan stepped inside following Kajol. His siblings were sitting on the sofa, looking adorable in a matching sherwani and lehenga. They clapped and mumbled upon seeing him, as if calling out to him. While waiting for Kajol to get ready he chose to play with them.
"Hi Aryan! Nice to see you back."
Aryan raised his head to look at the person. "Uncle Mickey! It's been a long time since we've seen each other. You came to our party, na?"
"Oh, I'm afraid I can't. My family had a little celebration at home." Mickey said.
"No problem. Maybe next time." Aryan smiled. "Thank you for helping my mother."
Mickey chuckled. "Your mother is naturally beautiful. I just need a little effort to make her perfect."
They talked for a while and then Mickey said goodbye. A few moments later Kajol came out of the room and they immediately left for Mannat. Kajol carried Azira while Aryan was with Azran.
They have been through a lot in these two years. Aryan helps his father to bring his mother back home. In his last remaining days in India, he tried hard to get Kajol to reverse her decision. When he found out that she had suddenly left during the meeting that day, he immediately followed her to test his diplomatic skills. He begged, kneeling to his mother not to leave him. He didn't want to lose another mother. He didn't want his siblings to feel what he felt. He didn't want any of that. Luckily, God blessed his efforts. Kajol withdraw the divorce suit after a year although she didn't immediately accept Shahrukh back. Shahrukh and Aryan give her some time until she can decide to return to Mannat.
Meanwhile, Shahrukh slowly began to solve his problems one by one. He asked his lawyer to bring back the case of rape and burglary committed by Ajay against Kajol several years ago. He didn't let him off again. He did everything possible for Kajol to get justice. He knew that the wound in his wife's heart wouldn't heal completely if she kept seeing that bastard roaming freely. And his efforts paid off. Ajay was caught by the police at Mumbai airport while trying to escape to Singapore. He is in prison while the legal process for him is still ongoing.
At Mannat, Shahrukh is anxiously waiting for his special guest. Among the guests who came, he really expected the presence of the three people he had been waiting for. He looked at the gate every minute, hoping for a car to come with Kajol and the kids. How could he not be nervous? He will meet his children for the first time. When they were born on November 4, 2016, Kajol didn't allow him to see them. Things were still very chaotic at that time. But God once again gave His goodness to him. Today, on Diwali and the second birthday of Azira and Azran, his family will be reunited. Here in Mannat, in a house full of hope as its name suggests.
"Are they here yet?" Shehnaz comes to him from inside the house. Shahrukh just shook his head with his gaze fixed on the Mannat entrance.
A white Range Rover entered Mannat's grounds. Happy smile started to form on Shahrukh's lips with his eyes sparkling. His heart skipped a beat as the car stopped right in front of him. Aryan got out of the car and opened the door for Kajol and the twins. His blood rippled rapidly as the two little angels, with their unbalanced steps, came up to him laughing merrily. He was surprised because they recognized him. Happiness was growing in his heart. He knelt down and spread out his arms, welcoming his two babies. His tears spilled from his eyes. He couldn't say anything.
Then he looked at them in turn. Azira looks more like Kajol. The outline of her face is firm with large honey-brown eyes. While Azran is more like himself. His hair was dark brown with thin lips. One thing from him they have in common are two cute dimples. Shahrukh bit his lip, not wanting to shed all his tears as they put their tiny hands on his face. He kissed their foreheads alternately, feeling like he was alive again.
Kajol, Aryan, Shehnaz, and others who saw the sweet moment were moved. The sparkling night of Diwali turned into a full of emotion. Shahrukh then got up. His gaze immediately fell on Kajol who was standing not far from him. For the umpteenth time he was stunned at the woman. He felt like a young man who fell in love for the first time. The two blushed then averted their gaze.
Aryan and Shehnaz had noticed that since earlier. Aryan winked to his aunt, giving her a code that was well received.
"Bua, let's go in. It's not good to welcome them at the door like this. Hai na, papa?" Aryan said.
Shahrukh chuckled and nodded. "Yes, come in. The worship is about to begin." he said without taking his eyes off Kajol.
Aryan and Shehnaz immediately took Azira and Azran inside the house. Shahrukh and Kajol followed behind them a few minutes later.
"Welcome back to Mannat." Shahrukh said with a smile.
"Thank you. You made too much of a welcome for us." Kajol chuckled as she looked around her surroundings.
"All of this is nothing compared to the generosity of your heart to accept me back."
The Khan family's Diwali party was attended by a lot of guests. Shahrukh's business colleagues, players of Shahrukh's cricket club, people from the film industry, friends, close relatives, to their extended families. Pooja and her family; Mukherji family members: Aditya and Rani, Ayan, Ashutosh and Sunita, Sharbani; Karan; Salman and his family; even Gauri and her husband were also present. That night became a night full of grace. Shahrukh begins to come to terms with his past and is ready to set out on a new journey with Kajol, the woman he can proudly call his wife again.
"Come with me. I have a surprise for you." Shahrukh pulled Kajol away to Mannat's rooftop where their family gathers.
Kajol didn't protest. She quietly followed Shahrukh. The man had turned Mannat into a palace in a fairy tale. All corners are full of lamps. The layout of the room had also been different from the last time she had seen it. She didn't see anything that could remind her of the past. Mannat had become the new Mannat, just like their hopes.
They stopped right at the doorway. Kajol widened her eyes in disbelief when she saw her mother and sister sitting in the middle with the rest of her family. She turned to Shahrukh who was smiling at her.
"I'm not dreaming, am I?" she asked innocently.
Shahrukh shook his head then widen his smile, showing his two dimples. "Maa may not have forgiven me. But she can never refuse anything that makes her daughter happy. Go, meet your mother. I know you miss her."
Not many know that Kajol chose to move out of her mother's house because of their quarrel over the divorce suit. Kajol left the house after her mother forced her to sign the divorce papers. Everything was arranged by her lawyer. She didn't know anything about the paper. When she met Shahrukh at Karan's house that day, she knew he had received it. Caught in a dilemma, she instead uses it to cover her vulnerability, thinking it was too late for her to save the marriage.
But God is not that evil. He made Shahrukh never sign the paper. Now here they are, at the point of a better life. They managed to get out of the dark space. Kajol didn't have time to say anything when she came face to face with her mother. The two hugged each other, releasing the anger and hatred they had for each other. Shahrukh glanced at Tanisha then both winked at each other. All the broken relationships that day were made whole again. Ravana was defeated once again by Ram, and Sita returned to her Ram.
They gathered in the main room for worship then continued with the twins' birthday celebrations. They sang and danced all night long. Azira and Azran became the stars of the party. Everyone scramble to meet them. Aryan who never smiles in public even dances with Ayan, Kajol, and Karan in the middle of the dance floor. Shahrukh and Gauri ended their cold war with a warm hug. Tanuja was still reluctant to talk to her son-in-law even though she followed the party till the end.
Shahrukh chose to take a break from his work. He didn't take any offers for two years. He specifically asks Pooja to clear his schedule for next year. Together with Kajol he keeps himself busy in many charitable events as a form of gratitude towards the Almighty. He wants to spend more time with his family. Moreover, Azira and Azran have just returned to Mannat. They certainly need time to finally be able to adapt to the new environment. Shahrukh wants to be involved in all the processes, doesn't want to waste them anymore like he used to.
At the end of the year, Shahrukh took his family on a vacation to Switzerland. They were there for almost a month. They visited places when they were shooting for Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. The twins innocently pointed at a picture of Shahrukh and Kajol on a bridge in Saanen. The bridge became iconic after DDLJ was released and became famous all over the world.
"Mama.. Papa.." Azira mumbled while looking at Shahrukh with her big eyes. She might wonder how can the picture of her parents was there. While Shahrukh and Kajol looked at each other with confused looks, Aryan smiled instead.
"Your parents are movie stars. Big movie stars. Every day they are being hunted by one-eyed monsters with lighting tools in their hands. When you guys are as big as me they will also hunt you."
Azira just frowned and then looked at her parents who were laughing out loud. Azran who was in Aryan's arms also frowned. His little hand gently smacked his brother's lips and then laughed. Aryan glared at him but a moment later he laughed. They took several pictures right in front of the DDLJ poster and then continued their trip.
Their trip ended in Zürich to celebrate New Year's Eve. Aryan brought his siblings to play in the snow while Shahrukh and Kajol sat in the courtyard of their inn enjoying a cup of tea.
"Time flies." Shahrukh said, starting the conversation.
Kajol nodded. "Flies so fast."
"Did it ever cross your mind that we would end up like this?"
"I don't think we're done yet." Kajol turned to look at Shahrukh. "The journey has just begun, has it not?"
"Yeah, I mean... With what we've been through, did you ever think things would turn out like this?"
"To me that was a past. Let's just close this black book and put it in the farthest corner of the shelf where we can never see it again. There's a new book waiting to be written." Kajol said.
"I love your analogy." Shahrukh smiled then put down his teacup. "I'm sorry I wasn't there with you when you wrote the last page of the black book."
Kajol smiled and gently stroked her husband's cheek. "I've forgotten it. Don't ever make me remember it again."
Shahrukh took Kajol's hand and kissed it. "Anyway, let's write the first page of the new book with this."
Kajol was silent watching Shahrukh looked for something in his jacket pocket. As soon as he pulled out that thing she gasped and covered her mouth. She is surprised to see a beautiful palladium ring in Shahrukh's hand.
"You left your ring when you left the house. But I didn't want to give it back to you. So I bought a new one. Just like the one I'm wearing." Shahrukh shows his ring finger. Kajol just realized there was a ring in his finger. "Want to be my wife once again?"
Kajol immediately nodded firmly. Shahrukh put the ring on her finger and kissed the back of her hand. The ring looked very beautiful, radiating a new light of happiness to them.
"Congratulations on being Mrs Khan again." Shahrukh said, still with his dimpled smile. His eyes widened in shock as Kajol climbed onto his lap and kissed him on the lips. He didn't refuse, of course. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Kajol's waist and kissed her back with the same passion.
Aryan saw all that from a distance. His lips curved into a satisfied smile. His parents reunited. Now he had nothing to worry about. He knew they would love each other forever. Nothing will be able to separate them again. One problem solved. Now is the time for him to focus on completing his final years at university.
Time changes. People changes. Plans changes. But their love not.
~ THE END ~