Chapter 67
No sooner she heard the words, tears started flowing through her eyes again...not the ones that Naina said...but the ones that he sang...
Tujhe Milke Laga Hai Ye Tujhe Dhundh Raha Tha Main
Tujhe Milke Laga Hai Ye Tujhe Dhundh Raha Tha Main
Tujme Hai Kuch Aisi Subah Sa
Jiski Khaatir Main Tha Jaga Sa
Aa Tu Mera Khwab Sajaa Ja Re
Maahi Aaja Re, Maahi Aaja ReShe felt he was saying them to her...or she hoped he was. She hadn't heard the song before and so her entire focus was on the words while Naina pulled her hair into a messy bun. Her heart broke when she heard the next line...
Dil Roye Ya Ilahi, Tu Aaja Mere MaahiThe pain in his voice, the words, the overflowing emotions and her clenching heart...it was a mix of everything that made her suddenly run towards the stage. Naina didn't even try to stop her this time...she knew there was no point. Surprisingly she didn't feel all that bad about what was happening...her display of love, her insanity, her tears and her scattiness only reduced her love for him into nothingness compared to hers. She knew she got nothing on her...
Tu Hi Hai Mere Dil Ki Tamanna
Teri Hi Yaadein Har Lamha
De Mujhe De Apna Aanchal
Dhoop Me Jalta Main HarpalNaina was right behind her when she reached the backstage...abruptly halting in her steps as she took in the sight in front of her making her collide with her. There were huge torches on the 4 corners of the stage...colored in white and lit with a pinkish yellow flame. Thin white scarves, random in length and position, were suspended from the ceiling while his little group performed around them. Some of them, the couples actually, were wrapped in a white band covering them entirely like a mummy while some others girls were dressed in white frilly skirts and tops. All of their faces had a white mask that covered their face as well as their head. In the center of the vastness of the stage, there he sat..behind the drums station...clad in a black vest in the middle of all the whiteness that surrounded him. Her eyes travelled the length of his body...she saw the band on his head, the deep black of his vest contrasting his milky white skin, his shiny black trousers and then her eyes drifted to the stool on which his fractured leg rested...the drums covering all of his broken body. It was evident to anyone who knew what was going on that he was venting out his anguish on the drums...the strength and fervor with which he played and sang only making her tremble.
Tujhme Hai Kuch Aisi Ghataa Sa
Jiske Liye Hu Main Pyaasa Sa
Aa Tu Meri Pyaas Bujha Ja ReHe sensed her presence then and looked right at her...It was then that she realized the band on his head wasn't just a band...it was a bandage. She swallowed hard as she felt his pain shoot right through her body...their eyes connected for a long moment before he looked away.
Maahi Maahi Maahi Maahi Maahi MaahiSeeing her must have heightened his angst because his head fell back as he forcefully drummed while he sang the following...
Bas Mere Tu Maahi Saanso Me Hai Maahi
Hain Mujhe Hai Tera Armaan Hai Tujhe Hai Mera Banna
Har Ghadi Teri Dil Me Aahat Tu Mile Mil Jaaye RaahatShe knew he was singing to her when he looked back it her direction as he continued...
Jud Ke Bhi Tu Mujhse Juda Sa
Milke Bhi Tu Kyu Hai Khafaa Sa
Aaja Meri Baaho Me Aaja Re
Jud Ke Bhi Tu Mujhse Juda Sa
Milke Bhi Tu Kyu Hai Khafaa Sa
Aaja Meri Baaho Me Aaja ReShe had just taken a step to oblige at the last words when felt a tug on her shoulder stopping her. She turned back and widened her eyes when she saw Simran along Naina holding her arms on either side. She shook her head to let her know it wasn't the right time. The deep emotion in his voice, the enormity of the whiteness of the get-up, the white suspended bands which were now on fire and the flaming batons that the girls in the white frilly skirts now twirled as they moved about the couples that made to kiss through their masks was so capturing and soul stirring that not only she, but Simran, Naina, April and the whole crowd was holding their breath as tears brimmed in their eyes.
Dil Roye Ya Ilahi, Tu Aaja Mere Maahi
Dil Roye Ya Ilahi, Tu Aaja Mere MaahiThe song faded and the curtains drew closer..but she reached him before they met in the middle. In a swift move she threw her arms around him just as he got up, the force of which jerked her hair open and it fell behind her back. He left his arms by the side of his body, not reciprocating her gesture. It took her a few moments to realize he was standing still in her arms and just when she was about to pull herself, she felt his hands on her arms pulling her away. She did..but only to look at him. She tried as much to read his expressions but his eyes were devoid of any kind of emotion.
"Talk to me, hurt me, scold me...but don..." she couldn't complete her sentence as she felt him gently push her increasing the distance between them...and just like that she felt what it must have felt like when he read her email. He had done exactly what she had said in the email...he was peeling her off of him. She didn't get the chance to talk to him again because Aditya and Simran came to him with his crutches to walk him back. They didn't have any time on them...they couldn't waste time making up on the stage while the audience waited for the finale even more eagerly after such an electrifying performance.
There wasn't enough room for her thoughts as she saw his form disappear in front of her because Sharan pulled her into their opening pose as the curtains started to part again. The music started and she danced to the tune..albeit in a daze trying to search him in the crowd and was about to trip when Sharan changed his move to make it look like a dance step. It was then she came back to her senses fully...and looked at him apologetically and waited for him to acknowledge it. But this was Sharan...who never expressed anything that he felt. She found his moves and his hold around her a tab bit zesty compared to what they had practiced...and then she realized he was performing alone...with her only following his lead.
She could feel his eyes on her and she wanted to look for him but forced herself to concentrate on her dance as she fully gave into the new impromptu steps. She was glad she did, because by the time the music came to a stop, the crowd was roaring giving them a standing ovation. If his performance was electrifying, theirs was sensational. If his performance stirred everyone's emotions, theirs heightened the verve. If his performance broke everyone's hearts, theirs pumped it up with joy. It was the perfect end to an invigorating skit.
He placed her hand behind her back as he bent down to take a bow and she followed suit. When she straightened up, she saw him...his gaze piercing right through her. She waited for the curtains to close fully before darting out to the entrance. By the time she got there, he was nowhere to be seen. She immediately called him but he didn't respond...she texted him but he didn't respond. She closed her eyes as felt herself drown in a wave of dejection. She knew she had lost him...lost him forever. After everything she had said and done, she knew she shouldn't hope for anything, but yet she stood there scanning through the departing crowd hoping she could catch a glimpse of him. The venue cleared in no time...or rather, she didn't realize how long she had stood at the entrance looking for him until Sharan brought her out of her daze by placing his hand on her shoulder. He saw even her eyes had tired...her tears had dried leaving a dry trail on either side of her face.
"I want to stay here a bit longer. Don't wait for me..." she said guessing what was on his mind. Not wanting to intrude in her space, he started to walk away when she tugged on his hand. He turned...she gave him a quick hug saying "Thank you...and sorry. I was lost..." He knew it wasn't going to help much but her tried nonetheless "You still haven't seen Maine Pyaar Kiya?" He was glad he could at least make her smile. He stroked her head before leaving her alone...
She sat on one of the benches with her eyes closed...drinking all the tears that flooded her heart as she recalled his form...the band around his head and the heavy brace around his leg. He was wounded but she could feel the pain in every part of her body. As she sat there wondering if she had truly lost him forever, she heard from next to her "Thinking about me?" She flung her eyes open and looked to her side. He was sitting on the same bench as her...resting his head on the leaning arm on the back rest...wearing a smile on his face.
P.S. - The music Sharan and Keerti danced on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwesF03Yx2UEdited by dolphinUSA - 12 years ago
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