Dear Readers,
Hope you have all been well and have caught up on my OS spun off
from my last chapter. Here is the next edition in Anjali-Ajay saga.
Read, enjoy, hit like and comment.
Pyaar in the Pink City(English)
Disclaimer: I do not own these photos. They have been procured from publicly available internet sources and have been used here for illustrative purposes only
Part 19
The Dare
"When a person boldly declares, 'You can't,' he might as well add on, 'can you?', knowing that this spoken roadblock only serves to fuel a
challenge in naturally stubborn souls."
Richelle E. Goodrich
Life
was bustling everywhere around him.
Happy families, hopeful singles, love-struck couples, busy shoppers,
boisterous teens, excited children and languid window-shoppers were all milling
around the mall that Sunday. Shyaam
stood in the middle of it all, looking, yet not seeing, for his thoughts were
elsewhere. He had married Anjali with the intent of sponging off the Raizada
riches over his lifetime. It was not
exactly martyrdom, for she was quite pretty and was devoted to him, not to
mention the luxurious lifestyle and influence at his disposal as the
brother-in-law of Arnav Singh Raizada. But
then, he had glimpsed a sliver of lightning in Lucknow one hot afternoon,
Khushi. He could think of nothing else
but making her his, since then. Was it
love? He was not quite sure. He
considered love a tool of requirement and nothing beyond. Ironically the only person for whom he would
even remotely apply that term would be his Raani Sahiba. Now Khushi, she was something to possess, his
muse. She inspired him to spring out of inertia and plot and scheme and do
whatever it took to make her his.
Ideally he would have ended up with both of them in his life, if it were
not for Arnav who had set his eyes on Khushi, and was out to claim what should
have been his. He had not expected his
hot-headed saale-saab to fall in love and have it reciprocated by the homely
lass. What followed had been pure torture. Oh the shame of it! Losing to Arnav, his
nemesis, the golden boy who had everything handed to him on a silver platter;
while he, Shyaam had to claw his way up the ladder. How he
loathed the likes of Arnav! Arnav
had warned him off Khushi on the day he had brought her home as his bride and
upped the stakes. That made the entire
thing a hugely thrilling game. He would
not lose, no matter the cost. From that
moment nothing mattered, neither his marriage, nor his desire for Khushi,
nothing. What mattered was to break
Arnav and his spirit. He no longer cared
about possessing Khushi; she had lost her appeal now that she was Arnav's in
every sense of the word. But he could
still get to Arnav through his precious Di.
He
had been counting on finding that will, so he could finish what he had started
a year back. Finish off Arnav Singh Raizada.
With Arnav out of his way, he would have it all, his money, his woman
and his sister. But the will had been destroyed. He had corroborated Kamlaji's findings by
having his spies gather information from Aradhya Anaadh Ashram as well. There was no will. A legal document of that nature would have
made some waves in the Ashram's clerical staff and there had been none. Now he had to think of another plan. May be he will not be able to kill Arnav or
get his woman, but there has to be a way to make him pay in huge sums. As for Anjali, where would she go? Once the sorrow of her long departed child wears
off she would be more approachable.
After all, they could always make more children. She would come back to him, and he would
decide whether to weasel his way into her good graces or not when the time was
right. It all depended on where the
pieces fell. All he needed was a chance, a slim chance to make the most of.
Shyaam let out a frustrated growl
and spun around only to bump into a middle-aged man. "Excuse me.
I am sorry,"he muttered, helping the man up. One look at the man's face, and he paled for
he was none other than the Raizadas' family Jeweller, Motilalji. "Thank you.
And you are?" asked Motilalji with a polite enquiring gaze. "Rakesh Singh" blurted Shyaam. "Thank you very much Rakesh saab" repeated
Motilalji, shaking his hand. Shyaam let
out a deep breath and sniggered at his reflection on the store glass. With his full-growth of beard, fake glasses
and artsy ponytail, he looked nothing like Shyaam Manohar Jha. He was now Rakesh Singh a journalist of
stringent moral fibre.
He was about to move away when the
reflection of a little girl caught his eye.
She seemed lost judging by her wide-eyed expression and pale
countenance. He spun around and drawing
closer to her asked "What is the matter?
Are you lost?" Diamonds winking at
her ears, Nike shoes, imported watch, upscale salon hair-cut, and designer
jeans. This girl fairly reeks of money, he
concluded. "May I use your phone
please? I think I am lost yet again" she
stammered. "Of course" he said kneeling
down and fished in his kurta's pocket for his cell, when a pair of denim clad
legs closed up behind the girl. Shyaam
jerked his head up and looked into the rugged face of a man who was in all
likelihood her father.
He stood up returning the man's
smile and clasped his extended hand, brushing off his thanks when another
figure floated in his line of sight right behind the man. She was limping forward, visibly perturbed
and had eyes only for the little girl who grinned at her sight reaching out to
clutch her hand. The woman hugged the
girl to her side and laying a hand on the man's biceps she muttered "Thank God
Ajay! Hum tho ghabragaye the." "Yeah.
The little monkey is safe. Thanks
to this gentleman who was about to help her call us on his cell, Mr?" he
questioned Shyaam. "Rakesh. Rakesh
Singh" mumbled Shyaam his eyes fixed on Anjali, his mouth slightly open at her
unexpected appearance and the sight of her obvious familiarity with this man
and girl.
"I
am Ajay, this is my daughter Tashi, and this here is " he was cut short by
Shyaam's voice saying "Anjali". Anjali's
eyes widened ever so slightly and her head spun as she recognized the man and
his voice. "Shyaamji! What was he doing in
this get-up? Why did he call himself
Rakesh? and why was he near Tashi?" She thought masking her fears with a
blandly polite expression on her face as she nodded at him. "Do you guys know each other already?" questioned
Ajay looking from one to the other. "Anjali
Raizada, the only sister of crorepati business man and the owner of AR group Arnav
Singh Raizada. Who does not know of her? Especially when you are one of the media,
like I am, it's our business to know society's Rich and Famous. How are you doing,----- Anjaliji?"
************
It was
past eleven in the night and the lovely atmosphere by the poolside under normal
circumstances would have soothed Ajay.
But tonight his heart and mind were restless. He had closed the purchase of his house
yesterday and would be heading back to Jaipur in the morning and yet he was nowhere
close to making a dent in Anjali's icy armor.
She had thawed in the brief moments when they had panicked over Tashi's
disappearance at the mall, but that had not lasted long. "The woman will drive me mad before she
accepts her feelings" he muttered through clenched teeth. Lack of sleep was
taking its toll on his general attitude and wearing his patience thin. He whirled at the sound of footsteps, light
with a slight drag to one of them.
Anjali stepped out on to the porch and hesitated briefly. She had been lost in thoughts and had not
noticed Ajay's presence until it was too late to back off without seeming
rude. They stood for several minutes in
silence looking at each other, each seeking an unknown something in the other's
eyes. "Aaah! I did not know you were out here. I don't mean to disturb you." said Anjali at
long last and attempted to turn back.
"Oh no you don't." came the cutting
response. In one swift move Ajay had
captured her arm and spun her around to face him. She put her arms on his shoulders to steady
herself, her face flushed with the sudden rush of blood at this unexpected
move. "Anjali, the deal on the house was
a bloody excuse. The real reason is that,
I wanted to see you, touch you again, talk to you." His voice softened tugging at her heart. "You had been gone a mere day and the house
had closed in on me, chasing me out to pursue you. Can't you see that I am dead serious about my
feelings for you, about us and what we could have if only you gave yourself a
chance? I love you Anjali and I do not
say that very easily. I know that in
your heart you do too. What I don't know
is why you refuse to accept it? What has
occurred in your life that prompts you to freeze your feelings and pretend
everything is fine? Tell me Anjali. I want to know, I want to understand. Whatever you do, just don't lie that my
company is pleasant and that you have no feelings for me." He finished.
Her heart fluttered wildly at his
declaration of love. All she wanted to
do was to surrender to his touch, stroke his cheek and feel his arms around
her. Instead, Anjali wiggled out of his
grasp, her thoughts flying back to the sight of Shyaamji at the mall, and
putting some distance between them she began,"Ajay, you are letting a lot ride
on one kiss. You were attracted no doubt
and that night, the atmosphere, it was all very romantic, magical, it was bound
to happen," she continued rambling, wringing her hands, her eyes averted and on
the floor.
He saw her lips move but
heard nothing after the first few sentences.
In one easy move he wrapped his arm around her waist and yanked her
against his chest. "Atmosphere eh? Let us see shall we?" he rasped and closed in
on her lips. The kiss was fevered in its
intensity reflecting the frustrated mood of the man who delivered it, hard and
relentless in its assault. Anjali
struggled briefly and then gave up, pouring her own frustration in her
response. Blood ran fast and furious in
their veins as the quality of their kiss changed from tempestuous to
sensuous. Anjali 's hands slid up his
back, reaching for his shoulder blades and she sighed into his ear as his hands
stroked her waist and his lips nuzzled her shoulder. His parted lips left a trail of goose bumps
on her neck in their wake as they made their way up to her ear. Nipping the sides of her ear he murmured in a
voice laced heavily with desire, "This, is what I mean Sugar Queen. No atmosphere, no romantic touches and yet
the magic is just as strong. It's just
us. We make this magic happen."
Her eyes snapped open and with one
firm push she moved away from him and spun around, hot tears blinding her
eyes. "Dear God! Why could I not stay
still and let his kiss wash over me? Now
I have only affirmed his belief all the more.
I have no answers to give you Ajay.
Once you hear what a loser I have been all my life you will have nothing
but pity for me and that is a weight too hard for me to bear. I'll not have it that way." She lamented
mentally.
"What the bloody hell is going on?"
thundered Arnav storming onto the patio followed by Akash and Khushi. His face
murderous and his hands fisting up automatically as he stepped next to his Di and glared at Ajay, who stared back in
mutiny eager for some fisticuffs. It would feel really good to throw a few
punches and take a few. Maybe things
would sort themselves out then.
Mused Ajay silently. Khushi
hurried to put an arm around a distraught Anjali and whispered gently "What's
the matter Anjali di?" Anjali merely
shook her head in response and laid a restraining hand on her chotte's
arm. She was terrified that he would do
some physical damage to Rathod and that would break her will to keep mum about
how she felt about him. "Rathod, I had
warned you to stay away from my di. I
made it clear that I cannot bear to see her distressed. And yet here you are doing exactly the
opposite" he ground out through clenched teeth.
"Arnav relax. Your Di and I are
adults. Unfortunately she has a habit
of hiding her true self and I was merely helping her break that habit. As for our little conversation back at the
haveli, you'll recall what I told you."
Anjali turned shocked eyes towards
Arnav. Shrugging off Khushi's hand she
asked, "Chotte, Did you discuss me with Ajay? Did you warn him off me? "
"Di, I just wanted the best for
you. I will not be able to bear it if
yet again---" Arnav replied, his eyes
softening and his gut tugging at the sight of her troubled and outraged
face. "Is it possible that she might really care for Ajay. Am I
too late in preventing her from getting hurt?" He wondered.
"Di, bhai and I were just looking
out for you when we did that" said Akash breaking his silence and rushing to
his bhai's rescue. "Akash, you too!"
exclaimed Anjali turning to look at him.
Arnav swung his gaze to look at Akash in surprise while Akash just
sighed and shrugged in response. Khushi
looked on at all three of them helplessly.
She understood all of their view-points and most definitely empathized
with Ajay. It was clear as daylight that
he loved Di deeply. "Hey Devimayya, give me enough strength to help them all" she
prayed silently.
"Have you two concluded that your
Di is incapable of handling her own affairs?
That she is in capable of making up her own mind? Or worst, that whatever decision she takes
will not be the right one. Is that why
you stepped in to help, by warning Ajay off?
What am I? A teenager? A school
girl? Perhaps you both have forgotten that I am several years older than you
and have been handling difficult situations ever since you both have been
school kids" she stated in a dreadfully chilling voice. Both the men looked suitably chastised and
opened their mouth, but she silenced them with a wave of her hand, her eyes
glittering with hurt and rage. "Let me
assure you that I am perfectly capable of handling myself. Thank you very much. And if I choose to say yes to Rathodji, that
decision too would be mine and mine alone. "She swirled to pin Ajay with her
glare and continued "As for you, this applies to you too. I'll say what I feel like and when I feel
like it. Even you cannot force me into
anything unless I am ready for it, is that clear?" she ground out, shaking with
an emotion that was alien to her - temper.
"Crystal!" replied Ajay his face
impassive "I'll be waiting for you to come to me and speak out what's in your
heart, Sugar Queen". Both of them seemed
to have momentarily forgotten that they had an audience. "Don't hold your
breath" Anjali spat out whirling to face him.
"Really? Wanna bet on it? We both know that it's just a matter of time
sugar before you are in my arms." He said casually leaning against the wall,
his arms crossed and his gaze holding hers, daring her.
"No,
No, don't take the bait Di. Walk away
just walk away" Arnav screamed in his mind his eyes drifting to Khushi's
who was watching with her mouth open.
"Are you challenging me? You are
on." Declared Anjali, in a fit of
temper. "Oh no Di! What did you do?"
bemoaned Arnav silently his glance settling on the self-satisfied expression on
Ajay's face. "Di, you are tired. You need to rest. Let's go" said Arnav, wrapping an arm around
Anjali. She gently moved his hand aside
and looking at him said, "Chotte, I am fine.
Please let me be by myself just for tonight. Let's go Khushiji" she said holding on to
Khushi's hand as she walked into the house.
The three men stood in utter
silence none of them willing to make a move.
Finally, Ajay broke the silence. "Arnav, Akash, I know that both of you
are very protective of your sister and I respect you immensely for that. At the same time, I believe she needs to make
up her own mind. I know she has some
painful past and know she will confide when she is ready. In the meantime I want you to know that I
love her deeply and admire her strong spirit.
Like I said, if her answer is no, I'll back off. You have my word on it."
Arnav stood motionless for a few
seconds, then with a curt nod he turned on his heels and disappeared into the
house. Akash gave Ajay a small smile
and said, "Ajayji, I trust you. Par mere
liye bhai ka word is gospel. I wish you
all luck. If Anjali Di feels the same
way about you, then there would be none happier than me."
Ajay stood looking at Akash's receding
back. Akash was definitely sympathetic and so was Khushiji he sensed. Arnav was cautious but not averse to the
idea. His respect for the man increased
at his show of concern and his defense of his sister. As for Anjali, he would leave no stone
unturned to nudge her to make up her mind in his favor and the day she walks
into his arms, well that would be quite a day to remember. A slow smile bloomed on his lips at the
thought and he made his way into the house.
************
Khushi paused, looked up from her current task of appliqueing
a brightly embroidered, mirrored patch on to her favorite sling bag and counted
under her breath, as her husband paced the width of their bedroom working out
his thoughts. The stronger he felt about
something, the faster the pace, and the more he pondered a particular train of
thought, the slower. After watching him
for ten whole minutes, she set aside her work and stood up front and center,
right in his path, forcing him to halt and look at her quizzically.
"What the! Khushi, what's
up?"
"My question exactly, Arnavji.
What's up? What the! You will wear out both the floor and your
feet not to mention make me dizzy with all the pacing that you have done in the
past ten minutes"
Arnav slumped on the recliner with a sigh and ran his hands over
his face wearily. He could neither
forget the sight of his Di's agitated face, nor shake off his utter conviction
that something significant had transpired between Rathod and Di mere moments
before they had stepped on to the patio.
How could he rest, when his heart trembled thus for his Di?
Khushi's heart softened at the sight of his vulnerable face
and she rushed to his side in an instant. She had known in her heart the moment she saw Anjali di and Ajayji together for the first time yesterday that she would one day have to be her Arnavji's voice of reason.
Cupping his chin she lifted his
face up to meet her eyes and said in a soothing tone, "Arnavji, I suggest that
you go over to Anjali Di's room and meet her.
Clearly you will know no peace till then. At the sametime, please be tactful and avoid
saying anything that may put her on the defensive and push her into obstinacy"
"Di? And Obstinate?" Arnav blurt out in disbelief.
"Yep. You heard me right. Your
Di can be as stubborn as you. She is by
all means your sister in every sense of the word. Once she resolves to get her way, she will
leave no stone unturned to achieve her objective, as I should know." Khushi
responded, mentally recalling how Anjali Di had invoked the contract she had
signed with her brother when she had wanted her to accept her job offer of
grooming Lavanya into a traditional Raizada bahu. " I know how concerned you are about Di's
well being, but remember Arnavji, that she has complete right to decide how far
she wants to take whatever is brewing between her and Rathodji. I believe with all my heart that Ajayji is
an very nice and honorable man. He is
unlikely to pressurize Anjali di or hurt her.
What Di needs from us right now is our unconditional trust and support. Anjali di is strong enough to manage herself,
afterall she has taken care of you since the time you were fourteen." She
concluded stroking his cheek.
Arnav clasped his
wife's hand and nodded, before he left for his Di's room.
"Just a minute" Anjali called out, hastening to open the
door. She had regained her composure and
her face was a smooth mask of geniality when she saw her chotte at her door.
"Chote, you? Here?" she questioned.
"Di, I just need to talk to you for a minute" he said in a
strained voice, scanning Anjali's face affectionately.
She moved away letting him step in. She had anticipated this visit. Chote was far too perceptive to have not
deduced what might have occurred by the poolside before his arrival. Suddenly nervous, she walked over to the
dressing table and proceeded to put her hair up in a ponytail.
Arnav walked over
to her, struggling for the right words to open up the conversation, when Anjali
turned around and laying an assuring hand on his shoulder said, "Chote, stop
fretting. I am absolutely fine..."
Her words trailed off, for his attention was focused on the pea
sized bruise on her collarbone that was rapidly turning a purplish red.
Without taking his eyes off it, he asked in a low voice "Di, what's
this? "
Anjali turned around and quickly checked in the mirror. The tell-tale flush of color could not be
stopped, as she spotted the mark that Ajay had left on her. Ignoring the heat suffusing her face, she
turned around with a nervous laugh and brushed his concern away with a flippant
remark. "The insects by the poolside seem to have multiplied in numbers. I will put some medication on it and it'll be
fine."
Arnav closed his eyes and let out a long breath of air
before clasping his Di's arms. Looking
straight into her eyes, he spoke as gently as he could, given the adrenaline
pumping in his system, "Di, I am no longer an eight year old boy, but a
twenty-eight year old man who can tell the difference between an insect bite
and a love bite."
"Chote, Don't. Please! You shame me." Said Anjali rapidly limping
away to sit on the edge of her bed, her eyes averted in embarrassment.
"I am sorry Di. That was
not my intention. I just don't want you
hurting again. That's all." And Arnav kneeled in front of her turning her
face gently to look at him.
Anjali sighed and gave him a quick hug. "Chote, I know that Rathodji is smitten by me
. However, I have not yet resolved my feelings for him. I promise, I'll take care of myself and above
all I would never take such an important
next step in my life without confiding my decision in you."
Arnav sighed and
laid his head in his sister's lap murmuring his assent.
"Di had been his strength and support
all his life and if it was some time and space she craved for from him now, he
would damn well give it to her. Was Rathod
the one for her? Would she find the love
she so deserved in him? Time would
tell. Besides, Khushi was right. If he persisted, she may rush into a decision
which may not be the best. No matter
what, he would always be there for his Di.
And if it meant supporting her through this dilemma, so be it." He resolved closing his eyes and wrapping his hands around
Anjali's waist drawing comfort even as he imparted it to her.
********************************************
Edited by ForLoveofBarun - 10 years ago
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