"Arrey aise kaise jaaney doon!"

The Present (contd)

His eyes glitter with mischief, with hunger. She eyes the curls twisting above his brow and raises the one free hand to move them out of the way. He follows the slow ascent of her raised hand. And when she is about to touch the black waves, he moves swiftly and nips at her finger. The laughter bursts out of her in fits. The next time she is too quick for him. His grin spells the promise of retribution... 

Flashback

"Arrey aise kaise jaaney doon!"

(Hey, how can I just let you go!)

Balaj

She strides into the baithak with neither a dupatta on her head nor bearing demure. Her blazing eyes tell him she has heard the news. He is quick to notice the wonder and shock on the faces of the assembled villagers at the arrival of a woman thus clad in the men's area. A spark of irritation lights in him as he gestures to have the area cleared of all outsiders. Soon she alone stands before him, chest heaving in agitation and eyes spitting fire. 

He watches her try to keep herself calm and lets her ramble on as she charts out the course for them to follow. His annoyance disappears as amusement rises in him to see her think she can go against Taaya Sarkar's orders. As he throws reality back at her, she stumbles. So ignorant she is of traditions and the values of their family, she thinks she can escape a bond that had been cast so many years ago by their elders. Taaya Sarkar had even broken his engagement with his own daughter because of his respect for the long-standing wishes of the elders! Amber's tears had fallen silent because of the traditions and this girl thought all she had to do was speak and the engagement will go away! It is like watching a parakeet fluttering against the bars of the cage enclosing it. Balaj the horse tamer, thinks it will be fun breaking this one in. 

Hooriya

The first thing Hooriya notices on reaching the mardon ke baithak is the reek of the past that clings to the place. It feels like she has stepped into a feudal drama with this boor playing king. The fact that he sends everyone away would have sent her into a rage on any other day but today. Today she has come to parley. What was Taaya Sarkaar thinking, fixing her marriage with Balaj? They would kill each other within a week. So she tries to calm herself down and for once talk to this hooligan. But she should have known he wasn't one to see reason.

He claims her as his fiancé as if she was nothing more than a toy he had been promised as a child. His fingers press into her skin with no pretense of gentleness. He circles her like a caged tiger, poised to attack and when he takes her by the hand and pulls her close to him, the glitter in his eyes is what she notices. He towers over her, a hulking lout but she sees his weakness even as he casts her away like she was a pebble in his path. He is scared of the rules of this haveli just like every other person here. But if he thinks she will be cowering before his vaunted machismo or the shackles of this mansion, he will soon find out he is quite mistaken.