Chapter 22
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Chapter 21: The Ball [Part II]
Saiyan {Click here}
Kailash Kher was a surprise guest, arranged by Shalini and surprisingly, Huda. Now he was at the edge of the spotlight on the center of the hall.
Heere moti main na chaahoo
Main toh chaahoo samgam tera
Main toh teri saiyyan
Tu hai mera…
Saiyyan... saiyyan
As his strong and soulful voice carried out through the room, couples started advancing the dance floor. Rajveer didn't need Naina's permission this time; she willingly gave him her hand.
Tu jo chhoo le pyaar se
Aaraam se mar jaaoo…
Aaja chanda bahoo mein
Tujh mein hi gum ho jaaoo...
Main... tere naam mein kho jaaoo
Saiyyan... saiyyan
Rajveer twirled Naina around gracefully along with the beats of the music. She rested her head on his shoulder. It seemed like they were made for that posture. The peace was not something they were used to, but they liked it. After a hectic evening, this seemed perfect.
Mere din khushi se jhoome gaaye raate
Pal pal mujhe dubaaye jaate jaate
Tujhe jeet jeet haaroo
Yeh praan praan varoo
Hay aise main nihaaroo
Teri aartee utaaroo
Tere naam se jude hai saare naate
Saiyyan... saiyyan
Naina lifted her head up to look into his eyes, searching for something. She herself didn't know what she was looking for. She was satisfied though, his warm eyes comforting her. She gave him a smile that clearly said 'I love you'. Maybe she didn't have to say it out loud for him to know. Suddenly, a thought came to Rajveer's mind. He grinned at her.
Banke maala prem ki tere tan pe jhar jhar jaaoo
Baithoo naiya preet ki
Sansaar se thar jaaoo
Tere pyaar se tar jaaoo
saiyyan... saiyyan
"You know, I'm not a faculty member of KMA anymore." He said quietly in her ears, noting how comfortable they were with each other so close. He saw Abhimanyu give him thumbs up while dancing with Nandini and Naina got a wink from Pooja and an encouraging smile from Ali.
"Yes… and…?" she asked suggestively. She smiled back at her friends, seeming to ignore the man holding her in his arms.
Yeh naram naram nasha hai… badhtajaaye
Koi pyaar se ghungatiya deta udaaye
Ab baawra hua mann
Jag ho gaya hai roshan
Yeh nayee nayee suhaagan
Ho gayee hia teri jogan
"And, Naina Ah Singh, that means that I can do this…" he took out a small but beautifully embroidered box with one hand, while still holding her with the other. Naina gasped. She hadn't expected all this to happen so soon! She stared at the box Rajveer was opening, and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when he took out a dazzling bracelet, which no doubt was diamond.
Koi prem ki pujaarun mandir sajaaye
Saiyyan... saiyyan
Heere moti main na chaahoo
Main toh chaahoo samgam tera
"But-" she tried to reason, but the glares she received from all her friends and many others was enough to stop her. She shyly smiled with her eyes closed, facing downwards. He lifted her face by holding her chin delicately, and placed a kiss on her forehead. Now they were in the center of the spotlight, with all the other couples backing off. He clasped the bracelet on her wrist, not holding her anymore.
Main na jaanu…
Tu hi jaane…
Main toh teri…
Tu hai mera…
The guests broke out into applause. Even Brigadier Chandokh was happily clapping, nodding at the couple approvingly. Shalini's eyes were startlingly glistening, as were Pooja's. The four boys looked extremely proud for some reason, and of course very overjoyed for their friend and teacher, both of whom had long deserved the happiness. Abhimanyu faced away when Rajveer looked at him, wiping away a drop of tear that was threatening to fall. He looked back and nodded with a big smile. Nandini just looked pleased at the happenings. She winked at the couple and looped her arm around Abhimanyu's, to his surprise.
"Well, now that two of the heroes have become one of our couples, I think it's time to turn the party on! What do you say?" Nandini asked on a microphone she had stolen… borrowed… from the surprise guest when everyone was busy clapping. Brigadier glared at her in shock; he remembered what she had done to her graduation ball, and that was acceptable, but this was a formal Ball! But most of the crowd cheered, not having been to many parties after wars or missions, only formal occasions.
Jhoomo Re {Click here}
The song was somewhat less traditional from the lack of the instruments needed, and jazzier. People started pouring onto the dance floor with their friends. The five cadets came over to Naina, so Rajveer parted from her and joined Abhimanyu, Nandini and Shalini. He gave her a wink to let her know he would be thinking about her.
All six cadets were more or less tired from the evening's events, but as all six were together, they were alive again. Yudi started jumping; performing a strange dance step, then Huda and Aalekh joined him, making it more tolerable. Pooja and Naina pushed Ali to dance with them as well, enjoying themselves tremendously. Huda pulled Sai in the group as well, becoming the center of a small attraction. The duo performed a small dance duet. Aalekh and Yudi danced with Naina while Pooja got Ali to be freer in dancing with her. No one except Rajveer remembered the grievous incident he had had to go through.
*Flashback*
… Rajveer and Naina entering the hall, to find Abhimanyu rushing towards them…
… "His assistant has gone to find their men who caused the explosion!"…
… The couple telling him about their plan…
… Nandini and Huda catching the assistant red-handed trying to free the men when they were hiding…
… Gehlot telling the two to let them go…
… The group surrounding him and then Rajveer doing the interrogation…
… "It's business son! I never wanted to hurt you! But this is the way life goes, try to underst-"…
… "Don't call me son! You didn't want to hurt me, but the ones I love, which is worse!"…
… Gehlot quietly being arrested, as not to create another chaos…
*End of Flashback*
He looked at Naina, who seemingly understanding, smiled reassuringly at him. Huda whispered something in Yudi's ear, and it soon spread among all the cadets. All the boy cadets rushed over to Rajveer's group and brought him in to dance. Abhimanyu was about to leave the crowd when Aalekh and Huda (who had learnt to respect this man in the past few weeks) pulled him back in to the center with Rajveer and asked them to perform something for them. Nandini joined them, and it was almost as if they were cadets again, dancing and having fun, except that now it was a group of three instead of four. Since their guest singer had to leave for an emergency, Yudi ran to the front of the hall to do the job of the DJ.
Rock N Roll Soniye {Click here} {If you have the song, then I suggest you listen to that instead of waiting for youtube to load!}
Are gore gore mukhde, chand ke tukde
Kaali kaali zulfein, neeli neeli aankhen
Are gore gore mukhde (be my love), chand ke tukde (be my love)
Kaali kaali zulfein (be my love), neeli neeli aankhen (be my love)
Khwaab dikhaade raah bhula de, hosh uda de sab ke
Chain mita de, tan sulga de, mann mein de masti ghol
Abhimanyu started dancing around Nandini, who was more than happy to do so, and then Rajveer joined, wishing it was Naina. Someone from the crowd pushed Naina in as well, almost as if reading his thoughts and the couple joined Abhimanyu and Nandini. The rest of the people danced around them. There was so much masti, laughter and energy that even Ali managed to break down his barrier a bit.
Yeh lachkile se tan, yeh balkhate badan
Pehle dil hai maangte, phir maangte hain jaan
Yeh rangeen bijliyaan, yeh jaadu karniyan
Dekhin hai sau baar par hoon aaj bhi hairan
Oh dekho aaye, oh dekho jaaye
Kis naaz se nakhre se jhoom ke
Apsaraayen,haseenayen ek pal ko jo dekhle ghoom ke
Oh saare zamana ho diwana duniya gire kadmon pe
Phir bhi yeh pariyan, husn ki kaliyan samjhe na pyar ke bol
The four danced heartily, all of them growing younger in experience and just enjoying life. It was nothing like the Freshers' Ball; it was more incredible! Huda had girls surrounding him, while Sai pulled him away from them and had him dance with her. Aalekh felt a bit guilty about enjoying with Neelu not being there, especially since she had pains and was probably seen by the doctor. He should've been there with her… Yudi sensed this and shook his head, back onto the dance floor with a senior being the DJ. His sister would've wanted her husband to have fun, probably while thinking of her and their child.
Rock and roll soniye, dole yeh ban tere liye
Rock and roll soniye, kabhi tu bhi toh mere sang dol
Rock and roll soniye, dole yeh ban tere liye
Rock and roll soniye, kabhi tu bhi toh mere sang dol
The night passed away with even more masti and delight, everyone leaving with a smile or laughter as they chatted away with their friends. Now, only cadets and faculty members were left in the Ball. They were all sitting around the same area, excluding Brigadier Chandokh who had gone to see Chitra off, and chatting and joking, forgetting the difference in their status till Shalini announced it was time to go.
"But come on Ma'am! We're not even – tire –" Yudi tried his best to stifle the yawn, but failed.
"Hey Shalini, why not a last dance? After that we'll all go." Nandini said, going over to the stack of CD's Neelu had sent with Yudi. She picked Kailash Kher's one, loving his songs even more after hearing him live. She put on the music, and accepted as Abhimanyu pulled her slowly towards the dance floor.
Tere Naina {Click here}
Rajveer looked at Naina questioningly; after all, they both spent a lot of energy already. She thought for a moment and nodded. One thing they realized after starting to sway along with the music was that they would never tire out of doing so. Even though this wasn't the first time they were dancing lovingly in a romantic atmosphere, it was special, with the special someone.
The song spread out around the quiet room, giving an amazing effect to the atmosphere. It was almost as if the air was building up for the moment, their moment. Throughout the song, nothing broke the connection they had with their eyes. He discovered so many unspoken things about her, her touch, her gaze, her smile... as she observed that love could be felt without speaking of it, just by looking into his brown eyes of the darkest shade.
Even after the song ended, they held their positions and swayed with the music of their hearts. Now, their foreheads were pressed against each others, eyes closed. When they broke from the feeling, they realized everyone else had quietly left, leaving them alone. He smiled, seeing her shy and nervous look.
"I haven't... thanked you yet, for the gift." She said. She reached up and gave him a soft peck on his cheek. "We should go now... it's late..." she turned away to leave, but stopped when he caught her hand. He wrapped his arms around her waist her back to him. He rested his chin on her shoulder, taking in the faint scent of jasmine from her. She closed her eyes in contentment.
"I love you." He told her. Naina didn't open her eyes, but he could feel her smile. "I don't expect you to reply now, but I want you to know that I really do love you. I'll accept whatever you-" he stopped when she reached up a hand and put it over his mouth. She turned around.
"If I was going to refuse you, why do you think I spent the entire evening and night with you?" She put her arms around his neck. "I love you, and you better believe it!" she teased. He grinned and picked her up, swinging her around happily as her laughter echoed throughout the hall. They knew their future wouldn't be perfect, but that's the way they liked it.
[MEMBERSONLY]
Saiyan {Click here}
Kailash Kher was a surprise guest, arranged by Shalini and surprisingly, Huda. Now he was at the edge of the spotlight on the center of the hall.
Heere moti main na chaahoo
Main toh chaahoo samgam tera
Main toh teri saiyyan
Tu hai mera…
Saiyyan... saiyyan
As his strong and soulful voice carried out through the room, couples started advancing the dance floor. Rajveer didn't need Naina's permission this time; she willingly gave him her hand.
Tu jo chhoo le pyaar se
Aaraam se mar jaaoo…
Aaja chanda bahoo mein
Tujh mein hi gum ho jaaoo...
Main... tere naam mein kho jaaoo
Saiyyan... saiyyan
Rajveer twirled Naina around gracefully along with the beats of the music. She rested her head on his shoulder. It seemed like they were made for that posture. The peace was not something they were used to, but they liked it. After a hectic evening, this seemed perfect.
Mere din khushi se jhoome gaaye raate
Pal pal mujhe dubaaye jaate jaate
Tujhe jeet jeet haaroo
Yeh praan praan varoo
Hay aise main nihaaroo
Teri aartee utaaroo
Tere naam se jude hai saare naate
Saiyyan... saiyyan
Naina lifted her head up to look into his eyes, searching for something. She herself didn't know what she was looking for. She was satisfied though, his warm eyes comforting her. She gave him a smile that clearly said 'I love you'. Maybe she didn't have to say it out loud for him to know. Suddenly, a thought came to Rajveer's mind. He grinned at her.
Banke maala prem ki tere tan pe jhar jhar jaaoo
Baithoo naiya preet ki
Sansaar se thar jaaoo
Tere pyaar se tar jaaoo
saiyyan... saiyyan
"You know, I'm not a faculty member of KMA anymore." He said quietly in her ears, noting how comfortable they were with each other so close. He saw Abhimanyu give him thumbs up while dancing with Nandini and Naina got a wink from Pooja and an encouraging smile from Ali.
"Yes… and…?" she asked suggestively. She smiled back at her friends, seeming to ignore the man holding her in his arms.
Yeh naram naram nasha hai… badhtajaaye
Koi pyaar se ghungatiya deta udaaye
Ab baawra hua mann
Jag ho gaya hai roshan
Yeh nayee nayee suhaagan
Ho gayee hia teri jogan
"And, Naina Ah Singh, that means that I can do this…" he took out a small but beautifully embroidered box with one hand, while still holding her with the other. Naina gasped. She hadn't expected all this to happen so soon! She stared at the box Rajveer was opening, and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when he took out a dazzling bracelet, which no doubt was diamond.
Koi prem ki pujaarun mandir sajaaye
Saiyyan... saiyyan
Heere moti main na chaahoo
Main toh chaahoo samgam tera
"But-" she tried to reason, but the glares she received from all her friends and many others was enough to stop her. She shyly smiled with her eyes closed, facing downwards. He lifted her face by holding her chin delicately, and placed a kiss on her forehead. Now they were in the center of the spotlight, with all the other couples backing off. He clasped the bracelet on her wrist, not holding her anymore.
Main na jaanu…
Tu hi jaane…
Main toh teri…
Tu hai mera…
The guests broke out into applause. Even Brigadier Chandokh was happily clapping, nodding at the couple approvingly. Shalini's eyes were startlingly glistening, as were Pooja's. The four boys looked extremely proud for some reason, and of course very overjoyed for their friend and teacher, both of whom had long deserved the happiness. Abhimanyu faced away when Rajveer looked at him, wiping away a drop of tear that was threatening to fall. He looked back and nodded with a big smile. Nandini just looked pleased at the happenings. She winked at the couple and looped her arm around Abhimanyu's, to his surprise.
"Well, now that two of the heroes have become one of our couples, I think it's time to turn the party on! What do you say?" Nandini asked on a microphone she had stolen… borrowed… from the surprise guest when everyone was busy clapping. Brigadier glared at her in shock; he remembered what she had done to her graduation ball, and that was acceptable, but this was a formal Ball! But most of the crowd cheered, not having been to many parties after wars or missions, only formal occasions.
Jhoomo Re {Click here}
The song was somewhat less traditional from the lack of the instruments needed, and jazzier. People started pouring onto the dance floor with their friends. The five cadets came over to Naina, so Rajveer parted from her and joined Abhimanyu, Nandini and Shalini. He gave her a wink to let her know he would be thinking about her.
All six cadets were more or less tired from the evening's events, but as all six were together, they were alive again. Yudi started jumping; performing a strange dance step, then Huda and Aalekh joined him, making it more tolerable. Pooja and Naina pushed Ali to dance with them as well, enjoying themselves tremendously. Huda pulled Sai in the group as well, becoming the center of a small attraction. The duo performed a small dance duet. Aalekh and Yudi danced with Naina while Pooja got Ali to be freer in dancing with her. No one except Rajveer remembered the grievous incident he had had to go through.
*Flashback*
… Rajveer and Naina entering the hall, to find Abhimanyu rushing towards them…
… "His assistant has gone to find their men who caused the explosion!"…
… The couple telling him about their plan…
… Nandini and Huda catching the assistant red-handed trying to free the men when they were hiding…
… Gehlot telling the two to let them go…
… The group surrounding him and then Rajveer doing the interrogation…
… "It's business son! I never wanted to hurt you! But this is the way life goes, try to underst-"…
… "Don't call me son! You didn't want to hurt me, but the ones I love, which is worse!"…
… Gehlot quietly being arrested, as not to create another chaos…
*End of Flashback*
He looked at Naina, who seemingly understanding, smiled reassuringly at him. Huda whispered something in Yudi's ear, and it soon spread among all the cadets. All the boy cadets rushed over to Rajveer's group and brought him in to dance. Abhimanyu was about to leave the crowd when Aalekh and Huda (who had learnt to respect this man in the past few weeks) pulled him back in to the center with Rajveer and asked them to perform something for them. Nandini joined them, and it was almost as if they were cadets again, dancing and having fun, except that now it was a group of three instead of four. Since their guest singer had to leave for an emergency, Yudi ran to the front of the hall to do the job of the DJ.
Rock N Roll Soniye {Click here} {If you have the song, then I suggest you listen to that instead of waiting for youtube to load!}
Are gore gore mukhde, chand ke tukde
Kaali kaali zulfein, neeli neeli aankhen
Are gore gore mukhde (be my love), chand ke tukde (be my love)
Kaali kaali zulfein (be my love), neeli neeli aankhen (be my love)
Khwaab dikhaade raah bhula de, hosh uda de sab ke
Chain mita de, tan sulga de, mann mein de masti ghol
Abhimanyu started dancing around Nandini, who was more than happy to do so, and then Rajveer joined, wishing it was Naina. Someone from the crowd pushed Naina in as well, almost as if reading his thoughts and the couple joined Abhimanyu and Nandini. The rest of the people danced around them. There was so much masti, laughter and energy that even Ali managed to break down his barrier a bit.
Yeh lachkile se tan, yeh balkhate badan
Pehle dil hai maangte, phir maangte hain jaan
Yeh rangeen bijliyaan, yeh jaadu karniyan
Dekhin hai sau baar par hoon aaj bhi hairan
Oh dekho aaye, oh dekho jaaye
Kis naaz se nakhre se jhoom ke
Apsaraayen,haseenayen ek pal ko jo dekhle ghoom ke
Oh saare zamana ho diwana duniya gire kadmon pe
Phir bhi yeh pariyan, husn ki kaliyan samjhe na pyar ke bol
The four danced heartily, all of them growing younger in experience and just enjoying life. It was nothing like the Freshers' Ball; it was more incredible! Huda had girls surrounding him, while Sai pulled him away from them and had him dance with her. Aalekh felt a bit guilty about enjoying with Neelu not being there, especially since she had pains and was probably seen by the doctor. He should've been there with her… Yudi sensed this and shook his head, back onto the dance floor with a senior being the DJ. His sister would've wanted her husband to have fun, probably while thinking of her and their child.
Rock and roll soniye, dole yeh ban tere liye
Rock and roll soniye, kabhi tu bhi toh mere sang dol
Rock and roll soniye, dole yeh ban tere liye
Rock and roll soniye, kabhi tu bhi toh mere sang dol
The night passed away with even more masti and delight, everyone leaving with a smile or laughter as they chatted away with their friends. Now, only cadets and faculty members were left in the Ball. They were all sitting around the same area, excluding Brigadier Chandokh who had gone to see Chitra off, and chatting and joking, forgetting the difference in their status till Shalini announced it was time to go.
"But come on Ma'am! We're not even – tire –" Yudi tried his best to stifle the yawn, but failed.
"Hey Shalini, why not a last dance? After that we'll all go." Nandini said, going over to the stack of CD's Neelu had sent with Yudi. She picked Kailash Kher's one, loving his songs even more after hearing him live. She put on the music, and accepted as Abhimanyu pulled her slowly towards the dance floor.
Tere Naina {Click here}
Rajveer looked at Naina questioningly; after all, they both spent a lot of energy already. She thought for a moment and nodded. One thing they realized after starting to sway along with the music was that they would never tire out of doing so. Even though this wasn't the first time they were dancing lovingly in a romantic atmosphere, it was special, with the special someone.
The song spread out around the quiet room, giving an amazing effect to the atmosphere. It was almost as if the air was building up for the moment, their moment. Throughout the song, nothing broke the connection they had with their eyes. He discovered so many unspoken things about her, her touch, her gaze, her smile... as she observed that love could be felt without speaking of it, just by looking into his brown eyes of the darkest shade.
Even after the song ended, they held their positions and swayed with the music of their hearts. Now, their foreheads were pressed against each others, eyes closed. When they broke from the feeling, they realized everyone else had quietly left, leaving them alone. He smiled, seeing her shy and nervous look.
"I haven't... thanked you yet, for the gift." She said. She reached up and gave him a soft peck on his cheek. "We should go now... it's late..." she turned away to leave, but stopped when he caught her hand. He wrapped his arms around her waist her back to him. He rested his chin on her shoulder, taking in the faint scent of jasmine from her. She closed her eyes in contentment.
"I love you." He told her. Naina didn't open her eyes, but he could feel her smile. "I don't expect you to reply now, but I want you to know that I really do love you. I'll accept whatever you-" he stopped when she reached up a hand and put it over his mouth. She turned around.
"If I was going to refuse you, why do you think I spent the entire evening and night with you?" She put her arms around his neck. "I love you, and you better believe it!" she teased. He grinned and picked her up, swinging her around happily as her laughter echoed throughout the hall. They knew their future wouldn't be perfect, but that's the way they liked it.
[MEMBERSONLY]
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