"Do you pity me?"
Amidst of all the preparation of final wedding ceremony, sitting on the couch, wearing her wedding attire, accompanied with sparkling accessories, with a frowning face, the bride asked. Imlie, who was equally wearing pastel fabric, adjusted with the theme of the event, yet maintaining professionalism, shot up gazed at the bride, and her half sister, Malini in perplexity. The question was equivalently unexpected and out of the blue. It took her a moment, before she processed to counter.
"Why so sudden?"
"Just answer me. Do you pity me?"
She asked again. It was the time Imlie noticed her puffy eyes, which were hidden in the layers of perfectly done make up. The eyes were tear less. However, conflict still remained. She was silence to articulate her words.
After a brief pause she spoke up,"No. I don't."
Malini somehow did expect this answer. Although, she wanted to know the reason behind. Her pregnancy hormones must be in play.
"Why?"
"Only a circumstantial victim is pitiable, not choice driven one."
"What?" Malini's face frowned harder; she didn't understand, how she wasn't the former.
Imlie stayed quiet for awhile, observing Malini's eyes staring into her soul in search of the answer.
Blinking her eyes twice, she continued,"We were in the similar situation, where both our mothers got cheated on by our father in the name of love. Same fate brought us together through Aditya sir one year ago. I was forced to marry him, you were betrayed by him. We both were the victim in circumstances, pitiable and devastated."
"So, you're putting both of us in same standard now? Huh?" Malini's lips began showing mockery.
Imlie didn't get discouraged, just grinned a little before responding her back,"Your disbelief and delusional mind won't change the reality, Malini didi. Deep down you know it too. Your question is the proof itself."
Malini gritted her jaw knowing the truth herself. In fact, this conversation with Imlie was the aftermath of the heated argument, that she got with her parents. She acknowledged the fact, how her mother's words manipulated her to get Aditya for herself by hook or by crock. However, when she got her senses back, it was too late. She was deep in it, she herself became her mother, filled in resentments.
Negativity is outrageously powerful.
"Then why am I not pitiable now, in your opinion?" Malini's wounded mind was too deep to heal; she still didn't know, why her enemy's opinion mattered to her this much.
"You choosed to be in this path, stuck in the misery, and make others get down with you too. Consciously, with the consent of your own. In conclusion, you yourself bestowed doom upon yourself. Therefore, you are the later one," Imlie finished her statement, leaving speechless Malini behind to fix the camera for the interview.
"Malini ma'am, please focus on the questions. We are about to film the pre-wedding interview now," Imlie put her professional smile back on her face while fixing the focus on Malini who was still in trance.
Imlie never blamed Malini in the first place for the situation she faced in Tripathi family. She was the first one, who stood up for her against the injustice that happened in that house. However, things changed after awhile when jealously closed down her rationality. Alike her mother Mrs. Chaturvedi, Malini Chaturvedi followed her footsteps towards the darkness. Whereas, Imlie broke down the walls of gloom around her and choosed to run towards the light, that she deserved, similar to her own mother.
This is why I'm amma's daughter.
She smiled a little before finding her eyes landing on her boss, and past husband, Aryan Singh Rathore. The faint stinging pain began to take a grip around her heart. Before it could get worse, she reminded herself her plans for her limited future. Yes, she didn't give a crap about anyone anymore. She was her own person, she had always been.
*******
Everything ended with a good note in the ceremony. They reached home. They were about to part away from each other towards the bedrooms. Just then Aryan hold her arm gently. It shocked her first, yet she didn't show it.
"You travelled back in past too, didn't you, Imlie?"
Her whole body froze hearing these words from his mouth. How did he know that? Wait! Did he just say 'too'?
Is that mean he also...
When you get caught in lie, the best way to control the damage is to confess the truth of your action.
"Right. I've also travelled back," Imlie responded with her calm demeanour, yet a storm was going on inside.
He was going to continue the conversation, but her sheer luck saved her from it. One of the house helpers came to inform him about some official matter. Aryan looked at Imlie once with his hesitant eyes, before headed to his study room, hurriedly.
*********
Faint light was illuminating in the room. Clock was ticking, soundly, yet peace again came back to Imlie's surroundings. She was laying on the bed, letting the pillow to take her weight. Her mind was repeating those words countless times; the words came out from Aryan an hour ago.
"You travelled back in past too, didn't you, Imlie?"
Everything started to make sense now. His oddly, unusual, polite behavior since the first meet, supporting her decisions and also taking her counter opinions patiently, staring at her time to time holding the expression of familiarity in his eyes. Everything seemed to be connecting, gradually. She let out a sigh; her eyes were on her left waist, her hands were caressing the number, 99. Her mind kept flashing those incidents which happened before her coming back. It was nothing but a horrifying nightmare to her.
*°*
"Don't poke your nose in my family's business, Imlie!"
Those knife edged words pierced her heart, scattering the whole world again. Her mind was blurry and her vision was unfocused. She didn't know what she was doing, where she was going and how she would live from now on. Her amma was on his side. The whole world was on his side. She had none to lean on. She couldn't think of anything but leaving Rathore mansion that time. She had no plan and whatsoever for future. She had nowhere alse to go now.
She was walking, to be precise she was just moving, aimlessly. That was the moment she felt she was thrown out forcefully and hit the concrete ground hard. Her body parts began to get numb in pain. All she felt a wetness beneath her. Red, crimson liquid was squeezing out from her body in every moment, leaving a weakened loose-limbed behind. Her eyes were gazing at the starry sky; brain kept flashing those moments before her.
What if I had gone back in time on the first moment of our meet, would you able to bear my existence again?
What if I had given a second chance to relive my life, would I be able to change my fate?
Would there be any difference? I wonder.
I truly wanna know...
Her vision began to darken. World around her began to fade.
Adios... my husband.
Her last thought faded with her last breath; deep slumber consumed her wholly.
°
Sharp rays of light shoot to sting her eyes. It was then she woke up with a gasp. With a jolt, getting up from her laying position she moved her orbs around herself. Old hostel, familiar walls and her sleeping roommate. Gradually when the reality sank in. Her eyes fell on her left wrist; number 198 was engraved in crimson red.
*°*
Her trance broke slowly. She came back to her present situation, remembering the moments she wished never happened.
She had the few days left in the world. It was number 198, which she first saw on her wrist after realising the fact, that she actually came back in past, breathing and alive.
She wanted to avoid Aryan Singh Rathore and complete the tasks before her inevitable death. However, life never goes planned. Alike her, he also in the same position. How and why she didn't want to know. Why would she? Especially after his words from the future. In this life she would only think about herself and her wishes.
In the end, nothing matters but myself. One death was enough to make me understand.
*********
"Sir, as you've told us, Mrs. Neela Singh was actually involved in property embezzlement during Mr. Rathore and Mr. Arvind Shekhawat times, consecutively," my member of the special force informed me from the other side of the phone.
I smirked and nodded my head while calculating my next move,"Build the strongest evidence against her."
"Okay, sir," I cut the call after his reply.
Keeping the phone on the table beside the bed, I kept recalling the incident happened today. So, Imlie confessed her being a time traveller and I also saw her number on her left wrist, alike mine. She had 99 days, one day less than I. I thought that her response would be a complete shock to me. However, nothing such happened. After 100 days of our meet I understood why. Since the beginning I already had a hunch of it. I choosed not to believe in it. Being an evidence seeker, trusting in guts was never my way of solving problems. However, I should've known it better. Rather rebuilding my relationship with Imlie as new, addressing existing issues and working on it was far more effective. Although, Imlie was avoiding me like plague.
"What should I do now?" I murmured while putting my arm on forehead.
I'm completely clueless now....
°°°°°°°°°°°°
"How am I out of this project when I'm the best one to report in such?" Aditya Kumar Tripathi shouted his lungs out in the middle of the presentation.
"On the top of that, I know that place, Pagdandia better than any other reporters present here. Having an interview with Atank will be a piece of cake to me," he didn't let his confidence go.
Knowing the future and his remarkable failure in the same situation, I couldn't help but chuckled. My eyes landed on Imlie who was commendably hiding her laugh in between her lips. Our eyes met and exchanged a brief meaningful silent conversation.
"First of all, lower your volume, Mr. Tripathi. I don't want my staffs to lose their sense of hearing. Secondly, you're already under the eyes of disciplinary committee. If you continue your unprofessional behaviour until the end, I'm afraid that I have to give you a dismissal notice soon," I restored back at him; he lost his voice for a moment.
Other employees sitting in their respective places were giving a relief look to each other. It was quite clear that the consequences for his improper behaviour for last 3 months was paying him back. Petition against him being in the same office as others were inclining every week. It started off with him behaving rudely with Imlie 3 months back in front of her colleagues and she informed her immediate supervisor. The supervisor wanted to close the chapter on good note. However, Aditya Kumar Tripathi being Aditya Kumar Tripathi continued this harassment until he got first notice of disciplinary action.
"Coming back to the point. We'll be covering the report of interviews with Atank in next week. Before that we'll be sending troops there for better information and safety. The assistant reporter will be Imlie as she's from the village and knows it better than anyone of us. And last but not the least, Atank is a terrorist. So, keep it in your mind while reporting it," I looked at Imlie; she was noting down the points.
"And about the launch party of Bhasker Times News, invite our new clients alongside old ones. Now dismiss," I finished the session while standing up from my seat.
Before walking out from the door, I turned back to Imlie,"Imlie! My cabin in 5 minutes."
°°°°°°°
"Why are you wanting to face Atank again? You still have time to back off-"
"I want to and I have to," she replied cutting my sentence.
After knowing my secret of travelling back, she wasn't even hiding her hostility towards me anymore. Whatever I would say, she would go again it for sure now.
"I'll follow you then," I responded.
"No, you don't need to, sir," her voice was ice cold.
I smugged at her face before replying back,"I'm your boss, not the other way around, Imlie."
Her eyes fired up, yet she choosed stay silent. My smirk widened, gazing at my tigress before me.
"6 o'clock of evening, today at Rathore's event hall. Be on time," I walked out from her side chuckling silently in victory.
°°°°°°°°°
"Hence, in this blissful moment of launching Bhasker Times News, I would like to introduce my own brand, AS Design & Fashion. It's a newly launched, self made brand of jewellery and design which our team and I dedicatedly have built throughout these months. As a small token of appreciation for your glorious presence, I would like to give you a return gift in turn of your support and blessings. I truly hope you will keep supporting me till the very end. Thank you, best regards, everyone!" As soon as didi finished her speech, the crowd had started showing applause.
Arpita Singh Rathore had successfully launched her jewellery brand in the occasion of Bhasker Times's congratulate party. It was peaceful to see her gaining her past confidence back, that had been lost after jiju's death.
Imlie was standing beside me, gazing at didi with appreciation and admiration. Mom was talking to the guests while the servers were giving the pre-said return gifts one by one to the invitees. Tripathi family was also there in a corner along with Mrs. Chaturvedi, glaring at us. Aditya Kumar Tripathi didn't stop staring at Imlie and Mrs. Malini Chaturvedi Tripathi was doing the same. However, both had different emotions in their orbs. Imlie basically didn't get bothered. She was planning for the Pagdandia project in her mind; it showd on her face. A few moments later, when the guest were slowly gathering around the dance floor, Mrs. Aparna Tripathi approached Imlie. Her health seemed to be declined from past weeks since I saw her in the wedding ceremony.
"Imlie, my Imlie, why did you leave us?" She was about to hold Imlie's hands, Imlie back walked from her position.
The simmering smile on Mrs. Tripathi's face disappeared into a thin line. Knowing Imlie previous affection for this woman, I was equally surprised at her behaviour. However, it didn't displease me.
Putting her cold, yet professional smile, Imlie responded,"Thank you Mrs. Tripathi for your concern. However, your unnecessary closeness is causing me discomfort."
"What are you saying, child? You are my daughter-in-law-"
"Were daughter-in-law, Mrs. Tripathi. I WAS your daughter-in-law. Please respect choices of others."
"Are you..are you cutting every tie with us, Imlie?" Aparna's eyes were tearing up.
Even seeing those tears, Imlie's expression didn't change a bit,"I already ended months ago."
Aparna didn't say anything more, but about to grab her shoulders, before Malini grabbed her from the back and returned to their other family members together. Aditya Kumar Tripathi's face turned angry as expected.
"I'm going inside now," Imlie said, before the light turned dime everywhere and spotlight focused on both of us.
I smirked before holding her hands in my,"Not without the dance."
Imlie was dumbfounded, then responded,"Did you do this?"
"Do I have any other option, when you're ignoring me like none? Don't forget, Imlie. I'm Aryan Singh Rathore. I have my own ways too," with a victories grin, I gently yet firmly held our hands together, bringing an infuriating Imlie to the dance floor.
We need to talk, Imlie. We need a long conversation.
*********
Matte golden attired Imlie hold black three pieces suited Aryan's hands while coming into the dance floor. The theme was masquerade. Two black masks were provided to Aryan, who turned Imlie around before her lips let out a word in protest. Tieing the ivory black laces of it, Aryan turned Imlie's face towards his, inspecting her. Her eyes slowly opened, sighted Aryan's preparation of putting the mask on his own glowing face.
Spotlight above them gradually faded; glowing, yet faint rays had illuminated around the walls of the huge hall. Melodious music began to play; slowly, gradually, step-by-step put the spell on every soul.
The song was the same, the atmosphere was the same, so were those people. The only change was those two broken lovers who didn't even know, where everything went wrong; how they should begin to rectify those.
Aryan extended his hand towards Imlie with elegance; Imlie grabbed it with same charm.
" Tujhko Bana Doon Main Apna Khuda
Aur Sajde Tere Kar Sakun
Mangu Dua Sath Hone Ki Tere
Kandhe Pe Sar Rakh Sakun "
Small steps set off with the beats of the melody.
He spinned her body as feather floating on surface of flowing waterfall. Her hands never left from him, thirsting for support, unknowingly.
" Dhaga Ek Bandhun Tujhko Mannat Bana Loon
Kaagaz Pe Dil Ke Teri Surat Bana Loon
Chhoote Kabhi Na Woh Aadat Bana Loon
Aa Shiddat Bana Loon Tujhe "
He spinned her; she trusted his moves. Hair grains gracefully swinged, falling back on her waist in rhythm.
They extended their arms, holding another pair together. Pushing, swiping left and right, he swamped her in his embrace.
Melody peaked its rhythm further higher in notes.
" Kismat Bana Loon Meri Chaahat Bana Loon
Dil Se Main Mangu Ibaadat Bana Loon
Chhoote Kabhi Na Woh Aadat Bana Loon
Aa Shiddat Bana Loon Tujhe "
Pushing, pulling, reaching, moving from one another, hands were showing the storm inside those two pair brown eyes.
Two were filled with seated fury and accusations; other were wounded in her yearning and self loathing.
They didn't say anything, yet their unsaid words reached each other within.
" Kismat Bana Loon Meri Chaahat Bana Loon
Dil Se Main Mangu Ibaadat Bana Loon
Chhoote Kabhi Na Woh Aadat Bana Loon
Aa Shiddat Bana Loon Tujhe "
"Don't poke your nose in my family's business, Imlie!"
Her mind began replacing those needle like words. Deep rooted agony evoked in.
"I'm not a member of this family. Thus, I have no reason to stay here anymore."
His heart had been painfully throbbing to those words. Surface compose broke down.
" Kyun Yeh Hadein Hain
Yeh Kyun Sarhadein Hain
Itne Hai Kyun Faaslein?
Manzil Teri Meri Jab Ek Hai Toh
Kyun Hai Alag Raaste? "
"Why are you doing this? Why are chasing me?" She hissed in aggression.
He wasn't bothered by her antagonism,"Because you're running away."
One by one, with the beat their arms rolled one after another's torso, moving forward together. Words of heat kept reminiscing in those minds, yet the music kept them binding.
"You never respect my opinion."
"I can't respect something that destroys you, Imlie."
" Ishq Ki Aisi Kahawat Bana Loon
Paani Pe Likh Doon Likhawat Bana Loon
Goonje Sada Woh Aahat Bana Loon
Aa Shiddat Bana Loon Tujhe "
Wild spins conveyed the war of hearts.
She kept pushing him away and he kept trying pulling her back.
" Dil Ki Main Tujhko Sajawat Bana Loon
Kuchh Bhi Na Bolun Muskurahat Bana Loon
Barse Khuda Ki Woh Barkat Bana Loon
Aa Shiddat Bana Loon Tujhe "
"Why are you bothered now? I'm not even the Imlie you had to protect from her idiocy."
"Because, you're the same Imlie, who was my wife, also the same, whom I don't want get separated from."
Tangling one arm on another, interlocking those fingers, two souls clutched firm, showing strength together, yet weren't ready to give in each other's demands.
" Kismat Bana Loon Meri Chaahat Bana Loon
Dil Se Main Mangu Ibaadat Bana Loon
Chhoote Kabhi Na Woh Aadat Bana Loon
Aa Shiddat Bana Loon Tujhe "
Leaning her weight on his chest, she was carried backwards by him, after she spinned, turned herself face to face with him. Eyes of both weren't leaving from the other.
Her eyes teared up, reflecting nothing but a mountain high unspoken resentment, conceit, indignation and exasperation.
"Then why did you cast me out in the very next second, when I was ready to accept your everything?"
His body froze; eyes got moist, gasping those words of hers. Tear drop fell from her eye to his right palm, slipping out from her ivory black mask, leading him to loosen his grip around hers. The spell between them broke. Eyes moved.
His eyes landed on the tear drop, which was still present on the same place, motionless.
" Yeh Khara Samundar Mera Gawaah Hai
Ishq Hai Mera Ya Mera Gunaah Hai
Tujhko Saza Aur Adalat Bana Loon
Aa Shiddat Bana Loon Tujhe "
"You were the one who showed the light in my nights. Yet, you were the one, who abandoned me, snatching the very light," she began walking away from him whispering those, unmasking herself.
Tears rolled down from his eyes amidst of the room of people; only sound of their applause filled in it, appreciating their great dance.
He removed his mask, while still watching her figure disappearing in the crowd, just like the day, when she left him behind to face her death alone.
********
The bus stand was full of people roaming around. Market beside it was full of noises. Imlie was standing in the shade waiting for the bus. It might take 15 more minutes. Her eyes were focused on the names of routes written on the fronts of the buses. Meanwhile, a black luxurious car stopped before her, rolling down the window of the driver seat. Familiar face of her past husband, Aryan Singh Rathore came in her sight.
Her face portrayed skepticism; whereas, his smile widened.
"We both know how it's gonna end there, right? So, why wasting time? Hop in, Imlie."
She already knew everything forward. She needed her partner in this mission. Pushing those feelings inside, she faintly grinned while getting into the car without much protest. Aryan started the engine hitting the main road afterwards.
Since the time, their journey together had begun. Destination: Pagdandia.
**********
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