Chapter 2

Chapter - 02

“Seriously Piya, have you ever given this a thought? An alternate scenario where we could have ended up with different partners?” Ansh asked jokingly. “I don’t know.” Piya tried to fake a smile and rolled over the bed to get down. Ansh hugged her from behind and whispered in her ear, “Who knows? I might be cuddling with someone else.” “May be.” Sensing the change in her voice, he looked at her face. She was pressing her lips while her eyes were brimming with tears. “Hey! What’s the matter love? I was simply joking. Look at me.” He pointed her face towards him and gently wiped off her tears. “I am right here with you, always and forever!” “I know!” Piya tried to smile and caressed his face. But the look in her eyes pierced his heart. “I know you were kidding. In fact, I should apologize that I got all verklempt for no good reason. It’s just that..."  she lowered her eyes in an attempt to elude his gaze, "When you were talking about different partners, suddenly it reminded me of all the times when we were separated and caught me off guard. I am sorry! So, alternate scenarios huh?" she tried to smile cheerfully and lifted her gaze to his.

Ansh sighed sadly as he looked into Piya's eyes. He could see through the veil of pretense that masked her grief. Her smile was as sweet as sunshine on a rainy day. Yet, the raging storm inside her was evident. It was just like the day when he had got engaged to Ruby. Everyone was cheering for them but the sound of their laughter paled in comparison to Piya's silent cry. She was smiling but he could see it in her eyes, she was devastated. Even when he was shackled under Mohana's spell, every fiber in his being urged him to reach out to her and hold her in his embrace, to assure her that he would never leave her alone. But he couldn't break the spell and lost Piya for the first time. So many years had passed but he felt the same excruciating pain recalling that moment. Then how could he become so insensitive and hurt her feelings? He knew he couldn't take his words back. He was also aware that if he tried to change the topic she would feel guilty for ruining their fun-filled moment. So he decided to play along and bring a smile on her face. “That’s not fair Piya. You keep playing pranks on me and give me mini heart attacks but when I try to pull your leg, you start your drama.” Ansh pretended to be annoyed and was about to leave but Piya pulled him to her, “What’s the matter dear husband? Do you have a date with one of your imaginary girlfriends that you are leaving your wife alone in this state?” She cocked an eyebrow. “May be I do.” Ansh replied with a smirk. “But then someone else might die of jealousy and attack the poor admirer. I can’t let that happen, can I?”  he winked at her.

“Really?” “Really. You might be the Daivik here but I am the one with the bigger heart.” “Sure! That’s why you could give so many girls and supernatural entities their separate places in your HUGE heart and set a world record for the number of times you ALMOST got married.” “So? What’s wrong with it? At least I didn’t dress up multiple times to get married to the same person, over and over again.” “When did I do that?” “Hmm... allow me to jog your memory. You got ready to marry Naman when Guru Maa was unconscious. Thanks to me, that wedding from hell got postponed. Later when that creep went ahead with the wedding preparations you obliged, despite Guru Maa being dead against your alliance. And let’s not forget your third attempt to get married to him when we were sent to the past. So what a record set by you!” Ansh started clapping. “First of all, I was helpless. Secondly, I didn’t even know you in the past and finally, Naman isn’t a creep.” Ansh raised his eyebrows and Piya stammered a little, “Well, not anymore. He has evolved so much!" “Can’t help but agree with you. But back then creepy would be an understatement. Seriously Piya! I could still understand the second time because Mohana was threatening you. But what about the first time? Didn’t you think about it once that no sane person would hire an army of bodyguards during his wedding unless there was some serious problem? Or was he a bandit and you knew about it? Makes sense as he was your best friend and you are a pro at throwing knife. How awesome would it be? Husband and wife, terrorizing people together! You might be the first marauder ever to attack people while screaming "Jai Ho Maiya Ki!!!"” He burst out laughing. “Seriously! Now that I am trying to imagine you in the typical black shirt, laced with bullets and a scarf on your head, ready to pounce on your victim with a knife and "Jai Ho Maiya Ki!!!" I just...” He couldn’t finish his sentence and literally started rolling on the bed laughing. 

“What would you guys name your gang? I mean, Naman might name it Kancha Gang but what name would you take? Daku Rani Piya Devi? Since you are an ardent devotee of Devi Maa, I think it would only be fitting.” If only her look had the power to incinerate, Ansh would have turned into ashes by the death glare Piya shot at him. “By the way, I got another idea. May be you could use a Trishul instead of your knife. That would be more terrifying, no?” “A God-fearing marauder is much better than a Daayan with a hoverboard.” Piya tried hard to keep her cool. “Besides, now that we are counting the times I have dressed up as a bride, why don’t we walk down memory lane and find out how many times you have dressed up as a groom?" The idea brought a mischievous smile to her lips. "If you can’t remember, let me remind you, even you dressed up thrice to marry Dilruba. Not to mention your first marriage with Ruby and when we were stuck in the past, you almost put on your sehra. I was physically present both the times you attempted to get engaged to Bhasmika, as well as when she was running a commentary on her powers while taking pheres. And how can I forget the Swayamvadhu arranged to appease Mohana? If Chachi hadn't faked her fainting, you would have put a garland around Natasha's neck."  Ansh was about to say something but Piya shushed him. “I take responsibility for the last incident but what about the other attempts? At least Naman had some charm but all of your prospective brides - words fail to describe their uniqueness! If one was busy hovering then the other one was busy relishing tamarind. And how can I forget someone special whose self-obsession would put Narcissus to shame!” 

“They were supernatural beings Piya. You can’t compare them with Naman.” “Yeah right!” She rolled her eyes. “Why don’t we talk about Payal then? The one who came with a marriage proposal for Rishi but settled for a PUBG addicted Champu guy?” Piya winked at him. “You are talking as if Dev was Mr. India.” Ansh replied with a disgusted look on his face. “He looked even more Champu with that plastic smile and superficial goodness.” “Let me remind you dear husband, we were talking about prospective human partners. And yes, I agree Dev was a bigger Champu. Nevertheless, he wasn’t quirky like your Daayan/Chudhail companions and actually used his powers properly which put us all in a tight spot.” “Okay, I apologize. I should have stuck to the Namunes you brought for your Swayamvar. What was the name of that idiot you chose?” “Sameer?” “Yeah right! Didn’t even think twice or had any proper conversation with you let alone discussing about your kids who might become a part of his family later. Idiot!” He remarked, fuming. “You are talking as if your darling Vidya and later Natasha had conducted a research on your Kundli first and then proposed you for marriage.” Piya decided to irritate Ansh more seeing how the mere mention of Dev’s, specially Sameer’s name turned him mad. “Anyway, why are we arguing about what happened in the past? We were talking about something else.” He tried to change the topic. “Admit it, my choices have been better than yours.” “You are behaving as if it was a competition.” “If it's not, then what’s the harm in stating the obvious?” She asked playfully, raising her eyebrows. “Damn that teasing smile! She gets away with everything with it.” Ansh cursed his fate.

“To be honest, I am not really sure about an alternate scenario.” Piya said with a smile but there was certainty in her voice. “I mean, look at us. It seems like our fates were intertwined even before we were born. Maa was an exceptionally powerful Sarpika who was friends with both Mohana and Vedashree Maa. She killed all of my ancestors on Mohana’s request but ended up falling in love with Baba. Then again if I talk about your family, Mohana trapped Mridul Papa of all people - who was related to Vedashree Maa. We both know how hard she tried to protect you from everything evil. If she wasn’t a Daayanvanshi herself and a friend of my mother, she would never be able to do that.” Ansh nodded in agreement. “Even when we talk about our decisions, there is a number of prestigious business schools in Mumbai. But you chose, and got selected into the one where my father was a professor. So, it was predestined that our paths would cross no matter what.” “I agree with you. Even I have been astonished many times thinking about the connection between our families. However, if I have to be honest, I believe it is beyond the Daivik-Daavansh connection. I mean, I don’t deny that your presence alerted my Daavansh side but it was more of a reflex, as if the darkness within me was afraid of the light in your soul. Such deep aversion couldn't possibly turn into love if we didn't feel anything for each other." “I used to get puzzled seeing your behavior.” Piya chuckled a little. “One moment you were this caring guy who would help anyone in need and the next moment you would say or do something horribly insensitive.” “I troubled you a lot back in those days, didn’t I?” Ansh sounded remorseful. “You did.” She said casually. “For what it's worth, I became fascinated by your mysterious behavior.” She looked at him intently with a smile on her face. 

“As far as your question is concerned, right now I can’t think of any proper answer to that. Theoretically speaking, a Daavansh is prophesized to be the most evil entity that this world has ever witnessed. And based on certain evidences, I can assume you would have been a pain in the ass if we hadn’t met and you had embraced your evil side. I may laugh at the persona of all the supernatural beings in your life but let’s face it, each and everyone was powerful. Considering how infatuated your dark side is with the idea of romance and marriage, I suppose you would get involved with more Daayan/Chalayan/Chudhail and whatever species is left to explore." “Don't you think you are taking too much creative liberty here?” "I wish I could say "NO"! But the truth is, Daavansh or Kalishaktiyo Ka Raja, your dark side loves romancing as much as Daayanvanshis love bathtub. Anyway, my point is your association with all those female Kalishaktis might  lead you to some serious trouble. Have you forgotten Bhaisasur?” Piya asked with a mischievous smile. “How is he relevant here?” Ansh was confused. “Well, you didn’t even point a finger at Ruby but he beat you to a pulp. If we really consider you being evil and getting involved with multiple female entities, we can assume it wouldn’t go down well with the male population and more often you would find yourself in combats. If Bhaisasur could go berserk for his daughter, I think I should give other Kalishaktis the benefit of the doubt that they too live by some code of ethics or whatever.”  Piya pressed her lips to control her laughter while Ansh got exasperated. 

“Suddenly it seems you are more interested in my competitors than my companions.” “Because it’s a fact dear husband, I have heard enough of   "Aensh Baby/Sugarlips" and "Hihihihihihihi!" for this lifetime, probably enough for my next seven births as well. But I can’t deny Bhaisasur was one hot Kalishakti. Hadn't you seen his abs? And how can I forget his long, silky hair!” “I was rather busy fighting with him.” Ansh gritted his teeth in anger. “Yeah right! If by fighting you mean getting thrashed left, right and center then you were definitely too busy to notice anything.” Piya couldn’t help laughing hysterically while Ansh kept fuming. “Seriously, what a sight it was! Despite having no wings, you were flying across the hall, all thanks to Bhaisasur. If I weren’t so madly in love with you, I would surely enjoy your flying session for another minute or two. Who knows? I might even cheer for him.” “No wonder you liked Angad so much!” He replied sarcastically. “Well, he most certainly brought some entertainment in our lives. I still haven’t gotten over Mohana's dance in her bedroom. It’s a good thing Chachi didn't see her dancing in her balcony. Otherwise she might have had a heart attack.” She laughed even harder. “Okay, I give up!” He covered his face with his palms in frustration. “Moral of the story is I would become a troublemaker and you would end up with any Tom, Dick and Harry but still make it work.” “Look at the bright side Ansh.” “There is a bright side!” “Yes, there is!” Piya replied in a deep voice. “We all get a little twisted when it comes to love and I love you! Always have and always will. It doesn’t matter which version of reality we are in or could possibly be, I will always find my way back to you.”

Ansh was lost in the surreality of her eyes. How could someone love another person to this extent and be so certain of her feelings! “If I am not wrong, you were crying not too long ago thinking about all the times we were separated.” He replied without thinking anything. “I was. And I won’t lie, every time we got separated, I felt like dying. I may not say this very often but loving you and being loved by you has been the greatest gift of my life. It doesn’t matter how many times I got hurt or had my heart broken. I fell in love with a guy who burned me with his touch, literally. I knew it was never going to be easy." She held his hand and looked into his eyes. "You are worth every bit of suffering. If I were given a choice, I would choose you all over again, with my eyes closed, in every single lifetime, in every alternate reality. I would choose you because, I love you!” She caressed his face and was about to leave when Ansh stopped her, holding her wrist. “What did I ever do to have you in my life?” “Loved me and accepted me with all my virtues and vices. I couldn’t have asked for more. Otherwise we are not in “Fifty Shades Of Grey” that I would endure that amount of pain just to be with you.” ““Fifty Shades Of Piya”, may be?” She became confused and looked back. He had a devilish grin. “Have you forgotten your speech at our wedding reception?" 

"Ansh! Tumhara Dia To Dard Bhi Mujhe Accha Lagta Hain!" 

"I love everything about you, even the pain that you cause me!"

She was about to say something when Vedashree called her for help. She started leaving but stopped in her track. “Don’t misunderstand this to be over Mr. Rathod. The game is still on.” “And I’ll be waiting for you, My Queen!” Ansh bowed his head, irritating Piya further and burst out laughing as she left the room.    

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