CHAPTER - 6
In a huge cricket stadium, the crowd hooting "KABIR!!! KABIR!!! KABIR!!!" is the only thing that's heard clearly while the rest was being muted...and a boy of 18, holds up his bat high towards the audience..his face clearly enjoying the victory and the crowd's applause!!! He has scored a century and in a way of saying thank you to the buzzing crowd, he lifts his cap with pride and all of a sudden...
...
...
Shanaya wakes up!!! Sweating profusely.. .. trembling with the flashes of her "just had" dream.. not able to even breathe properly. Quietly a tear rolls down her cheek taking her to the past happenings. Wearing a light pink gown, she sits up and sees all over her room quite alarmed - a big room which seems to be a perfect house at its own.. with a cozy sofa set.. an LCD television with a huge collection of cd's just below it.. a mini library with almost all the genres.. with her pictures all over telling her stories of her from all parts of life!!! And just above the huge round bed of hers, a 'black & white' picture of a boy and a girl almost of the same age and the girl seems to be very much Shanaya herself!!! the picture conveys that both of them seem to be immensely gay and loving.
(Shanaya is being pulled to the present by a sudden knock on d door!!! A servant enters with a glass of cold coffee)
Servant: Madame, your cold coffee..
Shanaya: (gathers herself and cleans her face with a napkin on her side table) Thank you.
She gets up, wears her slippers and moves towards the window and opens it. The air was so welcoming and it was also soothing her inner pain!!! It's a beautiful view of the sea and the sun rising above the sea. The sea seemed to bea little quiet today. Shanaya could hear a few birds chirping. How rarely could she enjoy such things! Looking at the her mind wanders! ! !
Shanaya (thinking): "I'd learnt to walk alone the day you were gone. I transcended the loneliness that had befallen upon me and poured all the love in my heart in my work. Though it was the most difficult thing to do, I still did or atleast tried to or trying till this second!!! You told me not to allow hatred for anyone to take root in my mind and heart and I never allowed it.. I didn't hate anyone- neither dad nor Rehan nor those people who watch me time and again yet criticize me. I suffered all the way along but quietly accepted it as I accept night after day. I joined this IPL team to feel closer to you and I do. You taught me to live the life fully; you said 'the show must go on' and it did. I did have great moments and good people in my life though they are very few. You taught me to dream and I dreamt.
Paulo Coelho says in the Alchemist: 'There's a language in the world that everyone understood, a language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as a part of a search for something believed and desired.' And yesterday I heard the same language when Maahi came which I heard after you had played. And the same language tells me that he's not only a fan, not only someone who wants to meet me out of excitement; but there's something else too. Should I really meet him?"
Shanaya had always believed in signs. Today also she required a sign; to meet him or not.
A servant dressed in formal clothes enters the room. Ma'am, here's the newspaper. As Shanaya lifts the newspaper, the front page news:
"MAAHI MIRACLE AT MUMBAI"! And there, She got her sign. Her intuition and the sign both told her that she must meet him. And she finally decided that she would... She definitely would.
(MAAHI'S HOTEL)
(Anandi and Meenu are walking in and around the room, talking with Singhs/Shekhars respectively)
Anandi: Ji Bapusa! It was Maahi bhaiya only, "elated" is very small word to describe how happy the family is for him, after all, Maahi bhaiya has not only lived up to his dreams but also he has made the family very proud of him.
Meenu: Yaa didi! We'll definitely do that. Even I wanted to celebrate it now but Maahi says he wants to celebrate only after they win the series.
(Maahi is restlessly looking at his phone in hand and Meenu notices it and she immediately ends her conversation with Ira and goes towards him.)
Meenu: Is everything alright Maahi? Are you waiting for an important call? ? ? and aren't you going for the practice today?
Maahi: Er... (Glances at the clock) Yea mom! Just waiting for the tea and I'll make a move. I'll just wash up my face. (Skips the phone question and goes to washroom)
Meenu feels a little fishy. She did not have a good opinion about the people in the field of media at all and had always been insecure about her son coming to this field but since he was putting in so much of effort and knowing his passion for cricket, she wanted him to live his life and hence she decide not to discourage him with her personal opinions. After having tea and breakfast, Maahi leaves to practice.
(AT THE GROUND, Around Noon)
Maahi checks his phone for the 10th time. No messages. Suddenly a thought strikes him that he never gave his phone number to Shanaya! Crap! (he goes of to his thinking mode yet again: does it mean that she doesn't wanna meet me? Then why that ... she could have told me directly. Whatever i'll just focus on the game now, that's it.)
(He gets back to practice) After lunch, he checked his phone..It flashed "One new text message" It was an unknown number..and without giving much thought to it he clicked open the message...
What he read literally made his heart shift to his mouth!!!
"Meet me at Sahabjee Hotel, Jageshwar at 9 pm, sharp. 'S"
(Again thinking mode - S definitely meant Shanaya. She wants to meet me!!!) (His heart was doing a somersault. He then told himself to calm down and decided to ask Mandeep where the place was.)
Maahi: Oye!! Mandy paaji! Where is this Jageshwar her? Huh?
Mandeep: Khotyaa, What do you gotta do there? ? It's a very quiet place.. not many people live there.
Maahi: Erm..actually one of my friends does!
Mandeep: Then you must take a taxi cause its quiet far off. It will take you atleast two hours to reach there.
Maahi: Oke! Thanks buddy!
(Maahi goes back to his "la la land" forgetting everything except Shanaya and the fact that he's gonna meet her.)
(In the evening, Maahi's hotel)
Maahi is scrambling hands for getting a good suit. He has put all his clothes from Almirah on to the bed. Meenu enters and is shocked to see him behave this way!!!
Maahi: Hey mom! I need a good hmm best suit and I'm confused which one to choose :/ Can you help me with it?
Meenu: Maahi Whats all this? What have you done to your room! And where do you have to go that you need the "best" clothes? ?
Maahi: Erm... Mom... there's an important meeting for players with Rehan sir and Shan...aya madam.
Meenu again gets a hint of something being fishy but again controls herself and brushes the topic away.
Finally with help of Meenu, Maahi selects a suit and goes off to the meeting.
(THE FIRST MEETING)
Maahi has reached the place at 8:50 itself. LOL! He gave the driver 500 extra just to reach on time! This is a lifetime chance to know the girl he always wanted to and he wanted everything to be perrrfect!!! He makes some personalised arrangements, keeps a cute teddy with friend written on it and asks the waiter to play the music when he tells him to.
Around 9:15p.m. Shanaya walks in and Maahi though he had a serene face outside, he was so badly drooling over her within him. And not just that... today she looked so different, she came in plain simple Jeans and tea but more noticeable was that she was totally without make up yet she looked so gorgeous as ever (except for some dark circles she had due to work day and night ;) but still, that din't bother Maahi's sight.)
Maahi: Hi! I'm glad you came!!!
Shanaya: It's my pleasure to meet you. By the way congrats! You are on the headlines everywhere.. your family must be so proud of you!!!
Maahi: Yeah! Thanks! they always wanted me to do something but they didn't really expect this. I mean i've always been that "Spoilt little son" of the family. And how is your family?
Shanaya: (shares a laugh with him) you don't seem "spoilt" atleast. My family! (gets emotional) At peace! (Thinks: for me only he was my family and wherever he is; he is at peace!!!)
Maahi: (Seems like I asked a very personal question just in the start..to befriend her I must talk openly but may be not directly jump to direct questions) Here's a gift for you.
Shanaya: A gift? for me?
Maahi: From a friend to a friend. (She opens it and is totally awestruck!! Its the latest book by Paulo Coehlo)
Shanaya: That's my favourite author. (With a huge grin) Thank you! (She takes out the gift box from her bag) You must also accept this!! not from your owner this time but from a friend to a friend. (Maahi immediately accepts it.)
Maahi: I'll take it because it's from a friend. By the way you didn't compliment me that I know so much about you!
Shanaya: Hm! But this I've said many time in my interviews and fans follow them (looks at Maahi's face which becomes grim) Many can know you but only few can become friends...
Maahi understands that last line is meant for him.
Maahi: So when is the best time to call you(pause) as a friend? (😉) (to confirm whether last line was for him)
Shanaya: You can message me anytime!!! messaging seems easier in the kind of work we indulge in.
Maahi smiles at her and says okay. In the mean time food comes in. They start eating while Maahi cracks a few jokes with her. And she laughs...heartily... which she hadn'tfor quite a long time... Though she was a star and Maahi, a fan - they shared something else too but both of them din't completely understand what that really is.For now all that they knew was they were comfortable with each other. The night was beautiful and so was their conversation... without a reason... just together... a friendship was budding...A friendship that's gonna change their lives drastically!!! Where is this friendship going to lead them??
FREEZE!!!
So that's all for now!!!!!!!!!!! Lemme know how the story is progressing guys!!! ;)
Edited by AnusuyaYadav - 12 years ago
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