~Reflections-SFF~ Updated Chapter8 Pg24 - Page 18

Originally posted by: sim1623

This is amazing! You gotta update this!

Simran :D...

Thanks for your comment ...i will try to update soon 😳

@Everyone

hey plzzz,plzzz,plzzz update koro na bhai.its killing me.

Hey
First of all I must say you are a brilliant writer with a very creative imagination. And secondly that scene between uday and manyata was so intense and beautiful. I hope there is more scenes like that to come. And thank you for posting.

😭hi,can u plz update ur ff?kuch to rohom koro.😭😭.

i <3 ur ff it amazing just read ol of dem it was awesomee...plzz can u add me 2 ur pm list?

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry,Very much sorry...for updating soo late...actually i was not getting time to write down the part ...sorry for making you all wait for so long for the update ...on everyone's request I have incorporated both Jay's story and UV-M in this part 😛...hope you will enjoy it 😳

Chapter 8

She checked her watch and then looked out of the window of her car, as the car sped away on the highway, leaving a cloud of dust behind it….it is passed 1 hour since she has started the journey yet she is nowhere near her destination …she pushed her sunglass up on her forehead and then asked the driver for umpteenth time "how much longer?...i need to be there by 12:00 and its already 11:00"

"Rajkumariji, we will reach there in another 45 mins…." The driver said patiently

Jay looked outside the window again impatiently, and then turned her attention towards a crumpled piece of paper in her hand...where is this stupid place?...she re-read the address scrawled on the paper, she had asked her Driver, and he had said it was situated at the outskirts of the town…Jay frowned cursing herself for being foolish enough to embark upon a journey to some god forsaken place just for the sake of an utterly irritating and arrogant man….why the hell she agreed to go there?...she could have just blatantly refused him …yet she did not….something makes her just agree to whatever he says….she still could not understand the effect that he seemed to have on her….while a part of her wanted to avoid him, wanted to remain as far away from him as possible, a part of her wanted to be with him, wanted to get to know him….these were the feelings Jay feared…..she hated this fear , this uncertainty….yet the excitement it brought along with this was unnerving.

After the holi party was over, she had spent the rest of the evening checking her mobile now and then, she could not forget the curious glances that her parents, DS, and her dear sister Manyata had thrown at her when they had caught her behaving in such an unusual manner…and when finally his message blinked on her mobile she suddenly felt her heart leap with excitement, she felt alive all of a sudden …she had hurriedly gone through the message, and what she read made her frown in disbelieve, it was an address of a place she had never heard of in her life, for some unknown reason, she had quickly scrawled down the address in a piece of paper and deleted the message….somehow writing the message down made it seem more personal, and it gave a comforting feeling to Jay.

"Rajkumariji , we have arrived…", Jay heard her driver say and she was jerked out of her reverie …Jay nodded at him, and swiftly opened the door of her car…as she stepped out of the car and looked around, she saw she was standing in middle of nowhere….there was lush green crop fields on the either side of the road….the place where she was standing was a stretch of narrow road, which was rocky and dusty….the sun glared down, and Jay wrapped her scarf around her head , then putting on her sunglasses , she thought of walking down the street to unravel the mystery of the place….she could not help having the doubt that she might have landed up in some wrong place…may be she had read the address wrong….she asked her driver "Are you sure this is the place?"

"Yes, Rajkumari ji, this is the place, I am sure…"

"But , there is nothing here.." Jay said looking around surprised..

Jay felt annoyed and irritated….has she been stood up? Has Aditya made a fool out of her?... "if he has, I swear I will kill him " Jay fumed under her breath…she then asked her driver to stay there, while she began to walk hesitantly across the road….she had taken only a few steps forward when she felt the heels of her stilettos giving away, she flailed her arms and was about to fall when she felt someone catching hold of her arms and supporting her just in time…"watch out , bad girl" said a voice….Jay looked around and saw the person whom she was cursing just a few moments ago, standing in front of her….he was looking at her with a devilish grin etched on his face…

"Don't you think it was a bad choice to wear those for a place like this?" Aditya said pointing at her shoes

"Pray, and how was I supposed to know that you will make me land up in some uncharted place, that also miles away from the city?" Jay said sarcastically

"Hmm…I suppose I should have mentioned that…anyway it will be impossible for you to spend the rest of the day wearing those shoes…looks like we will have to find you another pair of shoes…lets go shopping then.."

"Huh!...stop kidding will you…shopping? And , that too here?" Jay mocked gesturing towards the place…

"Have some patience dear…" Aditya said, and then he stretched out his hand towards her

Jay looked at him sceptically while taking his hand, she felt her shoes giving away again when she tried to walk, but Aditya steadied her by holding her hand firmly.

"How far is this shop of yours?" Jay asked feeling annoyed

"Just a few minutes" Aditya said crisply

"A few minutes?...you expect me to continue limping like this for a few minutes?...cant we take the car?...my feet is killing me" Jay fumed.

Aditya stopped walking making Jay stop too … "Bear a bit dear, we are almost there, and I promise you whatever you will witness today won't disappoint you…and we cant take our cars there, and I will tell you why after we reach the place "

Jay looked at him in surprise…she thought he will reply back to her in a rude way just the way she had done… the more she got to know him the more he seemed to surprise her….she had acted like a brat with him from the time she met him today, yet he seemed so patient with her, tolerating her relentless grumblings without a complain, he seemed confident that wherever he is taking her today, it wont disappoint her….Jay pursed her lips and decided to give him a chance…she turned her face towards the road in front, and continued limping forward clutching Aditya's hand for support.

After about 5 mins, Aditya said , " we have reached our destination"

Jay looked around and saw that just a few feet more and they will enter into what looked like, a little village…"You wanted to show me this village?" Jay asked feeling a bit let down

"Have you ever been to a village?" Aditya asked

"No…never " Jay shook her head in reply

"Then never underestimate anything before you have experienced it…" Aditya said simply

Jay decided to keep quiet and let Aditya take her wherever he wanted….As they kept their foot on the rugged soil of the village, Jay immediately felt consumed by the vibrant colours and life that the village seemed to possess….it looked like a fair was going on, all around her there were quaint little shops, children were shouting and playing around, the whole village was decorated with confetti and colourful flags…at a distance from them, there were giant wheels, and merry-go-rounds, which were occupied by children and couples of all ages, all screaming and laughing….there were roadside vendors serving golas , panipuris and chaats, and people were flocking around them …the whole air seemed to be vibrant with the happiness and joy of the people in the village….Jay had made up her mind just before entering the village that she will probably dislike whatever she will see, she had very low opinion about villages…to her ,villages meant poverty, labour, sweat , illiteracy and backwardness…all the things that she hated….but what she saw was unlike what she imagined…infact it was far from what she had imagined….the positivity that the village and its people seemed to have, had a magical effect on her…she found herself smiling and looking around the place in wonder…she felt like she has come to wonderland…for the first time in her life she felt free, independent ….like the people around there, who seemed to be enjoying each and every moment without a care for the world, without any worries about their present and future, even she felt that a burden has been lifted off from her, she could now breath freely…suddenly she felt someone nudging her….she looked around and saw it was Aditya…."so I can see you are not disappointed visiting this place…" Aditya smiled

"Uhh…its not bad.." Jay replied carefully

"Glad to hear that ….now lets go and buy your shoes"….saying that Aditya guided her forward, towards a little shop with thatched roof, just like all the other shops were.

As they entered the shop, Jay took a good look around, it was like everything in this village…very colourful...and a very old lady was standing behind what looked like a makeshift counter….she gave them a bright smile as she saw them approaching towards her..

"Can you show some shoes for this lady?" Aditya said

"Yes son…we have got some great selections of shoes, bags, jewelleries….shall I show you?"

"Shoes will do , thank you.." Aditya smiled

"Ok , dear…please take a sit.." the old woman said pointing Jay to an old weary bench in the corner.

Jay looked at the dusty seat tentatively debating whether to sit or not but she realised that her feet is paining too much, and so instead of protesting, she sat down on that bench carefully, she gave a fleeting glance towards Aditya, and to her annoyance, she saw he was suppressing a smile at her discomfiture, which was probably apparent by the way she was sitting stiffly…Jay pursed her lips and turned her face to the other side..

The old woman called out for someone, and a little girl came running out from the back of the shop…as she began to show the shoes …

The old woman said " This is my grand -daughter Sumi, she lives with me, after her parents died last year in an accident"

Jay looked at the smiling little girl of about 10 years and was suddenly filled with sympathy, to lose your parents at such an young age must be hard..

"You have come on an auspicious day miss.." the old lady continued with her chatting..

Jay looked at her and asked "why? "

"Today's the first day of our village fair, each year during this time we have this fair as a gesture to thank God for his blessings that he has showered on us, for the prosperity that shines down on our little village…it will continue for 5 days"

Jay smiled at the old woman…she felt surprised that even in today's world such simple minded people existed who believed in the blessings of God…well may be they are right in a way, why not believe in things which keep us happy…she has been doing that all her life….hanging on to hopes, wishes and dreams, which never came true, yet she could not give them up…even now…

Aditya broke the silence which suddenly seemed to have cropped up as the old woman left the place to bring something from the back of the shop..

"Jay, are you alright?"

"Yeah…yeah, I am fine…was just thinking about something..umm..i have chosen the shoes, can we go now?" Jay replied pointing to a beautiful ethnic pair of flat shoes, which was blue in colour

Aditya nodded and as the old woman came back, and he paid for the shoes, the old woman suddenly brought out a beautiful piece of embroidered cloth, and moved it towards Aditya…"take this, its for both of you…may God bless you"…Aditya started to refuse it , but the old lady was adamant and Aditya ultimately had to give in.

Jay noticed that the little girl, Sumi, was looking at her shyly, her big innocent eyes, her smiling face, reminded her of her own childhood…those carefree days, full of innocence, when the only thing she worried about was what will happen if she did not complete her school work….there was no hatred, no conspiracy, no bitter feelings…Jay opened her purse and looked inside, hunting for something, after sometime , she fished out her sunglass and handed it over to the little girl …"Sorry dear, I don't have anything else to give, but I would love it if you have this " Jay said smiling at her

Sumi reached out for the glasses hesitatingly, but before she could take it, the old lady stopped her and said " No miss, you don't have to give anything to her"

"But I have to, just as a token for reminding me of a part of myself I had forgotten"…Jay thrust the sunglass into the girl's hands …the girl's face brightened up with a smile, and immediately put on the glass, it was a bit big for her face, but nevertheless she looked happy wearing it..

"Thank you didi" Sumi said..Jay just smiled at her , she noticed Aditya looking at her a bit surprised…she did not blame him…she herself was surprised by her act…she was never a kind of person who was sympathetic to others plight, or ever felt like helping people in their need…may be she is changing…

As Jay and Aditya walked out of the shop…they walked together in silence for sometime …when Aditya said "That was a nice gesture, giving your glasses to that girl"

"Surprised you, didn't I?" Jay replied back somewhat bitterly

" I did not mean that…." Aditya said , he seemed to have noted Jay's bitter tone …"you just did not seem…" he continued

"I don't seem to be what?...kind? soft? Compassionate? ….well I don't blame you …most people think like that, and yeah every one of them is right…. I am someone whom people should loathe, hate…I am selfish, cruel…"

"Hey , I am sure you are not like that….there is always a side of people which no one knows…. May be everyone has a misconception about you…" Aditya replied in a gentle tone.

"How much do you know about me, really?...you know nothing…we have met only twice…"

"If you really want to know a person , then a few minutes of interaction is enough…but sometimes it happens you meet a person, get to know him for a lifetime, yet you fail to know what he really is like…let me ask you something…do you know me? "

******

Uday looked out of the window of his room…it was a full moon night, and its bright light is flooding his dark room… he liked being alone with his room darkened, it relaxed him….as he looked at the moon, he remembered the evening that he spent with Manyata, their sword fight, and the moments they shared together….he knew, slowly and steadily Manyata is falling for him…may be already has…but she won't accept it….she will keep denying….its frustrating that he could do nothing to make her accept her feelings for him…he was fighting….fighting hard every single day to keep his patience, to not just go in front of Manyata and blurt out his feelings for her….but he knew that as soon as he will do that Manyata will shut herself away from him, and he will lose her forever…at least this way Manyata will be with him, and he cannot afford to lose her…it surprised him how much Manyata meant to him now, it's as if his life revolved around her……as a light breeze blew, Uday, remembered the last moment he had spend with Manyata, it did not fail to notice, how wistfully she had looked at the setting sun, the longing in her eyes, as she looked at the birds flying to their nest….he knew Manyata missed being the girl she was, she missed enjoying the warm sun on her face, the cool breeze blowing through her hair as she ran in open fields, her freedom…suddenly , Uday smiled, as a thought struck him…he turned around, and then in quick strides left his room.

The backyard was dark, and that suited Uday perfectly…..the guards of Devgarh palace had looked really surprised when Uday turned up in front of the gate, that too so late in the night….Uday had felt like laughing seeing their confused face….nevertheless being Royal guards they knew they must not question about anything that the Royals do….so they let him in, without any question..

Uday, looked up at the window, which was of Manyata's room….a smile broke out on his face, as he imagined how Manyata will react when he will execute the next step of his plan….he takes out his mobile and dials Manyata's number….he waits for some time, when suddenly he hears Manyata's voice from the other end….it sounded drowsy…probably she was sleeping, lost in her dreams…

"Wake up princess.." he said

"Uhh…Uday…is this a time to call?...its 1:00 in the night…I am going to sleep, good night" Manyata said sleepily

"Hold on ….Look down your window princess…" Uday said hurriedly

He looked up and saw the light shinning in Manyata's room….in a few minutes, the window opened, and he saw Manyata looking out..

Uday spoke into his phone … "Princess, look down…" and he got the reaction he expected…

Manyata literally screamed into his ears "Oye pagal, what are you doing here so late at night?, that too in the back yard, what will everyone think?"

"Hey Princess…Shhh….stop screaming, you will wake up the whole household and maybe then they will indeed 'think' "..Uday said laughing

"Since you have now woken up, please come down now"

After a few minutes, Uday heard a scrunching noise behind him, and then he heard a voice whispering "What, idiot? Tell me what made you to act so crazily tonight?"

Uday turned around to face Manyata, she had just put on her dress robe over her pyjamas , her hair was all messed up…probably she had been sleeping too deeply….he thought…a soft light from the moon was falling on her face, making her look like the angel she was, for a moment he thought he can just stare at her mesmerised …he came closer to her and replied "you…"

Manyata looked a bit stunned at his reply, but she replied in her usual don't care way…"Hmm, so now you are blaming me for your weird behaviour…did I tell you to come in the middle of the night?"

"No, but your heart did" Uday said smirking

"You seem to able to read my heart too well…sorry to disappoint you…I was not thinking about you, neither my heart was" Manyata said rolling her eyes .

"It did , but its just that you don't want to hear…" Uday replied

"So, you woke me up so late at night, made me sneak out of my own house like some criminal, and made me land up in the backyard, to tell me all these?" Manyata replied ..Uday noticed she was trying to avoid his eyes, he knew his words have put her into a fix…thinking that it was time to change the subject he said .."Well, since you have taken so much of pain to hear me out…I will not irritate you any more…lets not waste any more time…come with me"

"Come with you?...where?...at this time?...and like this?" Manyata replied shocked and gestured towards her dress

"Ah..never mind what you are wearing…in fact its perfect…now no one will recognize you to be princess Manyata….and trust me…I am not going to kidnap you…or harm you" Saying this Uday took her hand and started walking quickly towards his car..he opened the door of the front seat and waited for Manyata to be seated…Manyata just gave him a confused look and sat quietly in the car.

While leaving the Rajmahal, Uday gave a slight nod towards the guards at the gate….he knew that this small gesture is enough to make the guards understand that they are meant to keep this midnight adventure of the prince and the princess a secret.

Within fifteen minutes or so they reached their destination…..Uday noticed that Manyata had been sitting quietly all this time….it was unusual for her….she always seem to have so much to say….but now she looked as if she is pondering over something…he wanted to ask her what was bothering her, but then he decided that its better to ignore this time….may be she is sleepy that's why she is so quiet….

It was a quiet place, peaceful and calm….away from the buzz and traffic of the city…Mumbai never sleeps, its true, but among all the noise and hustle and bustle, there was this place, which hidden from the public view, is the perfect destination for someone who yearns and craves for freedom and peace….Uday had accidentally discovered this place one day when he was driving along the roads of Mumbai frustrated and disturbed with the events that were taking place in his life….he needed to vent out, to breath….and then he found the perfect place….he had taken a wrong turn while returning to his hotel, as he was lost in his thought…and he ended up in a road which seemed less travelled, a bylane of some sort….and the road lead towards a hilly area….he had got down, and walked all the way towards the top of the hill….and what he saw took his breath away….and from that day onwards he made this place his secret gate away ….and now he is going to share his most precious secret with the most precious person in his life.

Uday got down and opened the door of the car for Manayata….as she got down….Uday saw that her face had that look of wonder which he had wanted to see…."What is this place Uday?" Manyata said

"Just a minute Princess, we are not there yet, I promise you will never forget what you will see there" Uday said smiling at her.

Uday took her hand and led her along the narrow path….and soon they reached the hill side….the place was filled with sweet smell of some flowers….he saw Manyata taking deep breath of the air…"Beautiful isn't it?" he said

"Oh Uday, the air has such a sweet smell….its so refreshing"

"Come Princess, lets go on top of the hill"

They made way to the hill top….and when they finally reached there…Uday said " Now princess look around you.."

He saw Manyata look around and saw the same expression on her face that he had once experienced so long ago….the sight was mesmerising…one can see the whole city while standing there, yet he can remain invisible from everyone….a fresh sweet smell of wild flowers fills up the whole air….and in the night if one looks around they can see lights of the whole city twinkling like millions of stars….but only if you look up you will find another million stars twinkling over you….a cool breeze will blow over your face and when you close your eyes you will forget all your pain, frustrations, everything and only peace will wash over you….it was nearest place to heaven at least for Uday.

"Princess …close your eyes, breath in " Uday whispered in Manyata's ears…"I understand you miss those days when you could run bare feet on the road, with wind blowing through your hair, not a worry for the future….i know you yearn for those days….i know you feel like a caged bird….somewhere I am also to blame for taking away your freedom…I cannot give you back everything that you have lost…but I can at least try to make up for what I took away from you."

Manyata looked at Uday and said softly " Its beautiful.." , her eyes glistened as she looked around her….Uday let Manyata take in every bit of the air around her….he glanced at her face and the look of contentment on her face filled him with a sense of happiness….Uday sat down and looked up to watch the twinkling stars in black sky, as the cool breeze blew , he closed his eyes for a moment and then laid down on the soft grass…Manyata still stood and quietly observed the breath taking view….after sometime, Uday felt someone sitting beside him, he looked around to find Manyata sitting beside him looking up at the sky….he touched her hand lightly and Manyata looked at him….she said " Uday, how did you find this place?"

"It was about 2 years back and one of those days when I was feeling everything was going wrong in my life…and I needed to find a place where I can be myself...not "Yuvraj" Udayveer Singh…but just plain , and ordinary Uday…and accidentally I found this place"

"If I might…can I ask you why were you so upset that day?" Manyata asked

"May be I will tell that one day, but not now…" Uday said thinking about that day…it was one of those incidents in his life that he wanted to forget….he will eventually have to share it with Manyata one day…but not now…she is still not ready to hear it…

"You know something…you are the first person that I have ever brought here…no one knows about this place of mine…not even Unnati, with whom I share everything"

"Why?" Manyata asked

"Cause I consider this place to be very personal…a part of me which I don't really want to show anyone….this place knows that part of me…"

"Yet you shared this place with me"

"With you I can't pretend….with you I have nothing to hide…"

Uday saw in the faint light of the moon Manyata's face, which was one of confusion, wonder and hesitation….he knew she wanted to say something to him, yet she could not…

Manyata sighed a little and laid down beside him….Uday understood in the darkness, even if he could not see her face that she was looking at the stars above their head… suddenly he felt Manyata's hand over his….she entwined her fingers within his…..

"You cannot hide anything from me….yet you cannot tell me everything….why?" Manyata said the breaking the silence

"There is a right time for everything….i promise you….i will let you know everything….but at the right time"

"There is nothing known as right time….you have to make the "right" time….what if it becomes too late…and the right time never comes?"

" Then I will say it is destiny…you can fight everything Princess but not your destiny….if you are destined to know about something you will know about it….the right time will come…else no matter how many "right" times come, yet you will never know the truth"

"Ok…I will not press the matter anymore….lets see what my destiny has in store for me"

Uday could sense the smile in Manyata's voice…

They kept lying side by side holding hands….soaking up the silence ,which was broken only by the chirping of crickets….

" Thank you…." whispered Manyata , her voice breaking the silence of the night.

Beautifully written dear!! I.loved the update!!! Plzzz continue soon I'm very excited to read about the ball!!:D

mystic u evil fellow🤣updating after a month yaar so late kyun hogayi i almost forgot the entire story will have to read all other parts then i will remember what was the story about anyways thankoo for the pm agle baar update fast okay pls

👏👏thanks.brillaint...loved it...👏👏