Firstly thanks for all your lovely comments 😳...I hope you will like this part also..as I said it will be a holi special part...and its all about Manveer 😛
Chapter 5
It was 4:00 am in the morning and Uday was sitting on his bed with his laptop …he stared into the screen of the laptop , his mind wandering somewhere else….damn, he has spent another sleepless night …thought Uday…Why is it that every word Manyata utters, every action she takes , have such a great impact on him?..he was supposed to be the one to manipulate people, he was supposed to be the one to affect Manyata, he was supposed to be the one to win in every move that he makes but here Manyata always seems to comes out as the winner…No, that day he definitely had no intention of taking advantage of Manyata in any way , even though she had accused him of doing so…he was genuinely playing the game that they used to enjoy in their childhood…he just wanted to remind Manyata of the happier times that they had shared together, a time when they could live almost freely as a bird, without any responsibilities , without any care of the world. Uday smiled as he remembered the last time he had played 'What If' with Manyata when they were little kids.
"Manyata , let's play 'What If'" said 5 year old little Uday, he was dressed in a Superman T-shirt and black shorts…"today I will be Superman" he said pointing at himself and "you be…." Uday stopped and looked at Manyata , she was wearing a pretty frock which had a picture of Daisy Duck…"errr…Daisy Duck?" Uday continued scrunching up his nose .
Little Manyata of three years gave a look of disapproval at him and then with her nose up in the air she replied in a very haughty tone " I will be Rapunzel, with long , long hair…"
" And I will cut off your hair with my big sword" Uday said and then started to laugh, rolling on the grass of the Royal Palace's garden in Devgarh.
Manyata smacked him on his arms and said angrily" you really are a fool, you are superman …you will fly and rescue me from the tower where I am locked, and it's the evil witch who cuts off the hair not you.."
Uday was still laughing and said " What if you were not locked up in the tower? What if the evil witch had locked you up somewhere else?"
"I would want that witch to lock me up in a house like the one in Hansel and Gretel…you would rescue me, and when we get out of that house, we can eat all the delicious chocolates and cakes with which the house was made of"
"Manyata we will have to kill the witch first ..."Uday said
"Off course we will, we both have swords remember?" Manyata said picking up her plastic sword which was lying beside her and gave Uday his.
"So lets start fighting the witch" Yelled Uday
"Yes lets go" Manyata yelled equally gleefully …..and then the two kids ran with the swords in their hands and began attacking the bushes of the garden pretending that those were a gang of witches …and their laughter filled the air of the Royal garden.
Uday sighed remembering the day…so many memories he had of them together, some he remembers vividly, some which has faded…..but he kept holding on to each of these memories as tightly as he could…he has lost count how many times he has replayed these memories in his mind in these 16 years of wait for his lost princess….one day he will gift these memories to Manyata…he will remind her of all those days that they had spent together.
The soft rays of the early morning sun filtered into Uday's room and fell on his face…Uday blinked and looked towards his window…he was so engrossed in his thoughts that he had lost the track of time…he looked at the watch on the table…its 6:00 am…Uday rested his head against the headboard of his bed and closed his eyes letting his mind wander again…he could still hear the laughter of the little Uday and Manyata in his ears…he was still having difficulty in believing that they played their favourite childhood game after 16 years…."but the result was disastrous "…Uday thought grimly…"and not to mention it has cost me 2 days of sleep"
After the heated argument with Manyata , Uday had left the Devgarh Palace feeling really annoyed both with himself and Manyata…he was still reeling under the shock as to how he had utterly lost control over himself and had allowed himself to kiss Manyata…well, what he said to Manyata was true…he did not feel guilty kissing her at all, for he considered Manyata belonged to him, but Manyata did not think like that…so maybe he should have thought a bit before doing that…but again his mind had stopped working for the moment, her sweet flowery smell, her warm breath on his face, her beating heart close to him, her chocolate brown eyes, her wavy brown tresses of hair that always fell on her face, her sweet lips, had driven him crazy, he felt things he had never felt before, he just wanted to hold her even more closer in his arms and then for the first time in years he had allowed his heart to take over his mind … what irked him was, he had allowed himself to give in to his emotions… he was also angry with Manyata as she had yet again pushed him away from her…every time he comes closer to her, something happens and then they go back being what they have become now, enemies...whatever it is things had not turned out like he wanted it to and this made Uday feel a bit sour.
For the next 2 days when he visited Devgarh Palace he made it a point to meet everyone there except Manyata…he observed that Manyata wanted to say something to him every time they accidentally crossed each other's path but he very carefully avoided her…she seemed to have realised that he was avoiding her and so being as stubborn as he is, very annoyingly she kept hovering around him…this forced him to cut short the visits and return to his hotel.
Hell, it is really difficult to avoid her, not to mention how difficult it is to remain annoyed with her…every time she looks at him with those innocent eyes, and opens her pretty little mouth to say something, and every time she frowns when she sees that he has again successfully avoided her, he just feels like throwing away all his annoyance and envelope her into a warm hug….but his ego stopped him from doing so…when Manyata had pushed him away from her and had accused him of taking advantage of her, his ego had been pricked…..and it was pricked real hard…and so when he left the Devgarh Palace he decided that for a few days he will give Manyata what she wants, freedom from himself, freedom from his friendship and freedom from his presence…he will not come to meet Manyata, or speak to her, will become a complete stranger to her…Since he could not stop coming to Devgarh palace as he had important discussions with Dadisaab , he just needed to be careful that Manyata does not come near him…but well it looked like his plan is failing terribly and he cannot blame anyone but himself for this failure.
"What are you doing to me Manyata? Every time I try to build a wall around my heart, my soul, you just come like a wind and the wall comes crashing down like a pack of cards, leaving me confused and bewildered" thought Uday….though he has successfully avoided Manyata for 2 days, but in doing so he had to sacrifice his sleep …each night he tossed and turned in his bed and felt restless for not being able to talk, to tease, to irritate his princess…damn, he missed their banters, quarrels, arguments and jokes…if two days of not talking to her can have such an effect on him , he felt worried to think what will happen if God forbid he had to stop talking to her for a longer time…she has become like a drug to him….and he has become addicted to this drug called Princess Manyata.
Uday got up from his bed and went to his cupboard, he opened it and carefully took out a carved wooden box…slowly he opened the box and looked inside…the box was filled with, what people will call trash, but to Uday it contained things which were priceless….Uday took out a little card from the box it had a childish scribble of a drawing of a little boy and a girl holding hands…Uday smoothened the card with his hand and smiled, it was given to him by Manyata on his 5th birthday….he delved deeper inside the box…here was his red ball which Manyata had thrown away in anger in the pool of the Royal Palace for Uday was teasing her by taking away her doll….and these were the marbles with which they used play in the lazy summer afternoons…oh, here is the first letter Manyata had written to him and it was also the last, for after that Manyata had got kidnapped…Uday opened the letter, it has become yellow with time, but the writing is still clear….it was just plain gibberish, as she had not then learnt how to write properly but it meant a lot to him….he picked up another letter from the box, it was the letter he had wanted to give Manyata in reply to the gibberish she wrote to him but he never could as Manyata was then lost to him forever….he began to read the letter he had scribbled to her so many years ago…."Dear Manata, Got leter . Will go to you home and play..Love Uday"…Uday's face broke into a smile as he read the short childish letter, which had full of spelling mistakes…he kept all the treasures back into the box and then put it back into the cupboard…this box was something no one ever knew he possessed, it was a secret which he guarded jealously, this box held that part of him which everyone has forgotten, and which will remain forgotten.
Suddenly he heard a knocking at the door of his room….he checked his watch and saw it was 9:00 am…probably someone has come with the morning tea…he said "come in"…the door opened slowly and he saw Manyata entering his room… he had to admit that he was surprised to see that Manyata has come to meet him but he was careful enough not let her know that ….so he glanced at her and said , "I must be having a nightmare…is that really you Manyata..?"
"Huh?!, did you just call me a nightmare? Is this how you greet your guests? …how rude" Manyata replied
"Rude? …I am never rude with my guests….except off course if they are unwanted ones…"
"So I am an unwanted guest?…"
"Do you really consider yourself to be a guest here?...I thought you are more than that" Uday replied smirking…hell he just loved annoying her…take for example the way her face changes when she gets angry, her cheeks become flushed, there is an angry glint in her eyes, and her nose becomes red too…he enjoys seeing the various expressions on her face…sometimes he felt he can do this all day long without getting bored…If only he had the chance.
"What do you mean?" Manyata looked at him suspiciously
"Manyata…I thought you are Unnati's best friend….. and her friend is like a part of our family"
"Well then…that's alright" Manyata looked a bit pacified…"but that is no excuse for being rude with me…..and I thought I am your friend also "
"hmm..we and friends?...remember you broke our friendship 2 days back?...I think…we are now acquaintances…Isnt it ? "
"So I am an acquaintance now?"
"Well you wanted us to be that…and your wish is granted" Uday smirked .
"well alright…thanks for granting me my wish" Manyata told him mockingly…."Oh by the way nice act you put up…avoiding me for 2 days…I appreciate how much you care about my feelings"
"That pricked you didn't it?" Uday told her coming near her
"Who said it pricked me?" Manyata replied …"Your face did…well leave it, I know you are stubborn and won't accept it…so tell me what brings you here Manyata" Uday replied
"So that you cannot run way every time I want to talk to you…I thought its better to come to your place and say what I want to…I knew this is the only place from where you cannot run away" ,Manyata said folding her arms…"Uday ..you know when you left that day…I was really angry with you for what you did…you were at fault no doubt in that….you..err….kissed me without even considering what I would feel….but even though I hate to admit it, somewhere I was at fault too….I should not have accused you…..." Manyata sighed…"I guess we both were at fault…so its no use harping on this issue anymore…I don't know if I am making any sense or not…I just want to say…that I don't want to lose my friend…I don't know if you will still consider me to be your friend…but I sure do want you back as my friend" Manyata then held out her hand towards him for a handshake.
Uday was not at all expecting Manyata to say all these things to him…and she offering her hand to renew the broken friendship was something he would not have even imagined in his wildest dreams….he thought of accepting her hand, it was in any case getting difficult for him to continue being annoyed with her ….but again he was enjoying Manyata's discomfort, her uncertainty…Uday could not help it anymore, he smiled at her, and then took hold of Manyata's outstretched hand saying " Very well Princess"
Manyata heaved a sigh of relief and said almost comically " Thank god you have started calling me princess …you calling me Manyata was actually bugging me somehow…"
"Why was it bugging you?" Uday asked lightly
"Umm…you have never called me by my name before…so it was a bit weird…and it made me feel guilty that I had upset you" Manyata replied a bit flustered…."I hope we have become friends again then"
"Well …I am not upset with you anymore…but friends? Not so easy Princess…you need to do something before I accept you as a friend"..Uday said with a wicked smile on his face.
"what will I have to do now?" Manyata replied looking nervous.
"You will have to convince me to become your friend….i don't know how …its upto you"
"Huh…well that's ridiculous.."Manyata replied frowning.
"Why, Princess? Scared that you will lose?" Uday taunted her
"Off course not Yuvraj Udayveer, I am Rajkumari Manyata…and she is not afraid of any challenges…I will convince you to become my friend…but you will have to wait till tomorrow" Manyata replied "Oh I almost forgot…the actual reason I came here besides meeting you off course…tomorrow there is going to be a grand holi party at our place…Dadisaab has specially arranged it for me… its an open for all party…the whole of Mumbai can come if they want…and you are to come with Unnati…I could not tell Unnati, as I can see she is not home at the moment…make sure you do come"
"I will have to come ...as I need to see how you convince me to become your friend" Uday winked at her.
"Oh you will see.." Manyata gave him a naughty smile and left his room swiftly.
****
As Uday got ready in his crisp white kurta and pyjama to leave for the Holi party at Devgarh Palace…he smiled wondering how Manyata will convince him to be her friend….looks like it will be one hell of a Holi party…should be interesting.
When Uday reached Devgarh Palace he saw that the party was in full swing…almost whole of Mumbai seemed to have turned up there….the air was full of bright colours, and filled with happy laughter and screams of people as they ran around putting colours on each other…Uday tried to find Manyata in all this crowd…suddenly he spotted Manyata at a distance running behind Vijay …she was saying "I won't leave you Vijay bhai till I put this colour on you" ….Vijay said "Manyata, don't you dare, I have got a very sensitive skin…I don't want to damage it with all these artificial colours"….but Vijay was not quick enough, Manyata got hold of him and smeared him with colour laughing madly…Vijay screamed and while he tried to rub the colour off him, he kept saying "Oh god…now what will happen…Manyata has killed me…I will be dead by tomorrow…"
Uday started to laugh seeing this very funny incident…"Having fun aren't you?" said a voice from behind…he turned around and saw it was Manyata in a pristine white salwar suit, looking like an angel…for a moment he got mesmerised by her beauty …then he smiled at her and replied "Oh yeah I am..but I was wondering….while you are running around putting colours on everyone, how come no one has put colour on you?"
"Well it is hard to catch me…and one can put colour on me only if that person can catch me" Manyata said a bit proudly.
"I hope you remember the challenge.."Uday said…"Off course Uday, how can I forget it"Manyata smiled.
Just then Dadisaab came towards them….she smiled at them and said "Uday beta, you are here?...thats good…but where is Unnati and Giriraj?"
Uday took her blessing, wished her Happy Holi and said "Dad has gone for a meeting so he won't be able to come…and Unnati is on her way Dadisaab, I will just call her, and check where she is " Uday put his hand in his pyjama pockets to pull out his mobile…when he saw it was missing…Uday felt all over him…but could not find it..he wondered aloud "Where did my mobile go, I am sure I brought it with me"
"Looking for this?" …Uday saw Manyata was smiling at him and in her hands was his mobile.
"Oh I must have dropped it, thanks " Uday reached out to take the phone…when Manyata replied "see a friend in need is friend indeed…I am now helping you by returning your phone...I have convinced you to be my friend I guess"
"Not quite my dear princess…even strangers return lost possessions…not very convincing…try harder" Uday smirked and left a frowning princess behind him.
As he made his way towards Brijraj and Komal to greet them, he suddenly tripped on something and fell down hard in a pool of muddy water…he looked up and saw a smiling Manyata in front of him…so it was she who deliberately made him fall….Manyata had put forward her hand towards him to help him get up and said "a helping hand for a friend in trouble…hope I have convinced you this time" …after he got up taking her help he replied "That was cheating Princess…you tripped me on purpose"
"You never said that I will have to play it fair…I did convince you didn't I?" Manyata replied.
"Not really, even strangers would help a person if they see him in trouble…that was weak from your part…you still have time though" Uday winked at her and left her …he smiled secretly seeing Manyata's disturbed face…he was really enjoying this Holi.
Uday saw Manyata was chatting with her mother, Komal…he quietly sneaked upon Manyata from behind and reached out to put colour on her face…Manyata had probably guessed it somehow, for she suddenly dodged him and began to run…Uday saw Komal was laughing seeing his disappointed face…she said "Uday beta Manyata is very quick, you cannot fool her so easily"…Uday said "Lets see aunty Komal, this time I will win" and he ran after Manyata…both kept running around the ground…when suddenly Uday saw that the distance between them has decreased…Manyata was about turn round a corner, when Uday put his foot forward, she tripped and to save herself from falling she grabbed Uday's collar and the impact was such that they both lost balance and they fell on the ground together, Uday crashing on top of her…Manyata's hands were pinned against Uday's chest and Uday saw her breath was coming in short gasps…for a moment they both seemed to have got lost in each other's eyes…Uday brought his face closer to Manyata, his lips coming close to hers…she closed her eyes in anticipation, the helplessness was etched on her face…Uday then moved his mouth close towards her ears and whispered softly " May be another time" and then he smeared her face with red colour saying "Bura mat mano holi hain". Uday swiftly got up from the ground, and as he stood up, he saw Manyata was still lying on the floor with a very confused look on her face, she blinked and touched her face and looked at the red colour that came off from her cheeks…Uday said with a wicked grin" This time I won Princess…I caught you "
Manyata got up from the ground and said furiously "It was not fair Uday, you tripped me"
"We are quits now …you tripped me and now I tripped you….so why are you angry?" Uday said laughing.
Manyata came and stood near Uday and pointed her finger towards him saying " Oye, you think yourself very clever right?...you idiot, you fool, halkat veda, suar…" as she kept rattling off colourful swears at him, she took one step at a time towards Uday with each swear word, and Uday just smiled and kept moving backwards…he said laughing "You know Princess, you are really not doing a good job in convincing me to be your friend…swearing at me sure won't help"
"Well then if this wont help…you may go to hell" Said Manyata
"Aww princess …I don't want to go to hell …..I will get bored there alone…" Uday asked teasingly.
"Well...you may take one of your millions of admirers with you then …" Manyata replied
"You know I am helpless, you see long time back I was betrothed to the Princess of Devgarh,… even though she has refused me…I cannot seem to want any other person to accompany me wherever I go " Uday smiled as he said this.
"Really?...unfortunately that princess is least interested in accompanying you to hell…so bye" saying this Manyata pushed Uday …and with a splash he fell into a tub of coloured water, that was just behind him…he was so engrossed in this playful banter with Manyata that he had not even noticed how close he was standing near the tub…
Manyata gave him a triumphant look and said " Enjoy hell"…saying this she was about to turn around and go, when Uday reached out, grabbed her hand and pulled her hard, Manyata lost her balance and came splashing into the tub…she gasped and spluttered as the coloured water got into her nose and eyes…she looked angrily at Uday and said "That was really uncalled for, you are disgusting…haan nahi toh…look now I have got all wet"...saying this Manyata got out of the tub in a huff…Uday could not help being amused seeing Manyata's furious face.
As he came out of the tub and saw Manyata walking away, he called out to her "Hey princess, you should be happy and not angry…after all you have won the challenge…you have finally convinced me to be your friend"
Manyata turned around and looked at him in surprise "huh?! How?"
"Well you joined me in hell…and only a true friend will do that "Uday said smiling.
"But that was cheating, you pulled me there"
"You told me remember, I had not mentioned about playing fair in this challenge…so you win…and I accept your friendship" Saying this Uday took Manyata's hand and shook it.
Suddenly Manyata burst out laughing making Uday look at her in surprise…seriously this girl drove him crazy…one moment she gets angry and calls him names, and the next moment she starts laughing…she is so unpredictable and that's what draws him towards her even more.
"Uday you look like a monkey, just look at your face, just see what the colours have done to you" Manyata said laughing, breaking Uday's thoughts.
"Princess, then I must tell you; even you are looking like a monkey" Uday said laughing
Hearing this Manyata made a face at him…..and then they both started laughing.
Suddenly Uday saw that Manyata has stopped laughing and instead there was a despondent look on her face.
"What happened princess? Is everything alright?" Uday asked her looking concerned.
"Uday, you know when I had first come to Mumbai , and met Chikki, Soni, and Akash….they had told me a lot about Holi…how they enjoy playing holi at their chawl, the fun they have there, I so wanted to be there and celebrate Holi with them, my friends, my family…but see the twist of fate, here I am celebrating holi but not with them….its not that I am not enjoying here, I am enjoying playing holi with my new friends and family, but somehow I wish they were here too…look Uday, today almost the whole of Mumbai is here, they could have also come…couldn't they?...dont they remember me anymore? I know I am not a part of their lives anymore…I know I have left them…but in my heart they still have a place…I was, and still am their friend…but do they consider me to be their friend anymore?...If they did wouldn't they have come here once today, just to see if I am happy or not…if I am missing them or not?...but they still have not…Uday , they have not forgotten me have they?"..
Uday looked at Manyata's face and was lost for words…as much as he disliked Manyata's chawl friends , he could not bear to see tears in his princess's eyes…lately he has discovered that if Manyata became upset he also became upset by default…her tears has a weird effect on him…he becomes restless, distressed, and he feels a weird sort of pain in his heart…he feels he could do anything to wipe away those tears from her eyes, even if it would mean that he will have to do the one thing that he hated most…he would do it just to see a smile on her lips.
As Uday saw her tear filled eyes, he reached out and wiped away her tears lightly …and he was about to say something when he saw from the corner of his eyes that Chiki and Soni is standing near the Palace entrance….Uday said softly " Princess, I don't think your old friends have forgotten you, look over there"…he pointed towards the entrance…Manyata's face broke into a wide smile, her face lit up, her eyes shone….and Uday felt an odd sort of peace in his heart….he felt he could keep looking at this face for eternity…a part of him wished he was the reason for Manyata's face to lit up like this…may be he will be one day…and he can wait for that day forever.
He saw Manyata running up to Chikki and Soni , and giving them each a warm hug…Uday went and stood nearby ….as he saw Manyata chatting with her friends, he looked around to see what others were doing…Unnati was smearing colour on some guy…hmm…..Is that her friend or her new boyfriend…he must ask her…he thought, suddenly her elder brother instinct taking over him…a few feet away Jay was standing, she looked kind of lost…should he go and talk to her? Uday thought…after all its holi, and for the past few days, specially after Manyata returned, he had been pretty mean to Jay, but he was helpless, she always seemed to instigate him against Manyata, and he absolutely disliked that…but may be its time to forget the past, and mend the old relationship, she was close to him once…Uday was about to go to Jay when he heard Manyata say angrily "Chikki, how dare you say that? "
"What wrong did I say Moniya…you asked Akash to stop contacting your for 3 months, I thought you will be missing him…but no, you are here happily playing holi with Udayveer, I thought you hated him, but I guess I was wrong…you have changed Moniya…Udayveer and these Royals have turned you into someone I wish I never knew…You wanted to know why Akash did not come here , when he is allowed to come today….well listen Moniya he was really upset when you asked him to stop calling you, so he decided to work out-station for some months…like that he can control himself from not contacting you…because of you Akash left Mumbai"
Wow, Manyata had told Akash not to contact her…when did that happen? Uday wondered as he listened to Manyata and Chikki's conversation…he saw that the heated argument has also attracted Mahraj Brijraj's attention and he was coming towards them probably to put an end to it….Uday quickly went to Brij's side and stopped him…Brij asked him in surprise "Why are you stopping me Udayveer? See how that chawl girl is speaking, she does not even know how to talk to a princess, no manners at all"
"Uncle, let Manyata handle it, she alone is enough for her, trust her, there is no need for us to interfere" ..Brijraj nodded …and then Uday and he stood listening to the argument.
"Good for him Chikki, he needed to understand that I was not joking when I said that I meant to keep my promise to Dadisaab…if he is distracting himself with work, it will only help him…as for the people whom you are calling "these Royals", they happen to be my family, and I wont tolerate any disrespect towards them…and Udayveer, he is my friend now, and just as I cannot bear to hear bad words against you all, similarly I cannot hear anything against him…please Chikki before you accuse them of anything just imagine, how would you feel if I say such things about your family and friends…just like you refuse to hear anything against Akash, who is your good friend, similarly I also cannot hear anything against Uday…I really wanted to meet you , Soni and Akash today…and was happy to see you…but looks like you came here only to insult me…hope you are happy now…Happy Holi Chikki...and I think you should leave now" Manyata said firmly.
Uday stood looking surprised, he just could not believe that Manyata was taking his side..was fighting with her best friend for him...and the way she said everything with perfect poise and grace….she looked the perfect Rajkumari that they wanted her to be…Uday saw Brijraj was looking proudly at his daughter…he heard him say "She has indeed spoken like a true Princess…Manyata has become the Princess of Devgarh in every sense today…the honour of her family means more to her now than her friendship"…this was probably the first time Uday has heard Brijraj say something in praise of her daughter…he turned his attention towards Manyata and Chikki again.
Chikki was saying "Fine Rajkumari Manyata, we are leaving…but remember, today you have lost your friends"…
"Don't say that Chikki, try to understand Moniya also" Soni Said…then she turned towards Manyata and continued "Sorry Moniya, I really don't know whats up with her, she has become a bit touchy for the past few days…sorry your holi got spoiled…happy holi Moniya..and take care"
Soni then took Chikki's hand and together they went out of the gate of the Royal palace.
Uday saw Manyata looking towards the gate sadly as her friends disappeared, he came and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, Manyata looked around feeling his touch, she looked up at Uday and gave him a sad smile…Uday said "Things like this happens, cheer up princess…don't lets spoil our first holi together after 16 years" …..Manyata smiled at him and said " Thank you for being there with me"
"I will always be there with you Princess, always remember that" Uday smiled at her and then they walked towards their family to join the celebration of the festival of colours…Uday saw Komal coming towards them…he smiled seeing her…Komal looked at Uday and Manyata and said smiling "So Uday , who won?"
Uday looked at Manyata and said firmly "we both did" …
...and yeah I wanted to make Manyata a bit matured..she always seems to screech and scream in the show, and behave like a 3 year old kid 😆...even I would love to see something like this in the show 😆
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Arjun
Cricket
