|| Tumse meri lagan lagi ||SS Pt 17 updated pg 66 - Page 7

He lifted her to the ground and set her on her feet. She collapsed to the ground with relief. He told her "tum par taras khakar tumhe bachaya, aaj balki abhi tum ghar jaaogi aur apna saara saaman uthakar is jagah se wapas jaogi, samjhi? Tumhe main aaj sham tak ka waqt deta hoon, daffa ho jao humari zindagi se..aur kabhi mudkar mat dekhna". Manyata shook her head signifying a 'Yes'. She couldn't believe what she had just gone through. Tears flowed continuously from her eyes.

Uday was so proud of himself for having carried out his plan of scaring the girl. He left her there and walked ahead towards the adjoining forest, whistling a tune.

After crying for a moment Manyata's fear subsided and she wiped her tears and got up.

Manyata's thoughts

"Yeh kya kiya tune abhi, itni choti si baat se dar gayi! Apne yahaan aane ka maksad bhool gayi Manyata? Tu yahaan apne pitah se milne aayi thi, unka pyaar pane aayi thi..ab kaayaron ki tarah(like a coward) bhaag jaayegi, nahi tum aisa nahi karogi, chalo batado us Uday ko ki tum uski baat nahi maan ne wali"

She made up her mind to confront him and give a befitting reply. She was going towards the direction he had gone when she heard a sound of footsteps. Uday must have moved far ahead and the horses had gone back on their own. It was clearly a human she had sensed. She walked briskly and saw Uday lost in his own world aiming his air gun at a bird. There was one more gun man there whom Uday couldn't see because his back was towards the masked man. He was well hidden in the bushes but Manyata spotted him. He was clearly going to shoot Uday! Oh no if she didn't act immediately Uday could lose his life. She had to think fast, sure Uday had wronged her but…he was going to fire in the next second. Manyata pushed Uday with all her might and she too fell making them roll over each other on the forest floor. The gun shot missed its target and the masked man ran away.

Uday had heard the shot and realized he was just saved from an attempt on his life. They got up clearing the mud from their clothes. Then both spoke at the same time.

"Main yeh kehne aayi thi ki-"Manyata said, "main kehraha tha ki-" Uday said.

Manyata: tum pehle bolo

Uday: meri jaan bachane ka shukriya, yeh ehsaan main kabhi nahi bhoolunga

Manyata : main toh tumhe yeh batane aayi thi ki main yeh ghar chodkar nahi jaaungi, tum kuch bhi karlo..

Uday: jaana toh tumhe padega Manyata aaj nahi toh kal, par theek hai tum ek maheene ke liye aayi ho na..till one month you can stay par mere baba se dur rehna..aur agar tumne kabhi-"

Manyata (cutting him): haan theek hai don't worry main aisa kuch nahi karoongi. Par ek baat kahoon Uday..

Uday: kya?

Manyata: kya hum yeh sab bhool kar dost nahi ban sakte? main yahaan baaki ke din khushi se guzarna chahti hoon, aise dar darkar nahi..

Uday: jee nahi..mujhe tum jaison ka dost banne me koi interest nahi..

Manyata: waise woh aadmi tha kaun? Aur woh tumhe kyon maarna chahta tha?

Uday(sarcastically): chalo chalkar uss aadmi se poochke aate hai..

Their ranch seeing mission had to be obviously cancelled now and both returned back. It was almost afternoon when they got home. Daima had prepared a lavish lunch. she had made Palak paneer, Gajar ka halwa, aloo matar with rice, all sinful delights. Manyata had the time of her life without worrying even a second about 'diet plan' Mona maasi had implied on her. Mona was very particular about what Manyata ate. Afterall Agastya, the richest businessman was going to marry Manyata, Mona had to keep her 'in shape'. Thinking about Agastya brought a scowl to her face. He was a bit too much and always loaded her with expensive gifts which she never liked. She was like a trophy to him, he liked to show her to friends and business partners making them go green with envy. He was 30, ten years senior to her. She used to cringe whenever he came within the touching distance. Though she would never admit this, one of the reasons she came to Garhwal was to stay away from Agastya and his world even if for a few days. She had agreed for the marriage solely because Mona maasi wouldn't hear a No from her. then she realized someone was shaking her.

"Pari, kahaan kho gayi beti? Kya soch rahi ho?" Daima asked her.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully and she didn't see Uday again.

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Giriraj in his room was getting Nostalgic. He had had a glimpse of his daughter sitting at the dining table. He was overcome with emotion remembering his deceased wife. His 'Nanhi Pari' most probably hated him. There was no chance that there could ever be a chance of a normal father-daughter relationship between them. He continued his pretence of being ill so that he doesn't have to face Manyata.

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Uday was puzzled by the mysterious gun man in the woods. If Manyata hadn't intervened today he was a goner. Generally the villagers were friendly and Uday didn't have enemies. He vowed to find out the identity of the attacker soon. Thinking about the incident brought a tinge of guilt and also a smile on his face. He felt shame thinking about the brutal way he had carried out his plan. The poor girl had begged him to save her and he had behaved like a jerk. Wait a minute! He shouldn't think about her that way. He would of course be grateful that she saved his life. But if the girl as much as tried coming near his Baba… He would show her. When they fell together on the forest floor, the feel of her on top of him had brought out hidden feelings from his mind. The memory of that made him smile. No thanks he would rather kill the seed of that thought even before it germinated in his mind. It would be better for his Baba if she left the place sooner. It would be better for his stupid mind which was already planning to know her more .better for his heart. No Uday stop it! Stop behaving like a teenager..He said to himself.

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A week later

As days passed Manyata got accustomed to the place and got a little bit comfortable with her surroundings. But there was one worry clouding her mind. She was now familiar with all the people in the Ranch almost. That almost was because the head family, her own father hadn't once come to meet her. Probably he didn't want her here. She had peeked into his room one day out of curiosity and found him sleeping. He looked so tired. She so wanted to go and comfort him. But what if he pushed her away? Mona maasi always told her that her Dad was a strict person with a serious personality. But she couldn't forget why she came here, not so easily. There was still time and she would make a little place in his life for herself somehow. Her classmates always said she was the kind who could make anyone happy by a mere smile of hers. Time to use that skill. Way to go Manyata! She told herself. She was at the Mahogany dressing table in her room. She had chosen a Violet colored Masakkali salwar and was searching for its matching earring when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Daima. "bohot pyaari lag rahi ho, bilkul pari jaisi" Daima told her. Her cupboard was open and Daima had a look at her wardrobe. It contained all expensive salwars and some saris too. Well Mona maasi had a hand in this too. Manyata always had to be decked up from head to toe with designer accessories when she was in Mumbai. She wasn't allowed to wear anything remotely 'Middle class'. What would Agastya and his family think?. "Beti kapdon me tumhari pasand toh bohot achchi hai, kitne achche rang hai" Daima said admiring her collection. "Haan Daima, par yeh sab meri nahi Mona maasi ki pasand hai" said Manyata. "Achcha yeh sab achche toh hai hi par lagta hai bohot bhaari hai, tehro main abhi aayi" Daima said and disappeared for a minute. When she came back she had something in her hands. Manyata opened the packet to see a Blue T-shirt and a pair of black Jeans, both her favorite shades. She couldn't thank Daima enough. You guessed it right, wearing western clothes was a even bigger taboo in Mona maasi's world. It was like Manyata was locked in a golden cage before. She was like a free bird here. No one would give her point to point instructions here. She was free to do as she pleased. That thought made her smile. But no she wasn't completely free, not yet, how could she forget those coal black eyes and a greek god like face which had sternly warned her not to cross the lines…There was something about that guy which made butterflies flutter in her tummy every time she thought about him and that was usual these days. Get a grip Manyata! She said and got up to go downstairs.

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so that was the 3rd chapter😊 someone very dear helped me in writing this part..so this part is dedicated to that person🤗

i know its not come out good, because my mind had blanked out while writing it😳 please tell me how it was? (ignore the grammar mistakes)