Chapter 17
"it would be good if u can come. You know mai very well. She won't be happy if anyone from basti will be absent on her birthday." sarooj said in phone. She and antu were going inside an old haveli situated at the center of basti. Antara looked at the top where the name "NAIK SADAN" was engrossed in structure. So that's the so called naik sadan! The residence of daya mai! The criminal who was still out of polices hand. Saroj finished her convo with govind and looked towards antara. "antara what happened?" saroj asked. "nothing mumy." She sighed. "ok lets go inside. And don't worry, we are not going to be here for long." Saroj gave her a smile of assurance. antara just nodded drily. They stepped inside the huge collapsible gate. The haveli was huge no doubt and well decorated. At the ground floor there was the huge visiting hall where every people of the basti were gathered. Antara saw the huge gathering on the hall and understood the influence of daya mai on basti peoples. Her one call was enough to bring all of them in these naik sadan leaving their work. Saroj led her inside the hall. Both of them moved towards the center of the hall where a middle aged woman was talking to the peoples. Seemed like, she was the center of this crowd. She was wearing a black saree with golden edge in maharastrian style and a black bindi on the forehead. Her appearance was somehow so dark and emanating some strange aura everywhere. She was talking to everyone joining her hands and with a huge grin on face. But that grin doesn't seem real. Like, she was hiding so many things behind that smile. Her eyes, dark and emotionless!! Her smile didn't reached her emotionless orbs. Her appearance told antara that the lady was none other than daya mai. Saroj came near her along with antara. "Namaste mai!!" saroj joined her hand and greeted her. "janamdin ki bahut bahut subh kamnayein..." she finished with a dry smile. antara understood that even her mumy was not feeling comfortable in that place. "saroj!!.." daya mai gave that huge fake grin. "khusi huyi tume yahan dekh ke... par govind kahan hain?" she asked with a frown. "ji mai unhe kuch kaam par gaya. Wo ana chahte the.. par aap to jaan te hain ki kaam chorke ana kitna mushkil hain..." saroj said in a low voice. "hmmm... thik hain, waisey bhi ye peheli baar huya hain.. aur aaj mera janamdin bhi hain... iss din bakhera acha nahi lagta." her smirk broaded. Then she noticed the girl standing beside saroj. "toh ye hain antara kaul. Tumhari bhanji..." daya mai said with observing antara throughly. She looked simple and a next to door girl at firat look. But there was something which was differentiating her from other girls. Specially the determined hazel eyes which were looking to her without a glint of fear was enough to tell her that the girl had guts. "haan mai. Ye hi antara hain. Aaj hi ayi hain basti mein.." saroj said. "namaste mai.." antara joined her hands and gave a dry greeting to DM. she smirked and came forward. "nayi ho iss saher mein.. kyun?!" abhi bhi garam khoon hain... samhalke rehena...!!" She said. Antara sensed the hidden threat in her voice. She let out a mild smile, "mujhe apne aap ko samhalna ata hain... aap ko meri chinta kar ne ki koi zarurat nahin.." she said. They looked into each other's eyes with some kind of determination. Like a cold war was happening between them. Once a man approached and gave her a box. "mai hari ram ji ne aap ke liye kajal bheje hain..." he said. "aaj kaal iski bahut zarurat par gayi hain... kahin nazar na lag jaye kisi ki.." DM looked at antara while saying the words. "bhagwan ki nazar se toh koi nahi bachta mai... aur unki nazar jispe ho unko kisi bhi kajal ki zarurat nahi hoti..." she said with that same confident voice. DM's smirk broad more. "ab hum chalet hain mai... baki logo se bhi milna hain." she said. DM nodded. Saroj and antara got away from the place and DM continued to look towards antara's ongoing step with crease on forehead.
"mumy pls, can we go from here now?!" antara asked restlessly. "just a bit antara, we just came here. If we go now it won't look good na." saroj explained. But at that moment some of the ladies from that locality caught saroj. The ladies started their usual blabbers and saroj was badly stuck among them. Antara was feeling so restless. She wanted to get out of the place so soon. She was not used to parties or crowds. She always avoided them. So she excused them and get away to find a quiet corner where she could seat. So she moved towards the quite passage which was seen at behind of crowded visiting hall. Slowly she approached to the place when suddenly she felt footstep behind her. She looked behind and saw a figure suddenly shifted behind the pillar. Antara felt some uncanny feeling. She couldn't see anyone but she observed a shadow which was clearly indicating her that someone was hiding behind the pillar. She turned baack and started to walk in slow pace and again she heard the sound. She was confirmed that someone was following her in some wrong intentions. Antara increased the speed of her walk and tried to go back to the hall but someone caught her tightly and closed her mouth with his hand so that she couldn't scream. Antara was hell scared and she struggled to get rid from his hand. The man dragged her with full force towards the stairs and at last they came far away from the hall. Antara identified the person. He was one of the servants, who were standing beside DM at that time. She remembered the dirty glances he was giving to her but she ignored. She didn't imagine that he would go that further! She was a bit calm now and trying to plot some escape plan in her mind. she couldn't scream cause her mouth was pressed and also it was far away from the hall. So no one could listen to her voice for the loud music and noises of people in hall. She observed a small table at a side where a glass made flower vase was kept. Somehow she managed to kick the leg of that table and the table jerked up. The flower vase kept on the table fell on the man with a smash. He screamed and his grip loosened. Antara slipped from his hand and started to run. But as the man was standing to the way of hall, she couldn't go to that side rather than she caught the stairs and ran upwards. "hey rukkk..." antara heard that man's growl from downstairs and she heard his steps. He was still following her!! at the top of stairs she found a door. Without thinking further she opened the door and rushed inside. The bright sunrays fell on her face and she found her in the large balcony. She didn't stop and rushed through the balcony. "ee larki kaha gayi..." she heard his loud voice following her. She moved back to take a glance at back and at that moment she felt herself colliding with a very hard feature. In force her head landed on his strong shoulder and she caught that strong arm tightly. She was hell scared and shaking allover hiding her face on that strong shoulder. She didn't even bother to look that who was the person whom she was holding on. After a min of silence antara felt hot breath on her neck. Suddenly she felt goose bumps. She knew that!! It was so familiar feeling which she only felt when...!! Without thinking further she quickly lifted her face and froze at the spot. Her eyes widened in utter shock seeing that he was holding none other than but raghu!!! His black eyes, surprised and as well as intense, were roaming on her face. She quickly took back her hand in hurry. Her hand brushed over his masculine shoulder in the process. His keen eyes caught another doze of intensity and he breathed slowly looking to her worried hazel orbs. She slowly stepped back keeping her scared eyes intact on raghu's black eyes. His eyes were like magnet. She was unable to move her eyes from him. She was taking deep breaths to control the uneven bits of her heart which was running violently all of a sudden. She bent her eyes to cut the connection between them. But his dumb eyes as usual fixed on her, a slightly confused than before. Raghu was also so surprised to find her there. He didn't know why, from the time he saw her in morning he was feeling some unknown happiness in him. He never felt so cheer full for the long time. As he never liked parties and crowds, so he avoided being at hall and utilizing his times to do some pushups. The moment he finished and was wiping his sweats, she banged on her. The memories of his Kashmir visit which he was cherishing dearly for past one year was flashing in his mind. That face of a bubbly sweet girl, always cheerful and full of life and having a bit smile on her face, frequently roamed in his dreams. He always thought that would he ever be able to see that smile again. And at last, that girl was standing in front of him. But surprisingly, that smile was not there. That cheerfulness seemed gone. Raghu was feeling odd because she didn't made a single conversation in that long time. But the girl he knew was not able to keep quiet for a single second. That cheerfulness seemed gone and rather than he saw fear in her eyes. A heavy footstep approached there breaking the silence between them. antara's eyes again caught the fear and unknowingly she again grabbed raghu's left arm tightly. Raghu got a bit confused looking at antara's behavior and then looked back to the man who was standing in front of them with wide fear full eyes. "abbey kaluya! Tu idhar kaise re?!" he asked firmly looking at the servant. "wo wo...raghubhai!!..." kaluya stumbled. Something ticked in raghu's mind. hee knew that kaluya very well. She looked back to antara who was almost hiding herself behind his back. A small smirk appeared on his face and he looked back to kaluya. "abbey bhokla kyun raha hain?!.. bol na..." raghu said. "who... who... kuch nahi raghu bhai... main chal ti hoon..." kaluya suddenly rushed from that place. Raghu's dangerous gaze followed him till he vanished behind the door.
Precap: "mumy, who is playing this?!" antara asked with amused eyes. "raghu!!" saroj said with a smile. her eyes widened in shock.
ps:sorry guyzz i know it's not upto the mark. cause i get a very little time to write down this chapter. a busy now a days.sorry for this. and kajal ka dabba gift credit goes to swagta... she gave me the idea.😆
Edited by ifians - 11 years ago
Anupamaa
Pocket Mein Aasman
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