Chapter Eleven
Hasnaa bhool gaye bas asoon chupaye baithe hain.
Pyar naa doo humein, sirf gham hi humko bhate hain.
Raghu's pov.
"ouch!!.." as I heard the wince my eyes automatically moved towards the source of sound. There she stood, in the middle of that mess in the road checking on her feet with worried face. she was wearing that same electric blue full sleeve salwar-kamiz from the morning. I saw towards her foot and saw her broken sandal. Damn it!! it must had broken by the spare parts which were scattered on the road.My head was totally boiled up after driving away those shetty's good for nothing useless lads. God knows why they had to come here and create the mess if they knew that they all would be bitten up at the end. That takla shetty had really getting on our nerves. I didn't know why he messed with mai and us. Akhir mai nee unka bigara kya hain?!! Sipping the cutting tea from the glass in my hand I was trying to cheer up my bitter mode. I had a bad temper and it was difficult for me to calm down whenever I got mad and that time I was really hell mad on them. My hand was feasted around the glass and was almost about to break that when her painful wince distracted me. I saw antara's poor face looking at her broken sandal and she slowly let out that from her foot and then she moved to let out the other one. Something about her always managed me to affect in a new way. Surprisingly I felt my boiled head cooled down in an instant by just her mare glance. She chuckled poorly looking at those pair of broken sandals in her hand. It was so comical to me. I felt my anger was toning down and amusement filled the place. Her presence was so warm and divine somehow. That face and hazel eyes were a deadly combination of innocence and maturity which was enough to gain anyone's attention. I was watching her each and every move. I saw the frown appeared in her face and she looked straightly towards mine. As soon as her eyes fell on my face, my heart skipped for some unknown reason. She seemed rooted to the spot all of a sudden. Honestly I didn't ever saw someone's expression changed in such a flash. Her gleaming hazel eyes suddenly lost the light and became so dark. Gradually her face's soft lines started to turn hard and I was watching everything with my silent eyes and felt slightly amused by her sudden mode change. Just in some minute, she seemed someone else, her whole personality seemed changed. That burning fire which I saw last night, was again there, gradually appearing and fueling it's own flame in her hazels. I saw a rage, a pure fiery rage. A rage which was even so intense that u couldn't get away from that rather than would be get attracted to that.But the fire didn't last for long that time. Soon that hard line of her face changed into something else. Her eyes suddenly started to turn blank and her face became somehow pale, colorless... then I saw her hazels and it literally shook me. I saw pain, a very deep endless sorrow just like a deep dense black lake which didn't had surface. Suddenly she seemed so vulnerable and helpless and also so broken. I remembered my ayi's empty eyes after my baba's death. She used to look towards the sky with those big blank eyes and tried to search for baba in stars. Just after some few days, she also got lost in those stars leaving me all alone in the world. Those painful eyes used to haunt me in my dreams for so many years. After ages I was witnessing that same pain of loss in someone else's eyes. those hazels literally pierced through me and hit me badly inside. I just continued to stare in those hazels dumbly as she did ti mine. I felt like I could see the see of tremendous tears inside them which she was hiding with so much care. She was unable to let them flow down. Literally she forced to cut the connection between our eyes. she turned sidewise breaking my transe. I felt grounded and also gasping. What just I witnessed?! Why was I feeling the burn inside me? I felt something wrong with her strongly and I felt a sudden urge to ask her something. She was tanding there looking at the front. Her eyes were wide and projected to nowhere. She was gasping heavily, like she was suffocating for long. She bit her lips and closed her eyes tightly. Even from that distance I could feel her whole feature was shaking tremendously and her fingers were feasted on the broken sandal lace of her sand. She opened her eyes and without waiting for a moment, she stormed towards her house's door. Ohh shit!!! Was she gone mad? She was moving between those broken glasses all bare footed!! Damn it!! her leg was going to get hurt fir sure. I was so worried that I didn't even remember that her house door was just some steps away. I never felt such anxiety so much before. What was she going to me?!! I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW!!!!"Oye ruk!!!" I screamed towards him with my loud voice. her stumbled feet stopped at the spot. She didn't react instantly and stood like a idol on the same spot for a moment. After a long pause I saw a heavy wave flowing up ti down through her spinal curve. She twitched her neck a bit towards me but didn't turn fully and look towards me. Again I saw her moving her feet towards front indifferently. "Oye!!!..." I screamed again and almost flashed towards him keeping my glass on the bench. Wiping my face with my wrist, I stood at her front blocking her way. She stopped immediately, but didn't looked towards me. "Eee tere kaan mein problem hain kya?.. sunayi nahin deta... tab se chilla raha hoon.." I asked quite harshly. I didn't know why, I was getting bitter by her ignoring game. I saw that she behaved like that particularly with me and no one else. Why?!!! Her eyes were still fixed towards the ground. "Lee ab goongi ban ke kyun khari hain?!! Huya kya hain?!!" I noticed that my voice was rising with every sentence. She breathed and finally looked up towards me. I was instantly taken aback while her eyes fell on mine. the sheer coldness in her eyes which I never noticed before in anyone. It made me dumb all of a sudden. Her brows curled into a frown and I saw irritation in her eyes. rather than irritation I felt like it was disgust. "Na hii main goongi hoon aur naa hii baheri hoon..." she opened her mouth at last and as usual her voice was hard like stone, "Aur main tumse baat nahin kar rahi hoon too simply iska yee hi matlab hain kii... MUJHE TUMSE BAAT NAHIN KARNI HAIN... KABHI NAHIN!!" her voice seemed like ice while she said those last words leaving me stunned and looking back to her hardened gaze with uter shock. It took a long moment for me to regain my consciousness when I saw antara stepping forward to leave. Suddenly I felt the fire inside me. What just she said?!! she wouldn't talk to me?!! How dare she?!!! No one ever dared to deny me on my face like that and she was just a girl from nowhere. Who gave her the priority to ignore me?! She just couldn't back off me like that. She couldn't!! without making a single sound I just dragged her back holding her wrist so forcefully that I ever did to any girl. Yeah it was true that she was the only girl with whom I was feeling that kind of odd desperation. As I turned her back, her long silky hairs fail from one side to another scattering shapelessly around her face. It really distracted me for some moment. She looked towards me with wide eyes and amused glance. I looked towards her and I felt the hardness in my gaze and she also saw that but still she didn't seem afraid or worried. Her honey eyeballs moved one side to another gauzing me and soon that confusion got covered by the mask of her hard cold face. "BAAT NAHIN KARNI?!! KYUN?!!..." I asked in frustration. "Kyun matlab?!! Mujhe nahin karni hain baat tumse bass... isss kee liye main tumhe koi explanation dena jaruri nahin samajhti... this si totally my choice ki main kiss se baat karoon aur kis se nahin..." she answered immediately. My head was boiling up by her harsh behavior. I somehow couldn't accept that from her. Strange... I was just getting mad for a single issue that she didn't want to talk to me. I never thought why?!! rather than I just get more mad. My grip became pretty harder around her wrist in response. But she didn't reacted at all but a little hissing sound came between her lips which I noticed as well. I looked down and saw her little wrist in my grip. I was shocked seeing that how forcefully and possessively my hand was holding her. I knew it was pretty much forceful on her skin so I slowly removed my hand and clearly saw the red bruises in her wrist. As I left her wrist she took that back silently and rubbed with other hand. Something pinched inside me too as I looked to her face. Her face was pale and I knew she was badly hurt. But strangely there was not a single drop of tear didn't come out from her eyes. As if there was not a single drop inside her, all were dry like a desert. "Eee lagi kya?!!" I asked. Although my tine was harsh but still there was worry. She looked up with that same hard gaze but I ignored that time. "Dekh apun bas yahich kahene ayya tha kii aise nange pair chal amat kar... ishar udhar kanch aur keele gire huye hain... pair meen chub jayega too tere koo hii takleef hogi..." I said making a face. She looked towards her bare feet and looked back to me with an unbelievable gaze. that hard gaze turned into confusion and irritation mixed glare which confused me even more. "Eee aise dekh kya rahi hain haan?!!" I asked jerking my face upward with a frown. She moved her gaze from mine in annoyance. "Too kya karoon... dikhayi nahin de raha hain... mera ek sandal toot gaya hain... main kya ab toote huye sandal pahenkar road mein chaloon... aur waisey bhi yee sar ekanch aur kile kisne bikhre hain yahan?!!" she asked pointing towards me. "Baat koo mat ghuma... Art era akal kidhar hain... agar chappal toot gaya too thik kara lee... mere pee ration pani le kar kyun char rahi hain... sidhi si baat hain... akha world mein sabkuch thik karwaya jaa sakta hain aur tuu ek chappal nahin thik karwa sakti..." I said mockingly. Her face suddenly darkened as I said those words. That chink of pain got back in her eyes. "nahin... sab kuch thik nahin ho sakta.." her voice suddenly chocked and that lost expression in her eyes was just too unbearable. My throat dried again. "Kya?!!" I asked leaning a bit closer to her. I felt something gleaming in her eyes... tears?!! But she again shut her eyes tight and opened with a deep breath. She slowly started without meeting my gaze again, "Dikhayi nahin deta tumhe... toot gaya hain yee!! Aur abb thik nahin hoo sakti..." she said harshly on my face. But more than her hard expressions I could see a deep pain flickering in her eyes which made me startled all of a sudden. "kabhi thik nahin hoo sakti abb... puri tarah se toot gaya hain..." she said in mechanical voice but still that pain was clear. I was feeling bad, I didn't know why when I saw those empty eyes. "Kyun thik nahin hpoo sakti... idhar de.." I forward my hand and almost snatch the pairs from her hand leaving her all startled. I scratched my head looking here and there on the road and saw some small nails there. Perfect!! "Ek min..." I said looking towards her startled face. I took two nails and with the help of those nails fixed her tore laces again. She just stood there dumbly looking at me. "Hoo gaya!!..." I grinned with enthusiasm. Honestly, I never thought that I would be repairing a pair of shoes for some girl that's also standing at the middle of our crowded basti, in front of those people who almost worshiped me as god. I also felt some sharp gaze of people around on me but I was so excited for the first time I ignored those glares. Otherwise, I justr had to glare back at them and they would run away hiding themselves. They knew me very well. "Lee hoo gaya tera chapaal ka woo kya bole too... Haan... woo operation successful..." I said and forwarded the pairs to her. she just looked towards the sandal like she was looking at some alien thing. "arey akhein faar ke kya dekh rahi hain... lee naa... haan.. apun woo... jute fix nahin kiya kabhi pahele.." I scratched my head again, "par nahin tootengey yaar... kas ke laga diya hain... lee jaa..." I said forwarding the pairs to her. she looked towards me with unbelievable eyes. she was dumb all the way, like she got something unexpected. She took a deep breath. her eyes were unbelievably sad and anticipated somehow and I was getting hard time to understand her. suddenly she backed off a step gazing deep towards me. There was a slight fear in her wide hazels. "Eee... tu kidhar..." but she couldn't let me finish. Suddenly, she turned back and rushed towards the door of her house holding her mouth. I stood there rooted seeing her running like maniac and the door of govind uncle's house banged close loudly in front of my eyes. I stood there frozen for a while looking at her sudden rush. Then I looked back to the pair of her sandals still in my hand. I scratched my head, "lagta hain pasand nahin ayya... jute wale see hi fix karwana parega...chal beta raghu...yedi hain ekdum yaar... kaise ajib I batein karti hain!!" I moved on the street of basti whistling around and tossing the pair of sandals in air.
Antara's POV...
It was late at night...
Although my cheerful family and my crazy sister rhea always lessened my worry but frequently the encounter with raghu in the afternoon was flashing in my mind and making me numb. And at last while I was in my room all alone the memory was rushing down my every damn grey cell. I clutched me knees and shank my face in between them. I was literally shaking remembering about the moment again and again. My each and every fiber was burning in pain, in desperation, in helplessness. How Dare he!!!... my mind screamed. He snatched away my each and every happiness and broke me to that point and at the end she wanted to fix everything just like the sandal pair of mine?! I couldn't accept that, anything from him, any kind of help from the person who murdered my family!! He shattered my world and at last he was here roaming around the streets without any hesitation and I could do nothing just to stare blankly. I felt the moist in the corner if my eyes. I brushed that with my fingertips. I was afraid for that same reason. I was there for a reason. I vowed to send them all behind the bars and for that I had to turn hard like steal... I had to think rationally and couldn't mourn out at least at that stage. But it was really getting hard. Just two or three times I faced him after coming and all the time my emotion was cracking the huge wall to burst out, every time the horrible blast's memory and the blood drenched face of my parents jumbling up my all thoughts. I took a deep breath to calm down. How I was supposed to do everything?! Was there any way out through which I could reach my destination?! Mostly how was I supposed to face him all the time and keep myself steady?!
"Di!!!..." Rhea's cheerful voice entered in my ear and I jerked up holding myself. She rushed inside the room with so much excited face. "Di!! Come at terrace!!" she jumped and took my guitar from the side! "Rhea!! Easy..." I said as I saw my guitar in her hand. "Relax di... I won't hurt your dear La Corda D'Oro... I know he is ur first love." She said and kissed my guitar. "rhea?!!" I rolled my eyes. "Oppsie... di is getting jealous... sorry di, but corda loves me more than you!!" she winked and I couldn't stop my laugh seeing her craziness. I named my guitar as la corda d'oro... which means golden string in Italian. Also it was my favorite animi series during school days. I had odd habit to keep name of my music instrument as I used to think that they all were alive. MY harmonium's name was Surili... and my tanpura's name was Tansen!!... but guitar was my favorite always so I gave special name to that. Sounds so fully naa...??!! "Di... abb chalo bhi... mom and dad are already there..." rhea dragged me along with her. "Okk okk,, I am going... But what's up?!!" I asked in confusion. "Chajja Party!!" she said with chirpy voice. "really?!!!" my face brightened automatically. "Yes... yes yes!!! It was all surprise arranged by dad and mom on the celebration of ur first day work..." rhea winked. I was stunned!! "so it was all u were doing..." I cpuldn;t finish as rhea rushed towards the stairs saying, "Di hurry up!!... otherwise I am going to get the first byte of hot and shower dominos mashroom pizza which dad brought just now!!!" she didn't wait a bit. what?!! She was getting my fav pizza before me?!! No way.. "Rhea ki bachii!!! Rukk..." I rushed behind her. "catch the before me if u can!!!" Rhea turned and showed me her tongue and rushed again. I followed her and came at the roof top. The cold breze touched me. Ahhh!! The place seemed like heaven. Mamma and mummy were already there and I was stunned seeing the arrangements. The halogens were glowing and creating a beautiful contrast of dark and night. There was a little table in the middle decorated with flowers and small halogens bulbs. The table was served with our favourite item from dominos!! Yummm!!! My mouth filled with water. Looking at those arrangements I couldn't afford to give a tight hug to my super duper mammu. "mammuuu!!!! Thank you!!... Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you... to the powers infinity!!!..." I said loudly and gave him a tight hug along with rhea. "arey meri pyari rockstar... I am not your SRK... mere pass 6 pack nahin hain.. bas ek hii pack se kaam chala raha hoon.. aur aap aise hug dongey too woo bhi nahin rahega..." Mammu said. we couldn't afford our laugh and left mama ji. "Hey.. decorator koo kuch nahin milega kya?!!" mummy said from side. "Unke liye special gift..." as I said =, me and rhea moved near her and kissed on her both chicks. "bas bas!! Bahut hoo gaya!! Aur maska mat maro.. aur jaldi se khana kha ne baith jaoon..." mummy said and me and rhea jumped omn the items. "Antara rhea dhire dhire..." mummy said but when it came to dominos me and rhea just couldn't compromise. As usual we fought for the largest slice of pizz. Our battke turned third world war soon and we both were found running around the whole rooftop for that single slice of pizza. Mamma and mummy sometime stroke their head and giggled hard seeing our childishness. After dinner, it was the time for some entertainment. I took my seat on the armchair with my guitar as I was the only musician there. In our insist my momma sang in his special nosy voice for my mummy, "Kazgaz ke doo pankh liye.." from lootera movie. We all matched our voice and really the environment turned magical. As our joint chorus finished suddenly mummy said. "Antara... inke gane sun ke too kutte bhokh ne lage basti ke gli mein... ab tuu bhi please do line gaa dee.. dil koo sukkon mil jayegi!!" Mummy requested. "main?!!" I hesitated. "haan di sing naa... it's so long since we didn't listened to you!" rhea said. "But!!... main too three months se...gana hi chor diya!!" the environment became heavy as I said those words. They knew the reason really well. "Koi baat nahin... fir se suru kar doo..." mammu cheered. I smiled and caressed the chords of my Corda. "Di!! My favorite one okk?!!" Rhea asked. I nodded with a smile and closed my eyes.
Raghu's POV...
"haye... kitni shanti hain yahan... yee thandi hawayien... yee sitaron bhari aas maan!!" Ajji said as she sat on the coupayi on the rooftop. She always visits at terrace before going to bed and I had to be her companion even if I didn't like that. "Ajji... Aaj shanti chutti pe gayi hain... uski sauteliu behen ashanti duty de rahi hain!!..." as I heard the loud nosy voice from the other rooftop of our side. Damn!! It was govind uncle's voice defo. "Chintu!! Chor naa.. dekh kitnba masti kar te hain woo log... lash hum bhi kar pate..." ajji said. "masti!!... nahin ajji,, yee ,asti nahin yee.. bole too.,... bhukamp hain bhukamp!!!" I said in irritation. "Govind uncle koo naa woo joo biddesh mein hota hain naa woo... gana gaa ke glass toro competition udhar bhejnaa chahiye... defo pahela prize milega..." I said with a laugh. After that the guitar tune stopped. I huffed that at last they stopped. But again guitars tune invoked my ear. "Loo ab kaun gaa raha hain?!!" I said in irritation. "Chintu chor naa... chal niche chalte hain agar tujhe itna bura lag raha hain too..." ajji proposed. I was about to jump up from the bed when a sweet beautiful hum entered in my ear. The hum froze me ti the spot. It was such a beautiful tender voicem full with divinity and purity. The voice which could easily touch your soul with just a single note!! I popped put my eyes and met with ajji's wide eyes, we both sat back on chaupayi and looked towards govind unkle's house's rooftop.
I was stunned when I found anatara seating on the couch on the middle and playing the tune humming in her sweet voice. She could sing and that's also that good?!! It was another shocker for me!!! I noticed her from distance. The halogens were glowing on her face. I never saw her so happy and content. I felt my heartbeat suddenly turned violent and my breath stopped as the beautiful smile spread on her face, the smile which I never witnessed before. Her hum stopped all abruptly and I suddenly felt the silence all over. But again my ears filled with her voice and that time it composed such beautiful words.
Puche Jo Koi Meri Nishaani Rang Hina Likhna
Gore Badan Pe Ungli Se Mera Naam Ada Likhna
Kabhi Kabhi Aas Paas Chand Rehta Hai...Kabhi Kabhi Aas Paas Shaam Rehti Hai
Aao Naaa Aaao Naaa...Jehnum Mein Beh Lenge
Vadi Ke Masuam Bhi...Ek Din To Badlenge
Kabhi Kabhi Aas Paas Chand Rehta Hai...Kabhi Kabhi Aas Paas Shaam Rehti Hai
I sat their frozen fixing my wide eyes to her. What was I witnessing?!! Was it truth or really a dream?!! I didn't even care. If it was dream then let me live that. In that small light and fireflies around her face, she was literally looking like some celestial being with that heavenly smile on her face, the smile which ,ade me breathless all over the song. Who was that girl?! It was not that antara whom I encountered in afternoon. She seemed totally another girl. Her eyes gleaming with so many dreams, and utter happiness!! Sadness was long gone. Where was she hiding that girl?!! She continued to sing like forgetting the whole world...
Jab Tum Haste Hooo Din Ho Jata Hai
Tum Gale Lage Too Ooo Din So Jata Hai
Doli Uthaye Ayega Din To Pass Betha Lena
Kal Jo Mile To Mathe Mein Mere Suraj Uga Dena
Zara Zara Aas Paas Dhup Rehegi...Zara Zara Aas Pass Rang Renhege
My trance broke when I heard the sound of claps from govind uncle and others. I saw antara standing up from armchair and bowing with such a naughty expression in her eyes. Gosh!! That gleam in her eyes!!! I literally lost myself again...
Sorry guys... I know this time it came out as supercrap.. and I wouldnlt mind anything from u... waiting for ur juta.. chppal, anda... tomatoes jharu... Pata nahin kya kya parne wale hain mujhpe...🤢
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