Hola Amigos
At the onset, I would like to thank all of you for encouraging my first attempt with such tremendous response. To say that I am overwhelmed would be an absolute understatement. A big hug to all the cheering leaders of this forum, who have been ever so supportive. I would like to dedicate this chapter to our own Evaviego (Eva) . She is the most cutest and loving girl I have ever met , with an energy that has always helped me move ahead in my day. No wonder then, that I call her my own sunshine. Now, lets proceed to the second chapter.
Goodbye Shravan- Part 2
The spotlight fell on Shravan's wife and I could see her clearly now, she was tall, slim and...beautiful to say the least. I loved the way her raven coloured silky hair fell on her shoulders and how gracefully she had draped that ivory and sea blue coloured sari around her slender frame. Her skin was milky white, translucent and luminous as if it glowed from inside. She had those lined those gorgeous almond shaped eyes of hers with a thick coat of kohl and her lips were luscious pink. Those dew drop diamond earing looked really cute on her. I loved the mangalsutra she was wearing with that beautiful diamond pendant and also the sindoor proudly glistening on her forehead. She was a beauty, undoubtedly, and a rare one at that.
She looked nervous standing at the dais and let out a deep breath when she was handed over the mike. I saw Shravan settling himself on the bar stool which was bang opposite where his wife was standing, with his drink in his hand. I felt a hand around my waist and immediately knew it was Rishabh. I could identify that touch anywhere. I turned back and gave him a smile , though he looked a little lost to me. "All okay sweets?" he asked. I nodded my head in positive.
Rishabh was about to say something when the music started playing and we all turned towards Mrs. Malhotra again. She let out a deep breath again looking keenly into Shravan's eyes and then the song flowed out
Main jaan yeh vaar doon,
Har jeet bhi haar doon,
Keemat ho koi tujhe, beinthaa pyaar doon"(X 2)
Saari hadein meri, ab maine tod di
Dekar mujhe pata awaargi ban gaye
Haan hasi ban gaye, haan nami ban gaye
Tum mere aasman, meri zameen ban gaye
Aa oo...(music)
I was looking at Shravan all this while, he had a big smile on his face when the song began,but as she went deeper into the song , I saw the grin thinning and him looking back intensely at her, only at her, as if no one else existed..as if no else needed to exist.
The music was playing and I saw her moving towards him as gracefully as she could, with their eyelock still intact.
Kya khoob Rab ne kiya,
Bin maange itna diya,
Warna hai milta kahaan, hum kaafiron ko Khuda (X2)
Hasratein ab meri tumse hai jaa mili
Tum duaa ab meri, aakhiri ban gaye'
Shravan tightened his grip around his glass as she sang those lines. His wife had reached him by now and he kept aside his glass and stood up to face her. The music was still playing in the background, but her eyes were filled to the brim with tears and she was too choked to sing, while his eyes threatened to spill any moment as well.
He pulled her into him with a force for a bone crushing hug and pecked her forehead with a fervour. I could see that she had clutched his blazer tightly as he enveloped her further into his embrace.
The ambience suddenly got emotional and I could hear a few sighs drawn in and almost all the eyes around me were moist. I could precisely feel the immense love between them, it was so obvious that they were two souls who thrived in each other's existence, that they were together but they still ached, that they were content but they still yearned.
Rishabh started clapping and soon the whole crowd joined in. I brought my hands together for an applause as well. She had truly poured her heart and soul into the song. The Malhotra couple finally broke the hug and Shravan actually gave a thumbs up sign to the crowd while flashing his widest grin. Since when did he start grinning like that I wondered, the Shravan I knew could put a snorting bull to shame.
"Are you okay love, you look pale." I heard Rishabh ask again.
"Of course I am fine Rishy. ..why do keep asking ?" I snapped at him and immediately regretted it but it was too late. The damage was done. I could see the hurt in his eyes.
"I was just checking"said he while moving away towards the bar.
"Rishy , I am.." I couldn't finish as he had already flashed past me as quick as his legs could take him.
I flinched inside, hurting Rishy infallibly filled me with despair. I hated it.
That's it. I needed fresh air to calm my nerves. It was already an open air venue, but I needed my fresh air coupled with solitude. So I moved out towards the swimming pool at the fag end of the lawn. I had marked the place as soon as I had entered. It looked like a cute little retreat, away from where the crowd was standing.
Water bodies always calmed me. The serendipity I found around water was something that always amazed me. I guess it had something to do with me being a Piscean. As I was standing next to the pool, completely lost in my thoughts, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching me. I groaned inwardly at my solace bring snatched away from me and my annoyance was clearly visible on my face as I turned back to meet the source of it. I was shocked to see her.
"Oops. ..I am sorry. ..I didn't realise you were already here ..didn't mean to intrude "said Mrs. Malhotra.
"It's okay" I smiled at her.
"I love your sari" We both said in unison and gave a small laugh when we realised that.
"You look beautiful". We were at it again and this time we laughed a lot harder.
I looked at her smiling face and I could not but help admire her beauty yet again
She had something very earthy about her, something very grounded.
"You sang beautifully Mrs. Malhotra" I said appreciably.
"Please, call me Suman" she replied while extending her hand towards me for a handshake.
"Hi Suman, I am Seher. ..Seher Khurana" I replied reciprocating the gesture.
I didn't know why ..but I was sure this night would be changing the course of my life going forward.
To be continued. .
Note: To all those worried about Shraman being married to different partners , I hope you have found your breath again now. A big applause to Sanjh (itssanjh), Sara (PrincessAshvik) and Vinu(Vimikrao) who guessed correctly my attempt to hook the readers. A tight hug to Anu (aukulgr8) and Meera (Jery2308) who read the story more than once to unveil what I tried to hide.
And last but never the least, a pyaar bhari jhappi to my personal helicopter Deltadawn, whose excitement at my first attempt was so infectious that it got me into my writing zone so quickly..yet again. The way we hover above each other would put the world's most efficient helicopter to shame.
Edited by reshmanair356 - 8 years ago
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