New FF-2nd chance at Love-Completed-PG 81-08/08/2014 - Page 16

Raghav and Sammy were entering the party. Raghav was complaining, "Sammy you know I hate such parties, why did I have to come, you could have come alone and represented our company". Sammy calmly told him, "We will just register our presence and leave soon. Sometimes we do have to follow social niceties." Raghav still kept mumbling, but as soon as he entered the room, he felt a sense of calm as if he was exactly where he should be. His eyes were automatically drawn towards Kalpana. To say both were shocked was an understatement. Both of them had not expected the other to be there and they seemed to be thunderstruck. Kalpi was standing there looking exactly, as he imagined her looking, when he had sent her those dresses. He always knew she would look amazing in pastel shades. This was exactly how he wanted her to look when he escorted her to parties. Her hair piled up high in a messy top-knot with tendrils falling on her perfect cheeks enhanced her fragile beauty. She looked like a fairy tale princess and he wanted to be her Prince Charming. He could not resist her anymore and moved towards her.

Just then he was waylaid by Vihaan, who was just a friend of a friend. He really was in no mood to talk to him. His only desire at that time was to have Kalpana in his arms. Just then, when Vihaan mentioned Pakhi, Raghav felt an intense anger. He knew he was rude in cutting the conversation with Vihaan, but he did not care. He wanted to take this opportunity to spend time with his beautiful wife, his wife, those were the most precious words in the world for him.

He walked towards her and she looked nervous. She looked like a cornered deer, but she had not moved from her place. "Why is she looking so nervous?", Raghav thought. Raghav cut into the conversation she was having. The other person moved away. He looked into her eyes and asked "How are you, Kalpi?". "I am fine", she replied. Raghav said," I am not fine, Kalpi. I miss you every moment of my day. It really hurts me being apart from you", and as always took her tiny hands into his hands and started caressing it. "Not now, Raghav, not here, please", she pleaded with him and tried to remove her hands from his. He would not let her go. "Kalpi, I have stayed away from you on your insistence, but when I see you in front of me looking so beautiful, how can I let you go", Raghav said. " You don't understand, I and my family have gone through a lot because of our relationship. I went against my entire family and accepted your Sindoor. Because of your coming to meet me in the chawl, I have been shamed and called names. Please don't embarrass me in front of my colleagues and people who I work with", Kalpi begged. "I love you, Kalpi", Raghav reiterated. "I love you too, but please stay away from me till you divorce Pakhi. I don't want to be known as your mistress or the other woman. I know even if we get together after your divorce, I would still be called names by the world. But I accepted it, as my punishment for loving you. ", Kalpi pleaded again. "I don't love Pakhi, she does not mean anything to me", he said. "She does not mean anything to you, but she still is your wife in the eyes of the world", she spoke in a heartbreaking tone. Her beautiful eyes were filled with tears and they threatened to spill out. It broke Raghav totally and he took her by her shoulders and almost shouted, "Kalpi, I had told you before that you are my world and I don't care about anything else in the world".

Vihaan and Sammy were watching this interaction silently. Both of them were standing together, not talking at all. All their attention was on these two people. Vihaan was seething with silent anger. He wanted to hit Raghav and pull away Kalpana from him. When he saw Raghav holding her roughly by the shoulders, he decided it was time he intervened. At the same time, Sammy also realized that Raghav was losing his self control and soon everyone would notice the drama happening and Kalpana would be embarrassed again. He knew Raghav did not care, but he loved Kalpana like his sister and felt protective towards her. He had to save her from Raghav's emotions and he walked towards them and pulled Kalpana and said, "Kalpana, dance with me. I loved dancing with you at your success party. Let's do it again". He gave a look to Raghav which said, "Get back your control, dude".

Vihaan was really shocked with all the happenings. Raghav, Sammy, Kalpana, everything seemed bizarre, as if he had entered an alternate universe. He felt helpless, as he seemed to be part of a play, where he did not know the story or the lines he was supposed to mouth.

Sammy held Kalpi in his arms and they began dancing. Kalpana said,"Thanks Sammy". She understood that Sammy had come to her rescue because he knew things were getting out of hand. "He loves you, Kalpana. It is the reason for his erratic behaviour", Sammy said. "I love him too, but I don't want to be known as a home-wrecker or his mistress. I have finally tried to get my life under control. I have a great job, great friends, but meeting him brings back all the old memories and I go back to same place where he left me at the altar. I become the old, insecure, unhappy Kalpi", Kalpi reasoned. "Sammy, I need my share of happiness" saying that her eyes filled with tears and one drop spilled out. Sammy pulled her into a comforting hug. It was not a romantic hug, but to the two people watching it, it was like a knife being stabbed into their heart.

Raghav had started drinking steadily and Vihaan was watching the couple on the dance floor as if his whole world was being engulfed in flames. Even though Raghav knew that there was nothing between Sammy and Kalpi, seeing Kalpi pulled into a hug by Sammy, made Raghav want to tear him apart limb by limb.

For Vihaan, who did not know anything about the relationship between either Sammy or Raghav with Kalpi, it was as if a red mist of jealously had clouded his brain. He did not care if he made a scene or not, he was going to have Kalpana in his arms away from both these idiots. He saw Raghav moving towards the dance floor, the same time he made his move. But since Raghav was already unsteady because of his drinking, Vihaan reached the couple before Raghav.

He cut into them and looking at Sammy, said "My dance." He gathered her into her arms and held her close. Kalpi who was already in a bad state because of the roller-coaster of emotions running through her said," Sorry, I don't want to dance". Vihaan whose jealousy was already at its peak got really angry and said, "Is it that only Sammy and Raghav are allowed to dance with you. I think you wanted to dance with Raghav and you are unhappy that I took his place". She looked towards where Raghav was standing and realized that he was going to ask her to dance. "I don't want to dance with Raghav", she said in a soft undertone, suddenly glad that it was Vihaan who was dancing with her and not Raghav. She was not in any state of mind to handle any other drama. It was a very soft romantic number which was playing and Vihaan held her close. She struggled to maintain a distance, but Vihaan looked at her and said again, "Just imagine I am Raghav or Sammy". She looked so hurt, but stopped struggling. He hated talking to her this way, but he was not able to control his jealousy. He wanted to ask her about her relationship with Raghav and Sammy, but he realized both of them were not in state to converse about such a serious matters. He decided to just enjoy holding her. He was caressing her almost bare back, but she did not protest. Kalpi was not even aware of her own body or his. She just gave in into the music and just floated to a place where no pain existed.

Vihaan thought that this was definitely not how he wanted his first dance with her to be like. When he had seen her today dressed in all her finery, he had only thought that he wanted to ask her for a dance, hold her close and tell her how beautiful she looked and then get lost completely in her. Suddenly Kalpi said, "I feel faint, I need something to drink and she almost swayed". It was only Vihaan's strong arms that were holding her steady. Vihaan beckoned a waiter and Kalpi without looking picked up a glass and drank it in one gulp, before he could stop her. It was wine that she had drunk and Kalpi never having drunk wine before almost collapsed. Vihaan just held her strongly at her waist and walked her away from the dance floor into the terrace.

Raghav who was seeing the whole dance from afar, was burning with jealousy and just kept on piling up on drinks. Seeing Vihaan hold her at her waist, really killed him. Sammy said, "Raghav we have to go, you are too drunk." "Sammy, I need to see Kalpi, she can't go with Vihaan". Sammy tried pacifying him," Vihaan is her boss, nothing else. You are too drunk and meeting Kalpana now, won't do both of you any good." Sammy dragged Raghav away from the party.

In the next part: Does Kalpi tell Vihaan about Raghav? Does Vihaan confess his love?