Indravadhan stared at the huge palace that stood in front of him. The palace of Jaigarh, "Surya Nivas", named after his great grandfather, Surya Pratap Singh.
The palace was surrounded by numerous trees, a huge garden in front of it and in the middle of the garden was this magnificent fountain. The overall beauty of the palace was mesmerizing. A path full of rose petals was laid to welcome him. After all the crowned prince, the next heir to the Jaigarh throne was back home.
As he walked forward, flower petals were being showered at him. Though he passed smiles at everyone around them, but deep inside his heart he hated all this. This royal treatment...sighing internally, Indravadhan kept walking towards the main entrance where stood his family, with broad smiles on their faces and tears of happiness in their eyes.
"Pranaam Dadi Saheb." Indravadhan bent and touched his grandmother's feet who blessed him in return and caressed his hair.
"Jeete rahiye beta. How was your journey?" asked Mrinalini Devi, Indravadhan's grandmother.
"It went fine Dadi Saheb..." Indravadhan replied. He then turned towards his parents, his father hugged him tight and patted his back while his mother did his tilak and aarti first and then hugged her son as she cried.
"Maa ab bas. Rona band kijiye, ab toh hum waapis aa gaye hain na!" he said softly as he wiped her tears.
Vasundhra smiled at her son and kissed his forehead. Their sweet moment was interrupted by a loud shriek . Indravadhan smiled and looked behind his parents. Soon he was engulfed in a bear hug.
She wrapped her arms around his neck as tight as possible, making it difficult for him to breathe. Indravadhan let out a choked chuckle and hugged her back, and did a 360 degree twirl. This made her shriek once again.
"Dada!"
Indravadhan grinned happily at his little sister who wasn't little anymore. His Radhika, his choti.
"I missed you! Missed you a lot!" Radhika exclaimed. Her head on his shoulders.
"I missed you too."
They broke the hug and Indravadhan wiped the tears that were trickling down his sister's face.
"Hey.." he pinched her cheeks, making her yelp and smile as well.
"You look horrible when you cry. Are you trying to scare me?" that earned him a smack on his arm.
"Ab chalo tum dono, saara din yahin bahar hi khade rehne ka irada hai kya?" joked Vasundhra as she placed her hands on cheeks of both her children.
Radhika hooked her arm with her brother's arm and the all walked inside their palace.
After chatting for a while, Indravadhan excused himself and went towards his room to freshen up. He smiled as he reached the door and saw a faded pink colored tag hanging from the knob. Indravadhan removed it from the knob. In bold capital letters, it was written :
RESTRICTED ENTRY
(Only the Prince of this room and his Princess are allowed)Chuckling, he placed the tag back at its place and went inside the room. "Pagal!" he muttered softly.
Soft and sweet smell of lavender teased his senses. The room smelled of her.
He removed his shoes and placed them in the rack, his socks went in the laundry basket. He went inside his bathroom an opened a mini closet, in which his towels and robes were laid in a perfect manner. In the section next to his, there were some more towels and robes but unlike his white ones, they all were in pink color.
He rolled his eyes at her obsession about the color pink. Indravadhan took a long cold shower.
Wearing his robe, he took her towel to dry his hair. As he walked out of the bathroom, he heard the chime of the wind chime. As the air blew inside from the open window, the melodious sound of the chime was soothing him.
He smiled as he opened his wardrobe and saw her clothes hanging along his. All the sections were equally divided between them, his wrist watches, her jewelry, his cufflinks, her bangles, everything!
"Aakhir apni baat manva hi li na aapne. Humme yahan waapis bula hi liya." he said as he took out his black trousers and a white colored t-shirt to pair it with.
"How am I looking?"
<><><><><><><><>Dadi Saheb watched her daughter in law who was busy admiring her son's portrait.
Placing a hand on her shoulder, DS asked, "What's the matter Vasundhra? Ab toh hamara Indravadhan ghar laut aaya hai, ab tumhe kis baat ki chinta hai?"
Vasundhra smiled sadly and turned around to face her mother in law, "Maa Saheb yeh toh aap bhi jaanti hain ki jo ghar laut kar aaya hai woh aapka yah hamara Indravadhan nahi hai. Woh Gayatri ka Indravadhan hai."
<><><><><><><><>"What happened? You didn't like it?" Indravadhan took off his white t-shirt that he had just wore and threw it on the couch.
He took out a orange colored t-shirt and placed it in front of his chest, "Yeh kaisi hai?"
<><><><><><><><>"Vasundhara yeh aap..."
Interrupting DS, Vasundhra said, "You can't deny it Maa Saheb.", she said calmly. "Indravadhan toh hamara kabhi thha hi nahi, who jo hai sirf Gayatri ka hai, ussi ka aks."
DS's expressions turned sad as she said, "Hum jaante hain Vasundhra. It worries me too, but you know that how he is. Indravadhan aaj tak apni Gayatri ka intezaar kar rahe hai."
<><><><><><><><>Indravadhan had finally changed into a soft teal colored t-shirt. "Now I am looking good, haina?"
He walked up-to wall facing his bed, where hung a huge life size portrait of the love of his life. His every truth, his ultimate reality, his Gayatri. He softly caressed her cheek with his hand and then kissed her smile.
"Hhhmm..main toh aa gaya hoon, when will you come?"
<><><><><><><><>"Humne unhe kitni baar samjhane ki koshish ki hai ki unki Gayatri ab waapis nahi aane waali. Na abhi aurr na hi kabhi! But he doesn't listen to me!"
"Vasundhra who theek hai. Aap toh jaanti hai na ki who Gayatri se.."
"Maa Saheb, darr lagta hai hume unke iss pyaar se! Yeh pyaar nahi pagalpan hai!" Vasundhra cried.
<><><><><><><><>"You know Gayatri, I don't miss you ever!" he said with a teasing smirk on his face, "Arre why would I? Jab tum toh mujhme hi rehti ho na. Tumhe yaad toh tab karun jab tum mujhse door ho jao. You are here, in my heart, always with me."
He then walked upto his suitcase and took out a gift package, "See I brought you a gift!"
He started opening the gift, but in middle of unwrapping it, he looked up at her portrait again and said, "What? Tum meri ho na! So I can open your gift as well." He shrugged his shoulders and again started unwrapping the gift.
Out of the box he took out this, beautiful white colored dress. He raised it in front of Gayatri's portrait and asked, "Beautiful na? My choice! I so wanna see you in this dress."
<><><><><><><><>"Yeh kaisa pyaar hai Maa Saheb, jisne Indravadhan ki zindagi ko rok sa diya hai. Who aage badh hi nahi paa rahe hain! Aaj bhi Indravadhan wahin khade hai jahan aajse 9 saal pehle the." Said Vasundhra rubbing her forehead.
Lines of worry creased DS's forehead as she said, "We tried to make him understand, but he didn't listen to anyone. Woh 4 din kaise beethe hain, yeh hum sab jaante hain. Usse hadse ne humse sirf Gayatri ko hi nahi cheena, balki hamara Indravadhan bhi.." cried DS.
<><><><><><><><>"Waise don't you think that it's high time! You should come back to me now. Itne saal beet gaye hain, and you are still angry with me. That's not fair! Inti naaraazgi kyon?" Indravadhan smiled sadly.
"Please Gayatri, apne Indravadhan ke paas waapid aa jao. Please."
<><><><><><><><>"Pata nahi Indravadhan yeh kab samjenge ki Gayatri ab kabhi waapis nahi aane waali. Who mar chuki hain! 9 saal pehle hue uss hadse mein humne apni Gayatri ko kho diya. Gayatri is dead!"
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
Fan Fictions
