Lawn, Maithli's House. ( She can no longer stay in Sambhav's house for obvious reasons)
It was around 11am in the morning , a bright sunny day kissed by the cool breeze of the hills which perfumed the whole air with a whiff of pines. Abhay was sitting in the lawn of Maithli's cute picturebook cottage – looking out at the mountains, the sun shining in his iceblue eyes as he looked at the dark dense forests that drowned the landscape in front of him. His elbows resting on the stone table , he looked rather lost in his thoughts. Maithli , dressed in a sunflower yellow dress appeared on the porch carrying a tray of cider and exotic fruits. She smiled at the vision of a blissful Abhay sitting in her lawn as she walked towards him. She quietly put the tray down and put her hand on Abhay's shoulder.
Maithli ( sweeetly)- What are you thinking, Abhay? Lost, hmmm?
Abhay looks up at her, smiles and kissing her hand gently, makes her sit next to him. Maithli keeps her head on his shoulder and looks at Abhay's face and the faraway look his eyes.
Abhay ( putting his cheek on her head )- To be honest, I am lost, Maithli. Its strange , you know. I am with you after a wait of centuries. You came back from the dead for me. All is perfect …but…( holds Maithli closer)…somewhere in my heart…deep down. Really deep down. Like the bottom of an ocean. There is a constant sinking feeling.
Maithli ( looks into his eyes )- Sinking feeling?.....don't be stupid, Abhay! You are mine and this is perfect , you fool!
Abhay ( nods slowly )- It may sound weird to you, Maithli, but…..(shrugs his shoulders )….I almost feel as if I am roaming around the whole world, day and night, looking for something……its like , a part of me is walking outside my body and I can't find it. Do you understand what am trying to say?
Maithli looks at Abhay with narrowed dark eyes , furious that Abhay is talking all nonsense! What is he trying to say? Idiot ! He is supposed to be happy with me . What delusionary crap is he talking? A part of me walking outside me body. Humph. I should have asked Anushka to give him a subconscious mind cleanse as well. Ughs! ABHAY! BE HAPPY WITH ME.
Abhay ( gently shakes her )- Maithli?
Maithli snaps out of her angry thoughts and smiling, kisses Abhay gently on the lips, caressing his cheek.
Maithli ( affectionately)- I understand. Its just that you can't believe that all this is real. That you have found me after such a long wait….(hugs him)….you will get over it.
Abhay hugs her and runs his hand through her hair and his smile slowly turns doubtful. What was it? Everytime he touched Maithli's hair, he experienced something alien inside him. Something was not right. Okay, not transparent, actually. Abhay removed his hands from her hair.
Abhay ( suddenly )- I know what we should do! I feel so hollow because you are living away from me. ….( pause )….i am taking you with me. To Raichand Mansion. In any case, you are in the bad books of werewolves and Sambhav can rip anyone's throat when it comes to trust and betrayal. I need to protect you.
Maithli ( jumping with joy inside but pretending otherwise )- I am a witch, Abhay. I can handle the werewolves. Sam will not hurt me. Besides , your parents will never agree. They hate me.
Abhay ( cupping her face )- No way. I cannot stay away from you, Maithli. Mom and Dad will have to agree!....(hugs her )….i am too scared to lose you all over again….(suddenly spots something down the main gate)…..Piya….
Maithli's eyes fly open as she feels Abhay's arms leave her and his body move away from her. She looks at Abhay as he slowly goes near the railing and looks down at the driveway. A sudden warmth is illuminating Abhay's face and the ice in his eyes melting into something surreal. Maithli follows his gaze and looks down. A swanky red sports car has come to a halt outside her gate. A young curly-haired girl wearing a floral gypsy skirt teamed with a spaghetti and a pretty shawl is walking up with another girl – a reddish brown bob , a denim miniskirt , black fitted shirt and ankle length black shoes. Aha! Piya and Zeenia! So, Piya did listen to Abhay . Great! Now, the little chick can see for herself that Abhay is Maithli's . But why did she bring this electricity powerplant sitting in Anushka's body along with her?
Piya looks up at Abhay and Maithli and she feels a lump in her throat. Her feet stop as they both wave at her. But Zeenia holds her hand and clasps it with an aggressive and chiding look on her face.
Zeenia ( just like Anushka )- Is this how you plan to get Abhay back? By stopping like city traffic everytime that wannabe –Piya Maithli aunty poses happy with your hit-in-thee-head hot vampy?
Piya shakes her head and they both walk upto the pretty cottage.
As soon as Piya and Zeenia appear in the garden, Maithli runs and hugs Piya, much to the surprise of Piya and amusement of Zeenia.
Zeenia ( to herself, rolling eyes )- What a desperate drama queen! Somebody nominate her to Oscars , please.
Maithli ( hugging her )- Oh, my sweet little Piya. Its so good to see you. You know how worried I got with you going to Cahoota all alone?.....(whispers in her ear)…..if it was not for Abhay and this damned amulet, this could well be the hug of death for you, niece.
Piya ( smiling at Abhay )- In you dreams, my dear aunt.
Abhay is looking weirdly at Zeenia and walks upto her. Zeenia reminds herself that Anushka is a sisterly figure in Abhay's life , so she can't flirt with him! DARN! What a waste, hottie.
Abhay ( looking at Zeenia , amused )- Waste it is,Keeper. Anushka would get a heart attack if she saw you like this…..(touches her hair )…the bob is pretty cool, though.
Zeenia hops in joy and jumps and hugs Abhay , clinging to him like a baby as an amused Piya and an irritated Maithli look on.
Zeenia ( kissing Abhay's both cheeks )- FINALLY! Somebody has some fashion sense in this stupid little town. Abhay, suddenly you are my favourite.
Abhay ( putting her down )- Thanks , Keeper. I was living to hear this precious compliment. Now, will you please get off me? 65 kgs is not a small weight.
Zeenia gets down and Piya shakes her head at her. Maithli comes and stands between Abhay and Zeenia.
Zeenia ( looking at Maithli )- What? Are we playing ringa ringa roses, Matty? Or Musical chairs?
Maithli ( irritated )- Don't call me, Matty!
Zeenia – Abhay, handle your girlfriend ,please. Her niece is so cool, whom did she go on?
Abhay ( calling it ceasefire )- Chill, Maithli. This is not Anushka. It's a Keeper and they are mischievous spirits. She didn't mean what she said…..
Maithli ( glaring at Zeenia)- Whatever. I still don't understand what made Anushka leave her body to a Keeper!
Piya ( sweetly )- My safety. Too much of evil around me. Anushka is protecting me and wherever she has gone, the reason is me. She will be back soon.
Zeenia ( looping her arms around Maithli )- Till then, I will keep you entertained , Matty….come lets get some lemonade for my rented brother and your lovely niece. I will help you in the kitchen.
Maithli- But…..
Zeenia ( dramatically )- Oho, possessive? Don't worry, Matty Catty. Abhay will look after your niece very well. She won't turn into a flat tire in 15 minutes . Come , come….( walking towards the cottage)….so, do you have strawberries in your kitchen? Oh silly me…you are a witch , you can create them. Lets …….
Maithli keeps looking back as Zeenia almost drags her to the kitchen in the cottage. Abhay smiles and shakes his head, taking out a handkerchief and wiping his cheeks off the bright red lipstick.
Abhay ( ushering Piya to sit )- I hope this Keeper is not giving you headaches. Excited electron in action.
Piya ( sitting and her eyes never leaving Abhay's face )- She is weird but I feel safe and protected with her. Just as I felt with y…( Abhay raises an eyebrow)…with your sister Anushka. Thank you.
Abhay ( looking at Piya's eyes and her obvious anxious discomfort )- I should be thanking you. I misbehaved with you last night and yet you came to see Maithli. I owe you ….(pause)….Piya, is something wrong? Do I scare you?
Piya's eyes shoot up to his face and her lips part in surprise. Scare me? Of course you scare me, Abhay! With the fear , the thought that you may never find your way back to me again. I feel scared of myself and my inability to control my feelings whenever I look at you and see love in your eyes for another woman!
Piya stands up and looks at the mountains , locking and unlocking her fingers.
Piya ( laughing it off)- You are mad, Abhay. Why should I be scared of you? Just because you are a vampire? I know that. But you are a good vampire. What silly stuff goes on in your head.
Abhay gets up and stands with her , looking at her but Piya's eyes fixed on the beautiful landscape and her fingers crossed. Abhay couldn't read her mind. Him and she were CONNECTED .And if Abhay could block out Piya , she could do the same , by sheer mental maneuvering. This much she had learned. Abhay found it very strange . She was human! Then, why couldn't he read her thoughts ? Was it the witch blood? No, no. There is no witch blood in the family. Maithli was not a natural witch – she had been infused. Then, Piya……
Abhay ( observing her)- I never said it had anything to do with me being a vampire, Piya. Its something else. You behave strange around me….( wondering why is he asking her that )….you don't like me much, right?
Piya turned her face towards Abhay and she looked shocked and anguished. DON'T LIKE YOU? Having loved you to the superlative form of insanity , this is what I get to hear? Oh, what have they done to you, Abhay? What have you become? I could kill Maithli and Natasha for this a 1000 times over. Piya gulped her temper and pain.
Piya ( looking here and there )- Of course , I like you, Abhay….( clenching her fists so hard that she dug her fingernails into her veins )….you are the man in Maithli's life and you are….nice.
Abhay ( crossing his arms across his chest )- Nice? So nice that you shake like a leaf in my presence , never look at me while talking to me , avoid me like a plague and sound so pretentious in your pleasantries? You have a problem with me, I can just sense it.
Piya ( reactively )- Then, upgrade your vampire radar, Abhay! How can I have problems with you? You are….( frustrated )….you are my friend! Don't you just get it in this head of yours that I don't like this constant nitpicking? Stop dissecting me , will you?
Tears spring up in Piya's eyes and she turns to go but Abhay clutches her arm and spins her around to face him.
Abhay ( grabbing her shoulders and shaking her )- Crying? For what? Are you abnormal, Piya?
Piya ( hurt )- I am normal, Abhay. Its you who makes me behave abnormal . You should just leave me alone ….( the skin of her shoulders bruised )…..and in case you have not realized , you are INJURING me.
Abhay feels a wave of emotion as he holds Piya – angry, intense , utter madness , and so real. It was nothing as beautiful and soft that he felt for Maithli.It was something raw, deep and hungry. Abhay immediately released Piya and turned away from her. WHAT THE HELL! He screamed internally . What comes over you, Abhay everytime this girl comes in front of you? She is Maithli's niece and you are supposed to be nice to her. Nice? She is a labyrinth of mysterious emotions that I can see on her face but never read them! Why can't she behave normal with me? Abhay doesn't look back at Piya and just goes from there, to gain composure.
Piya is shaking like a leaf , just as Abhay had said. Bruise and blood on her shoulders , tears in her eyes and a broken heart. But she doesn't break down. She wipes her tears, covers her shoulder blades with a shawl and sits down on thee bench , quietly. As though nothing had happened.
Even if my mind forgets you, my heart will always remember you, Piya.
That is what Abhay had told Piya in the woods at Irugarh. And how true that was, Piya thought. She knew why Abhay was acting so weird , so out of control with her. Spells and charms had cleansed his mind of his memories of love for Piya but what earthly power can cleanse a soul of a love like this? Abhay's heart was leaping towards Piya and Abhay couldn't understand it. How would he? He didn't know it. Piya calmed herself. She had to learn to deal with Abhay's moods and reactions. And push him to the edge at the same time. Risky. Didn't matter. Piya cared two hoots about a life that didn't have Abhay in it. And she could see it in Abhay's eyes that he didn't understand this sugary life that didn't have Piya in it. Piya looked at the other end of the garden where Abhay was sitting on a rock, with his back towards her and his heart in a turmoil. A smile spread across Piya's face. It's your heart, Abhay. The pull is from within. Don't fight it. And at that moment, Abhay turned his head and looked back at her…….
Meanwhile, in the kitchen.
Maithli was angrily slicing strawberries and lemons in the kitchen while Zeenia was munching on potato wafers sitting on the dining table.
Zeenia (looking around the kitchen )- Sad location of your kitchen, baby. No window looks out into the frontal of your pretty garden where you can fix your hawk eyes on Abhay and Piya. Tut , tut.
Maithli ( furiously )- I don't need to! Abhay loves me and he no longer remembers the love he had for Piya. So, this mischief is useless even if you keep me in the kitchen till dinnertime. He is probably asking her how her college is going!
Zeenia ( confused)- Abhay lowwes you? You mean that drug-induced-brain-confused-emotional-programming that Anushka has done is lowwe? …..(flutters her eyelashes)….how technically romantic?
Maithli (irritated )- Come to the point, Keeper.
In the blink of an eye, Zeenia is at Maithli's throat with the same knife that she was slicing fruits with and a dark look in her eyes. She puts her thumb on Maithli's throat so that she makes no noise.
Zeenia ( hisses)- The point is that don't be fooled by my cute jokes cracked on you. The evil that you and that blood-glucose-starved cat eyed bitch Natasha have done to Abhay, Anushka and Piya is so not gonna go unpunished. I came here to warn you that no dirty games with Piya and all this manipulation that you are doing with Abhay must not hurt Piya…….(smiles cutely )…..now, get up and make lemonade unless you want me to serve Matty Pinacolada to the lovebirds outside!
Zeenia pulls Maithli back to her straight form and gives the knife back to her. Maithi is furious but its no time to act bitchy. Abhay is outside.
Later in the garden…..
Rest of the morning was just laughed off in Zeenia's jokes, Piya's silent smiles, Maithli's fear and irritation on seeing the obvious 'something' between Abhay-Piya , return of Abhay's humour and charm. When it was time for Piya and Zeenia to go, Maithli chose to go to the kitchen to clear the dishes while Zeenia went bonkers on an ox who ended up hitting the red beauty parked outside the gates. FUNNY? It is. Zeenia, kind of, makes the whole ecosphere react and that includes living beings as well. Zeenia went running down to change the ox into a donkey.
Abhay (laughing )- At this rate, I will forget what Anushka was ever like!
Piya immediately puts her fingers to his lips with a shocked and scared expression on her face. Abhay's face softens and he slowly holds Piya's hand and moves it away from his lips.
Abhay ( taken in by the fear in her baby browns )- What…..
Piya ( emotionally )- Don't say that, Abhay. Don't even joke about forgetting Anushka. She loves you like her own blood.
Abhay – I was kidding. Why,so serious?
Piya (meaningfully )- Because you have a bad memory….(fakes a smile)….just kidding. Why, so serious? Bye, Abhay.
Abhay doesn't leave her hand and that sight makes Maithli boil as she watches from her bedroom window, the evil of jealousy bringing out the selfish monster behind the beauty.
Piya feels her heart skip a beat and she looks at Abhay with questioning eyes. Abhay takes a few steps closer to her and softly takes off the shawl that she had draped around her shoulders. Piya feels her heart pound as Abhay stands so close, looking at her intensely , unaware of his own feelings as they override his mind. Looking into her eyes, he runs his hands down her bruised shoulders – putting the pain that he had given her to rest. Piya looks at her shoulders and then, at him. They look at each-other as Abhay puts the shawl back on her-his hands on her –strong and protective. Piya lowers her eyes and turning on her heels runs down hill, not even once looking back.
Abhay watches Zeenia and Piya drive away. He keeps standing there, realizing that the sinking feeling in his heart has returned. Suddenly, he feels he can't see properly – his vision is fogged. Shocked, he lifts his hand to his face . He feels his cheek- its wet. With tears that rolled down the gorgeous face…..without his permission, without his realization.
And inside the pretty cottage, a mirror breaks.
Road , Woods
It was 2pm in the afternoon and it was raining as though all clouds up in the sky had decided to give a shower to Dehradun in one go. Kabir was driving his car through the lonely stretch in the woods on the other side of the river. He would often do that when he needed to sort his mind out or rather his heart, we should say. Ever since that kiss and slap in Maarwa, Kabir had known no peace. He understood the slap that Anushka had given him but he was still reeling under the shock of that kiss! Kabir had not realized until the kiss that how much he had come to love the porcelain beauty. She had plugged all the holes and fissures that Piya's rejection had caused. She was his best friend and yes, he had found love in her! He wanted to tell her that but how? Anushka's phone had been unavailable – now, when it was available , she was not picking his calls, not to forget the weird new callertune that was irritating the hell out of him. Anushka was not at home, either! Kabir didn't care what Anushka felt about him – for now, he just wanted to see her. But how? Kabir was debating about asking Abhay. Was there any other way?
Just then, Kabir saw a figure at a distance – amidst the heavy rain , the darkness brought about by the clouds- a man in a raincoat was standing in the middle of the road.
Kabir (pulling the brakes )- What the…..
TO BE CONTINUED……………..
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
CID
