A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting! As you all may know, I've begun uni, so things are getting a wee bit hectic here! Still, I won't let go of this fic!
I hope I'm not disappointing you with my fic, cause I can see that the number of comments are reducing.. =\ I just hope I'm doing justice to my fic and you all are able to understand what am I trying to put forward here!
And then of course, we have the amazing news that Khamoshiyan is coming SOON, and promos may air by the end of this month! Its so exciting to know that the show has already begun! I've been squealing so much these days, my apartment mates are scared! =P
BTW..I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my mom and to all the mothers out there. Wishing you all a VERY Happy Mother's Day! =D
I LOVE to read comments, so please do drop a comment if you can! Press the like button if you like what you're reading!
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Chapter 6
(GuNur and Dia's room, Bhushan Mansion, Morena)
Nupur woke to the sound of her phone buzzing on the table next to her. Without opening her eyes, she fumbled around till she felt her phone, and received the call.
*Phone Call*
"05 30 baj chuke hain, tum sab kahaan ho? Hum sab tumhara hall mein wait kar rahein hain."
"Mayank? Mere jaanu? Tum itni jaldi uth gaye?" asked Nupur, as she smiled in her state of slumber.
"Tum kal raat so paayi?" asked Mayank incredulously.
"Kyun? Kal raat kya.." trailed off Nupur, as last night's events rushed back to her head. She turned to her right, but to her astonishment, she couldn't find Gunjan there.
"Mayank, I'll call you back." said Nupur, as she cut the call and turned to wake Dia up.
*Phone Call ends*
"Dia. DIA!" said Nupur loudly.
"Oh dear Lord Nupur, I just slept an hour or so ago! Please mujhe sone do!" mumbled Dia, as she covered her head with a pillow.
Nupur just pulled her covers and picked up the pillow, as she prodded Dia in the shoulder.
"Dia, Gunjan's missing. Pata nahi kahaan pe hai!" said Nupur rather hysterically.
Dia woke up with a start, and found herself face to face with a panicked Nupur. She hugged her tightly, trying to assure her that all would be well.
"Nupur, tumne bathroom check kiya?"
Nupur pulled apart and hit her forehead with her hand. The bathroom!
"Main bhi naa, stress mein mera dimaag toh jaise kaam hi nahi karta, by God! Main abhi bathroom ke darwaaze pe knock karti hoon." said Nupur, as she smiled at Dia and walked over to the bathroom.
*Knocks*
"Gunjan? Tu andar hai kya?" asked Nupur, as she knocked on the bathroom door.
"Dia yeh darwaaza kyun nahi khol rahi hai? Gunjan, darwaaza khol!" cried Nupur, as she banged on the door frantically.
Dia jumped off her make-shift bed and ran to the bathroom. She pressed her ear on the door, and heard the sound of the shower running.
"Nupur, the shower is running, matlab Gunjan andar hi hai! Shaayad naha rahi hai, give her some time!" said Dia, as she put an arm around Nupur's shoulders in an attempt to placate her.
"Nahi Dia. Gunjan toh mujhe aawaaz bhi de sakti hai naa? Toh phir yeh kuch keh kyun nahi rahi hai? Gunjaaan!" cried Nupur, as she burst into tears and banged the door.
Dia was at a loss to see her cousin in such a state. She rushed over to the drawers, hoping to find a duplicate key to the door.
After around 5minutes of searching, she found a key that looked as if it could fit the lock to the bathroom door, and she rushed to try it. To their luck, the key worked and the door unlocked with a click.
Nupur and Dia rushed inside, only to find Gunjan crouching down on the bathroom floor, convulsing in sobs as the water from the shower fell on her, soaking her from head to toe.
"Gunjan! Yeh tu kya kar rahi hai?!" cried out Nupur, while Dia turned off the shower.
Gunjan turned to face her sister, who engulfed her in a hug. Dia sat down on the floor next to the two sisters and just stroked Gunjan's hair in an attempt to comfort her.
"Di..sab meri -hic- galti hai! Main -hic- bahut buri hoon! -hic- Maine aap sab -hic- ko dukh diya hai!" sobbed Gunjan in Nupur's arms.
"Yeh tu kya bakwaas kar rahi hai Gunjan? Tu toh meri sabse acchi behen hai naa? Toh aisa kyun keh rahi hai? Tu chinta mat kar, sab theek ho jaayega." said Nupur softly, as she kissed Gunjan's head lightly.
"Yes Gunjan, we'll make sure everything is fine. Please don't cry doll!"
Gunjan pulled out of the hug and stared at her sisters incredulously, with a blazing look in her eyes.
"Aapko lagta hai sab theek hoga? Kal raat jo bhi hua, uske baad kuch theek nahi hoga! Bauji aur Bhui mujhse nafrat karenge, poore Morena mein humara naam mitti mein mil jaayega, aur Bauji mujhe kabhi maaf nahi karenge! Aur upar se Samrat ne mera maang bhara hai Di! Kuch theek nahi hoga!" screamed Gunjan, as she rushed to the mirror.
On reaching the mirror, she realised that the water had been unable to wash away the vermillion in her head. She scrubbed her hair with her hand, poured water on her head, but the color just stayed put.
"Di, yeh sindoor mit kyun nahi raha hai? Maine toh kitni koshish ki ise mitaane ki, lekin yeh jaa hi nahi raha hai!" cried Gunjan hysterically, her eyes blazing with madness.
She rushed to Dia, shook her by the shoulders and cried, "Dia, tum toh make up ke baare mein kitna jaanti ho. Yeh sindoor ka rang nikaal do! Please, kuch bhi karke ise nikaal do!"
Dia and Nupur just stared at Gunjan in shock, as she ran around the bathroom, trying to remove the color from her head in madness, but to no avail.
*SLAP*
"Bas kar Gunjan! Samrat ne teri maang bhar di hai, aur tu iske baare mein KUCH nahi kar sakti! Mujhpe bharosa kar, main SAB theek kar doongi!" screamed Nupur, as she shook Gunjan's shoulders violently, trying to bring her out of her frenzy.
For the second time that day, Gunjan's knees gave way to her, as she fell down on the floor and burst into sobs. Nupur and Dia just engulfed her in a tight embrace, as they cried along with her, trying unsuccessfully to alleviate her pain.
(Living room, Bhushan Mansion, Morena)
"Dudes, I don't get why are you all standing here as if koi mar gaya hai! I mean come on yaar, shaadi ka ghar hai! Eat and enjoy!" said Uday happily, blissfully unaware of the events that had transpired.
Mayank gave him a look and walked away from there in frustration, which left Benji with the arduous task of telling Uday the events that had taken place the previous night.
"Chal Uday, lets talk. I need to tell you something." said Benji tiredly, as he led Uday out towards the backyard.
(Shashi Bhushan's room, Bhushan Mansion, Morena)
"Yeh aapne kya kiya Bhaisahaab?" asked an incredulous Bhui.
"Toh tum hi bataao Ratna, hum kya karte? Samrat ne Gunjan ka maang bhar diya, toh ek tarah se dono ki shaadi hi hui naa?" said Bauji pensively.
"Maang hi toh bhara hai naa! Koi mandir mein jaake phere toh nahi kiye hain!"
"Ratna..Ratna..tum samajhne ki koshish karo. Vaise bhi logon ne unko saath mein dekh liya hai aur baatein bhi karne lage hain. Agar Samrat ne usse shaadi kar li, toh isme hum sab ki hi bhalaai hai. Aur maine dekha hai ki Samrat Gunjan ko kitna chahta hai. Tumne dekha naa Ratna? Jab koi bhi Gunjan ke khilaaf kuch kehta, toh use kitni takleef hoti? Voh Gunjan ko takleef mein nahi dekh sakta, isiliye usne Gunjan se shaadi kar li! Shaadi karna koi gudde-guddiyon ka khel nahi hai. Agar usne aisa kadam uthaya hai, toh zaroor kuch soch ke liya hoga naa? Mujhe apni Gunjan par naaz hai, ki usne apne liye heera chuna." said Bauji, a smile playing on the corner of his lips, as a lone tear escaped the corner of his eye.
"Lekin Bhaisahaab-"
"Mujhe is baare mein koi baat nahi karni. Neeche chalein?" said Bauji, the finality evident in his voice.
Bhui just stared at his retreating figure in shock, as she wondered as to what had come over her brother.
(GuNur and Dia's room, Bhushan Mansion, Morena)
Gunjan was seated in front of the dressing table in her room, as Dia helped her to get ready for the party. With the help of her brush, she worked quietly to hide Gunjan's puffy eyes and disguise the fact that she'd been crying her eyes out just a few minutes back.
"All done! Dekha! You look nothing short of a princess!" said Dia, as she smiled at Gunjan.
Gunjan just looked at herself blankly, her face devoid of any expression. After Dia and Nupur had successfully managed to stop Gunjan from crying, she'd just shut herself up, and was not talking or responding to anyone.
Nupur came out of the washroom in her sari, only to find Dia looking sadly at Gunjan, while Gunjan was staring at her reflection blankly.
"Arre waah! Gunjan, aaj toh tu Chinky ki chutti kar degi by God! Ab hato, mujhe bhi toh make-up karna hai! Dia, tu Gunjan ko lekar neeche jaa? Main thodi der mein aati hoon, theek hai? Vaise bhi bahut der ho gayi hai!" said Nupur, as she rummaged in her bag to find an item of make-up that she was looking for.
Almost on cue, Gunjan got up silently from her seat and walked out of the room, not even bothering to wait for Dia. Dia cast a worried glance at Nupur, and ran off behind Gunjan.
Nupur sighed resignedly and walked out of the room to go and meet Mayank.
(SaYank's room, Bhushan Mansion, Morena)
"Nupur, I don't understand ki tum mujhse milne kaise aa gayi. Tum jaanti ho ki kal raat kitna bada hungama khada hua tha, phir bhi-"
"Uff oh Mayank, calm down. Main toh tumse yeh poochne aayi thi ki Samrat kaisa hai? Arre? Tumne abhi tak isse uthaya nahi?" interrupted Nupur.
'He's passed out. Completely wasted. Pata nahi kaunse desi daru ke adde mein sharab pee raha tha. Bechara Benji, pata nahi kahaan se use dhoondh ke ghar laaya. Aur erm..Gunjan?" replied Mayank quietly, as they cast worried glances at the bed.
At the mention of Gunjan's name, Nupur burst into tears and relayed the story of what had transpired in their room a few minutes ago. Mayank's heart tore to see his girl in such a state, and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Usne yeh sab -hic- humare liye kiya Mayank! Aur -hic- yeh Samrat? Isse toh main -hic- nahi chodoongi!" sniffled Nupur, as she buried her head in the crook of Mayank's neck.
Almost suddenly, Mayank loosened his grip on Nupur and left her. Nupur felt Mayank leave her and pulled apart from him slowly, as she looked at him questioningly.
"Nupur, kal raat ke baad..mujhe nahi lagta humein aise milna chahiye. Please, try and understand what am I trying to say." said Mayank, as he tried to avoid Nupur's piercing gaze.
*Nupur's POV*
By God, isn't he just so cute? I mean what do I say to such an adorable person? This is what I've always loved about Mayank; he's so damn practical and rational! Admitted, his practicality does irk me a LOT, but in such situations, it really makes you wanna pinch his cheeks and flick his nose and hug him really tightly!
*Nupur's POV ends*
Nupur just smiled at Mayank and nodded in assent. Mayank, on the other hand, was relieved that Nupur didn't lose her cool and understood what he was trying to say.
"Ab tum jaao, main Samrat ko le kar neeche aata hoon. Gunjan ka khyaal rakhna."
"Jaldi aana, aur Samrat ka khyaal rakhna." said Nupur, as she caressed the side of his face lovingly and turned to leave the room.
As Mayank heard the door close behind him, he rushed out to see if anyone had seen Nupur leaving his room. After the misunderstandings that had been taking place from the past few days, he didn't want to cause any more problems. The problem that they were facing was already quite big.
Mayank turned back into the room and shut the door softly behind him. Walking over to Samrat, he tried to wake him up as softly as he could.
"Samrat? Samrat!"
Samrat merely twitched in his state of slumber at the sound of his name.
Mayank spend a good 15 minutes trying all sorts of ways to wake Samrat up, but in vain. He tried to pull of the covers, scream in his ears, kick him in the bum, but nothing seemed to work. Samrat hadn't even flinched at the slightest sound or movement.
Mayank had had enough. He went over to the washroom and filled a tumbler with cold water from the faucet, and brought it to Samrat.
"Samrat, this is the last time I'm trying to wake you up civilly. Agar tum ab nahi uthe, toh main tum par paani gira doonga, by God!"
*Mayank's POV*
By God? Did I just say by God? Nupur Bhushan, you really are messing with my mind!
Focus Mayank! You've got a task on hand! Stop thinking about Nupur! Concentrate!
*Mayank's POV ends*
Mayank shook his head and just looked at Samrat, who was still sprawled on the bed. Without any warning, he just dumped the tumbler of cold water on Samrat's face.
"FREAK!"
Samrat literally jumped out of his bed, but almost immediately fell back down.
"Dude! What is wrong with you?" moaned Samrat, as he clutched his head in agony.
"Subah ke 7 baj chuke hain, neeche haldi ki rasam shuru ho chuki hai and you're still sleeping! I know ki tumhe zyaada neend nahi mili, lekin we've gotta go down Samrat." said Mayank sympathetically.
"But dude, mujhpe paani phekne ki kya zaroorat thi?"
"Pichle 15 minute se tumhe normally uthane ki koshish kar raha tha, lekin tum uth hi nahi rahe the! Toh main aur kya karta?"
Samrat just nodded feebly as he tried to get his bearings right. He was unable to think properly because his head was throbbing and everything seemed to be swimming in front of his eyes.
In other words, Samrat was suffering from a terrible hangover.
"Dude, why's my head blasting?"
"Oh yeah, crap! Yeh lo, davaai le lo. I think isse tumhara headache kaafi kam ho jaayega." said Mayank, as he pressed a tablet into Samrat's hand.
"Lekin mere sir mein itna dard hain kyun?" asked Samrat confusedly, as he swallowed the tablet along with a glass of water.
"Voh, erm..kal raat ke bad tum I think kisi local pub mein gaye the..and you got drunk." Mayank trailed off, as he walked towards the wardrobe, pretending to look for something.
"Kal raat?" asked a baffled Samrat, as he struggled to remember what had transpired the previous night.
As soon as the words escaped his mouth, the events of last night came back to Samrat in a click. The sangeet, the midnight meeting on the terrace, Bhui and Bauji's accusations, Gunjan's tears, his marriage..
"FREAK! What the **** did I do? Yeh mujhse kya ho gaya? Maine Chahsmish ki maang bhar di? Aur phir uske Bauji se kahaan ki main usse shaadi karne ko tayyar hoon? No way, I did NOT say that!" cried Samrat frantically, his voice rising by an octave.
Mayank turned towards Samrat, but wasn't able to look him in the eye.
"I'm sorry dude, yeh sab humari vajah se hua hai.." replied Mayank quietly, his voice full of guilt.
"Dude that's not the POA here. Point is, I said yes! I agreed to marry Gunjan! What sort of an IDIOT am I? Main kya soch raha tha? Wait. Gunjan kya soch rahi hogi? FREAK FREAK FREAK! Mayank, mujhe Gunjan se milna hai. Abhi." exclaimed Samrat, as he walked around the room like a mad man.
"Dude, pehle tum fresh ho kar tayyar ho jaao. Neeche jaate hi I'll make sure you get to talk to her. Lekin abhi ke liye, please. Get ready." replied Mayank, as he threw a sherwani and towel to Samrat.
"Dude, I don't think I should come down. Pata nahi log kya kahenge, and frankly speaking, main Chashmish ke khilaaf kuch nahi sun sakta. Aur Chashmish! I can't even look her in the eyes! Main neeche nahi aa raha Mayank, tu chala jaa!" said Samrat, as he paced around the room.
"Tumhe neeche aana hi padega Samrat, tum Bhushan khandaan ke damaad ho!"
Samrat stopped dead in his tracks as Mayank's statement registered in his head.
(Hall, Bhushan Mansion, Morena)
Uday stared moodily into space as a plate of food lay forgotten in front of him. All those who knew him were staring at him in shock, as it had never happened that Uday would ignore a plate of tantalizing delicacies when placed at a distance of a few meters in front of him.
"Uday Bhaiiya?" asked Nupur, as she touched his shoulder lightly.
Uday flinched and stood up abruptly and gave a small smile to Nupur.
"Kya baat hai Uday Bhaiiya? Aapke saamne pakode aur tikkiyan padi hain, aur aap kha nahi rahein hain? Kuch aur mangvaaoon?"
"Nupur, how's my favorite little sister?" asked Uday, a hint of sadness in his voice.
"Tumhari favorite little sister ko kya hua hai?" said a voice from behind.
Nupur and Uday turned to face the source of the voice, and to their immense astonishment, they came face to face with Samrat.
Samrat just looked at Nupur questioningly, but immediately averted his gaze because of the piercing look she gave him.
"Arre waah Samrat! Achanak Gunjan ki itni chinta kyun? Jab uske saath yeh sab kiya, tab toh kuch nahi socha? Ab yeh sab dhong karne ki kya zaroorat hai?" snapped Nupur coldly.
Samrat winced inwardly at her tone, turning to Uday for support. To his immense surprise, Uday just walked off from there without saying a word.
"Nupur!"
Mayank walked over to Samrat and Nupur, eyes flashing in anger.
"Tum Samrat se yeh sab kaise keh sakti ho? Jabki tumhe pata hai ki yeh sab Samrat aur Gunjan ne humare liye kiya?" spat Mayank coldly, as he turned to face Nupur with that piercing gaze of his.
Nupur glared back at Mayank, and was about to retort back at Mayank, till she noticed his eyes. His eyes were blazing in anger, and she was pretty sure that the anger was directed towards her.
"Nupur, we shall talk about this later." said Mayank, the hint of finality evident in his tone.
Samrat stared at the scene unfolding in front of him in shock. Never had he imagined that his closest friends would be fighting cause of him. Something clawed him on the inside, and all of a sudden, he just felt like running away from Morena, and going to a place where no one would ever be able to find him. He knew his friends could never manage to help him overcome his past. Rather, they seemed to enjoy deepening his wounds and seeing how he'd fare.
His breath seemed constricted, and he had to get out of the room. Muttering something about feeling claustrophobic, Samrat ran to the room he shared with Mayank, dumped his belongings into his gym bag and hurried towards the backyard. He had to leave Morena, and run away from the rest.
(Backyard, Bhushan Mansion, Morena)
"Sammy?"
Samrat cursed his luck, as he halted in his tracks. He turned back to face one of his oldest friends, Dia.
"Sammy, where are you going? What's with the bag in your hand?" asked Dia concernedly, as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Candy, main jaa raha hoon. I'll meet you in Mumbai." replied Samrat tonelessly.
The two friends stared at each other for a few minutes, as if daring the other to say something.
*WHAM*
"OW! Candy, what the **** was that for? Its like I'm everyone's new hitting target! First Unclejee slaps me, and now you kick me in the nuts? Paagal ho gayi ho kya?" wheezed Samrat, as he bent over double, clutching his crotch in agony.
"You deserved that kick you stupid, insensitive, ugly wart of a person! How can you even THINK of leaving poor Gunjan behind in such a state?" screeched Dia, as she punched him in the shoulder.
"For the love of all that's holy, will you stop hitting me Candy?" hissed Samrat, as he hopped around in pain.
"Toh main kya kahoon Sammy? Tumhara dimaag toh theek hai? Aadhe ghar ke saamne you married her, and now when the time comes to officiate the marriage, tum bhaag rahe ho? Do you have an inkling of exactly WHAT will happen to Gunjan if she finds out about this? Heck, do you even know what is Gunjan going through right NOW?!" cried Dia, as she slumped to the ground in sheer exasperation.
It was this statement that broke Samrat's resolve. He had to know what was going on with his Chashmish.
"Candy..temme everything."
And she did.
2 hours Later
(Living Room, Bhushan Mansion, Morena)
"Benji, tumne Samrat ko dekha hai?" asked a worried Mayank.
"No dude, kyun?"
"Main abhi kamre mein gaya, aur Samrat ka saara saamaan gayab hai. I've searched the entire house, lekin voh kahin pe bhi nahi hai. Uska phone bhi switched off hai." whispered Mayank, the panic evident in his tone.
"Dude, this is NOT good! Ab kya karein? Is Chinky ki shaadi toh ho bhi gayi! Its her bidaai going on now!" replied an equally panicked Benji.
"Exactly! Kuch hi time mein Nupur's Bauji is going to ask for Samrat, kyunki iske baad uski aur Gunjan ki shaadi hai! Oh God, this is not happening! Main jaake Nupur se baat karta hoon, tu Samrat ko dhoondh!" said Mayank, as he hurried off towards his girlfriend and her sister.
"Nupur! Mujhe tumse baat karni hai!" panted Mayank, as he skidded to a stop in front of his girlfriend.
Nupur just looked at him bemusedly, as she said, "Mayank, main Gunjan ke saath hoon. Dikhaai nahi deta? Andhe ho gaye ho kya?"
"Nupur please, jhagda baad mein karte hain! I really need to talk!" whined Mayank.
"Lekin Nupur-"
"Nupur beta? Gunjan ko mandap mein leke aa jaao!" called Bauji from near the mandap.
Nupur stood up, supporting a dazed Gunjan, as they walked towards the mandap. Mayank ran behind them, trying to talk to Nupur, but she seemed hell bent on ignoring him.
Mayank walked up to stand next to Benji, who was staring at the entire proceedings with a gobsmacked expression on his face.
"Samrat ki koi khabar?"
"Nahi Mayank..pata nahi ab kya hone waala hai." replied Benji quietly.
"Beta Mayank, Samrat kahaan hai? Usse yahaan hona chahiye." asked Bauji, as he approached the two men.
Mayank and Benji balked as they found Shashi in front of them. They were at a loss of what to say, cause they themselves had no idea about Samrat's whereabouts.
Mayank and Benji shared a look, and they decided to tell the truth.
"Voh unclejee..erm.."
"Sam?!" interrupted Benji, his face breaking out into a grin as he saw his best friend shuffle into the room, followed by Dia.
Edited by -ritchelle- - 13 years ago
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