He looked on at her disappearing figure, as his eyes teared with confusion and unexplainable agitation...Eventually, he heard his sister calling out to him, apparently shouting at him to come back to the resort...
He frowned...he had never seen bhumi look so mad before...he wondered what the problem could be....
he met bhumi midway to the resort, and could see her face growing scarlet with suppressed anger....She couldn't take it any longer and blurted out:
Bhumi: Do u have ANY idea what the fools are planning now??? i don't know what the HELL is wrong with mom and dad!!! woh bhi baki sab ka saath de rahe hain! they ALL just finalized a plan for staying at this resort for a couple of days!!! can u freaking believe that??? apparently, they're having 'fun' and they want to relish this family torture for a while longer!!! and dad just took a short leave from work...i can't believe this Manthan!!
Manthan: relax sis...i'm sure our leaving won't be that big of a problem....afterall, we both can leave today and let the others stay here for however long they want.
Bhumi: tumhee kyaa lagta hai that i didn't think about that already??? i talked to mom and dad right now, and they're absolutely adamant on our staying here as well....and whats more, they're not allowing us to invite OUR friends over either!!! so the only choice we have is to stick here with the rest! ugghghhhh!!! i think i won't be able to survive this manthan!
Manthan: God! now, i'm beginning to have doubts abt mom and dad as well....how could they do this to us???!!! To think that I have to bear Nakul and his poor gang for days!!! mujhee tu abhi se ghuttun ho rahi hai.
With that, both the infuriated siblings made their way to the resort...
Manthan felt mad, but it was a kind of madness that he couldn't explain....He knew he wasn't mad at his parents...His madness had something to do with his own self....He was mad, because apart from the apparent disappointment for having to stay here with his hated family, he also felt a kind of hidden joy that he was unable to place....he wanted to be really really really mad at everyone for making him stay, but at the same time, he was content that he was going to stay.....He knew, subconsiously, why he felt this way, but he didn't want to admit it......He didn't have to ponder any longer...As they reached the resort, he eyed KT from the corner of his eyes and saw her with Laksh, archita and pari....Laksh, archita, and pari, were laughing like maniacs over something, while KT was just smiling....She was standing with them, but it seemed as though she was in another world....a world of her own.....she was awakened from her passive slumber, as she felt Manthan's gaze fixed on her.......She turned her face his way, and met his gaze with hers....Their eyes implored answers that neither one of them could answer, but most importantly, it conveyed a sense of understanding that was new to both of them.......It was at this moment, that Manthan realized that he wanted to pour his heart out to her......he wanted to tell her what he felt about everything and from the warmth of her gaze, he knew for sure that she was one person on earth who could, possible, understand him.....
They were both snatched back from their reveree, when pari made a special announcement....
Pari: ok, ladies and gentlemen...we're here to enjoy and have a blast, right??? so what we're gonna do is have a volleyball match....and yes, it IS going to be guys versus gals, so don't make a fuss about that!!! (looking over to Tulsi)...and yes, Baa, that includes u and dadu as well!!!!
At this, Laksh, KT ,and archita began cheering, while Tulsi and Mihir tried their utmost to thwart their intentions and this plan to include them....
Laksh: oh C'MON Baa, it's going to be fun....i swear, it's easier than u think, really!
Tulsi: haan haan....jab main teri jitni thi tu mujhe bhi sab 'easy easy' aur 'fun' hi lagta tha....ab agar es tarah ka kuch kiya tu meri kamar ghuk gai gi, and phir kyaa ho ga???
Mihir: waise objection tu mujhee bhi hai, Tulsi, laikin bache keh rahe hain, tu let's try!!!
Tulsi looked at him in disbelief!
Laksh: yeh hoi naa baat! way to go, dadu!!!!
KT: ok, ok...c'mon baa, ab nukhre nahin chalain ge...let's go!!!!!
The volleyball net was set, and all the guys, starting which included Mihir, Saahil, Gautam, Karan, Joydeep, Nakul, Laksh, Eklavya, and after Karan reprimanded him for sulking and forced him to join, Manthan.
The girl's team included Tulsi, Damani, Tanya, Mohini, Tripti, Archita, Pari, KT, and Bhumi(who looked as though she'd rather jump off a bridge than play with such company.....but Tanya's glare did the thing, and she, reluctantly joined as well)
Tulsi, and Mihir were more like spectators than actual players since they just moved to the side, defending themselves, rather than actually hitting the ball!!! and a good thing they did that and eventually walked out, because volleyball was turning more into dodgeball than anything else!!!! apparently, having guys against gals was not a very prudent idea because soon, the match turned into real war.....the guys didn't didn't miss an opportunity to hit the girls and the girls were just head on cheating and getting back at them.....even the person who got hit was laughing his/her head off as though that was the most hilarious thing in the world....as for Manthan and Nakul, all they wished for was to have been on opposing sides just so that they could smack each other heartilly as much as they wanted!
They went on with the game relentlessly, no side wanted to be the first to give up....Even though he could have given anything to get out of such a fix, Manthan realized that this wasn't too bad....infact, it helped a lot to get all his anger, his fury out through the intensity of the match! As damini hit the ball, it flew over to the other side towards Manthan....The ball was close to the boundary, so he had to hit it full force from the side rather than from below.....the ball went swishing with incredible speed down towards the other side, and with a sudden smack, hit KT right on her left leg....almost immediatly, she fell down...... It was almost as though his heart had stopped beating for a second, his breathing became fitful, and if he could, he would have stretched out his arms towards her, but it was too late....she was already on the ground, andLaksh, after throwing Manthan a dirty look, went to the other side to help her....
But KT was up before he reached her...and even managed to put up a smile....
Laksh: are U sure u're alright, KT??? that was really mean hit!
KT(trying her best to smile, although her leg hurt like anything): yeah, Laksh, i'm fine....C'mon, everyone has fallen atleast twice by now....and this was my first! the only thing is, i'm soaked in dirt from head to toe now, so i'm gonna go to the resort and change.
And waving him reassuredly, she ran as fast as she could to the resort(trying her best not to limp)
Manthan had eyed her closely while she had been talking to Laksh....He felt his heart boil in fury when she had smiled at that 'loverboy'.....but more than that, he felt mad at his own self for having hit her so badly....But why should he care???? he kept repeating that to himself every now and then, but he couldn't come up with an answer....exasperated, he waited for her to come back, but she was taking ages......Ultimately, he, deliberately walked out of the match, saying he was too tired, and stealthily walked inside the resort.....
However, upon entering, he had no clues as to which room she might be in....he didn't even know which rooms had been reserved....he walked over to the receptionist and asked her which room the Viraanis had booked and she gave him a list....and as he'd guessed, it was a long, long list...."why on earth did my family have to so freakin HUGE???" he thought, exasperated....
He didn't know what he was doing....or why he was following her....it was just this strange impulse that drew him further towards her.....
He checked one room, and then the next....he was loosing his temper by now......he reached the last room, and peered inside....there was no one in there....as he turned to go, he heard someone's indistint, suppressed sobbing.....Like a flash, he was inside the room in a second, and saw the back of her head behind the bed....
Slowly, he made his way towards her....she was too absorbed in trying to apply some ointment to her leg to notice his approach......
As he got closer, she heard his step, and suddenly looked up.....for some reason, he couldn't bear to look at her tearstrained face....he bent down close to her, and took her hand in his......she, forcefully, pulled it away, and pulled her trouser down her leg.....the feeling of the the mud-stained cloth on her bruise made her close her eyes in pain, and she held on to her leg, as though holding it would lessen her anguish.......
he looked down at her leg, and taking the ointment in his hands, gently pulled the cloth up....at this, she opened her eyes and looked at him furiously.....She tried pushing him away, but he held her hands with his arm, and gently applied the ointment with the other.....she squealed in pain at times, but he knew this had to be done.....Whenever, she tried to resist, he gave her a glare.....a glare which indicated warning, but reflected a certain, unique sense of care and concern that neither of them could place....
KT didn't know whether it was the ointment, or his touch that made her pain go away, but it certainly did after a while.....even though the medicine had been applied, Manthan kept rubbing her bruise gently with his fingers, while she stared at him....trying to place her feelings with his actions........He was looking at her now, his eyes showing the depth of feeling that she'd never seen in them before.....it almost made her want to cry and take him into her arms....but she knew, what she felt was wrong......him and her could never be.....why, she didn't know....all she knew was that it seemed impossible....
after what seemed like ages, he eventually picked her up in his arms and made her stand.....The strength and ease with which he picked her up almost made both of them think that he was meant to hold her like this.....but the moment did not linger for long.....he made her stand on her own feet......and Slowly, he backed away.....his gaze never left hers while he went out of the room, nor did hers stop taking in his every feature.....
he hadn't had to say anything to her to show her he was sorry.....nor did he need to tell her what and how he felt.....Their brief moment together had made both of them realize the same thing....Their relationship was almost like a vapor, which carried their thoughts to one another without any need for expression......They had not even exchanged a single word with each other, but they both felt that their silence was slowly, yet determinedly, bridging the gap between them.....this was the power that they shared; the power that might lead to something special which they were, so far, refusing to see.....
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wrote this in a hurry guys, but i hope u enjoy it! and i'm sorry i wasn't able to update sooner....i was sick this week, so really really sorry for the delay!
do post ur comments...it's always a delight to read them!
Soha
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