Jassi is sitting in the one of the inner rooms when Armaan comes looking for her. He looks mildly surprised. "Kya baat hai Jassi? Sona nahin hai kya?"
Jassi sighs. "Nahin….bas aa rahi hoon. Main toh yeh soch rahi thi ki Meghna ko kya ho gaya hai….wo aaj bahut chup-chup si hai….aur thodi pareshan bhi lag rahi hai."
Armaan: (shrugging) Who knows? Shaayad late ho jaane ka kaaran guilty feel kar rahi hogi….jabki main Meghna se aisi umeed nahin karta…..kya pata, unn Baba ne hi usse thodi samajhdaari de di ho!
Jassi: I hope tumhari baat sach ho Armaan……main toh yahi chahti hoon ki iss waqt, hum sab milkar, pyaar se rahe….saare puraani baatein bhool jayein….
Armu: (twinkling naughtily) Saari baatein Jassi? Wo bhi, jo hum dono yahaan chup-hup kar kiya karte the…..yaad hai? (Oooh….wouldn't I dearly love to know!😛😉)
Jassi blushes red and pushes him away. As she gets up to go outside, he puts his arm around her (yeah, yeah, any excuse will do!😉) and accompanies her right to her bed. Even when she sits down in evident preparation to sleep, he is reluctant to leave her.
Beauty notices and nudges him. "Kyun jeeju? Aaj raat, yahin sone ka iraada hai kya?"
Armu sighs exaggeratedly. "Kaash……tumhari didi ki permission ka intezaar hai!"
Beauty giggles and rushes off. Armu winks at Jassi, who blushes and ducks under her covers. 😳He laughs lightly and saunters upstairs. Nobody pays much attention to Meghna, who comes back from her walk looking more subdued than ever.
It is past midnight, but Bebe is unable to sleep. She tosses and turns restlessly. Bua, who is sleeping next to her, awakens in the night and notices Bebe's restlessness. She whispers, "Bebe, kya hua, neend nahin aa rahi kya?"
Bebe opens her eyes and whispers back. "Nahin…main soch rahi thi, ki Jassi ki god-bharai ka waqt aa gaya hai…kyun na yeh kaam hum kal hi kar le?"
Bua: Bebe, baat toh aapki sahi hai….par kal? Itne kum waqt mein, pind ki saari auraton ko bulaana mushkil hai…..
Bebe: (impatiently) Toh kya sab ko bulaana zaroori hai…..aas-paas ke jo kareebi log hai, unko bula le bas….god-bharai pe sab gharwale saath hai, isse achchi baat hamare liye kya ho sakti hai…..hume duniyan ke liye koi tamasha thodi na karna hai!
Bua: Theek hai…aap kehte ho toh…..waise baat toh aapki sahi hai….
Bebe: Main toh kehti hoon, kal subah, hum sab log Harmandir Sahib chalte hain…..Jassi, Armaan aur unke hone wali bachche ko, Babaji ka aashirwaad mil jayega….uske baad yeh rasm kare toh sab theek hoga…!
Bua nods in agreement. Satisfied at last, they drift off to sleep. Jassi, meanwhile, is dreaming of the last time she and Armaan were in Amritsar…….
JandA are walking through a mustard field. Jassi's pink salwar stands out against the intense yellow of the flowers. Armaan, looking yummy in a blue shirt, gazes in undisguised adoration at her.❤️ When a little sigh escapes him, Jassi turns to him and asks what the matter is.
Armu: Jassi, main soch raha tha…..tum itni sundar ho, toh hamare bachcha kitne pyaare honge…?
Jassi's eyes widen, but she tries her best to appear nonchalant. "Yeh bachchon ki baat kahaan se aa gayi Armaan? Abhi toh hamari shaadi bhi nahin hui…"
Armaan: (pouting) Hamari shaadi kab hogi Jassi? Ab mujhse intezaar nahin hota…!
Jassi: Patience, Armaan Suri! Sagaai ho gayi hai, shaadi bhi ho jayegi……
She is walking a little ahead of him. Suddenly he grabs her arm from behind and pulls her round to face him. His voice is pleading, but there is unmistakable passion in his eyes as he whispers, "Jassi, mere bardaasht ka imtehaan mat lo…nahin toh main abhi, issi waqt, tumse shaadi kar loonga…!"😳
She gazes at him as if hypnotized, as he comes closer and closer. His lips are barely an inch away from hers when she realizes what is happening. The spell is broken. She gives a little scream and pulls away, racing across the fields. He chases after her, panting, yelling, "Not fair Jassi…….wait till I catch you!"
Jassi: (calling back) Dekhte hain, Armaan Suri….itna aasaan nahin hai mujhe pakadna!😉
As the radiant memories flit over her, Jassi smiles in her sleep.😊 She turns over for a few hours of dreamland, before it is time to awaken to a blissful morning.
Tomorrow: Harmandir Sahib!