NOVEL~*Hiding behind a Stranger*~ Thread 5~CHAPTER 10 - Upd 10th JULY - Page 42

Originally posted by: NJAPA_Addict

I typed an entire reply.. pressed a wrong button and lost it all 😡

Di!! 🤗 God I am so so sorry for being so late.😭 Whatever the reasons might be for being late, the story still deserves the appreciation and applause! So here I am gonna make a small attempt towards the apology lol!

Small attempt? No its a lovely attempt 🤗

As I have already told you like a thousand times, I cannot help but get madly addicted to each and every chapter. Chapter 8 remains my favourite-est so far! and what makes it so special is no riddle! Any scene... any moment... any conversation...any portion of time which has these two in it makes it priceless for me! ❤️❤️ And I mean it... I got so carried away in the dreamyland that I couldn't really come back for a good while. Didnt know would fall this hard for these two ❤️

Thanks darling 🤗

And as you said, there's always this mysterious...intriguing...underlying fascination and mystical admiration/attraction in them towards each other, thats exactly what I looove the most about them. Try as they might, they just can't treat each other the way they'd normally do with the other people, none of remains behind in giving back the necessary due... and I am loooving this sweet sarcastic play of words between the duo Their words.. their expressions are not so easy to decode and yet, they exactly know what the other meant..as if they've always known each other! The bestest part for me is the fact that their moments are always the private ones.. pure and absolutely unadulterated moments... the ones which only these two are blessed with.. being in each other's private presence !! Having a twisted talk, getting back equally without an iota of insult or offence.. just simply amazing!!

This paragraph explains what I've been trying to achieve... two strangers caught up in a secretive bittersweet battle of wits/words/emotions and tact... I felt so glad reading it...

In 8, about the villains of the story, I hate them to the very core but I love the fact that you have brought about this reaction in me and all others! Such hatred...such disgust towards them... only because you've crafted it so... it's not easy to create and maintain this level of anger against any villain... but you, with few lines, hard-hitting ones, have officially managed to have us writhing in pure fury against these swines..and how!! And this fire is never gonna die down until those scumbags are dead! Pat on your back for this achievement! ⭐️

Thanks da thanks a lot! 😳

Coming to 9... Another awesome one! The pic is as amazing and elegant as it can get! ❤️

hee hee 😃

The opening scene couldn't have been any better! As I already said above, any scene which has only these two takes me to some other world only! There's just some

The chapter was such a blende of emotions! It had everything, the as always fascinating convo between the couple, such heart-rending emotions Harka must have gone thru while writing letter, the pain and dilemmas of Kunwarsa and the king...

God... did Akbar just ask her not one but two questions! And that too personal ones.. God... He might not realise it now.. or maybe too adamant to even think of it, but he sure is taken in a captivating maze called Harka.. the escape-route of which he's neither gonna find, nor will want to know!

Take a bow for the underlined! 😳

'Well, most days, are good... and I can use my sight to get by... on those days that are bad, I use my senses to get by...'This one line alone had my eyes all twinkling with deep deep respect and pride for this young amazing woman... ❤️👏

The reason behind her partial sight... god!! I felt so bad for both of them. Durga never got over the guilt.. and the young sister lost a part of her sight! How deeply guilty Durga must have been all her life for this..

true!

Mahendar is lost in his grief, and the king has his valid points as well, but please di, no tying up of Harka and Mahendar! I know its gonna be Akbar and Heera always.. but don't even begin the mahendar and heera thing! And you know, what I would love the most, if in coming chapters, we get to read that Mahendar strictly says a NO to this! I would love him more for it!

I could hear you groaning in complaint from the other end of the laptop! 😆

Its better if our enthralling duo remain entangled with each other right from the very start! ☺️

😳

The emotional pain Harka must have gone through while writing that letter, the manner in which she keeps on discarding the piece if it lacks even 0.0001% of what she wants it to comprise of, speaks volumes of her resolve and willpower!⭐️ Love this woman. ❤️ I got so emotional reading the whole part!

I understand - not easy at all!

I can't believe you can make me go all dreamy in AkbarHeera-land, can make me admire this woman with such pride and respect, can make me go all emotional and crying, in one shot..with mere play of words! What are you, woman?😲 I am so of you!

Thankooo 😳

Talking about the last part, so the duo, the master and the beast, is coming towards Heera and group! Oooh! Waiting waiting.

Who is master? khalil is beast...😕

You know, there's such a beautiful connection you've portrayed.. Like Heera has this wonderful connection with her plants who respond to her with even more vigour, Akbar has the same incredible bond with his horses! I don't know but I just love these connections!

Another bow-worthy line... this is why I'd said this is one of your best reviews! 😃

After saying all that about the chapters, there's one more thing I've been meaning to say. And why, because this is always there on my mind whenever I hit bed at night. These lovely shudders. Daily matlab daily. I just can't sleep without thinking about these two!

☺️☺️☺️

It gives me goosebumps and real shudders to even imagine how unbelievably heavenly and pure their love is gonna be!! ☺️ The young lady who's been burdened with so much of pain and anguish... far beyond her capacity... and yet, she emerges out like a phoenix from ashes... gathering back her courage from anything and everything she could...She's already so preoccupied and drowned in so many other thing to look after... yet she cannot help but get attracted towards him!! And the best part is that, though we know its way early for Akbar to even see her in that' manner or even help her out... isn't he anyway helping her out without even actually doing so... by being a real good distraction for this young woman who badly needs one in a life full of anything but normalcy! 😳

Another excellent point... wow Nams... so beautifully put 👏

And this Greek god of man, about whose past we know not much, but know enough from his personality.. the amount of a sort of ache he holds within the exteriors of pure hardness... so much so that no one can get past this hardened wall of indifference..and yet he finds himself failing in front of the perfection called Harka Bai!!

☺️

What I want to say is, so tantalising it is to even imagine these two incredible personalities... falling in love... god!!!❤️ And I can't wait to read more and more!

☺️

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Wait what... her review got over 😭

Thank you so much for giving us one after another amazing updates! Love ya lotss🤗

Love you too... nathulol 🤗

Originally posted by: 155pari

Lashy dii!🤗

You added one more chapter to the Mind-blowing chapters list!😛

Stunning one!😊

Thank you so much Nams.. 🤗

Finally I heard Akbar initiate a conversation with someone, to be precise, a lady. Even heera was wondering whether she heard it right! Akbar, indeed is a man of few words. He was quite curious there!

Yes... he actually initiated a conversation 😆 thing is he knew there wouldn't be anymore 'personal' convos between them, na... so he asked his doubt now... 😉

🥱 That wasn't how she was born!!😲 Shocking!!!

Durga's impulsive action had snatched away their carefree days from both. Not only did the younger sibling lose part of her sight after the accident - the older one lost her childhood too, as she transformed from a sister to a protective mother overnight, compensating for a guilt that she never really got over.

So the reason was a pony race!! Such a major transformation durga underwent!. But still the little girt had lost a part of her eyesight!😭

Yes dear.. 😭

😭

In particular, there were a couple of points that she couldn't quite comprehend. For instance, why did a stranger who'd barely uttered two words at the canal, told her his personal opinion about helping abandoned children now? Why had a man who refused to believe her words a few nights ago, suddenly grown so intrigued by her disability? And how had he figured out that he was being investigated, despite Bajrang being quite efficient at his job?

Even I have all these questions lingering in my mind! Must say, Akbar is very sharp! And he has to be... After all he's got such a flourishing business at a very young age!😛

Yes smart he is!😉

So the business man was truthful. He'd actually used the money for orphans.😊

He had da 😊

And Kunwar Mahendar is lamenting over the loss of his loved one!😔 Everyone is so fearful of Heera's life! And a proposal for kunwar mahendar!!! That too with heera! Too astonishing!😲 Without heera's consent?? Even more shocking!🥱 No doubt why Kunwar dumped that idea!!

This was 17th c girls ki marzi kaun poochthaa thaa... by 12-13 girls and boys both used to be married off

Undoubtedly, Heera has her hand on writing... And durga's words were true! "Your mind is a weapon stronger than my sword!" She simply proved it at the right time.

Yes 😳

And even the heiress couldn't restrain herself from the words of the maids...😆

Lovely!🤗

Thanks dearie 🤗

Update soon!😊

Originally posted by: karkuzhali

A Poem by Lashy's Heroine

Heera mused...

'However, he had his own strengths too - a strong ego and an iron will, to be precise.

"When I first met you I felt like I had known you forever..."

So, when Akbar subsequently looked up at her - at those hauntingly beautiful eyes hiding behind her drape - there was no trace of delicacy in his glance..

And then, turned to leave - the music of anklets softly following her trail towards the doorway.

However, just as he heard the last echoes of those anklets, the businessman called out to her 'If I may ask, how do you manage all this...'

Heera slowly stopped in her tracks.

'despite being partially sighted?' he concluded his question.

As she stood in her spot, she gauged the attitude - it didn't sound sarcastic. Or even suspicious. It sounded inquisitive. Was Khan Sahib actually asking her a straightforward question? Initiating a conversation? It was difficult to believe, since she didn't think he was much of a conversationalist.

And, she wasn't wrong - he was an introvert, through and through.

"You have survived your life with hurt and loneliness by your side..."

But he made an exception this time, because what he'd asked was a burning question - something that had been on his mind ever since he'd learnt of her disability that night.

And because the possibility of any further personal meetings between the two was next to none, his inquiring instincts came to the unexpected decision that it wanted to seek an answer now.

'What do you want to know, Khan Sahib?' the heiress quipped, before spinning around to observe the man, making sure there was no wrong intent behind his query 'Well, most days, are good... and I can use my sight to get by... on those days that are bad, I use my senses to get by...'

"Telling you my secrets and what I didn't want ever.."

She'd summed up her life's battles in one sentence, a sentence that reflected how she was not one to let a minor handicap stop her from fulfilling all that she wanted to.

However, her reply didn't fetch her a reaction, making her wonder if there was another question to come. From across the room, she tried studying his body language - but he was not an easy man to read 'Is there something else? If not, I'll be on my way...'

'Was this...' he added 'Was this how it always was?' his tone that'd started off in its typically assertive manner, had subsided into a tone that was slightly more courteous..

Heera could almost feel a calm smile coming onto her lips as she noticed how he was trying to be sensitive to her problem 'No this wasn't how I was born... a childhood accident caused it.' she answered - the mention of which, brought back fleeting memories of the incident from many years ago. A fateful incident that had changed the life of both siblings forever.

It was a beautiful spring-summer's eve and the two sisters had been embroiled in their usual fun and games - competing in a pony race across the steep edges of their hometown valleys. Sometime during the course of one such race, jiji's competitive nature had taken over - and she had veered her pony into Heera's pathway to gain an edge.

Little had the older sister known that her action would cause the other pony to panic so terribly. For the force with which the startled animal had jolted aside thereafter, resulted in it stumbling down a steep drop, dragging an unconscious Heera down along with it.

Durga's impulsive action had snatched away their carefree days from both. Not only did the younger sibling lose part of her sight after the accident - the older one lost her childhood too, as she transformed from a sister to a protective mother overnight, compensating for a guilt that she never really got over.

"You listened to me, I bet you thought I 'd never end..

Ceasing the odd spell of stillness, he thanked her for her time and patience with a formal nod...

'Shubh ratri...'

'Jaroor, baisa... shubh ratri!'

He'd uttered those words in such a thick-and-proud native Marwari accent that it sounded as though a Rajput was wishing her from the chamber, and not a Mughal.

'Why did a stranger who'd barely uttered two words at the canal, tell her his personal opinion about helping abandoned children now? Why had a man who refused to believe her words a few nights ago, suddenly grown so intrigued by her disability? '

It was all perplexing. It was quite odd. But oddly enough, it was interesting too. If nothing else, it kept her intellect challenged in ways that she'd never experienced before. And no one apart from jiji could manage that feat. At least, not until now.

" A man so caring and gentle,with a heart so true.."

* * * * *

Seeking quick respite from the strain, Heera lifted her shoulders up and stroked the stiff stretches of her neck. Arching atop a low table for so long, poring over scroll after scroll through the small rim of her reading stone had taken its toll.

She would begin writing a message. And then discard it as being unsatisfactory. Write again. Then, discard it again. Write another. Discard that one as well. Write a bit more. Only to reject it too.

For hours had this exercise gone on - so she could polish her message. So she could design the perfect 'draft' to send out.

The truth was that she could not afford any distractions at this point, which is why she chose to do the task by herself. After all, this inexperienced player was carrying out the riskiest ( happiest?) venture of her life -

'All right...' once she'd made her final amendments, Heera dropped the soft quill back into its ink pot. Picking up the scroll, the determined heiress then went through its contents for one last time 'I think this one reads fine...' her tired eyes slowly glimpsed around 'But first... I need to check if my letter is effective enough!'...

She wrote the Epistle:

"When I first met you I felt like I had known you forever

Telling you my secrets and what I didn't want ever

You listened to me, I bet you thought I 'd never end

Who'd have thought we'd become more than just friends!

O'er a period of time I may get to know the real you,

A man so caring and gentle, with a heart so true.

You have survived your life with hurt and loneliness by your side..

I thought I'd never leave you because of the feeling I've inside.

I know you like no one I have ever known

And sometimes I wonder what I'd do if you were gone?

So I have decided time answers all.

...

I love the way we were together, you can always make me smile

Will it really be forever, I guess I will have to wait a while..

Time will reveal what lies ahead

But always remember what I've said

Meeting you has changed my life and I really love you so

The feeling I have for you I am never letting go

Remember me always and I will too.

I'll always think of me and you.."

-Karkuzhali.

* * * * * *

wow aunty...👏

this poem is just beautiful beyond description .

too marvellous for words

too wonderful for comprehension

like nothing ever seen or heard ...❤️