Arjun had the goofiest grin on his face as he left the shop. He was finally going to make their relationship official. No more hiding! In his excitement, he missed noticing the man across the street taking some candid pictures of him.
On the set of KPK
Sonakshi smiled at the camera. A news team had arrived to cover their scenes for the day. “So Parvatiji, please tell us a little about the scenes for today.”
“Sure, we have a small family dinner scene and then a romantic scene between Parvati and Kunal. As you know Kunal and Parvati have decided to get married again. So the different rasams will be starting. But for that of course, our Kunal needs to be here. But don’t worry, he is on his way.” She smiled and started to walk away. The news reporter followed her and Sonakshi tried to keep the smiling facade.
“So fans are slowly loving this new Kunal. How would you explain your equation with him? Do you miss Sumit Khanna?”
Sonakshi clenched her fists under the dupatta. She hated remembering Sumit and his dirty ways.
“I don’t think anyone else could have played Kunal better than Arjun. He picked up the pieces when we really needed that support. I would say Arjun is an amazing costar who really cares for his craft and has a positive aura about him. You can’t miss anyone with him around.” Sonakshi tried to keep her calm as she said this with a smile to the camera. It was true that Arjun was a fantastic costar but she really wished Sumit’s name wasn’t mentioned. Saara mood karaab ho gaya.
“Humara zikr toh har pal hua fasane mein, toh kya hua jo thodi der huyi aane mein.”
Sonakshi jumped a little and spun around only to see Arjun displaying his most charming smile to the reporter. “Looks like you need some saving.” He discreetly winked and then faced the camera like a pro. The girl was practically drooling over him and Sonakshi smiled for real this time seeing her costar’s silly antics. As they spent some more time chatting with the reporters, a man standing nearby had a dirty smile on his face.
“Sumit Khanna gave me the tip of a lifetime. This news will change my career.” He took a few shots of Arjun’s hand which was currently resting near Sonakshi waist. It was a platonic touch but with the correct angle and headline, it could become breaking news. All he needed was a byte from the lady herself. He made a quick call and had his boss arrange a quick interview with her and went to get some lunch. He still had an hour before he would meet Sonakshi Rastogi and by tonight, he would be a star reporter.
Sippy Mansion
That night, the entire Sippy family sat down for dinner. “Sonakshi, zara salad pass karna.” Rohit looked up when he heard no reply and saw his entire family stare at him. His entire face went beet red and his throat closed up as he noted her absence. During the act, Sonakshi would often have dinner with the Sippy’s. Rohit knew his mom was looking at him so he averted his gaze and excused himself after some time, citing exhaustion from work.
Veena Sippy was walking to Rohit’s room when she heard a familiar voice. What was Sonakshi doing here, she thought. As she got closer, Veena was pretty sure it wasn’t Sonakshi who was in Rohit’s room. But never did she expect to see the sight that greeted her when she gently knocked and entered her eldest son’s room.
Rohit was sitting on the floor and even though he was looking straight at the laptop screen, he had no idea what was going on. He was just listening to her voice. The voice that scolded him, soothed him and made him smile no matter how upset he was. When he hit play in the beginning, all he saw were her eyes but even that became a blur as the minutes went by. He couldn’t see anything anymore. His own tears were preventing him from seeing her. Rohit blinked and even though tears fell down his cheeks, fresh ones replaced them just as quickly. He could not ignore nor could he express the void in his life. He felt hollow and empty ever since she silently decided to withdraw herself from his life.
Veena held back her tears as she saw Rohit sitting on the floor. He was still and she would have been alarmed had she not noticed the tears that were constantly falling from his eyes. She called him softly a few times but he didn’t respond. A part of her wanted to give him his privacy while a part of her was scared and wanted to hold her son. But he was an adult and she had to give him his space. When he was ready to talk about it, he would and she would give him all the support he needs. Veena closed the door softly and left the room.
As Parvati held back her tears at a taunt given by her in laws, Rohit felt a sob escape his throat. He felt pathetic but he couldn’t stop the soft screams and sobs that wracked his body. He placed the laptop next to him and pulled his knees closer. After some time, Rohit took a few deep breaths to calm down. Every inch of his body hurt and he felt nauseous. He decided to wash up and go downstairs for a bit. Surgeon Rohit Sippy wasn’t one to escape reality. Sonakshi wanted some time and she rightly deserved it. But he would speak to her again. Love or no love, she was his closest friend and he wasn’t going to lose her.
As Veena walked downstairs towards the living room, she heard Ajit. “Whaaat! Vimmi turn on the tv now!”
“Kya hua?”
On the other side of Mumbai....
“Kya hua?” Sonakshi had turned as the door to her makeup room burst open and she was surprised to see a distraught Netraji and an Arjun who looked like he was minutes from breaking down. Sonakshi quickly wiped her eyes. She didn’t want anyone to know about her and Rohit. But when she was alone, she couldn’t help but remember each and every moment they spent together. It was engraved somewhere within her soul. No matter what, she couldn’t deny what he meant to her. Sonakshi shook away her thoughts and focused on the two people in her room.
“Arjun, what happened?” He didn’t say anything and silently handed her his phone. She pressed play on the clip and the headline nearly made her loose her footing. Sonakshi sat down in shock.
Breaking News: Popular TV Actress Sonakshi Rastogi announces her engagement to a mystery man! Who is he! Any guesses? Well we have the spicy news for you! It’s none other than... her currently on screen flame Arjun Vashisht!
Sonakshi felt her stomach do a flip. There were different pictures of her and Arjun, except the way they were presented, it was the farthest thing from reality. There was a picture of Arjun’s hand on her waist and a big red circle was drawing attention to it. Sonakshi recognizes most of the pictures from either the set or outside his car. Another clip showed Arjun holding a little box exiting a jewelry shop. The camera zoomed to his smiling face.
She looked up at Arjun but didn’t know what to say. “I wanted to finally make it official in front of my family, her family and the world. I was going to tell her how I feel Sonakshi but now she isn’t picking up my calls”. Arjun teared up and covered his face with his hands as Netraji comforted him.
“How did this...” Sonakshi paused as she saw the next part of the clip.
“We heard that you are getting married Parvati?”
“Aap logon se kabhi koi baat chup sakhta hai? Haan yeh sach hai...but we are taking it slow and easy. Although, Kunal badi jaldi mein hain. Anyway har ek rasam alag se hoga. Aap log bhi invited ho iss lambe safar mein. Thank god atleast roka toh ho gaya. Ab officially sagai bhi ho jayegi, phir baaki sab.” There was wedding music playing in the background followed by a romantic song and some more happy pictures of the two.
Sonakshi was furious! “They edited my interview! I was talking about the show! What on earth were they thinking! We are not Parvati and Kunal! We are Sonakshi and Arjun!” She stood up and started to pace.
Netraji tried to calm her as she raged.
Sonakshi suddenly looked at her costar and sat next to him. “I’m so sorry Arjun.”
He sighed, “it’s not your fault. They used clips of me too. I was talking about the roka track and they edited that as well. Why would someone do this! We work so hard to entertain people and this is what we get! It’s so unfair and wrong!” Arjun rubbed his temple. “Sonakshi, she isn’t picking up my calls! I’m really scared!”
Sonakshi grabbed her phone and dialed a number. “Sho, it’s me. Listen, I know you are angry and upset. Trust me, I am furious too! But you know better than anyone that Arjun is like brother to me! No matter what goes on in the show! Come to our set. We need to talk! Just once, please! Thank you!”
Arjun looked at her surprised and she sighed. “We are in this mess together and we will fix it together! She is a sensible girl Arjun, I think her being upset in the moment makes sense. We will make her understand!” Arjun reached over and gave Sonakshi a quick hug.
“I’ll speak to my contacts to see who did this. We can release an official press statement tomorrow. I’ll handle everything! We will first file a case against them! I’m sure other media outlets will support us!” Netraji left and the duo waited for Shonali to arrive.
Sippy Mansion
Rohit rubbed his face as he walked out of the elevator. As he walked into the living room, he heard a voice yelling from the television. Popular TV Actress Sonakshi Rastogi announces her engagement to a mystery man! Who is he! Any guesses? Well we have the spicy news for you! It’s none other than... her currently on screen flame Arjun Vashisht! Rohit felt his entire world come to a standstill as he stood rooted to the spot. He didn’t even notice his entire family gathered around the television set. Dread, anger and raw pain filled his entire being. Sonakshi told him that she needed time to think. But she never told him that she intended to get married to someone else. She wanted to marry Arjun! No wonder she rejected him! But why did she lie, why couldn’t she just tell him that she didn’t want to marry him? Rohit closed his eyes and opened them, hoping to clear his disturbing thoughts.
Veena Sippy looked up and saw her son. Quickly recovering from the shock, she reached for the remote to turn off the tv but Ajit spoke up before she could do anything.
“Bhai, do you know anything about this? Sonakshi never mentioned anything! I heard rumors about her and Arjun but I thought it was all fake. I just saw the news on twitter. They even have an interview from her confirming it. What a shocker!”
“I’m pretty shocked too! But I don’t blame her. I met Arjun at a party and the dude is a winner! He’s a good looking man with charm and persona! Any girl would fall for him. But I must say he wooed her pretty fast!” Rohan said laughing. “I need to take some tips from him,” he said jokingly. Tanya gave her husband a small smack on his arm. No one noticed how pale Rohit became hearing all this.
After a few seconds of silence, Rohit spoke up. “She didn’t mention anything to me. I guess she wanted to surprise everyone. We should all wish her the next time we see her.” Rohit said calmly and with a small smile. But Veena Sippy saw right though it. She could see her son crumbling before her eyes and it’s broke her heart.
Rohit walked away as the laugher and shock slowly died down and everyone started to go back to their rooms. Everyone was so happy and excited for Sonakshi. Maybe she did deserve someone like Arjun,someone who made her happy. Not someone who constantly gave her tears and added to her pain. He even caused her mom to have a heart attack. When Raima came back into his life, he didn’t stop Sonakshi from leaving. She always supported him but he was never able to do anything for her. Why would she even want someone like him? He didn’t deserve Sonakshi, who was truly an amazing and beautiful soul. But despite it all, he thought he saw love for him in her eyes and he never failed to read those deep enchanting eyes.
Rohit walked into his room and decided it was time to face her and simply ask her for the truth. The one thing that never changed between them was their ability to communicate to one another. There was no one he felt more comfortable speaking to than Sonakshi and nothing was going to change that. But he could not ignore the pang in his heart as he thought about Arjun and Sonakshi. Did she really not feel the same way about him as he did for her? Was she really in love with Arjun?
To be continued...
So I decided to make this an SS with a few more parts. I am currently out of the country but decided to post the part I wrote before I left. Hope you guys like it! I promise to read and reply to comments once I’m back! Also, can’t seem to access hotstar from my current location which is frustrating. I know I will be binge watching Ronakshi the second I get back home! Anyway please let me know what you guys think of this part!!!
- Esha
Avatar and Signatures Shop
Anupamaa
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
Indian Mythology
