|Checkmate|- SS of The Week...Week 1! - Page 9

|Chapter 2|

Nandini pulled him along with her, but he gestured her to go and he went in the backyard, where Manik had been waiting for him. Nandini went inside the house, the newspaper was in her hand, but the article half torn. She had learnt to fight in all these years, ever since she was born and this new obstacle couldn't scare her much. If she had cried a sometime back, it solely was due to her fear. A fear of losing the one who had given her to live.

As she sank on the floor, wiping her tears, she heard the two friends quarrel. Without wasting a minute, she paced towards the garden to see Manik and Dhuv fuming with anger. Their voices turned as loud as they could be, yet her preoccupied mind didn't let their words register in her mind.

She asked them to stop at once, but they weren't ready to listen or maybe weren't able to listen. Manik backed off the first, but Dhruv's eyes were still red, ready to brawl.

Nandini asked Manik to leave to, which he refused initially, but on her insistence, he left.

"Your Rajput blood is ever ready to challenge others, isnt it? Can we now go to the exhibition? I have been waiting for it since the last three months." she asked, trying to calm Dhruv down.

"It isn't safe", came an instant reply. He washed his face using the garden water tap.

"Why is it not safe? We both can go there in disguise. Just like Akbar did"

Hearing the name, Dhruv stared at Nandini blankly.

Nandini smiled faintly,"Not only Mughals, Rajputs religiously did the same to know about their subject better. You were the one to tell me about Bhaujiraj's fair visit, do you remember?"

Dhruv's expressions softened hearing those names and all that had happened a minute ago seemed to have never happenend.

"But what do we disguise in?"

"How about reliving the Rajput Era?"

"What do you mean by reliving? We are still living it, in Chittod and Mewad, in Marwah and Anwar."

"Oh come on. Just having those forts preserved doesn't mean peservation of the culture, does it?"

"Is that how the Rajput blood speaks ? I can't even say I pity you."

"You can pity me after we return, and for returning you will have to go to the exhibition first and to go to the..."

"Okay! I give up. Give me the clothes, I will wear them and come with you." Dhruv folded his hands in order to show all his respect, even if it was in a mocking manner.

"Here take this and behave like an illeterate villager there, if you don't want to get caught."

"And you are wearing the Lehanga, the plain one." As he completed his sentence, he started walking towards her, as she stepped backwards to finally collide with the wall. He put his hands on the wall, she couldn't move, nor did she want to.

She whispered in into his ears in a soft husky voice,"I am not wearing any Lehanga. This isn't Gujarat and Rajasthan where we will be roaming around in traditional outfit. This is Mumbai."

"I am not going out" came his final words and within minutes, Nandini concluded the same when she realized how difficult it was for a woman to enter a sophisticated exhibition in disguise of anyone other than they themselves.

Nandini and Dhruv sat on the carpet where books lay scattered, taking support of the wall. Nandini leaning over Dhruv's trunk, while Dhruv held her shoulder tenderly with one hand and his other hand held the book written by their fathers. He read aloud like he always did, whenever she came to his house.

"Dhruv", she whispered to which Dhruv looked towards him. She continued,"Why did you have to hit Manik today? You usually don't react when he asks me if I brainwashed you, because we both know he says that in a mocking manner. Will you tell me what the matter is?"

He smiled," It was because of that article. You know I can't see you or your family being disrespected and at that moment, I didn't want to know if Manik did it or not, if he could do it or not. All I knew was that my anger had overpowered my soul and did it in a haste. Now if you ask me about the garden fight, then that is confidential at the moment, but I promise that after everything is done, you will be the first person to know about it." He always beared a calmness in his tone which assured her that he was right and she didn't need to enquire any furthur.

"Your brother did that again, I know you asked him to say it in the interview, didn't you" he asked, making her tingly.

"Why do you not understand? I can't let anyone know that Science was never my passion? To hide the truth, I used to skip classes to get those...why do you have to ask when you know everything?" she cringed a bit and tried to walk away but Dhruv held her wrist. She closed her eyes tight as he spoke near her ears, "You still think your father hasn't forgiven you, isn't it? You still think that your truth will bring doom to eveyone. But I know nothing will go wrong. You still haven't learnt how to make decision Nandini, so do as I say like you always do. Your success is assured. You have to say that you aren't trained in Carnatica music, nor do you know Bharatnatyam to everyone. You have to tell everyone the truth. You are not any criminal"

Nandini heared him say what he always wanted him to say. He clutched her hand, ensuring his grip doesn't hurt her and she looked straight into his eyes. Their eyes were transfixed, no words breath, mere silence spoke volumes. Any other couple would have broken into an embrace by now, but why did these two even need to? Even one touch was enough for them to feel each other and love each other even more without expressing. That is how much they understood each other. The sudden ring of Nandini's mobile phone made her curse the development of communication. As she tried to move, she realized how he was still holding her hand. The grip was loose by now, but she didn't want him to leave her hand. By the time she reached to take the call, it had terminated. Looking at the clock hanging on the wall she realized how late it was. She had to get up early as Rishab had asked her to and the call log showed his name. She could feel Dhruv speaking softly, "So you're going?"

If this story belonged to someone else, then such instances between the boy and the girl would have been called mushy or maybe too sweet to taste, but as they say, never judge a book by its cover. They were not one of those people who needed to ask each other out for a date or refer each other as their lovers and start to flaunt how much they loved each other publicly. What they shared was beyond anyone's understanding and the understanding in the relation they shared enhanced its beauty and significance. They had been each other's guide, each other's support since the past decade. Neither were they typical best friends falling for each other, nor were they enemies, who realized that they were head over heels for each other one fine day. Their story was epitome of authenticity, beauty, persistence, modesty, affection and pride. Not a fictitious love story often read in books, but a genuine tale of love, which was their reality.

"Rishab has been waiting for too long, I suppose or else he never calls when he knows with whom I am." She sighed. She walked in one of the rooms where her belongings were and packed everything at the slowest pace. It wasn't the first time that she didn't want to leave, but there was something different today which is why she didn't want to go away from him. She knew they would meet at Manik's apartment within four hours but an unknown terror had captured her heart. As she went to the verandah to tell Dhruv that she was departing it grew hard for her to utter a word. She felt she knew it wasn't a good idea to leave Dhruv all by himself in this huge house, especially when Friction wasn't going through a good time. She sensed a bad occurance in the near future, something that Rajputs are famous for, to sense the bad or good much before it happened in reality, but she knew her brother needed her today after his final therapy. She saw breeze caressing his cheeks and hair messed up due to incessant stream of swift air. She turned with a lot of effort even when her heart refused to listen to her mind. Finally he spoke, "Nandini" She resisted her urge to turn as she knew that if she turned it would be impossible for her to leave. He slowly came to stand infront of her and gestured her to give her hand. She placed her palm forward as he opened his fist slowly to give her a little iron amulet.

"Why are you giving this to me? Did I not tell you that it became yours the day you got it? I cannot take it, Dhruv"

"The saint in Marwah said that this amulet will shield the one who wears it from evils. Then why did you remove it from your arm? Wear it right now. I want you to be safe."

"If I say the same I know what your reply will be and so I will say the say the same before you say it. If you are safe, then I know I am safe too. And are you forgetting who I am"

"Why do you talk like Bhaujiraj ever since you have read about him? I won't wear it and my decision is final."

He somehow had to give it to her but she was not so easy going all the time.

As she was going, he called her from behind, "Did you take Mukti's medicines?" As he heard him say that, she kept her bag and rushed in to take the strip, unknown of the fact that he had kept the amulet wrapped in a piece of paper in her bag as soon as she had gone inside.

She came out carrying the envlope of Mukti's medicines. She wanted to go away before he saw him but how could that even happen. As Nandini stepped out, he heard Dhruv say, "Promise me, Nandini"

She looked at him blankly.

"Promise me that if anything ever happens to me then, you will not spend all your life with my memories. You will move on."

She stood there, unable to move. Her heart already wasn't ready to listen to her mind and now these words pierced in like slivers.

"You wont stop living, you wont stop smiling. You will move on in life, Move on with Manik."

She didn't know how to react at the sudden promise she was asked to make.

"Why are you saying all this? Are you unwell?"

"No! I don't know why but I felt like saying it. I am unaware about the reason though.But if anything ever happens to me, then remember Manik will always be there for you after me. He loves you immensely"

She looked down unable to understand why he said what he said.

"He will keep you happy, even more than I could ever.."

"Not a word more." Saying so she looked up, "Nothing will ever happen to you, do you understand that? Nothing at all. I want to listen no more, I am going." Saying so she went out of the main gate and he watched her enter her car. They looked at each other and tried to smile but as the car came into motion their hearts twinged. She looked away, but he didn't. The danger he had sensed was bound to happen, he knew it. Maybe because his sixth sense worked much.

On the other hand, Nandini sat in her car and looked outside. The bright city lights illuminated everywhere around but she closed her eyes. His words still rang in her ears. She asked the driver to switch the stereo on but in vain. He always affected her, his gestures his words, everything about him. She sighed and opened her bag to keep the envelope she had been holding since the past seventy minutes. As she opened her bag she saw an unknown peper, and when she opened it she saw the amulet. At once she asked the driver to return to Dhruv's house.The royal saint who was a fortuneteller too would have never mistaken. He had told Dhruv and Nandini how this month was a month of challenges for them. She knew he needed the amulet and also knew that he wanted her to be safe and hence wanted to give it to her. She was selfish when it came to Dhruv. She would never compromise with his life, his dreams, his career, even if it meant to keep her own life at stake as she knew she couldn't live without her. He had made her too dependent and she needed him for every decision she made in life, from the tiniest reason to the reason to live.

Maybe no one would belive the words of saints,coincidents, God or destiny, especially when one is a scientist, but cosmic energy has a lot of potential. Being a Rajput how could these two souls not belive in their Kanha,Eklingji and the miracles when they themselves grew up listening to their tales, believing in them more that anyone else.

"Shinghra chalaenge bana! Or do you plan to reach mansion after something happens to him?" she asked impatiently.

The driver drove as fast as he could and finally they reached. She entered through the gate way and saw the main gate bolted as always. She rang the door bell but received no response. She rang it for long, longing him to come out and take the amulet but no one came. She knocked the door harder with the passage of time. Even the driver was in dilemma unable to understand what to do as his phone was not reachable. Indeed was it a situation to be wary of. She went to the backyard and peeped through the large glass casement to find mere darkness. She could feel her eyes wet but she couldn't give up so easily. His words rang in her ears so did the words of the fortuneteller.

She sank on the floor, leaning over the glass panes.

Thanking you immensely

Regards

Iptisha