Chapter 13
As per plan ria enters the haveli…as a new day dawns. At the breakfast table of the haveli..dadi and shiv consume breakfast gauri serves, while anupam enters with his usual evergreeness. Noticing ria by her side gauri smiles welcoming her yet that comfort doesn't last for long when shiv gets up to welcome ria…not only formally yet with a hug.
Watching from a distance…gauri finds it strange, more so it seemed to effect her. his clossness with her made a mark on gauri but she controlled herself. It was only a hug.. why was she feeling this way?. She had already determined that she no longer could love him then why was she feeling this way.
As shiv seemed overjoyed or at least pulled off that he was he gave Ria a seat next to him on the breakfast table and watched to envy in gauris eyes with a smile.
As gauri walks the corridors of the haveli getting close to shivs bedroom, shiv peaks from the partial open door and swifty gets in place in front of ria..
"Ab dekho ria…tume vahi karna hai jo meine kaha hai.. " with a certain firmness to his voice shiv made sure that ria was aware of what he wanted. standing in a loose attire of a white shirt..shiv unbuttons his shirt a little form the collar and then with a tug..pulls at his buttons. Intentionally riping two of them off as this was going to be the basis of there role play. Giving Ria neede and thread he gave her a certain nodd as gauri approached the door……
in fact both of them were very good actors..as gauri happened to catch a glimpse of Ria and shiv close she stopped and watched and that's just what shiv wanted.
a little in character …ria complains at shiv……
shiv sidhe khade raho naa…
shiv says nothing..just pretends to smiles as ria..sews the button onto his shirt. The way in which shiv let this ria get so close annoyed gauri. who did she think she was?, stringing the button to his shirt…and then finishing it of by steeping even closer to him and bieting away the remainder of the thread really got to gauri. gauri's eyes shaped to an irritated, anger and envey.. how she would like to give that girl a piece of her mind..walking off in a determined strop shiv noticed the way gauri stormed off and then parted from ria. With an arkward moment between them a distance was made and shiv made his gratadute felt.
Thank you Ria, Ria nods in acceptance and then softly adds… "sir lekin..aap ko lagta hai key eh sahi tarika hai.. " shiv on looks gauri walking away and his expression showed that he was unsure but he wouldn't give up. Placing his hands into his pockets he simply smiled.
Outdoors of the haveli anupam sits on a bench amongst secluded greenery seemingly chewing on the top of a pencil trying to think of an idea for his novel when a very angry looking gauri takes a seat next to him. even without asking she says her pecice and anpuman is a little surprised of the anger that can rise from such a small figure.
……….." woah aapne aap ko kya samaj ti hai..! itne chote chote kapde pehen kar unke aage peche ghum rahin hai. woh mere pati hai aur woh Unke shirt par button laga rahin hai!"
Anupam begins to realise that shiv had put his plan into action and finds gauris irritation amusing. She had so much love for him..she just didn't realise it.
A silence fell after she had said her piece and anupam had an apt line in response.
'Agar tum chaho toe mere shirt ka button laga sakti ho.' His line did put a smile on her face and the way in which he pointed out mission buttons from his shirt was more memorable.
……….As two days pass the repeated closeness of Ria and shiv plays a toll on gauri. from cooking for him to spending considerable time in his room…gauri had seen there long conversations into the night as she passed his room for water. The way in which he gave her importance in the haveli.. took her shopping.. sight seeing in the village. Gauri felt envious of ria…but she had learned to bare it. Putting plucking at soar wounds would always lead to blood in the form of tears and tonight was that night.
12.30pm struck on the haveli clock..and gauri had been sitting at the dinning table in wait of shiv all night. As per her tradition she would wait for shiv to eat before she consumed food yet tonight shiv was not present. Resting her head over her arms at the table In front of her sat shivs plate. Full of food …she had covered it in his wait and it sat there for hours.
Sometime later as shiv walked into the haveli with a rather loosened look to his attire he noticed how gauri was in wait of him and his expression creased in concern. Maybe this had gotten all little too much..he didn't like to see her this way. As gauri heard his footsteps approach she prompted herself lifting her head from the table she straightened her look and spoke appropriately.
Mein aap hein ka intaasar kar rahin thi…
For a moment shivs heart melted for gauri, he knew she wouldn't have eaten but then those words of his to gauri echoed through his mind and as shiv kapoor would he took a more stern approach with hesitance.
"Meine Ria ke saath dinner kiya hai.. tum khalo aur ienda mera intaasar karne ki koi sarurat nahin hai." shivs words were quite harshly sounded and with all gauri had seen over the two days this had really hurt the spot.
As shiv walked away from the table and up the staircase he stopped at the balcony just to see if gauri would eat…yet his thoughts were not wrong…she didn't touch the food….. instead her eyes filmed with tears and she cried. Gauri wasn't on her own..watching her ..Listening to her sob from a distance shivs eyes began to cup in tears too.
As anupam entered the haveli the next day..the atmosphere was silent.. sitting amongst the haveli lounge dadi and shiv are in the accompaniment of playing cards but the atmosphere is almost morbid.
Anuapm comes in time with his cheery mood..today seemingly biting an apple with his entry he comes and takes a seat next to shiv whole concentrates on his card game.
Dressed in a white kurta..a little like dadis white saari the outlook was a little dull according to anupam. Kya hua koi mar gayay kya?? Aur ria kaha hai.? taking his share of cards from the stack on the table this was a sign that anupam wanted inn.
Shiv looks at anupam with a stern slience and then adds.. use meine vapas behjdiyay hai
Anupam is surprised,but all was going so well wasn't it.? "par kyun?"
"Yeh sab natak se gauri ko taklif ho rahin thi aur koi asar nahin ho raha tha." it looked like dadi agreeded after all she was aware of the plan and it looked like she was on shivs side.
Anupam nods in vain…shiv was rubbish at this sort of art.
"Tum boahat jaldi haar maan jate ho shiv." Shiv didn't like that comment all..after all he was shiv kapoor and more so he was thakur now. There was no way in which he would accept defeat. A little out of the blue..very much in shiv kapoor style shiv answered anuapms critisum in his own way.
Calling out for gauri..gauri enters the lounge at shivs call and waits for his words yet as always shivs is swept away by her bueaty. Today she was dressed in a pale yellow that added to her perfection In all ways. As shiv crossed that diversion..he spoke with an intense calmness ..yet he avoided looking at gauri and concentrated on the card game at hand.
Mein ria ko is ghar ki bahu banane ki soch raha hoon, tumara khyal kya hai?
gauri impedidtalty thought shiv was talking about ria and anupam and anupam and dadi too were a little shocked but kept silent. Gauri simply nodded..what objection would she have?.
Jaisa aap anupam ke leighyey theekh samje was gauris reply..but as shiv dropped his cards and took a deep look at gauri there was a imminent twist to shivs words.
"Mein anupam ki baat nahin kar raha..mein apni baat kar raha hoon. Is ghar mein ek choti thakurian lane ki baat kar raha hoon." All expressions freeze at shivs words and gauris heart sinks…she is unable to say anything and simply leaves.
Dadi and both anupam look at shiv in disbelief and then watch him walk away.. in the back of there minds they new shiv was going to resovle this…and the moment of gauris confession was due to arrive.
……… Gauri retreats to her bedroom, naturally a sadness prevails..sitting at her bedside gauri lets her sadness melt in the form of tears….she had so much pain yet she didn't realise that it was all just a form of love for him.
shiv gives gauri some time on her own and then approches her bedroom, stopping at the entrance he sees how gauri is sat at the other side of the bed..with her back to him..and he walks in silently.
Hearing his footsteps into the room..gauri knew the farmilarity of those footsteps and wiped her tears. She didn't face to turn him…she kept still.
As shiv stopped at a distance he took a pause and put his words very tactfully.
Shiv: 'Tume is shaadhi se itraaz hai.??"
Gauri said nothing…
Shiv: "Ria pasand nahin hai?."
Gauri again was silent
"Ya phir jalan ho rahin hai ke woah tumari jage na le leigh…"
Something with gauri sparked irritation…an overhelming feeling of anger. With sadness.and for the first time she showed it..
Turning to shiv..gauri walked a pace closer to shiv and for the very first time looked into this eyes. Those eyes that were cupped with tears, that had gone a shade of red with all the crying…the intensity in her expression shadowed her love and shiv watched her expression as her eyes spoke with love yet her words cried out with frustration.
"hah itaaraz hai is rishte se
kyun ke aap mere pati ho …
itaaraz hai kyun ke koi aur aapke pass jayey waoh mujse bardash nahin hota..
itaaraz hai kyun ke mein aapse pyar karti hoon bohat pyaar karti hoon."
She stopped as she realised what she had just said.. dropping her eyes in realisation of the way she was speaking to him gauri stepped back…but shiv had achieved just what he had set out to do. His expression melted seeing gauris love for him..Stepping closer he looked down at her with a sense of comfort …. "Ek baar phir se kaho?"
........Now i'm hoping that you guys didn't find that too bad..i do feel some of it was dragged a little but somewhere i felt the need for it. I've got one or two chapters left which i think you guys will enjoy as they will be more romance orientated ..please let me know what you think.
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Aami Daakini
