Here's the next part. I made it a bit longer for you guys. I hope you like it. Please do read and comment. I'm sorry if it's not up to your expectations 😳
Part 6: Just as Bani entered her home, the lights went on and she saw the faces of all the people she loved. She first ran up to her brother and hugged him. She then came close to his ear and whispered, "Thank you so much Pushkar. If you hadn't have been there, who knows what would have happened." Pushkar pushed her back a bit, looked at her from head to toe, and said, "Di, do you think I would ever let anything happen to you? I was just fulfilling my duty as a brother. Now, let's put all that behind us. You just got back. Why don't you meet everyone, go take a long bath, and then we'll all sit and talk. Okay?"
Bani had no words to express how thankful she was for having a brother like Pushkar. She looked around her and felt as if she was going to die from happiness. The compassion and love she felt from each and every person in the room was enough to last her a lifetime. She felt so lucky and thanked God right at that moment for blessing her with such a nice family. She then saw her mother and ran to her. "Ma", she shouted as she ran across the room to her. She looked at her mother from head to toe and stored that picture in her heart forever. "Ma, look, I'm home now. There's no need to cry," she said with guilt in her voice. It was, after all, her fault that her mother was crying. Had she not been kidnapped, her mother would have no reason to worry. "Bani beta, you're my daughter. I'm going to worry about you no matter what" she said while she captured her in a hug once again.
Bani then met all of her family members, including the new addition to the family, her nephew. Her sister, brother in law, and nephew had come rushing to India once they found out what had happened. In all the happiness, Bani hadn't noticed Jai standing in a corner of the room, observing everything. It seemed as thought Bani's mother had noticed him right at that moment, because she asked, "Bani beta, who is that?" Bani wasn't sure how to respond to that question, so she said "nobody" in a huff.
"Ma, he's the one who helped me rescue Bani di. The plan probably would have failed had it not been for this guy," Pushkar said with pride in his voice. With that comment, Jai's cheeked filled with color. He had never received such praise from anyone before. "No aunty, it was nothing. I did what any human being would do in that situation," he said modestly. Bani's mom didn't know how to react to that. Had it not been for the man standing right in front of her, who knows what would have happened to her daughter? She was indebted to him for all that he had done. "Beta, thank you so much. I'm indebted to you for all that you have done. You saved my daughter from shame, and things far worse. I could say thank you to you, but I think that wouldn't be enough for what you did. It would be an honor if you had dinner with us. Please don't leave just like that, because it would be a shame to us" she said with sheer sincerity in her voice.
"NO" Bani screamed at the top of her lungs. Everyone was shocked. Bani had never raised her voice in front of them, and here she was screaming at the person who saved her life. "Ma, no, he won't be staying for dinner. He's not who you think he is. His dad is the one who kidnapped me and made me do those horrible things. Had it not been for him, I wouldn't have been kidnapped in the first place. If he's staying for dinner, then I'm telling you right now, I won't eat anything" she said with fury. Jai was shocked. He hadn't been ready for this response. "I-If that's how you feel, then, I'll just leave. I wouldn't want to be a burden on you" Jai said. He turned around and walked towards the door. "Jai beta, please, don't go. Bani doesn't know what she's saying. You saved her life. Instead of screaming at you, she should be thanking you. I don't know what's come into her. I apologize on behalf of her. Please, stay for dinner. As a request from me" said Bani's mom.
Jai didn't know what to do. On one hand, there was Bani, who was telling him to leave, and on the other hand, there was her mother, who was begging him to stay. He didn't want to create any problems in the family, but he knew that if he left, Bani's mom would be angry with her and if he stayed Bani would be angry with her mother. There was no way out. Before he could answer, Bani answered for him. "Okay Ma, if that's the way you want it. I'm going to go take a bath and go to sleep" she said with anger and ran up to her room.
Bani took a long bath, changed into some comfortable clothes. She then fell asleep. She finally got some sleep after so many days of sleepless nights.
Bani ran throughout the club, searching for a way out. All the entrances were blocked. She was stuck. She screamed for help. Begged for someone to save her. It seemed like all the people around her couldn't hear her. She ran to them, shook them, pleaded for some way out, but to no avail. "You're never going to get out. You're stuck here forever. Now DANCE!!" said the voice. "NO!! I won't dance" Bani shouted back. She screamed for help again. "Didn't I tell you to dance? Now, you must face the consequences," said the voice. The man came out. It was Jai. Bani was forced to dance involuntarily. It was as if someone had put strings all throughout her body, and she was the dummy. The harder she tried to stop, the faster she would dance. Bani woke up right at that moment, with beads of sweat sticking to her forehead. She looked at the clock, which read 1:00 am. She looked around her room. Everything looked so familiar, yet so distant. Her walls adorned with her posters and certificates. The bookshelf, stored with all her books. It all seemed so different, so out of place. Bani's stomach growled right at that moment. She hadn't realized how hungry she was, considering she skipped dinner and went straight to bed. That reminded her, her dream. How weird was that? Maybe it was a sign that Jai shouldn't be trusted, but then again, she already knew that. It was her family that didn't believe her.
Bani decided it was time for a midnight snack. Well, 1 am snack was more like it, but still the same whatsoever the time. She tiptoed down to the kitchen, careful not to make any noise as to awake anyone. She flipped on the lights and looked into the fridge. There were some leftovers from dinner, but she didn't want that. She wanted something light that would keep her down till breakfast. Just then, she heard someone approach her from the back. She was just about ready to scream, when she turned around and saw that it was her mom. "Oh, Bani, it's you. I heard some noise and I thought maybe it was some burglar or something."
"No ma, it's only me. I may be stealing some food from the fridge, but that's about it. I was just hungry, so I decided to get a little snack" Bani said, and continued on her hunt for food. "Bani, I wanted to talk to you. I came to your room after dinner, but I saw that you were sleeping and I didn't want to disturb you. Look, I know it's hard for you to trust people, especially after what happened to you, but Bani, Jai isn't a bad guy. Look at all that he did for you." she said with compassion, and continued, "What's his fault in what his dad does? I mean, did you choose your father's profession for him? No, he chose it himself right? So, the same goes for Jai. I can see the truth and honesty in his eyes Bani, the same as I can see in yours. I'm just trying to say, give him a chance. He might just turn out to be better than expected" she finished with a whisper. With that, Bani's mom left, leaving Bani to think about her words.
Part 7 page 11
Edited by ~Unforgettable~ - 18 years ago
Arjun
