Hi everyone, thanks for the great comments.. here's the next part..
Recap:
"Do you think I'm scared of you basanti?.. you wait and see.. You all want me to get married!.. you wanted to marry me? Ok ..ok.. Basanti… I will marry you… get ready to hear the announcement of our engagement after the event that "Debo" girl was always talking about."
Mukti couldn't believe what she had done, she had just lost the reminiscence of Prem's soul.
Episode 23
All the tears in her eyes dried up since her own pride managed to take control over her emotions.
"Take your hands off me UD" Mukti yelled,
He saw mukti struggling to get her self, released from his clasp. He knew he should be triumphing over the fact that he made mukti uneasy, but he was surprised to learn that he couldn't do his victory lap. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable anymore. Therefore, he took his hands away unable to comprehend what just came over him.
Even mukti was amazed of his quick release of her. The whole room seemed to spin around while they kept their eyes on each other. Then Mukti coming to her senses began to turn. Prem wanted to stare at her more, all the while attempting to understand why his heart was beating in to a new rhythm. He again took her by the arm; mukti eagerly turned around secretly wanting for him to, pull her closer. As she turned Prem tried to say something, but he couldn't gather what he was going to say; but whatever it was, he thought would be so unlike "UD thing" to say.
Mukti again felt some tears crawling down from her eyes
when Prem looked deeper in to mukti's eager eyes, an unexplainable pain started to hover in his mind and heart, pulling him in towards a deeper state of confusion and it made him want to get away from mukti fast as possible; this sensation, again created a platform for the beast within him to rise to amend the situation.
So he began to speak heatedly to Mukti,
"You want to marry me..huh? so after the event get ready to have a glimpse of your marriage life…Now.. Now.. don't go running to your choti ma !!… Everyone want to get me married to you… so I shall be married to you… so they would be very… very disappointed in you if you missed the chance to marry me and change me…. Accept this as a challenge Basanti…. Who ever I might be I know you… 'Miss Mukti Deshmukh' ……. I know you would never back down from a challenge"
Hearing him made her wonder if this is the same person who loved her like no other just a few days ago. It made her wonder why everything bad had to happen to her. However In the middle of everything, every hostile glance prem passed, made her want to slash back at him, which made her smile remembering their old times.
"So you are laughing Basanti.. so you have accepted my challenge then" even though he tried to bring about his evil accent along as he spoke he couldn't help but make a confused sound seeing mukti's unexpected reaction. He released Mukti from his grasp wanting to know what mukti is going to do next.
Mukti in an instant of cleverness realized that she had to retaliate for her to survive until the end of a conversation with UD.
She then still smiling, but in a sardonic way, answered him,
"So if I win this challenge what do I get… a chance to be married to a jerk like you.. so it's bit of a loose, loose situation for me.. don't you think?"
Prem was astonished as well as happy in away, to see Mukti striving for a win even if her face displayed dried out branches of rivers made by the tears that stopped flowing only seconds ago. He loved the fact that in the midst of unfamiliarity he felt in the world as a cause of his sickness, he found someone who made him drag himself back in to something so familiar.
So he then said smiling like an evil Coyote,
"Oh don't lie miss basanti… I know how you reacted when I said I didn't want to marry you…"
"Well.. you are not the person that I thought you were…" said Mukti incensed.
"So you are chickening out from the Challenge is that what you are saying?" asked Prem trying to make mukti who was about to go in to a more serious argument come back in their original conversation.
"No" screamed mukti in anger.
"So you accept then you want to marry me" asked prem sneering.
"Yes.. No!...I mean no" said confused mukti.
"Ok yes then.. so if you can handle being with me for three months as my fianc I will marry you… if not bye! Bye! Basanti… Hello my life"
"No way…" cried mukti
"Yes way.. Think about your baba mukti how hard it would be for him to get you married off to some one.." Prem was trying to provoke mukti in to saying yes.
"uggggghhh….I don't get it … if you don't won't to be married to me.. don't get married.. even I don't want to…" she managed to say the last part of the sentence with a sensation of a rock going down her throat. Then she added,
"I don't get it what do you get out of this stupid challenge UD?"
"Peace and harmony… no long bhashans .. they will leave me alone at least for three months.. and if then you decided not to get married to me.. which surely you will..I won't be blamed for anything cos at least I tried" said Prem confidently.
"Ok so this is your big Idea UD… and I would accept this challenge, May I know Why?" asked mukti
"You will say yes..cos you miss basanti can't say no to a challenge choti ma ki choti beti hain na" said Prem and on impulse touched Mukti's left cheek with his ringed finger. Mukti shuddered at the sense of his touch and she made a grossed out face and took a step backwards.
"Got scared Basanti?" asked Prem taking his hand back not wanting to be tangled up in his mind trying to define the odd sensation he felt when her soft skin was contacted, at the same time trying to act to be wilier than a fox.
Mukti couldn't handle his egoistic words anymore, she neither wanted to loose the argument or did she want to turn down the challenge, especially because it was him. So she said crossly,
"I accept"
Both of them looked at each other in frustration of each other's wits and then went across each other's paths as they used to do in end of every argument.
Though it was the same snobby walk and the same two people, what they felt as they walked pass each other was different, they both felt an unbearable lonesomeness, as if they left their souls behind hidden away in the darkness.
Scene 2
It was the day of the event.
Mukti and Prem hadn't seen each other after their last argument, for mukti was too busy getting ready for the event and Prem, Mukti laughingly thought that he was practicing whatever he was going to do after the event. Mukti was prepared as well for what ever he was going to bring out.
Prem came to the event looking dashing than ever. Mukti who was back stage, saw Prem from a distance. Seeing him again made her whole body weak, she was surprised to find that she wasn't prepared at all for the challenge that was "UD", so she got her self perfectly covered between the stage curtains.
Scene 3
The event was a success even though debo's innovative steps and her tries to look at Prem while she was dancing didn't go all that well with anyone in the audience.
Mukti purposely didn't go anywhere near Prem, but any ways for her luck he wasn't to be seen anywhere in the after party.
Suddenly she heard someone clearing his throat at the stage, Mukti turned around , it was Prem holding the microphone.
Then Prem spoke,
"Ladies and Gentlemen.. I have an announcement to make.. I Prem Prerna Bajaj and Miss Bas…I mean Miss Mukti deshmukh are engaged and you are all invited to the celebration party tomorrow at the bajaj house. Cheers Every one!!"
To be contd...
Edited by kitty123 - 19 years ago
