Posted:
7
Hey guys 😛,
Here I am with another part 😆. This is dedicated to Nazara Di as I had promised. Thank you all for your lovely comments 😊! Please do not hesitate in being critical of my writing. I'd really like to hear your honest views and anything I can improve on according to you guys. For now enjoy the part and don't forget to comment! As always....it means a lot 😳.
Shafaq 😃
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Two days later, Ludhiana - Juneja House
Lalit sat with his darling wife discussing their plans for the day. The pandit would be coming later that day to announce a wedding date. That was after they had matched both Prem and Heer's horoscopes (kundalis). They had arrived in Ludhiana the day before and from the highway taken
their own routes. Prem yearned for Heer greatly and honestly felt they needed to spend some time together before the marriage.
"Mama, mai na Daljeet chachi keh ghar jaa rahi hoon, Meher ne bulaya hai." Veera informed.
"Lekin aaj shaam koh to unhone ana hi hai na." Gayatri added. There was a lot of work still pending for the Pandit's arrival and she needed all the help she could get. Her sons were all useless in this department and she didn't have the heart to disturb Kulraaj since she already had her hands full with Gunjan, her 4 year old daughter.
"Haan lekin Meher mujhe uskay cousins seh milwaana chaaati hai. Woh kya naam bataye the.....haan Ashlesha aur Vishaka seh. Phir hum sab shopping jayenge. Please mama! Jaane do na."
"Acha theek hai magar..." before she could carry on, Prem interrupted her.
"Veera koh mai chor doonga Maa. Main Hotel jaa raha hoon....kal inauguration hai...isiliye Bauji neh kaha hai keh check karloon....if everything is ready. Raaste mein Veera koh bhi chor doonga." Prem suggested thinking this was a golden opportunity to see Heer before she came to their house that evening.
"But bhaiya Hotel and Chachi's house are in two completely different directions. Aap chalejaiye, main driver keh saath chali jaoongi." an oblivious Veera said, unaware of her brother's intentions.
This was when Gayatri finally spoke "Prem will drop you Veera. No arguments! I don't want you roaming around a strange city all on your own with a driver we just hired yesterday. Samji!"
"Chalo phir its settled. I'm waiting outside in the car. Jaldi aajaana Veera." Prem announced before his quick escape. He didn't want any changes in the plan.
"Acha I'll be there soon. Just give me 5 minutes." Veera gave in as she knew she was going to get no where arguing with her mother. Initially she didn't want to bother anyone which was why she had refused her brother's offer but what she hadn't realized was that Prem was more than willing to drop her if it allowed him to catch a glimpse of his gorgeous bride to-be.
It was later in the car that Prem explained to Veera why he had been so keen on dropping her of at Daljeet chachi's house. Veera teased her very straight-forward and shy brother all the way to their home.
Teji greeted them at the doorstep inviting them in. Prem tried to refuse the offer just so it wasn't obvious why he was there but gave in very soon. Veera set of shopping with Meher, her two cousins and Daljeet chachi who may I add cared very deeply about her appearance and staying young which she insisted she still was.
Prem was involved in a casual conversation with Balraaj, Teji and Balwant when he finally saw Heer. The one and only reason he had come all the way to their house. Soon enough, Balraaj and Balwant left to get dressed. Prem decided to stay as very soon they would all be leaving for his house anyway and so he decided he'd give them a lift considering the rest were planning on going straight from the only shopping mall in Ludhiana.
"Are Heer beta kahaan thi itni deir seh? Dekho toh Prem aya hai." Teji questioned.
"Woh Maa I was outside in the garden." Heer offered an explanation for her absence even though it wasn't required. She knew very well her Mother was only concerned about her whereabouts as both her parents had always given her all the freedom she needed.
"Bataa keh toh jaana tha na! Acha chalo Prem keh saath behto...main tayaar hokay aati hoon. Phir hum sab ne jaana bhi toh hai." she ordered just before rushing out of the living room leaving the two alone.
Prem tried to converse with Heer but it didn't go very well. She would only answer in monosyllables and sometimes with just a shake of the head indicating yes or no. Although it was very irritating, Prem showed no signs of irritation, instead he was on the verge of laughing at her behavior. He realized that a new approach would have to be taken if he wanted Heer to become comfortable in his presence. Therefore he offered her, his friendship which she surprisingly accepted gladly. For a while they were in their own world completely unaware of their surroundings. Heer told Prem about her hobbies, her friends back in Ambala, what she studied at college and much more. Prem also told her about his childhood in Canada, how he loved playing football in his free time and had even won many matches, why he had chosen to handle his father's business and what his nature was like. This gave Heer an insight of his personality and likewise for Prem. Although they didn't have much in common, they never argued or disagreed on anything. Perhaps this was because they were both very open-minded.
A while later Prem and Heer were disrupted by the family who stood before them all dressed. Heer was already ready from before. She was wearing a blue and green chooridaar suit and was looking absolutely spectacular. It was certainly enough to take Prem's breath away. He hadn't showed it just because he wanted to gain her trust and friendship rather than scaring her away.
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The Pandit was amazed at how well their kundalis had matched, not one star was out of place. Prem and Heer truly were a match made in heaven. This assurance from the Pandit pleased everyone but Daljeet and Balwant. She had been planning on black-mailing the Pandit but that had failed as well. Daljeet should have known better anyway. Black-mailing the pandit too lie, was the oldest trick in the books. People had used it a number of times. If she really wanted to stop this wedding which promised to be a grand affair from taking place then she'd have to be lot more creative. For now however, she had nothing up her sleeves and had to watch the Pandit announce a wedding date two weeks from today pretending her happiness had no boundaries.
So it was settled, the wedding would take place on the 11th of July whilst the other functions including the Mehndi and Sangeet would start taking place from next week onwards. But Daljeet still had two whole weeks and a person's life could turn upside down in a split of a second, so two weeks were more than enough for Daljeet or were they?
Everyone congratulated the couple one by one and then made their way to the dinner table. The Junejas and Manns shared a nice, simple meal together and soon it was time for the guests to leave. Prem had been stealing glances of Heer all evening and for once Heer had responded equally by shying away. Although their relationship was still in its very early stages, it was inevitable that they'd be getting married in two weeks time.
Fate had its way and Prem ended up having to drop the Mann's home along with Preet. He specifically made sure he was near Heer but that also meant bearing Ashlesha, Meher and Vishaka. They sat in the back whilst Heer sat in the front - in her rightful position. It felt like an extremely long journey with the three girls in the back and their constant bickering. But Preet came to his brother's rescue by inviting the three into his car half-way through the journey.
"Ice cream!" Heer pointed to a vender they were passing by. He was on the verge of packing up. But Heer soon realized her openness and bit her lip in hesitation.
However, it was already too late as Prem had stopped the car parking it in the corner of the street. Soon, he was opening the door for Heer being the gentleman he was urging her too come out.
"What flavour do you want?" he asked getting to the point.
Heer smiled slightly "Chocolate" she answered hesitating at first.
"I don't bite you, you know, I thought we were friends!" he reminded her of their friendship.
"I know....bas aise hi." she quietly answered.
Prem purchased her an ice cream cone and chose not too buy one for himself.
"Are tum nahi loge kya?" Heer asked in a complaining manner as Prem handed her the cone.
"Nahi....I'm fine thank you. Chalo it's getting late. Yeh na ho tumhari ice cream keh chakkar mein hum ghar late pohunchein."
But it wasn't Heer's stubbornness too purchase an ice cream cone that caused a delay, instead Prem's car had broken down and they were now stuck on this unknown and deserted street. Even the ice cream vendor had packed up and left foretelling the arrival of rain.
Heer was frightened and Prem could easily tell this. In order to ease her and in an attempt to calm his fiance down he gave her a friendly but at the same time very intimate hug. Heer soon lost herself in Prem's protective arms which circled her tiny body frame. She cried her eyes out whilst Prem tried to sooth her to his level best. He did this by rubbing his hands over her hair as well as whispering assurances into her ear. But nothing worked! Heer had always detested darkness since she had been a child. She liked everything bright and alive but at the moment she was isolated in the dark night on a never ending street surrounded by trees which appeared to be very gloomy in the darkness of this horrible night.
What was she going to do?
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Shiv Shakti
