CHAPTER 3
"Soyi soyi palakon pe chalake, mere sapano ki khidaki pe aa gaya
Aate jaate phir mere dil ke, inn haathon mein woh khata pakada gaya
Pyaar ka lafzon rang hai pyaar ka
Bahaara bahaara huwa dil pehali baar ve
Bahaara bahaara ke chain toh huwa faraar we
Bahaara bahaara huwa dil pehali, pehali baar ve"
Nidhi was humming merrily as she cleaned her apartment with her roommate Emily. Although the apartment was a posh and lovely spacious flat but a feminine touch was definitely needed to convert it into a beautiful home. Emily was a lovely beautiful American girl in her mid twenties. She was a pampered, spoilt yet a sweet person in and out. Nidhi had instantly developed a liking towards this girl and they because of sharing some common interests had bonded very well. Emily worked as an accountant in a bank. They both had become very good friends rather than just being roommates and the odd chores like cleaning and cooking were shared by these two.
Ashutosh parked his bike in the porch and moved in with his white overcoat hanging on his arm and his bag in the other hand. He ran a tired hand through his hair while climbing the stairs up to his flat. This was now a daily routine. Hospital to home, having dinner cooked by his help Liza, a late night coffee on the terrace and then off to bed. And the same routine the next day.
Woh... Kabhi dikhe zamin pe, kabhi woh chaand pe
Yeh... Nazar kahe use yahaan main rakh loon baandh ke
Ik saans mein, dhadkano ke paas mein
Haan paas mein ghar banaaye haay bhule le jahaan
Bahaara bahaara huwa dil pehali baar ve
Bahaara bahaara ke chain toh huwa faraar we
Bahaara bahaara huwa dil pehali, pehali baar ve
Preet mein tore o re saawariyaan, paayal jaise chhanake bijuriya
Chham chham naache tan pe badariya ho ho o ho
Baadaliya tu barase ghana, barase ghana...
Ashutosh's steps came to a halt as a Hindi song being sung in a sweet voice made its way into his ears. The voice was beautiful and held an affinity, a bubbliness and a hint of mischief in it. It felt as if the voice soothed the inner turmoil in Ashutosh's heart. His feet carried him in the direction of the voice. He realised that the voice was coming from Nidhi... oops!... Ms. Verma's place. A smile crept up his face and he made his way to his flat.
"Ahaa... Ms. Nidhi Verma sings... that too so well." He couldn't help saying as he entered in his house. He changed into a pair of loose tracks and a tee and sat to have his dinner.
"Pardes mein apni bhasha mein gaana sun na... and that too in such a sweet voice... too good."
Emily and Nidhi completed their work and slumped on the couch lazily.
"Wow Nidhi... you sing so well... Although I wasn't able to understand a single word that you sang but the music was so soulful. Sweetheart you have a lovely voice." Emily commented in her American accent as the duo munched on their dinner while watching TV.
"Really... Thank you so much darling. You know singing is my passion... my everything. I love music very very much." Nidhi replied smiling.
"By the way one thing I understood was that the song you were singing was a romantic one... was it for someone special." Emily asked in a teasing tone.
"No... I mean I still haven't found that someone special in my life..." she said dreamily as she quoted the someone special in inverted commas with her fingers. "so a I guess I am singing so that he can hear and feel the love in my voice and worm his way in my poor awaiting heart." she further said chuckling.
"Awww... how sweet"
Ashutosh was late in returning from the hospital today. He left hospital premises more than 3 hours late than his usual timings and returned at almost dinner time. The day was heck of a day as he had to check a number of OPD patients continuously for 4 hours nonstop and then scrubbing in three complicated surgeries with his senior doctors in their surgeries. He pressed his temple lightly due to the mild headache he was having. The milk on the stove came to a boil and he switched off the gas burner.
He made himself a strong cup of coffee and was about to move to go upstairs on the terrace as his usual routine when his mind went to the sweet voice he had heard some time ago. He kept the mug on the table and moved in his room. He opened the closet of his room and rook out a bag. He opened it and took out a beautiful beige coloured guitar. His expressions softened on seeing it as a smile came to his face. How he loved to play it... He was so obsessed with the guitar in his adolescent age that he didnt even used to sleep without the thing beside him on his bed. Later on when he was asleep his baba would keep it away. How he didn't even wanted to learn it but baba forced him saying that music is a beautiful feeling and you should try to feel it... An amazing art that every person should learn. And then he agreed to learn it from him just to keep his heart but then developed a love for music instantly. He had stopped playing it since the day his father passed away in an accident. He hadn't even played it when Mallika had tried to coax him to play it for her.
"Emily you wanna have some coffee." Nidhi asked her as she went in the kitchen to prepare herself a cup of coffee. Nidhi loved coffee and was in a habit to have ot after her dinner since she had started her BBA. It rejuvenated her for the late night studies and then later on it became a habit.
"Nope but thanks... you carry on..." Emily replied smiling as she then again continued to talk to her boyfriend in sweet whispers blushing occasionally.
Nidhi shook her head as if she wanted to say 'girls-who-fell-in-love-are-just-unbelievable' at that gesture. Although Nidhi had read and dreamt about her share of fairy tales in her teenage but now these things about prince charming and mushy romance just felt like a childish things to her. She had never experienced feelings like love or even a crush on someone. Since childhood she had just loved one thing and thats MUSIC. She had always thought that after completing her education she would give her whole attention to her passion... the one and only love of her life. And if she succeeded to make it as a part of her career she would marry the one her family chose for her and lead a happy life ever after. Little did she knew a breeze of wind was going to come and will take her away with its flow.
She took her mug and moved towards the terrace. She had come there for the first time. She saw that almost the whole place was covered with colourful different types of floral plants and a m wooden swing was placed on one side of the terrace. She felt the place to be mesmerising and took her place on the swing. Her thoughts moved back to the happenings of the day. She had gone to her new college first time and had loved the place on the first day itself.
Her classes all went very nicely and she even succeeded in making a couple of friends, one was Sammy- the coolest boy of the class who helped her to know the way to the principal's office and other was Alison- a sweet and timid girl whom she and Sammy helped by saving her from some seniors who were teasing her after the classes was over. All thanks to her sweet smile and loving yet a-dont-mess-with-me attitude. She chuckled remembering the glare that Sammy had passed on to them and they had just ran away to save their bums. The three had immediately formed a sweet bond then and there.
Ashutosh kept away the guitar back in its place as he blinked back the tears formed in his eyes and quickly took his coffee and moved upstairs to his second home... the terrace. He was putting on the lights of the terrace when his phone buzzed. He saw the call to be from his colleague and picked it.
As usual he took his place on the swing as he talked on the phone engrossed in an important professional call about a heart patient.
Nidhi's chain of thoughts broke as she felt the lights around her to be switched on. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and was surprised to see Ashutosh, her neighbour entering from the door of the terrace and taking a place beside her on the swing and that too so engrossed in his call that he didn't even acknowledge her presence. She smiled bemused at that and looked at his face sipping at her coffee. She saw that he was dressed in casuals and his brows were furrowed in concentration and his facial expressions were stiff and eyes slightly red. She couldn't help thinking that he was one handsome man.
Ashutosh completed the call and his eyes caught Nidhi dressed in a casual loose peach tee and white knee length shorts sitting beside him with a coffee mug held between her palms staring at him. He looked at her surprised and blinked his eyes twice to see if she was there for real. He had never seen anyone on that place before... at least not at this time and that too with a coffee mug in his hand. He clicked his fingers in front of her face which bought her out of her daze. She came to her senses and quickly got up from the place and averted her eyes embarrassed at herself. She was literally gawking at him and the worst thing was that he caught her doing that. She mentally chided herself again for staring unashamedly at him.
"Ms. Nidhi you here... thats a surprise" Ashutosh uttered and she looked at him.
"Kyu main yaha nahi aa sakti hoon?" She asked him exactly in the same way he had asked her in the cafe when she had bumped into him.
He smiled at that and decided to play along.
"Aa sakti hai... kyu nahi aa sakti par har mulakat mein mujhe ghoorna toh zaroori nahi hai na..." He replied exactly in the same way she had answered him in the cafe. She looked at him surprised at first but then lowered her eyes embarrassed. Oh so he noticed her staring at him all the three times they met, she thought.
Ashutosh chuckled at her e expression and she glared at him.
"I wasn't staring at you. Was just surprised at you suddenly appearing and sitting beside me." she defended herself as her nose flared in anger.
"Ok... Ms. Nidhi aap gussa bohot jaldi ho jati hai... I was just joking. Just playing along with your words. Chill" He said to calm her.
She smiled at that and turned to look sideways to hide her smile.
"BTW you smile very soon too as you get angry..." He said further which gained a chuckle from her side. She looked at him and he just shrugged.
"Are you trying to flirt with me Mr. Ashutosh... don't even try to." she said in a mock serious tone.
"Ms. Nidhi knowing how dangerous you can get at times I haven't even tried to do that." He stated coolly and Nidhi laughed heartily at that comment.
"You can sit if you want to. I promise I won't t eat you. I had my dinner sometime ago." Nidhi after hearing that gave an express that conveyed ha ha-that - was-very-funny and realised that she was still standing and took her place on the swing beside him. A chuckle couldn't help to escape her lips at his sense of humour.
"So you come here daily haa... with a mug of coffee." she said as she looked at the mug in his hands.
"Hmmm... daily. Its a habit since long to have coffee after dinner. This place is quiet and beautiful...the peace here provides me solace and allows me to peep into my soul." He completed.
"Wow... even I have the same habit and I think I have snatched this quiet place which provides you solace... by coming here..." she asked looking at him as she took a sip from her mug. He did the same before answering
"Ms. Nidhi maine toh aisa kaha nahi... I even welcomed you here. It feels good when you get a nice company in the place you love to be... this is what I think "
Nidhi smiled at his words , "That's nice... am happy that I m welcomed" and turned her face side wards to have a look at t he night life of Florence. The street lights and the huge lit skyscrapers gave the place a serene and breathtaking look.
"Night life at Italy is quite beautiful... This view is stunning" she said still looking at y the same direction.
"It indeed is... it's one of the reason I love to come here every night" He said looking in the same direction as hers.
"Are wah! Phir toh hamari khoob jamegi. Aap waise nahi ho jaisa maine aapko pehli mulakat mein samjha tha. You are quite a nice guy. So friends..." she said extending her hand towards him. Ashutosh was at first surprised at the sudden gesture but then smiled and put his hand in her extended one for a warm handshake.
"Friends..." He uttered.
Nidhi broke the handshake and smiled too. Ashutosh didn't like it. Although he doesn't know why... but he wanted that handshake to continue... at least for some more minutes. The feel of her hand in his was quite warm and caring.
Nidhi felt the touch to be so... firm yet tender and gentle. Although she was the one to withdraw her palm but then didn't like what she did.
"Ab jab aap mujhe friend maantu hai toh ek baat kahoo..." He asked her bringing her out of her thoughts.
"Hmm... " she uttered softly looking at him.
"You sing very beautifully... I mean you have an amazing voice"
Her eyes widened at that and she surprisedly asked "How do you know?.. I mean I never sang before you then how can you say that...?"
"I heard you singing today when I was back from the hospital"
"Oh... when I was singing while cleaning. Was I so loud...?" she mumbled to herself.
Ashutosh was not able to hear what she said so he asked "did u say something?"
"Huh!... nothing. You think I sing beautifully... well thank you very much for the compliment. You know music meri jaan hai... mera junoon hai. Mai khaane ke bagair reh sakti hoon par gaane ke bagair nahi" She replied and smiled warmly.
"That's nice... tumhara junoon dekh kar mujhe kisi ki yaad aa gayi" He blurted.
"Hmm... kiski?" she asked curiously.
"Mere baba ki... unhe music ka bohot shauk tha." He said remembering the beautiful memories and smiled softly.
"Wow... pata hai mere hisaab se music hi aisi cheez hai jo kabhi bhi usse door nahi jaa sakti par hamesha saath rehti hai... no matter whatever the situation is... you will always find a song on it. Just remember it and hum it... you will forget all the tension and worries" she said as
she finished her coffee.
"Baba bhi aisa hi kehte the..." He said as he sighed.
"Can I ask you something?" she asked and then looking at his frown she continued,
"Back from Hospital...matlab... are u a doctor?"
"Yup... an intern actually in St.Euginio... what about you?"
"I m a business student. I have come here to complete my last year in MBA and also to pursue my career in music here." she replied as she smiled inwardly that she had managed to distract him from his grim. The pain in his eyes when he talked about his dad didn't escape her eyes and she felt the need to fade the gloom away.
"In India too there are a lot of opportunities in music then why specifically Italy" He asked further curious to know the reason.
"Italy is a place of art and culture... toh isse behtar aur kaunsi jagah ho sakti hai." she replied and shrugged her shoulders.
"Ahaa Ms. Artist waise ek baat batana... Aapne light kyu nahi on ki thi terrace ki?"
"Yunhi... I mean yeh street lights ki raushni kaafi thi si to experience the beauty of the night life of Italy I didn't put it on."
"Hmm..." He could only utter.
"Waise mujhe pata bhi nahi tha ki switch kaha pe hai..." she further added sheepishly and that made Ashutosh laugh out loud. She too joined him at that...
"Chalo bye... gotta go.." Nidhi said as she got up to leave. Ashutosh too smiled although somewhere deep in his heart he wanted the conversation to continue.
"It was nice talking to you Ms.Nidhi"
"Dost ko aise bulaate hai... call me Nidhi." and she left leaving a smile on his face.
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LOVE
AMREEN
Edited by amreen_ashni - 10 years ago
Fan Fictions
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
