Posted:
Salaam, Namaste and a big hug to all Navyans!
Welcome to the second edition of our very own AnYa Luv Xpress
Welcome to the second edition of our very own AnYa Luv Xpress
Anant and Navya both are aware of the fact that they truly love each other. They discover this from the chain of events that occur during the college picnic. Navya is in love with Anant but he starts ignoring her after coming back from the picnic. Navya who is really heartbroken by his behaviour is unaware of what Anant is going through.
Anant on the other hand has to make some tough choices. He doesn't know if he should choose Navya or his family. Not wanting to ignore Navya anymore he decides to confide everything in her. He asks her to tell him what to do. Navya being selfless tells him to do watever pleases his family.
Appy, Ritz and Ranbir overhear their conversation but decide not to talk about it. Anant and Navya miss each other a lot. Their friends try to cheer them up but nothing seems to work.
To make matters even worse Anant's family decide to get him engaged to Rama's sister Shagun. Anant tells Navya about his Engagement who pretends to be really happy about it. She's broken inside but doesn't want to create any problems for Anant.
Anant is also heartbroken seeing Navya's reaction and goes missing. Both Navya and Anant's family are really worried about him. Later a police guard finds him lying unconcious on a bench.
Apparently Anant has a really bad temperature and he stays unconsious for about 2 days. His family refuses to give him anything other then herbal medicine. Navya starts getting really worried about him. She thinks that she's responsible for Anant's condition. Therefore she decides to visit him.
She reaches Anant's room with the help of Nimisha and Mohan. Soon after she enters the room Anant wakes up. He's quiet shocked to see Navya there. Navya and Anant spend some time together. Navya gives him medicines and asks him to get well soon.
She is about to leave when Anant Proposes her. He says I love you to her for the first time. Navya is pretty happy but she doesn't reply to his proposal. After she leaves Mohan asks Anant about Navya. Anant confides everything in Mohan who advices Anant to talk to baba and tell him that he doesn't want to get engaged to Shagun.
Anant tries to talk to baba but cannot due to his Dad's presence in the room. Anant and Navya are pretty sad about the engagement. But then something unexpected happens. Shagun puts honey in Bua dadi's sari to take revenge from her.
During pooja Bua dadi is bitten by red ants. Later the family finds out that it was Shagun who did all this. The family members decide to cancel the roka as Shagun is not an appropriate wife for Anant.
\
The shocking moment of the month would be when Anant goes missing! Not only his family and friends and Navya were worried about him, but we the viewers were glued to the television to know where was he.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQHHnvYe200&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQHHnvYe200&feature=related
This is the scene which made us smile looking at the screen. It was when Anant refers to Navya as 'paagal ladki'. I guess it was the first time we were enjoying the 'romance' on Navya.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY_v5AfRykA&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY_v5AfRykA&feature=related
This moment was unexpected. Who would see a silent lover boy imitating the dabangg Salman, the angry young man Amitabh Bachchan and the fierce, violent Sunny paaji! It was a very cute off screen segment.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSTnK6fPanM&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSTnK6fPanM&feature=related
The funniest scene of this month was the really funny dance Bua-dadi did or actually she was feeling itchy and was trying to stop that and that turned out to be one of the most funniest scenes.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Z13FRHEK4[/YOUTUBE]
Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Z13FRHEK4
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Z13FRHEK4[/YOUTUBE]
Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Z13FRHEK4
This scene made all of us emotional. It was so painful to see Navya cry and Anant just wipes away her tears in the hope of taking away all her pain.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK76T_ykJFk&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK76T_ykJFk&feature=related
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK76T_ykJFk&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK76T_ykJFk&feature=related
There were many romantic scenes this month as AnYa have officially declared their relationship to us. But the night they spent during the picnic was the most romantic one. Though they didn't discover the feelings they had for each other, their souls knew they were meant to be.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt857PprQnQ&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt857PprQnQ&feature=related
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt857PprQnQ&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt857PprQnQ&feature=related
Ammie: Hey everyone. I'm your host Ammie and today...(Appsy interuppts)
Appsy: Hey you don't do that! Its so not cool! 😆see this is how u say it...Yo peepz wats up?? i'm your very own, Appsy and this is Ammie.
Ammie: (cries) that means i'm not cool...!!😭
Appsy:(whispers) Shush! everyone is watching i'll teach you later!
Ammie:(Sulks) okay!😳
Appsy: So guys Ammie and i are here today to give away some awards!
Ammie: Yea we got the job cause we too cool!!
Appsy:(Coughs) That would be me!😆
Ammie: yea yea watevs!
Appsy: so we are doing this after a long time.
Ammie: Yea cause before when we used to do it, people used to chuck tomatoes at us!!😆
Appsy: We were actually pretty happy about it!😆
Ammie: but then Tamatoes got too expensive and no one chucked them at us anymore.😲
Appsy: we felt really Rejected so we stopped hosting award shows!!
Ammie: but guess wat?? we back now, hoping we would get enough tomatoes from you guys!😆
Appsy: yum tomatoes!
Ammie: so without wasting anymore time lets introduce our first category for today.
Appsy: The first category is the Style icon of the month.
Ammie: And tha award goes to the bubbly, funny and smart...
Appsy: Any gusses??(Fatima yells from the crowd..."i know that me")😆
Ammie: Oh zip it little fella!😲
Appsy: owe tom and jerry chup ho tum dono...awards ka baad lad lana!!
Ammie: okay no probs!
Appsy: And the style icon of the month is APPY!!
Ammie: her gorgeous skirts, pretty tops and amazing accessories definitely make her look classy and fashionable!
Appsy: She definitely deserved it!
(Crowd cheers and claps)👏
Ammie: Now the next category is the Best dialogue of the month...oh this one would be easy to guess!!
Appsy: The awards winning person is Hot, dashing and cute. (day dreams)
Ammie: Any guesses as to who he might be??
(Crowd yells...Anant!!)
Appsy: you guessed it right..with his non stop i love u's he's definitely won our hearts.
Ammie: (squeals) mine tooo...(Appsy gives a weird look to her) oops...ladies and gentlemen please put your hands together for Anant Bhajpai
(Everyone cheers juhi and judi dance with joy)😆
Appsy: The awards winning person is Hot, dashing and cute. (day dreams)
Ammie: Any guesses as to who he might be??
(Crowd yells...Anant!!)
Appsy: you guessed it right..with his non stop i love u's he's definitely won our hearts.
Ammie: (squeals) mine tooo...(Appsy gives a weird look to her) oops...ladies and gentlemen please put your hands together for Anant Bhajpai
(Everyone cheers juhi and judi dance with joy)😆
Appsy: moving on our next category is the best and worst characters.
Ammie: the best character's award goes to...
Appsy: Mohan...for being so understanding and helping our Anant out.
Ammie: yea and also for facing the tackla baba and always angry papa!!
(crowd cheers and clapps)
Appsy: lol the award for the worst character goes too...??
Ammie: lo ho gaayi na pirablum...yes yes the award goes to our very telanted and ewosome Rama bhabbi..!!
Appsy: with her non stop saazish and evil plans she definately deserves this..!!
(crowd booo's)😆
Ammie: our next category is the best and worst actors...
Appsy: and the best actor's award goes to...??
Ammie: my cutie pie...Anant..!!
(everyone goes crazy...the CC girls party like its the end of the world!!)😆
Appsy: with his priceless expressions and breathtaking looks he totaally deserved it..!!
(Juhi yells..."Anant i love u"...judi says "but he's mine" everyone starts fighting for Anant)😆
Ammie: guys chill...cause he's mine...(Everyone chucks their chappals at her)🤣
(after an hour of dodgeing and throwing chappals...the awards continue)😆
Appsy: okay so the award for the Worst actor goes tooo??
Ammie: any guesses??
(crowd is clueless..)
(Ammie starts crying and acts stupid)
(crowd yells SHAGUN!!)
Appsy: yes u got that Right with her dumb expressions and fake magarmach ka insoo she deserved this one!
Ammie: Now the last category for today is the best dressed character..!!
Appsy: the award for the best dressed goes to...OODI BABA!!👏
(crowd is shocked they can't believe wat they just heard)😲
Appsy: lol kidding...the awrd goes to Anant..!!😆
Ammie: his dressing style is just awesome...and he's always looking hot!!
Appsy: the award for the best dressed goes to...OODI BABA!!👏
(crowd is shocked they can't believe wat they just heard)😲
Appsy: lol kidding...the awrd goes to Anant..!!😆
Ammie: his dressing style is just awesome...and he's always looking hot!!
Appsy: the award for the worst dressed goes to...
Ammie: our beloved...ODDI BABA..!!😆
Appsy: yea wearing the same kurta everyday is a hard job and takes alot of stamana..!!🤣
Ammie: but you did it oodi..thanx to your herbal totkay!🤣
Appsy: with this we will finsih today's awards...
Ammie: hopefully we'll be back next time..!!
Appsy: only if u guys chuck enough tomatoes at us!!😆
Ammie: yep!!
(with this the tomatoe throwing begins...Ammie and Appsy get busy in catching tomatoess)🤣
starangel (Judi)
Here's your winning sig
Ammie-(Amina) & -Akriti-(Akriti)
Here's your winning sig
Love_Anant(Juhi) & -Liana-(Liana)
Here's your winning sig
starangel(Judi) & .FunLuvingGirl.(Soma)
Here's your winning sig
rituloveskmh(Ritz)
Here's your winning sig
A very very happy birthday to all of you 🤗🥳
7th mjht_one
7th monayafan (Chaitali)
8th shriya_naksh (Shriya)
9th Dr.BasketGupta (Pooja)
19th sweet_aamna (Nabhia)
26th social_hep (Radhika)
manojshonafan
Darrenpieu
Here's your winning sig
nishi755, spy_grl007, pk_14, k2navi, rainurubal, ar.arsh, karan_13
A very warm welcome to all of you 🤗🤗
8th shriya_naksh (Shriya)
9th Dr.BasketGupta (Pooja)
19th sweet_aamna (Nabhia)
26th social_hep (Radhika)
manojshonafan
Darrenpieu
Here's your winning sig
nishi755, spy_grl007, pk_14, k2navi, rainurubal, ar.arsh, karan_13
A very warm welcome to all of you 🤗🤗
The Beginning After the End
~One Shot~
"...and so I've decided that Shagun will be Anant's wife," smiled Baba happily--well, as happily as he allowed himself to be--at us, a slight note of triumph in his voice for reasons yet unknown. The pandit ji smiled back at him, nodding his head sagely, unknown to the fact this was definitely, not in any way, a news joyous to me. I was too numb to even look at anyone else & had I had the sense of mind to do so, I would have realised that Bhai, Nimi & Maa were wearing expressions of misery as well.
What is happening to me? Why is this happening to me? Why are they smiling? And why in the name of God is Shagun looking at me like that?! I need to get out out of here. Right now!
My desperation to leave didn't really glow the figurative bulb over my head; I came up with all the lamest excuses in the world knowing full-well that there was no escape. A light touch on my shoulder pulled me out of my thoughts, though.
"Anant... We need to talk. Let's step outside for a while."
I was curious--surprised, really. What could Mohan bhai possibly have to say at this so-called very crucial life-&-death-deciding moment? Of course, I had no part in making the decision; no one cared enough to find out whether this was what I wanted from life, whether Shagun was the girl for me. But then again... I was starting to realise how much of a contradiction I had become to myself. A year ago, heck, even as recent as six months ago this was exactly what I had envisioned as my future. Excelling in my studies, then becoming a lawyer & marrying the girl my family chose for me somewhere in between. My friends had teased me, even flinging taunts occasionally, at my 'old-fasioned' beliefs but I had stood strong. I knew exactly what I wanted--or so I thought.
When did this come to be? Why am I even daring to question Baba's decision in my mind?... Why can't Baba understand that Shagun & I don't make an ideal match? We're so different... Why can't he see that?
The questions & subsequent thoughts were pestering me left right & centre, opposing each other much to my discomfort. But thankfully, before I fully sunk back into them, Bhai went up to Baba whispering something into his ear, swiftly coming back & gently dragging me away but not before Baba shot us one of his mini laser-like glares that were reserved for when he disapproved of something or someone, nearly scaring me to death. I was curious as to how Bhai accomplished this but I wanted to know why he wanted to speak to me so urgently even more so.
"Anant, I know this isn't what you want...' were his first words, short but encompassing everything enough to shock me. I shook my head in an attempt to say otherwise, to deny it, but he pressed on anyway. "& it's not wrong to think so. You have every right to say yes or no to this. You're the one who's going to spend the rest of your life with her after all, not Baba, nor Papa. I... personally don't feel that Shagun is right for you... Not that she's not a nice girl, but... there's no compatibility between you two, yaar. Just say the word. We'll find someone else for you."
That was it. Simple & yet not so. He was never one to mince words to begin with, seemingly so sure about everything, everything related to me that is. & as I looked at the determination on his perpetually crest-fallen face, a remnant of past regrets & sorrows, I still felt utterly torn when he finished his very short & unsatisfying explanation on why I should dare say no to a decision made for me by Baba. All I knew at that moment was that I couldn't make up my mind on any matter; I just wanted to get out from there, as fast as I could, to a place where I didn't have to say or think at all.
"I don't know, Bhai..." I tried to explain my confusion though for the first time in my life, words failed me. But as always, my dear Mohan Bhaiyya did not require an explanation. He looked at me as if he knew, just nodding & saying, "Why don't you go head out for a while? I'll take care of everything here, don't worry about Baba, & don't worry about leaving. Main hoon na."
I smiled back at him, relieved at these words & the comforting pat on my shoulder as he bid me goodbye. There was no need to ask what he was going to do to make up for my absence because I knew he would never let me down. No questions, no answers, just a dash of plain faith. Slightly reassured with this for now, I whizzed away in my car in less than 5 minutes.
But where will i go?
********************
"Eeewww, Anant!" said she, revolted, the french fry frozen mid-way to her mouth. I looked back at the horrified face glaring at me, laughter bubbling in my chest. All I'd done was burp a little. & it was purely unintentional!
Girls, jeez.
"You have no manners when it comes to eating, none at all. Licking sauce off your nose, burping loudly, playing with your food. Seriously." She looked at me with this, accusingly. All I could do was roll my eyes at her, the way she was looking at me, honestly, as if I had killed someone! No way was I going to apologise to something as trivial as that. Although, surprisingly, she let it go real fast, back to her sensible sober self in 10 seconds flat. "So, what are you going to do now?"
Ah, I should've known. We had talked at length about the situation & she was as concerned about it as well, though I could not quite put my finger on why. We had become friends just a couple of months ago, she being a best friend of my friend Ranbir's girlfriend Rithika. I've never before had a friend who was a girl yet it seemed like she had always been a part of my life. I felt so comfortable with her; I could be goofy, angry, lashing & she'd take all of it. It'd surprise anyone. She was the type of cowardly conventional girl guys steered clear from. But I had found out that deep inside that yellow heart resided great courage. Navya... She had to be the most amazingly awesome girl I've ever met. Even in her silence, she provided me with solace. & the best part of being in her company: I could be myself whenever I'm with her.
While in the car wondering where my destination was, it came to me as if it were the most normal idea in the world. A quick phone call to Ranbir was all it took to find out Navya was at Ritz' house. From there everything was easy. Just picked her up, bought some take away & we whiled away the time on the hilltop which had become our favourite place to hang out for some odd reason. & I was so glad that she was the one sitting next to me at that moment.
"I don't know what I'm going to do..." Honesty just came naturally to me whenever I was with Navya. She looked at me all concerned, etchings of confusion on her face as ever. Again, this was something that really surprised me. She looks baffled at almost everything but never actually is, proving time & time again how wrong people are about her.
"There's nothing wrong in wanting to choose your life partner on your own. Even if your family picked someone for you, you should still be able to reject that person if you don't like her... Just look at your Mohan Bhaiyya, is he happy with your sister-in-law Rama?"
Words of unfound wisdom. She actually had no idea just how right she was, only being slightly in the know with tidbits from me on Rama Bhabhi's unrelentingly annoying behaviour, bossing Bhai around as if he were her slave. One would have to look at Bhai once to just see how much of his life had been lost on that one wrong decision. The thought scared me, that some day I might become like him, unable to enjoy life under submission to other people.
"Do you believe in love marriages?" suddenly she blurts out of nowhere, her face immediately reddening to the colour of ripe tomato. "Sorry, I don't know why I asked you that."
I smiled inwardly, amused with her embarrassment. No matter what, she couldn't talk about anything related to love without blushing. I tried to think & respond to her difficult question wisely but as had been happening so often whenever I was with her, the words automatically came out like rushing water from a blown pipe. "No, it's okay. & the answer to your question is I don't know. I never believed in them before but... I'm plagued with all these questions nowadays. About why it's wrong. About why it should be wrong. I look at Ranbir with Ritz & I can't see what's wrong in their relationship. They're in love, they're committed to each other, they give each support. & on the other hand, there's Bhai & Rama Bhabi... I don't know what's right anymore, Navya... I believe in doing the right thing & I can't exactly understand why a love marriage cannot be right. It's frustrating me... Do you believe in love before marriage?"
So much for thinking & giving an answer. Foot in mouth, oh joy.
"I don't know either... Like you, I thought I did but not anymore..." She looked at me with those wildly innocent round eyes, an unreadable expression on her face. I don't know why, a moment of awkwardness came & passed; we looked away from each other & I felt that tug in my heart yet again. There was something about her, her honesty & innocence, that unaffected sweetness that made her different... & made me like her very very much.
"Well, even if I don't have a love marriage, I'm definitely not okay with getting married to Shakkar Shagun."
The comment on my part thankfully broke the tension between us & Navya poked at me laughingly though reasonably aghast at my unrefined reference to Shagun. We got up to leave then since it was getting dark & I dropped her off somewhere near her house lest we get caught. As I watched her wave goodbye at me from the side of the road, I felt strangely at peace as if nothing in the world bothered me. Not even the impending disaster looming just around the corner. Without the slightest idea of what was going to happen next.
*************
I got back into the house as discreetly as possible hoping no one would see me, but the moment I set foot into the house, I nearly got buried under the suits, sweets & God-knows-what-else everyone shoved at me. Immediately feeling overwhelmed, I excused myself complaining of a headache, & shut myself up in my room, exasperation threatening to reach its peak. I was angry, yes, that no one save Bhai even cared to know how I felt about this alliance; at least they could have waited for me to say yes, if that was indeed what they were expecting. But at the same time, I felt... sad. I couldn't remember a single occurrence in my life where someone asked me what I wanted. What I wanted to study. What I'd like to do with my life. Whether I wanted to get married or not at this point in life. These questions might perhaps be irrelevant & insignificant to someone else but I knew that the answers to them were going to be the foundation of my adult life.
What could the harm be in speaking to Baba about these things? I could try to make him see that things are different now...
WIth sudden resolve, I got up from bed & slowly walked towards Baba's room albeit having some fear in my heart. The house was still in chaos, everyone rushing around, except for Bhai who stood erect, statue-like, with Rama Bhabhi badgering him about insignificant whatnots. He, on the other hand, was looking at something, perhaps nothing, far into the distance, oblivious to his wife's incessant talking. There was no joy, no happiness, no hope in his stance..
Would I be like that if I married Shagun?
The image was still stuck in my mind as I went into Baba's room with a soft knock on the door. He was reading at the time but immediately got up when he saw me.
"Yes, my son. Come in."
*****************
I pulled the car over the hilltop & got out, breathing the fresh air in deeply. The thoughts of a long-gone past had dominated the majority of my journey making me mellow, but being here again rejuvenated me.
I'm back!
It's been 6 years since I left after that eventful day. Remembering everything still hurts me but what's done is done now. I don't know why I thought Baba would at least give me the benefit of the doubt because now, in retrospect, it's clear that he wouldn't have. He was angry with me for questioning his ideologies, even more so that I had the gall to question his judgement. In the full-blown argument that ensued as I continued to present my questions & doubts to him, I made it clear that I wouldn't marry Shagun under any circumstance, I couldn't have possibly been happy with her. Baba, then seeing that I would never be able to follow in their footsteps, finally struck his final blow. Leave the house or go with the marriage in obedience to remain at home. I felt lost at that point. How could I leave Maa?
It was Bhai who came to my rescue. For the 1st time in his life, he went against his way to argue with them for me & when Papa started insulting him, I knew what had to be done. We combined our new-found courage deciding to make a life of our own on our own & never looked back after that. Although I feel guilty that he left everything for me, he tries to tell me that it's not my fault because Rama was given the choice to come with us but she picked riches over him anyway. Strangely, we both are now much better off & with his help, I'm a full-fledged lawyer working at a respectable firm & he has his own publishing house. & despite all this, I still felt immense guilt at leaving Maa, her heartbroken expression haunting me everyday I was gone. Now, I've returned to right all the wrongs & bring all the people I love back into my life.
"Anant...?"
I turned around & looked at Navya's pretty face after what had seemed like eons. She had been my other source of support while I was away, writing to me loyally as often as she could. She'd faced a lot of trouble in these years as well, her sister Renuka nearly getting divorced from her husband with their father barely managing to keep them together. After seeing how much Renuka struggled, managing her child almost completely on her own, Navya's father declared that Navya will decide on her own when she wants to get married. Now, we're both 25 & I've yet to find out her standing on this.
Frankly... I'm glad she isn't married.
We've played hide-&-seek with our feelings long enough now. How I'd wished for her presence while away, reminiscing the good moments we'd shared together. She didn't look any different from that day we sat here at the same spot talking about my engagement & as I pulled her into my arms, I realised just how much I had missed her. She looked at me, tears welling up in her eyes & I knew she felt the same.
"I'm glad you're back."
& this time, I welcomed that familiar tug in my heart.
***************
"...and so I've decided that Shagun will be Anant's wife," smiled Baba happily--well, as happily as he allowed himself to be--at us, a slight note of triumph in his voice for reasons yet unknown. The pandit ji smiled back at him, nodding his head sagely, unknown to the fact this was definitely, not in any way, a news joyous to me. I was too numb to even look at anyone else & had I had the sense of mind to do so, I would have realised that Bhai, Nimi & Maa were wearing expressions of misery as well.
What is happening to me? Why is this happening to me? Why are they smiling? And why in the name of God is Shagun looking at me like that?! I need to get out out of here. Right now!
My desperation to leave didn't really glow the figurative bulb over my head; I came up with all the lamest excuses in the world knowing full-well that there was no escape. A light touch on my shoulder pulled me out of my thoughts, though.
"Anant... We need to talk. Let's step outside for a while."
I was curious--surprised, really. What could Mohan bhai possibly have to say at this so-called very crucial life-&-death-deciding moment? Of course, I had no part in making the decision; no one cared enough to find out whether this was what I wanted from life, whether Shagun was the girl for me. But then again... I was starting to realise how much of a contradiction I had become to myself. A year ago, heck, even as recent as six months ago this was exactly what I had envisioned as my future. Excelling in my studies, then becoming a lawyer & marrying the girl my family chose for me somewhere in between. My friends had teased me, even flinging taunts occasionally, at my 'old-fasioned' beliefs but I had stood strong. I knew exactly what I wanted--or so I thought.
When did this come to be? Why am I even daring to question Baba's decision in my mind?... Why can't Baba understand that Shagun & I don't make an ideal match? We're so different... Why can't he see that?
The questions & subsequent thoughts were pestering me left right & centre, opposing each other much to my discomfort. But thankfully, before I fully sunk back into them, Bhai went up to Baba whispering something into his ear, swiftly coming back & gently dragging me away but not before Baba shot us one of his mini laser-like glares that were reserved for when he disapproved of something or someone, nearly scaring me to death. I was curious as to how Bhai accomplished this but I wanted to know why he wanted to speak to me so urgently even more so.
"Anant, I know this isn't what you want...' were his first words, short but encompassing everything enough to shock me. I shook my head in an attempt to say otherwise, to deny it, but he pressed on anyway. "& it's not wrong to think so. You have every right to say yes or no to this. You're the one who's going to spend the rest of your life with her after all, not Baba, nor Papa. I... personally don't feel that Shagun is right for you... Not that she's not a nice girl, but... there's no compatibility between you two, yaar. Just say the word. We'll find someone else for you."
That was it. Simple & yet not so. He was never one to mince words to begin with, seemingly so sure about everything, everything related to me that is. & as I looked at the determination on his perpetually crest-fallen face, a remnant of past regrets & sorrows, I still felt utterly torn when he finished his very short & unsatisfying explanation on why I should dare say no to a decision made for me by Baba. All I knew at that moment was that I couldn't make up my mind on any matter; I just wanted to get out from there, as fast as I could, to a place where I didn't have to say or think at all.
"I don't know, Bhai..." I tried to explain my confusion though for the first time in my life, words failed me. But as always, my dear Mohan Bhaiyya did not require an explanation. He looked at me as if he knew, just nodding & saying, "Why don't you go head out for a while? I'll take care of everything here, don't worry about Baba, & don't worry about leaving. Main hoon na."
I smiled back at him, relieved at these words & the comforting pat on my shoulder as he bid me goodbye. There was no need to ask what he was going to do to make up for my absence because I knew he would never let me down. No questions, no answers, just a dash of plain faith. Slightly reassured with this for now, I whizzed away in my car in less than 5 minutes.
But where will i go?
********************
"Eeewww, Anant!" said she, revolted, the french fry frozen mid-way to her mouth. I looked back at the horrified face glaring at me, laughter bubbling in my chest. All I'd done was burp a little. & it was purely unintentional!
Girls, jeez.
"You have no manners when it comes to eating, none at all. Licking sauce off your nose, burping loudly, playing with your food. Seriously." She looked at me with this, accusingly. All I could do was roll my eyes at her, the way she was looking at me, honestly, as if I had killed someone! No way was I going to apologise to something as trivial as that. Although, surprisingly, she let it go real fast, back to her sensible sober self in 10 seconds flat. "So, what are you going to do now?"
Ah, I should've known. We had talked at length about the situation & she was as concerned about it as well, though I could not quite put my finger on why. We had become friends just a couple of months ago, she being a best friend of my friend Ranbir's girlfriend Rithika. I've never before had a friend who was a girl yet it seemed like she had always been a part of my life. I felt so comfortable with her; I could be goofy, angry, lashing & she'd take all of it. It'd surprise anyone. She was the type of cowardly conventional girl guys steered clear from. But I had found out that deep inside that yellow heart resided great courage. Navya... She had to be the most amazingly awesome girl I've ever met. Even in her silence, she provided me with solace. & the best part of being in her company: I could be myself whenever I'm with her.
While in the car wondering where my destination was, it came to me as if it were the most normal idea in the world. A quick phone call to Ranbir was all it took to find out Navya was at Ritz' house. From there everything was easy. Just picked her up, bought some take away & we whiled away the time on the hilltop which had become our favourite place to hang out for some odd reason. & I was so glad that she was the one sitting next to me at that moment.
"I don't know what I'm going to do..." Honesty just came naturally to me whenever I was with Navya. She looked at me all concerned, etchings of confusion on her face as ever. Again, this was something that really surprised me. She looks baffled at almost everything but never actually is, proving time & time again how wrong people are about her.
"There's nothing wrong in wanting to choose your life partner on your own. Even if your family picked someone for you, you should still be able to reject that person if you don't like her... Just look at your Mohan Bhaiyya, is he happy with your sister-in-law Rama?"
Words of unfound wisdom. She actually had no idea just how right she was, only being slightly in the know with tidbits from me on Rama Bhabhi's unrelentingly annoying behaviour, bossing Bhai around as if he were her slave. One would have to look at Bhai once to just see how much of his life had been lost on that one wrong decision. The thought scared me, that some day I might become like him, unable to enjoy life under submission to other people.
"Do you believe in love marriages?" suddenly she blurts out of nowhere, her face immediately reddening to the colour of ripe tomato. "Sorry, I don't know why I asked you that."
I smiled inwardly, amused with her embarrassment. No matter what, she couldn't talk about anything related to love without blushing. I tried to think & respond to her difficult question wisely but as had been happening so often whenever I was with her, the words automatically came out like rushing water from a blown pipe. "No, it's okay. & the answer to your question is I don't know. I never believed in them before but... I'm plagued with all these questions nowadays. About why it's wrong. About why it should be wrong. I look at Ranbir with Ritz & I can't see what's wrong in their relationship. They're in love, they're committed to each other, they give each support. & on the other hand, there's Bhai & Rama Bhabi... I don't know what's right anymore, Navya... I believe in doing the right thing & I can't exactly understand why a love marriage cannot be right. It's frustrating me... Do you believe in love before marriage?"
So much for thinking & giving an answer. Foot in mouth, oh joy.
"I don't know either... Like you, I thought I did but not anymore..." She looked at me with those wildly innocent round eyes, an unreadable expression on her face. I don't know why, a moment of awkwardness came & passed; we looked away from each other & I felt that tug in my heart yet again. There was something about her, her honesty & innocence, that unaffected sweetness that made her different... & made me like her very very much.
"Well, even if I don't have a love marriage, I'm definitely not okay with getting married to Shakkar Shagun."
The comment on my part thankfully broke the tension between us & Navya poked at me laughingly though reasonably aghast at my unrefined reference to Shagun. We got up to leave then since it was getting dark & I dropped her off somewhere near her house lest we get caught. As I watched her wave goodbye at me from the side of the road, I felt strangely at peace as if nothing in the world bothered me. Not even the impending disaster looming just around the corner. Without the slightest idea of what was going to happen next.
*************
I got back into the house as discreetly as possible hoping no one would see me, but the moment I set foot into the house, I nearly got buried under the suits, sweets & God-knows-what-else everyone shoved at me. Immediately feeling overwhelmed, I excused myself complaining of a headache, & shut myself up in my room, exasperation threatening to reach its peak. I was angry, yes, that no one save Bhai even cared to know how I felt about this alliance; at least they could have waited for me to say yes, if that was indeed what they were expecting. But at the same time, I felt... sad. I couldn't remember a single occurrence in my life where someone asked me what I wanted. What I wanted to study. What I'd like to do with my life. Whether I wanted to get married or not at this point in life. These questions might perhaps be irrelevant & insignificant to someone else but I knew that the answers to them were going to be the foundation of my adult life.
What could the harm be in speaking to Baba about these things? I could try to make him see that things are different now...
WIth sudden resolve, I got up from bed & slowly walked towards Baba's room albeit having some fear in my heart. The house was still in chaos, everyone rushing around, except for Bhai who stood erect, statue-like, with Rama Bhabhi badgering him about insignificant whatnots. He, on the other hand, was looking at something, perhaps nothing, far into the distance, oblivious to his wife's incessant talking. There was no joy, no happiness, no hope in his stance..
Would I be like that if I married Shagun?
The image was still stuck in my mind as I went into Baba's room with a soft knock on the door. He was reading at the time but immediately got up when he saw me.
"Yes, my son. Come in."
*****************
I pulled the car over the hilltop & got out, breathing the fresh air in deeply. The thoughts of a long-gone past had dominated the majority of my journey making me mellow, but being here again rejuvenated me.
I'm back!
It's been 6 years since I left after that eventful day. Remembering everything still hurts me but what's done is done now. I don't know why I thought Baba would at least give me the benefit of the doubt because now, in retrospect, it's clear that he wouldn't have. He was angry with me for questioning his ideologies, even more so that I had the gall to question his judgement. In the full-blown argument that ensued as I continued to present my questions & doubts to him, I made it clear that I wouldn't marry Shagun under any circumstance, I couldn't have possibly been happy with her. Baba, then seeing that I would never be able to follow in their footsteps, finally struck his final blow. Leave the house or go with the marriage in obedience to remain at home. I felt lost at that point. How could I leave Maa?
It was Bhai who came to my rescue. For the 1st time in his life, he went against his way to argue with them for me & when Papa started insulting him, I knew what had to be done. We combined our new-found courage deciding to make a life of our own on our own & never looked back after that. Although I feel guilty that he left everything for me, he tries to tell me that it's not my fault because Rama was given the choice to come with us but she picked riches over him anyway. Strangely, we both are now much better off & with his help, I'm a full-fledged lawyer working at a respectable firm & he has his own publishing house. & despite all this, I still felt immense guilt at leaving Maa, her heartbroken expression haunting me everyday I was gone. Now, I've returned to right all the wrongs & bring all the people I love back into my life.
"Anant...?"
I turned around & looked at Navya's pretty face after what had seemed like eons. She had been my other source of support while I was away, writing to me loyally as often as she could. She'd faced a lot of trouble in these years as well, her sister Renuka nearly getting divorced from her husband with their father barely managing to keep them together. After seeing how much Renuka struggled, managing her child almost completely on her own, Navya's father declared that Navya will decide on her own when she wants to get married. Now, we're both 25 & I've yet to find out her standing on this.
Frankly... I'm glad she isn't married.
We've played hide-&-seek with our feelings long enough now. How I'd wished for her presence while away, reminiscing the good moments we'd shared together. She didn't look any different from that day we sat here at the same spot talking about my engagement & as I pulled her into my arms, I realised just how much I had missed her. She looked at me, tears welling up in her eyes & I knew she felt the same.
"I'm glad you're back."
& this time, I welcomed that familiar tug in my heart.
***************
~First Thought~
It's very easy to play, all you have to do is post the first thing that comes in your mind after reading the last post.
For example:
If I say:Television
The Next person might say:Star Plus
Then the Next person might say:Navya
NL Team:
*Harika*, nami2811, Love_Anant, StarAngel, kmh24ever, .FunLuvingGirl., -Appsy-, Ammie, Miss-Pakiie-KMH, Anya4eva, Mohitilicious, -Komal, Aimin
Layout: *Harika*
Hope all of you enjoyed reading it. Comments and feedback are welcome 😳
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
