Recap: Heartstrings - II
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Even though Shiva resolved to apologize to Raavi publicly, he didn't have a clue how! He was walking towards the store when he passed by a group of ladies buying vegetables. He wouldn't have paid much attention to them but he did because he heard Raavi's name. So he stopped by a cart vendor with his back towards the ladies to eavesdrop.
"Aapne dekha, woh Raavi kaise rote hue Pandya Niwas pohoch gai? Kya hua hoga?" said one of the ladies.
Another one replied, "Hona kya hai? Sab ke saamne apne pati pe haath uthaaya that madam ne ab pachta rahi hogi! Ek aurat hoke apni jagah bhool gai issi liye sharam ke maare ro rahi hogi!"
Shiva's heart set on fire! He wanted to burn these old bitches alive!
Just then another familiar voice added, "Aree woh ladki toh besharm hai! Dekha na college jaane lage hai phir se. Paraaye mardo ke saathe ghumne ka license mil gaya madam ko. Ab toh har jagah muh kaala karti firegi!"
Shiva wanted to strangle this one with his bare hands as he realized that this was none other than their Kaanta kaki. He was about to snatch the knife sitting on the cart ready to slit their throats when one of them added, "Shiva ne sahi kaha tha! Woh ladki chali kyun nahi jaati unn dusre mardon ke saath?"
Hearing this Shiva thought of slitting his own throat as everything that was being said about Raavi was a version of his own words; result of his actions. How could he uphold Raavi's honor when he himself brought this disrespect on her. Just then, he heard a little girl laugh. He turned around and saw little Raavi running along and playing with young Dev, Shiva, and Krish. As the little Raavi passed by him, he heard grown up Raavi laughing and eating raw mangoes with chili on top with grown up Krish. Just then another Raavi walked by him laughing and giggling with Dhara and Gaumbi!
"Kya dekh raha hai Shiva?" Raavi said from behind Shiva startling him. She was smiling at him! The purity and innocence in her eyes mesmerized him.
Raavi snapped her fingers and asked again, "Kya dekh raha hai? Mein hamesha se aisi hi thi! Meri zindagi hamesha se hi tere parivaar se judi hui hai! Mein nahi badli Shiva!" She looked at those ladies and her smile faded as tears rolled down her eyes.
"Mein aisi ladki nahi hu!" She pleaded to him! "Maine tujhe koi dhoka nahi diya! Mein aisi nahi hu!" And wept! Her tears stabbed Shiva and he started bleeding.
Suddenly he felt a hand trying to pull his hand away. As he looked down, he saw that he had clutched the knife on the cart by the blade and he was actually bleeding. The cart vendor was pleading him to let go of the knife. He looked up where Raavi stood but she was gone. He looked around for her as he released the knife. He looked at his bleeding hand as it reminded him of Raavi's bleeding heart. Suddenly Kaanta came and tried to look at his hand but he, disgusted by the sight of her, angrily snatched it back and walked away.
On her way to college, Raavi had been trying to call Shiva but he didn't answer. She sent him messages but he didn't reply to those either. She called the store but Hasmukh kaka told her that Shiva hadn't arrived at the store yet. She told Hasmukh kaka to have Shiva call her as soon as reaches the store. She was worried for him and confused about his behavior and angry at him because he never once told her that he loved her. Suddenly someone pulled on her dupatta from behind.
When she turned around, Shiva said, "Maine bola nahi ya tune dekha nahi?" Hearing this she didn't know what to say!
"Mujhe dil ki baatein bolna nahi aata Raavi! Par maine kabhi apni feelings tujhse nahi chupaai! Aur main jaanta hu ke tu jaanti hai meri feelings ke baare mein!" He said.
"Kaise jaanungi?" Raavi rebuked. "Main kya bhagwaan hu jo mujhe pata hoga ke tere dil mein mere liya kya feelings hai?"
"Accha?" Shiva said with a faint smile on his face as he placed his hand on her eyes and said, "Aankhe bandh kar aur apne dil mein jhaank ke dekh! Usse nahi pata tha ki mera dil kiske liye dhadakta hai?"
And just like that Raavi went on a trip down the memory lane and witnessed what she already knew in her heart. The love, the kindness, the care that Shiva showered on her in his angry-young-man avatar swallowed her. As those moments surrounded her, she saw how ignorant she had been towards him. She had been so rude to him and how much she had hurt him and disrespected him. She insulted him by calling him jaahil and junglee, for wearing clothes that weren't the most polished. She hated herself for not seeing the purest and kindest heart beneath those simple clothes. She opened her eyes and the tears just flowed. Shiva wiped the tears and raised her chin and Raavi reluctantly and guiltily looked at him.
"Kyun nahi pehchaana tune mujhe? Main itana bura bhi nahi hu!" He said as his eyes teared up, too. She looked down shamefully and cried. "I am sorry! I am so sorry!"
Just then Raavi heard, "Didi! Didi aapka haath! Didi chodo! Aapka haath!" Raavi felt someone trying to pull at her hand. She opened her eyes and looked back. She saw a boy trying to force her hand to loosen her grip. She saw it and realized that her dupatta was stuck on a metal board and that she had subconsciously gripped the sharp edge of it. She looked up where Shiva was standing but he was gone. The boy was still pleading her to take her hand off. Raavi released it and looked at the bleeding wound on her hand which reminded her of tears rolling down Shiva's eyes and vowed to apologize to Shiva, her Shiva, and shower him with all the love in the universe from now on. She called Shiva once again but he didn't answer. So she reluctantly went to college and resolved to winning Shiva back by the end of the day.
Cricket
Kumkum Bhagya
Tum Se Tum Tak
Sampoorna
Jhanak
