Celebration of Fates: RagNa FF, Part-23, Pg-147, 30/07 - Page 31

PART-9

"Here, have this. You'll certainly feel better.It seems you really need it" Raghav said, holding a mug of coffee in front of Kalpi who was brought out of her memories' visions by his voice. He gave her a 'I know what you're remembering' look. She did not want to talk with him or argue with him for the time being, thus to make him go from there as soon as possible she extended her hand to take the mug murmuring a soft 'Thank You'.

But before she could take hold of the mug, he held back the mug, and gave a teasing smile to her as he again out of habit held her attention with his eyes. Mischievously he dipped one of his fingers of his right hand in the coffee mug and then sucked it, making Kalpi's eyes go wide with confusion. "Now what is he up to?" she thought.

"Umm...it's perfect, just as I like it and it is...hot!" and he smirked seeing the confusion written over her face. "Let me help her to make her understand" he told himself, and went on to add "I love espresso coffee, it is my favourite; Glowing brown inside and creamy outside". Kalpi's cheeks reddened a tomato red as she saw him repeating the action of dipping his finger and then sucking it, this time tasting it slowly deliberately. He kept his hand below Kalpi's and handed the cup to her, and lingered on his hand over hers for a few seconds longer than it was necessary. "I like strong coffee, it gives me an adrenaline rush and I am fully charged. Sad I could taste only a hint of its flavors. Someday I'll have the whole of it" he kept two of his fingers below Kalpi's chin to close her open mouth. "Enjoy" he said as he turned. "It'll burn your hands" she cried from behind him.

He faced her again "I don't care sweetheart, I love it still" and turned his back to her again. "I hate you" she cried again, "But I love you" he told her tauntingly with a laugh, tilted his face a bit to see her face again before walking away from there.

Kalpi was stunned by what he just did, it was an open...what? Warning, or another promise? "He fulfills his promises" she realized with a heavy heart as unconsciously she brought the coffee mug to her lips. But no sooner had her lips touched the hot liquid, she came back to reality and threw away the contents in the nearest possible place she could see, in a dustbin! "Damn man" and sat back grumpily on her chair.

*****************************************************

Raghav was sitting on the backseat of his Mercedes and his driver was driving the car. He had given instructions to his secretary to handle rest of the matters with both the producers and the media. Tomorrow they were to shoot promos of their show, and some media persons wanted his interview asking for a confirmation if he indeed was doing the concerned TV show. He had told his secretary to fix the interviews for after one week. He had already read the outlined script of the show, his role and was now going to his office- head office of Singhania Group of Companies'. He was working with his tablet on his lap, trying to focus on the office work, but the anger and hatred in Kalpi's voice which he heard this morning again after so many years was haunting him, adding to his wound. Unable to focus on work, he shut down his tablet and closing his eyes, rested his head on the seat. His anger within rising again "how could you not even give me a chance Kalpana to explain my side?", "How could you believe on a third person, and not me?", "We were not best of friends, but still we knew each other too well since childhood to believe on someone else", "how could you insult me like that, in front of the world which was mine also then?", "If only you had handled things differently and listened to your heart instead of your brain!", "Couldn't you use that brilliant brain of yours in the right way that day?". His mind and heart a cluster of thoughts and accusations "I could have helped you in completing the whole picture that day".

FLASHBACK: -

Raghav had almost turned after enquiring about Kalpana from Bhairavi & Nisha when his sharp eyes noticed something. Bhairavi had her back to both Raghav and Nisha; and Nisha was standing right behind Bhairavi. On one glance no one could notice anything, but a sharp eye could notice what that girl was doing. Her body position was such that Bhairavi could not see her, being busy in completing her work, and Raghav too could see only a part of her side, or at least Nisha must have thought so. But her bad luck, Raghav could completely see what she was doing in the side mirror. She had sneakily picked up one of Kalpi's dresses for the show. From Raghav's side he could only see that Nisha had been holding that dress only out of curiosity, but the mirror on her side showed what she was doing. With one quick move she cut one of the hooks of Kalpi's halter neck gown from one side and loosened the other one too with the help of a small folding scissor which she had just taken out of the purse, slanging from her shoulder. She was quite quick in her moves, but Raghav saw her and was frozen, his heart immediately panicking at the humiliation Kalpi may face. His hands immediately forming a fist and jaws clenched at this disgusting, so called beautiful girl "how can a girl do something like this to another girl" he thought.

Just then Bhairavi's work finished and Nisha hurriedly kept the dress back before Bhairavi could turn her face to her side. Raghav hid himself outside the room, waiting for Nisha to come out. "Let's go to your room now Nisha" Bhairavi said. "Ya Ma'am, let's go". Bhairavi walked out of the room and Nisha too was following her but Raghav blocked her path.

Nisha: "Raghav? What happened, still searching for Kalpi? We told you na she must be on her way".

Raghav: "I want to talk to you" he said with clenched teeth.

Nisha: "But...what?" before she could understand something Raghav was holding by her upper arm in a death grip, hurting her and dragged back to Kalpi's room.

Nisha: "Ouch...what are you doing? Is this the way to behave with a girl? What's your problem?"

Raghav: "Now you will teach me how should one behave with girls, hmm? You?"

Nisha was afraid now seeing angry Raghav, fearing that he might have known the truth "Why, can't I?"

Raghav: "No you can't. After what you did with Kalpana's dress, you cannot" he finished as he held that dress again, showing it to Nisha.

Nisha stared at Raghav in disbelief "he cannot know it. No one can". "Wh...what are you saying, I can't..." she asked him but then left her sentence incomplete on seeing the raised hand of Raghav, ready to slap her. But then he controlled and held back.

Raghav: "You're really lucky that I do know how to behave with girls. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been standing fit and fine like this in front of me",

"Still want to know what am I saying?"

Nisha, retorting back angrily at him: "Yes I did this to Kalpi's dress. But who are you to interfere, why should you feel bad, huh? As far as I know you and Kalpi never get along well and hardly talk to each other much other than your rehearsals and show. You two are as good as enemies, then why should you care what I do with Kalpi? Why can't you just mind your own business? In fact you should join hands with me, you can take settle all your accounts with Kalpi".

Raghav: "One word more and I will forget that you are a girl Nisha! Why did you do this? Why do you hate Kalpana so much?"

Nisha: "Yes I hate her; I hate her to the core. But still I am forced to behave sweetly with her. I was looking for an opportunity to teach her a lesson. Since the time she has entered our play group, my importance has been snatched away. Every good and major role goes to her and I am forced to play a sidekick to her, despite the fact I am senior to her in this field and in this group. Even in this play she is the lead and I have a parallel role. I don't care about the demands of the original story where heroine was not considered to be less beautiful by her mother than her sister, which is me! I just know I am in every way more deserving to get importance in every play than that bitch called Kalpana. Bloody, lucky girl not only she gets to play the lead roles, but now she also got to romance the most handsome boy and heir to Singhania Empire" she said as she raised her palm to touch Raghav's cheek.

Raghav was listening to her venomous words in shock, stepped back and held her hand before she could touch his face: "You know what, Kalpana is an angel. But you...you are the real bitch. You wait till I show her your true face" and he turned to go and make a complaint against Nisha.

Nisha started laughing: "Ha ha ha ha, you really think Kalpana will believe you? You, who is always taunting her, fighting with her or who ignores her? You, whom she dislikes so much; and not believe me who is her beloved colleague?"

Raghav: "We may fight with each other but we also know each other the best. We know each other since childhood and share a bond so deep you cannot fathom".

Nisha, swapping her fingers on his face: "You just wait and watch what I do of this so called deep childhood bond of yours".

Raghav: "We will see"; and both went their own ways, as Raghav called Gauri to arrange a gown of Kalpi's size as soon as possible "Mom, Mom it is an emergency. I need your help for Kalpi" and he went on to tell her the details. But his bad luck, Nisha heard his conversation with Gauri on phone which she later used to her own advantage and Kalpi never got to know that the pink strappy gown she had worn in the last scene was not arranged by Nisha but by Raghav. When Kalpi saw him with that dress in her room, she made all the wrong assumptions about him, just like she had made when she had heard part of the conversation which Raghav was having with the director of their play group. He had gone there to make a complaint against Nisha but he got to know that since Nisha was a good relative of the theatre's new owners and their group's new sponsors; they had asked him to not only give Nisha important roles in their plays from future onwards, but also were forcing him to throw Kalpana out of their group. The director had told Raghav that he can take no action against Nisha and in fact the decision of Kalpana being no more a part of their group has already been finalized. This had angered Raghav and he had gone on to say that Singhana Group' was fully capable of overtaking not only this theatre but also sponsor the finances of their play group. Theirs was one of the best play groups which the city had, but these expenses were a small thing for Singhanias. When Kalpi listened to Raghav, she heard only part of it and assumed that Raghav was talking about her, when in fact Raghav was giving a final and open order to his own director to throw Nisha out instead of Kalpi.

Since the time Kalpi had come Raghav had tried to find many chances to talk to her, but either she never looked at him, or he never got a chance. The small encounter he had with her in Kalpi's changing room was too short a time for Raghav to try and tell her the whole story, for his scene was to start in next five minutes. Kalpi's tone had already told him that Nisha has played her game and now he'll have to work extra hard to tell the true story to Kalpi and make her believe his truth. He had thought to do so after play, but instead Kalpi had given him the shock of his life by slapping him in front of all. She had gone on to repeat all the accusations which she believed were true.

"I cannot believe Raghav Singhania that you can stoop so low to get back at me. You not only planned my wardrobe malfunction but also wanted to throw me out of here. Why? Just because I refused to agree to your demeaning needs, and I have my own mind which tells me when I am right and when I am wrong? Or you thought since I owe the first step towards my dreams to you and Gauri Aunty, you can do anything with me?", "No Mr. Raghav Singhania, enough is enough and today I am cutting all cords I ever had with you in my life. I promise to you, that even in dire need I won't ever work again with you, I don't want to see your face in my life again". Saying so she had turned leaving the stunned theatre, all having different reactions, some had got a new topic of gossip and others were showing sympathy either with Kalpana, or those who thought Raghav cannot be wrong sympathized with Raghav.

Kalpana's strong step had awakened Raghav's hurt self-respect and fired his ego which forbade him from running after Kalpana to tell her that she was wrong. "No, he'll never make himself small again by running after her, either to say sorry or to take corrective measures through a straight path". He could never forget this slap and her last words saying she'll never work with him again never see his face, and maybe never take his help also again in any form. "Enough is enough" as far as he knew Kalpana, she was though angel-hearted but a head strong girl and anything he'll do now she'll never listen to him again; and he refused to listen to his heart now, refused to ignore what he considered was his self-respect. He had made his decision then and there; someday he'll teach Kalpana a lesson. He'll not only be so successful that she or no one in this country dares to refuse to work with him, but he'll force her to work with him, make her see his face again. "You just turned yourself into my number one obsession and enemy again Kalpana" he'd thought "Now I'll not let go of you so easily. I refuse to live without seeing your face again and I'll make sure that not only you have to see my face again and again and again, but you have to do what you hate the most! I'll always be there to contribute towards your success; I'll make sure your pathway to success crosses my path surely. I don't know how and when, but if today I was right then even God shall listen to me one day. I'll keep tabs on you sweetheart". His decision made he had dangerously followed Kalpi to her room, locking it from within repeating his promise to himself to her and sealing it with that kiss. .

FLASHBACK END

Looking out of his car he saw they were about to reach their office and after years he gave his mind a well-done' smile telling himself "it's good I kept tabs on her all these years. Mom's illness and by focus on business had made me forego my plans, but with my comeback I made sure to make you a part of this show. I just had to make sure this news reaches you and you apply for this role".

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction using characters from the show 'Ek Mutthi Aasmaan" on 'Zee TV". The characters are owned by creators and owners of the show.

PART-10