(This takes place after Rehan and Aahil have the argument post the Manmarziyan sequence. )
Aahil paced back and forth in his study. A strange anxiety took over him. Was Rehan telling the truth?!! Was he still in love with Sanam?! After their wedding, Aahil had vowed to hate her! To stay far away! To protect his feelings from her harsh treatment! Yet he couldnt help but think of her all day! To let himself enjoy her attention and be himself around her! To drown himself in those deep soulful eyes. How could he ever hate Sanam?!! But NO! Aahil though determinedly! He would not run after her like some lost puppy! If she didnt care for him, then fine! He didnt care either! But what was all of that? Her being persistent on feeding him, gently helping him wear his shirt and scolding him as if she had the right to?!! Was it all fake? Was it all an act like Ammi claimed it was? But then, there was no one to watch them! If she cared for him, what was she doing in Rehan's arms?!! Ugh!! Aahil sat down and pressed his temple. His body was still recovering from the accident. "Ya Allah koi toh ishaara de. Madat kar meri." He covered his face with hands and sighed.
Prem: "Hey Junooni Aashiq, itna kyun soch rahe ho. Just tell her how you feel man. I mean your the Nawab of Bhopal who can refuse you."
Aahil looked up and his eyes widened. In his study were three versions of HIM!!! Each dressed differently from the other. Aahil blinked, was he hallucinating! Who were these guys?!! Clearly they were not him! He looked at the one who spoke. He reminded Aahil of his younger days, except he wore funky looking accessories, including an eyebrow piercing. He had a beer can in one hand and jacket, which swung over his shoulder, in the other. His posture displayed confidence and style.
Aahil: "Kaun ho tum log!" He felt strange speaking to them. Were they real people or figments of his imagination? If anyone else saw this, they would they might just believe the Nawab of Bhopal had lost it.
Viraj: "And if she says no, there are many unique ways to make her like you. Love you. Want you." He cracked his neck loudly making Aahil cringe. This one was closer to his age and dressed more sensibly but the words that came out of his mouth screamed "danger!" Aahil narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he stared him down.
Dhruv: (gulp) "I dont think thats a good idea. Iss pagal ki baat mat suno. Yeh aapko seedha jail paucha dega. Phir Bhopal ka kya hoga? Aap Nawab ho na?" (he stumbled on the last few words). Aahil looked at him sympathetically. Clearly this one was not the toughest of the lot. He was more of a young rookie. He sort of reminded Aahil of his pre-teen years, minus the ARI aura.
Viraj: (Gave Dhruv a menacing look). "What the hell did you just say?!!" He curled his fists. Dhruv looked at Aahil for help.
Aahil sighed. This was not the help he asked for. Allah Miyan, this was not done. Maine madat manga tha, sazaa nahin!
Prem: "Seriously, you guys are fighting over something so simple. Humph! You simply gotta have that charm dude. And Aahil, man sorry but you're losing that. Stop blaming the circumstances. What's that saying in hindi, Nach na jaane garden tedha' something like that."
The others tossed him a look of disgust as Prem shrugged, "Whaaat?"
Viraj: "Its aangan' man not garden. Ek kahavat bhi theek se nahin deh sakhta aur bada aaya advice dene."
Prem: "Hey atleast main tumhare tarah psychopanti nahin dekhata hoon! Har waqt ajeeb ajeeb ideas and thoughts. Your a serious danger to society man. Har cheez ki hadd hai dude! There is a limit okay!"
Viraj: "What did you call me? I am Viraj and Im the best! So you better shut it!"
Dhruv looked at both guys from side to side. "Aap dono larna bandh karo please!"
Viraaj: Forget larna, aaj mein iska chapter hi close kar dunga!" (He smiled evilly)
Prem: "I wanna see you try?!!" (He got up)
Viraj: "Viraj Dobriyal sirf dhamki nahin deta, woh karke dikhata hai!"
"Shut up!" The Nawab roared as the voices in the room silenced. "Kahan phas gaya main..." Aahil muttered to himself.
"Unbelievable! Look guys, mujhe koi madat nahin chahiye. I can figure this out myself! And one more thing, I don't want to hear a word about my love for Sanam! Stop disrespecting me and my love " Aahil wanted to scream in frustration. He shut his eyes hoping they would all just disappear.
Prem: "Okay chill man! We wont say anything about your Sanam!" He rolled his eyes.
Viraj gave an angry look while Dhruv just shrugged and smiled.
Aahil sighed. Finally! Now time to get rid of them! Before he could say or doing anything, he heard a knock on his study.
"Is waqt kaun ho sakhta hai? Ya Allah... Whom am I kidding?! Agar yeh characters yahan aa sakhte hai toh koi bhi aa sakhta hai! What the hell is happening to me?!! Must be those pain killers!" He groaned as he walked to the door.
When he opened the door, he stared in shock. The man before him gave a warm smile and gestured, "May I come in?"
Aahil looked behind him and gasped. All three of the guys had disappeared. He looked back at the man before him and sighed a few seconds later. "I guess. Come on in."
The man came and took a seat on the chair. He gestured Aahil to take a seat as well. "Looks like those guys made things worse as opposed to better. I should have known they would mess up."
Aahil's mouth dropped. "You sent those namunas here!" The man laughed.
"Sorry about that. Thought you might need to draw on some previous experiences. Anyway Aahil, why are you so stressed?"
"It's Sanam. I mean no it's me. Damn it! I don't know! Why can she just understand! Why do I have to spell everything out for her! Why can she see that we belong together?" Aahil shook his head sadly.
"She is so confusing! Sometimes I feel that she cares for me and during others, her and Rehan... I just don't like when he goes near her!"
"You feel hurt? Angry? Jealous? Are you sure she likes Rehan?"
"No! I mean Rehan likes her. But she has never said anything about it. Honestly, I don't know. With Sanam, its always so confusing! I have never felt like this before Sanam entered my life. But ever since she did, nothing has been the same. I really have no idea what to do!"
"Aahil, no one can help you decide how you feel. Only you would know that. All you have to do and looker deeper inside you and ask yourself. What do you feel for Sanam? Do you care for her, respect her and want to be with her? How do you see your future with her? Forget the future for a second, how does she impact your present? Will you be okay with spending the rest of your life without her?
"No! No! Why would Sanam leave? I know she never wanted this wedding! She never wanted me! I know I am not good enough for her! She deserves someone better! But-"
Don't worry about whether you deserve her or not? Or if she deserves someone better. That for her to decide. Focus on what you feel for her. If your love and pure and selfless, then it will reach her heart as well. We all want someone in our lives who completes us and makes us feel special. Is Sanam truly that one? Don't listen to anyone, just listen to your heart. Jawab apne aap hi tumhare paas aa jayega."
Aahil was silent.
"Good luck bro and hope you make a choice that will make the rest of your life a beautiful journey. Life is too short for inflated egos, hatred and grudges, let it all go and listen to your heart. I promise, you won't go wrong."
With that he got up, put on his glares and walked out the door. Aahil got up to say "thanks" but he had already left. Aahil smiled softly at the closed door and sat back down.
Aahil leaned back on the chair of his study with his eyes closed. He thought about what the man had just said! He didnt need to listen to anyone nor did he need any advice! These feelings are personal, no one would understand how he feel but himself! And he knew that the feelings he had for Sanam were different from anything he had ever felt before! They confused him, excited him, hurt him, angered him and above all made him feel human! It was a special feeling and he didnt want to give up! He knew that Sanam was attracted to him. Her eyes, the catch in her breath and her approach told him. But he knew for it him it was not just attraction! It was so much more! And he really wanted it to be the same for her.
Sanam Aahil Raza Ibrahim... The name sounded like music to his ears! He wanted to tell her about his feelings! How he felt each time she touched him! How he felt when she cared for him! How her presence changed his entire life! Aahil didnt know if it was the depth of his thoughts or the medicine but he began to feel drowsy and slowly fell into a gentle slumber...
Shiv Shakti
