Part 4 - Masks and Indifference
"Here you go my two brilliance actors. Congratulations on the film together", said the man handing over to them, a glass of champagne each.
He was a stout man, in his late fifties and one of the big producers in the film industry. His films were light hearted and aimed at pleasing the youth. He had been looking at working with a new pair for his upcoming film based on an unconventional love story, and now finally he had signed two big names, one already established and the other up and coming, Arjun Singh Khurana and Diya Panchal respectively. This would be their first film together, and he knew that owning to their forever growing fan following and his banner's name, the film would release with a bang and the two lead actors would set fire to the silver screen.
The man smiled, thinking about his success and he cast a final look at the two actors talking at a distance before walking away to attend the other guests.
That party had been the start of a beautiful friendship between Arjun and Diya. Henceforth, they had communicated frequently and on a more personal level. Arjun's experience and Diya's family history in the film industry had taught them both not to trust the outwardly appearance of anyone. They had both been told one thing, "Never get blinded by the spotlight that falls on you, there is more darkness behind the sparkle of glamour than you can ever imagine," one by his mentor and the other by her cousin.
Following this, the two had wanted to maintain a safe distance from each other, but as the film had progressed, the months of shooting had turned their friendship into something more, something that was beyond their control, and something that they hadn't seen coming, because as they say, 'Love just happens'. And for Arjun and Diya, their friendship had given way to a whirlwind romance.
Both of them had been swept away by a tide that had carried them away deeper into a whirlpool of their own feelings. Their bond had grown deeper and deeper with the passage of time, and they had felt their lives to be taking the perfect course. According to Diya's wish, their relationship had been kept a secret and only her family had known about this, except her father since he had always remained aloof and she had wanted to give him his time to accept their relationship, but the others had been happy for her after interacting with Arjun. The media had gotten a whiff about this, sensationalising the news in every gossip tabloid, but they had both chosen to remain silent. Truth be told, they had actually been enjoying their secret romance, feeling like teenagers in love, stealing kisses in between shots, and Diya had been thankful for the base makeup on her face during press-conferences, because had it not been for that, she would have blushed at so as even a mention of her boyfriend.
While this had been going on, unknown to them both, their romantic oblivion was to be disrupted. Drupad had been planning an engagement behind the closed doors of his room, the engagement of his daughter to the brooding business tycoon, Karan Mathur, hoping to improve his relations with one of his two children. The entertainment section had been buzzing about rumours of the brooding achiever's engagement to some actress too, but Arjun and Diya hadn't paid even minute attention to any of it.
And on one fateful day, thunder finally struck when Diya and Arjun had been planning to disclose their relationship to her father at the party he had thrown as a surprise at their home.
...
Diya was extremely nervous, her palms clamped in sweat, opening and closing every now and then, while her gaze never left Arjun. She had been faking a smile, moving around the room when she got a text message from him.
Boyfriend: Meet me in your bedroom's balcony in two.
She was about to reply, telling him that anyone would notice their absence together, when her phone beeped yet again.
Boyfriend: Diya, now! Or else, I will whisk you away in front of the crowd and your wish of a decent revelation goes down the drain. You know I can do that, baby.
She knew that her boyfriend was quite capable of doing what he had just said and cursing under her breath, she stomped away towards her room.
Just as Diya entered the balcony, she felt a strong pull and in a swift movement, she was caged between the wall and Arjun, his arms on her either side as he towered over her, his intense gaze boring straight into her. Her nostrils flared as she angrily tried to push him away, squirming and fighting under him.
"Diya, stop it! Just hear me out, okay?"
"NO! You can't just go around blackmailing people, you know. Let go of me!"
"Baby, stop squirming. You know what you do to me, right?"
Diya stopped immediately, realising what his words meant. She blushed to a lovely scarlet as her eyes met his, and suddenly a light bulb went off as a wicked glint replaced the blush, "Nah, I don't know Mr. Khurana. You mind demonstrating?"
Arjun was taken aback by her remark, and then he smirked as he pushed closer against the wall, rubbing slightly against her, enjoying the scene in front of him as her eyes widened and she clutched his shoulders tightly. Diya felt hot against him and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. Arjun laughed slightly, and cupped her cheeks, making her face him.
"Now, do you know Ms. Panchal?"
She blushed a little more, and saw as his eyes darkened when she nodded, looking at him right in the eye. The next moment, his mouth was on hers, kissing her with a thirst that seemed unquenchable. She responded almost immediately, digging her nails in his back as he bit into her bottom lip. Arjun pulled her flush against him, his cold hands roaming on the bare skin of her waist, through the cuts in her designer dress.
The two pulled apart reluctantly, completely out of breath, and Arjun hugged her tightly, as her pliant body fit perfectly against his. "You don't need to worry, love. It'll all be okay, I am sure your father will accept us."
"I...I hope so. He doesn't believe in love anymore after..." she choked, tears threatening to escape, but Arjun pulled her closer, rubbing her back comfortingly.
"Shh...you don't need to go through this. Tell me whenever you are okay and if never, so be it. I don't want to take you back to a past you don't want to remember. I love you baby, come one let's go out, people will get suspicious."
"I love you", Diya smiled her dazzling smile at him, sending a wave of love rippling through his heart.
As they walked into the main hall, Dai ma hurriedly stalked towards them, "Where were you both? Your father is looking for you Diyu."
"Really? Why?"
Meanwhile, Drupad climbed the stairs to the raised platform in the room, smiling as he spotted Diya in the crowd talking to her Dai ma. Their conversation was interrupted as he started.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have a very special announcement to make, but before that I would like to call upon my daughter, Diya and a very special young man, Karan Mathur."
Confused, Diya reluctantly slipped her hand away from Arjun's and glancing at him longingly, plastered on a smile as she climbed up the stairs, politely giving her hand in Karan's who had extended it towards her. 'And had it been a slight blush, she had noticed?'
She had known Karan since childhood, he had always been her father's favourite and then when he had established his name in the corporate world, she had seen pride in her father's eyes. Karan was a great person to talk to, but beyond that, she had never thought about him.
From the stage, her eyes searched frantically for the person and as she gazed into those Hazel depths, she couldn't help but smile. All she wanted to do was, run up to him and fall into his loving embrace, but as she saw him urging her to listen to her father, she finally concentrated on what her father had been saying and caught up with something like, "...A father would always want his child to settle down and I am proud to announce today that I have found the perfect match for my daughter, a person whom I already consider my other son, Karan Mathur, ladies and gentlemen. I am very happy to announce their engagement today and proud to welcome him into our little family with open arms."
While the audience broke into a congratulatory round of applause, Diya's face had changed several shades and settled onto a sickly pale. Her eyes were wide with shock and watery as she looked on to the person she loved, his shock mirroring her own. She wanted to tell him that it was all a lie, that she had been played, and hoped that he would believe her, believe her love but she saw his jaw clench and a maniacal expression on his face. Arjun's jaw tightened as he clenched his fist tightly, his anger knowing no bounds as he looked right into the inky depths of the person's eyes, who he only a few minutes ago had mentioned as his love.
...
It all came back to him in that moment, how she had been reluctant to tell her father about their relationship, her hesitance whenever he approached the topic, and finally her uncharacteristic nervousness only a few minutes ago. He had witnessed the shock in her eyes, but she had masked it well -- as people flooded around her -- making no attempt to clear what he thought had been a huge misunderstanding. Arjun's knuckles whitened as he looked on and blinded by rage, stormed out of the venue.
That night, Arjun drove on the streets of Mumbai, not caring about the broken traffic rules and the speed of his vehicle, his eyes red with a murderous rage. He had regretted it all, even after being warned against trusting anyone; he had made the mistake of falling in love, the mistake of trusting someone, the unforgivable mistake of giving his heart away. He felt cheated as he stood against the bonnet of his black car, her memories not leaving him alone, her smiling face flashing in front of him. His hurt had given way to vexation, and he slammed his fist into a nearby tree in an attempt to make the hurt go away, drawing blood in the procedure. Suddenly, the ringtone of his phone echoed throughout the deserted area, and closing his eyes, he decided to take the call. He realised that it was way past midnight and his mother had been repeatedly calling him, hence he checked the caller ID, not wanting to worry his mother anymore, but to his surprise, the caller was someone he had least expected to call him, and the screen flashed again 'CHITRANGADA calling.'
Soon after, he got into his car and reversed the sedan following which, he made a sharp turn towards the other end of the city, away from his home and that of 'hers'.
...
Diya had just turned away from the guests and her eyes searched for Arjun, but as her eyes turned from one to another, she knew he had walked out. She felt her eyes well up and she gulped audibly as she spotted her father and instantly, a boiling rage took over. She had controlled herself for much longer than was possible, and now she was running out of patience. All she wanted to do was find solace in the arms of the person she loved. She had to explain everything to him, make him understand that she didn't even have an ounce of idea about what had been conspiring between her father and Karan.
Also, this was the end of it with Drupad, she had had enough. Both, Dhruv and her, had been constantly ignored by their father after the incident that had taken place in the past, although they had never been at fault. Dai ma had given them a lot of love, assuming the role of a parent in their lives then, and making her place in their tender hearts. Diya didn't even want to think of what would have happened to them, had she not given them the support to fight the ghosts of their past. And now, her father couldn't just try and walk into their lives, making such big decisions without even so as informing her, let alone including her in the discussion.
As the last of the guests walked out of the house and Karan and her father waved to them, she charged towards the duo, her brother and Dai ma, standing with her, supporting her like always.
"Karan, I cannot marry you."
"Diya...I know this is sudden and you would have expected a proposal better than this, but I promise I'll give you the fairy-tale romance that..."
"Shut the hell up! Don't you understand I can't marry you? I love someone else."
"Diya! How dare you. Apologise, now!" cried her father.
"No."
"What...what did you say?" stammered an astonished Drupad.
"I said NO! Never am I going to apologise. Do you realise I am your daughter Mr. Drupad Panchal? You cannot make decisions on my behalf, even so when you know what the situation is here. This isn't a perfect family and even if it is, you are not part of my family. I love Arjun, have been in a relationship with him all these months and my family knows, mind you my family! You have no right to announce my engagement with someone you have chosen without even informing me. Don't forget that my life is now not just limited to this house, but also includes the many people out there. Both Dhruv and I have wanted our father's love, the loving parent we had known as children but you never gave him to us. We figured you needed time and we gave it to you all these years, trying to prove ourselves to you, trying to make you feel proud, but now that I think, it was never even worth it.
"Do not try and change my decision or I assure you, I will walk out of this house this moment, and with me, so will my family. Also, you can't even try and blackmail us because we have made ourselves capable enough -- Dai ma has taught us to -- and we stopped using your money the day we started earning our own.
"And Karan?" Diya turned to him, her tone softening, "I realise that maybe you didn't know about all of this, and I don't blame you at all. It is just that I love someone else, but I wouldn't want to lose a friend like you, ever." Karan smiled at her, nodding his head in understanding and Diya flounced out of the main room towards her own bedroom.
That night, she tried calling him again and again, her tears never stopping but all she got was a message that the phone was switched off. She didn't know when she fell down in a heap on the floor and slept there itself, the tears leaving a salty trail on her cheeks.
...
Diya woke up next morning with the first rays of the sun, immediately regretting that she had even fallen asleep and tried Arjun's number again, but in vain. Finally, she decided to contact Saket, who she was sure would know his boss' whereabouts.
As the line connected, she impatiently put her questions forward, but when he showed no signs of budging, she lost her cool.
Diya: For the last time Saket, where the hell is Arjun? Is he in his Bandra penthouse?
Saket: No ma'am, he is at Chitrangada ma'am's place.
The phone slipped from her hand, as Diya took in his words, and the line disconnected. Her mind instantly assumed the worst, but she schooled her emotions, trusting her love. 'Please, baby, please let it all be false. I love you.'
...
Chitrangada Vohra was Arjun's ex-girlfriend. She was a top model and she had been attracted to Arjun on their first meeting at an event. The two had started dating soon after, but their attraction hadn't been enough to give a strong foundation to their relationship. They had broken up five-months late, carrying on with their respective lives, and Arjun had climbed up the ladder of success.
When Arjun and Diya's film had started, and they had become friends, he had started to receive her calls again, asking him to take her back, but Arjun hadn't been the least bit interested. He had told Diya about their past and when she herself had witnessed Chitrangada's desperate attempts to seduce him, owing to her now crumbling career, she had been disgusted. Diya had seen Arjun telling the woman off many a time and also his agitation, but now she was afraid of what might happen.
Diya's car sped towards Chitrangada's house. She had taken the address from Saket and as she took a right towards the secluded region, she realised that it was an apartment at the posh 'Tower complex' of Mumbai. Within moments, she was inside the elevator and onto one of the topmost floors of skyscraper, her heart beating rapidly with every step she took towards the apartment number 2082. Finally, she found herself standing in front of the dark, wooden door as she stared at the nameplate engraved with gold. Clutching her heart, she raised her other hand towards the bell. A shrill voice rang in her ears the next moment, and she realised that she had pressed the button.
Diya shut her eyes tightly, silently praying that this was all just a bad dream, that it would all end and they would be together. She dreaded the consequences of what would happen if she found Arjun inside. The creaking of the door made her open her teary eyes with a jerk and a tall lady dressed in a skimpy nightdress walked out, leaning against the frame of the door, a haughty smirk tipping up her lips.
"Arjun...?" Diya managed.
"If it isn't the little Miss Panchal...come on in, ASK is inside."
Diya didn't like the tone in which she addressed Arjun and she had a constant nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was terribly wrong. For the first time, she took uncertain steps towards where the woman led her and finally, she reached the threshold of what she figured was a bedroom. Taking in a deep breath, she entered the room, only to find Arjun lying shirtless on the bed, his hair dishevelled and his eyes just slightly open as he murmured something.
"Arjun?" she whispered with disbelief, her hair covering her mouth as a gasp escaped, and as if he had heard her, Arjun stood up rubbing his eyes. It was clear that he hadn't realised where he was and as he noticed the surroundings, all traces of sleep vanished, and his eyes locked with Diya's. He could see her eyes were red with tears, both already shed and unshed and she was trying hard to keep her emotions in check. His eyes then moved towards the door and registered the figure standing there, a sly smile on her face. Arjun gritted his teeth and coldly ordered, "I would like some privacy Chitrangada, leave us alone and close the door behind you."
The woman rolled her eyes agitatedly and gave them both a dirty look, but as she noticed Arjun glaring at her, she immediately put on a sugary sweet smile and nodded, "Sure ASK, anything for you darling", before walking out.
The door shut with a thud and what followed was silence, awkward and cold silence, something that their relationship had never witnessed in the past. Diya was looking blankly at the floor and it pained his heart to see that expression on his face. Somewhere, he wanted her to talk to him, to say anything at all, to tell him that last night wasn't what he had imagined it to be, that she was still his, only HIS, but as she finally looked up, directly into his eyes, he staggered back with what he saw.
Diya's beautiful eyes held pain and the intensity of it made him suck in air sharply. The kohl on her waterline was now smudged and mixed with the tears that had begun to flow. Her eyes were bloodshot and her expression showed no signs of the anger that he had anticipated, instead they held pain, only pain. They stood like that for a long time, till he eventually realised that she was now blankly staring at his bare chest, and that was when his eyes caught sight of a red mark there, the red of a lipstick.
"Diya..."
"How could you...how could you do this Arjun? Why?"
"Diya, nothing happ..."
"No, stop! I shouldn't be doing this; I shouldn't be asking you this question anymore. I have no right now, do I?"
"You..." No, it couldn't be. Had she agreed to the engagement? "So you did know about it and you lied to me all this while, that's right isn't it Mrs. Soon-to-be Mathur?"
Diya shot him an impassive look just then which prevented him from speaking anymore. 'Why wasn't she reacting to his allegations?' He knew she wasn't the kind of person to take anything from anyone, but then this was something he didn't want to see in her. And when she finally spoke, he hadn't in the least bit expected what he heard.
"I am sorry I loved you. Now, I realise what a huge mistake it was. Had you trusted me, you would have never asked me what you just did. I wanted to speak to you yesterday itself, but now I don't think it's even worth it. It's alright, maybe it is in my genes to 'cheat', I don't blame you for not trusting me. Enjoy with Chitrangada, maybe her engagement won't be announced like this, but I only have three words to say Mr. Arjun Singh Khurana. I HATE YOU. You say, I have cheated on you, but here, you have broken the little hope I had for love in my life."
Wiping her tears abruptly, she turned around meaning to walk away from him, and the memories he held, but her hand was grabbed roughly and in a blur, she hit his hard chest, her hand twisted behind her back none too gently.
Arjun saw red at what he had just heard and losing it completely, he held her shoulders firmly and screamed, "How dare you blame me for what happened? To refresh your memory, it was you whose father announced her engagement, not me dammit! Why don't you just admit that you were playing with my feelings, being what you really are, the spoilt daughter of a rich father. You don't deserve love, Diya. You are clearly someone who likes playing with others' feelings and is selfish and..." but he could never complete the sentence as her palm thrust out striking his cheek with a shocking hardness, and the sound of a slap resonated throughout the room.
Diya pushed at his chest once, and then again as she finally let her tears flow freely. She felt hurt, her heart completely broken by his words. It felt like she had been struck by an arrow that had pierced right through her heart, the arrow that had till then been expertly controlled by the strings of her bow, the bow of her love. But now she realised that either her hold on it was too loose or she hadn't been able to tie it together properly. Arjun had ignited in her heart a little hope, hope that she could love, and be loved, that she could understand what the most powerful feeling in the world meant, and he had sealed that hope when he had entangled his long fingers with hers, holding her through their passionate romance, and now it had all shattered with a sound that was now echoing in her ears, and one that would continue to echo for a long time to come.
"How could you do this to me Arjun? HOW? It was a mistake to believe in love, to think that maybe I deserved the happiness, but clearly I was wrong. I have nothing to do with you anymore, nothing.
"But what you said in the end was wrong Arjun, it was wrong. I am the daughter of a father who once loved me, not the daughter of a rich businessman. And maybe you are right; I don't deserve love after all."
Those were the last words Diya had said to him before she had walked out of the room, away from him and away from them. That was how their relationship had ended. He still remembered the whole scene clearly, and how her last words had stung him more than the burning sensation the slap had caused on his cheek, leaving a lasting impact on him. Time and again, he had tried to ignore the words that sounded so cold, so unlike his Diya and his heart ached for her. For days, he had failed to concentrate on his work, giving bad shots till finally he had decided to take a break and had cut himself off from everyone.
After that, the two of them had ignored each other at the premiere of their film, which had become a record-breaking 'hit', the talk of the town for many, many weeks. The cold avoidance had caused a lot of talk, but eventually it had died down. A few weeks later, Arjun had been extremely shocked when the headlines of the entertainment section announced Diya's broken engagement. The reason hadn't been stated but something on the lines of an 'amicable split' had been emphasised in the article. The report had caused him to doubt what he had done, to think that maybe he had been wrong in blaming Diya but when he had seen Karan and her laughing at a mall, having a gala, and they were accompanied by Diya's assistant, Ananya and Dai ma.
The thin link had snapped instantly when she had failed to so as even cast a look at him, and it had been so for three years now. That was the last he had seen her in person, till they had finally met in Rajveer's office. He had noticed how she had become more mature and more passionate towards her career, but her aloof behaviour had disturbed him. She had changed. She was no longer the Diya she once was. Her attitude was laced with a feigned indifference and she had hidden all her feelings, every least bit of her true emotions behind a mask. They had both covered their real selves with masks, masks of arrogance, of insouciance and the mask of stardom. In fact, over the three years he had lost himself to his mask of ASK, forgetting who Arjun really was.
As Arjun sat in his hotel room, contemplating the past that had awakened his hidden feelings, he was taken back to what had happened two days ago after the two of them had shot their first scene together. Once the camera had started rolling, they had both slipped into their respective characters, but Diya, it seemed had lost herself completely to her character. He had seen that the innocent blush that had spread across her face during the scene was real; it just couldn't be only acting. But more than that, he had been truly astonished when she had drawn aside the curtains on the palanquin. She had looked every bit a princess, more beautiful than she had ever looked. There seemed to be a natural radiance about her that day, and an aura that he couldn't ignore, even when RV had shouted, 'cut', and explained to them the scene that was to be shot two days later, 'The Grand Swayamvar of Draupadi. At first, he had been nonchalant when the scene was described to him, but as he looked up from his phone, he saw that beads of sweat had started to erupt on Diya's forehead, her eyebrows were knit together and she seemed extremely anxious and had become fidgety. It was as if she was impatient to get out of there, and as RV had finished his narration, she had excused herself and dashed out towards her vanity, taking hurried steps, the tinkling of her anklets fading at a distance.
Concern had washed over him and he had wanted to go to her but RV had kept a hand over his shoulder and told him that it had become her routine and that she would become normal the next day itself. He had only nodded and walked towards his own vanity van, when he had realised how she had not behaved indifferently with him, in fact she had not even bothered to look at him after the scene. And that had disturbed Arjun to a great extent. He had as usual taken out his frustration on poor Saket, who had been repeatedly telling himself to handle his boss till this film got over.
Both of them were unknown to what the future held, that there masks would be soon removed and there indifference would turn into something that they had once shared, a feeling they were now scared to experience, a feeling that made the past reel in front of their eyes like the negatives of a film. They would now start a journey that would take them to the deep past and bring them back to the present, rekindling everything they once shared; with a passion so profound it would consume them. Till then, Arjun and Diya lived the last bits of distance between them.
TBC
Hope you like it!
P.S. - Flashback in italics.
And I know that this was terribly long (5000+ words), so *braces herself for chappals*
Edited by 8520NK - 9 years ago
Anupamaa
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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