Sorry friends 😛 ...I deserve no pardon from you people...but I was a bit bored with this story as it seemed very mundane...then I realised that still there are readers who could be waiting for updates...so here goes the next one...
In fact I am planning to start another story, so this needs to be dealt with sooner...otherwise I will never finish it...
Hope you like it...
Chap 6:Back to reality and beyond
Madhu stood dumbstruck moments after the musical performance was over. She saw her friends gathered around Rishabh and his friends and talking excitedly. Suddenly she started feeling restless and turned away to get out of the crowd.
"Madhu, where are you going?" she heard Rahul calling her from behind.
"I am going back to my room, Rahul. I am tired. I need some rest," Madhu mumbled and strode hastily out of the hall.
Out of the hall entrance the hallway led her to the staircase upstairs to her room. But Madhu did not head towards her room; she felt suffocated and needed some fresh air. She walked to the end of the corridor where the door opened to a wide open terrace, facing the back of the building. Somehow this part of the building was left unlit with the flashy lights that covered the rest. Even the din of the Sangeet ceremony downstairs was dampened completely, and the silence was occasionally interrupted by the sounds at the kitchen below the terrace.
Madhu walked to the end of the terrace and held the metal rails to support herself. Every moment she had spent in the last two weeks flowed back to her mind.
She was driving on her way back from the office. As she waited at one of the traffic lights, the radio station started playing the "Ishq bulaava" song. No matter how much she had forced her mind to stay away from Rishabh's thoughts all day by drowning herself in work, at that very second everything around her seemed fading away, and all she could see was Rishabh's bright smile and twinkling eyes in front of her. Unconsciously her right hand lifted on its own accord and tried to touch Rishabh's image on the windscreen, when a blaring honk from the cars behind brought her back to the present.
"Hey miss, clear the way. It's green already, if you have not noticed yet!" shouted a taxi driver as he manoeuvred his way out in the intersection.
Madhu lifted her foot from the clutch and tried to press the accelerator pedal hurriedly, but the car refused to move and the ignition stopped.
"Oh god, not now please!" whined Madhu and tried again.
As the car slowly started moving ahead, she could feel the wetness on her cheeks, rolling down her face.
"Not now Rishabh, not ever! Please!" whispered Madhu as the tears came rolling down one after another.
She realised that this longed-for solitude was not for long, as someone would surely notice her absence downstairs and come searching for her. Thus she tried to seep in every moment of this outward calmness, and endure her inner turmoil.
The first sound of the footsteps behind her brought Madhu back to her guarded demeanour. She waited with abated breath to hear her mother or Trishna's voice accusing her of running away from her own Sangeet ceremony. When she did not hear anything of that sort, she turned back hesitantly to find Rishabh standing few feet away from her.
"What are you doing here?" asked Madhu under her breath.
"Madhu..."
"Have you gone completely mad, Rishabh? Why have you come here before my wedding? There is absolutely nothing between us. The thing that happened at the atoll was a stupid mistake. It was nothing, just nothing! I am ready to get married to Rahul and start a new life, come what may! If you think your being here is going to change my mind then you are absolutely wrong, Rishabh!" blurted out Madhu in one breath.
Rishabh did not speak a word for few moments. His brows were a little furrowed with Madhu's allegations, but as she stopped, his face regained its calm composure.
"I suppose you got me wrong, Madhu. I did not come here with any such intention. We have an audition tomorrow with a music company, and we flew in this morning. Mr. Khanna called us few hours back, requesting to fill in some gap in the Sangeet ceremony."
Madhu looked at his face dumbfounded, as blood rose up her cheeks. She could not utter another word, as her mind had completely shut off with embarrassment. How could I make such a big fool of myself?
She walked hurriedly past him and almost ran inside to avoid any more humiliation. Rishabh watched her leave, but did not call or follow to add to her woes.
After few minutes, he walked down the stairs to the ceremony hall where some Bollywood singer was performing with the crowds cheering him at the top of their voices.
"Hey, where were you buddy? Mr. Khanna wanted us to meet his friend who is an accomplished event manager," asked Krish as Rishabh approached his friends.
"Stop being so formal, Krish. Call me Sultan," said Sultan with a warm smile, as he joined the group.
"I was just out there for some fresh air," replied Rishabh hesitantly.
"Hahaha. Fresh air in Mumbai? I bet you get it much fresher in Maldives. Anyway, are you guys game for a couple of drinks? I am getting sick of this Bollywood extravaganza with its loud music and crazy crowd," commented Sultan.
"Yes please," replied all.
Sultan took them to a makeshift bar catering to the wedding guests, just outside the hall. As everyone settled on a couch, Sultan approached the bar counter to order the drinks. Rishabh followed him and stood quietly beside him waiting for the drinks.
"Weddings are crazy events in this country, aren't they?" quipped Sultan.
"Can't say. Haven't been to many," replied Rishabh with a smile.
"Oh god! I can't believe that! I would never leave a chance of attending a wedding from my school days, you know. You get to eat such good food without anyone stopping you. And the best part is that you get to meet so many good looking girls who do not mind flirting. I met Trishna at one such wedding, and then everything was history," responded Sultan dreamily.
"Not so exciting if the one you fall for is the bride getting married," replied Rishabh absent-mindedly, and immediately corrected himself by saying, "but I guess it would be fun."
Sultan stared at him for few seconds with suspicion. Before he could interrogate Rishabh, the drinks were ready and both of them carried the glasses back to their friends.
Madhu was folding her lehenga carefully in the carrier bag, when Raika, Trishna and her baby entered her room.
"What happened Madhu? Why did you leave so early?" enquired Trishna.
"Nothing. I was just not feeling well. It was so crowded and noisy. I got a headache," replied Madhu without looking at them.
"Mummy, susu," whined Trishna's son.
"Oh god, come to the bathroom," huffed Trishna and dragged her son away.
Raika came closer to Madhu and held her hand.
"It's ok, Raika. I will manage packing on my own," said Madhu hastily while picking up her other accessories.
"I did not say anything, Madhu," replied Raika with a pointed glance, "but I did not intend to help with your packing either."
"What is it then?"
"Why are you so agitated? What happened?"
"Nothing happened. Why do you have to pick on something or the other always?" blurted Madhu.
"Why are you reacting so vehemently if nothing has happened?" enquired Raika.
Madhu could not hold back anymore. She dropped the stuff she had in her hands and sat down on the bed with a thump.
"I am such a big fool, such an idiot!" whimpered Madhu as tears welled up in her eyes.
"What happened Madhu? Tell me. Did Rahul say anything? Is it your mother-in-law?" asked Raika worriedly as she hugged Madhu sideways trying to soothe her.
"No, it's not Rahul. It's Rishabh," replied Madhu with a huff.
"Rishabh?"
Both Madhu and Raika looked back to see the shocked expression on Trishna's face as she had just come out of the bathroom with her kid.
"What about Rishabh, Madhu?" asked Trishna again, this time coming closer to face Madhu.
"Trishna, stop interrogating her. She is already in an edgy state, don't push her. Let her speak," rebuked Raika.
Trishna stared at Raika and then back at Madhu. But without asking anything, she stood still waiting for Madhu to continue.
"Rishabh and I...we had a moment in Maldives. Nothing much, just a kiss.."
Trishna pulled in a deep breath with her mouth open, and Raika gave her a slight nudge to stop interrupting.
"I was a fool to think that he being so young, must have taken it seriously. And may be that is the reason he followed me to my wedding."
At this both Trishna and Raika frowned and waited for her to continue.
"I was tensed and terrified, so when he came to talk to me I accused him of trying to sabotage my wedding. And he told me, he was here just for some recording..."
Madhu could not continue as she started wailing, with her face covered in her palms.
"Why did you assume such a thing at the first place?" asked Raika, while rubbing Madhu's back for comfort.
"Have you fallen in love with him?" asked Trishna in a very calm tone.
"Trishna..."
"See, I have known you from school days. I thought I understood you more than anyone else. But I must have been blind not to see how much you were smitten by him. I am not blaming you, Madhu. But there is actually very little that can be done now."
"I don't want anything other than getting married to the person my parents have chosen for me. And as far as Rishabh is concerned, I have been an idiot and made enough fool of myself. So there is nothing more to think on that," replied Madhu with vehemence and wiped away her tears.
Trishna and Raika sighed and started helping her with her packing.
Next morning was the mehendi ritual. The Ratnanis had come in a huge horde, as the previous evening and were busy in the merry-making. Madhu sat at the centre of the hall with her two hands spread out to two girls who were preparing the mehendi cones in hurry. She had a sombre expression on her face, with frequent interruptions of a pretended smile whenever her in-laws spoke to her. Padmini noticed the lack of excitement in her daughter's face, but thought it was because she was going to leave her parents after the wedding. Shamsher was running around the venue, instructing the caterers and decorators on last minute changes. Outside at the lawn Sultan and Rishabh were talking to another of his friends who had a recording studio of his own.
Suddenly two cars entered the premises followed by a police car. Sultan and Rishabh looked curiously and saw about 10 men and women getting out of the cars and marching towards the wedding hall. A couple of policemen also followed them. Sensing something amiss, both of them ran to follow them.
"Where is that nalayak Rahul? Ask that scoundrel to come in front of us!!" shouted a heavily built man, who seemed like the leader of the group.
Shamsher was closest to them. Hearing some more profanities about Rahul from the rest of the group, he hurried towards them.
"What is the matter? Who are you?" asked Shamsher.
"Are you from the bride's side or the groom's side?" roared that man.
"I am the bride's father. But who are you? Why are you looking for Rahul? What is the matter?"
"See mister, you look like a gentleman. We have nothing against you. But if you want to save your daughter and your respect, stop this wedding right now and ask that rascal to come in front of us!"
Hearing the commotion all the guests gathered around and waited for the drama to unfold further. Sultan and Rishabh came and stood by Shamsher, who was already shivering in rage and tension.
Rahul was nowhere to be seen, but his brother in law came hesitantly. His parents were also hiding behind the crowd.
"No wonder that Rahul has chickened out. Must be hiding under his bed now!"
"Sir, can you please tell us clearly what this is all about? What do you want from Rahul?" Sultan asked as he sensed that the situation was getting out of control.
"That bloody liar cheated my niece. He lured her into marriage in a temple. Lived with her for a couple of months. And when she conceived his child, he left her! We did not have his whereabouts, nor his actual identity. Yesterday my son spotted him at a bar and then we got to know that he is getting married again!!"
Everyone at the place was in utter shock and bewilderment. Rahul's brother-in-law tried to interject.
"That's all lie! You are making up all this story to extract money from us!"
Before he could continue any further, the policemen came in front and showed everyone few photographs of Rahul and a girl in wedding attire, and some other evidences.
"There has been a case filed in Mr. Ratnani's name for the past 3 years. We have an arrest warrant now in his name. He had lured this girl into marriage when she was a minor. He is going to be charged with more than one punishable offense," declared the policeman.
Shamsher Malik slouched on the floor and a sharp cry could be heard from the back where Padmini almost fainted. The Ratnanis had nowhere to go but come to the forefront and Rahul had to surrender. A huge chaos ensued as the guests from both sides started accusing and bad mouthing each other.
"Sultan, you take care of uncle," pointed Rishabh and rushed to stop few men who had got into a fist fight.
Madhu who had not heard the entire episode was bewildered at first to see the sudden change in the mood of the crowd, but then her friends and the other ladies came to her to fill in. She was stunned for few moments and then pushing everyone blocking her path she rushed to Padmini who was still lying on the floor, unconscious.
The mayhem came under control after another half an hour. Most of the distant relatives and friends had left. It was only the very close relations and Madhu's friends who stayed back to help her family cope with the shock.
After putting her mother on bed and ensuring her wellbeing, Madhu went to her room. Trishna and Raika followed her, and saw her facing the window with her back towards them. She was shivering.
"Are you okay Madhu?" asked Trishna hesitantly.
She carefully placed her hand on her shoulder when Madhu turned and burst out in laughter.
"I could never have thought that God had such an amazing plan to save me from the clutches of Ratnanis," replied Madhu while giggling.
Her friends were also very happy to see her relief and they hugged her.
At the hall another melodrama was taking place.
"Shamsher, whatever happened has been extremely unholy for your family, especially Madhu. How will you get her married now?" interjected one of her aged aunts.
"She is already 28. I doubt how you will manage to get a decent groom for her after this chaos," added in another.
Madhu walked in to be with her father when all this discussion hushed down. Shamsher had his eyes covered in his palms and Madhu could see trickles of tears around them. She hugged him tight as he broke down.
"I am sorry beta. I ruined your life. You wanted to go ahead with your career, but we being the typical Indian parents did not believe in you."
"Please Papa, don't blame yourself. This was destined to happen. Imagine what would I do if we got to know all these after my marriage?" Madhu tried to reason.
"Don't start with this career crap again, Shamsher. She has already wasted her youth in it. Marry her off before it is too late..."
"No one, absolutely no one decides on my daughter's future!! Padmini and I have brought her up to be an independent woman. We made a mistake once. But now I will not stop her. You go to UK, you go and see the world, my princess. Your parents will always be with you in every decision from now onwards."
He held Madhu's face and kissed her forehead. Madhu also hugged him back tightly with sheer happiness on her face.
Rishabh witnessed the whole act between the father and the daughter. As if a huge burden was lifted off his heart, his eyes moistened and a slight smile appeared on his face. When he had woken up in the morning he regretted every moment of being at this wedding event. But this moment brought him an unexplainable joy, and he did not regret being the witness of this heart-warming scene.
Almost a month had passed after the almost-wedding fiasco. Madhu's parents had come to terms with the situation and they were happy to see their daughter getting excited about her mission to UK. With the help of Sultan and his friends, Rishabh and the boys had got several contacts and opportunities in the music industry and slowly but surely they were getting closer to their first official recording. Rishabh had not met Madhu after that incident and nor did Madhu try to know his whereabouts from Sultan or Trishna.
Madhu was working at her office. She had just received her visa documents from the UK consulate. And that meant she would have to leave in about a week. She had been waiting for this all along, but when the realisation dawned that it was actually happening, she felt both nervous and thrilled. She picked up her phone and called Trishna.
"Hey Trish, I got my visa today!"
"Wow!! That's great!! But wait, that means you will be gone soon?"
"Yes, in 10 days at the most."
"Ok fine! You are coming to our place tonight and we are going to have a party all night. It's Friday, so don't give your work load crap. I will call Padmini aunty, so don't bother. Raika will also come. Just come here straight from your office," spurted out Trishna in one breath.
"Relax Trish! I will come. Just take a deep breath and prepare for the party tonight," replied Madhu laughingly.
Madhu reached Trishna's house at around 7. As soon as she entered she was ushered to Trishna's bedroom to change her clothes to something party-ish. Luckily her wardrobe from Maldives was stored at Trishna's place, so she picked up a sleek plum coloured knee length dress. After applying some makeup and brushing her hair, she stepped outside into the living area where her friends had gathered. She was about to approach Raika who was behind the bar counter making drinks, when Madhu noticed Rishabh talking to Sultan, and her feet froze.
"Hi Madhu!!"
Rishabh followed Sultan's sight and he noticed Madhu. It was as if an electric current passed between the two of them and they could not shift their gaze from each other. After few awkward moments of silence both of them stepped forward and greeted each other in a normal way.
"Sorry Madhu, we did not want to steal the limelight from you tonight. But today the Wavebass recorded their first song, so that called for a party as well," chimed in Sultan.
"Wow!! That is great news!! Congrats guys!!" exclaimed Madhu with genuine happiness.
"We should thank you Madhu and your friends. Without your recommendation Sultan would not have given us a chance," quipped Rishabh and got a playful punch from Sultan.
"What are you waiting for then, peeps? Just take a dip in the drinks," exclaimed Raika from the back of the bar counter and everyone cheered at her.
After about three hours, everyone was a bit high with the amount of alcohol they had consumed. There was some music playing and all of them started dancing. Trishna had sent her kid to her parents so she too did not care about getting drunk. Rishabh did not dance, he enjoyed looking at the others dancing for some time. Then he took his glass of drink and went out in the balcony. Madhu danced for some time, but she was quite tired from her day at work. So, she too took a glass of water and stepped out on to the balcony.
"Oh, I am sorry Rishabh. I did not know you were here," said Madhu and turned to go back in.
Rishabh quickly held her hand and pulled her towards him. The water from Madhu's glass splashed on his chest, wetting his shirt.
"Oh, I am so sorry," uttered Madhu and tried to wipe away the water from his shirt.
Rishabh grasped her hand and pressed it harder on his chest.
"Don't be sorry Madhu. This is nothing compared to the pain I gave you the last time we spoke."
Madhu looked into his eyes with a frown.
"What do you mean?"
"I did wish to somehow stop your wedding before it was too late. But I had no way to do that. This is real life, not a movie where I would put up stunts to stop the wedding. I saw your parents, how happy they were for you."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"You know why, Madhu."
Madhu's eyes started glistening as her mind started getting clogged with her old dreams and wishes. But somewhere a voice was also echoing inside.
Don't be fooled again, Madhu.
"Rishabh, even now the situation is no different. You are still younger than me. I am going to UK for a year at least. We hardly know anything about each other. Why do you want to get into this and get both of us hurt?"
"I have felt the pain of losing you at Maldives and at your wedding ceremony. I am not going to make myself go through that hell again! More I try to get you out of me, more I get obsessed about you. I don't know I would have followed you to UK, if I had not got the chance to talk to you before you left. There is something between us, which neither of us can deny. Give it a chance Madhu. Let me know you, let me make myself known to you. We will make it happen, no matter the distance and time."
Rishabh pulled Madhu's face even closer so that he could capture her lips possessively. He held her around her waist with one hand and back of her head with the other, his fingers tangled in her hair. Madhu's whole being reacted completely out of her control. She held him closer and her nails dug into his back.
By the time they parted, their rumpled appearance was enough to indicate what they had been through to their friends. But to their relief, the party was almost over. Krish had called a taxi for going back to the hotel.
"Danny is coming with me," shouted Raika with a slur.
"And I will come a little later," added Rishabh.
"Ok, as you wish."
The boys and Raika left. Trishna looked at Madhu and Rishabh and laughed.
"I knew you would not be able to stay away from each other for long."
"Please Trish, cut the crap. You claim to be her best friend, but did not realise her feelings for Rishabh in Maldives. Stupid friend," interjected Sultan.
Madhu's face became red and she looked away. Rishabh smirked and pulled Madhu close to him.
"Thanks to you two for making this possible for us," he replied.
"What? This was a plan?" asked Madhu in shock.
"Not entirely. But it ended up fine," replied Trishna gleefully.
"Anyway, let's not bother these love birds anymore. The guest room is all yours. And we will have a night to ourselves as well, finally," said Sultan and pulled his wife along with him.
As they entered the guestroom, they started kissing each other fervently. Madhu started tugging Rishabh's shirt out, when he suddenly pulled out of the kiss.
"I have never done this before," said Rishabh hesitantly.
"Never done what?"
"This...spending night with a girl."
"Oh, that thing!" smirked Madhu and pulled him closer by his collar.
"Don't worry, I will teach you."
She pushed him slightly and Rishabh landed on the bed, with Madhu crawling on him.
"Just to tell you, this is my favourite position. Woman on top," said Madhu before slamming her lips on him again.
Ten days later, Madhu was at the international airport with her family and friends. Rishabh had come as well, but he stayed at a distance as they were yet not ready to talk to their parents about their "relationship". Madhu hugged everyone and said goodbye until she looked at Rishabh waiting at a distance. She looked at Trishna and Sultan and they quickly ushered Padmini and Shamsher away, saying Madhu would get late if she did not enter immediately.
They had only a minute or so before getting noticed. Madhu hugged him tight, and pecked him all over his face.
"I will wait for you, Madhu. You wait for me too."
"I will. I will miss you."
They had a quick kiss before Madhu entered the terminal and waved him bye.
[/I][I]Edited by mimibm - 9 years ago
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