Lingering moments...the Untold IPK3 Saga...Chapter 34
Same as many of you, I am myself surprised by the back to back updates of this story...maybe it's Barun challenging his own self in his latest Derma...maybe it's this Barunified valentine month of spreading love...or maybe it's just the juncture where this saga has come now, going deeper in the lead pair at the same time expanding smoothly in supporting pairs.
I don't have much chance to know how you silent viewers and visible readers feel, because there are only limited comments from few who have naturally become close to my heart...; but otherwise there's no way to know.
I will very much appreciate your like hits and all the more happy you can make me with your genuine responses.
Till then, since my heart is totally captured by the storm of emotions flowing from different characters, especially the deep pain of true lovers when they are helplessly unable to take their love to next level, I'll continue writing till I can.
The team had already collected in the war room. Some were
speculating the whole thing while few others were energetically discussing next
steps. Advay entered putting his coat on.
"Hi Guys! Good Afternoon! You know already what you are here
for! Our company is taking this new initiative and you people have the ability
to make it into a great success. I can only dream, but you can turn dream into
a reality!" Advay spoke with enthusiastic emphasis.
The finance team damped the air with skepticism. "Where do
we take the money from? It's a big chunk!"
"Come on, man! Does any one of us eat the whole roti(bread)
in one single bite? We break it into pieces, right? So both you finance team
and operations teams break your finance components, costing components and
actual project components into small chunks. Project will happen in stages as
the finance comes in. We will start small and then scale big."
"Contribution Margin of SkyTel will falter by around thirty
percent with this new cost load. The company cannot survive with such big hit."
"Firstly, let's work at Contribution Margin one and two
separate. Check how much cost cutting is feasible at each level of cost overload and save
CM...Secondly, use this investment for corporate tax saving. You'll save money
in that."
"This is really huge chunk. The tax saving investment part
cannot handle it alone."
"I agree! You are the finance experts, manage money from the
other accounts we have. Let's not pay anything to politicians this year. We'll
tell them, we have finance problems."
"They'll be angry and will harass us through policies in our
next ventures."
"They won't dare!"Advay thundered. Then he calmed himself again. "Let's take the bull by the horn! As such,
money is going for the country. We pay these people huge money, which more or
less completely goes in campaign work alone, nothing for the country GDP
improvement. Let's go ahead and reduce that donation for this year. The money
will at least reach the right people."
Aman Shastri was operations head. He was Advay's favorite
being an enthusiastic positive person,
"Sir, my team working for this project
will do the work in overtime hours and not charge anything for it. We'll start
a social service initiative, where in good people can put in their free time
hours and work on the project. We shall give them benefit in their annual appraisal."
"That's an excellent idea, Aman! Will it work?"
"Let's make it work, Sir. Everybody wants credit in
performance appraisal."
Looking at Advay's smile for Aman, the finance man spoke up,
"Sir, from finance team we shall have an initiative where one percent salary of
each employee in one month, ten percent from Director's salary for that month
will be deducted as donation for this project."
"That's very good idea, Bhooshan! But beware of one thing, I
don't want it to come as your otherwise compulsory deductions during natural
calamities in country. I don't want people's moral going down due to compulsion
feeling."
Bhooshan smiled. He very well knew how to manage his show. Just
putting Advay's photograph on the mail being sent and making it an earnest urge
from him, would do the job. People would voluntarily donate their money...the whole clan... Everybody loved the top
boss.
"From my side, I donate my entire CEO salary to this project
till it completes. I will work for one rupee per month!" Advay announced.
Everybody banged the tables in applaud of their boss. He was
never the man to sit tight himself and watch others slogging. He cared, he
participated wholeheartedly, always!
Advay's encouraging spirit spread across all the teams
taking all by storm. Enthusiastically, supply head spoke up, "We shall tap
suppliers to get all materials at special discounts. We'll leverage our good
will with them which they show us though festival gifting."
The marketing head joined in, "This project will not need
much campaigning and marketing. Whatever advertising is needed, we shall get it
done free of cost through our contracted advertising agency."
"That's it, buddies! I was right when I said you can
materialise my dream into fact. I shall take your leave now but I'll appreciate
if you work through the details and send me consolidated result of this war
room at earliest."
Advay left with a highly satisfied air around him. He knew
this project was going to be a success. His father would have patted his back.
The thought made his heart smile, the smile surprising his very rational brain!
Naani came to meet Chandni in her room. "Beta Chandni, are
you angry because I scolded both you and Chiku?"
"No Naani, of course not! Every word said by you was so
true. We did falter... but then what could we do, Naani? We genuinely want a
baby."
"But, you'll get one."Naani protested, "Why are you getting disheartened so
easily, beta?"
"Naani, somehow matters haven't turned out well for me and
Dev. Whatever we have suffered in our youth surely has repercussions on our
future...and I don't want Dev to be kept hanging in hope... the pain at the end
is much worse." Chandni's throat constricted and she dissolved into
uncontrolled tears.
Naani put an encouraging hand on her shoulder, "If you start
thinking so, what's the use of your faith, then? You had faith, Chiku would return
to you; he came from London for you. You had faith, he would accept you in
love; he loves you beyond anybody and anything...aren't all these God's graces
to you? Have faith and surrender to him.
I have complete faith in my Siddhivinayak. If you go to his
door, he'll never send you back empty handed. Do that child!"
Suddenly Chandni saw a ray of hope and she smiled. Lovingly,
she hugged Naani. "Yes Naani, I will go. You also please pray for us."
"All my prayers are for you only, my child."
Advay was very busy with his work when his secretary
informed him that some Mr. Pratham was requesting an urgent meeting.
'PP has
come to Mumbai to meet me?' Wondered Advay, " Send him in, Soniya." Advay waited speculating purpose of PP's visit in his mind.
PP knocked on the cabin and entered. He looked different
than last time. Advay had found his face lighted up in hope then... Now he looked
dejected. Almost, lost.
Advay shook hands with him and offered him coffee.
"So tell me, what brings you here."
"Advay, my life has become miserable. From the day we met,
Meghna has not even spoken to me. I feel like my life's purpose is lost. Why
have you put the restriction on our meeting? It's unjust, you know! I cannot
fathom your reason behind it." PP's perturbed state of mind was clearly visible in his tone.
"Just checking your patience, PP." Advay tried soothing him.
"Checking my patience? Against what? Whether I can live
without air? Without any food, any drink?"
PP was angry now; but he still needed
to plead his case to this man who somehow had control on his love.
"Look Advay, if you are doing this to take revenge on me
because I tried pushing Chandni in marriage...it was different, ok?...I don't
have any feelings for Chandni now, rather I never had any feelings for her,
ever!...I was acting the way I was because I strongly felt, I had bought her
off and I had to claim my money...Meghna's and my situation is completely different.
We are in love, Advay! You were not even in love with Chandni then!"
"There hasn't been a time when I was not in love with
Chandni! I have loved her since before your birth...since before even my
birth!"
PP flinched at the assured confidence in Advay's voice
hitting him like a slap.
Advay changed the topic, "Were you in Mumbai for some other
purpose or came to meet me specifically?"
"Of course, I came to meet you specific. It's the question
of my life, my love! Meghna will not listen to any of my plea. You and only you
can make her change her mind". PP's agitation increased as no solution seemed
to come out despite his painstaking travel all this distance.
"Calm down PP. Just for few more days. I will tell Mamaji my
final decision very soon. What are your plans now? Have you come by flight?"
"No, I came in my car... been driving for thirty hours now...just
to make you change your mind." PP pleaded his case vehemently.
"Oh! In that case, you must not travel back immediately. As
such there is likelihood of riots in the city...some strike is on...Our company
has a room booked in one of the most plush nightclubs here. Please stay there
and rest yourself. You can go back tomorrow morning."
After PP's leaving, Advay went and stood near his windows
looking out on Mumbai's skyline...his favorite place bringing him all the
deftness of his brain, taking him to realms of his mind.
In his usual style, he was hitting two birds in one stone.
He was buying time to have PP's background check done, his financial stability
checked out. Simultaneously, he was purposefully putting PP in place where he
could easily get lured. That would prove whether he had truly changed from his
heart, his soul.
On Meghna's side, he felt genuine remorse. The sweet girl had
refrained from Europe trip just to be with her love and because of Advay's
decision, she would not meet with PP while Advay enjoyed with Chandni. He was
also impressed that she could have easily defied him, but she had chosen to
abide by his words.
I have to do my best for this girl. She deserves it in
every way. But how do I? How do I give up that only chance to save Chandni for
me if the time comes and I know time will come...even after all my urging, the
baby has remained prime importance for her...it would be a crime now to ask her
to give up her dream, her only wish...
I could perhaps explain Meghna and let her marry PP without
the baby. But then what would Meghna do? After all, PP could not father any
child anymore...Wouldn't Meghna's life be pushed in the same valley, where
Chandni had fallen currently?
And then, if there was any chance of Chandni accepting any
baby in the world as hers, it was this one!... She had already become his mother...held him
close to her heart...cried herself with the baby's wail...
Meghna had lived without
wanting the motherhood till now...but then she wasn't aware of the baby's
existence also...how could one hold that against her...' An absolute imbroglio!
It was well
past midnight when Advay finally returned home. Chandni had fallen asleep on
the outside couch waiting for him. She had left the light on. Dev realised how tired she must have been to fall asleep while the lights shined bright on her.
Innocent and peaceful, she looked like a love angel. He crouched near her head and softly kissed
her cheek, floating a hand over her hair and petting her softly.
She
stirred but was in too deep sleep to properly rouse. He actually, physically felt his heart
swell with tenderness... with protective instinct...with desire to possess that
left him breathless in a moment. He'd never felt this way about anyone before,
and the depth of feeling she drew from him consistently surprised him.
Putting the lights off for her comfort, He tiptoed
into their room and changed. He ate just one fruit to manage his hunger. He
couldn't sleep as there were too many things weighing heavily on his mind.
He
went to his trusted guitar. The memories all came back cascading one after the
other. He knew, he had Chandni and Miku now as he had once vowed to bring them
back from life...he knew, his revenge would soon reach the target...Yet there
was no sense of peace, no relief, no contentment...rather a feeling of loss that
refused to go away... refused to fade.
Something
stirred Chandni to wakefulness. She blinked twice and squinted to check time. 'Why has Dev not yet come back?' As she tried to get up, in the semi darkness,
she noticed his shoes discarded near the couch and felt relieved. He must have
gone to bed in our room. She tiptoed to the room.
Dev sat on the ground next to the bed... His brow
creased in a concentrated frown and his eyes looking out to nothingness...
'Why are his lips drawn in such almost hostile
grim line?' Chandni flinched at the pain oozing from his entire frame.
His hands
clasped on the guitar but somehow they lacked their regular soothing magic...
the music was lost to him.
Standing at the door, Chandni stared at him, silently
willing him... to look at her, to absorb life blood from her, to take his
alleviation from her.
But he wouldn't...he just wouldn't...It felt like
life was lost to him...love was lost to him.
Chandni's heart sank at his perturbed state...She
couldn't bear the stillness...the dense poignant silence...it wasn't that she
hadn't seen him in nights like this, rather she knew where his heart roamed...
what battles he fought in the shattered silence of his heart...but today there
was a different shade to his pain, a deeper level to his turmoil...
Somehow, She had to reach him, she had to sooth him...As
if pulled into his vortex, she walked up to him and crouched to his level.
"Dev, what happened? Tell me." She urged
wanting to pull him out from the vortex, wanting to save him from his current
turmoil...but he just sat... without giving any response, without making any
muscle movement...
"Dev, when did you return? Why did you not wake
me up?"
Still no response... a thoughtfulness to his
tension...a very dense tension...like a fog forbidding her from reading his
mind...
Feeling helpless, Chandni sat down... all her
vulnerabilities crowding on her face...she knew she would strive to make it all ok, take
away all his pain but it felt like he didn't want her to do that...as if she
was outcast from his pain sphere, too.
Her vulnerability reached through, pierced
through all the fog and touched him... almost immediately as it always did!
He watched her silently keeping away his
guitar...emptying the space between them, making way for her to come close...in
all his deaths, she was the call of life...in all dreadful cold, she was the warm
sunshine...making his heart leap by mere thought of her.
Chandni accepted the unsaid invitation
gratefully...She leaned further and crouched in his lap...
"You know, Dev?" she
urged with the pouted innocence of eight year young self of hers..."you just hold
onto your memories...I did it , too...but not like you...you never share...I
shared, through my tears, to the waves of the Ganges, to Mamaji, to you through
my letters..."
He listened with utmost attention, like an
eager pupil, ready to learn, willing to understand.
"The worst part of holding your memories is not
the pain...it's the loneliness of it...memories need to be shared, Dev!"
Helpless
tears sprung to her eyes, though she didn't want them now. It was his tears
that needed wiping...it was his tears that needed to be freed from the confinements of
his foreclosed heart.
Without a word, slowly his hand reached out and
cupped her cheek, a magnificence in his hold...Pooja's words bringing back all
their memories in his mind...he had challenged and teased and provoked and manipulated
and fought to bring her to him...And finally when she had been bound to him, he
had done every vile thing to push her away, to remove and throw her out from
his heart...
Yet she had clung on...with the perseverance of love...with the faith
of a lover, "Tumhe meri parva hai(You care for me)..."
And now there couldn't
be any more pushing...she was his wife, his life...forever and beyond...For all
the wrongs he had done to her till date; now, he had to do right by her...her
pain engulfed his heart...he knew she was hurting...from different
things...somehow he couldn't watch her so sad...his eyes glimmered with an undercurrent
of tender emotion...
Chandni knew now was not the time to ask for
permission in his sphere. For now, she had to just take his pain away whatever it
was...somehow she knew, it somewhere revolved around their not being able to
have a baby...
In a flash, she vowed to herself, she would bring that baby to him...if
her womb couldn't make it, she would defy her body and make her heart carry and
nourish the baby. She would fight with destiny, argue with Gods, if needed.
With this renewed determination, she reached
over to cup his neck and gently pressed her lips on his...Her mouth tentatively
tugging his lower lip...urging him to join with her... She dragged her lips
across his tense jaw line...then she whispered her loving command in his ear.
"Come to bed.
She got up and took his hand and led him to bed,
exchanging a saucy smirk of her 'Chandu swag' with him. She moved him to sit on
the edge of their bed while she stood before him, pausing.
She pushed the straps of her dress over her
shoulders. He watched her dazed, a bemused look in his eyes for his innocent
trying to be sensual.
Cornily, she undressed her inner wear...She was aroused
enough to want to get it right and yet not adept at exactly the level of
raunchiness of an adept Dev-daasi!* Yes, He was Dev and she was his daasi, his
slave, a lover's slave!
Her garments pooled at her ankles, leaving her
naked. She stood in front of him...happy and innocent and just plain sensual... A girl so in love, a girl who wanted to do things she never imagined even in her
wildest thoughts, a girl who wanted to show her man how much he meant to her
even if she was embarrassed as hell.
In the semi-darkness of the room, he drank in
her tempting curves. "You are all God's talented creative beauty personified." he murmured.
Chandni lowered her eyes and blushed, her toes
curled at his sensual scrutiny of her body.
He smiled at her pink cheeks. "Dekho, tumhaare
gaal phir se laal ho rahe hai(look, your cheeks are becoming red again)"
She would have otherwise touched them
immediately in her natural embarrassment; but now, she took a step closer and
pulled one of his hands so it cupped her breast.
He squeezed her softly. "Come, let me hold you!"
Her brows cringed and her lips pouted innocently, "I want you to love me."
He stood up divesting himself of his clothes
and moved close to her. Again, cupping her breast, he began to kiss her, gently
tangling his tongue with hers.
"I breathe you," he whispered. "You're
everything. You're the air." Using deft fingers, he teased her roundness now heavy with desire and planted gentle kisses down her neck, feathering up and down
while she urged him on with confident fingers.
Chandni pushed him to recline on his back and
straddled his hips. He kissed between her round mounds and took one of her rosy
peaks in his mouth as his hand glided down her torso, caressing her skin ,
igniting her...he spread his hand down to test her.
He released her breast and looked into her eyes shaking his
head. "You aren't ready."
"But I want you...I want you to take me..."she persisted.
"I want you, too. But I want to set your body
on fire, first."
Chandni's desire to make him forget his pain was
countered by Dev's commitment to see that each of their sexual encounters was
pleasurable for both of them. He'd rather delay entrance and satisfaction until
she was mad with want, rather than speed along before her body was sufficiently
aroused.
Dev had come to read her body. It was the sort
of knowledge that was at once personal and primary, The mysterious sacred
knowledge that a lover had for his beloved!
When they finally came together, she looked down
into open chocolate brown eyes, their noses only a whisper apart. Was it desire
clouding his eyes or did the pain still linger there?
Whatever Chandni had learnt, she had learnt
from her Dev. Now, she put all her knowledge to serve him, to please him... She
moved atop him painstakingly slowly, her eyes closing as she focused on the
pleasurable sensation, before opening again. It was an intense connection. Dark
brown, heavy with emotion, gazed up unblinkingly into wide chestnut black.
Every movement, every yearning was reflected between the couple's eyes.
"I love you." He nuzzled her with his nose as
she gradually increased her pace...
She'd become addicted to this, to him. She
adored the way he looked at her in these intimate moments and the way in which
the world fell out of focus around them. She longed to feel him loving her,
moving inside her, for he always made her feel beautiful with the honest
admission of his love.
A joyful, tender coupling making the marriage
more than just a name... Her mangalsootra, the only jewelry on her body at the
moment, becoming the true holy bond joining the two as unified Ardhanaareshwar!
Hope you gals enjoyed this update.
In hindi serials, somehow the male leads are all business tycoons but their business acumen is never properly shown...office atmospheres are used only to create drama...in contrast, western movies take the actual and utilise to bring more liveliness, a natural feeling to the entire scenario. Hope you didn't get bored with Advay's war room strategy.
PP is persistent though PPghna love story is at standstill. What will happen in their life further?
Advay is a righteous man. What will be his final decision and what will it do to the mess that he senses?
Chandni has taken the form of 'Shakti' now. She will visit Siddhivinayak and urge to the Elephant god, Gajanan, who's Vighnharta, the remover of obstacles. What will be the outcome of her trial?
*Dev-Daasi context- This is very age old custom in Hindu culture. Temples used to have women who dedicated themselves to God alone! They had importance in ritual functions. Later, with degradation of society morals slowly, these women were used for S*x purpose.
Edited by Loving2Missing2 - 5 years ago
comment:
p_commentcount