OS: Noise,Gunshot,his Scream,her Tears and then..

ONE SHOT: THE NOISE, THE GUNSHOT, HIS SCREAM, HER TEARS AND THEN...

"arrey nandhikishore! Where this sankadevi went?" buaji asked loudly hoping that it will reach kushi's ear. But that was of no use. All that she got as a response was NK running towards her, almost colliding with her, as he enquired why did she called him. She sighed and opened her mouth to utter her signature line 'nan', but immediately stopped it thinking of its consequences.

"don't know, where this laat governor went?!" She murmured as she tugged her heavy red leghna above her ankles, making her way carefully in between the lighted diya's which decorated the pool. She stepped inside his room through French windows as she heard cheering sound from downstairs.

She immediately let her leghna to caress the floor, as she clapped her hand and excitedly said "I think jiji and jeeju are going to dance. I will go down before they start." She ran towards the door where she stopped, turned back to take a last look at pool hoping to see his face. She sighed as there were no sign of him.

She rested her hands on curve of her bare hip, which was hidden in front and back by duppatta. She said "where did he go? Iam sure, he must have went somewhere as he was scared of losing." She grinned. But that was not the truth. Actually, it was she who was scared after seeing nanheji's performance.

She remembered how he welcomed her, when she came to his house earlier this evening, with a evil grin as he warned "BE READY TO LOSE, KUSHI KUMARI GUPTA." After sangeet had started, she noticed him watching nanheji's performance uncomfortably. Once the performance got over, he was nowhere to be seen. And here she was searching him. Something inside her told her that he was not okay.

She almost turned when the staircase near the pool caught her attention. She carefully climbed the stairs, holding her leghna and let a sigh as she saw him in the terrace, standing at the other end with folded arms and looking at the sky filled with stars. She corrected it, looking at his mother. She slowly made her way towards him, thinking of all possible reasons which would have made him to come here.

He came to terrace to get rid of the noise. But his efforts were totally useless as he could still hear it. It scared him. THE NOISE. THE GUNSHOT. HIS SCREAM. HER TEARS. He shut his eyes tightly as he gulped a lump in his throat. His every wound felt fresh and he could sense the pain. He felt like he couldn't take it anymore.

He opened his eyes scanning the sky for his mom. He looked at her, pleaded her to return and relieve him from all his sufferings. He whispered "maa, I cant take it anymore. Why this is happening to me? why I can't forget past just like di? Maa, do something…please maa…"

He once again closed his eyes tightly as he tried to control all his senses. He ordered his brain not to hear anything and concentrate on darkness which he saw with his closed eyes.

He tried to conceal himself in another world, where there was no sound, no memory, no past and he succeeded in it as he stood there LIFELESS. He didn't hear the noise; he didn't feel the cold breeze caress his body; he didn't feel his weight; all he felt was numbness.

Jingling sound of anklets brought his life back. He felt annoyed and relieved both at same time knowing who it was. He thought 'why is it always her?'. But he was too tired to think why she came here? Or how does she know that he was here? It amazed him as he heard her anklets sound clearly even though a loud noise was emanating from downstairs. He opened his eyes as he felt her coming towards him.

She halted next to him, looking at the sky, searching for her own parents. They stood there in silence as time passed. Then she turned her head towards him to have a look at him. he was hurt. But why? She tried to study his face.

He felt her gaze boring him. He gritted his teeth as he broke the silence "what are you doing here? Sangeet is going on. Music, NOISE, dance and fun. That's what you wanted know? Go down and enjoy!" his words made her confused but the stress on the word noise explained her everything.

She asked him, in a tone full of concern, "yo..u….real..ly… don't like noise?" which she immediately regretted as he turned towards her, she gulped looking at the rage in his eyes, he shot back "stop asking me questions. And get out of my sight."

She studied him for a minute before stepping back to sit in the cushioned swing. She sat there, quietly observing his every movement for five minutes, till he came near the swing and took a seat next to her. She looked at him as he called her. "kushi, please go fr…." He stopped as he felt soft finger pressing against his lips.

"sh.sh…" she whispered. She waited till his gaze met hers. "arnavji, you know that I won't leave this place even if you throw me out. Then what's the point in wasting energy." She smiled as she removed her finger from his lips. As she expected silence engulfed them till he spoke.

"it was di's wedding. I was fifteen. There was that thing. Music. Noise. I was happy as my sister is getting married and sad as she is going to leave our house. But both didn't happened. It was my maa who left me…the noise. The gunshot. my scream. Her tears…" he finished in a trembling voice.

Kushi turned to other side, to fight her tears, which threatened to flow out any time. She cannot do this. She cannot cry in front of him. she has to be strong; strong for him; at least in front of him. she wiped her tears as she turned to face him. next moment She sat there frozen.

he was looking at the stars. But what made her to freeze was his face. There was no hurt; no pain; no anger; no hatred; nothing. His face was expressionless; cold; as DEAD. She had faced expressionless ASR many times. But this was not that ASR; Not her laat governor; not her arnavji.

The face, she was looking at, was completely different and it scared her to the core. She cursed herself for pushing him to this situation. May be she should have left him alone as he asked her to do. She had rekindled his wound and made him to live those moments once again. She concluded that this must be his reaction after that incident, about which she had no clue.

She watched him as his lips moved a millimeter apart. 'no' she thought. She didn't want him to talk. Before he could open his mouth further, she heard herself saying "my mom." He immediately turned towards her with an annoyed look, which soon replaced by concern, after looking at her tensed face.

She sighed, as expressions returned to his eyes, turned to look at her mother, as he followed her act. "maa was like me. to be correct, iam just like her. I don't have many memories of her. But what I remember is my treasure. We were not rich. You know, financial crisis. She used to cry a lot. But whenever she looked at me, she smiled through her tears."

"one day, I asked her whats the reason for her smile. She said it was me. I was confused. She said 'kushi, you won't understand it now. Your innocent, smiling face which has no trace of worry or sadness makes me smile. What's there in this world, better than our children smiling face? We, parents, expect nothing from you, children, except your happiness. That's all we need.' "

She smiled thinking her mother's words. She turned towards him as she said "and that's why, arnavji…" for second time, in that evening she sat there frozen. Is she manipulating things or is it real. He was crying. Tears were flowing down his cheeks as his eyes were glued to his mom. Once she realized it was real, she immediately turned. She knew that the mighty asr will not like the fact that she saw him crying.

She had no guts to speak or even to look at him. she couldn't believe the fact he was crying. He was expressionless when he narrated his past. But now? She realized the effort of her mother's word on him. "is it over?" she heard his enquiring voice, as she jumped out her trance to look at him, in confusion.

She rolled her eyes trying to make sense for what he asked as she looked at his face. "the sangeet! Is it over?" he pointed downwards. Then she realized that there was no music coming from downstairs. She jumped from the swing as she yelled "what? How can it be? I didn't even dance?"

she immediately cursed herself for her stupid reaction. 'what he will think? Iam dying here. And all that she could think was dance.' She looked at him guiltily, was shocked once again, as he smiled. She looked at him, all confused, when she heard the music again. Noticing it, He said "you are lucky, kushi kumari gupta. Let's go."

She replied "I don't want to go." She stopped as an intense gaze burned her. "I mean its good here. Let's stay here for some more time. Please." She made a pleading face, as he studied her, before adding "yeah, its good to stay here..," she nodded as he continued "than to go down and then lose to Arnav singh Raizada."

"what?" she replied as her mouth went wide open like her eyes. He raised an eyebrow as he smirked. She said "excuse me, mr. Raizada, I have already told you it is me who is going to win!" he challenged her "then whats that I see in your eyes? "he pointed his fingers at her eyes, she blinked as he continued " I got it. fear! Fear of losing!"

"good joke. kushi kumari gupta doesn't know what is fear!" she exclaimed back. "prove it" was his reply as they both started to descend the stairs. When he was in last step, she stopped him by holding his wrist. As he looked up at her, who was at second step, she asked "are you sure that you want to go?" she gave him a feeble, concerned smile.

He placed his free hand on hers as he said "if this is what makes my mom smile, then, at least I must give it a try." SMILE. Her bright smile was all he got as response. He could feel how her mother would have felt while watching her innocent, cute, pure smile. He looked at her without wincing, capturing the moment in his hearts, which he wanted to remember till it beats.

He stood there watching his nani challenging her buaji. Then it started. The music. The noise. He shut his eyes as his past started to haunt him. THE NOISE. THE GUNSHOT. HIS SCREAM. HER TEARS. And finally HER SMILE.

He opened his eyes, when he saw kushi's smiling face, wondering when it was added to his haunting memory list. He was sure that Her understanding eyes, divine smile and innocent face will haunt him more than his past. But he was not worried. He was happy that he has got another reason to close his eyes. He can see her face.

He felt her next to him, holding his wrist, as she jumped in excitement, like she did on the day when payal accepted her love. He turned, in desire to see her smile once again, which was well rewarded.

'and if this is what makes you smile, then I will do it for sure.'

how was it guys?...hope i didnt bore you😕...pls pls pls share your thoughts...and also strike like button...if u want pm's for my future works do let me know through ur comments