7 Months In Heaven - Ch 6 Pg 75(Happy Bday Alissa) - Page 6

CHAPTER 1

Delhi 2007

I stepped out of the car and there were camera flashes everywhere. Everyone wanted the best photograph of me for the headlines of their newspapers the following morning. Can't blame them. I am Yuvraaj Udayveer Singh afterall. Everyone wants a glimpse of me and my life, but no one knows the reality behind it. Being a Royal was not all glitz and glamour, nor was it always about getting things served in a golden platter. It is much more than what meets the eye. And as they say "With great power, comes great responsibility" . I can completely relate to that. I put on my best smile and wave away to the cameras, making my way inside the hotel where I find my best friend Karan Kapoor, son of one of the richest business men in India, waiting for my arrival in his Hotel's lobby. Today is a big day for him. He is finally trying to make his own place in the world, on his own merit and capability. It's the opening of his new Restro Bar in his Hotel in Delhi, and I being his friend am here to support him.

"Uday my man, you made it" , said a delighted Karan on meeting his best friend and gave him a hug.

"I wouldn't miss this day for the world" , replied Uday returning the hug.

"So all set to leave for London tomorrow?" , asked Karan.

"Yes. Will be leaving early in the morning" , said Uday.

"This might sound gay, but I'm gonna miss you dude" , Karan put a hand on Uday's shoulder and feigned a pout , though ended up laughing during his attempt, but in reality, the thought of his best friend moving to London made him upset and he tried his best not to show it. However, Uday was well aware of that fact. He too was going to miss Karan, but he had no choice but to leave. His ailing mother needed him, and his father couldn't care less about his first wife. So he thought it best to leave India and spend some time with his mother until she recovers, and decided to manage his business and estate matters from London itself since he did not know how much time it would take for his mother's illness to be fully cured. Moving all those thoughts aside, Uday chuckled at the statement his best friend had made a few seconds ago.

"I'm gonna miss you too. But do stop by in London whenever possible. Your ex-girlfriends must be dying to see you there" , winked Uday. Both the friends had some fascinating memories with London when they used to go there on their trips together. And both laughed remembering those good old days.

"Sure buddy. But I don't think they'd miss me that much, considering their favorite Yuvraaj would be there to keep them accompanied" , smirked Karan.

We were laughing, chit-chatting and pulling each other's legs on our way when we finally made it to the Restro Bar. The huge doors swung open and my vision got momentarily blurred due to the flicking lights. There was loud thumping music, people sitting around in clusters either making out or just talking, then there was the occasional drunk person stumbling around and the true party animals swaying enthusiastically to the beats of the music. This was the world of Yuvraaj Udayveer Singh according to people. All parties and fun. I have had my fair share of fun and girls, I won't deny. But little did people know that there was more to me than what meets the eye. A few years ago I really was that guy. But now , I'm the guy who smiles when I'm sad, laughs when I'm depressed and never lets anyone see the real me. I fake a smile and my laugh to keep everyone happy, but only my real friends know what's wrong with me. And that real friend for me was indeed Karan. I was 19 when my Father, the King of Jaigadh married another woman and left my Mother. I was broken from the inside seeing my family fall apart, seeing my Mother beg my heartless Father to give their marriage another chance. My eyes didn't tear, but my heart cried. I was the Yuvraaj of Jaigadh. I did not have the liberty to shed a single tear. And being the sole heir to the throne, I couldn't leave with my Mother. I had to stay back when she left, for my estate. But I couldn't live in the same house with the man and woman who were behind my Mother's sorrows. I shifted to my hotel's penthouse suite and kept my communication with my Father limited to estate affairs only. Karan was the one person who was there with me, helping, supporting and guiding me as a true friend in these dark times in my life. I broke down infront of him several times and never felt ashamed or embarrassed. He was very well aware of my vulnerable side. I could share my deepest and darkest secrets with him and I know he would never judge me for it. He is the brother I never had. And today, I am here to participate in his happiness in every way that I can, leaving behind all my sorrows and pain. I will put on my best smile and pretend to be the Yuvraaj with a perfect life that everyone thought I had.

*****

"Manyata hurry up, move fast. Do you see the enormous queue of people outside the bar? How are we supposed to get inside now?" , whined Jaynandini.

"Relax Jay, I am coming. My feet can only move this much since I am only human" , replied Manyata annoyed.

"Thanks for the revelation. I could never have guessed" , said Jay sarcastically and moved forward to stand at the end of the queue, followed by Manyata.

Half an hour passed and they had barely even moved from their original spot. Jay was getting restless to see the glimpse of the Prince of Jaigadh whereas Manyata was clearly not interested. She was used to her younger sister's excessive drooling on random guys and decided to not pay heed for the peace of her own mind. These days her new target was the Prince of Jaigadh who's name Manyata didn't even know, and neither was she interested in finding out. As soon as Jay found out that the Prince was coming to Delhi for the opening of his friend's Restro Bar, she screamed her lungs out of excitement and fainted. When she regained consciousness, the first thing she had done was hit the mall to buy a new dress, and then literally dragged Manyata along with her to the hotel.

"15 more minutes Jay and I'm leaving" , said Manyata after some more time of pointless waiting.

"Oh God not again" , Jay raised her arms in frustration and turned around to look at her sister.

"What?"

"Can't you for once act like my sister and actually enjoy something that I want to do?"

"I bailed on my date with Raj Sharma for you Jay. Do you know how many girls in our college are dying to go out with him? But he asked me and I didn't even go. What else do you want me to do? It's a stupid party and I have no interest to see your stupid Prince either"

"Stop whining. You can have your first kiss some other time too but I might not get a chance to meet the Prince of Jaigadh again so zip it"

With that said, both the sisters ended their usual bickering and waited for the line to move forward. Manyata was getting annoyed with every passing minute watching Jay stomp her feet and whine in frustration. She was looking around and exploring the place to pass her time when suddenly her eyes fell on something and an idea struck her mind.

"Jay, follow me" , Manyata instantly grabbed Jay's arm without giving her the chance to speak and dragged her with her to an alley parallel to the hotel.

"Where are you taking me?" , asked Jay confused.

"Just shut up and follow my lead" , Manyata continued to walk for some time ignoring Jay's questions. When she finally found what she was looking for, she stopped.

"Aha I knew it" , a delighted Manyata raised her arms in victory.

"Knew what? Would you tell me what the hell you're up to? Why did you bring me here? Now we'll have to start all the way from the back of the queue again. Ughh what is wrong with you?" , Jay was extremely pissed off.

"I think I over estimated the number of your brain cells Jay" , replied Manyata looking at her sister like she had grown an extra head. But before Jay could answer back, Manyata continued.

"Every coin has two sides right? In the same way, if a place has a main entrance, there is always a back entrance to it too. Do the math" , explained Manyata in hope that her sister would have finally understood what she was doing.

"Oh my God you are a genius. Thank you so much" , Jay hugged Manyata who was overjoyed to see that her sister had so easily solved her problem.

"Okay now hurry up and get inside before someone comes" , said Manyata and once again took Jay's hand in hers to help her in finding the way. They walked for a couple of minutes and with every step that they took forward, the sound of the music got louder and clearer. They finally reached a door which was vibrating due to the loud thumping music which was louder and clearer than ever, and immediately guessed that they had reached their destination. Jay's lips formed a huge grin and without further ado, she swung the door open and entered a different world. While Jay was busy gawking at the place in utter disbelief and amazement, Manyata decided to keep a close watch on her to prevent her from making a fool of herself infront of so many people. She knew how well Jay was capable of landing herself in the most embarrassing situations and today, she wasn't willing to take any risks. They walked through the crazy crowd and reached the bar. Jay was continuously scanning the crowd to get a glimpse of the Royalty amongst it, but so far, she was failing. Manyata decided to make herself a bit more comfortable and seated herself on a stool infront of the bar, and gestured Jay to do the same, to which she reluctantly agreed.

*****

Unaware to everyone's knowledge, a group of drug dealers had entered the party too. They easily camouflaged themselves among the regular crowd and made their way to the bartender who was in on their plan.

"Take this" , said one of the dealers slipping a bottle of drug induced pills in the bartender's hands.

"Remember, Mr. Chaudhry said the work should be done with such perfection, that no one doubts him." , warned the dealer.

"Okay. So should I add these pills in all the drinks? Wouldn't that be risky? Because our main target is Karan Kapoor" , asked the bartender.

"The more the merrier" , an evil smirk formed on the dealer's lips while the bartender mixed the drug induced pills in all the drinks.

*****

"Hey mate, better be careful. These girls look ready to pounce on you any second and trust me, I might not be of much help today" , joked Karan, but his warning was legit. The girls were eyeing Uday like starved hawks. But it didn't creep him out much. He was used to girls falling over him, literally. The title of a Prince infront of his name and his excessively good looks earned him quite a lot of brownie points among girls. And he would be lying if he said that he had never taken advantage of that. There was a time when Uday was the popular bad boy and player, and he used to proudly flaunt that skill when sleeping with women. That part of him is still present though, but now he uses sex only to distract himself from the pain in his heart and life rather than as a means of pleasure, like it used to be before. He never made love to a woman before. There was sex, but no feeling of love. And he wondered if he would ever be able to make love to a girl in true sense.

They made their way to the bar where they ordered their drinks and sat down on the spare stools.

"That Chaudhry and his son don't seem too happy with your success" , said Uday teasingly while sipping his drink.

"Yeah I heard. And I am sure he is up to something" , replied Karan thoughtfully. Uday understood his friend's tension since he was aware of the rivalry between the Kapoor's and the Chaudhry's, and that Chaudhry had left no stone unturned in trying to defame Karan and his Father in order to harm their business.

"Aren't you going to drink that?" , asked Uday after a while pointing at Karan's untouched drink in attempt to change the topic.

"Naah, not really in the mood" , said Karan, still lost in thought. Seeing his friend in this state, Uday too left half his drink as he couldn't drink further. He never drank without Karan, and didn't want to either, so he continued to pacify him instead.

*****

"Ughh where is he? It's 3:00 am already and I still haven't found him" , said Jay disheartened.

"Relax Jay. He must be clustered around more of your clones who would practically be drooling on him right now, just like you" , mocked Manyata.

"Whatever" , replied Jay in an uninterested tone.

"Okay sorry I was just kidding. Here have some juice" , offered Manyata handing over a glass to Jay.

"I don't want to drink anything. I want to see the Prince" , pouted Jay.

"Fine" , Manyata downed the drink that she was offering to Jay in one go since all the waiting was making her thirsty, when she heard a sudden chaos. She turned around and gasped in horror.

*****

The Police had just made an unexpected entry in the Restro Bar on having gotten some news about drugs being supplied in the Kapoor's party and they decided to raid the place. A sudden panic and chaos spread in the crowd and people started running towards the nearest exit available to save themselves from the clutches of the police since they had already started arresting a few of the people in the party, suspecting them without any reason .

"What the hell is going on?" , asked Uday confused.

"Police? I knew that Chaudhry was up to something. Uday you wait right here and I'll go see what's wrong" , before Uday could stop him, Karan had already stormed off and he had no choice but to wait for him to come back. After a while Karan came back, but tensed more than ever.

"What happened man?" , asked Uday worried.

"I just found out that there were drugs slipped into the drinks being served and someone tipped the police off about it. How much did you drink Uday?" , Karan seemed stressed out.

"I think half a glass. So you mean that I just had a drug induced drink?"

"Yes"

"But I didn't drink that much. I don't think it'll affect me too much"

"I don't know man. I mean who knows what those drugs were? Anyway you shouldn't be here. If the Police sees you, your name would get dragged in this mess for no reason at all. And you know how the media is. They'll exaggerate everything"

"No way. I am not going to leave you alone to deal with this crap"

"Just do as I say Uday. GO!"

"But..."

"Please go I'll handle everything. And be careful until the affects of the drug completely wear off"

Uday reluctantly gave in and moved among the panicking crowd trying to find his way out.

*****

Manyata was scanning the crowd in order to find Jay. She was getting pushed and pulled between the crowd of the people and during that, she had lost Jay. Manyata was slightly panicking but controlled herself because finding Jay was more important.

"Jay? Jay where are you? Jay?!?" , screamed Manyata, hoping that her voice would reach Jay. She tried calling her, but Manyata's cell phone had betrayed her. The battery had died and now it got even more difficult for her to track Jay. The police was getting near her and Manyata froze with fear. She could not afford to get arrested, and she feared the same for Jay. She quickly closed her eyes and prayed to God to save Jay and her and the very next moment, she felt someone grab her arm and yank her towards a corner.

*****

"Ssshh" , said Uday placing his hand on the mouth of the girl he had just saved as she was about to scream, and that wouldn't have been good for either of them. He pushed himself further in her to hide them both from the police, and she was getting crushed between him and the wall. Uday kept on looking from the corner of his eye to check if the police had left or not. When the police had passed them, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked towards the girl, his hand still on her mouth, and her eyes literally popping out.

"They're gone now" , whispered Uday slowly moving his hand back, but his body was still crushed on hers.

"T-t-thanks" , she hesitantly replied.

"No problem. What's your name?" , asked Uday who seemed interested to know this stranger.

"M-m-manyata" , stammered Manyata.

"Hi Manyata. I'm Udayveer" , smiled Uday.

"Could you please move back now?" , Uday was surprised to hear her reply and lack of interest in getting to know him, but moved back anyway sensing that she felt uncomfortable. They stood there in silence while Uday kept watching out for the police. When he felt the coast was clear, he turned back to Manyata.

"I think the police is not in this area now. There is a back exit too. I think we should leave from there" , explained Uday to which Manyata just nodded in agreement. He held her hand and led her to the way out. Manyata was too scared to react due to the recent events and so she just followed him. When they safely reached outside, realization struck her and she yanked her hand back. Uday got momentarily confused at her sudden behavior until she spoke up.

"Jay, my sister, I don't know where she is. I can't leave her alone. I have to go back" , Manyata said in one go and turned to go back inside. Uday held her arm and stopped her.

"Are you crazy? We just escaped the police and now you want to go back inside and invite trouble to come to you?" , asked Uday, disbelief clearly evident in his voice.

"She is my sister. I have to go back. Just leave me" , Manyata attempted to free herself from his grip.

"Just relax and listen to me. I am sure she must have escaped already, just like we did. Going back inside could be dangerous"

"But..."

"Let's just leave from here first. Then we'll think of something. And besides, the weather seems to be heading towards a storm so we need to figure something out, fast" , as soon as those words came out of his mouth, the sky opened up and heavy rain drops started to fall on them, drenching them in a matter of seconds.

They started running, hand-in-hand once again in order to find a means of transport since Uday couldn't risk going back to where his car was. Karan had strictly asked him to go, and now he was stuck with a girl and he couldn't just leave her on her own. They ran for a while but slowed down to walk as both of them were exhausted. Uday and Manyata had ended up on a deserted road surrounded by a jungle, since the heavy rain was blinding their vision, and they just kept on walking wherever their feet took them. They had lost all hope in finding any transport at this hour. The pills had started to show their affect after all, and Manyata seemed to be suffering from the most since she couldn't walk properly anymore and was swaying back and forth. Uday realized her condition and instantly guessed that she must have drank one of the drug induced drinks, just like him, but it hadn't affected him to such an extent, although he too felt a bit different and odd. He held her by her waist to help her walk and his eyes fell on a barn a little far away in the outskirts of the jungle.

"There is a barn at the far end of this road. It's best if we stay here until the storm ends because looking for any means of transport is pointless at the moment" , suggested Uday.

"Umm okay" , replied Manyata getting a little dizzy.

They rushed towards the barn as fast as their feet permitted them to move.

*****

Not really my best shot since I am sick and wasn't able to give this update much time. But I hope you guys like it. For all those who want PM's for further updates, just send me Buddy requests so that it would be easier for me to add you to the PM list.

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