Originally posted by: anandhi007
Mind blowing as usual :O can't wait for the update. Also one small question,so has Ranbir already realised his love for Prachi in this TS or is he still confused?
Thanks so much Anandi.
I'll update soon.
The answer to this question you will get in the next part.
Originally posted by: anandhi007
Mind blowing as usual :O can't wait for the update. Also one small question,so has Ranbir already realised his love for Prachi in this TS or is he still confused?
I think in this TS he is still confused because when he is talking to himself about Prachi he mentions no one can match up to you.Not even Rhea.
Post soon waiting
Part 2
It was evening and the sky was painted with the red and golden hues of the setting sun, when Ranbir and Prachi drove down the winding driveway, flanked with colossal trees on both sides. The twittering of birds added to the charisma of the enchanting ambience. Nature was at its best in this part of the hill town.
As they turned round the corner, a beautiful, wooden,two-storey bungalow came into view with mountains forming a picturesque backdrop to it.
As their car skidded to a halt, a burly man jogged out of a room in the corner. He greeted them as they disembarked and led them to their respective rooms for their overnight stay. Before they could retire to their allotted rooms, the man intercepted them.
“Sir, I have a request.”
“Sure. Please go ahead, Pushkar uncle.” Ranbir bestowed him with cheerful smile of assurance.
“We have an auspicious festival today in which mother Goddess will be worshiped, followed by dance and a small feast. We, the natives of this small town, wish to invite both of you to the festival. Others have entrusted me with the task since I am the caretaker here and have better access to you, and hope that you will accept their humble request.” Pushkar smiled timidly
“Off course we will come. Just give us an half an hour to freshen up.” Ranbir smiled, turning on his charm again.
“Thank you, Sir. I’ll inform the others.” They were rewarded with a dazzling smile for their compliance.
“You were right to accept his invitation. It was a nice thing to do. Otherwise he would have been disheartened.” Prachi smiled
“I know. After all I’m a very nice human being.” Ranbir pulled up the collar of his jacket
“Blowing your own trumpet again.” Prachi rolled her eyes
“What to do? You never praise me. So I praise myself. Poor me.”Ranbir sighed histrionically
“You are impossible.” Prachi giggled
“I know” Ranbir smirked
“Now go.” Prachi shoved him lightly towards his room.
Chuckling, he trotted off while she too sauntered into her room.
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Barely a minute or two had passed when Ranbir, who was splashing water on his face, was flabbergasted to hear a shrill shriek. It took him a few seconds to register that the voice belonged to Prachi. That realization galvanized him into action. He dashed out of his room and within the blink of an eye, he was in Prachi’s room. To his consternation, she was huddled up on the bed and was staring fearfully towards the washroom.
“Prachi? What’s wrong? Why did you scream?” Ranbir strode in her direction anxiously.
As soon as she heard his voice, Prachi jumped off the bed and threw herself in his embrace, hugging him tightly. Still nonplussed, he began to caress her hair in a soothing manner to calm her down.
“Hush! Prachi, calm down. I’m here now. I won’t let anything harm you. Okay. Calm down.” He continued caressing her hair soothingly.
“Ranbir…in the washroom…” Prachi stuttered incoherently.
“What is there in the washroom, Prachi?” Ranbir stepped back and cradled her face in his hands gently.
“S…Sp..Spider” Prachi managed to choke out
“You are that scared of spider? I thought some intruder broke in.” Ranbir gaped at her in disbelief
“I have arachnophobia. Now will you stop talking and put that spider out of the washroom please?” Prachi grimaced
“Anything for you, my lady.” Ranbir stooped a little in a mock chivalrous gesture.
Within minutes he returned after getting rid of the spider. Prachi heaved a sigh of relief.
“By the way, the spider was may be unfortunate for you, but it was very beneficial to me.” Smiling lovingly, he inched closer to her.
Emboldened by the fact that she hadn’t pulled away even when he was a few inches away from her but, instead, was lost in his eyes, he softly blew off a stray tendril of the glossy, black mass of her hair.
Prachi closed her eyes, feeling her heart drumming harder.She felt a queer flutter in her stomach. She was experiencing a strange jumble of emotions. There was fear of closeness to a male, born out of her inherent modesty, but there was also a strange feeling of being protected and cherished.Slowly she opened her eyes and the tumult caused by her mixed emotions was clearly visible in her beautiful eyes.
The turmoil in her eyes gave Ranbir the answer he had been hankering after. His eyes glittered with triumph and his smile pouring boundless love and affection on her as he began to back away slowly. Soon, he was out of the room, freeing her from the strange spell that had been cast over her by his closeness.
Out in the corridor, Ranbir leaned back on a pillar, his heart hadn’t slowed down to its usual rhythm yet.
“You are falling in love, Prachi, if you haven’t already.That chaos I had seen in your eyes isn’t just due to simple attraction. My love for you won’t remain unreciprocated for long.” Ranbir raked his hand through his dark hair as an intense exhilaration coursed through him.
Within the isolated confines of her room, Prachi echoed his thoughts.
“What is wrong with me? When he came closer, why did I feel so protected, so cherished, so….loved? Had Sahana been right all along? Am Really falling in love with Ranbir?”
Lost in thoughts, she made her way to the washroom.
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Ranbir was fiddling with his smart phone as he waited for Prachi in the corridor outside her room. Something made him look up. The sight that greeted his eyes rendered him speechless and incapable of looking away.Dressed in a silvery grey lehenga and her hair left open, Prachi’s beauty had acquired an ethereal quality. He was mesmerized by the vision of exquisite beauty that she was.
Absentmindedly, Prachi looked up and immediately came to a halt. In a blue sherwani, he was as handsome as a prince. She experienced a prickle of awareness she had never felt before. She lowered her eyes and took a moment to regain her poise. Fiddling with her dupatta, she made her way towards him.
“You are looking very beautiful.” Ranbir just could not take his eyes off her.
“Thank you. You too.” A lovely red hue covered her enchantingly lovely face,
“Beautiful?” Ranbir raised his eyebrows, smiling as he observed her blush.
“Handsome” Prachi giggled nervously, as she looked up at him and then lowered her eyes again.
There was a strange tension humming around them in the queer tranquility caused by the isolation of the night and the solitude of the corridor with only each other for company.
“Shall we leave?” Ranbir broke the strange silence and along with it the strange tension that had them in its grip.
“Yeah. Let’s go.” Prachi smiled tentatively.
Together they sauntered away.
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They came quite a distance away from the guest house when Prachi recalled something.
“Why did you ask me to bring a traditional outfit for special occasions? Did you know about the festival before we came here?” Prachi looked at him inquisitively.
“Yes. I came here only last year and that too, in this time of the year. Hence, I know both about Pushkar kaka and the festival. That’s why I asked you to bring that outfit with you and brought mine too.” Ranbir turned to her with a smile and then redirected his attention on the winding roads. Prachi too became absorbed in the passing scenery.
Soon they reached the venue. It was the complex of the temple of the Mother Goddess where the festival was being celebrated. As soon as they reached the venue, they were greeted by the chief organizer. He asked them to take the seats of the guests of honour but they declined, stating their preference to visit the fair without any hindrance.
Prachi was mesmerized by the charming array of colourful,makeshift shops selling multifarious merchandise. She began to meander from one shop to another, exhibiting an unusual childish excitement making Ranbir beam affectionately as he followed suit.
Prachi stopped in front of a shop selling glass bangles. She began to examine them and try whichever colour caught her eye. Ranbir looked on with a smile. After trying 3 or 4 colours, Prachi made a face as she still could not make her mind up. Chuckling, Ranbir gestured the shopkeeper to fetch some silvery grey, blue, green and purple bangles.
He gently took her hand in his, as if he had all the right in the world to, and started helping her try the bangles out with a tenderness that yet again made her go red. Prachi stared at him unblinkingly. She was witnessing a different side of Ranbir Kohli. There was no trace of the usual conceit with which he behaved with the girls who swoon over him and keep loitering around him like irritating bees. Instead there was tenderness, care,affection and… . And what? Love? Was that love in his eyes when he met her eyes just a moment ago?
Lost in the vortex of conflicting thoughts and emotions,Prachi did not realize that the try outs had reached their natural culmination as Ranbir eased the last bangles out of her hand with utmost care.
“Take the bangles, Madam. Your husband’s choice is indisputably the best.” The shopkeeper’s gruff voice perforated her trance.
“I know. My choice is the best.” Ranbir intercepted as Prachi was about to say something, staring at her all the while and leaving neither the shopkeeper nor Prachi in any doubt regarding whom he was talking about.
Blushing furiously, Prachi hurried away. Chuckling, Ranbir cleared the payment and left after her taking the parcel.
“Why did you say that?” Prachi didn’t quite meet his eyes as he caught up with her just a few feet away from the shop.
“I said what I believe to be the truth.” Ranbir met her gaze unflinchingly as she turned to look at him.
Before Prachi could respond, they were interrupted by Pushkar on whose entreaty they visited the temple.
The temple had been decorated exquisitely for the festival with lamps and flowers. Quite a number of devotees were present in the temple. Pushkar led them to the inner sanctum where the deity was situated. As they both got down to their knees and bowed their heads down in veneration in front of the deity, something unforeseen happened. A sudden gust of wind blew the ‘Chunri’ covering the deity’s head. The ‘Chunri’ fall on the down bent heads of Prachi and Ranbir.
A buzz of excited chatter made Ranbir and Prachi to open their eyes. For a moment they were bemused but then realized that a gossamer ‘Chunri’ was covering them both. They turned to look at each other, losing themselves in each other’s eyes. Their trance broke when the chief priest cleared his throat.Hastily they took the ‘Chunri’ off themselves and returned it to the priest.
“No son. You keep this. It is the Goddess’ blessing to both of you. You are the first couple to receive this blessing in a hundred years.It means the Goddess has approved and blessed your relationship. No matter how many trials and tribulations you have to face in life, you will always be together. You will be each other’s strength in difficult times and fight together because together you can win over anything.” The priest returned the ‘Chunri’ to Ranbir with a benevolent smile.
A strange shiver ran down their spines. There was trepidation regarding the difficulties that the future will bring upon them but there was also the exhilaration that they will be together in those difficult periods of their lives.
They bent down to touch the priest’s feet who blessed with lifelong togetherness. Prachi turned to look at the idol with reverence in her eyes. The Goddess had seen what she was too blind to see. Even her best friend had recognized her feelings but she was in denial. But no more. Today she can't deny her feelings in front of the omniscient Goddess.
Yes, I do love him. I do love Ranbir. When it happened I don’t know. How it happened I don’t know. I just know that it had happened and that it is the biggest truth of my life.
Prachi thought as she turned to look at him. Ranbir met her eyes and knew instantly that it was the moment he yearned for. He could see her love for him in her eyes. No doubt. No hesitation. Just pure love. He took her hand in his, fortified by the knowledge that only he had this right in the whole world, and led her away while she followed his lead without a murmur of protest.
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Next morning, they were about to leave for the office when a car pulled up in driveway of the guest house. A man in his late forties disembarked from the car and greeted them with a benign smile.
“Hello, Mr. Kohli and Miss Arora. I’m Rishav Pathak. Vikram Sir had informed me. So, instead of waiting for you in the office, I came here for the file.” Rishav smiled
“Sure. Mr. Pathak. Just a second.” Prachi fished out her phone, fiddled with it, looked up at the man and then checked something in her phone again.
“Here you go.” Prachi handed over the file to him with a smile of contentment.
“How do you know Miss Arora that I’m not an impostor? You don't know me. Yet you handed that file over to me. I could be anyone.” The man looked at her curiously as Prachi smirked.
“My dad knew what he was doing when he handed that file overto her and not me. Just now when she was fiddling with her phone, she actually checked out whether you resemble to the picture she had asked Dad to send her.Only then did she handed that file over to you. She is one hell of a fastidious woman.” Ranbir chortled.
“And he is one hell of a careless person. And now we should leave. Goodbye, Mr. Pathak.” Prachi grabbed Ranbir’s arm and dragged him away along with her, leaving Rishav staring at them with speculative eyes.
“Is it just me or do they behave more like a married couple than either boss and employee or good friends?” He looked on as the young couple got into the car and drove away.
P.S - Do tell me whether you guys liked this part. Will send out pms tomorrow. Goodnight.
Loved it very much,, your writing skills are amazing,,
that spider should be blessed for giving us the sweet hug,, and that chunri scene was too good,, finally prachi has realised her feelings,,
would love to have more stories,, your stories are always amazing 😊😊
The description of the event was very well written.
Could imagine Ranbir teasing her.
👍🏼
Absolutely heart warming and beautiful!! I could totally imagine them in that lovely dress, holding hands and smiling.
I must say, you are really talented Nandini. Your style of writing and your vocab is amazing. Please do write more often. It's an absolute pleasure to read your stories
Wow. Wow . Please send your stories to EK maiyaa. She will hire you😆.
Loved the chunaris part and the blessed couple part.
you really make Ranbir and Prachis character alive. I really enjoy it like actual episodes. You are awesome👏👏
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