SS: Part Time Lovers. (PART 05 UPDATED!) - Page 3

- Natalie Cole (Orange Coloured Sky.)

"Nahi! Humein yeh shaadi manzoor nahi hai!" Chakor screamed her lungs out as she walked about the house, tears streaming down her flushed face. "Maayi Baapu, aapko pata hai ki Imlu Vivaan Babu se pyaar karti hai! Phir aap ne kyu humara rishta pakka kar diya Vivaan babu ke saath?!" She choked as she wailed, rubbing her eyes furiously to make her tears stop.

"Toh hum kaa karte Chakoriya?" Bhuvan uttered sadly. "Badi Maalkin kahat rahi ki tu Sports estar hai, toh agar Chote Maalik ki shaadi tumse hogava, toh unki shaan badd jaavat hai."

"Humein pata hai ki Imlu Vivaan Babu ko chaahat hai," Kasturi said, her hand on Chakor's shoulder. "Par hum kaa kare Bitiya? Hum hai toh Bandhua. Unse nazrein milaakar baat naahi kar sakath hai, humari beti ka rishta kaise le jaa sakath hai unke ghar?" Chakor's shoulder shook violently as she continued to sob. She squeezed her eyes, trying to dissolve the harsh reality and truth in her mother's words. Ranjana had come by that morning, 'ordering' her parents to give her hand in marriage to her son. She was right. They were Bandhua, they weren't allowed to speak, let alone live as per their wish.

She swallowed once, twice, but the pain in her chest did not subside. Feeling suffocated, she got up abruptly, rushing towards the door in need of air. Her mother sobbed quietly after her, Bhuvan walking toward her slowly to console her.

"Imlu! IMLU!" Chakor cried out as she neared the big Banyan tree situated in an isolated place in the village. She heard the sound of muffled sobs and sniffling from behind the tree, and looked around it. Lo, and behold, there sat her sister, drenched in her own tears. "Imlu," Chakor uttered as she collapsed by her younger sister's side, pulling her into an embrace. Imli put her arms around her sister, wailing loudly as she screamed out in agony at being rejected, while her elder sister quietly listened to her, sobbing herself as she thought of her own love.

Absent mindedly, her fingers ghosted over the thick gold ring on her middle finger. 'Suraj Babu,' she thought disheartened, her heart tugging and thumping against her ribcage as the name crossed her mind. 'Kahan hai aap Suraj Babu? Tera saal ho gaye humein intazaar karte huye. Bohot kuch badal gaya hai, yeh jagah, yahan ke log, aur hum, hum bhi bohot badal gaye hai, Suraj Babu. Marathon runner bann gaye hai hum. Par aap yahan nahi hai yeh sab dekhne ke liye. Aap humko bhool gaye kya, Suraj Babu?' Her thoughts pierced her already wounded heart, right where it hurt the most.

'Humari shaadi hone waali hai aapke chote Bhai ke saath. Aur hum paagal, aaj bhi aapka intazaar kar rahe hai. Aapki angooti bhi humne bohot sambhaal kar rakhi hai,' she played with the ring, twirling it, as she consoled her sister. 'Humein yeh shaadi manzoor nahi hai, Suraj Babu! Hum toh sirf aap ke hai! Pata nahi kyu, aaj bhi humein vishwas hai ki aap aayenge, apna vaada poora karenge! Paagal hai na hum? Roka ek hafte mein hai, aur hum yahan sapne dekh rahe hai aapke aane ka.' Her throat constricted at the thoughts of her engagement to Vivaan.

Suraj's parting words filled her mind, and she smiled wistfully as she witnessed the sunset over the horizon.

'Bohot der kar di aapne, Suraj Babu. Ab toh lagta hai ki humare bhaagy mein yahi likha hai, ki hum iss narak mein jiye, aur iss narak mein hi marr jaaye!'

"Didi," Imli finally spoke up. "Hmm?" "Yeh sab humre saath hi kaahe hovat hai? Humre mein kaa kharaabhi hai, ki hum Vivaan Babu ki patni bann ne ke laayak naahi hai?" She sniffed, her head on Chakor's lap. Chakor patted her head softly, pushing her bangs away from her eyes. "Tum mein koi kharaabhi nahi hai, Imlu! Kabhi bhi aise math sochna! Yeh toh unn logon ki galti hai, ki unhe tumhaari achchaiyan nazar nahi aati!" Chakor huffed. "Par woh toh hai hi pathar dil insaan. Kaise nazar aayengi unhein tumhaari achchaiyan?" She kissed her sister's forehead, wiping away both their tears. "Chal utt abhi, aur ghar jaa. Maayi intazaar kar rahi hai tumhaara," "Aur Didi tum?"

"Hum bhi aate hai, lekin baad mein. Hum thodi der akela rehna chaahthe hai," Chakor said slowly. Imli nodded in understanding. This was hard on them both. She quietly walked away, leaving her sister to herself.

Chakor cried to herself for sometime, watching the orange coloured sky turn darker and darker, till it was crimson. She felt so lost, she felt so left out, she felt so uncared for. She cursed herself for ever entering the world of sports, cause that was the sole reason this was happening. The monster, now Sports Minister, obviously wanted her as his bahu, as not only would it raise their so-called 'shaan', it would obviously brighten his career as Sports Minister, dampening, crushing her own as a marathon racer.

She buried her face in her hands, pulling up her knees as she cried. Her shoulders shook furiously, her face flushed as she continued to wail in agony.

"Kahan hai aap Suraj Babu?" She softly whispered to herself as she sobbed. She looked up at the sunset again, only to find her view blocked by something. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up to get a better look at her obstruction.

Judging from the build, it was surely a man. But there wasn't anyone of that build in their village, Chakor pondered. That broad chest, tall stature, no, she had definitely not seen someone like this in her village. The man advanced toward her in slow, long steps, and with each step, Chakor got a better view of him.

He was wearing an overcoat and dark blue jeans, his white shirt tucked in and carefully buttoned up. He wasn't looking in her direction, which was probably why he removed his overcoat, unbuttoning the first two buttons of his shirt next. The wind messed with his hair, and he brought his hand up to fix it, when he noticed her.

Chakor didn't know why, but she gulped. Twice. She wasn't scared, if her sweaty hands and shaky fingers told otherwise. She was by now sure that this person was a stranger, she had never seen him before. She stood her ground as he proceeded toward her slowly, cautiously. She felt him looking her up and down, judging her. Chakor frowned at him, crossing her arms, like a cat hissing at annoyance to go away. He raised an eyebrow, standing two feet away from her as he stared at her chest. The inner volcano in her almost erupted, had it not been for his soothing foreign cologne, and the air of familiarity surrounding him. She felt intoxicated by the scent, her head in a frenzy, but she soon came down front the clouds when she saw his eyes grow wide, his hand moving reaching forward, toward her.

The alarms rang in Chakor's head. She was all alone, this was an isolated place, it was getting dark, and then, the biggest problem of them all... there was a foreign man in front of her! She turned to run away when he caught her hand. She was ready to scream bloody murder when he brought his hand up to his face and examined it, his face brightening as he saw her ring.

"Chakor?!" He cried out, elated, pulling her into a hug. She literally slammed into his chest, his hands coming up around her as he lifted her off the ground. She gasped, trying to free herself from his hold. She caught hold of his arm, grabbing it with great force so as to send a message to him.

But instead, her hand stilled around his biceps, feeling some thing underneath. He had put her down a few moments ago, as she curiously ran her hand over the object underneath, not paying heed to his questioning gaze. A few more times of running her hand over it, and she was sure she knew what it was.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide, tears trembling to fall. His jaw was taut as her hand stilled over the shackles he had designed into an arm ring. His eyes fired up as he kept his hand over her own, pressing down on the half rusted arm ring beneath the cloth.

"S...Suraj Babu?!"