Chapter 13

unicornwriter

@unicornwriter

Yaaay i am back finally and hence got my laptop and my drafts back. Since the last post was like 2 weeks back i think it's fair enough that i give a longer one now. Hope you guys will enjoy it.

PART 12 : SLOW DOWN

"Raghav tumhara dimaag kharaab hai. Yeh kya kar rahe ho!" Pallavi scolded as she tried to balance her scooty. To rewind back a bit she was taking Raghav for his meeting and this Ghamandi Rao of hers was making it so difficult for her to drive as he sat behind her hugging her waist as if for his dear life.

"Main tumko aise hi pakde rahega ahar tum aisa ajeeb tareeke se scooty chalaya toh. Mereko nahin lagta ki aaj tu mereko zinda location par pahuchayega." came his reply.

"Oh please main tumse toh better hi drive krti hoon. Bada aaya mujhe driving ki abcd sikhaane wala. Veda Manus." she murmured.

"Sunliya maine. Picchi Ammai" he snapped back.

"Chalo dimaag na sahi kamse kam tumhaare kaan toh sahi chal rahe hai." she taunted as she soon parked her scooty beside a big hotel.

"Yeh hotel itna jaldi kaise aa gaya." Raghav murmured annoyingly.

"Kya bola? Ab poori zindagi idhar hi baithna hai kya utro aur jao mujhe aur bhi kaam hai. Friver nahin hoon main tumhaari." she elbowed him.

"Ouch Saree ka dukaan tum mujhse dur jaakar kitna rude ho gaya hai." he got down handling her back the helmet.

"Rude aur kaafi khush bhi. Isliye behtar hoga apna kaam krke tum apne raaste wapas Hyderabad chale jao." came her reply as she sped herself away leaving a confused Raghav behind. Why has she changed so much? was the first thought that crossed his mind.

Pallavi steadied her breathe s soon as she reached that one place whihc now gave her solace. Her own dance academy that will be openeing soon. She still remembers it fresh as new when last month Shiva and her had came out here to check out this place that once belonged to Azoba. Aaji now wanted her to have it since the garden was sometimes not a safe place for her. She looked at the huge Nritya portrait infront of her as she gently burhsed her fingers along the wall. Finally something that Pallavi wanted.

Her heartrate was still high since the moment she felt Raghav's hands brush against her waist as he clung onot her. Those feelings were trying to get out of the pit again hence her mind buzzed a red signal that clearly said save yourself before you're broken again.

She had finally settled her work for the constume designing and had gotten pretty damn late since it was already 7 in the evening but she was scared to face him. Can't he just walk away like he always does? Why hanging around now? she shouted as she sat on the floor with a thud. It had taken her entire conscience to forget him, forget every memory of him and move on with this new family but maybe Bappa was still punishing her for some sins that she was back in the loop that she wanted to leave. He was here and his eyes had made it pretty clear that he was here to stay.

Her fingers landed on the speaker wire as she pulled out her phone only to realise that the battery was long dead. She then fished out her small Ipod that Shiva has given her as a token of friendship after their first meet. It was definitely old but something close to his heart. So she plugged those wires in as the music played.

(Playlist - O Khuda from Hero)

Tere bin jeena hai aise

Dil dhadka naa ho jaise

Yeh ishq hai kya duniya ko

Hum samjhaaye kaise

As she rose up from the floor, her heart accelerated. Centre-stage, she stood with her back arched and her hands stretched to the sky, as if in submission. The lights in the studio turned bright and the rhythm started to pulse into her. Her foot tapped to the steady beat. Back and forth, she swayed as the beat picked up pace.

Ab dilon ki raahon mein

Hum kuch aisa kar jayein

Ik dooje se bichhde toh

Saans liye bin marr jayein

Her arms leave her body as the music grows louder. Her eyes are drunk on fire and her lips kiss the threshold of liberty as she dances her inhibitions away.

Her fingers click to the right and click to the left. Her elbows gracefully tear through the air, in perfect rhyme with her feet, which trace a curve that no menace can surpass. She is for herself today. Her feet now hit the floor, in a boisterous cry for all that was denied unaware that someone else has their gaze set on them.

Raghav had been worrying for Pallavi since he couldn't find her at home and her phone went off. He ordered Farhad to enquire about her when they found out that her scooty was parked soemwhere here. The soft music welcomed him inside but her fury and emotions blocked him on his path as he stood gazing at her.

O Khuda..

Bata de kya lakreeron mein likha

Humne toh..

Humne toh bas ishq hai kiya

As one arm is outstretched, her waist jerks outward vivaciously. It seems to reject all the silent judgement that the world offered to her all this while. The other arm follows suit with yet another jerk of her slim waist. There is nothing that can calm her tempestuous gale.

Her feet explore her arena as she slides across with poise. He was astonished to have realised how much pain she held inside of hers as the tears refused to stop.

The cadence is coursing through her veins extinguishing every trace of the unwanted blood that contaminated her insides.

Because they don’t rule her anymore. She does not spot them among the mass of onlookers.

Back on her feet now, she jiggles and shimmies. She electrifies the air with her rage and a hundred thousand fireflies ignite the atmosphere. She bursts into flames with every bob of her head, every jiggle of her shoulders, with every gyration of her hips. She sparkles on the stage tonight. Until she turns around bumping to that one person who brought out this beast within her long back, a fire she never knew she held.

He could see the swift change in her eyes from sad and painful to anger and somewhere hurt, the tears long gone as she masked them beautifully again.

"Pallavi." she whispered still holding her close.

"Tum yahan kya kar rahe ho Raghav." she tried taking a step back only to be caged again.

"Tum yeh kyun kar raha hai Pallavi." he asked. He was ready to apologize for anything if only he knew his mistake but alas this women had rushed away without an answer but not this time.

" Kyunki ab kuch pehle jaisa nahin hai." she replied looking directly into his eyes this time.

"Tum ek baar keh kar toh dekho Pallavi main sab pehle jaisa kardega." he tocuhed their foreheads, their breaths mingling together.

"Nahin kar paoge." she replied.

"Tum phir mereko underestimate kar raha hai Saree ka Dukaan." he tried to lighten the situation.

"Meri kahaani badal huki hai Raghav. Main aage badh chuki hoon." she wiggled out of his hold finally.

"Toh main saath chalega na. Kissi bhi naya raasta par main saath rahega." he moved ahead to hold her hand only for her to take a few steps back as she turned away.

"Main aage badh chuki hoon kisi aur ke saath. Tumhaari aur meri kahaani khatam ho chuki hai Raghav. Ab yahan sab naye sire se hai, ek naye insaan ke saath." he heard her say and he felt something break inside him as fury took over by a mere thpught of someone replacing him in her life.

"Kaun hai woh?" he asked with a stern voice.

"Shiva" she replied.