Chapter 24

unicornwriter

@unicornwriter

CHAPTER 23: SOMETHING IN THE WAY YOU MOVE

Pallavi giggled as she set up her practice area in the backside lawn. She was happy and maybe contented somewhere after such a long time. Se felt like herself again, at a place where she was the priority. Glancing inside the house she could see how Aaji proudly explained every other neighbour of her daughter's achievement. How did  she get so lucky to land here after everything that detsiny had done to her? She never thought she could have love? Get affection? But was Bappa proving her thoughts wrong again.

"Yeh sab tumse sachme bahut pyaar karta hai." she heard a voice beside her, that deep husky voice she had gotten imprinted inside her heart. Closing her eyes she let herself feel the happiness before turning her attention back to him.

"hmm kabhi socha nahin tha ki main bhi khush reh sakti hoon." she replied looking around for her ghungroos.

"tum khush hai Pallavi kyunki tum woh deserve karta hai." Raghav spoke handling her the musical pair.

"lekin tum yeh deserve nahin karte ho." Pallavi looked at him and Raghav could swear he saw something there, something that was enough for him to hold onto till the last string.

"matlab?" he asked.

"Tumhaari apni ek life hai Raghav, usse mujhpar barbaad matt kro. Family hai tumhaari jo tumhara intezaar karr rahi hai. Ek mehnat se khada kiya hua business hai tumhara. Kyun sab khatam krna chahte ho." she spoke with sincerity.

"Sahi bola tum mera ek life hai, aur woh tum hai Pallavi. Raghav ab agar zinda hai toh woh sirf aur sirf apna saree ka dukaan ke liye. Raha baat family ki toh woh hamara family hai, mera aur tumhara aur woh hum dono ka intezaar karr raha hai." Raghav smiled at her.

"Toh tum nahin manoge?" Pallavi asked.

"Tum manakr toh dekho saans ruk jayega uss din maan jayega." Raghav turned connecting the speaker with his phone.

"Yeh tum kya kar rahe ho?" Pallavi asked surprised at his action.

" Tumhara practice krne main help. Aur kya. Tumko pata nahin hai main bhi-" Raghav turned to answer her.

"dance karna aata hai. I know, bharatnatyam." Pallavi jiggled her ghumgroos at him sitting down to wear them.

'tumko kaise pata?" raghav asked astinished to which Pallavi smiled as she remembered the day when she unintentionally walked on him performing his art.

FLASHBACK

Pallavi had gone to collect her bag from Raghav that he had mistakenly taken home with him.

"Aap idhr wait kriye main lekar aata hoon." Farhad replied as he went away to llok for the bag. Pallavi looked around for the devil himself as she sat on one of the sofas when a soft music hit her eardrum. It felt like a classic telugu song but what fascinated her was the thought that this Ghamandi Rao can ever have such a calming classical song playing his house.

Guilty of her curiosity, Pallavi walked towards the source of the sound, trying to look at the siloutte figure dancing through the waving curtains but had no luck. Moving a bit closer she peeped through the door surprised at a fracefully dancing Raghav. He was doing Bharatnatyam, a fierce art form of dance.

His body moving in perfect sync with the beats and the raudra roop of his charisma through each step made her more fascinated towards him. She couldn't help but smile at this new knowledge of him; looked like her Ghamandi Rao wasn't bad at everything after all.

FLASHBACK ENDS

"Oh hello kidhar kho gaya tum?" Raghav moved his fingers infront of her breaking her trance.

"Kuch nahin. Toh tum meri help kroge practice main?" pallavi raised her brows.

"Azma kar dekhlo." Raghav smirked as he started removing his shoes.

Pallavi stood up at her psoition as Raghav took his position beside her. Both looking deeply into the each others eyes.

(Playlist - Mere Dholna from Bhool Bhulaiya)

Saathi re Saathi re mar ke bhi tujhko...

chaahega dil...

Tujhe hi bechainiyo mein..

paayega dil...

The music made Pallavi move without her consicous leaving Raghav amazed once again of the talent, his wife possessed. She truly was a beauty whenever she did something she had her whole heart in. When Pallavi flowed in dance it was as if it were the only way her body truly knew how to speak. Verbally she was guarded, physically she would shrink and fade into the background no matter where she was. 

On stage her personality, her sensuality burst through into the most vibrant picture of a beautiful soul. Raghav watched her move to the music filling the lawn, crackling somewhat from music. For the most part that music machine was her only audience, watching her with those two dusty black eyes. As she turned her eyes caught him standing there, him less adept at hiding in the shadows than she. He dropped his eyes momentarily before looking, his head tilted to one side and a hopeful smile playing on his lips that she fraciously returned back after coming to a halt; a cue for him to continue.

Tere dhadkanon ki sargoshi

Meri dhadkano mein bajti hai

Meri jaagti Nigaahon mein,

Khwaahish Teri hi sajti hai

When Raghav heard the music it was like liquid adrenaline being injected right into his blood stream - not so strong as to freak him out, but just enough to make him tingle and start to move his body. He'd never had a proper dance class, but he and Amma had jived to music since his early teens, competing in the friendly way to "up" one another. Now, as he danced with her, he was a well oiled machine on the dance floor. He didn't dance to show off, to make the girls watch - but they did. Anyone that could move like their limbs were half liquid in perfect rhythm and still look strong were interesting to say the least. 

He was used to the attention and he liked it. Until one day this new girl walked into his life, not a mover and shaker, kinda shy in the way she moved, but he couldn't help but imagine them together. She was beautiful; something he was shy to agree to, her hair free flowing on that highway road by the winds and he looked at her like he'd never really seen a woman before. Then for the first time in years he felt like if he opened his mouth nothing witty or interesting would come out.

Both Raghav and Pallavi upped their moves looking at each other as a challeneg that they had always had between them. It was Ghamandi Rao vs Saree Ka Dukaan all over again. The music upped and so did their intensity until they both came to a halt at the very end looking right into each others eyes standing too close with a bright smile on their faces when they heard a loud sound of some claps. Turning around they saw Farhad cheering for them as he tried juggling his phone simultaneously ; recording them.

Raghav looked at Pallavi as she looked back at him , the smile still lingering on their faces. 

"Tie?" Raghav raised his brows.

"Until next time." Pallavi smiled moving back inside the house wiping the sweat away using a towel.

12 a.m.

 Pallavi hummed the mornign tune as she filled her water bottle; who knows when you can get thristy. She smiled remembering the face off she had with him when siloutte caught her attention. Sitting on the steps was Shiva as he held a picture in his hand. Pallavi walked closer to him; scared that she might invade his privacy when she heard his broken voice.

"Happy Birthday Aastha." her best friend's broken voice was neough to send chills down her spine and she knew what she needed to do. Running to her destination she stopped right infront of his door, knowking it lightly.

"Pallavi tum idhar? Itna raat ko? sab theek hai na?" Raghav asked still groggy from his almost gotten sleep but worried to find her at her door at such an odd time of the night.

"Mujhe tumhaari ek help chahiye." came her reply and he opened his door for her to walk in.