~Kaash Mere Hote~ Part 21 pg 14 - Page 9

As Shravan was leaving to go to the college,Nidhi stood in front of him.Initially he wondered why she was standing before him and his bike and he had ignored her.

Nidhi:Shravan,tum apne Nidhi dear se baat nahin karoge?

Shravan:Ahem...(cleared his throat)Mujhe laga tha ki koi mujhse baat nahin karna chahthi thi..

Nidhi:Well,maine apna iraada badal diya hain..

Shravan:Woh achanak...Kaise??Let me guess...Aapne mere aur bhaiyya ke beech ki baatein sunn li hai,kyun??

Nidhi:(grinned sheepishly)Woh..Main tumhaare liye halwa lekar aayi hoon..(Shravan ignored her)Arre,khaao na..Please!!

Shravan:(smiled and ate the halwa from Nidhi's hand)Nidhi dear,aap bhi na...I promise you i'll say sorry,k?

Nidhi:(smiled widely)Chal,tumhe dheri ho raha hga..

Shravan:Bye..

~College~

Shravan parked his bike and caught up with Bunty and Viren.

Shravan:Hass kyun rahe ho tum dono?

Bunty:Iss Viren ki toh nikal pada yaar..

Shravan:Kyun?Kya hua??

Bunty:Main boloo??

Viren:Chup kar..Mere parents bhi na..

Shravan:Ab bologe ke nahin??

Bunty:Isse koi matrimonial agency se zabardasti register karvaa diya tha..(Shravan and Bunty bursted out laughing)

Shravan:Tera lottery lag gaya hai,kyun??

Viren:Acha ek baat bata,tumhaare rishthe ka kya haal hai??Pakka ho gaya hai ki nahin??

Shravan:Arre yaar,kyun marwaane pe thule h tum don?

Viren:Akele marne se toh acha hain ki main tumhe saath lekar maroo..Ab bata!!

Shravan:(narrated the entire incident to his friends while walking along the hallway)Problem solved!!Aur main ab ek aazaad panchii hoon!!

Bunty:Pratap uncle toh bohat gussa aaya hoga na??I mean,i can't imagine..

Viren:Ek minute..aur woh Saachi?Yaar,tujhe yeh sab kuch nahin karna chahiye tha..

Shravan:Tu mera dost hai ya phir uss Saachi ka,hhmm?

Bunty:Nidhi bhabhi se toh keh diya ki tum usse maafi maangoge par tumhe kaha uski ghar ka pata malon hai?

Shravan:Haan,yeh baat toh reh gaya yaar..Par khayr,woh toh hamesha mere saamne aa jaati hai..Kisi bhi jage pe milunga aur maafi maanglunga..

Viren:Maaf karna par mujhe nahin lagta ki woh tumhe maaf karegi..Jis tarha tumne uske faayda uthaaya hai,i mean..

Shravan:Tum toh aise baat kar rahe ho jaise maine uski rape kiya h..Aur please!!Mujhe bas maafi maangna hai..Usse mujhe maaf karne ki koi zaroorat bhi nahin hai aur naa hi main woh sab jaanne meininterest rakhtha hoon..(went to a nearby vending machine)

Viren:Bata nahin ki Saachi usse maaf karegi bhi ya nahin..

Bunty:Tension lena chod..Humein isse kya yaar??(shouted out to Shravan)Shravan,jaldi kar..Race shuru ho chuka hain..

Meanwhile,there was a lot of preparations going on at Saachi's place with Usha having mixed emotions of excitement and tension as she was eagerly anticipating the arrival of her in-laws and her family's close relatives to be present at any moment to begin the auspicious rituals of the sangeet ceremony.However,she was worried sick about the fact that Ankhi wasn't there for Saachi's ceremony as of yet.Shreya tried calling Anokhi on her mobile but Anokhi wasn't reachable.

Saachi:Shreya,kya hua?

Shreya:Bata nahin dii,Anokhi mbile uthaa nahin rahi hain..

Saachi:Busy hogi shayad..Baad mein koshish karenge..

Shreya:Hhmm,main bas abhi aati hoon Dii..(Saachi nodded)

Saachi:Bata nahin ki woh aayegi ki nahin..(thought to herself)Woh toh pehle se hi iss shaadi ke khilaaf thi..(recalled how she mustered her courage to run away from home and how she appeared late at the mandap)

Usha:Saachi beta,kya hua tumhe?

Saachi:Kuch nahin Mami..Bas aise hi soch rahi thi..

Shreya:Aman jeeju ke baarein mein??

Inder:Bhai,kyun nahin sochegi apne rajkumaar ke baarein mein??(saw Usha's welled up eyes)Aap shuru ho gaye,Usha ji?

Usha:Yeh toh khushi ki aansoon hai..Aur aaj meri Saachi kiti pyaari lag rahi hain,main kyun roungi bhala??

Inder:Sach kaha aapne Ushaji..Waqay mein bhat pyaari lag rahi hain humaari Saachi aur kal,sabse zyaada pyaari aur khoobsurat lagegi..

Usha:Acha Shreya,parlour ka appointment kitne baje ki lii hai tumne?

Shreya:Maa,woh 4 baje ki..

Usha:Theekh hain,Saachi jaldi tayyaar ho jaa..Raat ko mehendi ki rasam hai aur iss liye tum dono saat baje se pehle ghar lautna,samjhi??(Shreya and Saachi nodded)Meri bachi ko kisi ki nazar na lage!!(kissed Saachi's forehead and headed towards the kitchen)

Anokhi saw 10 missed calls on her mobile and had assumed it to be either Saachi or Shreya who must have called to ask if she was coming to their place or not.She deliberately didn't pick up any of the calls today and had kept her mobile on silent mode,but she knew that she can't be avoiding their calls throughout the day and wondered what she ought to do.Just then,her mobile started ringing and suppressing her frustration within,she answered the call.

Anokhi:Haan Shreya,bol..Main busy hon yaar!!

Viren:Hi,i'm not Shreya..(Anokhi checked her mobile and saw an unknown number)

Anokhi:Oops sorry,aap kaun bol rahe hain?

Viren:Jee,kya main Anokhi se baat kar sakta hoon?

Anokhi:Aapko kya kaam hai?

Viren:Please,main Anokhi se baat karna chahtha hoon..

Anokhi:Oh God!!!Main hi Anokhi bol rahi hoon,ab boliye..

Viren:Ohh sorry for the confusion..Hi,I'm Viren...

Anokhi:So??

Viren:So nahin..Viren sinha!!

Anokhi:Mr Viren Sinha,kya aapki shaadi hone jaa rahe hain?

Viren:(grew very much surprised)Aapko kaise bata chala?

Anokhi:Bohat ajeeb hai..Mujhe nahin bata hogi toh aur kisse bataa hogi?Aapne Golden Aisle phone kiya hai,toh obviously mujhe bata hgi na..

Viren:(grew a lil confused and mildly scratched his head while Bunty showed him the business card from Shravan's wallet)Golden Aisle,wedding planner??(murmured to himself)Yeh Shravan mujhe kahaa phasa diya hain..

Anokhi:Jee aap kuch bolenge ya phir main phone rakhoo?

Viren:Dekhiye,main shaadi ke baarein mein baat nahin karna chatha hoon..Woh mujhe darasal...

Anokhi:Dekhiye,mere din already bohat kharab chal rahi hain,ok??Aur agar aap jald se jald mujhe nahin bataayenge toh main phone kaatne waali hoon..

Viren:Main Shravan Jaiswal ka dost hoon..Humein Saachi ka ghar ka pata chahiye!!

Anokhi:WHAT??Shravan Jaiswal?

Viren:Haan..

Anokhi:Sorry,main aapko Saachi ki address nahin bataa sakti aur Shravan ke liye toh bilkul bhi nahin..

Viren:Please Anokhi...Actually main main jaanta hoon ki usne bohat battameezi kiya tha aur woh bohat sharminda hai..

Anokhi:Toh main kya karoo?Yeh sab kuch karne se pehle usse soch lene chahiye tha..

Viren:Woh Saachi se sorry kehna chahtha hain..Please,aap uski madat kar na..

Anokhi:Impossible!!Pehli baat,woh sharminda ho hi nahin sakta aur doosri baat,aaj Saachi ki mehendi ki rasam hai..Already aapke yeh stupid sa dost ne Saachi ki izzat ke saath khilvaad kiya hai;ab main aise kuch bhi nahin hone dongi..So just tell him to back off and never interfere!!

Viren:Hello..(hung up)Yaar Bunty,yeh Anokhi toh phone kaat diya yaar..Ab koi umeed bhi nahin hain..

Bunty:Phir bhi umeed karte hain na,chill yaar..Par aaj ek achi baat hua hain..

Viren:Humne toh jis racer par paise lagaya tha,woh jeet gaya..

Shravan:Kya haal hai yaaron?

Bunty:Tu kahaa mar gaya tha??

Shravan:Well,Tara se notes le raha tha..

Bunty:Tu notes le rahaa tha ya phir kuch aur kar raha tha??

Shravan:Agar kuch aur ho paata tha toh acha hota lekin usse toh notes se fursat hi nahin milti..Khayr,Anokhi se baat ho paaya ke nahin?

Bunty:Address nahin mila..

Shravan:(let out a deep sigh)Kahin bahaar chalte hai yaar..

Viren:Yaar lecture hai baad mein..

Bunty:Koi nayi baat nahin hai,Viren...Hum teeno aaj bunk kar rahe hain...Chalo!!

Viren:Ek din tum dono mujhe marwaaoge!!Chal..

~Zaara Saloon~

Shreya:(murmured to herself)Uffo,yeh Anokhi kahaa rehgayi?Usne toh promise kiya tha ki woh yaha zaroor aayegi..(saw Saachi in front of her,after her hairdo and bridal makeover)OMG Dii,you look terrific!!(both of them smiled widely)

Saachi:Sach,Shreya?

Shreya:(nodded repetitively in excitement)Haan dii...(went towards Saachi and leaned her face close to Saachi,hugging her)Aapko kisi ki nazar naa lage..

Saachi:Shreya,tum bhi na bilkul Mami ke tarha bolti ho..

Shreya:Agar Maa hoti,toh woh kabkaa ronaa shuru kar chuki hoti..

Saachi:Chup!!Waise,Anokhi hai kaha??

Shreya:Seriously Dii,agar Anokhi aaj mere saamne aa gayi na,toh main..

Saachi:Shreya..

Shreya:Toh phir kya Dii??Usne toh aaj koi phone calls ya messages ka reply hi nahin kiya..

Saachi:Shreya,tum uske kaam ke baarein mein toh jaante ho na..Kabhi kabhi toh woh ghar tak nahin jaati..

Shreya:Nahin Dii..Wh th jaan booj kar iss function mein nahin aana chahthi..She hates Aman jeeju...

Saachi:Chal.woh sab chod!!Chalte hain yahaa se;paise bhar diya?

Shreya:Nahin,abhi aati hoon...

Saachi:Ok,main baahar wait karti hoon;auto ke liye bhi toh intezaar karni hai..(Shreya nodded)

Meanwhile,Shravan and Viren were walking towards Shravan's bike parked opposite Times Bookstore,quite adjacent to Zaara Saloon.Bunty had bought some snacks and had almost lost his friends in the crowd and was looking for them.Just then,he felt as if he saw Saachi on the opposite street and tried to watch her closely but he kept getting distracted by the commuters walking in front of him and pushing him.

Viren:(walked to Bunty with Shravan)Arre kya hua tujhe?Kitne dher se hum dno tujhe pukaar rahe hai??

Shravan:(snapped at Bunty)Oye!!Hum tujhse baat kar rahe hai yaar..

Bunty:Arre Shravan,wahaa dekho yaar..

Shravan:Kahaa??

Bunty:Woh Saachi hain na??Zaara Saloon ke baahar??(the three of them were stunned)

Shravna:Lag toh aise hi hain par...Kuch alag lag rahi hain..

Viren:Isse pehle ki woh chali jaaye,jaldi kar..Jaa kar maafi maang!!

Shreya:Dii,chale??

Saachi:Auto..Haan,chalo!!

Shreya:Bhaiyya,aage chaliye..(Shravan,Viren and Bunty missed Saachi)

Shravan:Shux!!

Bunty:Shit,woh toh jaa chuki hain yaar..

Shravan:Peecha karte hain,address apne aap bataa chal hi jaayega..(resumed riding his bike)

Viren:Arre par..

Bunty:Kya?

Viren:Par mujhe apna project submit karna hai aur ab 7 bajne ko aaya hai yaar..

Shravan:Tu kaisa dost hai yaar??

Bunty:Pehle Saachi ki address aur uske baad project submit karenge..Jaldi chal!!Waise bhi,nightbox hain na...Chill,dude!!

Shreya:Bhaiyya,aage chaliye..(Shravan,Viren and Bunty missed Saachi)

Shravan:Shux!!

Bunty:Shit,woh toh jaa chuki hain yaar..

Shravan:Peecha karte hain,address apne aap bataa chal hi jaayega..(resumed riding his bike)

Viren:Arre par..

Bunty:Kya?

Viren:Par mujhe apna project submit karna hai aur ab 7 bajne ko aaya hai yaar..

Shravan:Tu kaisa dost hai yaar??

Bunty:Pehle Saachi ki address aur uske baad project submit karenge..Jaldi chal!!Waise bhi,nightbox hain na...Chill,dude!!

Meanwhile,Anokhi was alone in the conference room when her assistant informed her that Rohan was waiting for her in her cabin for quite some time.Anokhi took her files and went to her cabin to meet Rohan.

Anokhi:Heyy,tum kab pohanche??

Rohan:Kuch dher pehle par yeh kya?

Anokhi:Kya?

Rohan:Aaj Saachi ki mehendi hain na??Tu wahaa kyun nahin gayi abhi tak?(Anokhi didn't respond)Main tumse baat kar raha hoon...

Anokhi:Yaar,tu jaanta hain na ki main iss shaadi ki tayyaariyon ke khilaaf hoon..So how do you expect me to be there??

Rohan:Why not Anokhi?You are her best friend and you ought to be there as her moral support..

Anokhi:Ok i'm her best friend..Toh??Meri baat tak nahin maan rahi hai woh;at least usse toh meri baat samajh na chahiye na..Main uski zindagi ke bavishye ko lekar parishaan hoon par usse toh uski mama mami ke fikr rehti hain..Un dono ke liye woh yeh shaadi kar rahi hain yaar...

Rohan:Dekho Anokhi,aakhir usne faisle le hi liya hain..Aur tumne usse samjhaane ki poori koshish ker chuki ho;ab samajhna ya naa samajhnaa uss par chod do..

Anokhi:Arre!!!Aise kaise chod doo??Woh meri best friend hai..Agar tum mere jagah par hote,toh kya tum bhi haar manoge aur bas tamaasha dekhthe rahoge??Nahin naa...

Rohan:(sighed deeply)Theekh hai,aaj ek aakhri koshish kar le par uske liye toh tumhe wahaa pe toh jaana padega na??So???

Anokhi:Theekh hai,chalungi!!

Rhan:Abhi!!!Niklo,chal main tumhe ghar tumhe drop kar deta hoon..(Anokhi sulked at the thought)

~Saachi's place~

It seemed that to Anokhi that perhaps Saachi was right by saying that it might be just too late to stop the wedding preps abruptly,just by looking at the grandeur of the small house decorated with miniature lights all around,completed with songs and dances performed spontaneously by Shreya and her relatives.Soon,Saachi got changed and Usha brought her to sit in the midst of the circle of relatives.Anokhi had placed the bouquet of flowers she brought at the cabinet near the hallway and brimmed with happiness as she saw Saachi smiling and waving at her.Shreya brought Anokhi to dance and both danced gaily while Saachi got mehendi imprinted on her left hand.

Meanwhile,Shravan together with Bunty and Viren had already reached Saachi's place but apparently they couldn't just barge right in front of all the relatives and apologize to Saachi outrightly.Bunty and Viren were apparently checking the relatives out and seeing that,Shravan nudged both of them to think of a good plan quickly.

Viren:Arre yaar,kya karna hai??(The trio went to a quiet corner)

Shravan:Ab yeh Bunty kaha reh gaya...

Bunty:Guyzz,guess what?Kuch drama chal raha hai andar..

Shravan:Tu apne aapko iss ghar ka hissa samajhne laga hai kya??

Bunty:Shravan,woh ladke waale ki taraf se mehendi aur haldi nahin aaya hai ab tak...

Viren:Lo,mehendi bhi aa gaya hai;problem solved..Ab Shravan ko madat..(paused)Ek minute...Tum jaao,mehendi lekar..(took the platter of mehendi and haldi from a guy's hand while Bunty diverted the guy's attention elsewhere and entertained him)

Shravan:Matlab?

Viren:Matlab yeh ki tum yeh mehendi ladke waalon ki taraf se aa gaye ho..

Shravan:Yeh aasaan nahin hai...Yahaan toh aise bhi log konge naa jo Aman ke saare rishthedaar ko jaante ho??Mere paas ek idea hai..(Bunty came back and heard Shravan's plan;bth Viren and Bunty got onto execute Shravan's plan)

Bunty:We'll meet you outside her place..Just hurry up!!(gave a Thumbs up to Shravan before leaving)

Shravan took a deep breath,looking around to sneak into the house whilst the relatives had slowly left.Just then,the electric pwer got cut.all thanks to Viren and Bunty.Nw,he had to figure out which room belonged to Daachi.He had known that there are at least five to six rooms but clobbered his fist on the wall for forgetting to check which room he ought to go to beforehand.

Nevertheless,he started to walk forwardwith a small hope.Call it his luck or not,he heard a familiar voice and she was walking towards a room.He watched her closely and used his mobile as a guide to shine light gingerly without letting Anokhi know that he was watching her.

~Saachi's room~

Saachi was taking off her jewellery and she looked at her henna designs on her hand.She smiled widely,loking at the letter 'A',resembling Aman's name.Anokhi watched her admiring her mehendi in front of her mirror.

Anokhi:Sorry agar main tumhe disturb kar rahi hoon..

Saachi:Nahin,andar aa jaao..

Anokhi:(locked the door)Ahem,kya dekh rahi ho?

Shravan:Crap!!(murmured)Ab main andar kaise ghusoonga??(decided to eavesdrop)

Saachi:Yeh mehendi bohat sundar hain na??(Anokhi just watched her and Saachi's smile faded)Rohan ne bheja hain na tumhe??

Anokhi:Nahin toh..Main khud..

Saachi:Tum toh iss hsaadi ke khilaaf thi na..Ab kya hua??

Anokhi:Theekh hain,Rohan ne bheja tha mujhe yaha aur mujhe samjhaa diya tha ki aaj tumhaari khushiyon ki jashnn mein mujhe yahaa pe maujood honi chahiye tumhaare sang par iska matlab yeh bilkul bhi nahin hain ki main shaadi se khush hoon..Saachi,meri baat suno please..Main ab bhi keh rahi hoon ki Aman ke niyyat mein kht hain;In fact,woh agar tumhe sacche dil se shaadi karna chahtha hain toh usne yeh saara drama kis liye kiya tha??Aur woh engagement uss ladki ke saath..I mean,woh kya tha??

Saachi:Woh mere pyaar ki intihaan thi aur kuch nahin..Amanji ne khud mujse...

Anokhi:WHAT???God,Saachi...Tum itni bholi kyun ho yaar??Usne yeh keh diya ki woh sab tumhaare pyaar ki imtihaan hain aur tumne fatafat maan bhi liya??Tum ek number ki pagal ladki ho...Ab toh main tumhe yeh shaadi nahin karne doongi!!

Saachi:Tum samajh the kyun nahin ho Anokhi??

Anokhi:Excuse me??Main nahin samajh rahi hoon??Tum kyun nahin samajh thi ki yeh sirf Aman ki chaal hai aur kuch nahin??Woh acha ladka nahin hain...

Saachi:Tumhaare paas kya sabut hai ki Amanji...

Anokhi:(looked up in the air in desperation and covered her face,feeling helpless but looked into Saachi's eyes)Sabut??Arrgghh Saachi!!!Common sense naam ki koi cheez hai mere paas...Theekh hain,tum mujhe aaj raat ki waqt do;main tumhe sabut laakar doongi...I'll be back in a few hour's time!!(Shravan heard the door being unlocked and hid away,seeing Anokhi leave from there in anger)

Without delaying any further,Shravan decided to enter Saachi's room before Saachi herself thought of locking her room door.He had no idea that Saachi was almost behind the door when he had opened it.Initially,she thought it was Anokhi who might have come to apologize to her but she stopped.She just froze for she didn't know who had suddenly barged into her room.She went to the mirror at her dressing table and quickly thought of getting something in her hand for self defence but to no avail.She saw the unknown figure walking towards her,making her sweat progressively in fear and she opened her mouth to shout for her mama but he covered her mouth and turned her to lean against the wall.He could literally feel the fear through her rapid warm breath and took his mobile and placed it between him and Saachi adjacent to their eyes.Shravan looked at Saachi and brought himself to smile weakly and placed a finger on his lips,gesturing her to not shout while Saachi looked terrified and her eyes pointed towards her lips where his palm was faced.

PRE-CAP: Shreya had come to see Saachi with a burning lamp in her hand and as she placed the lamp near the bedside and looked at Saachi's mehendi design on her hand,Shreya couldn't find the letter A which she and her other friends had decorated..Instead,she saw another letter!!

She saw the unknown figure walking towards her,making her sweat progressively in fear and she opened her mouth to shout for her mama but he covered her mouth and turned her to lean against the wall.He could literally feel the fear through her rapid warm breath and took his mobile and placed it between him and Saachi adjacent to their eyes.Shravan looked at Saachi and brought himself to smile weakly and placed a finger on his lips,gesturing her to not shout while Saachi looked terrified and her eyes pointed towards her lips where his palm was faced.Shravan eventually took his index finger from her lips and stod still,seeing her troubled state.However,Saachi just moved aside and away from him,feeling totally unnerving just by the thought of him trying to take advantage of him by appearing in her room at this hour of the night.Taking a deep breath,she turned to look at him and confront him.

Saachi:Aap yahaa pe kya kar rahe ho??Kya aap mere peecha kar rahe the??

Shravan:Well,sort of..Par..

Saachi:Aapko kya chahiye mujhse??Aap iss tarha mere kamre mein ghuss kar kya karna chahthe the??Aapka iraada kya hai??

Shravan:Iraada??(wondered what was going in her mind but widened his eyes in shock upon assuming her thoughts)Dekho!!Main maanta hoon ki maine tumhaare peecha kiya tha par mere koi aisa waisa iraada nahin tha yeh powercut karne mein...

Saachi:Aapne jaan booch kar yeh powercut karvaa diya tha??(felt sickened by his revelation)Isse pehle ki main apni mama mami ko bulaaoo,aap yahaa se chale jaayiye!!

Shravan:Dekho,main tumse bas sorry kehne aaya tha...

Saachi:Sorry??

Shravan:Woh kal jo kuch bhi hua tha mere ghar par,uske liye..Woh ladki ko thaalne ke liye aur uss waqt tum aur tumhaare dost bhi ghar pohanch gaye the iss liye maine woh sab kuch kaha tha aur kuch nahin..Maine nahin socha tha ki..

Saachi:Yehi toh baat hain na..Aap jaise log kabhi nahin soch sakte..(stared stonily at him)

Shravan:Excuse me??

Saachi:Kabhi socha hain aapne ki mujh par kya beeth rahi thi??Theekh hain,aapne nahin socha lekin aapne apne papa ke baarein mein tak nahin socha;ki kaise unki izzat barbaad ho gaya tha aapke yeh harkat ke waje se??Aap mujhse sorry kehne aaye hain lekin mujhe..

Shravan:Main sirf sorry kehne aaya tha kyunki maine Nidhi dear ko promise kiya tha..Taaki woh mujhse baat kare aur..

Saachi:Aisi sorry maangne se kya faayda jab aap khud sorry nahin ho??

Shravan:Haan,main maanta hoon ki main sorry bilkul bhi nahin hoon lekin mujhe sirf iss baat se matlab hain ke maine tumse sorry kaha hain and that's enough!!(Saachi looked at him with a hint of ire,feeling disgusted with the arrogant stance Shravan had)Aur ek baat toh tum sunn hi lo..Bohat sunaa diya tha tum mujhe??Enough with your pep talk,ab main muffat mein tumhe advice de raha hoon...Agar himmat hain,Anokhi ki baat maan kar yeh shaadi matt karna kyunki main Aman Mathur ko achi tarha se jaanta hoon aur woh mujhse bhi zyaad a bighdaa huwa aur kaminaa hain!!(Saachi was very much exasperated)Aise hi..Aise hi reaction aur expression expect kar raha tha..

Saachi:Sorry bol diya na??Ab aap yaha se jaldi jaayiye..

Shravan:Haan,jaa raha hoon!!

Saachi:(heard some footsteps and stopped Shravan,having held his elbow)Ek minute,ki aa raha hain..Iss taraf aayiye..(opened the windows of her room and asked him to go instantly)Iss tarha jaayiye aur koi aapko nahin dekhega!!(looked away but felt as though Shravan was looking at her)Ab aap khade khade kya kar rahe hain??

Shravan:(thought to himself)"Usne mere taraf dekhi tak nahin phir bhi usse pata chal gayi ki main dekh raha tha..Kitni ajeeb ladki hai yeh!!!"..Thanks!!(Saachi rolled her eyes and Shravan jumped out of the window,hurting himself a lil but quickly went away before Shreya came inside with a kerosene lamp in her hand)

Saachi was looking outside when she heard the knocks on the door and quickly went to open it for Shreya,who was surprised as to why the windows were open.

Shreya:Dii,yeh khidki kyun khula hua hain??

Saachi:Woh...Woh Shreya,garmi bohat thi na,iss liye...

Shreya:Haan,woh powercut thi na aur iss liye main bhi aayi thi..Aapko darr hain na andhere se par kamaal hain ki aapne cheeki nahin??

Saachi:Woh sob chodo na...Tum mujhe yeh sab nikaalne mein madat karna,please...

Shreya:Okay,Dii...Aur uske baad mujhe aapki mehendi bhi toh dekhni hain!!!

Saachi:Shauk se..!!(smiled at her)

~After some time~

Shravan:Baap re...Ghirte ghirte bach gaya...

Bunty:Arre,kahaa tu itne dher tak??Isha ladaa rahe the kya??

Shravan:(flicked Bunty's ears)Ishq aur woh bhi uss ladki ke saath??Tumhaara dimaag toh theekh hai??

Viren:Acha theekh hai,ab yeh sab band karo aur niklo yahaa se,isse pehle ki ki humein pakad na le...

Bunty:Haan chal chal...

Saachi:Thanks Shreya..Yeh zewer toh..

Shreya:Saachi di,agar aap iss teen chaar zewer ko lekar already parishaan ho,toh kal aapki shaadi hai,tab kya karoge aap??

Saachi:Bata nahin Shreya..Khayr,Anokhi kahaa pe hain??Woh abhi tak nahin aayi hai kya??

Shreya:Bata nahin Dii...Shayad kuch kaam se bahar chali gayi thi lekin wapas jaldi aayegi..Mujhe ek message mila toh tha..PAr woh sab chodiye naa..Pehle aap mujhe aapki mehendi dikhaayiye...

Saachi:Uffo...Ab dekh bhi lo..

Saachi showed Shreya her hands which were filled with the intricate designs of the mehendi which her mami and other relatives had designed for her.Shreya was in awe of the designs and became envious of Saachi,as she wondered as to when she will get to adorn herself with such beautiful designs.Just then,Shreya looked closely at Saachi's right hand and wondered where the letter A was.

Saachi:Aisi kya dekh rahe ho Shreya??

Shreya:Dii,aapke haath mein A kahin nahin dikhaayi de rahi hain...

Saachi:Kya bole jaa rahe ho??Theekh se dekh na...

Shreya:Dii,aapke doosre haath toh dikhaayiye..(looked at the ther hand closely with the lamp beside her but to no avail)Yeh toh A nahin hain Dii...Yeh toh kuch aur hi..Dekhiye na!!Yeh toh mujhe S jaise dikh rahi hain...

Saachi:S??Aise kaise ho sakta hai??(stared at her left hand which did resemble a smudged S)Yeh kaise??(recalled how Shravan had barged into her room in total darkness and had pushed her towards the wall,thinking of his stupidity to have caused a bad omen to her marriage preparations)

Shreya:Dii???(shook Saachi real hard)Kya ho gaya hai aapko??Dii...

Saachi:Yeh koi apshagun toh nahin hain na,Shreya..

Shreya:Dii,aap bhi na..Aap kahin par ghir gayi thi kya??Ya phir andhera mein kuch lene gayi thi..Shayad iss liye woh letter A se S ban gayi thi...Chodiye na!!!Main theekh kar doo??

Saachi:Koi baat nahin hain..Rehne do!!Filhaal,tum yeh baat kisi ko matt bataana,theekh hai??(Shreya nodded and went to change her clothes)

~Jaiswal Mansion:Dinner Time~

Saurav:Ab toh tum khush ho na Nidhi??

Nidhi:Bohat zyaada..Thanks,mere pyaare hubby!!(embraced him from behind)

Shravan:(cleared his throat)Ahem ahem...Nidhi dear,yeh sab mere aur mere doston ke saamne karna zaroori hai??

Nidhi:(looked slyly at him)Kyun??Nazar kyun lagaa rahe ho apne bhabhi aur bhai ke pyaar par???(kissed Saurav on his cheek and Saurav smiled)

Viren:Bhabhi,Shravan ko bas jalan ho raha hain ki kab uski kismat bhi rang laayega..(Shravan stepped on his foot)Ouchh!!

Shravan:(looked at Viren and murmured to him)"Zyaada mu matt kholna.."

Saurav:Kya khusur pusur ho raha hain??

Shravan:Kuch nahin,bhaiyya...

Viren:Waise,uncle aur aunty hain kahaa pe??

Nidhi:Woh dono Neeta aur Rajat ke saath baahar gaye huwe hain..Thode late se aayenge!!Shravan,thoda aur lo..Kitna kam khaate ho tum??Ab yeh dieting wagera ki excuse mujhe matt sunaa naa..

Bunty:(bursted out laughing)Bhabhi,yeh sab toh karna padhtha hai...Kyun Shravan??

Saurav:Zyaada phekho matt aur khaaoo...Shravan,yeh tumhaare haath mein kya hai??

Shravan:Kya??

Saurav:Nidhi,zara dekho...

Nidhi:(went to Shravan and saw some dirt on Shravan's elbow)Jaa kar saaf kar...Jaoo!!

~Aman's place~

Rohan:Tumhe toh main...

Anokhi:Kya yaar,tum mere liye itna bhi nahin kar sakte kya??

Rohan:Tumhaare liye kar sakta hoon par yeh jaasoosi??Just make sure ki humein kuch mile warna tumhaari khayr nahin!!Samjhi??

Anokhi:Haan haan,samajh gayi..Ab filhaal chale???

Rohan:Ok,what's the plan??

Anokhi:Aman ka kaamra shayad upar hai..Haan upar hi hain aur tum neeche ki jaasoosi kar lena...Agar kuch bhi miljaaye,photo ya phir video le lo...Theekh hai??Mujhe har haal mein sabut chahiye!!!Warna main Saachi ko convince bhi nahin karpaaongi!!Par dhyaan se,kisi ki nazar mein matt padhna..

Rohan:Theekh hai,ab jaaoo!!Ek minute,tum upar kaise jaaoge??(crept and knelt down so that no one exactly saw them from the back gate of the bungalow)

Anokhi:(looked around till she saw a long ladder and hit Rohan repeatedly till he saw the ladder)K??I'll go up by this...Zara madat karna!!(Anokhi reached the balcony of Aman's room and Rohan placed the ladder on the floor;Anokhi and Rohan looked at each other)

Rohan:Kya??

Anokhi:(gave him a Thumbs Up from the balcony and whispered)All the best!!

Rohan:(shook his head and smiled at her)Ditto!!Ab jaa..

Anokhi:Ajeeb hai...Yahaa pe toh koi shor sharaaba bhi nahin hain..I mean yaha toh shaadi ki mohul bhi nahin hain aur wahaa Saachi ke ghar par toh itni hungama ho rahi hain..Ek taraf se yeh achi baat hai ki Aman filhaal kamre mein nahin hain aur main yahaa aaraam se chaan been kar sakti hoon...(searched his entire room and looked around everywhere with the lights turned on)

Meanwhile,Rohan felt that what Anokhi had said earlier could be making real sense since he's not even seeing much people around Aman's bungalow.In fact,it didn't at all look like as if there was a marriage preparation going on in the first place.It seemed as if there was a normal evening gathering amongst the family members.He tried to hear them out while simultaneously looked out if anyone was approaching the main door,since he was relatively nearby.

~Jaiswal Mansion~

Shravan finished his dinner first before cleaning off the dirt that he found on his elbow.His friends had left from there after dinner and just then,Shravan bumped into Saurav and Nidhi,who questioned him about his elbow.

Shravan:Nidhi dear,kuch bhi nahin hain..

Nidhi:Let me see,Shravan...Ek second!!Tum Saachi se milne gaya tha na??

Shravan:Ab woh sab kyun pooch rahe hain aap iss waqt??Bata nahin yeh daag kyun rang badalkar iss tarha ban gaya hain...

Nidhi:Shravan,tumne Saachi ko aaj dekha tha??I mean,kya woh mehendi lagaa rahi thi??

Shravan:Mehendi??

Nidhi:That probably explains the colour change!!Ek minute,uski shaadi toh..

Shravan:Woh kal shaadi kar rahi hain..Ab khush ho??

Nidhi:(bit her tongue)I shouldn't have told you to go today...Shayad aaj uski mehendi ki rasam thi agar woh kal shaadi kar rahi hain...Par woh shaadi kar rahi hain kya??

Shravan:Haan Nidhi dear,woh kal shaadi kar rahi hain...

Nidhi:Par wh yeh shaadi kyun kar rahi hain jab ki woh ladka ek number ka...

Saurav:Nidhi...Tum itni tension kyun le rahi ho??Wh sab uski marzi hain na..

Nidhi:Phir bhi Saurav..Woh ek ladki hain na,iss liye zyaada chinta ho rahi hain mujhe aur woh ghar bhi aayi thi uss raat...

Shravan:Nidhi dear!!!

Nidhi:Ermm..Saurav,zara dekho ki Papa kab tak aayenge...(mumured to Shravan)Sorry!!Mu se phisal gayi thi..(Shravan shook her head)

Shravan:Arrgghh..main bohat tired hoon;Good night,bhaiyya!!

Nidhi:Arre!!Hhmm,i'll make it to you Shravan..Main bhi na,ek number ki bulakkad hoon..

Meanwhile,Anokhi got a message from Rohan,asking of her to get out of Aman's room as soon as possible for he had seen her reaching home in a slightly inebriated state.Anokhi captured the evidence on her mobile and saw Rohan waiting with the ladder and she quickly climbed down the stairs.In haste,she accidentally missed a step and fell on Rohan,who quickly shut her mouth with his hand,in an attempt to stop her from fretting.Rohan instantly brought Anokhi to stand up and both of them quickly rushed from there without anyone's eyes on them.

Anokhi:Phew!!!

Rohan:Dekhke nahin utar sakti thi??

Anokhi:Sorry yaar..Mujhe bhi dard ho raha hai par filhaal humein jaldi Saachi ke ghar pohanch na hoga...

Rohan:Ek minute..tumhe sabut mil gayi??

Anokhi:Haan chalo..Hum gaadi mein discuss karenge!!Iss sabut ke saath woh shaadi zaroor nahin karegi!!!(winked at Rohan)