What If? - Two Shots on Nazar/PiyAnsh (Completed)

What If?

This is a story about how Ansh or Piya's life may turn out, if they weren't together.

Chapter - 01

It was just another ordinary day. Ansh had returned from his office and went to their room. Piya was busy with something. Looking at how engrossed she was in her work, a smile crept across his face. He wasn't good with words. Nevertheless, the way poets and writers depicted "True Love", he found it amusing and somewhat terrifying due to the high standard set up for a partner. Often he would wonder whether it was love or a contract between two people where someone was expected to be strong, patient and forgiving with no room for his/her own insecurity until he met Piya. She was everything and beyond. In his ice-cold, dark world, she brought light and warmth. However, it wasn't just her angelic soul that he was in love with; her antics, her temper, even her vulnerability - every little thing that made her so perfectly imperfect, made him fall deeper in love with her. She was a riddle wrapped in an enigma and he was enchanted by her mystery! He remembered the first time he had noticed her properly. Covered in colors and she was trying to clean her dupatta, paying zero attention to the people around her or what might they think of her brief quintessential act of floating dupatta. Ansh chuckled reminiscing the incident. Piya got startled and looked back. “Hello dear husband! How was your day?” She asked with her brightest smile. That smile! It always made his heart skip a beat. All he could think about was stopping time and savor that moment! “Ansh?” Piya waved her hand before him. “What’s the matter dear?” “Hmm?” Ansh got startled. He didn’t notice when Piya came in front of him. Realizing the crazy thoughts that had occupied his mind just a while ago, he felt embarrassed. “Sorry! I was just thinking about something and got lost.” He replied with a sheepish smile. Piya raised her eyebrows and examined every angle of his face. The obvious blush and awkwardness didn’t escape her attention. In fact, the longing and admiration in his eyes made her feel loved and content. But he just got home and she decided to continue their eye-romancing session later. “You must be tired! Go freshen up! I’ll bring your coffee.” She left the room while Ansh went to take a bath with a grin.

“What are these?” Ansh asked Piya while sitting beside her. “Well, we had removed most of the photos from the walls and shoved them in our cupboard when we brought Mohana back, remember? Had some free time today so I thought of rearranging them.” “Okay! Let me help you.” They both started putting the photos in their respective frames and albums when a particular photo drew Piya’s attention. “Really Ansh! You have still kept this photo?” She was visibly upset. “Oh God! From where did this pop up?” Ansh cursed his fate. It was a photo of him and Ruby - flashing all their teeth as if they were the happiest couple in the world. “What nonsense Piya! Why would I keep it intentionally? You were there when all that circus was going on. Isn’t it normal that the photographers would click photos of the couple?” Ansh tried to reason with Piya. “Definitely! But what’s abnormal is that I had a hard time finding our old photos when we got back together. But you never threw away your and her photos!” “What photos? This must be the only one that I forgot to dispose.” “Really! Then what are these?” Piya pointed to a bundle of photos taken during Ansh’s engagement with Ruby. “God save me from this woman’s fury this time!” Ansh shuddered a little reminiscing about the time when Piya unleashed her wrath on Dilruba for trying to marry him. “Well, look at the bright side. These contain the family members’ pictures too. Look! Here’s one of you!” “In the background, all alone and evidently heartbroken. God! I had put Devdas in shame!” Piya quivered a little and dropped the photo. “Well, you were heartbroken, weren’t you? Because you looooooooooved me.” Ansh winked. “That’s not gonna save you this time Mr. Rathod! Do you really think you can get away with this incredibly stupid accent of yours?” “There’s nothing wrong in trying.” He tried to put on an innocent smile as a last ditch effort. “Too late.” Piya was about to leave when Ansh held her hand.

“I know you are angry with me but in my defense, I wasn’t in my sense back then. And if we go by the incidents that followed later, you were ready to marry Naman with complete awareness. So it’s not done that you are showing this much anger.” “I might have agreed to marry him but I haven’t savored his memories like you GAP! (Ghanghor Ajeeb Praani)” “This is not good! She has resorted to GAP from Mr. Rathod!” Ansh sensed the impending danger upon himself and tried to think of anything that would calm Piya down. But suddenly she started laughing holding her stomach. “What the!” “I was pulling your leg Ansh! Do you think only you have the right to get jealous or going berserk?” She couldn’t stop her sentence and started laughing again. “It’s so much fun to watch you get scared.” At first Ansh couldn’t understand how he should react. He was definitely annoyed; scrap annoyance, he was mad! But then again, it had always been difficult for him to maintain his attitude in front of her when she was well aware of his Achilles heel - her smile. Besides, the way Piya was laughing, even he felt like joining her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him, “Come here you drama queen!” Piya wasn’t ready for that and they both fell on the bed. After they had finally regained their composure, Ansh asked Piya casually, “Have you ever really thought about this?” “About what?” “Like, how would our lives turn out if we weren’t married to each other?” “Well, for starters, you wouldn’t be alive, that’s for sure. Mohana would have snacked on you a long time ago with the help of your darling Ruby.” “Are you sure?” Ansh smirked. “It might have been the other way around. I might have killed Mohana first and become the king of all Kalishaktis.” “Not entirely impossible considering what I have heard from the family members. The stunts that you had pulled when I was in Trishankulok, still give them minor heart attacks.” A mischievous smile twisted her lips. “Yeah!” Ansh replied in a muffled, apologetic voice. Sensing the despair in his voice, Piya tried to lighten up his mood, “I wonder what stunts you had pulled back then! Did you terrorize them with your awesome dancing skill?” She tried to keep a straight face but ended up bursting into laughter. “For the record, I am a wonderful dancer Piya!” Ansh rolled his eyes. “Of course! How can I forget your dance steps in front of the elevator when you became Kalishaktiyo Ka Raja! (The king of all evil entities)” She shuddered recalling the incident. “I hate to admit it, but you are right. It was really creepy!” He let out a sigh. “But, you haven't answered my question yet.” He tried to shrug his wariness off and said with a smile. “What if we had never met or didn’t have any power? How would our life turn out to be?”

Chapter - 02

“Seriously Piya! Have you ever really thought about it? An alternate scenario where we could have ended up with different partners?” Ansh asked jokingly. “I don’t know!” Piya tried to fake a smile and rolled over the bed to get down. But Ansh hugged her from behind and whispered in her ear, “Who knows, I might be cuddling with someone else.” “May be.” Sensing the change in her voice, Ansh looked at her face. She was pressing her lips while her eyes were brimming with tears. “Hey! What’s the matter love? I was simply joking. Look at me.” He pointed her face towards him and gently wiped off her tears. “I am right here! With you, always and forever!” “I know!” Piya tried to smile and touched his face, “Samne Ho, Aur Saath Bhi! (You are right in front of my eyes and we are together!) But the look in her eyes pierced his heart. “I know you were kidding. In fact, I should apologize that I got all verklempt for no good reason. It’s just that......." she lowered her eyes in an attempt to elude his gaze, "When you were talking about different partners, suddenly it reminded me of all the times when we were separated and caught me off guard. I am sorry! So, alternate scenarios huh?" she tried to smile cheerfully and lifted her gaze to his.

Ansh sighed sadly as he looked into Piya's eyes. He could see through the veil of pretense that masked her grief. Her smile was as sweet as sunshine on a rainy day. Yet, the raging storm inside her was evident. It was just like the day when he had got engaged to Ruby. Everyone was cheering for them but the sound of their laughter paled in comparison to Piya's silent cry. She was smiling but he could see it in her eyes, she was devastated. Even when he was shackled under Mohana's spell, every fiber in his being urged him to reach out to her and hold her in his embrace, to assure her that he would never leave her alone. But he couldn't break the spell and lost Piya for the first time. So many years had passed but he felt the same excruciating pain recalling that moment. Then how could he become so insensitive and hurt her feelings? He knew he couldn't take his words back. But he was also aware that if he tried to change the topic then she would feel guilty for ruining their fun-filled moment. So he decided to play along and bring a smile on her face. “That’s not fair Piya! You keep playing pranks on me and give me mini heart attacks but when I try to pull your leg, you start your drama.” Ansh pretended to be annoyed and was about to leave but Piya pulled him to her, “What’s the matter dear husband? Do you have a date with one of your imaginary girlfriends that you are leaving your wife alone in this state?” Piya raised one of her eyebrows. “May be I do!” Ansh replied with a smirk. “But then someone else might die of jealousy and attack the poor admirer. I can’t let that happen, can I?” he winked at her.

“Really?” “Really! You might be the Daivik here but I am the one with the bigger heart.” “Sure! That’s why you could give so many girls and supernatural entities their separate places in your HUGE heart and set a world record for the number of times you ALMOST got married.” “So? What’s wrong with it? At least I didn’t dress up multiple times to get married to the same person, over and over again.” “When did I do that?” “Hmm! Let’s see, you got ready to marry Naman when Guruma was unconscious. Thanks to me, you got saved in the nick of time. Then again, you got ready to marry that creep even when Guruma herself was against it. And let’s not forget your third attempt to get married to him when we were sent to the past. So what a record set by you!” Ansh started clapping. “First of all, I was helpless. Secondly, I didn’t even know you in the past and finally, Naman isn’t a creep.” Ansh raised his eyebrows and Piya stammered a little, “Well, not anymore. He has evolved so much!” “Can’t help but agree with you. But back then, creepy would be an understatement. Seriously Piya! I could still understand the second time because Mohana was threatening you. But what about the first time? Didn’t you think about it once that no sane person would hire an army of bodyguards during his wedding unless there was some serious problem? Or was he a Daku and you knew about it? Makes sense as he was your best friend and you are a pro at throwing knife. How awesome would it be? Husband and wife, terrorizing people together! You might be the first Daku ever to attack people while screaming JAI HO MAIYA KI!!!” Ansh burst out laughing. “Seriously! Now that I am trying to imagine you in the typical black shirt, laced with bullets and a scarf on your head, ready to pounce on your victim with a knife and JAI HO MAIYA KI!!! I just.....” He couldn’t finish his sentence and literally started rolling on the bed laughing. “What would you guys name your gang? I mean, Naman might name it Kancha Gang but what name would you take? Daku Rani Piya Devi!!! Since you are a big devotee of Devi Maa, I think it would only be fitting.” If only her look had the power to incinerate, Ansh would have turned into ashes by the death glare Piya shot at him. “By the way, got another idea! May be you could use a Trishul in lieu of your knife. That would be more terrifying, no?”

“A God-fearing Daku is much better than a Daayan with a hoverboard.” Piya tried hard to keep her cool. “Besides, now that we are counting the times I have dressed up as a bride, why don’t we walk down memory lane and find out how many times you have dressed up as a groom?" The idea brought a mischievous smile to her lips. "If you can’t remember, let me remind you, even you dressed up thrice to marry Dilruba. Not to mention your first marriage with Ruby and when we were stuck in the past, you almost put on your sehra. I was physically present both the times you attempted to get engaged to Bhasmika and you almost married her. And how can I forget the Swayamvadhu arranged to appease Mohana? If chachi hadn't faked her fainting, you would have put a garland around Natasha's neck." Ansh was about to say something but Piya shushed him. “I take responsibility for the last incident but what about the other attempts? At least Naman had some charm but all of your prospective brides - words fail to describe their uniqueness! If one was busy hovering then the other one was busy relishing on imli. And how can I forget someone special whose self-obsession would put Narcissus to shame!”

“They were supernatural beings Piya! You can’t compare them with Naman.” “Yeah, right!” She rolled her eyes. “Why don’t we talk about Payal then? The one who came with a marriage proposal for Rishi but settled for a PUBG addicted Champu guy?” Piya winked at Ansh. “You are talking as if Dev was Mr. India.” Ansh replied with a disgusted look on his face. “He looked even more Champu with that plastic smile and superficial goodness.” “Let me remind you dear husband, we were talking about prospective human partners. And yes, I agree Dev was a bigger Champu. Nevertheless, he wasn’t quirky like your Daayan/Chudhail companions and actually used his powers properly which put us all in a tight spot.” “Okay! I apologize! I should have stuck to the Namunes you brought for your Swayamvar. What was the name of that idiot you chose?” “Sameer!” “Yeah right! Didn’t even think twice or had any proper conversation with you let alone discussing about your kids who might become a part of his family later. Idiot!" Ansh was fuming. “You are talking as if your darling Vidya and later Natasha had conducted research on your Kundli first and then proposed you for marriage.” Piya decided to irritate Ansh more seeing how the mere mention of Dev’s, specially Sameer’s name turned him mad. “Anyway, why are we arguing about what happened in the past? We were talking about something else.” Ansh tried to change the topic. “Admit it, my choices have been better than yours.” Piya smirked. “You are behaving as if it was a competition.” “If it's not, then what’s the harm in stating the obvious?” Piya asked playfully and raised one of her eyebrows. “Damn that teasing smile! She gets away with everything with it.” Ansh cursed his fate.

“To be honest, I am not really sure about an alternate scenario.” Piya said with a smile but there was certainty in her voice. “I mean, look at us! It seems like our fates were intertwined even before we were born. Maa was an exceptionally powerful Sarpika who was friends with both Mohana and Vedashree maa. She killed all of my ancestors on Mohana’s request but ended up falling in love with baba. Then again if I talk about your family, Mohana trapped Mridul papa, of all people, who was related to Vedashree maa. We both know how hard she tried to protect you from everything evil. If she wasn’t a Daayanvanshi herself and a friend of my maa, she would never be able to do that.” Ansh nodded in agreement. “Even when we talk about our decisions, there is a number of prestigious business schools in Mumbai. But you chose, and got selected into the one where my baba was a professor. So, it’s like a properly planned maze that our paths would cross no matter what.” “I agree with you. Even I have been astonished many times thinking about the connection between our families. But honestly, I believe it is beyond the Daivik-Daavansh connection. I mean, I don’t deny that your presence alerted my Daavansh side. But it was more of a reflex, as if the darkness within me was afraid of the light in your soul. Such deep aversion couldn't possibly turn into love if we didn't feel anything for each other." “I used to get puzzled seeing your behavior.” Piya chuckled a little. “One moment you were this caring guy who would help anyone in need and the next moment you would say or do something horribly insensitive.” “I troubled you a lot back in those days, didn’t I?” Ansh sounded remorseful. “You did.” Piya said casually. “For what it's worth, I became fascinated by your mysterious behavior.” She looked at him intently with a smile on her face.

“As far as your question is concerned, right now, I can’t think of any proper answer to that. But theoretically and based on certain incidents, I can assume you would be a pain in the ass if we hadn’t met and you had embraced your evil side. I may laugh at the persona of all the supernatural entities in your life but let’s face it, each and everyone was powerful. Considering how infatuated your dark side is with the idea of romance and marriage, I suppose you would get involved with more Daayan/Chalayan/Chudhail and whatever species is left to explore." “Don't you think you are taking too much creative liberty here?” "I wish I could say NO! But the truth is, Daavansh or Kalishaktiyo Ka Raja, your dark side loves romancing as much as Daayanvanshis love bathtub. Anyway, my point is, your association with the female Kalishaktis might lead you to some serious trouble. Have you forgotten Bhaisasur?” Piya asked with a mischievous smile. “How is he relevant?” Ansh was confused. “Well, you didn’t even point a finger at Ruby but he beat you to a pulp. If we really consider you being evil and getting involved with multiple female entities, we can assume that it wouldn’t go down well with the male population and more often you would find yourself in combats. If Bhaisasur could go berserk for his daughter, I think I should give other Kalishaktis the benefit of the doubt that they too live by some code.” Piya pressed her lips to control her laughter while Ansh got exasperated.

“Suddenly it seems you are more interested in my competitors than my companions.” “Because it’s a fact dear husband. I have heard enough of Eanshhhh Baby and Hihihihihihihi for this lifetime; probably enough for my next seven births too! But I can’t deny Bhaisasur was one hot Kalishakti! Hadn't you seen his abs? And how can I forget his long, silky hair!” “I was rather busy fighting with him.” Ansh gritted his teeth in anger. “Yeah right! If by fighting you mean getting thrashed left, right and center then you were definitely too busy to notice anything.” Piya couldn’t help laughing hysterically while Ansh kept fuming. “Seriously, what a sight it was! Despite having no wings, you were flying across the hall, all thanks to Bhaisasur. If I weren’t so madly in love with you, I would surely enjoy your flying session for another minute or two. Who knows? I might even cheer for him.” “No wonder you loooooved Angad too!” Ansh replied sarcastically. “Well, he most certainly brought some entertainment in our lives. I still haven’t gotten over Mohana's dance in her bedroom. It’s a good thing chachi hadn’t seen her dancing in her balcony. Otherwise she might have had a heart attack.” Piya laughed even harder. “Okay! I give up!” Ansh covered his face with his palms in frustration. “Moral of the story is I would become a troublemaker and you would end up with any Tom, Dick and Harry but still make it work.” “Look at the bright side Ansh.” “There is a bright side!” “Yes, there is!” Piya replied in a deep voice. “We all get a little twisted when it comes to love and I love you! Always have and always will! It doesn’t matter which version of reality we are in or could possibly be; I will always find my way back to you!”

Ansh was lost in the surreality of her eyes. How could someone love another person to this extent and be so certain of her feelings! “If I am not wrong, you were crying not too long ago thinking about all the times we were separated.” He replied without thinking anything. “I was and I won’t lie, every time we got separated, I felt like dying. But in the end, loving you and being loved by you has been the greatest gift of my life. It doesn’t matter how many times I got hurt or had my heart broken. I fell in love with a guy who burned me with his touch, literally. I have always known in my heart, it was never going to be easy. But you are worth every bit of suffering and if I were given a choice, I would choose you all over again; with my eyes closed, in every single lifetime, in every alternate reality, I would choose you because, I love you!” She caressed his face and was about to leave when Ansh held her wrist. “What did I ever do to have you in my life?” “Loved me and accepted me with all my virtues and vices. I couldn’t have asked for more. Otherwise we are not in “FIFTY SHADES OF GREY” that I would endure that amount of pain just to be with you.” Piya winked at him and got down. ““FIFTY SHADES OF PIYA”, may be?” Piya was astounded and looked back. Ansh had a devilish grin. “Have you forgotten your speech at our wedding reception? ANSH! TUMHARA DIA TO DARD BHI MUJHE ACCHA LAGTA HAIN! (I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU; EVEN THE PAIN THAT YOU CAUSE ME!)” Piya was about to say something when Vedashree called her for help. She started leaving but stopped in her track. “Don’t misunderstand this to be over Mr. Rathod! The game is still on!” “And I’ll be waiting for you, My Queen!” Ansh bowed his head irritating Piya further and burst out laughing when she left the room.

******* The End *******