To be or not to be-completed(epilogue)

It was the week before Garry and Shanaya's wedding.Her mother had insisted on a girls night with all the ladies in the house.Kiara still wasn't sure if it was a good idea to have her mother and Manveer mami in the same room.Surprisingly,bebe had agreed ,forcing everyone to attend and be on their best behaviour.And thus here they were,all clad in their comfiest nightclothes,lounging by the pool.All the men had been banished to the other end of the house,forced to suffer each other's company playing cards or doing whatever boring task daarji had come up with,not that they were doing any better.

They had cleared away the deck chairs and dragged in comfy bean bags ,mattresses and comforters.Her Prabhjyot maasi had had the forethought of ordering food beforehand as no had any desire to eat their daily fare.As a result they were swamped with pizza and chocolate.Ekam had even managed to get hold of Veer's speakers so they could dance as well.She honestly thought all this was being wasted on this group.They had absolutely no idea of how to fun.She surveyed the group appraisingly.The only people who seemed inclined to have a blast were here mom and maasi.Gurleen mami and Ekam might join them on the dancefloor but she still wasn't entire sure.Dancing in weddings was entirely different from casual dancing during parties.While bebe wasn't very concerned about their behaviour in private and let them let loose,she herself was content with cheering from the sidelines.

Manveer mami had a perpetual frown stuck on her face while Sahiba simply looked like a lost puppy.

They just dined in silence with the occasional murmur.Gurleen mami and Ekam kept on whispering incessantly to each other.She badly wanted to know what they were talking about but realised the fruitlessness.After they were done,bebe finally spoke up.

"Now that we've completed all the formalities,let the entertainment begin."

"Bebe is right,what shall we do first?"her mother perked up.

"Ruko Jasleen,not so fast.I wish to drink before we start anything."

Kiara turned around so fast that she gave herself whiplash.She heard a small groan somewhere behind her.Gurleen mami looked defeated while Ekam seemed ready to burst into giggles.

Bebe grinned at all of them before producing a rather large decanter with suspicious looking liquid.Kiara squinted at it,a rock settling at the bottom of her stomach.She had a really bad feeling about this as she watched her grandmother pour out a glass for everyone.

*******************************************************

She siddled up to the couch and sat on the arm,next to Ekam and Gurleen Mami.The two of them had been rather quiet all night and had actually politely rejected the alcohol.This had sent the cogwheels in her head turning.She raised her glass and gingerly sniffed it.Her nostrils burned making her hastily withdraw.To her absolute horror, everyone else had managed to make it to their second round,even Sahiba.

"I know the two of you are hiding something. SPILL!NOW!"

"What makes you think we know something di?"

"Really Ekam?Do you honestly take me for a fool? I've been observing the two of you all night.I'm sure there's a reason why you rejected the drink."

Mami just sighed.

"That drink is Bebe's special recipe.Till date I have no idea what she puts in it but I do know that it's very strong.And it makes you do things you regret later."

"Like having Veer paaji ?"

"Ekam!"

"Just kidding mummy.Don't be so sensitive."

Kiara tried processing the new information.

"Since when has bebe become an expert in mixing drinks?"

Her mami simply shrugged.

"She's been doing it for a really long time,but in secret."

"Mummy,how do you know all this?",Ekam asked her mother suspiciously.

"I accidentally stumbled on her when she was experimenting once.It was just after my engagement with your father."

Kiara really wanted to scratch her head.The story was getting weirder and weirder by the second.The story did not compute at all.It took her a while to realise that the she was bluffing.

"Fine mami, don't tell us the story.But please tell me something.Why aren't you drinking? It's not as if you haven't drunk before right?And what about you Ekam? You're legal,which means you can drink."

"Di,I don't like the smell at all.I threw up all night the first time I tried drinking."

It was a reasonable excuse she supposed.

"And what about you mami? Don't tell me that you too hate the smell.I know that you're perfectly capable of out drinking mama.The whole of Ludhiana knows what happened on the day you two met."

Mami simply rolled her eyes,

"Wait and watch Kiara.You'll realise why you need someone sobre around you."

It took them and hour,an entire hour of stillness and quiet before all hell broke loose.

Pls continue and tag me when you next upload pls

Originally posted by: Amanita09

Pls continue and tag me when you next upload pls

Will definitely do

This is very different! I can't wait for the next part!

Part two

Kiara watched her family like a hawk,finding it difficult to enjoy the calm before the storm.If her Gurleen mami was worried,then there was definitely something cooking up.The first hour passed by like a snail with absolutely no effect.She was starting to get annoyed wondering if her aunt was just being paranoid.The ladies had meanwhile proceeded to round three,laughing more and more as they got inebriated.She could have been drinking all this while, she thought, looking at her glass forlornly.Ekam started fidgeting next to her which only served to annoy her further.

The quiet chatter gradually grew in intensity which caught her attention.There was a holler to play some music and suddenly everyone was on their feet dancing.And it wasn't their usual fare either .They had completely let it loose,forgetting about their surroundings,all lost in worlds of their own.She fervently prayed her daarji wouldn't find out.Her mom would become the scapegoat at the end and the others would only be too happy to blame her.Her maasi pulled her into the middle and she found herself dancing with her mom.

She started tearing up.Her mom had never looked this happy,with her frown lines and eyes sparkling under the moonlight.Is this how she had looked when in love with her father,she found herself wondering.Out of the corner of her eye,she saw Sahiba drunkenly wander off to Ekam and hug her.The latter was happy enough to cuddle with her and the two just meandered around arm and arm.Gurleen mami made her way towards bebe ,no doubt worried she'd fall into the pool.As she saw her bebe dance exorbitantly,she started laughing which soon turned into a steady stream of tears.

No one usually danced with her ,with the sole exception of Ekam and Gurleen mami ,who ,she suspected, merely did it out of politeness and pity.Even her mom preferred dancing with her brother.It was as if she didn't exist at all to anyone.Her grandparents considered a herald of ill fortune as she had been born just before her parents' divorce.She didn't even have an identity of her own in the family,always relegated to the shadows,treated as an extension of her mother.Even Garry was in a less precarious position.Despite his absolutely horrible reputation,a reputation was still a reputation.It meant no one could see past him the way they did with her.

Frustrated,she walked off only to be waylaid by Ekam.

"Di,please don't leave.I'll really miss you ."she begged.

Kiara sighed.Ekam was one person she couldn't refuse at all.

"Alright, I'll stay with you but let's first get Sahiba back to her room,she gestured to her passed out sister-in-law."

Ekam nodded and the two of them supported Sahiba between them,ready to re-enter the mansion.

Gurleen mami called out,"Kiara,Ekam,make sure you don't leave her alone.Ask Angad or Veer to sit with her till she wakes up."

Kiara frowned,the request was strange and oddly specific .Ekam was puzzled as well but the two of them decided to comply.

*******************************************************

By the time they returned,it seemed as if a hurricane had hit the pool area.There was water everywhere ,it seemed everyone had decided to take a swim.Ekam gasped and immediately ran to her mother who was trying to dry bebe while shivering herself.She shook her head in exasperation at her maasi who was passed out on the couch.What really caught her attention was the conversation between her mother and Manveer mami.

"Manveer, you have no lucky how idea you are.Daarji and bebe looooove you so much.They will always be ready to discard me for you."she slurred badly,poking the other woman in the chest,breaking a nail in the process.

Kiara winced in sympathy.

Manveer mami was not one to back down so easily.

"Jasleen,you seem to be forgetting something important.You are their blood.No matter how much they profess to hate you,they can't bear to cut you off.I,am just a bahu.I have to earn my keep and my place in this house.They won't tolerate anything lesser than a perfect Manveer Kaur Brar."

"Perhaps the grass is greener on the other side.But we have one thing in common."her mother professed.

"What is it?"her mami asked in confusion.

"Both of our husbands are.....",the rest of her words were lost in the wind.

"I second that.We deserve better.If anyone has any objections,they can come forth now or hold their silence forever."her Manveer mami addressed everyone.

It didn't take long for the two of them to start sobbing,hugging each other and clinging like sloths.Kiara just facepalmed before deciding to just sit with Ekam.

Originally posted by: themasked

Part two

Kiara watched her family like a hawk,finding it difficult to enjoy the calm before the storm.If her Gurleen mami was worried,then there was definitely something cooking up.The first hour passed by like a snail with absolutely no effect.She was starting to get annoyed wondering if her aunt was just being paranoid.The ladies had meanwhile proceeded to round three,laughing more and more as they got inebriated.She could have been drinking all this while, she thought, looking at her glass forlornly.Ekam started fidgeting next to her which only served to annoy her further.

The quiet chatter gradually grew in intensity which caught her attention.There was a holler to play some music and suddenly everyone was on their feet dancing.And it wasn't their usual fare either .They had completely let it loose,forgetting about their surroundings,all lost in worlds of their own.She fervently prayed her daarji wouldn't find out.Her mom would become the scapegoat at the end and the others would only be too happy to blame her.Her maasi pulled her into the middle and she found herself dancing with her mom.

She started tearing up.Her mom had never looked this happy,with her frown lines and eyes sparkling under the moonlight.Is this how she had looked when in love with her father,she found herself wondering.Out of the corner of her eye,she saw Sahiba drunkenly wander off to Ekam and hug her.The latter was happy enough to cuddle with her and the two just meandered around arm and arm.Gurleen mami made her way towards bebe ,no doubt worried she'd fall into the pool.As she saw her bebe dance exorbitantly,she started laughing which soon turned into a steady stream of tears.

No one usually danced with her ,with the sole exception of Ekam and Gurleen mami ,who ,she suspected, merely did it out of politeness and pity.Even her mom preferred dancing with her brother.It was as if she didn't exist at all to anyone.Her grandparents considered a herald of ill fortune as she had been born just before her parents' divorce.She didn't even have an identity of her own in the family,always relegated to the shadows,treated as an extension of her mother.Even Garry was in a less precarious position.Despite his absolutely horrible reputation,a reputation was still a reputation.It meant no one could see past him the way they did with her.

Frustrated,she walked off only to be waylaid by Ekam.

"Di,please don't leave.I'll really miss you ."she begged.

Kiara sighed.Ekam was one person she couldn't refuse at all.

"Alright, I'll stay with you but let's first get Sahiba back to her room,she gestured to her passed out sister-in-law."

Ekam nodded and the two of them supported Sahiba between them,ready to re-enter the mansion.

Gurleen mami called out,"Kiara,Ekam,make sure you don't leave her alone.Ask Angad or Veer to sit with her till she wakes up."

Kiara frowned,the request was strange and oddly specific .Ekam was puzzled as well but the two of them decided to comply.

*******************************************************

By the time they returned,it seemed as if a hurricane had hit the pool area.There was water everywhere ,it seemed everyone had decided to take a swim.Ekam gasped and immediately ran to her mother who was trying to dry bebe while shivering herself.She shook her head in exasperation at her maasi who was passed out on the couch.What really caught her attention was the conversation between her mother and Manveer mami.

"Manveer, you have no lucky how idea you are.Daarji and bebe looooove you so much.They will always be ready to discard me for you."she slurred badly,poking the other woman in the chest,breaking a nail in the process.

Kiara winced in sympathy.

Manveer mami was not one to back down so easily.

"Jasleen,you seem to be forgetting something important.You are their blood.No matter how much they profess to hate you,they can't bear to cut you off.I,am just a bahu.I have to earn my keep and my place in this house.They won't tolerate anything lesser than a perfect Manveer Kaur Brar."

"Perhaps the grass is greener on the other side.But we have one thing in common."her mother professed.

"What is it?"her mami asked in confusion.

"Both of our husbands are.....",the rest of her words were lost in the wind.

"I second that.We deserve better.If anyone has any objections,they can come forth now or hold their silence forever."her Manveer mami addressed everyone.

It didn't take long for the two of them to start sobbing,hugging each other and clinging like sloths.Kiara just facepalmed before deciding to just sit with Ekam.

I really wished they would have shown Ekam and Kiara more, especially ekam in the show 😔

I really miss ekam,she was one of my favourite characters.

manveer and jasleen being manveer and jasleen as always

Part three

Something was wrong with both her mother and Kiara di even if they did not admit it.Her di looked like she had been crying ,even before the party had started while her mother looked like a lost puppy.Deciding to grill them later ,she turned to her bebe who was giggling.

"Bebe,are you alright?",Kiara di asked,bemusedly.

She didn't reply,still stifling giggles before stopping suddenly and staring at someone behind them,pupils dilated and mouth stretched in a terrifying grin.An eerie sensation descended over the three of them.Ekam slowly turned around,her heart thumping in her chest,fearing what she would face ,only to find no one.However,the connecting doors to the mansion were wide open,the curtains fluttering in the wind,casting a shadow of a sobbing woman .Ekam could've sworn they'd shut the doors on their way back in.

To her horror,her mother had turned as white as a sheet,her knuckles whitening over the towel she clutched.Kiara di was staring insistently at the doors as if waiting for someone.

"There's no one there."Ekam said resolutely,making the other two jump.

"Gurleen puttar,"her bebe slurred,catching hold of her mother's hand,"let bygones be bygones.You know what is best for the family right."

Her voice was normal for the most,except for the menacing glint to it.Ekam shivered as the cold wind screamed in her ears.Perhaps it was time to wrap up the party.Before she could suggest otherwise her bebe let out another giggle before rising and running away.It took them a few seconds to snap out of it.

"She's running towards the house!Daarji will find out.We need to hurry.Mummy?Di?"

Neither responded.She swore loudly which caught their attention.The three took off behind bebe,but she'd gotten a headstart and in no time they had lost her.Panting heavily,they made it to the top of the stairs but the entire mansion seemed deserted.

"Where is everyone?",Kiara di muttered as they wandered through the deserted corridors.Mummy was rubbing her arms,still shivering from her dip in the pool.

"Mummy,why are you all wet?",Ekam asked.

"Bebe jumped into the pool."

"If I'm not mistaken,bua was also in the pool right?She could've easily gotten to her?Why did you jump in?"

"Everyone was too drunk to notice,plus bebe can't swim."

Her mother's rubbing grew more frantic with each step they took,as if she were growing colder.For a moment,her night dress slipped off her shoulder and a pale scar could be seen,jagged and white,extending from her shoulder making it's way towards her chest,disappearing under the neckline of her dress.She had never seen that scar before,but then ,her mother did wear dupattas all the time.Funnily enough,Kiara di had a number of them as well,mostly from childhood accidents.Her di had been quite clumsy as a child much to her embarassment and chagrin.Her cousins would never let her live it down.

They made it to Jasleen bua's wing when the lights went off suddenly.Di groaned as she accidentally walked into a table and knocked over a vase .The resounding crash made everyone jump.Enveloped in darkness,Ekam felt claustrophobic.She had always feared the dark,preferring to sleep with her parents or Kiara di during thunderstorms and power outages.While they did have an extensive supply of candles,the candle light cast strange shadows,only accentuating her fear of the dark.

Atleast being with someone meant that they could assuage her fears and anxiety of the uncertain.She smiled as her mother reached out for her in the dark.She giggled as she accidentally bopped her on the nose while trying to pull her in for a hug.

"Mummy that's my nose,now you're poking me in the eye."

"Sorry ",the whisper came.

They heard a faint scream from the terrace.It sounded vaguely like Bebe.

"Kiara,Ekam,I'll go and turn on the emergency lights and then check on your bebe alright?I want the two of you to stay right here.Don't try going anywhere else, it's way too dark to wander about.Once the emergency lights are on,both of you go to Kiara's room and stay there till the power is back."

"What about you mami?How will you know where you're going?"

"I know this house like the back of my hand."

Ekam simply rolled her eyes.

*******************************************************

To while away their time while waiting ,the two of them decided to play Twenty Questions.

"Di,I hope you remember that you'll have to answer every question of mine."

"I will Ekam but only because I trust you.Unlike Veer who feels the need to inform everyone in the house."

"In that case, let's start.You go first."

"Who's your crush?"

"Di..... that's not fair."

"Rules are rules ,Ekam."

"Fine,but you'll regret this.It's Advay."

"Not bad.I'll tell mami."

"Sure,she already knows.I'm surprised she hasn't reacted badly especially when you consider how paranoid she can get."

"Paranoid is too strong a word here.She hasn't gone overboard with anything has she,like checking your phone ,stalking you,you know the way Manveer mami does with Angad paaji.As far as I know,Gurleen mami and Jaspal mamu usually give you the privacy you need."her di replied.

Ekam was disgruntled.The conversation was veering off in a direction she didn't like.

"Di,the problem is she expects me to tell her every major thing in my life while her own past is a mystery to me.I do not know anything Gurleen Kaur Brar apart from the fact that she's my mother and that she loves us unconditionally."

"Ekam, isn't that a good thing?Not everyone is lucky enough to that their parents love them without conditions applied.

There was a fizzle;someone had turned on the emergency lights .

"Ekam, let's go to my room and wait there till mami comes back.I think we have a lot to talk about till then."

Ekam reluctantly followed her sister.It was going to be a long night.

Originally posted by: themasked

Part three

Something was wrong with both her mother and Kiara di even if they did not admit it.Her di looked like she had been crying ,even before the party had started while her mother looked like a lost puppy.Deciding to grill them later ,she turned to her bebe who was giggling.

"Bebe,are you alright?",Kiara di asked,bemusedly.

She didn't reply,still stifling giggles before stopping suddenly and staring at someone behind them,pupils dilated and mouth stretched in a terrifying grin.An eerie sensation descended over the three of them.Ekam slowly turned around,her heart thumping in her chest,fearing what she would face ,only to find no one.However,the connecting doors to the mansion were wide open,the curtains fluttering in the wind,casting a shadow of a sobbing woman .Ekam could've sworn they'd shut the doors on their way back in.

To her horror,her mother had turned as white as a sheet,her knuckles whitening over the towel she clutched.Kiara di was staring insistently at the doors as if waiting for someone.

"There's no one there."Ekam said resolutely,making the other two jump.

"Gurleen puttar,"her bebe slurred,catching hold of her mother's hand,"let bygones be bygones.You know what is best for the family right."

Her voice was normal for the most,except for the menacing glint to it.Ekam shivered as the cold wind screamed in her ears.Perhaps it was time to wrap up the party.Before she could suggest otherwise her bebe let out another giggle before rising and running away.It took them a few seconds to snap out of it.

"She's running towards the house!Daarji will find out.We need to hurry.Mummy?Di?"

Neither responded.She swore loudly which caught their attention.The three took off behind bebe,but she'd gotten a headstart and in no time they had lost her.Panting heavily,they made it to the top of the stairs but the entire mansion seemed deserted.

"Where is everyone?",Kiara di muttered as they wandered through the deserted corridors.Mummy was rubbing her arms,still shivering from her dip in the pool.

"Mummy,why are you all wet?",Ekam asked.

"Bebe jumped into the pool."

"If I'm not mistaken,bua was also in the pool right?She could've easily gotten to her?Why did you jump in?"

"Everyone was too drunk to notice,plus bebe can't swim."

Her mother's rubbing grew more frantic with each step they took,as if she were growing colder.For a moment,her night dress slipped off her shoulder and a pale scar could be seen,jagged and white,extending from her shoulder making it's way towards her chest,disappearing under the neckline of her dress.She had never seen that scar before,but then ,her mother did wear dupattas all the time.Funnily enough,Kiara di had a number of them as well,mostly from childhood accidents.Her di had been quite clumsy as a child much to her embarassment and chagrin.Her cousins would never let her live it down.

They made it to Jasleen bua's wing when the lights went off suddenly.Di groaned as she accidentally walked into a table and knocked over a vase .The resounding crash made everyone jump.Enveloped in darkness,Ekam felt claustrophobic.She had always feared the dark,preferring to sleep with her parents or Kiara di during thunderstorms and power outages.While they did have an extensive supply of candles,the candle light cast strange shadows,only accentuating her fear of the dark.

Atleast being with someone meant that they could assuage her fears and anxiety of the uncertain.She smiled as her mother reached out for her in the dark.She giggled as she accidentally bopped her on the nose while trying to pull her in for a hug.

"Mummy that's my nose,now you're poking me in the eye."

"Sorry ",the whisper came.

They heard a faint scream from the terrace.It sounded vaguely like Bebe.

"Kiara,Ekam,I'll go and turn on the emergency lights and then check on your bebe alright?I want the two of you to stay right here.Don't try going anywhere else, it's way too dark to wander about.Once the emergency lights are on,both of you go to Kiara's room and stay there till the power is back."

"What about you mami?How will you know where you're going?"

"I know this house like the back of my hand."

Ekam simply rolled her eyes.

*******************************************************

To while away their time while waiting ,the two of them decided to play Twenty Questions.

"Di,I hope you remember that you'll have to answer every question of mine."

"I will Ekam but only because I trust you.Unlike Veer who feels the need to inform everyone in the house."

"In that case, let's start.You go first."

"Who's your crush?"

"Di..... that's not fair."

"Rules are rules ,Ekam."

"Fine,but you'll regret this.It's Advay."

"Not bad.I'll tell mami."

"Sure,she already knows.I'm surprised she hasn't reacted badly especially when you consider how paranoid she can get."

"Paranoid is too strong a word here.She hasn't gone overboard with anything has she,like checking your phone ,stalking you,you know the way Manveer mami does with Angad paaji.As far as I know,Gurleen mami and Jaspal mamu usually give you the privacy you need."her di replied.

Ekam was disgruntled.The conversation was veering off in a direction she didn't like.

"Di,the problem is she expects me to tell her every major thing in my life while her own past is a mystery to me.I do not know anything Gurleen Kaur Brar apart from the fact that she's my mother and that she loves us unconditionally."

"Ekam, isn't that a good thing?Not everyone is lucky enough to that their parents love them without conditions applied.

There was a fizzle;someone had turned on the emergency lights .

"Ekam, let's go to my room and wait there till mami comes back.I think we have a lot to talk about till then."

Ekam reluctantly followed her sister.It was going to be a long night.

The fact that you are concentrating on ekam and Kiara is ❤️🥹

Waiting for next chapter

l love how you are focusing on Kiara and Ekam's POV'S