Hey Guys. Bela is Back finally. Thanks for being patient readers whose support has enabled me to work harder. I hope you all like this part. This is the second last part of this SS.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I looked in the mirror again as I checked my hair for one last time before I went to pick Ragini for our dinner date tonight. It was to celebrate our trip and my recent deal which made me enter officially in the list of ‘Top 10 Businessmen of India’. While I would have thrown a party under normal circumstances, I have a tight schedule and while Ragini is willing to host the party on my behalf, I don’t want her to do it just now. Hosting a party for someone else is done only when you are either being paid for it, or you are a professional or if you are the………………mistress of the house. And while I have a full intention to make her the mistress of my house, I don’t want Ragini stressed when she should obviously start practicing for the competition.
Ragini and I are media’s darlings. We constantly top the ‘Hottest Couples’ and ‘Cutest Couples’ list and are the ‘It couple’. The gossip magazines are splashed with our photos taken while we are out together, returning from college or at parties. While Ragini sulks in a corner, commenting on the height of vellapanti they show, I silently cut these pictures without anyone’s knowledge and paste them in my album full of our pictures. And then stare at them happily the entire night.
An article which ran recently reported that Ragini and I were planning a ‘romantic getaway’ to somewhere private and speculated places like Venice, Paris, Switzerland and all such filmy ‘romantic’ places. Ragini’s translation of this news had been hilarious. She had narrowed her eyes and muttered, “Abbey gala faadne jaa Rahe hain, wo bhi Pune. Aur inko yahan Paris mein romance soojh Raha hai. Jale par namak chidhak Rahe Hain.” I had laughed for fifteen minutes straight while Ragini had glared at the article crossly and then thrown it at me, yelling at me to stop bringing garbage in front of her. That had evoked another round of laughter which lasted for another ten minutes.
So this dinner was to celebrate my success, our proposed ‘getaway’ and silently, just for me, my win against Laksh. I sniggered. Ragini chose ME over him. Take that. Right in your face.
It was a casual date so I was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves folded to my elbows with dark blue jeans. Combined with a brown waistcoat, brown shoes and my classic swagger, I knew the media would have a field day tonight.
Ragini, bless her soul, was wearing matching clothes. She had an off shoulder full sleeves backless fitted white dress on which clung very deliciously to her body and ended mid thigh. With platinum studs and sparkly metallic stilettoes on, her hair up in a messy bun and a tomato red lipstick and Kohl rimmed eyes, the ‘Don’ was ready to slay. And by the looks of it, I would be the first victim.
“Full sleeves?” I remarked at her with a raised eyebrow as we sat at the back of my precious Rolls Royce. Ragini rolled her eyes. “Dengue, malaria and chikungunya are trending. So, it is a precautionary measure.’ she said sarcastically. I smirked. ‘And maybe the legs are insured? Cause they are absolutely bared. No, wait. Maybe even the mosquitoes know that you would kick them painfully in the a** if they try and come close. Smart mosquitoes!” I remarked drily. Ragini slapped my arm(painfully) and I rubbed it for the rest of the ride.
As expected, everyone went gaga as soon as we stepped out. The cameras started flashing, there were loud murmurs while I escorted my lady to the restaurant. Just before we entered, I flashed a bright smile to the paparazzi who went crazy with joy. Ragini gave me a ‘You are impossible’ look while I grinned at her.
While savouring the continental delicacies, we discussed the probable songs which we both could sing. There was no language bar and so, the options were unlimited. We weren’t to be marked on the choice of song but could be disqualified if it was derogatory or an item song. Finally, we chose ‘Everything Has Changed’ by Taylor Swift as it would give me a good chance to sing and play as well. However, the trouble was that Ray, our drummer wouldn’t be required. Still, we would take him as backup.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
“Aa gaye Pune. Abhi sab enjoy for a day or two and then we shall start practice. Okay?” I asked them. They all nodded. I narrowed my eyes at everyone. “Okay?” I repeated. “Yes Ma’am!” Everybody said.
Sanskaar was looking around, suspiciously looking for some hot girls. I narrowed my eyes further as my blood started boiling. I am his girlfriend. And he is so shameless!
“Looking for something? I could help….” I said to him. He nodded. “The organising committee was to send a volunteer for us to be escorted to the hotel. He or she would be standing with a placard having the college’s name.” He replied. So he wasn’t really looking for hot girls. I breathed a sigh of relief.
For a whole day, we roamed around in Pune. We visited a lot of malls, parks, museums and other places. It was tiring but we had fun. I did a lot of shopping while Sanskaar helped me. He himself bought a branded perfume and a few sweatshirts. We had ice creams, did rides, clicked selfies and had a lot of fun.
My phone rang as I lay on the hotel bed. ‘Maa Calling’ it read. I picked it up. “Haan Maa?” I asked.
Maa: Beta pohonch gaye?
Papa: Arrey stupid, she messaged in the morning that she had reached.
Maa: arrey phir bhi……….
Me: Yep Maa. I reached in the morning and since then, I had been seeing Pune. I reached the hotel back ten minutes ago.
Maa: Alone?
Me: No. Sanskaar was with me.
Maa: Okay then. He is very responsible. I am sure that he would take care of you.
Me: I am capable of taking care of myself.
Maa: But you also have a habit of picking up fights. So you need someone to control you.
Me: Maa……………..
Maa: Achha okay. All the best. I will pray for your win. Good night.
Papa: Meri taraf se bhi bolo……
Me: Okay Maa. Good night to both of my hotties. Don’t have too much fun in my absence. If you know what I mean…………….
Maa: Haww! Besharam ladki! How can you talk so cheaply?
Me: Haan toh what was wrong with what I said? You both wait for me to go out then you eat all the sweets and biscuits alone. Papa is already diabetic while you get toothache. So don’t do it.
Maa: Achha………you meant that? Maine Socha kuchh aur……….
Me: What did you………OH MY GOD! Maa? Yuck! That is so disgusting! You are so dirty minded! I am keeping the phone down. Bye. Love you.
Maa: Sorry. Love you too. Bye.
I put the phone down and looked at it. And then burst into laughter. Truth be told, I had meant THAT only. The sweet excuse worked though. Maa was so flustered. Haha haha haha.
“Abbey Don…….has Kyun rahi hai? Encounter Kar Diya Kya?” Sanskaar asked as he came inside my room. I rolled my eyes at him. He grinned. I told him about my conversation with Maa. Even he started laughing and gave me a high five. We talked for some while and went to sleep.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It is the day of the competition. Ragini and I have been practicing a lot. I was sure we would rock it. The music was going wonderful too. Still, there was something which was nagging me at the back of my mind.
Ragini came to me with a long face. “They did the ballot system. We will perform last.” She said. I cheered her up by saying that we needed to know the level of the competition. So it was a blessing in disguise.
Six teams were performing and there would be a winning team, 1st runner up and second runner up. The first four teams were, in my opinion, okay. Average, not particularly exciting. Ragini made a ‘meh’ sound at the end of every performance so I knew that she was like minded on this subject.
The fifth team, St. Joseph’s was our rival team. They went up to the stage and to our immense horror, started singing our version of ‘Everything Has Changed’. Ditto. I looked at Ragini who mouthed a ‘What the f***’ to me. We stood up immediately and went to the organising committee.
I put Ragini behind me because I didn’t want her to say anything in anger. I approached a guy. “Umm……excuse me? May I speak to you? It is important.”
The guy looked up from his papers. “Mount Mary? Yes. How may I help you?”
“This team. It is singing our song. It has been ripped off from us.” I said to him.
He widened his eyes. He called a woman who I recognised as the head organizer. “Yes, sir?” She asked me. I explained to her the entire situation.
“Hmm. Do you have any proof whether this song was yours?” She asked me. Behind me, Ragini bristled. “What do you mean by proof? You think we are lying?” Ragini screeched at her. I gave her a look and turned back to the woman. “Ma’am, you can check the recording of the practice hall.” I told her. She nodded and asked the boy to fetch it. After a few minutes, she came out of the record room and said, “Well, it was your song. I agree. But the thing is………it was their song as well. The footage shows even them practising the same song. So I can’t help you.” With that, she walked away.
I restrained Ragini who was ready to pounce on the woman and rip her apart. I hugged her and she started crying badly. “They stole our performance. They stole our song. I know it. It isn’t a coincidence. St. Joseph’s has always been a cheat!” She said to me as I stroked her back.
“They aren’t the cheats. You both are!” Ray’s voice came to me. We both turned to him. He smirked and continued. “You both are cheats. You took me in the team for what? Treat me as your spot boy? You didn’t include me in the final band. So I decided to have my revenge. I sold you guys out. I gave the other team your version of the song. It is amazing. Thanks Ragini.”
Ragini glared at him and was about to punch him but I held her back. “Don’t you have any shame? You did this for your ego? What about your loyalties to the college?” I asked him. Ray sneered. “Oh please! I am going to change my college. I don’t want to be in a loser college. Because that is what Mount Mary will become when their team returns without a prize.” He said.
“Go to hell Ray. I will pray that earthworms enter your ugly nostrils and give their eggs there.” Ragini snarled at him. He glared at her and went away while Ragini slumped to the floor. “Everything has been ruined. Every single damn thing. We worked so hard. What would we do now?” she moaned. I tried to console her but it seemed that she had shut down completely. Any attempt by me to speak to her went in vain.
We had five minutes before we had to be on stage. The fifth team had finished. The judges would require five minutes to compare their score and discuss. The audience too had that time to vote. And then, we would be called up to the stage. Five minutes. But it was enough for me.
I went to Aditya, our guitarist and Joy, the pianist. They were in a foul mood. I explained to them what had happened and together, we made a plan. We would perform. At any cost. And as far as drums were concerned………I would play them.
I looked at Ragini who was wallowing in self pity. I wanted to comfort her but I had a mission. So I called her once to come but on no response, let her be.
I went to the stage as our equipment was set up by the helpers. I took the mic and started speaking.
“Hey guys and girls! How are you all?” I asked. A loud roar of ‘Cool’ came up. I chuckled. “Yes, even I am very cool. Thanks a lot.” There was laughter.
“So we are three of us and a female singer too but she is licking her wounds somewhere in a corner because our performance was exactly similar to what you all saw just a few minutes ago.” I said. Everybody gasped and there were a few murmurs. I continued, “So she isn’t standing on the stage with us. The purpose of telling you this was that you don’t label us as being male chauvinists who don’t believe in gender equality. Because we do. The 33% reservation had been done but she didn’t turn up, so not my fault!” I said as I raised both my hands. There was again a roar of laughter. I laughed along.
“How many of you here have ever fallen in love guys?” I asked the audience. There was a roar as many shouted a yes. I smiled at them. “How did you find out? Did someone come and tell you?” I asked again. A big ‘No’ came back. “So how did you? Well, even I fell in love. And do you know how did I find out? I couldn’t sleep at night properly. Because whenever I closed my eyes, I saw her. I started speaking to myself. And then, I started imagining her everywhere. I couldn’t rest without seeing her and I couldn’t look at anyone else when she was around. I feared losing her. When she was around, there was no one else for me.”
A loud cheering came from the crowd while I smiled again. “To all those Romeos and Juliets out there, who have experienced something similar, here is….presenting to you, a song I sing right from my heart which is no more mine. To the love of my life, who I know, is listening to me. I love you and I dedicate this to you.” I said as I started beating the drums.
Yeah Yeah ….
Kyun raaton ko main ab chain se so na sakoon
O ò ò ò….
Kyun aata nahi mujhe din mein bhi chain-o-sukoon
Kyun aisa hota hai main khud se hi baatein karoon
O ò ò ò….
Kyun tu jo bole koi sune na wo main hi sunu
I recalled the sleepless nights I have spent, thanks to my ladylove Ragini. How even the days in my life have been filled with her. How people think I have gone mad because I keep muttering to myself about her and keep smiling. And how, I can understand her every emotion without her having to explain it.
Dil ye bekarar kyun hai
Ispe dhun sawaar kyun hai
Kyu hai ye khumaar kyun hai
Tu Bataa…..
Tera intezar kyun hai
Tujh pe aitbaar Kyun Hai
Kyu hai ye khumar kyun hai tu bataa
Tu Bataa aa aa …
Tu Bataa aa aa …
Kyun tujhe dekhe bina aata nahi dil ko sabar
O ò ò ò….
Kyun tere chehre se hat ti nahi ye nazar
O ò ò ò….
Kyun tujhe paake mujhe rehta hai khone ka darr
O ò ò ò….
Kyun tere siva saari duniya se hoon main bekhabar
I smiled as I thought about the times when I got so restless because I didn’t see her. And well, it is a universally accepted fact that my eyes never leave her face if she is around. Maybe that is why our sudden love story was accepted by everyone as genuine. And again, it is true that I am scared of losing her. It is my worst nightmare that she would leave me one day for Laksh. That brought pain to my heart.
Dil ye bekarar kyun hai
Ispe dhun sawaar kyun hai
Kyu hai ye khumaar kyun hai Tu Bataa…..
Tera intezar kyun hai
Tujh pe aitbaar kyun hai
Kyu hai ye khumar kyun hai tu bataa
Tu Bataa aa aa…
Tu Bataa aa aa…
I played the drums harder as I thought about Ragini. This song is perfect. But the next lines are of Shreya Ghoshal which I can’t sing. I decided to skip them. Suddenly, I heard a sweet voice singing alongside me. A voice I knew and loved.
Ye pyaar hai jo tujhe ho gaya hai
Naa jaane kyun tu iss se tha bekhabar
Jo aajkal ye tujhe ho raha hai
Nahi aur kuch, pyaar ka hai asar
I smiled at Ragini who was looking at me with shining eyes. She nodded her head at me, encouraging me to continue. I played the drums harder and started singing.
Kyun tere jalwo ka chhatta nahi hai dhuaan
O o o o….
Kyun chale hawa toh lage ki jaise tune chhuaa
O o o o….
Kyun maangta hai dil tere liye roz duaa
O o o o….
Kyun ho raha hai jo mujhe pehle kabhi naa huaa
Dil ye Bekaraar kyun hai
Ispe dhun sawaar kyun hai
Kyu hai ye khumaar kyun hai
Tu Bataa…..
Tera intezar kyun hai
Tujh pe aitbaar kyun hai
Kyu hai ye khumar kyun hai tu bataa
Tu Bataa aa aa…
Tu Bataa aa aa…
As we finished the song, a loud round of applause was heard. I took Ragini’s hand and twirled her on the stage smilingly while the crowd cheered. Ragini looked very happy. Our entire band bowed to the Cheers of ‘Once More, once more’ and the presenter entered.
“Woah…….the guy has such intense feelings for his lady. Sanskaar Maheshwari, right? And so, this must be the lucky lady, Ragini Gadodia! A round of applause for the beautiful couple guys!” He said and everybody clapped.
“Even if we don’t win, I don’t care. You were amazing Sanskaar! Amazing. And this time, the idea wasn’t mine. You have grown up!” Ragini said to me in the green room later. I gave her a sardonic smile and said, “Thanks!”
All the teams were called to the stage. I noticed that Ray was nowhere to be found. Good, served that jerk right!
“Ahem, ahem. Dhak dhak. Dhak dhak. This is the time we all have been waiting for. The results! So guys, who do you think are going to win?” The presenter asked. A loud cheer came as ‘Mount Mary, Mount Mary’ which was our college. I smiled at everyone as I held Ragini’s hand. She was grinning.
“Haww………….you guys spoiled the surprise! How did you all know? Of course, it is Mount Mary College! A big hand to the winners!” The presenter said.
Aditya, Ragini, Joy and I looked at each other in shock and happiness. Oh my God! We had won! My song was brilliant.
“The judges and the audience loved your heartfelt song and the efficiency of your voice, combined with the music provided by the band. It was amazingly felt by everyone. And we know how difficult it must have been since you had to prepare it in so less time. Kuddos to you and your love!” The presenter said. All of our band was asked to give their introduction and then we were given our separate trophies, combined with the rolling trophy. We cheered and posed for pictures and then sneaked off to celebrate.
Joy, Mamma’s boy, sleeps early so he went to bed. Aditya was feeling tired. So it left Ragini and me. Alone. Yay, hay.
“Kahan chalein?” Ragini asked me. “Let’s go for a walk. Both of us have been abstaining from eating ice creams for about a week, we will have one on the way.” I said to her. She smiled and nodded.
We ended up in a park, having beer and ice cream, imagining Ray’s face and having a gala time. We talked about a lot of stuff which wasn’t important but seemed to be at that moment. Ragini was sitting across me with her knees drawn to her chest while I was sitting with my long legs stretching in front of me. Both of us were sipping our beer.
“Yakin nahi ho Raha. We won!” Ragini said for the hundredth time. I smiled at her indulgently. “Sanskaar never loses. Never.” I replied cockily, as I took a swig of my beer. Ragini sneered. “Wah re wah! You were a confirmed loser till yesterday. It is only today, that you seem to look like a winner.” She replied. I grinned at her.
“Don’t insult yourself. You mean to say that the great Ragini Don dates losers?” I asked her challengingly. Ragini smirked. “Nah. It means that the great Ragini is so great that she transforms a loser into a winner!” She shot back and I laughed. Her comebacks are really good.
The moon was shining on us and I could see her smooth skin radiating as the moonlight fell on her. She was wearing a white ganji with black jean shorts and high boots. Her hair was curled and falling back. She looked amazing and in the moonlight, angelic.
“You aren’t that bad IC. Not as bad as I thought you were initially.” She said to me as she looked at me. I gave her a wry smile. “I have just been promoted. My girlfriend finds me ‘not bad’. Nacho…………” I said sarcastically while Ragini grinned.
“You are different than what you show to the world. You are warm when you are alone. It is like…………you have two faces. One for public and one for those who know you.” She said again as she looked at my eyes.
My breath hitched. I didn’t know whether it was the beer in my system or what but suddenly, I felt intimate. I scooted closer to her. “What do you think?” I asked her. “What do you think? Are you one of those ‘close people with whom I am myself?”
She looked thoughtful for a moment. Then she looked up at me with a strange expression in her eyes. “Sometimes, Sanskaar, I feel as if I am the ONLY one who knows you. The only one with who you are yourself.” She whispered to me.
I smiled at her sadly. She is absolutely right. After my father’s death, she is the only one with whom I have no inhibitions. The only one who I can be myself with. The only one who knows me and the only one who actually understands me. And that is why my need for her is so extreme. Because she is my key to sanity.
I felt hands on my cheek and found her stroking my face softly. I closed my eyes as I relished this intimate moment where I wasn’t idea chor anymore, nor was she Don. We were Sanskaar and Ragini. Two people, meant to be together.
“You have soft skin. Really soft. Even though there is some roughness due to your stubble.” She whispered again as she stroked my face. I leaned in closer to allow more skin contact. “Even you have a very smooth and soft skin Ragini. It feels amazing.” I replied. Her fingers roamed around my face, tracing my nose, my jawline, my cheekbones, and then finally, my lips. Her thumb grazed over my rough lips and my mouth opened on its own. She stroked the inner portion of my lips as my tongue came out to wet them, making contact with her thumb. My eyes had been closed and my breath was heavy. Goosebumps crawled on my skin and my heart was beating faster.
Her thumb came out of my lips and traced down my chin as my breath laboured. Her fingers firmly grasped my jaw while her thumb was placed under my chin. And then, I felt soft velvety lips on my own dry and rough ones. And the world ceased to exist.
It isn’t as if I was kissing someone for the first time. But there is something special about it when it is with your soulmate. And I haven’t felt like this before. Fireworks seemed to explode while my heart started beating erratically. The constant pressure and sucking on my lips as I responded was amazing. It was a gentle, soft kiss. Full of innocence, full of love.
Suddenly, my mind went back to our deal. While I love Ragini more than my own life, I do not want to force her to do anything which she doesn’t want. And I do not want her to do something which she would regret later. As much as this kiss was amazing and what I needed, I couldn’t allow her to do this under the influence of alcohol. So I slowly pushed her away. She leaned back and looked at me. Her eyes displayed many emotions. And then, they widened.
“Oh my God! Oh no! What have I done? Shit! Ugh! Sorry Sanskaar. I didn’t mean to…….I don’t know what happened to me. Shit. This has ruined everything. Okay. Fine.” She said in a hurry and then took a deep breath.
“Sanskaar, I don’t like Laksh anymore. Umm…….not romantically, I mean. I realised it a few days back. And now this has happened. I am sorry. I think we should just…………end this. This relationship.” She said.
No. No, Ragini, please. No. Don’t say that. I started to panic. How will I live without her? Oh God, no!
In my panic and haste, I ended up making a huge mistake. “I love you Ragini. Since the day we met first.” I blurted out.
Ragini looked at me strangely. “Didn’t you love Swara?” She asked me. I realised what I had said and my eyes widened. But I couldn’t back out now. Not if I wanted her to be with me always. I had to do this. Now.
“I…….I fell in love with you at first sight. That was the primary reason why I came to your house practically everyday. To see you. And then, I found out that you like Laksh. This whole drama………….it was actually a drama.” I said to her.
“I don’t get it. You are lying, right?”
“No Ragini. I am perfectly serious and honest. I was worried that I would lose you to Laksh who was going through a bad phase with Swara. So I decided to do this drama of liking Swara and wanting your help. I just wanted to be closer to you. And of course, keep you away from Laksh……….”
Ragini slapped me on my cheek with so much force that I lost my balance. I clutched my cheek and looked at her with tears in my eyes. She was looking at me with anger.
“You…….blo*dy……..cheapo. How could you? You acted so cool and so mean while in reality, you were trying to score with me? How dare you try to lead me on that you would help me in winning Laksh? Granted, I don’t like him more than a friend now, but what if I had? Did you expect me to leave him? Did you think how would I have felt? What if my heart had broken? You are so selfish Sanskaar Maheshwari.”
“Ragini, please. I love you a lot. Really. I, I know what I did was wrong and selfish but I was desperate. I didn’t want to lose you. And not to Laksh, who has no idea how amazing you are.”
“Cut the crap Mr. Maheshwari. As if you are always so nice and warm to me. You all are same. It is disgusting. Stay away from me. Do not even try to come close. Forget everything. I won’t tell my parents about what we did and what you did to me and it would be wise if you remained silent too. Don’t come close to me Sanskaar.” She said as she stood up.
I practically begged her to listen to me once, but she went away. Tears rolled down my eyes as I drew myself into a cocoon. I cried my heart out, yearning for my lost love, my lost life……….my lost Ragini.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Haww…….Ragini ne slap kardiya and chali gayi………par picture Abhi Baadi hai mere dost?
Up Next: Finale.