Love Survives

CHAPTER 1

She was standing in the balcony and looking down in the hall crowded with guests. Some girls were dancing in a group while the women were singing the traditional wedding songs. They all were super happy except her. The beats of the music were so loud that it started annoying her. She wanted to yell and say to stop all that but she knew things are beyond her control now. She ran back to her room and locked herself inside. She drew the curtains to keep the sounds from coming to her ears. She went and sat on the bed holding her head with her hands. Just 2-3 days more and this storm will calm down. She was not at all interested in all the pre-wedding rituals. Actually, She was not interested in her wedding because she was not interested in the man she was getting married. And the man of her interest was sitting in a different city, busy in his own job unaware and unaffected with the woes she was going through. She had invited him to attend her wedding ceremony and he had promised that he will surely come.

"Would he come to see me marrying someone else?" She thought.

Someone started rapping on her door and she emerged out of her thoughts. She went and opened the door. Some girls barged inside.

"Shreya bhabhi, neeche hall me chaliye, mehndi ki rasam ke liye." Said the girl named Anamika, the younger sister of Siddharth to whom Shreya was getting married.

Shreya's grandparents wanted the marriage ceremony to take place in their ancestral bungalow in Ahmadabad, where Shreya was born. So Siddharth's family had been invited to stay with them till the wedding ceremony is acomplished and do all the matrimonial rituals together.

Shreya tried to smile at Anamika, "I am coming"

"Nahi bhabhi humare sath chaliye" Anamika said grabbing Shreya's hand.

"Are Anamika tum ladke walo ki taraf se ho ya ladki walo ki taraf se?" Someone said from behind.

Shreya turned her head and found Siddharth coming towards them.

"Abhi to main ladki walo ki side se hu." Anamika said joyfully.

Siddharth came closer, " Mujhe Shreya se ek minute baat karni hai, just one minute."

Shreya glanced at him.

"Bhaiya please, 2-3 din aur wait kar lo na, itni bhi kya jaldi hai baat karne ki?" Anamika said in a teasing tone.

"Please yaar, just one minute" Siddharth said and dragged Shreya in a corner by holding her hand.

"Siddharth?" Shreya questioned.

"Kya hua Shreya, upset kyun lag rahi ho?" Siddharth asked staring at her gloomy face.

Shreya looked away, "aisa kuch nahi hai siddharth, bas thodi si tired hu."

"Ok, I have a surprise for you and I am sure surprise dekhne ke baad tumhare chehre pe apne aap glow aa jayega." Siddharth whispered.

"Surprise?" Shreya asked staring into his eyes.

"Bas thodi der me pata chal jayega tumhe, abhi tum jao, mehndi lagao!" Siddharth said with a grin.

"Bhaiya bas ho gayi baate, abhi aap jao nahi to main auntie ko bol dungi ki aap baar baar shreya bhabhi se milne aa jate ho."Anamika said pushing Siddahrth away.

"Yes, I am going" he said and moved after throwing a long stare at shreya.

Shreya watched him going and then proceeded down in the hall with the girls.

Shreya sat surrounded by the ladies forwarding her hands for Mehndi.

The girls were pulling her leg and teasing with the name of Siddharth but Shreya was hardly paying any attention to them.

Her one hand was covered with beautiful henna design. She forwarded her another hand but the same time Siddharth gave her a call.

"Shreya, dekho kaun aaya hai?"

Shreya and all looked in the direction of the voice.

Shreya was dumbfounded seeing the man with him. He was staring at her with a smile on his lips. Shreya stood up and moved to him.

"Sir aap?" Shreya uttered.

"Hi Shreya, kaisi ho?" He asked gazing on her.

Shreya could not find words to deliver.

Siddharth looked at both of them and smirked, "To Shreya, kaisa laga mera surprise? Daya ko special invitation dekar bulaya hai maine!"

Daya and Shreya were staring at each other.

"Kya hua Shreya, mera jaldi aa jana tumhe achha nahi laga? Main to Shadi ke din hi aane wala tha but siddharth ne kaha ki aur pehle aa jaun, tumhe achha lagega" Daya said not bothering to break his stare at her face.

Shreya was silent, she glanced at siddharth.

"Shreya, tumhi ne kaha tha na ki tum dono bahut achhe dost ho, to maine socha ki kyun na tumhare sab se achhe dost ko invite karke tumhe surprise du!" Siddharth said everytime stressing on the word 'dost' with a grin taunting her.

Shreya glared at him. She was well aware about his intentions behind inviting daya. It was nothing else but just to refresh her wounds and get entertained. But she wondered how Daya accepted his invitation. Is he so much desperate to see her getting married to someone else. She looked at Daya disheartened then looked at Siddharth.

"Thanks for the surprise Siddharth!"

Siddharth smiled evilly.

Shreya turned to Daya, "Thanks for coming!"

Daya smiled at her, "so..tum mehndi laga rahi thi?" He asked looking at her hand.

"Hmm...how's this?" Shreya asked composing herself and showing her hand.

"Very beautiful!" Daya said.

Siddharth took the opportunity to shot another goal, "Shreya, tumne mera naam likha ya nahi, mehndi me?"

Daya glanced at him and felt insulted. Shreya turned to Siddharth.

"Siddharth wo dusre hath me hoga."

Siddharth noticed her another hand empty, "oh abhi dusre hath me mehndi nahi lagai? Jao jakar mehndi ki rasam puri karo, daya se baad me baate kar lena. Ab wo humari shadi tak to yahi hai na!"

Daya smiled looking at Shreya. Shreya glanced at Daya and moved from there.

Here Anamika was lost in Daya. She moved to him.

"Bhaiya, ye kaun hain?" She asked admiring daya's dashing personality.

"Ye Inspector Daya. Cid me Shreya ke sath kaam karte hain aur Shreya ke bahut achhe dost hain." Siddharth said introducing Daya.

"Hi, aapki shadi ho gayi hai?" Anamika asked forwarding her hand.

Daya held her hand, "nahi, par bahut jald ho jayegi!" He said shaking hand with Anamika.

"Oh to matlab ladki dhundh li hai aapne? Kaha hai wo?" Anamika asked looking into his eyes.

Daya took a glance at Shreya, "ladki to yahi hai, I mean yahi Ahmadabad me!"

"Ohh! kya naam hai uska?" Anamika asked a bit disappointed.

Siddharth shot a fiery glare at his sister and removed Anamika's grip from Daya's hand , "baad me baat kar lena, abhi Daya ko rest karne do."

"Come on bhaiya, shadi wale ghar me koi rest karta hai kya. Aur ye Shreya bhabhi ke dost hain. Shadi ke sare kaam to inse hi karwana chahiye!" Anamika said looking at Shreya.

Shreya heard this and exchanged glances with daya.

"Kyun nahi, my pleasure, bataiye kya kaam Karna hai?" Daya said to anamika after taking a glance at Shreya.

Shreya couldn't help but frowned at daya and looked away.

"Han han Daya, kaam batata hu na main tumhe, pehle fresh to ho jao, aao main tumhe tumhara room dikhata hu." Siddharth said and called a boy, "Arey Kabir, jara ek minute idhar aana."

The boy, Kabir came to him. "Han bhaiya"

Siddharth placed his hand on his shoulder, "Kabir, ye Daya hai, our guest, and Daya, ye mera chota bhai Kabir hai."

"Hello" Daya and Kabir exchanged greetings.

"Kabir bahar gadi me Daya ka kuch saman hai, jara wo andar bhijwa dena." Siddharth said.

"Ok bhaiya, aap chaliye, main saman andar bhijwa dunga." Kabir said and moved from there.

"One minute!" Daya said to siddharth and moved to Shreya.

"Shreya, mujhe tumse baat karni hai. Please make some time" he said looking deep into her eyes.

Shreya tried to read his eyes because some kind of mystery was in them but daya left from there.

Shreya watched him going and then stared at the girl who was writing Siddharth's initials on her hand in between the henna designs.

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To be continued...

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A/N: Guys, the killer is planning to kill Siddharth and the plan will be executed it the next chapter. :-)

Stay tuned!