Hey guysss ! The 4th chapter is here...and it's a looonnnggg one...
~Mishti : Nahi nahi jee. Psychologist toh nahi par ek gehri soch aur vichardhara jarur rakhte hai..
~ teki jyoti : Maaf kijiyega chote chapter ke liye...badleme aaj bahut lamba diye hai. Hope you like it. Thank you for the kind words.
~Govind Agrawal : Thank you. Dialogues ka toh aisa hai ekbaar ghusbgye story ki sujh jate hai.
~Abhirika Jai : Thank you Ji. Thank you for your kind words.
~Rubli : Ji bas aisa samajh lijiye ye chapter bilkul Aap ke kehne pe likha gaya hai. Actually this wasn't planned but I did like your suggestion about expressing Shreya a little. Hope you like it. And as I had replied to some other reviewers earlier, ki story ki outline jarur tayar hai. Detailing baki hai. So agar aapko aur bhi aise achche achche ideas ate rehte hai..toh jarur bataiyega...
Love Daya: Aapko andaja bhi hai ? Ki aapka review padhne par humare chehra pe kitti Badi smile ajati hai ? Thank you again for your kind words. Hume sunke bohot khushi hui ki hum apka stress kam kar paye. Actually pata hai 2-3 din se mere bhi life me kafi stress Chal raha hai. Bas yuh samajh lijiye ki Jaise hum aapka stress kam krte hai...usse kayi jyada Aap humara krte hai..
~Guest : Thank you !
~CIDis the best: Thank you bro
~Xyz : Thank you ! Actually my main goal about this story is that me Har ek character ko Unka ek naya dimension dena chahti hoon. Let's see sab kaise pan out hota hai toh.
~Tst - Thank you so much yaar. Hope you'll like this chapter too..
~Dareya - Thank you
~Duofan- Thank you.
~Suhasini : lijiye the wait is over. Thank you for appreciation. Bohot bohot bohot Achcha lagta hai...
~Priya - Thnx Priya.
~Guest : Thank you..thank you...thank you...
Author's Note : Guys this one is a thoda musical kinda chapter. My first attempt at writing something like this. Thoda sa ek gane ka meaning maine apne hisab se story ke liye alag liya hai. And thing is Pura gane pe focus na karte hue maine kuch selected lines pe focus kiya hai...jo mujhe yaha literally story age badhane me kaam ayenge. Woh line select krte krte bohot mehnat lagi...So I just hope ki you guys like it. Pehle toh Chapter ka naam kisi gane ke upar hi rakhne wale the...but change of plans...So here it is...
CHAPTER 4 : ON THE ROCKS !
The bed was so soft and oh so inviting. Shreya just held on the pillow more tighter than ever. She was really a heavy sleeper. And she didn't need any kind of stories or lullabies to make her fall asleep. 5 mins on the bed and .. BAM... she would be out like anything.
Aaj toh Sunday ka Funday hai. Kitta bhi der so loon. Aaj toh koi kuch nahi karega. Haa Maa jarur daat lagayi. Lekin papa toh hai na. Aur agar kahi Papa ne bhi daat laga hi di. Toh mama Ji toh hai hi. Subah ka breakfast nahi karungi. Aur dopahar ka lunch. Fir mummy papa ne laad karna hi hai.
Par agar bhuk lag gyi toh ?????
In sleep only ,Shreya's hands roamed around the side table. A few things fell off on the floor because of the haphazard movements. But then finally she was able to find the drawer handle. Shreya opened the drawer and touched something inside. When she was satisfied her hand was again back clutching the pillow tight.
Chalo bhai. Aaj ka toh chocolates aur cookies ka stock hai. Ab kitna bhi der muh foola ke baith koi darr nahi.
Suddenly, Shreya's head hit something heavy. " Ow !" The dream was over. And now reality had struck her. Her head banged on the tough glass that her table was covered with. And well the reality had struck hard. More mentally than physically. In her half closed eyes, Shreya turned around to see what was the position of things around her. And it seemed normal.
Shreya tried to look for a small digital watch that was always present on this table. It was around 2:30 in the morning. Finally with so much against the wishes she managed to wake up. Sitting only she again inspected for the hospital ward she was posted in. It seemed that everything was in line.
There was this pungent smell around her. Some coughing could be heard around accompanied by some groans. The room was very dull. Plane white colored walls with beds arranged in parallel manner. At this point Shreya could say that there were more tubes and machinery than the people in this room. Of course that's how the scene was going to there. It was damn hospital. And in a hospital everything beeped. No matter what.
" Mam bed number 13 wala khasi ki wajahse bohot chest pain ki complaint kar raha hai !" A sister came with a problem towards Shreya. Shreya turned her doctor mode on and said, " Ek kaam karo , Usko nebulized oxygen do ! Me check krne ati hoon 2 min me !" Shreya said as she went to sprinkle some water on her face. Because of the ice cold water , the sleep from Shreya's eyes vanished like crazy.
After tending to the patient and doing what needed to be done , Shreya was back on her place and she had ordered herself a Garma garam adrak wali Chai.
Ek garma garam Chai ke sath toh sab thik ho hi jata hai...
Shreya was in the middle of her 36 hour shift. And she still had a lot of time to be home. It was still some time past midnight and she wouldn't be home until around early hours of evening.
Suddenly she was taken back to her dream. Well that was not a dream. It was just a kind of flash back. A sad one . Because that was the last time she had slept on that so soft bed of hers. Pretty much looking at the life after that what had happened was terrible. That day her parents had died in a car crash. Her mamaji was her father's business partner. So technically according to all the paper work he should have taken her responsibility. And he did promised to take one. Of course he would ! Mamaji and Mamiji were nice people. They loved her. But then one fine day she didn't know why mamiji dropped her in care of kaka kaki. She had cried that day. She didn't want to be left with that bunch of unknown people. But then suddenly mamiji had also failed to recognize her. " Saab raste par mili !" . And that's how she had became the part of " Ek parivaar anathashram !"
After that life was kinda difficult. School was difficult. And then medical college was mostly about. ," Yaar that orphan ladki... !", " Yaar she seems so boring. Does she know to how to have any fun ?" , " Can she afford that trip jo hum plan kar rahe hai ? Matlab woh kahase itte paise laygi !".
Bas Pura college yahi sunne me nikal gaya.
And when Shreya was thinking about her life. Daya came into her mind. Shreya smiled on thinking about him. It had been almost a week when She had last seen him. It was the day when kaki had came to her house too see how much pain she was in. Shreya was a little shocked when that morning some guy named bablu had arrived with aloo parathas for her. She was so touched by the concern that she didn't know how to react. And then Daya had came in the evening also. Although because of Kaki they didn't get to talk much , So Shreya didn't know if he had something to talk about. She did remember their conversation. It was merely minutes of talking that too near the sink. But still even today after she remembered that she blushed a little.
Shreya had texted him the next morning. Thanking him for whatever he did for her in the last 2 days. But she didn't get any reply nor did she receive any calls. Maybe he was busy. Or maybe he had been helping her out just because Kaki had told him too. Maybe he was also a little apprehnesive too. Or maybe Kaki had been just pushing him too hard to water the relation that probably had no hope at all.
Just then a steaming hot cup of tea was kept at her table. Shreya relaxed after inhaling the smell of spices. Cardamom, ginger and all that. She relaxed herself a bit and pulled the curtains of the window to see the life outside. It was kind of silent. Little rustling of dried leaves was seen and other than that there was not movement whatsoever. Shreya was onto her own when suddenly she heard the sound of music playing in the background.
' Aaogee jab tum oo sajnaa...'
The radio hummed softly in the background and it was almost impossible not to notice the emptiness around in the mind and how loud it had gotten.
Suddenly the soft rains start whispering on the window panes and she could look down at the guards through window. They were trying the shut the main door so that water does not get in. " Ye Mumbai ki barish me kitna sukoon hai na ?" Shreya heard a sister say. Shreya smiled a little. She wasn't a fan of rains. Because she ways felt a little heavy when the dark clouds surrounded her little skies. Rains reminded her of the good byes. Some she was forced to say, Some she needed to say. All in all it was just a stone hard reminder of all that she had left and all that she's left.
' Anjane hi tere naino ne...Waade kiye kayi sare hai...'
To all the days she had tried finding someone in this unknown faceless world. And to all the eyes that had deceived her inspite of promising her everything.
' Barsega Sawan Jhum jhum ke...'
It felt as if the rains are the cries that she wanted to have so long. And it was sign of victory of all the hardship that the world had thrown at her and it was the dance of defeat. Her defeat. She had stopped believing in love. Long long time ago. She had stopped believing in affection. She had stopped believing that people cared for real. And maybe that's why When kaki had asked her about Daya, her faced went cold.
Of course Daya was nice person. Perhaps one of the best. But then again , she had been surrounded by one of the best persons in life when she was a kid and she was deceived by all. So there was no reason for her to believe that Daya will stay. No he won't! Why would he.
With a heavy heart , Shreya closed her heavy eyelids for the time being. She just wanted to escape the reality once again.
( CID bereau )
" CHAL BATA ! SAB KUCH TOTE KI TARAH KI BOL CHUP CHAP. NAHI TOH AISA HAAL KARUNGA KI TERE POTE BHI YAAD RAKHENGE !" Daya said very angrily to one of the culprit sitting in the bereau. The culprit was scared ..shit scared..." Saab...merko kuch nahi pata...mujhe sahime kuch nahi pata!" The culprit cried again.
And use pada ek jor ka lafa...
" DRUG DEALER SE PHONE PE BAAT KRTA HAI TU...AUR TUJHE KUCH NAHI PATA ?" Daya said. Abhijeet just looked with pity towards the culprit. But laughed too...
Daya ke hath se kisine nahi bachna hai...
He thought to himself.
" Mujhe nahi pata that Saab woh koi drug dealer. Unka bas fone aya tha ki tumhare hotel me party karna hai 2 mahine baad. Hall ki booking chahiye the. Aap kehte hoge toh booking cancel karwata hoon !" The man said. " Nahi...koi booking cancel nahi hogi. Hone do party. Dekhte hai kaun kaun ata hai party me toh !" Abhijeet said as they carried out their work.
Daya went near the water cooler to drink some water. Last week had been pretty...pretty busy for him. He had been working literally days and night continuously. And finally they had gotten a lead in the form this man.
" Sir.. abhi kya aaj hume ghar jaldi Jane milega ?" Fredricks asked Daya. " Meri biwi roj chillati hai sir. Roj. Abhi agar aaj nahi gaya toh darr lagta ki kabhi ghar bhi Jane milega ya nahi ?" Fredricks again said in his typical ' biwi se darta hoon' tone. Daya and vivek again laughed. " Freddy..tum kehte ho toh bhabhi Ji se baat karu me !" Daya said in a notorius tone. " Nahi..bilkul nahi. Pichle baar jab baat ki thi tab 3 din khana nahi mila tha. Pata nahi kya baat ki thi." Fredricks again said. That caused Daya and Vivek to laugh more. " Jab tumhare piche ye jhanjhat ayegi na...tab samjhega tumko haslo haslo..." Fredricks said as he walked away.
" Meri wali mera intezaar bhi nahi ka rahi shyd !" Daya said as he thought about Shreya. " Matlab sir ?" Vivek asked. Daya just smiled and said , " Ladkiya Vivek Ladkiya...sab samjhti hai par fir bhi nasamajh banti hai."
Suddey Tarika's words reverberated in Daya's mind.
Daya ho sakta hai ye relationship me Tumhe ek dominant role uthana pade. Ho sakta hai bohot hi chizo ka pehla kadam Tumhe uthana pade.
Thinking of it , Daya took out hi mobile phone and said , " Chaliye Shreya Ji... Sirf aapke liye ye bhi kar dete hai !"
( Hospital )
Shreya was again back doing her ICU rounds. This was good day. Each patient she was put charge of was normalizing or getting better. And even if they weren't getting better , they weren't at least getting worse.
Shreya checkd the timing and well she could really...really have some lunch. She the nwith some of her colleagues proceeded towards the canteen. Suddenly her fone rang and she was shocked to see the caller ID.
Iska kyu call aa raha ? Kya jawab du ?
Shreya thoughtbto herself. She was having a great tussle in her mind to answer it or not to. But then she decided to answer it anyways.
" Hello ! Shreya ? Daya baat kar raha hoon... !" Daya said through the other side.
" Hi ! " Shreya said.
" Umm..busy ho kya ?" Daya asked.
" Nahi..Nahi...Bataiye aapne kaise phone kiya ?" Shreya asked curiously.
" Aaj sham me free hogi toh mile ?" Daya asked sending Shreya's stomach into knots.
Ab kya bolu...
Shreya thought...And apparently Shreya's pause was long enough to send Daya's stomach into knots.
" Aaj bhi weekend hai toh koi party hai kya ?" Daya asked mischievously.
" Nahi nahi... !" Shreya said almost immediately. But then she realized that she had probably given away that her evening was completely free.
Finally with clear heaviness in her voice Shreya said, " Umm..meri shift sham me khatam ho rahi hai. Uske baad chalega ?" .
Daya smiled and said , " Perfect. Me lene ata hoon. I'll call you then !" Daya said ending the conversation.
Daya was happy. Because it was a small victory for him least to say.
( Eveving )
Shreya was washing her face in the common room. " Waise ye ladka kaun hai jiske sath tu date pe jaa rahi hai !" A girl sitting on a bench amidst all the lockers asked. " It's not a date Priya. We are just going to probably have some coffee and going to talk." Shreya replied in between splashing water on her face. Priya pursed her lips and said , " So basically it's a date !".
Are yaar...kya karu iss ladki ka.
She combed her hair and let it flow open. Shreya had beautiful hair. They were long , thick and they would always shine. No matter what. " Aise baal khule chodke jaygi toh usne toh maa kasam flat hi hona hai !" Priya said again. Shreya then looked at herself in the mirror. She was actually looking beautiful today.
Kya Daya maa kasam flat ho jayga ?
That sole thought made Shreya tie her hair into a simple pony tail. Chance hi nahi dungi. Little did she know that Daya kabka flat ho gya tha. " Are yaar ! Tujhe bhi kuch btana na bilkul papa hai !" Priya said. Shreya smiled at the girl's helplessness. In the mean time Shreya's phone ranged. She knew that it was Daya and the caller ID confirmed it. " Chalo bhai...you go enjoy dates...I'll tend to sick old people." Shreya's firend said as she replaced her for the next shift.
" Its not a date. It's a normal thing. It's not a date. It's not a date !" Shreya kept trying to tell herself as she proceeded towards parking.
Shreya entered the parking as she looked here and there to search for Daya. He had told her over the phone that he was standing near pillar number 10.
( Daya' car )
Daya had just called Shreya that he was here at her hospital. And Shreya had told her that she'd reach within 5 mins. So Daya just sat in his car getting comfortable. It had been a good one week he had last seen her or even talked to her. He wondered ...
Uska pair Kaisa hoga pata nahi. Abhi bhi naraj hai kya ? Kya pata ?
Daya was musing over all these when suddenly he saw Shreya in his side view mirror. She was wearing a gray colored kurta with the combination of light pink and white. She had coupled it with gray colored plane jooties. Daya just admired at how adorable she looked. Her one hand held phone and she was constantly tapping it on the palm. Her head was constantly moving in all the directions. Daya laughed at her searching skills. When finally after few minutes she was still not able find his car. Finally giving in , Daya called her and peeped a little outside his car window.
Shreya smiled on finally spotting and she waved her hand. Now even Daya's heart beat increased. He was calm uptill now but now he felt as if adrenaline took over him. He immediately looked at his face in the mirror and adjusted his hair. He then used some of his deodorant. Although he wasn't sweaty ...but
Kisi ladki ke sath pehli baar itti serious date pe jaa raha hoo...kuch gadbad nahi honi chahiye.
And within no time, Shreya was standing at the opposite door of the car. Daya bent a little to open the door for her.
" Hi " Daya said in excitement. Shreya sat inside and closed the door. " Hi !" Shreya said in her angelic voice. " How was your day ?" She asked. " Mera toh kya wohi same. Surag dhundho. Bureau se Forensic. Forensic se bereau. Tum batao ?" Daya said. " Wohi normal. Bimar log or dare hue family members." Shreya said. Daya laughed. " Toh chale ?" Daya asked. " Yupp. Waise hum kaha jaa rahe hai ?" Shreya asked out of curiosity. " Umm hai ek jagah. I know Tumhe bohot pasand ayegi !" Daya said. Shreya got a little confused. She used to love Italian food but Daya didn't know that. So she eagerly waited where he would take her.
The engine started and the car cruised along the traffics of the city. " Waise ek baat bolu ?" Shreya asked. Daya nodded. He was just happy because today she was really really comfortable around him. Otherwise iske pehle toh bohot hi awkward hota tha sab. " Bura to nahi manenge ?" Shreya asked again. Now Daya became a bit conscious. Even Shreya was biting her lower lips now.
" Nahi. Pucho !" Daya said finally. Shreya looked towards him and said, " Aap na kaki ki baato ko seriously mat lena ! Matlab woh mujhe bhi kuch dino pehle force kar rahi thi in sab chizo ke liye ! But it's okay. Mujhe bhi samajhta hai ki Aap apne life me busy honge. Matlab I'm sure aaj bhi aapko kaki ne hi force kiya hoga. Mere halchal dekhne ke liye. Aur shyd uss din bhi breakfast aur dinner bhejne ke liye. Kaki toh bachpana karti hi rehti hai !"
After Shreya spoke whatever was in her mind , a complete silence followed.
Kuch jyada hi harshly toh nahi bol diya maine. Shit yaar...inko bura na lage bas...
Daya just smiled. He had kept in mind everything that his brother Abhijeet had told him.All the things that Tarika had told him.
" Point taken !" Daya said very calmy. And Shreya heaved a sigh of relief.
Thank God...matlab Iss bande ko bhi jyada interest nahi hai mujhme...
Shreya thought when suddenly she heard Daya's voice. " Waise Shreya ! " Daya said. Shreya then look towards him and said, " Haa ?". Daya blushed a little and said, " Uss din ka breakfast ka bhi idea kaki ka nahi tha. Aur naa ka aaj idea hai. Tumhe janne ka mann ban raha tha. Toh socha ekbaar achchise mulaqaat ho hi jaye !". Shreya's eyes widened at what she heard. Her lower jaw fell a little and suddenly she didn't have any answers. But a blush was sure forming on her face.
Was Daya taking a step forwards. Was he really interested to take things forwards. Was he really showing interest in me...
All these questions were beaming in Shreya's mind. Daya noticed that and just didn't say anything. Perhaps this had made Shreya a little uncomfortable , so he just gave her the required space. Shreya then turned her face towards window and she was totally blank now.
To lighten the heavy silence that could be cut with knife , Daya just started the radio.
and the same song played again.
Palko pe jail mil taare hai...
Ana bhari barsato me...
Shreya just smiled when her fav song fell onto her ears. Daya just looked at her through her side vision. The way Shreya smiled, though just a little, bought a smile on Daya's face too. Over the last 2 - 3 meets Daya had observed just one thing. Shreya's happiness lied in small things. Nothing too fancy. Seeing that she was enjoying the song, Daya turned up the volume by little bit. Shreya noticed that and looked towards Daya.
Sapno ka jaha...hoga khila khila...
Barsega Saawn jhum jhuum ke...
Do dil Aise milenge...
Was it just a coincidence that Do Dil Aise milenge had just played at that right perfect moment. Yaa fir kisine sahi hi kaha hai...
Aaoge jab tum oo Saajna...Do dil Aise milenge...
The rest of the car ride passed in silence. Daya stealing small glances at Shreya...and Shreya doing the same.
" Lo. Pohoch gye hum !" Daya said. He sideways the car a little and was trying to parallel park. While doing it he placed one of his hands on Shreya's headrest and looked backwards to see if anything was between. Shreya just stared at his strong musculaine arms. His toned muscles , his perfect tanned skin made it even more difficult for her to distract her eyes from it. And to top it all Daya was wearing formal clothes today. Gray colored trouser pants coupled with a all-male green color. And to top all that he had folded his sleeves. The sight was almost too beautiful to watch.
Shreya then was finally able to distract herself and look around. This was not a familiar area to her. " Yaha kaha jayenge ?" Shreya asked. Daya gave a mischievous smile. He had planned something totally different today. " Ye sabse famous pub hai Mumbai ka ! I thought you liked these kind of things.. So isse better baat kya ho sakti hai ?" Daya said. That took Shreya completely by surprise.
Are yaar me toh kabhi pub ko bahar se bhi nahi Dekha. Yaha kaha fas gyi...
Daya looked at her confused face and he was enjoying it a little bit too much. " Achcha surprise hai na ?" Daya asked knowing all well that how uncomfortable Shreya had become. Shreya again didn't know what to say. She was just looking at Daya dumbfounded. " Haa ?" Shreya asked as she didn't know what to say. Daya then held her forcefully and dragged her inside. " Are Chalo bohot maja ayega ! Let's loosen up a little bit. Afterall it's the weekend !" Daya said.
The club was electric tonight. There was huge crowd, Huge. Some were dancing and some had made a bee line towards the bar. This atmosphere was totally new for Shreya. The music moved the people like they were some puppet on strings. Red , blue, green and yellow lights were being flashed in between. Shreya felt she was a total misfit here. As both of them were walking through the crowd , Some of the dancers that were totally on high were crashing on Shreya now and then.
Last week ittasa kya jhooth bola...kise pata tha ki itna pachtana padega...
Shreya felt a little irritated because of the touch of the people. Daya who was walking in front of her came by her side and pulled her closer to him. He knew some of these people were just high on drinks but not all the touches are innocent.
Sundar Ladki dikhi nahi ki bas...
Daya just brought Shreya closer to him and made sure that before anyone could reach her , he was there in between. Shreya really appreciated that and she held onto Daya even tighter. Daya just loved the moments when Shreya accepted his comfort , his care , his security. Although these were rare but they were kinda his favourite.
Finally , Finally after what felt like walking through Dadar station they finally reached what happened to be the bar.
The bar started out as a wooden plank suspended between what appeared to the alcohol and the bar stools. The bar stools were high.daya helped Shreya sit on one and then he himself sat besides her. The view in front of Shreya was large amounts alcohol. Some she had heard. Some she hadn't. Then there were glass in the rack hanging above them. Of different designs. Some were small she guessed for a strong shots of alcohol. Some were like wine glasses. Some were large and tall. In one cornor she could see some lemons and dry snack.
Daya looked at Shreya staring continously. It was as if he had bought a kid to the pub. Of course it was true in a sense. Anyone...Anyone could make it out that this was Shreya's first time in such atmosphere. Actually both of them were kind of misfit here.
Ladki kurte me aur ladka ekdum formals me... Aise kaun pub me ata hai...
" And what can I get for this beautiful couple ?" The bartender asked. " Vodka ! on the rocks !" Daya replied. Well this was going too far now. Shreya thought. The bartender and Daya then both looked at her. " And what for you my pretty lady ?" The bartender asked. Now comes the funnier part. Shreya didn't know anything about alcoholic beverages. She kept looking at bartender if he could offer anything like a menu card.
Fir kaise... jiske sabse jyada alcohol ka amount kam hoga..woh order kar lungi. Par ye de kyu nahi raha. Kya pata shyd iska menu card hi na Banta ho. Ek kaam karti hu jo Daya ne order kiya wohi order kar deti hoon. That would be the safest option.
" Wohi ! Same !" Shreya said. Daya was laughing so hard internally at Shreya's struggle. But then the bartender was still not satisfied as he raised his eyebrows.
Aur aur kya btana padta hai ?
Shreya thought to herself. " On the rocks ?" The guy asked.
Ye chiz kya hoti hai ? Bol deti hoon ? Kya hi farak girega ? Jaise Jaise Daya krte jate hai waise Waise krte jati hoon. Matlab ekdum pakdi bhi nahi jaungi.
" Haa Haa wohi...On rocks !" Shreya said crossing her legs. Maan this laughter was too much for Daya to controll. He literally had put Shreya in a tight spot. But he was enjoying it far too much than he had ever imagined. He then slided near Shreya. A little too near. And whispered in her ear. " Waise on the rocks Matlab undiluted alcohol hota hai. Pata hai na ?"
Fas gye isko toh pata Chal gaya ki last weekend sab dhong tha mera...ab kya karu...
Just then the bartender poured some drink in a small glass. Daya pushed one of the glass towards Shreya and one he bought near him. " Cheers !" He said raising a toast. Shreya just smiled at all things unknown and said , " Cheers !" . She then watched Daya drink the whole amount in one go.
Baapre...
Shreya said to herself in so low voice that literally nobody could hear. And mind you guys Haa... Daya Waise toh sharab ko chute bhi nahi the. Woh toh bas kabhi kabar undercover mission me Aise Aise kaam krne hote hai..ki ekhad baar drink karna padta hai..
Waise ek ghut me pi gye toh itti bhi bura nahi hogi...
Following Daya's footsteps, Shreya did the same and boy that was mistake. " Yuck !!! Shii ! " Shreya said as she literally spitted her whole drink back into the glass. Now at this moment Daya lost it.
He then asked for some lemons and asked Shreya to chew it. Shreya did accordingly and thankfully her taste palate changed. Suddenly a drunk guy came from behind Shreya and said in a totally drunk voice, " C'mon baby dance with me !" . He said asking for Shreya's hand. Shreya said nothing but moved near Daya. Daya then pushed Shreya a little behind him and was now standing between the man and her. " Boss mere sath hai woh ! Chal Ab nikal !" Daya said with a little authority. " Aap bhi ek couple ki tarah dance karo. Matlab log kuch alag na samjha!" A lady bartender said. And taking this opportunity, Daya literally asked for Shreya's hand.
" Shall we dance ?" Daya asked very politely. And well there was nothing that Shreya could say here too. Sensing her hesitation Daya agian took a dominant role and took her hand and within no time they were at the centre of dance floor. He placed Shreya's one hand on his shoulder and the other he delicately held in his hand. While Daya's other hand rested on Shreya's waist.
And again with coincidence, the DJ started playing a slow song.
Dil ka dariya...Beh hi gaya...Ishq Ibadat ban hi gaya...
Khud ko mujhe tu saunp de...meri jarurat tu ban gaya...
" Daya mujhe dance nahi ata !" Shreya said her body still a little tight. Daya nodded and smiled. " Koi baat nahi...mujhe bhi kaha ata hai !" Daya said. He then twirled her gently...After a little while they both fell in step , letting rhythm controll their body. Daya felt that as if all the people around them had dissolved and it was just him and her...
Just him and her...
Baat dilki nazron ne ki... Sach Keh raha teri kasam...
Suddenly both of them took a pause and both of them stared into each items eyes. Shreya tried to break the eye contact by walking A little away from Daya but that was the moment when Daya pulled her back making Shreya almost touch his body and look into his eyes. As Shreya looked into Daya's orbs she instantly knew that this was no professional Daya. This was the stare of man who loves deeply.
Daya came near her so much that his breath , Shreya could feel on his neck. " Waise Tumhe ek aur chiz nahi ati !" Daya said. " Kya?" Shreya asked. " Jhooth bolna. Tumhari akhe Keh deti hai sab kuch !" Daya said in a husky voice. Maybe he was referring to the pub party about which Shreya had lied to him last weekend. Shreya felt a little embarrassed and looked down.
" Woh toh bas yuhi...bachpana..." Shreya said in a broken sentence. Daya smiled a little and with his index finger pulled Shreya's chin up so that she was directly looking into his eyes and he was directly looking into hers.
" Me Sirf party ki baat nahi kar raha hoon !" Daya said and then Shreya face literally turned to tomato red. So all this time when Shreya was trying to cover one thing or other was Daya literally able to read her mind ???
Tere bina Ab na lenge ek bhi dum...
The music played in the background. Suddenly Shreya's locks fell on her face on her eyes. She tried to wiggle out her hand to push them aside but Daya stopped her gently and placed her hand again on his shoulder. Daya then delicately tucked her hair behind her hair as he admired her beautiful eyes...
Tujhe kitna Chahe aur hum...
" Daya...!" Shreya said. But because of the music , her sound was very less audible to Daya. He stooped a little at her level. " Mujhe bahar jana hai !" Shreya said. Daya then noticed that maybe he had taken his prank too far. So without even thinking about it he nodded both of them proceeded out. The walk towards the car was almost silent. Just then Daya noticed Shreya clutching her throat in between lightly. Maybe it was because of alcohol. Although she had spitted out all of it but still she was a newbie and it was on the rocks.
" Pani piyogi ?" Daya asked. " Yes please!" Shreya said and Daya immediately went to a nearby store to get a water bottle. Thankfully they found a public bench near by and both of them sat on it for a little while. Shreya took a little sip of water when she heard Daya's voice.
" Shreya ?" Daya said in a very serious tone. " Next time se hum chai ya coffee hi prefer krenge !". This was followed by a little silence and then a huge laughter from of them. The laughter was the right kind of laughter , a soul elevator. " Ha ha wohi on rocks..." Daya said mimicking Shreya and both of them again had a fit of laughter. Shreya was still laughing into her own when Daya just admired her beauty from besides her.
" I want to give you a compliment!" Daya said. " Mujhe pata hai tum kya bologe !" Shreya said. She knew a few pick up lines that the guys generally used. " Kya ?" Daya asked. " Me muskurate huye khoobsurat dikhti hu !" Shreya said very confidently. Daya smiled and said , " Nahi !". " Toh fir ?" Shreya asked. " Tum bohot khoobsurat muskrati ho !" Daya said. And then both of them blushed a little.
Taking their time and space to cope up with the moment that had just transpired, both of them just sat their silently looking everywhere but towards each other.
" Dinner karne chale ?" Daya finally asked breaking the silence. Shreya nodded and then both of them went towards Daya's car.
( Restaurant )
" This is my favorite restaurant !" Daya said as he held the Door for Shreya. Shreya smiled and acknowledged. " Are Daya sir ?" The manager came to receive Daya as soon as he had entered. " Hello. Table for two please !" Daya said. " Aap ke pehchan ka hai ?" Shreya asked as he pulled out a chair for her. " Pehchan Matlab. Perks of being in CID. Hoti rehti hai pehchan !" Daya said as he himself sat.
Soon a waiter came to take their orders. " Aaj special kya hai ?" Daya asked as he and Shreya looked through the menu card. " Aaj ke special me hai Paneer Lababdar , Kurkuri Masada bhindi , Kashmir Dum Aloo !" The waiter said. " Dum aloo !" Daya said. " Masali Bhindi" Shreya said. And both of them said simultaneously. " I'm sorry mujhe laga ki aapko bhindi pasand hai isiliye !" Shreya said. " Tumhe bhi toh Dum aloo pasand hai ?" Daya asked. " Bhindi lete hai. Koi baat nahi !" Shreya said. And the waiter wrote down the order. " Nahi nahi. Kashmir dum aloo karo usko !" Daya said and asked the waiter to rewrite. Shreya then knew that this thing had no ending so she intervened and said , " Daya ? Paneer lete hai ? Ekdum safe ?" She asked. And Daya just smiled. " Thik hai !" He said.
" Waise mujhe tumse maafi mangni thi !" Daya said. " maafi ? Maafi kyu ?" Shreya said. " Woh uss din subah kuch jyada hi formal aur rude behave kiya maine. I'm sorry !" Daya said. " Its okay. Don't worry about it. Aap uss din kisiki fikar hi kar rahe the. Aur fikar ke piche jo gussa hota hai na woh pyar ka dusra naam hai bas aisa sochti hu me !" Shreya said as she took her first bite. Daya was not expecting this. A really really mature face was hiding behind this bachpana. " Tumhari soch bohot Achchi hai !" Daya said. Shreya stopped once again what ever she was doing.
Was Daya really that much into her...
" Achcha laga ?" Daya asked. " hmm ?" Shreya said. " Khana Achcha laga ?" Daya asked again. " Haa bohot Achcha hai !". " Waise tum bhi kuch kam badmash nahi ho. Jab Dr. Sharma se ekbaar baat kar li thi. Toh btaya kyu nahi?" Daya asked. SHreya smiled. " Aapko bataje yaa naa batake kya karti. Aapne jab file mangi tabhi samajh gyi thi ki Aap bina file leke yaha se nahi jayenge." Shreya said. " Aur Aap merepe pure tarah vishwas kaha karte hai ?" Shreya said.
" Mera matlab woh nahi tha Shreya !" Daya said feeling a little guilty. " Daya... it's okay ! Me samajhti hu. Itta bhi guilty feel mat karo !" Shreya said very casually. Daya was still not coming to the terms with it. How can one be so normal if he had been so much hurt on the inside.
" Shreya ek baat puchu ?" Daya asked. " Haa !" Shreya said as they had just finished the dinner. " Koi insan bina wajah Tumhe itna hurt krke jata hai..." Daya was saying when he was cut in between by Shreya. " Daya.. itti si toh baat thi...Ab chod dete hai use !" Shreya said. " Yahi toh baat hai na Shreya. Baat choti ho ya Badi. Lekin agar koi insan Tumhe bewajah hurt krke jata hai. Aur tumhe kuch alag nahi lagta. Kya ye itni normal si baat ban gyi hai tumhare liye ?" Daya asked. Daya sure was a deep observer
" Daya late ho raha hai !" Shreya said. " Ghar chale ?" She said in a very silent voice. Just as if avoiding the question. Daya knew that she didn't want to answer that or maybe he had made her realize this for the first time in life. So hopefully she'll think about it now. Because her happiness matters.
" Haa nikalte hai !" Daya said as he asked for bill. After settling the bill both of them were on their way home. The car ride was complete silent now. Daya thought that he had surely given Shreya a lot to think about. As they arrived at Shreya's apartment, Daya killed the engine. " Thanks ! Aaj time nikalne ke liye !" Daya said. And Shreya smiled. Shreya was about to open the door when suddenly she looked at Daya and said.
" Daya...!" Shreya said. " Humara Bachpan kuch jyada alag nahi tha. Mujhe aapke baadki life me kuch pata nahi. Par meri life me , me bas itta hi seekhi hoon.
Sometimes in life there's sadness. Sometimes there isn't. Then again kabhi khushi bhi rehti hai. Aur kabhi nahi. Happiness , love , life...Yeh na sab bohot temporary chize hai jo mentally bohot long term ka nuksaan pohochate hai.
So , I've stopped expecting.
Have you ever felt someone gently put a blanket on you when you had a bad day or maybe you are too tired to do it yourself ?" Shreya asked.
" Haa... If I have a bad day , mera bohot Achcha dost hai. I know he's there !" Daya said referring to Abhijeet.
Shreya smiled and said , " Aap bohot lucky ho Daya ! Because for the past 10 years I have been putting the blanket on myself."
There was a long pause. Daya didn't know how to react so he just kept listening. Perhaps Shreya wanted to talk and she never had a listener.
" So I have given up on expectations. I just tale my life Day by Day. You may be be believer in everything nice but I'm not And I don't mind when people hurt me. Because they always have and always will."
Shreya then opened the door and said , " Don't worry ! Me koi depressed personality nahi hu. I have just accepted the truth that ...
Things aren't ways going to be good. But you have to keep going. "
Shreya said that and was about to take leave when suddenly she was stopped by Daya. " Shreya ?" Daya said. " Haa ??" She asked. " Kabhi Aise socha ?" Daya asked again. " Kaise ?" Shreya questioned.
" Things aren't ways going to be bad. Just keep going !" Daya took a pause and said , " Khair me chalta hu." Daya said and took leave.
Shreya ki jo zindagi ki seekh thi usse bas kuch alfaaz hi badle the. But just a mere of exchange of minor words even without changing the meaning had changed the attitude of the sentence. Par galat tha hi kya usme...
Things are going to be bad forever. Just keep going !