BEYOND THE CLOUDS (Completed)

Chapter 19

“Mam are you ok?” Rana asked sensing her panic.

“Rana please stop, I don’t want to be in the papers tmrw” Shehnaaz whispered, as the color of her face seemed to be draining rapidly. Rana’s brows furrowed.

“Mam, duck in between the seats. I will make it as fast as possible, until we are away from this circus” he advised and in the next instant Shehnaaz was on all her fours, and almost tried to plaster herself on the car floor.

Thankfully the black car interiors and her black outfit, hid her well and in no time, they were out of the gates and on the main road.

“Rana please give this to Sidharth, I will text him” she said handing over the Rolex to him and looked out of the window in despair.

This was new, he thought. The ladies who Sidharth dated were only interested in his money and the mileage that came with it, but this one seemed different.

He had earlier on pegged her as one of the several girls his employer dated all of whom had the tag Fortuner Hunter slapped on their forehead.

Which is why he had taken an instant disliking for Shehnaaz too.

But he seemed to be wrong this time and surprisingly it made him smile. Sidharth too seemed different around this girl, maybe she was really special, he thought and suddenly his recent painful trips from Malabar Hill to Goregaon, which he had fretfully covered on Sidharth’s insistence, seemed worth it.

From the rear view mirror, he took a close look at her beautiful face, which was looking pained at the moment.

Shehnaaz released her breath only once she was in the comfort of her home.

Sidharth’s smiling face flashed in front of her face the whole time during the car journey.

And she cursed herself for letting her heart get away from the cage she had put it into. When she heard about his past, she didn’t feel pity, infact she felt awestruck at the way he combatted his demons and stood looking like a winner.

He had cracked open his heart in front of her but not once did he demand answers pertaining to her parents or the strange episode from last night.

It was going to take every ounce of herself to let go of him, but it was better if she did it herself and she did it now, be cause after hearing her truth, she was positive that Sidharth Jubilee Shukla, paparazzi’s blue eyed boy will never want to be associated with a girl who had almost murdered her father.

Tears sprang out of her eyes as she fell down, resigned on the couch in the living room.

She wasn’t sorry for what she did that night, she was only trying to protect her mother. Infact she was sorry that her father had survived.

Her mind travelled back to that fateful night in Samrala, Punjab. All evening, she and her mother were in the kitchen, making her favorite Pinni’s.

When her mother was almost at the end of the dough, she saw Shehnaaz’s hand creep in the jar again.

“Nanhi chidiya churaye pinni” she sang, looking lovingly at her daughter

“Jismein hai maa ka pyaar, aur khoob saari chinnnniiiiiiii” Shehnaaz responded with a giggle and hugged her mother’s back as she rolled the last Pinni between her palms and placed it in the glass jar shutting it tight.

This was their regular routine and the most happiest moments of both their lives. Shehnaaz, all of 15 was almost as tall as her mum.

Looking at her mother smile heartily, she turned her around and cupped her face with her palms.