The Dream

7.

"Shiva."

Shiva was sleeping when he heard someone calling him. He pulled his blanket over his head, and rolled over to the other side. Again, someone called out his name. He slowly began to wake up. Wasn't this mami ki behen ki beti's voice?

"SHIVAAA" This time Raavi shouted and Shiva fell off his cot.

Raavi laughed. The commotion luckily didn't wake up Dev or Krish. They were deep in sleep. Shiva got off the floor. Raavi noticed that he was sleeping without a shirt, and he was hot without a shirt. She couldn't stop staring.

"Ae mami ki behen ki beti!" Shiva whispered, as he didn't want to wake his brothers. "Yaha kya kar rahi hai? Ab sone bhi nahi degi kya? 

Raavi stopped staring at him. She finally remembered why she was here. "Maine kal raat ko tere baare mein sapna dekha."

"Sapna?? Tere sapne ki toh..." Shiva dragged Raavi outside his house. "Bhaag yaha se. Subah subah sapna sunane aa gayi! Tere sapno mein mujhe koi interest nahi hai."

"Par yeh sapna nahi tha!" Raavi said. "Humare bachpan ki yaad thi. Yaad hai mai uss haveli mein kho gayi thi??? Aur phir tune mujhe dhoond nikala? Hum jab hide and seek khel rahe the?"

"Kho nahi gayi thi. Basement mein chali gayi thi. Tune yeh yaad dilane ke liye mujhe uthaya?" Shiva asked.

"Haa. Main kitna darr gayi thi pata hai? Mujhe laga main toh gayi. Phir tune mujhe bacha liya."

"Jo main aaj tak regret karta hu." Shiva said. "Abhi dimaag nahi khaa rahi hoti agar bachaya nahi hota."

"Ohho, main toh bas tujhe uss din ke liye thank you bolne aayi thi. Bas." Raavi said. "Ab tu jaake so jaa. Main wapas ghar jaati hu."

She walked away and Shiva had to control his anger. What was wrong with this chipkali? Then he exhaled his anger and went back to sleep.

***

"Raavi mujhe tujhse baat karni hai!" Anita said as Raavi came in.

Anita had noticed Raavi sneaking out of the house in the morning. She needed to speak to Raavi and ask her what the hell was going on with her. Raavi was getting married to Dev yet she was roaming around Somnath with Shiva, as if he were her would-be husband.

"Kya hua Anita di?"

"Pehle bata kaha se aa rahi hai subah subah?" Anita asked.

"Pandya house."

"Dev se milne gayi thi?"

"Nahi Shiva se." Raavi replied.

Just as she had suspected. "Raavi tu kar kya rahi hai? Dev tera hone wala pati hai, Shiva nahi."

"Kya bol rahi ho aap?" Raavi asked.

"Dekh Raavi, main bas yehi keh rahi hu tu iss shaadi ko leke soch le. Aur sirf iss shaadi ko lekar nahi, Shiva ko lekar bhi. Kya rishta hai tum dono ke beech main? Tu usse itni close kyu hai? Maine aaj tak tujhe Dev ko kabhi gale lagate nahi dekha, par jab dekho tu Shiva se chipakti rehti hai. Kya matlab hai iska?"

"Anita di, aap kya bole jaa rahe ho? Aisa kuch bhi nahi hai. Dev aur Shiva bhai hai, main unhe bachpan se jaanti hu. Hum sab bachpan ke dost hai. Aur aap bas kuch bhi bol rahe ho." Raavi was upset with Anita's words. So she simply went to her room.

Anita sighed. She knew the difference between love and friendship. What Raavi and Shiva had was definitely not just friendship!

***

"Shiva, Shiva uth." Dev called out. When Shiva didn't stir, Dev splashed a bucket of water on Shiva.

What was wrong with everyone? First maami ki behen ki beti, now Dev! He slowly got up and looked at the clock. It was 9AM. He had overslept, but it was that chipkali and her dream's fault. Dev waited for Shiva as he got freshened up.

"Shiva please meri ek help kar de." Dev said. "Bhabhi ne mujhe kaha hai Raavi ko Ganga paar le jaane. Par mujhe aaj ek bohot important kaam hai. Tu le jaa na use please."

"Nahi. Impossible. Aaj subah subah ek baar uska chehra dekh chuka hu, aur nahi dekh sakta." Shiva said.

"Subah? Kab?" Dev seemed confused.

"Dekh Dev. Tu yeh shaadi cancel kar de agar tere paas time nahi hai. Shaadi ke baad bhi bolega Shiva use honeymoon pe leke jaa."

"Please mere bhai. Mere liye. Agar maine bhabhi ko na kaha toh woh bohot naraz ho jayegi. Please."

"Tujhe kya kaam hai?"

"Woh mujhe Rish-.... mera friend hai na Rishi. Usse milne jana hai. Hum ek project pe kaam kar rahe hai."

"Tu iss Rishi se kuch zyada nahi milta?" Shiva asked.

"Bohot important project hai. Please Shiva."

"Ek baat bata Dev. Yeh maami ki behen ki beti se zyada Rishi important hai?" Shiva asked.

"Bhai mujhe bas thoda time chahiye. Main sab kuch sort out kar dunga. Tu bas Raavi ko lekar jaa. Please."

"Achha chal thik hai. Yeh last time. Agar iske baad tune mujhe wapas uss chipkali ke saath idhar udhar bheja toh main sachhi mein tujhe maar dunga."

***

Raavi didn't expect Shiva to come to her house. Dhara di had called her that she would need to go and collect some water from the Ganga. This water would be used to welcome her when she came to the house. She said Dev would take her, but Shiva was here instead.

"Tu yaha kya kar raha hai?" Raavi asked.

"Dev ne kaha tujhe Ganga paar le jaane ko. Woh busy hai."

Raavi was upset, the confrontation with Anita di in the morning and now Dev cancelling on her. She got on Shiva's bike and they rode away. Shiva noticed how Raavi didn't talk at all during their bike ride and how she didn't even smile once.

When they reached, Raavi went to the shore. Together with Shiva's help, she collected some Gangajal in a little brass container. Then before Raavi could get up on his bike, he stopped her.

"Ice cream khayegi?" Shiva asked.

Raavi's face brightened up. "Haa."

Shiva bought her her favourite chocolate ice-cream and they sat on the shore together for sometime.

"Kyu pareshan hai?" Shiva asked.

"Pata nahi. Maine jaisa socha tha waisa kuch nahi ho raha!" Raavi replied. "Jab se humaari shaadi fix hui hai, Dev mere saath time hi spend nahi karta. Aur mera woh sapna."

"Sapne ki toh baat mat kar. Bhagwan kare tujhe koi sapna na aaye kabhi. Aur jaha tak Dev ki baat hai, tu iske pehle bhi kaunsa bohot time spend karti thi uske saath? Main ginke bata sakta hu tum log kitni baar bahar gaye the ek saath."

Now that Raavi thought about it, Shiva was right! Dev and her would hardly meet three-four times a day. Out of those only once or twice, they would spend time together alone. But it was too upsetting for Raavi to think this. They were gonna get married in a few days.

"Shiva, shaadi ke baad woh mere saath time spend karega na?" Raavi asked.

"Nahi kiya toh uski taange tod dunga. Khush?"

Raavi laughed. "Chal thik hai. Ab mujhe ghar leke chal."

"Aur Haa, Dhara bhabhi ko mat batana ki main tujhe leke aaya tha yaha."

Shiva dropped her home.

***

That night Raavi again couldn't sleep. She had that same dream and she kept waiting for the saviour but he never came. She got up in the middle of the night and cried.