"Hum hain iss pal yaha, jane ho kal kaha"
Lucknow June 1997 -
Although Arvind Malik and Ratna Malik were Tamanna's bhaiyya-bhabhi (brother and sister-in-law), they had treated her as their child. Arvind had entrusted her responsibly to ratna in his absence, when he went to work and travels. And now Ratna had got suspicious on tamanna's sudden increased visits to Radha Krishna temple, deciding to check. In a hope to find any clues in Tamanna's room, she found a piece of paper with only one name..Sagar. was this the same Sagar? Son of their maid? How and when did he meet Tamanna? Did Arvind know? He didnt like her mingling with commoners, let alone servants! Tamanna was not only his younger sister but also his lifeline. He would do anything to ensure she had the best of everything and he had clearly told Ratna before their marriage that for him, Tamanna would be his first child, then came their own. And ratna didnt mind a bit. After all, Tamanna was a sweet girl with heart of gold! She was princess of Sheesh mahal but didnt have an iota of air about it. Always humble, kind and mingling with everyone. Is that how she met and befriended Sagar? Ratna wondered and also got scared. What if Sagar was luring her for her money? Tamanna was only 17 for God's sake! She had to meet this boy and tell him to back off.
But ratna was not the only one spying on Tamanna, Soumya Garewal was one step ahead! Soumya had recently met Arvind Malik and was instantly been drawn to him, for his wealth and royal name! She had been successful to get herself a job at his company and soon earn his sympathy as an orphan girl left to fend for herself and her brother. It didn't take her long to lure him in an emotional bond and then charm him with her beauty, which soon turned it to intimacy of every kind! Now she was only a step away from being the owner of Sheesh Mahal! But when she realized Arvind's real heir was his dear sister Tamanna, who was also his weakness, Soumya shifted her attention to the naïve princess...
--*--
Lucknow, Feb 2022
Arnav slowly removed the dupatta from his face and looked at its owner's face. There stood a girl with a set of most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. 'beautiful' he whispered. She too seemed dazed..
"I know this might sound like a bad pickup line, but have we met before?" Arnav asked her and khushi's trance was broken. She was so lost in looking at his face, which seemed very familiar to her too, but she was sure she had never met him. This was a stranger, not to mention in a strange town!
"Nahi toh (no). This is my first time in Lucknow. Excuse me." Khushi said leaving from there but her feet felt heavy to her, as if she was unable to walk away.
Arnav on the other hand was about to stop her, when his mother, Ratna called him, and then walked upto to him. She tried to look who he was talking to but by then the girl had left...
When they reached their hotel, they were told only Soumya was here and she preferred to talk on call too, much to Ratna's relief but Arnav felt disappointed. He was looking forward to meet his father. Maybe just this once. Who knows when he could meet him again!
As the call started, Soumya made it clear that she and Arvind wanted to sell Sheesh Mahal and since Ratna too was a stakeholder, they needed her signatures. Ratna of course had no material interest in it but Sheesh mahal held many special memories for her, Anjali was born there..her sister-in-law who was more like a daughter had lost her life there and not to mention Arvind had walked out on her there. She agreed to sign, but just wanted to visit that place once...
"Dad..erm..Arvind Malik nahi aye?" Arnav finally asked before the call ended.
Soumya understood this probably was Arvind's son..which raised her temper, "He is busy. Besides he didn't want to meet the people who sided with his traitor sister." Soumya snapped from the other side. But then something stuck her. His voice... "By the way, his voice is so much like Arvind's, nahi Ratna?" she addressed Ratna who didnt say anything and the call ended..
