Hidden Hues Of Henna

Lambi raatein (II)

Part -2

Raghav was frustrated.

He had somehow managed to slip past the many eyes watching him,and specially that one pair adorned with a big sparkly dot in the middle.

Just as he was at the threshold of the house,he remembered Pallavi.

After she was taken upstairs by her brother,he did not see her come back.Her brother did return after a while but she did not.

A noisy chaos of claps and hoots occured and Raghav turned around to see the ring ceremony happening.Flashes and flowers were all around. Both the families plus the new couple were beaming wholeheartedly. He tried to spot Pallavi in the crowd but she wasn't there.

Was she still upstairs?

His eyes shot up to the upper floor and an open window caught his attention. The silhouette of somebody standing at the window could be seen and Raghav was sure it was Pallavi.He just knew it.

And then the weirdest thing happened.

Before his brain could decide or reason effectively,his legs had began to move.In the loud music and chatter,nobody noticed as he walked around the courtyard to reach the staircase.With quick steps Raghav was at the door of the room which housed that window.

Not second guessing any action of his,he pushed open the door and sure enough,it was her standing on the other side.

Saree ka dukaan.

Who looked more miserable than he had ever seen her look.

She was wearing the same saree he had seen her in that morning at his house.The sunny yellow drape was very wrinkled now after being worn an entire day.Her usually neat hair looked messy and scattered. In entirety,the vision of Pallavi Deshmukh,standing there in front of the mirror,looking up at him with shock swirling in her golden-grey eyes screamed tired.

And it was not a regular kind of tired.

She looked tired to the core.

Tired of life.

Tired from the soul.

Why do you care if she's tired?

And just as he heard that voice in his head,all his concern and intrigue vanished.

I don't care.I am just here to..... enquire about Keerthy. Yes!

"Raghav?" Pallavi's voice broke through his thoughts."What are you doing here?"

"That should be my question saree ka dukaan! What are you doing here? You should be downstairs."He shoved his hands in his pockets before stepping into the room."Isn't it your sister getting engaged downstairs?"

"It's my family's function. I can decide to be there or not."She pulled her hair to one side, settling them a bit,clearly conscious of his stare and folded her arms to her front taking a stiff,defensive stance.

"Well,I don't blame you saree ka dukaan. Your family is....something."Raghav shrugged.

Something crazy!

Her eyebrows rose offensively and she immediately stood straighter.

"Are you here to tell me that?"

Raghav ignored her question as his eyes went around the simple,well-kept room. It was not big by any means but surely had a certain warmth to it.Pallavi's things were lying around the surfaces but what caught his attention was the large pile of cartons on the further corner of the room.