What should I do?
Kapoor House – Office Room
With trembling hands and bloodshot eyes, Advait pulled himself up from the corner of the room. Every word Naaz had uttered echoed in a relentless loop inside his mind:
"Nehmat spent the night with you thinking you were Ekam..."
The words clanged in his ears like cruel church bells, over and over, louder with each passing second. He pressed his palms to his ears in desperation, trying to shut them out—but the echoes refused to fade. His breathing turned shallow. His eyes welled with pain too heavy to contain.
Kapoor House – Kitchen
Meanwhile, Nehmat was absently stirring a curry on the stove, lost in thought.
"Did I put too much pressure on Advait? I only wanted clarity... not to burden him."
She looked up at the wall clock.
"It's quite late. Where is he? Maybe he's still in the office room."
Concern flashed across her face. She turned off the stove and quickly made her way toward the office.
Kapoor House – Corridor Outside the Office
As "Kya dekhna tha, kya hai dikha..." began to play in the background, Advait, barely steady on his feet, stepped out of the room.
At the very same moment, Nehmat turned the corner and arrived at the office door.
Their paths—so close, yet painfully misaligned.
"Waariyaan waariyaan jaan waariyaan..." Audio given below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJwjz2wMBT0
Advait walked past the adjacent corridor, his figure lost in shadows, while Nehmat opened the door to find the office empty.
Inside the Office Room
She glanced around. "He's not here? Then where could he be?"
On the Road – Late Evening
Advait drove aimlessly, tears cascading silently down his face. The lights on the road blurred with the memories flooding his mind—moments of laughter, longing, shared glances, and that one unforgettable night.
"Kismet mein shayad yahi tha likha..."
His hands trembled on the wheel. At last, he pulled over. He couldn't drive another inch.
Reaching into the back seat, he pulled out a half-drunk bottle of beer. He opened the door and began to walk, taking desperate swigs under the weight of heartbreak.
The song continued to haunt him as he staggered, empty bottle in hand, to the side of the road. He threw it into the bushes and cried out:
"What do I do now? What should I do?"
That's when he heard it—a kirtan flowing softly through the night air.
He turned his head. He had unknowingly reached the gates of a Gurdwara.
Gurdwara Entrance
A strange calm descended over him. He removed his shoes, covered his head with a scarf, and stepped onto the marble floor with folded hands.
Inside, the kirtan resonated—gentle, sacred, comforting.
Advait approached the front, knelt down, and placed his forehead on the cool floor before the Guru Granth Sahib.
Tears returned as he whispered from the depths of his soul:
"Babaji... what do I do now? I never knew Nehmat still had feelings for Ekam. I thought we were healing. I thought... she was mine. What do I do now?"
His thoughts were still spinning when the Granthi Sahib approached, gently brushing a chaur sahib over his head. Advait looked up, startled.
The Granthi smiled, reading the pain in his eyes.
"You seem lost, my child. Were you asking Rab ji for an answer in your ardaas?"
Advait stood, folding his hands. "Yes, Baba. I'm in a terrible dilemma."
The Granthi nodded. "What burdens your heart?"
Advait exhaled shakily. "It's about... my love."
Kapoor House – Dining Room
The family sat for dinner. Nehmat, however, kept glancing anxiously toward the door, her plate untouched.
Nikhil reached out to serve Naaz, but she snapped, "I still have two hands, I can serve myself."
Rama and Neeru Bua exchanged uncomfortable glances. Rama, noticing Nehmat's distracted state, gently said, "Nehmat beta, Advait must be caught up with something. Sit down and eat with us."
Nehmat forced a small smile. "No, Auntyji. I'll wait. I'll have dinner with him once he comes home."
From across the table, Naaz smirked. Her inner monologue was venomous:
"Tch. Poor Nehmat... waiting like a dutiful wife, unaware that her husband will never return to her again—not tonight, not ever. Because I told him something no man could ever bear to hear..."
She smugly rubbed the side of her nose with her index finger and whispered under her breath: "Hun hona hai swaad."
Gurdwara – Worship Area
The Granthi looked kindly at Advait and said, "My child... love, in our faith, is another name for Rab. But true love... is also freedom. If you truly love her, free her—from guilt, from expectations, from pain. If you make her happy, only then will you find peace."
Advait's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. The words were like balm on his torn soul, yet they stirred a new ache—a selfless ache.
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To be continued.
YOU ARE READING
Udaariyaan: Entangled Hearts
RomanceAdvait and Nehmat were forced to marry each other because of their families. Their loveless marriage results in frequent turmoils between the two. However what will happen when the two actually fall in love with each other?
