ISHQ BULAVA : CALL OF LOVE [Wattys2018] [ILAs 2018]

Chapter Twenty Six

As the very first ray of the sun hit the window of the hotel room, Vaidehi cut off her vision from Abhi's face, who was fast asleep. Vaidehi had been awake all night, staring at a sleeping Abhi. She removed the sheets from over her body and quickly got into her clothes and before exiting, she pecked a soft kiss on Abhi's cheek to which, Abhi smiled a bit though still in deep slumber.

She exited the room and tiptoed through the corridor to her room. While in her way back, she could hear sounds of laughter and excitement coming from downstairs as everyone was preparing for her wedding. She only wished if it was for her and Abhi instead of her and Krish.

Vaidehi had a cool shower and got ready in a red coloured semi-western lehnga for the Haldi ritual.

She went towards the stage and everyone started to look at her only. She looked that stunning that no other girl got a second attention by the teenager boys.

The ritual litterally went away in a blur and now Vaidehi was sitting in her room with D'mitra.

They both were silent for quite sometime before D'mitra's phone beeped with the name Vinod flasing on the screen.

She looked at Vaidehi and said with a grin, "Vai bhaag."

"No way. I can't betrayed Dadu."

"So you can betray Abhi?" D'mitra asked with fury.

"See your Dadu wants to see you married. It doesn't matter if the person you're marring is Krish or Abhi. So you are running away. Get the guts for once." D'mitra said in a go.

"Problem hai Dimi. Abhi is a Muslim. The people of our village will not even allow Dadu to breathe in there." Vaidehi tried to explain.

"I can only tell you Vaidehi but it's your life, if you choose the right path, your life will be better." Said D'mitra as she left.

After an hour, Vaidehi was standing at her balcony and was lost deep in her thoughts. Suddenly, someone tied a cloth on her eyes and tied her hands. She screamed out loud and soon the man put his hand on her mouth.

She tried to run away but the man was too strong for her to loosen up his grip. She felt herself carried away and then she could feel that she was seated in a car and she was droven away.

After sometime, she could hear her grandfather and a few villagers shouting from behind and the speed of the car increased.

After sometime, the car came to a halt and her boundaries were untied by someone. She could see Abhi being hit by a few villagers.

"Stop hitting him. I order." Shouted Vaidehi.

"He tried to harm you." Shouted one man.

"No he's my friend, he can never harm me. May be he had some other plans and I screamed out like an idiot. Leave him alone." Said Vaidehi.

The men left Abhi and Abhi spoke up, "I love your granddaughter and she loves me back too. Ask her. She is only marring Krish for your sake."

All eyes went towards Vaidehi.

"Is the boy saying the truth?" Asked her grandfather.

"Dadu I can..."

She got cut off by her grandfather, "Is the boy saying the truth?"

Vaidehi took sometime and then answered in a low voice by avoiding eye contact with anyone, "No."

"Do you love him?" Asked he again.

"No."

"Speak it up loud then." Shouted the old man.

"I don't love him!" Screamed out Vaidehi.

"Okay then let's leave." Said a village boy.

"No. If she doesn't love the boy then she'll have to kill him by her own hands." Ordered the Sarpanch.

"Baba how can you tell her to kill a man? She's a girl." Sighed a boy.

"Its an order." Screamed the Sarpanch. "Hand her a gun"

Vaidehi was given a gun and thinking of the situation, she started crying. There were tears also in Abhi's eyes. She looked at him and then looked away, holding the gun in position. The only sentence that repeated in her mind was Why did you have to take such a step, Abhi?

There was the sound of a shot and everything wend dead silent.

"I'm sorry!" He stood there like a stone. Not another word came out from his mouth. His eyes never went up to meet her's. Slowly his legs gave way and he started falling down deep in the pit.

She didn't look at him. She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes to stop the tears escaping her eyes. She whispered under her breath, "May be we were never meant to be."

Her eyes gave away the pain in them and opened as lifeless as it could look. Her grandfather stood at her back with a grin. She didn't say anything and walked away with him.

She sat on the chair and spread her hands to let the designers do the hena designs on her palms when she saw a familiar face. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked at her with rage. After seeing him, she ordered the designers to leave and they did as they were ordered. It was Vinod.

He slowly came towards her. She gave him a warm smile.

"Of course it's your happy time now. You are getting whom you had always wanted to be with and now my friend is also no more a barrier for you. You know what? My friend was exactly right. This love thing is nothing. Its just the urge for someone's body. I was the fool who spoilt my friend's life by bringing you in his life. Be happy. May your married life start happily from my friend's death bed." He said and walked away.

While going out from the marriage venue, he went by D'mitra. She stopped him and asked, "What happened?"

"Hah! Nice to meet you. I think this relationship is just not gonna work out. I'm breaking up. Don't ever try to contact me again. I had promised my friend that we would marry together and now when he is only no more, I think I can never get married without him by my side. So bye." He said rudely by leaving the girl in the verge of crying. She ran out from the venue calling his name but he didn't look back. She stood there for minutes and then started strolling by the street still crying.

Vaidehi could no more control her tears as she ran inside her room and fell on the bed, crying her heart out till she was called by some woman. She immidiately got up and cleared her tears. She went to the door and opened it to let a group of giggly women come in her room. They made her sit on her chair infront of the dressing table and started her bridal make up. They then made her change into a beautiful red and golden lahenga and put on heavy gold jewellery on her. She was looking gorgeous in that bridal attire except that the smile which didn't reach her eyes which was the most beautiful touch of a bride's makeup.

She walked down to the Mandap where her would be husband was sitting with the priest and her grandfather.

He reached his house and barged in to find Vani sitting on the sofa with a devilish smirk on her face. As she saw him coming in, she stood up and said, "What happened? Looks like something big has happened."

"You did all this right?" He barked at her.

"Of course. How could I let that stupid girl take him away from me." Said she calmly.

"But you know what? You have failed!" He laughed.

"What do you mean by that? He is mine and only mine." Screamed she.

"Screaming is not going to help dear. He is never gonna be yours. Never. You bloody killed him!" He spat.

"What? No. Never. He is mine only mine. I'll get him. He's mine. He's mine!" She screamed with laughter.