Unreachable Destiny- The Curse Of Your Love

Chapter-17: Every plan of their own.

"Amish Ji, How are you doing this evening?" Amish pulls up a smile despite his anxiousness about the evening. He had been worrying from earlier, since he arrived after attending his meeting, about how the party was going to go. He wishes it would go smoothly and for his younger siblings to enjoy it as well but gatherings of this sort are where people end up with gossip and eventually make everyone else uncomfortable. Especially Maya because she isn't good with crowds like this. 

"I find it going in various directions, to be honest, so I hope you will help me out a little." Akshay knows more about Maya than he does so it felt reasonable to ask him for a little favour.

"Sure. Tell me what it is."

"Can you keep Maya busy whenever she becomes uncomfortable with someone? When someone starts talking to her and if she doesn't look okay with it."

"Yeah, sure. But where is that Madam."

"She is still upstairs, probably getting ready. She said she will come down with Aditya." Akshay had half the mind to go upstairs to her room but he knew better than to cross any limits while her big brother was still watching so he decided to wait it out. 

He didn't have to wait for long as just a few minutes later, Aditya descended the stairs with Maya by his side. Akshay's breath hitched as he looked at her taking each step with elegance, her hair perfectly made into waving curls that covered the sides of her face, leaving an unreal shadow over her face that only seemed to match her smoky eyes. 

Ranav who was too deep in a conversation with Radha Aunty, who is a friend of Varsha Dadi, was distracted as the crowd went silent. He looks up only to be met with the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. When he picked out the black colour flared Anarkali for her last week, he didn't think it would end up looking this good on her. With each step she took, he felt the beat of her slippers in his heart. On any day, he would sit on this feeling and compose a beautiful song but today, his mind goes too blank for him to even think straight. Ranav's eyes fall on her bangles as his mind flashes back to when he looked at the female doctor in the camp who had these bangles on her. The very same bangles Maya wore to the temple too. Ranav was left flabbergasted as he realized just how many times he had actually met Maya before he even knew her and every time he met her, he felt the same pang in his heart as he did now.

Maya firmly grips Aditya's hand as she takes one step after the other. Maya had to put great effort into stalling Aditya from going to the party so they could make an appearance together because if it was up to Kuhu, she would gladly leave Aditya out of the party. She would never let her brother become a pawn to Kuhu. 

She looks into the crowd blankly as her fear of crowds kicks in. Maya has handled her fear well in London and overcame it but maybe it's because of the environment and the new place that she feels her throat tighten. Her eyes meet with Akshay's and he gives her an assuring smile to calm her nerves which makes her feel a little bit better but not enough to get more confidence into her steps. She can't fail in front of these people not after what she had planned to do. She finds Meenakshi in the crowd standing with a glass of juice in her hand. Maya knew exactly what must be running in her head and could barely contain her smile. How naive did Meenakshi think Maya was? 

Their eye contact remains as Maya's footsteps grow louder and stronger as she slowly straightens her back and pulls herself away from Aditya with a smile. She walks straight to Kuhu with her gaze still locked on Meenakshi. She stands in front of Kuhu while Kuhu is stupefied by her presence. Maya had never initiated an interaction with Kuhu so she was stunned that Maya walked over to her as soon as she came down. Maya made sure that everyone near could hear her as she spoke.

"Hi, Chachi. Happy Birthday." Kuhu, oblivious to Maya's fake smile, couldn't help the bright smile that built on her face. Maya had finally given her a chance, Kuhu thought to herself.

"Thank you, Beta. Thank you so much, Maya." Kuhu, unable to contain her excitement, immediately walks in for a hug and Maya stays still with her fists clenched as she stands still. "And belated happy birthday to you too, Beta." Kuhu pulls back to look at her face and Maya plasters her face with a smile yet again. On the other side of the room, Meenakshi watches the interaction with interest as she wonders what Maya has planned for the evening because she knows better than to think that Maya has suddenly forgiven Kuhu and is willing to accept her in her life.

"Thank you. Now let's go cut the cake and oh, before we do that I have something I would like to show everyone." Amish, who doesn't understand why Maya is so easygoing with Kuhu, stands in his place wondering how Kuhu managed to break the walls built around Maya all the time. But did she really?

As Maya places her hand over Kuhu, her other hand on her brother and leads them to a side room, the rest of the party attendees follow them, curious about what the London return granddaughter of the Rajvansh family has to show them. Maya gives a final glance at Meenakshi before they enter the room. The plan was now set in motion and it was a risky game she was playing. Maya hoped she had her mother's blessings in her attempt to make the Rajvansh family realize how they would've felt if the tables had ever turned. Maya led Kuhu into the room knowing that she was nothing but merely a pawn in the game Meenakshi had started, but she had no right to feel pity for the woman, not when all she ever had to say to her mother was to call her the ruin of her happiness. Everyone had their own plan for the evening but how many would really get what they wanted and how would the evening unfold? No one was aware of the disaster they called for.