Note: The chapter is quite long. Please read with little patience.
Taani stood in the bus stop waiting to catch a vehicle to reach college. She was standing there from past 15 minutes. It was getting late and there was neither an auto or bus came along the way. She could easily go in a car for all the richness Shekawats possessed. Even her Tauji Rishi Shekawat insisted that she go in car. But she politely refused. She was already in debt of Shekawats. And she declined to utilise their kindness for any lavish enjoyments.
From childhood, Rishi & Sakshi Shekawat have been her guardian parents as she lost her parents under a car accident. They cared for her just as they did Swayam. They had given everything she dreamt of. She was grateful for it. And she really didn't thought about her being under their shadow until Rishi came to Mumbai to stay with them, as he had his buisness works transferred here for few days. During which, she realised how hurt Swayam looked when Rishi appreciated her views more than his. Swayam may have never miffed about it in open but his friends and Sharon made sure to make her realise about it. That was the exact moment she noticed, there was always a misfit gap between them. She may have grown up with Swayam for all her life but she wasn't his real sister. She understood thoroughly how the Dynamics between the duo were so bizarre unlike the actual brothers and sisters she witnessed. She had tried hard to get closer to her brother. But he never allowed her inside the door. He just kept her waiting outside the door only letting his friends and Sharon inside. That pained her but she was used to it now.
And also the fiasco with Rey and dancing was the biggest blow she ever committed. She shouldn't have asked Rey to hide his identity in the fear of her Tauji. But what chance she had? She respected the man enough to not go against his protocols. So she took the chance. It was wrong. She knew it. Still, she did it only in the hope of making things better for her & Rey. Blimey! Rey never understood her. His friends mocked her for making him do it. Her brother was irritated at her for being so naive. And finally she did the right thing. She told Rishi the truth. Probably it was because of their break up. But she would have told him eventually even if they were together. She wouldn't have kept Rey away from his dance. And for once, she knew 'Dance is always his first Love'. He will never prioritise her above it. Even she didn't wish that to happen. Because it was his dance whom she fell in love with in the first place.
Taani looked at her watch twice more. She would be definitely late for the college, now. As she waited in the stop, she caught sight of a stray puppy crossing the road. It was wandering alone. The hum of vehicles were high & the puppy was cooeng in fear to cross the road. Until that moment, she never realised how fragile animals were. It was struggling with little steps as the road cleared. It was putting baby steps and suddenly a car zoomed in. Instinct pushed Taani to run for it's aid. The car shrieked into a sudden halt as Taani gripped the puppy in her hand closed in her eyes at the terror of getting hit.
******
"Guys, once more" Sharon clapped, playing the music. Gang were practicing a dance routine for the annual day of St. Louis. Rey wasn't in a mood to concentrate on his moves but Sharon was bossy as hell. He knew better than to argue. But he was missing the steps and it was affecting the gang practice.
"Rey" she yelled for the fifth time. He sighed. "Sharon… let us give it a break…" Swayam signalled her pointing towards Rey. She nodded. "Okay then… we will continue in the evening…" she dismissed. Gang split into their usual fun and murmurs. And suddenly there was a commotion outside the corridor. Everyone looked at each other. "Kya ho Raha hai be…" Vicky rose his eyebrow at Nil. "Chalo be dekte hai…" saying both prowled outside the RH, followed by others. Rey too walked dismissively.
Students gathered in the corridors at first floor and all were looking down the hall. Whispers floated around. D3 gang curiously skimmed their gaze accordingly to the narrowed stares of students. During which Rey was least interested in the humdrum going. He walked leisurely crossing the corridor and took the stair path. "Wow… yaar" Vicky fizzled out as his romantic manga buckled up looking into the girl in the hall.
She wore shorts exposing her bare legs and a t-shirt. Her black hair was pinned into a bun. As she stepped in her boots with her backpack clunging onto her back, any guy couldn't look away at her feminine curves. She looked hot and sexy unlike any other girl in the college. The dismissing thing was she held onto a guy who towered over her. His skin was whitish with no beard. Clean shaven and hygiene skin. He wore grey baggy pants with a cardigan. He looked extravagant and attractive. They both chuckled as the girl punched on his arm. "Surbhi…" the guy clasped her hand pulling her back on him. He locked her immobilizing to attack him. "You both…" another guy walked in giggling. He was taller than any guy. Definitely a body builder. Looking at his posture could dizzy any girl. He wore a black shirt and pants. His top button was untucked revealing a silver chain with a key pendant. His skin was bronze and his muscles were kiss worthy. "Karan…" the girl, Surbhi screamed trying to pull out of the other guy's grip. "Wahi… chodo usko…" he giggled. Wahi left her escaping behind Karan. "Kameene… I'll not leave you" she readied to catch him. It was like watching three happy people sandwiched together. Wahi was trying to hide, surbhi was trying to catch him & Karan in between tried to stop them.
"Guys…Kya ho Raha hai yaha…" a girl walked in with papers in her hand. And the gang breathed in shock. "Kriya?" Neha didn't close her mouth. Boys stared at each other. "Ye sachmein Kriya hi hai Kya?" Rinni was in confusion as usual. "Yes…" simmi uttered in disbelief. "Kriya…" Sharon mouthed in stupor. Swayam wasn't really surprised. But he was startled at gang reaction. From the day Kriya left the college, she kept in contact with him. He knew whatever she did with Rey was for his best. And he also knew she still loved him. That's the main reason he wasn't quite comfortable with Taani & Rey's relationship. Because he had witnessed Rey having feelings for Kriya and his feelings transforming to Taani was much difficult to comprehend for him, though he didn't doubt their love for each other even for a second. It was how he processed in his life. One women man. Hence he had second thoughts about Taani and Rey. And knowing truth from both the sides made it difficult for him.
******
"What the hell? Tumhe Meri gadi hi mila ta Kya... Koodne ke liye…" a guy burst out of the door in anger. He looked furious at Taani. Her face was concealed by the waving hair. She slowly opened her eyes and tilted until her waist. She tucked her waving hair back and looked at the person. And all the air whooshed out of his lungs. She was wearing a skinny jeans & blue floral spaghetti top. Her hair was loose in curls and white studs were pierced to her ears. One hand held the straps of her back pack while the other clutched a furry pup in her hand. It wasn't like she looked extremely hot or sexy. By Gods, no. And that said so many things. Because mostly all the girl in this modern world preferred going bold and what not. But the girl standing in front of him was extremely simple. Yet bloody beautiful. It wasn't her face or skin or body. But the kind gesture of helping a voiceless furry baby. It was rare to see yet adore one such beauty.
"I'm... I'm so sorry… meine jaan bujkar nahi Kiya... Wo…" Taani showed the little bundle of fluffy snoring in her arms. "Wo raste mein akela…"
"I understand" he really understood. And that warmed her. He looked not more than her age. But there was a richness in his presence. The luxury red jacket above the white tunic, cargo pants and Nike shoes gave away. "Aap usko Kya karoge abi?" He asked poking his finger at the puppy. "Wo…. Wo tho meine socha hi nahi … I was just helping it to cross the road." She really was doing only so. "Now I think of it… mein isko yaha akele bi nahi chod sakti…" she fell into deeper problems.
"If you don't mind, I have an idea. We can let him in a adoption center. At least someone will take care of it instead of abandoning him on the streets…" he suggested.
"Hmm… I would have kept it… but I can't... I guess that's the option left with… mein usko chod dungi…" she smiled little at him. Though he yelled at her in the beginning, it wasn't his fault. And anybody who cared animals always had a big heart. And that guy definitely wasn't the one he looked like. He may have looked like a rich spoiled brat but definitely with a heart of gold.
"If you don't mind, I can drop you" he insisted. "But…" she hesitated. "Please… you don't need to worry me turning into a kidnapper" he joked. She smiled a bit and nodded.
******
"Guys… Jab Kriya chali gayi ti… Rey bahut gussa ho Gaya ta…" Simmi remembered. "Haa yaar…" nil agreed. "Guys… ab wo neeche hi jaa Raha hai… agar abi wo Kriya ko dek liya toh… pata nahi Kya hoga…" simmi was irritated with her friends not understanding. "Kyun kuch hoga? Aur Rey Kriya ki wajahse kyun gussa hua ta?" Neha asked as if that didn't made any sense. "I don't know, Neha… but we all have observed him going into a shelf mode when Kriya left" even simmi wasn't sure what was wrong. "What does it mean, simmi? What are you trying to say?" Sharon questioned. "I mean… abi Rey bahut gusse mein hai aur wo seeda soch bi nahi Raha hai… Hume nahi pata Kriya phirse kyun wapas aayi hai… but at this time agar Rey usko dekliya toh shayad saara gussa uspe nikalega…" she reasoned. Probably that made some sense. "But why would Rey do that?" Sharon wasn't understanding. "Aur ye Kriya… ye kyun wapas aayi hai…"
"Because she's the one of 5 members from London institute" Swayam replied unable to keep quiet when he knew the things. Sharon and others were perplexed at him. "Matlab… how do you know?" Sharon was inquisitive. Words failed to blurt. "Haa be… tumhe kaise pata" Bharath joined his side. "Kliya… Swayam ka fliend ta na…" Amar remembered. "Wooo…." Swayam raked his brain whether to tell them the truth. If he did, Sharon would blast on him for hiding the truth from her. But he had no choice. Kriya had requested him to not disclose her whereabouts. "Wo… meine guess Kiya …" he buffed. "I mean…wo aur deko" he pointed down. "Aur bi teen log uske saath hai… aur vp ne Kal bola ta ki 5 members will be coming… so I just guessed it" Sharon didn't buy it. She exactly knew her BF was lying. "Hume pehle Rey ko dundna hoga…" Vicky suggested. "Wo dek…. Yaar bailog Rey Wahi per jaa Raha hai…" bharath showed them, as Rey trotted down the stairs lamely.
******
There was an eerie silence in the car. The guy looked bored. He often glanced at Taani who caressed the sleeping puppy in an adorable way. She captured him watching her. He smiled awkwardly and focused on the road. She pulled her hand checking the time. She would be late to receive the students of London institute. VP wouldn't be happy about it. "Look at me… I didn't even ask your name." the guy laughed. "Taani..." She felt strange. She was sharing a smile with a stranger. How baffled it was! "Nice name. By d way, my name is Rithvik Kirlouskar" he opted to tell his name though she didn't ask. "What do you do? Other than rescuing animals…" he said it in a good way. Her one side of lip curled up. "I'm a student." She finished off. Though she found him good, revealing things about her to a stranger wasn't her. "Aap Kya karte ho?" She asked him out of boredom. "Well… I'm a student too..." He replied. "Oh…" her honesty backfired. Since she answered him exactly the same. "I'm from London. A singer professionally. As I manage both my studies and my passion…" he laughed and expanded his response. How nice it was to see people living their dreams! It made her to think of defining her own line of achievements.
Once in her young ignorance, she thought achieving Rey was the only aim she had. She even successfully reached it unless the same dream broke her insensitive thoughts. It showed her the bigger picture. LOVE IS JUST A PART OF LIFE. LOVE IS NOT LIFE. And that was plausible. It wasn't like she didn't had any dream or goals. Everyone does. Whether it's a small one or big. But the thing is, no one guided her. Or she didn't have any extra thoughts about it And the world is too selfish to fulfill people's way of choice towards their success. Coming from a remote area, she got comfortable in her space. After schooling and college, she left to Mumbai. And probably that was the best choice she made. Finally, LIFE started showing her how to live.
"I'm here to join St. Louis. You know… we have an agreement for one year n bla bla…" Rithvik blinked. And, that jerked her up. "What?" She sat straight. "Why do you look so shocked?" He really started to worry. "Aapke saath aur bi chaar log aanewale the na…" she enquired. "How do you even know?" It was his time get gobsmacked. "Don't tell me… you are from St. Louis" the happiness behind his words were noticable. Until before minutes, he thought meeting her was a coincidence. "Unfortunately…yes…" she smiled. Really smiled. "It's not unfortunate… atleast not for me" he flirted.
They found the adoption center and they consigned the fur baby with a lot of unwantness. Taani actually didn't want to give him up. Rithvik had suggested her she could adopt him if she wished. But it wasn't possible. Adopting an animal isn't any lesser than adopting a baby. It demanded utmost care, time and money. And none was with her except care. Spending Tauji's money wasn't an option. She would make herself so capable one day, she wouldn't hang back like now. One day, she would come back to take him home. Until then, she hoped people tended him. She may have no money of her own, currently. But she would earn it soon. Hence, she signed the papers of it's expenses responsibility by herself. Rithwik was definitely impressed. More than impressed, he was inspired by her. Her quite nature. Empathetic behavior. Saying good byes to the sleeping fur, they walked out.
"You can come with me… anyway we both are going to the same destination" Rithwik proposed. Taani couldn't deny as it was the best choice she had.
******
"Oh God… Rey Wahi per jaa Raha hai…" Simmi was baffled. Gang followed to make him stop. By the time he had reached the last step of the stair and walked straight towards Kriya and three others. He was actually not aware of anything going around. He was in stance. Karan chased Kriya at the same time and she collided hardly into Rey's chest. She slipped her feet and was about to fall but Rey caught her hand immediately. The giggles silenced. Karan stopped chasing her. Wahi and Surbhi stopped in mid sentence of their conversation. Students of the college focused solely on them. Gang froze.
Rey did what he did because of his instinct. He always caught Taani the same way. And those instincts pushed him to do that now. As his gaze roamed from hand to her face, his expressions transformed like a lit fire. The softness was gone. Instead, the feral fury and unbelievable bombshell replaced it. He was suddenly pulled two years back. All the memories connected with Kriya played like a hurricane. Finally, stopping at the last image of him broken by her sudden departure. Seeing her again was something he always wished before a year. But today when she stood in front of him, her hand in him, all he could think of was Taani. What if Taani see him with her?
As his doubt were heard by the gracious Gods, Taani walked into the Hall along with Rithwik. He was telling her something. Jokes maybe. Because when she moped about leaving back the puppy, he cracked innumerous nitpicks. She laughed her heart out all the way in car. She even laughed now, until her gaze fell on Rey and Kriya holding each other hands and looking deeply into their eyes.
A sudden jolt of something so unpleasant washed over her. Reckless heart of her wanted to pull them away and claim her right on him. For a second, she couldn't even think how the hell Kriya was here. The girl who left Rey years back. And what was she even thinking. Rey and she had broken up. She had no rights on him to think of what she did. But that didn't lessen her shattering heart. It irked her and twisted her senses. There was a bright chances of them getting together again. And the mere thought hurled her insides in loathing way. Her eyes foraged him. His eyes arrested her. And both their eyes slammed into each other.
******
Author's Note:
So tell me how's the chapter, guys? Did you like it? No? Yes? Do let me know through your votes and comments.
I was so missing Rithwik, Wahi n Surbhi trio from Epiphany. Hence included them in the story. I can't imagine having other characters. being so close to Taani. Unfortunately, I haven't included Barun. Instead, Karan is here to impress (Zoya and Asad days). Let us see how everything will fall into place. I have included Kriya with these people as a gang. I know you people guessed it already 😜! Anyway, enjoy!