"Tu itni chup chup si kyu hai aaj?" Sahil asked sitting right next to Sanyukta on her comfy bed.
"Kaha chup chup hu...m perfectly normal." Sanyukta replied not looking at him and randomly surfed over internet to ignore Sahil's grilling session.
"There must be something Sanyu. Btw, tune apna article likhna start kiya??" Sahil asked again.
"Nehi. Mera mann nehi kar raha yaar. N feeling so tired today... M going to skip dinner man... Tu please Raghu kaja ko bolna mere liye coffee bhej de." Sanyukta said throwing her body in bed and hiding her face on pillow..
"Sanyu..tu thik hai na?? M really scared. Aaj Rajaji ke face pe kitna ajeeb sa expression tha na jab Kunwar ne bola ke tune unhe hara diya." Sahil asked Sayukta caressing her hairs, he was really worried for her. She was the only family to him, his sister, friend and even mother at times.
Sanyukta didn't moved a muscle but she did remembered how Rajaji was staring at Randhir with an unknown expression and almost stormed out of the room without saying a word. Randhir looked so vulnerable for a moment but before she could say anything even he walked away from there..
"maitn thik hu sahil.. Tu ja..mujhe bas coffee bhej de." Sanyukta said without opening her eyes.
"Tu coffee pi pi ke hi maregi pakka... Kitna caffeine legi aur. Pagal." Sahil mumbled under his mouth and took the exit.
Sanyukta stayed on her bed tired and confused but it seemed her sleep was somewhere lost with her own heart. She wondered if Randhir was fine or not.. everytime she would close her eyes she felt a hole in her stomach. She needed something, but what was that...she didn't know.
"Rajkumari...aap ki coffee."
"Raghu kaka, kitni baar bola hai humne aap hame Sanyukta bulayiye." Sanyukta said taking the cup from the elderly butler whom she fondly call kaka with affection.
"Hame maaf kare Sanyukta.. Hum bhul hi jate hai ke aap to baki Rajkumari jaisi ho hi nehi." The man replied fondly.
"Aaj itna shakkar kyu kam diya kaka? Aapko pata hai na mujhe sweet bahot chahiye." Sanyukta complaint sipping on her coffee.
"Wo Kunwar ji ke liye bhi hum coffee bana rahe the to..chini ki baad dimag se nikal gayi..hum aapke liye abhi shakkar late hai." The man said.
"Nehi nehi, rehne de ab. But ye Kunwar ji itni raat ko coffee kyu pi rahe hai?" Sanyukta asked nervously biting on her lips.
"Pata nehi..shayad unko aapki bimari lag gayi hai. Unhone khana bhi nehi khaya aapki tarah...chehra bhi utra hua hai sham se." The butler informed.
"Ohhh..." She nodded...
The butler collected her cup and went from her room. Even the amount of caffeine was not able to calm Sanyukta that night, she couldn't sit. Her heart was annoyingly poking her to follow her wicked ideas...but her brain was arguing against it brutally.
Randhir sipped on cup of his coffee and sat on the balcony after switching off the lights around it. He didn't need this lights, he hate the warmness and sharp gleam of the lights when his heart was drowning in darkness of its own. He hated how he was caged behind unseen golden bars, he was that beautiful bird whose wings were trimmed off, it was cared and seemed happy to everyone but inside he was always yearn to fly.. He knew his father was disappointed with him, his father couldn't accept the fact that his son can be defeated. His father was that person who refused to acknowledge that the world has changed and change is inevitable.
Randhir hated that even though he had prestigious engineering degree from FITE, he was just a show piece in his royal mahal. Randhir's attention broke when he heard something falling in his room... He wondered who can be there at that time...it was too dark inside too.. He could hear the footsteps coming towards him, he felt alerted and tiptoed inside to catch whoever it was. He was holding the remote of the lights in his hand but he wanted to caught the trespasser red handed. He heard a grasp right beside him and before he could grab the person he hit the corner of his bed and fallen above the person right on his mahogany bed. He felt softness under his body and he was afraid to switch on the light scaring what if was his dream only..
"Randhir it's me." He heard Sanyukta's honey dipped voice from beneath his body and before he switch on the light he just held her tight, just to make sure she was not just a dream but a reality right there with him.
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Randhir's eyes were stuck on the beautiful face beneath him, it took whole strength of his will power to pull himself away from her after switching on the lights of the room and Randhir stood away from the bed once Sanyukta got up and straightened her kurta and tuck in a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Aap yahan?" Randhir was the one to broke the awkward silence between them.
"Wo Raghu kaka ne kaha tumne dinner skip kiya.. So I thought tumko ek baar check kar lu, kahi tum mujhse haar ke ro to nehi rahe." Sanyukta started off shyly but end up with a wicked smirk on her lips.
"To aap hamara mazak udane ayi hai." Randhir scowled and turned.
"Hey...m sorry okay. I was just worried after seeing your father's reaction to my win." Sanyukta stepped closer to him and held his forearm..
Randhir smiled looking down at the girl who for the first time cared about his feelings, his mother even was so busy with everything that he don't remember when she asked him about how was he feeling.
Randhir and Sanyukta sat in the balcony feeling the cool breeze passing by them and Sanyukta realised how silence was so comfortable between them that it shook up her heart and in one weak moment she wished to stay like that for life...with him.
"Rajaji bahot nakhush hai humse Sanyukta. Unhe ye bilkul pasand nehi ke koi aurat kisi bhi kam pe mard ko piche chode. Wo bahot orthodox tarike se sochte hai." Randhir spoke.
"That's ridiculous.. Aaj ke din kaun gender discrimination karta hai." Sanyukta was surprised.
"I know..lekin unhe kaun samjhaye?" Randhir sighed.
"Tum kaho to main unhe samjhau?" Sanyukta asked biting her lips.
"Nehi kar paoge aap. Wo bahot ziddi hai...aur aapko bilkul pasand nehi karte."
"Whoa..that's awesome. Ab to Rajaji ko lesson sikhana hi padega. Aur main yahan to kisiko impress karne ayi hi nehi hu..I don't care if he doesn't like me at all. But he need to get a reality check badly." Sanyukta said with all determination.
"Aur wo aap kyu karogi?" Randhir looked at her face gleaming in moonlight.
"Soch lo ye duniya ki sari ladkiyon ke liye mahan Sanyukta ki taraf se ek tribute hai..." Sanyukta giggled answering but Randhir couldn't take away his gaze from her.
"Aap bahot alag ho..aapko pata hai?" Randhir whispered.
"Says who? Jo mahal mein rehta hai..swayambar karta hai...aur mujhe alag bol rahe hai. You got to be kidding man." Sanyukta rolled her eyes.
"Chalo..I gotta go.." Sanyukta said getting up but Randhir held her hand and with one jerk she landed on his lap totally perplexed with the sudden proximity between them...
Randhir placed his palm on her side of cheek and Sanyukta couldn't help but close her eyes in surrender to the feeling of his touch..
"Aap bahot alag ho...sabse alag. Aur agar aap aise hi hamare pass aati rahi na, mujhe aapko choose karna hi padega." Randhir spoke the utter truth to her...
Sanyukta slowly opened her watery eyes to meet his own and Sanyukta pulled her face up to him and shuddering Randhir's all thoughts and existence Sanyukta pressed her lips on his stubble cheek and murmured on his ears...
"You wouldn't do that Randhir...we are poles apart and we can't cross the difference of us."
Randhir was yet to overcome the feeling of soft lips lingering on his skin and Sanyukta again pushed him into the web of mysteries..she got up and walked out from his room but this time Randhir was too determined to unveil the difference between them that Sanyukta always talks about.
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"Rajkumari aap itni subah subah yahan kya kar rahi hai?" Asked a rough annoyed voice...
Sanyukta pull out her earphones and smiled brightly at the elderly king who was walking in the garden that morning..
"Good morning Rajaji.. Main bhi wohi kar rahi hu jo aap kar rahe ho..jogging." She replied in her usual way.
"Lekin humne to suna aap 8 baje se pehle uthti hi nehi.."
"Wo hum itne khush hai na ke sari raat neend hi nehi aayi." Sanyukta joked.
"Hamare bete ko daur mein harake aap sabit kya karna chahti hai?" That man asked harshly.
"M not trying to prove anything. It's just a game of skill. Mujhe Kunwar ji se acha aata tha to main jeet gayi. Is mein kuch sabit karne wali kya baat hai!" Sanyukta crossed her arms over chest.
"Ladkiyon ko ladkiyon wale kam hi ache lagte hai Rajkumari."
"Waisa aap sochte hai Rajaji, kyuki aap bhi jante hai ladkiyan koi bhi kam kar sakti hai." Sanyukta said holding her face up with pride.
"Aap kya sochti hai ke hame bhi hara sakti hai?"
"Why not. Chaliye aap aur hum daur lagate hai aur agar aap jeete to mein kal se bilkul aap jaisa chahte hai waise wali Rajkumari banke rahungi.." Sanyukta proposed.
"Aur agar aap jeeti to?" Rajaji asked.
"Wo game ke baad mein aapse maang lungi... Okay. See you at the field Rajaji." Sanyukta bow down to the king joining her palms and resumed her jogging leaving a furious man behind.
Randhir choked on his coffee as Rajaji announced about the race between him and Sanyukta at the breakfast table. Randhir shook his head in disbelief and looked at Sanyukta who was still smiling at Rajaji and he could feel other girl's envious looks on her. She was only one who was wearing the lightest and simplest of attire but her personality and that smile of hers was enough to make her look way better than anyone in the room. Rajaji asked everyone to come over n check out the race, Randhir knew how his father was overconfident about the game but this time Randhir was confident about his father's lose because he knew how good was Sanyukta with horses.
They reached the race course and Sanyukta was there playing with the horse. As the Rajaji entered on the course Sanyukta politely greeted him before climbing on the saddle. Sanyukta's eyes roamed around the people gathered there and the moment she saw Randhir, she smiled at him and Randhir's heart swelled with some unknown feeling knowing that smile was exclusively for him..
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