The Abyss – Ishqbaaz FF by Aashi (chapter-11)

The Abyss-Ishqbaaz FF by Aashi

Chapter-11

Link to previous chapters: Click here for all episodes

Shivaay stared listlessly at the ceiling above. Life seemed very complicated to him at the moment. Office work needed his attention, his brothers too and so did his own life. Sometimes he just wished to end it all- to break things, to run away from all the complications of his life. Shivaay never had been relived from responsibilities, never shouted at anyone at home. He was the ‘heera’ child so he had learnt to make only deals and compromises with life. Love was a heart’s matter but he had locked it long back and so when his first real love knocked at his ‘dil’ he tried to keep it away, telling himself it wasn’t a big deal.

Shivaay felt frustrated of the fact that his mistakes, his ideologies had made him fall in the pit of love and separation. The same frustration he used to feel when he had known his father had admitted him to Business College without his knowledge, when he saw his baby Ru crying while his parents kept arguing, when he looked at the football match vouchers and the exam routine on the same day. Shivaay had been a lonely person always, with a limited amount of friends, but none of them who he could have called his ‘good’ friend. Om had been just two years younger to him but he had always been a sensitive child owing to the fact he had seen love once in his parents’ relation, sensed the care and comfort but had seen their fights as well and lost them as parents. Rudra was too small to understand and so Shivaay never had a confident. He remembered the incident when he had confided into someone and the reason for his ideologies.

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Shivaay was ten when he had befriended a boy named Lakshya who was a middle-class, scholarship student. He was an understanding boy and an ardent listener and Shivaay needed a friend who would listen to his problems and solve them. For quite some time it worked and his friendship grew. He confided him into the details of his scattering family and his bade papa’s affairs.
One evening, when he was returning to hostel from college library, he over-heard Lakshya gossiping to others about his miseries. He faced humiliation from his class-mates, his seniors ragged him and said many hurtful things about his family and he was laughed at by most people or was back-bitten. Shivaay, unable to tolerate all these, came home only to see his badi maa in the web of alcohol and depression as the news of her husband’s affairs came out in open-in newspapers and on television. Shivaay blamed himself for it and since then he became Shivaay Singh Oberoi from Shivaay.

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He realized, despite of all the humiliations, accusions and fights, Anika had touched his heart, had made him forget his pain, had supported him, had protected him and had never cared for his money, blood or lineage. She had turned him into a tamed cat- Billuji from Shivaay Singh Oberoi. Shivaay unlocked his phone and stared at the open picture of his gallery-Anika.

Rudra stared at his cell, laying on the bed, waiting for a reply to his text. He had been texting Soumya the whole evening but hadn’t received a single text back. Dejected, he walked to the kitchen and grabbed a chocolate bar and munched away as he looked disappointedly at his phone. He was well aware Om was at his friend’s house and Shivaay bhaiya was lost in his thoughts. Even though he knew his superman was at home, he wanted to talk to somebody else. His refuge was in Daadi’s room and so he crept in there.
Daadi was sitting in her armchair looking at the family album. A strange sense of disappointment lingered over her; her grandchildren were unhappy. Daadi’s trance was broken when Rudra placed his head on her lap. Though Daadi kept her hand on his head and caressed his hairs, she felt he wanted to say something. Lovingly, she asked “Rudra, kya hua tujhe?” as an answer, Daadi felt her lap getting wet with her youngest grandson’s tears. “Tujhe kya hua?” she asked, concerned.

“Daadi, wo Soumya is back to Mumbai. She is not talking to me. Daadi, she’s upset with me and she isn’t listening to me. Daadi, I miss her.”
Daadi smiled at the crybaby’s antics and ruffled his hair. “Rudra, I shall call Ranjana and will ask permission for Soumya to stay here. Will that be okay? But don’t you start to fight with her” she warned.
“Daadi I promise not to trouble her or fight with her. Please bring her back.” Daadi smiled assuringly at him as she dialed a number from her phone-book.

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Priyanka sat on the untidy bed, with sheets of papers spread out, typing furiously on her laptop. She was supposed to submit her assignment by the next day and though she had made almost completed it, she wasn’t satisfied. So, she kept on researching and gathering data. At last, satisfied with her work when the project was completed, she got up and decided to go for a night stroll. She contemplated about taking one of her brothers, but then decided against it.

Wrapping a thick stroller around herself, taking her cell-phone off the charging wire and grabbing her purse, she crept out in the night itself. The night air blew through her wavy; waist-length hair making her feel refreshed after all her stress of studying. The quietness gave her confidence and she began to hum an old Bollywood song under her breath. Suddenly she gasped and stood still.
“Yipee!!!” She shouted in the stillness of night “I sang a whole paragraph without a stopping in middle. It means I can speak fluently.” She stopped short again when she realized she had been talking without pause. She jumped and twirled in the middle of the road, ecastic by the realization. She headed for her favorite spot under the moonlight to the Old Bridge.

She stared at the water below, as it gurgled through the rocks, lit by the light of moon and stars above. She slowly climbed on the railing and sat down, dangling her legs. She smiled to herself before she began to sing another song which was “Bhula Dena mujhe…” from a hit bollywood movie.

“Miss, I know there are problems in everyone’s life but committing suicide is no solution.”
Priyanka felt confused. Who the hell was committing suicide? She jerked as soon as her brain acknowledged that someone was there. Someone other than her, someone unknown, and somebody who can possess a threat for her- she felt her breath hitch as she turned around and stared right into the face of a young, handsome man. She looked down nervously fidgeting with her hands.

“Miss, please get off the railing. Look I understand you may be sad but there is always a way out of everything. Suicide is not a solution” the man continued in a soothing and calm voice.
Priyanka felt suddenly irritated. “I…I am n-not committing sui-suicide” she replied angrily. “I’m just enjoying the moonlight and s-sing-ing”.

The man looked taken aback at the reply. “Well, you shouldn’t have climbed the railing and had sung that particular song. You know, the hero committed suicide after the song, so, well….” He sounded embarrassed by the ending. “Chocolate” he said forwarding half of his own. “I had no idea that I’d meet someone so I brought only one. You know this is my favorite place; so calm, so serene……the night looks the best from this place. You should come here while it rains here in the evening…….”

“The platter of rain on leaves the croaking of frogs, the sigh of leaves…..” Priyanka continued.
“So you’ve visited the place during the rains?” the other inquired excitedly. “Well…umm….I-I…” “It’s okay if you want to keep it a secret.”

“Come sit with me” Prinku said suddenly and unexpectedly, surprising herself. “Uhh…you sure? I’m usually afraid of sitting on railings”, come the reply. Priyanka smiled and forwarded her hand; his expressions were of a deer caught in headlight. “Okkkk……” he sighed before holding her palm. Slowly, he climbed beside her and then looked at her.
“Will you please not leave my hand? I’m afraid of railings.” Prinku smiled the first time in their meeting. Here she has fear of many things and the other was asking her support when she herself is so weak. Realizing she didn’t know him, and he is still a stranger, she began to say “Hi, I-I’m….” “Hi Miss Railing, I’m Moonlight.” Looking at her expression, he laughed “Look, I don’t want you to know me. I don’t want to spoil this lovely meeting by knowing our names- I like the real us. You stammered when I talked to you first but see you are not doing so now. Likewise, I felt afraid of railings but see I’m sitting on one now. Please say something, I’m feeling afraid now.”

“You speak too much, Moonlight” Prinku replied and a tense moment later, the two doubled up in laughter. They talked the whole night about many irrelevant things and kept laughing. They watched the sun emerge from behind the clouds and looked at one another.

“It’s time to go, Miss Railing. When will we meet again?”
“I don’t know when but we definitely meet. I feel so” She said taking up her stroller, her cell and her purse she began to get down.

“Wait, help me in getting down. I’ll fall” called Moonlight’s terror-stricken voice from behind her. She helped him down and went away, carrying the beautiful memories of the unusual night.

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Hi everyone. This is me, Aashi. I know this chapter is rather short and there is no RiKara moment, but since it’s an Ishqbaaz FF so I’m trying to make space for all the couples. I’d like to know if you all want Ranveer to be Prinku’s love or shall I create someone else. I know the chapter is rather short but please bear with me as my schedule is very tight nowadays. Please comment your feedbacks.
Thank You, Everyone.
By, Aashi.