Aarohi was startled by her father’s question and turned back to look at her father in astonishment. Mr. Kashyap looks back sternly at his daughter and asks, “I asked were you crying Rooh?” Aarohi shakes her head in disagreement and tries to brush off her father’s question saying, “No Pa, why would I?” Mr. Kashyap, “I don’t know why would you be crying but I can see that your eyes are swollen. Come on I have been both your father and mother since the day you were born, won’t I recognize if there had been tears in my daughter’s eyes or not?” Aarohi, “There’s nothing like that Pa, my eyes are swollen all because my sleep got disturbed because of that loud bang sound” Mr. Kashyap, “Is that the only reason? Are you not hiding anything else from me?” Aarohi comes forward and hugs her father by keeping her head on his chest and soon she remembers all that happened the previous day, the way Deep had misbehaved with her. A tear rolls down her cheek as all that happened flashes through her mind. However, she tries to maintain her posture trying not to let her father know anything and says, “No Pa, there is really nothing I’m hiding from you, it’s just sleep disturbance which has made my eyes swell”. Mr. Kashyap, although not convinced completely, trusts his daughter and pats on her back saying, “Ok if you are saying there’s nothing, I believe you” Then he pulls Aarohi forward making her face him, while Aarohi controls her tears, Mr. Kashyap continues “But promise me if something bitter happens in your life, you will first come and reveal it to your Pa, alright?” Aarohi nods and tries to excuse herself by yawning. Mr. Kashyap smilingly says, “Ok I can see that you are feeling sleepy, go and sleep now!” Aarohi nods again and slowly retires to her room. Once on her bed, Aarohi catches her pillow hard and vents out her pain on it saying, “Why Deep? Why so much of hatred and bitterness in your heart for those are deformed? I wish that you will someday come to realize that the real beauty lies within the heart of an individual and not outside and I’m sure there will be someone who will make you realize it!”
Deep’s studio
Deep is busy painting Tara’s face and trying to make it glow even more beautifully, while doing that, he asks, “So can I ask Ms. Raichand…” Tara smilingly cuts in, “You can call me Tara, just Tara!” Deep, “Ok then Tara what made you to visit me this late night?” Tara smiles again and says, “Well as I already said, I have heard a lot about your exploits and wanted to witness them myself.” Deep, “But why this night time? You could have easily visited me during the day and I would have shown you all that you wanted to see!” Tara catches Deep’s hand while he was still painting her face and says, “I chose the night time because I wanted to have a night date with you and there’s no special time other than the night time to hold a date with a special person” For a moment, Deep gets lost in those words and in Tara’s eyes that he keeps looking into her eyes without blinking. Tara again realizing Deep’s thoughts, clears her throat to make Deep realize what he had been actually doing. Deep, “So you call this a date, huh?” Tara, “A date happens only in the right mind of both the boy and the girl, so I would call this an official date only after you too agree to call it one!” Deep, “Ummm….let me think about it once I finish my hands on you” Soon Deep finishes his work on Tara and was mesmerized by seeing the beauty which glowed even more under the make-up that he had done on her. Tara snaps and says, “Why do I have to snap everytime? I guess now you don’t have to think anymore about calling this our official first date” Deep turns around to gaze at the clock and was surprised to realize that it had already become 3:00 A.M. Tara says, “I know that it has become quite late and you have been working hard on me for hours. So how much is your fee?” Deep, “Well, I charge around 10,000 per hour.” Tara eyes widen in shock on hearing that. Deep continues, “But since this was for our first date, I have charged you freely for my work” Tara, “So you agree with calling this as our first official date?” Deep blushingly nods. Deep, “So since no coffee house, public parks or cine halls will be open this early morning, what do you want to do you want to do as part of our date? Soon there is the sound of the rain heard from outside. Tara, “Well there are better things to do than coffee shops, parks and cinema halls, Mr. Deep Singhania.” After saying that, Tara runs out into the rain and dances in the rain along with the tune of the dropping drizzling water. Deep is stunned to see that and gazes at Tara from his doorstep. He was struck with awe to watch the sight of Tara dancing in the rain. As Deep keeps watching Tara the ishq mein marjawan mouth organ music plays in the background. Tara keeps dancing in the rain, while Deep slowly takes slow steps towards her and finally when he reaches near her, one of her foot get twisted and she is about to fall but Deep holds her just in time. In a moment, Tara is in Deep’s arms and they keep gazing at each other through the droplets of water of the rain. They shared an intense eyelock (Iss Ishq mein marjawan plays in the background). Aarohi had been up early in the morning to collect newspapers. She had covered herself with a raincoat and the newspapers with a thick polythene bag to protect it from rain. Once, having collected the newspapers, she went to collect milk from her father’s stable. As she passed through the rain on her cycle, she sees Tara in Deep’s arm and the two lost in each other’s eyes. She becomes heartbroken on seeing the two together (Iss Ishq mein marjawan song continues to play in the background).
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To be continued.