Episode 34
Pragya was sitting in their room reading a book, when Abhi walked in.
“Fuggi.” he said, slumping on the couch next to her. “It’s two in the morning. What are you still doing up?” “Couldn’t sleep.” she said.
These days, she found it difficult to sleep when he wasn’t in the room with her. “How was the party?” she asked.
“You don’t wanna know.” he said.
“Why? What happened?” Pragya asked him.
“A whole lot of drama.” Abhi said.
And then told Pragya the story…
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Abhi and Purab are at a boat party, which was thrown by one of their sponsors.
Leaving the others, Purab came outside to take a little break from the noisy party inside. He leaned on the rail of the boat, and looked out at the ocean, inhaling some fresh air.
The huge boat had stopped a couple miles away on the journey back, so the guests could enjoy a little longer before they reached the port. After a while, he turned to go back inside when something pointy hit him on his head.
“What th-? Ouch!” he exclaimed.
Abhi came outside at that moment to look for him.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, looking at Purab.
“Something hit me” Purab replied, rubbing the back of his head.
They both looked down to see what it was, when something else came flying through the air, this time hitting Abhi on his shoulder. “Ouch! What the hell was that?” Abhi exclaimed, passing his hand over the sore spot. Purab bent and picked something up from the ground.
“High heels?” he asked, confused.
“Maybe some drunk girl threw her shoes.” Abhi said.
Then they both realized it came from the direction of the water.
They turned toward the ocean and saw a hand climbing up on the rail.
A feminine hand…
“What th-?” Abhi said, as the hand climbed even higher.
And then they saw her….
“Phew! Thank Goodness I made it!” The girl said, after jumping into the boat. She was wearing a short, red-strapped dress and dripping from head to toe.
She turned and saw both of them looking at her, immediately recognizing their faces. OMG! She screamed in her mind.
That’s Abhi the Rockstar!
Eeeeekkkkk!
And the cutie next to him must be his manager, Purab.
She had seen him on television once with Abhi.
Play it cool, girl! She said to herself.
You don’t want them to think you’re one of those psycho fans. “What are you both looking at?” she asked. “Never seen a girl before?”
Both of them still kept staring.
Wow! Purab thought, admiring her beauty. Did that girl just come out from the ocean? Abhi wondered. At this time of night? “Are you both hearing me?” she asked, snapping her fingers in front of them. Abhi was the first to recover.
“Who are you?” he asked.
She stretched her hand toward him and replied, “I’m Bulbul”
“Abhi” he replied, shaking her hand. “I know who you are. You’re Abhi The Rockstar.” Bulbul said.
Abhi smiled.
“This is my friend, Purab.” he said.
She then turned toward Purab.
“Your best friend and manager.” she said.
Purab took her outstretched hand in his.
As soon as he touched her hand, he felt as if he had been zapped by a current wire. “How did you know that? You’re not a stalker, are you?” Abhi asked jokingly.
Bulbul laughed.
“No” she said. “I saw you both together on television once.” “Oh” they said, now remembering their appearance together. “I’m just a huge fan…no stalking involved.” she said.
Purab saw her shiver slightly and he immediately took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders, causing Abhi to remember when he’d draped his jacket on Fuggi.
He was starting to miss her.
He wondered what she was doing…
She was probably asleep by now, he thought. “Thanks.” Bulbul said to Purab.
“No problem” he replied.
“So what are you doing here?” Purab asked.
“You didn’t run away, did you?” Abhi added jokingly. “Actually….” She said looking awkwardly at both of them. “I kinda…did” “What?!” Abhi and Purab exclaimed at the same time.
“My parents were forcing me to marry that good-for-nothing, Suresh, as part of a business deal.” she explained. “I was totally shocked when they announced our engagement at the company’s party without even asking me first. I couldn’t take it so I left from there.”
What is it with these girls and running away? Abhi thought as he remembered Tanu. Thank Goodness his Fuggi was not like that.
“So where is this party?” Purab asked.
“Over there.” she said, pointing to another boat a a little distance away.
“You swam from there?” Purab asked.
Bulbul nodded.
“Are you crazy?” he asked. “You could have drowned!” “It was a risk I was willing to take just to get away from that moron.” she said. “So what’s your plan now?” Abhi asked.
“I haven’t really thought that far ahead.” she said. “The only thing on my mind was just getting the hell away from there.” “Your parents must be worried about you.” Purab said.
“I highly doubt that” she replied.
“What if they come looking for you” Abhi asked, “What will you do then?”
“I’ll figure something out” she said. “But I’m not going back there…ever.”
They heard footsteps coming their way and both Abhi and Purab moved in front of Bulbul to prevent her from being seen.
The host of the party came outside at that moment.
“Hey guys! What are you both doing out here?” he said.
He looked somewhat intoxicated.
“Just getting some fresh air” Abhi replied.
“Oh” he said. “Well you’re missing out on a really great party in there!”
“We’ll be there in a minute.” Purab replied.
“Ok boys! I’ll be waiting!” he said and went back inside to the party.
They then turned back to Bulbul.
“We need to get you out of here before someone sees you.” Abhi said.
“Why? Are they gonna throw me off the boat?” she asked.
“This is a private party and you could get arrested for trespassing.” Purab said.
“Oh” was all she said. “I got an idea” Abhi said. “Purab, I’ll distract the others inside, while you find a secure place to hide her till we get to the port.” “Okay” Purab said.
Abhi went inside, and ran onto the boat’s stage.
He grabbed the microphone and started speaking to the crowd to distract them.
He then sang everyone’s favorite “Happy Love”, while the crowd cheered.
Purab escorted Bulbul to one of the cabins downstairs. “You should be safe here.” Purab said, as they entered the last room.
“Thank you” she said.
Purab nodded.
“I’ll be back in a while” he said. “Don’t leave this room, ok.”
Bulbul nodded and then he left.
Left to her own devices, Bulbul studied the room around her. She looked in the corner and saw a rack filled with clothes.
This must be where they keep extra clothes for the guests…or was it for the entertainers on board? She shrugged her shoulders, not really caring and then chose an outfit.
She took off her wet red dress and went to pick up the other outfit, when suddenly the door opened and Purab walked in! Purab’s eyes almost popped out of his head as he saw her totally half-naked!
“What are you doing?!” he shouted, immediately turning the other way. “Close the damn door!” she yelled. “And what the hell does it look like I’m doing?!”
She quickly grabbed the yellow sleeveless dress and started putting it on.
“Don’t you know how to knock?!” she asked, totally teed off. “My psychic powers haven’t kicked in yet.” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.”How was I supposed to know you were changing in here?! And why didn’t you lock the door?!” “I forgot!” she said defensively. “But believe me, I won’t be making that mistake ever again!”
“Good” Purab replied.
“You can turn around now.” she said stiffly.
Purab turned around.
“Thought you would be gone for a while.” she said. “Why did you return so soon.” Came back to find out if you needed anything..” he said. “Food…something to drink…anything.”
“No, thank you” she said. “I’m fine.”
“Ok then’ he said and then left the room once again.
I’m bored! Bulbul thought to herself as sat on the bed.
She had been there only five minutes and was bored out of her mind already.
She couldn’t take this anymore.
She had to get out of this room.
What if someone saw her? she wondered.
Almost everyone here was probably drunk.
She highly doubted that they would even notice she was a ‘party crasher’.
With that she got up and left the room.
Bulbul wandered through the party crowd.
There’s so much people here, she thought.
She wondered where Abhi and Purab were.
Looking around, she couldn’t believe who she saw standing on the other side of the room. Suresh! What the hell is he doing here?
I have to get out of here before he sees me, she thought.
Then she saw him coming her way. She tried to move from there but too late… Suresh had already spotted her.
He moved quickly toward her, caught her arm and turned her to face him.
He opened his mouth to speak, but another voice came in between. “There you are!” Purab said. “I have been looking all over for you! Why did you leave the room?” Bulbul breathed a sigh of relief.
“Actually, I —” she started off. “Who’s this” Suresh interrupted, tilting his head in Purab’s direction.
Bulbul looked at Purab, not really knowing what to say.
And then, in a split second, it came to her. “This…this is my fiance, Purab.” she said, coming to stand at Purab’s side linking her arm through his. “What!” Both Suresh and Purab exclaimed at the same time.
“You’re lying!” Suresh said.
Bulbul looked up at Purab, pleading through her eyes, begging him to help her out here.
“Am I lying, darling?” she asked.
“N-No” Purab replied. “You’re not lying.”
“Why did you sound so surprised when she said you were her fiance, then?”Suresh asked Purab.
“Well, that’s because we agreed we weren’t going to tell anyone just yet, were we, sweetie?” Purab said, looking at Bulbul. “So I was a bit surprised that she told you.”
“Surprised she told you what?” Abhi said from behind them.
He had seen Suresh grab her arm and thought she might be in some kind of trouble. But Purab managed to get here before him.
“Well?” he asked again.
“They’re engaged.” Suresh said.
“They’re what?!” Abhi exclaimed, turning to look at Purab and Bulbul. “I didn’t even know they —” Abhi was about to say that he didn’t even know that they knew each other before tonight, but his voice trailed off as he saw the look on Purab’s face.
“You didn’t even know what?” Suresh prompted. “I didn’t even know they were thinking off getting married so soon.” Abhi said quickly. “But I guess when you’re in love, time is irrelevant, right?” “Right!” Purab and Bulbul responded simultaneously. Suresh looked from Bulbul to Purab and then back to Bulbul again not sure whether to believe them. “Somehow, I have a hard time believing this story.” Suresh said. Hearing his words, Abhi turned to Suresh and asked, “Who are you?” “Suresh.” he said, sounding annoyed.
Abhi and Purab understood who he was as soon as he revealed his name.
This was the idiot that she ran away from…well, the idiot she swam away from… Abhi thought, laughing in his mind. “I think that this whole ‘fiance thing’ is a sham to get out of marrying me.” he said to Bulbul. “So here’s the deal. When we get to the port, I’m taking you back with me.”
Bulbul exclaimed. “You can’t do that!”
“Yes I can” he said. “I’m the guy your parents chose for you and I’m not giving you up.”
Bulbul looked helplessly at Purab.
“What kind of man would force a poor defenseless girl into marrying him?” Abhi asked, looking angrily at Suresh. “There’s is no way we’re letting her go with you!” Purab added, clenching his fist to stop himself from punching the jerk. “You can’t stop me!” Suresh said, making a grab for Bulbul, when Abhi held him by the back of his neck, stopping him. “Like Purab said earlier, we’re not letting her go anywhere with you!” Abhi said threateningly close to his ear. Abhi shoved him a little and then said, “Come on guys, let’s move away from this idiot.”
As they turned to go, they were bombarded once again by their host, who seemed to have gotten a little more intoxicated. “Hi guys!” he said again.
He looked from Abhi to Bulbul to Purab and smiled.
Then he stopped and looked back at Bulbul, realizing that he hadn’t seen her before. Oh no! Bulbul thought. I’m dead!
“Who is this girl?” he asked. “I haven’t seen her before.”
Knowing he was drunk, Abhi said, “Mr. Ambani, this is Purab’s fiance, Bulbul. You met her earlier, before we came on the boat.” “I did?” he asked.
“Yes, you did. Don’t you, remember?” Purab asked.
“Sorry dear” Mr. Ambani said to Bulbul. “Must have slipped my mind.”
“That’s ok, sir.” she replied.
“You three enjoying yourselves?” he asked.
“Yes” they replied.
“Very good then” he said and turned to go, when Bulbul called him.
“Mr. Ambani?” she said sweetly.
“Yes dear.” he answered.
“Um, I think there’s an party crasher on this boat.”she said.
Mr. Ambani’s eyes opened wide.
“Where?” he asked, looking around.
“There!” she said, pointing toward Suresh.
Abhi and Purab grinned.
Mr. Ambani called his bodyguard, who was just a few feet away, and informed him about the party crasher.
The bodyguard then went over to Suresh and dragged him outside.
“Thank you dear for bringing this to my attention.” Mr. Ambani said to Bulbul. “I’m really strict about these things. It’s mainly for the safety of my guests.”
Bulbul nodded, glad that she wasn’t meeting the same fate as Suresh.
He chatted with them a bit more and then left.
All three spent the rest of the time enjoying the party…. and a little while after they reached the port. They thanked their gracious host for a wonderful party and then headed home.
“So that’s basically everything…” Abhi said, after he had finished telling the story. “Huh” Pragya said, her brain trying to process all the information.
“So where is Bulbul now?” “Purab went to drop her at a friend’s place.” “Okay. That’s good. Atleast she has somewhere to stay.”
“Yeah” Abhi agreed. “So how was your day? How’s Dadi’s health? Everything ok?”
“Yeah Dadi’s fine…but there’s something you need to know.”
“What is it?” Abhi asked. “If you think that drama with Purab was bad, wait till you hear what happened with Akash…”
Precap: Abhi and Pragya trade stories(part 2)
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Hi guys!
Sorry for the major delay. 🙁
I wanted to give Purab and Akash their own love stories, without leaving Abhi and Pragya out completely.
So I thought what better way to do that than have them tell the story!
(Just to clarify, Abhi gave Pragya his version of the story, while I gave the full version to you.)
Hope you all liked Rabul’s story….and what do you think happened with Akash?
Feedback time!
You guys can let me know what you think of this epi while I update the next episode….
Bye!