‘It was that stupid aunt of my jeeja ji Kabir, Sakshi Goenka. She lured my father by her beauty and separated him from Maa, because of which papa was somehow attracted to her and after some days, he even decided to divorce our mother, all he took with him was me and my little brother Sahil. He separated me from my mother, what could I do? I was a small child at that time, he even separated me from my sisters. You know what was worst? Sakshi had her own son as well, Dhruv Goenka for who I fell slowly.’
Shanaya sighed after saying all this. ‘Now that we were living together, we were known to be half siblings, when I got to know about him, I was a grown up, one day, Sakshi got to know about our love for each other. She blackmailed me not to even think about getting married to Dhruv else she will torture Sahil. I can bear everything but torture that too on my brother, I couldn’t bear it. Then I had to distance myself from him telling him we are half siblings and our marriage can never take place. I still love him. So after this, Dhruv wasn’t ready for break up, he said he wants me.’
‘Then what happened?’ Tia asked. ‘Dhruv and I got in a live-in relationship hiding from her, but she got to know. Then she was quiet but I didn’t knew its a sign of storm. She started making my brother starve, I took that punishment on me as I could do it but can’t see him hungry and thirsty all day. It hurted my tummy. Then one day, she gave that punishment to my brother again and so then, we were about to run away only and thankfully Dhruv told us the best hideout place, Sahil is also with me now.’
‘Are you OK?’ Tia asked. ‘Ya m fine, but its not fine that I and my brother stayed away from Ma all our childhood, I wanted to stay with Mallika and Anika, papa is bad, I hate papa,’ Shanaya said and started crying vigorously. Tia gave her water and she took whole in her mouth and kept the glass back. ‘Tia, can you promise me one thing?’ Shanaya asked and Tia nodded in agreement. ‘No matter what happens, don’t give pain to Anika at all.’
‘Don’t worry, I won’t,’ Tia promised and Shanaya left from there after bidding her bye. It was night by now so Anika and Shivaay too went from the sea side. On the way back, she had her head on his shoulder and he smiled and kissed her hair. Shivaay drove the car on the lonely road till it suddenly started raining and he sped up towards the hospital. ‘Slow down,’ Anika said. ‘No Anika, if I slow down and rain increases then we will have to be in the car all night,’ Shivaay said. ‘So what Shivaay? I want to play in rain.’
‘Its night and its cold as well, do you want to get cold?’ He asked possessively. ‘No no I don’t want to get cold else mumma will scold me,’ she said innocently and he laughed. ‘I m joking, you can play in rain,’ he said and she lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. ‘Really?’ she asked and he nodded in approval. She immediately got out of the car along with Shivaay and started jumping happily in the rain drenching herself and twirled in the rain, he admired her as she did that smilingly.
Anika saw that he was busy in admiring her and went near him cupping his cheeks. ‘Shivaay,’ she said cutely. ‘Hmm,’ he replied. ‘Why don’t you like to play in rain?’ she asked and he nodded in disagreement and splashed water on her face. Her jaw dropped open and then she pushed him. ‘How dare you? I will not leave you,’ she said and did the same coming close to him and he held her waist and pulled her close, their faces were inches apart. ‘What did you say?’ he asked. ‘I won’t leave you,’ she replied innocently and he smiled.
‘I also won’t leave you ever,’ he said and giggled knowingly that he had irritated her by this sentence. She started punching his chest and he kept on laughing making her irritate more. He twisted her hand behind her back in such a way that it didn’t pain, her back clashed into his rock hard chest. He brought her wrist in front of her near her stomach and left her wrist hugging her from her waist and she was too annoyed to notice what was coming next. He picked her in the same position and she startled as he twirled her really fast.
He put her down and she breathed heavily. ‘Shivaay, what is it? Please don’t do again,’ she said between her breathe. ‘Leave all this, enjoy the rain,’ he said and she smiled remembering the rain and spread her arms feeling it. Shivaay lifted her up so that she could enjoy more. After sometime, she sneezed and he made her stand on the floor. ‘Now I want to go Shiv, I m tired,’ she said and even he was tired so he lifted her by her armpits and she looked at him in amazement. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Helping you, you said you’re tired,’ he replied and looked down at her feet and watched her slippers fall down on the floor and made her stand placing her feet over his feet. She smiled and looked in his eyes placing her arms around his shoulders, he walked forward towards the car holding her by her waist while she rested her head on his shoulder. ‘Step in the car,’ he said and she stepped inside sitting on the backseat. He brought her slippers for her and he too came inside sitting beside her and locked the car and opened the windows a little.
‘We’ll go in the morning, till then sleep,’ he said and she nodded in agreement and he stretched his arms forward and she rested her head on his shoulder and slept. He kissed her head and slept. Mallika was looking at the rain from the window, Karan came and saw this. She got many flashbacks of her past about rain. She thought Karan is a new friend and troubling him at this time would be wrong. She felt sad and was going but saw Karan standing behind her. ‘Sad?’ he asked. ‘Want to play in rain?’
She nodded looking down. ‘Alone?’ he asked and she nodded in no, then yes, then again no. ‘Think and tell,’ he said. ‘I want to play with you in the rain,’ she said looking down and he smiled. ‘So come,’ he said asking her to hold his bicep, she was shocked at first but when he was about to draw back his bicep, she held it blushingly and they walked outside together. Soon they were in the rain, she left his bicep and jumped in the rain running her fingers in her hair. He went to a side where rain didn’t touch him and watched her.
She realized after sometime that he was standing far away. She frowned and went near him. ‘Karan, why are you standing here? Please let’s enjoy in rain,’ she said with a pleading face. ‘No Mallika, I don’t like rain,’ he replied. ‘How can’t you love rain? When I was little, I used to play a lot in rain with Shanaya and Anika, and then we used to have a water fight like this,’ she said and splashed water on him and laughed. She held his hand and walked backwards bringing him in the rain.
‘Have you heard the song let it rain over me?’ she asked. ‘No, which song is this?’ he asked. ‘Girl my body don’t lie, I’m outta my mind, Let it rain over me, I’m rising so high, Out of my mind, so let it rain over me, Ay ay ay, ay ay ay let it rain over me, Ay ay ay, ay ay ay let it rain over me,’ she said singing dramatically and they shared a laugh. ‘You sing really nice, by the wat I also sing,’ he said. ‘You do? Then why don’t you sing for me? You sing I will dance, OK?’
He agreed and asked her to wait and went inside. He brought his guitar and started singing.
Chehre mein tere
Khud ko main dhoondhun
Aankhon ke darmiyaan
Tu ab hai iss tarah
Khwabon ko bhi jagah na mile
Yeh mausam ki baarish
Yeh baarish ka paani
Yeh paani ki boondein
Tujhe hi toh dhoondhe
Yeh milne ki khwahish
Yeh khwahish puraani
Ho poori tujhi se
Meri yeh kahaani
Kabhi tujhme utrun
Toh saanson se guzrun
Toh aaye dil ko raahat
Main hoon bethikana
Panaah mujhko paana
Hai tujhme, de ijazat
Na koi darmiyaan
Hum dono hai yahan
Phir kyun hai tu bata
Faasley…
Yeh mausam ki baarish
Yeh baarish ka paani
Yeh paani ki boondein
Tujhe hi toh dhoondhe
Yeh milne ki khwahish
Yeh khwahish puraani
Ho poori tujhi se
Meri yeh kahaani
Na na… la la..
Hawaaon se tera pata poochta hoon
Ab toh aaja tu kahin se
Parindon ki tarah yeh dil hai safar mein
Tu mila de zindagi se
Bas itni ilteja
Tu aake ik dafa
Jo dil ne na kahaa
Jaan le…
Yeh mausam ki baarish
Yeh baarish ka paani
Yeh paani ki boondein
Tujhe hi toh dhoondhe
Yeh milne ki khwahish
Yeh khwahish purani
Ho poori tujhi se
Meri yeh kahaani