Opposite poles.. part 2

“Isse rokiye! Stop her!” screamed Amma.  Khushi was pacing furiously muttering and swearing…!

“Khushi.. Stop!” her Amma stopped her.

“How can they do this Amma?” She yelled.  Payal, her cousin was sitting there helplessly in her wedding dress.

“Stop her!” her Amma pleaded Babuji.  Babuji intervened…

“Khushi bitiya… Suno…!” he tried to convince her but Khushi had gone beyond listening to anyone.

“But babuji, demanding dowry is a crime!” she screamed.  “I am going to go and ask them!” she took a step out of the room.

“No! Khushi! For God’s sake stop!” her amma yelled.

“It’s a custom, Khushi! We can’t go against it!” her babuji urged.

“No way…! “ Khushi did not listen.

“Khushi, tumhe meri kasam! Khabardar, jo ghar ke baahar ek kadam bhi rakha to….!” her amma stopped her.  Khushi looked back.  She was smoldering.

“Khushi.. no! let me handle it!” her babuji brought her back into the room.  She looked at Payal who had never stopped crying. 

“I have to do something… I just can’t sit here like this…!” Khushi thought resolutely.  She sneaked out of the house in her festive dress….

“This is not done.. I have to talk to the groom..!” she was muttering while riding her scooter.  She took a right turn and looked at the address note stopping round the corner.   Looking around, her gaze fixed on the towering building of Sheesh Mahel.

“This is the one! They want to stay in posh five star hotel and on top of it demand additional dowry…! This is not done! “ She parked her vehicle….and barged into the building...!

“Abhishek Malhotra…!” she demanded coming to the receptionist.   A gust of wind blue her hair back.  She felt weak and vision went hazy..! someone had entered the hotel…!  She turned in slow motion.  Nothing! There was no one.  She touched her cheek puzzled.

“What was that?” she looked around and she saw him… She saw Abhishek… her Jiji’s would be husband sneaking out of the hotel alone.

“Jijaji….!” She called out from behind and followed him.  He had vanished in the dark. 

“Where did he go?” she came out looking around.  She saw the grandeur of the illuminated building…! Cheers and applauds could be heard.  She walked passed the corridors of the left wing….!

“Sheesh Mahel!” she blurted and kept walking.  There he was… opening the door … and sneaking in like a thief.

“Jijaji…!” she hissed under her breath.  “Where is he going now? My jiji is waiting… Baarat is waiting for him… his parents are demanding another ten lacs from my babuji… and this person is roaming around …. Like..like an idiot…!” she barged behind him muttering loudly.

“Jijaji…!” she opened one door…! It was dark inside…A guard came running… she closed the door again. And ran towards another door… she opened it…

“Abhishek jijaji must be here in..!” she said and entered the room… Someone pulled her inside and closed the door behind.  She was shocked when someone threw a torch light on her face.  She was blinded.

“Hey… who are you?” A girl in short red dress asked her…

“Umm… Jijaji… I mean he is in there!” she tried to walk past the girl but was pulled back.

“Shut up and get out!” she was ordered.

“No way…!” she resisted.   She barged forward in that darkness… and suddenly spot light illuminated her figure.   She shuddered and ran back breathing heavily.  She turned to look and saw a stage… now illuminated with flood lights and a ramp upto the middle of the hall.   She was backstage.  Someone tried to pull her. 

She peeped from the wing….! She could see him… he was moving towards the crowd near the ramp.  She was surprised to look at him. 

The models started walking the runway and her anger mounted the peak.   Her would be jijaji.. Abhishek, for whom her jiji was waiting hopefully… was looking at those models in shortest clothes, with lustful eyes with his jaw falling down and his eyes popping out!!

“Arggg! How could he do this? His parents are hell bent on calling off the marriage and he is enjoying the fashion show here.  She was mad, furious and her temper went out of control.   Forgetting everything she barged on the ramp and started striding towards Abhishek.  The sequence was broken… there was awkward murmur in the crowd… restlessness grew… and she stumbled… on the ramp taking a free fall.

Someone held her in strong arms… she closed her eyes tightly …. She was not on the floor but was lifted in mid air.  She opened her eyes to meet another pair of brown eyes….!  A gust of wind blew the strands of her hair from her forehead. 

Two brown eyes were glaring at her angrily.  A stiff muscular arms gripping her tightly, she could feel the temper….!  She tried to break free…!

He almost threw her down.  She somehow gained her balance and stood trembling.  She looked around and saw her jijaji again sneaking out of the hall…!

Jijaji… she cried out trying to run behind him…. But her jijaji was already out of ear shot.

“Lock her up!” someone ordered.   The security’s strong hands fell upon her.  She jerked and looked around.

“Lock me up? Will you?” she pushed the security with all her might and barged out of the hall.

Someone held her from behind.  “Oh yes, I will!” came a deadly voice and she froze.  She turned around to see the same man holding her wrist in a bone crushing grip.  She tried to break free!

“Chodiye…! Leave me!” she said wincing in pain.

“Not until you answer my questions…!” came a stern voice.  He dragged her along, her dupatta falling under his feet he crushed it under his heels and took her aside.

“Who sent you?” he asked.  She looked at him in fright.   He was almost six feet tall with very stern looking face and brown suit.   His eyes reflected loathing…hatred..!

“Answer me!” he yelled gripping her shoulder and shaking her vigorously. 

“Babuji….!” She said stuttering.

“What?” he loosened his grip a bit.

“Jijaji… I came to meet jijaji…!” she said in a weak tone.

“What?” he had lost his grip…  She broke free and bending down tried to pick up her dupatta.

He gripped her again and dragged her to a room.

“Who  is babuji? Why did he send you to spoil my show?” he asked her angrily.

“Your show? No! I came here in search of my jijaji.   Its my jiji’s wedding tonight…! His parents are asking for more dowry…! And I saw my jijaji here gaping at the models… ” she went on when she got a chance.  He could not assimilate anything, kept gaping at her.

“And you are talking about your show? Do you even know what my Jiji’s condition is?” she came on to him angrily.  He took a step back for a fraction of second and then erupted like a volcano.

“What the hell? You came here for your dowry money? Who gave you the money to spoil my show?” he gripped her shoulders again.  Tears trickled down her cheek in pain. 

“Shhh you are hurting me!” she said clearly in pain.

“So did you! I will not leave you until you tell me who sent you!” his grip was tightened.

She had a fierce look on her face…

“Sent me? Who sent me? Don’t you understand? I came in search of my jijaji!” she said raising her tone.

“Mind your tone…!” he threatened her.  She could see a monster in his eyes.  She shuddered.  Shade of fear appeared in her light green eyes.  He was staring at her unblemished beautiful face. 

“Leave me…! I need to reach home!” she struggled in vain. 

“Tell me! Or stay here….!” He said menacingly .. Pain and hurt appeared in her eyes…

“Why don’t you understand?” she pleaded with tearful eyes.

“So… you have decided to stay here for the night…!” he said smirking at her helplessness.   He freed her from his grip and took a step back.   She looked at him horror struck when he unbuttoned his coat and removed it.  Throwing it on the nearby chair he came near her.

“Tell me… or be ready for the consequences!” he looked at her from head to toe.  She shrunk… tried to hide herself from his gaze. 

He stared at her face… she looked defeated… he was winning… he had trapped her… “Now she will tell me.. who had sent her..!” he thought.

“So?” he asked in a deadly voice.  If voice could kill anyone, his did!  She was almost dead… cornered completely…. !

And then she retaliated like a wild cornered cat… came on to him pushing him will all her might.  He lost his balance and held the table to regain it! 

“I am going home!” she declared… looking around for the dupatta which was missing… ! Fear  and embarrassment appeared on her face…. She looked at him thoroughly hurt and the next moment… she had picked up his coat and was wearing it.  A shade of admiration appeared in  his eyes…! He had never seen a girl like her before, being in fashion world…!

She opened the door and was blinded with flashes of cameras… Reporters with cameras had gathered outside the room trying for some sensational scoop…! 

She dashed towards the main door and vanished in the darkness of the night….!

Another pair of poppy, dark lustful eyes were watching her hungrily.....!