Kismat Ka Khel Part 22

Part 22

Ram (stood frozen at the sight of her; thinking): Neha ne sahi kaha… Aaj toh mein gaya Kaam se. Baap re Baap how can anyone be so beautiful? You’ve really shot yourself in the leg with this move Ram. Now how will you resist the temptation to touch her when that’s all you can think about in this moment? Ajeeb Musibaat hain yaar…

Priya’s feet remained planted on the ground while her eyes took in a panoramic view of the bedazzling sight surrounding her. She felt something soft exciting the nerve cells beneath her skin similar to the feeling that she would get when Ram’s soft lips would nuzzle her passionately. Looking up to identify the source of this sensation she realized that she was the center of an enticing shower of hand picked blue, red and pink rose petals. Her salty tears were like unwanted guests at a party brimming her eyelids and threatening to neutralize the sweet, pleasurable moment she was experiencing. But this moment was so sweet that even her tears could not help but enjoy it.

Dadi: Priya Puttar?

Her loud, cracked voice yanked Priya out of her incoherent fascination and placed her back into reality. She looked at Dadi with her eyebrows raised resulting in the widening of her dreamy eyes. Ram watched her every gesture from the moment that she had opened the door he was lost in a world filled with his manly desires.

Dadi: kahan kho gayi thi aap?

Priya (stuttering): woh… main…ummm… (finally she managed to put some words together into a somewhat complete sentence) yeh saab kaun?

Soumaya blurted excitedly eliminating Dadi’s chance to respond.

Soumaya: Bhabhi yeh saab Ram Bhappa ne kiya!!

She grabbed Ram’s hand, her touch injecting a functional level of coherence in his behaviour as she practically dragged him to the door where Priya stood. Their eyes met instantly, communicating in a language that Priya’s anger was not allowing her to comprehend. She looked away nervously; the burning desire in his eyes was so strong that even her cold stare could not subdue it. Unconsciously her mind had plans to let it burn because deep down inside she wanted to be engulfed in his desire-fueled flames.

Priya (said calmly, conscious of people around her): Ram what was the need for all this?

Ram (said lovingly) All this was very necessary… Hay na Dadi?

Dadi: aur nahi toh kya? Iss Ghar ke Lakshmi ka accha saa swagat nahi hua. Due to some unforeseen circumstances we were unable to welcome you properly and so now no “ands, ifs or buts” UNDERSTOOD?

Priya quickly complied making Ram smile. He thought, “No matter how hard you try to be, I know very well how soft you really are. And no matter what you say, I know that you love all this. After all my wife loves surprises".

Dadi did the Aarti for Priya and told her to rightfully enter the KM but before she did Neha objected.

Neha: wait Priya! (Priya stopped as Neha walked to Dadi) Dadi don’t you think that Ram should hold Priya's hand and lead her into the KM?

Rahul: haaan! Yeah you are right Mom. That is a great idea so that Ram uncle and Priya aunty can walk together in life, hand in hand and all...

Vikram: abhay tu toh bahut smart nikla gaya inn sub cheezo mein.

Rahul (puts his hand on his dad's shoulder and says in a cool manner): Haan dad... well Ram uncle always says I took on you in these matters.

A look of shock paints over Vikram's smiling face. He leaps forward to grab hold of Rahul's ears but Rahul cunningly takes cover behind his mom. Neha tells Vikram, "just leave it, afterall he has not said anything wrong".

They all look back at Ram and Priya who look at each other. Ram offers his rough, large hand which is met hesitantly with Priya's soft, small hand. Out of joy he squeezes it tight, not that tight to hurt her but tight enough to let her know that he will always be there for her. They walk in the KM and take blessing from Dadi and Krishna without letting go of each other’s hand. Than Ram walks over to the sofa with Priya and without any further delay the party initiates as the lights are turned down. Ram was still clutching on to Priya's hand possessively while Soumaya and Rishab performed a dance item that they had prepared. Ram felt Priya’s attempts to pull her hand out of his grip but he obstinately held on hoping that she would stop. She stopped for a moment misleading Ram to think that God had answered his prayers. But his relief was like their relationship, it shattered before it had a chance to develop properly. This time she jerked harder but remained unsuccessful in her attempt. However, now she had his full attention, she watched as he swallowed, his throat moved up and down, he closed his eyes projecting an expression that encompassed his irritation and dejection. Opening his eyes slowly he sighed and looked at her hand, which was perfectly secured by his loving grip, before he shifted his gaze into her determined, anger-tinged eyes. Without words, he adorned an expression that begged loudly, “Please Priya, don’t do this. Not tonight…” She clearly did not get the message as she looked at her hand and pulled back again. Completely distraught he loosened his grip allowing her to break free since she so desperately wanted too. He looked away; the joy with which he organized this party for Priya had been wiped out of existence and replaced with sadness and helplessness. Rahul watched the whole struggle and the change for the worse in Ram’s expression.

Rahul (thinking): Shoot! Cady was right, Priya aunty is very mad at Ram Uncle. I have to do something yaar, their fight has put a “the end” to my relationship with Cady. Ram uncle, Priya Aunty that’s all she ever talks about… What should I do? If I could patch up things between Ram uncle and Priya aunty than Cady will fall madly in love with me, I am sure of it… (This thought was like red bull for his brain cells that began working over-time to figure out a plan. And than it hit him) Rahul you are a genius, seriously!!

He ran to the kitchen… In the meantime, Karthik and Natasha performed a dance for Ram and Priya. The waiter brought some juice for them… Priya took a glass from the tray but Ram requested some alcohol instead; little did he know that Priya was having the same thing. Priya gulped down the juice in one go, Rahul watched in shock and thought, “Damn this woman can drink.” He went and told the waiter that Priya aunty had requested another drink and asked if he would bring that along with Ram uncle’s drink that he ordered. The waiter had no reason to suspect any foul play; after all Priya ma’am was an adult and it’s not like he was serving alcohol to a minor. By the time that all the dances were finished Ram had had two pegs and Priya had had four glasses of orange juice mixed with vodka. Out of nowhere she placed her hand on Ram’s thigh startling him. He looked at the placement of her hand and than up at her smiling face in utter shock; his eyebrows scrunched together as he wondered, “Ab yeh kaunsi naya khel hain?”

Priya (slurring a bit): R.Ram yeh saab (she points around with her finger and than shuts her eyes, tilting her head to the side slightly). Yeh saab BAHUUUUT ACHA hain bilkuul apke taara. You are soooo nice… (she leaps forward, still seated, and wraps her arms around him giving him a hug. He smelt alcohol on her breath and was baffled as to how she got her hands on it. His thought process interrupted as she continued…) you did all this (she breaks the hug and once again she points her index finger in a circle) all this for me?

Ram looked around and saw that everyone was watching Priya’s sudden strange behaviour. He had to cover for her if anyone found out that she was drunk Priya may not be able to face them again. He wasn’t entirely sure how to approach the situation but he knew that he had to improvise and fast…

Krishna: Priya are you okay?

Sudhir: Priya beta is everything okay? Are you not feeling well?

Ram began panicking, “oh no they are suspecting something is wrong… C’mon Ram, think… the more Priya talks the greater the chances are of everyone finding out”… He looked at Priya who was closing her eyes tight and than opening them wide trying to gain some control of the room that at this point must have been spinning for her. He closed his eyes slapping his palm on his forehead, “yaar she is SO obvious!”  He opened his eyes in the nick of time just when she about to respond to Krishna and Sudhir’s question. She opened her mouth to speak but Ram quickly covered her mouth with his palm. Now everyone is even more curious as to what is going on!

Ram (to Priya) Priya please now you won’t say anything just listen… I want to tell you something in front of everyone. (He removes his hands slowly and to his surprise she is quiet. He thought, “This shouldn’t be too hard since she is not resisting” He took the chance and held both her hands in his… she still remained quiet)

Rahul took his phone out from his pocket and navigated to camera mode thinking, “Cady this is Rahul’s masterpiece.”

Ram: Priya (he sighed nervously) this is really hard for me, not because of uncertainty in the things I am about to say but because I have always been so terrible at expressing how I feel. It would be much easier for me to show you a mirror because you are a reflection of my heart and everything that I want to say is from my heart. (by now Ram is completely oblivious to the setting in which he was in. he only saw Priya and was intent on pouring out his feelings.) In the beginning we thought that our relationship was a compromise for our families sake, but that was never true. Compromises do not result in something as beautiful as what we share and what we share was always meant to be, it just took us some time to accept; time that I wish I could bring back and convert in to more beautiful memories. You gave me unconditional love always; you gave me a beautiful daughter, made me experience the satisfaction of being a father, a role that I had never imagined that I would ever be able to fulfill. Today my mother who I rejected all these years is back in my life thanks to you… Priya I cannot explain how sorry I am for not trusting you and I cannot explain how thankful I am that despite my mistakes you are giving me another chance. I…Love…you so much…

He wipes her tears, she buries her head into his chest, he secures her by holding on to her tightly and both Ram and Priya are completely submerged in this long over-due moment. Everyone began to clap, Ram realized where he was and tried to separate himself from Priya but she was so intoxicated with his words, with his touch, with her comfort that she couldn’t care less about the surrounding. She held him more stringently; he whispered in her ears, “Priya would you like to dance?” He felt her head move up and down against his chest before she let go of him. Standing up and holding on to her firmly so that she did not fall, he signaled the DJ to play a slow song and before anybody had the opportunity to tease them he walked with her to the dance floor. He rested her hand on his shoulder and held on to her other hand. He saw her eyes shut tight, her lips slightly parted and her breathing accelerated to match her heartbeat as he placed his hand on her abdomen, slowly sliding his palms across it to her waist and than pulling her closer to himself, all in one motion. To the rhythm of the beat they swayed setting an example for all the other couples that slowly joined them on the dance floor.

Just when she was acclimatizing to the spinning sensation in her head, her stomach began churning forcing her intestines to clench angrily. The havoc created in her stomach generated a momentum that rapidly escalated up her abdomen creating a crammed feeling in her chest while her salivary glands began overworking. She stopped swaying abruptly; it seemed to her that the swaying acted as a catalyst to her uncomfortable feeling.

Ram (asks worriedly): Priya? What’s wrong?

She looked up at him and swallowed many times trying to force the contents of her stomach back down. Ram felt her squeeze his hand forcefully as she looked down, unable to force the contents back down she began to vomit creating a mess on the dance floor, on her saree and on Ram’s suit and shoes. She coughed a couple times, her eyes red and teary, her body completely exhausted; she trembled and helplessly fainted in Ram’s arms.