Chapter 2
Adni FF
Adni FF, IPK3, Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, Entrapment, Advay Singh Raizada, Chandini Yash Narayan Vashisht.
Advay got out of the car. He removed his sunglasses as he looked ahead at the entrance of the temple. Their temple…His temple. He knew every brick, every crack in the wall, every secret door like the back of his hand. It had belonged to their family, for centuries. Only that now it was presided by the Vashisht’s, that was a blasphemy in itself, and he intended to change that forever.
He soaked in the moment, the air around the temple, the sound of the Ganges gushing in the background, and the slow deep chanting of the Rig Veda coming from within the temple premises. He started to hum the verses that were akin to his breath. They were the memories of his previous life, a perfect life that had been snatched away from him.
He let out a sigh as he made his way into the temple with heavy feet. It had been sixteen years, since he had stepped into the temple. He looked up to the heavens, asking for his parents to give him the courage to deal with the memories of the past. He removed his shoes to feel the mud kiss his feet, it has been sixteen years, he took in a deep breath as he stepped onto the large courtyard. A gust of wind knocked him back, as the memories of his golden childhood flashed in an instant. He was sixteen again, he could hear his father chant the early morning prayers, his mother organising the Havan under her keen eye, his brother running around the courtyard playing catch with him as he whistled their family tune. Tears welled in his eyes.
He was back, but they were lost…. Forever.
Murli walked behind him and took his hand in his, trying to give him the courage to move forward. He nodded his head as he fought back his tears.
He walked towards the main temple at the centre of the courtyard, he hadn’t stepped into a temple since that fateful day. His faith had been shattered. He was a godless man now.
He stopped as he walked past the banyan tree, memories of a young Chandini came back to haunt him. The glossy stone that they had sat upon every day at noon and shared his Prasad. The stairs to the temple that they had run up and down a million times. The courtyard where they had play catch as kids. She was everywhere he looked, like as though she was in the air her breathed.
“Chandini,’ He let out a silent sigh. Tears finally spilled, no amount of blinking was going to stop them from flowing now. He felt his resolve weaken for the first time in life.
“Was he strong enough to face her?’
He shook his head trying to shake his doubts and walked forward towards the main arena, where the preparations for the Maha pooja had begun. The place looked enthralling, with strings of Marigold swaying in the light breeze everywhere he looked. It looked exactly like it had sixteen years ago. Like as though nothing had changed …. only that everything had.
He closed his eyes and took another deep breath as he moved forward towards the temple door that remained shut for now.
He scanned the courtyard, it was a quiet morning and walked ahead without giving much thought to where he was headed and gasped for breath as he felt the wind punched out of his lungs, at the vision that stood before him in yellow. He froze to the spot transfixed … unable to breathe … unable to move.
She stood in the centre of the courtyard in front of the iron door, clad in a yellow lehenga, like a beacon of light, her palm folded as she worshipped the temple door, her long untied hair flowing, dancing around her to the rhythm of the gentle breeze. An ethereal halo framed around her lithe body, in the glow of the morning sun.
He watched her mesmerised, as he took off his sunglasses. He could not afford to miss anything. He wanted to absorb every detail, every twitch of her face, every sway of her hips, every smile on her lips. Everything belonged to him, had always belonged to him. A dark sense of possessiveness took over him. He wanted her… lusted for her… lusted for what was already his.
He crept behind her on silent feet as he assessed every curve, with a sense of pride.
“This was his Chandini’ He smiled to himself, as he coveted her petite, delicate frame.
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Chandini bowed her head and took a step back, only to turn around and crash into him. She lost her balance and clutched on to his shirt as he wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to hold her as close to him as he could, and his gaze bored into hers.
Shuddering, she tried to take a step back only for him to tighten his grip around her and pull her closer.
She trembled as she shot her eyes up to meet his dark gaze. The fear on her face, awoke something dark within him. He enjoyed it, enjoyed watching her dazed. He relished in how her body reacted to his touch, yet how she trembled in his arms. A dark desire drowned his heart. He knew what he wanted. He was going to subjugate her, make her his. Whether she wanted it or not, she was going to have to belong to him.
Chandini squirmed in his arms, struggling to get out of his embrace. He chuckled to himself, she looked like a beautiful golden butterfly fluttering in a web that it was trapped in, a web that he was weaving around her.
“Let me go,’ She let out a frightened whimper.
Advay closed his eyes and let out a moan. Her voice…the sweetest melody he had ever heard. Why had he waited for sixteen years? He kicked himself.
She tried to push him away, frantically scanning the courtyard hoping no one had seen her in his arms. She squirmed as he continued to gaze at her with a dark passion that had taken over his reason.
He wanted her and he wanted her now.
She pushed him with both her hands. He let out a growl and pulled her closer. She was pressed against his body, not an inch of space between them. She jerked her head up to him, a strange sense of fear gripping at her heart. She felt a chill spiral her spine and an unfamiliar sensation at the base of her belly, an unfamiliar heat she had never felt before in her life. She wanted him to let go of her, yet wanted him to hold her closer. She gazed at him like a deer caught in the head lights, not sure of what had hit her. She had never come this close to a man… ever. Her heart stopped in her chest, as she heaved for breath. He gripped her tighter against his body, relishing the way in which her softness crushed against his hardness.
He lifted a hand and raked his fingers through her soft silken tresses. He sighed, as her soft hair slipped through his fingers. Chandini pushed him and stepped away, the moment she felt his grip loosen around her waist. She took a step back, only to yelp in pain, her hair was caught in his watch. She tugged at her hair and took another step back, Advay moved forward…towards her, releasing her hair from his watch, cornering her against the banyan tree, they had played beneath at kids. They were back to where they belonged.
Chandini looked at him with fear, her eyes wide as saucers as he towered over her and put his arms on the branch behind her, on either side of her face.
She looked around the courtyard again, it was not a busy day. No one had noticed them in the corner they stood. But she was certain that someone would happen upon them and that would spell an irreversible damage to her already tarnished reputation.
“So …. You have blood on you … and are going to perform the Maha aarti,’ He leaned into her ears and whispered, his voice coarse yet honeyed, his smirk wicked.
“What….’ She shot back “Kaun ho tum?’
“Badon ko aap kehte hai,’ He hissed as he moved closer, his lips just an inch above hers. She trembled as she strained her neck to look up at him.
“No… its day four today …I have washed my hair… the aarti is in three days’ time,’ She stammered, her neck hurting. “I won’t have any blood on me by then.’
Advay narrowed his eyes trying to make sense of her words. He knew she was a crazy girl, but it seemed like her madness had manifested into a hopeless chronic form as she had grown into a woman.
He scanned her innocent eyes, drinking in everything he could.
Her words finally dawned upon him and he let out a hearty laugh. This was going to be easier than he had thought. Did she even realise what she was telling him? …a total stranger. Was this the affect he was having on her mind? …already and he hadn’t even begun yet. He felt disappointed, he had been hoping to break the free spirit he knew as a young boy.
Chandini watched him mesmerised, she had never known anyone this dark yet enigmatic. He was the most handsome man she had met, a perfect jaw only just softened by a dark beard that framed his perfect mouth, a set of deep intense eyes that sat hooded beneath perfectly arched eyebrows. She watched him trying to drink in as much of him as she could.
“Thanks for the information,’ He chuckled to himself as he leaned closer to her lips. “I will bear that in mind……though that was not my question.’
She glared at him, with widened eyes, as she put her had on her mouth. What had she just told him? Had she totally lost it.
“Who are you?’ She whispered, there was something dark yet familiar about him. It felt like she had known him for a lifetime. “What’s your name?’
“How does it matter who I am?’ He continued smirking at her, as she watched him with fear.
“It is pointless asking for a name that you are never going to be able to say.’
She shook her head and examined him with narrow eyes, unsure of what he was saying.
“You can’t say my name…. Chandini,’ He smiled as he picked a strand of hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. “Because,’ His leaned against her ears and put his hand around her waist pulling her closer to him “I am your husband… to be. Tumhara hone wala pati hoon.’
Chandini looked at him with horror stricken eyes. Had he lost his mind? She pushed him with everything she had and ran for her life.
Advay leaned against the banyan tree wearing a satisfied smirk on his face, watching her run away from him. He had let her go, he had said what he had intended to.
She crashed into Shikha on her way and turned around to look at him…. only to find him smirking at her.
“Jiji… Can’t you watch where you are going?’ Shikha yelped.
“Shut up and come with me,’ Chandini whispered as she dragged Shikha by her hand and ran into the rear entrance of their Haveli attached to the temple.
“Bhaiyya… are you ok?’ Murli asked, trying to hide his grin. He had stood behind the shadows and watched the scene unfold. Advay was smitten beyond reason, and Murli was enjoying himself watching his Bhaiyya fall head over heels for Chandini …. All over again.
“What was that you said earlier Bhaiyya,’ Murli chuckled with mischief. “Struck …… Love struck…. I can see who is love struck.”
“You know Murli,’ Advay smirked at him “My palm is itching. I haven’t spanked anyone in a long time. Maybe I should slap your face and feed my itch.”
Murli grinned as he gulped down his words. Advay always wore a blank expression, it was hard to tell if he was joking or if he was serious.
“Rehne do Bhaiyya…. That itch is not going to be fed by slapping my face or you would have done it a long while ago…. So, what is the plan now…Bhaiyya? I have clicked the pictures of Chandini Didi in your arms. So, what do you want me to do now?’
Advay turned around to look Murli in the eye.
“Change of plan Murli, delete the pictures……. I have found someone who will feed this itch Murli…who will agree to my madness.’
Murli watched him with horror stricken eyes, as Advay continued to gaze at the door of the Haveli she had disappeared into.
Chandini ran straight to her room, without stopping to catch her breath. She opened her wardrobe and rummaged through the contents to find the little wooden box hidden at the back of the shelf. She opened it and took the cold black stone that sat shining at the heart of the box and held it against her heart, trying to calm herself, as she slumped against her bed.
“Who was he?’ She asked herself, her breath quickening again.
She closed her eyes, trying to re-live that moment. She had been standing before the temple door like she had done every morning. Only that this morning was different. This morning she had said a special prayer. It had been sixteen years since the last Maha Pooja.
“Dev,’ She whispered as she looked at the stone in her hand.
She had been hopeful that Dev might return to the temple, for the Maha pooja and had stood before the door worshipping, praying… pleading with her Bholenath to send him to her.
“But who was he?’ Her mind raced back to the moment she had crashed against the dark, mysterious stranger.
He knew her… had addressed her by her name, she reminded herself.
She shuddered as the images of his dark eyes gazing down into hers came back to her. She wrapped her arms around herself, only to find his heady perfume lingering around her. She took a whiff of her arms and felt her head go dizzy at the muskiness of his perfume. She hugged herself harder, his deep baritone, his steel hard body pressed against hers and his hot breath against her ears made her curl her toes, as a heat wave coursed through her veins sending shivers down her spine.
She got up on unsteady feet and opened her window… just a crack to see if he was still standing by the banyan tree. The courtyard was empty, she felt her heart sink. She had wanted to catch a glimpse of that mysterious stranger again…. who had made her heart race and her pulse quicken. She turned around and glanced back towards the courtyard… to find him walking towards the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, his back towards her talking to another young man to his right.
She began to heave. She felt another shiver down her spine, as she craned her neck to get a better look.
If only he would turn around
She ran out of her room and out to the terrace, hoping to get a better, unobstructed view of the stranger who had made her lose her balance… her mental balance.
She stood at the corner of the terrace watching the temple courtyard beneath her… studying the tall, broad man who had rocked her world. He moved like a lion on prowl… swift, smooth, silent… Sinister.
She felt a tug in her heart the moment he raked his fingers through his long hair and flicked it behind. Her gaze followed him, as the rays of the morning Sun broke around him, forming a shadow …bringing to fore the darkness in his eyes. She leaned over the edge of the terrace, trying to get a better look at his handsome face. She let out a frustrated sigh, she had just wanted to see him again. To see if she felt the same tremor in her belly like she had when he had held her in his arms, against his body.
And like as though he had read her mind, he turned around facing her and removed his sunglasses, an amused smirk kissing the corners of his mouth. Chandini watched him enraptured by the aura around him. He was perfect… the most perfect man she had ever known. Her heart skipped a beat… she had been in his strong powerful arms just a few moments ago. “Tumhara hone wala pati,’ She blushed as his words echoed in her head.
She shuddered the moment he lifted his gaze and looked up into her eyes, a smile spreading across his handsome face. Chandini shook, he knew she had been watching him. The smug on his face told her, he had turned on purpose.
He folded his arms and leaned against the banyan tree for a few minutes, watching her …watching him. She found herself frozen to the spot, as his gaze locked hers, thickening the blood coursing through her body, like as though her body was under his command.
He finally got to his feet, lifted two fingers to his lips, blew her a kiss, waved her bye and left. Chandini stood watching him, wide eyed as he walked out of the courtyard and out of the temple…. until a black car drove away from her vision.
Chandini tossed and turned in her bed, holding Dev’s stone in her hand.
“Who was he Dev?’ She asked the stone. “I asked Bholenath to send you to me… but … was it you Dev,’ She looked at the stone, trembling with tears in her eyes.
No, He couldn’t be Dev, she shook her head. Dev would have smiled, talked …called her Chandu or even worse Ms Badbad. This man was dark, dangerous, dynamic. She had to find out who he was. Whoever that he was, he had left her sleepless and writhing in her bed.
Advay tossed and turned in his bed. The images of a squirming Chandini was haunting him. He got of the bed and looked out the window at the silent Ganges gushing below his plush presidential suite. She looked nothing like the grainy picture his little spy Shilpa had emailed him. The picture was an insult to the little beauty she had turned into. She belonged to him, he was going to make it happen, he chuckled to himself. He was going to trap her, force her into his ways and she was going to have to deal with it. Murli was right, he was struck … she had struck him hard, at the beast lying dormant within him…… and she was going to pay for it.
Author’s note
My! MY! What a chapter! The scene plays in my head vividly to this day, although I wrote this chapter in the back end of Sep, 17.
Chandini crashing into Advay was such an electrifying moment. Who knew then these two would take us in a journey of a lifetime.
This chapter will forever be dear to me, as it was the first time I remotely attempted anything close to electrifying chemistry, that too on a temple courtyard. LOL!
Hope it still feels magical to all of you.
Love Chitra
