RaNak OS || Pehla Nasha || Gathbandhan | Dhanak | Raghu

   

He'd lost her again. 

A festive fog blanketed the air, filled with vibrant colours, making it even more difficult to spot her. 

Where was she?

Raghu made his way through the crowd of cheering children, each with a set of pichkari in their hands, chasing and drenching their friends. Jerking back, Raghu tried his best not to get involved. His face was already unrecognisable, thanks to Maya, he could do without his clothes getting wet too. He saw several people armed with packets of powdered paint, splattering anyone they saw from head to toe in colours. He saw women greeting each other, but with the amount of powder on their faces, it was hard to distinguish who was who. 

It was even harder to find Dhanak.

He scanned each area and was beginning to lose hope when he felt someone tapping on his right shoulder. He turned around but no-one was there. Then he heard a giggle from behind him, and knew exactly who it was.

'Kidhar thi tu, Soanpapdi?' He questioned. 

She continued to stare at him with a mischievous twinkle to her eyes. 

'Apun tereko kabse dhundra tha. Woh Preeti boli apun ko ki tune bhang peeli hai.' 

She blinked slowly, twice. 

'Sachi kya? Kis yede ne di tereko bhang? Bol na...' he prodded. 

Dhanak narrowed her eyes, as if in deep thought, then widened them again... and burst out laughing. 

'Tumh... tumhari...  She giggled. Tumhari Mai ne.'

'Kya?!'

'Haan... woh bhi ek nahi,' she frowned and then starting counting on her fingers purposefully, '...chaar glass!' She exclaimed, putting up five of her fingers. 'Chaar, Raghu!' 

'Tu s-sab peegayi?' He stammered nervously, wrinkling his nose at the prospect and she responded to him by nodding proudly. That would explain her unusual behaviour earlier on. She clearly had never been under intoxication for so long. 

He sighed and muttered under his breath, 'Mai bhi na...' 

'Raghuuu-' she slurred, swaying on the spot and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders to keep her still, trying his best to keep his own balance. 

'Ek minute, Soanpapdi,' But she wriggled herself out of his grip and wrapped her arms around his neck, faces just inches apart, grinning foolishly back up at him. 

He fully paused in the midst of their brief battle, staring down at her face, her cheeks covered in colour, applied by him.

He could look at her all day. Every day.

'Apun tereko aiseich dekhna chahta hai. Humesha haste hue,' he watched as her smile widened and cheeks flushed. Raghu smiled back at her, her radiant joy apparently contagious to him too. 

He was reminded sharply of the night before, her bloodshot eyes and tear-streaked face, her sobbing though every word and he felt a deep, hollow sadness. After all this was over, she would come back to her senses and her dreams of becoming an IPS officer would be crushed again. And he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. 

He wanted to help her. All he wanted was to see her happy.  Raghu sighed deeply and tucked her hair behind her ear. 

'Apun sab thik kardega,' He added softly, assuring himself more than her.

Dhanak blinked up at him. She then wrenched her arms away from his neck and bellowed at the top of her voice... 

'OH LADKA ANKH MAARE ANKH MAARE-'

'Arre-'

'OH LADKA-' she continued to sing, horribly off-key. Her hips were moving around in some weird dance, attracting the attention of some curious passersby and he thought it was time to bring the real Dhanak back. 

'Acha bohot hogaya abhi, tu yahinch ruk, apun aya.' But she paid no heed. 

Now she was moving her head around in a circular motion, whilst simultaneously singing, almost mirroring a madman. 

'CHUP!' Raghu reprimanded and she stopped instantly. 'Ek dum chup.'

Directing her to a nearby bench, he instructed her to remain seated. Her arms were crossed and her lips were out in a pout, clearly unhappy at being told off. 

Raghu had barely turned his back towards her before he could sense her dancing behind him. So he walked a few steps, before whipping around - fully aware he'd startle her - to catch her looking like a deer caught in the headlights. 

She quickly assembled herself back to normal at his disappointed glare, and her face was ridden with such guilt that he couldn't help but find it endearing.

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A glass of water and some chillies.

He placed the items on a tray and quickly returned back to her to find her - thankfully - in the same place, but now with her finger to her lips. 

'Good.' He tried very hard not to smile. 

He managed to convince her to eat the chillies, claiming it was mithai and her eyes had lit up. One, two, three chillies later, her face grew red and she started breathing sharply. He quickly helped her to drink water from the glass he'd brought along and she gulped it all down in mere seconds. 

'Tu thik toh hai na?' He enquired. 

She blinked several times and looked around, holding her head, as if seeing everything for the first time, coming back to her senses. 'Haan, ab - ab sab saaf dikhraha hai.' 

He sighed with relief and she watched him carefully. Reality washed over him too and he recalled where they had left off. Under her gaze, he avoided eye contact. How could he tell her that, despite his best efforts, he hadn't been able to help her? 

'M-Maaf karde apun ko, Soanpapdi,' he began in a grave voice. '...Apun kuch nahi karpaya.' He turned his back to her, unable to meet her eyes. 

He didn't like to feel this way. Helpless. He was used to having things done his way, but maybe that's because he had the comfort of relying on his family name and the fear it imposed on people. 

But respect wasn't gained through fear. 

This new step he was taking in his life of starting afresh meant he had to become accustomed to rejection initially. And he was ready to. But he wasn't ready to face rejection when the matter at hand involved Dhanak. He couldn't help but feel like he had disappointed her in some way. 

Dejected, he gathered about enough strength to move and was about to leave when-

A small tug on his hand compelled him to face her again and moments later, her face was burrowed deep into his neck and his arms wrapped around her, of their own accord. 

'Tum bohot acche ho, Raghu.' 

His heart warmed at her words, but he couldn't understand why she was saying all this. He'd expected her to scream, shout or even cry to him, but gratitude? It wasn't what he'd been expecting. 

Her dreams had been crushed and he was somewhat responsible for it. 

Why, then, did she seem so content in his arms? 

She clarified then, of how his desperate requests to her senior officer had convinced him of Dhanak's innocence, allowed her to gain another chance to complete her training, and how she was so thankful to him for it. 

'Tum- Tum jadugar ho Raghu,' She expressed, her voice full of emotions. Dhanak tightened her grip around him and he snuggled in closer. 'Tum kuch bhi karsakte ho.' 

He didn't know how long they had been in that position, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He efforts had paid off and she wasn't angry at him, a fact made obvious when he felt her smiling through his kurta.

She was right there, in his arms and in that moment, nothing else seemed to matter to him. 

Writer: Ink and Fire