Sidharth and Shehnaaz were on the stage standing close to each other ready for the dance… He held her hand and wrapped one hand around her waist… They were having an intense eye lock, the song began and they started moving slowly with the rhythm…

~~”Kuch khaas hai, kuch paas hai, kuch ajnabee ehsaas hai...Kuch duriyan nazdeekiyan kuch hass padi tanhaiyan...Kya ye khumaar hai ya aitbaar hai...Shayad ye pyar hai… Pyar hai shayad...Kya ye bahar hai ya intezaar hai… Shayad ye pyar hai...Pyar hai shayad…~~

Shehnaaz thought while looking intensely into his eyes, “Mujhe kya ho jaata hai jab main Sidharth ke saath hoti hun… Uski aankhon mein hi khokar saari khushiyan mil jati hain.. I am changing and this change is good… Kahan pehle apne sapnon ko hi apna sabse bada dushman samajh baithi thi aur kahan ab mere sapne hi meri zindagi ban gaye… Sidharth ke nazariye se khud ko dekha toh apna talent, apni capability samajh mein aayi… Sidharth ne mujhe mere andar chupi ek nayi Shehnaaz se milaya jisse main anjaan thi… Sidharth ne mujhe life ko alag positive tareeke se dekhna sikha diya.. Ye vali Shehnaaz mein har cheez se ladne ki taakat hai jab tak uska Sidharth uske saath hai… Ye Sidharth ki Shehnaaz hai… Ye kya ho raha hai mujhe… I am so deeply in love with him… Pehle toh mujhe iss feeling ke baare mein kuch nahi pata tha aur sochti thi ke ye sab ek fairytale hai… I can’t ever feel it and now I am loving the term love…” She came out of her dream land when the positions changed and Sidharth hugged her from behind and she kept her one hand on his cheek and caressed it lightly with her thumb…. Both of them closed their eyes…

~~”Kuch khaas hai, kuch paas hai, kuch ajnabee ehsaas hai...Kuch duriyan, nazdeekiyan, kuch hass padi tanhaiyaan...Kya ye khumaar hai ya aitbaar hai… Shayad ye pyar hai… Pyar hai shayad...Kya ye bahaar hai ya intezaar hai… Shayad ye pyar hai… Pyar hai shayad…”~~

The positions again changed…. Sidharth twirled her towards the right side and again a twirl with which she landed on her back at his chest… He held her hands, lifted her up, flipped her and she again landed on his chest… He thought, “Jab se aayi hai kya jaadu kar diya hai isne mujhpe… Vo Sidharth jo puri duniya mein sirf khudh se pyar karta tha aur sochta tha ke kabhi iss pyar naam ki bala ke chakkar mein nahi padega vo iss kadar kisi se pyar kar baitha hai ke uske liye kuch bhi karne ko taiyaar hai… Jis Sidharth ke liye uski zindagi thi udaan aaj vo theherna bhi jaan gaya hai… Ye saare positive changes sirf Shehnaaz ki vajah se aaye mujhme… Innocent si, jo dil mein hai vahi zabaan pe lekar meri life mein aayi aur sab change ho gaya…”

~~”Kuch saaz hai jaage se jo thee soye… Alfaaz hai chup se nashe mein khoye… Nazrein hi samjhen ye guft gu saari… Koi aarzu ne hai angdai li pyari… Kya ye khumaar hai ya aitbaar hai… Shayad ye pyar hai… Pyar hai shayad… Na inkaar hai… Na ikraar hai… Shayad ye pyar hai… Pyar hai shayad…”~~

He twirled her in a 360 degree turn and the partners swapped… They were in a position in which Shehnaaz wasn’t able to see the other person… He had hugged from behind and hid his face in the crook of her neck… She was feeling uncomfortable… An unknown anxiety had suddenly hit her… She knew that touch… They were moving slowly with the beats when the person said, “Yaad hai yeh gaana sweetheart… We had danced to this song at the college’s annual fest… It had to be a separation track presented in a musical way… Par tumne toh uss track ko zyaada hi seriously le liya… Koi baat nahi ab main vapas aa gaya hun tumhe tumhari uss seriousness ka jawab dene…”

~~”Yaad hai mujhko, toone kaha tha… Tumse nahi roothenge kabhi… Dil ki tarah se aaj milen hain kaise bhala chutenge kabhi… Hmm...Teri baahon mein beeti har shaam… Bewafa ye bhi kya yaad nahin… Kya hua tera vaada...Vo kasam vo iraada… Bhulega dil jis din tumhe… Vo din zindagi ka aakhri din hoga… Kya hua tera vaada…”~~

Shehnaaz was hell scared and almost shivered in fear… She tried to call out Sidharth’s name when he suddenly covered her mouth with his hand and said, “Don’t you even try darling… Apni party apne haathon se kharaab karogi… You’ll be proved mad as I’ll manage to run away this time as well like everytime I did… Ab har koi Sidharth nahi hai jo tumhare past ko sunne ka patience rakhe aur uss din you had beaten me and I didn’t do so… Pita main, admit main hua, critical main tha tum nahi… Why do you want to spoil your newly earned image??...” She didn’t panic this time… Instead turned to see his face and the step changed… It was Raunak only… She sneakily switched on her phone’s recorder and replied in a fierce tone, “Huhh… Critical thee?? Really Raunak?? I had hit on your foot so that you don’t run after me… I did it in self defence and according to the law if I hit anyone below the waist in a situation when there is a threat to my life it would be treated as self defense… If you would have caught me that night then tum forcibly apne junoon mein mujhse shaadi kar lete…And I remember it well that I saved you by donating my blood...Koi critical nahi thee tum...Blood loss hua that toh tumhare gande khoon mein maine apna saaf suthra khoon mix karva diya lekin kya fayeda...You are still the same… Ghatiya thee and ghatiya hi ho...” He replied foolishly in return due to the provocation, “Haan sahi kaha tumne junoon… Junoon tha aur junoon hai mujhme tumhe pane ka… And I will win you tonight only…”

~~”Vo kehne vaale.; mujhko farebi...Kaun farebi hai ye bata...Vo jisne ghum liya pyar ke khatir ya jisne pyar ko bech diya… Nasha daulat ka aisa bhi kya bewafa… Ke tujhe kuch bhi yaad nahi… Kya hua tera vaada vo kasam vo iraada… Bhulega dil jis din tumhe vo din zindagi ka aakhri din hoga… Kya hua tera vaada…”~~

The music stopped, she saved the recording and immediately jerked his

hand... She ran to Sidharth, hugged him tightly and said, “Sidharth vo Raunak yahin hai… Abhi mera dance partner tha…” He gently broke the hug, cupped her face and said, “Are you okay?? Kuch hua toh nahi na…. Music rukwa deti, mere paas immediately aati… Why did you keep dancing?? Kuch ho jaata toh…” She kissed his lips for a nanosecond to stop him from speaking any further and said, “I freaked out for a while but ab sab theek hai… I have recorded his confession about what happened that night…” Sidharth said, “What?? How??” She replied proudly, “Har ek criminal out of provocation sach bol hi deta hai and usne bhi bol diya…” He kissed her forehead and said, “Perfect!! Forward it to me… Hum Lucknow police ko ye submit kar denge and he’ll be behind the bars…” They were rejoicing when……….

To be continued… Now, what has happened?? What will Raunak do after knowing of the recording?? Stay tuned to know and do comment down your views… LAST TWO CHAPTERS LEFT AFTER THIS…….