Nazdeekiyan

This is the fan fiction of Saath Nibhana Saathiya- a daily soap aired on star plus. The fiction is my work which I have also posted on India Forums. The characters belong to their creators and right holders. I stake no claim whatsoever. This will be updated as and when I update my fan fiction on India Forums

Part-1

Scene: Party hall of Modi Mansion(MM)

Modi Constructions had won a big government contract and the party was being held for the cream of Rajkot's business families.

Gopi, Rashi and Hetal are toiling in the kitchen and Kokila was overseeing the whole arrangement. Anita wasn't inclined to help them and spent the entire day grooming herself. She wanted to be the center of attention. She wore an ochre salwar kameez with a deep neck, it was specially designed to accentuate her assets. The zardosi work on the kameez was very intricate and eye-catching.

Anita gave herself one last look in the mirror and remarked- 'Anita dear you are dressed to kill'shall floor Ahem with my looks and charm the guests. I will gain acceptability in his circle of friends and then Ahem will realize what he is losing. Having said this, Anita sashayed to the party hall and started greeting the guests as if she was the hostess.

A handful of Ahem's friends had arrived and Anita almost pounced upon them in order to be greet them and be noticed in returned. Dhruv recognized Anita and greeted her warmly. He told her that he had just returned from Canada and expressed his regret for not attending their wedding. // Dhruv had heard that Ahem had got married. Anita's presence in MM and Ahem's passion for her in the past gave Dhruv no reason to think that Anita wasn't Ahem's wife. Anita didn't clarify things //

 He introduced Anita to his friend Prem and once she had moved on to meet others, Dhruv told Prem about Ahem and Anita's legendary romance in college. He regaled Prem with incidents where the lovey-dovey couple got into trouble. Their arch-conservative principal had suspended Ahem and Anita for three days for drinking coke from a single bottle by dipping two straws in it'.the principal Dr. Srinivas Shastri was red with anger and demanded to meet their parents'..Dhruv and Co had saved their life by arranging for theatre artistes to present themselves as their parents'.

Lecturers used to routinely censure the couple but they seemed to care two hoots.

Jigar spotted them and started a conversion. Dhruv remarked that Ahem has changed a lot after his marriage'his face reflects the happiness inside his heart. "He is less abrasive now, looks like your bhabhi has thoroughly tamed him"'Jigar chuckled and agreed. "Bhai is madly in love with Bhabhi'.it is pretty understandable yaar' my bhabhi is a perfect combination of virtue and beauty'specially ordered from heaven by Koki aunty'ha ha."

Kitchen-

The Modi women had completed the kitchen chores. Hetal asked Rashi to comb her hair again and then join Jigar in the party hall. "Gopi dikra you are drenched in sweat ! Go and change your saree and then come to the hall." Hetal smiled and asked her to choose a saree that would sweep Ahem off his feet'.Rashi suggested that Gopi wear the sheer saree which they had bought specially for Gopi'"It is trendy and has a modern feel to it'Gopi will look like a diva in it". Gopi accepted the suggestion and walked to her room to take a bath and get dressed up.

Hall-

Jigar introduced Rashi to everyone'Prem recognized her instantly as Jitu Uncle's daughter. Rashi was surprised at the success Prem had achieved- he was their neighbor in Rajpal Nagar- He was born in a working class family and his studies had been funded by scholarships. He had cracked IIT-JEE and joined IIT- Kharagpur'and his family moved to some other locality. They had lost touch and this was a pleasant surprise' Prem informed her that he had joined Jayshree Builders after studying at IIM-A' The next question brought a naughty smile on Rashi's face- it appeared as if he was dying to ask the question the moment he saw her but kept quiet due to propriety. "Rashi, how is Gopi???"'.Rashi had seen it coming. Back in those days,Prem had a soft corner for Gopi..and only Rashi noticed it.

She had teased Gopi a number of times by linking her to Prem'.and Gopi would make a sad face and say "Rashi ben I am not that kind of girl"'She used to refer to Prem as Jiju in her private conversations with Gopi. ..Prem's mother was kind to Gopi..that poor girl felt orphaned again when Prem's family moved out of the locality'.

"Rashi is she alright? Did something happen to her?" The anxiety in his voice was apparent. Rashi came out of her thoughts and reassured him by telling that she is fine and she'll join the party soon'A faint smile saturated with anticipation appeared on Prem's lips. He thought that Rashi had bought her cousin along so that she could rescue her from Urmi aunty's clutches. He wondered how Gopi would look like now'she would have blossomed into a pretty woman for sure' "Gopi please come soon..I am dying to see you"

Part 2

It was lunch time and servants had already laid out the buffet. Rashi was wondering what was taking Gopi so long… Doesn’t she know that man-eater Anita is on prowl. She decided to check things for herself but a voice called her…it was Prem. Ahem noticed this and was surprised that Prem and Rashi interact without observing any formality…Do they know each other?.

“Rashi, where have you hidden Gopi?”

“I am going to her room and shall bring her along with me”

“Let me tell something Rashi, Gopi may not be in this room but every dish here bears her signature and marks her presence. I was dying to eat the pulav prepared by her...no one else gets the spice mix right”

Ahem was dumbstruck..so he knows Gopi too!! …well enough to taste the food made by her and remember the taste. How does he know them??. Why was he praising Gopi so much? A lot of women cook well then why her? It wasn’t just Gopi’s work, Kaki and Rashi toiled in the kitchen too. Ahem wanted answers to these questions but felt asking about it to be beneath him. He dismissed it as words of an oaf.

Rashi excused herself and went to Gopi’s room…Gopi was trying to dry her wet hair with a towel…Rashi asked Gopi to hurry up. She took Gopi into her room and dried her hair using her dryer…and styled her tresses quickly. ..Rashi flashed a mischievous smile and told “Gopi get ready soon as my original jeejaji is waiting for you”..Gopi blushed  thinking that Ahem was waiting for her, little did she know what Rashi meant by ‘original jeejaji”..Gopi felt reassured that Ahem still cared for her and all wasn’t lost.

A dash of lipstick and some simple jewels made Gopi ready for her social debut… Rashi almost pulled Gopi down to the hall…such was her hurry in showing off the new Gopi to the world and make Anita eat dirt. She was going to chaperon Gopi today and her face reflected the pride of a successful make over artist.

//In her eagerness to get Gopi ready, Rashi took Gopi to her room…and then both of them overlooked the fact that Gopi wasn’t wearing sindoor..all traces of it had been washed away while she was bathing//

Gopi looked enchanting- her turquoise blue saree flattered her complexion…it had zero bling and all the embroidery on reflected good taste. Gopi looked really sophisticated in contrast to Anita’s underdressed look. Gopi walked in her usual feminine way and Ahem was the first one to notice her presence-his heart started beating faster and his eyes savoured her never seen before avatar…

Anita was quick to notice what had caught Ahem’s eyes… she reacted by getting even closer to Ahem…she smiled and touched Ahem’s hands unnecessarily…all this was done to send a wrong message to Gopi. Ahem was blissfully aware of Anita’s intentions…he laughed off Anita’s antics and took Gopi for granted.

Gopi was pained to see Anita and Ahem share a joke…it was a reminder of their love…how madly in love they must be to display their affection in front of guests and family…the presence of Maaji and Kaka-Kaki made no difference to them…Ahemji wasn’t even aware of her presence...Gopi felt unwanted and tried to walk out of the room, only to be stopped by Rashi and Prem…Gopi’s face lit up on seeing Prem. Memories of being appreciated ran through her mind.

“Premji how is Shobha aunty?”

“She is fine Gopi. Do visit us, she’ll be delighted to see you”

“Sure Premji, How can I forget the love she had showered on me”

Prem smiled and said-“No one is immune from your charm Gopi…and since you haven’t asked me about my ‘haal-chaal’ I will volunteer to say that I am fine…...ok,so how is life ?”

The smile on Gopi’s face faded quickly and she excused herself and went outside. Prem sensed that something was wrong. Rashi held him back and said “Prem I want to talk to you about Gopi. Let us step outside.”

Mr Bindra approached Ahem and compared the food served at the party to ambrosia. Koki,who was nearby heard him and told proudly “My bahu Gopi prepared most of the dishes”

“Do you have another son Mrs.Modi?”

“No…why??? “…Koki suddenly realized the reason behind his question and added “She is Ahem’s Dharmapatni.” She looked around for Gopi but she was nowhere to be seen. “Ahem, where is Gopi? Introduce her to our guests”

Having sent Ahem in search of Gopi, Koki cast a sharp look at Anita….”Anita you seem to be tired…go to the guest room and rest”.

Mr. Bindra realized what was going on. The fact that Koki stressed on the word-‘guest room’ told it all…This side of Ahem Modi was new to him…The news that Ahem Modi’s mistress stays with him in MM and hosts parties spread quickly…….

Gopi wanted to be alone for some time and rushed to her bedroom. Memories haunted her there so she locked herself in the bathroom and started to cry... She covered her face with her aanchal to suppress her sniffles, lest anyone find her.

//The next update will have flashbacks//