The Return of Passion (Complete)

Chapter 18

NIHAR

X'MAS

"Hey...hey....hey!" Shalini pulled him over at the adjacent corridor to the ramp. So that they doesn't have a audience while they talk. "Where are you going? " She had to almost shout for him to hear with the buzzing inside of all the people. From make up artists to the designers to the models. Everyone was at their highest today. Perhaps because of the Christmas!

"I need to see Alisha! " He replied a second later, his eyes searching for her through the glass door that would led him to the back stage. Only able to see a flurry of colors inside.

"She said she would talk to you later tonight. " she smiled. "Once this is all over....right now she is busy. " She was about to send him off, telling him to go and take his seat and relax.

But before she could do so. There was a loud crash inside! Along with a string of curses that came flowing in causing all the commotion to stop at once. Even Shalini and Aditya looked at their backs.

There was a menacing silence that hung over for a moment before, someone shrieked. And then a chaos was created causing a commotion louder than ever.

It seemed everyone was talking at the same time.

Shalni looked at her watch. The show stopper should have already walked down the aisle but strangely that hadn't happened yet.

The lights were dimmed outside, only letting the spotlights to glow around the audience.

Fear arose inside and even before she could go in and see what was the matter, Alisha walked out to her and so did the other thirty two pairs of eyes inside.

But it seemed she wasn't there for her....and it was him....she wanted to talk to.

"So here you are dear....boyfriend! "She hissed and once again there was pin drop silence within the room.

There were so many things he had imagined her to say when they meet tonight. Some good, some bad.

But this wasn't definitely one of them!

"What's the matter? " He asked.

"What else?! Your sweet, dear girlfriend....." She stopped to take a deep breath in order to calm down her raging anger. "Who was supposed to walk down the ramp...five minutes ago wearing her design! " She pointed her finger at a lady in the middle of the room.

"RAN AWAY! Ran away wearing the damn dress! "

"What?" He was taken aback.

"Yes! Purva was designated as tonight's show stopper, supposedly....representing Nihar! " She yelled at his face. And he did not have a clue what to do. To make it alright! He was trying his damnest best and things were blowing up on him, one after another!

"And she eloped with the dress? "Shalini spoke, almost white in the face. "With the dress? " Her hands shook in uncontrolled way as the clutched at the wall for support.

"Yes, I saw her about fifteen minutes ago wearing it in her separate cubicle. Her hair stylist was working on her hair and told me he's almost finished. So I went on to call someone to do her make up....and-and when I came back...she wasn't there anymore. I searched for her everywhere next. But...but she is gone! " Aditya heard the lady speaking who Alisha had pointed as the designer of the dress.

In a funky pink dress and sneakers she was standing at the middle of the room at the verge of tears. Her eyes already watering!

After all she had worked her butt off for last six months to get it perfect.

"You and your petty girlfriend did it! " Alisha pulled her hands up in the air as a mock surrender. And her face getting redder by the second.

"Seriously did it! ....In order to ruin me....you went this far?"

"Alisha! I don't know! Oh God! " He cringed, running his hands down his hair. "See....I had no idea that Purva was going to be the show stopper. Seriously! And I don't know why she did something like this but I have nothing to do do with it! Believe me! I broke up with her yesterda-" He rambled on, his nerves wracking with the tension. Perhaps the b***h ruined the last chance as well.

"Keep it! " She hold her hand up as a sign to stop. "Keep it because I don't need any of your bullshit! " And she sauntered inside. Pulling Shalini with her who looked like was about to puke. Seriously, sick.

"Wha-what are we going to do now?" She slapped her forehead and sat down on a chair.

"I had ordered for the dresses that were rejected this year. Maybe we could choose something from them!" Alisha spoke taking another chair beside her, before clapping her hands. "Girls...girls go on....don't stop! We will figure something out. And please announce outside that the program would start half an hour later. "

"Alisha....do you seriously think......we could choose a dress for the show stopper amongst the rejected ones. And that too for the final night!" She palmed her face. Frantically moving her head.

"And even if we did, we don't have anyone to wear it! "

Alisha had barely gotten over the churning of her gut in worst way possible when 'he' showed up!

"Alisha! Listen to me! " It was Aditya.

"Please Aditya, stay out of it! " She spoke pointing her finger outside. "I am not ready to hear any of your explanations of why your bitchy girlfriend did, what she did! "

"Listen! I am here to help! I want to help! "

"Then call her and tell her to get back here right NOW!" her voice boomed through the room.

"Here! " he offered his phone. "Here take this and call her yourself! If she picks up I will talk to her and make sure she comes back. But I doubt she will pick up! I had been trying for almost six times. " He handed over the phone and everyone watched as she nervously paced from one end to the other end of the room. Pressing the phone to her ear.

But to no avail! "She isn't picking up! It's going straight to her voice mail." She gave the phone back as the tension grew.

Dhruv and Kumar came a minute later with a few other men carrying about ten dresses. And the choosing session started but it wasn't too late before all the dresses were rejected and were lying around in a heap of colors.

"Why can't you two choose one from these and be done with it? " Dhruv cackled getting irritated by the second with the ongoing rejections one after another.

"We are not telling you to wear them! "

"WTF!" Shalini, the ever cool cucumber as people used to call her, cursed. And everybody flinched! "Do you think we are doing this for FUN?!" She yelled. "If we choose just any one of these and be done with it as you put it....then all our hard work will go down the drain with the show! Because....don't forget....tonight is the FINAL night and we are trying to find a dress for the show stopper! "

"Even if we find a dress! " Soma the funky pink dressed girl spoke. "Where would we find a model? Who will walk down the ramp? "

And there was another round of tensed glances exchanged.

The last year rejected dresses were bought in too. Checked. And. Rejected.

Fifteen minutes were left, before their game's up!

"Ali..."Aditya murmured a little later. "What are you wearing? " He asked. His eyes fixated on her as did everyone else's.

"What do you mean? What I am wearing? I am wearing clothes just like everyone else I guess! "She glared at him unable to understand what exactly he was trying to convey!

But the rest of the group did catch it! "Yes, the dress! " Shalini piqued up.

"What dress?" She pried getting irritated.

"The dress you are wearing, love, it's beautiful! Did you design it? " Aditya asked. His eyes glowing with the idea he had got.

Another time and Alisha would have slapped him hard, reminding him to keep his tongue in check for the love comment. But right now she let it go! Because realization was washing over.

"Yes, I had designed it! But is it worth for the show stopper?"She stopped a little unsure.

"Are you kidding me! It is unrealistically beautiful! " Aditya murmured getting closer to her as she giggled. "You are exaggerating! "

The sound that he was dying to hear. The musical twinkle of her laughter!

And that- gave him a reason to smile as well.

"Now com'on! We don't have time to waste! " Shalini was by her side, pulling her towards the dressing table.

"Wha- why are you taking me there? "

"I know babe...you are beautiful but everyone needs a little touch up before the ramp walk! "

"NO! NO! NO! I am not going to model! Have you seen my height? "

"Oh come'on!" Aditya scoffed. "Do you think anyone is going to be out there sitting with a measuring tape? " He smiled showing a little tooth, something he used to do a lot....before, around her.

The same thing that always used to set her nerves calm and her body on fire.

It was a surprise to know that it still have a little affect on her. As her nervousness died down. But she was still a little unsure!

"I don't think it's a good idea! Because the only time I had been there..." she pointed outside. "Was the day before yesterday and that too as the owner of Nihar, modelling is different and I don't think-"

"Shuuuut up!" Shalini popped her finger. Speaking in the most dramatic way possible! The color had finally returned to her face and she looked happy, more than she was all this evening.

"Looks like the cat is.... back on the track! " Dhruv mocked and everyone finally looked relieved. "You will pay for this later Dr. Patel!" She glared at him before calling for, "Danny boy! Oh Danny! " She called.

"See what you can do with her hair and what you could do fast because all we have is about....five minutes? "

"Aye....I will see! " The man had already started to pull and pin her hair as he spoke. "Divya do give her a touch up so that she could look like the queen that she is! "

"Aye Aye captain! " and she started her wonders with her brushes before Shalini pulled Kumar and Dhruv by their collars outside.

"Come'on boys! We have a story to make! "

As they left. A shudder went down her core. Something that she had almost gotten used to. When she is forced to do something that she doesn't want to. In the amidst of fear and insecurity comes along the loneliness. And that's exactly what was happening then! She felt like she was forced into it without her consent, alone and vulnerable!

"You can do it! " She hadn't realized when he had slipped his hand underneath hers. A strange kind of warmth seeping in through the junction of bare skin of his palm. And more strangely she let him....let him stand there beside her as Divya worked her magic on her and Daniel s***h danny boy continually pricked and prodded at her head.

She let him hold her hand throughout the longest five minutes of her life. Through the make over that painted the sheer even layer of foundation.... on the dark rough journey of her life. A make over that presented her eyes as the most attractive feature of her face instead of the two hollow spherical sockets to see the world, that she had so gotten used to.

She was given a new identity. An identity that knew how to stand up for herself. She was fighting a already lost war, yet she could see herself winning.

"There you go! " Divya whispered as everyone around told her good luck. And that she looked most beautiful tonight, did not help entirely as jitters filled up to her neck and the hairs standing at the back of her head while she was led down to the entrance.

Why every single person wished her luck, except for the man who was still holding her hand and had led her here upto this juncture. The white spotlight glistening a few feet away while they stood in total darkness.

The line of the girls that are destined to walk down after her had already been formed. The outside lights had already been dimmed and it was time to go. Yet and still she could not take even a step further.

Perhaps because the palm that held her smaller fingers as a captive weighed too much and she could not come to shrug that off to move on or she actually didn't want to move on.

"Go on! " A husky baritone voice murmured close to her ear and the next moment, her fingers were liberated from the clasp. The man himself taking two steps back!

There was total darkness where they stood but yet she felt like she saw a smile on his face! A smile so bright that no materialistic darkness could hide.

But then she could always be wrong.

"Go on! I will wait for you! " He gently prodded and there started her journey as she walked up to the bright light leaving the darkness behind.

It was a strange feeling, almost liberating when she reached at the tip. The flashes of cameras almost blinding her before she got used to it.

She did not blink as she thought she would out of nervousness, instead smiled at the people who looked at her.

Smiled as confidence filled her lungs. Smiled shifting her weight from right foot to left. Smiled gracefully turning around and within the next blink, her journey was already over. She was back within her comfort zone, but for once she did not shy away to accept that she enjoyed it! Enjoyed it to it's fullest!

"You did a fantastic job out there! " Dhruv and Shalini were already there when she came back. Shalini smiled from ear to ear as Dhruv handed over a glass of orange juice to her.

"Finish it up! You were so stressed before the program! It's not good for the baby!" She sighed sipping on the cool liquid. Dhruv was right, the drama that darned girl pulled off, really stressed her out.

And right now she felt as though she could do well with a good long nap.

Licking the last droplets of the quencher from her lips, she was all set to go home. She had already called her driver.

Putting her things together in the carry bag that she had bought with her this evening, she pulled off her heels and put them in too. Because for some reason her feet were aching like she had run a marathon.

Waving good bye to all the others in the room she was about to leave when Dhruv showed up. "Hey!" He smiled before noticing the large bag in her hand. "Let me help!" He took the bag and started to walk beside her as they left.

"Alisha?!" He spoke, not too late after they got out of the dressing room.

"Humm..."

"Do you believe Aditya? That he has nothing to do with tonight's incident? "

There was a long silence next that had his blood running cold, afraid that she did!

"I don't know! ...what do you think? Should I believe him?"

"Well I don't! Because it can't be a coincidence that he wasn't here until Purva was here, and just as Purva disappeared....he was right here, pulling his act off rather easily of a'so called true friend! "

"Do you think...." She stopped short on her track, a frown appearing on her face.

"Yes, I think....he himself helped Purva in eloping...in some way or the other..I am sure he did! " Dhruv had stopped too, looking straight into her soul through those beautiful black eyes.

It was the perfect timing. He had to strike when the iron is hot. "I suggest...you not to follow that bullshit plan of Shalini. In fact I don't think it's even safe for you to be anywhere near that Man! And giving him a second chance? ....that's too dangerous! Which will not only let you but the baby as well in jeopardy."

"You are right! You are right Dhruv! " She spoke and Dhruv felt himself releasing a breath that he had been holding for too long.

"That he might have a hand in tonight's incident and that would be another reason why I SHOULD go with the plan....it's too damn much due already from his side! Don't you think it's time that I pay back for EACH of them!"

***

Stepping out of the building from the back door they took a turn to reach the driveway where her driver was waiting with the car. December cool air blowing against them and Alisha felt the goosebumps on her skin.

Although Mumbai was never known as a cold city yet and still the fall of temperature was going out of scale this year. "Dhruv please can you give me my jacket from the bag?" She asked and within the next moment she was engulfed in the warmth of a large jacket. A jacket that wasn't her's!

Her nostrils flared with the subtle fragrance of husk and cinnamon and she felt herself bending her head to smell it.

And an instant later, her cheeks tainted red realizing that he had seen her doing it.

And he chuckled making her face heat up at double temperature.

A few steps later and they were able to see her car parked as well as the man that was waiting there for her.

"You must go now Dhruv. I could take it from here. "

Dhruv nodded in understanding, handing back her bag and left them alone.

"Hey! " He panted once she was face to face.

"Hi" She muttered under her breath.

"So....? You leaving? " He asked as she opened the door to her blue Nexa throwing the large carry bag inside.

"You don't need to go round and round! You can ask me straight....whatever you want to know! " She looked at him expressionless while he bit his tongue to control the smile that was about to spread on his lips.

'This was definitely a good sign! A very positive sign! '

"As you wish! So are you ready to give us a chance again? "

"Yes!"