Kenny was in deep thought about Gunjan when Myra pinched her.
" Ouuchh Myra", she said.
" He followed you here and then to the basement. Now you both sit moody playing with food doing nothing".
" He is hiding something and it bugs me", said Kenny.
" He is hiding alright. He has applied for a US citizenship ", said Myra.
" So the throne of Junagarh", asked Kenny in fear.
" Chill he is interested in Bhishma. His assistant is looking out for shares. He is good at running business. Aditya entreprises is a million dollar venture", replied Myra.
" So he is not interested to be the king if Junagarh", she asked.
" He is weighing the options. He does not intend to surrender Indian citizenship. He has served Indian army for an year he pretended to back pack. So he is interested in the throne", said Myra.
Kenny let out a breath.
" I don't know how to handle him. Professionally I can tackle but he muddles up my brain."
" Not that those others are easy", said Myra.
" Let me remind you to avoid junk dear cousin", said Shai. Solly scoffed.
" Shai you are Zoya's daughter right", asked Laxmi. " You grew up well".
" My mother told me you two were friends", said Shai.
" Yaa she is too far away", said Laxmi. She looked sad. " She was the force that drove us. Our IT girl".
After snacks Kenny started looking at various antiques in the house.
" Kanu, isn't it", said Laxmi.
" Umm yes", she said.
" I had a friend Riya", she said.
" Riya", said Kenny.
" You remind me of her", said Laxmi.
" Are you talking about Riya Oberoi", queried Kenny.
" Yeah you know about her", asked Laxmi.
" I read her book true love", she said. " Did she really fought with her husband before they fell in love"?
Laxmi giggled.
" She slapped him in front of his entire office because his friends suspected she was Vicky's mistress", said Laxmi. " Your father Gaurav was an eyewitness."
" He did call her a fireball", said Kenny.
" You are one too", said Laxmi.
" Yeah you slapped him too", whispered Kiara pointing to Raj.
" There is a difference ", said Kenny.
" Pray tell", said Kiara.
" So you met at work", asked Sheena to Kiara.
" Yup".
" And how did you find him", asked Sheena.
" Cocky, arrogant, too full of himself and waiting for a punch to his face", replied Kiara.
" Yet you are dating him", she asked.
" It remains uncomplicated with him", she said.
" How"?
" Look babe you got a great man who loves you. Madhav Shashtri is a manwh*re. It suits me coz I am not looking for marriage. He is great in bed and its fun. No strings attached. So concentrate on that man you caught and let the weasel go", said Kiara.
Sheena was stunned to silence as Paras's lips curved into a smile.
" Told ya she was brutal", whispered Maddy to Solly.
Raj meanwhile was quiet. GUNJAN. That potrait disturbed him. These days he saw himself as a warrior in his dreams. If Gunjan is a real person so is her death. And his dreams were speaking to him.
" Where are you lost Raj", asked Kenny.
" Will you come to that temple with me tomorrow where we met for the second time", he blurted all of a sudden.
" Why"?
" A few things disturb me Kenny. I seek guidance", he said.
It was a raw confession. It pulled her heart.
" Okay Raj", she said.
" Just the two of us", he whispered.
She nodded her affirmation.
That night Kenny dreamed of an innocent girl being forced to be a courtesan and Raj dreamed of a promise Srikant made.
" We will be together forever".
Next Morning
Raj and Kenny met in the mansion's compound as they have decided a day earlier. She wore a flower printed Yellow suit with a red dupatta and he wore a yellow kurta and white bottom.
" If we hurry we will be back by breakfast", he said.
They took a car to the temple.
They took the puja things and climbed up but instead of going to the main temple Raj again took her to the backside to that same idol.
Kanu suddenly got a vision.
" A girl dressed in simple red saree walks towards her groom in a cream sherwani. They sit in a pandal as a priest chant wedding mantras.
" Kenny", asked Raj.
" Yeah", she said. " Sorry just that this place seem familiar. Why is this Shivaling dirty"?
" Its abandoned. They stopped worshipping it", said Raj.
" We mortals being ignorant can abandon Him Raj but He does not abandon even a stone. Lets do our puja here.
Both of them started puja. Raj got the water from the tap. Kanu cleared the dirt with a cloth and they collected leaves and flowers fallen on the Almighty neatly in a heap as they scattered it in the plants soil. Then they washed the idol; Raj pouring water and Kanu cleaning the idol. They followed the procedure with milk, cream, honey and sugar and finally more water. They decorated lord with Datura flowers and fruits, ashes , sandal and rice. Finally they lit incense and diya to perform the prayers.
" For someone living in USA you do know to do puja very well", Kanu said to Raj.
" My mother was a staunch devotee. She converted to Hinduism, a decision which Grandma Cooper hates till date. I learned puja from her at a young age. But when I visit Grandma I go to church with her too. A staunch protestant she is very orthodox in her belief", he replied.
" So what answers do you seek", she asked.
" About a person's existence and my association with that person", he replied honestly.
"AT TIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO LOOK INWARDS FOR THOSE ANSWERS", came a voice.
They both looked up to see an ascetic smiling at them.
Kanu moved forward and touchd his feet.
" Pranam punditji", she said.
" Pundit Agnisharma ", said Raj. He touched the ascetic's feet too.
" May Shiva bless you both and bless your union", he said.
They were both stunned.
" We are not togeth..", Kanu was saying but Agni raised a hand to stop her.
" You can come to a decision as and when you want. I shall not take my blessing back", he smiled.
To Kanu he said,
" A girl got married here at Shiva temple. She was one girl but Shiva blessed her union twice. It was because she chose a husband and remained loyal to him in all her lives. YOU REMIND ME OF HER"
Before coming to the temple only Raj's mind was in turmoil but now even Kanu started thinking.
WHO WAS THAT GIRL? AND WHO WAS HER HUSBAND?