Humsafar KKaunh

[awall21]

Gujju mirchi, that is an awesome sceanario... Naaz you think you could fit that in the story???

I love to go shopping, it's one of my bad vices though as once I get started it's kinda hard to stop. I haven't gone shopping in a month though so I have been itching to go.

[luvshamit]

hey di
is everything ok?

[naaz123]

Hi Savita,
Nice to see yr post! Are u reading the story? Wow, I'll be so thrilled if I have a new reader! Whatever the case, welcome!

Reems,
It would be great fun to go shopping and pick out anything and everything that I love! I know I have a great fashion sense, but unfortunately nothing cool ever fits me! So my husband looks at me funny when I tell him something doen't match, as if to say "YOU are telling ME about fashion???"

Anita,
I don't know when and how, but all of u will sooner or later end up in my story (unless u don't want me to). The next time I need to add new female characters, you'll definitely be worked into the story!

Divs,
Nothing is "wrong" per say. It's just that I've been really, really busy. Saturday is going to be Zain's birthday party at my house. I've been going nuts planning and cleaning and inviting and calling, etc. Also, I find that whenever I have free time and I used to write, these days I just can't focus and I watch TV or play a computer game instead.

ALL:
I know the reason for my lack of focus though, and today I'm gonna share it with all of u that don't know yet. I'M PREGNANT!! Please pray that the baby is very healthy and that the rest of my pregnancy goes well. :p I'm due at the end of Oct, so I hope to finish the story before then (God wiling). Cuz as u all probably know, there is NO WAY i'm gonna have time to write with two little ones. So, anyway...I finally forced myself to just sit and write. It's funny how the words just flowed once I set my mind to it. I'll have the next part posted in a few minutes. Enjoy!!!!

haha... you guys are funny... but great job love too read your post...

[naaz123]

Riya, Karan and Anju were one of the very last groups to arrive. The living room and dining room was a who’s who of small screen, big screen and fashion personalites. Soft, mellow music played in the background as the guests mingled with each other. Upen had a model on either side of him. Chetan was running around making sure all the guests were comfortable and enjoying themselves. He noticed Riya in the doorway and quickly greeted her. Riya introduced Karan and a wide eyed Anju. Chetan smiled and found Anju’s admiration of the celebrities cute. Chetan had too often seen young models or acting hopefuls behaving as if they knew everything about the industry. Anju was obviously star struck and Chetan found it refreshing. He told the three that appetizers had already been served and showed them where they were. Anju and Karan ventured over to the appetizer table to see if anything was left, while Riya went over to say hi to Amey and Meenal.

Anju and Karan returned with a plateful of appetizers for Riya. Riya listened to Anju go on and on about how excited she was as she recognized one celebrity after another. Riya decided to introduce the two to some of her co-stars from Kadam. While everyone at the party seemed to be having the time of their lives, Meenal had a noticeably puzzled look on her face. Meenal had been mulling over her dilemma (the right time to break up with Amey) for days now. Breaking up was necessary, but it never seemed to be the right time. The two rarely had any private time together and breaking up during a party hardly seemed appropriate to Meenal, but nevertheless the inevitable, pending task of breaking up was hovering like a dark cloud over Meenal’s head. It had been delayed way too long and Meenal feared that waiting much longer wouldn’t be wise. Meenal mustered up enough courage to at least start a topic that could lead to ending the relationship, only to have Amey whisked away by Upen.

Upen took Amey to the center of the room where a small table had been set up. All of a sudden, the lights were dimmed and from the kitchen emerged Chetan with a huge cake with a ton of lit candles. Amey humbly protested to Chetan about not wanting to celebrate his birthday, but Upen responded for himself and Chetan, hitting Amey on the back of his shoulder and saying, “It was our friend’s birthday and we were having this party, so we decided to give you a belated cake. Now just smile while we sing for you, man!” Amey looked at Upen with an “Ok, thank you, I THINK?” type of look. Chetan noticed this and quickly blinked his eyes and nodded his head, saying, “Go ahead, cut the cake.”

Everyone was feeding Amey cake and still having a ball. Meenal was still lost in her thoughts. She watched as Riya fed Amey a piece of cake and playfully put a tiny bit of icing on Amey’s nose. Amey looked so happy. Meenal felt relieved that Amey got pulled away to cut the cake when he did. Otherwise, she would’ve given him the news and he would’ve been at least a little distraught in front of all those people. The discussion would have to wait until a later.

Everyone was pretty much done having the cake. The lights were already dimmed from the cake cutting, and the soft music was still playing in the background. Suddenly, the music changed and a loud remixed version of the 36 China Town song (Ashiqui Mein Teri) began to play. Everyone looked up to see Upen (still with one babe on either side of him) with a big smile on his face.

“Let’s party,” he exclaimed and started to pull people up to middle of the room, which had been cleared of all furniture. The “dance floor” filled up fast, but Anju, Karan, and Riya were still chatting. Anju, however, was already dancing in her seat, eager to get on the dance floor. Karan noticed Anju, and pointed it out to Riya. Anju had no idea the two of them were watching her and smiling. When she finally did notice, she let out an embarressed, “What did I do?” Laughing, all three hit the dance floor.

Another of Upen’s songs started to play. This time it was the title from ShakaLaka Boom Boom. Upen was making the rounds, and “shaka laka booming” with all his guests. Meenal and Amey hadn’t gotten up to dance yet. Amey had wanted to but Meenal told Amey that she wanted to talk to him and it was important. Amey sat back down again, and tried to be as attentive as he possibly could amidst the noisy environment, but knowing Amey, he was repeadetly distracted by the goings on, and Meenal had to repeatedly pull him back into the conversation.

With the two models, still by his side, Upen continued to simultaneously dance and mingle with the guests. He ended up close to Riya, Anju and Karan. The song changed once again and it was Meter Down from the movie Taxi No 9211. The three had danced to this song a while ago when they were at a party with Shree and Aditi. Aditi had taught them the main move to the song. All three started to do the move that Aditi taught as well as just go wild and have tons of fun.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo1hwpeQz58 - Watch the step at about 2.5 mins. It’s what the models are doing while they're in a circle).

Upen noticed Riya’s dancing. He’d always seen Riya calm and collected. Her dancing was always good, but usually very conservative. He’d never seen her dance in such a sexy way. Without missing a beat, he moved behind Riya, grabbed one of her arms, and started dancing behind her, as his two model friends looked on and appeared as if they could scratch Riya’s eyes out. Riya was a little startled, but continued to dance in an attempt to not be rude to her host. Upen inched closer and closer, as Riya inched back as politely and unsuspectingly as she could. Karan and Anju, who had been keeping Riya company all night due to Shamit’s absence, saw that Riya looked happy with Upen and decided to move over a little and dance with each other. The two lovebirds quickly got caught up in dancing and hugging and kissing and gave little attention to Riya.

Meanwhile, poor Meenal was still struggling to express her feelings. Earlier, Amey had just been distracted by the loud music and random people bumping into their couch while dancing. Meenal was able to convey that things between them were not like they were when they first started dating. Amey had tried to listen attentively and even offered some half hearted excuses about being busy, etc…But now, Meenal’s words sounded like a distant echo as he saw Upen possibly getting too close to Riya. She was almost cornered between Upen and a wall, and the look on her face went from a smile to a slightly uncomfortable look. Amey subconsciously continued to nod his head and say “Hmmm” whenever he heard Meenal pause. He suddenly stood up to get a better view of Riya.

“Amey, tum sun rahe ho mujhe,” asked Meenal with annoyance in her voice.

“Ya, ya…just a second, Meenal. Riya looks upset. I’ll be right back,” said Amey as he hurried over to Riya’s side. He waited at a slight distance for a minute just to see if Riya was happy dancing with Upen or if he was getting too close. Meanwhile, Meenal had had it. She could not believe that Amey was so distracted by Riya that he got up and left while she was breaking up with him. She felt that it was the height of rudeness or maybe ignorance. Ignorance it was, Meenal decided. After all, she had realized a while ago, that Amey was completely ignorant, completely oblivious of his own lack of attention towards Meenal and his complete state of distraction caused by Riya. Meenal felt tears welling up in her eyes, as she saw Amey attempting to get in between Upen and Riya. He grabbed her arm and twirled her away from Upen. Upen complained and Amey just shrugged his shoulders. The relieved look on Riya’s face, along with the big smile told Amey that he did the right thing by intervening.

Upen, being the cool dude that he was, again, didn’t miss a beat. The two models friends were still close by, dancing with each other feeling like losers. Upen pulled them close to him and they were all over him in no time. Riya thanked Amey for getting her out of the sticky situation, as they continued to sort of dance and talk at the same time.

“Yaar, agar tum nahin aate to mein to deewar par chippak jaati! Kitne kareeb aa raha tha, tumne dekha”, asked Riya.

“I know. Voh tumhari performance mein paise uda raha tha, tub hi mujhe shak hogaya tha. I think he likes you,” said Amey with a little disbelief in his voice.

“And why do you looked so shocked? It is quite possible for him to fancy me” said Riya boldly and in a jokingly snobbish way.

“Tumhe, aur Upen chahega? C’mon yaar…Iss bandariya ko to sirf Shamit hi chahega,” said Amey not able to control his laughs. Riya crinkled her brows and faked an upset look. Riya knew Amey was just teasing, as he’d been doing since they were children.

“Sorry, sorry baba. Just couldn’t resist,” said Amey, putting his arm around Riya’s shoulder and walking off farther away from Upen and closer to Karan and Anju. In the back of his head, Amey knew he’d have to get back to Meenal, but a long lecture was the last thing he wanted at that time. He lingered with Riya and her friends just a little longer. Meanwhile Meenal, on the verge of tears was desperately seeking a bathroom. The hallway from the living room led to a series of closed doors. Meenal had no idea which door led where, so she tried opening them all. When she turned the knob on one door, she heard, “I’m in here. There’s another one down the hall.” Meenal continued, skipping a few doors, thinking they may be bedrooms. She turned the knob of another door, wiping the tears off of her face and entered, surprised to find that it was the kitchen. She was about to step back out when she heard her name.

[naaz123]

“Meenal, kya hua? Everyone is enjoying themselves, lekin mujhe nahin lagta ki you’re having fun,” said the ever observant Chetan. He was wearing an apron and seemed to be clearing away the large dishes that held the appetizers.

Meenal was surprised to see Chetan doing dishes. She would have assumed that Chetan and Upen would have a long line of servants at their beck and call. Chetan explained that they gave the servants the night off since they’d probably just get in the way during the party. Chetan continued to explain that he didn’t mind doing a little housework now and then. He was the oldest of two brothers and two sisters. Growing up, he had to help out a lot as his father was always away on business, and his mother worked too. Then he said,

”Enough about me. Tell me, what’s bothering you? I saw that you weren’t beaming with joy like Amey was when we were cutting the cake. Sub kuch theekh thaak,” asked Chetan, drying off his hands and indicating that Meenal could sit at a small bistro table at the corner of the kitchen.

“Aap kitna dhyaan deyte he choti choti baaton ko. Maybe it’s because you grew up with so many kids and had so many responsibilities,” said Meenal. She debated whether she should open up to Chetan or not. Talking to Amey had gotten her no where. Even her attempts to get advice from her sister had failed since her sister was busy and had her own problems to deal with. Meenal desperately needed to confide in someone and decided that Chetan seemed willing to listen. She told Chetan that she had finally decided to break up with Amey tonight, but he was so distracted and he wasn’t really listening. Chetan commented that a loud, happening party was probably not the place to hold a serious discussion, but Meenal, again on the verge of crying, said that it didn’t matter what location they were in. Meenal said, between sobs that Amey was always distracted by someone or something and had no time or concern for her.

Meenal was crying quite a bit, and Chetan felt comfortable enough to comfort her. He knew he could at least try to say the right things since he had gone through a break up not too long ago himself. He pulled his chair closer to Meenal, and put his arm around her shoulder. He said that although he really didn’t think the party was the right location for Meenal to have her discussion, the sooner she made her feelings clear to Amey, the better it would be for both of them. Chetan also said that what seemed like a daunting task at the moment would be over soon, and whatever the result, time would heal everything and Meenal could begin to move on. But the only way to move on was if she took the first step, which seemed to be the most difficult.

“How am I going to tell him though? What am I going to say? He doesn’t even know that something is wrong,” said Meenal, with tears still streaming down her cheeks.

“You’ll just know what to say when you start the conversation. Just be honest, and try not to be cruel,” said Chetan, giving Meenal’s hand a squeeze. Meenal looked up into Chetan’s understanding eyes. She found a new appreciation for Chetan and looked at him in a different light for the first time. He seemed less like the all-knowing stage manager and seemed more like an all-knowing, close friend.

“Thanks, Chetan,” said Meenal. She was finally able to stop crying and even let a small smile slip through her lips. She picked up an apron that was hanging from a hook in the wall and put it on, saying: “Let’s take care of these dishes then, hmmm?”

Chetan protested but Meenal said it was the least she could to repay Chetan for listening to her teary breakdowns twice now and there weren’t that many dishes anyway. He said it wasn’t necessary and that’s what friends were for, but Meenal didn’t budge. Meenal washed the dishes with a soapy dish cloth while Chetan rinsed them off. One large serving spoon slipped out of Meenal’s hand into some water and splashed all over Chetan’s face. Meenal felt embarrassed at being so clumsy. She feared that Chetan would guess right away that she hardly ever set foot in the kitchen. She looked over at Chetan and he immediately splashed her back with some water. The two were happily splashing water and giggling like first graders when Upen walked into the kitchen and stood in the doorway, smiling and shaking his head.

[sweety_21]

Hey naaz
omg...congratulations...i'm sooo happy for u...wow....congrats once again...i hope its a really cute, healthy and happy baby :) well about the story take your own time...we love reading your story and all the wait is worth it...i liked the new parts too...its amazing how u come up with it...congratz...take care of yourself and ur baby:)

[naaz123]

Awwwwwwwwwww, thank you so much, Sweetie! From your lips to God's ears. I really don't care if it's a boy or a girl, but just like u said, a happy, healthy baby. Can't wait for him/her to be here though! U know, 9 months can be such a long time! LOL. I'm glad u like the new parts....there will be some changes soon. Stay tuned! :p
Naaz

[gujju mirchi]

Hey Naaz,

CONGRATULATION!!!
http://www.info-galaxy.com/MickeyMouse/Photos_Album/baby11.jpg i pray ur baby will be happy and healthy and plyin in your arms soonnn juz lik this pic

i am happy you decide to write the story cus i was eagarly waiting for it....and its perfectly fine if you need more tim. as i said im alwz gonna keep reading. :)

i culd toally see Upen filrting cus he knos he looks dammm hot and thts how his personality is however, in one of his interview he did say he wuld b loyal to his girlfriend if he had one.....we culd only wait n see how true it is.

moreover, i totally love how you are able to bring in a twist wit meenal and amey breaking up and mayb chetan n meenal hooking up....i lik your usage of words b/c it makes the story vry interesting to read.

cant wait for the nxt part

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ZAIN

[naaz123]

Hey Reemz,
How ya doing? Thanks for yr wishes and prayers. I love the Mickey baby, it's so cute! Lil kids in onesies are so adorable. :p Hey, so I haven't seen any interviews of Upen, but I just get the feeling from watching him that he can be very flamboyant and a total womanizer. We'll find out why he's so interested in Riya in the next chapter (hopefully I'll get to it soon enuf). I'm glad u like the Meenal twist. It was bound to happen, right? So now u guys have to tell me: What is wrong with me???? I started off calling Upen's cousin Chiraag and all of a sudden this chapter, I just started calling him Chetan. It must be the sleep deprivation. I dunno!!! So let me know which name u guys prefer more and I'll keep the name u choose. Okie, that's all for now. It's pouring out and there's nothing I'd rather be doing than to watch the rain with Zain in my lap. :p See ya guys soon!
Naaz

[gujju mirchi]

wow i didnt evn realize chiraag or chetan.......umm i suggest chetan mor upen cousin lik name lol

[naaz123]

You, know, I didn't even know I subconsciously changed it to Chetan until u commented about it. I was like "Yeh Chetan kidhar se agaya?" Then I went back and checked and could've smacked myself! Ok, so that's one vote for Chetan. Let's see if anyone else has an opinion. :p

[sweety_21]

Hey Naaz how are you doing, and how is your baby doing...about the Chetan and Chiraag thing i really dont mind any name and i didnt even realize that you changed it becuase both names are so similar...I guess Chetan is fine though if you want us to vote hehe...

[naaz123]

Hi Sweety!
My 3 yr old Zain is doing good. The baby isn't due until Oct, but God willing, he/she is doing good too. I don't feel any movements yet and with Zain I hardly felt him even till the end. So we'll see about this one. Ok, so that's two votes for Chetan so I'm going to change all the Chiraag's to Chetan. LOL! We've got out of town guests this week so I've been out and about ghoom-oing and phirao-ing them. :p So hopefully I'll write some more in 4-5 days. See everyone then!
Naaz

[gujju mirchi]

how was zain's bday party???
take care of urself.......wish the best for u n ur baby.

[awall21]

Where is everyone huh??? :confused:
Naaz please post the next part soon, I have been patiently waiting... and the only reason I'm asking you now is because you told me you have been writing the next part.:D
Drop me a line when you post okie. How is everything else going?

[naaz123]

Hi everyone! Thanks for your continued interest and your continued support! I know you all will keep waiting patiently for me to get this story out of my brain even though it's taking FOREVER, but I always feel like I need to explain. As you know, we had Zain's party a few weeks ago. It went really well and Zain loved the whole Cars theme. The other thing that's been new is that yesterday, we found out that we're having another boy!!! :eek: (Sorry Anita, I waited all day for u to come online, dearie, but u didn't come, so I'm announcing it here for everyone to see!) OH MY GOD...I feel like I have no time right now. What am I gonna do with two boys???? I have to write the whole story soon so that it can be done by the time baby boy # 2 comes and completely takes over my life. So on that note....here is a part that a few ppl have been waiting for. I hope I did it justice. Please give me all your honesst comments (as usual, but more so this time). Lots of love!
Naaz

[naaz123]

Chetan and Meenal dried their hands and Chetan thanked Meenal for helping out. Meenal decided it was getting late and she should probably find Amey and head home. After Meenal left the kitchen, Upen went up to Chetan and playfully hit his cousin with a kitchen towel.

“Kya ho raha he, bhai,” asked Upen with a suspicious look on his face.

“Kuch bhi nahin yaar. We were just talking,” responded Chetan, who couldn’t help but look guilty.

“Yaar, you’re here doing ‘God knows what’ with Ms. Meenal, and out there I’m trying to dance with Riya, and voh Amey ka bachcha is getting in the way,” said Upen with a little bit of annoyance in his voice. “He finally left to go look for Meenal and I got a good five minutes to talk to Riya.”

“Achcha,” said Chetan with an equally suspicious look. “Models se dil bhar gaya to abh seedhi saadi Riya ko pattana ke chakkar mein he janab, hmmm?”

“C’mon, yaar. You know me. I’ve never been one to want to settle down. Mum’s been after me to get married for over a year now. I’ve been dating all these models, enjoying life, the career’s going good, but I think about it, and I’ve decided that I want more. I think I’m finally ready to commit.”

“Lekin Upen, why Riya? There’s no way you didn’t notice that she and Shamit are dating,” said Chetan, almost as a warning to his ambitious cousin. Chetan knew how much of a womanizer Upen was and what a cultured young lady Riya was.

“Don’t look at me like that, cuz. I know what you’re thinking,” said Upen in a serious tone. “Meeting Riya changed my mind about commitment. Yes, she is seedhi saadi, like you said, but did you see her dancing out there tonight? She has a wild side too, bro. I can just sense it. Seriously though, not only is Riya gorgeous, but she’s also an intelligent business woman and a great TV show host. She can sing and dance and…well, the most important thing is she is someone I can take home to mum.”

Chetan just looked at his cousin in amazement. He had heard about all of Upen’s sordid affairs and couldn’t believe that Upen would be interested in someone as “vanilla” as Riya. Upen went on to fill Chetan in about the few minutes that he got to talk to Riya when Amey finally left her and went to look for Meenal. Upen started off by mentioning his days as the host of a cooking show and how he’d love to appear on Riya’s show. After a few minutes of listening to Riya claim that the producers decide who comes on the show, Upen decided that he’d use his connections (his cousin, Chetan) to get on the show and get a chance to know Riya better.

“I am NOT going to get you on the show so that you can further your impure agenda,” exclaimed Chetan with a laugh.

“Achcha, tumko chamiya mil gayi, to abh mujhe help nahin karoge,” asked Upen, sarcastically.

“Chamiya? Wait, you don’t mean Meenal, do you,” asked Chetan. “First of all, Meenal is not my chamiya…and secondly…wait, why am I even explaining myself to you? Look…I’ll think about it and see what I can do, ok?” Upen gave Chetan a hug, said thanks, and went to check on the guests that were still lingering in the living room.

Riya, Anju, and Karan had left fairly quickly after Riya’s conversation with Upen. The whole ride home, the three tried to analyze why a hunk like Upen would be hitting on Riya. By the end of the ride, all three were in hysterics due to the crazy, ubsurd situations and explanations they had come up with. As soon as Riya entered her house, she changed into some comfortable pajamas and quickly called up Shamit, who she hadn’t spoken to all day. Unfortunately, with the loud noise at the wedding where Shamit was singing, he was unable to hear the phone ringing. Riya went to bed thinking about the reason that Anju thought Upen was hitting on Riya. She giggled at the thought of having seven little boys who were all spitting images of Upen and all named Upen Jr.

Meenal and Amey left soon after Upen had found Meenal and Chetan goofing off in the kitchen. Amey knew that Meenal had disappeared because of his lack of attention towards her. In the middle of “rescuing” Riya, it had occurred to Amey that Meenal wanted to talk to him about something important. For almost the entire ride, Meenal was quietly debating whether she should break up with Amey right then and there or not. Amey kept debating the most appropriate way to apologize for abandoning Meenal, fully aware that she wanted to discuss something important. Finally, Amey decided to step up and ask, without apologizing, what Meenal wanted to talk about. They were just passing by Juhu Beach and Meenal asked Amey to pull over so they could talk.

Amey immediately got out and started walking barefoot on the beach. It was so late at night that not too many people were there. The moon was shining over the water, creating the most romantic ambiance, however that night, romance was just not in the air. Due to Meenal’s fidgeting (something that she did, only when she was nervous), Amey deduced that something was really bothering her so he asked what it was. Chetan’s voice echoed in her ears, “The only way to move on was to take the first step.” She struggled with the right words to start the conversation. She heard Chetan’s words again, “You’ll know what to say once you start the conversation”.

“Amey,” Meenal started with a calm voice. “You and I have been dating for a while now, and I feel that we’re totally drifting apart. We’re not the same couple that we started out to be. There’s no more excitement. I know you’re committed to me, but your attention is elsewhere.” Amey looked at Meenal’s sad eyes and tried to defend himself using their busy schedules as an excuse. Meenal interrupted his explanations and added, “Whatever excuse we bring up to explain this, it’s just not working out, Amey”.

“You want to end this,” asked Amey completely shocked. Not even in his wildest dreams did Amey ever imagine breaking up with Meenal. Of course, he hadn’t given their future together any thought either, but that just seemed inconsequential at the moment. Amey tried to argue his case further by defending himself some more and then trying to make promises about improving himself and improving the relationship – promises that Meenal knew Amey was unable to keep. Meenal calmly explained over and over the reasons why she believed that the relationship would never work, regardless of how much effort they put into it. She explained how their lives were going in different directions and how they now had different priorities. Never once did Meenal bring up Amey’s lack of attention towards herself and complete attention towards Riya.

[naaz123]

That is, not until he started making accusations. After one hour of going around and around the topic and not coming to any specific solution, Amey felt as if he had been cornered. The natural human response towards such criticism is to put the blame elsewhere. Amey did just that, asking Meenal if she wanted to break up because she was presently more successful than he was. Meenal was hurt by that accusation, for she had wanted nothing more than for Amey to be the Indian Idol once she had been voted out. Right then, she just wanted to blurt out that it was due to Amey’s blatant disregard for Meenal’s needs that she wanted to break up. But then Chetan’s words echoed in her ears again, “…don’t be cruel”. She calmed down once again and tried to explain again that the relationship just wasn’t going anywhere.

“Look, Amey, aisi koi baat nahin he. You know that after I was out of Indian Idol, I wanted you to win. I’ve supported you to the utmost level and I can’t even believe you would blame me for being so selfish. My wanting to break up doesn’t have anything to do with anyone’s success and…”

“Are you seeing someone else, then,” asked Amey so unaware of the fact that the problem derived from him and not Meenal. Again, after Amey had been completely nonattentive towards Meenal most of the time, Meenal just couldn’t believe that Amey would think that SHE was the one who was seeing someone else. She couldn’t take this conversation any further without giving Amey the real reason for the breakup.

“Amey, stop it. I AM NOT seeing anyone else. I want to break up because YOU are the one who is more interested in someone else than me,” said Meenal, almost shouting. “Just think about it Amey. Whenever Riya and I are in the same room, you don’t even notice that I’m there. Today I left the room and you didn’t even know I was gone.”

“C’mon Meenal. Kaisi baatein kar rahi ho tum,” asked Amey, astounded by Meenal’s accusations. You know that Riya seemed to be in trouble today so I went to help her. You’re jealous of that?”

“Amey, this is not just about today. This has been going on for a long time now. Yes, I used to be jealous, especially when I found out about you and Riya after you were voted out of Indian Idol. You apologized and I forgave you then. Maybe that was my biggest mistake. Amey, it is much more than you even realize. Tum uski rag rag se wakif ho, aur voh tumhaari. Tumhe andaaza bhi he ke tum Riya se pyaar karte ho?”

“What nonsense, Meenal? Kuch bhi keh rahi ho,” said Amey getting very annoyed by the sudden, unexpected turn the conversation had taken. “She’s just my friend. We’ve known each other since we were children, went to school and college together. Of course I know her well and she knows me. She was my best friend, but I love you.”

“Amey, I know,” said Meenal, regaining the composure she demonstrated earlier. She spoke fast and despite Amey’s attempts to interrupt, she went on talking. “I know you used to love me. Lekin abh voh baat nahin rahi. Everything was fine until Riya started to date Shamit. Then when you started to see her with someone else, something changed in you. Listen. We’ve been out here for over an hour now. I just can’t go on with this relationship knowing that you are more concerned with Riya than you are with me. We can still be friends….but I can’t let this façade of a relationship go on any further. Tum socho. Achche se socho and you’ll see that I’m right.”

Amey was so shocked that he had nothing to say except that he’d drop Meenal home. They drove in complete silence. When they arrived at Meenal’s house, she opened the door and peeked in the window and said goodbye. Amey sat in silence without even turning to face Meenal. As soon as the door closed and Meenal was a few steps away, Amey screeched away.

[sweety_21]

Hey naaz
good to see you after a long time now, well congratulations its a boy, i know you didnt mind either gender, I am just congratulating you because you know what gender he is now, lol, how sweet a theme of cars for Zains b'day, I can just imagine the party, no wonder he loved it,
about the new part, amey and meenal's part was sad, mainly because he was accusing meenal, and upen made me mad that he was interested in riya despite of the fact that riya loves shamit, and even chetan said he will see what he can do, i expected him to make upen understand, but anyways all these twists and turns just add to the wonderful story, all these different emotions are what make a good story better right and after these all the happy parts will make the better story the best, lol just want to let you know that i liked the parts, they were different than all the previous ones, and yes you did complete justice to the new part:)

[naaz123]

Aw, thanks, Sweetie! Tumhaari comments pardh ke dil khush hogaya!!! :p It's very, very satisfying to read your analysis and what you liked and didn't like. And you're right, all the twists and turns just add to the story and everything happens for a reason. I usually don't hint and let everyone make their own judgements, but this time, I wanna give a little spoiler (really still debating whether I should do this or not, but here goes...). Chetan just wanted Upen off his back and said he'd see what he can do about getting Upen on the show. Chetan's a really good guy and knows what his cousin is like and he WON'T do the wrong thing. So rest assured! Even though I want to comment on Amey's behavior, right now, I'm gonna leave it alone. Hopefully in the coming chapters, his transformation will be very evident. Now that I've gotten over writing one of the most hardest parts (the break up), I hope to write more frequently. Keep your fingers crossed! Thanks again for your awesome feedback. Can't wait to read what everyone else has to say.

[naaz123]

Hey everyone...I'm not getting the instant email whenever someone posts. Is anyone else having that problem??? :confused: It's been 3 days and Sweety's the only one who's read the update so far. :( Please comment whenever you get a chance!
Naaz

[gujju mirchi]

http://img.123greetings.com/eventsnew/flwr_congratulations_general/1011-036-05-1084.gif

for Zain's lil bro :D wish you the best of health

comments:
Upen went up to Chetan and playfully hit his cousin with a kitchen towel.

“Kya ho raha he, bhai,” asked Upen with a suspicious look on his face
totally love this scene....i can juz imagine the most cutest face of upen
“Kuch bhi nahin yaar. We were just talking,” responded Chetan, who couldn’t help but look guilty hayee.....mein mar jawa hehe nyguy with the guilty face looks cuteeee
“Don’t look at me like that, cuz. I know what you’re thinking,” said Upen in a serious tone. “Meeting Riya changed my mind about commitment. Yes, she is seedhi saadi, like you said, but did you see her dancing out there tonight? She has a wild side too, bro. I can just sense it. Seriously though, not only is Riya gorgeous, but she’s also an intelligent business woman and a great TV show host. She can sing and dance and…well, the most important thing is she is someone I can take home to mum.”
is thr a guy in reality tht has guts to say this abt a gurl...if thr is thn i wanna marry himm......lol
couldn’t believe that Upen would be interested in someone as “vanilla” as Riya i lik your comparison here Naaz
“Achcha, tumko chamiya mil gayi, to abh mujhe help nahin karoge,” asked Upen, sarcastically.
“Chamiya? Wait, you don’t mean Meenal, do you,” asked Chetan. “First of all, Meenal is not my chamiya…and hahaha.......chamiya......i lov it Naaz
Riya went to bed thinking about the reason that Anju thought Upen was hitting on Riya. She giggled at the thought of having seven little boys who were all spitting images of Upen and all named Upen Jr.
LMAO......i almost fell off my chair laughin hahah :D
“You want to end this,” asked Amey completely shocked well duhhh Amey....lik u left her ny otha choice.....Meenal shuldnt b jealous of u n Riya and especially she shuldnt argue abt wht happn in party BUT at other times....ur eyes were set upon Riya whn thy shuld b on Meenal :mad:
Never once did Meenal bring up Amey’s lack of attention towards herself and complete attention towards Riya i lik Meenal's maturity here
“Are you seeing someone else, then,” asked Amey i cant believ he said tht.....all guys jus lik to blame the gurl one way or the other.....no wonda whn a guy cheats on the gurl his called a player and whn a gurl cheats on the guy she is called a prostitue
Amey sat in silence without even turning to face Meenal how dare u be mad at Meenal whn she is the one who has guts to speak the truth
Chetan's a really good guy and knows what his cousin is like and he WON'T do the wrong thing i figure tht b/c Chetan knos Riya is goin out wit Shamit and he dint even emphasis on tht to Upen.....and plus whn he has gone though a break up he wuldnt dare to split nybody else up im guessin
one thing that i absolutely loved abt this chapter is the drastic change of emotions......i was laughin out loud and in one minute im lik sooo serious. BRAVO Naaz for your use of words b/c it totally flowed together
Keep up the good wrk "mummy" Naaz......hehe
cant wait to read the nxt update

[naaz123]

Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeemu!!!! Kahan thi tuuuuuuuuuuuu??? A whole week after Sweety wrote her comments, u finally surface!!! I'm so happy though. U know. that stupid instant notification thing is just not working for me, so once in a while I check to see if anyone wrote anything. Imagine my surprise when I saw your wonderful comments. Sach me yaar...u guys dil khush kar deyte he. Now if only we can find out where Anita disappeared to this whole week, it would make my day. The parts with Chetan and Upen were fun to write, but boy oh boy the Amey and Meenal part was so hard. I'm so happy u enjoyed reading both of them. I'm working on the next part which will include the next Kadam episode. Hopefully you'll all enjoy that part too.

Also, Reema, thanks so much for the congrats on the baby boy and the good wishes. 4 more months to go, insha'allah...just can't wait!!! Ok, that's all for now....see u all again soon!

[sm91]

Hey Naaz di!
Very very well done...i loved this chapter...finally Meenal did it...go Meenu!:D
Must say story is shaping up brilliantly and if u wanna publish it i am sure it will do well!!!!.
Ur a great writer Naaz and the whole story has a great flow...very nicely done!
Awesome chapter....:D
Absolutely love Meenal in it, Amey is just argh...(no comment) ...onli hope he doesnt ruin Shamit and Riya relationshsip now he's a loner:eek: , and hope Meenal finds some way better...*abhijeet awant chalega;) *hehe
Anyways i shud be goin nw....absolutely outstanding Naaz and please continue soon!
Love u!

[naaz123]

Welcome back, Sanu!!!
I'm glad u liked the rest of the parts...I hope to write more soon. I wish I could just dictate and someone would type it for me! Lately I've been having symptoms of carpel tunel (cuz of the pregnancy) so I haven't been on too much. I did finish a little bit the other day, so hopefully I'll be able to update soon. That's all for now. Take care!
Naaz

[awall21]

dhoond tha phir raha, :confused:
ho tumhe raat din,
mein yaha se waha....

mujhko update ab zara
dikha toh do :eek:
mein yaha....
tum kahaa?
mein yaha!

Naaz, when are you going to post the next part???? :D Ek hafte se toh zyaada hoga, aur kitna intezar karna parde ga?:rolleyes:

[naaz123]

:D LOL...u're so funny. ;) I type right now with a hand splint on my right hand. My carpel tunnel (due to pregnancy) is reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally bad. Sometimes I wake up at night and the pain is unbearable. I'm thinking about investing in one of those devices that u speak into and it just types for u. I know it's not gonna do justice to the desi stuff, but I guess I could just retype those parts. Let's see how it goes. I do have a little bit written so maybe I could add some more and at least update a little! I know I'm gonna have no time when the new baby comes, so I gotta do this! Hey, by the way, anyone know how to take dictation and wants to come intern for me (food and lodging, meager salary provided)???? :p LOL..see ya'all soon!

Naaz

dhoond tha phir raha,
ho tumhe raat din,
mein yaha se waha....

mujhko update ab zara
dikha toh do
mein yaha....
tum kahaa?
mein yaha!

Naaz, when are you going to post the next part???? Ek hafte se toh zyaada hoga, aur kitna intezar karna parde ga?:rolleyes:

[sweety_21]

Hey naaz...hope you feel better and hope your fingers are better...you know I would be happy to take the dictation for you...but i probably dont live anywhere close to where you live...i live in minnesota but i am in texas for a couple days...unless we could do it over the phone...haha i know bad joke...anyways hope you and your family are well...take care
~sweety

[kasamse-fan]

Hey everyone...I'm not getting the instant email whenever someone posts. Is anyone else having that problem??? :confused: It's been 3 days and Sweety's the only one who's read the update so far. :( Please comment whenever you get a chance!
Naaz

same here i am gettin instant messages to after every post !! wierd:confused:

-sonia-

[naaz123]

Hey Sweety,
I'm in WI so MN is not as far as u'd think! Depending on what part u're in, it can be between 4 to 8 hours. By the time u drove down here, u'd be ready to turn back around and head home! LOL. Hey, have u ever been to Minehaha falls? I went about 4 years ago and it was awesome! I will definitely take u up on the offer to help me with the story! Just think of how many happy readers we'd have then! :p

Sonia,
I'm still having the problem with not getting any messages. :confused: Wonder what's wrong with them????

Naaz

Hey naaz...hope you feel better and hope your fingers are better...you know I would be happy to take the dictation for you...but i probably dont live anywhere close to where you live...i live in minnesota but i am in texas for a couple days...unless we could do it over the phone...haha i know bad joke...anyways hope you and your family are well...take care
~sweety

[sweety_21]

Hey Sweety,
I'm in WI so MN is not as far as u'd think! Depending on what part u're in, it can be between 4 to 8 hours. By the time u drove down here, u'd be ready to turn back around and head home! LOL. Hey, have u ever been to Minehaha falls? I went about 4 years ago and it was awesome! I will definitely take u up on the offer to help me with the story! Just think of how many happy readers we'd have then! :p

Sonia,
I'm still having the problem with not getting any messages. :confused: Wonder what's wrong with them????

Naaz


Hey...yeah i guess wisconsin is not that far...lol...actually just recently my family and I went to wisconsin dells for vacation, maybe I could have come over then...lol...well I would be glad to help and you know your readers are always happy with your updates, they would just be happier if they can get more updates in the same amount of time.
And yeah I have heard of minehaha falls where they have the rickshaw kind of things right. we went there when my cousins came to MN to visit.

[naaz123]

Oooh, I don't remember any rickshaws! It was a waterfall maybe 15 minutes from the mall of america and u could go all the way down to the waterfall. It was small, but amazing! Can't wait to go again sometime when the kids will be bigger though, cuz it looked a little dangerous to walk down with kids. Ya, definitely, you should have come and visited me with yr family! U're most welcome!!! :)

[naaz123]

Hello girlies!
Guess what....My pregnancy got very complicated in the last couple of weeks and on August 9th, I delivered little, baby Zayed by emergency c-section. Zayed is less than 2 lbs and is very very tiny! His new home is in an incubator right now, but he sleeps peacefully in there. I heard him cry yesterday for the first time. He sneezed on me about 6 times (even his sneezes are tiny!) And I got to change a poopie diaper for the first time too. How such a tiny butt can create such a big mess is a mystery to me! Anyway...please please pray that Zayed gets stronger and healthier every day and that we can bring him home perfectly ok in a month or two. That's all for now. Love ya all!
Naaz

[sweety_21]

Hello girlies!
Guess what....My pregnancy got very complicated in the last couple of weeks and on August 9th, I delivered little, baby Zayed by emergency c-section. Zayed is less than 2 lbs and is very very tiny! His new home is in an incubator right now, but he sleeps peacefully in there. I heard him cry yesterday for the first time. He sneezed on me about 6 times (even his sneezes are tiny!) And I got to change a poopie diaper for the first time too. How such a tiny butt can create such a big mess is a mystery to me! Anyway...please please pray that Zayed gets stronger and healthier every day and that we can bring him home perfectly ok in a month or two. That's all for now. Love ya all!
Naaz



Hey Naaz!!!!
Congratulations!!! I am really happy for you. I really do hope and pray that baby Zayed gets healthy and strong really soon. Hope Zayed brings all the luck, good wishes and hapiness in your life. Congratulations once again to you and your family, and take care.

[gujju mirchi]

Hey Naaz,
First of all,
http://img.123greetings.com/eventsnew/flwr_congratulations_baby/1011-048-02-1599.gif

And I really hope and Pray to god that Zayed becomes very healthy SOONNN and starts to ply in your arms. I wish i lived near you thn i wuld def help you write the story nyday or time. :)

Take care, and i wish the BEST for you and Zayed.

Luv, RiMa

[naaz123]

Hey Sweety and Rima,
First of all, thanks for your wishes and prayers. Secondly, my instant notification on email is finally working again. YAY! So maybe I'll get everyone's messages sooner now. Zayed is doing better now. He just reached 2 lbs yesterday so he's not as tiny anymore (however he's not much bigger either!). They took out his IV so now he can wear clothes. The clothes are so tiny and he doesn't even completely fit into the small outfits so the nurse had to find even smaller ones! Well, I gotta get going, but soon I'll post a pic of Zayed in my profile. I tried just now, but the pic has to be smaller. I'll upload it to some website and then post it soon. So check back. Lots of love to everyone. Oh, almost forgot. I plan on spending my car ride back and forth to the NICU to write more of the story, so stay tuned for that too!
Naaz

[naaz123]

Hey everyone! I've been so busy...and I feel so guilty for not writing more of the story. So instead, I decided to post a couple of pics of Zayed. It's while I was giving him a bath for the first time. :) You can see Zain messing with my cell phone in the back! Hope u like them! Love,
Naaz

http://i14.tinypic.com/5yrbc50.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/642jj21.jpg

[naaz123]

Wow...those came out huge! Oh well.

[sweety_21]

Zayed is such a cute little baby, and so is Zain...It was nice to see their pictures and I truly wish and hope that Zayed comes out of those tubes and wires soon...he does look healthier in the second picture and I hope he gets healthy very soon.

[gujju mirchi]

heyyy.............Zayed and Zain both look so cute.

i agree wit sweety_21.....zayed looks healthier and so i realy wish that he comes HOME soonnnn!!! insha'allah

to Zayed: Please Open your eyes and see that ur surrounded by a beautiful family : )

take care

[mrboopathy]

NiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNi ceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNice NiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNiceNice

[naaz123]

Hey everyone...I haven't had time at all to write any more of my story. I think about it, but it never happens. Life is very stressful lately. But the good news is that Zayed is home now. I've attached another pic of Zayed from a few days ago. By the grace of God and with everyone's prayers, Zayed is doing very well, masha'allah. Hope u like the pic!
By the way, does anyone have Facebook? If u do, send me a PM and we can chat thru there.
Naaz
http://i23.tinypic.com/33wmz9t.jpg

[sweety_21]

Hey Naaz, where have you been, it has been so long since you replied, I am really missing your story and shamu, please I hope you wont abandon this fan-fic, it was going awesome and I really want to read more,
waiting patiently
and loadssssss of love Sweety <3333333333
continue soon :)
p.s. I hope both your children, your husband and you, all of you are doing really well, god bless

[naaz123]

Aw, how sweet! I miss u too! I will try (try being the key word here) to write some more. I was telling someone else who asked a while ago that I will try to just finish it and then u guys won't have to wait for new parts anymore. We'll see. Maybe I'll have it in parts or maybe all done in one go. Wish me luck!!! And thanks a million for yr patience!!!
Love,
Naaz

[Rev]

Hi Naaz & everybody out there!

Humsafar Kkaun simply rocks. Its awesome beyond words. Just wanted to know if I've lost the thread or has it been removed by the forum admin ppl. I hope Zaid and Zain are doing fine.

Eagerly awaiting the next chapter.....Rev

[naaz123]

Hi Rev,
It's so nice to see that u've been reading the story! I just haven't had time to write more but I've recently started back up again. I hope to have the next installment by the end of the week so stay tuned. If u can see this message, then u'll be able to see the next part. Admin has been very kind and hasn't deleted my thread yet!
So u seem to know about the story and my kids (who are a little sick by the way). How bout u? Tell us a little about yrself! And thanks for reading!
Naaz

[Rev]

Well, I'm in India and working. Got hooked to Kasamh se ven I visited my relatives (abroad) on a short vacation in Dec 07. Since I had missed out the beginning, I surfed the net and came across this forum. One thing (or shd I say thread?) led to another and before I knew it, I got more engrossed in your narrative than KS!

I'm an avid reader of M&Bs or rather had been during my teens and college days. However, I must tell you that you can give them a run for their money if you choose to go commercial:) . What I really like abt your writing is that you do justice to all your characters and each one is distinct from the other, Mrs. Malhotra included. Also, you have not made any character unrealistically negative like some of the writers do. You really have a talent and I think you shd seriously consider pursuing a future in this.

I started reading Humsafar only last week.Believe it or not, much to the irritation of my husband;) , my schedule has undergone a sea change...I come home frm office at 9-9.30 p.m., finish dinnr by 10.30 and then head for Humsafar!! Had been awake till 3-3.30 a.m. sometimes...

I guess I have written enough to bore all of you. Tell me abt yourself. What happened to the kids, is it a routine cold and cough or something else?

[naaz123]

Hi Rev,
Belieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve me, what u just wrote is not boring at all, but rather music to my ears! I am always so flattered to hear such coments and I just fly high afterwards! I'm sure u can understand that it is so rewarding to be appreciated like that. So thank u so much for sharing your feelings. He, he...up until 3 to read my story, WOW! I should send u some coffee. He, he.
About the completely negative characters that appear in almost every serial these days, ugh...my story is a sort of rebellion against that! Yes, of course, there are misunderstandings in life and one person doesn't always gel with another...however, I don't think that in life there are people in everyone's life that are constantly scheming and trying to mess other ppl up. It just doesn't happen like they show in the serials. They always make the bad guy win and the good guy is always the loser (i.e. Jay and Bani). So I'm glad u appreciate that abt my story too.
Zain and Zayed just have a cold and cough. Zayed, as u may have read, is a premature baby, so I have to really be careful that he is not overworking his lungs. So far he's ok, and insha'allah (god willing) he won't get worse. It's scary.
So what type of work do u do (if u don't mind my asking. If u'd rather not share, it's no problem)? Well, that's all for now. Thanks so much for yr comments. I really really appreciate them. :)

[Rev]

Hi Naaz,

I work for an ITES company managing financial transactions for a multinational bank. Dev Anand, Rafi, Lata, Sahir Ludhianvi, Madan Mohan, Madhubala, are my all time favourites. Dont jump to conclusions abt my age, though. I've just crossed 30. I like Aamir, Sonu nigam, Shankar Mahadevan, Sunidhi too. Basically love good music, the soft type.

I get very limited free time and that means absolutely no time for TV. Thanks to my sis, used to watch Kya Hoga Nimmo ka and loved to watch Eijaaz. Stopped watching it when the story took an absolute U turn (as it happens in most Ekta Kapoor serials).

So how long have u been in US and which part of US? Who are your favourites?

[naaz123]

Hi everyone! I finally have a new part ready after such a long wait. Thanks to everyone that has been asking for an update and everyone who has patiently waited. Please go back to page 27 to refresh yrself on where the story left off. A couple of notes:
You'll notice that I changed Upen's cousin's name back to Chiraag. There's already a Chetan in the show Kadam (the actor from Kusum) so I'll have to go back and change it to Chiraag for everything I wrote earlier.
Also, instead of pasting pictures (for clothing) and links right in the actual story, I'm going to do it separately in another post after the story. I hope this makes sense!

To Rev: Hey it's good that u love the old time actors and singers too. Those days music used to be so melodious and movies had fresh ideas! I like whatever is new and in the top ten usually. I definitely like Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan, but anything catchy (like Mauja hi Mauja or Dard e Disco lately) or romantic and melodious (like Jabse Tere Naina) is my favorite. For movies, I definitely like all the romances (DDLJ, Kuch Kuch, etc)...but recently I've really liked all the off beat (thinking man's) that may be considered a little artsy. Well, that's it...without further ado...here's the next part!

[naaz123]

Chatper 25

The next day, at least one member from each team of Kadam was required to be at the sets to receive their instructions for the entertainment round, giving the contestants only about 2 and a half days to rehearse. A few team members arrived with their partners, while others arrived solo, for one reason or another. It was the first time Mona and Upen were working together, so both of them showed up. Shamit had just arrived back from Delhi, so Riya told him to relax and she’d meet up with him with the details later.

The night before, Amey had gone straight home after his argument with Meenal. After being angry for about 2 hours, Amey finally came to his senses and tried to call Meenal. He knew that he hadn’t been the most attentive boyfriend, but he could not come to terms with suddenly breaking up with Meenal. In his insensible mind, things could still be worked out, whereas in Meenal’s mind, things were beyond repair. After the fifth time Amey called Meenal, she finally picked up. Amey started off with an “I’m sorry. What can we do to work this out?”

“Amey, this CAN’T be worked out. Our only option is to end this relationship,” said Meenal, very frustrated that Amey still wanted to continue with a relationship that obviously was headed nowhere.

“C’mon, Meenal, let’s give it a try. I love you…aur mujhe nahin lagta ke mein tumhaare bagair reh sakta hu,” said Amey in a depressing tone of voice.

“Dekho Amey, shayad tumhe meri baaton se sadma pohoncha he,” said Meenal, understanding that her discussion yesterday must’ve taken Amey by surprise. She was aware that he may not have been prepared for such a sudden break up. “I will miss you too…and the times we shared in the beginning. I’m not saying that we have to stop being friends altogether. But you should really, I mean reeeeeeeeeeeeeally think about everything I said to you yesterday and then let me know if you feel the same way.”

“Ok, I’ll think about,” said Amey, going along with Meenal. He rationalized that given some time and after some buttering up, Meenal would come around again. “Kal ki Kadam meeting ka kya karein? Will you at least come with me?”

Meenal explained to Amey that she was really busy that week and probably would only have time for a couple of short rehearsals with him. In reality, Meenal just didn’t want to be around Amey and his state of denial. He either pretended that nothing was wrong, or worse, she would have to battle with him about getting back together. Amey told her that he would attend the meeting and then give her a call to fill her in on the assignment and set up a rehearsal time.

The next day at the meeting, the participants that had arrived met with Chiraag. They found out that the task would involve acting. The actors were immediately thrilled and a sense of security about definitely doing well overcame almost all of them. Riya and Amey, standing not too far from one another gave each other an almost identical look. Both scrunched their eyebrows together and crinkled their noses and projected a shocked sort of expression that seemed to say, “AH, I can’t act!”

Chiraag continued to explain that he had a hat with pieces of paper in it. The paper had a filmi jodi from a Hindi movie. Each team would pick a piece of paper and have to act out the scene that was described in the piece of paper. Some of the scenes were romantic. Others involved acting out a scene that dealt with a parent/child relationship, and yet others were comedy scenes from popular movies. After all the teams had their assignments, Chiraag explained that the participants were supposed to try to keep the scenes authentic and true to the original filmi scene. They would be judged on overall acting and dialogue delivery. In order to help them, the editing staff had created discs with each particular scene so that the teams could watch them and recreate them. Chiraag advised that although the participants didn’t have to mimic the actors entirely, the essence of the scene should not be changed. He said, for example that a dramatic scene should not be changed to comedy or vice versa.

Everyone left excited about their new project. Riya went straight to Shamit’s house to fill him in on their assignment and to spend quality time with him after what seemed like ages. Shamit was relaxing at home. He had considered cooking something up for Riya since she was always cooking for him, but after having just returned from a hectic trip to Delhi, he decided to just have some food delivered from their favorite restaurant. When Riya arrived, Shamit greeted her, first with a kiss and then with a suspicious smile. By now, Riya knew all of Shamit’s expressions.

“What are you up to, Shamit”, Riya asked with a little excitement in her voice. Shamit indicated over to the dinner table, where he had set up a candle lit dinner. “Wow, Shamit! Yeh sab tumne bannaya,” asked Riya as she looked over the elaborate four course meal.

“Haan, maine sub banaya,” replied Shamit, looking rather guilty. “Well, bannaya to nahin lekin garam kiya he. Does that count,” he asked with a sweet smile.

“That counts,” replied Riya, nuzzling up to Shamit’s cheek. Life had gotten so busy for both of them. Even just a few months ago, neither of them knew that life would take them in such exciting yet chaotic new directions. It had been so long since they had any quality alone time together. Even when they had been alone together, they were busy rehearsing for Kadam. They just stood together in each other’s arms for a few minutes, just enjoying the silence. The smell of Riya’s favorite, malai koftas wafted up and she realized that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. The two of them sat down to eat and chat about Shamit’s performance at the wedding.

[naaz123]

After eating and talking, Riya decided that it was time to discuss what their next assignment for Kadam was. Riya was about to reach to her purse for the disc with their assignment, but before she could do so, Shamit interrupted her and handed her two boxes.

“Yeh kya he. Shamit,” asked Riya looking at the boxes.

“Isko dabba bolte he, duffer. Ha, ha. Just kidding. Just open it, darling.” said Shamit lovingly.

Riya gave Shamit a pretend dirty look for calling her a duffer, then excitedly opened the larger of the two boxes. Shamit looked on as he saw Riya transform from the business woman, celebrity chef, and talk show host that she was into the average girl next door who was still excited by a gift from her boyfriend. Shamit reflected on how, although Riya may have become much busier and more famous than when he first met her, all the celebrity had not changed her core being. She was still very down to earth, and that was why he loved her so much.

“It’s gorgeous, Shamit,” exclaimed Riya as she pulled out a pink sari with blue and silver embellishments. Underneath was a completely studded bikini blouse. Shamit, smiling ear to ear, handed Riya the second box. Riya quickly opened it and pulled out a gorgeous choker necklace which had pearls and kundan work. The earrings were equally beautiful, incorporating large pearls in a jhoomka type of earring. “How did you find time to shop and find such beautiful things,” asked Riya.

As Riya admired the gifts, Shamit admitted,” I really was not planning on doing any shopping this time. You know, the schedule was going to be hectic and there were lots of things to squeeze into a short period of time. So I was just stuck in Delhi traffic while going back to the airport and I saw this sari in the window of a small boutique. I went in and asked for it in a different color but they didn’t have any; just the one on the mannequin. So I told them to give me the one off of the mannequin!”

“Mazzak kar rahe ho? You took it off the mannequin,” asked a shocked Riya.

“Haan, yaar, mazzaak kar raha hu! I almost had to take the one off of the mannequin, but luckily they found the last sari of this design buried under some other saris. You know, my cousin is getting married in a month or so. I’d love for you to come with me and wear this sari.”

“I’d love to,” replied Riya, giving Shamit a kiss on his cheek. Then she meticulously folded the sari exactly where the original creases were and started to put it back in the box.

“Arrey, tumhe itna bhi nahin maloom ke jab koi kapde deyta he to phir modeling karni padti he,” said Shamit seriously.

“Achcha? Modeling karni padegi,” asked Riya jokingly. “Challo, after all the mehnat you’ve done today, you deserve a private showing! Riya went to Shamit’s room and carefully put on the blouse and then the sari. She thought back to her birthday when Shamit had given her the white churidaar. She felt so lucky to have someone who cared for her so much. She put on the earrings and looked at herself in the mirror. She frowned at the little bags under her eyes. She had been working so much and sleeping so little that it was taking a toll on her. Luckily, it was something that only Riya noticed and nothing that couldn’t be covered up with a little make up.

As she made the final adjustments to the palloo, she couldn’t help but notice how she looked in the bikini blouse. No matter how she draped it, there was no denying it: this was a very sexy sari. Shamit would be happy! Or would he? All of a sudden, Riya was confused. She remembered the way he looked at her when she wore the sari he gave her for Shree and Aditi’s wedding. He was mesmerized. But the next time she wore something semi revealing (during one of the events in Kadam when she wanted to wear a tank top for the physical challenge) and Shamit disapproved and told her to wear a t shirt instead. Riya decided that Shamit must’ve been in a bad mood during the Kadam event and that he must like Riya in such clothes if he bought another such sari for her. She probably would have mulled it over in her head some more to make more sense of the situation, but she heard Shamit calling her and hurried back to present the “fashion show”.

Riya came down the stairs looking as glamorous as a Bollywood actress at the Filmfare Awards. She posed at the bottom of the staircase and then sashayed over to Shamit, who was standing with a pleased look on his face. When Riya got close enough, he took her finger and twirled her around. Then he caressed Riya’s face starting a little above her temple and curved down to her chin. He, then kissed her forehead and told her she looked more beautiful than he had imagined. Riya was delighted with Shamit’s response and didn’t want the moment to end. Unfortunately it was getting late and Riya still had to tell Shamit about the next Kadam assignment and watch the video with him. Shamit noticed Riya’s smiling face become a bit disappointed and asked her what was wrong.”

“Itni der hogayi he and we haven’t even talked about Kadam yet. We have to act this time! Last time to aasani se bach gaye the. Is baar to bhagwan hi bachchae,” exclaimed Riya.

“Oh my God! Acting karni padegi,” asked Shamit, shocked by Riya’s revelation.

“I’ll just go change and we can watch the disc with our scene,” said Riya. Before she could head towards the stairs, Shamit stopped her and said,

“Why don’t you just keep the sari on for a little longer? You can change afterwards,” requested Shamit, with raised eyebrows. How could Riya refuse? She nodded yes and then explained that the participants picked from many different types of scenes. They had ended up with a non romantic one. Shamit was a little upset that it wasn’t a romantic one, but was happy they didn’t get comedy, as that was definitely not one of his fortes.

Shamit popped in the disc and they both got cozy on the couch. Riya put her feet up, careful not to wrinkle the sari, and leaned her back on Shamit’s chest while resting her head between Shamit’s neck and shoulder. Shamit wrapped his arms around Riya’s and the clip began. The scene started and both Shamit and Riya were very familiar with it. It was the scene from Jab we Met in which Shahid Kapur and Kareena Kapoor are sitting on a dock above a lake (while on their way to Bhatinda).

Shamit and Riya watched the scene a few times and started discussing whether they were going to enact the scene exactly like the original or whether they wanted to add some creativity to it. They both decided that since neither was any good at acting, they’d keep it as simple as possible and just copy the scene entirely. Shamit got up to sit directly next to Riya and started to say the dialogues. As he recited the lines, he heard footsteps in the background. Both Riya and Shamit turned and noticed Shamit’s mom at the entrance to the living room.

[naaz123]

http://i32.tinypic.com/300v0ci.jpg

[naaz123]

Do din, aur sirf ek email. Haiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii disappointment. :(

[sweety_21]

yeah!!!!!!!you continued, omg i can't tell you how excited i am, i am so sorry i didnt reply earlier, i read your message but i have been really sick, plus i was travelling so i didnt get a chance to read the new chapter, i am sorry
but i really loved the new chapter, lets see how their acting turns up, i hope both shamu and riya stay in kadam and win, (please make shamu win this, i bet kadam is more prestegious than fg anyways lol)
do continue again, i love this story so much, and i love the author even more
=D lol
take care
~sweety

ps i love the saree and the jewellery shamu "bought" for riya, they look gorgeous on rani;)

[naaz123]

Hey sweety!
Thanks so much for yr comments. Aw, u're sick??? I hope u're doing much better today. I know everyone's busy, but since I wrote after such a long time, I was hoping for instant feedback. But I totally understand. U know, it took me forever to write the next part and all of u waited, so I should be more patient too.
About who's gonna win the Kadam show, u'll have to wait and see! No hints! Sorryyyyyyyyyyyyy! He, he...I hope to have the next part posted within a week so stay posted! :) Love ya too!
Naaz

[naaz123]

Hey everyone! Sorry to take so much time to write the next part, but it's been a little hard to concentrate. I've finally written some more and just have to finish it up, so I will post soon, god willing! Thanks to everyone for their patience! Lots of love,
Naaz

[naaz123]

Hello my dear patient friends. I finally have the next part for u. Thanks to my two buddies who kept pushing me to write. I hope it was worth the wait. Please excuse any errors as I'm just posting it without really going over it again much. Also, earlier, I said that Shamit and Riya are doing a scene from DDLJ, but now I've changed that to Jab We Met.

I wrote this part the same way I've been writing in the past, but the next parts will pick up the pace a bit, skip ahead a few months, and get the story going. So stay tuned for all of that.

Finally, later on, I'm going to paste the links to the you tube scenes that the participants performed. A lot of times the video gets deleted, so if u're interested, watch em right away, cuz there's no telling how long before they'll be deleted by you tube. Ok, hope u all comment soon! Enjoy!

[naaz123]

Both Riya and Shamit were a bit startled by Mrs. Tyagi’s presence. Riya wondered how long Mrs. Tyagi was watching them and feared that she may have seen them cuddling on the couch. The truth was that Mrs. Tyagi had just walked in when the couple noticed her. Shamit had been gone for a few days and she missed her son, so she came over unannounced. It was her son’s house after all and she didn’t need his permission to spend time with him. Little did she know that Riya had beat her to it. Riya quickly got to her feet and greeted Mrs. Tyagi by folding her hands and saying, “Namaste”.

Shamit went up to his mom and squeezed her shoulders. He asked how she was while taking some bags from her hands and putting them to the side. She said her health hadn’t been so good in the past few days but that she’d be fine now that Shamit was back. She then looked at Riya and asked if she had just come from a party. Shamit explained that he had brought the sari back for Riya to wear at his cousin, Saurabh’s wedding. Shamit’s mother just raised her eyebrows and slightly nodded her head in acknowledgement of her son’s statement. Riya felt exremely uncomfortable and excused herself to change out of the sari. After changing, Riya wanted nothing more than to bolt out of Shamit’s house without looking back. She decided that would be a little impolite, so she sat across from Shamit and Mrs. Tyagi. After a brief, uncomfortable silence, Riya told Shamit she’d call him about rehersals in the morning and that she really had to get going. Shamit really didn’t want Riya to leave, however he could see how uncomfortable she was so he said he’d drop Riya to her car.

When he got back in, Mrs. Tyagi asked how his show in Delhi went. Shamit excitedly started to tell her the details, when she interrupted Shamit abrubtly and mentioned that she didn’t like the sari he got for Riya.

“Apne ghar ke function me agar aa hi rahi he to dhung ke kapde pahen ne chahiye, na,” asked Mrs. Tyagi smugly.

“Maa, lekin aaj kal to saari ladkiyan aisi hi sari pehen rahi he,” responded Shamit. He tried to convince his mom for a few minutes, but Shamit knew it was no use arguing with his mother when she took such an adamant stance on something. He finally took it as an opportunity for his mom to do something for Riya.

“Challo theekh he ma. Agar aap ko sari itni buri lagti he, to aap apni taraf se Riya ko koi sari deyna joh voh shaadi mein pehan sake. Theekh he,” asked Shamit hopefully. Mrs. Tyagi nodded in agreement. Now that she had the sari issue off her chest, she was genuinely ready to hear about Shamit’s show. The mother and son settled on the couch and had a great conversation discussing a multitude of topics, none of which included Riya.

After a couple of days, it was Kadam’s entertainment round. The hosts were Jay Bhanushali and Panchi Bora (Neev and Prachi) from Ekta’s show, Kayamath. Since the competition was about acting, the judges this evening were all Bollywood actors. Jay started things off by inviting Ekta’s brother, Tushar Kapoor onto the stage. Ekta always included her brother in any venture possible, as she believed that there was nothing better than supporting the family. Then Panchi introduced Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra and asked them to take their seats next to Tushar.

Next, the hosts asked all of the contestants to come on stage. Once everyone had gathered, Jay announced that Eijaaz Khan and Natasha were eliminating themselves from the show due to a demanding shooting schedule and upcoming filming in London. Jay also mentioned that the two were there only to say their goodbyes and they had to leave for the airport in just a few hours. All of the contestants were shocked and saddened to hear the news. Everyone was given a moment to say goodbye and wish Eijaaz and Natasha good luck on their upcoming big screen roles. After the two left the stage, Panchi announced that although Eijaaz and Natasha had eliminated themselves, after the third day of Kadam, two more people would still be eliminated and therefore the participants should try and do their very best.

Eijaaz and Natasha left the stage and the show started again after a break. The hosts explained the rules of the entertainment round to the audience, reminding the participants that although they were allowed a little bit of margin for creativity in their performances, the scene’s essence should not be changed. Finally, the hosts introduced the first contestants, Iqbal and Neha. Their clip was from the movie Swades. It was the scene in the movie in which the two main characters are having a discussion about India’s economic situation while they are having a meal.

After the clip was shown, Iqbal and Neha took their positions on the stage. Iqbal was dressed in a dark blue polo shirt and jeans, while Neha had her hair in a ponytail and was dressed rather simply in a plain, yellow cotton sari. Both were seated on the floor, each with a plate of real food in front of them. The two had decided that they were going to play it safe and not add anything to the scene. They were confident in their acting abilities and wanted their rendition (sans any gimmicks) to get them a good score. The only “extra” added to their performance was that Iqbal imitated Shahrukh’s voice and stuttering style of speaking. Iqbal and Neha gave a flawless performance that ended with a thunderous round of applause. All three judges gave favorable comments and commended Iqbal for his excellent imitation of Shahrukh Khan. Iqbal and Neha were estatic with their performance and knew they had nailed it.

Next, Aashka and Chetan did a comedy scene from Munna Bhai. Aashka was dressed as Circuit and Chetan as Munna. They walked out in a tapori fashion and started their scene. The scene was extremely funny and the two had cracked themselves up many times while rehearsing. At the present, however, Aashka and Chetan had zoned everything out and concentrated solely on giving the best performance possible. The audience was entertained and laughed at all the right spots. Just like Iqbal and Neha before them, Aashka and Chetan also received a hearty round of applause, as well as accolades from the judges. Aashka was especially appreciated for her rendition of Circuit.

After a break, it was time for Amey and Meenal to perform their scene. Amey had shown Meenal the clip, and to her dismay, it was an extremely romantic scene from the movie Veer Zara, in which Shahrukh carries an injured Preity over a bridge. Any of the actors participating in Kadam would have loved to have done this scene. The problem was, however, that in the course of two days, Meenal and Amey had not practiced together even once. After seeing the scene, Meenal told Amey that it was such an easy scene that they could practice separately and put it together on stage with ease. The truth of the matter though, was that Meenal had no intention of Amey lifting her up a dozen times for the sake of rehearsal, nor did she want to exchange any pleasantries with him, even if it was for Kadam. Meenal used the genuine excuse of her prior engagements and insisted that practicing was just not going to happen this time. Amey was doubtful but could not win against Meenal’s resolve.

The two went on stage completely unaware of how they were going to do. At least they were well dressed for the scene. Amey wore a leather jacket and jeans and was holding a bag. Meenal was wearing a shalwar kameez and was looking very pretty with her hair down. For lack of a partner to rehearse with, Amey had practiced at home with a sack of rice and knew the dialogues inside out. Meenal, on the other hand had only watched the clip a few times and it showed. The scene started with the echo of running water in the background. The beginning was simple but Meenal kept forgeting her lines. Amey still attempted to maintain the playful mood of the conversation required in the scene. At the point where Amey had to lift Meenal up, the backpack fell and the performance took an uncomfortable pause. Amey decided to leave the bag and just pick Meenal up. The one line that Meenal knew by heart was, “Aap kitni baar mujhe bachaenge”. She said it without much emotion and without looking at Amey. Amey, still in character, responded appropriately and looked at Meenal lovingly. The music for Tere Liye started, while Amey carried Meenal off stage. The audience, not too happy with the performance clapped briefly.

[naaz123]

***PLEASE SEE PREVIOUS PAGE FOR MY COMMENTS AND THE BEGINNING OF THIS PART.***

The judges’ comments were not kind and actually quite harsh towards Meenal. They even mentioned that if points could be awarded individually, Amey would get a good score, especially for his improvisation in the parts that went wrong due to Meenal. The judges asked Amey why the performance wasn’t the best it could’ve been and whether he blamed Meenal for their failure. Amey knew that Meenal had been busy, so he attempted to respond to the judges without making Meenal look bad. The judges weren’t satisfied with Amey’s responses and asked Meenal the same questions. Meenal wanted nothing more than to just quit the show so that she didn’t have to work with Amey anymore, however she knew that if she mentioned anything about the troubles between herself and Amey, it would be all over the media. She had many upcoming ventures and just couldn’t risk any negative publicity at this point in her career. She graciously took the blame off of Amey’s shoulders and said,

“I know this will sound a lot like an excuse, but this week I really didn’t have any time to rehearse with Amey. If given a chance, I promise to do better next time.”

Without wasting any more time, the hosts thanked Amey and Meenal for their performance and introduced the next two participants, Kanchi and Shakti who were doing a comedy scene from the movie Golmaal. After the disappointment of Amey and Meenal’s performance, the show needed a little lightening up and that is exactly what it got. Kanchi was known for her free spirited and fun loving character, Ananya on her show Ek Ladki Anjaani Si. Although Shakti had also played a few light hearted characters, he was very well known as the slightly tough and very serious host of the show Crime Patrol. No one in the audience would have guessed that Kanchi and Shakti had such great comedic timing. The audience laughed and laughed as both of them delivered an impeccable performance. The judges were extremely happy with the performance and gave them a perfect score.

After another break, it was time for Riya and Shamit to perform their scene from Jab We Met. Shamit wore eyeglasses along with a casual shirt and jeans. Riya was wearing a pretty kurti and khakhi capris and was supposed to be eating an apple while she spoke. The middle of the stage was somewhat elevated and had a bench on top of it to represent the dock that Shahid and Kareena are sitting on in the scene. It was high enough that the two could dangle their feet. During rehersals, the task seemed easy enough and both Shamit and Riya did fairly well. Riya came on stage a little nervous that she wouldn’t have a teleprompter to rely on, like she did on her talk show. Nevertheless she was accustomed to facing an audience and harnessed the nervous energy to her advantage. The scene started off nicely with Riya and Shamit giving a fairly decent performance.

In the middle of the performance however, Riya swallowed a bite of the apple and started talking too soon. Riya choked a little and started to cough. The coughing lasted only a few seconds but it seemed like such a long time to Riya. She quickly regained her composure and started talking where she left off. Her voice was scratchy and she needed to repeatedly clear her throat throughout the rest of the performance. Kanchi and Neha were sitting next to each other in the front row of the audience. They had become exceedingly jealous of Riya’s impeccable past performances and were delighted that something went wrong this time. While Riya had started coughing they began to quietly snicker about the mishap. Meenal was sitting next to Kanchi and overheard the two. Kanchi, noticing that Meenal was listening, said,

“Finally, Ms. Perfect messed up. What a relief, na, Meenal,” she asked Meenal snobbishly.

Anyone would have sympathized with Meenal if she had negative feelings towards Riya. Afterall, it was Riya who was the object of Amey’s distraction and the main reason for Amey and Meenal’s breakup. Meenal, however did not hold any of the recent occurences against Riya, as she knew that Riya was an innocent bystander. She thought back to the time when Riya worked so hard to help sell Meenal’s albums during one of Kadam’s events. She looked Kanchi in the eye and said,

“Riya meri dost he and she’s a very good person. Bohot hi buri baat he ke voh udhar choke ho rahi he aur tum uska mazzak uda rahe ho.” Meenal turned away and joined in with the audience who were clapping at the end of the performance. Even though Riya’s voice was crackly, she managed to say all of her lines. At the end, Riya and Shamit jumped off of the bench as if they were jumping into the lake.

The judges were not as kind as the audience. Tushar said he wasn’t impressed with the performance, but didn’t give any reasoning. Priyanka said that Riya’s performance lacked the energy and sense of deewangi that Kareena’s character portrayed in the original scene. Akshay commented that he too felt that Riya could’ve put more energy into her performance. He went on to say that the show must always go on and he appreciated that Shamit and Riya continued despite her choking episode and scratchy voice. Akshay said that he’d give one extra point for the fact that they persevered despite the obstacle.

Next, it was Upen and Mona’s turn. They had to perform a very dramatic scene from the movie Devdas. Upen wore the trademark Devdas white Bengali dhoti with a kurta and angavastra (a dupatta type material, draped over the shoulder). Mona was wearing a beautiful sari and had her hair pulled over to one side, over her shoulder. The two of them, although dressed for the part to a tee, were probably the ones that were most unfit to play Devdas and Chandramukhi. Upen was brooding and macho, while Devdas was sweet and vulnerable. Mona was slightly tomboyish while Chandramukhi was the epitome of femininity. In the days preceeding, Upen and Mona decided that although they made an unlikely romantic pair, they needed to overcome the stereotypes and give a stellar performance.

The two went on stage and the scene was doomed from the start. The dialogue right at the beginning of the scene involved a lot of words in shudh Hindi that Upen was not familiar with. He fumbled through the dialogue at first, but quickly remembered the correct words and started to do better. Mona started off well, but due to her clumsy nature, something was bound to go wrong. Mona was supposed to gently carress Upen’s cheek, however she slipped just as she was approaching Upen and slapped him instead. The unsuspecting Upen was taken aback and his reaction showed it. Mona was embarrassed, however she couldn’t stop giggling. Upen gave Mona a dirty look and indicated that they should keep going. Luckily for Mona, the next part involved her grasping Upen’s arms and leaning her head down to cry. Mona’s laughter was now uncontrollable and she had tears coming out of her eyes, which, ironically, worked in her favor, since the audience was not able to make out that she was laughing and not crying.

The judges, on the other hand, were closer and did indeed notice the botched up performance. Akshay, once again stated that when someone is performing on stage, the show must always go on no matter what goes wrong. He continued to say that a true performer will salvage his performance in a way that the audience would not even realize that something was off. Because the two attempted to keep going, Akshay said he would not give them as low a score as he wanted. Priyanka slightly disagreed with Akshay and stated that she thought Upen did exactly what Akshay was talking about and she commended Upen for continuing even though he got slapped in the face. Priyanka also said that since they were able to complete their performance, however sloppy, they deserved somewhat better marks than others who had done worse than them. Tushar didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk much and simply said he agreed with Priyanka and Akshay’s comments.

After another break, it was the final couple’s turn. Shama and Manav were doing the scene from the movie Hum Tum where Saif Ali Khan’s character comes over to Rani Mukherjee’s house at 2am and they are discussing arranged marriages. Shama and Manav were the only team to add something different to their scene. They decided that they would do the entire scene as if they were Hema Malini and Dev Anand. Shama and Manav were probably the only two that could’ve succeeded in the impersonations, and success is what they got. The audience went wild and along with the judges, gave a standing ovation! The two were the only team to receive perfect scores. The participants’ scores were displayed on a big screen, showing which ranking they got. The hosts announced that Shama and Manav were leading with a perfect score. Next were Iqbal and Neha, Aashka and Chetan, and Kanchi and Shakti in a three way tie, followed by Upen and Mona, then Riya and Shamit, and finally Amey and Meenal with the lowest scores. The judges hinted that tomorrow the physical round would have a lot of masti, but it would be difficult, as well. They said good night and the show ended.

[awall21]

YAY, totally worth the wait!!!!
Thanks for updating!!!!

[naaz123]

Aw, thanks! I'm glad it was worth it! :)


YAY, totally worth the wait!!!!
Thanks for updating!!!!