Humsafar KKaunh

[naaz123]

Hey everyone,
Anita's fan fic inspired me to put into writing a fan fic that's been in my head for ages. It has nothing to do with Kasamh Se, but I hope u guys don't mind it being here. The title should probably be something else, but I haven't figured anything good out yet, so I'm spoofing Ekta's style of double K's and other letters that appear for no apparent reason. I'll submit more chapters as I write them. For now, this is what I have. Please let me know what you think. Please also check out Anita's fan fic at http://forum.indya.com/showthread.php?t=7631. Both of us love feedback, so please let us know what you think!
Naaz

[naaz123]

Intro

This fan fic begins somewhere in the middle of Indian Idol 2. It's more of a narrative (like a book) than a screen play or television episode. Amey Date and Meenal Jain are starting to like each other. Both of them know it but neither has really admitted it yet to each other, however their co-contestants have started to tease them about their friendship. In my fan fic, there is a character named Riya, and the story is mostly written in her perspective. I'm assuming that people have watched Indian Idol 2, so I'm not giving too much description for the Idol characters. Riya is Amey's neighbor. Her parents were both killed in a car crash when she was 17. Since then, Amey's mom, who they both call Ayi, has looked after her. Although Riya is very independent and supports herself, (somewhat with the money left behind by her parents), Ayi mostly serves as a moral support and as a mother figure whenever Riya has any problems. Amey and Riya's families have been neighbors for many decades, hence they've known each other since childhood. Riya loves Amey and would do anything for him, but she doesn't think Amey realizes that she loves him. She isn't about to let on either, realizing that she may lose his friendship, which is much more dear to her. Amey, until the point of his new found stardom, considered Riya his best friend, but has always taken her for granted. He's also changed a little due to the fame that Indian Idol 2 has brought him and with the friendship of Meenal Jain, has somewhat forgotten to pay attention to his one true friend, Riya.

Chapter 1

On a rare occasion, between shootings, all contestants of Indian Idol 2 are allowed to go for dinner at Amey Date's house. The producers believed that the contestants morales were low due to being away from family for so long and after hearing so much harsh criticism from all of the judges. All contestants were familiar with Amey's mom and therefore the producers thought it would be a nice (and short) outing for everyone. Amey's mom enlisted Riya's help in all preparations for the night. Riya, being a caterer, planned and prepared all of the food. Riya was following in the footsteps of her late mother, who was also a caterer. Riya, however, not only took over her mom's business where she left off, but also implemented new and innovative catering ideas, which are starting to get the attention of members of Bombay's high society.

It's 6pm and the Idol contestants arrive in 2 separate vans, followed by the camera crew in a separate van. Amey is all smiles - ecstatic to be home again with his dear Ayi. Ayi is also gleaming with joy. Although she gets to go to the Idol shootings, she misses having her son at home and around her every day. Amey leads everyone into the spacious living room (*different from the show in which Amey has a pretty small home. I'm taking some creative liberty here and changing the facts a little*). Riya has done a fabulous job of setting up some floor pillows and candles to create a comfortable yet stylish environment. Amey says that everyone already knows his mom so he goes on to introduce Riya. He simply states that Riya is his neighbor. All the Idols say hi and some shake hands. Ayi thinks that the introduction is not sufficient and she proudly adds:

"Not only is Riya our neighbor, but she and Amey have been friends since childhood. She is a darling and has decorated the house and prepared all the food. Iski vajay se maine aaj koi kaam nahin kiya. Meri achchi beti he yeh." and gives Riya's shoulders a squeeze.

Riya looks a little embarrassed, but everyone talking at the same time says how nice the living room looks. Sandeep mentions how hungry he is and the others join in. Riya and Ayi guide everyone into the dining room where all the food is set up and being kept warm. Everyone grabs a plate and serves them selves. All of the Idols and the crew are scattered throughout the flat and are enjoying the tasty food. The camera crew begins filming. They take shots of people eating, of Amey standing by his mom, random shots of the flat, including Amey's room, and of photographs found on the showcase and throughout the flat. All of the contestants and crew compliment Riya and say that the food was the best they've had in months.

Karunya and Anuj decide that before they leave, they should have a little bit of singing and dancing. Amey thinks it’s a great idea, but they're kind of confused as to which song to sing first. Riya says:

"Amey, apna favorite waala kyu nahin gaate"?

Amey has a big smile on his face. He pretends to have a microphone in his hand and starts singing, "Meri yeh masti mere yeh nakhre, pagal deewane hum bikhre bikhre...darti he kya, mujhko tu chak re, aur mein bollu tujhe kya? Bindas" from Krishna Cottage. Riya is now next to Amey and they are singing together into Amey's hand (which, again, he's holding like a mike). They're both dancing similarly, as if they've danced to the song many times before. Everyone notices that Riya not only sings fantastic, but also dances extremely well. Meenal can't help but think to herself that Riya knows Amey very well and they're both so comfortable with each other. Bindas with each other, like the song. Meenal realizes that she has not achieved that comfort level with Amey yet. They're still at an awkward stage where they're on their best behaviors and they're trying to please one another. Meenal's thoughts are interrupted as the whole gang is up and dancing all around Amey and Riya. Karunya has moved in between Amey and Riya and is doing his trademark shrugging his shoulders moves, and Riya follows suit and matches his moves perfectly. Meenal, not losing any time, makes her way towards Amey and starts dancing with him as they all scream, Bindaas, Aha.

Riya, sees Meenal and wonders if the rumors about Amey and Meenal are true. Riya's had no chance to speak to Amey directly in the weeks since the rumors have started. She would also never ask Ayi even though she's very close to her. Riya hoped that the rumors were false and nothing more than media hype. In the bottom of her heart, she still hoped that someday Amey would grow up and see herself as a love interest rather than the girl next door. If the rumors were true though, Riya feared, her dream of being with Amey would never become reality. Just then, Riya watches, like a deer caught in the headlights, as Amey grabs Meenal's hand and leads her down the long corridor that leads to his bedroom. Riya's eyes lose their sparkle and a sad look comes across her face for only a small second. She quickly pretends not to have noticed and continues to dance with Karunya, Antara and Sandeep, who have also joined the two.

[awall21]

Wohoooooo I'm so excited to read your stuff!!!
Aww thanks your so sweet!

I'm on lunch right now so now I have something to read... :D

[awall21]

Nicceeeeeeeee!!!! Two thumbs way up!!!!!! LOL, sorry this thing only lets me give you one though! :p JUST IMAGINE okay..... sorry couldn't help myself.

Good stuff something very refreshing to read as oppposed to the KS crap that has been going on. I'm very impressed, not that I should be surprised, you did tell me you are a good writer. Good use of imagry I felt like I was there, wishe I could have had some of that food too! Alright time to actually eat, I'm starved!!!!!

Later days and have an amazing weekend!!!!!!

[naaz123]

Meanwhile, Amey takes Meenal to his room to show her around. Right as they enter, Ayi calls Amey and he tells Meenal he'll be right back. Meenal looks around and sees one wall with a significant number of Kishore Kumar and Sonu Nigam clippings pieced together to form a collage. His dresser is a nice display for his numerous singing trophies and awards, one of which is for Sa Re Ga Ma. Meenal notices the same trophy in a photograph on his dresser. It's a photo of Sonu Nigam presenting the trophy to Amey. She remembered hearing that Amey had won in a Sa Re Ga Ma final back in the 90's. She picks up a photo album and starts to page through it, as she waits for Amey to come back. It looks like a scrapbook of sorts that Ayi must've made for Amey. Meenal grins at the cute photographs of Amey from his childhood. The following pages have newspaper clippings and ads of the various shows Amey has done with his guru, Suresh Wadkar. The next few pages took Meenal by surprise. They were of Amey and Riya. Amey and Riya dancing together, goofing off, feeding each other birthday cake, dressed up at a party; the pictures seemed endless. Yes, Amey's mom had mentioned that Amey and Riya knew each other since childhood, but Meenal didn't realize that they were so close that pages of an album would be dedicated to the two. Maybe they were like brother and sister. Maybe. An unsettling feeling came over Meenal, but she put it aside as Amey emerged through the door of his room.

"We have to go now", he announced. "Producers ka phone aa gaya he aur bol rahe ke jaana hogga humme". They all got ready to leave.

Everyone but Meenal and Amey hugged Riya and thanked her for the wonderful dinner. All of the contestants did "pair choona" to Ayi and she gave them all her "ashirwaad". Amey's eminent departure was making Ayi sad and tears were already welling up her in eyes. "Ayi, I'll see you in a couple of days during the Gala round", he whispered to her in Marathi. He then turned to Riya, who was standing close by and said, "Ayi ka khayal rakhna."

Riya replied, "Of course", followed by a depressing "Bye".

Ayi interjected, "Bacchi ne itna acha organize kiya sub kuch aur itna mazedar khanna bannaya, usko thanks to bol".

Amey realizing his thoughtlessness, turned to say thanks to Riya and to give her a hug, but got pulled out of the house by Karunya and only managed to give her a quick, "Thanks, Riyu". Ayi watched them go down the stairs and as the last head disappeared down the stair well, she closed the door. She grabbed Riya and gave her a big hug, with tears flowing down her face. "Thanks, beta...abh jaa kar so ja. Bohot thak gayi hoggi. Kal sub saaf safayi kar leynge".

Riya was indeed tired and quite sad at the thought of Amey dating Meenal, so she didn't argue with Ayi. She hugged Ayi tightly and said, "Theekh he Ayi. Aap bhi so jao aur zyada ronna mat. Do chaar dinno ki to baat he aur phir aap Amey ke saath honge. Good night, Ayi".

Riya went home and, not following her own instructions to Ayi, cried a river. She was heartbroken. The thought that "jab se hosh sambhala tub se voh Amey se pyaar karti he" just kept circling her mind. But, being the practical girl that she was, she quickly wiped her tears and starting analyzing the situation. Why was she crying? She knows that she never gave Amey any inkling that she loves him. And even if he knew...would he love her back? Probably not. If there was any chance, he wouldn't have started to like Meenal. That was it. Riya had in one instant decided that she was going to be happy for Amey and Meenal. She declared to herself that her love for Amey was probably just friendship type of love or just teenage infatuation that had followed her into her young adult life. She also concluded that since she never tried to love anyone else and since no one worthy ever came into her life, she never really figured out her feelings for Amey. She was not going to be in love with Amey anymore. That's that. She went to sleep thinking of one of Sir Thomas' poems:

Yes, Loving is a painful thrill.
And not to love more painful still.
But oh it is the worst of pain
To love and not be loved again.

[*blossom*]

nice but what does this hav 2 do with kasamh se

[awall21]

Great second chapter, looking forward to more! Well I know you've gone for a trip this weekend with the hubby and baby sooooooo I'll catch up with you on Monday!

Take care!

[naaz123]

nice but what does this hav 2 do with kasamh se

Hi Blossom,
My story has absolutley nothing to do with KS. If you notice in my intro, I just put it here since my friends at the KS forum wanted to read it. If anyone has a problem though, I'll move it to the (very much dead) Indian Idol forum. Thanks for reading it though! I'll put up more soon.
Naaz

[naaz123]

Chapter 2

A few days had passed since the dinner party at Amey’s house. It was late morning and most of the contestants were doing their last minute preparations for the Gala round which would be held in a couple of hours. Although the gala rounds are telecast at night, the filming is done during the afternoon. Antara and Meenal were the only girls left in the competition. While Antara was busy practicing away with her IPOD, Meenal decided that she wanted to look up Amey’s Sa Re Ga Ma video online. After having seen the trophy and the photograph of a young looking Sonu with an even younger looking Amey, Meenal’s curiosity got the best of her and she wanted to see how Amey sang.

Meenal was able to find four different clips. She clicked the first one, which was a classical song. She listened to the first 2 minutes and could tell that even back then, Amey was extremely talented and had an excellent grip on “sur”. She clicked the next video, which seemed to be the judging of the best contestant. The judges mentioned that there was something about the winner that set him apart from the rest and then, they announced the scores. Amey had won by a landslide. The judges congratulated Amey and Sonu presented him with the trophy. The camera then switched to the audience. Meenal recognized Padma ma’am (from Fame Gurukul) ecstatically talking on her cell phone (probably informing her husband, (Amey’s guru) Suresh Wadkar of Amey’s victory). Next they show Ayi, hugging some woman who is crying. Then, to Meenal’s surprise, they focus on a young girl who is clapping her heart out. She looked an awful lot like Riya! Meenal replayed that section of the clip and watched closely. To her dismay, the girl was definitely Riya. That unsettling feeling took over Meenal again and she didn’t know why. After watching the clip, try as she may, Meenal had trouble focussing on her song for the Gala round and it was only a couple of hours away.

They began to film the gala and showed glimpses of the recent party at Amey’s house. As Meenal watched Amey and Riya dancing on the big screen on the stage, she took a deep breath and tried to focus and not stray from her concentration. Meenal tried her best and actually sang and performed well. Unfortunately, Meenal lost the next day. It was very sad, as many people thought that Anuj or Sandeep should have been the next to go. Meenal was strong and didn’t break down until the very end when everyone was saying their goodbyes. Off camera, Amey and Meenal said goodbye to each other nonchalantly, as not to draw any attention to their growing fondness for one another. They each longed to give the other a tight, lasting hug. Amey also longed to wipe away Meenal’s tears and tell her she was going to make it big no matter what. Kismat had other plans though, and wanted to keep the two apart for the time being. Meenal was whisked away for her interview on Taka Tak, which is broadcast directly after the elimination round. Amey was left with a forlorn look on his face and desperation in his eyes. With the shocking news of Meenal being voted out, Amey had forgotten to wave goodbye to Ayi before she left the studio. He wondered if she noticed.

Ayi had just come back from the taping of the show. She rang the doorbell to Riya’s flat. Riya was unable to make the tapings due to her hectic work schedule, so Ayi would come over after every show and give Riya a recap. Riya, dressed in jeans and a tank top, covered by an apron, opened the door and let Ayi in.

“Garma garam parathe ready hain, Ayi. Tell me what happened today”, said Riya as she placed on the table a plate of parathe, served with achar and raita, just the way Ayi liked it.

Ayi, not waiting a second, coolly stated, “Tere parathe to mein khaungi hi, lekin aj kya hua yeh nahin battaungi. Tumhe tv par hi dekhna hogga”.

Riya’s face changed from an excited expression to one of utter despair. “Don’t tell me, Ayi. Amey out hogaye? No, Ayi. Battaona, pleeeeeeease....” she begged Ayi.

“Theek he, theek he...battati hu. Pehle tu bhi thoda paratha khalle,” Ayi teased Riya and put a bite of paratha in her mouth. “Bohot acha banna he, as usual”.

Riya could no longer take Ayi’s deliberate stalling. She snatched the plate out from Ayi’s hands and demanded a recap! Ayi recounted everything and finally disclosed that it was Meenal who was voted out this time. She described the look on Amey’s face and said that he looked very sad. She went on to say that she thought that Amey might really be fond of Meenal, like the rumor mill was saying, but that Amey never mentioned it to her directly. Riya, answered only with a confused, “Oh”, which Ayi had trouble interpreting.

Ayi was always extremely fond of Riya. She had after all seen Riya grow up in front of her own eyes. She watched Riya grow from a studious, sweet little girl, to a cute, music loving adolescent, to a mature, independent and strong young woman. Throughout the years, even when her parents were still alive, Riya had always been very loving and caring towards Ayi, treating Ayi almost like a second mother. Riya was at Amey’s house so often that it was only natural that she and Ayi developed such a wonderful bond. Ayi, deep in her heart, garnered the hope that Riya would be the one who would come to her house as a bahu some day. Ayi knew Riya well, and knew she would make a good bahu. Another reason for Ayi’s secret wish was a fear that some other girl would take Amey away from her. After Ayi’s divorce with Amey’s father, Amey was all she had. She had been sharing Amey happily with Riya almost all her life. A new girl, maybe Meenal, thought Ayi, would definitely pull Amey away. Although Ayi thought all of this in the deepest crevice of her heart, she would never utter a single word of it to Amey or Riya. She trusted Amey to make the right decision and gave him the freedom to do as he wished. She would never impose her wishes on him, as her parents had imposed on her, years ago.

[awall21]

Hey Naaz,

Well done my friend! How was your weekend? So sorry but I visit this link once a day now as KS just sucks and after two weeks of not watching I expect only crap from Ekta. My repsonse are basically limited to you here and my fan fic :) Otherwise I would say to just email me for some real chit chat.

I'm taking two classes for the month Oct, so basically this should be in time for Karva Chot when I would hope things improve.... I guess let me know so I can start watching again. I'm counting on you to let me know when the show improves.:rolleyes: if thats even possible, lol.

Alright girl I'll drop you a line later today....

Later days!

[naaz123]

Meenal’s mom and sister had come with her to Bombay to try and launch Meenal’s singing career. Meenal’s father was back home in Indore, and Meenal greatly appreciated the sacrifice her mother made by leaving her father behind in order to support Meenal. Meenal didn’t want to be selfish anymore and decided to reunite her parents by taking her mom back home. After a few days of media and publicity appointments, Meenal, her mother and sister returned to Indore and to a somewhat normal life. Amey and Meenal continued to speak briefly on the phone every day. He knew Meenal was sad because of her departure from the Idol and tried to make her feel better about it. Somewhere in her mind, Meenal knew she wasn’t the same caliber as Amey and Karunya, but she had still harbored hopes of getting farther in the competition. Mostly, though, Meenal was sad to be away from Amey.

The next week at Indian Idol 2, Antara was voted out. Ayi came over to Riya’s flat once again, after the filming of the elimination round. This time she was greeted with some halwa puri and the sweet, relieved expression on Riya’s face when she found out that this time it was Antara who was voted out, and thankfully, not Amey. Riya and Ayi were becoming quite confident that Amey and Karunya would be the final two.

And then the next week, it happened. Amey was voted out and Anuj got to stay on. What chaos! The judges walked off the set in disbelief of the janta’s voting. Half of the audience threatened to walk out. Ayi was leaving the set too, as Amey called to her and said in marathi that she should not be disappointed. It was a bizzaro world where the one who should be out was still in and the one who should be in was there explaining to everyone, consoling everyone, telling them that it was OKAY. The audience finally settled down and listened to what Amey had to say. He said that Anuj definitely is a worthy and talented singer, and that Amey was out because that was his naseeb. Amey went on to sing his final song, “Kal Ho Na Ho”. All three remaining contestants (Karunya, Sandeep and Anuj) joined him. Sandeep and Karunya were teary eyed and sang with cracked voices, but Amey kept his composure and continued to sing.

Next, Amey had his Taka Tak interview with Rakshanda Khan. While talking to him, even Rakshanda couldn’t control herself and started to cry. Once again, Amey was the one doing the consoling. He said to Rakshanda, “aap sub agar roenge to mujhe bhi rullaenge”. Rakshanda trying to smile, listened on as Amey explained how much he’d gained from being on the show. The interview is over and Amey was finally able to leave.

After he left the studio, Amey found out that huge crowds of people had gathered around the studio in protest of his elimination, which they had already found out about through word of mouth (as the show hadn’t aired yet). Although Amey was amazed by the turnout, he found no real comfort in the support that he was getting and only wanted to talk to Meenal and inform her of what happened. He felt that he could really benefit from her presence today, magar afsos, she’s in Indore. Ayi was in the car waiting for Amey, and they both drove home together in silence. Amey tried calling Meenal’s cell phone every few minutes but had no luck.

They got home and entered the house. Amey hadn’t been home in two weeks now, but felt no happiness of being back home again. Riya had been waiting patiently, as Ayi usually would have returned at least 2 ago. Riya feared the worse. She heard voices and realized that Ayi was not alone. Her worst fears are confirmed as she runs through the open door of Amey’s flat and sees Amey sitting on the couch holding his head in his hands.

“You’re home” said Riya, with a dejected look on her face.

“Yes”, replied Amey with an equally dejected look.

Riya tried to uplift Amey’s spirit just a little by telling him that it was meant to be and that he should come over for dinner and watch the episode with her. She told him that they’d watch it together and then let go of what happened. “Honni ko kaun taal sakta he”?

Ayi agreed and said that the two should go. Ayi knew that at moments like this, only Riya could console Amey. Even in this trying time, she would willingly let Amey find comfort in Riya because she knew it was best for him. She also knew that Riya would make him feel better. She practically pushed both of them out of the house.

Amey could hold it together no longer. He was done consoling everyone else. He was done acting dignified. He broke down and cried. Riya had no idea what to do. This was not the Amey she knew. The Amey she knew never lost. The Amey she knew never EVER cried. Amey himself was clueless as to what was going on within him. All he knew was that he wanted to talk to Meenal and she wasn’t there.

“Amey, kuch to bollo. Kya feel kar rahe ho? Gussa, dard, udaasi, joh bhi ho, mujhe battao na. Man halka hojaye ga,” said Riya in a pleading tone.

Suddenly, Amey got up and left without uttering a single word, leaving Riya shocked and a little upset. This was the same guy that hid nothing from her. Riya remembered that Amey would bore her to death about a lot of little things in life. But Riya, being the good friend that she was, would listen to everything. This time it was different, Riya realized. Meenal had entered the picture, and Amey and Riya’s relationship was no longer the same. Riya wondered if it ever would be. With that thought, Riya turned on the tv, getting ready to watch the episode. She figured Amey would rather not watch the episode at all, or maybe would rather be comforted by Ayi. So Riya watched the episode alone. She was heartbroken at the end of it. Amey had to be so strong throughout the filming, yet he was so devasted when he was with her an hour ago. She decided that she’d go over and see if he was ready to talk yet. She went armed with the chicken tikka masala and parathas she had made for dinner.

Riya went over and knocked on the door. Ayi answered the door, looking worn.

“How’s he holding up?” asked Riya.

“What?” said Ayi with a very confused look on her face. “He’s not here, I thought he was with you???”

“Well, he was there only about two minutes before he stormed out. I just thought he came back here,” responded Riya in a worried tone of voice.

Ayi told Riya to come in, but Riya decided to go back to her own flat in case Amey came back there. They both decided that Amey probably wanted some time alone and that he was able to take care of himself. Both knew that he was probably trying to get in touch with Meenal, but neither said anything. Instead, Ayi said she’d let Riya know if Amey came back and Riya should do the same. Riya gave Ayi the food and returned home.

She waited about 2 hours for Amey to come back and when he didn’t, she fell asleep on her couch. Just as she was drifting between the waking and sleeping state, she heard a knock on her door. Riya didn’t know if it was real or if she was dreaming. She waited and heard the knock again, a little louder this time. She quickly jumped to her feet and answered her door to find a very tipsy Amey.

[awall21]

Awww he got out..... grr i'm not liking this Meenal girl at all, lol. How can he forget Riya yaar, she's his best friend? Hey he's tipsy, can he be sterotypically drunk and gush out all his feelings and then pretend not remember the next day, oops sorry not remember the next day! Don't care which girl he likes at the moment b/c he better end of with Riya!!!

Aight wrote you an essay on mines so I honestly ran out of stuff to say... just imagine

Your niece is cute, I mean all babies are cute but 1st generation mixes are definitly extra special based on dominate genes. My nephew has blue eyes, very cool I must say

Later days!

[naaz123]

Hey there...I'm ready with chapter 3! No, there's nothing stereotypical about what happens next. Well, it starts off like your regular bollywood drunk friend scene, but just wait...there's a twist. Also, u mentioned u want Riya to end up with Amey in the end...so I started thinking...is my story just like Ekta's? Am I as twisted as her and do I need to get a life because I'm kind of writing a story about star crossed lovers or people not being with the one they loved the most? And then I decided, NO. A big old whopping NO. Everyone's lives are filled with people that they meet and fall in love with, then out of love with. Some of those people become significant others and there are some who never even know you loved them. It's all part of life's experiences and about what defines your personality and opinions in the long run. You see what I'm saying? So hang in there...tumhare sabar ka phal meetha hoga....I promise. I won't drag it on forever, (especially since I'm getting no money for it) but it does have to take the road that I created in my mind before I started to criticize Ekta. Make sense? Are you ready for a long drive? :confused: I hope so! So get ready, here's the next dose.
Naaz

[naaz123]

Chapter 3

Amey gently brushed the door open and stumbled through the door.

“You went to drink, Amey”? Riya asked with a shocked expression on her face. One thing about Amey was that he never drank. He had tried a few times at the prodding of some of his peers when he was younger. Drinking just wasn’t for Amey and that showed as he staggered around Riya’s living room. He plopped himself down on Riya’s “baithak” (a Middle eastern style, lowered couch, topped with large cushions - see below for sample, but not exactly the way I imagine Riya's baithak to be) and started to talk.

“Riyu, maine sub se achcha gaya, aur janta ne mujhe hi vote nahin diya? Kya kamee reh gayi thi mere performances mein?” Amey said in a goofy (daru peene se liver kharab hojata he) Amitabh-esque way. “Maine kabhi nahin socha tha ke mein haarunga. Kya maine galat samjha? Tell me, Riyu, was I wrong?”

Riya’s eyes filled with tears and genuine concern overflowed from what she said next. She spoke slowly and with great clarity. “Amey, you sang the best. You were probably the most talented and learned singer on the show. For me, for Ayi, for all of your friends, and half of that audience tonight, you ARE the Indian Idol. You’re OUR Indian Idol. But what you have to remember is that it’s a game. The public doesn’t vote based on talent alone. You are famous now too, and...”

Amey interrupted Riya, “But I didn’t win”, and collapsed on her shoulder, unintentionally wiping the tears that wouldn’t stop flowing from his eyes all over Riya’s embroidered kurta. Riya instinctively embraced Amey and ran her hand through his hair.

“You didn’t win, but this isn’t the end. Sub kuch theekh hojayega, Amey. Tum thoda sa waqt to do. Just watch, you’re going to be bigger than whoever wins now, because you were and will always be the best”, said Riya reassuringly. She believed every word she was saying, but Amey was beyond reassurance.

“Tum samajh nahin rahi ho mein kya keh raha hu.”, he said with a defiant look on his face. “Mujhe lag raha ke meri zindagi ka maksad joh itne dinno se tha, voh mere haath se nikkal gaya. I feel not only like I’ve lost but like a loser,” Amey said. The alcohol was getting to him and he struggled a little to get the right words out. Then, suddenly, he said, “Mein jeena nahin chahata...mein yeh handle nahin kar pa raha...I just can’t go on like this.”

This scared Riya and she grabbed Amey, got really close to him and looked him straight in the eyes, saying, “Amey, hosh mein aao. You’ve got to give it some time. Think about Ayi and stop thinking about yourself. Everything will work out - sooner or later, but it will. I promise,” said Riya, trying to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes for fear of what Amey was implying to do.

What he did was something unexpected for Riya, and maybe for himself too. In one quick motion, Amey put both hands on Riya’s face and wiped the tears that had started to fall. He then held her face and came closer to her, kissing one eyelid, then the other, and then her forehead. Amey had found the consolation, the comfort and the solace that he so badly longed from Meenal. Maybe Meenal could not have even come close to the understanding that Riya showed tonight, but either way, Riya was the one who was there for him and he was overcome with drunken emotion. In his drunken state, he was confusing his desire for Meenal and the reality of Riya’s presence right then and there.

Riya, on the other hand, was completely sober, but was quickly losing herself in this, surreal, intoxicating dreamlike situation. She had been in this situation many times, but alas, only in her thoughts and teenage fantasies. After Amey’s newfound friendship with Meenal, Riya, wasn’t going to let what was happening between herself and Amey happen in her dreams, let alone in reality.

As Amey continued to gently lay kisses on Riya’s cheeks and then neck, Riya started to face the reality of her conflicting thoughts. How should she proceed? One side of her wanted to comfort Amey so badly. She wanted to give in to the kisses that felt so good, even better than what she had imagined. Amey needed her now. How would he feel if she turned him away when he had come to her after having been rejected by all of India? Noooooooooo, she thought, she couldn’t do this to him. He was drunk, hurt, and absolutely not in his senses. This wouldn’t be happening if he wasn’t drunk, she rationalized. No matter how rejected and hurt he felt for the next few hours, once he regained his “hosh”, Riya knew that Amey would think he made the biggest mistake if she let this continue. Riya, knew that she would never have Amey as a love interest in her life anymore, but she would lose him as a friend too. Amey was getting too close. She had to stop him.

Riya spoke gently and softly, “Amey, tum hosh mein nahin ho aur joh chahate ho voh nahin ho sakta.”

Amey wasn’t listening and planted a soft kiss on Riya’s lips. Why oh why, thought Riya, was God making this so difficult for her? Riya had to muster up every bit of restraint in herself to put an end to what was happening. As difficult as it was, she had to do the right thing. “Amey, rukko... Meenal ke baare mein socho”. There. She had said it to shock Amey out of his drunken stupor and back into reality, but his reaction was not what she expected.

“What good is Meenal?” said Amey, getting increasingly drowsy. “She’s not here. She didn’t answer any of my calls.” Amey looked like a little puppy. Riya felt quite sad at the state he was in.

“So jao Amey,” said Riya with a tired desperation in her voice, as she attempted to get off of the baithak.

Amey, as sleepy as he was getting, put in one last ditch effort to stop Riya from leaving his side. He grabbed Riya’s hand and pulled her down, saying, “Mat jao, Riyu, please?”, as he rested his head on her shoulder.

Riya was done battling what was happening. She said it herself, “honni ko kaun taal sakta he”. Amey was finally asleep and she didn’t want to wake him up by getting up now. Tomorrow she’d have a serious talk with him and let him know that nothing had changed, that he didn’t need to worry about anything coming out in front of Meenal, since there was nothing that could come out. They were friends and as a friend Riya let Amey cry on her shoulder. That’s all. Riya realized she was just a “tinka” in Amey’s life now. Meenal’s importance was growing in his life and maybe what happened wouldn’t even matter. Maybe Amey wouldn’t even remember when he woke up. Riya was tired and sleepy too. She started to fall asleep thinking about a few lines from a song from the movie Zindagi Rocks:

Meri dhoop hai tu, meri chau hai tu
Tu meri talab, tu mera nasha
Tu waqt mein tera lamha.

http://www.ritukumar.com/images/over_the_years/boutiques_5.jpg

[awall21]

Though I'm confused about where the story line is going to go now..... the third chapter was awesome! Basically what I had imagine but a lot better. I always feel like I'm there watching everything unfold in front of me, its kinda cool.

The only reason I was like Riya and Amey b/c one that Ayi wants. currently Riya wanted, and Riya and Amey's understanding is really good in a relationship....so I figured. I don't know much about Meenals character yet and she might turn out to be nice, so I'll give her a chance and not be to hasty in judging her, my bad. Plus, you said to hold of as there will be just rewards so I'll just wait.

Can't wait for the next part, don't forget to email me the poetry...2nd reminder!

Later days!

[naaz123]

The next morning, Riya woke up to find Amey still sleeping peacefully on her shoulder. She carefully slipped out from under his head and went into the kitchen to put on some chai. Amey’s cell phone started to ring. Amey woke up, looked around, and tried to make sense of what was going on. His head was pounding and images of him kissing Riya kept flashing into his head. He looked into the kitchen to see Riya nonchalantly making chai, as if nothing had happened. He put the heel of his palm on his forehead, scrunched up his eyebrows in pain and answered the phone. It was Ayi. Meenal was coming to his house. Amey went berserk. He started barking at Riya.

“Riyu, tumne kya kardiya? Mujhe rokka kyu nahin? Tum jaanti ho ke mein aur Meenal...phir bhi? Yeh kaisi dosti nibhayee tumne?”

Riya tried to interrupt Amey and let him know that absolutely nothing happened. She had been rehearsing what to say while she was making the chai, but now Amey was in this weird state and was assuming things that weren’t true. She tried to calm him down and said, “Amey, what are you saying? I would never betray you and nothing ha...”

Before Riya could finish her sentence, Amey interrupted her saying, “Riya, mein kuch nahin sun na chahata. Manna ke mein sharab ke nashe mein tha, lekin tum to hosh mein thi. Tumne to har had par kar di.”

“Lekin, Amey, aisa kuch hua hi nahin”, cried Riya in disbelief of what Amey was saying. Why was he mistaking a few kisses for something more? What Riya didn’t know was that all night, Amey had dreamt of things far beyond what actually occurred. Maybe it was his drunken state. Maybe it was the innermost desire of his unknowing heart. Whatever it was, he wanted nothing to do with it now. If only he’d come out and say what he was thinking, Riya could clarify and tell him it was only a dream and nothing of the sort actually happened. Riya was a good friend and she stopped anything from happening. Instead, Amey said something that sent a chill down Riya’s spine. Something so unimaginable that she couldn’t even believe Amey was saying it:

“Riya, I just want to forget last night. You forget it too. I don’t want you to talk about it to anyone. Don’t talk to Ayi or me from now on. Just leave us alone. Samjhi tum? Meenal’s coming over in a little while and I just don’t want to think about it. Bye.”, he said as he slammed the door and returned to his house.

Riya was flabbergasted. She sat down right in front of the door and cried uncontrollably. What in the world had come over Amey? Riya was hoping that Amey wouldn’t remember a thing, but instead he remembered things that didn’t even happen. She DID the right thing and was still punished for it. Maybe, she thought, it would have been better if she hadn’t shown any restraint and let things happen. No, she knew that it wasn’t right. Although Riya was terribly hurt about what Amey had said, she knew him well and rationalized his behavior, however uncalled for it was. She decided that he over reacted due to the fact that Meenal was on her way. Riya planned to talk to Ayi and let her know everything whenever she found the right chance.

Meanwhile, Amey had gone next door and talked and Ayi. She complained to Amey that she was up all night worried sick about him. He responded that it was all Riya’s fault and that Riya should have sent Amey back home, however she made him stay at her place. In a fit of bad judgement, Amey told Ayi that if she cared even a little about him, she would not talk to Riya at all anymore. Ayi vehemently objected, but Amey said,

“Ayi, aap ko meri kasam. Abh aap Riya se baat nahin karenge,” he said with hatred in his eyes.

“Beta, mujhe bata to hua kya? Riya kabhi kuch bhi galat nahin kar sakti. Koi galat faimi he tumhe,” pleaded Ayi, trying her best to convince Amey and to try to get some information out of him. After all, what could have happened?

“Ayi, Meenal abhi aarahi he aur mein yeh nahin chahata ke voh yeh sub baatein sunne. Bus, aap meri khatir mujhse vaada kijiye ke aap Riya se baat nahin karenge.”

Ayi agreed reluctantly. She gave Amey her word and started playing out all kinds of scenarios in her mind. Nothing that she could fathom could explain why he would forbid her from speaking to her darling Riya. Absolutely nothing; except for one thing. The doorbell rang. There was Meenal. Ayi greeted her and then went into her room to drown herself in tears of pain, brought on by the thought of losing her daughter, or maybe daughter in law.

Meenal, looking completely disheveled, gave Amey a huge hug as soon as Ayi shut the door to her room. She told Amey how she watched the episode at night and couldn’t believe that Amey was out. She had got on a train at night, itself and couldn’t stop worrying about him.

Amey asked why she didn’t answer her phone. He recounted how many times he had tried to call her. Meenal said that the phone lines were down in her whole neighborhood due to a huge storm. That’s why she was also unable to call him when she got the news. That’s why she had to come right away. Then, there was an uncomfortable silence. The two didn’t know each other well enough to know what to say. Then, breaking the silence, Meenal said, “You must’ve felt so much pain. I hope Ayi was able to help you through it. I’m here now though. You can talk to me all you want. I’m here to listen. Just remember, though, I was out and now you are out. You’ll get through it just like me.”

Meenal wasn’t helping at all. The images of Riya and kisses and Amey wiping Riya’s tears and holding her face in his hands flashed in front of Amey’s eyes. Riya’s comforting words, (“You are my Indian Idol. You were and always will be the best,”) resonated in his mind. Amey felt so guilty and looked agitated. In the bottom of his heart, he knew that ultimately what (he thought) happened between him and Riya was his own fault, but someone other than himself had to be the scapegoat. It was human nature to blame someone else and that’s what Amey was doing subconsciously. Meenal noticed something was wrong. Amey, realizing that he was not being receptive of Meenal’s comments, pushed the thought of Riya out of his mind, and possibly even his heart. He decided to start on the task of developing the friendship with Meenal, who was back in Bombay for good.

[awall21]

Amey is suck a jerk, lol but hey how else are you going to keep the story going without any misunderstandings and of couse the stupid promies that get extracted.... in real life it would have been more like "listen jerk off, blah blah...etc, now get out of my house! :D

nice part... hey Riya sings well right........she should get discovered from the video of the party and give them both (Amey and okay Meenal who I think is hopefully mediocore) a run for their money. How would they like them apples???

great tittle, finally it rings true b/c now lol he doesnt deserve her... not trusting her and throwing accusation.. plz get lost loser... haha

Later days!

[naaz123]

Hey there! I just love your enthusiasm! Yes, Riya does sing for a reason, but not quite what you're thinking though. And I hope it's not seeming like an Ekta story line. As you probably know, a lot of times, guys on a mission, or guys who have been hurt become so selfish and such jerks. :mad: It's all a process of learning and falling into who u are. Like we say, there's always a reason and that reason is good. So trust me and come along for the ride! I promise a (somewhat) scenic drive soon. :) :)
Naaz

[awall21]

No problem..... I believe in Karma so I would say as long as Amey gets that bad karma he put out against Riya back all will be good with me.... I want him to feel stupid when he realizes that nothing happened and basically feel like shit. Lol hope you can incorporate that into your grand scheme of things, otherwise no sweat I get enough satisfaction playing it out in my head already.

LAter days!

[naaz123]

Aw, you make me laugh out loud. Your wish is my command! **POOF** (That was your wish being granted). :)
Naaz

[awall21]

Oh Genie of the lamp........
Thank you for granting my wish, hmm that leaves me with 2 more. I'll save them for later, lol you make laugh out loud too(LOL!) :rolleyes:

[naaz123]

Oh Genie of the lamp........
Thank you for granting my wish, hmm that leaves me with 2 more. I'll save them for later, lol you make laugh out loud too(LOL!) :rolleyes:

Ummm...errr...no need to rub though....you have an infinite number of wishes with this genie! :D

[naaz123]

Chapter 4

Riya saw Amey leaving with Meenal and decided that there was no time better than the present to go talk to Ayi. She knocked on the door and Ayi opened the door. She had dark circles under her eyes, either as she’d not slept well, or as she’d cried a lot. Ayi, in private, had convinced Amey to at least be able to let Riya know that she was not to talk to her anymore. Amey had told Ayi that was all she could say. Ayi, with a saddened heart, held up her hand as Riya started to talk.

With lowered eyes, she said, “Meri jaan, Amey ne mujhe tujhse baat karne ko manna kar diya he. Kasam di he mujhe. Uss se agey mujhse kuch mat pooch, aur challi ja yahan se.” Ayi couldn’t hold back the tears and started crying uncontrollably. Riya was very understanding and knew that a kasam was a kasam. She hugged Ayi, wiped her tears, and bent down to touch Ayi’s feet and take “ashirwaad”. Ayi’s kasam had no restrictions on giving ‘ashirwaad”, so she rested her hand on Riya’s head and whispered, “jeeti raho”.

In the following weeks, Amey and Meenal started to get to know each other better. Meenal was looking for a job in the singing field. Even after being on a distinguished national platform like Indian Idol, Meenal was struggling to get work. Amey was signed on with Sony Entertainment TV and would have work soon enough, but he had to wait a few weeks until the recording for his new album started. There would always be the concerts with his guru, Suresh Wadkar and he had also received some print endorsement offers. For the time being he was enjoying his newfound stardom. Meenal and Amey started to be seen among some of Bombay’s top spots (i.e. restaurants, parties, shopping venues, and shows) and were making waves in the gossip columns.

Riya, was also keeping herself very busy. She immersed herself in her work and was becoming quite successful in her young age. Her catering company was getting great rave reviews and word of mouth advertising. Whoever ate the food would always rave about the excellent food quality and taste and the great variety of food. Word was spreading throughout Bollywood. Riya’s philosophy was that she didn’t turn anyone down, however lately, her services had been hard to book. She catered for private family functions, (whether it be a small gathering or a wedding), business conventions and other business events, and finally, she also catered big budget venues such as high society parties and weddings. She had a small sales department which thought outside of the box and actively pursued new contracts. Riya’s staff consisted of four senior chefs and 10 assistant chefs. The head chef was Mrs. Malhotra, who initially worked for Riya’s mom. After Riya’s mom’s death, Mrs. Malhotra (who Riya called Maasi) was the one who prevented Riya from giving up on the catering business.

Although Riya had a very hands on approach in the planning stages, she left execution up to Mrs. Malhotra. Riya worked hard on finding new and innovative recipes. She’d work at home, cooking up recipes and making sure they were exactly right. Those recipes would then be taught to the head chefs until they perfected them. Before an event, Riya got together with the client and planned a menu. Sometimes they’d want traditional Punjabi or Gujrati faire, sometimes international, and sometimes they’d want street food (pani puri, pau bhaji, wada pau, etc), which had become a huge trend. A few days before the event, she’d shop for the freshest foods and spices. She would then get together with Mrs. Malhotra and the rest of the gang and explain her vision of the event. Mrs. Malhotra would then take over until the day of the event.

Through word of mouth, Riya’s catering company was hired to cater at a Bollywood movie mahurat party. The organizers of the party wanted the focus to be on the mahurat and not the dinner, so Riya had a fairly easy night ahead of her. Mrs. Malhotra had been watching Riya for the past two weeks.

“Beta, kya hua tumhe?” asked Mrs. Malhotra with much concern in her voice. “I’ve been watching you for a few weeks now and I’m not finding my chulbulli Riya anywhere. Do you know where she went?”

“Maasi,” started Riya with a funny look on her face. “Aisa kuch bhi nahin he. Aap meri bohot fikkar karte ho. Aj kal kaam kitna he, na? Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

“Thak gaya he mera bachcha? Chal, aj tu kitchen mein mat aana. Tonight’s going to be easy so I’ll take care of everything. You just go and enjoy the party,” insisted Mrs. Malhotra.

After trying to convince Mrs. Malhotra otherwise, Riya agreed to take it easy. Riya was absolutely uninterested in joining the party, however. She didn’t know anyone there and preferred to find a secluded nook in the darkest corner of the banquet hall and just listen to her IPOD. After searching for a while, Riya settled for a fairly quiet spot which only had the occasional passer by as they went to a nearby restroom. She settled into a comfy lounge type chair and decided to catch up on some classical music. She practiced silently in her head, as not to call any attention to herself, but didn’t realize her hand movements gave her away.

One particular passerby was very fascinated by the pretty girl in a white shalwar kameez, silver bangles and large, silver hoop earrings apparently practicing some music in silence. After watching her for a second, he decided to go and flirt. Riya, although pretty engrossed in her “riyaaz” noticed a strangely familiar person approaching her. She sat up in the chair and removed the headphones, and, with a big smile on her face, exclaimed: “Shamit bhaiya!”

[naaz123]

Shamit Tyagi was on Fame Gurukul and he was Riya and Amey’s favorite contestant. Riya actually cried when Shamit was voted out. She was shocked to see him standing in front of her. Shamit’s expression changed from an amused look to one of slight annoyance.

“Kya yaar,” he said to Riya. “Mein India ki har ladki ka Shamit BHAIYA kaise ban gaya? Kissi ladki se flirt bhi nahin kar sakta without being called bhaiya.”

Riya was cracking up and apologized to Shamit. She told him she just couldn’t help it. Then she introduced herself, “Hi, I’m Riya Mathur” and extended her hand towards Shamit.

Shamit, not letting go of Riya’s hand right away said, “Why are you sitting here all by yourself? Why don’t you come out and enjoy the party?”

Riya responded by explaining how she was the caterer and was hanging around just in case of some emergency. She didn’t know anyone and therefore didn’t want to join the party. Shamit responded by stating that she knew him now and that he was getting extremely bored. He asked her to join him at the party. Riya smiled politely but refused mentioning honestly that she just wasn’t in the party mood.

“Can I join you for a while then?” asked a determined Shamit. There was something about Riya that was really attractive to Shamit. It may have been the fact that she was obviously interested in music or how pretty she looked that night or a combination of both. Whatever it was, Shamit didn’t want to leave Riya and go back to the party at that moment.

“Sure,” said Riya, not at all minding the company of a celebrity like Shamit Tyagi. Riya had met a few celebs here and there at the high society functions she had catered in the past few months, however none of them held the allure that Shamit seemed to have. The instant mutal admiration was very apparent and they seemed to hit it off like they’d known each other for ages.

“Kya sun rahi ho aur kya tum riyaaz kar rahi thi?”, asked Shamit.

Riya responded, “Haan, was it that obvious? I didn’t think anyone would notice! I’m listening to the Hum Dil Dey Chukke Sanam soundtrack…Albela Sajjan Ayo Ri waala gana.”

Shamit exclaimed that he loved the song. He asked Riya if she had classical music training. Riya told Shamit that unofficially she had learned for 1 year and officially for 5 years. Seeing the confused look on Shamit’s face, she explained further. When she said unofficially, she meant that her neighbor who was the same age as her was a student of Suresh Wadkar. She would go over every day and just listen in. Her parents refused to pay for her training because she was already taking classical dance classes. Then one day, at the prodding of Mr. Wadkar, Riya and her neighbor put on a show for both families. After hearing how well Riya had learned in just one year, they decided to let her have singing lessons as well.

“Wow, Suresh Wadkar!” said Shamit in excitement. “Isn’t he also Amey Date’s guru?”

“Yes,” admitted Riya, hesitantly. “Amey is my neighbor.” Riya didn’t know why, but she didn’t find any need to hide the fact from Shamit. They continued to have a non-stop conversation for the next hour. Riya hadn’t had such an interesting conversation in weeks and it showed through the animated expressions on her face. Mrs. Malhotra, who came to let Riya know that party was winding up, stopped in her tracks as she saw Riya speaking to someone. She watched from a distance and saw Riya’s hand movements and her excited facial expressions. Mrs. Malhotra did not want to interrupt the conversation, as this was the happiest she’d seen Riya in about 2 weeks.

After a while, people started leaving and Mrs. Malhotra really needed to interrupt. Reluctantly, she approached Riya and Shamit and apologized for the interruption. She informed Riya that the party was basically over, everything was taken care of in the kitchen, and that it was time to go home.

“Really? What time is it?, asked Riya in shock. She was unaware that it was so late. Time flew by so quickly while talking to Shamit.

Shamit asked Riya if he could drive her home, but she told him she already had a ride. One of the assistant chefs lived just a block from her house and would drop her. With a look of disappointment, Shamit said goodbye and told Riya he hoped they’d run into each other again. They shook hands and parted ways.

[naaz123]

Hey, since I posted Chapter 4 about 20 hours ago, about 35 people have viewed what I wrote. Not one person wrote a comment. How sad? I'm wondering who's viewing and why you're not saying anything. C'mon...humor me...if you're reading, let me know what u think. Thanks, in advance!
Naaz

[awall21]

Yea for Shamit, Riya needs a pick me up! Stupid Amey keeping my girl Riya all depressed, he better keep his jealous self away later.

Can't wait till chatper 5 rolls around, any idea when you will be posting it? Hey you'll be happy to know that I acutally managed to write a few scenes yesterday. I might acutally have stuff to post by mid week!

[naaz123]

Hey,
I'm glad you like the turn of events. I think I'm going to slow down with the writing a little too. We're all still sick and it's been hard to concentrate for more than 15-20 minutes at a time. I can't wait to read what else you have though. I'm really interested in seeing where these new characters take us! :) Ok, ttfn (ta ta for now).
Naaz

[naaz123]

Riya walked out of the banquet hall. It was raining lightly and there was a chill in the air. Her long, wispy hair was blowing around in the wind and she was trying to keep it in place by pushing it behind her ears. Her ride, Anju, was nowhere to be found. Just then, Riya’s cell phone started to ring.

“Anju, kahan ho tum?”, asked Riya. “Tire puncture hogaya? Achcha. Should I come over there? (Pause) Ok, you’re sure Karan will help you? Ok, fine…hold on one sec.”

As Riya was speaking on the phone with Anju, Shamit drove up in front of Riya in his chamakti Maruti Baleno. “Hey beautiful, still don’t need a ride?”, asked Shamit with a cute, shararti smile.

Riya smiled and went over to the passenger side and got in. After sitting down and closing the door, she spoke into her cell phone, “Haan, Anju? Mujhe ride milgayi. You carry on. (Pause) Thanks. You too.”

After Riya hung up, she looked over at Shamit, smiled, and said, “You are very persistent!”

Shamit looked over at Riya and playfully said, “Jub sub hi ladkiyan bhaiya banna deyti he, to kuch to karma padta he. You can’t just sit on the sidelines!” Riya grinned sheepishly and promised not to call him bhaiya anymore and then asked how Shamit knew she was still there. Shamit told her that he was ready to leave their next meeting up to fate, but he realized that he had Riya’s IPOD. It so happened that Riya and Shamit were listening to a song together on her IPOD when Mrs. Malhotra had interrupted. Riya left the IPOD with Shamit and got up to talk to Mrs. Malhotra.

“Mein car ghumma kar aya, aur dekho kismat ka kamal”, said Shamit. “Here you are, ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si.”

Riya noted that Shamit still portrayed that same charming personality that he was famous for on Fame Gurukul. She was delighted that it wasn’t just an act for the show and she strangely found herself blindly trusting him in just one meeting. Shamit was happy with Riya’s presence. There was something about Riya that made her different from all of the other Fame Gurukul fans he’d met since the end of the show. Riya, although seemingly young, was very confident and carried herself with a lot of grace and character. She knew about Shamit well enough that she called him “Bhaiya”, however other than that, she treated him as a regular individual rather than an unapproachable celebrity like a lot of other women had done in the past. Shamit found Riya’s company rather refreshing and really didn’t want to lose the chance of meeting her again.

As they were driving, Shamit asked if Riya wanted to go get some coffee. Riya was flattered by how hard Shamit was trying. She couldn’t remember an occasion when anyone had treated her like this. However, she was really tired and it was late, so she politely refused.

“Ok, how about lunch on Saturday?” persisted Shamit, gently.

“Ummm…Saturday I have a wedding to cater,” responded Riya with a frown.

“Really, I have to sing at a wedding on Saturday night with a few of the Fame Gurukul contestants. Who’s wedding is it?”, asked Shamit.

“Mr. Desai, that big businessman from the UK, and Mr. Kapoor's kids are getting married,” said Riya, as Shamit’s face lit up. “Don’t tell me, that’s where you’re singing?”, said Riya after a quick pause.

“Agar IPOD mere paas nahin raha hotta, to bhi kismat humme milla hi deyti,” said Shamit with a smile. “Did you want me to give you a ride on Saturday?”

Riya thought to herself, “Shamit ki persistence ki to daad denni padegi. She couldn’t believe how interested in her he was. Riya hadn’t gotten over the incident with Amey yet though, and wasn’t ready to jump into a relationship with anyone, even if it was Shamit.

“Shamit, I have to be at the venue pretty early, but I’ll see you there. Also, here’s my card. Now, you don’t have to worry about kismat intervening again. Jub chahe mujhe phone kar sakte ho. Lekin, mein tumhe ek baat battana chahati hu,” said Riya, looking down at her hands.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” interjected Shamit, worried about what Riya was going to tell him.

“No, it’s not that. But the most important friendship in my life just ended recently and I am not looking for a relationship right now. I have so much work and new things going on. I guess, I’m just looking for us to be friends,” said Riya with a look that was desperate for Shamit’s understanding.

“Hey, hey…no problem. Har rishta dosti se shurru ho to kitna achcha ho na? I’m not “looking” for any other relationship either,” said Shamit reassuringly. “You know, I think we’ve clicked so well in just one hour’s time. It’s hard to find people that you can gel with so well these days. I just don’t want to lose the opportunity of us becoming friends. Ok?”

Riya smiled. She held out her hand to Shamit and said “Mujhse dosti karoge?” Shamit smiled back, shook her hand, and said “Of course!”. Shamit liked this subtle filmi-ness that Riya possessed. Riya liked that Shamit was so determined, yet so easy going. Her house was fast approaching, so Riya gave Shamit the final directions, and they started to say their goodbyes.

Shamit said he couldn’t wait to taste her food again and Riya said she couldn’t wait to hear Shamit sing again. She said she was excited to hear him live for the first time. Riya gathered all of her belongings and ran to her front door since it had started to rain a little heavier by now. When she got to the door, she turned to see Shamit waiting for her to get in safely. She waved goodbye and went in, as Shamit started to drive off.

Riya was tired and wanted to get ready for bed right away. She sat in front of her dresser and started to take off her earrings. She stopped to look at herself, something she rarely did. Her long hair, which had gotten wet from the rain, earlier, had dried now. It gave her loosely wispy hair a nice curl. Her white outfit, her jewelery, in addition to her wet hair made her look so pretty, even Riya herself noticed it. “Hmmm…” she thought to herself. “No wonder Shamit ek hi ghante mein itna fida hogaya.” She laughed at the silly thought. “No one had ever paid any attention to her (maybe because she had always had Amey at her side) and Shamit himself had said he was only interested in friendship. Fida honna to door ki baat he”, she tried to rationalize.

Her cell phone rang. It was Shamit. “Hey beautiful, don’t worry, maine tumhe pareshan karne ko phone nahin kiya he. I just wanted you to have my mobile number, also. Have a good night,” he said sweetly.

“You too,” said Riya. Bye,” she said with a laugh in her voice. She saved the number immediately and then continued to prepare for bed.

[awall21]

:rolleyes: Hmmmmmmm me liking this Shamit and Riya storyline. Can't wait to read the next part!!!! Hope you feel better!

[naaz123]

Yay! I'm glad you like Shamit. :p You know, I'm writing this under the assumption that whoever's reading has seen Indian Idol 2 and Fame Gurukul. If not, I can go back and put in descriptions of the characters. So far I've really only described characters that aren't involved with the two reality shows. If you'd rather just go with what your mind has imagined already, that's fine too. I have some links of Amey and Shamit (and Ayi too!) if you want a better idea of who these characters are based on. Let me know! I'll be writiing more tonight if the little guy goes to sleep early. Pray for me!!!!!!!!! :)
Naaz

[awall21]

Yea I never watched either of those shows, so I'd appreciate the links.

I'm gonna post a part of the my next fan fic episode. The flashback is starting to run long and I have to keep going back and re-writing it b/c I don't want holes in the story. Some parts just may be a strech but just imagine they don't call it fiction for nothing. Besides where my fan fic started is kinda where the US episodes are now which is sad b/c I have only gotten through like 3 episodes but in my defence they have a couple of scenes each. Plus flashbacks are tiring and too much thinking, can't wait to write current scenes.

Okie catch you on the flip side....

Later Days!

[naaz123]

Hey there. Here are the video links to Amey, Meenal and Shamit. If you haven't watched any of the shows and have never seen any pictures of Amey or Shamit, AND you already have a picture of them in your mind, I'd recommend you not look at these. If, however, you'd like to get an idea on who my characters are based on, these videos will definitely help. Here you go!!!
Naaz

Amey Date, Sa Re Ga Ma – Riya is not in this video. I just made that up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLhhomMv5l0

Random Amey videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGlWhQKCndA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIIsCjj7TsM&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMTgIJ8Bsbk&mode=related&search=

When Amey got voted out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM-EPXQsgs8&search=Indian%20Idol%20Amey%20Date%20Holi%20Ke%20D in%20Sholay

Amey’s Taka Tak interview with Rakshanda Khan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDIqb50i5nI&mode=related&search=

Random Meenal videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dIQtlQvxHU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6ef0dB-r1U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slFcXZyjLqw


Shamit videos

http://sifymax.com/bbhome/fg_popup.php?f=fg14july2005e10_5-128k.wmv (can forward the beginning a little, if you like)

http://bbmedia.sify.com/mms/new/playfile.asp?f=fg14july2005e10_5-128k.wmv&WMBitrate=100000&s=1 (alternate Windows Media Player file)

http://bbmedia.sify.com/mms/new/playfile.asp?f=fg30june2005e3_4-128k.wmv&WMBitrate=100000&s=1

http://bbmedia.sify.com/mms/new/playfile.asp?f=fg19july2005e15_3-128k.wmv&WMBitrate=200000&s=1

Shamit pics
http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=151330&TPN=8


The outfit Riya was wearing when she met Shamit (only it had silver kaam on it)
http://khushbufashions.co.uk/shop/khproduct_info-n--pId-1418.html

[naaz123]

Chapter 5

A couple of days had passed and Riya and Shamit both were busy preparing for the upcoming wedding. Shamit thought that he had been forward enough with Riya and he should give her a little break. He decided he’d talk to her only at the wedding, unless of course, she called him. The days preceding a wedding, especially an NRI wedding like the one Riya was catering, were very hectic. Riya did think about Shamit a little, but really didn’t get much time to give him a call. She also knew that she’d see him at the wedding, so she decided to put off talking to him until then, unless of course, he called her.

Saturday arrived. The weather outside was pleasant; a perfect day for a wedding. In the case of this wedding, the hosts were very hospitable and really wanted even the vendors to become a part of the celebrations, therefore, Riya (as well as others such as the waiters, dj’s, etc, who’d be present in the banquet hall) were instructed to dress as if they were attending the reception, too.

Riya had great taste in clothing. Her clothes were usually from small boutiques and generally were more expensive than what the average girl her age wore. There were two reasons for this. The first reason was that Riya tried to be present at all of the events where her company was catering. Since Riya usually only supervised the catering events, she was able to dress appropriately for each event. This required her to dress a little better than the average girl. The second reason Riya dressed so well was because she could afford it. She was the sole owner of a highly successful company. She provided for herself and was responsible for no one else. The house she lived in was completely paid for by her late parents. Finally, she was very good about putting away money in a savings account for her future. When she was younger and her family was struggling a little, Riya always looked in the Bollywood magazines and wished she had some of the clothes the models wore. When she saw her bank account growing and then looked at her wardrobe one day, she decided that clothes would be her sole indulgence.

Riya chose to wear a red and gold lengha (see below) that would be dressy enough for the event, but would be comfortable enough to get around in. Anju had called to let her know she was ready to pick her up. Riya went next door and rang the doorbell. In the past, Riya would always go to show Ayi what she was wearing and to get ashirwaad before any big events. Although she hadn’t done it in a few weeks, Riya felt like visiting Ayi today. Maybe Amey had cooled down a bit. Riya rang the bell and Amey answered the door.

“Bollo, Riya,” he said coldly.

“Amey, Ayi se ashirwad leyne do, na?” Riya asked trying to pop into the house, but Amey wouldn’t budge. Instead, he said, “Tum jaanti ho maine Ayi ko tumse baat karne ko manna kiya he, na?”

“Ashirwaad deyne se to nahin na?”, said Riya and pushed Amey aside. She briskly walked up to Ayi, holding her lengha up with both hands, and then bent down and touched her feet. Ayi did “ballayiyaan leyna” (where someone takes both hands and puts them close to the temples of the person in front of them. Then with a sweeping motion, they bring their hands back to their own temples) and then gently walked Riya out of the door without uttering a word. Once the door was shut, she wouldn’t stop talking. For about 5 minutes Ayi went on and on, not speaking directly to Amey, but complaining how he took her beloved Riya away from her. “Na Riya ne koi galati ki, na maine, lekin saaza humme deyne challe, Raja Amey Date.” Amey, worried about his mom, asked her to leave the matter alone or else her blood pressure would get high. Ayi became quiet and retired to her room for the night.

Riya went down the stairs and waited for Anju to arrive. Anju and Karan were together again and drove up to Riya. Karan stuck his head out the window and let loose a loud whistle.

“Wow, Riya, tum to kamal ki lagti ho aj,” said Karan.

Anju joined in with a “Kaash humare paas bhi itne achche kapde hotte,” with a pouty face.

Riya responded sadly, “Na parivaar, na koi agey na peeche, sirf kaam, kaam, kaam. Yeh life apna lo to tum bhi aise kapde pehen sakti ho.”

“Oh, Riya, hum he na tumhaare parivaar waale. Sub Mathur Catering ke employees ke saath tum ne family jaisa hi to sambandh rakha he. To hue na hum bhi tumhari family?”, asked Anju sweetly.

“Yes,my sweet Anju, you’re absolutely right,” said Riya, reaching forward to give Anju a hug from the back seat. They drove to the venue talking and laughing like they always did.

Once they arrived at the banquet hall, Riya was busy with the preparations and making sure everything was perfect. A few hours later, Shamit had arrived, along with Mona Bhatt and Arijeet Singh, also from the Fame Gurukul reality show. Shamit immediately started looking for Riya, but, not seeing her right away, started rehearsing with the other two singers in a smaller banquet room, off to the side.

All the kitchen preparations were done and Riya finally emerged into the banquet hall. Guests had started to walk in and be seated. Riya knew that the appetizers would have to be served soon. She started to look around for Shamit but didn’t see him. She wondered if he was just joking about being at the reception, as well. Riya dismissed the thought as being silly and went on with giving her staff the final instructions.

Mrs. Malhotra would take care of the kitchen, as always, and Riya would make sure everything was running smoothly in the banquet hall. It seemed a little selfish to Riya that she always got to hang out in the fun atmosphere while Mrs. Malhotra slaved away in the kitchen all the time. One of the perks of working for Mathur Catering was that all the employees, one time or another got to enjoy whatever function was going, if appropriate, however, Mrs. Malhotra always volunteered to stay behind the scenes. She had told Riya that she greatly appreciated Riya’s concern and thoughtfulness, but Riya was, however, young and more capable of handling the ever changing, and multi-tasking nature of the “outside” world. Mrs. Malhotra was getting older and was completely satisfied with being “inside” or behind the scenes at all times.

So Riya went looking for Mr. Kapoor or Mr. Desai to let them know that everything was on track and if they needed anything. Just then, she saw both of them on stage. They were getting everyone to sit down so that the performances could start. Riya walked over to a wall that was close enough to the kitchen, but still viewing distance from the stage. The lights were dimmed and the hosts introduced Shamit, Arijit and Mona and all three came out to a thunderous round of applause.
http://hinab.com/bridal/b15.jpg

[awall21]

I looked at the links you had attached of the characters, yea not what I had imagined, they were a lot cuter in my mind so I'll stick to that. :p

Nice chapter 5. Amey needs to go jump off the top floor. jeez making his mom's blood pressure go up! this guy is on my shit list, pretty funny being this guy is fiction....

I basically blow all my money on clothes too, I'm a shop-a-holic probably b/c I can affford to be one also. Otherwise up until a year ago I would never be caught dead in the mall. :rolleyes:

Okay back to work....can't wait for the next part. Any chance Amey going to the same party??? Would love to see that duffer, suffer... :D heheh

Later days!

[naaz123]

Hey there...I wasn't able to type much today, but I'll post what little I have. No, Amey won't be at this party, but there's a nice little surprise coming up. You'll hopefully get it tomorrow. I knew the "real" characters of my story wouldn't match up to expectations if you hadn't ever seen them before. That's kinda why I was hesistant to post the links, but it's important to see them too, I think, because I haven't given descriptions. But the character behind the two is awesome. You know, you had to really live those shows (Indian Idol 2 and Fame Gurukul) and watch every week to kind of have the attachment to Amey and Shamit. U know what I mean? They both are really great guys (at least that's what I got from watching the shows). You won't believe that there's a Shamit fan club that's still going and it has like a gazillion pages to it. So that's my two cents. Here's the next part of Ch. 5. G'night!
Naaz

I looked at the links you had attached of the characters, yea not what I had imagined, they were a lot cuter in my mind so I'll stick to that. :p

Nice chapter 5. Amey needs to go jump off the top floor. jeez making his mom's blood pressure go up! this guy is on my shit list, pretty funny being this guy is fiction....

I basically blow all my money on clothes too, I'm a shop-a-holic probably b/c I can affford to be one also. Otherwise up until a year ago I would never be caught dead in the mall. :rolleyes:

Okay back to work....can't wait for the next part. Any chance Amey going to the same party??? Would love to see that duffer, suffer... :D heheh

Later days!

[naaz123]

The first song was the Asman Ke Paar song, the one all the Fame Gurukul contestants recorded together. Next, the performers rotated, sometimes singing individually, other times duets. Shamit came out to sing his most requested numbers. The first one was Kava Kava (from Monsoon Wedding, I think) and he finally saw Riya standing at the side of the hall, smiling at him. She looked gorgeous. Shamit was absolutely rejuvenated by Riya’s presence and the fact that she was listening intently. He started to sing the remixed version of Woh Lamhe (from Zeher). Shamit was singing the line “woh bheegi bheegi raatein" and it made him think about a few nights ago when Riya was waiting in the rain and he drove her home. Shamit’s true involvement in the song made it rock and a few of the assistant chefs came out of the kitchen to listen to him sing. Guests had also gotten up to dance on the dance floor in front of the stage. Anju started to dance a little and persuaded Karan and Riya to dance a little too. Mr. Kapoor saw them dancing on the sidelines and insisted that they come on the dance floor. Shamit was thrilled to see Riya right in front of him. She looked straight at him and danced away, enjoying herself for a change. The song was over and it was time for Mona to come out and sing. Before Shamit passed off the microphone, he started to talk to the audience.

“Is everyone enjoying themselves?”, he asked as the crowd roared and clapped. “Aur khanna kaisa he?,” he continued with more applause and some hoots as a response. “Everyone give Riya a big hand. This beautiful girl can not only dance, but she’s also in charge of the wonderful food today!” Everyone stood up and gave Riya a standing ovation. Riya felt like she was in one of those dreams that kept turning into another dream. Although a little embarrassed about being put on the spot, she kept her composure and smiled and waved her hand a little. Then she gave Shamit a look. He just laughed and then introduced Mona to the stage again. Mona started singing and Riya decided to sneak back into the kitchen and hide there the rest of the night. Anju and Karan followed her, adding in a little friendly tease about what Shamit said. Riya had to admit that it was Shamit that took her home the other day. The two were pleasantly surprised, being the star struck youngsters that they were.

Shamit hadn’t actually eaten yet, but made his comments based on how good the food was at the mahurat party the other night. He wasn’t scheduled to sing again for at least another half hour, so he decided to go meet Riya in the kitchen. He noticed that there was a back door through the hallway where the smaller banquet room was located, so he was able to sneak into the kitchen without being noticed. Once he was in the kitchen, though, it was a different story. He walked from one end to the other fairly quickly and ended up next to Riya.

“Bohot bhook laggi he yaar. Kuch khanne ko do na?” said Shamit sweetly, trying to avoid being reprimanded for obviously embarrassing Riya. He had no such luck. She smacked his arm and said, “Bhook laggi he? Abhi khana khillati hu tumhe,” she said smacking him a couple more times gently. Then she made up a plate for him and sat down at a side table with him and chatted while he ate. Their chemistry was unmistakable and very noticeable. Mrs. Malhotra noted that Shamit was the same guy that Riya was talking to at the mahurat. Riya looked up to see Mrs. Malhotra smiling at her, approvingly. Riya smiled back and waved Mrs. Malhotra over to the table. She introduced Shamit and then Mrs. Malhotra made some excuse and left the two alone, trying not to be a “kabab mein haddi”.

After Shamit was almost done eating, Mr. Kapoor came into the kitchen looking for Riya. All he said was that he had someone for Riya to meet. He led her over to a young woman who was around 30 years old, had great hair, was slightly plump, and had a huge tikka on her forehead. She looked slightly familiar to Riya, but she couldn’t quite place her.

[awall21]

Man I'm hungry too, can I get some food??? :( I missed breakfast.

Hmm I don't know much about their personalites as I did not watch the show, but if Shamit's personality is anything like in the story I can see why he had so many fans. :p I bet he could sing, had a good persoanlity, and charisma.

This women at the end of the episode is she some renound singer? I don't know her name but she may have came on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and maybe I saw her on the Zee Astitva awards getting an award....just guessing. Can't wait till chapter 6!:D

LAter days!

[naaz123]

Hey, you should never miss breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day, my dear! You know, if I don't get my kadak chai in the morning (or at least some decent coffee, if I just can't have my chai) then I'm gone the rest of the day. Massive headache! Ughhh. So I make it a point to have it. Anyway...no, the woman is not a singer. She's someone u should be very familiar with. Also remember that Mr. Kapoor is introducing this mystery woman to Riya. Don't stress too much, I hope to have an another few paragraphs tonight (if not more). Any other people wanna guess? Oh, c'mon...humor me!
Naaz

Man I'm hungry too, can I get some food??? :( I missed breakfast.

Hmm I don't know much about their personalites as I did not watch the show, but if Shamit's personality is anything like in the story I can see why he had so many fans. :p I bet he could sing, had a good persoanlity, and charisma.

This women at the end of the episode is she some renound singer? I don't know her name but she may have came on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and maybe I saw her on the Zee Astitva awards getting an award....just guessing. Can't wait till chapter 6!:D

LAter days!

[naaz123]

The woman extended her hand and introduced herself, “I’m Ekta Kapoor”. Wow, Riya thought, it’s Ekta Kapoor! She wanted to tell her right away how she watched a lot of her serials. Riya wanted to talk some sense into Ekta and let her know that the shows start out fabulous but just end up annoying all the loyal viewers. Before Riya could say anything, Mr. Kapoor explained how he was a distant, yet close (distant by rishta but close due to friendship) relative of Jeetendra’s, and pointed over to Jeetendra, Shobha, and Tushar Kapoor sitting at a nearby table. After the introduction Ekta explained to Riya the reason she wanted to meet her. She said that she was looking to produce a new type of show and after eating the food, she was really impressed. Ekta caught a glimpse of Riya when Shamit introduced her earlier, and Ekta realized she had found the star of her new show.

Riya looked confused. “Me? On a show?” she thought to herself. Visions of herself in a silly chef hat popped into her head. “What kind of show?”, asked Riya, coming out of her thoughts. Ekta continued to explain that she wanted to produce a cooking show with a twist. It wouldn’t be the traditional type of show that is regularly seen on tv. She told Riya to come meet her at her office and she would explain everything and get her started for the show’s promos. Riya was flattered about being approached for a show, but was a little taken aback by Ekta’s confidence that Riya would accept the offer. Riya wanted to tell Ekta that she really didn’t have time to be on a tv show, but wasn’t able to as Ekta gave Riya her card, gave her a hug, and quickly went back to her table right after saying, “Give my office a call tomorrow. They’ll take care of everything.”

Riya’s original shock had subsided and a little excitement started to take over. She immediately went to a back room and dialed Ayi’s number. Of course, Amey had to pick up. She asked Amey to please give the phone to Ayi. She had very exciting news to tell her. Amey coldly refused. Riya didn’t want to share probably THE MOST important news with Amey so she said “Fine” and hung up. She had to tell someone. Someone that would just listen and not judge since the whole thing might fall through. She thought of telling Mrs. Malhotra, but the others would be there too.

As she was leaving the back room, she saw Shamit packing up to leave. The reception would last for another few hours and Riya wasn’t required to stay that long. She asked Shamit if she could have a ride home after about 10 minutes and he immediately said yes, wondering what the glimmer in her eyes was all about. Riya ran over to the kitchen and found that everything was being taken care of, as usual, by Mrs. Malhotra. She said her goodbyes to Mrs. Malhotra and to Anju and then got ready to leave. She told Arijit and Mona that they sung really well. They told her the food was excellent. They all said goodbye and Shamit and Riya started to leave through the banquet hall. Before they could exit, both Shamit and Riya went up to the hosts of the party to say goodnight. Both of them received a little party favor, imported from the UK where Mr. Desai’s family was from. As they were standing there, a photographer took their picture. Soon after, Shamit and Riya left.

[awall21]

Ekta! Lol I would love to give her a piece of my mind!:rolleyes: If only...

Wow I'm think like a cook-off, maybe not as bad as hell kitchen but I see Riya kicking everyones butt!

OoOooOO PHOTO, forget page 3, i'm talking front page and maybe tabliods!!!! Take that you bastard jerk and everything bad I can think in the book. Well Ayi will find it on print and in the paper anyways... well at least I hope so.

Work so sucked today, need sleep so bad but HAPPY DUSSHERA!:)

Later days!

[naaz123]

"Guess what!”, exclaimed Riya as they got into Shamit’s car.

“What. You tell me what these chamakti ankhen are all about,” said Shamit with that charming smile. Riya was surprised that Shamit noticed any difference in her behavior. She was trying to act so normal, yet Shamit saw a glimmer in her eyes. “Wow, this guy’s intuitive”, she thought to herself. “Not at all like Amey. I knew him in and out like a book, but he never even delved beyond my intro page”.

“Hey, kahan kho gayi?”, asked Shamit, snapping his fingers in front of Riya’s face.

“Sorry, sorry,” said Riya. “So while you were inside. I met Ekta Kapoor and she wants me to do a show on TV!”, said Riya very excitedly.

“Wow! Congrats. What kind of show?”, asked Shamit.

Riya continued to explain everything (or what little) Ekta had told her. That it was a cooking show and she was supposed to call up the Balaji offices and set up an appointment right away and start doing promos. Riya also told Shamit how Ekta just assumed that Riya would say yes. Shamit said that was what the big wigs were like. They had no time to sit down with you and explain things to you like normal people.

“Will you come with me to the meeting, Shamit?”, asked Riya abruptly. “You seem to know a lot about all this and have gone through it all. Will you pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease come?”

“I’ll come, but under one condition,” stated Shamit rather matter of factly. He looked at Riya’s inquisitive, hopeful, and oh so beautiful eyes, and quickly added, “Only if you go out for coffee with me now”.

“Shamit, how can I go for coffee in what I’m wearing, yaar?”, asked Riya. “Hey, you know what though? I’m quite hungry. Maine kuch khaya hi nahin. Kahin khanne chalte he, after I change?”

“Aap ka hukkum sar ankhon par, madam,” said Shamit, putting his hand across his chest and bowing his head down while still driving. Both of them laughed. They got to Riya’s house and Riya told Shamit to have a seat. He chose the baithak, which seemed to be the most relaxing spot in the house. Riya offered Shamit something to drink, but he said he’d help himself to a glass of water. “How thoughtful,” thought Riya to herself. “Amey always wanted her to get everything for him”. Then she started to think that she HAD TO stop comparing Amey and Shamit. It was difficult for her, though. Koi jub mann mein aur zindagi mein aisa sama jaata he, to usse nikaal na mushkil hota he, said Riya’s inner voice. Lekin namumkin bhi to nahin, said a different inner voice. It was like Riya’s antar atma was talking to her. Good thing she didn’t see her in the mirror while she was changing (dressed in a black or white sari like in the soap operas) or else Riya would’ve freaked out!

Shamit was patiently waiting while Riya changed so Riya decided to come out of her silly thoughts and get ready faster. She threw on a cute black kurti (see picture) with some jeans and some large hoop earrings. She fixed her hair and put on a little lipstick and she was ready! She stepped out of her room to find Shamit relaxing on the baithak, reading a magazine.

“Apna hi ghar samajhna,” said Riya sarcastically with a silly grin on her face.

“Oh you don’t worry. Iraada to vohi he, said Shamit, as he got up and put the glass of water on the counter. “Challein?”

Riya and Shamit walked out the door with Riya leading the way. Shamit, almost whispering close to Riya’s ears, said, “You look beautiful.” Riya turned around gracefully, smiled, said “Thank you,” humbled by Shamit’s sweet compliments (sharma gayi thoda). Riya remembered that she hadn’t locked the door, so she turned around and saw Ayi at her door. Ayi, who had heard the sound of footsteps, thought Amey was back and came to open the door for Amey. She was caught off guard to see Riya with someone at such a late hour.

Riya ran up to Ayi, touched her feet, gave her a hug and then whispered in her ears, “Yeh Shamit he Ayi. Fame Gurukul waale.” Ayi said Namaste to Shamit and then went back into the house, raising her hand in a sort of a goodbye gesture. Riya and Shamit said bye and got into Shamit’s car. Shamit noticed that Riya was a little quiet and had lost all of the excitement she possessed only a few minutes ago. He decided to let her be. “She’d tell him if she wanted to,” he thought. He also thought about the warm attitude Riya had towards her neighbor, but how cold the woman’s response was towards himself and Riya. Shamit’s thoughts were interrupted when Riya started to speak.

“Shamit, ek baat puchun?”, asked Riya in a serious tone. “Arijeet let you down so badly during Fame Gurukul. I mean he picked some girl over you and that was the end of your journey on the show. How did you handle it so nobly and how did you forgive him? You guys seemed so friendly tonight, like nothing ever happened.” (Side note, Arijeet and Shamit were best buds on Fame Gurukul. Shamit really treated Arijeet like a younger brother. On Shamit’s last episode, whether he stayed in or out depended on Arijeet’s vote. Arijeet voted for a girl, Monica, first. Then he had to vote again and then voted for Monica again, knowing that his esteemed Shamit bhaiya would be out of the game.)

Shamit had answered this question many times during interviews and when fans brought up the question while he was signing an autograph. He always said that it was just a game show and Arijeet just didn’t feel comfortable changing his response. He made a stupid mistake and had asked for forgiveness, so Shamit forgave him. That was the politically correct version. Shamit, for some reason (maybe the same reason that Riya also trusted Shamit to tell him that Amey was her neighbor) decided to tell Riya the real reasons.

“See, there were two reasons that Arijeet did what he did. First, he knew that I was a competitor and he really wanted to win the reality show. He was the type of person that didn’t mind competition and would have fought me to the end fair and square, however, Monica helped Arijeet put the final nail in my Fame Gurukul coffin. Arijeet was really smitten with her and had promised her that he’d vote for her no matter who she was up against. When he made the promise, he really thought it would be anyone other than me. When it was me up there though, he kept his promise, but do you remember how sick he got during the filming of that episode? How could I not forgive him? It was all for a girl.”

“Isn’t it always all for a girl,” asked Riya pensively.

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[naaz123]

This will only let me post 10000 characters at a time, so here's the rest:

They had arrived at the restaurant. It was a Punjabi restaurant where they had excellent food and live Punjabi folk dancers, as entertainment. The place was set up like a Punjabi village. Shamit ordered a sweet lassi, a paratha and some raita since he had already eaten dinner. Riya asked Shamit what he liked and ordered according to his suggestions. She ordered a malai kofta with a lachcha paratha (a crisp, flaky, layered paratha). The food came and Riya insisted on sharing some with Shamit. Just smelling the yummy malai kofta made his mouth water and he did have some of Riya’s meal.

As they were eating, Shamit decided to get back to the conversation they were having before they arrived at the restaurant. “So, tell me about your friendship that just broke up recently. Was that about a girl, too,” asked Shamit.

Riya was shocked! Shamit remembered something she had briefly mentioned to him on their first meeting. Not only did he remember it, but he put it together with what she had just fleetingly said a while back. Riya was in utter amazement of how genuinely and how well Shamit listened to her. She never had that sort of attention before and she was a little puzzled at what to make of it. She already trusted Shamit though. She felt like she knew him since she saw him every week on Fame Gurukul. She also felt a closeness to him since she “went through” his unfortunate voting out during the show and now knew the details behind it. So she found herself not hesitating at all when she told Shamit the story of herself and Amey. After swearing Shamit to secrecy, she told him every last detail, from childhood all the way up to the night when Amey came to her house drunk.

This time Shamit was shocked. He had watched Amey on Fame Gurukul and found Amey to be one of the more genuine and down to earth contestants. First Shamit said to Riya that Amey must’ve dreamt something more than what actually occurred. Then Shamit asked something so unexpected that Riya had no idea how to respond. Firstly, it was unexpected coming out of Shamit’s mouth, and secondly, because Riya hadn’t thought about it (except for subconsciously), nor was she ready to face that question yet.

“Do you still love Amey,” asked Shamit with a stoic face.

“I’m not sure if I know, Shamit,” responded Riya holding her head with one hand and pushing her food around with a piece of paratha in the other. “Was it really even love? I just don’t know.”

“Well, give it some time,” said Shamit reassuringly. “You never know what life has in store for you and a lot of times the twists and turns lead you to some place beautiful that you never once expected.” As Riya gave Shamit a skeptical look, Shamit continued, “Look, when I was voted out, it was the worse thing that could’ve happened to me. But if I had won, I’d be performing in the US right now, and not having this wonderful conversation with you. Right? Every event, every occurrence has a reason and that reason is good. Just believe that and you won’t feel as bad.”

Shamit made so much sense to Riya. It was uncanny, but thinking back to what Shamit said, Riya changed her mind and found that what Shamit was saying was good, and not uncanny. Just then the Punjabi folk dancers made their way to the table next to Riya and Shamit. The two were so engrossed in conversation; they didn’t even realize when the live performance had started. Each group had gotten up when the performers came to their table and danced or at least clapped along with the dancers. The couple next to Shamit and Riya were in their 40’s. The aunty was so cute and shy as she just clapped. The uncle was really goofy but didn’t care as he danced extrovertedly. Riya laughed and clapped along. Shamit was happy to see her smile.

Next the dancers came to Riya and Shamit’s table. They were singing “Don’t break my heart” by Stereo Nation, but it was more folk than reggae. Shamit got up, gently took Riya’s hand in his and started to match the moves of the dancers. Riya followed suit and her mood was instantly enlightened. Maybe it was dancing in the cool atmosphere they were in or maybe it was finally being able to tell someone (someone who understood) her “dil ka dhukda”. Whatever it was, Riya felt ke uska mann halka hogaya.

Riya was really tired and getting pretty sleepy. On the drive back to Riya’s house, Shamit was playing his IPOD which was loaded with songs from every genre imaginable. A song from Yes Boss came on and had a different effect on each of them. Shamit felt romantic and Riya just had a feeling of thankfulness for having met Shamit upon hearing the words:

Ek din aap yun humko mil jaayenge.
Phool hi phool rahon mein khil jaayenge.
Maine socha na tha.

[awall21]

That's a long chapter 5... funny how my epsiode 5 is long too. I really like the story line and I'm glad Riya is getting her life together. It would have been interseting also if along with Ayi, if Amey had seen here too when she was heading out with Shamit. It's okay I feel that he will get his just dessets sooner though rather than later. Not that I mind if he ends up with Meenal or what not, but he realzes his mistake! I hope Riya dishes out his own lines for him to eat by the end of this.

I will post the next scene tonight for my fan fic. I'm so excited Veronica Mars finally starts tonight, but no House b/c of the baseball division series. Catch you on the flip side!

[naaz123]

He, he. This silly thing won't let you post more than 10,000 characters and I think I was over by about 350 or so. So I had to split up my post. I try to end the chapters at logical places and all of the stuff above really seemed to scream Chapter 5 to me! :o So, worry not, Amey will definitely see Riya with the new man (oops, I mean, just friend) in her life sooner rather than later. He will also eat crow soon too. (i.e. take back his words). Be patient my child, there are definitely good things to come.
Hey, do u like the pictures of Riya's clothes? I love writing for an online audience. I think it's so cool to be able to just show what you mean rather than having to go into every minute detail. I think I'll start doing that with the songs that I refer to, as well. I can't get my pictures to be too big though. Blossom gave me some tips, so I'm going to see if I can get them bigger than the thumbnails. Hope the project you're working on goes well! Okie...later!
Naaz

[naaz123]

Chapter 6


The next morning, Riya woke up bright and early as usual. After about a half hour of bharat natyam (something she did almost every morning and the secret to her keeping fit), she put on a pot of chai and finally got enough courage to call the Balaji offices. The receptionist was expecting Riya’s call and let Riya know that they’d like her to come in the next day to do a screen test. Riya let out an astonished, “What?” So the receptionist explained that although Ms. Kapoor had every faith that Riya was the best candidate for the new show, doing a screen test was a formality that all new hires for TV shows went through. After the screen test, Ekta would talk to Riya personally and explain the format and concept of the show and answer any of Riya’s questions. If everything goes well tomorrow, the receptionist said that Riya would start shooting her promos the day after and start shooting the first episode after a week. Riya asked if she could bring a guest and the receptionist said it was fine. Then Riya wanted to know what she should wear. The receptionist sounded a little bugged by Riya’s “newbie – like” questions and rudely told her to wear whatever she wanted and then said she had to go. As Riya said “thanks” she could hear the phone click.

“Wow,” she thought to herself. “I hope this isn’t how I’ll be treated once I start working for them.” She quickly dialed Shamit’s number to let him know the appointment was set and if he’d still keep his promise. He said of course he’d keep his promise and that he’d pick her up if she wanted.

“Sure, if it’s no trouble,” asked Riya.

“Of course not, beautiful. It would be my pleasure,” said Shamit. Riya went on to explain how rude the receptionist was and everything she said about the screen test and fast paced line up of things they had in store for Riya. Shamit told her that a lot of people that work in those jobs are there because they want a foot in the door. They usually get passed up for some reason or other and take it out on people like Riya who apparently haven’t put in the time like they have by working in “low life” jobs. “They resent people like you because they think you’ve got your show on a silver platter,” explained Shamit.

Riya listened very carefully to Shamit. Everything he said made a lot of sense. He’d been through the paces after all. She asked Shamit many questions and he answered them to the best of his knowledge. He told her not to take his experiences as “the word of God” per say though, since he hadn’t worked with Balaji. He said that maybe things might be different for Riya. Riya agreed and promised not to blame him if things were different. She had one final question for Shamit. “What should I wear?”

“So far, you’ve looked gorgeous in whatever I’ve seen you in,” said Shamit, grinning ear to ear. “But, I’d advise you wear something professional. Something that’s not too formal, but it has to be appropriate for a business meeting.

“Ok, I think I know exactly what you’re talking about. Can you come a little early in case I get it all wrong,” asked Riya. Once again, Shamit said it would be his pleasure. Riya chatted a little more about being nervous and Shamit did a great job of redirecting her thoughts and calming her down a little.

The next morning, Riya had woken up pretty early. She didn’t sleep well since she had dreamt all night. It was a dream that recurred every time Riya was nervous about something. This dream also seemed to be on a loop, as it would just play over and over again all night long. The dream was about Riya in a dance competition in college, but she forgets to practice the night before and has no idea what she’s supposed to do on stage. Riya figured she thought about dancing enough at night, so she skipped her daily morning dance practice. She put on her tea and pulled out what she was planning on wearing. A couple of hours passed and Shamit rang the doorbell.

Riya was dressed in a simple, yet elegant white blouse with black trousers. She wore small stud earrings and a pearl necklace. (See picture) Shamit took one look at her and realized she had nailed it. He thought to himself that Riya had a great dressing sense and he should take her with the next time he needed to go shopping!

He said to Riya, “Maan gaye, yaar. You look great and this is exactly what I meant,” he said pointing to Riya’s clothes. “Khanna to tum achcha banna ti hi ho. Dressing sense mein bhi tum maahir ho. Ek baat battao….” he said as he cleared his throat, “dil lo gi ke jaan logi, meri jaan, set honne mein kitna time lo gi?”

“SHAMIT!!! Yeh sub mujhe apne saath set karne ke liye kar rahe ho? You cheater! You line maaro-er! You dilphenk aashiq!!! Tum jaante ho I only want to be friends, na?” Riya said kind of joking, kind of seriously.

“C’mon Riya,” said Shamit seriously. “You know I’m just joking. Itne achche dost ban gaye he itni kam mulaqaton mein. Can’t I joke with you,” Shamit asked with a puppy dog face.

Riya realized she shouldn’t have reacted the way she did. Shamit was obviously joking. Or was he? Either way, Riya rationalized that Shamit was being a good friend, no matter what his intentions were. “I’m sorry, Shamit” said Riya. “I think what you’re doing for me is beyond, umm…I don’t know what to say. I just want to say, no matter what happens today, I really appreciate your advice and you coming with me. Thanks.”

“Hey, Riya, yaad he na Salman ne kya kaha tha kabootar waali ko? Friendship mein…”

“NO SORRY, NO THANK YOU!” they both echoed at the same time and then broke out into laughter. Since Shamit had arrived a little early (as per Riya’s request), Riya offered Shamit some breakfast. Riya hadn’t had any yet either (besides her chai) so they both had some chai and ”naashta”.

They walked out of the house and Shamit said, “Dilphenk aashiq, hmmm? Yaad rakhunga.” Riya laughed. Shamit had a nice way of taking her mind off of things. He continued to engage Riya in various conversations that would keep her as calm as possible. Riya couldn’t control the butterflies in her stomach, but it was more excitement than nervousness.

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[naaz123]

They arrived at the Balaji offices. It was huge; a lot like the offices shown in some of the Balaji produced TV serials. Riya and Shamit walked up to the reception and were told to wait in a conference room. Shortly after, they were greeted by a woman who introduced herself as Maya, one of Ekta Kapoor’s many assistants. She told Riya what she needed to know about her screen test. The main thing was that they wanted Riya to be herself.

Riya was given the script to look over. It wasn’t very structured and really gave Riya pointers rather than solid instructions. It had some lines of intro and then quickly jumped into Riya demonstrating any one of her favorite yet easy recipes. The instructions said that she should demonstrate the recipe procedure and ingredients, however every so often she should also add a story about what she was making, or facts about the ingredients, or some interesting tidbit that was not completely food related.

Riya was a little confused. Shamit took the script from her and tried to see if he could make sense of exactly what it was saying. After they both reread it a couple of times and after brainstorming, they figured that Riya was not supposed to just cook and give simple directions like the current TV chefs did. She was supposed to add a bit of her own personality and engage the audience a little too. It made sense so Riya started to think about what recipe she would present. She decided to make parathas, and thought about telling the tale of how she evolved into a paratha expert.

The assistant, Maya, came back into the conference room and told Riya that they were ready for the screen test. Shamit was told that he could watch from a viewing area just outside of the studio. He gave Riya’s arm a squeeze and said “Best of luck. You’re going to do great!”

Riya took a deep breath and gave Shamit a nervous smile as she followed Maya into the studio. Riya thought about all the presentations she had given as the head of catering of her company. She convinced herself that this presentation would be no different. She was never nervous at those presentations and cooking was her forte. She could do this. And she did. Just like Shamit had said she nailed the clothing, she had nailed the screen test. She was witty, charming, coherent, and all out fabulous.

Ekta, who had been watching all along, came in clapping just as the person directing yelled “CUT”. Shamit was also very impressed. He was surprised at how easy Riya made it look. When he met her outside of the studio, he gave her a big smile and two thumbs up. Riya gave him a wide eyed, ear to ear, excited smile this time. They didn’t say anything as they were being led by Ekta into her enormous office.

Riya introduced Shamit to Ekta as her friend. Ekta shook hands with Shamit and got right down to business. She told Riya that her screen test went beautifully. Ekta knew when she saw Riya the first time, but the screen test was official proof which backed up Ekta’s hunch that Riya was the star that she was looking for.

Riya interrupted saying that she was really not a star and that she had no experience being in front of the camera. Ekta told her that she had a gift for recognizing diamonds in the rough, so to say. She asked Riya if she knew of her TV serial Kasamh Se and if she knew who Prachi Desai, (Bani) was. Riya said she’d watched the drama but had recently stopped because work kept her really busy. She didn’t want to admit that she’d lost interest in the bakwas that Ekta was passing off as drama in the show. Ekta continued to relate the story of how 17 year Prachi was absolutely no one and how she (Ekta) made her this huge star. She revealed that she was going to bring the same stardom to Riya. Ekta got up and walked around her office and said, “Ghar ghar mein tumhaari charcha hoggi, Riya. People will stay home to watch your show!”

Riya was a bit overwhelmed. Shamit couldn’t help but secretly laugh at how boisterous and stereotypical Ekta was. Ekta had done this many a time, so she just continued with her lively vision of Riya’s new show. It would be called Kkuch Kkhatta Kkuch Meetha. The format was loosely based on America’s Rachael Ray’s new talk/cooking show. It would be a cooking show and a chat show as well as provide tips and tricks for cooking and household chores. Balaji had acquired the license from HARPO productions (Oprah’s company) to basically copy the format as they chose.

Ekta continued to explain that Riya would need to come in to shoot for at least 3 hours every day. The first hour would consist of prepping and the next two hours would be actual filming with a live audience. Riya’s wardrobe would be designer ethnic wear consisting of shalwar kameezes and saris. She would be cooking her own recipes as well as whatever the production team came up with. She’d be cooking with celebrities as well as members of the average Indian janata.

Ekta finally stopped talking and asked if Riya had any questions. To say Riya was overwhelmed was an understatement. She looked at Shamit with a completely lost expression and he asked the first few questions. Having spoken to Riya earlier about some of her concerns, he was able to address them with Ekta. How long was the contract for and would the filming take more than the 3 hours mentioned? Were there any other requirements that would get in the way of Riya’s catering company? Was she able to still cater to whomever she chose or would their be restrictions? Riya found her voice and asked many questions of her own. Ekta answered all of the questions positively and in a manner acceptable to Riya and Shamit. The answer to Riya’s final queston sealed the deal. Riya asked about the shooting schedule again. She said that currently the catering business would be getting slow since the marriage “season” was about to end, however what about during high season. Wouldn’t the show affect Riya’s productivity and availability?

Ekta boldly responded, “With the salary I’m going to pay you, you’ll be able to hire 30 more people to take care of your business. Just remember, you’re going to be a star!” Ekta reminded Riya that she needed to come back for the whole day tomorrow to shoot for the promos of the show. They shook hands and parted ways.

In the car, Riya and Shamit couldn’t stop talking about the meeting. First they discussed how over the top Ekta was. Then about how over the top her ideas were. Then Riya joked about doing a cooking show in designer clothing! “What utter nonsense,” Riya said in disbelief. “They should call it KKooking spaghetti in a spaghetti strap sari or something!” exclaimed Riya.

“Or, they should call it Pakkao biryani wearing Armani” said Shamit with a big chuckle. Both laughed about the meeting all the way to the restaurant they were headed to. It was lunch time and they both decided to have lunch together. Riya treated, as it was the least she could do for everything Shamit had done for her that day. After lunch Shamit dropped Riya home and wished her well for the shooting of the promos. He told her to give him a call once it was done. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, so Riya decided to go home and relax a little. She quickly changed into some comfy clothes, plopped herself onto the baithak and turned on the TV. It had to be one of Ekta’s serials. A saas, with a humungous bindi, who barely looked two years older than her bahu was evilly devising her next plan to sabotage her bahu. Riya laughed, turned off the TV and decided to take a nap.

[awall21]

Nice girl! Can't wait to see Amey's reaction when he sees the promo on tv... hmm names for the show Kkooking with the Stars... you know like dancing with the stars and Shamit can be the a guest;) ... or KKhanna Bhannana :p , lol it's to early for me to think straight, will let you know if I come up with something else.

I posted the next part fo JDDJ, have class again tonight so will post the next scene for episode 5 tomorrow.

Later days!

[naaz123]

Hey after thinking for a while, I came up with Kkuch Kkhatta Kkuch Meetha. What do u think? I'm kinda likiing it for now. But I'm up for more suggestions. I hope to have a little more written tonight. :)
Naaz

[naaz123]

The next day Riya got dressed in a simple T shirt and some jeans. She was told that her wardrobe for the promo shoot would be provided. Ekta had sent a car from Balaji to pick Riya up. During the ride there, Riya wondered what her day would be like. If she wasn’t going for the shoot, Riya would have been doing last minute preparations for a small catering event for a corporate meeting. Luckily for Riya, Mrs. Malhotra was going to handle everything. After the promos, Riya decided that she’d have to go and talk to her staff and fill them in on what was going on. She wanted to wait for everything to be set in stone, however the promos would be airing in no time, and she wanted to let them know before they saw the promos themselves.

Riya’s thoughts were interrupted by a phone call from Shamit. “Hi, handsome,” she said for a change. He wanted to wish her good luck for the promo shoot. She said thanks and then asked what he was up to. He told her he had a busy few days ahead of him. He had to go to Pune for about 3 days for a concert with the Fame Gurukul gang. He wanted to see her before he left, but with both of their busy schedules, he wasn’t sure if they would be able to meet before he left the next day. Riya told him she’d call him when she was done with her promo shoot.

Riya arrived and was greeted again by Maya. She got to meet a whole bunch of members of the production crew. Everyone was very nice and not at all like she had feared after talking to the receptionist. Everything however, went really fast. She was to shoot three TV ads, one radio ad, and 3 print ads that day. Some of the TV material would be used for the print ads, but one special ad would be printed for the billboards (hoardings) that were going to go up in all major Indian cities. After getting all the info about the day, Riya couldn’t help but think that no wonder all of Ekta’s shows do well. She is a marketing genius. Riya had the feeling that when Ekta said Riya would be a household name, she really meant it and was going to make sure of it.

After a grueling 7 hours of constant work, with a couple of small breaks, Riya was finally allowed to take a half hour break and eat something. The radio ad, one TV ad and the billboard shoot was over. There was a lot of work to be done still and Riya didn’t see any sign of going home any time soon. Riya ate in Ekta’s office, where Ekta explained more about the show. Late tomorrow morning, Riya was to get a makeover and wardrobe finalizing, giving her at least part of the morning to herself. The day after tomorrow would involve shooting in places where Riya was in her own element, i.e. her house, her business, etc. The ads would run on TV and radio for a few days and next would be the day that the first show would shoot. The show would be shot in front of a live audience late in the morning, but would be aired later in the day for TV audiences. Before the actual audience arrives, Ekta explained that Riya would go through a trial run every day for a week until she got into the groove of things.

Ekta gave Riya a copy of the schedule with pertinent information highlighted and asked if she had any questions. Riya asked Ekta how much longer she thought it would be today, to which Ekta said they’d probably be there at least until 10 or 11 pm. Riya told Ekta that she didn’t have any other questions, but just wanted to make a phone call. Ekta told her to use her phone and didn’t even leave the office. Riya smiled politely, said she had her cell phone, and asked to be excused for a few minutes. Ekta had no choice but to unwillingly agree. In reality, Ekta had no time to wait for cell phone calls and made it pretty evident to Riya that she expected her to make it short.

Riya went right outside of Ekta’s office and quickly called up Shamit. She told him about her busy schedule, and how they didn’t even let her break for lunch. She said she had time to see him off tomorrow morning if he wanted. Shamit wanted to see Riya so badly before he left. On the one side he wanted to ask her to meet him after all her work was done tonight. He knew she’d be tired though and it was only a matter of three days. So Shamit told her there was nothing more he would want than to see her, however his flight leaves at 6 am and he didn’t think it would be possible to meet. He assured Riya that he’d be back in time to watch the first episode with her and that he’d be giving her all the moral support over the phone. Riya thanked Shamit and told him to have a great flight and a wonderful concert. She told him she knew he’d do great. Riya apologized that she had to cut it short, but Ekta was waiting for her. They hung up. Shamit hoped that the saying “distance makes the heart go fonder” would be true in Riya’s case, as he continued to go about whatever he was doing before the call.

Riya then quickly called Mrs. Malhotra to let her know that there would be a staff meeting discussing a few changes. Mrs. Malhotra was instructed to be there at 9:00 am and to tell all the others to come at 9:30. Riya went back into Ekta’s office and they continued with the grueling schedule once again. All the ads were finally shot and Riya reached home at midnight.

[awall21]

Ekta needs to lay off man, if she's not off ruining some show, she's a kabab mein haadi in other people's relationship... j/k yea man. Producing a show, especially an upcoming one takes mad work. When we have a new project come in, I always wish that I was out sick that week...:rolleyes: if only! Godd work keep it up!

[naaz123]

Chapter 7

The next day Riya went through her usual morning routine and then set out for the meeting with her staff. On the way she picked up some pastries and mithai. She arrived a little before 9:00 and Mrs. Malhotra was already there. Riya gave all of the exiting news about her new show to Mrs. Malhotra, who was pleasantly surprised, but extremely proud. Riya told her that she would now have to take care of everything. Mrs. Malhotra was being promoted to the post of General Manager. She also mentioned that Anju and Karan, who had been performing excellently would be trained to take over some of Riya’s other duties for the time being. As time permitted, Riya explained, she would also be present herself, but for the near future, Riya probably wouldn’t be around as much as usual. Mrs. Malhotra took out a piece of mithai and fed it to Riya.

“Mubarak ho beta,” she said in a motherly way. “Har kamiyabi ki hadd ko tum par karo and may God always bless you with happiness”.

“Thanks, Massi,” said Riya as tears filled her eyes She gave Mrs. Malhotra a hug and then put a piece of mithai in her mouth. Riya really missed Ayi at that moment. She couldn’t believe that Ayi didn’t know yet. She decided she’d tell her first thing when she got home, whether Amey was there or not. The first few employees started to walk in, interrupting Riya’s thoughts. Everyone was there by 9:30 and Riya started the meeting. Her whole staff was thrilled for her. Anju and Karan were ecstatic about their surprise promotions. Everyone celebrated by feeding each other the mithai and pastries.

There was still an hour before she had to be at the salon, so she asked her newly promoted staff to join her for brunch at a nearby restaurant. Mrs. Malhotra was unable to go, so Anju, Karan, and Riya headed to the place. Riya had a big meal, thinking back to yesterday when she was given such a hectic schedule that she became famished. In between bites, she explained what she expected of Anju and Karan in the next few weeks. She also told them to come over to her house in a few days so they could watch the first episode of her show together. It was getting late, so Riya headed to the salon.

At the salon, Riya was met by Maya. Maya took a few photos of Riya, to serve as “before” shots. Then a cameraman took some footage of Riya at each step of her makeover. The instructions were that Riya was to be glammed up. Riya had pretty great hair to begin with, so they cut it a little and gave her some layers. Next Riya went in for a facial. After that she got a manicure and pedicure. Maya gave Riya a new outfit to wear and Riya looked ravishing! The cameraman had Riya pose a little and then they were done.

Next, Riya hopped a ride with Maya back to the Balaji offices and studio. Riya’s measurements were taken and she was asked to try on a multitude of glamorous outfits. All of the clothing would be altered to fit Riya’s measurements. Riya also tried on a few pieces of jewelery to determine the size of all of the accessories she would wear with her clothes. The saris, shalwar kameezes, and shararas were absolutely gorgeous. Maya asked Riya to pick out her favorite outfit and matching jewelery. That would be the one Riya wore on her first episode. Riya was happy that all the clothing was to her liking, however she still couldn’t get over having to cook in such formal designer outfits. She hoped that the viewers didn’t laugh at her. Riya knew though that Ekta was a smart prdoducer who knew what she was doing, at least at the beginning of all of her shows.

Since Riya was done early with her fittings, not wasting any time, Ekta decided to get Riya started on her personal profile shoots. These were little shots of Riya’s life – things that defined who Riya was. It was a way for the TV audience to get to know Riya better since she was basically a nobody before Ekta “discovered” her. The crew headed over to Riya’s house and filmed and filmed some more until the wee hours of the night.

Ayi and Amey had returned from the doctor’s office and some shopping at around 8pm. Both wondered what all the commotion was about. After putting his purchases away, Amey stepped out and looked around to see if he could figure out what was happening. He saw a spot boy and asked him what was going on.

“Riya Madam ke show ke liye shooting chal rahi he,” said the spot boy, rushing to get back to work.

“Riya ka show?” thought Amey to himself. Another crew member came out in a rush to get something and Amey stopped him to ask what show was Riya shooting for. Recognizing Amey, the guy explained a little better than the spot boy. Amey was shocked to say the least. He went inside to find Ayi looking straight at him, in anticipation of an explanation. Ayi was extremely excited and as proud as a parent could be. She knew, however, that Amey wouldn’t appreciate her going over to talk to Riya, so once again, she retired to her room without a word.

Amey did not realize the adverse effect his irrational behavior was having on Ayi. Little did he know that the “truth” (the drunken, delusional dream he had about himself and Riya together) that he was so desperately trying to hide in order to save what may or may not be a life long relationship (the one with Meenal), was destroying the two existing life long relationships that he already had (the ones with Ayi and Riya).

Amey and Meenal’s relationship was doing pretty good. Amey liked Meenal a lot. He seemed to relate to her well because of the common experience that they had been through (Indian Idol 2). Each of them supported the other in their attempts at play back singing. They both shared an agent and went to many auditions together. Both also got together quite often, sometimes at Meenal’s place, sometimes at Amey’s, and rehearsed. Each time they attempted something different to set themselves apart from all the other Bollywood playback hopefuls. Meenal had recently auditioned for a movie called Sehar and the chances looked positive.

Since Meenal was spending quite a bit of time at Amey’s house, Ayi tried her best to be cordial with her. Ayi was trying to get used to fact that Meenal was in Amey’s life and made every attempt to make her comfortable when she was at the house. Although Ayi never did anything to make Meenal feel disliked, Meenal always had the complex that Ayi didn’t treat her as well as she treated Riya. She feared that she would never become a beloved member of Ayi’s family. An unspoken rift started to form between Meenal and Ayi.

Two days had passed and between preparations for her new show and making sure things were running smooth with her catering business, Riya was exhausted. Even though she was busy beyond belief, Riya thought of Amey a little, and a little of Shamit. Riya longed to discuss her show and everything about it with Amey and Ayi, just like old times. She knew how proud Ayi would be and it hurt her deeply to not be able to talk to her. Riya needed to talk to someone, so she thought about calling Shamit. Just then her cell phone rang.

“Kehte he ke kissi ko yaad karo aur voh ajaye, ya unka phone ajaye, to unki badi lambi umar hotti he,” said Riya.

“Achcha, to hum aap ko yaad aa rahe the” asked Shamit hopefully. “You sound tired; everything alright,” he continued.

“Hmmm...I’m alright. Just very tired,” said Riya as she sank down into the baithak. “Bohot busy schedule he. First show ke air honne se pehle hi mujhe maar dale gi Ekta,” exclaimed Riya.

Shamit went on to tell Riya not to work too hard as she had to save up all her energy for the show tomorrow. He had seen her ad on TV and in a paper he picked up. She was looking more gorgeous than ever. He told her he would be back early morning and would meet her in the evening to watch the show together. Riya let him know that Anju and Karan would be there too, and she hoped he didn’t mind. Shamit was dying to spend time alone with Riya, but would never admit it to her, at least not so soon, so he said that was fine. He asked if he could bring his best friend, Shree and Shree’s girlfriend over. Shamit explained that Shree really wanted to meet Riya, since he’d been talking about her so much.

“Achcha? Meri burayai kar rahe the apne doston se”, asked Riya with a little shararat in her voice.

“Mein, aur tumhari burayi? Kabhi nahin, madam. Never!” exclaimed Shamit.

Riya told him it was fine to bring Shree and his girlfriend. They could just order some pizza and celebrate the first episode, no matter how bad it was. Shamit assured Riya that she was going to be fabulous and she needn’t worry about anything. She should just be her regular loveable self. Riya thanked Shamit for the vote of confidence in between yawns. Although Shamit could have continued talking for hours, he told Riya to rest, as she sounded extremely exhausted, and they hung up.

[naaz123]

The next day Riya had to be at the studio bright and early. She changed into her outfit (see below) right away so she could get a feel for working with it on. The first episode was an introduction to Riya, so the format was to be a little different than it would be in following episodes. The footage of Riya’s personal profile would be aired for the first half hour. Right before commercial breaks, teasers would be played to show what was coming up next. Each teaser would show that Rani Mukherjee and Shah Rukh Khan would be on the show. Ekta was hopeful that these teasers would keep viewers watching until the end of the show, when the two stars would finally appear to cook parathas with Riya while discussing the success and mixed reaction that their new movie (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna) was receiving. Between the profile and cooking segments, Riya was to answer audience questions, show segments with helpful tips or unique solutions submitted by viewers or people off the street, and finally distribute some product that a sponsor had provided for the whole audience.

Riya was very excited, however a bit nervous, as well. Ekta knew how difficult first shows could be, so she did everything possible during the rehearsal to calm Riya down. During the past couple of days, Riya had already practiced with the teleprompter and the ear piece that she had to wear during the show, so she was already accustomed to those. Everything new was taken at a slow pace. Things that made Riya uncomfortable or that she was unsure about were tweaked.

Backstage, in a waiting room, the audience had already arrived. They were being prepped about what to say, when to clap, and other general audience related things. Three hours after Riya had first started rehearsing, Ekta felt that she was ready to go on camera in front of a live audience. Riya went to get her hair and make up done while Ekta called up the celebrities to make sure they were going to be on time. Then the actual shooting finally began.

Since the first half hour of the show consisted mostly of footage that was previously recorded, the rest of the shooting went really fast and smooth. The interaction between Riya and her audience seemed natural and was very interesting. At first, the audience (who is basically kept in the dark about the topics of the show) thought that the free gifts they received from the sponsers were the highlight of the show. However, once they got to see Rani Mukherjee and Shah Rukh Khan, not only up close and personal, but also in a different light (i.e. making parathas with Riya) the audience went wild! After the filming was complete, the camera crew was on hand to capture the audience reaction to use for marketing and future episodes.

Riya was congratulated back stage by the celebrities who knew what it was like to be a newcomer. They told her that she pulled off the show with the greatest of ease. Ekta was listening like a hawk and loved what she was hearing. Photgraphs of Rani, Shah Rukh, Riya and Ekta were taken. Ekta finally congratulated Riya and told her that she was excellent, and that her performance had surpassed Ekta’s expections. After a briefing and a final wardrobe fitting for the next day’s episode, Riya was allowed to go home.

At home, Ayi was anxiously awaiting the time for Riya’s show to start. She was so nervous, yet so happy for Riya. She tried to do everything possible to relax, but nothing worked. So she called up Amey and told him to come home and be with her. Amey told Ayi that Meenal was with him too and that she’d be coming over, as well. The two finally arrived and the show was about to start. Ayi sat in a chair that was closer to the TV than she ever sat. She guarded the remote as if her life depended on it, lest Amey should try to change the channel or turn the tv off. The billboards, TV, radio and print ads were inescapable and one had to be blind to miss them, hence, Amey was well aware that the show was airing tonight. As heartless as he had been in the past few weeks, even he knew that it would be cruel to not let his mom watch the show. Secretly, both he and Meenal were extremely interested in watching the show too.

Meanwhile, next door Anju and Karan had already shown up with a ton of food. Even though Riya had told them they’d order pizza, both of them thought it would be inappropriate to celebrate such a grand feat with mere take out. They brought everything from appetizers, to the main meal, to dessert. Riya hugged both of them in appreciation. Soon after, Shamit, Shree, and his girlfriend, Aditi showed up. As luck would have it, they arrived at the same time Amey and Meenal had arrived. Amey was surprised to see Shamit and Shree. Although Shamit and Shree had been best friends for years, Amey also got to know Shree since he was also an Indian Idol 2 contestant. Amey had made it to the top four, but Shree never got passed the preliminaries. Shree introduced his Aditi and Shamit and expressed his shock at finding out that Amey was Riya’s neighbor. He asked if Amey and Meenal would be joining them to watch the episode to which Amey had said no, since he’d be watching with his mom. The said they’d meet some other time and parted ways.

The trio then went in to greet Riya. Shamit, holding something behind his back, introduced Shree and Aditi to everyone. The pair greeted Riya and then went in to meet Anju and Karan. Shamit pulled out a beautiful bouquet of flowers from behind him and presented them to Riya. He gave her a hug and a kiss on her cheek and said,

“These are for you. Congrats, Riya. I can’t wait to see the show”.

“Thanks, Shamit. They’re beautiful!” exclaimed Riya. She was impressed by Shamit’s thoughtfulness. She thought back to the fact that Anju and Karan had also brought food and was touched by how blessed she was in the “friend” department. Anju, who had been to Riya’s house many times, had taken the liberty of setting out all of the appetizers and food. Everyone grabbed a plate and gathered around the TV, getting ready to watch the show which was finally about to start.

The episode began with a voiceover informing the audience of who Riya was. They showed her waking up, doing her dance practice, getting ready and doing puja, drinking chai and having breakfast, etc. etc. Then it switched to Riya directly talking to the audience. She grabbed a purse and headed out the door and then said,

“Sub ki zindagi mein koi aisa ek insaan hotta he joh unke liye bohot ahem hotta he. Mere liye voh meri “Ayi” he joh pados mein rehti he. Koi bhi bada kaam karne se pehle mein unka ashirwaad leyti hu, lekin aaj mujhe bohot afsos he ke voh ghar par nahin he,” said Riya into the camera. Then without a word, she bent down in front of Ayi’s door and did a “per choona” motion as if Ayi was there. She got up, shrugged her shoulders with a smile and went out and into the Balaji car.

Tears filled Ayi’s eyes and she got up and “blessed” where Riya’s head was in the TV. She sat back down and cried uncontrollably, coughing and struggling to catch her breath. Amey and Meenal looked at each other with confused looks. Amey got up and tried to comfort Ayi. He suggested that they turn the TV off and Ayi could relax a little. Ayi said “Hargiss nahin”, between labored sobs.

Next door the atmosphere was the extreme opposite. Everyone was excited to be a part of Riya’s big day. They were all also amazed at the ease and composure Riya showed. The final part with the celebrities was so interesting to everyone that no one uttered a word. Shamit began to clap when the end credits started rolling and got up and give Riya a big congratulatory hug. Everyone else followed suit. It was like a big party. They all asked Riya a lot of questions about the experience and what the celebrities were like. After Riya did a lot of talking, they all decided to just hang out and sing a little. Shree had brought his guitar and they all were really enjoying themselves.

After a while, Anju found a cd of romantic filmi songs and decided to play it. Karan and Anju started to slow dance. Shree held is hand out to Aditi and she jumped up and they began to dance. Shamit looked over at Riya to gauge whether she’d dance or not. Without saying a word, the two were able to communicate “ishaaro mein”. Shamit raised his eyebrows, asking whether she wanted to dance. With a simultaneous smile, a blink of the eyes and tilt of her head, Riya said “Let’s go” without saying a word. All three were dancing to the song “Churaliya”. Riya was a bit embarrassed by her proximity to Shamit. She couldn’t get herself to look into his eyes that seemed to be constantly searching for some kind of acknowledgement from Riya. She rested her head on Shamit’s shoulder and continued to dance.

The music was pretty loud and everyone was too engrossed in each other to realize that someone was knocking at the door. It was Amey. Not having a response, Amey instinctively turned the door knob and found the door to be unlocked. He went in to find Riya dancing in Shamit’s arms and resting her head on his shoulder. Amey was so self obsessed (and obsessed in keeping his “secret”) for the past few weeks that he was absolutely unaware that Riya even knew Shamit. He walked up to Riya with a sad look on his face and told her that he needed to talk to her.

http://www.kaneesha.com/suits_images/LGS06117_display.jpg

[awall21]

Dude awesome chapter, this is my favorite chapter so far. One thing though that I wasn't sure about, does Amey realize that nothing happened or were you pointing out that he's just a delusional jerk? I love Riya's outfits btw. If Riya wanted to stick it to him she could be like how dare you come to my house, lol especially after she's not allowed in his. Also, he came in without knocking.. yea the music was loud so what he could have knocked louder.... Anyways can't wait to read more on this. Awesome job keep it up.

Later days!

[naaz123]

Aw, thanks Anita! Your comments mean so much to me. It gives me more energy and more enthusiasm to write more and to write better! Thanks again. To answer yr question, Amey still thinks that he went all the way with Riya. (That's what he dreamt about when he was drunk). All of us know that Riya did the right thing and nothing besides a little kissing happened. Hope it makes sense! A shocking chapter 8 will be in theaters (well, u know what I mean) soon!
Naaz

[awall21]

Can't wait to read the next part, its so hard to finction at work today as I was off yesterday and now it being Tue I lost a day to get some of this compounded work completed. Oh well...

I cannot wait till the next part, post it sometime this morning so I can read it here at work :).

Catch you on the flip side!

[naaz123]

Chapter 8

“Kya hua, Amey,” asked Riya, knowing immediately that something was wrong.

Amey couldn’t find the right words to tell Riya what he had to say. So he said everything bluntly and really fast. “Ayi hospital mein he. Tumhe milna chah rahi he. I see you’re busy, but will you please come with me” asked Amey.

“Oh my God, Amey. Of course I’ll come. Kya hua he Ayi ko,” asked Riya with tears already falling from her eyes. She feared the worst. Without realizing what she was doing, she looked at Shamit for approval.

“Tum jao, mein tumhara intezar karunga,” said Shamit reassuringly. Everyone else had stopped dancing by now and chimed in together that Riya shouldn’t worry about them and should just go. Riya grabbed her purse and left with Amey. As they walked to Amey’s bike, Amey explained that while watching Riya’s show, Ayi had started to feel a shortness of breath and heart palpitations. She complained ke “Bohot gabrahat ho rahi thi” so Amey rushed her to the hospital. Riya asked if she was going to be ok, and Amey assured her that although she wasn’t so good at the moment, the doctor said she’d be ok with rest.

They got on the bike and it was too loud to talk, so the two rode in silence. Amey flashed back to thoughts of rushing Ayi to the hospital and not quite knowing what was wrong with her. He then thought about what the doctor had said. The doctor had asked Amey if Ayi had been through any recent stress. Amey knew that he had to answer honestly and explained (leaving out some details and changing others) how Ayi was extremely missing their neighbor, Riya, due to her busy shooting schedule. He told her that she was crying uncontrollably when the show was airing on TV. The doctor, due to his experience, figured that there must be more to the story and told Amey that he was not to let his mother get so stressed out again. He said that Ayi’s blood pressure was dangerously high, despite the fact that she was taking medicine. He warned Amey that any further tension could result in a heart attack or stroke and that Amey should do anything possible to keep Ayi stress-free and happy. Finally, the doctor said that Ayi needed to be kept in the hospital for a few days for observation.

After Amey had spoken to the doctor, he went over to Ayi and held her hand. He told her what the doctor had told him in not so many words. He then asked her if there was anything she needed.

“Riya ko ley kar ao. Manna mat kar na, Amey,” she begged, with tears welling up in her eyes.

Amey knew that he couldn’t let Ayi get upset and he assured her that no matter where Riya was, he would go get her. Meenal was going to stay with Ayi, but he knew he needed reinforcements. He called up his masi and asked her to come to the hospital, as well.

Amey and Riya had arrived at the hospital. Since it was so late, the hospital was not as full of activity as it would have been earlier in the day. Had it been earlier in the day, there were chances of Riya getting mobbed. Ekta had warned her not to go to any public places since her face was plastered all over India, but not too many people recognized Riya and she was easily able to make her way to Ayi’s room.

Riya ran over to Ayi and buried her head in Ayi’s lap. Ayi lifted Riya’s face up and caressed it in a motherly way and ran her hand over Riya’s head. Neither of them said a word at first. Then Ayi told Riya that she should never leave her side again. She told Riya that not being able to speak to Riya was like losing a child and she couldn’t bear that anymore. Riya promised that nothing would ever come between them again and that she’d take good care of her from now on. Ayi mentioned that Riya would be really busy now with her new show. She then congratulated Riya and tried to sit up to give Riya a hug. Riya told Ayi that she should relax and that she had to get up early the next day for her shooting, but that she’d come to visit her again tomorrow. Ayi reluctantly let Riya go.

As Amey and Riya were walking out to the bike, Riya told Amey that he had to stop the nonsense that he had started. It was utterly unfair to not be able to talk to Ayi. Riya asked if Amey realized how stressed it was making Ayi. They got on the bike and Amey started to drive, making it extremely difficult to hear once again. Riya tried to tell Amey that nothing happened the night Amey was voted out and there was nothing to tell Meenal. The difficulty to hear combined with Amey’s preconceived notions led him to hear something other than what Riya was saying and once again, he got all worked up about what would happen if Meenal found out.

They had arrived at home and continued to bicker all the way to the front door. Shamit had heard them pull up so he opened Riya’s door. Amey didn’t find it appropriate to say anything in front of Shamit, (and wondered why he was still at Riya’s house, opening her door) so he said goodbye and went back to the hospital, where Ayi and Meenal were waiting.

Poor Meenal. She felt bad for Ayi. Meenal was a good person, after all. She felt bad and a little responsible for the deterioration of Ayi’s health over the past few weeks. Meenal had questioned Amey many times about his relationship with Riya. Amey had always denied any relationship other than friendship with an obvious look of guilt on his face. When Amey asked Ayi not to have any relationship with Riya, Meenal thought it was merely so that Ayi could get to know Meenal better. Little did she know that there was a much bigger reason for Amey to prohibit Ayi from speaking with Riya. Meenal had just seen the all the drama between Ayi and Riya and decided that she had tough competition; maybe not when it came to Amey, but she would definitely never be able to replace Riya in Ayi’s heart.

Meanwhile, back at Riya’s house, Shamit let Riya know that everyone had left. Anju and Aditi had cleaned up and packed up all the leftover food. Riya felt so bad and apologized for leaving. She asked Shamit if Shree and Aditi felt offended. Shamit assured her that they understood. They’re all close to their families and they understand how important family is, especially when someone is so sick they have to be in the hospital. He then asked Riya what was wrong with Ayi.

“Mera show dekhte dekhte voh itna stressed out hogaye ke she couldn’t breathe, Shamit,” exclaimed Riya. “What will I do without her? I’ve lost my birth mother and I can’t bear to lose Ayi,” said Riya with tears rolling down her eyes. Shamit rubbed her arm. He didn’t feel comfortable enough to console her any further. Until now, all of Riya’s body language suggested that she just needed a friend. Shamit was going to be the best friend possible without intentionally pressuring Riya to develop the relationship further. So he just listened to Riya and then repeated what he told Riya at the Punjabi restaurant a few weeks ago, “Everything happens for a reason, and that reason is good. Don’t forget that”. Riya looked up and into Shamit’s eyes, something she had been avoiding lately.

“You’re right. There has to be a greater good in all of this. Thanks for listening, Shamit. Thanks for being here for me,” she said as she gave Shamit a hug. After a few seconds, Riya realized that she was hugging Shamit and felt a little uncomfortable. She hardly knew the guy, but the connection and the chemistry between the two was undeniable. Part of her wanted to lose herself and her sorrows in Shamit. The other part thought otherwise and she semi-unwillingly pulled out of the embrace. “Shamit, I have to wake up really early tomorrow,” she said not able to meet Shamit eye to eye again.

“No worries, gorgeous,” said Shamit grabbing his keys from a side table. “I’ll call you tomorrow or you call me. Lots and lots of luck for your show tomorrow.” They both were at the door and after Riya’s hug, Shamit got a little bold and hugged her goodbye, while quickly pecking her cheek in a friendly way. He was off after a final, “Take care.”

Riya shut the door. She was confused by all the emotion from the day. She had run the gamut of every emotion possible that day, going from nervous excitement, to exhaustion, to thrill, to fear, to worry and sadness. The emotion that was clinging to her, even beyond worry for Ayi was the fear or the hesitation she had when it came to Shamit. She just wasn’t sure what to do with it, but she couldn’t address it at the moment. She was afraid she wouldn’t sleep well due to all that happened during the day, but fortunately, she slept like a log and woke up refreshed and ready to go for the second day of shooting for Kkuch Kkhatta Kkuch Meetha.

[awall21]

Hey awesome chapter! I'm shcoked with the turn of events, I hope that Ayi is okay though... Amey that boy's just a fool... lol phool!:rolleyes: Riya and Shamit scenes are cute... he waited up for her and stuck around so she wouldn't be all alone. shooo shweeet. :D ;) :p Okie can't wait to read the next part, do post soon....

Later days

[naaz123]

Hey Anita,
I'm glad you liked it! I told you it would be a shocker. :eek: I think now I'm going to take some creative liberties and change the "real" characters personalities a little. For example, the guys weren't so cool (as u had noted) and in reality neither was a good dancer, both were from small beginnings and modest families. Also, both haven't done much since their respective shows ended. So I'm going to mold the characters a little different from reality. Shamit's mom's gonna be more modern. He's going to be a great dancer. And pretty soon, I'm going to show that both are getting more and more famous. I think it's necessary since Riya's getting famous that Shamit shouldn't be a loser. I want him to be her equal in every way. What do u think? That's not stretching it too much, is it? It's like u always say "just imagine"! Ok, that's all for now! I'll write more later tonight.
Naaz

[awall21]

...a guy who knows how to dance well, that's a defn plus in my book. You know what they say about a guy being able to dance well ;) just imagine sorry couldn't help myself.

....equal footing in a relationship; this is so important and rare. I see my freind in realtionships and at different levels they break out into small arguments sometimes escalting to break up... sheesh I think equality makes two people stronger and well not taken for granted. This is ranked way up there with trust, loyalty, and believe it or not humor. This is any relationship friends, personal, family, etc. I need me a guy like this:rolleyes: just imagine lol wedding bells for sure afterwards.


LATER DAYS!

[naaz123]

Hey, that's the thing...we're writing about perfect people here. People that don't really exist in the real world. But, of course, we want our writing to seem real, so everyone has to have some flaws. Amey's are really apparent right now. Shamit's haven't surfaced yet. Do you remember the movie Only You (with Marisa Tomei)? In it they're watching that old, old movie where the two are supposed to meet on the Empire State Building, I think and Marisa Tomei's character says, all this romantic stuff came from someone's experience. And the other more realistic woman says, no it came from someone's imagination. So that's what all of this is. My imagination running wild! I'm so glad you're coming along for the ride. You're the only one that comments so you'll be in the driver seat sometimes too. I love your input and will incorporate some of it soon.
Zain just came up to me with pretend stethescope. He was listening to my "heartbeat" and I asked him, can you hear anything, and he goes, "No"! He, he..the lil cutie doesn't quite understand how to pretend yet! :) Later!
Naaz

[awall21]

No idea what movie, but it does make me think Sleepless in Seattle. I'l go check the movie cuz I'm sure that the mention it but with class I might not be able to get to it till tomorrow.

Later days!

[naaz123]

The next day Riya was at the shoot bright and early again. Her outfit was more elaborate than yesterday’s (see below) and Riya was worried she’d fall and make a fool of herself. Nothing of the sort happened and once again, the show went off without a hitch. The episode started off with more of the previously shot footage. This time it was about Riya’s catering business. After the footage, Riya came on stage and took audience questions. All three of the audience members who asked questions first commented how beautiful Riya looked. Riya smiled and took the compliments very well. She had an obvious natural rapport with the audience. After the questions there was a segment where someone came and on demonstrated a whole bunch of new and cool kitchen gadgets. The audience received a free gadget to take home. Finally, the celebrity guest was famous singer Sunidhi Chauhan.

Riya and Sunidhi had to make gulab jamun while playing antakshri. The audience was in stitches at the antics of the two. They both performed well, however Sunidhi was stumbling through the rolling of the gulab jamun and kept dropping them, which provided great cause for laughter. Sunidhi commented on air how well Riya sang. They stopped making the sweets and sat down for an impromptu performance of Sunidhi’s slow song from Fanaa…”mere haath mein”. (http://ww.smashits.com/music/hindi-film/songs/5714/fanaa.html#) The show was then wrapped up. Riya would have loved to have been able to talk to Sunidhi off air a little, however the celebrities were usually rushed off set and to their cars. After another briefing and fitting for the next day, Riya was off to the hospital to meet Ayi.

On her way to the hospital, Riya called Shamit to thank him for waiting for her the night before. Riya chatted for a little while about her day and how she got to sing with Sunidhi Chauhan. Then she asked Shamit how things were going for him. He told her that a contract with Tips that he told her about earlier (let’s just pretend he already told her) was going through tomorrow. Mona and Arijeet were also involved and all of them would be tied up for a few days. He was going out with Shree and Aditi and wanted to know if Riya wanted to come. Riya told him she also had promotional shoots on Thursday and Friday and wouldn’t be able to see Shamit given that both of them had busy schedules. So Riya told him that she needed at least a couple of hours with Ayi, but he could come and watch the show with her if he didn’t mind being in a hospital room. They could meet Shree and Aditi after that. Shamit agreed and said he’d be there a little before the show started.

Riya went in to see Ayi. She looked a little worse than yesterday. Ayi’s sister, Mrs. Shah, and a little baby girl were in the hospital room as well. Mrs. Shah’s daughter, Kiran, Amey’s cousin, worked full time and Mrs. Shah watched the baby for her. Both women were happy to see Riya, and Ayi’s face in particular lit up when Riya walked in. Ayi told Riya that Amey and Meenal were just there, but went home for a while since Mrs. Shah had stopped by. Riya asked why Ayi didn’t look so good and she told her that along with the stress related symptoms, she also had a bit of a fever, which the doctors were struggling to diagnose. Ayi had to go thru many tests and would get the results tomorrow. Riya asked if it was ok for Shamit to come watch Riya’s show and Ayi said that as long as Riya was with her, she didn’t mind anything at all. Ayi didn’t want to ask anything about Shamit in front of her sister, so she liked the idea of being able to observe how Shamit and Riya behaved together. Ayi was hoping they were just friends. Riya called Shamit and told him it was ok for him to come.

After the three ladies chatted a while, Mrs. Shah asked Riya if she would hold the baby while Mrs. Shah helped bathe Ayi. Riya loved children and hadn’t played with a baby for a long time, so she enthusiastically agreed. Riya took the baby out into a small corridor right outside of Ayi’s room. It wasn’t a main hallway and was therefore pretty secluded. Although Riya was excellent with little kids, this baby didn’t know Riya and was very fussy. Riya was bouncing the baby and swaying side to side to try to get the baby to calm down. Just then Shamit walked up to Riya and took a peek at the baby in Riya’s arms.

“You never told me you had a baby,” exclaimed Shamit in that shararti way of his.

“Arre, shayad mein battana bhool gayi. So sorry. Mere to teen bachche he. Ek to tumhari umar ka he,” said Riya, not able to control her giggles.

“Khud payda hui nahin thi, aur bachchon ko bhi janam dey diya, hmmm? Very good,” said Shamit with a chuckle.

“This is Ayi’s sister’s grand daughter, Ayushi. She doesn’t like me,” said Riya in a sing song-y voice, scrunching up her nose, as she continued to bounce Ayushi around.

“Let’s sing her a song,” suggested Shamit as he got behind Riya so he could see Ayushi, who was cradled in the nook of Riya’s arm. “How about “nindiya re” from Swades,” asked Shamit.
http://ww.smashits.com/music/hindi-film/songs/4440/swades.html# (listed as Ahista Ahista)

“I was just thinking that! Let’s start at the “Meheki hawa ki reshmi chaadar part,” said Riya.

Both started with the humming. “Hmmmmmm…..meheki hawa ki reshami chadar kaho to bichcha du, neel gaggan se chand ko leyke…” they sang as Riya continued to sway with the baby. Shamit stood behind Riya with his chin almost on Riya’s shoulder. The sound of the two singing was so sweet that the baby instantly calmed down and started to fall asleep from the swaying. Shamit and Riya continued to sing and were so involved in putting Ayushi to sleep that they didn’t notice the woman standing in the corridor. She was watching them with a smile on her face and taking pictures on her cell phone.

She cleared her throat to get their attention. It was Amey’s cousin, and Ayushi’s mom, Kiran. “Wow,” she said, “Meri bachchi kitni lucky he. Itni bade bade celebrities lori gaa kar sullate he usse,” she whispered excitedly.

Riya held Ayushi in one arm and hugged Kiran with the other. Then, still whispering, she introduced Shamit. Kiran took Ayushi from Riya, went into Ayi’s room and placed the baby in the imported baby carrier. Ayi and her sister were also done and Ayi had already settled back into bed. The show was about to start and they all sat either on the spare bed or chairs randomly scattered around the room.

The show started and after the footage about Riya’s catering business, Riya came on in her designer sari and started talking to the audience.

“Oh GAWD, look at me! I look like I should be getting married, not hosting a show,” exclaimed Riya, totally shocked by how decked out she looked. “I can’t believe how much make up I have on. Log to mujhe paagal samjhenge,” she continued.

Without any hesitation or bother about who else was in the room, Shamit said, “You look gorgeous, Riya. Log tumhe paagal nahin samjhenge, yaar. You look so good that you’re gonna make everyone paagal after you. Abh dekhna tumpe kitne aashiq fida hottein he.”

Everyone laughed and agreed with Shamit. They all told Riya that she looked great. Kiran told Riya that she was being too judgemental because it was her own face and she wasn’t used to seeing it with so much make up. She continued to explain that to everyone in that room and to the common viewer Riya looked absolutely stunning. Both Shamit and Kiran’s explanations made sense, so Riya started dissecting the episode based on things other than her looks.

The part where Riya and Sunidhi Chauhan were making gulab jamuns and playing antakshri came on. Amey and Meenal entered the already crowded room. Amey was shocked (and for some reason bothered) to see Riya and Shamit sitting on the bed together. Meenal, who had heard from Amey about Shamit being at Riya’s place, was delighted to see Riya and Shamit together. Meenal hoped Ayi would accept her more now that Riya might have a new relationship. Amey asked Ayi how she was feeling, and Ayi just shushed him, putting her finger to her lips. The two found a corner where they could stand without disrupting anyone’s view. Everyone continued to watch and laugh as Riya and Sunidhi rolled out gulab jamuns and belted out tune after tune.

After Riya and Sunidhi sang the song from Fanaa, everyone congratulated Riya for her great performance and for the success of her show. Even Meenal gave Riya a hug. Being on Riya’s bad side meant being on Ayi’s bad side and Meenal couldn’t risk that. Riya and Shamit decided to leave since there were already enough people in the room and Ayi needed to rest. Soon after, Mrs. Shah and Kiran decided they should go too. Amey and Meenal went to go get a taxi so that they didn’t have to wait outside too long with the baby.

While they were gone, Kiran asked Ayi why Amey and Riya weren’t together. Growing up she thought that the two were so perfect for each other and she could have bet that they were destined to get married to one another.

“Donno sirf dost he,” said Ayi in an exasperated tone. “Amey ko Meenal pasand he, aur Riya bhi shayad Shamit ko pasand karti he. Kya maloom, bhagwan ko kya manzoor he.”

Ayi had mentioned to her sister many times that she loved Riya and would want nothing more than to have her as a bahu. Mrs. Shah knew that seeing Amey and Riya with different partners may stress Ayi out, so she changed the subject and got Ayi involved in talking about Ayushi, and then soon after, they left, promising to come back the next day.
http://www.shaaditimes.com/images-article/2006/mar/in-vogue-1.jpg

[awall21]

Hehe people and their camera phones I swear. Lol everyone in my house has a camera phone and the are always clicking away, even when I was in India. I can't remember the number of times I'd wake up after they slept deleted all the weird photos they would snap of me. Haha then I'd laugh the next morning when they'd be like "Didi ithni mushkil so woh photo kiche aur aap ne delete kardi." I miss them so much, but hey I'm not a fan of blackmail which is exactly what they did the last time around to me.:rolleyes: I miss those days.

What are the odds of Amey finding the picture/movie on the phone?:confused: I think Riya and Shamit make a good power couple and neither will be overshadowed by the others fame. Somehow I wouldn't see Amey taking all of Riya's success so well. I think its getting a little hot under the collar for Amey... burn baby burn with jealousy you deserve it all esp for making your mom so sick.

I'm much better thanks, though it's been raining here the past two days and yesterday sucked during class cuz the AC was on so I was chilled like a popsicle.:p

Catch you on the flip side, I did update yesterday so if you get a chance do read it's another :eek: , lol.

Later days!

[naaz123]

Chapter 9

Shamit told Riya that they were going out to dinner at a restaurant/club. It was the sort of place that celebrities loved to hang out at since there were separate areas where they could be semi secluded and away from the general public. The last time Riya had been to a club was at a catering event. She really never had time to party much, since she had kept herself so busy with work after having graduated from college. She occasionally went when she was in college, but neither her nor Amey drank so it wasn’t as fun for them as it was for their mutual friends. Most of her fun time during those years was spent at Amey’s where all the friends would gather and sing or play (dumb) charades.

Shamit and Riya drove straight to Riya’s so she could change. Once again Shamit made himself comfortable on the baithak. The clothing junkie that she was, Riya had a few outfits that she could wear tonight. She rarely wore anything even partially revealing, just due to the way she was, so even her “clubbing” outfit was fairly modest. (see below) Riya came out wearing a deep green off the shoulders blouse, with black jeans. She had minimal jewelery on and had done up her eyes in a dark, smoky way. Shamit was floored. He had seen Riya in some fabulous outfits in the past few weeks (in real and on TV) however this was a totally different Riya and Shamit really liked how she looked.

“Kya hua,” asked Riya as she noticed Shamit just sort of lost as he looked at her. She looked down at her clothes, smoothed out her blouse, and pushed a lock of hair behind her ears nervously, wondering why Shamit was staring the way he was.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that you look so different,” said Shamit mysteriously.

“Is there something wrong with what I’m wearing? Is my eye make up too dark,” asked Riya, becoming more and more self conscious, as she rushed to the mirror in the hall to see what was wrong.

Shamit walked up behind her and looked at her reflection eye to eye. “I’ve never seen you looking better. Bohot achchi lag rahi ho,” said Shamit with a smile.

“Shamit! Tumne to mujhe darra hi diya,” said Riya turning around and smacking Shamit’s arm. “Kaise dekh rahe the mujhe, I was like what did I do wrong?”

Shamit smiled and asked “Challein”.

They left and got into Shamit’s car. They were never at a loss for things to talk about. Riya sat back and relaxed since she had been working so hard the past couple of days. She closed her eyes and continued to talk to Shamit. “Are you excited about tomorrow,” asked Riya opening her eyes to face Shamit as he responded,

“You better believe it. I have waited for this opportunity for so long. I really hope everything works out and I can get some good work,’ said Shamit.

“You know you will, Shamit,” said Riya encouragingly. You’re sooooooooo talented. Aur itne achche insaan ho, God will give you your just reward really soon.”

“Haan, voh sub theekh he, lekin mujhe joh sub se zyada chahiye voh mujhe kab milega,” asked Shamit mysteriously.

“Contract ke illawa? Aur kya he voh joh tumhe is contract se bhi zyada chahiye,” asked Riya with a skeptical expression on her face.

“Voh mein tumhe baad mein battaunga. We’re here,” said Shamit, cutting the conversation short. Shamit thought that it was about time he started gently implying that he wanted to be more than friends. The thought did occur to Riya that Shamit may want to date her, but she dismissed the thought rationalizing that the possibility that Shamit was saying something else was greater. They entered through a back door and a valet parked Shamit’s car. Shree and Aditi were already inside waiting for them in a private room. The ambiance was so exotic. (see below) Riya had never been to a place like this and she was excited. Shamit could see the excitement on her face and asked if she liked the place. She responded with an enthusiastic yes and they sat down to order their food.

The menu was international, specializing in Middle Eastern and Moghlai cuisine. Riya was thrilled to be able to taste something different. She loved to sample new food and then try to recreate it for her catering business. Shree and Aditi had been there before so they knew exactly what to order. It was a Middle Eastern vegetarian appetizer sampler for 2. Riya laughed at the long name, but was told by Aditi that it was really delicious. She asked Shamit if he wanted to try it to and Shamit readily obliged. The waitress let them know that the food usually takes a while because it’s made fresh and so that everyone had time to enjoy the place before the food arrived.

The club was located right below the private seating area and could be seen from a balcony like structure right outside of the private area. People in the private area could come out and dance and be seen by the people below, or they could stay in the more secluded area which was blocked off by colorful Moroccan looking curtains. The music below was loud enough that it sounded like it was right in their room. At first the foursome was a little hesitant to get up and dance. Aditi went out to the balcony and peeked over to check out the scene below. That got her in the dance mood and she pulled everyone up off of the cushion seating to dance. The song Pyaar kar ke from Pyaar Ke Side Effects (http://ww.smashits.com/music/hindi-film/songs/5770/pyaar-ke-side-effects.html# non remix version) was playing and was just the right beat for them all to dance to.

Riya and Shamit looked so cute together and the other two quickly noticed this. They both whispered about how long it would take for Shamit to ask Riya out and whether Riya would say yes or not. Shamit noticed their whispering and looking over at him and Riya and giggling so he walked Riya over to them and asked what all the giggling was about. A new song had started playing. It was from the movie Jane-man. Shree grabbed Riya’s hand and twirled her around. He twirled her back over by Shamit and said we were betting about how long it would take for you two to get together. Riya looked over at Shamit with her jaw dropped from Shree’s bold remark. Shamit looked at Shree and shook his head in disbelief.

Shamit had to do something to make Riya comfortable again. He didn’t want such a nice night to be ruined by something so silly, so he rested his hand on Riya’s shoulder and said, “Riya is a dear friend, and that’s all for now. Baad ki baat, baad mein dekhi jayegi.” Shree responded, “Hey, fine, she’s your dear friend, but I’m your BEST friend, don’t forget that!” and Shamit went over and gave Shree a gentle punch on the arm. Riya was a little embarrassed but also felt that the night shouldn’t be ruined. To any bystander, Riya and Shamit may have looked like they were dating, and Shree was Shamit’s best friend. Of course, he had the right to make an observation. Aditi came over to Riya and the two danced together.

The next song that played was Afsana banake from Dil Diya Hai (http://ww.smashits.com/music/hindi-film/songs/5784/dil-diya-hai-love-happens.html# non remix version). Riya asked Aditi if she knew the step that the girl does with the group in the song. Aditi didn’t know so Riya showed her. When that part came the two of them did the step and the guys were impressed. Then Aditi asked Riya if she knew how to do the new Arabic moves that were all the rage. Aditi demonstrated, and being the good dancer that she was, Riya picked up the moves quickly. The curtains in the background, Riya’s smoky eyes, and the grace with which she moved all were blowing Shamit away. Riya noticed Shamit looking at her and felt a little self conscious, but continued to dance with a smile on her face. Their eyes were locked for a while until they realized that Shree and Aditi were watching again.

http://www.casahalliwell.it/galleria%20foto/promosesta/holly/holly07.jpg http://www.ftravel.ru/images/Rest_Diaffa1.gif

[naaz123]

The food finally arrived and the mood that had become slightly uncomfortable became fun and cheerful again. Shamit and Riya had to sit a little close to each other since they were eating from the same plate. Shamit thought to himself that this restaurant had taken great steps in making the place super romantic. Offering a meal for two with only one plate ensured that two people had to get closer. Riya and Shamit’s fingers brushed each other a few times and they both looked up at each other. The mood was intense and Riya had to divert her eyes a few times.

To diffuse the discomfort, Riya decided to figure out what was in the appetizers. With the input from the others and her own discerning palate, Riya was able to write down what she thought were the ingredients and method for preparing a few of the appetizers. The other three laughed at her saying that she was always working even when she was not. She said that she had to stay on top of things and this was a great way.

After dinner, Shree and Aditi wanted to go down to the club. Shree hadn’t reached the main rounds of Indian Idol 2 and therefore was only recognized occasionally. He and Aditi didn’t have problems going to public places and getting mobbed like Shamit did. Riya, once again, was told by Ekta to stay away from such situations for the time being. Before they left, Aditi wanted to take some pictures. They took various combinations: Riya and Shamit, by the curtains, Aditi and Shree by the wall, Aditi and Riya in the Arabic dance pose, Shree and Shamit on the cushions acting goofy. They got a waitress to take a picture of all four.

They said their goodbyes and Shree and Aditi went down to dance the night away. Shamit and Riya left through the back door and Shamit dropped Riya home. He got out of the car to drop Riya to the door. Riya, getting pretty sleepy, wished Shamit a lot of luck for his contract signing. She told him she’d call him in the afternoon to see how things went. He gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek and said “Good night”. Riya shut the door behind her and felt happy. She hadn’t felt this sort of bliss in a while. A tiny change in the way she felt about Shamit was happening, but she didn’t quite know it yet. All she knew was that she really, really liked him and was so happy when she was with him.

[awall21]

Like I said I love Riya's outfits!!! That picture of the restuarant is totally beautiful. Where is this place??? Them eating dinner is making me hungry plus it is noon here anyways. I 'm glad that Shamit is being a little more aggressive in his prusit becasue at this rate these guys are just gonna be friends for like EVER! :rolleyes: Keep up the good work, I'll cya around!!!!!

Later days!

[naaz123]

Hey there. I'm glad u like Riya's outfits. I went google nuts to find just the right stuff. I wish I could go shopping for the same outfits! Hey, I only saved the picture location for that restaurant and now I can't find the website for the life of me. So I don't know what restaurant it was. But while I was searching for that picture, I found EXACTLY the place I was looking for. I couldn't find it yesterday, but here's the link. This is really what I was thinking of when I was writing about the restaurant they went to. Hope u like it! Click on Medina Lounge, then photo gallery and then the panoramic view. http://www.kasbah.com.hk/
OH, I so want to go there!
Naaz
P.S. I am so on a writing spree. Just can't stop. I wish I had a whole day to write. So I'm posting more now. I called it chapter 10 just because otherwise chapter 9 would have just been super long. I think maybe this should still be chapter 9, but hey, I'm the writer...I'll title it cheez whiz if i want! Nah, just kidding, I think chapter 10 will do just fine!

Like I said I love Riya's outfits!!! That picture of the restuarant is totally beautiful. Where is this place??? Them eating dinner is making me hungry plus it is noon here anyways. I 'm glad that Shamit is being a little more aggressive in his prusit becasue at this rate these guys are just gonna be friends for like EVER! :rolleyes: Keep up the good work, I'll cya around!!!!!

Later days!

[naaz123]

Chapter 10

The next day was the last day of shooting for Riya and then once the show became a regular, Riya would supposedly have 4 days off from the show. Ekta decided that the show was costly to produce and A-list celebrities were difficult to procure 5 days a week. Riya was happy with a 3 day schedule, as well. This week, however, Riya had more promotional shoots so she wouldn’t have Thursday and Friday off. Ekta had already gotten Riya some product endorsements, and she would have to go shoot for them on Friday. Riya would be in an ad for Pepsi as well as a famous air conditioner. Ekta wanted to make sure that viewers saw Riya on TV, in one form or another, all week long.

Wednesday had arrived and Riya woke up ready to face the world. She did her regular routine but there was something new about Riya that morning. She had a skip in her step and a song on her lips. Riya hadn’t been so happy in a while. Despite being busy beyond belief Riya had a strange carefree feeling about her. The car was waiting for her so she hopped in and chatted with the driver all the way to the Balaji studios.

Riya had been told yesterday that her guest would be Saif Ali Khan. Riya was excited. Her outfit today was very casual and a little western and a little desi(see below, lose the hat) as Saif was going to be teaching her how to play the guitar. The show was always supposed to have a balance, so in exchange for learning how to play the guitar Riya had to teach Saif how to make cold coffee. Ekta wanted to focus on the guitar playing more than the “cooking”. Saif had agreed to come in early so he could give Riya some pointers. Ekta had told Saif to lean in from behind Riya and show her how to strum the guitar. During rehearsal, Riya was like a love struck teenager, however you’d never know from watching her.

The show taping went really well. After only two prior episodes of Riya’s show, people had started to talk about it and Riya was getting great preliminary reviews. Ekta was confident that today’s episode, complete with a flirting Saif Ali Khan would guarantee that viewers would tune in again on Monday to see what else Riya had in store for them. Ekta had planned an extensive briefing about next week’s episodes. She also wanted Riya to be fitted for all 3 of next week’s outfits. Riya had more promotional appointments next week that included a press conference and appearances on various shows as a guest, so all the prepping that could be done early would have helped. The rain was coming down quite fast, however, and Ekta had been told that flooding was possible. She let most of her staff go home and Riya had the afternoon to herself to do as she pleased.

The first thing she did when she got in the car was call Ayi. Riya found out that Ayi was doing better enough that the doctors were going to let her come home. She was not to stress herself out at all though and was going to be confined to almost complete bed rest for at least one week. Riya asked if she could bring her home, however Ayi let her know that her sister was already there and they were just waiting for Kiran to come. They’d all be arriving home in the evening. Ayi continued to explain that Amey had been at the hospital all night and was home resting. Riya told Ayi that she’d briefly come and visit and bring dinner as well. Ayi protested, but Riya insisted. Riya told Ayi that she was really happy to be talking to her again. Ayi told Riya that half of her getting better had to do with seeing Riya again after so long. Riya knew Ayi shouldn’t be on the phone so long, so she told Ayi she’d see her in the evening.

Next, Riya called Shamit. “How did your contract signing go’, she asked excitedly.

“It went really well. The press conference has been cancelled because of the rain though, and they’ve rescheduled it for tomorrow, but it’s going to be in Delhi. So now I have to fly out tomorrow,” said Shamit sounding a little disappointed to be out of town again.

Riya asked Shamit if he was free in the evening. She told him she was cooking for Ayi and she’d love to have him over for dinner. She told him he wouldn’t have any home cooked meals in Delhi so he might as well come over. Shamit secretly chuckled at Riya’s attempt to “convince” him to come over. He needed no excuse, no explanation, no bribe to come see her. She could call him up at 3 am and he’d be there in a heartbeat.

“Hmmmm…I’ll have to think about it,” said Shamit, playing hard to get. “What are you making?” Riya, aiming to please asked Shamit what he would like and promised to make whatever he requested. Shamit laughed and said he’d be happy to have whatever she made.

Meanwhile, Amey was at home alone, getting a little hungry. He had been at home sleeping all day and hadn’t gone out to get anything to eat. Meenal was recording her first song for a Bollywood movie. Amey would have gone with her for moral support had he not been up almost all night at Ayi’s side. Meenal stopped by to let Amey know how things went. Amey gave Meenal a hug and a kiss and congratulated her. They sat down and talked for a while. Then, abruptly cutting their conversation short due to his pangs of hunger, Amey said:

“Meenal, yaar tum mere liye kabhi kuch khaana nahin bannati. I’m so hungry. Kuch bannao na?”

Meenal looked at Amey in disbelief. She had just come back from working while he was just laying around and he expected her to cook something? She told him that she really didn’t know how to cook much and she could pick up something from a nearby restaurant if he wanted. Amey refused and started to look for something in the fridge. The smell of Riya’s cooking was wafting through the window that Amey had opened when the rain had stopped for a while. Memories of Riya’s famous parathas popped into his head. Just then Ayi came home with Mrs. Shah, Kiran, and baby Ayushi. Amey was thrilled to have his mom back home, however he was also happy to see that they came with some snacks. He helped Ayi settle in and then helped himself to a pastry from the corner bakery.

Kiran asked if Riya would be next door, as she had a disc with some pictures and videos to give her. Meenal was disturbed to know that the cousin she was meeting for only the second time already knew Riya and seemed to be friendly with her. She decided that she shouldn’t be bothered by these things, as everyone who knows Amey probably knows Riya too. Her thoughts were interrupted when Ayi told Kiran that Riya was home, but asked to see what was on the disc as well. Kiran popped the disc into the dvd player and a few pictures of Riya and Shamit holding Ayushi appeared first. Then the video of the two singing the lullabye to the baby came on.

“Doesn’t that just melt your heart,” asked Kiran. “I couldn’t believe that Riya was there with Shamit Tyagi holding my baby, singing her to sleep!”

Everyone agreed that the video was sweet. Meenal assumed that Riya and Shamit were dating and was pleased with the fact that Shamit was in such close proximity of Riya while they were singing. On the other hand, the proximity was exactly what didn’t sit well with Amey. He was bothered again (just as he was in the hospital the day before) by seeing the video but didn’t know why. Ayi asked Kiran to play the disc again and instead of watching the clips, she watched her son’s reactions closely. She knew her son well and his being with Meenal just didn’t make sense to her. She wanted to see how the images affected him. It was just as she expected, as once again, a hint of annoyance or irritation was evident on Amey’s face. Just then Riya walked through the door that was left open. Her hands were full and she was unable to knock or ring the doorbell. She placed a large tray full of food on the counter and then went to hug Ayi.

“Aja mera bachcha. Sara din kaam kar ke ayi aur phir khanna bhi bannaya. Maine manna kiya tha na” asked Ayi pulling Riya’s cheeks gently. Meenal looked over at Amey to see his reaction. It seemed like just moments ago that she wondered how Amey could expect her to cook after having been working. Now she knew why. Kiran pulled the disc out of the dvd player and handed it to Riya, who wondered what it was. Kiran whispered in her ear that it was from yesterday and she hoped that Riya would like it. Everyone wanted Riya to stay for dinner but Riya told them Shamit was coming over and she couldn’t stay. Ayi told her to bring Shamit over too, but Riya refused, stating that Ayi needed to rest.
http://www.10ka20.com/wallpaper/preity_zinta/preity_zinta-01.jpg

[naaz123]

About an hour later, Shamit showed up with a single rose in his hand. He presented it to Riya, who was all smiles. She just wasn’t accustomed to receiving flowers, especially from someone like Shamit, and she was thrilled. She immediately put the rose in a vase and placed it in on the dinner table. It was almost time for Riya’s show to start so she asked if Shamit wanted to watch the episode while eating or eat after the show. Shamit said he’d rather eat after the show.

The first half of the show was pretty uneventful and Riya and Shamit chatted throughout the broadcast. Then the part with Saif Ali Khan came on and Riya unconsciously scooted up on the sofa to get a closer look. There was a sparkle in her eyes and an excitement in her voice when she said, “This is the best part!”

Shamit was intrigued about what was coming next. Riya continued to gush over Saif as she explained every minute detail of the taping. She told Shamit how Ekta insisted on all the flirting between the two. She also told Shamit how Saif was such a gentleman and he made Riya feel comfortable about the whole thing. Then the scene came where Saif came up behind Riya, who is sitting on a barstool, and shows her how to strum the guitar. Riya’s eyes were glued to the TV set. She wanted to see whether it looked natural or rehearsed.

When the segment was over, Riya looked over at Shamit wide eyed and hopeful of some positive feedback. Shamit clutched his heart, fell back on the sofa, and said, “Kaash…kaash humare liye bhi yeh ankhen itna chamakti. Kaash…hum bhi guitar bajja te. Kaash humme bhi koi cold coffee pillata. Kaash…Damn, Saif is a lucky man!”

“Shamit,” exclaimed Riya, hitting his arm with a cushion. “He has a girlfriend, and this was all part of the show. Shamit just leaned back further, with his hand still on his heart and said, once again, “Kaash…”

Riya got up abruptly and headed toward the kitchen, turning around and walking backwards as she asked, “Shall we eat?”

Shamit felt that maybe he shouldn’t have made his envy so evident. He obviously embarrassed Riya, and from her reaction, Shamit felt she probably wasn’t ready for his advances just yet. Riya was so excited about the segment and maybe Shamit should have reacted accordingly, rather than expressing how jealous he was that Saif got such a reaction out of Riya. Shamit wanted to kick himself. He figured some damage control needed to be done. He walked up to Riya and asked ke voh naraaz to nahin hogayi. He told her he was just joking and that the segment was really nice and entertaining. He continued to say that Riya looked so cute while she was watching the clip – just like a teenager and he couldn’t resist pulling her leg a little. Riya just let him go on and on without responding for a while. She then burst out laughing.

She told Shamit that he was the one that was looking so cute trying to explain himself. She continued, saying that Saif Ali should be the one that should be saying Kaash since he was not there at the moment and he couldn’t touch their friendship with a ten foot pole. Then, Riya thought to herself, “Yes, learning guitar with Saif made me happy, but that happiness will fade. Being around Shamit makes my heart and soul happy.” She wished she could say it out loud, but just didn’t have the guts to say it.

The rain had started up again. Fortunately there was no flooding except for in a few areas. Riya heated up the food and both Shamit and Riya set the table. They had just taken a few bites when it started to storm. A few minutes of loud thunder and lightening occurred and then the electricity went out. Riya told Shamit that she had some candles and went to go get them. She put two on the table and lit them up. Riya sat across from Shamit and he kept glancing at her whenever she looked down to grab a bite. The rose that Shamit bought was on the table along with the candles. It was all so romantic. The candle light hit Riya’s face and hair in such a way that it made her look almost angelic. He couldn’t remember seeing someone so beautiful, so innocent, so sweet, so… perfect. Shamit was a little lost in his thoughts and didn’t realize he was staring.

Riya wondered what he was thinking. She decided to just ask. He said it was nothing, but when Riya insisted, he admitted that he was thinking about how beautiful she looked. Riya looked into Shamit’s eyes. He saw the same excitement in her eyes that he had seen for Saif. Riya was also blushing and could no longer look into Shamit’s eyes. She lowered her gaze, and then looked up again. Shamit smiled. He knew he was really good at making Riya feel awkward, so he attempted to bring the conversation back to normal. He said that not only was she beautiful but also such a great cook. He said the food was amazing and she’d have to teach him a thing or two since he had no idea how to cook.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Riya opened the door and Amey popped right in since he was wet and it was cold out. He then noticed Shamit sitting at the candle lit table with the plates of food.

“I’m so sorry, Riya. I didn’t mean to interrupt. Ayi sent me to get some candles since I can’t find ours. I’ll just come back later,” said Amey with a very embarrassed look on his face.

“Don’t be silly,” said Riya. “Just wait a second and I’ll go get them.” Riya went into her room to find some extra candles. Amey and Shamit were left in the room alone for a brief but uncomfortable while. Amey, still standing near the doorway, looked over at Shamit and put his hands up a little and said, “Sorry, man. I really didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Shamit got up and after swallowing the bite of food in his mouth, said, “Don’t worry, yaar. It’s ok.
The candles are just because the lights went out. It’s not what you’re thinking.” Shamit knew how much an Indian girl’s izzat meant to her and he didn’t want anyone, even if it was Amey, thinking anything bad about Riya. He felt very protective of Riya and didn’t want Amey to leave with any ideas. Riya came back and gave Amey a few candles and some matches. Amey apologized once more before leaving.

On his way back home, Amey thought, how could Shamit know what I was thinking? And of course, what was going on was exactly what I was thinking. They’re having a romantic, candle lit dinner. Amey couldn’t figure out why it bothered him so much. He decided it was probably because Riya had just been with him a few weeks ago and now she had replaced him so quickly. Amey struggled with his thoughts. He was with Meenal now and he apparently was in love with her. Why was Riya’s relationship such a cause for concern? He arrived back home and lit the candles. Just a few minutes later, the lights came back on.

Meanwhile, Riya and Shamit were just finishing up with their meal when the lights came back on. Shamit looked at Riya and debated whether he should stay or go. He had an early flight the next morning and needed to pack. But if he just got up, turned off the lights, then maybe the mood that was there right before Amey interrupted could be recreated. Riya received a phone call and stepped into the kitchen to take it. It was Ekta, letting Riya know that due to flooding near the studios, all her promotional shoots and endorsement shoots had been postponed to the next week. Riya let Shamit know about the flooding. The Balaji studios were in the vicinity of his own home and he decided that he needed to get back to pack before the flooding got worse. Riya looked a little disappointed since she had the next couple of days off and wouldn’t have minded staying up late and chatting with Shamit. She understood about Shamit having to leave though. She wished him a lot of luck for his press conference and asked him to say hi to Mona and Arijeet. Shamit gave Riya a hug and held on a second longer than he usually did.

“I’ll miss you. Apna khayal rakhna, hmmm?” he said sweetly.

“Hey, you’ll be back before you know it. Time will just fly since it’s only 2 days. You’ll give me a call,” Riya asked with a sweet look on her face.

“Of course, beautiful. Have a good night,” said Shamit touching her cheek gently and very briefly with his hand.

Riya shut the door and, once again, was in such an uplifted mood. She put the leftover food away, washed the dishes and decided to listen to some music. After an hour or so she got so sleepy that she fell into a calm slumber, where neither the thunder nor lightening bothered her one bit. Amey on the other hand, tossed and turned half of the night away. Dreams of Riya and Shamit together kept disturbing his sleep. He kept waking up restless and frustrated. He finally decided to get out of bed and have some warm milk. It did the trick and he finally was able to sleep the rest of the night.

[awall21]

Just totally love it yaar, this is the first chance this weekend I have time to myself to just veg and I'm sooooooo taking full advantage.

Totally love the chapter all the way from the video of the lullaby, the guitar scene with Saif, when Riya came in with the food, Shamit coming, lights going out, the dinner, and of course Amey feeling jealous serves you right you jerk!!!!

Gotta go buddy, talk to you later!!!!

[naaz123]

Hey Anita,
I'm always so humbled and so thrilled when you read what I've wrote and say that you liked it. Thanks a million times for reading it and appreciating it. It really means a lot to me. Love ya, babe!
Naaz
P.S. I'm writing this later...but why make a new post, so I'm just editing the previous post. I CAN'T STOP WRITING!!! Zain skipped his nap and so he went to sleep earlier than ever tonight so I've been on a writing spree!!!! Here's the first part of Chapter 11. :)

[naaz123]

Chapter 11

A couple of weeks had passed. Shamit was back from his press conferences and had started recording for his new album with Mona and Arijeet. Amey had started working on the recording of his first song on the Sony label. Meenal had finished recording her song for the movie Sehar a couple of weeks ago and was waiting for the music release party. http://ww.smashits.com/music/hindi-film/songs/5089/sehar.html#(Palkein jhukao na, part 2) The big wigs in the music industry had all heard it and she was getting rave reviews amongst the industry insiders. The gossip was that Meenal would be offered a host of different playback songs in the near future.

Finally, Riya’s show, which was being nicknamed K3M (for Kkuch Kkhatta Kkuch Meetha) was a hit. In just a few short weeks, Riya was instantly catapulted into fame. It was a show that could be watched by the whole family. Riya’s two commercials were running simultaneously on air and whether people were watching her show or not, with the TV ads, billboards and print and TV ads, Riya had become a household name, just as Ekta had predicted. Riya had many interviews that were airing on the regular news channels and on entertainment news shows.

One interview that was particularly well accepted was the one done by Salil on B4U. Usually he interviewed movie stars or music personalities and played their songs between interviewing and commercial breaks. In Riya’s case he played the clips of her show where there were celebrities and music. Salil was young and had a tendency to cut off newcomers when he interviewed them. He was, however, always sharp and intuitive and always asked very thought provoking and interesting questions. Although Riya could be classified as a “newcomer” he listened carefully and respectfully waited until she was done before he asked a new question.

The first few questions were the usual: are you from a TV background, how did you get discovered, etc. etc. Then, Salil and Riya discussed the instant success of K3M and why Riya thought it was so popular with young and old alike.

Riya: I think it has a lot to do with the freshness of the show. It’s not just a chat show or a cooking show or a celebrity interview show. It’s everything combined and so it really appeals to all age groups and all types of people.

Salil: The things you do with the celebrities are also very unconventional. Who comes up with these things?

Riya: The Balaji producers, including Ekta come up with things. I am able to give my input as well and sometimes they change things according to what I say.

Salil: Who picks out your clothing? We’ve been hearing that you are so well liked by the parents of teenage girls because you are a good role model. Do you consider yourself a role model?

Riya: Well, first, my clothing is all picked out by the costume designers at Balaji. I only go for fittings and they take care of everything from matching jewelry to shoes and handbags and such. And for your role model question. Yes, I do think that I am a role model, simply because I am on TV and I know I am being watched by youngsters of all ages. I hate it when people say, “NO, I am not a role model and I am just me.” I think I have a responsibility to demonstrate our Indian sanskaars and to portray a reasonably good image. But that is who I am to begin with. Am I saying that in the future I will always wear exactly what I have been wearing? No. I have a responsibility to my producers, as well and if they ask me to wear something different, I may have to. You just can’t be a stagnant in today’s world.

Salil: I get it, you realize your responsibility as a bharatiya nari however you must also live in today’s world.

Riya: Exactly. We should remember our upbringing and morals and then proceed in the ever changing, fast moving world.

The interview and what Riya said was widely talked about in Bollywood. New articles were being printed about Riya: the new role model for Indian teenagers. Ekta was loving it. She felt as if she had hit the jackpot with Riya. Not only was Riya young and hip, but without any coaching, Riya said the right things. Ekta was riding the wave and had decided not to make too many changes (like she usually did once viewers were hooked) to the format of the show just yet.

After the second episode of K3M had aired, featuring a segment on Riya’s catering company, the number of catering events had gone up as well. Most of the time Riya wouldn’t even be able to show up to the events but that didn’t matter to the hosts of the parties. High society parties would hire Mathur Catering just for the bragging rights. Mrs. Malhotra, Anju and Karan were extremely busy, but still happy with the booming business. Ekta had told Riya that she could hire more employees with the salary that she would be paid and hire more employees is exactly what Riya did, however she did it with her own income from the catering company.

Although Shamit and Riya had been pretty busy with everything that was going on in their lives, they continued to get together. Most of the time they went to movies or out to dinner with Shree, Aditi, Anju and Karan. Sometimes Arijeet and Mona would come along too. Aditi, Anju and Karan were really the only ones that didn’t have a singing background, but that didn’t stop them from enjoying the nights when they all got together to just sing. Everyone had a great time in the company of the whole group and everyone became fast friends.

Shree had just proposed to Aditi and she happily accepted. He was throwing a party at his house and had invited many of the friends he had made along the way of his reality show experience. Riya volunteered one of her chefs to cater the party as a small pre-wedding gift. The guests had almost all arrived and it was a who’s who of reality music show personalities. Some of Shamit’s friends from Fame Gurukul that lived in Bombay like Rex D’souza and Arpita Mukherjee were there. Mona and Arijeet were in Bombay for their album so they came to the party too. Shree’s fellow Indian Idol 2 contestants, Ravi Tripathi, Sagar Sawarkar, and Panna Gill, as well as Amey and Meenal were also there. A host of non celebrities including Anju, Karan and some of Aditi’s friends also attended.
Shree wanted the party to be very casual, as a formal engagement party was going to be held later. The food was all street food set up “buffet style” in little stations throughout the dining room. The guests finished eating and a night of singing and dancing followed.

Riya, Aditi and Anju were like teenagers sometimes when they got together. All three loved to watch the new videos and copy all the steps. The song Tune Mera Chain Vain Le Liya from Anthony Kaun He came on. http://ww.smashits.com/music/hindi-film/songs/5775/anthony-kaun-hai.html# (non remix version) The last time everyone was together, Aditi showed them how to dance to that type of music. Shamit, Riya, Shree, Aditi, Karan and Anju all got up to dance since they knew the steps. They all looked really cool and some of the other guests joined in. Most of the steps had the couples facing each other doing reggae style steps, but one step had the dancers facing the same way. They did kind of an opposite snake type step in which the one person snaked to one side and the other to the opposite side. Riya and Shamit did this really well and were really enjoying themselves.

Amey was sitting on a bean bag and Meenal was on the floor with an arm resting on his knees. Amey was watching Riya and Shamit. He had never seen Riya dance with any other guy before. At first Meenal was also looking at Riya and Shamit and she thought they were really cute together. She started looking around the room at everyone and then finally looked at Amey, who didn’t turn his fixed gaze to look back at Meenal. Meenal looked in the direction of Amey’s stare and found that he was watching Riya.

[awall21]

Well someone had a productive weekend I see. Work has been so hectic this morning plus we just hired a new guy so I'm trying to teach him the ropes a bit. I can't belive that is noon already, where the hell did the time go!!! I finally caught two minutes so I figured I'd drop a line while I had a chance.

Great job, I can't belive that I was lucky enough to read 3 posts this weekend!!! I was running around all weekend like a chicken with no head and today at work is no different. I did get time on Sunday and I was just like damn she posted again and today when I come into work I'm like :eek: dude she posted again.... wow girl what are you on and can I get some :D .. please?? Just kidding. but AWESOME job.

I'll have to catch up with you a little later today or maybe even tomorrow, gotta eat lunch and make another dent on all this crap on my desk. Ahh and I have class today so that means a loss of half hours worth of work that will complie for tomorrow.. grr! :mad:

LATER DAYS!:)

[naaz123]

He, he..no, u're right..it has been a writing marathon. What am I on? Hmm...let's see...It's such a kick, such a high to write for me. It's giving me this pleasure that is undescribable. Also, I have no life. :) It's not like I can go out and party after Zain's asleep. So I write and it's making me super super happy. The other thing is that now that I've started writing, this story really wants to come out and when I stop writing, it's cuz it's late and I know I have to sleep. If I had a day to write, ooooh, this might have been done already! Or if it was a 3 hour movie...MAN, everything would be said and done!! But unfortunately, I can't write forever. Writing so much this weekend has been a treat and I'm glad you said you felt lucky to read so much. Once again, means a lot to me. So here's the next part. Kind of the turning point in the story. Hope u like it!

[naaz123]

They had all been dancing at least a couple of hours, so Shree pulled out his guitar and asked if anyone wanted to sing. They were amidst some of the greatest young singers of the decade and so, of course, everyone agreed that it would be fun to sing. First, Shree sang a couple of romantic songs in honor of his engagement with Aditi. Everyone joined in. The Fame Gurukul people sang their song, “Asma ke paar” and the Indian Idol 2 people sang theirs, “Woh pehli baar”. After a few more songs, someone asked Meenal to sing her new song and she was a little hesitant. Amey said he would sing the male lead with her and she agreed. http://ww.smashits.com/music/hindi-film/songs/5089/sehar.html#

Dil to he bezubaan, dil ki sunnao na.
Baatein joh dil mein he, hotton pe lao na.
Shaam ho ya sehar ho, dil mein tum har pehar ho.
Sathiya,
Palkein jhukao na, nazrein churrao na,
Baatein joh dil mein he, hotton pe lao na.
Khamoshi keh rahi he, baat hadh se bardh rahi he.
Saathiya….

The song just oozed romance and Meenal and Amey sang it so well. The words were also so beautiful. Although they had heard about it, this was the first time any of the others heard it being sung. Shamit looked at Riya. She felt his eyes on her and looked up at him and they locked eyes. It was as if the song was playing just for them. At the part where Meenal sang the line, “baatein joh dil mein he, hotton pe lao na”, Shamit smiled kind of implying that he wished Riya would say what was in her heart. Riya ko sharam agayi and she lowered her eyes right at the “palkein jhukao na” part. It was magical! Shamit wanted to slow dance with Riya but it would have been inappropriate given that everyone else was mellowed out listening to the performance and not thinking of dancing.

A few more group songs were sung and then Shree suggested that Riya and Shamit should sing a song that they sang really well at a previous get together. Both agreed and they started to sing the classical song “Albela sajjan ayo ri” from Hum Dil De Chukke Sanam. http://ww.smashits.com/music/hindi-film/songs/1134/hum-dil-de-chuke-sanam.html#Both Riya and Shamit’s strong grasp on classical music was extremely evident. They complemented each other very well.

Amey was staring again, kind of lost as he listened to the song. Once again, Meenal noticed. Amey flashed back to a time when he and Riya were in a singing lesson with their guru Suresh Wadkar. The movie had come out in 1999 and Amey and Riya had been practicing it since then. There was something different about the way Riya and Shamit sang it though. Riya had more parts and she harmonized with Shamit, whereas when she sang with Amey, she only sang the few female parts in the original song and Amey sang both of the male parts. The balance was unequal when Riya sang with Amey. Whereas with Shamit, it was a true harmony that was really beautiful. Everyone was impressed.

Some guitar playing and singing continued. Riya told Shamit that she wanted to go help in the kitchen and excused herself. At the same time, Meenal had also gotten up to go look at some paintings on the wall. Riya and Meenal were about to cross each other. Riya stopped and told Meenal that her song was absolutely beautiful and so well sung. She told Meenal that her voice had this quality to it that was so rare and so beautiful. Riya said that she just loved the song and couldn’t wait for it to be released. Meenal said thanks and also reciprocated the compliments. She liked her K3M a lot and her mom and sister had called up and said that they really liked the show also.

Amey, who had been nervously watching the whole conversation from a distance, followed Riya into the kitchen. Riya had stepped just outside the kitchen through the back door and was holding some tablecloths in her hand. Amey followed her outside and said, “Riyu, how can you be talking to Meenal? What were you telling her?”

“I told her I loved her song, Amey! God, are you going to prohibit me from talking to everyone in your life? Don’t you realize how much it hurt Ayi? What’s wrong with you” asked Riya in disbelief.

“I realize what happened with Ayi and I’m not stopping you from talking to her anymore. But I don’t want you telling Meenal what happened that night. You shouldn’t have come here tonight, Riyu. Didn’t you know we’d be here since Shree was a contestant on Indian Idol 2,” asked Amey.

Riya was getting really frustrated with Amey. She started to lose her temper, something that was a rare occurrence with Riya. “Amey, tum paagal ho gaye ho. I thought I explained everything to you on our way home from the hospital that day. Maybe it was too loud on the bike so abhi mein tumhe cheekh cheekh kar battati hu. Kaan khol kar sunno mujhe aur samajne ki koshish karo. But wait, what the hell do u mean I shouldn’t be here tonight? Don’t YOU remember that Shree is Shamit’s best friend? I am friends with Shamit now and shayad TUMHE sochna tha before you came here. You’re so stupid though, Amey ke ab tum ne shayad sochna hi bandh kar diya he. So, listen…for the LAST TIME…NOTHING HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU AND ME!!! Samaj rahe ho mein kya keh rahi hu? NOTHING HAPPENED.” Riya was screaming, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Riya, jhoot mat bollo. I remember very clearly that we went all the way. I remember everything like it was just yesterday” said Amey, trying hard to convince Riya. “Why are you denying it with me?

“Amey, you were drunk. I was not drunk aur sahi aur gallat ke beech ka faraq maloom he mujhe. Yes, you kissed me even though I was trying to stop you. I thought about it. You really needed my support and I didn’t know if I should give you what you needed most, or if I should stop you because you would regret it in the morning. I stopped you because I didn’t want to lose your friendship. You wouldn’t stop though. Maine tumhe Meenal ka vasta diya lekin tum phir bhi nahin rukke. Then I made you stop, Amey. I was going to take you back home to Ayi if you hadn’t fallen asleep. Sun rahe ho? YOU FELL ASLEEP. Aur phir tumne kya kya sapne dekhe mujhe nahin maloom, lekin joh tumhe yaad he, voh sirf ek sapna he aur kuch nahin. Mein Ayi ki kasam kha kar kehti hu, tumhari kasam kha kar kehti hu. In kasmo mein yakeen nahin ata tumhe to apne khud ki kasam kha kar kehti hu…NOTHING HAPPENED between us.”

With just a few sentences, the tide had changed. Amey believed her. He knew Riya would never falsely swear upon Ayi. NEVER. He felt like the whole world had come crashing down upon him in one instant.

Riya was in tears now. “Saath bitaye waqt ka zara sa bhi andaaza he tumhe? Andaza kya, parwa bhi nahin he tumhe, Amey. Itne saalon ki dosti ek pal mein bhulla di tumne. Aur mera to koi kasoor hi nahi tha. Maine to sahi rasta chunna tha, tum galat the aur sazza khud ke illawa aur sub ko dey rahe the.”

Amey was thinking about what he could say to make Riya stop crying. She looked so innocent and so hurt. All throughout the years Amey would play practical jokes on Riya, but he could never tolerate her crying. He would just give her hug and say sorry in a cute way and sooner or later, Riya would forgive him. He was pondering whether his childish charm would work again after the massive mistake that he had made.

Just as he was about to try, Amey and Riya heard something fall by the back door. They both looked up and found Shamit and Meenal standing in the door way. Riya’s words shocked Meenal and she had accidentally knocked over a pot by the door. Meenal didn’t know Riya very well, but she believed every word that came out of Riya’s mouth. Meenal and Shamit had heard everything and Meenal looked like she could shoot daggers from her angry eyes. She stomped off, and Amey ran after her. They stopped in the hallway between the kitchen and living room, where the guests were still singing.

[naaz123]

(There's more new stuff above this post...please don't miss it!)

Amey tried to explain that everything he did was to save his relationship with Meenal. He had tried at least 100 times to get a hold of Meenal that night and when she didn’t respond, he went to a bar. He was drunk when he went to Riya’s house and not that it was an excuse, but he didn’t remember much. His dream seemed so real. All Meenal could think about were Riya’s words. “Maine Meenal ka bhi vaasta diya tha”. The words kept echoing in Meenal’s mind. She had a newfound respect for Riya and said abruptly, “You should apologize to Riya. I mean, I can’t even imagine what she went through, knowing she did nothing wrong. Just go apologize.” Meenal didn’t want to hear anything else from Amey. So Amey reluctantly went back over to the kitchen.

While Meenal and Amey were talking, Riya was sobbing. She tried to distract herself with some kitchen work. Shamit, sweetly and without saying a word went up to Riya and took the towels she had in her hand and put them on the counter. He wiped her tears and bent his head down, trying to look into Riya’s distressed eyes. “It’s so unfair, Shamit” said Riya, with another flood of tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I know” said Shamit as he pulled Riya close. She buried her head in his chest and cried some more. Shamit held her tight and rubbed her back gently, while whispering in her ear, “It’s all going to be ok now that you finally got everything out in the open. It’s going to go back to normal. I promise,” said Shamit reassuringly. Riya continued to sob, so Shamit lifted Riya’s face and wiped away more tears, pushed the stray locks of hair out of her face and then kissed her forehead. He then said, “Please don’t cry.”

Amey was not about to interrupt the two and returned to Meenal. He explained the situation and told Meenal he’d apologize to Riya tomorrow. They decided to leave and said goodbye to Shree and Aditi. On the way to Meenal’s home, Amey tried every manner of apologizing that he knew. In his mind, he did the right thing because it was all a means to end. Meenal didn’t want to hear anything and told Amey that she needed time to think. He reluctantly said he’d give her the time she needed, dropped her at home and went home himself.

Ayi was unable to sleep and she was up watching TV when Amey got home. She knew from his face that something was wrong and asked him what happened. He told Ayi everything truthfully. Ayi felt a sense of relief. Everything was finally out in the open. Regardless of the fact that she thought that things would now get better, she told Amey that she was very disappointed with him. She said, “Ek rishta barkarar rakhne ke liye har rishta dau par laga diya. In your attempt to achieve one thing, you risked losing everything that was once dear to you.” Amey finally realized the wrong in what he done for the past weeks. He asked for Ayi’s forgiveness and asked her not to judge him, at least not tonight. She was his mother after all and he was her darling son, so she ran her hand over his head and told him that hopefully, time will heal all wounds. Amey was looking for some sort of absolution, but even he knew that he didn’t deserve it. The reality of the past few weeks was just kicking in. Amey felt like he had been a feather blowing through the wind of incessant bad decisions. He got carried away and hurt the one person he cared for most in the world, only second to Ayi. “What is wrong with you” Riya had asked him. He struggled with that question all night long and never found a solution.

Meanwhile, the party had started to come to an end and the singing had stopped in the living room. Riya wasn’t ready to let go of Shamit nor was she ready to stop crying, but she was forced to do both. Shree and Aditi came into the kitchen and found Shamit and Riya in an embrace and started teasing them. Seeing Riya’s teary face made them stop and ask what had happened. Shamit told them it was nothing worth discussing at the moment and Riya agreed. She put on an unconvincing smile and tried to continue with whatever she was doing earlier. Shamit pulled Shree aside and said he thought it would be best to take Riya home. Shree agreed and Shamit and Riya left.

Shamit wanted to stay with Riya once they got home, but Riya insisted that she wanted to be alone. She needed to work through what had just happened and needed time to reflect on what should be done next. Shamit walked her to her door as usual. She promised to call him in the morning and assured him that she wouldn’t cry anymore. Although his heart told him otherwise, Shamit respected Riya’s wishes and said good night. This time Riya gave Shamit a hug and said thanks for always being there.

Riya went inside and threw her keys on a table. The keys fell over to the back side of the table and Riya bent down to get them. She saw something else that may have dropped down behind the table as well and fished it out. It was the disc that Amey’s cousin, Kiran had given her. It was in a white sleeve that read, “Dearest Riyu, May you always sing so sweetly. Love, Kiran and Ayushi.” Riya was intrigued and popped the disc into her laptop. The pictures and the video brought a smile to Riya’s face. It was so sweet, just as Kiran mentioned on the sleeve. In one instant, all of Riya’s sadness had been erased. But it was, unfortunately, just for one instant. The damage Amey had done would take time to repair.

[awall21]

Fast typer... well that's not the only reason, when you have ideas that also helps. I may be a fas typer, but when I have nothing to say that doesn't really help me much now does it... so you must have a lot of ideas in that head of yours probably more than you can even type with the time you have!:p

Great job man, this chapter ranks up at the top!!! I love the way Riya was like is there a ban on me talking to anybody you know and telling him off for how dare he say why she is at the party and then later saying he knew her and Shamit are friends so what did he expect... :rolleyes: poor thing doesn't know her friend is an idiot and that he doesn't realize she had a life outside of him.

Way to go girl!!!!!! I even have to grudgingly say Meenal isn't so bad after all, she trusted Riya even though she's oversahdowed by the girl half the time, i mean she could have been petty about it, she did have enough motivation but wasn't, now that's some class. Amey serves you right you bastard, I got nothing else to say to you. .....and Shamit, I wish I meet a persoanlity like you in life, would never let you go;)

Okay I have to go back and read this again for like the fourth time!!! Lol in the last post where you have Shree suggested Riya and AMey I think you meant Shamit no??? Okie craploads of work as usual to do and gotta hit a jobsite later this afternoon so I get out of this stuffy place for once. Yippie!!!!!!!

Later days!

[naaz123]

Hey there! I knew that with my Shamit, Riya, Amey, Meenal, Anju, Karan, Shree, Aditi I was gonna screw up a name somewhere! I always go thru what I wrote and make sure everything from grammar, to spelling, to punctuation, to facts, and of course, names are right. But last night I was falling asleep at the keyboard! So thanks for catching it, bud.
You're gonna read it again for the 4th time? Awwwwwwwwwwwww...you make a momma proud! (Well, u know what I mean. Everytime someone says something great about Zain, I get so proud. So this story is like my baby too...and I'm so proud and so happy u love it!) Thanks again!

[naaz123]

Chapter 12

The next day was Saturday and Amey decided that he had been in the wrong way too long. He had neglected Ayi and caused her to fall sick. Amey was not one to wallow in misery. He wronged Ayi and he was going to make things right. He decided that he would take Ayi out shopping and to dinner. Throughout the day he tried to call Meenal but she didn’t answer her phone. He left a couple of apologetic messages and figured she’d call him when she was ready.

Riya felt so horrible, however she was not lucky enough to have the day off. A big catering event was scheduled for the night and Riya’s presence was required. Although Riya’s staff was doing an excellent job without any supervision, Riya felt it was important to be at this event. There was a possibility of a contract for future catering assignments and Riya wanted everything to be perfect. Riya got involved in all of the last minute preparations and the day went by fast.

Shamit called a couple of times during the day and checked up on Riya. Anju also kept coming to Riya during down times and asking if she was fine. She had heard from Shamit what happened, as he had called Anju to make sure Riya was alright throughout the day. When Riya found out that Shamit had asked Anju to keep an eye on her, Riya felt very happy and very sad in the same moment. Here was a person that was a total stranger to her only a while ago and he was so concerned about how she was. Even when he wasn’t present, he was making sure of her well being. And then on the other end there was Amey. She just couldn’t think about it and kept focussing back on work.

The next day, Sunday, was Riya’s birthday. Shamit told Riya that he had found out from Anju and unfortunately he was going to be in an all day recording session. The recording would go until quite late and he would only be able to meet her at night. Shamit made Riya promise though, that she would go with Anju and Karan and celebrate and not be sad. After a little coaxing and some friendly guilt, he got Riya to agree.

On the morning of her birthday, Riya woke up, showered, prayed, and then went over to get Ayi’s ashirwaad, as she had done every year since her parents had passed away. Ayi was sitting on an armchair, so Riya bent down for ashirwaad without letting Ayi stand up. Ayi wished her happy birthday and gave her many blessings. Riya gave Ayi a hug and by the look that Ayi was giving to Riya, she got the feeling that Amey had told Ayi what happened a couple of nights ago. Amey heard Riya come in so he came out with something in his hands. Riya took a look at Amey, a look at Ayi’s expression and couldn’t control the tears. She buried her head in Ayi’s lap and Ayi rubbed Riya’s head in a motherly manner.

“Na, mera bachcha, mat ro,” said Ayi lovingly. “Kehte he ke janam din par agar roye to saal bhar rotte he. Bhool hogayi he is paagal se. But why are you crying? Hmmm? Don’t let it get to you, dear.”

Riya realized that if she gets upset in front of Ayi, it might consequently upset Ayi, as well. She quickly wiped her tears and told Ayi that everything was fine and she shouldn’t worry. Ayi knew Riya all too well and she wasn’t convinced, but she pretended to believe Riya anyway. She made an excuse about being tired and went to her room after hugging Riya and wishing her one last time. Ayi knew that Amey was anxious to apologize to Riya and she knew it would be easier if she wasn’t present.

After Ayi went into her room, Amey, from a distance, wished Riya a happy birthday and asked if she wanted her gift. (Ayi reminded Amey of Riya’s birthday when they had gone shopping the day before). Riya said thanks and looked at Amey with an almost blank stare. Amey knew this was going to be hard. He knew he wasn’t even worthy of being forgiven, but he was going to try anyway.

“Riyu, tumhe yaad he mein har saal gift ke liye tumhe kitna bhagga ta tha? Last year to tumhe rulla hi diya tha. Mein tub bhi tumhe rotte hue nahin dekh sakta tha aur abhi bhi nahin dekh sakta. I’m so sorry that words cannot even express what I feel.”

“Rote hue dekh nahin sakte to ansu kyu deyte ho,” asked Riya.

“Riyu, you know me. I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted my relationship to work and I really thought something happened between us. I was scared to death that if Meenal found out, this relationship that was just starting would come to a crashing end. But now I know that nothing happened. I was so stupid. I can’t believe I did what I did. At that time mujhe ek junoon agaya tha and I was lost in it. I now mein is kaabil nahin hu, lekin kya tum apne dost ko maaf nahin karogi,” asked Amey with a puppy dog face.

“I don’t know, Amey. Like I said to you before, humne joh waqt saat bitaya uski itni si bhi parwa nahin thi tumhe.”

Amey cut Riya off and said, “Haan, mein maanta hu ke mein bohot laparwahi se pesh aya hoon, but I promise you…if you give me another chance, I will never take you for granted again. Riyu, two nights ago, maine tumhaari baato par bohot gaur kiya and I came to a conclusion: the only reason I could justify being so selfish, the only reason I was able to do what I did, is because tum meri apni ho. Aur hum sirf apno ko itna dukh dey sakte he. Lekin, I promise, Riyu…never again.”

Everything Amey said made sense to Riya. It is always the ones that are closest to you that have the ability to hurt you so deeply. Amey presented Riya with the gift before she could think any further. He said it was from both himself and Ayi. Hopefully, it would help her remember the way things were and forgive Amey. Riya slowly unwrapped the box that was carefully wrapped in silver paper. It was a double silver picture frame. Riya loved silver things and Amey knew her taste. The frame on the left had a picture of Riya and Amey when they were pretty young. Amey had his arm around Riya’s shoulder. The frame on the right was the two of them just a couple of years ago. They were both all dressed up and once again, Amey had his arm around Riya’s shoulder.

Riya didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to be angry with Amey, but she knew in her heart that things may never go back to the way they were before – the way they were in those photographs. She struggled to find the right words that would express the confusion she felt. Amey broke the silence. “Riyu, tum yeh mat socho ke how we’re going to get back to normal. Just think about how we’re going to get passed this right now. Baad ki baat baad me. Tell me what I can do or what I can say to get you to at least consider forgiving me.”

Riya had never been able to hold a grudge, especially against Amey. But things were different now. They were grown up all of a sudden and everything about Amey that was once familiar to Riya now seemed foreign. But for the sake of what once was, Riya decided to give Amey a chance.

“Amey, tumhe mein maaf kar sakti hu, but under one condition. You have to take your relationships more seriously. Don’t take for granted the ones you love. Especially Ayi, Amey. Ayi ka bohot khayal rakho and make her most important in your life. Everything and everyone can come second. And never ever assume things and not talk it out. Amey, ek baar mujh se achche se baat kar leyte to sub saaf nazar aata tumhe. Communication is so important.”

Amey promised Riya that he would never assume something and not talk about it. He told her that he would never take Ayi or Riya for granted and that he would show her that he could be a good friend – the kind of friend that Riya had always been to him. Amey gave Riya what felt like an uncomfortable hug for both of them. Then Amey went and got Ayi and told her that things would be better soon. Riya smiled and assured Ayi that what Amey was saying was true and that he promised not to be an idiot anymore. Everyone laughed and Riya went home and got ready to meet Anju and Karan for her birthday lunch, as per Shamit’s orders.

[naaz123]

ARGH...i hate this 10,000 character limit!!!

She was getting dressed when Shamit called and wished her a happy birthday. He told her he was so sorry that he couldn’t meet her until later, but that he would make sure to make it special. Riya told him not to worry. He felt the uneasiness in Riya’s voice and asked her if she was still upset about the situation with Amey. Riya went on and filled Shamit in on everything that had just happened. Shamit convinced Riya that it was a good thing. He reminded her that when they first met, Riya had been sad about the way Amey had been treating her and now all of that was over. Riya agreed that it was, in a way a good thing.

She repeated Shamit’s mantra: “Everything happens for a reason and that reason is good.” Shamit let out a big belly chuckle. He was thrilled that Riya knew him well enough that she could repeat his own lines to him. He reminded her once again to have fun at lunch and said he’d meet her later.

Riya really didn’t feel like going to lunch. She would have much rather spent time at home and moped around a little. If Riya had to spend time with anyone, she thought that Shamit was really the only person she wanted to be with. He knew everything and Riya wouldn’t have to fake being happy. She knew she had to go since she promised Shamit and since Anju was probably really looking forward to it, so Riya convinced herself that she should be positive about it and have fun no matter what. She got dressed and a while later, Karan and Anju came to pick her up.

They got to the restaurant and since Riya wasn’t supposed to go to public places without security, Anju had arranged for Riya to go thru the back door. Anju told Riya to go in and wait right in the hallway while she and Karan went to park the car. Riya walked in thinking she was going to step directly into a hallway. It was actually a small banquet room. The room had a medium sized square table set up in the middle. The table had some balloons as the centerpiece, along with a few candles. The lights were dimmed and some soft music played in the background. To her surprise, there was Shamit, waiting for her with a bunch of roses and a big smile on his face.

[awall21]

Aww how charming, Shamit planned all that just for her birthday... makes me wonder what he would do when he asks her out or even better proposes to her.:rolleyes: Hmmm.

Hey wait, how old are they again, I'm thinking in their twenties? ....well here's to wondering what else this boy has in store for Riya. Go figure an hour later all her friend pop in and surprise. :eek:

Hey will he ever be a guest on K3M... that should be interesting! Hey has the media picked on them as an item or something cuz arn't they scene together a lot I mean don't people gossip... lol?:p

Yea I haven't posted my fan fic, I'll post tonight whateve I have after class. Then there will be nothing till next week as Diwali and holidaya are coming up I won't get time with all the family events... plus at the end of the month my classes will be over so come Nov it'll be back full force ;)

I'm hoping you'll have something up later tonight so I can read it before I sleep and have something to smile about.

Gotta go, later days!

[naaz123]

Hey there,
Yes, isn't Shamit just the sweetest? Well, no media attention for the 2 yet, though. You know they've been going in thru secret entrances and meeting at private parties. They've been to movies together but in a group. So media attention will come later. You have to remember that we're just talking about a couple of months time here since the two first met. I'm thinking that Riya's about 23 and Shamit is about 26/27. Amey and Riya are just two years apart, (in my story). I think Amey maybe a little older than 25 in reality.
I'm glad you were able to comment. Posting the story is one type of fulfillment and then reading your comments is always like icing on the cake. Thanks! Will try to post more tonight!

[naaz123]

Ok, guys, chapter 12 is reeeeally long...but I don't think it's appropriate to call it ch 13...so bear with me. I'm really tired now and not thinking straight so the end will be revealed tomorrow because I just can't think clearly anymore. You will be happy with it I promise, but u'll have to wait! SORRRRRRY!!!! Please make sure to check out the pics and the song links. I think it helps to enhance the story a lot! Anyway...Here it is...

[naaz123]

Riya was not expecting Shamit to be there at all and she was thrilled! She tilted her head to one side, smiled, and just looked at Shamit, not saying anything. He walked over, gave her a big hug, and said “Happy birthday”.

“I thought you had a recording,” asked Riya.

“How could I miss your birthday like that? Tumhaare liye sau recordings qurbaan. Vaise aj koi recording nahin tha. I just wanted to surprise you. Are you surprised,” asked Shamit.

“Wow, Shamit. Am I surprised? I had no clue you’d be here. It’s a nice surprise. Thanks, so much,” said Riya as she reciprocated Shamit’s hug. “What about Anju and Karan?

“Well, I asked them to bring you here. They also want to celebrate your birthday, so we’re having a small party for you tonight at my house. You don’t mind do you,” asked Shamit with hopeful eyes.

“Mind the party? Or that they’re not here” asked Riya, a little confused.

“Both,” said Shamit.

“I don’t mind either,” said Riya with a smile. They sat down at a table. Shamit had already ordered the food. After having eaten food made by Riya and having gone out to eat with her a few times, he knew what she liked. After they had eaten, Shamit pulled out a box and said happy birthday to Riya again. The box was medium sized but it was quite heavy. After unwrapping it, Riya found a beautiful silver jewelry box. (See picture). Inside she found a pair of silver jhumke, a matching necklace, silver bangles and a pair of gorgeous silver payal. (See picture for bangles and payal – just imagine silver rather than gold).

“These are beautiful, Shamit. How did you know that I like silver,” asked Riya, completely impresssed with Shamit’s choice.

“That’s what you always wear, na? Ghar par bhi saare decoration mostly silver he. Abhi bhi dekho, you’re wearing silver,” explained Shamit. “How could I not know? I got these for you when I went to Delhi. They’re from Chandni Chowk.”

“Wow! I’m really impressed, Shamit. Lekin jub tum vapis aye the to mujhe voh cushion covers diye the, na? You didn’t have to do all this. But I reeeeeeally like them. Thanks so much for the beautiful gifts,” said Riya.

“There’s one more,” said Shamit, pulling out an even bigger box than the first one. He put it on the table. Riya started to open it, but it was taped up quite a bit so Shamit helped her open one end. When the box was finally open, Riya lifted up layers of crushed white tissue to reveal a stunning white and silver churidaar suit. It was so delicate and feminine. Riya stood up and held it up to demonstrate how it would look. Shamit said that just holding it up wouldn’t do. He wanted her to wear everything to the party tonight, but only if she wanted to. Riya said there was nothing she had in her wardrobe that she’d want to wear more.

Shamit helped Riya put everything away and then said that he was going to take her home now. He explained that he needed to get back to the house to make sure everything was in order and put in some final touches. Riya protested and said she wanted to come and help too, but Shamit would have nothing of the sort. He said that she was to go home, relax a little, and then get ready. Anju and Karan would pick her up to bring her to the party. Riya obliged. It seemed like Shamit had put a lot of thought into everything and she didn’t want to spoil his plans. She realized how thoughtful and caring Shamit was. Riya was always the one that was so thoughtful towards others. No one had ever done so much for her before.

Shamit drove Riya home and helped her bring the gifts into her house. He left promptly and told Riya when Anju would be coming. They said goodbye and Shamit left to pick up some last minute party essentials. The party was going to be at his new house that he had bought after signing the contract with Tips. His mom and grandparents still lived at their old house since it was their ancestral home and the family did not want to leave it. Shamit stayed at the new house since it was closer to the recording studio, but he went to visit his mother at least once a day and sometimes stayed at the old house when he didn’t have anything going on the next day.

Shamit wanted his mom to meet Riya really badly, but unfortunately they were out of town at a distant relative’s wedding for at least two weeks. Shamit decided that it was probably best since he hadn’t quite told Riya exactly how he felt yet and although he had the impression that Riya reciprocated his feelings, he wasn’t completely sure. He didn’t want to give his mother any hopes, unless he was sure things were going to work out.

Riya got dressed right away and then went over to Ayi to show her everything Shamit had got for her. Ayi told Riya she looked like a pari who had descended from the satwan asma. She took her ballayein and kissed her forehead. Amey was standing against a side wall, gauging the situation. He wasn’t sure if Riya would talk to him or not. He noticed, maybe for the first time in his life, that Riya looked beautiful.

Riya had always been a pretty child who was frequently complimented by strangers. Amey used to call her bandariya and would tell her that people were just saying she was pretty to make her happy. Riya always knew she was pretty (it was her self confidence and not conceitedness) and always took Amey’s words as friendly teasing and nothing else. Today, Amey noticed that Riya was no longer that little bandariya and she really did look like a fairy princess, like his mom had just said. He wondered what he should say.

“Meenal se baat hui ke nahin? Abhi tak naraaz hoggi, na,” asked Riya.

“Phone hi nahin utta rahi,yaar,” said Amey with a frustrated expression.

“Give it time, a woman’s heart takes a while to heal,” reflected Riya out loud.

“So how did yours heal so fast,” asked Amey a little confused by Riya’s response.

“Bachpan se tumhari galatiyon ko nazar andaaz karti ayi he bechari,” interjected Ayi. “Abhi bhi maaf hi karegi na, tumhe?” Ayi gave Riya a big hug and asked if what she said was right. Riya agreed and said that she couldn’t stay mad at Amey for long. She reminded Amey not to take Meenal or anyone else for granted and he responded,

“Tumhaara hukum sar ankhon par,” and then with a pause, added, “bandariya”.

Riya screamed and chased Amey around the room with a sandal. Ayi said, “Meri pari ko abhi bhi bandariya bolta he? Aa idhar mein tujhe dikha ti hu.”

They all had a great laugh and things were back to normal for the time being. If it hadn’t been for Ayi being sick, maybe Riya would not have forgiven Amey so fast, but Riya knew that forgiving Amey was in everyone’s best interest, especially Ayi. Riya got a call from Anju saying that she’d be there in a few minutes, so Riya said goodbye and went downstairs to wait.
http://www.houseofegypt.com/index11/graphics/inlaidbox1.jpg http://www.benzerworld.com/Collection2005/images/item/jewelry/j5_37b_m.jpg http://www.benzerworld.com/collection2006/images/item/jewelry2006/j6_38b_m.jpg http://www.seasonsindia.com/eCom/prodImages/2-1568b.jpg

[naaz123]

Please make sure you read the preceeding part, as this chapter is looooooong!

Anju and Karan were all smiles when they picked up Riya. Anju had already seen everything Shamit had gotten for Riya. Although he felt that he knew Riya’s choice, Shamit wanted to make sure he didn’t go wrong. Anju had assured him that not only would Riya look gorgeous in everything, she would absolutely love it. The two really wanted to tease Riya on the ride, but they decided against it, first of all because she was their boss and secondly and more importantly, it was her birthday.

They arrived at Shamit’s house earlier than anyone else, as planned. Anju told Riya to go ahead because they wanted to go back to the car to get her gift. They promised they wouldn’t ditch her this time, as they did at lunch. Riya walked up to Shamit who was talking to someone, instructing him how he wanted some decorations to be put on the wall. Riya tapped on Shamit’s shoulder. He turned around and was completely blown away.

“Riya, you look mind blowing. Wow. Kitni achchi lag rahi ho.”

Riya was blushing. She found it difficult to look into Shamit’s eyes, which were looking at how the churidaar looked on Riya. He lifted her hands and looked at her bangles. Riya flexed her foot to show Shamit the payal. She told him she liked everything and couldn’t decide which gift was her favorite. Everything was so beautiful.

“Not as beautfiul as you, Riya,” interupted Shamit. “I think that the first time I met you was the time that you looked most beautiful to me. Voh image mere dimaag mein uttar gayi he. I wanted to get you something white because you just look so beautiful in this color. I had imagined what you would look like in these things. I’m blown away, Riya. Mere tassavur se bhi zyaada hasseen lag rahi ho.”

Riya blushed again, not knowing how to react. She got lucky, as Shree and Aditi had arrived and came over to wish her happy birthday. Anju and Karan joined them as well. Anju handed Riya a small box and gave her a hug. Riya looked at the box and then looked at Anju. She gave Anju a look that said, “You had to go all the way back to the car to get this tiny box?” Anju just laughed. Riya looked around at the decorations in Shamit’s garden. She thought about all the planning he must’ve done with Anju. Everything was so well thought out and Riya felt blessed, once again, to have such great friends. She was happy that things had settled with Amey, as well.

Karan commented that Shamit’s house was beautiful. Riya looked around and thought to herself that the setting was truly beautiful. Shamit’s new house was great. Not too big, like some new celebrities tend to buy and not too small. It was just perfect, thought Riya. The birthday celebration seemed just right, as well. It was an intimate setting with only close friends. There was no pomp and circumstance and everything was just right. Riya was happy and it showed.

Everyone had dinner and then Riya cut the cake. Karan and Shree took lots of pictures. They wanted Riya to open her gifts, so Riya sat down and started to open gifts. Shree and Aditi had gotten Riya a designer handbag and some perfume. Then Riya picked up the small box from Karan and Anju and looked at Anju with that same look. Anju had a huge, suspicious smile on her face. Riya opened the box and found that it contained her own IPOD. Riya had let Anju borrow the IPOD about a week ago. She looked at Anju kind of confused, wondering why she was giving her IPOD back as a birthday present. Karan decided that he shold explain. He said that he and Anju had given much thought to Riya’s gift. They felt that she had everything she really needed. Then they decided that the perfect gift would be to load her IPOD with music. So they both spent the whole week gradually adding all of the newest music as well as what they knew were Riya’s favorite oldies.

Riya was very impressed and everyone said that it was one of the most practical, yet thoughtful gifts. It truly befitted the times that they were living in. Shamit knew what Anju’s gift was so had set up his IPOD docking system earlier in the day. Anju put the IPOD in and set it to some soft music. Shamit asked Riya if she wanted to dance and she, of course, said yes. They danced and talked and laughed. Riya hadn’t celebrated her birthday like this in ages.

The other two couples never needed an excuse to dance and were already dancing on the lawn. Shree still had his camera handy and broke away from Aditi to take some pictures. Karan and Anju posed romantically and then reciprocated by taking pictures of Shree and Aditi. Shamit and Riya were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t even notice Shree clicking away. Shamit was whispering something in Riya’s ears which made her smile and look down. Shree caught the shot at just the right moment. He went over and showed the other three the great picture.

All of them decided that it was probably a good idea to get going and give Shamit and Riya some time alone. They went over to say goodbye, and Riya protested their departure. She said they’d hardly been there a couple of hours. Shamit joined in and half heartedly protested, as well. Shree laughed and knew his best friend wanted more time alone with Riya, so he made up some silly excuse and the two couples left.

[awall21]

So I came back from class and crashed. :( SO I had nothing to post cuz I wrote absolutly nothing. With KS picking up a bit I don't think people need a fan fic at the moment so I don't know if I should even take the time to write.

Guess what Oliva is back in the next SVU... I'm so excited!!!!:D

Aw he threw her a semi surprise party, how sho shweet!!!! What is amey's problem yaar. He can't get through to Meenal so he switches over to Riya!!! She's not a time-pass kinda of girl dude. That and you don't deserve her you jerk. Shamit also has good taste, im impressed. Is this guy have any other hidden talents cuz he seem's perfect at this point but everyone has flaws, lol, everyone!:p

So the morning was a little relaxed but it's about to start up. I have to run out for another jobsite somepoint today and have5 projects I need to get out to bidders. It sucks when you work for incompetent people b/c even explainations are beyond their understanding.:mad:

Gotta go, later days!

[naaz123]

The night was uncommonly chilly so Shamit and Riya decided to take the IPOD on to Shamit’s porch which had a beautiful swing (see below). They reattached the headphones to the IPOD and sat down to listen to the rest of the songs. The cord to the headphones wasn’t long and wasn’t meant to be shared, so the ear piece kept falling out of either Riya or Shamit’s ear. They laughed about it, but continued to struggle with it. A cool breeze started to blow and Riya shivered a little, as she was wearing a sleeveless kameez. This was just the opportunity that Shamit was looking for.

He scooted all the way back in the swing and rested his back against the arm rest. He gently took Riya by her arms and pulled her closer so that her back rested on his chest. Riya was nervous but she didn’t object. She lifted her feet up onto the swing and leaned back, resting her head on Shamit’s shoulder. Shamit put one of the ear pieces in his ear and gave Riya the other. The song Madhbhari Raat Thi was just starting to play. The words were so romantic and so apt.

Madhbhari raat thi. Pyaar ke silsile.
Shabnami rahon mein, humsafar voh mille.
Do kadam hum challe, do kadam voh challe.
Mit gaye faasle.
Madhbhari raat thi. Pyaar ke silsile.
http://www.raaga.com/channels/hindi/movie/HP000123.html

Shamit rubbed Riya’s arms, since she was feeling cold earlier. She turned her head a little and looked into his eyes. There was only about an inch of distance between the two. He wrapped his arms around her tightly while still looking into her eyes and said, “I think I’m falling in love with you, Riya.”

Riya’s heart skipped a beat and she took a quick breath. She couldn’t seem to exhale. Shamit literally and figuratively took her breath away. All she could manage to do was bite her lower lip, smile, and lower her eyes. Shamit remembered the lines from Meenal’s song and started to sing, mixing up the lyrics a little:

“Palkein jhukao na. Baatein joh dil mein he, hotton pe lao na.”

Riya continued, “Shaam ho ya sehar ho...dil mein tum har pehar ho….saathiya….” Her voice cracked a little for the nervousness and excitement she was feeling. She looked into Shamit’s eyes. Shamit looked back and saw an innocent girl who was new to all of this. He proceeded with deliberate caution, fearing he may ruin the moment if Riya wasn’t ready. A couple of Riya’s curls were blowing around in the wind. Shamit moved them away and then softly carressed her face. Riya closed her eyes for a second or two. When she opened them, Shamit came closer and kissed her.

It was the first time Riya had ever been kissed, except by Amey. She was absolutely not thinking about Amey’s kisses, though. A feeling of being free ran through her veins and she wanted yell to the world that she was happy. Both Shamit and Riya still had the earphones in their ears and the Madhbhari song was still playing. Shamit took Riya’s hand in his and indicated that they should get up. Without letting go of Riya’s hand, Shamit put the IPOD back in the docking system and played the song over.

They stood up and Shamit twirled Riya around, her flowing kameez whirling with her. At the end of the spin, Shamit pulled her close, guiding her arms to either side of his shoulders. Riya wasn’t afraid to look into Shamit’s eyes anymore. They were so full of love and care that Riya felt there was nothing to fear. She trusted Shamit completely and wanted to lose herself in Shamit, as he had lost himself in her. As Riya looked into Shamit’s eyes, he bent down and kissed her again. Riya wrapped her arms around Shamit and rested her head on his shoulder. They danced, as the song continued to play.

Everything was so romantic and so perfect. The tender breeze that blew Riya’s dupatta up and down, the sound of her bangles and payal as she moved, the moon that had started to shine upon them, Shamit’s gentleness and his loving kisses; all were so beautiful. Riya felt like she was dreaming. He continued to kiss her cheeks and then her neck, then her hands.

“Tum itni chup kyu ho,” asked Shamit, hoping that Riya didn’t want him to stop.

Riya didn’t know what to say. She just bit her lower lip again and shrugged her shoulders with a nervous smile.

“Am I making you uncomfortable? Do you want me stop,” asked Shamit, fearing Riya’s response.

Riya got a shocked look on her face as a quick, “NO,” burst out. Shamit laughed out loud and was thrilled with her answer. Riya lowered her gaze in embarrassment. What was Shamit going to think, she thought to herself.

“You’re so cute, Riya,” he said, between laughs. They continued to dance and talk and kiss. It was probably the best night of Riya’s life. She had never been happier or as carefree as she was at that moment. She hadn’t noticed earlier that the moon was shining so bright. When she finally saw it, she commented about how beautiful it looked. Without removing his eyes from Riya, Shamit nodded his head and said “Mmmm hmmm”. Riya looked at Shamit and realized he what he was implying. Riya took her pointer finger in front of Shamit’s eyes and pointed towards the moon. Shamit looked at the moon and once again, broke out in a song (from the movie Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya),

Ae chaand tere chandni ki kasam, mere paas bhi ek chaand he.
Tujhme to phir bhi daag he, mera chaand to bedaag he.
Teri dooriyon ki kasam, mera chaand, mere paas he.

With the last line Shamit pulled Riya closer to him. He whispered in Riya’s ear that he was the happiest man alive and thanked Riya for letting him be a part of her life. Riya said that she was the lucky one and she should be the one to do the thanking.

“Shamit, you’ve given me some beautiful and memorable gifts today, lekin joh gift mein sub se zyaada pyari lagi voh he tumhaara saath aur pyaar joh aj tumne mujhe gift kiya he,” said Riya. And then, in a style that was more typical to Shamit, Riya started singing to Shamit (from Jaanbaaz),

Tera saath he ke kitna pyaara, kum lagta he jeevan saara tere Milan ki lagan mein…humme aana padega duniya mein dubaara.

Shamit was touched by Riya’s choice of words. The inkling that he had that Riya also liked him turned into conviction and he was happy beyond belief. It was getting late though and both Shamit and Riya were tired. Shamit suggested, after kissing Riya some more, that he should take her home. Neither wanted to be apart from the other, but staying any longer would be inappropriate, so they decided to end the night and meet again the next day.
http://www.sankhedafurniture.com/images_temp/zoola/zoola2.gif

[naaz123]

Chapter 13

The next few weeks were like walking on clouds for Riya. Riya had never been this happy in her life. Riya’s relationship with Shamit was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Shamit showered her with love and respect. He had no pretentions or strange expectations. The fact that Riya was able to be friends with him first allowed the two be themselves with each other. The relationship was relaxed and natural. Riya was so happy that she was almost afraid of losing Shamit.

The inherently good person that Riya was made her an ideal girlfriend. Shamit had no complaints and was also fearful of losing Riya. Shamit was happy that Riya was able to get along with his friends so quickly. He loved her cooking and ability to sing. He was hopeful that his mother, who hadn’t met her yet, would fall in love her with her the first time she met her.

In such a short time, the two had found a deep affection that was uncommon these days. Shamit thought that it may be too soon at the moment, but he did expect to propose to Riya some day. Until then he planned on just enjoying being in love. Riya was enjoying caring for someone who equally reciprocated the care and attention that she demonstrated.

Amey and Meenal were back together again. The day of Riya’s birthday, Amey had called up Meenal one last time and left her a voicemail. He wanted to be honest with her this time, so he told her that Riya had come over, as she always did on her birthday. Amey told Meenal that Riya asked about her and said that a woman’s heart takes long to heal. He continued, stating that he’d give Meenal the time she needed, but he was deeply sorry for what he had done, promising Meenal that he would never hide anything from her again.

When Meenal heard the message minutes after Amey had left it, she realized right away that Riya had already forgiven Amey. Meenal’s sister used to always give Meenal advice about men. At that time Meenal found it ridiculous and impractical, but now she was thankful that she at least listened partially to what her sister used to say. One piece of advice seemed to make a lot of sense at the moment. Meenal needed to start behaving like Amey’s friend rather than girlfriend. She decided that she needed to forgive Amey the same way Riya did. Making him work for the forgiveness wouldn’t be what a friend would do. The release party for her new song was in a coming up soon and she really wanted Amey to be there on her big day. They made up and things slowly got back to normal.

Over the past few weeks, Riya and Amey bumped into each other ocassionally. Sometimes Shamit or Meenal (or both) were present when they happened to meet, and other times not. Riya made sure to check in with Ayi daily to make sure she was resting and regularly taking her medicine. On the days that Riya cooked, she always took over food for Ayi and Amey. Shamit was aware of this and didn’t mind. He knew the role Ayi played in Riya’s life and could never think of objecting. Meenal had also grown accustomed to Riya’s presence in Ayi and Amey’s life. She drew comfort from the fact that Riya was happily dating Shamit and no longer did she see Riya as a threat, however she was constantly annoyed by Amey’s comfort level around Riya.

One such ocassion ocurred on a rainy evening. Ayi had gone to visit her sister and was going to spend the night there. Meenal and Amey were relaxing at his home after both had returned from the music launch of Sehar (the movie Meenal had sang a song in). It had calmed down to a light rain and Amey had the windows opened. The smell of freshly fried pakode wafted in through the window. He commented on how great it would be to have some pakode and chai. Meenal said they could walk down a few blocks to a street vendor and have some. She thought it would be romantic to walk in the rain under the same umbrella. To her surprise, Amey said that he thought he smelled pakode next door and if Meenal didn’t mind, they could just go over and have some at Riya’s place. He explained how every monsoon season, Riya, Amey and Ayi would get together on rainy evenings and veg out with Riya’s pakode. Although Meenal wanted to say “Hell, no”, she thought back to her resolution of treating Amey like a friend and said ok, but that they should call first, in case Riya didn’t want any company. Amey called Riya’s cell phone.

“Hey Riyu, how are you,” asked Amey

“Hi Amey. I’m fine. Kya ho raha he,” asked Riya as she tried to balance the phone and fry pakoras at the same time. Shamit was right next to her just chatting prior to the call while she cooked.

“Kuch nahin, voh Meenal ka song he na? Saher ka? Uski launch party se aa rahe he. Tum kya kar rahi ho?”

“Mein pakode banna rahi hu. Achcha…to tum Saher ki launch party se aa rahe ho,” repeated Riya for Shamit’s benefit. “How did it go? Bohot log aye the kya?”

“Ya, lots of people. It was nice and Meenal looked great,” said Amey for Meenal’s benefit. “Pakode banna rahi ho? Yaar, khushbu yahan tak aa rahi he.”

“Pakodon ki khusbu aa rahi he, hmmm,” Riya stalled as she looked over at Shamit as to whether she should invite Amey and Meenal or not. Shamit realized that Amey was probably calling since he wanted to come over and Shamit didn’t see any harm in it. He gestured to Riya by waving his hand, implying, sure, tell them to come over. So Riya invited Amey and Meenal to come over. Everyone seemed to be uncomfortable, at first, except for Amey. He hadn’t had Riya’s pakode in ages and was really happy to be experiencing a rainy day tradition again.

After a while, everyone got as comfortable as they could and enjoyed the whole atmosphere. Shamit sat on an armchair and Riya balanced herself next to him on the arm rest, her arm rested lightly on his shoulder. Once in a while, Riya reached over to a small table next to their chair and grabbed a couple of pakode. She would put one in Shamit’s mouth and eat the other one herself.

They talked about Meenal’s song and Riya and Shamit both told her that even after hearing it just once they really loved it. Riya and Shamit looked at each other affectionately, remembering the night when they were on the swing at Shamit’s house, singing the song. Riya asked if she had the cd yet. Meenal said she had extras at Amey’s house and asked Amey to go get one for Riya. He left and the other three continued to talk about the launch party. Meenal felt that had the situation been different, the four of them could have been really great friends given their mutual passion for music.

Amey returned and Riya popped the cd in the stereo, skipping straight to Meenal’s song. They all sat, mellowed out, and listened to the song in silence, appreciating the simple complexity of the song. As the song was about to end, Shamit replayed it and asked Riya to dance with him. Meenal found a great deal of satisfaction in the fact that Shamit and Riya apparently enjoyed her song so much. Shamit looked over at Amey and tilted his head, indicating that he could ask Meenal to dance too. So the other two got up and danced, as well.

Being that it had only been a few weeks since Amey and Meenal had reconciled and since both had been extremely busy, they didn’t seem as comfortable with each other as Riya and Shamit did. Shamit and Riya danced, holding each other close. They lovingly looked into each others eyes, now and then, and smiled. Shamit would carress Riya’s cheek or whisper something in her ear.

Amey was staring again and, of course, Meenal noticed. Amey had never seen Riya like this before. He recognized that she looked very happy. Along with that strange feeling that he had gotten earlier, after seeing Shamit and Riya together in Ayi’s hospital room, he also felt happy for Riya. Amey had felt really guilty in the last few weeks for what he had done to Riya and Ayi. He felt he had to make up for it somehow, and being happy for Riya was the least he could do. He whispered to Meenal that maybe they should leave the two lovebirds alone. Meenal agreed without hesitation and the two walked over to Riya and Shamit to say goodbye.

“Humko abh jaana chahiye,” said Amey, shaking Shamit’s hand. He then looked over at Riya and said, “Humesha aise hi khush raho.”

Riya smiled with a slightly confused look on her face. She said thanks to Meenal for the cd and congratulated her on the release of it. Everyone said goodbye and Amey and Meenal left.

[awall21]

Wow buddy read the last two parts and mind blowing as usual. Honestly I have run out adjectives to describe your posts!

I'm quite content with the whole Riya and Shamit thing. Meenal though needs to get off her jealous pangs and Amey you are with Meenal so pay attention to her b/c the next time around the girl might not forgive you!!

I think I spent the whole day running around today from one house to the other and then have people over and then the repeat of the morning. This is the first chance I have to sit on the net so I thought I'd drop a quick line.

Tomorrow I have a baptism and that pretty much concludes the weekend. I didn't get a chance to go shopping so I'm a little bummed but maybe I can squeeze it in the morning.... here's to hoping.

Well keep up the good work, it's much appreciated.

Lataz!

[naaz123]

Shree and Aditi had their engagement party the weekend after the casual get together at Shree’s house. During the days after the party, Aditi’s grandmother had gotten very sick and her last wish was to be able to see her youngest grandchild, Aditi, get married and settled. Shree was ready to get married and didn’t mind moving up the wedding date, so the wedding was set just two weeks later.

Shree and Aditi’s wedding was held at a huge banquet hall out of town. Once again, as a gift to the bride and groom, Riya offered catering services at no cost. The couple accepted the offer as long as Riya delegated all duties and kept herself free to enjoy the whole wedding, taking part in every ceremony and event. Since Riya was going to take part in the wedding and help out with a lot of the planning and execution, she asked Ekta for a week off. Ekta, being the slave driver that she was, made Riya shoot two episodes a day so that there would be new episodes during the week that Riya was off.

All the diffeferent ceremonies prior to the wedding were extremely fun. Aditi had famiy that lived in the US and they all came two weeks in advance to attend the wedding. They came bearing many new ideas, some of which Aditi implemented in the wedding. One of the ideas was that Shree and Aditi would give their main friends a special gift for being a part of their wedding. Shree’s best friend was obviously Shamit. Aditi’s most important people were here sisters, however, Riya and Anju had also become great friends.

The night of the reception, as a token of their appreciation for everything Riya and Shamit had done for them, Shree and Aditi presented Shamit and Riya with matching silver frames that contained a 5 x 7 picture of the two dancing at Riya’s birthday party. Riya and Shamit were both surprised, as they were unaware that any pictures had been taken at the party. Both of them loved the picture and were very thankful. Along with the frame, Shree also developed the rest of the photographs he took that night and presented them to Riya in a small album.

Riya was wearing a blue and yellow sari (see below) that Shamit had picked out for her. The blouse was a little a skimpier than what Riya normally wore, however Shamit had his heart set on it, and Riya happily obliged. If they had more time before the wedding, Riya would have definitely insisted on a different blouse, but due to the lack of time, Riya had to settle for the smaller, sexier spaghetti strapped blouse. The looks that Shamit gave Riya all night were well worth the small sacrifice she made. Shamit wore a dark maroon embroidered sherwani and looked extremely handsome (see below). Apart from the bride and groom, Shamit and Riya looked smashing and the guests were all talking about them.

Shree and Aditi were lucky to have Riya cater their wedding. The food was excellent, as usual. The couple was fortunate in another way as well, in that they didn’t have to hire any professional entertainment, as so many of their friends were in the entertainment industry. Before everyone sang, Aditi’s teenaged cousins from the US did a couple of dances. Then Aditi wanted Riya, Anju and her own sisters to do a dance. With Riya’s packed schedule, she was unable to learn a brand new dance, so instead she taught the girls a dance she had done for Amey’s cousin, Kiran’s, wedding almost two years ago. It was Tauba Tauba from Kaal. The moves were mostly copied from the video of the song, but were quite complex. All the girls did a great job. Shamit had seen Riya dance at parties before, but never like this. He was blown away. Riya caught Shamit looking at her, with a big smile and a look that said, “You’re doing great!” Riya smiled back and gave Shamit a quick wink between moves.

Amey had seen Riya do this dance before. When he saw her do it Kiran’s wedding, he had appreciated it and probably told her what a good job she did. He didn’t remember. Riya was the best dancer among the 4 girls and Amey couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of her. “Why hadn’t he noticed before how beautiful Riya is,” he thought to himself. He had definitely never seen Riya wearing clothes like she was wearing. To say that Amey was blown away was an understatement. It was as if she was dancing in slow motion. The grace of the motions of her hand which were covered with beautiful, dark mehendi and the way she looked in the sari had captivated Amey. This time Amey realized he was staring before Meenal could, and he decided to pay attention to Meenal for a change.

After the dances were over, all the guests who were singers went on stage and sang a couple of songs each. Shree and Aditi had requested that instead of giving gifts, these friends could perform at their wedding. Everyone thought it was a wonderful idea and the non celebrity wedding guests were in for a treat. Shamit sang a couple of songs with Arijeet and then sang Madhbhari Raat with Riya. Amey and Meenal sang two songs together. Some of the other Indian Idol 2 contestants also sang a few songs each.

The singing went on until about 1 am. Some of the guests had already started to leave and others were apparently tired. Shree and Aditi wanted the night to go on though and so they had taken another idea from Aditi’s American relatives. They suggested that after the reception, all the young guests would move to another banquet room down the hall and party away without the watchful eyes of all the adults. Shamit and Riya were holding hands as they walked to the other banquet room. This was the first time they they were openly affectionate like that and so they got teased a lot by Shree, Aditi, Anju and Karan. They didn’t mind and continued to be lovey dovey. A dj was hired to play all of the newlyweds’ favorite songs and had already set up in the other room. All the youngsters danced the night away.
http://img61.echo.cx/img61/9449/riyaclev10um5db.jpg http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/1505285/2/istockphoto_1505285_wedding_ring_henna_hands.jpg http://www.benzerworld.com/collection2006/images/item/men2006/m6_01b_m.jpg

[awall21]

They are so much fun, especially when the dance floor opens...naachaenge saari raath soniyo ve... :D this is my anthem or theme song whatever you wanna call it at weddings!

I have to go for one of my gora friends wedding in Dec, I'm so supped up for it and I already have the dress!!!!! I so hope that it still fits after all these holidays, haha.:p I may need to go shopping for accessories though which I can deal with.

Good post buddy, it feels like everything is going pretty calm in the story which always worries me because I'm sure there's something just around the corner and BAMM! Hehe well can't wait to read more... :( I have class today. Just another one after this and then maybe I'll pick up on mines or basically it will be on a hiatus. ;)

Later days!

[naaz123]

Why are u so smart? He, he...well, I'm not gonna give any hints but don't forget to tune in tomorrow. I really like what I've written so far, but it needs a lot of polishing. Today's Eid and the family's coming over. So busy, busy, busy!!!
Wow, are u standing up for the American wedding or just attending? Either way, they're quite fun. We went to one in June and Javed got to be one of the groomsmen. It was an awesome experience for him. Hey, I love Stereo Nation! It's strange how I know any song or movie you mention and it's something I like too. Kinda uncanny. I love the song Don't Break My Heart the most. Laal laal boliyaan (at least that's what it sounds like) te gora gora rang munda hai ni hai ni something something... LOL!!! Ok, time to cook some more! I'll see ya again (meaning I'll post) late tonight or early tomorrow! Toodles!

[naaz123]

It was almost dawn by the time they all left. Shree and Aditi stayed at the hotel in a honeymoon suite. Shamit was going to drive Riya home and Amey drove Meenal. Their cars followed each other since Meenal lived in the same vicinity as Amey and Riya.

As they were passing on a bridge which was over a river, an earthquake struck. The metal and concrete bridge swayed side to side as if it was one of those flimsy bridges in an adventure flick. Shamit and Amey’s cars spun around and hit the side railing. When the bridge swayed back the other way, the cars crashed into each other. In a split second decision, Shamit was able to lean over towards Riya, shielding her from the shattered glass. The car door pushed in and crushed Shamit’s hands* (see comments, next post) as Amey’s car crunched against it. The pain from the impact caused Shamit to involuntarily pull back and he hit his head against the driver side window, knocking himself unconscious. Meenal and Amey also get knocked out* (see comments next post) with head injuries. Riya also had a head injury but it was not as bad as the rest since Shamit took most of the impact.

Riya couldn’t quite grasp what happened. Everything looked blurry and she touched her head. She felt something wet and when she brought her hand down, was shocked to see blood. She instantly turned to see Shamit knocked out and hunched over the steering wheel. She tried to revive him when, suddenly she heard someone screaming. As she looked up, through the front windshield, she could see a woman hanging over the bridge. For the first time, Riya noticed that the river beneath was raging at a rapid speed due to the impact of the quake. Riya looked over at Shamit, and then almost in a dazed and confused state, got out of the car to try to save the woman. She didn’t notice Amey’s car just a few feet away, in her rush to get to the woman. Riya tried her best to get to the woman in time but instead Riya witnessed the woman slip right in front of her eyes. The horror and fear in the woman’s eyes was intense, as she fell and consequently got swept away by the river.

The ground started to rumble again, which brought Amey back to consciousness. The tremor lasted about 15 seconds and Amey woke up to see Riya disappear in front of his eyes. He took about 3 seconds to look around and figure out what exactly was going on. As it became evident to him that the bridge had collapsed, possibly due to the tremor he was feeling, he raced out of the car as fast as he could manage. Riya was crying for help, as now it was she who was hanging from the side of the bridge. The water beneath made the bridge wet and slippery. Riya feared the worse and prayed that her fate would not be like the woman who she just saw plunge into the river. Amey hopped into action, forgetting his own injuries and pain, and managed to grab one of Riya’s hands right before she was about to slip. Riya, who was normally the most calm and collected person, even during adversity, was screaming because she absolutely didn’t want to die.

Shamit was roused from unconsciousness by Riya’s screams. He, like Amey before him, also looked around, not knowing what exaclty happened. He looked at the passenger seat and was stunned to see that Riya was not in the car. As he looked in the direction of the screams, he was horrified to see Riya hanging from the edge of the bridge, hanging on to Amey with only one hand. With every small after shock, the bridge swayed just a little more. In her soaking wet sari, Riya looked like a rag doll that a little girl was carrying by just one hand. Shamit had never been so scared and felt so helpless in his life. He attempted to get out of the car but his crushed fingers hurt immensely and he was not able to open door. Meenal, who was also brought back to consciousness due to Riya’s screams, stumbled over and saw Shamit struggling with the door and opened it for him. She helped him out and they both struggled to get over to Amey and Riya. Riya was still dangling with Amey holding her by only one arm. She could feel the spray of the water underneath her and was getting more and more terrified as each second passed. Her arm hurt and along with the rest of her cold and soaking wet body, was getting extremely tired. Riya was finding it increasingly difficult to hold on.

“Amey, mera haath choot raha he. I can’t hold on anymore,” said Riya with the same terror in her eyes that the woman had.

“Riya, don’t be riduculous! I AM NOT going to let you fall. Now listen, you can do this. Give me your other hand NOW,” ordered Amey, knowing that Riya had almost reached the threshold of giving up. Fortunately, after struggling for what seemed to be an eternity, Amey was able to pull Riya up. No sooner was Riya up and out of harm’s way, did another big aftershock hit. A column that connected the bridge collapsed and the bridge cracked into two parts. (see pictures below). The part where Amey and Riya stood, rose above gently. The part where Meenal and Shamit were, however, crashed down a few feet, causing the two to fall over and injure themselves even more.

Despite their injuries and the excruciating pain, Meenal and Shamit got up and start walking towards the middle of the divided bridge. They were only able to manage a few inches at a time and painstakingly made the 20 foot walk towards the other two. When they finally got close enough, they looked up to see Amey hugging Riya, rubbing his hands on Riya’s arms, back and bare midriff.
http://www.eqh.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~mori/other/tw003.JPG http://kagi.coe21.kyoto-u.ac.jp/images/t_images/tidbit33_1.jpg

[naaz123]

*Special note,
Hey everyone, I just wanted to say that although I was inspired by certain reality tv personalities to write my story and I've kind of developed the characters away from what they may or may not be, they still ARE real people! So, I'd just like to say that god forbid anything bad should ever happen to any of them. I do not wish them ill in any way, shape or form. I guess what I'm trying to say is that they are real people and I got inspired by them, but once I thought about the story, they became characters and all the things I am writing about them are from my imagination. I hope u all understand.
Also, when u look at pics of the bridge...try to imagine a bridge that is not so tall or high and try to imagine the water a lot closer to the top part of the bridge. I hope the pictures help!

[awall21]

Lol, they don't call me awall for nothing buddy!

:eek: Holy Freaking Shit that was totally insane.... I'm so glad they all survived though they probably feel like someone just ran them through the car wash... without a car! :p

Oh your use of the word mortified I think is wrong, that means embarrassed no?... and maybe I'm reading it wrong. I think you meant mystified and the spell check picked up the wrong word? Otherwise I feel mortified, :o just imagine.

Well can't wait for the parts to come.... aww Shamit you sweetheart you shielded her from impact... you'd make such a good father. Amey thanks for doing one right thing in life so far in this story but you can take your hands off her now, her boyfriend is alive and kicking much to your displeasure and can keep her warm just fine. Amey go take care of Meenal, she needs attention too and she is your girlfriend.

Hey it show's we are both 'on'.... anyways the pictures do help and give a great visual. Oh and I say toodles too so that's another thing we have in common. My roomate used to say that all the time back in college so that's how picked that up.

Later days!

[naaz123]

I am just LOL at being such a big bewakoof! He, he. First of all, I thought mortified meant scared to death. So I changed it to horrified. I guess I've always used it incorrectly. Good catch girlie! You've got a great command of the English language! Secondly, (still can't stop laughing about it) I always that it was A-wall (like absent without leave, in the army). Since your name is Anita, in the beginning I must have thought yr last name was Walia or something. LOL. When u just said that's why they call me awall, I was like, huh? Why would they call her 'awol"??? Maybe she's a few cans short of a six pack, nooooo, that makes no sense. And then it came to me. I'm so silly! :)

I hope I have time to write more tonight. Zain's got a cough and cold again. :eek: Poor baby. I hope he gets better and it doesn't last 2 weeks like it did last time. Ok, toodles! (I get it from mickey mouse! I'll explain later!)

[awall21]

Haha, well you used horrified in there twice then no? Unless you changed the sentences around. I didn't really go back and check. I will tell you though that the word you are looking for is petrified; think Harry Potter, I think Chamber of Secrets no? I used to ace english class, but when it came to writing portion I'd want to pull my hair out b/c it was as painful as getting your teeth pulled out. Though once I started it was hard to stop. Just look at me with my fan fic. Enuf said.....

About my tag name there is a long story behind this, but for now I'll give you the short and hindi based version, in hindi it's like aval number (like in top rank,) I think that's what you understand it as now right? But it's "a-wall," spelled like that for a reason and you'd get it once you know the story.

I hope Zain feels better. Lunch is over :(

Later days!

[naaz123]

Nope! No horrified twice! I've got stunned, horrified and terrified. I think I have dazed and confused too! :) Got adjectives was right!!! Even the thesaurus doesn't help, but I'll be sure to use petrified next! :)

[naaz123]

Amey was watching Shamit and Meenal struggle the whole time. As they got closer, Amey screamed to Shamit, “Riya is going into shock Shamit, jaldi se upper aane ki koshish karo. Shamit, Riya needs you badly. Jaldi karo.” Shamit looked over at the bridge and tried to figure out how Amey was implying that he get over to the top section. The place where the bridge broke into two was now divided by a gap of about 5 feet. Shamit figured that maybe Amey could have jumped down with Riya, but even then it would be dangerous, as they would risk falling into the river. He looked at Amey, who was still screaming for Shamit to come up.

“Amey, yahan to paanch foot ka gap he, mein nahin aa sakunga. My hands are broken I think. They got crushed during the earthquake.”

Amey didn’t know what to do. How was he going to keep Riya from going into shock? “Tumhaari sherwani upper phenko,” said Amey to Shamit. Amey was only wearing a dress shirt and a tie. Riya was shivering uncontrollably and Amey felt that at least Shamit’s sherwani would give her some warmth. He looked over at Meenal and noticed how badly bruised and cut up she was. He asked her, ishaaron mein, with some hand gestures, if she was ok. She responded back, again ishaaron mein, implying that she was fine.

Shamit struggled to get the sherwani off. Meenal helped and then threw it upwards as high as she could, just barely making it into Amey’s outstretched hand. Shamit instructed Amey to remove Riya’s wet palloo and cover her with the sherwani. Amey acted quickly and buttoned up Riya completely. Shamit then asked Meenal to throw her dupatta up to Amey. Once Amey had caught it, Shamit instructed him to remove the wet sari and cover the bottom of Riya’s legs with, what was thankfully, a long and wide dupatta. Amey gave Shamit a look saying, “How can I do this with you standing right there?”

“Just do it Amey. Meri Riya ko bachcha lo,” said Shamit desperately as he couldn’t control the tears any longer. Amey managed to easily get the sari off. It was close to coming undone when Riya was hanging over the bridge, and a couple of quick pulls made it come off completely. Shamit was tall and so his sherwani went past Riya’s knees. Amey overlapped the sherwani with the dupatta and wrapped it around the rest of Riya’s legs. He slowly helped Riya sit down and then sat down behind her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and her head fell back onto his shoulder.

“No, Riya…DO NOT go to sleep,” shouted Amey. He had seen enough American shows on cable TV to know that if Riya fell asleep, her temperature would drop further and she would go into shock for sure. He rubbed her arms a little more aggressively and told her she had to sing with him. “C’mon Riya, gaana gao mere saath….Bhool jayenge hum, saari duniya key ghum, ek pal do ghadi tum millo to sanam.” Amey kept repeating the first two lines from the movie Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye. He knew Riya loved the song. “C’mon Riya, sing with me,” insisted Amey. Riya, still shivering continuously, tried to sing along with Amey. She was so exhausted that she couldn’t get out more than a soft whisper. She sang the song while falling in and out of consciousness. Amey shook her to consciousness and got her to sing again each time she fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Shamit and Meenal decided that they needed to get some help. Meenal took the cell phone out of the kurta that Shamit was wearing underneath the sherwani. It was Riya’s phone, which she had asked him to hold during her dance. One by one, Shamit told Meenal to call Shree, Aditi, Anju and Karan. There were no responses anywhere. They didn’t know whether the earthquake hit every where or whether it was an isolated incident. They started to wonder if lines were down or were their loved ones not answering because they were also injured. Both Meenal and Shamit’s frantic desperation was quickly becoming outright panic and they were losing hope fast. Amey saw Meenal dialing number after number and reminded her to call Ayi. Meenal tried that number and then shook her head when there was no response.

Amey mumbled out loud, to himself, “Koi phone nahin utta raha. Kya karein? Abh to bhagwan hi bachaenge,” he said with a desperate voice. Riya, who was still whispering the same two lines of the song, whispered to Amey, “Ekta ko phone karo”. Amey shouted to Shamit that Riya said to call Ekta. Meenal looked through the phone book on the cell phone and found two numbers for Ekta. One said Ekta – office, and the other said Ekta – emergency. Meenal picked the one that said emergency, but once again, had no response. The prospect of a rescue seemed bleak to all 3 fully conscious survivors of the earthquake. Meenal and Shamit decided to sit down and try to put things in perspective. Amey continued to try to bring up Riya’s body heat. Riya continued to sing while she was conscious, however the duration of her consciousness was getting smaller and smaller, until finally, she fell asleep and wouldn’t wake up again.

[awall21]

Okay so I take back what I said on Amey and I hope everyone is okay. Earthquakes are scary, my friend went through one in Gujrat a few years back. Well can't wait to find out what happened to everyone else, hope they all live!

I am talking a half day today so I want to get all the work done so I don't have an overload for Thurs hence me posting a comment first thing in the morning.
As usual amazing job and catch u later......

Later days!

[naaz123]

Hey Anita,
I was hoping u'd change yr mind, but I was careful not to say anything to influence u yesterday. :) Amey is a good guy after all, and was just being stupid earlier...I will say, that I hope you're beginning to see him begin to transform. If not, then I gotta work harder at it! Lemmie know when u have time. Enjoy your half day off, lucky ducky!

[naaz123]

Chapter 14

After what seemed like an eternity, Shamit, Meenal and Amey heard a helicopter. After Ekta had seen that Riya called, Ekta called back and was told by Meenal what was going on. An hour later, Ekta managed to get a hold of a search and rescue team. Riya was Ekta’s star performer and Ekta was willing to go through great lengths to make sure Riya was safe. Of course, it was Ekta, and before the helicopter took off, she got on board with a camera crew in order to guarantee she caught the whole rescue on tape.

Ekta came down with the first rescuer, followed by one of the cameramen. One by one, the rescuers took up each person, beginning with Riya. The rescuer asked Amey what happnened. Once Riya was aboard the helicopter, the doctors on board began to examine her. With the information that Amey gave the rescuer, the doctors were afraid that Riya was unconscious due to hypothermia. Amey had said that he continued to rub Riya’s arms to keep her warm. The doctors looked at each other, knowing that this action could send cold air back to the heart and cause cardiac arrest. They feared the worst, but hoped for the best as they continued their treatment.

Once everyone was on board, one doctor stayed with Riya and the other tended to the wounds of the other three. Although all three were severely injured, the fact that they were still conscious, commented the doctor, was a good sign. He predicted that they’d be better soon. All three worried for Riya who was still unconscious. They arrived at the hospital and all were rushed into the emergency room, where Ekta and her cameramen were not allowed to enter.

It turned out that along with his broken hands, Shamit had a concussion. Meenal had many cuts, bruises and a concussion, but no internal injuries. Amey also had a concussion and suffered minor chest injuries from hitting the steering wheel when his car hit the side railing.

After having monitored all of Riya’s vitals on the helicopter and then again in the ER, the doctors were able to determine that Riya was not suffering from hypothermia. She was only passed out due to exhaustion. Had Amey not been able to warm her up in the first few minutes (after she came up from dangling over the bridge) and had he not replaced her wet clothes with Shamit’s sherwani and Meenal’s dupatta, the outcome may have been much worse. Riya woke up and the doctors kept her warm and gave her some hot cocoa at hourly intervals to make sure her body heat stayed at a fairly normal temperature.

Ayi was notified and came to the hospital as soon as she could. When everyone was moved from the ER to their own rooms, Ayi was able to go visit Amey and Meenal, who were sharing a room. Amey told Ayi what had happened, intentionally leaving out gory details, so as not to raise Ayi’s blood pressure. Amey and Meenal were still unaware that Riya was conscious and doing much better. She had been taken from the ER and shifted into Shamit’s room. Generally celebrities got their own personal rooms. When it came to general patients, female patients shared with females and males with males. However, due to the high number of earth quake related injuries coming in to the hospital, they decided to keep the celebrities together rather than mixing them in with the “aam janata”.

After a whole day of nothing but rest, Riya, Amey and Meenal were feeling much better and were allowed to walk around. Shamit was doing better as well, but needed a little more time for his concussion to heal. The doctor anticipated that he would be able to leave the hospital after a couple of days. The other 3 would probably be discharged at night if all went well during the day.

Both Meenal and Amey were on heavy pain killers. Meenal was sleeping peacefully, but Amey was really anxious to see how Riya was doing. He asked the doctor for permission to walk over to her room. The doctor said that would be fine, but since Shamit and Riya’s room was a few rooms down, he wanted a nurse to go with him. Amey arrived at the room and decided to peek through a small glass window before he entered. Riya was sitting with both legs folded over (Indian style) on Shamit’s bed. She was in the middle of feeding Shamit his lunch. Both of Shamit’s hands had casts on them and he was unable to feed himself.

Riya’s mehendi had gotten darker and looked so beautiful on her delicate hands. As she made a “niwala” (bite) and put it in Shamit’s mouth, Amey flashed back to his cousin, Kiran’s wedding once again. Riya absolutely loved mehendi and had waited all day to get her hands decorated. Riya was helping out throughout the day so she couldn’t get mehendi put on when the mehendi waali was there. Finally, when all the work was done, they called the mehendi waali and asked her to come back. Riya asked for elaborate mehendi, almost as nice as the bride’s to be put on the front and back of her hands. Everyone was eating while Riya was getting her mehendi applied. When it was time for Riya to eat, all the women were unavailable, as they were cleaning up and getting ready to go home. So Amey ended up feeding Riya that night.

Amey had never thought twice about that moment before. The thought of it now, however, made him realize how close he and Riya always were. It finally occurred to him, now that Riya was with Shamit, that she was once very precious and dear to him, however he never realized it before. They way he had recently treated Riya and the selfishness he had showed came back into his mind. “What a jerk I was,” he thought to himself. “And even then, Riyu still treated me like before. She tried to come and see Ayi at home and she came to the hospital right away when Ayi was sick. She forgave me in an instant and all I had to do was ask.” He saw Shamit and Riya chatting with each other and smiling. They looked very happy. Amey thought, “At least she’s happy with Shamit and he seems to love her immensely.”

Amey’s thoughts were interrupted as Riya noticed him standing outside and waved him in. Shamit spoke first and said, “Meri jaan ko bachchane ke liye bohot bohot shukriya. You were amazing.”

Amey realized that Shamit meant Riya when he said “meri jaan”. Somehow, the term bothered Amey just a little. Riya also said thanks and told Amey that if he hadn’t helped her at that time, she may not have been around to be thanking him.

“God forbid, Riyu. Aur thanks kehne ki kya zarurat he? After everything you’ve done for me and Ayi, there was no way I was going to let anything happen to you,” said Amey out loud. Then he thought to himself, “tumhaare liye to jaan bhi haazir he, Riyu”. He asked if there was anything they needed, as Ayi was coming later. Riya said she needed some clothes. The hospital clothes were so unflattering, and Ekta had said that she would send someone to interview her. Their accident had made international news and Ekta’s phone was ringing non stop with callers inquiring about Riya’s health. Ekta was preparing to show footage of the rescue along with interviews of everyone that evening. Riya let Amey know to be ready for an interview. They laughed about how their tragedy was about to become everyone’s entertainment. The nurse interrupted and insisted that Amey should go back to his room and rest. Riya asked about Meenal and Amey assured her that she was going to be just fine. He then said goodbye and went back to his room.
http://www.hampshirecam.co.uk/travels/cghelicopter1.jpg

[awall21]

....they smell and they creep me out plus the charge the life out of you when you see their bills. That ans hospitals are mad depressing and I have never been there for a happy reason to date so I'm biased.

Yaar this Ekta man! Give them some privacy yaar they just went through a major ordeal and your shoving a camera in their face... you know where you can put that camera.....

Amey has his moments... lol I'm giving him a chance but no more stupid stunts from him!!!!

Bunking yesterday was great and well now I have loads to do but it was worth it. Also last class was yesterday so now I get more time for me which is more time to write??? Woteva...... hey this is a sticky now.. so cool!

okie, later days!

[naaz123]

That just makes me laugh! I think I'm going to start saying like that out loud! He, he....ppl will think I'm nuts.
Yes, both of our fan fics are sticky now. Yay! GO Unaiza! I hope more people comment now. I hope u do keep writing now that school's over. A hiatus doesn't seem fun, unless of course, u have better things to keep u occupied.
Well, I'm glad Amey has at least sort of made it into your good books. I won't say anymore though, cuz I guess I shouldn't be influencing the reader! :) Have a great day at work and don't work too hard!!!

[awall21]

Normally my vocab is pretty refined written and spoken, but then I have my moments and woteva, enuf said, fugetabouit, etc start to flow outta my mouth. ;)

Guess what I did yesterday... YES I WENT SHOPPING, FINAALYYYYY!

This is the first weekend that I don't have to do something so Saturday I think I might acutally sit and write. Yeah!!!!

Hey where's the update for today???

[naaz123]

Hey there....no updates today either. Sorry! Got an Eid party tonight and gotta wrap tons of gifts. Maybe tomorrow??? (I hope, I hope). I just couldn't concentrate last night, even though I tried. :confused: Wish me luck for tonight!
Naaz

Hey, sorry, no update for today. Was feeling really sick last night. AGAIN!:mad: :eek: U know people should only be allowed to get sick once a year. What's this twice a month business. And Zainu's coughin up a storm too. Poor thing. We took him trick or treating at the mall though. (All the mall stores give out candy, and kids just go in a line to all the stores. Doesn't seem like anyone does any shopping though!) It was fun. When we got back home we weren't doing so well so we just went to sleep. :) Maybe tomorrow!

[naaz123]

Hey there...I was finally able to concentrate long enough to write a little. I'm hoping my creative juices flow a little better tomorrow and I can finish off the chapter then. Until then, enjoy!
Naaz

A little later on in the day, Shamit’s mom arrived from out of town, where she had been attending one of her relative’s wedding. Generally, she prefered to never fly on an airplane, however, after getting news of Shamit’s ordeal, she took the first flight and rushed to the side of darling son. To her chagrin, Riya was already at his bedside. Mrs. Tyagi was a very old fashioned woman with lofty morals. It was unacceptable to her that Riya was sharing a hospital room with her son.

After Riya’s birthday, when Shamit was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that Riya loved him, he told his mom that he had someone he wanted her to meet. On the phone, Shamit had been very vague about Riya and didn’t tell his mom that Riya was the host of a famous TV show. Even now, as they were face to face, Shamit didn’t have to introduce her, because Mrs. Tyagi recognized Riya as soon as she saw her. Although, Mrs. Tyagi understood that the new generation usually found their own mates, she still harbored hopes that Shamit would agree to an arranged marriage. She would have picked a bahu that stayed at home and watched the children, one who cooked and cleaned and didn’t worry so much about fashion and make up.

From the way the woman was crying at seeing Shamit in the hospital bed with his hands bandaged and cuts on his face, Riya understood that it must be Shamit’s mother. Riya went up to her and touched her feet and then said “Namaste”. Shamit started to introduce Riya when his mom interupted and said,

“Mein jaanti hu inhe. Yeh K3M ki Riya he, na?” There was no overt happiness or any other emotion evident on Mrs. Tyagi’s face upon having just met her possible future daughter in law. Shamit and Riya both felt a little taken aback about Mrs. Tyagi’s stoic response. They both individually rationalized that she was probably just unable to take the reality of her son being ok and also meeting Riya at the same time. There was an uncomfortably long silence, which Shamit finally broke by asking how her trip was. She explained that she worried about Shamit during the whole flight. Shamit was unable to reach his mother directly and had told his uncle what had happened. Mrs. Tyagi, under the impression that they were hiding the truth about Shamit’s well being, feared the worst and insisted that she had to come back to Bombay that instant.

Shamit explained that the doctors said that his injuries would heal soon and that God really saved them that day because it could have been much worse. Riya told Mrs. Tyagi that she should be very proud of her brave son, as he risked his own life to protect her in the car during the quake. Mrs. Tyagi gave Shamit a look that said, how can you risk your own life for her? What would we do without you? She said out loud, “Beta, bhagwan ka shukkar he ke tum theekh ho, magar kuch ho gaya hotta to?” Riya had not seen Mrs. Tyagi’s look so she didn’t realize what the implication was.

Shamit responded, “Maa, joh honna he voh honna he, na? Honni ko kaun taal sakta he? Abh aap battao ke Rohan ki shaadi kaisi rahi.” She sat closer to her son and gave him a hug, trying not to squeeze too tight. She started to tell Shamit about the wedding when a nurse interrupted and told Riya that she needed to get some tests done.

As soon as Riya stepped out of the room, Mrs. Tyagi asked Shamit what he was thinking when he decided to choose Riya as his girlfriend. She explained how she had seen countless episodes of K3M and in every one, Riya was either singing or dancing or cozying up to such celebrities as Saif Ali Khan. She said that “achche gharane ki ladkiyan roz roz aisi numaish nahin karti” and then she concluded that Riya was not bahu material. Shamit was shattered. His mother was the one woman he respected and admired the most. Riya was the second. Shamit had assumed that his mother would see Riya through his eyes rather than have an already formed opinion of her. He prayed that in the following days, he could get his mother to love Riya as much as he did.

[awall21]

Jeez this women! Are you sure she isn't Amey's mother.. maybe these two got switched at birth. Why don't these people ever give the other person a chance to speak; this makes me so angry.

Anyways, how are you feeling now and how was your weekend?

[naaz123]

Riya came back from her tests to find Ekta’s people aruging with the hospital staff. As they saw Riya, the interviewer bombarded her with questions and the camera crew took footage and photographs. The director of the hospital was informed and he called security to have the people thrown out since Ekta had made no arrangements with the hospital. Earlier, Riya was told by her doctor that although she could be discharged from the hospital probably after another day, but she was not to work more than 2 or 3 hours a day for the next week or so. Ekta would not be happy with Riya’s restrictions, nor would she be happy that the hospital wasn’t letting her employees do their job. Riya called Ekta and explained the situation and then had Ekta speak with the hospital director.

After Ekta agreed to make a generous donation to the hospital, the director approved to let the photographer take one picture each of all four celebrities (and only if they gave their consent). He also allowed Riya to have a phone interview for the telecast of the rescue of the foursome that Ekta was airing that evening. Ekta decided that she didn’t want to interview Riya live during the broadcast, so she quickly made arrangements to record the interview so that it would be ready by the time the rescue was broadcast.

Riya went back to her hospital room and informed Shamit of her restrictions. Shamit’s mom commented that Riya shouldn’t be worried about rushing back to work so soon after such a huge ordeal. Riya agreed with Mrs. Tyagi, but told her and Shamit that she had to do a phone interview any minute and then promised to rest. Mrs. Tyagi looked at Riya in a disapproving manner and then nonchalantly attempted to continue the conversation she was having with Shamit.

The phone interview took place with Mrs. Tyagi present, and although Riya partially credited Shamit for saving her life, most of the credit went to Amey. Mrs. Tyagi recognized Amey’s name since she had watched Indian Idol 2 many times. She wondered what he was doing saving Riya if she was supposed to be Shamit’s girlfriend. Before she could clarify, Ayi came in to see how Riya and Shamit were doing. The two women were introduced and were quite cordial to each other. They were both mothers to average sons who became famous almost overnight due to their above average singing talents and so the two women were able to bond almost instantly. It was almost time for Ekta’s special to air, so after making sure that Riya didn’t need anything, Ayi went back to Amey and Meenal, who were both going to be kept overnight in the hospital for observation.

The rescue footage along with Riya’s phone interview was broadcast with all of India glued to their TV sets. Throughout the broadcast, even a pin drop could have been heard wherever anyone was watching the special, as it really was a gripping and riveting story that appealed to everyone, exactly as Ekta had hoped for it to be. Riya, Shamit, Meenal, and Amey also watched attentively as the horrific scene of the aftermath was brought back to reality only a few hours after it had originally ocurred. None of them really knew the magnitude of the quake’s damage while they were on the bridge, nor did they know how life threatening the situation really was. To see the destruction again for what it actually was created a sense of humility and thankfulness in all four of them for being alive. Tears filled the eyes, of course, of all four and their familes who anxiously watched, but also of almost all viewers of the special presentation.

The first scene that was shown was that of the massive bridge in shambles and broken into half, with the river raging beneath. The next images were of Riya, strangely clad in Shamit’s sherwani, with a dupatta around her lower legs, passed out in Amey’s arms. Parts of Riya’s phone interview echoed in the background as each scene pertaining to her interview was shown. Then it switched to Shamit and Meenal, looking miserable, on the other half of the bridge, their totaled cars a few feet away. Next the rescues were aired, followed by the photographs of each of the four celebrities in their hospital beds. Finally, Riya’s phone interview was broadcast in its entirety from beginning to end.

After the end of the show, Riya and Shamit needed to talk and give each other a hug so badly, however the presence of Mrs. Tyagi stopped them from doing so. Riya’s memory of the rescue was vague and she couldn’t seem to control the tears that were steadily falling from her eyes after having seen just how bad everything was. Shamit took one look at Riya wiping away tear after tear and asked his mother if she could go get some fresh ice water, explaining that his throat was dry and sore from not drinking anything. As soon as she shut the door, Shamit raised his arms to Riya and asked her to come to him. Not waiting even an instant, she threw off the sheets that covered her and jumped into Shamit’s outstretched arms.

“Shamit, did you know when you were on the bridge how bad it was? Aur agar Ekta humme nahin bachcha ti to kya hua hotta,” asked Riya.

“Nahin, Riya, maine abhi dekha to andaaza hua ke hum baal baal bach gaye. I don’t know what would have happened to us. What if Amey hadn’t acted so quickly and saved you? I can’t even imagine! Let’s not even think about it. I’m just happy that we are ok and here together. I love you, Riya,” said Shamit, not able to control the tears anymore.

“I love you, too,” replied Riya, tears rolling down her cheeks again, as she wiped Shamit’s tears and then embraced him tightly. Mrs. Tyagi, had come back with the water fairly quickly and was about to enter, but had seen Riya wiping Shamit’s tears. She decided that no matter what her judgement about Riya was in regards to the type of bahu she might be, she and Shamit had definitely gone through way more than any human being should have to go through and therefore Mrs. Tyagi let them have their moment. Shamit realized that his mom would be coming back soon, so he reluctantly told Riya to get back into her own bed. They hugged each other tightly and Riya gave Shamit a quick kiss. Shamit kissed her back quickly and then Riya went back to her own bed. Mrs. Tyagi waited a few seconds and then came into the room as if she hadn’t seen anything.

[naaz123]

Chapter 15

By the next day, Amey and Meenal had recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital. Throughout the night, the doctors observed their vitals and ran tests to ensure that there were no internal injuries or abnormalities. Both were advised to rest at home at least one week until their injuries healed completely. Their doctor also mentioned that after surviving an ordeal like that, the victims needed to heal emotionally, as well, and recommended that both of them spend a lot of time relaxing with their family. Meenal called her mother in Indore and asked if she could come back to Bombay for a while. Meenal’s father took a short leave of absence and accompanied his wife, justifying his leave by admiting to himself that, this time, his daughter needed him more than his job.

Shamit’s concussion was healing well and besides a dull but continuous headache, he didn’t have any other problems from his head injury. One finger on each of his hands was broken and needed to be put in a finger splint. He was taking pain killers for both issues and was in good spirits. Shamit insisted that his mother go home to sleep since she was tired from her journey, so she came back the next morning with a tiffin full of Shamit’s favorite foods: daal chawal and alloo ki sabzi with homemade rotis. Mrs. Tyagi brought enough for Riya, as well. She decided it would look really bad if she didn’t. They had been eating hospital food since yesterday and both Riya and Shamit really enjoyed the ghar ka khanna.

Because Riya had been unconscious for a while before the rescue, the doctor wanted to monitor her for at least one more night. The fact that she lived alone was also a concern and the doctor wanted to be certain that no complications would arise once Riya was discharged. Currently, the only problem Riya was facing was a cold and cough from the exposure to the cold water while she was hanging from the bridge. The doctor worried that it may turn into pneumonia if not properly treated.

The director of the hospital had strictly prohibited anyone but immediate family to visit the four celebrities. Even Shree, Aditi, Anju, Karan and Mrs. Malhotra were turned away. After Ekta’s “rescue special” was aired last night, many important people were calling Ekta or showing up at her offices. All wanted to know how Riya and the others were doing. They also either wanted to meet Riya in the hospital or at least send flowers and gifts. Among the well wishers were such celebrities as Sunidhi Chauhan, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee and Shah Rukh Khan who had all been original guests on Riya’s show and all had developed a fondness for her after watching more of her shows.

Saif was in Bombay and not shooting for any films and asked Ekta if Riya was able to see visitors. Ekta, trying to figure how she’d finagle the director into allowing a meeting, told Saif that the director wasn’t allowing Riya to meet anyone but family, but she would make some arrangements so that Saif could get in. Ekta told Saif that she’d meet him at the hospital in an hour. Saif knew how Ekta worked and realized that Ekta was probably coming with a camera crew and would probably have him do some cockamamie things. He told her that he personally knew the director of the hospital and would manage getting in on his own.

A couple of hours later, after getting the green signal from the hospital director, Saif and his two kids, Ibrahim and Sara, came for a brief visit with Riya. Saif went up to Riya and presented her with a nice bouquet of flowers, planting a friendly kiss on her cheek before heading over to say hi to Shamit. Mrs. Tyagi looked at Shamit, givng him a look that said “I told you so.” Saif knew from watching the Ekta’s special that Shamit had hand injuries, so he went over and patted Shamit’s shoulder and asked how he was doing. Shamit introduced his mother and Saif introduced his children. The children were quite shy at first but were very eager to meet Riya. Saif told Riya that his kids were big fans of her show. Riya told the kids that she was a big fan of their dad, which made everyone smile. The kids wanted Riya and Shamit’s autograph. Shamit scribbled something as well as he could, and the children were happy. They all had a nice chat and then, after taking a quick photograph, left promptly as instructed by the director.

A couple a days had passed and all four were recuperating in their own homes. None of the four were allowed to do much more than limited walking for the next few days, so Meenal and Amey spoke on the phone, as did Riya and Shamit. Shamit was very worried about Riya being all by herself. Riya tried to convince him that she would have someone come and spend the night with her, but Shamit was also uncomfortable about Riya being alone all day long. Both of them were pretty heavily medicated and couldn’t spend all day on the phone making sure the other was ok, so Shamit suggested that if Riya was comfortable with it, she should try to spend the day next door at Amey’s house. Riya had no objections and after hanging up with Shamit, called up Ayi to see if it was ok. Ayi, of course, could think of nothing better than to have Riya over for a whole day, something that hadn’t happened in ages. Ayi came over and helped Riya pack up some essentials, and they both headed next door.

Ekta had done very well with her special episode of the rescue. The viewership numbers had come in and she realized what a star performer Riya had become. Ekta’s other shows were failing miserably with viewership declining rapidly. She realized that banking on Riya’s success was her best bet for future revenue, however simply increasing Riya’s show, K3M, to a daily show was not going to be enough. She brainstormed with her creative advisors and told them to come up with something new, innovative, and fresh. She instructed that it had to appeal to the younger generation as well as the housewives. Finally, she said that it had to include Riya’s involvement somehow.

[naaz123]

Hey everyone! My story has been viewed over 2000 times!!! Woooo hooooo! I think it's time for all of you that read my story to finally admit it. C'mon! It will make me happy. If you just can't get yourself to register (because tiny monkeys keep stopping your fingers from entering the easy information that it takes to register) :eek: then, just send me an email at naaz123@hotmail.com. C'mon. Pleeeease? Until then, I hope you keep enjoying the story!
Naaz

http://www.k12albemarle.org/westernalbemarle/library/Images/ClipArt/balloons.jpg http://www.wpclipart.com/holiday/.cache/celebrate.png http://www.fotosearch.com/thumb/ARP/ARP116/Toot_1_C.jpg

[awall21]

good stuff. im still not liking sham's mom. can't wait for the next part which take these guys out of the hospitals.

yea that was pretty weak but im just :( right now and not in the mood.

congrats on 2000 views!

[naaz123]

Hey everyone...here's the end of Ch. 15. I had to tie up some loose ends so it didn't seem like everyone just miraculously recovered from such a huge ordeal. I promise a more eventful and exciting Ch. 16. Stay tuned!
Naaz

Ayi had gone out to get some stuff, while Amey and Riya were sleeping soundly. Earlier, both of them had been completely out of it from the medicine they were taking. Amey let Riya have his room, while he slept on the couch. Riya’s cold and cough was getting worse and she felt feverish. The two blankets that she had on were not helping to calm her chills and she wandered out of Amey’s room and opened a closet to find another blanket.

“Ayi, paani do, na”, said Amey, not knowing that Ayi had stepped out. Riya went to the kitchen to get some water and brought it over to Amey.

“Ayi kahan he,” asked Amey with a confused look on his face. Riya looked around and noticed that Ayi’s purse wasn’t in its normal place, on a hook in the entryway.

“Purse gayab he, shayad kuch leyne gaye honge,” said Riya. All of a sudden Riya felt dizzy and lost her balance a little. Amey caught Riya’s arm just in time and she fell back onto Amey. He gently sat her down on the couch.

“Riyu, tumhaari tabiyat theekh nahin he. Why are you getting water for me” asked Amey, shocked that Riya was walking around in her condtion. He thought to himself that Meenal wouldn’t get him a drink of water even if she was well, and here’s Riya doing it without question even though she felt awful. When Riya got dizzy, Amey had noticed how warm she felt.

“You know, you seem to have a high fever and then you just got dizzy too. Do you feel ok,” asked Amey with a worried look on his face. He had overheard Riya telling Ayi that the doctor was concerned about Riya getting pneumonia. Riya’s face was pale and she looked weak.

“Bohot thand lag rahi he, Amey”, said Riya in between shivers. “Kambal leyne ayi thi aur tumne paani manga to…” Riya left her sentence unfinished, as Amey covered her up with his blanket. He went in his room and got the other two blankets that Riya was using and covered her up with those as well. Amey didn’t know where many things were in the house, however he did know that Ayi kept the thermometer in the bathroom. He got it and took Riya’s temperature. It was a few degrees higher than normal so Amey and Riya decided that they should call the doctor. He wasn’t available but a nurse looked at the doctor’s notes and instructed them to give Riya an over the counter fever reducing medicine and to monitor her temperature for the next few hours. The nurse said she’d have the doctor call as soon as he got back. Amey looked where the medicines were usually kept but couldn’t find any fever reducers. He was just about to leave to go get some when Ayi walked through the door.

Ayi, saw Riya sitting on the couch, covered with blankets, and started to worry. She asked what happened and Amey explained that Riya had a pretty high temperature and they were out of medicine. Ayi said that she had gone in to check on Riya while she was sleeping and Riya was burning up. She had called the doctor and he said she needed medicine, so Ayi went to the store to get some. She quickly gave Riya the medicine and then made her and Amey have some soup that she made earlier.

Amey scarfed down the soup as if he’d been hungry for days. Riya took a few spoonfuls and then started to swirl the spoon around in the soup. She didn’t have an appetite. Amey went over to Ayi to ask if Riya had eaten anything all day. Ayi said that Riya had a very light breakfast and slept through lunch. Amey told Ayi how Riya got dizzy and lost her balance earlier. Ayi grabbed some crackers (bisquits) and went over to Riya to try to convince her to try to eat a little more. Meanwhile Riya’s cell phone started to ring and she asked Amey to answer it for her.

It was Shamit. Although he was the one that suggested that Riya spend the day at Amey’s house, it somehow bothered him that Amey was answering her phone. He was thankful to Amey for saving Riya’s life, but the fact that he wasn’t the one there in Riya’s time of need, gave Shamit an unsettling feeling somewhere deep down in his heart. Amey informed Shamit that Riya wasn’t eating and she seemed to be getting worse. He asked Shamit to talk to Riya and convince her to eat. Riya was trying her best to turn down the crackers and soup that Ayi was offering her when Amey handed her the phone.

“Hi Shamit. Kaise ho? How are your hands,” asked Riya trying to sound upbeat.

“I’m fine, Riya. Don’t worry about me. Amey bol raha tum khana nahi kha rahi. You have a fever and weakness. Dawai ley rahi ho, Riya, YOU MUST take care,” said Shamit with a slight desperation in his voice.

“Shamit, itna bhi bura haal nahin he. Tum kyu fikkar kar rahe ho? Yahan Amey he, Ayi he. They’re both taking good care of me’, said Riya trying to convince Shamit that she was fine.

“Mein to nahin hu na, Riya. Please, mere liye tum apna khayal rakho. I went through the fear of almost losing you the other day. I was so helpless then and I can’t come over there now. I understand you probably don’t have an appetite, but please, just eat some more, ok?”

Riya could tell that Shamit was very worried about her and she didn’t want to make him feel worse than he already did for not being able to be there for each other. So she promised that she would eat as much as she could tolerate and would take her medicine on time. They both told the other to take care of themselves and then hung up saying “I love you.”

Amey noticed how much genuine concern Riya and Shamit had for each other. Riya felt like crap but she was trying to convince Shamit she was fine. From Riya’s responses, it seemed like Shamit wanted to be there to care for Riya. Amey realized that he hadn’t even called Meenal once since yesterday. He quickly called up and when Meenal asked how he was doing, he went on and on about how Riya wasn’t doing very well. Meenal unenthusiastically listened and then told Amey that she had a headache and was going to let him go. He realized he missed the boat again, and tried to ask her if she was ok and if she needed anything, but Meenal refused to answer any more questions, maintaining that she really needed to rest.

[awall21]

Yaar I feel bad for Amey, he tries so hard and it just blows in face. Meenal is very inconsequential and I still don't like Shamit's mom.

Next stop MOTW!!! See you around.

[naaz123]

Yay, you finally feel sorry for Amey! Great...that's what I wanted. :) Don't like Shamit's mom, eh? He, he...just wait for next chapter. :eek: Hopefully I'll have time to write more tonight.
So many people viewed the story and no one but u and Divs said anything (Divs in an IM). :( :( Soooooo sad.

[naaz123]

Chapter 16

Two days later, everyone was feeling fine. The doctor gave Amey and Meenal permission to work again, given they didn’t put in more than 8 hours a day for about a week. Meenal was thrilled, as she had another playback offer and recording was going to start in a couple of days. This time it was for a Ram Gopal Varma film, to be simply titled Go. The big banner gave Meenal hopes for bigger and better things yet to come.

Amey was a little disheartened at not getting more offers. His contemporaries from the rival show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge were already singing playback in many of Himesh Reshamiya’s movies. They were also doing big budget shows in India as well as abroad with Himesh. Amey had called up Anu Malik prior to the earthquake just to touch base with him. Anu had been out of town and didn’t know about Amey’s ordeal, but the first thing he did when he found out was call Amey and see how he was doing. They spoke a while and Anu agreed to set up a meeting with Amey to “see what he could do” for Amey.

Amey called up Meenal to tell her the good news. Meenal wasn’t too happy with Anu Malik, as he had promised her in front of all of India that she would sing for him when he provided the music for a movie. That was yet to happen, even though Anu had a few new movies out. With that in mind, Meenal told Amey, in confidence, that Anu ji was useless and Amey would be better off auditioning more. She even offered to hook him up with some of her contacts. Although Meenal was trying to be helpful, she didn’t realize that she sounded condescending and as if she had a superiority complex. When Amey didn’t respond to her suggestions, Meenal even tried to encourage Amey by telling him that everything would work out very soon for him. Nevertheless, the damage had been done and Amey was a little put off by the whole conversation. He said goodbye, hung up and instinctively dialed Riya’s number.

Riya was doing much better than she was just a couple of days ago. Shamit’s coaxing worked and Riya let Ayi take care of her. Ayi’s TLC, home remedies, and most importantly her company helped Riya recover rapidly. Ekta had called and told Riya that she had some new ideas and wanted to discuss them with her. The only details she gave was that she had a new show planned and it was going to be bigger than K3M. At this point, Riya had confidence that no matter how flamboyant Ekta’s predictions were, they usually came true. Riya was excited at the prospect of something new coming her way so soon. She wanted to call Shamit and let him know right away, however she saw that Amey was calling her.

Amey filled Riya in about his conversation with Anu Malik. He also told her about Meenal’s doubts about Anu actually helping Amey. Then he went on to tell Riya how Meenal had the audacity to offer her contacts, as if Amey was just good for nothing.

“Amey, aisa mat sochcho,” said Riya in an understanding tone of voice. “Bechari Meenal ne to tumhe achche se kaha hogga aur tum ne hi galat samjha hogga. Just think. If you were in her shoes, wouldn’t you also do your best to help her out?”

“Haan, lekin voh to alag baat he, Riyu,” said Amey defensively.

“Nahin, Amey. Meenal kare to galat aur tum karo to sahi? Yeh kaisi baat hui,” asked Riya, talking to Amey in the same matter of fact way in which she used to before. “Anyway, sunno. Anu Malik wants to meet you and that’s great. He said it in front of everyone that he will have you sing for him, right? I’m sure he’ll do it. Abhi timing unki theekh nahin hoggi. There’s all kinds of politics involved in making movies, so give him some time and see what he has to say. Aur agar unke saath nahin to how long will be before someone else picks you up? I told you before too, you were the best on Indian Idol 2. Tumhaare sapne saakar honge, Amey. Thoda sa apne aap par bhadosa rakho, aur thoda sa sabar karo. Phal meetha hi hogga. I promise.”

Shamit was calling on the other line, so Riya said goodbye to Amey and started talking to Shamit. Riya’s words made so much sense to Amey and instantly lifted his spirits. He couldn’t understand why Meenal was unable to say a single thing to make him feel better. On the other hand, he was amazed at how Riya so easily said everything in such a way as if she read his mind and knew what he needed to hear. He realized that Meenal was just trying to be helpful, however he didn’t have the same relationship with Meenal that he had with Riya. He and Riya were friends; good friends. Amey and Meenal, on the other hands, skipped that part of their relationship and really just became involved in dating without developing the friendship.

Amey was going over what Riya said and thoughts of the night that he was voted out of Indian Idol 2 came to mind. He thought about the kisses and had difficulty believing that it was just a dream. Riya had said that they did kiss. He remembered wiping her tears, kissing her lips and her neck. He remembered feeling comforted and consoled that day, just as he felt at the present moment after having just spoken to Riya. Amey was shook out of his thoughts by the pressure cooker going off in the kitchen. He decided it was time to take a shower and get ready to face the world.

In the meantime, Riya and Shamit were talking about getting together after three long days of not seeing each other. Mrs. Tyagi was out attending a kitty party and Shamit told Riya that it would be great to have some time to themselves. Riya needed to meet with Ekta in a few hours, so she got dressed and called the studio to request to have a car sent to pick her up. First Riya spent some much needed quality time with Shamit, while the car and driver waited outside. Shamit was feeling fine and was just waiting for the finger on one of his hands to get better. Other than that, the doctor had given him the ok to also go back to work, with the same restriction as Amey and Meenal – no working more than 8 hours of day.

Not too much was going on with Shamit’s new album, so he planned on spending his 8 hours on something else he was very passionate about: world peace. He and Riya discussed Shamit’s short term goals for making an impact locally. Although Riya never gave a single thought to world peace before meeting Shamit, now she was very determined to do anything she could to help. She planned on discussing the matter with Ekta to see how they could use K3M and possibly Ekta’s new venture to create awareness of the world peace movement. It was time for Riya to get going. Shamit was sad that Riya had to leave before his mother returned. He really wanted the two most important women in his life meet regularly so that they could start forming a bond. Riya knew how important it was to Shamit so she was going to try to work some magic to befriend her possible future mother in law. Mrs. Tyagi however, was busy at her kitty party gathering tips and strategies on how to procure a good “nonfamous” bahu.

The topic started when Shree’s mother, Mrs. Kumar was asked how she liked her new bahu. Mrs. Kumar started by saying how she got very lucky with Aditi. She said that Aditi, although not living with them as a joint family, knew exactly what she needed to do to be a good bahu. She wasn’t involved in TV or singing and so she was really down to earth and had good sanskaars. She came by at least 3 times a week and helped out around the house.

Mrs. Thakkur, another woman at the kitty party had a son who was married to a famous TV veejay. Mrs. Thakkur said that she basically raised her two grand kids since the son and daughter in law were out all day working long hours and spent most of their free time socializing. She said her daughter in law never cooked or did anything with the kids and never appreciated anything that she, the mother in law/nanny/maid ever did.

Mrs. Tyagi listened carefully and decided that she needed some advice on how to avoid ending up with a bahu like Mrs. Thakkur’s. She told them that her son, Shamit was seeing Riya from K3M. Everyone but Mrs. Kumar was surprised. (Mrs. Kumar had met Riya at Shree and Aditi’s marriage). All the women were buzzing about the news. Most of them had a great impression of Riya and told Mrs. Tyagi that the two probably made a good match. Mrs. Tyagi told them that they thought Riya would be fine because they weren’t looking at Riya as their own prospective bahu and just as a bubbly TV personality. Mrs. Thakkur agreed that a person’s personality on TV is totally different from what they may be in real life. Mrs. Kumar disagreed and said that Riya seemed genuine and she helped so much during Shree’s wedding. Mrs. Kumar was outnumbered though and all the women agreed with Mrs. Tyagi, stating that a famous bahu was probably not a good thing, no matter how good she seemed on TV. The discussion continued for hours and Mrs. Tyagi went home wondering how she would implement what she had learned. She was confident that everything she learned would be for Shamit’s own good and for the good of the family. Nothing was more important than family, she rationalized, and a celebrity bahu would never be a good wife or bahu, and therefore could never be good for the family.

[awall21]

Like I said, I don't like his mother.

[naaz123]

Hey there...you gotta give her a break though! She's doing it for the "family". You know...she's the typical Indian mother. And celebrities are stereotypically temper tantrum throwing prisses, right? To kya hua agar apni Riya aisi nahin he...Mrs. Tyagi does'nt know it!
Zainu's sick again. :mad: He had a temperature today too. The little guy's like a walking thermometer; if he's hot, his cheeks become a cherry red! So he took a nap early today and I got to write a little. Hopefully I'll write more tonight. I'm looking forward to Ekta's new show. It will be fun writing. :)

[naaz123]

Ekta on the other hand, was banking on the fact that older housewives adored Riya and would watch anything with her in it. After Ekta asked her creative heads to come up with an idea for a new show, the writers and directors came up with many ideas that were “outside of the box”. Most of the creatives agreed that if Ekta wanted to steal viewers from other channels she had to do what they were doing and do it better and on a grander scale. The majority of the group wanted Ekta to do a reality show. They showed Ekta figures on all different types of reality shows from India and the US (shows dealing with music, singing and dancing, and others that had people doing stunts or finding treasure, and finally ones where people had to live together and accomplish tasks).

Ekta found that taking any one of these mini genres in the parent genre of “reality TV” and expanding on it or making it grander seemed both redundant and counter productive. She decided that the best way to proceed and be successful would be to produce a variety show. Ekta told her creatives to come up with something that was a mix between the singing and dancing contests (i.e. Fame Gurukul/Indian Idol and Dance Dance/Boogie Woogie/Jhalak Dikhlaja), the adventure/stunt shows (i.e. Fear Factor, The Amazing Race, Survivor), as well as random gags thrown in during various intervals that were never seen in any reality show before. She wanted big celebrities in her show, so she told her staff that living in the same quarters was not going to be an option. The stars that Ekta wanted would be busy with other important things and probably wouldn’t agree to be confined in a camera laden environment for an extended period of time.

Ekta wanted a few celebrity couples to take part in the show. The janata was nosy and always loved to see real life couples interact in real life. But since that was a rare occurrence, Ekta knew that they would settle for seeing them interact on TV. She knew that Riya and Shamit were friends, but wasn’t sure how friendly they really were. Whatever the case was, Ekta was going to try to convince Riya to team up with Shamit, as she thought it would be go over well with the viewers. She also wanted other former reality show participants to be on the show, as they were freshest in viewers’ minds. She knew that the curiousity factor about the most recent reality show participants hadn’t died out yet and viewers would flock to watch what they did next. The rest of the cast would be rounded out by current or former TV serial (or small screen) actors.

Ekta also instructed the creatives to make the variety show a judge based show. She wanted the TV audience to call in, but the judges’ decision would be final. It was something that hadn’t been done yet and Ekta thought it would set her show apart from other, similar shows. With all those requirements, Ekta sent off her staff to come up with a few different formats, complete with rules and guidelines and descriptions of the show’s content. She wanted to contact the celebrities herself and started to make a list of who she wanted to be in the show. Riya was first on her list, so she had called her over for a meeting right away, even though the show was still in the development stages.

Riya arrived at Ekta’s office and had a seat. Ekta wasted no time and didn’t believe in beating around the bush. Her first question was whether Riya and Shamit were just friends or if they were dating. Riya and Shamit knew this question would arise sooner or later. They had discussed in detail and had decided that it involved their personal life and although they were public figures, this aspect of their life did not need to become someone’s entertainment. They had decided that, if asked, they’d just say that they were good friends. The plan was that they wouldn’t stop living life and enjoying each other’s company, though. If they were ever cornered, they could then say that their friendship developed into more. The conversation didn’t involve any details on what to do if Ekta asked. Riya wasn’t sure about how to answer Ekta’s question so she asked a question of her own.

“Why do you need to know,” asked Riya innocently. Ekta already had her answer, but played along. She explained, in great detail, all of her ideas for the new show and told Riya that she wanted a few celebrity couples to be a part of the show. Riya decided that telling the truth may be a better idea than hiding it so she told Ekta that although Shamit and Riya were more than friends, she wanted to keep that part of her life private. Then Ekta asked Riya whether Shamit would participate as Riya’s partner or not, and Riya responded that he probably would, but that she’d have to ask him to be certain.

Ekta needed Riya to participate in the show, so her strategy was to get Riya involved in the planning stages and take ownership of the show; feel like it was as much her baby as it was Ekta’s. Ekta asked for Riya’s input on everything from content to contestants. Riya said that she had watched an excerpt of Donald Trump’s Apprentice and thought that Ekta’s new show could also have a task where the participants competed to be the best at something. Riya suggested that it could be something with a cause and that way the participants would be helping the needy as well. Riya explained in depth about the world peace movement and Ekta was impressed and agreed to use it as one of the events in the show.

Ekta was letting Riya do all the talking for a change and Riya definitely had her guard up. She decided that she would suggest one more thing that was personal and see how Ekta reacted. After just having spoken to Amey earlier in the day, Riya wanted to see if Ekta would consider him and Meenal as one of the celebrity couples. Riya knew that the show would create publicity for whoever was on it and the publicity may just be the boost that Amey needed to launch his career.

Ekta remembered the episode when Amey was voted out and she remembered how half of the audience walked out and how Bombay mourned losing Amey from the show. Then with the recent footage of the earthquake ordeal, Amey had been brought back into the limelight a little and was fresh in viewers’ minds already. Ekta realized that Amey would be an ideal contestant and she asked Riya to talk to Amey and Meenal, as well as Shamit to see if they’d be willing to sign a contract in a couple of weeks. Finally, Ekta gave Riya a briefing on the compensation and projected time frame of the show so that she could better communicate the terms to the other three. Riya left, and on her way home called Shamit to give him the news.

[luvshamit]

diiiiii
guess who joined this for just for u;) :D :D so yea...i love ur story..and i luv shamit..hehe..i liked the chapter..i cant wait for this new show..looks like its gonna be fun..and i bet shamit and riya r gonna win it..they btr..hehehe..jk..great job as usual di:D

[awall21]

:eek: HOLY SHIT! Where's the champagne, let's go party tonight!!!!!

[naaz123]

Celebrate good times, c'mon! Wooo hoooo!!! Thanks to Anita and Divya for commenting. You're both awesome!

[luvshamit]

Like I said, I don't like his mother.looool...i hope shamu dosent read this:eek:

[awall21]

Lol me either, but I'm talking about the fictional mom.

[naaz123]

I do tone my stuff down in case Shamit or Amey or Meenal read my story. (Yes, I still have hopes!) And YES, I can't say enuf that this is just fiction, although some of the characters are based on real people. I know nothing about Shamit's mom, but I'm sure she's an awesome person. I was thinking maybe I should just rename all the characters and put up a disclaimer that says all characters are fictitious and any resemblence is purely coincidental. I could change Meenal to Reenal, Amey to Amit, Shamit to Sampat and Ayi to Bayi. Ha ha ha ha..LOL. Oh, I crack myself up so much. Just kidding...Just remember that I know some of these people are real people and I wish them no harm and definitely no disrespect. PEACE!

[sweety_21]

heyyyy naaz
i joined this forum just for u too;)...i guess i just had to register and reply because of the awesome story u've been writing...the story is taking a wonderful new twist and m really excited to c wat'll happen next...simply love the story so far:)

[sweety_21]

Lol me either, but I'm talking about the fictional mom.


lol i dont like the fictional mom either...i hope she will not stop shamit and riya from participating in the new show as a couple...

[naaz123]

Hi Sweety!
Thanks soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much for registering here! I know u used to comment at the other forum so doing it here too, means a lot to me! I hope I continue to write stuff that interests u, Divs, and Anita so u continue to comment and make my day!!! Love all three of u!
:)
P.S. The show's not gonna bother shamit's mom. It's if he brings her home as a bahu that's troubling the heck out of her!

[naaz123]

I'm using a pic of a model who is my vision of Riya. Hope it agrees with yr vision. I used another pic of her before when I was describing what Riya wore to dinner with Shamit after the Kapoor wedding (waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay in the beginning).

Here are the jodis:

Shamit and Riya

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/2771/shamit1qh6.jpg http://www.esikaworld.com/indowestern/indowestern_b6.jpg

Meenal and Amey

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/6821/meenalamey9kb.jpg http://sc.groups.msn.com/tn/4A/E1/RahulVaidyaFanClub/8/3f.jpg http://www.setindia.com/images/duskeimg_prajakta.jpg Prajakta http://www.tellychakkar.com/y2k5/sept/29sep/rahul2.jpg Rahul

Rahul Vaidya and Prajakta Shukre (will post better pic later)

[naaz123]

4. Manav Gohil and Shama Sikandar - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -5. Mona Singh and Apoorva Agnihotri
http://www.indianartistbank.com/artists/manav_gohil_007_sp.jpg http://www.shaadi.com/wedding/celebrities/celebtalk/images/shama-sikander.jpg-------------- http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050610/pun1.jpg

[naaz123]

6. Eijaaz Khan and Natassha

http://i2.tinypic.com/qnsdc8.jpg

7. Neha Bamb and Iqbal Khan ----------------------------------------- 8. Kanchi Kaul and Shakti Anand

http://www.setindia.com/downloads/pictures/kyph1.jpg http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6909/imageshowbl1.jpg

[luvshamit]

omggg...my shamu is sooooooooo hottttttttt;) ;) ;) ;)

[naaz123]

9. Chetan Hansraj and Aashka Goradia

http://ww3.mid-day.com/ArticleImages/images72/chetan2255200673356.jpg http://www.india-forums.com/gallery/upload/indian%20tv%20shows/kkusum/aashka%20goradia/tn-Aashka-kumud11.jpg

10. Upen Patel and Niharika Singh

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/Mirror%5C2006%5C10%5C23%5C10%5C1022200620402765102 22006203933812%5Cimages%5Cimgm1ent_06.jpg http://media.santabanta.com/gal/mi2005/beauties/niharika%20singh1.jpg

[luvshamit]

waiting for this new show..i bet its gonna be FUN:) esp when shamu is in it;)

[naaz123]

Hi guys, I know I've slowed down quite a bit. I'm in Chicago this week and the internet connection is really iffy. If it cooperates and if I get a chance, I'll post more for this chapter a little later. I'm at my cousin's place and she could have a baby any minute! So let's see. I appreciate your patience and continued interest though!Hopefully both will be rewarded soon! Bye!
Naaz

waiting for this new show..i bet its gonna be FUN:) esp when shamu is in it;)

[naaz123]

Hi everyone! I know it's been tooooooooooooooooo long since I wrote anything. It's not that I haven't tried. Life just hasn't cooperated lately. Also, I'll be in India in less than 5 days and I'm not sure how I'll post over there. We'll see. I'll definitely keep writing any chance I get and I hope you keep reading regardless of how frequently (or infrequently) I post.

So next, I'll be reposting the paragraphs before the celebrity pictures along with some new stuff. Please check out the pics on the previous page, in case you haven't already done so. As always, please let me know what you think!

[naaz123]

Chapter 17

A few weeks had passed since Ekta first talked to Riya about the new show. Everything about the show had been finalized, including the celebrity participants. Shamit, Amey, and Meenal spoke to Riya and then later met with Ekta to sign contracts to be on the show. They were all intrigued by the revolutionary and unprecedented format of the show. The participants would be paired up; each pair having one male and one female. Some of the pairs were logical since they were either married in real life, apparently dating, or their characters were a couple on the show they were on. Other pairs were put together because they were single or their real life partner was not available to be on the show. (please see above for pictures of all the couples).

The show was going to be called Kadam Se Kadam Milaa (open to suggestions, here) and would run four days a week. The first day would have an entertainment round, which would be judged by a revolving panel of celebrity judges. The second day would have a physical challenge round. The third day would have mystery round which could include anything from treasure hunting to assigned task completion (like in the Apprentice or Business Baazigar). On the final day, scores would be tallied based on 1. the judges marks on day 1 (50%), 2. points earned in day two and three (30%), and 3. audience votes (20%). Whichever contestant received the lowest scores would be out and their partner stayed on and performed solo (or with another couple) the next week. Once another person from a pair was out, they would then pair up with the person singled out in the prior week. The final contestant would be the winner of the Kadam Se Kadam Milaa trophy and would be considered so outstanding that no one could keep up with them. Half of the money that they won would be donated to their favorite charity.

The first day of the show was going to involve all of the contestants participating together in a choreographed group dance. Rehearsals had begun and the environment was total masti. Mostly everyone was pretty young and although they didn’t know each other too well, they had at least heard of each other. Being in the entertainment industry created an instant bond amongst the participants. Since it was so early in the show, all of the contestants had an attitude of camaraderie rather than competitiveness.

All of the participants would have two days of 8 hour rehearsals, everyone rehearsing together on one stage. In those two days they had to learn three different choreographed dances. The theme was going to be filmi folk dances and would include a Gujarati/garba/dandia performance, one Punjabi performance and a Kohli/maharashtrian performance. The songs were Dholi Taro Dhol Baaje (Hum Dil De Chukke Sanam), Aja Nachle (pop song by Bally Sagoo) and Dil Mein Bajji Guitar from Apna Sapna Money Money. All the contestants were going to dance in the traditional outfit of each folk song. There was only one dress rehearsal for each of the three songs, which made the participants a little nervous.

During rehearsals, some of the participants were too busy goofing off and not taking things too seriously, relying on their fan following to pull them through. Although they knew that viewer voting would only get them so far, they rationalized that no matter how bad they did in the first round, they were bound to make it through to the next, which, they had been told, would be less difficult and judged individually rather than as a part of a group. In other words, after the first elimination round, the contestants would not be performing as a collective group; they’d have individual performances with only their partner.

From all the participants, Riya, Shama Sikandar, Manav Gohil, Chetan Hansraj and Aashka Goradia emerged as the top dancers. The choreographers working with them had the highest hopes for these five, predicting that at least three of them would reach the top. The rest of the contestants had their strengths and weaknesses. If some danced well, then maybe they had a problem remembering the steps. Another may have remembered everything well, but had no grace or rhythm. Everyone besides the above 5 had varying degrees of dancing talent (or lack thereof).

Amey could probably be considered a better dancer than Meenal. The two of them were working on a step in the Punjabi number and Meenal just wasn’t doing it right. After patiently showing it to her a few times, Amey glanced over to Riya and Shamit who were doing the step perfectly. Amey tried to show Meenal once more and she still didn’t get it. In a fit of frustration accompanied by bad judgment, Amey shouted over to Riya,

“Riyu, zara Meenal ko voh step sikhao na. She’s just not getting it right.” Meenal was extremely embarrassed and felt everyone’s eyes on her. Riya gave Amey a disapproving look and quickly ran over to Meenal, who was almost on the verge of crying. Riya looked at Amey and asked him which step he was talking about. Amey demonstrated and Meenal attempted to match the step. Riya instantly saw that Meenal wasn’t doing the foot movements at all. She took Meenal aside and said,

“Meenal, Amey ki baat ka bura mat maan na. He saw that you weren’t doing the step right but he wasn’t showing you how to do it either,” explained Riya and then showed Meenal, step by step the whole dance move.

“There, you’ve got it now,” said Riya excitedly, giving Meenal a hug.

“I wish Amey would’ve just shown me the footsteps without getting so angry,” replied Meenal.

“Meenal, maine bolla na? Amey ki baat ka bura nahin maante. Amey ko kissi ko achche se samjhana nahin ata,” said Riya trying to make Meenal feel better.

“Lekin, Riya, tum to Amey ki har baat achche se samajh jaati ho,” said Meenal with a sort of exasperated look on her face. Riya looked for something to say that would counter what Meenal had just said. There was no countering it though, as it was the truth. Then, Riya looked for something to say that would at least make sense of the situation. Meenal realized that what she said made Riya a little uncomfortable. Meenal also knew that Riya and Amey had been friends for a long time and of course, they would understand each other. She wasn’t sure why she blurted such a silly thing to Riya.

“Riya, itna mat sochcho. Mein to aise hi bol rahi thi ke you guys understand each other so well. Hopefully Amey and I will also have that understanding with time,” said Meenal unconvincingly.

Everyone went back to rehearsals and Meenal was now doing the step perfectly; as perfectly as she could, being a singer and not a dancer. The first show was going to be in a couple of days and there would be no more group rehearsals. Each participant could practice on their own, if they had time. Given their busy schedules, it didn’t seem likely that most of the celebrities would give any more thought to the dances.

[naaz123]

Hey everyone! Thanks for waiting so patiently while I went thru a sort of writing slump. Here's the next chapter. I hope it was worth the wait. As always, I'd love to read your comments and feedback. Thanks!
Naaz

Chapter 18

Once again, Ekta advertised the new show brilliantly and all of India was geared to watch Kadam Se Kadam Milaa in a couple of days. All of Ekta’s decisive planning could not have produced the same result as what happened next. One of the ladies at Mrs. Tyagi’s kitty party had mentioned Shamit and Riya’s fondness for each other (and Mrs. Tyagi’s reluctance of having a celebrity bahu) to her journalist daughter, Sona. After extensive searches on a few online photo websites, the budding journalist was armed with a few different pictures of Shamit and Riya, including one from the Kapoor family wedding and a few from Shree’s wedding (posted by Aditi’s cousins). Although most photo websites restrict access to private picture albums, some websites like photobucket and myspace let users search files without restrictions, as long as the pages were not set as private. The average net surfer was unaware of this and usually had no need to go searching through websites. However, a journalist, on the other hand, found this little bit of info, although cumbersome, very useful. The search was not very accurate and could take a long time, however, with patience and some creative searching, one could find what they’re looking for, as did our young journalist.

Sona was from a good family, however her career was struggling and needed a boost. A front page article was just the break she needed to get out of the fluffy, small time writing she had been doing and get into the exciting world of Bollywood reporting. In Bombay’s cutthroat world, more frequently than not, morals were the first thing (in a line of precious possessions including sleep, quality time with family, honesty, loyalty, etc. etc.) to be sacrificed in an attempt to get ahead. Sona decided to make a deal with the devil by taking the confidential info that her trusting mother shared with her and making it public. The news of Shamit and Riya’s budding relationship hit the front page of a leading national newspaper just two days before Kadam Se Kadam Milaa was to premiere. The news, along with Mrs. Tyagi’s quotes of disapproval and pictures of Shamit and Riya had all of Bollywood buzzing.

On the day that the article was published, Shamit was the first to see the shocking story. He glanced over the copy and the pictures and slammed the paper on the dining table, as he rushed to get to the phone. He wanted to inform Riya of the article before she left for work, as he knew that she rarely read the paper on work days. Riya took the news pretty badly. The couple was so careful not to reveal that they were together for varying reasons, the most important being that they were both role models to the younger generation. Riya feared that her viewers and the media would have a field day with the news and their careers would go down the drain. Shamit reassured Riya that nothing of the sort would happen and that she should just take it a step at a time. He reasoned that Ekta’s advisors probably already had a PR statement ready for Riya and everything would go back to normal soon.

Riya wanted to see the article for herself so she hung up with Shamit and went over to Amey’s house, which she knew to be the nearest place to find the morning paper. The paper was still sitting out on the porch. Riya nervously picked it up and sat down to read it right on the steps. She recognized the pictures from Shree’s wedding but knew that neither Shree nor Aditi would have released those pictures to the press. Riya read word after word and was not surprised at what the article said until she got to Mrs. Tyagi’s quote about not wanting Riya as a bahu. She was shattered. If everything else in the article so far had been true, then how could Mrs. Tyagi’s words be false, she thought to herself. Just as the first few tears started to trickle down Riya’s face, Amey stepped out of his house, in a tshirt and pajama pants, with his hair completely tousled, unaware that Riya was sitting on his porch.

“Hey, Riyu! Yahan baith kar kya kar rahi ho,” asked Amey, pleasantly surprised to find Riya on his porch. His upbeat demeanor quickly changed to concern when he saw Riya’s teary eyes. Without uttering a word, Riya handed Amey the paper and waited as he read through the article.

“Arre, baba, iss mein ronne waali kaunsi baat he? Mere aur Meenal ki to kitni stories chappi he,” said Amey trying to convince Riya that it was no big deal.

“Did you read the part about Shamit’s mom? I mean that has to be true, right,” asked Riya, fearing Amey’s response.

“Tum bhi kitni paagal ho. Sach ho ya jhoot, who cares? Jub miya biwi raazi to kya karegi saas bechaari,” said Amey with a laugh, cracking himself up with his on the spot joke. Riya let out a chuckle in between sobs, and wiped away her tears with one hand. Amey sat down besides her and put an arm around her shoulder.

“Don’t cry, Riyu. Seriously, you are a star now and this is just the beginning of all the crazy things they will write about you. Some gossip will be totally true, some will be totally false and some will be a crazy mixture of both. You have to just ignore it and not let it get to you.”

“Thanks, Amey,” said Riya as she got up. “I have to go to work now. Is Ayi awake?”

“No, she’s still sleeping,” responded Amey. “Her medicines cause her to sleep in these days. God knows she deserves the rest after how hard she’s worked.” Riya nodded and thanked Amey for talking to her. She was happy to see that Amey seemed to be maturinig a bit. Not only did he make Riya feel better about the article, but it seemed that Amey wasn’t taking Ayi for granted anymore like he used to. Riya said goodbye, while giving Amey a look that he didn’t recognize.

“Kya,” asked Amey, a little puzzled by Riya’s smile.

Riya reached over and toussled Amey’s hair for a second and said, “Cute lag rahe ho,” with a smile, as she walked down the steps. “Thanks again! Bye!” Amey said bye and went in to look in the mirror. At first he thought he looked awful; like a little boy with his hair all disheveled. He remembered Riya’s parting words and tousled his hair himself and said, “She’s right though - cute lag raha hu,” and chuckled out loud.

Mrs. Tyagi woke up and went to the kitchen to make some tea. She was at Shamit’s new house, helping out since Shamit was busy with his album and with the upcoming participation in Kadam. Mrs. Tyagi usually didn’t read the paper and wasn’t intending to read it this morning either, however she noticed Shamit and Riya’s picture on the front page and was compelled to pick the paper up. She read through the whole article and was shocked to see that things she said in confidence at the kitty party were right there on the front page! She was oblivious to the fact the whole article was written because of her conversation at the kitty party. She was under the impression that only the comment that she didn’t want a celebrity bahu was inspired by her heart to heart with the ladies. Later on in the day, Shree’s mom, Mrs. Kumar called up Mrs. Tyagi to see if she had read the paper and to warn that next time Mrs. Tyagi should be more careful in the presence of Savitri Shroff, Sona’s mother. Mrs. Tyagi was embarrassed at best.

By midday, Ekta started cashing in on the buzz. She started to broadcast ads for Kadam featuring Riya and Shamit. It wasn’t long before industry insiders and online forum goers alike started discussing how all the gossip was just a marketing ploy to build up the hype and get people to watch the reality show. In later days, Ekta went on to deny having anything to do with the gossip, when confronted by Riya and Shamit. Little did they know that Sona first came to Ekta with her article and photos to try to sell them to Ekta. Sona tried to put in one last ditch effort to make some money, while still keeping her principles fairly intact. If Ekta agreed to Sona’s terms, then she’d turn over the article and all her findings. Sona rationalized that Ekta would benefit from the deal by avoiding potential negative publicity. If Ekta had agreed to pay Sona the outrageous amount she solicited in exchange for her article, Riya and Shamit would’ve been spared the agony and embarrassment of being front page news. But, Ekta, being Ekta, was a firm believer that publicity, whether good publicity or bad, was publicity all the same. Why would she pay to hide an affair when she could laugh all the way to the bank as she watched it all beautifully unfold in front of her eyes for free? And laugh all the way to the bank is exactly what Ekta did.

[awall21]

Damn women, just leave people alone and let them be happy. Like there arn't enough misunderstanding in life without people creating more.......

[luvshamit]

diiiiiiii
yeyyy
ur backkk!!
i missed u when u were in india sooooooooooo muchh:( =( =( u btr have missed me too...hehe
kahani main naya twist:confused: lol..but this part is interesting..God has blessed u with the mostt creative brains..u shd write a book soon..lol..anyways..well..am sure shamits mom will realise wht she did was wrong after this incident..am also sure tht riya will handle this issue veryy well thru which she will gain shamu's moms respect:) :)
waiting for the next partt..lol

[gujjuprd]

Naaz, i give you standing obation on writing such a good story.
i started reading it last nite and culd not stop untill finally 530 in the morning i was lik i have to go to sleep since i have work next day and wuld finish the rest later.

and today, i finished reading it after sitting straight for 3hrs and not stopping at all. LMAO
you certainly hav a great imagination

moreover, the image that you had of Riya was exctly what i was thinking. very elegant, brunette, and very beautiful. (for the role in a movie i wuld say: katrina kaif (she was in ek khiladi ek haseena), celina jaitely (no entry), riya sen (apna sapna money money) or better yet SONALI BENDRE (i cant think of a movie name she was in)

the twist that you had about the whole bridge thing had my jaw dropped to the ground and i was almost glued to the screen of my laptop becasue it was juz lik watching a reality on TV. i also had chilles afta getting the images in head, and also culd feel how Shamit's fingers wuld hav cracked....eeeekk

i like the way you describe your clothing, songs, and reacitons of each characters, hence while reading i have a whole tv show running in my mind.
you know you culd certainly make a movie out of this and earn great deal of money, too ;)

furthmore, i would lik to say is that you know the song "madhbhari" well i wnt to the link to listen to it and since i had the whole scene in mind, that song became one of my favorite song. and im more into remixes and upbeat songs but this song just sounded soo romantic with shamit and Riya falling in love with each other that it was very much soothing to the ears.

i like the names you came up with for the story as well as the shows in the stories. they all seem to make sense. for example, "Humsafar Kkaunh?" im guessing the ending wuld be Riya choosing her humsafar between Amey and Shamit as well Shamit choosing btw Riya and som gurl his mom piks out and Amey choosing btw Riya and Meenal.....lol very interesting : )

well keep up the good work and cant wait to read more.

Finally, i jus wanted to get clear view of the ending of ch.18: did sona approach Ekta and asked her to give money to bury the story of Riya and Shamit? if yes, than why ekta not stop Sona from publiczing the story? is it b/c ekta thought it wuld bring free publicity for the new show and hence more money?
also, after starting this new show, what abt Riya shooting for her own K3M show? is it still goin to continue and if Shamit, Amey and Meenal are to join kadam, what abt their other offers?

for real FINALLY, lol i wul jus lik to mak few guesses on whts goin to happn.....i hope u dont mind Naaz. i think during the show few more love stories and break ups wuld occur btween the couples other than Riya, Shamit, Amey and Meenal.
also, Shamit's mom wuld hear later on abt a non-celebriety bahu breaking up a marriage and realize her assumptions were wrong or somthing wuld happn to Shamit's mom (as in hospitalize) and Riya wuld take such a good care of her that Shamit's mom wuld give into her son's choice

so any hints naaz???? heheh

[naaz123]

He, he...I crack up everytime I read your anger towards Shamit's mom. You know, there are women like this in real life! I hope she's not appearing like the silly villians on KS and the other shows. She's not trying to be bad or mean, and she's really not mean inherently, it's just that she's looking out for her son in the only way (backwards as it may be) she knows how. Maybe even you know someone in your life (close or distant) that resembles Shamit's mom in some way. I know I do!!! Once again, thanks for reading and thanks for your comments! Love ya,
Naaz

Damn women, just leave people alone and let them be happy. Like there arn't enough misunderstanding in life without people creating more.......

[naaz123]

Hey Divs,
Yay! I'm glad to be back too. Of course I missed u. I missed writing a lot too. I'm so happy to be back in my groove! Yes, kahani mein twist to zaroori he na? Thanks so much for the compliments. I really appreciate it and am very humbled by it. I dunno about a book. Maybe someday, god willing! I'm not gonna give any hints as to what will happen next. Hope u still keep reading though! Thanks, again! Love ya,
Naaz
diiiiiiii
yeyyy
ur backkk!!
i missed u when u were in india sooooooooooo muchh:( =( =( u btr have missed me too...hehe
kahani main naya twist:confused: lol..but this part is interesting..God has blessed u with the mostt creative brains..u shd write a book soon..lol..anyways..well..am sure shamits mom will realise wht she did was wrong after this incident..am also sure tht riya will handle this issue veryy well thru which she will gain shamu's moms respect:) :)
waiting for the next partt..lol

[naaz123]

Hi Rima,
OH MY GOD!! Where should I start??? Let me start by saying THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Thanks for your wonderful comments and compliments. Thanks for being so interested that you read the whole story in two sittings. (My jaw is still dropped!!!) Thanks for noticing the little details (the songs and pictures). I found writing the story for an online audience to be really fun because although I can't make a movie out of it, at least I can give you the soundtrack and some visuals of what I'm talking about. Ok, lemmie address some of your questions and comments in the order that they appear in below. I'm sorry in advance cuz this response is gonna be long! (Just the way I like it. My son's asking me why I'm smiling while I type. He he!)
- IF, if, if, this ever turned into a movie...i would want exactly that model(who's pic I have in the Kadam Se Kadam Mila (which I'll just call Kadam) line up) to be Riya. She's who I pictured whenever I was writing her. I have no idea where to find her though, so I would have to choose someone brand new to portray her. Maybe I'd choose Divya (LUVSHAMIT) cuz she's already in love with Shamit and she'd do a great job with those parts. She'd probably kill Amey for being in the picture though and I don't know if we could have that! He he...
- I'm so thrilled that u liked the earthquake part. That is one of my favorites and I've gone back and read it and I'm like, Dang, I'm good! Ha, ha. Don't mean to sound conceited or anything...but you know...it's good to be able to appreciate your own work, right?
- I don't know if anyone would pick this up for a movie. If they did, of course, money would be a good thing, but the satisfaction of having people watch my work and appreciate it would be a dream come true. :)
- That madhbhari part is another favorite of mine (wow, we're on the same wavelength!). The song is one of my favorites too. Once, Divs had asked me who Riya is based on, and I said she's got jhalaks (hints) of me and then she's just whatever my imagination came up with. So, you'll see a lot of things in the story that are important to me or that I like.
- I'm happy that you got the idea behind the title humsafar Kkaun. It started off as a joke (making fun of Ekta Kapoor and her shows that all start with K's or double K's). All the options that u listed are possibilities, but I'm not hinting!
- Yes, Sona did approach Ekta to try to sell her the pictures and the story. The amount that she was asking for was a lot of money. Of course, Ekta could afford it, but I've portrayed Ekta as a real witch (with a capital B). When Sona approached Ekta, Ekta already knew about the show Kadam, so she knew that if Sona's story came out, there would be great controversy and that's always good for a show (even though it's bad publicity). So yes, Ekta knew that allowing the controversy to happen would make her more money because more people would watch the show. Think about J Lo and Ben Afleck or Aishwariya and Abhishek. (all kinds of marriage talks right around the release of their upcoming movies, u know?).
- Yes, everyone that is participating in Kadam is also still participating in whatever else is going on in their life (i.e Riya and K3M, the singers with their albums, etc).
- OK, FINALLY! (He he, just kidding) I don't mind your guesses at all. I have the story all in my head and I usually don't stray from it. Sometimes I do change it according to someone's suggestion if it doesn't change my overall scheme of things. Your guesses are all good. Some may happen, and others definitely not! But once again, I'm not giving any hints! Hope YOU don't mind.
Let me say, once more, that I'm so honored and happy after reading your comments. I hope you'll be patient as I write more and I hope you'll continue to comment. Lovin ya already,
Naaz


Naaz, i give you standing obation on writing such a good story.
i started reading it last nite and culd not stop untill finally 530 in the morning i was lik i have to go to sleep since i have work next day and wuld finish the rest later.

and today, i finished reading it after sitting straight for 3hrs and not stopping at all. LMAO
you certainly hav a great imagination

moreover, the image that you had of Riya was exctly what i was thinking. very elegant, brunette, and very beautiful. (for the role in a movie i wuld say: katrina kaif (she was in ek khiladi ek haseena), celina jaitely (no entry), riya sen (apna sapna money money) or better yet SONALI BENDRE (i cant think of a movie name she was in)

the twist that you had about the whole bridge thing had my jaw dropped to the ground and i was almost glued to the screen of my laptop becasue it was juz lik watching a reality on TV. i also had chilles afta getting the images in head, and also culd feel how Shamit's fingers wuld hav cracked....eeeekk

i like the way you describe your clothing, songs, and reacitons of each characters, hence while reading i have a whole tv show running in my mind.
you know you culd certainly make a movie out of this and earn great deal of money, too ;)

furthmore, i would lik to say is that you know the song "madhbhari" well i wnt to the link to listen to it and since i had the whole scene in mind, that song became one of my favorite song. and im more into remixes and upbeat songs but this song just sounded soo romantic with shamit and Riya falling in love with each other that it was very much soothing to the ears.

i like the names you came up with for the story as well as the shows in the stories. they all seem to make sense. for example, "Humsafar Kkaunh?" im guessing the ending wuld be Riya choosing her humsafar between Amey and Shamit as well Shamit choosing btw Riya and som gurl his mom piks out and Amey choosing btw Riya and Meenal.....lol very interesting : )

well keep up the good work and cant wait to read more.

Finally, i jus wanted to get clear view of the ending of ch.18: did sona approach Ekta and asked her to give money to bury the story of Riya and Shamit? if yes, than why ekta not stop Sona from publiczing the story? is it b/c ekta thought it wuld bring free publicity for the new show and hence more money?
also, after starting this new show, what abt Riya shooting for her own K3M show? is it still goin to continue and if Shamit, Amey and Meenal are to join kadam, what abt their other offers?

for real FINALLY, lol i wul jus lik to mak few guesses on whts goin to happn.....i hope u dont mind Naaz. i think during the show few more love stories and break ups wuld occur btween the couples other than Riya, Shamit, Amey and Meenal.
also, Shamit's mom wuld hear later on abt a non-celebriety bahu breaking up a marriage and realize her assumptions were wrong or somthing wuld happn to Shamit's mom (as in hospitalize) and Riya wuld take such a good care of her that Shamit's mom wuld give into her son's choice

so any hints naaz???? heheh

[gujjuprd]

yes its def ok to appreciate your work cus if you lik your writing thn only audiences (readers) wuld enjoy it as well :)

your right having ppls watch ur story in a movie and appreciate wuld be an amzing dream coming tru and i wish you the best that it does......juz promise me to mak ur assistance or somthing cus i wuld luv to be a part of "Humsafar kkaunh" and if not you kno u hav ur biggest fan out thr.........lol ;)

thks for clarifying the questions.....and its ok if u dont giv hints.....tht actulli maks it mor interesting :D

and now i kno why the story is so good, b/c u relate to it personally and true stories frm heart alwz catches readers eye and interest........so gurl keep up the good wrk and cant wait to read more

since you lik comments i'll def keep posting as much as i can......and of course im gonna keep reading chokri....how can i stop.....a new show is to start soon lol

i forgot to mention last tim......the dresses you pik out for Riya are very good choices....thy all look soo beautiful n heavy

luv ya too :p

[naaz123]

Hey Rima,
I loooove the outfits too. I have to google my eyes out to find the perfect stuff. Some of the stuff is so expensive though! I wish I had a free shopping spree!

Everyone:
Anyway, here's a little more to finish off Chapter 18. The new show will definitely start in Chapter 19, so thanks for waiting, everyone!
Naaz

[naaz123]

When Riya showed up for the taping of K3M, Ekta put on an innocent face and, just as Shamit had predicted, had a statement ready from the PR people. After knowing Riya as an employee for quite a while, Ekta was aware that Riya and Shamit were serious, so it had been decided that Riya (and Shamit, when approached by media) was to admit that they were dating and then try to say “no further comment”. Ekta went on to say that Riya’s guests for the show today were going to be Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar. The live studio audience, who usually asks questions in the beginning of the show would be instructed not to mention anything about the gossip that they may have read in the morning paper. Ekta continued to explain that during the bit with the celebrities (Shabana and Javed Akthar), Shabana would briefly inquire about Riya being in the headlines, and Riya would admit that she was seeing Shamit. Javed Akthar would then say something like, “Challo, achcha he. Aj ke zamane mein achche rehguzar itni aasani se nahin milte. Shabana would add something to the effect of, “Hamare zamane mein to aasani se milte the”, with her ishaara towards husband, Javed Akthar. Everyone would laugh and the topic would be changed to something else.

Riya found the general PR statement to be simple and acceptable. She was a little nervous and worried, however, about owning up to her relationship (which until now, only a select few knew about) in front of all of her TV audience. Ekta reminded her that first of all, she and Shamit were both well liked. Secondly, most celebrities try to hide their relationships, causing even more scandal to arise. However, although gossip persists about the celebrity couples who admit to a relationship, that gossip is nowhere near as brutal as with the ones who deny it. Riya nodded in agreement. As young as she was, Riya was still very professional and assured Ekta that she would try to ensure that the gossip did not tarnish her image or hamper the show’s ratings in anyway. Ekta, with a sly smirk on her face, told Riya that she wasn’t worried and that Riya should stop worrying, as well.

Riya headed to her make up room and called up Shamit as she waited for her wardrobe to be laid out. Shamit was on his way to an important meeting with his record label, Tips, about his upcoming album and quickly asked what Ekta had to say. Riya recounted everything that Ekta said.

“Great, that’s exactly what the PR guy at Tips told me,” laughed Shamit. “They must all use the same instruction manual. Challo ek baat to achchi he lekin. Puri duniya ko maloom ho jayega how much I love you.”

Riya laughed a nervous laugh and added, “I love you too.”

“But….” Shamit finished the sentence for Riya.

“But, how did they get the pictures of us? Shree ki shaadi ki album mein to voh pictures nahin the. And the quotes from your mom were just…”

Shamit interrupted Riya. He had not yet read through the whole article and was unaware of the fact that his mom was quoted in it. “What quote from my mom,” asked Shamit in total astonishment, as he grabbed the paper next to him and started to read through it. “Ek minute, Riya, mujhe zara padh leyne do.”

Riya waited what seemed like an eternity for Shamit to finish reading and provide an explanation. Riya was so involved in her two shows and enjoying life with Shamit, that she was completely ignorant of any bad vibes from Mrs. Tyagi. “I don’t know what to say,” was the only explanation (or lack thereof) Shamit had to offer. Shamit had arrived at the Tips offices and was getting late for his meeting. Riya’s wardrobe and make up people were also waiting for her to hang up so that they could get her ready for the show. Shamit told Riya he’d talk to his mom and then let Riya know what was going on later when they got together to go over the dances for Kadam. Riya got ready to face the camera and to face her fears.

The K3M episode went better than expected for Riya. Shabana Azmi was so graceful and poised and Javed Akhtar was so well spoken that neither fumbled through the rehearsed lines and everything looked extremely natural. The couple changed the topic and started to talk about how they met and fell in love and then later married. The show ended on a happy note.

At Shamit’s house, later that day, however, happy notes were few and far between, to say the least. Shamit, who rarely got angry, came in the door and asked Mrs. Tyagi point blank why she was being quoted on the front page of the national newspaper. Mrs. Tyagi, although embarrassed that her words were quoted in the paper, was still not convinced that she had done anything wrong. She honestly explained the sequence of events and conversations at the kitty party and gave her theory of how Savitri Shroff must have misconveyed her words to Sona.

After the earthquake when his mom had first met Riya, Shamit had hoped his mom could see Riya through his eyes. Because of how busy the two were, Shamit had no opportunity to let the two ladies talk on the phone, let alone meet and have a good impression on one another. Shamit had no reason but to believe what his mom said about the miscommunication between Mrs. Shroff and her daughter, however he told his mom that he didn’t want any such lack of communication to occur between himself and her (Shamit and his mom). He changed his stern tone of voice to that of a loving son trying to butter up his mother.

“I know you feel that Riya wouldn’t make a good bahu, but you need to trust my judgement, Ma,” said Shamit lovingly. “Tumhaara beta har kaam soch samaj kar karta he, aur tumhe joh ladki pasand aye ussi ko chunnega”. Shamit meant that he has chosen someone that his mother would approve of. This meaning, however, was lost on Mrs. Tyagi and she misinterpreted it to mean that if she didn’t like Riya, no problem. Shamit would agree to marry whomever she liked for him.

[sweety_21]

Heyyyyy Naaz
so good to see you back, how was your trip to india
its great to start reading your fanfic again and like always wonderful parts, great work...cant wait for the show to start.

[sm91]

Naaz di!!!!!
AWESOME , BRILLIANT, FANTASTIC, MAGNIFICENT AND OUTSTANDING FAN FIC!!!! LOVED EVERYTHING ABT IT!!!!:
Di u've done an amazing job with this fan fic and i loved it!!!!...U truly are a great writer..and hope u make it big someday!!!!.....
AAAAAHHHHH this fanfic makes me reach an entirely new place..hehe...a quite romantic one though.......muah to u!!!!
And omg the romantic scenes between Riyu and Shamit are cho chweet!!!!!......aaaaawwwww!!!!...dil chura liya !!!!!

Di u totally rule...pls pls continue soon!!!!....and
P.S. Di can i post my review here also!!!....if u wnt me to remove some things tell me i will remove it...coz i knw some things in a my review are not very nice...chorry abt tht!!!!!....:(

love u loads...!!!!!...muah!

take care

ur foreveer

sanu!:)

[naaz123]

Hi sweety,
It's so good to be back! India was ok. We didn't do much more than visit family, so it was kinda boring. The last few days I got to do a lot of good shopping so that made it all worth it!!! LOL. Well, the show is going to start in a couple of days so stay tuned!!! As always, thanks for reading!
Naaz


Heyyyyy Naaz
so good to see you back, how was your trip to india
its great to start reading your fanfic again and like always wonderful parts, great work...cant wait for the show to start.

[naaz123]

Hey Sanu,
Thanks for posting here. And of course, you can post whatever u want over here. Maybe it will encourage some of the other people that read the story and don't post anything to say something! I'm working on Chapter 19 so that should be coming up soon. I hope u guys like it!!
Naaz


Naaz di!!!!!
AWESOME , BRILLIANT, FANTASTIC, MAGNIFICENT AND OUTSTANDING FAN FIC!!!! LOVED EVERYTHING ABT IT!!!!:
Di u've done an amazing job with this fan fic and i loved it!!!!...U truly are a great writer..and hope u make it big someday!!!!.....
AAAAAHHHHH this fanfic makes me reach an entirely new place..hehe...a quite romantic one though.......muah to u!!!!
And omg the romantic scenes between Riyu and Shamit are cho chweet!!!!!......aaaaawwwww!!!!...dil chura liya !!!!!

Di u totally rule...pls pls continue soon!!!!....and
P.S. Di can i post my review here also!!!....if u wnt me to remove some things tell me i will remove it...coz i knw some things in a my review are not very nice...chorry abt tht!!!!!....:(

love u loads...!!!!!...muah!

take care

ur foreveer

sanu!:)

[awall21]

Lol I don't think I'll ever like that women, no offense to this guys real mother, but the one in the story is a real trip I tell you.

I'm so proud of this fanfic of yours and you have built a good fan base too with people that acutally comment. told ya it was possible, now I won't feel to bad when I go MIA!

I have decided to end my fan fic, b/c KS is at a point where I don't find it worth reviving. I'm planning on writing a finaly though, only for you lol ;) .Alrighty then, time for lunch!!!!

Looking forward to the next part!

Later days!

[naaz123]

Don't u dare go Awol (or MIA, as u put it) on us!!! I'm sad that you're ending your fan fic, but I hope you'll be able to focus that time on maybe something else u might have been itching to write. I'm gonna get Zee and Sony again (just to watch Indian Idol 3) and I'll be watching KS again, just cuz I feel it's getting a little better.

Yes, I'm so happy about the readers that I have now that are actually commenting and making me feel like I'm flying high in the sky!!! I loooooooooooooooooove the feedback. :p Chapter 19 and the new show are coming soon! So even if u don't read for a while, I hope I can get your comments back sooner or later! (As u mentioned that u might be MIA). That's all for now. Take care, luv,
Naaz

[naaz123]

Finally, the start of Kadam Se Kadam Milaa. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 19

Shooting for K3M was over and Riya was headed home to relax for a while before Shamit came over to practice the steps for the upcoming dances for Kadam. She wasn’t sure if she should call him to see if he had spoken to his mother to clarify her quotes in the paper. Riya wasn’t afraid to ask Shamit about it; she could ask him anything. She was afraid of his response. Riya decided that she would wait for Shamit’s call. Shamit’s meeting lasted a long while and he finally called Riya when he was on his way to her house. He told her he’d talk about his mom when he got there. Riya feared the worst. Shamit knew that his mother’s quotes were probably driving Riya crazy and that she was probably quite nervous, so he defused the fear as soon as he got to Riya’s place, but not before planting a big kiss on Riya’s lips.

“Hello, meri jaan,” said Shamit with a big smile on his face. “Maa se meri baat hogayi he, aur fikkar karne ki koi zarurat nahin he. At a kitty party, Maa did say some stuff about having a celebrity bahu, but she didn’t say anything specifically bad about you. She also mentioned, at the party, that I like you. One of the ladies’ went home and must’ve told her journalist daughter and things went haywire from there. I reassured Maa that she has nothing to worry about. I told her ki meri pasand se aap ko kabhi shikayat nahin hoggi. And I think she understood.”

“Oh what a relief, Shamit,” exclaimed Riya. She thought about what more she could do or how she could change so that she could win over Shamit’s mother. Little did she know that she was in the same predicament, harboring the same insecurities that Meenal once did, when she had first met Ayi. Then Riya switched gears and thought about the other thing that had been bugging her.

“But how did they get our pictures though,” asked Riya, repeating the same question that she asked earlier in the day. The thought that Shree gave the newspaper those pictures seemed highly unlikely to Riya. He was Shamit’s best friend, but she got to know him really well and she knew he was incapable of causing anyone such harm.

“I don’t know. Shree se meri baat nahin hui, but I know for a fact that he would never do that,” said Shamit assuringly. Riya nodded in agreement as Shamit continued, “Let’s not worry about it. We have to practice for the dances,” exclaimed Shamit as he pulled Riya close and did one of the dance moves from the “Guitar” song. Riya joined in with the moves and they ended up having a good laugh since the moves were so typically Maharashtrian and kind of goofy. They had heard that the dance sequence was pretty much copied from the video in Apna Sapna Money Money, so Riya had her driver pick up the dvd at a video store. Riya popped it in and both watched it intently. After watching it a couple of times, both Riya and Shamit had some ideas on how to make their steps better. They practiced a couple of hours and then called it quits since both were tired from a long day, and both had an equally long day coming up tomorrow.

Two days later, it was the first day of Kadam. Many of the participants (mostly the ones that slacked off during rehearsals) had called up Ekta and told her that they’d like one more practice before the taping of the show. Ekta oblilged, but time was limited. So everyone was told to come 2 hours before the scheduled taping and they would review all three dances. Ekta was present to see everyone’s performance. She wasn’t surprised to see Riya, Shamit, and a few others doing very well. She also wasn’t surprised to see some of the others forgetting their steps and bumping into people as they went right when they were supposed to go left. Maya, Ekta’s assistant, also watched nervously, as just a couple of hours before taping, the gang looked so unorganized. Maya asked Ekta what the smile was all about and why she wasn’t angry about the participants goofing up so much.

“This, my dear, is what makes good TV,” was all that Ekta said, grinning ear to ear, as she walked back to her office, Maya following close behind. Maya didn’t understand how or why Ekta knew these things, but she trusted Ekta’s vision. Ekta’s keen understanding for what the audience wanted (at least in the beginning of all of her shows) was the reason Ekta could afford paying Maya her cushy salary every other week. Maya wasn’t about to question that. A couple of hours later, all practicing was called to an abrupt end and the particpants were instructed to change for the first song.

Since the first day was a dance performance, the judges consisted of Farah Khan, Ganesh Hegde, and Saroj Khan, all renowned choreographers. When trying to decide who should host the show, Ekta had decided that she would use this new show to help promote her other TV offerings (i.e. her serials) and so the best way to do that would be to have a revolving set of celebrity hosts from her different TV serials. For the first show, she decided that the hosts would be Ram Kapoor and Prachi Desai (Jai and Bani from Kasamh Se).

Taping for the show was about to start and all the contestants had started to emerge from the dressing rooms. For the first dance, which was Dholi Taro Dhol Bajje, the costumes worn by the contestants were representative of typical Gujarati garba attire and consisted of pretty ghaghra cholis for the ladies and colorful dhotis and vests for the men. Riya was wearing a maroon ghagra and dupatta and her choli was golden. The other girls had similar outfits with different colors. Everyone’s hair was done up in buns and then the dupattas were placed over the bun. Everything about the costumes imitated the original video, including the jewelery worn by Aishwariya. (Watch this clip to get an idea).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjN8UapvARQ

Riya looked amazing. When Shamit saw her walking out of the dressing room, it was as if she was walking out in slow motion. She was talking to Aashka and both were laughing. Riya looked up to notice Shamit looking at her with his eyes almost popped out of his head. She laughed at the way Shamit was staring and then told Aashka that she’d talk to her later. Riya and Shamit walked towards each other.

“Itni achchi lag rahi ho in kapdo mein. Ufffffffff,” complimented Shamit.

“Tum bhi bohot achche lag rahe ho. Salman ki tarha tumhaara kameez bhi kho gaya kya,” laughed Riya. She wasn’t aware that the guys were only going to be wearing vests without any shirts inside.

Just then Amey and Meenal walked over. Amey noticed how beautiful Riya looked, however he had been more careful about the things he said. He realized that although Meenal was looking extremely pretty in her outfit, he hadn’t said anything to her. Instead of complimenting Riya alone, Amey decided to say, “Meenal aur Riya kitne achche lag rahe he na, Shamit?”

Shamit nodded in agreement as he pulled Riya next to him and planted a kiss on her forehead. Meenal longed for that type of undivided attention from Amey. She felt that she always shared the limelight or Amey’s attention with Riya. Meenal noticed that even though Amey mentioned that she and Riya both looked good, Shamit didn’t even look at her. His full, undivided attention belonged to Riya. Why couldln’t Amey be like that, Meenal wondered. She wondered, also, if that was unreasonable or too much to ask. Riya noticed that Meenal’s concentration was elsewhere.

“Nervous,” asked Riya, waving her hand in front of Meenal, trying to get her attention.

“A little,” responded Meenal. “Practice to ki thodi bohot. I just don’t know how good we look dancing. Maine kabhi garba nahin kiya.”

“Just have lots of fun. Don’t worry about how you’re going to do. Bindaas dance karo aur enjoy karo,” said Shamit. “Best of luck to both of you.”

[naaz123]

The fliming was beginning and the contestants were ready to go onto stage. Prachi and Ram introduced each couple briefly, as the couples walked out onto stage and then returned backstage. After each couple’s entry, a few clips of the dance rehearsal held a few days ago were shown. After the introductions were over, Ram and Prachi informed the audience that the first dance was Dholi Taro Dhol Bajje. The beginning music began and all the contestants came out in a long line, which then led into a circle. After about a minute of dancing, the men had to dance with a dhol and do some simple stunts, while the ladies went off and did some steps with a pooja thali. The props were then put away and after a little more dancing, the performance was over.

Even with the props, the dances had been shortened and intentionally kept simple, since it was the first day of performances. Dholi taro was taught first and so the all the contestants were more open and paid more attention while they were learning it, however the dance was not the freshest in their minds. The judges, obviously, found faults with almost everyone. The contestants who goofed off during the earlier rehearsals made complete fools of themselves and were successful in messing everyone else up. After the dance was over, the judges first made their commentary on the group as a whole.

Farah Khan: First she said “WOW” and then gave a long pause. All the contestants looked at each other and their nervousness subsided long enough to gain smiles on their faces. She then continued by saying, “Wow. I cannot believe that all of you are in the entertainment industry. Itna bura performance maine aaj tak nahin dekha. I realize this is the first show and you had to practice three different dances, lekin thodi to mehnat karni thi.”

Ganesh Hegde: “Where is your concentration? (Most participants were looking down at the stage by this time). What explanation do you have for performing so badly?” The question was probably rhetorical, but Upen Patel decided he wanted to respond.

Upen Patel: (in his British-gujju accent), “We’re all working on something or other and had a couple of days between practice and the filming today and…”

Saroj Khan: (Interupting Upen mid-sentence and mid-explanation), “So you are saying that this show is not as important to you as the other things you are working on?” (Not giving Upen a chance to respond…) You all have to decide right now. Do you want to win this show or not. If you do, you must buck up and improve 100 percent!”

Switch over to: Ram Kapoor: “To kya sub ko hi bad marks milenge? I thought a few of the performers did well. What do you think, Prachi?”

Prachi Desai: “Ji haan, Ram. I think I saw some very nice dancing now and then. (Giggle, giggle) Let’s see what the judges have to say about the couples one by one. Farah?”

[sm91]

wah diii!....kamaal kar diya!!!!!!:D
i like chapter 19!!!!;) .......hehe...specially tht comment abt shirtless sallu made by Riya wala part ..hehe!!!....it wud be realli cute..if S and R got married in the fanfic~!;) ...anyways...very well done!!!...hope u continue soon when u have time:)

[awall21]

I'm munching on pretzels, no time for breakfast today, but always time to drop a comment for you... :rolleyes: see how much I sacrafice for you fanfic Naaz... and I'm never dissappointed! :D

I can't wait to hear the judges comments, can you get rid of like 4 pairs... I feel like there are too many for me to keep track of!!!! Just a thought, but I like having an in with the writer ;)

Byz

[gujjuprd]

u lik making us wait dont you........lol cus you kno the waiting maks it interesting........its lik TV show ending on friday nite at such an intense scene that we are sooo eager all weekend to see it on monday nite lol

but i lik waiting........specially to read your story....cus it gets mor n mor interesting each and every chapter.

i loved ch. 19.......i agree that i kinda lost track of whose in the kkaddam show as well so it wuldnt be that bad to tak som contestanst out but if you plz keep UPEN PATEL........lol his such a hottiee :D :p ;) :rolleyes: and plus his such hot dancer........i mean comon if u hav ny doubt juz look the video of aa ashiqi mein teri frm the movie 36 china town..........ohhh mannn (on cloud 9 ) lol

nywz keep up the good wrk.......cant wait till nxt chapter.....mucho luv see ya

[naaz123]

Ok, once again, that poof was the sound made when you're wishes were being granted! LOL. I agree, it's great to know the writer (wink, wink towards Anita). I did as much as I could. I got rid of Rucha and Manoj. They were gonna be first to exit the show anyway. Out of the Jassi/Nandu jodi (Mona Singh and Gaurav Gera) I got rid of Gaurav. I also got rid of Shilpa (Apoorva Agnihotri's wife) and so Apporva and Jassi are going to be together (Jassi and Armaan from Jassi Jaisi koi nahin). So, in essense, I got rid of two of the jodis and now we're left with 10. Go to page 13 and 14 and u can see the pics. One other change I'll make is that two people will exit each show. It will be the two with the lowest total score. So it could be two people from the same jodi, or it could be one person from two different jodi's. (i.e. if Mona Singh and Riya are two people with the lowest scores, they exit the show and their partners stay on and become a team). I'll make the changes to the previous chapters a little later, so that people that are still reading (yes, there are some!) don't get confused.

Would it help if I put up a little picture of the person I'm talking about? Or if you get confused, you can just go back to two pages of pics(13 and 14). Let me know what u prefer. I just did all the changes so if u find any errors, please let me know!

Finally, yes, I love to make u guys wait. LOL! Actually I'm still writing so I always try to find a good place to end before I post what I've written so far. The mystery does make for interesting reading and I guess the good and the bad shows use this tactic! I hope u don't mind! LOL. Ok, time to go cook. I'll have the rest of the chapter in a couple of days. Get ready for the return of the long chapters!

[awall21]

WOOT! WOOT!

Thankssssss so much for taking a few people out. Now I might have a better chance of keeping everyone straight in my head. Don't worry I took in your suggestions too as I'm writing my final chapters for my fan fic! Fyi, I'm currently working on the Jigs-Aditya part.

Dude you better be writing a long update or a few chapters, I miss seeing an update everyday... what can I say, you've spolied me. Talk to you later, stay warm, its freaking cold here on the east coast! BRR, my toes are numb.

[naaz123]

Hey, its a new year and a new me. I've decided to cook healthier food everyday. I've started to exercise. Spend some time on scrapbooking a little every day and keep the house clean. I just can't write for hours like I used to anymore. I spoiled you and now I'm gonna have to make u go thru withdrawal symptoms!!! LOL. But me being in India must've helped since you had to stop reading the story cold turkey! Anyway...So I've written a little. I'll post that and try to have more tomorrow. By the way....this fan fic has 4000 views now! WOW!!! I think that's cause for celebration! YAY!!!!!!!!

[naaz123]

The judges went through each couple individually. Farah started with the worst couples of the whole group which included Apoorva Agnihotri, Mona Singh (pretend she wasn’t on Jhalak Dikhlaja), Kanchi Kaul, Shakti Anand, and Upen Patel and Niharika Singh.

Farah (calling the couples mentioned above to the front of the stage): I cannot understand why you all performed so badly. Aisa bhi nahin he ke you all have never performed on stage. Lines itni ache se yaad rakhte ho…steps kyu yaad nahin rehte? Dekhte he. We’ll see in the next two dances. Next, it was Ganesh’s turn. The performers looked down, as Ganesh spoke.

Ganesh: Upen, I’ve seen you dance in 36 China Town. I’ve seen you on the runway. And Shakti, you’ve done stage shows before. Kya hua? I don’t think you’re taking this seriously and you’ll need to shape up. Saroj Khan had nothing to say that hadn’t already been said, so she told the previous six to step back and asked the following participants to step forward: Meenal, Amey, Shamit, Rahul Vaidya, Prajakta Shukre, Neha Bamb, Iqbal Khan, Chetan Hansraj and Aashka Goradia.

Saroj: So, you all did ok. Some of you are singers, you are not used to dancing so your effort is good, but you have to practice more and try to learn the steps better. Tum me se joh actors ho, un sab ne kabhi kabhi achcha kiya, lekin steps bhool rahe the. Mehnat ki bohot zarurat he. Ganesh?

Ganesh: I agree with Saroj ji. I watched all of you one by one, at different parts of the dance and I could see you guys thinking about the dance steps because you couldn’t remember what came next. YOU CAN’T DO THAT!!! It’s a live performance and it has to flow smoothly. Well, basically you all didn’t do so bad, so himmat mat harna, just do more mehnat, like Saroj ji said. Let’s see how you do in the next two dances. Farah?

Farah: Mein in donno ki batoon se sehmat hu. Singers, when you dance, you have to learn the step properly. Remember that dancing is an art, just like singing. Jaise words sirf bolne se gaana nahin banta, aise, sirf haath hillane se dance nahin hotta. But, don’t lose hope, you guys were ok. Same for you guys (pointing at the actors). You guys all know how to dance very well, it comes with the territory when you are an actor. Focus karo, aur next time achche se steps yaad rakhna. You can step back now and remaining contestants agey aa sakte he. Riya, Shama Sikandar, Manav Gohil, Eijaaz Khan and Natassha stepped forward.

Farah: Tum logon ki performance dekh kar baaki logon ko seekhna chahiye ke performance kisse kehte. Very good. (Farah claps for the five and others join in).

Ganesh: Mind blowing. All of you have the same constraints as the others. You’re all busy with something but you still put forth the effort, remembered the steps and all of you are naturally talented dancers. Good job. Keep it up.

Saroj: Ladkion mein grace thi. Ladkon mein voh josh tha. All of you had the fluidity that the song required. Now the participants before you also did good, it wasn’t horrible, but the difference was that when people were bumping into you, or doing the wrong steps, you knew what to do and kept going. The others became lost and stopped in the middle of a step sometimes, but you all did very good. God bless.

[luvshamit]

diiiiiiiiiii
my examz got over 2day and the first thing i did was come home and sleep..after getting up i came on and read ur story!! greattt job as usual!! yeyyyyyy..the show finaallyyy started....awwwwww...shamu and riya:rolleyes: shamu puts his heart and soul into everythinggg he doess...such a cuteeeeeeee person!! lolz..sry di..ok..lemme stop talking abt him:p the judges were kindaa harsh..but i guess the contestants will start working harder after this feedback..so itz all good..hehe..greattt job di!! ur imagination is just tooo good..i think u have urs and my imagination skillz combined..cuz i have absolutely none! lol..like everyone said..even i miss the daily updatess:( everyday u used to have a longgggg chapter..but i understand zain keepz u busy..hehe..waiting for the rest
take care di
loadz of luv,
divya

[naaz123]

The participants went back stage, some feeling a little depressed, others nervous, to change for the next dance which was Aja Nachle, a Punjabi pop song by Bally Sagoo. The dance routine only had one circle formation and one linear formation. In these formations, all participants had to come together as a group and coordinate with each other. Apart from these two formations, each partner did the steps only with each other, and there were less chances of the whole group getting messed up or distracted as they did in the previous dance (Dhol bajje).

The costumes for the Panjabi dance were even more colorful than the Gujarati dance. Although the prior costumes included a diverse color palette, the colors were muted. Whereas for Aja Nachle, the colors were bright and vivid. The girls wore a sleeveless short kameez with contrasting patiyala style shalwar and dupatta (See pic1). The dupatta was over the head and then thrown over the shoulders. Chandelier hoop earrings that matched each girls outfit peeked through the dupatta. (See pic3). The guys wore traditional bhangra costumes. Their kameez was white and their lungis, vests and bandanas were in colors that coordinated with their female partners. (See pic2. I changed the boys’ headdress with bandanas).

All the dancers came out looking fabulous and took their positions. Ram and Prachi did a little dancing and then introduced the next dance. Before the participants could start, Ganesh commented that he wanted everyone to dance as well as they looked. Farah said that since this was a bhangra, she wanted to see some energy and excitement. Saroj concluded by giving them all a big thumbs up and saying “good luck”.

All the participants seemed to take the prior criticism to heart and decided to give it their all. The energy level had doubled since the last dance and everyone “attempted” to look like they were having a good time. The attempts were pretty convincing, however nerves were still at play and mistakes were taking place. This time though, they weren’t as evident as before.

One particular couple was getting a lot of attention. Upen Patel and Niharika both signed up for Kadam when they had nothing better to do. Both had thought that the show would bring them the publicity they needed to get into bigger and better movies. Even before the show could start though, both Upen and Niharika were signed to some big banner movies and were busy shooting rather than practicing for the show. Due to the contract they signed with Ekta, however, they were unable to completely back out of Kadam and needed to be present for rehearsals and taping.

Since neither Upen nor Niharika had time to practice outside of the designated rehearsals, and since neither of them really remembered what order the steps came in, they both decided that they would just smile and dance, regardless of what everyone else was doing. Both of them were quite successful in pulling it off as well, however the judges noticed that their steps didn’t match anyone else’s. After the dance was over, the judges gave them credit for being creative, but warned them that their little “act” wouldn’t get them far in the next rounds.

Some people that didn’t perform so well in the first dance actually performed better in the second round, once again because the dance wasn’t so heavily based on group steps, but rather individual partner steps. It was easier for someone to quickly correct a mistake and get by without the judges noticing. For this reason, Shamit performed so well that the judges noticed and almost ranked him as high as the other top dancers. Shamit, Riya, Shama, Manav, Eijaz, and Natassha were praised by all three judges. Finally, the judges commented that they were happy to see some improvement and were looking forward to the final dance. Once again, everyone went backstage to change for the next dance, which would be Dil Mein Bajji Guitar.

Pic 1 ----- ----------- ------------------- Pic 2
http://www.kaneesha.com/suits_images/SH06189_display_large.jpg http://static.userland.com/manilasites/images/myindia4uManilaSitesCom/Bhangra.jpg


Pic 3
http://ornateindia.com/images%2Fproducts%2Fearrings2%2F25black-big.JPG

[naaz123]

Since the dance was Maharashtrian, the costume was the typical fisherwoman type sari for the girls. (see the video. Sorry in advance for the raunchy beginning. Skip forward if you can’t bear to watch Koena Mitra). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVhSYwmHS4U The guys got lucky and got to wear jeans and a t-shirt (just like Riteish Deshmukh wears in the video). Riya was very concerned about the outfit. It was quite revealing and not at all something she would ever wear on her own. After the first rehearsal, she discussed how bad it was with Shamit. Shamit said that if Riya would be comfortable dancing in it, she shouldn’t worry so much about it. After all, the other girls evidently had no problem with it. Riya, however, never gave in to the overwhelming trend of girls wearing next to nothing and couldn’t get herself to hop around wearing the costume chosen for that song.

One day after shooting for K3M, she had ran down to meet Divya, the head of costume design, (who she had become friendly with due to K3M’s elaborate wardrobe requirements) to see if anything could be done to the blouse to make it less revealing. The designer said that Ekta specifically wanted the blouses to be short (like in the video) and to show a lot of cleavage, so the blouses could not be changed for all of the girls. Just as an extremely troubled expression started to take over Riya’s face, Divya added, that all of the girls’ blouses couldn’t be changed, but Riya’s neckline could be raised and the length extended a bit. Riya literally jumped for joy and Divya warned that the changes would be minor and not modest to the point that Riya wanted them. Riya understood that Divya was limited as to what she could do. She didn’t want her to get in trouble for tinkering with Ekta’s master plan, so she told Divya not to worry and whatever changes, as minor as they may be, would be greatly appreciated. She had given Divya a hug and had then gone, less worried than before, to check on things at the catering company.

As all the girls came out of the dressing rooms and gathered at the entrance of the backstage door, the men had a difficult time keeping their eyes in their sockets. They weren’t present at the fittings for the costumes and were unaware as to how sexy the final costumes were. Shamit knew that Divya was going to make some changes for Riya, but after having a look at some of the other girls, he really couldn’t figure out what the difference was.

“Riya, yeh guitar walle dance mein shayad itna achcha dance nahin kar paunga mein.,” commented Shamit. Riya looked at him perplexed, waiting for him to explain. She knew that they practiced this dance the most and they were doing pretty decent a few nights ago.

Noticing the worried look on Riya’s face, Shamit quickly added, “Arre itna hot dikho gi to mein dance karunga ya tum ko dekhunga?” Riya got very self conscious and uncomfortable and Shamit couldn’t stop chuckling. He told her not to worry and said that she looked great. Riya had been nervous about the outfit even before Shamit’s comment. She unwillingly convinced herself that if all the girls were wearing the costume without hesitation or disapproval, then she’d just have to adjust. After all, it was only for a few minutes. As uncomfortable as she was with the costume, Riya was also however, strangely flattered and uncommonly delighted with Shamit’s attention. Guys just didn’t look at her that way, at least not that she had noticed.

Meenal seemed to always notice though, when Amey’s eyes wandered over to Riya. And there they were again. Not knowing that Meenal was following his gaze, Amey casually turned towards Meenal and said, “Yeh kaisa costume pehen ne ko diya he tum ladkiyon ko? Zara bhi appropriate nahin lagta.”

Meenal just frowned and nodded in agreement to Amey’s comment. She added an unconvincing “Kya karein? Producers joh bolte he voh pehente he. It’s in the contract.” Meenal knew that Amey’s comment was based on the way Riya looked and not Meenal. He was so protective of Riya. Meenal was hoping that her outfit may ignite some sort of feeling in Amey; the looks he used to give her on the Indian Idol sets or when they were out clubbing when they were first dating. But, unfortunately it seemed to Meenal that those looks were long gone. Amey did notice that Meenal seemed a little different, so he smiled and told her that they were going to do great.

Ram and Prachi said some dialogues in Marathi and then introduced the final dance. After the music began, the guys and the girls walked onto the stage from opposite sides and then came together at the middle. They then took their positions with their partners. Since this dance was the last of the three, it was the most simple. As Riya had heard, the steps were copied directly from the video, however they were simplified even further. Riya and Shamit had watched the video, so they were doing the more complicated versions of the steps and were adding an extra thumka here or an extra jhatka there and the judges were noticing.

Since this dance was the last one to be reviewed, it was fresh in everyone’s mind, and therefore, all the participants did considerably better. No one received horribly negative comments and the judges mostly reminded the participants to learn the correct way to do the steps and to follow through the whole step and not cut it short. The judges praised the top dancers once again. Then Farah spoke to Riya.

Farah: Riya, tum to cook ho na? Ek baar tumhaare show mein maine dekha tha ki tum classical dance bhi karti ho?

Riya: Jee haan. Maine bharat natyam seekha he.

Farah: Ek problem he, lekin. Riya and Shamit both got worried. Both of them had noticed out of the corner of their eyes that other participants were doing the steps slightly differently. A lump started to develop in Shamit’s throat and butterflies began to float in Riya’s stomach.

Farah: Arrey Riya, tumhaare influence mein Shamit itna achcha dance kar raha he ki kahin voh singing na bhool jaye!!!

Riya and Shamit looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. Saroj also commented that both of them were superb and she thoroughly enjoyed their performance. Riya and Shamit both put their hand to their heart in appreciation of the kind comments. After a commercial break, the hosts were back on stage.

Ram Kapoor: Ok everyone…you’ve heard the judges comments now let’s see what the scores are.

Prachi received an envelope which had the scores as follows: Out of a total of 100 points available, the not so good performers (Apoorva Agnihotri, Mona Singh, Kanchi Kaul, Shakti Anand, and Upen Patel and Niharika Singh got 50 points each. The average performers Meenal, Amey, Shamit, Rahul Vaidya, Prajakta Shukre, Neha Bamb, Iqbal Khan, Chetan Hansraj and Aashka Goradia) got 75 points each. Although Shamit had performed extremely well in the third dance, the judges felt that he needed improvement and therefore put him in the 75 point bracket. The best performers (Riya, Shama Sikkandar, Manav Gohil, Eijaz Khan, and Natassha ) received a perfect score of 100 points each. Prachi and Ram concluded the broadcast and hinted that the next day’s event would be interesting as maybe some of the people that performed well today may not do as well tomorrow.

Shamit dropped Riya home. Riya was surprised, after all the practicing that she and Shamit did, that Shamit was grouped with the average performers. Shamit admitted that he goofed up a few times. He also noted that although he danced fairly well, he was no match for some of the others who danced for a living (or a part of their living). “Don’t worry though,” exclaimed Shamit. “Watch me kick their butts when there's a singing round,” said Shamit, not phased by the minor setback he faced today. They got home and relaxed for a while. Soon after, Kadam started and they closely scrutinized every performance with great care, trying to find faults that they could improve next time. After the show, the two ate some food that Riya had frozen earier in the week and then Shamit left to go home.

[luvshamit]

omg omg omg omg omg
diiiiiiiii:D =)=)
awwwwwwwwwwwww.........U INCLUDED MY NAME!!:p
my guess was sooooooooooooooo clsoeeee abt ur surprise..hehehe..
if riya ever came to me like tht..and i knew she was dating shamit..i ld pounce on her..and bother her every sec she was with me to introduce me to shamit..muahahaa..to the extent tht she wld regret coming to me..;) ;) and then once she does introduce me..i wont leave shamit to live in peacee..hahahaha..i wld find every oppurtunity to go meet him, talk to him..lol..thank u soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much diiii...it meanz sooooooo much to me tht u remembered me and included my name in something u absolutely love to do!

[gujju mirchi]

::SHOCKED:: comon Naaz......Upen Patel is such a good dancer........he onli received 50 points........:(

lol.......its ok i kno ur makin it mor interesting for me....now i hav to guess if Upen will survive or not...........i REALLY REALLLY HOPE HE DOES THOU :D

cant wait to see next chapter and the result of who survived

as alwz good job Naaz, you do great job in writing your story

[sweety_21]

hey naaz
i'm soo sorry i havent replied lately, actually i was really busy with school stuff, but hopefully it is all over now, i just read the new parts and they were amazing as usual, u make it sound so realistic and all and i'm glad there is less to no drama at all unlike most reality shows, i just love reading ur fanfic
and yeahhh u included divya in the fan fic, i so sure it meant a lot to her...three cheers for divs:) and three cheers for u

[naaz123]

Divs, sorry the surprise couldn't be u getting married to Shamit or something. Maybe in my next fan fic! LOL :D

Hai hai mirchi! I like this new screen name. It's cute! Yes, I'm sorry Upen had to score so low, but some of them had to. That's why i started off with more couples. Some of the arrey gaire (nobody) types could've done bad and no one would've minded. I will hint that Upen will stick around a while more, so don't worry. I think he's a hottie too, so I'll keep him around as eye candy! :p

Sweetie, three cheers for u too for balancing school and the other things u love. Keep studying and post only when u have time. As you know, I reeeeeeeeeeeeally appreciate it when you guys post something, but not if it gets in the way of school.

Ok, so after a bit of work, I was able to create a big picture of all the participants of Kadam Se Kadam Mila (which I've been simply calling Kadam). I can post it on all the new pages so that you guys can keep track. Lemmie know if this helps at all or not! I have a short update for u today. Hope u like it!
Naaz

[naaz123]

http://i5.tinypic.com/2lxgxls.jpg

Chapter 20

A short while after Shamit left, Anju and Karan called to let Riya know that they had watched Kadam while they were at a big catering event. Anju went on and on about how Riya looked great. She also teased Riya a little about her skimpy outfit for the final dance. Riya was a little embarrassed. She was hoping that her costume (or lack thereof) would be the last thing that the audience would notice. Riya acknowledged Anju’s comment, but quickly changed the topic and chatted with both Anju and Karan if anything out of the ordinary happened at the catering event that took place that night.

Meanwhile, Shamit arrived home to find his mother sitting on the couch in front of the TV, with Shamit’s planner (schedule or calendar book). Shamit greeted his mom and sat down beside her. After Shamit sat down, Mrs. Tyagi opened up his planner to the following week and asked him when he’d be available for at least 3 or 4 hours for a dinner meeting. Shamit was confused and asked his mom what the meeting was for. She quickly explained that one of her friends knew of a family looking for a suitable match for their daughter and she wanted Shamit and the girl to meet.

“Ma, apni baat to hogayi thi na iss baare mein? Phir aap kyu mera rishta kara ne ki koshish kar rahi he,” asked Shamit almost shouting.

“Baat to hui thi, beta. Aur issi liye to mein yeh sub kar rahi hu. Tum hi ne to kaha tha ki mujhe joh ladki pasand ayegi, tum uss hi se shaadi karoge,” replied Mrs. Tyagi. She was just as confused as her son. Shamit had figured out that his mom misunderstood his words from the other night.

“Ma, maine kaha tha ke mein aisi hi ladki se shaadi karunga joh tumhe pasand aye. Lekin mere kehne matlab tha ke me jiss pasand KAR CHUKKA HU, voh tumhe zaroor pasand ayegi,” explained Shamit, trying to reason with his mother.

“Kya khaak pasand ayegi? Kya kapde pehne the usne voh akhri waale dance mein? Humare ghar ki bahu betiyaan na to aise kapde pehenti he aur nahi aise TV par aa kar apni numaish karti he,” responded Mrs. Tyagi in a way that made her disapproval of Riya seem sort of definite and concrete. Shamit was heartbroken. He didn’t know what to do or say to change his mother’s mind. He abruptly stood up and then, just as quickly, sat at his mother’s feet. He took the planner out of her hands and put it to the side. He then took her hands into his and looked into her eyes and spoke.

“Ma, Riya meri zindagi he. Mein jitna usse pyaar karta hu, zindagi mein kabhi kissi se nahin kiya. Ma, aapne usse ek mauka bhi nahin diya. Meri khatir, apne bete ke khatir, kya aap usse ek mauka nahin de sakte? Open mind se aap usse jaan ne ki koshish kijiye. Usse meri nazron se aap dekhenge to aap ne bhi sapno mein socha na hogga aisi bahu payenge aap. Please, ma, meri khatir,” asked Shamit with tears in his eyes.

Mrs. Tyagi’s heart went out to her son. She thought back to the time when they lived in Delhi and Shamit had his mind set on moving to Mumbai in order to jump start his singing career. Mrs. Tyagi didn’t think it was a good idea to move the family (which included elderly grandparents) so far away, but Shamit had convinced her in a similar way. If she hadn’t given in, Shamit would have never had the chance to be on Fame Gurukul and the family wouldn’t have been as comfortable as they were today. She appreciated everything Shamit did for the family and seriously considered what Shamit was aksing of her.

All of a sudden, thoughts of her own childhood came to mind. She remembered a promise that she made to herself when she was young. Mrs. Tyagi had said that she would never impose her own beliefs on her future children. “Look at me now,” she thought to herself. She was doing the same thing her parents had done to her. Mrs. Tyagi looked into Shamit’s eyes. He looked back, searching desperately for some sign of approval. Mrs. Tyagi nodded, tears filling her eyes, as well. Shamit hugged his mother tightly. His mother’s approval meant everything to him, and he knew this was difficult for her.

“Riya aap ko shikayat ka koi mauka nahin deygi,” said Shamit cheerfully.

“Theekh he, beta. Mein usse ek mauka dungi. Lekin tum bhi zara Riya ko yaad dilaana ki humari family ke taur tareeke kya he, hmmm?” Shamit nodded in agreement. He knew that if Riya got the chance, she’d impress his mother. He told his mom that the next day was going to be difficult (due to the physical round on Kadam) and he wanted to go to bed early. Although he had never intentionally hidden anything from Riya since the day he met her, he decided that telling her about his chat with his mom was uncalled for. She’d be unnecessarily troubled and things were going to get better anyway, he expected.

[naaz123]

Hey everyone! There weren't any comments since the last time I posted (no pressure!) so I'm not sure if you read the previous part or not. Make sure you look at the previous page and read the beginning of Ch. 20 and see if the new pics help or not. Here's a little more:

The next day, all the participants of Kadam showed up for the physical challenge round. They were instructed to change into the attire that they were to wear right away. The girls were to choose from either a tank top or a fitted tshirt and shorts or jeans (see pics). The guys had to choose between a muscle shirt with or without sleeves and shorts or track pants. Riya looked over both of the tops and contrary to her usual behavior, she decided to put on the tank top along with the jeans. The tank top was something different and she feared that the shorts would be a bit too much. Riya looked at herself in the mirror and liked how the top looked on her. Although it wasn’t close to being as revealing as the blouse she wore yesterday, she thought that Shamit might give her some more of the looks he gave her when he saw her in the kohli costume. Riya was worried whether the tank top would suit her or not, especially since they’d be doing some type of physical activity, so she decided to call Shamit to come take a look.

Shamit walked over already dressed in the muscle shirt with sleeves and the track pants. He knocked on the dressing room door and Riya opened it, with a bit of a glimmer in her eye. She looked hopefully into Shamit’s eyes while holding her hands on her hips and twisting a little for him to see the top. She pointed to the tank top and then held up the tshirt so that Shamit could decide.

“Hmmmmmmm,” was the only thing that Shamit said with a slight frown on his face. Riya’s smile quickly faded and she wondered why Shamit didn’t react as expected. “I think you should wear the t-shirt. It will suit you more, especially with whatever running and jumping we might have to do today,” said Shamit.

http://i9.tinypic.com/48rgo3m.jpg

“Ok,” said Riya with a confused look on her face. Shamit didn’t explain and Riya decided that the tank top probably didn’t look as good on her as it did on some of the other girls such as Kanchi, Niharika, and Shama. Riya joined the majority of the girls and opted for the tshirt and jeans. Looking at herself in the mirror, she started to feel as if Shamit was right in suggesting the slightly more conservative t-shirt. Most of the guys were also pretty conservative, with only Upen, Iqbal, and Chetan showing off their well toned muscles in the sleeveless shirts (see pic for an idea of their muscles!).

http://i19.tinypic.com/2aahi4o.jpg
The event for the day was a “Fear Factor” type physical challenge. Ekta spared no expense in making the stunt as outrageous as ever. A car was suspended at an angle, almost upside down from a very high location. One team member would be sitting in the front passenger seat. The other team member would have to “rescue” them by climbing a shaky ladder and retrieving a key, then they would walk a narrow plank that led up to the door of the car, and finally unlock the door, freeing their partner. Once the door to the car was opened, the stunt was over. A simple coin toss would decide which partner would be seated and which would be doing the actual stunt. The team with the fastest time would get 100 points, the second fastest 90, and so on and so forth. If there was a team that was unable to complete the task, they would not receive any points. It seemed as if the person seated really had nothing to do, however sitting almost upside down at such a height, also had its disadvantages. Walking on a thin plank so high in the air, however, was, by far, the more difficult task.

Riya considered herself lucky to be the one to be seated. She was terribly afraid of heights. She told Shamit that she didn’t know if she could handle being up so high or not. Shamit looked Riya in the eyes and told her not to worry. She could just close her eyes and think about something beautiful and he’d be there to “rescue” her in no time. Riya smiled a nervous smile and got ready to take an elevator up to the car. Once Riya was seated in the car, with her seat belt on, the elevator was moved away and preparations to turn the car at an angle were being made. A stunt coordinator put safety harnesses on Shamit and gave him instructions on how to perform the stunt in the safest way.

Shamit and Riya were the third team to attempt the stunt. Apoorva and Mona had already completed it. It took Mona 3 minutes to get the door open. Shamit watched Mona carefully as she cautiously crossed over the plank to get to the car door. Shamit thought that he could maybe go a little faster. The second team was Rahul and Prajakta. This time it was Rahul who had to rescue Prajaka. Rahul had also noticed that Mona was very slow to cross the plank. He decided to go faster than Mona did. Unfortunately, he didn’t know that Mona went so slow because the plank wobbled when too much weight was put on it. Even before he could get halfway across, Rahul slipped and dropped about 20 feet, before the harness tightened and prevented him from plummeting down to the unyielding, concrete surface. Because Rahul could not complete the stunt, it was declared that they would not receive any points. Shamit knew that he had to be faster than Mona but more careful than Rahul. He was ready.

Riya was securely fastened into the passenger side seat. The car began to rotate backwards and Riya shut her eyes tight. She almost felt nauseous but remembered that Shamit advised her to think of something beautiful. She switched gears and tried to think about her birthday when she and Shamit were dancing on his porch. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as the car suddenly yanked into its final position. Riya’s body was almost upside down and she could feel the blood rushing to her head. She heard Ram Kapoor say “GO” over the loudspeaker, indicating that Shamit could start. She tried to think back to the night of her birthday.

Shamit was so ready; adrenaline rushing through his system. He stood atop a small balcony like structure and resisted the urge to look down. He quickly climbed the flimsy ladder and carefully grabbed the key that dangled from the last rung of the ladder. He descended quickly and carefully approached the landing which led to the plank. He walked out onto the plank just as slowly as Mona had. With his first few steps, Shamit was able to gauge how fast he could go and he picked up his pace accordingly. He made it to the car without slipping and started to place the key in the lock. He turned it just as Riya opened her eyes.

“Hey beautiful,” said Shamit with a smile on his face. Both of them heard Prachi yell, 1 minute 30 seconds. They had beat Mona and Apoorva by finishing the stunt in half the time. Both Riya and Shamit were lowered to the ground and were congratulated by everyone. They gave each other high fives and wished Upen and Niharika good luck as they stood ready to complete the stunt next. Niharika was the one that got to sit in the car. Upen, with his rippling muscles, looked like a superhero as he completed each of the three tasks with the greatest of ease in the record breaking time of 45 seconds. When he arrived back at ground level, he jumped a few times and then grabbed Niharika and spun her around. They were congratulated by all.

Afterwards, each of the remaining teams attempted the stunt. By the end, Upen’s time of 45 seconds held on to the number one spot, with only Iqbal and Neha’s team coming close with 60 seconds. Everyone else was closer to Shamit and Riya’s time, give or take a few seconds. Shamit and Riya came in fifth place and Meenal and Amey were right behind them at number six. Prajakta and Rahul, having been disqualified, came in last. Ram and Prachi announced that viewers should tune in again the next day to watch the participants take part in the mystery round. They hinted that the actors would be happy, as the task would be something they might enjoy.

Since the shooting was held in the afternoon and only lasted about three hours, most of the participants went on to their other engagements, even though they were pretty exhausted. Riya needed to take care of some catering related businesss. Shamit had a late meeting with Arijit, Mona, and some people from Tips. Meenal had a meeting with some people that were launching her first album. Everyone went off on their own way and planned on meeting again for the mystery round.

[gujju mirchi]

Hai hai mirchi! I like this new screen name. It's cute! Yes, I'm sorry Upen had to score so low, but some of them had to. That's why i started off with more couples. Some of the arrey gaire (nobody) types could've done bad and no one would've minded. I will hint that Upen will stick around a while more, so don't worry. I think he's a hottie too, so I'll keep him around as eye candy!

Ok, so after a bit of work, I was able to create a big picture of all the participants of Kadam Se Kadam Mila (which I've been simply calling Kadam). I can post it on all the new pages so that you guys can keep track. Lemmie know if this helps at all or not! I have a short update for u today. Hope u like it!
Naaz

hahahha...........thks i lik the lil comment on my sn hehe ;)
YIPPIEEE Upen is gonna sty..........lol thks Naaz

the pics tht u posted def help....now i hav mor clear view of whose in and can actulli imagin thm perfoming based on their looks......omg UPEN in tank (juz fainted :eek: :rolleyes: :D ) lol

i gotta admit........now tht i look at Shamit's pic......he appears soo cute n lovable jus beacause of your story (i neva show fame gurukul).........GOOD JOB chokri.......u kno u gotta one heck of talent........hehee

nywz cant wait for the result and i lik the 2nd task.....somthing diff nice nice
def cant wait for the mystry round.......ummmm wht can it be?? singing?? acting?? hhehee

[naaz123]

Yay!! I'm glad the pic helped and I'm also glad that you think Shamit's a cutie, cuz to me, he really is! But then again, I'm older and my tastes are different. (We do agree on Upen though, LOL!). I think it was how sweet Shamit was in Fame Gurukul that made me think he was cute. That's also why I used him in my story as opposed to any other reality star. Well, thanks for the compliments and thanks for reading. Zain refuses to take his nap these days and I can't get anything done! Anyone got a solution for that??? :)

[gujju mirchi]

i dunno much abt kids but i wuld say tht giv him lunch one hr before his nap time and tht wuld get him sleepy or he can run round alot and ply so he gets tired and hopfully takes a nap..........and you can also tell him.....he is soo lucky to hav a chance to tak naps........rit now cus of work and mostly college i hardly get sleep and if i can wuld go to sleep anytim nyday............lol

[sweety_21]

hey naaz
wonderful parts, u are so talented and so creative, i really liked the stunt, i like how shamit said "hey beautiful" when he opened the door for riya, i can just imagine how relieved riya must have been hearing those words after what might have seemed like forever to her, hehe i cant wait for the mystery round but i can tell that its going to be really fun!!!
Well i'm also glad that upen did so well in this round b/c after the dance performances i was just thinking upen to gaya kaam se, hehe but happy to see that they did well and that they might stick around longer

[naaz123]

Yeh lo, Sweetie, tum bhi! U're a fan of Upen too? LOL! :p That makes 3 of us! I just saw him in a video with Udita Goswami. I was telling Zain, "Look, hottie!" He said, "Hottie kya hotta he?" LOL. Well, his daddy talks about Aishwariya as his "item" so I guess it's ok if I teach Zain the word hottie.

Rima, I've tried everything and sometimes he takes his nap and sometimes he doesn't. He did today though. YAY!!! As a reward, we played with Play Doh (the 1st time for him!). It was fun for me too!

Anyway...I'm so happy u guys are liking the new stuff. I was worried that it might get boring. I hope u like the next round...I'm almost ready with it. Hopefully I'll post something tonight!!! Keep reading and pleeeeeeeeeease keep commenting when u guys have time! :) BTW, Anita, where are u???? I thought maybe u'd have a comment on Shamit's mom after her talk with Shamit. I'll be waiting to see what reaction u have.

Naaz

[naaz123]

The next day everyone showed up for the mystery round and were finally informed as to what it would be. Four teams of five participants each would be formed. This meant that the couples might be separated and put into competing teams. The teams would basically be playing charades (dumb charades) in order to act out clues that would lead to an end puzzle, which would be a movie. Most of the contestants were upset that their partner may be in another team and most were confused about the rules of the game. Ekta knew there would be confusion and she wanted the actual filming to go smoothly, so she had arranged for a trial run before the filming started. First, the teams were formed by everyone drawing a number between 1 to 4 from a hat. Riya, along with Amey, Upen, Mona, and Shakti drew a 2. Shamit’s team consisted of Manav, Aashka, Chetan, and Meenal. The remaining contestants made up teams 3 and 4.

Each team would have one player that did the acting and 4 players guessing. The person doing the acting would see a series of five words that they had to act out. When all five of those words were put together, it would be a hint to a Hindi movie. If all five words were not guessed, the team would have to try to guess the movie with however many clues they had. If they were unable to guess the correct movie, the next team got a chance to play. If the movie was guessed correctly, the next player in the same team got a chance to act. Each team could have a maximum of 3 turns (due to the one hour format of the show).

Ekta decided to show the players how it was done. Her first hint was Ajay Devgan. She showed the players how to indicate that it was a male (by showing a mustache) and then she said that she was motioning the symbol for “star” to indicate that she was acting out a famous male. She explained that at this point, all the group members needed to start guessing famous males. The person doing the acting could give a movie that the actor was in or give some other kind of physical hints that would get the teammates to guess the correct answer. Ekta started to act out the movie Omkara by first doing a yoga pose and then praying which got someone to guess Om. Then she pretended to drive a car, and someone guessed the word car. She then told them to put the two words together and with omkar, someone guessed Omkara. Then she spoke again (reminding everyone not to speak when the real game started) and said that now the contestants needed to guess the actor. Finally they got Ajay Devgan. Ekta then acted out Salman Khan, Aishwariya Ria, love, and triangle. Once all the words were guessed, they were put up on a screen and it wasn’t long before someone guessed Hum Dil De Chukke Sanam.

The players seemed to catch on as to how to play the game and they were excited about playing. Without any further delay, Ekta announced that the players that picked the number 1 would go first, and then those that picked 2 and so on. The first player to act was Shama. Her words were Sanjay Dutt, Hritik Roshan, Preity Zinta, atank wadi, and bhumbro. Shama was only able to act out Hritik, Preity, and bhumbro but the team was able to guess Mission Kashmir anyway due to Shama’s cute rendition of the dance in the song Bhumbro. Rahul was up next and his five clues were Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, village, dead man, and lottery. Rahul was only able to enact Paresh Rawal and Om Puri, since the clues were considerably difficult to enact and his time had run out. The team had only one guess and they guessed Chupke Chupke instead of Maalamal Weekly. All five team members scored 10 points each for getting one answer right.

Next it was the team with Amey and Riya. Both of them were extremely excited, first because they were on the same team together and secondly because, when they were younger, every so often their families would get together and play charades. Even in college the two continued to play with their friends and they were both experts at it. Amey and Riya would always easily guess each others clues. Riya volunteered to go first. Her five clues were Aamir Khan, Kajol, Kashmir, blind, and Chand Sifarish. Amey guessed the two stars almost instantly since he was already familiar with all of Riya’s clues. Riya passed up the word Kashmir. By the time she was done acting blind, her team knew it was Fanaa. If there was time remaining, all of the clues needed to be acted out, so the team (and everyone else) got a good chuckle as they watched Riya acting out Chand Sifarish, shaking her shoulders like Amir Khan. She came back to the last clue – Kashmir, and indicated place in India and Amey guessed Kashmir right away.

After they guessed Fanaa, Amey volunteered to go next. Amey’s clues were Amitabh, Hema Malini, farm house, brothers, and seven. The team easily guessed Satte Pe Satta. Mona went next. Her words were Kajol, Shahrukh Khan, England, Punjab, and Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna. Mona couldn’t stop giggling, and was only able to get the clues Kajol, Shahrukh Khan, Punjab, and just mehendi laga from the last clue. The team was a little confused as to which Kajol/Shahrukh starrer to choose, but at the last minute Shakti remembered the song Mehendi Lagga Ke Rakhna and they guessed DDLJ. Each member of the team got 30 points and were leading.

Both Shamit and Meenal had their eyes on Amey and Riya. They both noticed the comfort level and camaraderie that Amey and Riya still shared despite having grown apart a little in the last few months. As always, it disturbed Meenal. Shamit, however, just noticed it, but didn’t think much of it. Both Meenal and Shamit’s thoughts were interrupted as it was their team’s turn to participate. Both of them left the acting to the actors on the team and just helped by guessing. The team ended up solving two out of the three movies and gained 20 points each. Team 4 was able to get all three and was tied with Riya’s team in receiving 30 points each.

All three rounds were now over and scores would be tallied up for the “results show” tomorrow. The only aspect remaining was audience voting. Ekta had gone through great lengths to differentiate her show (Kadam) from the rest of the reality shows on TV. The audience was going to be allowed to SMS or call in their vote for their favorite contestant. Ekta was aware of the controversies in past shows regarding people staying up all night to call or SMS multiple votes. This gave an undue advantage to people who could afford it and sort of discriminated against the “aam janata” who was unable to indulge in so many calls or text messages. Ekta arranged for each caller or texter to only be able to vote once from each number. She called it the “One man, one vote” system. Voting would start only after the third day of activities had been aired until the beginning of the live “results show”. Each voter could vote for only one of their favorite celebrities. The two celebrities with the lowest overall score (not necessarily partners) would then be eliminated.

[awall21]

have you ever considered of using this concept as a real show... you should contact someone to sell this idea too.

[naaz123]

Bhai duniya ke vade vade log aur usmein choti choti mein. Kaun sunega meri baat? I do want to try and get this story published once it's done though. Do u think that's a good idea? I'll probably change the names or get permission to use the celebrities. Dekhte he. U guys all have been so kind, I'd prolly have to give u free books if it ever is published. So i won't make any money then. LOL!

[sweety_21]

i'm running out of adjectives now naaz, i just love your story,
u know if u get this story published it would be a huge hit, maybe you could make a movie out of this too, and the idea of an actual reality show based on kadam is not a bad idea either, i could bet u would get excellent reviews, i just wonder where u get the inspiration for ur story and ur characters, especially shamu and ria, i mean shamu can understand as he is so cute and nice and is a lot like ur character but riya, i mean is her character based on sumone too?

[naaz123]

I am absolutely flattered that you guys think my ideas would sell. If they did, it would be a dream come true. I could actually feel like I did something big in my life! As for my inspirations, everything just comes from real life and then my vivid imagination. Some things are my own experience and some are what I see on TV and then alter to fit my story. Like u said, Shamit's character is really based on the way he was while he was on Fame Gurukul. Amey from Indian Idol. Riya is somewhat of who I'd probably be in an alternate reality. I like to cook and would love to have my own show...I love to sing and dance. I try to b a good person. I like silver...u see? But then the similarities stop there and Riya becomes an entity on her own, totally apart from me. I hope this makes sense! The reality show is nothing really new. Just a hodge podge of old and new game shows and reality shows. Putting it all together in one is my only contribution. LOL. :D Well, I didn't have any chance to write today, so hopefully tomorrow will be a more productive day. Please keep yr comments, suggestions, and questions coming!
Naaz

[naaz123]

Once again, all the celebrities went to their various engagements after the shooting of Kadam was over. Amey was completely free for the evening and wanted to go to a movie and dinner with Meenal. It had occurred to him that, with the different things happening in life, he wasn’t focusing any effort on doing something special for Meenal. He felt really guilty about his recent lack of interest in maintaining the relationship and had sensed some irritation when speaking to Meenal about how boring life had become. Amey decided to make some conscious efforts to get the relationship back to the way it was when he and Meenal first started dating.

While walking to the car, Amey asked Meenal what she thought about having dinner followed by a movie. Meenal, sounding annoyed, as she had been for the last few days, said that she couldn’t do anything for the next few days, as she was busy with her new album.

“Yaar, itna gussa kyu karti ho,” asked Amey, perplexed by Meenal’s tone of voice.

“Of course mujhe gussa ayega. Amey, meri album ka kaam shurru hogaya he. I told you last week that I would be busy all this week. Lekin tumhe to kuch yaad hi nahin rehta,” said Meenal, disappointed with Amey’s lack of compassion for her busy schedule. She also didn’t understand why Amey wasn’t more excited about her upcoming album. If Meenal had to venture a guess, though, she’d definitely hold Riya partially responsible for unknowingly distracting Amey. Meenal had zoned out and suddenly realized that Amey was talking again. She quickly diverted her attention back to what he was saying and acted like she was paying attention all along.


“Mein samaj sakta hu. We’ll try to devote time to each other whenever we can. So, to the studio then?”

“What,” asked Meenal. Amey repeated that he would drop her off at the studio and then when she was done with her recording, he could pick her up and they could go out for some coffee. Meenal had missed that part of the conversation and said that she couldn’t go for coffee tonight. The recording would possibly go on through the wee hours of the night since they were starting so late (due to Kadam). She explained that the producers wanted to release the first video soon after all of the songs were recorded so that they could take full advantage of Meenal’s appearance in Kadam. Being fresh in the audience’s mind would help album sales. Amey said that he understood, but wondered why Meenal had nodded in agreement earlier in the conversation when he suggested going out for coffee. He figured that maybe Meenal was just too tired or too busy. Or was it something else? Amey dropped Meenal off and went home to spend the rest of the day with Ayi.

The next day the participants of Kadam didn’t have to show up for taping until early evening. Everyone arrived at around 5pm. The girls were instructed to wear (from their own wardrobe) a dressy kurti and khakis or jeans. (See pic for what Riya wore). Similarly, the guys had to wear a nice shirt and jeans or khakis. When everyone had gathered on the stage, they were first briefed on what would happen in the show that night. Scores had already been tallied for the previous three days and there were a few top scorers tied at the lead. Voting lines would be closed as soon as the show began to air at 7pm. One by one, the contestants would be told if they were in the bottom four or whether they were “safe”. Ekta knew when to tinker with some things and when to leave a good thing alone. Recently, most of the reality shows stretched their result round, not announcing the eliminated participants until the very end. Ekta liked this method since it gave her an extra hour of showtime, which meant extra advertising endorsements and all the money that came along with it. Once the producer explained some important details, he went on to discuss next week’s entertainment round.

http://www.mystiqueasia.net/products/2006/SEA%20BLUE%20SHIRT%20WITH%20EMBROIDERED%20PANT%20S UIT-2202-a.jpg

Each team would have to pick a song and sing it. Except for our six singers, most of the participants started to moan and groan about having to sing. The producers told everyone to calm down, as they would receive some coaching from none other than Shankar, Ehsan, and Loy. This piece of information made some participants feel a little better. However, others who knew they couldn’t sing to save their lives were really uncomfortable about having only three days to prepare for their performance. Given everything else the celebs had going on, they imagined that the singing round would be no better than dancing round earlier in the week. Ekta knew that at least the singers in her starcast would give excellent performances and hoped that some of the others had hidden talent that could be revealed exclusively on her show.

The live broadcast of Kadam’s “results round” began. Just as the producer had mentioned, the mystery of who was going to survive and who was out was dragged on, with Prachi and Ram stretching the drama and breaking to commercials right before announcing whether a participant was safe or not. By the middle of the show, it was announced that Mona Singh and Apoorva Agnihotri were both in the bottom four.

Riya cringed at the thought that the episode was going to drag on for another half hour. She was quite confident that she and Shamit would make it to the next round, given that they had done fairly well in the three rounds. Riya looked at Shamit (who had been looking at her from his seat a few feet across from her) and smiled. Shamit was a little nervous the last time he spoke to her, mentioning that he didn’t do well with viewer voting when he was on Fame Gurukul. Although he did better on Fame Gurukul’s spin off, Dus Ke Dus Le Gaye Dil, that was a while ago, and he feared a repeat of his experience on Fame Gurukul. Riya was excited that the next entertainment round involved singing. Shamit could shine and win viewers over with the same voice that helped him win Riya’s heart.

After a few more breaks, Prajakta and Rahul also ended up in the bottom four. After what seemed like another few hours of endless drama and suspense building tactics, it turned out that Prajakta and Rahul were the two that scored least overall, hence they were eliminated. (In future episodes, it was possible that the two people eliminated would be from different teams, however tonight, coincidentally both eliminated participants were on the same team). It turned out that Riya, along with Upen Patel, Eijaaz and Natassha were in the top four, mainly because they scored very well during the first three rounds, but also because they were audience favorites. Manav and Shama were close behind, with everyone else somewhere in the middle. Being eliminated from the show made no difference to Prajakta. She had her first album releasing soon and was almost relieved that she could focus all her attention to the album. Rahul had hoped that he would get to the top ten, but he believed in destiny and hoped that something bigger and better was waiting for him around the corner. All the celebrities wished the two well and the show finally came to an end.

[gujju mirchi]

Naaz, really you should get this story published, i mean you already have so many people reading it and you are still able to hold our interest after 20 chapters. you have very good talent and you should be recognized for it. Your book will def be sold out and plus you will make money on it. I know i would def buy the book to read it again again whneva i can b/c its that interesting. the best thig about your story is that it can be related to reality and not like some movies or shows where everything is fantacized. also, if you can get this story published than you should def try out to mak a movie on it and have the real celebrity ply their own roles. ( I would love to see you ply RIYA) ;) moreover, you can mak a reality show called "kadam se kadam mila" and have the actual celebrity as participants so they get recognized in a diff way as well.

anyhow, thts good that Zain finally decide to tak nap atleast for that day lol and hey its betta that he learns words lik "hottie" and "item" frm you and your husband rather thn som outsider, becasuse this way he wuld understand whn its appropriate to say these words. and whts the video that you saw of udita goswami and Upen patel??? i lik to see tht hehe

sorrie its lik 2am and i hav wrk at 830am so i dont hav tim rit now to read the following chapter but i juz read the comments so i can tell you that gurl you hav one AMAZING talent and go out thr and SHOW it to the world :D

mucho luv will def read the ch. soon and comment it.......bye

[luvshamit]

hahahha...........thks i lik the lil comment on my sn hehe ;)
YIPPIEEE Upen is gonna sty..........lol thks Naaz

the pics tht u posted def help....now i hav mor clear view of whose in and can actulli imagin thm perfoming based on their looks......omg UPEN in tank (juz fainted :eek: :rolleyes: :D ) lol

i gotta admit........now tht i look at Shamit's pic......he appears soo cute n lovable jus beacause of your story (i neva show fame gurukul).........GOOD JOB chokri.......u kno u gotta one heck of talent........hehee

nywz cant wait for the result and i lik the 2nd task.....somthing diff nice nice
def cant wait for the mystry round.......ummmm wht can it be?? singing?? acting?? hhehee
shamit IS cuteeeeeeeeeeeee and luvableeee=]=]=]=]hez the bestesttt person u can evaaa meeeet!!

[luvshamit]

i had to read a couple of pgz since i cldnt read for a while..and i got to this pg and read the last part of ch 20..i was sooo disappointed..i just wanted to keep on reading..ur story is sooo addicting..i just luv this show!! btw guess wht di..i was talking to shamit today..it was his bed time..so we spoke for a couple of mins and he asked me to tell him a story so tht he cld go sleep..lol..so i started narrating ur story to him..:D imna keep doing a ch every week..i mentioned abt how romantic shamu was..and how he flirted with riya...he goes "oh god divya..dun make up stuff.." lol..it was soo cute the way he responded..and we ended our convo with a fight:p :p lol..while hanging up he said "i hate u for this" and i said "i luv u for everything..and i knw u luv me too" (it wasnt abt ur fan fic..lol..i kinda tricked him for something else"
anywayz..back to the point..
dii..u shd publish it!! and then u'll be famous..dont forget me then;) and then u can make my dream come true abt ur next fan fic (lool) and then make me famous as well..hahahaha..jk di

[gujju mirchi]

awwwww mannn.......Rahul is out
yupieeee UPEN top four.....can this get ny better lol :D

cant wait to read the nxt chapter.......abt singing thts hot!!!! Shamit singing damm.......if you can please find a video of him singing PLEASE post it for me :o

[luvshamit]

awwwww mannn.......Rahul is out
yupieeee UPEN top four.....can this get ny better lol :D

cant wait to read the nxt chapter.......abt singing thts hot!!!! Shamit singing damm.......if you can please find a video of him singing PLEASE post it for me :o
ooohhh...i have ALL the videoz of him singing..lol..will definately post one;)

[luvshamit]

awwwww mannn.......Rahul is out
yupieeee UPEN top four.....can this get ny better lol :D

cant wait to read the nxt chapter.......abt singing thts hot!!!! Shamit singing damm.......if you can please find a video of him singing PLEASE post it for me :o
hey this is one of them...lemme knw if u want more..lol
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4RVZSVK0

[naaz123]

Hey Reems (Rima),
Sorry to take so long to write back to ya. I just haven't had the time to write any more with Valentine's day and other stuff going on. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement! I'm excited about maybe someday getting the story published...but about me acting in the movie! HA!!! They'd prolly pay me to NOT be in the movie! U see...I'm prolly better suited to play Ayi (LOL) :D I could be like in the current serials where the saas looks as young as the bahu, but still cast as an older character. U know what I mean right?
Upen and Udita were in the video of a remix called Kya Khoob Lagti Ho. The video is silly, but as always. Upen looks hot! Here's a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDVKECY9Gqk

Divs posted a video link for Shamit's performance. (Thanks DIVS!) She has many more and if u didn't go to the links that I posted on page 4 (cuz u were so excited about reading the rest of the story) :p here's the link. There's tons of videos of Amey, Shamit and Meenal. http://forum.indya.com/showthread.php?t=7822&page=4 Have fun and don't forget to study too!

Naaz, really you should get this story published, i mean you already have so many people reading it and you are still able to hold our interest after 20 chapters. you have very good talent and you should be recognized for it. Your book will def be sold out and plus you will make money on it. I know i would def buy the book to read it again again whneva i can b/c its that interesting. the best thig about your story is that it can be related to reality and not like some movies or shows where everything is fantacized. also, if you can get this story published than you should def try out to mak a movie on it and have the real celebrity ply their own roles. ( I would love to see you ply RIYA) ;) moreover, you can mak a reality show called "kadam se kadam mila" and have the actual celebrity as participants so they get recognized in a diff way as well.

anyhow, thts good that Zain finally decide to tak nap atleast for that day lol and hey its betta that he learns words lik "hottie" and "item" frm you and your husband rather thn som outsider, becasuse this way he wuld understand whn its appropriate to say these words. and whts the video that you saw of udita goswami and Upen patel??? i lik to see tht hehe

sorrie its lik 2am and i hav wrk at 830am so i dont hav tim rit now to read the following chapter but i juz read the comments so i can tell you that gurl you hav one AMAZING talent and go out thr and SHOW it to the world :D

mucho luv will def read the ch. soon and comment it.......bye

[naaz123]

Hey guys, I know I've hardly written anything in a while. Writing too much at a time has been difficult so I hope u don't mind getting little nibbles here and there. I'll try to have more of this chapter tomorrow or Monday. Happy reading!
Naaz

Chapter 21

The beginning of the week started as busy as ever for everyone. Riya had her K3M shootings and three major catering events during the weekend. Riya’s show K3M in conjuction with her being on Kadam gave rise to a massive demand for her catering company. Instead of turning away business, Riya ended up hiring more staff to help handle the growing catering needs. Mrs. Malhotra, Anju, and Karan got yet another promotion and huge bumps in their salaries. All three were happy with the way things were going.

Riya and Shamit were on their way to a meeting with Shankar , Ehsaan, Loy for the song selection and coaching session (not that they needed one, but it was required). Despite both of them being busy rehearsing for the entertainment round in a few days and all of the other commotion in their lilves, Shamit thought it would be a good idea for Riya to invite Shamit and Mrs. Tyagi over for dinner. It would give Mrs. Tyagi a chance to see Riya outside of her TV persona, as well as a chance to try Riya’s wonderful cooking.

“You want me to do what tonight,” asked Riya in complete astonishment. She couldn’t believe that just slipped out of her mouth. Yes, she was extremely occupied with everything she had going on in life, however, she also wanted to have a normal meeting with Shamit’s mom. The only time they had really met was in the hospital after the earthquake. After reading the newspaper article with Mrs. Tyagi’s comments, Riya wanted to make sure she did everything right, so that Mrs. Tyagi could never say anything like that about Riya.

“Hey, I just thought it would be nice for you to impress mom with your fantastic cooking. You know, both of you just haven’t had any opportunity to get to know each other,” said Shamit, getting closer to Riya and looking her in the eyes, with a very serious expression on his face. “Riya, I love you so much. I don’t want you to feel that you have to be someone else when you’re with Ma. It’s just really important for me that she gets to know you like I know you and…”

Riya interrupted Shamit. “I know exactly what you’re saying. You don’t even have to explain yourself. Of course, you want me and your mother to get along and how will we do that if we never meet. After our meeting, drop me home and I’ll get everything ready,” said Riya with a nervous smile on her face. She wasn’t nervous about cooking. That was a piece of cake for her. Trying to be herself and not get nervous or self conscious around Shamit’s mom was going to take a lot of effort. Shamit noticed that Riya was fidgeting and probably very nervous. He thought about possibly postponing the dinner to some other night, but he decided against it. The weeks were just going to get more and more demanding and there was no time better than the present to get his future wife to impress her future mother in law.

Shamit and Riya arrived at the Balaji Studios and ran into Amey and Meenal on their way out. They mentioned that they had just had their session with Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy (S-E-L) and things went well. Meenal was all smiles and Riya asked what the obvious excitement was about. Meenal let the two in on the news that her music album and first music video would be ready for release in about a week. Riya and Shamit were genuinely excited for Meenal. Both gave her a hug and congratulated her, adding that if there was anything they could do to help, they’d be more than willing. Riya and Shamit wished Meenal lots of luck, said goodbye and then went in.

Riya was excited about meeting the famous music directors and Shamit was excited about seeing Shankar jee (whom he knew from his days on Fame Gurukul) again. They went in and got right to business, since more contestants still needed coaching sessions. Riya and Shamit were given a few minutes to decide on what song they’d sing, while the three directors took a quick break. Riya thought that it should be Tere Bina from Guru since it was new and popular, but still had some classical parts to it. Shamit disagreed and thought that they should sing a slower, more romantic number like Din Doobe Na from Omkara. Riya loved that song too and knew Shamit was very fond of it, as well. They brainstormed a little more and thought that some of the songs from Dhoom 2 would be great too, however the best ones were not duets. Both of them thought for a while trying to come up with some other song that was perfect.

S-E-L came back expecting the two to have their song selected. All the contestants that had come in before Shamit and Riya were fairly prepared and had a specific song in mind. As they were brainstorming with S-E-L, and not able to get a unanimous suggestion from S-E-L, Riya came up with a brilliant idea. She asked if it would be ok, and Shamit as well as S-E-L agreed that it would be excellent. S-E-L warned Riya and Shamit not to let anyone know what they would be doing. The idea was original and S-E-L didn’t want any of the other participants to do the same thing unless they came up with the idea on their own. Riya and Shamit left very excited about being able to do something different during the show; something that would definitely set them apart from everyone else.

[gujju mirchi]

hey this is one of them...lemme knw if u want more..lol
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4RVZSVK0


THANKS!!! for the video but unfortunetly its not wrking for me : (

and thk u Naaz for all the other videos.....i hav seen that video of Upen n Udita before.....and yes as alwz UPEN looks soooo hot n cute.
btw i jus got star plus and star one and thr is this ad featuring Upen, the ad is for the show called "cook na kaho" i duno if he is reli in that show or not but i def love seeing him cook wit wearing tank.........he has somm muscles....lol

i understand wht ur stating abt playin "Ayi" in the show but i kno u'll still good i mean look at all the mother n fathers played in ekta's shows......the best example is Mr. Walia.........ohh mann in kasam se he is the BEST lookin n in reality his not even tht old lol :D

[gujju mirchi]

its ok naaz, i understand how busy it gets with doin thigs in life but i will alwz wait patientiontely for u to post ur nxt chapter and afta reading ch21 its all worth it.....2 new twists lol

cant wait to see how the dinner goes wit mrs. tyagi and of course no doubt the food wuld b amazing but hopfulli the woman is in a good mood and mak it lil easier for Riya to impress her

and lets see wht ekta thiks abt this surprise of Riya n Shamit in the show......but morover i lik to see wht song wuld thy sing :D

hopfulli the nxt postin is SOOONNN ;)

[naaz123]

Hey Reems,
Can't write much right now. I'm falling asleep as I type! But I did finish some more. Whew! Yes, I've heard of that cooking show with Upen. I actually came across it when I was looking for his pics. Something about that show will be coming up soon in the story. (Hint, hint!)...so here's the next part. Enjoy!!!

[naaz123]

Shamit dropped Riya off and went home himself to let his mother know that they were having dinner at Riya’s house. It took all of Mrs. Tyagi’s might to not make a sour face or comment on how she really would’ve rather done anything but go to Riya’s house that night. She controlled that first urge, smiled, and said that it would be great.

Meanwhile, Riya started the ardous task of making the first in which she hoped would be a lifetime of impressive dinners for the woman that might someday be her mother in law. Whipping up a dinner at such short notice had never been so difficult for Riya. She decided to put some soothing music on and just pretend that she was cooking a normal dinner for Shamit. She made the chapattis first since it was the easiest task. While she rolled out the dough and roasted the chapatis into perfect puffed globes above a flame, she searched her brain for a couple of good dishes that she could prepare well. She finally decided to go for her simple, yet delicious daal makhani, paneer tikka masala, and vegetable rice pulao. Once the chapatis were done, Riya gathered all of the ingredients and quickly cooked all three items.

After putting all the food into pretty serving bowls, Riya was finally able to change into something pretty herself. She decided to wear a semi fancy, yet still comfortable shalwar kameez. The outfit was made out of cotton silk and was tan in color with turquoise embroidery. (See pic) She pulled some hair back and out of her face, put on some lipstick and sat down on her baithak, waiting nervously for the doorbell to ring. When it finally rang after what seemed like years, Riya hopped up and opened the door.

http://www.zarichannel.com/shop/images/Trouser%20Set%20(044).jpg

Mrs. Tyagi walked in and Riya instinctively touched her feet. Mrs. Tyagi gave Riya ashirwaad, as a smilng Shamit looked on. He remembered listening to the Lage Raho Munna Bhai song: “Bole to bole woh kaisi hoghi hai” a few days back. One of the lines in the song asked “Ma ke per chuegi, ya just kahegi hi”. That line made Shamit laugh and also gave him the idea of getting Riya and his mother together sooner rather than later. Although he knew how “sanskari” Riya was, he was happy that she did “per choona” to his mom.

The night began with Riya trying to make small talk with Mrs. Tyagi. Annoyingly, Mrs. Tyagi only responded to Riya’s questions in one or two word sentences. Shamit quickly intervened and tried to break the ice a little. He knew that his mom loved nothing more than to talk about when Shamit was younger, so he he asked his mom to relate a few stories to Riya. Riya looked on, eyes widened, eager to hear all about Shamit’s childhood and upbringing. Mrs. Tyagi half heartedly recounted a story about Shamit’s singing lessons. Shamit felt the uneasiness in Mrs. Tyagi’s voice and continued the story himself in a more animated tone of voice. After Shamit’s story was over, Riya decided that it may be better to move on to an activity that she felt more comfortable with and hoped that Mrs. Tyagi would also feel more at home with the food.

Riya excused herself to heat up the food and set the table. When Riya was in the kitchen, Shamit, as nicely and politely as he could, told his mom that he knew she wasn’t comfortable around Riya yet, but to try to give her a chance, keeping an open mind, and more importantly, an open heart. “Yes, of course,” answered Mrs. Tyagi, not knowing how much more of this she’d have to endure before Shamit finally realized (and she knew he would) that Riya just wasn’t right for him or their family. Mrs. Tyagi felt that she could see right through Riya and the “bhola bhala” front that she was putting up. First of all, where were some of Riya’s family members? She knew Riya had lost her parents, but Mrs. Tyagi expected at least some adult from Riya’s family to be present. Mrs. Tyagi didn’t approve that she was at her future daughter in law’s house and there were no potential “in-laws” present. Shamit had no idea what his mother’s expectations were. For him, this was just a simple dinner for the two to begin to grow close, not a meeting to arrange wedding details or even anything close to it.

“Kya soch rahi ho,ma,” said Shamit with a bit of annoyance in his voice. “Itna mat socho. Just remember we’re here just so you and Riya can get to know each other better. Jaise aap mere aur doston ke saath araam se baatein karti ho, waise hi Riya ke saath bhi karo, na” pleaded Shamit.

“Theekh he beta, mein phirse koshish karti hu,” said Mrs. Tyagi, realizing for the first time that she had forgotten about what she promised Shamit earlier. She remembered that she had decided to give Riya a chance, fair and square. What Shamit didn’t realize was that his mother was set in her ways, and was almost incapable of changing her views right away, as was the case with many other parents her age and in the same situation. If the situation was ideal, Shamit may have given his mom a little more time to get used to the fact that he was dating Riya, and he would have not pushed his mom into this little “get to know each other” dinner. Along the same lines, the situation would have been helped along tremendously if Mrs. Tyagi would have just tried to put some of her preconceived notions aside and give Riya a chance.

Dinner was served and Mrs. Tyagi and Shamit joined Riya in the dining room. The aroma of the food wafted through out the house and Mrs. Tyagi was happy that, at the least, the food smelled really good. They ate mostly in silence, with Shamit saying, now and then how good everything was. Mrs. Tyagi finished her food much faster than Riya and Shamit, and Riya feared that she didn’t like it. Riya didn’t know Mrs. Tyagi well enough to ask, as many hosts did to get their guests to have a second helping. Instead she gestured to Shamit to ask his mom if she wanted more.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Riya went to open it and found Amey standing there. Before he could say anything, Riya said that Shamit and his mom were over for dinner and asked if he could come back later. He noticed right away how flustered Riya looked. She had the same expression on her face that Meenal once used to have when she had to be around Ayi. He said that he just needed a cd from Riya’s collection and he would only be a minute. Riya obliged and let him in. He went and shook hands with Shamit, said namaste to Mrs. Tyagi, and apologized for the interruption. Amey went over to the wall where Riya had her cd’s and Mrs. Tyagi noticed how comfortable Amey was in Riya’s apartment, one more reason for Mrs. Tyagi to believe that Riya wasn’t a “bahu” type. She feared the situation that one of her kitty party friends had faced, where the bahu had her close college friends (who were all male) over all the time. Amey’s voice interrupted Mrs. Tyagi’s thoughts. He couldn’t find th