Hi ya!

Hope you all like the new cover!

India lost yesterday! 😭😭😭

Makes me want to hit someone. Tanu or Nikhil come here please. 💪

Anyways, Onwards!!!

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

(Words in braces) - Telephone conversations

Chapter 19 - Changing Tides

*Drip* *drip*

Water dripped from his clothes with each step he took forward. His hair was in front of his face, covering his features and he was drenched in water because of the rain. Each step of his was like an angry lion heading towards its opponent. He balled his hands into fists. People around him gave way as he marched past them. He was letting out an aura of darkness which promised pain and misery to whoever was responsible for this condition of his.

'And I'm almost near that person' he thought, as he looked towards the hospital room. He walked with stiff steps towards it, his wet boots squeaking. He slowly turned the knob and slammed open the door!

All the occupants in the room, two boys, a girl and an elderly woman, turned to look at him wide-eyed.

He could see the one responsible for his condition sitting comfortably on the bed. "You, Pragya! You are responsible for everything!" At once, chaos broke out.

"Aaaaa! Witch! It's a witch! Churail!" Sumit exclaimed, hiding behind Samay.

Samay and Sarla were looking at the new person in confusion and fright.

Pragya, on the other hand, was laughing her head off. "Ahahaha...Sha-Shabbir..hahaha.. What happened to you?"

Shabbir was drenched from head to toe in water and his wet long hair was clinging to his face. He looked like a drowned rat.

"You're Shabbir? Dude! What the heck!? It's not Halloween for you to play dress up. You almost scared me to death!" shouted Sumit.

Shabbir grabbed his wet locks of hair and pushed it back. "Its all her fault. She was the one who called me here urgently. In a hurry, I forgot to take my umbrella!"

"Hahaha...you should try playing the role of churail in dramas."

"Shut up Pragya!" he looked at his reflection in the glass and tried to settle his hair. He put on his glasses "Now I look like a cool rockstar."

"You still look like a drowned rat. A highly sophisticated and urban drowned rat." Samay pointed out, to which Shabbir glared.

"Whatever. You're just jealous of my hair." He turned to Pragya "Why did you call me?"

The door to the room opened once again and Aliyah entered. "You called me, Pragya?"

"Yes. I called you both. Samay, Sumit, Maa...could you please move out for sometime?" They nodded and moved out.

"Why is she here?" asked Shabbir.

"Why did you call me while he is here? I could have come later." Aliyah said while glaring at Shabbir.

"I called you both because I wanted you both to work together for the Fest."

"What?!" They both exclaimed out in disbelief.

"Yes. You heard it right."

"No way am I working with this arrogant girl Pragya. Forget it."

"I'm not working with this arrogant jerk either."

"Watch what you say, spoilt brat!"

"Who are you to tell me my place, black sheep!"

'Wow. Their attitudes are the same. Shabbir and Aliyah are more alike than they think. Well, time to do some damage control.'

"Hey, quiet down, alright? Just listen to me once. Please." They both calmed down to listen to her. "Look! Only today and tomorrow is left for the College Fest. And Maa doesn't want me to go practice. You already know how she fainted out of worry. I don't want to worry her more. This is why I want you two to work together."

"I will find another partner. I could take Bulbul."

"No Shabbir. Bulbul already has three performances. Only Aliyah is the best singer left. You have to take her help."

"Then there is no need of the duet in the Fest. I won't help him in anyway!" Aliyah shouted.

"Aliyah, forget about Shabbir. Think about your father. Didn't you say that this Fest means a lot to him? He really wants his college to be the best. Don't you want to help your father fulfill that dream?" Aliyah looked down in thought.

"And most importantly, I want this duet to happen." She smiled at both of them. "I have read the lyrics to Shabbir's song. It deserves a great applause and the most melodious voice, which is yours Aliyah. That is why I want you two to work together. Please do this for me. Please?"

It was silent for sometime. After a moment, Aliyah sighed. "Fine! I'll do it. But only for you. Not for him."

"And I'll do it for my song. I want people to appreciate it." Shabbir put forward his hand "I will try to be polite with you till the performance, provided you do the same. Deal?"

Aliyah shook his hand "Deal." with a nod towards Pragya, she left.

Shabbir turned to glare at Pragya. "Tell me the real reason you did it."

Pragya smirked "Ah! I knew you had a brain somewhere. And as for why I did it, I want you to reconcile with your siblings, be a family again."

Shabbir looked at her in disbelief "Are you crazy! I already told you why I can't be near them! Don't you understand that their lives will be in danger? They could get hurt!"

"Exactly. They would get hurt. That's why I did it." Pragya turned serious. "You said you want them to be alive and well. You thought about their physical well being. But what about their hearts? Don't they feel pain there? You cut ties with them to keep them safe. But did you ever think of how much pain you may have caused them?"

Shabbir looked down in shame. He knew he had hurt them. He still remembers how Aliyah begged him not to go, but he left, calling her a 'stupid excuse for a girl.' He still remembers Abhi's shocked face and the hurt in his eyes when he left. It hurt him as much it had hurt them, but it was all for a cause.

"They hate me. Eventually they will forget me as a bad dream and move on with thie own lives."

"Really now? You really believe that? You really think that the truth would never come out? Stop lying to yourself Shabbir! The truth will come out eventually. Do you know what would happen then? Your siblings would be filled with guilt and remorse. They would keep blaming themselves for not trying to understand you better, would never forgive themselves and always remain in guilt. Is that what you want?!"

"No. I don't want that. That's why I will never let them find the truth. No matter what." Shabbir stormed out of there, without paying heed to any of Pragya's shouts.

She sighed. "When will he ever- aa-achoo!" Pragya sniffed "Ugh! Now I have cold too? Me and my luck!" She could feel the onset of a headache.

"Wow Di. What did you do to piss him off? He looked ready to kill someone." Bulbul remarked as she entered.

"Nothing Bulbul. Leave it." She noticed that Bulbul was smiling from ear to ear. "Any reason you're smiling so much?"

"Not just one Di. I have loads!" she sat down beside Pragya "First, you're recovering. Second, I went to meet Kriti today."

"Is she okay? Nothing happened to her right?"

"She's okay di. She said that Karan and Vivek are working hard to find proof against Tanu and Nikhil and will soon find it."

"I see." Pragya sneezed again, and paused before speaking. "Anyway, what other good news did you have?"

"Di! Purab...Purab proposed!"

Pragya's eyes widened and her face broke out into a smile. "I'm so happy for you chutki. So glad you found your love."

"Yep. But don't worry. I won't marry until you find yours first." She winked playfully at Pragya. However, she frowned when she saw Pragya look down in thought.

"Is...is something wrong di?"

Pragya wanted someone to give her advice on what she should do about her feelings. 'I think Bulbul would be the perfect person to ask this.' She nodded to herself and turned to Bulbul.

"Bulbul, I need to tell you something..." and so she explained everything that happened. About her confused feelings, Abhi's proposal, her thoughts on Shabbir, her thoughts on Abhi...everything.

Bulbul was in deep thought. She expected that Abhi felt something towards her Di, but she never thought that he would propose so soon. It came as a shock to her.

(Author's note : Chill. You're not alone. Even I, myself, didn't think so.)

She also didn't think her di would ever feel something towards Shabbir. 'How? I mean, she hated that guy! They were both like oil and water. Then how did she fall for him? Di may not realize it, but the way she spoke about Shabbir...I think she likes him. Should I tell her that?'

Bulbul looked back at Pragya who was coughing and sneezing. 'But di is so vulnerable. She has people after her life. Will Shabbir be able to protect her? If Abhi is with her, he will have his father's support. That way, he will have the money and resources to keep di safe. Shabbir on the other hand, only has an apartment and his singing skill. That isn't enough to keep di safe.'

Bulbul was reminded of the poison incident. 'I think Tanu did that to remove me from the way so that she can harm Pragya Di eventually. She even tried to drop the multiplex lights on her. All this, just because Shabbir paid Di more attention!?' Bulbul came to a decision 'With shabbir, Di will always be in harm's way. I must convince her to chose Abhi.'

"Di, I think you should chose Abhi. Whatever you said about Shabbir seems like a passing phase to me. You like singing. That's why, you're becoming fan of his amazing singing skills and mistaking it for love. Its just that. Nothing more."

Bulbul held Pragya's hands "Di, Abhi has done so much for you. He saved your life, has been there as a good friend, always tried to win your heart and even now, he had stayed so long with you, leaving his own work. Don't you think you deserve to give him something in return?"

Bulbul felt guilty of taking advantage of Pragya's good nature. She knew that she was making Pragya accept Abhi by making her feel grateful of Abhi, but she justified it by making herself believe that she was protecting her Di.

"But Bulbul, Shabbir is al-"

"Shabbir isn't the right guy for you Di. Don't you remember how he is? He is rude to Abhi, to you, to Aliyah. He's an arrogant jerk!"

Pragya looked down. 'Only if you knew the truth Bulbul. I know why he is doing this. He is a good person inside. I...How could I take your opinion when what you know is only half the truth?!' Pragya held her head in frustration. Her head was aching like as if someone was drumming inside her head.

Bulbul put a hand to her forehead and found it extremely hot. "Oh my Di! You've got to rest. Lie down Di."

"Yea. I think you're right. I need to stop thinking and let go of all this stress."

#With Shabbir#

Shabbir sat outside the hospital on the public bench, deep in thought. It was raining, yet he didn't care.

"Shabbir? Here you are. What are you doing sitting here in the rain?!" Purab came and held the umbrella over both of their heads. "Guess what?! I maned up and proposed. And Bulbul said yes!"

Shabbir let out a smile "Congrats bro."

He noticed Shabbir's gloom mood. "Shabbir, what's wrong? And don't even try to deny it. I'm your best friend and I know you better than anyone else."

Shabbir sighed "I finally realized Purab. I finally realized that I like Pragya."

"That's great news! How did you know?"

"Yesterday, when she was lying lifeless on the floor, I felt like dying too Purab. I felt as if I lost a part of me. I couldn't move, I couldn't think right! Its then that that I realized how much she means to me."

"Then what is there to feel gloom about? Just go and admit it to her."

"It's not that easy Purab."

"Why not? I don't think Pragya has a boyfriend. So where's the problem?"

"It's not that either."

"If you're worried that she won't accept you, then let me tell you this. I know that she admires you an-"

"Its Abhi. He likes her." Shabbir softly spoke out.

Purab blinked....and blinked again. "Wow. Never saw that coming. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter. Its Abhi who likes her, but we don't know if Pragya likes him back or not. Which means you still have a chance."

"I won't try."

Purab looked at him, shocked.

"What are you saying Shabbir? Why not?!"

"I'm saying the right thing." he turned to Purab "Look at my life, Purab! Its full of dangers. I don't want Pragya to get hurt because of me. Even what Tanu did...I think it has something to do with me."

"But Shabbir, you can't give up your love so easily!"

"I can give anything and everything for my siblings. Besides, both Abhi and Pragya are people who are precious to me. If they both are together, Abhi would be happy and Pragya would be safe."

"And what about you, huh? Don't you deserve happiness? Don't you deserve your love?"

"All love stories don't end happily Purab. Life isn't just about a happy ending. In reality, there is pain and suffering too." He stood up. "Abhi can keep her safe and happy. She will keep Abhi happy. That's all I want."

"But Shabbir tha-"

"But nothing Purab. I won't tell her I love her and neither will you. Promise me." Purab wanted to argue, but Shabbir's piercing gaze clearly said that there was no way to convince him otherwise.

Purab nodded. He looked towards the sky as thunder rumbled and it rained harder. 'Why does it feel like the sky is crying for Shabbir. It seems like it feels the pain of a broken heart?'

"Let's go check on Nikhil, shall we Purab?"

Purab was broken out of his thoughts when he was reminded of Nikhil. They had left to find him the previous day, but didn't find him anywhere. However, today they aimed to find him anyhow. 😠

#Market#

"Found something?" Karan shook his head in negative on Vivek's question.

They both had been trying to locate the place from which Nikhil could have bought the poison from. It couldn't be in the open, and so they were digging into the darker areas of the market, where many illegal trades are done. However, they hadn't made any progress.

Karan's phone buzzed. He checked it to find a message with a photo. The photo was of Kriti.

The message said "Who's this? Am I getting replaced?"

Karan looked at the number and smiled. He dialed that number "Hello, love."

(I see I've not been replaced.)

"You really think I would fall for another when I have you?"

"You found time to flirt now? Seriously?" Vivek asked in irritation.

Karan shoo-ed him away and walked to a distance to talk.

(If that's not the matter, then who's in the photo? A friend of mine says you spend a lot of time with her. Do I need to end her to get you?)

To anyone else, it would seem like a threat. But Karan knew she was only joking.

"Its not that, love. *sigh* Let me explain."

After sometime...

(I see. So that's why these days your mind seemed preoccupied when you called)

"True."

(Hmm...I think I need to help you. After all, you are my fiance.)

Before Karan could say anything, she cut the call. Karan looked at his phone wide-eyed.'Oh my. I know how brutal you can get. Now... now I'm scared for Tanu's well being.'

#City Hospital, Late evening#

Pragya' breath was coming out in short gasps. She was sweating profusely and griping the sheets harder.

"Maa, what is happening to Di? Will she be alright?"

"Don't worry beta. Pragya will be fine."

"Here doctor. Come fast!" Sumit and Samay brought in the doctor to check Pragya's condition.

They waited impatiently as he checked on Pragya.

"It looks like she has high fever. It maybe the side effects of the poison. She also seems to be taking much stress." he got up to leave. "We'll give her medicines for her fever. She should be alright by morning."

"Thank you, doctor. You've helped my daughter so much."

"It's my job. Take good care of her and keep her away from any stressors." He smiled and went out.

"Sarla aunty...you should go home for today. You've hadn't had a proper sleep in two days. Bulbul you should go too."

"And what about the both of you? You haven't rested either. I'm not going. You both go rest."

"No Sarla Aunty. Bhai is right. You and Bulbul should go."

"I had gone home, had a good rest, a good meal, even met Kriti on my way. I don't need to go anywhere. You three leave." Bulbul spoke.

"I could stay here with Pragya if you don't mind." spoke a voice from the door.

"Abhi. Welcome beta." Sarla welcomed him.

Looking at him, Bulbul got an idea 'It's best if he spends more time with Di. I should ask him to stay.'

"Maa, Sumit, Samay... me and Abhi will stay here for the night. You three go and rest." They were about to protest, but Bulbul interrupted "Or I'll tell Pragya Di later that you three didn't take care of yourself. Do you want her to feel guilty?"

"Bulbul, that's blackmail!" exclaimed Sumit.

"Learnt it from you cousin." 😏

Samay sighed. "Alright, lets go. But we'll be back right at the crack of dawn!"

#With Nikhil#

Nikhil sighed for the unempth time. He couldn't believe his rotten luck. He had taken his bike to college thinking it wouldn't rain. But unfortunately, out of nowhere it started raining heavily. Not to mention his confrontation with Shabbir and Purab. They both had accused him of poisoning Pragya and framing Kriti. He had tried his best to lie, but they wouldn't believe him.

He gave up the acting and admitted that he did it. However, he was overjoyed to see their faces when he realized that they didn't have any proof against him. 'Stupid losers. They should have kept quiet and may be they would have found some clues against me. But now that they have alerted me, I could take precautions.'

He was broken out of his thoughts by the thunder. He sighed again in frustration. He had to keep his bike at the college and take a bus home because of the rain. He jerked ahead as the bus came to a stop.

Nikhil got up and looked outside the open doors. 'Well Nikhil beta, your house is in 5 minutes distance from here. Guess you have to walk till there. *sigh* Why me?!'

He got out and started running towards his home. He felt his phone vibrate. 'Which idiot is calling now?!'

He stopped under the shelter of a shop and checked the caller I.D. He smiled and received the call. "Hello Tanu darling. What made you think of me?"

(Did you hear what happened?)

"Yes, I did. Your plan failed epically, I know." 😏

(You were involved in it as well. Don't put the entire blame on me!) 😡

"Fine, fine. What happened now?"

(I think Aliyah might tell the truth. If she does, we might get into trouble. And I don't want Shabbir finding out about me.)

"I think he already did. Aliyah told them the truth."

(What?! Oh no! We're trapped Nikhil. They will get us arrested!)

Nikhil could hear the panic in her voice and tried to calm her down.

"Don't worry, alright? Even if Aliyah gives her statement, it won't be enough to prove us guilty. Besides, I didn't leave any evidence behind. So you just rest Tanu."

(I hope you're right Nikhil.) saying that, she cut the call.

Nikhil put the phone in his pocket and rushed towards his home.

When he was almost near the gate, he felt like someone was following him.

However, when he looked back at the crowd of people moving about, he couldn't find anyone suspicious.

He walked inside, thinking it was nothing. However, unknown to him, a cloaked figure stopped beside his gate.

"Nikhil Sood. Your game has come to an end. This time, you've become the prey to the true predator. Its about time the tides changed for the better. You will admit your crime yourself."

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To be continued...

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~ 🌹 Mona 🌹