Title: "Playing For Keeps"
Author: monimala
Fandom: Hindi movie, "Khiladi"
Rating/Classification: NAC, angst, het, slash-ish
Disclaimer: I don't even KNOW who owns these characters, but Sabeeha and Deepak Tijori brought them to life. Talk about people who've fallen off the map...
Summary: The night before Sheetal is brutally murdered, she reflects on
how she's gotten where she is...and if she still wants to be there.
Pronunciation notes: The 'd' in the middle of a word in Hindi is pronounced like an 'r' and 'n's at the ends of words are silent. A translation of words not defined in context is at the end.
In the distance, she could still hear the music from the festival...Neelam
and Raj's voices echoing as they sang. The sounds of the bells and the dhol.
The little island was beautiful. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend she was here on a vacation and not for Raj's bilkul number one stupid plan to make her father crazy. No... not just a vacation. A honeymoon.
Not that Bonny showed any signs of wanting to marry her.
Not that he showed signs of wanting *anybody*... except maybe his khiladi hero, Raj. All day long, all night long, it was "Raj yeh..." and "Raj
woh..." and just once...*once* she wanted to hear him say "Sheetal yeh..."
and "Sheetal woh..." and "Sheetal, I love you."
Three years, she'd loved him. Three insane years of watching him and Raj play games and lord it over the entire college. Three years of knowing that his real name was "Arvind", that he actually wanted to be an engineer if he ever got out of school, and that he never had money to pay off his bets because his father was a drunk who stole it all for daru at the local liquor stand.
Raj didn't even know that last thing. Raj Malhotra. Kitna mahaan
admi. What a wonderful guy. So wonderful that her best friend did nothing
but sing his praises all day long. *Both* her best friends. He'd already
had Bonny...and then he'd stolen Neelam, too. Them and their star-struck prem kahani.
Their love story was the whole reason she was on this romantic, beautiful, island, completely *alone*.
Leaves rustled and the light from the cottage seemed to all flow in the
direction of them. "Sheetal...Sheetal...itne andhere main kya karrahe
hu?" What was she doing out in the dark?
Bonny's eyes were bloodshot and there was a bemused grin on his face. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Manori Island + village festival +
two days away from their parents meant "ganja break." She sighed, sitting
down on the stone steps as he approached. "Tumhara intezar, Hero." Waiting for him . She would always be waiting for him, wouldn't she?
"Arre...Sheetal...don't be mad, yaar." His low voice was almost whiny as
he dropped down next to her and poked her in the shoulder. "Just having
fun, na?"
She wanted his hand to linger on her skin...to inch upwards and stroke her throat. "Raj ke idea of fun ya tera? Do you ever do anything, Bonny, that
Mister Raj doesn't approve first?" she wondered, moving his fingers off and
dropping his hand in his lap.
He just stared at her for a long moment. Bilkul Hanuman. He had no
response to the accusation. Or maybe he just wasn't used to her bitterness. "Haan," he said, finally, eyes going dark. "Sometimes I do things without Raj."
She couldn't help a sound of disbelief. "Ah-ha. Oh, really?" The night
wind was picking up and she suddenly regretted wandering around only in her
t-shirt and pants. She shivered. "Like smoking ganja, haan?"
"Nahin." Bonny shook his head, sharply. "Like this."
Three years, she'd loved him...and he'd never kissed her. Not once.
As his hand slid behind her neck and he gently slanted his mouth across
hers, she hoped he wouldn't wait another three years to do it again.
"Bonny...Arvind..." she began...not knowing what she was supposed to
say...wanting to say something...and he rescued her with a smile and a joke
like always.
"See...no stamp of approval from Mister Raj." And he stood, offering her
a hand up.
They walked back to the cottage with their fingers entwined.
And when she opened her eyes, he was still there. So, there was still hope.
--end--
dhol-a type of Indian drum.
bilkul-totally/very
khiladi-player/hunter
daru-booze
yeh-this
woh-that
prem kahani -love story
haan-yes
ya tera-or yours?
Hanuman- a mythical monkey god
nahin-no
yaar-friend
January 30, 2003.