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Aaja rehle yahan (Come and live here)
Jayega ab tu kahan (Where else do you have to go…)
As I focus on these two men, I silently vow to thwart any harm they may cause to the Shergills and the Walias in the future.
Parda Parda Haan Parda Parda (Hide… Hide)
Haan Apno Se Kaisa Parda (But why hide from someone your own?)
Parda Parda Haan Parda Parda (Hide… Hide)
Haan Apno Se Kaisa Parda (But why hide from someone your own?)
The dance continues, the tension escalates, and the clandestine war amongst us plays out in the hypnotic rhythm of the music. Just then, my phone rings and it’s Krish. I search for him among the crowd, but he seems to have left. I answer the call and make my way to a quieter room, away from the loud music.
“Krish, where are you?” I inquire the moment I answer the call.
“I’m heading out with Meher and your father. We are going back home, Ayaan. You get to the car now,” he declares.
That’s a wise decision.
“What about the Walias?” I ask.
“Vishnu is also leading them out. We can’t afford to stay here any longer. The backup team is around you to safely escort you out to the car. I told you I had a bad feeling about this event. Just hurry up and get your a*s out here so we drive home.”
“Take them home, I’ll follow shortly,” I reply.
“No, Ayaan. You don’t get to have a say here. Your protection is my damn duty. If you aren’t coming with us, I’m coming there for you.”
“No, you won’t,” I snap. “I want you to personally ensure that both families reach home safely. I can’t leave this place until I have my answers.”
“What damn answers are you talking about, Ayaan? This is not the right time for it. Didn’t you notice how well-prepared they are, and we have no control over this situation? Let’s return home and then decide on our next course of action.”
“Take them home safely, Krish,” I reiterate before ending the call.
I am relieved that Krish and Vishnu have already arranged for both families to leave this party. Tej Khurana and Raghav are currently after me to confront me, and I won’t leave until that happens. As I look around, I notice a giant chessboard on a corner table with the game half-played. The area where I am standing has various indoor games for guests to enjoy, and chess is one of them. My eyes focus on the white bishop on the board, and its mere presence there, though silent, mocks me.
“It’s my favourite game too.” His voice reverberates behind me. “At least one of my sons has inherited my trait and loves this game as much as I do. Raghav has no interest in chess.”
I don’t need to know whose voice it is as I’m too familiar now with his murky presence. As Tej Khurana approaches, two armed guards from my backup team step closer to me to protect me. However, I signal them to stop where they are. I don’t want them closer until I’ve had this conversation with him. They stay there, remaining close enough to provide backup if needed in case Tej Khurana or his men attempt to harm me. He grins at my men before turning to face me.
“I noticed you sent both the families away. Good move, but a pointless one,” he brags. “Do you really think Raghav or I would harm them here so openly?”
“That’s called precautionary measures, Dad,” Raghav intervenes, joining us. “But see the good part. We managed to scare them off easily, didn’t we?”
I wish I could wipe that smirk off his face.
“It’s always wise to take a step back instead of jumping into the unknown,” I reply, curbing my anger and staring directly at Raghav. “You probably don’t know this, but I just learned from him that you have no interest in playing chess,” I mock. “However, just so you know that in this game of chess, every piece has the freedom to retreat, except for the pawns. They do so not because they are afraid to move forward but because they are waiting for a better opportunity to strike and take down the opponent’s pieces. So, don’t act so arrogantly, thinking that you threatened any of us. You didn’t. We just changed our moves to make you two lose hard.”
Raghav clenches his jaw.
“Bravo, Ayaan. Bravo,” Tej Khurana claps with pride. “I like that undying spirit in you. That’s exactly what I expected from you. No wonder you are the King of this game. The mighty King!”
I’m not surprised that he knows about the titles of the chess pieces that Meher and I have given to our family members.
“Yes, I know it,” he smiles. “You are the King, Meher is your Queen, Aksh is the Knight, and Vishnu is the Rook. You have a few pawns, too. But there was only one piece missing in this game so far. The Bishop – that’s me!”
He picks up the white bishop from the chessboard and admires it, revealing his intense passion for these chess pieces, just like me. This is a trait which I have unwillingly adopted from him.
