Third person

The temple lamps burned low, their light flickering against the ancient stones of Kashi Vishwanath. The air was thick with chants of "Har Har Mahadev," but suddenly, the rhythm faltered. Heads turned. Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

He had arrived .



Wrapped in a deep crimson dhoti, his bare torso gleamed under the golden glow of oil lamps. Broad-shouldered, lean-waisted, every line of muscle carved with precision, his presence carried the kind of weight no one could ignore. He didn't stride like a king, nor bow like a common man-he walked as though he belonged, as though the very stones of Kashi had waited for his footsteps.

"Chote Sarkar aagaye..." one of the older priests whispered, lowering his gaze in respect. Others joined their palms instantly. The title hung heavy in the air, not shouted, but breathed like a secret prayer.

( Chotte sarkar has arrived)

But the old priest saw everything when the girl bumped into him and their conversation and it gives a smile to the priest .

Then another persist came towards the older preist and saw his expression and ask

Pandit ji....?

The elder priest's eyes darkened, his voice hushed.

"Jo rishta dikhai nahi deta, beta... wahi sabse bhaari hota hai."

( The relationship that is not visible, son... is the heaviest.)

On hearing this the other persist just narrow his eyes and get more confused about what he said.

On the other side both the girls stand on the road and looking in the direction from which the car drive off then the girl comes towards her friend and said

" oh god tune uski gaddi ki head light phod de "

( Oh god you broke the headlight of the car)

on hearing this her friend look towards her and raise an eyebrow and say with the dramatic expression

" Ha to tu kya chahti thi ese hi Jane du use abhi to sirf head light phodi h bahar aaya ya aai whatever , to uska sar bhi phodh deti "

( So what did you want? Let him go like this. I just broke the headlight. If he had come outside or she , whatever, I would have broken his head too.)

The girl didn't say anything but shook her head and put hit her forehead and then said " Aree yaar kya karu me tera Geetu "

( What should I do with you geetu )

Then her friend didn't said anything and go towards her BMW M5 and said

"Ohh, thanku God Dimple ko kuch nahi hua are you okay Dimple lagi to nahi na

I swear agli baar ager wo Aadmi samne aaya na uski gaadi k sare shishe( mirror) phod dungi "

( Ohh, thank you God, nothing happened to Dimple, you okay, Dimple was not hurt, right? I swear, next time if that man comes in front of me, I will break all the mirrors of his car.)

She said furiously then her friend look at her in disbelief that who give name to the car that's also Dimple and also talking to it then she murmure under her breath " kya karam kiye h jo ashe bestfriend mile h ache to nahi kiya ye to pta chal gya is pagal ko dekh k "

But she heard it .

( What good have I done to get such a best friend: I realized that I did not do the right thing after seeing this crazy person.)

Then her friend said. " oh please tu shuru mt ho ja ab and let's go already boht late ho raha h almost 8am ho chuke h ab chl nahi tu sab samjhe ki me tujhe bhaga k le gaye hu "

On hearing this she chuckled and both sit in the car and move towards the hotel venue

( Oh please don't start now and let's go already it is getting very late, it is almost 8 o'clock now, don't cheat, you all will think that I have kidnapped you.)

Back to mandir

"Chote Sarkar..." the whispers ran along the steps of the ghat like fire spreading through dry grass.

He said nothing, only lifted his eyes to the river that stretched endlessly beneath the dark sky. The moonlight struck his physique, every muscle gleaming as though sculpted by divine hands. His gaze softened-not for the world, not for the priests, but for Maa Ganga herself.

He descended the cold steps slowly, each footfall echoing with unshakable purpose. The water lapped against his ankles, then his waist, until the river embraced him whole. He closed his eyes, dipped beneath, and the world fell silent.

When he rose, droplets streamed down his skin like molten pearls, tracing the ridges of his chest and arms. His palms pressed together in reverence, he whispered, "Gangey Gange tripathaga... raksha karna Maa "

He stood amidst the light and smoke, eyes locked on the flickering lamps drifting down the current. And then, as the chants grew louder .

The priest closest to him spoke, breaking the moment.

"Chote Sarkar, Maa Ganga ki kripa sada aap par bani rahe. Ab chalna hoga... mandir mein Rudra Abhishek ka samay ho raha hai."

( Chhote Sarkar, may Mother Ganga's blessings always be upon you. We must leave now... It's time for Rudra Abhishek in the temple.")

He gave a slight nod, acknowledging the priests, his expression unreadable, his dark eyes carrying a gravity that silenced the restless crowd. The air thickened-not with fear, but with fascination. His aura was too immense to dismiss, too human to deify.

The Rudra Abhishek began. The priests offered him the kalash first, their voices trembling with a mixture of reverence and curiosity. As he lifted it, water streaming over his forearm, his gaze flickered-just for a heartbeat-towards the inner sanctum.

Then streams of milk, honey, and water cascading over the dark stone, mingling with the fragrance of bel leaves. The man lifted the kalash himself, his forearm muscles taut, veins standing against his skin, and poured the cool water of the Ganga over the Shivling His lips murmured each mantra with precision, as though the syllables were forged deep within him, not learned from a book.

As the Abhishek continues one priest wishpers to other

" Kya lagta hai..?

The other understand his question and Said " pta nahi ....., Chote Sarkar... itne samay baad wapas aaye hain."

( What do you think...?

They understood his question and said, "I don't know..., Chote Sarkar... has come back after so long.")

Around him, devotees whispered, some awed by his towering presence, others by the fierce devotion that radiated from him. He looked less like a man,but -burning with strength, yet bowing in surrender before the eternal.

His lips moved with the mantra, "Om Namah Shivaya... Om Namah Shivaya..." but his eyes... they were elsewhere. Not on the crowd, not on the priests, but inward, as though a storm raged in a part of him no one was allowed to see.

When the rituals ended, he stood in silence, palms pressed together, chest rising like the waves of Ganga. The priest placed sacred ash on his forehead, and he bowed low, his frame folding like iron bent by devotion.

He bowed deeply, touching the garland to his forehead, his jaw tightening for just a heartbeat-as if he had remembered something he wasn't supposed to. Something-or someone-far beyond these temple walls.

He pressed his palms together and bowed low before the deity. Yet the faintest curl of his lips betrayed something-an acknowledgement not to the priest, but to ..... that had found him in the crowd.

While on the other side

Geetu and the bride going towards the hotel venue

Geetu is driving the car . She noticed her behaviour is distant so she ask her

Geetu ask " All good? You seems to be in deep thoughts what happened?

The bride who is looking outside the window glass said " Nothing just nervous "

"Nervous why getting married that's why " her friend ask

" I guess yeah but pta nahi ek alag hi bechaini ho rahi h and this not only because of marriage" she said

( I guess this but I don't know why I am feeling a different kind of restlessness: and this is not only because of marriage)

" Kya matlab " her friend ask

( What do you mean) .

" Pta nahi yaar bas ek ajeeb si feeling aarahi h jese sab sahi nahi ja raha "

She remembering few days before and also what priest said and that man

( I don't know yaar , I just have a strange feeling as if everything is not going right.)

" But everything is going well every preparation every ritual perform well so all of sudden asa kyu ?"

" Pta nahi yaar " she said looking outside the window bateling with her inner turmoil.

( I don't know)

" Relax babe relax nothing bad gonna happen okay " she try to ease her tension. " By the way did you talk to jiju ?

She tease her

" Kaha bat yaar wo phone magan mujhse kaha baat karta all the time busy on phone" she said

" Ohh really, to teri last time baat kb hoi thi huh ? " Geetu ask with a knowing smirk

( Oh really then when did you talk to him last time huh )

" Wo...ahmm...kl raat ko " she said

( Last night)

Her mind suddenly drifted back to the Sangeet night, vivid and inescapable.

Flashback

Sanget night

She had gone to the washroom to freshen up when the baby cousin, in a mischievous flurry, had spilled juice on her lehenga. Curse under her breath, she had bent down to clean it, careful not to ruin the embroidery.

As she emerged from the washroom, clutching the cloth, she walked toward the garden area where the Sangeet performances were still underway, the music thumping softly, laughter and chatter floating in the air.

Suddenly, a strong hand gripped her wrist, spinning her around. Her heart skipped a beat. She looked up-and found herself face to face with Mr phone magan

"You," she whispered, a mix of surprise and apprehension.

Her eyes widened. Standing before her, impossibly close.

"You shouldn't be wandering alone," he murmured, low, intense, his hands resting on the wall on either side of her. His body blocked hers completely. The air between them crackled with tension-magnetic, dangerous, impossible to ignore.

"I... I didn't expect you to be here," she whispered, breath hitching, her pulse racing.

His eyes darkened, scanning her face with an intensity that made her shiver. "And yet... here you are. Alone. Vulnerable. Careless." His tone was sharp but intimate, each word carrying a mix of warning and fascination.

Her body instinctively froze, unsure how to move, unsure how to speak. Something about the closeness, the way he leaned toward her, the quiet dominance in his presence, made her chest tighten and her mind go blank.

He bent slightly, his lips brushing the side of her face-not fully a kiss, but close enough that warmth spread through her.

Then he wishpers against her skin " you are looking breathtakingly beautiful you know that"

Then a gentle press to her neck, he leaves tender kisses on her neck making butterfly go crazy in her stomach.

Then she said " Ah... l...listen... you shouldn't be here if someone see us it won't be good..

Then he said" do I look like I care huh " said in low husky voice. Then he said " tell me do you trust me ? "

On hearing this she don't know what to say why all of a sudden he ask this .

But he wants answer their is something in his eyes possesiveness or something else. His jaw clenched then He ask again " tell me? " This time his voice is loud with mixture of anger and possessiveness .

She flinch then said " yes I do "

Then after hearing this their Is a low tempting smile come on his face and his eyes soften .

Then finally he lean back but close.

"Do you know... how dangerous you are to me?" he whispered, his breath warm against her ear.

She swallowed hard, trembling, her body hesitant, refusing to move as if caught in a spell. "I... I-"

"You're not supposed to move," he interrupted softly, yet with undeniable authority. "Not now. Not when I'm here. Do you feel it? This... pull?"

Her heart raced, eyes wide. The world seemed to shrink to the space between them, the music and laughter of the Sangeet fading into the night air. He tilted his head, his lips brushing her temple, and for a heartbeat, the garden seemed suspended in time-just them, and the dangerous intimacy of the moment.

Finally, he stepped back, releasing her waist slowly, leaving her slightly trembling, breathless, and painfully aware of the lingering warmth.

"I'll see you later... and I'll remember this," he murmured, his gaze locking with hers, dark and unrelenting. Then he disappeared into the shadows, leaving her alone in the quiet garden, the distant music of both Sangeet mingling with the pounding of her heart.

Flashback ends

Her cheeks go red after remembering the scene of last night

Gudan notice it and smile then said

" Last night huh , what did he said or what did he do huh ?"

She comes out of her traces and said

" A..a.. nothing, " she stammered " Nothing happens like what you are saying it's just....a..."

Gudan said " really huh don't you remember huh ? Come on babe he definitely do something because he wants you to remember it how can you forget "

She said almost scream " shut up and don't you dare to tease me "

Gudan said " Alright alright I won't but what is the experience huh come on tell me what he do did he kiss..."

She said "geetuuuu" she scream

" Oh my god chill babe I am just asking " her friend said but all of sudden something happened.

An

d then she immediately pulls the break and long sound of breaks comes ...

To be continued....

What you guys think about the chemistry?

I hope you like the chapter .

Let me know in the comments....