Sidharth twisted and tossed in his bed rewinding everything from the premiere night.

He stared at the small flyer of the show in his hand which he had picked up two days back. His vision fixated at Shehnaaz. His thoughts wandered back to the stage when the spotlight shone on her, who looked breathtaking in a traditional attire.

The next moment his jaw dropped to find her standing in front of him in a shimmering gold Sharara.

He sat up straight immediately feeling flabbergasted.

"Tu? Tu maahre kamre mein ke kar rahi se?", His voice came as a whisper.

"Hmm.. Ab toh tumhaare saath hi rehna hai..", she blushed crimson like a perfect newly wedded bride would on her wedding night that caused his heart to flutter.

"Maahre.. saath..?", he swallowed the lump in his throat.

She put her head down and nodded shyly.

"Kyu? Tu.. koi.. maahri.. lugaai (wife) se ke?", he asked stammering.

"Nahi.. par banne ke liye taiyyar hoon..", she said blushing.

"Huh!!", He gasped which made his mouth fall open wide. His heartbeats grew faster and a droplet of sweat trickled down his temple. Pulling out his handkerchief from his pocket he wiped the sweat beads off his temple and forehead nervously.

His eyes blinked as he did so but soon his eyes widened in shock to find Aryan standing next to her. He was holding her hand while their eyes interlocked. A small yet beautiful smile combined with blush lingered on her lips.

Looking at them both so close and holding each other's hand, Sidharth's blood boiled.

"Tu ke kar raha hai maahre ghar mein?", Sidharth asked gritting his teeth.

"Phir kaha hona chahiye mujhe? Jaha meri darling Shehnaaz hai, main bhi wahi rahunga..", Aryan said.

"Baat sirf uske rehne ki huyi thi.. maahra ghar koi dharmshala se ke?", Asked Sidharth

"Huhh!! Bol toh aise rahe ho jaise koi Taj Mahal hai.. Mahal choddho, main toh iss tabele ko ghar tak nahi bula sakti. Mere ghar ka bathroom bhi isse lakh guna aalishan hai.. Mere Aryan ko kuch bhi bolne se pehle apni aukaat dekh lo..", Shehnaaz yelled at him.

"Huh!! Bhikk manga!!", Aryan gave a disgusted smirk before turning to Shehnaaz and hugging her.

Sidharth breathed fire from his nostrils. He pulled Aryan out of her embrace and punched his face hard.

Clankkk!!!

Sidharth's eyes opened wide and he noticed a splash of water and broken pieces of his water pot scattered around his bed. He was still huffing in anger even though it was all just his dream.

Getting up from his bed, he went straight to his Bathroom. After brushing his teeth, he changed himself in his workout clothes - that's his red langot, which hung on the string outside bathroom. He progressed his exercises like every other pahalwaan does, i.e. after paying obeisances to Lord Hanuman then doing sit-ups and push-ups. He then picked up his mudgal (Bottle shaped Indian Club made from wood) and practiced strength training as usual.

All this time he was lost in his thoughts. He remembered his conversation with Vardhan, Shehnaaz's makeup artist last night, when he went to return the jacket and take off the makeup done for the premiere.

Vardhan had told him how lavishly every contestant lived in city. He showed him a video on YouTube where they covered an entire day of a celebrity. The celebrity in the video was none other than Shehnaaz, who gave them her home tour, gym workout regime, diet followed and her day at work. They showed her acting snippets from her movies her action, dance and romance onscreen during the video.

Though he left from the place later without uttering a word, he was disturbed looking at everything. Their worlds were too different and far from any similarities. The little moments he had spent around her caused only harm. Being from a village where people were orthodox and conservative, it was the first time he experienced closeness with any girl.

Be it the way she called him her husband at their first meeting, him carrying her sleeping figure to the room, the closeness when he placed her on the bed, the accidental brushing of their lips, her little arguments with him, the little electrifying bike ride and her touching his hair or face while doing makeup. Everything was all a new experience to him.

The slightest holding hand of a lady was considered special to him, whereas romancing a total stranger onscreen was her job.

"Bhaiyya.. Ib pure gaon ko apne paseene se doobaane tak kasrat karoge ke? Amma naaste pe bula rahi se..", Prerna talked Sidharth of of his thought.

"Aa raha hoon chhorri..", he answered keeping aside the club in his hand.

With his well chiseled body covered in dirt from akhaada and dripping sweat, he went to the backyard and drew a bucket full of water from the well before pouring half of it on his head. After rubbing soap harshly on his body, he poured the remaining water in the bucket over his head.

With water dripping from his body, he went inside the little bathroom. He walked out wearing a white kurta pajama while squeezing the water out of his langot and hung it on the thin string to dry.

When Sidharth approached the front yard, he was met with few people from GGSC.

"Namaskaar Thakur Saab.", Wished Maniklaal..

"Ram Ram", Sidharth returned his greetings with a face filled with strict tone.

"Thakur saab, Shehnaaz ab se kuch der mein enter karne wali hai toh hum uska grahapravesh (home welcoming ceremony) shoot karne ke liye aaye hai.", Maniklaal said.

"Matlab ke se thaara? Ismein mhaara ke kaam?", Sidharth asked.

"Nahi Thaakur saab. Aapke ghar rahengi toh aapka bhi toh hona zaruri hai. Jaise ki isse kuch der pehle Thakur Vikram Singh ji ke ghar Dia Dutta ka entry shoot karke aaye. Unke ghar walon ne camera ke saamne uske gale mein varmala daala, mastak pe teeka lagaya aur aarti uttaari. Aur toh aur unhone Dia ko kalash ko girakar entry karwaaya. Phir unko uske rehne ka kamra aur ghar ka pura tour diya. Aap bhi waise kuch kar sakte hai. Aakhir aap hai toh gaon ke Sarpanch, aap peeche kaise reh sakte ho? Humaari creative team aapko bataayegi ki aap kya alag aur special kar sakte hai. Isse aap, aapki puri family aur ghar sab national TV pe aayegi.", Maniklaal explained.

"Koi zarurat naa se.. Manne kisise muqabla na karna se.. thaara show thaare ko mubarak. Manne maahre gharwalon ko TV pe dikhaane ki koi shauk na se. Mhaare ghar mein uske rehne ke liye permission thanne kisi aur se liya se. Par maahre ghar ki chhorriyon ka photo bhi bagair maahre permission ke bahaar na jaavega..", Sidharth ordered.

"Thik hai Thakur saab.. aap jaisa chahenge waise hum aapke ghar ke kisi bhi aurat ke chehre ko TV pe nahi dikhaayenge. Par aap toh already TV pe aa chuke ho. Hum aapko toh cover kar sakte hai. Please mana math kariye warna pure show ka nuksaan ho jaayega.", Requests Maniklaal.

"Thik se.. par mhaare ghar mein bas mhaara faisla chalega. Tu maahre ko koi hukum naa dega..", Sidharth drew a clear line.

"Agreed Thakur saab.. aap jaisa chahenge waisa hi hoga.", Maniklaal agreed.

An auto came to halt at the entrance and Shehnaaz got down from it. The cameras focused on Sidharth and Shehnaaz's face, who shared an intense eyelock. She pulled out her suitcase from the auto and walked towards him.

They both didn't speak any word expecting the other to speak first. After a brief staring at each other's eyes, Shehnaaz picked up her bag. Since Shehnaaz had stayed in his house earlier, she walked past him to enter the house to go to the room which she stayed earlier.

"Aey Chhorri, kidar jaa rahi se?", Sidharth asked without turning.

Shehnaaz turned around and looked at him by narrowing her eyebrows.

"Andar jaa rahi hoon, apne kamre mein..", she said.

"Ghar maahra se.. thaara kamra kaise ho gaya?", He asked.

She slammed her bag on the ground and returned to face him.

"Ghar mein rehne ka permission liya hai na GGSC ke team ne?", She asked.

"Hmm.. par tu kidar rahegi, kaise rahegi, kya karegi iska faisla maahra se..", Sidharth said.

Shehnaaz stared at Maniklaal who nodded in agreement. She rolled her eyes on Maniklaal's reply.

"Toh phir main kaha rahungi?", She asked.

"Bakula, Gauri aur Gopi ke saath..", he said.

"Ab yeh kaun hai? Tumhaare ghar ke naukar?", She asked with a smirk.

"Na.. maahre goshala ki gaai se..", Sidharth said.

"What? You mean tabela? Main kya jaanwar hoon jo cowshed mein rahungi?", Shehnaaz was in utter shock.

"Maahre ghar mein bas yahi jagah bacha se.. rehna hai toh waha reh, varna nikal jaa..", Sidharth said. Shehnaaz looked at Maniklaal and he shrugged as if he was helpless.

"Jagah nahi hai? Jhoot math bolo Sidharth..", she yelled.

"Awaaz niche kar chorri.. maahre ghar aake tu maahre saamne chila chila ke baat na kar sakti..", Sidharth instructed.

"Argghhh.. This is not fair..", Shehnaaz spoke in frustration.

Sidharth smirked.

"Life is not fair.. Gaon ki chhorri banne ke liye sirf gaon ki gori wale kapde na laage. Gaon ki chhorriyon wale mehnat bhi laage se.. laali lipstick lagaane jitna asaan nahi hai gaon mein rehna. Thaare bas ki baat na se yaha rehna..", Sidharth said.

"Tum mujhe abhi jaante nahi ho Sidharth. Main kuch bhi kar sakti hoon..", she challenged.

"Dekhte hai kitne din reh paavegi..", Sidharth shook his head with a smirk.

She walked towards her bag to pick it up. While she crossing paths with him, he spoke again.

"Maahre ghar mein rehne ke liye maahre kuch usool se..
Ek, tu maahre ghar mein sheheri chhorriyon waale nikke nikke kapde pehenke naa ghoomegi.
Do, thaare ko kuch bhi muft mein khaane ko na milega.. mehnat karna padega..
Teen, maahre ghar ke andar maahre ijaazat ke bagair kadam na rakhegi..
Chaar, maahre se ucchi awaaj mein baat na karegi..
Aur haan chorri, paanchvi aur sabse zaruri baat, maahre ko Sidharth sirf maahri maa bulaave se, tu manne gaon ke aur logo ke jaise Thakur saab bulaavegi.", Sidharth set the rules.

"Aur kuch?", Shehnaaz asked sarcastically.

"Bhola.. isko gaushaala dikha de..", Sidharth said to his male servant.

Shehnaaz huffed and grumpily walked behind Bhola but not before giving Sidharth a challenging glare.

The cameraman, who kept his focus on both of them all the time, now followed Shehnaaz to the chowshed.

"Arrrrgggghhhh...", Shehnaaz yelled when she realised that she had stepped into a pile of cow dung, which made Sidharth smirk.

__________________

To be continued..