Can there be a more sensuous song in this world?Originally posted by: togepe30
All I can do after reading this is...dedicate this song for SHANAK !
"Aapki Ankhon Mein Kuch..Mehke hue se...Raaz haiii...Aapse bhi Khoobsurat...Aapke Andaaz hain"
PART 55
Tuesday May 10th
Shivneri Nagar, Chembur
8 :25 AM
Their paths hadnt crossed since Wed nite. After the soup and bread she was completely knocked out on the couch, on the non-drowsy cold meds he had given her! He had actually shown her the foil, when she had hesitated popping it into her mouth, the unmistakeable arch of that one brow, like he was saying "Really? Khanak? You think I would drug you?"
A solid three hour nap later when she woke, the lights were dimmed, and there was no sign of Shaan anywhere, she had freshened up, stepped out of the room.
Looked like Dadi was asleep as well, she had wondered what to do, and had waited in the rec room, when Shaan had appeared, ipad in hand, curious what she was doing. "Sleep walking?" he had asked, she had said " Oh! I was just trying to hail a cab to get home"
He had insisted she stay the night, but she was adamant about returning, Ritu was not home when she returned past 11:30 but it was good to be home.
He had walked her up to her apartment, when his phone had rang, he waved a quick good bye and took off, as it was Dhruv from Denver trying to reach him for a week.
He had tried calling her, may be to check on how she was doing, the middle of Thursday some time but she was so swamped she hadn't seen the call until later at nite.
Neither called the other the remainder of the week. She thought about him, and only him. Many things reminded her of him, when she applied moisturizer on her face on Wed nite, her skin felt like it was on fire. "He was right! I shudnt have done that on his jaw".
She had brought both the books home, Calvin and Cooper's. Since she was very fussy about her books, she had asked him if it was OK if she returned those in a couple of weeks. He had laughed out loud and said "they are BOOKS, Khanak! You can return them to the rec room when ever you like".
No clichd, "Whats mine is yours, you are part of my family now, why do talk about returning them? I want you to have them".
He was not big on clichs or platitudes, she noted.
Weekend came and went, it was filled with one word. Kritik. They all went out to a movie, Ritu bought them brunch at the Lotus Caf, in Marriott, Kritik was a wonderful guy, he even dialed his parents number in Chandigarh and had Khanak speak with them.
There was not anything he did not know of Khanak. Ritu had shared it all. Kritik was eager to meet Shaan and hoped the four of them could meet some place soon.
He was leaving the day after Khanak's wedding, so Ritu was really excited to have him attend.
Her Aada was planning to visit over the weekend, to meet the Gujrals to talk about the wedding plans. Her Mom may or may not visit depending on how her Dadi was doing after the recent illness. Mitali and Mehul wanted to come by and stay a weekend with her before she went away, they had no idea she would be married so soon. They had hoped to visit all the offbeat places with her sometime. It was part of the "promise" Khanak had made to her three cousins when she had just moved to Mumbai over a year ago. He aunts in Akola and Ranchi rarely visited Ahmedabad so their chances of sending their kids to Mumbai was out of question.
Khanak, was working out a plan to have Mitali and Mehul and hopefully Sonal over the weekend of May 20th. Her Bai, found the idea unappealing as she wanted Khanak to get to Ahmedabad that weekend.
Khanak was trying to sort thing out at work, at home in Mumbai, with her parents, trying to keep her cousins happy, while making vacation plans. The wedding plans were not happening. Ritu had asked her multiple times if they should go shop. She had no idea what she was supposed to take to Malabar Hill. Dadi had mentioned about the Punjabi trousseau ritual and had told her there would be 51 outfits. She wanted to know the combination of sarees and suits.
Khanak was appalled. FIFTY ONE? It would take her years to get through those she thought. She bought clothes like crazy anyway. Dadi had reassured her that most of it would be "grand" and "festive". Khanak had squirmed! She definitely did not want to look like the Punjabi brides she saw while shopped in Chembur or Bandra.
Dadi had told her, she was supposed to wear only "new" clothes the first month or 45 days. She had no idea how she was going to pull it off.
Ritu: Kitna sochti hai? 8:25 ho gaya, bahar niklegi to main ghar lock karoon?
Khanak:Haan, sorry!
Ritu: Kis duniya mein hai?
Khanak: Isi mein! (wryly) abhi tak to, isi mein, (repeats)
Ritu: Shaan ka phone nahi aaya kya? Aaj?
Khanak: Funny! Why are you so chirpy? Has Kirtik called you a half dozen times already?
Ritu: Nahi, only 4!
Khanak: WHAT? Tu subah 7 baje uthi hai, usme chaar baar?
Ritu: ummm'. Haan... who... kya kehte hain, it got disconnected rey. (grins)😳😃
Khanak: Usko pehle paas ho jaane de! Abhi ek saal baaki hai
Ritu (sad) terrible no? Mujhe ek saal wait karna padega
Khanak: Abhi tu nikal! (pushes her out)
They walk out of the building giggling, and poking fund at each other.
Ritu: How can you guys not talk to each other everyday? (baffled)
Ritu: Never mind, don't bother answering that, you don't TALK so for you its easy, wonder how HE copes (laughs)
Khanak: Itna senti mat ho, he is prolly just fine, hanging out with friends, working and playing tennis (thinking aloud)
Take an auto to the station and then go separate ways.
Monday evening she received a gift in mail, unwrapped it to find a Forest Essentials gift hamper, with various lotions to "soothe sore skin"and moisturizers. She turned beetroot read at the implication.
The note said "To: Khanak, From: Shantanu. Not a word more!
Ritu was busy chatting with her Mom to notice the delivery.
Her Aada had asked her to check with him about the kind of clothes he would like, he had asked her to go buy it for him also. Less than three weeks left and Khanak was going through life as if no event was around the corner.
She wanted to hear his voice, "does he not want to hear mine?" she thought stepping into her office. She wore a lavender chikan salwar suit with lots of embroidery upfront so it did not have a dupatta. She found bangles in exact lavender last week so had bought two dozen, all glass.
She stepped out of her cube, and walked down the stairwell on the side, did not want to take the elevator down for 5 floors. Looked at her phone, went back to her desk to get his number from her purse, then realized she could use the "Received calls" feature. Went back towards the staircase and dialed his number.
He did not pick up until the 5th ring
Shaan: Hey!
That's all it took, to make her florid!
Khanak: Hi!
Shaan: Khanak
Khanak: Umm'' Are you busy?
Shaan: Not really. (None of the :"Never for you! I was thinking about you, I was checking my phone every 10 minutes")
Khanak: Did you have a good weekend?
Shaan: It was great, how was yours?
Khanak: Good! Great actually. Kritik was around, we all went for a movie, and he took to brunch on Sunday!
Shaan: That's nice!
Khanak: I sent you two corrections from the score card this morning.
Shaan: Saw that in my in-box, I am headed out to the site in a few minutes so will talk to Nachiket and respond in the evening?
Khanak: that's fine
Shaan: Atul (her direct report) takes off for two over two hours around lunch, you might want to talk to him. The core team coordinator sent a note this morning to me.
Khanak: Oh! Really? I am sorry. I will. Oh!
Shaan: did you think of me the last few days? (softly)
Khanak: Umm...I think I did (softer).😳
Shaan: when I saw my neighbor's cat this morning I was reminded of how you purred when u used my jaw as your scratching post! (laughs under his breath)
Khanak: Oh! Gosh! (embarrassed)
Shaan: I wont shave if you promise to meet me.
Khanak: (ignoring the invite) Thanks for the gift!
Shaan: you are welcome! Hope you like it.
Khanak: Thanx. Have you had lunch?
Shaan: yep! With Aman, across the street at the sandwich place.
Khanak: I am going right now (even before he asks)
Shaan smiles "Good!"
Khanak: thanks for dinner the other nite. It was really nice.
Shaan: We are going to be married in three weeks. Are you kidding me?
Khanak: I was so sick. I had no idea I took a nap like that. I am sorry
Shaan: Are we beginning to fight again? (hissing)
Khanak: One of your data sheets did not down load this morning (nervous)
Shaan:Ive heard that from 6 people, my admin is sending it again as a csv file try it.
Khanak: Oh! Maybe that's what it is.
Shaan:Did you like the movie?
Khanak: It was OK... I felt I shud have stayed home, it was quite odd.
Shaan: Because they went as a couple?
She nods her head in affirmative.
Shaan: When you are on the phone you are supposed to talk Khanak (indulgent, husky), not nod...😳
Khanak: How did you know I nodded?
Shaan: Your bangles!😳
Pause.
Shaan: We should go out to a movie.
Khanak: I wont watch sci-fi😆
Shaan: I cant watch mush😆
Khanak: Lets watch first half of a mush and second half of the sci fi coz once the world is saved they would kiss.😃
Shaan:The kiss could happen anyway (silky)
Khanak: aada wanted to know what you would like for the wedding.
Shaan: You!
Khanak: Shantanu!
Shaan: I think that's the first time you've said my name when I cant kiss you after?😳😳
Pause. Two hearts race from different locations, meet somewhere midway.
Khanak: I got an email from your Mom, she said something about a "Sabyasachi Sale". I don't want an expensive wedding dress.
Shaan: Just go with her. You haven't met her after the engagement.
Khanak: I won't let her pay for it. Its my wedding!
Shaan: THAT, it is😳
Khanak: Umm... I am reading the Dispatches book on the local, it's a great read. Thanks
Shaan: thank Bhayya! They want us to go out for dinner next week.
He is amazed at her nature. She has not shown any keenness in meeting or talking with any body other than him. For her, the world revolved around him. She did not care about doing lunches with his Bhabhi, or chatting up to his Mom. Or even talking to them on the phone. She lived in her own world and peeked into his from time to time. She was possessive about him, opened up to him when she fought, was fiercly passionate when she kissed, but beyond that his world or its people did not exist for her.
His Dadi was the only person who she opened up to a little.
Khanak: Ritu wants us all to go out for dinner also.
Shaan: I am not meeting Kritik until you meet my friends Khanak
Khanak:Umm... I will think about it. Maybe next week? Aada aa rahe hain weekend mein to meet with your Dad.
Shaan: oh! Really?
Khanak:I think I left one of my file folders in the trunk the other nite. Its called "Supplemental Designs". It's a hard copy of all designs that were reviewed but nota pproved.
Shaan: I can send it through inter office mail.
Khanak: Umm... or you could... I mean you could hand it to me when we meet? (hopeful). I am across the street now. Aapko bhi jaana hoga na? I shud hang up (chattering to undermine her first statement)
Shaan: I want you to come see me Khanak. I am not going to! I want to see how soon you do it.😳😳
Click!
Aaah ... I am loving this ...
comment:
p_commentcount