Chapter 90
Kanan had arranged for a nice family dinner on the occasion of Simran's arrival...and had obviously invited Aditya and Rohan as well. Even though she was friends with Aditya and Rohan, she wasn't told of the exact reason for Simran's shift in bases. She just knew that she was coming over to get more involved with the wedding...which she greatly appreciated.
The Khanna's were down to earth, simple, elegant and friendly people. They welcomed Simran into their house like their own daughter and made sure she was comfortable and well taken care of. The house was a huge one with a lot of extra bedrooms, but both the girls preferred to share one. Simran didn't think she would be that comfortable staying there in a separate room, and thus thanked Keerti for making the decision on her behalf.
While Keerti was still helping Simran settle her stuff in their room, everyone outside was called for dinner to the dining room. The way everyone else was seated was perfect for the evil mind's next trick. When Keerti and Simran walked to the table, only 3 seats were empty - 1 next to Aditya which of course Simran occupied. And the other 2 next to Rohan and Mr. Khanna each. Of course, Keerti started walking to sit by her father, but Kanan insisted she be let to sit next to him since it was her last few days at home with them. Of course, there could be no counter argument that would outweigh her reasoning so she quietly sat next to Rohan, not after shooting an angry look at Kanan who responded with a smirk. And that's when the fun began...
As cliched as it had seemed to them when they had watched movies, they did it themselves and it was then that they fully understand the sentiments behind that gesture - they held hands under the table. But unlike the couples in movies waiting to be caught, they both held their left hands together. They were squashed so close that the little gap between them was doing something to them. The urgency to hold each other right then was slowly taking over them. But there was little they could do. The way he held it, he didn't think he would be able to let go so soon, which they had to control with great difficulty. They nodded and spoke a word or two here and there to show they were paying attention to the conversation at the table, but their attention was under the table..on their talking hands. They were conversing with their fingers...they had so much to talk...so much to eat...and so much to drink...
As much as they tried to keep their urgency to hold each other inconspicuous, it wasn't going to escape the eagle eyes of her father who was sitting right opposite Rohan who had already noticed their one missing hand. He continued to look at Rohan with that piercing look that he had given him at the airport. And although Rohan's attention was on their talking hands, he didn't miss the look of scrutiny that was being shot in his direction, but he took it lightly thinking he possibly wouldn't guess their hands were glued together under the table - specially because he would let go of it for a moment to bring it up on the table for everyone's show. He was clearly underestimating the man sitting in front of him when he thought the man probably didn't know what was going on. And then he was proved wrong... A fork was dropped on the floor and for reasons unknown to others, Mr. Khanna announced out loud that he was going to bend down to pick up the fork.
The two people it was meant for heard it and prevented the mishap of being caught and in the next instant, their missing hands came back on the table. And when that happened, the evil mind saw it. Ah, so that's what is happening under the table. Interesting!
She turned to look at her father and noticed the slight smile on his face. If her father was having a little fun at the dinner table, why should she stay behind. Right then, she asked Keerti to pass the basket of chapatis and when she did, she exclaimed, "Keerti, what's wrong with your hand? Why is it so red?"
And mission accomplished! There was a smirk on Kanan's face while others looked at her hand all at the same time. While Aditya and Simran figured out what must have happened and held their lips closed between their teeth to stop the laughter, Keerti's mother figured she had missed something that was happening at the dinner table that she was unaware of...and wondered what it was.
On one side, Keerti's face flushed while on the other, her father turned to look at Rohan at the same time he looked at him, a bit alarmed. He saw her father look down to his hand on the table and look up again, mischief again reflecting in his eyes. Rohan immediately pulled back his hand and hid it under the table after getting another piercing look from the man. The man knew how to make him nervous. Everyone at the table was enjoying dinner to the fullest...at their expense. Dinner was ruined for them both... because suddenly they both lost their appetite...under the hovering eyes of all the eagles on the table.
Edited by --dolphin-- - 12 years ago
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