Chupanke Ki Saaza
-PART
19-
Hopeless
"This
is for you."
Neil
looked up from his computer screen to see a smiling Bani holding out an
envelope. "Yeh kya hai?"
"Khud
dekh lo."
Curious,
Neil took it. "Seriously?" he said, shocked to find his pay cheque inside.
Bani
nodded, happy.
"But
this is soo much higher than what it says in my contract!"
Bani
shrugged in response. Truth was, she personally convinced Uday to increase
Neil's pay, for he worked much harder than anyone of the others in the company
(particularly Annie!). Neil seemed to understand Bani's silence, for he got up
and pulled her into a hug.
"Thanks
so much Bani!" He said.
Surprised
at the sudden embrace, Bani said "Wow, I never knew a pay cheque can make you
this happy."
"You
have no idea," he said. "I barely have any experience, and I am earning so much
already!"
Bani
laughed. "Experience has nothing to do with it."
Neil
slowly let go of her. "Atleast aab toh dinner par chalo na Bani."
Bani
didn't know what to say. She did irritate her husband about going on a date
with Neil, but somehow she never found the interest or time to go.
"You
promised me," he reminded, watching her. "And I think I owe you after this!"
Bani
sighed. "Teek-"
But
she was interrupted by a cold voice "ahem." The smile from Neil's face
vanished, when he saw a somewhat angry Jai standing at the door.
"Mr.
Walia," he said, nervously. "Come in."
Jai
completely ignored him. "Baniā¦ I wanted to talk to you."
Confused
at Jai's sudden appearance, Bani nodded and walked out. "Kya hua?"
Checking
that they were out of earshot, for the door to Neil's office was still open,
Jai said. "Mujhe Mittal's ki file chahiye thi."
Bani
stared at Jai. What wrong with him?
She thought before answering, "But we are done with that project."
"Ohā¦"
Jai said, as if it just occurred to him. "I meant Malhotras."
"But
that finished even before the Mittals," she replied.
"Haanā¦
but, mujhe kuch check karna hai," he fumbled.
Bani
was now fully bewildered. The great Jai
Walia is at a loss of words? "Toh file mere paas kaise hogi," she said,
slowly, watching his face. "Either your secretary has already filed it away or
it should still be on your laptop!"
"Right,"
Jai said, shaking his head. "Okay, thanks."
"Toh
main jaoon?"
Jai
glanced at Neil's office. "Noā¦ I need you to checkā¦ something. Chalo mere
saath."
"Acha
teek haiā¦ chalo."
And
they set off towards Jai's cabin.
"Waise
Jai," Bani said. "I had to talk to you about some blueprints."
Jai
nodded absent-mindely.
"I
think we should consult with the builders once again, because the proportions
seem off. And since we are taking full gurantee, we should double check. So, do
you want me fix a meeting-"
Jai
suddenly cut her off. "Tum Neil ke saath kya kar rahi thi?"
Bani
paused and looked at a distressed Jai. As she watched him closely, she saw a
familiar frown on his face accompanied by the anxious twitching of his hands. Realization
suddenly dawned.
"Kyun?"
she said, smirking.
"Whyā¦
why was heā¦ hugging you?"
"Oh,"
she said, feigning innocence. "So, you saw him hugging me?"
"Haan."
"Bas
aise hiā¦ you know, two friends..."
"He
wasn't hugging you like a friend."
"Tumhe
kaise pata?"
"I
just know."
"So
that's what you wanted to talk about?" Bani clarified. "Why Neil was hugging
me?"
Jai
was quiet.
"Mr.
Walia," she asked sweetly, bending forward so that their faces were inches
apart. "Kya aapko farak pad raha hai?"
The
lines on Jai's forehead cleared as he seemed to understand the cause of his
behaviour. Bani grinned, as he turned on his heels and vanished out of sight.
* * *
"Thank
you Mr. Mukesh. I will see you next week at the meeting."
"Next
week?" he replied from the other end of the line. "We will meet tomorrow,
right?"
Bani
was confused. "Tomorrow?"
"Haan,"
he said. "Mr. Walia ne aapko bataya nahi?"
"Tell
me what?"
"He
is throwing a party tomorrow."
"Ohhā¦"
Bani said, surprised at the news. "Okay, see you tomorrow then Mr. Mukesh."
Bani
disconnected the call and made her way to Jai's cabin. "Yeh main kya sun rahi
hoon?" she asked, stopping infront of his desk.
Jai
didn't look up from his laptop. "Mujhe kaise pata hoga?"
"You
know everything right?"
Jai
let out a sigh, but still didn't look at her. "Haan, I am throwing a party.
Tomorrow."
"And
why didnt you tell me?"
"I
am telling you now. And by the way, you are organizing it."
"What?!"
"You
heard right."
Bani
was outraged. "And didn't you find it important to confirm with me?"
"I
don't need your permission."
"How
can you just dump this on me?"
Jai
didn't reply and continued working.
"Main
tumse baath kar rahi hoon," she said. When he continued to ignore her, she yelled.
"Look at me!"
Jai
finally looked up from his laptop. "Kya hai?" he said. "Main kaam kar raha
hoon."
"Why
should I plan this party? I already have enough work to do!"
"Because I said so. Now chop chop. You have
less than twenty-four hours to get everything ready."
Bani
was now totally annoyed. "And my work? Who the hell is going to take care of
it?"
"Hai na, tumhara assistant ā
Neil." Bani
didn't answer, so Jai continued. "When you increase his pay, it obvious that he
is going to have to work harder. Nothing is free in this company."
"Oh
really?" Bani said sarcastically. "Then why is Annie still working here?"
"Annie
doesn't even get paid half as much as you
made Neil get paid."
"Tumhe kya problem hai?" she asked.
"Kuch
nahi," he answered. "In fact, you are the one who is asking questions. Not me!"
"I
don't have all day to argue with you Jai, so-"
He finished the sentence for her, "So, get to
work."
And
without waiting for a reply, he turned his attention back to his screen,
leaving Bani no choice but to stomp out, muttering to herself.
Two
hours later, however, she was wishing she argued a bit more and shrugged off the
insane task of organizing a party.
"Urgh,"
she said, rubbing her forhead. "Where the hell am I going to get caters who will
cater for this big party in less than twenty four hours?"
She
stared at the notes in front of her, hoping the answer would just appear, but was
highly disappointed.
"You
know what?" she said, getting up. "If Jai got me into this mess, he is the one
who has to get me out of it as well. Its his
party!"
Determined,
she walked to Jai office, but stopped at the door upon hearing voices from inside.
"This
colour looks really good on you," she heard Jai say. "It makes you glow!"
Bani's
eyes popped out when she heard the other voice in the room. It was Annie's. "Thanks
Jai. I always knew you would appreciate this!"
"Of
course," he said, grinning. "My mom always said I have a good eye."
"I
am not surprised," Annie said, in what appeared to be a very flirty voice. "You
are perfect in everything."
"You
pamper me too much. But you should wear that colour to the party tomorrow," he
told her. "You will look prettiest!"
Bani's
heart weighed down as Jai's words from the past inadvertently made their way
into her thoughts. No one in the word looks prettier than you Baniā¦
She
closed her eyes tightly, trying to push his ringing voice from her ears. She
couldn't afford to let her heart be torn even more, but she failed miserably.
So, she quickly turned to leave, when she saw the colour of Annie's dress
through the glass wall. It was pink.
* * *
"Bani,"
Neil said walking in. "Can you check this report? I have never dealt with these
people before, and I want you to make sure its fine before I send it. Errā¦Bani?"
It
was almost evening in the Walia Industries, and Bani was seated in her office,
lost completely in a world of her own. While the tears long dried up, she
couldn't shake the image of Annie's dress from her mind.
Jaanthi ho Bani? Came Jai's
voice from down the memory lane. Jab
maine tumhe pehli baar pink mein dekha tha na, maine tab hi jaanliye ke yeh colour
sirf tumhare liya bana hai!
"Bani?"
Neil said, walking around her desk and placing a hand on her shoulder.
She
slowly turned to look at him, her eyes seeing one of the best memories of her
life.
"You look
very pretty today," Jai said in a very quiet voice, causing her to blush.
"Pink suits you." A small smile spread on Bani's face.
Jai turned
around to walk out, when he heard Bani's small voice.
"And did you know that you are breathtaking when you dress in black?"
It was more of a statement than a question.
"Kya
hua?" Neil asked. "Is everything alright?"
She
nodded. It was only the other day Jai said You
look amazing in pink, not so much in redā¦ so what happened now?
"So,
can you look over this report?" Neil said, handing her the file.
Upon
feeling the light weight of the file in her hands, Bani broke through her reverie
and said the first thing that came to her mind, "Do you think Annie is pretty?"
Neil
was taken back at the random turn of the conversation. "what?"
"I
mean," she said, slowly, trying to keep herself together. "As a guyā¦ do you find
her attractive?"
"Umā¦"
Neil answered awkwardly.
"Im
curious. Do you find herā¦ you know, hot?"
Neil
shuffled his feet. "I guessā¦ I meanā¦ she looks nice."
Bani
nodded, her face devoid of emotions. But the little thread of hope she held on
to ever since she came back from Jai's office was now gone. She was falling
from a great height and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Can
we do work now?" Neil asked, glad to have ended the uncomfortable topic. And he
began explaining his report.
But
Bani was very far from being interested. After a long time, she felt as if she
lost Jai. It reminded her of the days when she first moved back into the Walia
Mansion, where the sarcastic and carefree Jai Walia seemed to replace her
husband.
"So
is that good?" Neil finished, only to find Bani staring aimlessly in the air. "Bani?"
She
looked at him with a somewhat lost look. When he waited for her answer, Bani
cleared her throat and said "I am sorry Neil, but I have a lot going on right
now. Can we do this tomorrow?"
Neil
wondered what was wrong, but knew enough not to push Bani when it comes to her
silence. So, he nodded and left.
Bani
picked up the phone and dialed her last hope. "Lakshmi?"
**************************************************************************
Bad News: I have exams coming up, so I won't be able to update frequently. Hence, the next update might take a while. I am really sorry (I hate it too when writers do this!). But ill try my best to post small parts now and then!
Thanks for being patient! I love you guys! š¤
And now, for your awesome comments which make my day!
Archi
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