Chapter 17: Unexpected Surprises

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A/N: Hey there everyone! :D :D Here is the next update! :D :D

Note: Don't jump the bandwagon after this chapter, because the next chapter will clear one definite question. :P

Happy Reading! :D :D

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Morning dawned upon the royal city of London with a gush of fiercer winds. The leaves changed yet a few more colours along the path of shedding while gaining more accomplices upon the tender branches of the several trees lines along the streets. The sun shined warmly though, as was characteristic of the unpredictable autumns in London.

Back in the two-bedroom Green Park Suite at the Ritz, Ranveer stretched his arms out lazily as he felt his sleep begin to fade away, the remnants of it dissipating the moment he pushed open his eyes groggily. Wondering where he was as looked around the room disorientedly, his eyes drew towards the view of the picturesque Green Park outside the window, letting out an involuntary sigh of contentment. Ranveer propped himself against the bedrest as he felt a strange calm in his heart, something he'd not experienced since the passage of eons in his opinion.

And then he took back his words the moment he felt a cracking throb in his head. Taking his head into his hands and massaging his temples furiously, Ranveer couldn't understand why his head still hurt after sleeping rather blissfully. And yet he knew that it was a headache that wasn't associated with his stretches of insomnia. It was something that he'd spent several days of his teens experiencing - the headache of a hangover. Just when his thoughts only grew more fuddled and his stomach churned uncomfortably in a fit of nausea, a voice caught his attention.

"Ah, someone's up and awake at long last."

Ranveer looked up to see Ishaani staring at him, glowing even more beautifully in the light of the dress she'd worn as she came and sat beside him with a glass of what Ranveer assumed looked like lemonade. For some odd reason, Ranveer couldn't help but notice that she looked even more radiant than usual, the smile upon her face nothing short of the ethereal beauty he'd come to associate her with.

"Ishaani..." whispered Ranveer hoarsely as he looked at her, the regal beauty of London reflecting in the pearl-white halter-neck she had donned. And even before Ranveer could protest in pain at his unnerving headache, Ishaani let out a soft sigh.

"Here, have some lemonade. You'll feel better," she added, bringing forth the glass in her hand. Ranveer accepted without question, strangely not curious about how Ishaani even knew about his discomfort even though the thought did cross his mind. Sipping away at the lemonade, he felt the citric water tingle down his throat, making him twitch his eyes and put out his tongue at the strength of its consistency. He instantly regretting it the moment he opened his eyes to see Ishaani give him a cocked eyebrow.

"How long have I been out for?" asked Ranveer, eager to change the topic as he handed the glass back to her, feeling the nausea abate. He let his head fall back upon the headrest once again.

"Half a day. It's one in the afternoon now," replied Ishaani languidly, a small smile upon her face the moment Ranveer's jaw fell open in shock.

"What?! Why didn't you wake me up, Ishaani? And what happened about the consignment? Did we get a call? What did Mr. Tennyson say?" exploded Ranveer in a series of panicked questions as he looked close to hyperventilating. He was about to jump out of bed abruptly when Ishaani caught hold of his arm and made him sit put, pinning her finger upon his lips that brought his tirade of questions to an end.

"We haven't received a call yet, so relax!" was all she told him in response and Ranveer couldn't help but feel his heart sink a little. Even before he could say or do anything further, Ishaani took away her finger from upon his lips and crossed her arms upon her chest angrily.

"And just for your information, I didn't wake you? Do you even have any idea from when I've been trying to wake you up?! All that remained was to throw water upon you again!" she snapped at him as she made to get up, but pulled back by Ranveer. He'd now caught her wrist, his expression as though something had dawned upon him all of a sudden.

"Again? What do you mean, again? What's going on?" asked Ranveer a little too sharply, giving her a suspicious look.

Something suddenly didn't make sense to him, especially the disjointed contentment he was feeling with regards to Ishaani even though he knew it in his guts that it didn't have anything to do with the previous day's incidents. And yet there was something, he was sure... something that he couldn't recollect even though he knew it was there. But he couldn't remember no matter what he did, not without aggravating his headache. So he decided to let Ishaani speak.

"Err..." was all Ishaani let out in response as she suddenly lowered her gaze, her face flushing red while she now chose to fidget with the hem of her dress. And that was when Ranveer's attention was drawn towards his own attire.

"Wait a minute... how did I get into these clothes? I had grey tracks on the previous night, not black. And even the t-shirt..." muttered Ranveer, more to himself than to her as he looked at his clothes in shock. He had no recollection of changing into anything after he'd gone off to sleep the previous night; he had no recollection of even waking up at any point during the previous night except for now. And yet it didn't make any sense to him. What did happen?

"Um, I changed you out of your clothes," replied Ishaani awkwardly. Ranveer looked at her, his lips slightly parted as though words were beginning to fall short against the rapidly spinning cogwheels that his mind were running to try and fit the pieces of the jigsaw. Nothing was making sense to him though.

"What? Why?" he asked, baffled and flabbergasted at the same time for being unable to remember what had actually happened.

"You, err, might have gotten drenched in the shower the previous night," responded Ishaani, still not meeting eyes with him even though Ranveer noticed that she now had a rather gentle smile upon her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ranveer, his heart suddenly squelching in the anxiety of the unknown, trying to rack his brains even harder as he tried to hold on to the vague snippets of the concealed memories that wouldn't clear up no matter how much he tried. The more he tried to hold on to it, the more it slipped away from him like the mists of smoke.

"I may have pulled you underneath the shower and got you drenched in the cold water," replied Ishaani rather apologetically as she finally met eyes with him. There was something about the way they sparked that took him off-guard, the foreboding in his heart only growing more and more.

"And why would you do that?" asked Ranveer in a barely audible whisper as his voice choked, suddenly not liking where the conversation was headed for his instincts were beginning to take over slowly, trying to bring practicality into the picture before emotions overclouded his judgment. Ishaani gave him an unsure look, wondering how best to frame her answer before she decided to be honest with him.

"Well, let's just say that you were all out and drunk and were putting up a fight when I made you to go back to bed, so I took you under the shower and got you wet instead to snap some sense back into you. I got you changed out from your clothes because you were already feverish and I didn't want you to sleep the same way for obvious reasons."

"I didn't drink anything yesterday, and even you know- wait a minute..." exclaimed Ranveer suddenly as his eyes widened to the size of saucepans, staring at the ceiling blankly while Ishaani gave him a bewildered look. Turning his attention back to her after a couple of minutes, he continued at the same even pitch.

"Oh my God, the kadha! It was the only thing I had before sleeping! You knew what triggered this! It's why you had the lemonade ready for me now, didn't you?" he asserted, giving Ishaani an exasperated look. He cursed his luck for accepting her offer with the kadha that did him no good except leave him with a lingering headache and no recollection about what had happened the previous night.

"Now don't get mad at me! I stuck to the recipe perfectly!" shot back Ishaani defensively as she gave him a flabbergasted look, her eyes darting everywhere around the room except towards him. Ranveer knew that his suspicion was correct.

"Kadhas do not make people go drunk, Ishaani," continued Ranveer in the same tone of self-reproach as he slapped his hand over his head, wondering why Ishaani's cooking always ended up in disasters like these.

"I know that, but-" began Ishaani, but trailed off uncertainly the moment Ranveer raised his head.

"But what?" asked Ranveer, wondering what could have triggered the unusual behaviour on his part without actually consuming any alcohol. Ishaani took a deep sigh before coming clean about it.

"I, er, think I know what might have been the problem. It was, er, something that Mala pointed out when I was following the recipe. She said that one of the, er, ingredients was extra but if given in the right proportions, it's used for medicinal purposes although she did suspect that the quantity was a bit too much. But since the recipe was quite, er, old, she didn't seem to mind it much because she did know that family recipes come with extra, er, secret ingredients. So she told me to stick with it."

"What was the ingredient?" asked Ranveer after some time, taking in her entire explanation with a patience that he found himself running short of even though he didn't even once raise his voice. And the fact that Ishaani was still refusing to meet eyes with him was beginning to set him off the edge even more.

"Cannabis leaves," replied Ishaani in a small voice and Ranveer gasped, slapping his forehead for the second time in less than five minutes. Ishaani gave him a guilty look even though she didn't look even remotely apologetic from the laughter he knew was threatening to break upon her lips. And suddenly he was taken by an insane urge to laugh as well until he controlled himself at the last moment.

"You put bhaang leaves in the kadha?" asked Ranveer, the incredulity in his voice forcing Ishaani to finally meet eyes with him.

"Powdered, like was written. One and a half teaspoon," specified Ishaani rather pointedly, as though ready to shove the recipe down his eyes to see for himself what was written.

"Ishaani, you are supposed to put a quarter of a teaspoon of ground cannabis leaves at the most even if you're adding them! It's what Maa and Ritika always did," added Ranveer when he saw the curious look upon Ishaani's face that clearly wondered how it was that he knew so much about the same. Ishaani shook her head, suddenly flustered as she hid her face away in her palms and spoke through them.

"I will never cook again in my life, ever! Especially for you," she promised reproachfully and Ranveer gave her a sympathetic look.

"You might be the Queen of Dalal Street, but the kitchen is definitely not your forte," replied Ranveer playfully as he rubbed circles upon the back of her hand consolingly.

"I just wanted you to feel better," whispered Ishaani and Ranveer gave her a quiet smile, suddenly remembering the last time they'd gotten high on bhaang more than a decade ago.

"Nothing good can ever come out of bhaang, Ishaani. I hope you remember that," reminded Ranveer. Ishaani rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh yeah, especially trying to cuss at Baa and almost confessing and kissing each other upon the bed, awkward as we were with all of us cramped together," added Ishaani before realizing what she'd let slip. Ranveer cocked his eyebrow at her and she flushed.

"How do you know about that? I thought you didn't remember anything from that day," asked Ranveer rather sharply and Ishaani gave him a suspicious look suddenly.

"I thought you didn't either."

"I, er, found my old video camera in the store room the day before I left for Sydney. It had the recordings from that Holi day in it and everything that did happen and er... almost happened, even though I still can't recount any of it by memory," added Ranveer awkwardly and Ishaani gave him a sly smile.

"Yeah, I was the one who hid the video camera away in the first place," she confessed rather grudgingly. Ranveer gawked at her.

"Why?"

"Because you're mental! I knew how you'd have reacted if you'd seen it and I wasn't wrong either. Your reaction just now on waking up was identical to what I'd anticipated. Besides, it was embarrassing enough for all of us cousins, especially the things we've all done. So it was best hidden away from sight, especially since none of us could recollect anything from the day," she ended, leaving Ranveer stupefied.

He didn't know whether it was the stupidity of the situation or Ishaani's bizarre expression that finally did make him burst into a fit of laughter, Ishaani following suit soon enough. The fact that it was Ishaani at the end of the day who'd hidden away the video recording was something that he still had trouble believing even though he knew that it was true. But now that it was all out at long last, they found it terribly funny. Especially since they'd both tried to wash out the image of whatever it was that they'd seen because they knew that it would brew unnecessary trouble.

And yet it was quite the contrary as they now looked back upon their young selves in pity, realizing how much they could have skipped and saved themselves from the pain of. But there was something about the irony of the situation that only made them laugh harder as Ishaani let her head fall upon Ranveer's chest, both of them feeling an unknown weight lift off a little more from upon their hearts. They continued to laugh for a good ten minutes, realizing that they hadn't laughed like this in almost eight years as their ribs began to ache. They finally sobered down when they could no longer draw in breath.

And suddenly, Ranveer's eyes were drawn to something.

"What's that on your neck?" asked Ranveer, forcing Ishaani to look at him again, this time confused. The abrupt change of topic felt weird, especially after the sudden lightening of the situation. The curious look upon Ishaani's face suddenly made Ranveer realize that the conversation was going to tread upon difficult waters soon. 

"What?"

"The marks... what's that?" pointed out Ranveer as he pushed her hair away from upon her neck. The skin looked slightly red. Ishaani quickly pulled her hair ahead, putting on a coy look that Ranveer wasn't entirely comfortable with.

"Nothing, really," she replied evasively as she made to get up, but Ranveer's grip on her wrist remained as firm as ever. He suddenly got back the same anxiety that was building in his heart about the unknown events from last night. Until it hit him finally like the strike of a lightening, the contentment suddenly making sense to him, and yet not making any as he looked up at her worriedly.

"Ishaani, did something happen between us the previous night?" asked Ranveer as he pulled her chin up so that their eyes met. The fire in her eyes only fuelled the fear of a tryst happening between them that he never wanted to happen in the first place, especially in a condition like that with no recollection of the same whatsoever.

"You don't seriously expect me to answer that, do you? And I can't talk about things like that. I mean, it's embarrassing," added Ishaani seriously when Ranveer opened his mouth to speak, his face losing all colour as his hand now cupped her cheek worriedly.

"Ishaani! Please tell me that nothing happened between us last night," he repeated as his eyes pleaded against her own, hoping against hope that it was not true and that he'd not crossed any boundaries the previous night in the haze of his drunken stupor.

"Why are you making such a big deal out of it anyway? And whatever it was, it was good," added Ishaani rather playfully as she smirked, enjoying Ranveer's horror-struck expression with what he suspected was a sudden gush of nostalgia.

That, in turn, reminded him of all the times he'd maintain a safe physical proximity from her even as a child, and how it was only with great difficulty that he'd finally gotten accustomed to returning her hugs. Some things never changed, he mused. And even after three kisses and all those years, he couldn't even imagine crossing that boundary with her.

"Stop it! You're scaring me!" he squeaked out at long last, barely able to muster the courage to speak anymore as his gaze finally lowered against her own for the first time that day. When Ishaani continued to watch his every flicker and twitch wordlessly, Ranveer couldn't take the unbearable silence anymore, his heart sagging under the guilt of what he'd probably done.

"I need some air..." was all he whispered as he got off the bed at long last, uncaring about the fact that he swung off too quickly and that he could now see stars popping into his vision. He had to get away from Ishaani as far away as he could for he couldn't meet eyes with her anymore. He had never imagined somethubg like that happening between them like this even in the wildest of his dreams. And the fact that he had no recollection of the same was something that he couldn't stomach either.

"Ranveer, listen to me..." called out Ishaani as she tagged behind him while Ranveer made his way into the hall without looking back even once.

"Ranveer..." she called out again, now hot on his heels, close enough to pull his hand even though he remained unresponsive.

"Ranveer, come back here..." she called out to him for the third time when he quickened his pace, finally catching hold of his hand that brought him to an abrupt halt. Ishaani turned him around as he tried to wriggle his arms out from her grip but she only relinquished her hold upon him even more.

"Ranveer!" she finally yelled out as Ranveer gave up, letting his shoulders sag. When he still refused to meet eyes with her, Ishaani forced up his chin and cupped his cheeks fiercely.

"Look at me! Nothing happened between us last night, okay? We fooled around a little, but nothing happened! You feel asleep then so I changed you into a warmer pair of clothes. That's all! I promise, okay? Trust me!" she added before Ranveer finally dared to look up, his eyes searching for the truth in them greedily as he delved into the depth of her onyx gaze so brimming with love and respect for him.

Seeing the truth of her words reflect in her eyes, Ranveer let his head fall upon her shoulder as he pulled her into an embrace and she did the same. She could feel him shiver in her arms as she stroked his hair lovingly, realizing how much he must have respected her to have been so guilty just at the mere thought of not giving her that kind of respect by going with the flow of his emotions and following his heart for once, crossing the boundaries of loyalty. And the way he held on to her in that minute made her love him a little more.

"Never... do that again, okay? I would have never been to face you if anything like that would've happened..." he whispered frightfully into her ears as they continued being in the other's embrace, Ishaani smiling against his chest. Separating after a few minutes, Ishaani tiptoed to plant a small kiss upon Ranveer's head, cupping his face once again.

"I know, okay? Calm down," she added as he kissed her forehead in return, feeling his unevenly beating heart slowly restore to its normal rhythm. Both of them stared at each other in silence as the sunlight refracted all over the room, dousing them both in a warmth apart from the other's now returning essence. When neither of them broke the comfortable silence between them, Ranveer spoke up at long last.

"I never wanted this to be a drunken haze between us. It's something I want to remember every moment... every single bit of... the day it does happen between us, if it ever does," whispered Ranveer in a quiet confession as Ishaani smiled, suddenly feeling the butterflies get riled up in her stomach again at simply the mere thought of what he'd just said. She smiled softly as she planted a kiss upon the button of his nose.

"You don't need to say anything more because I know. Go get freshened up now, I'll ask the room service to get us some brunch," she added softly and Ranveer nodded his head. He'd barely turned away from her when he couldn't resist the urge that'd just crept up his heart. Looking back at Ishaani, he pulled her into his embrace once again as she gasped in surprise, hugged him back willingly as he kissed her cheek softly.

-x-

Separating once again, Ranveer left Ishaani wordlessly to stand alone in the living room with the remnant of the shy smile upon his face that spoke much more, the slight twinkle of his eye creating a pool of happiness that her soul drank thirstily from. Perhaps if he'd have watched DDLJ with as much attention as she did, he'd have gotten the inspiration behind her prank. But it didn't matter anymore. She let her fingers run along the length of her neck slowly as she shut her eyes, taken back to the flashes from the previous night that only left a coy smile upon her face.

It was a new side to Ranveer that she was beginning to see in these past two weeks and it was something that she loved even more so with the way he could love her in spite of his restraint. And if this was what he was capable of evoking within her with so much self-control, she wondered what he was capable of without it. And simply the thought of it sent her mind spiralling into a world of fancies that she didn't want to come out of anytime soon.

She was grudglingly snapped out from her engaging thoughts, however, when the line in the living room rang shrilly. She picked up the offending device, putting it upon her ear.

"There's a Miss Disha Parekh here to meet you," spoke the receptionist and Ishaani rolled her eyes in spite of the fact that she felt even happier than before.

"Send her up!" was all she said as she replaced the line, remembering with a start that she was supposed to call the room service up and ask him to bring them some food for the afternoon. Quickly slipping open the drawer and pulling out the menu card, Ishaani scanned through the list until she landed up on the final six items that she decided upon for the day along with juice and coffee:

• Polenta sausage, potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans, gluten-free toast and scrambled tofu, with a vegan mayo and tomato sauce;
• Raw flax and chia seed crepe with cashew cream, raw chocolate and fresh fruit;
• Walnut pancakes with banana ice cream, maple syrup, coconut almond crumble and blueberries;
• Dujhan galette with garlic mushrooms, caramelized onions, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, rocket, spinach and maple and mustard dressing;
• Sauted spinach, field mushrooms, chilli beans and crispy tofu - helped along by fresh apple and spinach juice, a glass of Prosecco;
• Raspberry crunola parfait, made with blended cashews

Finally replacing the receiver after placing her order carefully with the head of room service, Ishaani had just stood up when a rap at the door caught her attention. Quickly walking over to the entrance, Ishaani pulled the door open to reveal an eighteen-year old Disha standing in front of her in a black Peter Pan collar top and denim jeans, her hair pulled into a high ponytail while she ended her look with three inch high stilettos, coming up to Ishaani's height. She remained as skinny as ever as she pulled Ishaani into a hug, her handbag safely away from between the two of them.

"Disha!"

"Ah, Ishaani! After ages!" exclaimed Disha once they'd separated and Ishaani took a good look at her.

It was still a wonder to her that she and Disha had grown this close against all odds, and the fact that she felt that Disha had grown too quickly was something that felt rather funny to her. After the split from the family and their mother's death, Ishaani had taken on the role of being a mother-figure to Disha, be it paying her fees every year on time to Cambridge so that there was no hitch in Disha's education or be it visiting her twice a year in London or otherwise. Ishaani knew that she didn't give too much time to her sister in general, but she knew that they were much, much closer and in touch than they ever were when they lived under the same roof, as irony could have it.

"Good heavens, you look stunning!"

"You don't look too bad yourself," remarked Disha cheekily as Ishaani shut the door and led her towards the living room. Disha letting out a soft whistle at the sight of the exquisite suite and Ishaani couldn't help but chuckle in spite of herself.

"I'm surprised that you could make it this quickly to meet me," remarked Ishaani once both of them took a seat on the sofa, Disha instantly freeing herself of the stilettos and pulling her feet up comfortably. Ishaani did the same.

"I was around here so I decided to drop by and give you a visit since you told me you were in the city. It's been seven months anyway," added Disha casually, a breezy look on her face. Ishaani gave her an apologetic look, feeling guilty about not being able to pay her sister a timely visit, the time thieves being the quest for tracking and getting an appointment with RV and her father's incomplete legacy.

"I'm so sorry about that. We're leaving tonight though," informed Ishaani, and Disha gave her an understanding look.

Ishaani knew that her sister had borne enough loss at a young age to not be emotionally dependent upon anyone to the same extent, but she always knew that Disha could now count upon her for that emotional support. If her own losses had been rampant, then Disha's were no less with the fact that she'd lost the sanctity of her parents and a happy family by the age of ten itself.

"That's alright, I'm leaving back for the campus in another hour anyway," replied Disha and both sisters shared a small smile.

"How have you been?" asked Ishaani after some time and Disha now looked excited.

"Great! Fashion designing is definitely way harder than I thought. It's just the first year that's begun and the work load if simply mental! And then there's all sorts of chaps at the campus, weirdos at that. I think I'm still a little hungover from the sorority party," she admitted rather lamely, and Ishaani rolled her eyes at her. She'd given Disha the freedom of choice even though she'd set certain boundaries that Disha herself chose to conform to, so Ishaani knew that it must have been an exception to the rule even though Disha didn't look remotely apologetic.

"Disha, you promised-" began Ishaani just as Disha rolled her eyes at her sister in exasperation.

"Not again, pl- you! Servant!" shrieked Disha as she jumped off from the sofa while Ishaani did the same in reflex, startled by what had created the commotion. Ishaani looked behind to see Ranveer coming out from his room, wiping his hair clean of the water as he looked at the sisters in shock, his eyes darting from between Ishaani and Disha until they finally landed upon the former, who hadn't change much looks wise from the last he saw her eight years ago.

"This is beginning to get old now," replied Ranveer rather stiffly as he deposited the towel in the laundry box and walked back to where both the sisters stood. Disha took her eyes away from upon him with great difficulty.

"What is he doing here?" asked Disha in a silent whisper at long last, torn between confusion and ogling at him with keen interest. Ishaani noticed the same and cleared her throat rather unnecessarily before speaking.

"Disha, I'd like you to meet Mr. RV here from the RV Group of Companies. He's the company we've tied up with for Papa's legacy," put forth Ishaani the introduction and Disha gasped in stunned disbelief.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"She isn't," replied Ranveer on behalf of Ishaani as all three of them resumed their once again. Disha was still not able to take her eyes away from upon Ranveer, who now sat before them in a navy blue shirt pulled up to his elbows and white trousers. When none of them broke the awkward silence, Disha decided to speak her mind out at long last.

"You've always looked pretty good for a helper but you look like a million bucks right now!"

"Disha!" squeaked Ishaani reproachfully as she nudged her sister, who in turn gave her an exasperated look. Disha still had difficulty in trying to understand her sister's reversed and orthodox approaches at times.

"What? I'm just being honest! Oh what, is he still your property?" asked Disha suddenly as she noticed the disapproving look upon Ishaani's face that quickly flushed red at her response. Disha didn't bother concealing the sly smile that crossed her features. Ishaani was saved the embarrassment however when Ranveer jumped in to save her.

"Flattering as that was, why don't we all have lunch together? The two of us were getting started anyway," added Ranveer as Disha looked slightly hesitant, but didn't give it too much thought.

"Sure, I'm starving!"

Ranveer nodded as the three of them walked up to the oak dining table built for six, chatting a little more before the room service finally brought up the items for the brunch. Tucking in at the dishes ravenously as the bellboy helped them out with servings, the three of them spoke about the kind of lives they were leading, Disha talking about her life, social circle and studies at Cambridge, Ranveer talking about his work life in Sydney, Ishaani about the entire consignment and the drama from the past few days when she finally landed upon the point in question.

Finally clearing up their plates at long last as the final round of wine flew around the place, Ishaani wiped her hands clean and mentioned about the big happening of yesterday in terms of the Parekh family equation.

"I met Sharman yesterday." 

Ranveer and Ishaani were quick to notice that Disha's face looked blotched as she slammed her napkin rather harshly upon the table, much more so than intended while she gritted through her teeth.

"How is he?"

"Good. Working at a leading law firm here and is a junior partner. Earns well, has grown a stubble, even put on weight from the usual skinny build. And as shrewd and quick on the wits as well," summarized Ishaani while Disha gave her a disinterested look. Ranveer remained silent and chose to observe the conversation instead.

"What did he want?"

"He was the legal counsel of the opposite party," answered Ishaani just as Disha relaxed back into her chair, looking annoyed.

"Git."

"Disha-" began Ishaani but she raised her hand, cutting through her speech as she knew what was going to come her way. Even though Ishaani was the one who'd been abandoned, she knew that at the end of the day Disha was the actual person who was abandoned as the tables changed overnight, love turning into indifference so effortlessly in the war of power and money. And it was something she'd not gotten over till this date.

"Don't try to sugar talk me into this, Ishaani. You may be naive, not me," she shot back rather stiffly and Ishaani gave her a pensive look.

"He was apologizing for earlier."

"And what, you forgave him?" asked Disha, even though her the incredulity in her voice didn't go amiss by either. Ishaani took a deep sigh, feeling Ranveer's gaze upon her until she finally said the unsaid.

"Not really, no."

"Good, because he doesn't deserve it either," stated Disha as she nodded her head in approval, giving her sister a firm look as though expecting her to buckle any minute.

Even though Ishaani had toughened up manifold in all those years, she knew that she still did have that soft corner for the people she cared about a little in the end because of the kind of mould she came from. When Ishaani didn't say anything further but met eyes with Ranveer finally, he knew that it was time to steer the conversation towards some answers that he needed, assured that if anyone would give him a clear picture about the sudden change in equations, it was Disha.

"If you don't mind me asking - what exactly did go wrong between you people?" asked Ranveer, and Disha gave him a pensive look before speaking up.

"It was when Dad passed away and the whole property fiasco happened. Baa called in an intervention and asked all the family members to choose sides. All the cousins were forced to choose hers upon Mom's. Prateik was a kid and Gauri would have been disowned after her fiasco with the love marriage so she had to keep her mouth shut and agree. Sharman bhai and Devarsh bhai were who disappointed me. They didn't need to take sides but they did. Till that moment, we were all as thick as thieves. The next moment, not so much. I'll never forgive them. Ever."

"I'm surprised though. I can understand about Prateik being innocent, but Gauri? After everything that Ishaani did for her? She was never about the money, and she was so sane and mature in the madhouse..." wondered Ranveer, recalling the entire incident that Ishaani had narrated to him about what had happened at Gauri's wedding when recounting her past with Chirag. Disha's features suddenly softened.

"I don't really hold anything against her. She just went out of radar after that because she was left with no other option. Life was becoming harder for her under Baa's taunts and all the societal pressure so she left the country with Pranav and settled abroad. New Zealand. Nobody ever heard from her since and we honestly don't know whether she's even dead or alive," concluded Disha with a soft sigh, while Ishaani picked off from there.

"Sharman says that she and Pranav are back to Mumbai. Shifted recently. Even Devarsh did," she added and Disha's features darkened once again at the mention of the latter. Ranveer could sense from Ishaani's uncertain look that a speech was due in order.

"Good for them," spoke Disha blankly and just like anticipated, Ishaani finally spoke up, now turning her fullest attention towards Ranveer.

"It's not something we can forgive or forget, but I guess that's how life is. It was a choice we all had to make on the spur of the moment, and we did. And before we cousins could even get a chance to sit down and talk it out or even try to make amends, we'd all gone too far away from each other, both physically and mentally with the way life hit us. What happened wasn't right because the circumstances were to be blamed ultimately. But yes, I don't bear any ill-feelings towards anyone anymore."

Ranveer nodded his head in silence as Ishaani fell quiet at long last. Both the sisters looked at each other, sharing the same memory as they felt old wounds resurface even though they snapped out of it the moment Ranveer spoke again, his voice diffusing the sudden tension in the atmosphere.

"And where's Prateik now?" he asked, and Disha's turbulent features relaxed slightly as she chose to answer this time. Ishaani remained silent.

"He's at Stanford, doing God knows what. The last I spoke to him was a year and a half back. Post then it's just been social media updates and a WhatsApp messages between us," she replied. Ranveer sighed, wondering how so much damage could happen in so little time and the kind of turns all of their lives had taken in those eight years.

"I still can't believe that so much could change so soon."

"That's life, I guess. You change with times and so does relationships. I mean there was a time when you'd save every single rupee as much as you could even if it meant wearing the same shirt or torn kurtas that Kaka would stitch for you or even wearing slippers whose sole wouldn't last for more than three months. And look at you today - you're at the Ritz," added Ishaani rather cheekily, getting the desired reaction out from Ranveer.

Ranveer chuckled in spite of himself as he remembered all the times that Ishaani would term him as a miser when he'd spend poorly upon himself and continuously keep saving money for 'goodness knows what reason', according to Ishaani. But just like everything, even those days had been left behind.

"I wasn't a spendthrift even when I started earning well for myself. It was when I buried Ritika and lowered her casket into the ground when I realized that we're not taking anything anywhere. The six-foot hole in the ground opens a whole new arena of perspective upon life and how poorly we live it chasing something that's never to be our own in the end because what we take along with us at the end is our deeds and karma... Your life is gone in the flash of every important moment you've lived up until then," explained Ranveer when Disha gave him a bewildered look. Ishaani heard on in silence.

"Who's Ritika?"

"My late wife," replied Ranveer and Disha gave him a sympathetic look, the surprise upon her face evident.

"I'm so sorry," spoke Disha in a quiet voice and Ranveer gave her a somber look.

"I'm rather sorry about it too. At the end of it all, money is just going to stay back in the world and pass down to different people. That's how life is. So I decided to make my future secure but to live life to the fullest. Baba always says that money is just the dirt of your hand - one day you have it, the next day you don't. So till the dirt of money is upon my hands, why not make the best of it? Maa and Baba still find it difficult to spend and I don't blame them either after the days they've seen, but I'm getting them warmed up to the concept," added Ranveer and both he and Ishaani chuckled while Disha looked at them blankly.

"How did you do it though, Ranveer?" asked Disha suddenly. She now gave Ranveer a curious look, looking at him as though she was clearly seeing him for the first time. Ranveer winked at her rather playfully in response, letting the seriousness of the situation abate.

"I kissed the genie," he replied and both the sisters laughed in spite of themselves. Sobering down quickly as Disha shot Ishaani a keen look, she fired away her next statement at Ranveer rather daringly.

"I hope my sister has the sense to marry you now. I know I would."

"Disha!" exclaimed Ishaani, suddenly flabbergasted as she flushed red, giving her sister a death glare while Disha rolled her eyes at her sister. Neither of the sisters noticed the uncomfortable flush that crept upon Ranveer's face.

"Relax! He's all yours... I'm more than happy with Liam," shot back Disha with a sudden outpour of passion. The blush was evident upon her face at the mention of the unknown Liam, even though ot was obvious what, or rather who he was to Disha. Ishaani simply folded her hands upon her chest with a deadpan look upon her face.

"Good enough. Keep your nose in your own business," she added just as Disha cocked her eyebrow in amusement. Shaking her head at her sister knowing how hopelessly in love she was with the man at the head of the table, Disha looked at her watch to see that it had already crossed three fifteen in the afternoon.

"Whatever! And on that note, it's become rather late. I think it's best if I get moving if I am to catch the train," explained Disha just as she stood up, while Ranveer and Ishaani did the same. Disha walked over and gave Ranveer a quick side hug before moving towards Ishaani. She pulling her into a loving embrace and planted a quick peck upon her sister's cheek, leaving Ishaani surprised at the sudden gush of affection that was usually uncharacteristic of Disha even though it made for a good change.

"Take care of yourself and give me a call when you reach," said Ishaani as she gave Disha a quick kiss on the head, the latter giving her a look torn between amusement and exasperation.

"Duh!"

"Bye Disha. It's nice meeting you after all these years," said aloud Ranveer as they walked her towards the door, Disha having a gentle smile upon her face. She took in Ranveer's features once again, unable to keep herself from ogling even more so now that she realized how possessive Ishaani still was about him.

"Nice meeting you too! You're just as cool as you were before," she stated sincerely as she slapped his shoulder, earning another look from Ishaani even though she pretended not to notice.

"You're not serious," stated Ranveer, giving her a surprised look. Disha could easily see what Ishaani liked about him so much even though humility was certainly not quite the thing she looked for in her dream guy.

"I never lie, you know that. Straightforward on the face - you're hot goods," she declared and Ranveer flushed, wondering what was wrong with both the sisters that morning. He fell short of words, succumbing to simply letting his cheeks grow red. Ishaani, on the other hand, settled for a snide reminder.

"And you've got a boyfriend."

"Yeah I know. There's no need to get the fire alarms working already," she said as she walked out the room at long last, Ishaani now a flustered mess at the relentless flow of comments, especially with the last one.

"Bye and take care, both of two of you. Stay safe," she added with a wink and the implied meaning of what she meant didn't go amiss to either Ranveer or Ishaani as they were reminded once again about the untold story from the previous night. Both of them made sure to avoid the other's gaze as Disha finally disappeared from their line of vision, Ishaani letting out a soft sigh.

"Well, that was adventurous," exclaimed Ranveer as he shut the door, Ishaani retracting into the room without another word. Ranveer knew that it was time to talk about what he wanted to from the moment he'd left the showers but had pushed the topic for later when he saw Disha. Ranveer was about to open his mouth to speak when Ishaani halted in her tracks, as though on impulse, and turned behind to look at Ranveer trailing right behind her.

"I'm sorry about earlier today, alright? I crossed some boundaries that I shouldn't have and I was way out of line," he added rather apologetically as he chose to meet eyes with her this time, taking her hands into his own.

"That's the thing - you didn't," she replied and Ranveer understood what she was talking about. He nodded his head at her awkwardly and was about to speak when his phone buzzed, breaking the spell of their eye-contact that neither of them wanted to snap out of.

"This is not over," whispered Ranveer as he sought for his phone and picked it up, placing it upon his ear and walking back to Ishaani, who in turn looked curious.

"Yes, speaking? Uhuh... Okay... But... Alright..." sighed Ranveer upon the phone as he disconnected the line, his face suddenly downcast. He didn't meet eyes with Ishaani. She, in turn, tried to scan his face greedily for any sign of who it could be on the other line and what had gotten his spirits so low after the excitement of the morning.

"Well?" she asked worriedly when Ranveer didn't speak anything, his head still bent.

"It was Mr. Tennyson," whispered Ranveer in a small voice as Ishaani pulled up his chin, only to see that he had tears sparkling in his eyes. They rolled down his cheeks the moment their eyes met in the serene afternoon atmosphere of a now cloudy-London, the view of Green Park making the room even more so.

"And?" she pestered further as Ranveer refused to speak anything, her own heart beating away madly. She couldn't stomach the suspense anymore. It was going to be years of hardwork coming down to this very moment, and the pressure of success or failure at this point of time after everything they'd been through. Especially the past few days that was beginning to get to her already.

"We don't..." began Ranveer and trailed off, the word making something within Ishaani crack as she let go of her restraint at long last, the tears leaving her eyes. She didn't bother concealing her disappointment and grief. Ranveer looked up at her and wiped away the tears from upon her face even though she cried on unabashedly, not giving him a chance to speak. She clung on to him as though for dear life while Ranveer rubbed circles upon her back and whispered softy.

"Why are you crying?"

"We didn't get it," replied Ishaani as she continued to bury her face into his chest, suddenly losing the will to even look up at him and meet eyes with him. 

Everything had gone to waste - all of Ranveer's sacrifices and pains that he'd made just for her. And for some odd reason, she felt entirely responsible as she realized that she'd brought upon a loss not just to her company, but to Ranveer's as well. She was too afraid to look up lest she find anger or disappointment in his eyes for her, neither of which she could take at that moment. She didn't have a choice, however, when Ranveer spoke next.

"Who said we didn't?"

"What do you mean?" she asked suddenly as her head snapped up, a newfound hope building in her heart at his question even though she could see the tears still leaving from his eyes. Ranveer sniffed quietly as he hastily wiped them away and gave her the broadest smile that he could muster in that moment.

"We don't have to repudiate our contract with the supplier after all. We got the deal!" he exclaimed into the cool afternoon air as Ishaani stared on at him, dumbfounded and too lost for words for her mind was still trying to process the shock of his statement. The moment she recovered from her shock-

"Damn you, Ranveer! I'll kill you!" she yelled at the top of her voice as she rained punches and slaps on any muscle she had access to while Ranveer raised his hands above his head to shield himself from her. "How dare you give me a heart failure like that!" she roared as Ranveer finally caught hold of her hands, trying to keep her in control as Ishaani kicked and thrashed against his grip until she finally gave up at long last the moment their eyes met again.

"Call it karma for making my heart fail during my final results at the University level... or even for this morning," he whispered playfully as she freed herself out from his grip and saw his thumb print upon her wrist, giving him a basilisk look that made him laugh rather immoderately.

"You are such an ass!" shot back Ishaani even though she began to chuckle within moments in spite of herself.

Ranveer pulled Ishaani into his arms as they remained bound to each other in a tight embrace, the sun finally breaking through the cloudiness of the atmosphere as the light cascaded into the room, bathing them in its glow as well. They had both persevered for years and years as they faced all the trials and tribulations that had come their way bravely, never once accepting defeat until they'd become what they'd vowed to become all those years ago - the rulers of the world.

Ranveer kissed Ishaani upon her cheek while she did the same to him as they laughed and cried simultaneously in the other's embrace, feeling much happier than they had in all those years, feeling.a strange weight lift away from upon their hearts. The world had once laughed upon them for dreaming to become the rulers of the world. And yet nine years from that incident, both of them had established a duopoly in the London markets, soon to be jointly crowned as the King and Queen of the London Diamond Markets, which in turn gave them a free hand at easier transactions around the world diamond market as well.

Finally separating from each other, both of them wiped away the tears from upon each other's face as they laughed, Ranveer planting a loving kiss upon Ishaani's forehead while she took in the rich scent of lemon coming from his shirt. They had an appointment with Mr. Tennyson at four in the evening to sign upon the much awaited dotted line along with discussing several other requirements for the consignment. But for now a small, intimate celebration was in order.

"Congratulations on our first legacy together, Ishaani. To being the King and Queen of the diamond markets at long last," he added in a playful whisper as he proposed a small toast, and Ishaani did the same before claiming his lips with her own.

"To being the King and Queen of the diamond markets."

---

Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D

Next chapter:
Chapter 18

LadyMeringue2017-01-16 03:52:17