CHAPTER 10
It was 4 p.m. when Aryan was out of Delhi Airport. He told the driver to drive to a particular jewelry showroom, where he had ordered couple/engagement rings for him and Imlie. Then, in the car, he took out his phone and called Imlie. Imlie picked up his call, and said, “Hello, ABP.” Aryan replied, “Hello Imlie, you are returning Delhi tomorrow, right?” Imlie on the other side of the phone, said, “Nahi ABP, hum aur ek ya dui ghanta mah, Delhi wapas aah jaiye.” Aryan, looking like he will punch someone said, “Toh yeh baat tumh, mujhe pahale nahi bata sakti thi? Delhi pounch ke, pahale Bhaskar Times ke office mein, mujhse milna.” Imlie raising her voice, “Kahe, wapas aane ke baad, hum dono ghar pe bhi mil sakte he. Tum humka, phirse kaam dewe ke khatir, office bulawat rahe. Hum isi liye tohka nahi bataye ki, hum aaj laut rahe he. Hum direct ghar jawat he.” Aryan trying to control himself from arguing, said, “Imlie, tum ghar nahi jane wali ho, hum dono ek saath ghar wapas jane wale he, aur mein office tumhare workload barahane ke liye nahi bula raha hu. Ha, hum dono ko kuch kaam he, par tum kya ek baat bhul nahi rahi ho? Hum dono ne kaal shaadi kiya he? Kuch yaad aaya?” Imlie in a calm voice replied back, “Thik hei ABP. Bhaskar Times ke office mein milte hei.” And the call ended.
At 4:40 p.m., Aryan reached the BT office, after collecting the couple rings. He sent the car and the driver home with his luggage, and the rings baggage. Everyone greeted Aryan as he entered the office, he ordered the Editorial Chief to send him the article file and entered his office cabin. As Aryan was checking on the stock price and investment graph of his companies, the article file was sent to him. He engrossed himself at checking on the articles. Exactly, at 5:23 p.m. Imlie entered the BT office. Every staff of BT office stared at her like; they have seen a ghost. Aryan noticed Imlie as she walked up to her desk and sat on her chair, and again went back to look at the other files. To Aryan’s surprise, he saw Aditya Kumar Tripathi pestering his wife, he left his seat, closed his cabin shutters and immediately called for Imlie, after she enter his cabin, he thought for a second, and asked his secretary to send Mr. Tripathi to his cabin within fifteen minutes, as well. As Imlie entered the cabin, Aryan gestured her to sit on his cabin couch, while he himself slowly walked towards it. As Imlie sat on the couch, he sat beside her, and staring into her eyes, he asked, “Imlie, tum itni irresponsible kaise ho sakti ho? Tum kaha ja rahi ho, who ek bar bhi inform nahi kiya mujhe?”, Imlie replied back, “ABP, humne tohka bola tha, hum college assignment she bahar jawat rahe” Aryan raising his eyebrows at her lies exclaimed, “Oh, really? College Assignment? Then, why your college informed me, you also took leave from college? Tell me, what you did for the last 28 hours?” Imlie shocked and avoiding looking in Aryan’s eyes, said, “TUM…tum….ha hum college assignment pe nahi gaye the, hum uhh….hum….uhh”, she got up, walked and stood in front of the closed shutters glass wall avoiding Aryan, with her back to him. Aryan followed her close behind, he held on her right hand with his, turned her around, bringing the held hands in between, and closing the distance between them, he whispered, “Tum kya? Imlie kya? Where were you?” Imlie silently prayed to God for once, Oh Almighty mother, don’t let the cat out of the bag, I will not say a single lie, but I will not tell him the whole truth. I have hidden myself well till now, just let me be hidden for just 1 year more, he looked straight into Aryan’s eyes with determination, and said, “Hum uuh, Dadda ke kahene par, ek cheez ke bare mein pata karne Bhopal gaye the, Mr. Chaturvedi ke saath.” Aryan shouted, “What? Aur yeh bolne mein, tumne itna drama kiya? Kya mein tumhe kha jata, agar tum yeh pahale bolti?” Imlie plasting a fake smile started her rumbling, “Hum drama kiye, aur tum joh, humar pura do din ka history check kiye, woh kochu nahi hei? Aur, hum tohar naam ase hi ABP nahi rakhe, tum hume, saachi mein kha jate, aagar hum yeh baat, tohka, batayke jate.”
Suddenly, both heard the office cabin door open a little, and Aditya Kumar Tripathi knocked on the door and said, “Mr. Rathore.” Aryan let go of Imlie’s hand and both straighten up. Aryan walked towards his seat, and sat on it, while Imlie stood beside him, and he said, “Mr. Tripathi, please come in, and close the door behind you.” As Aditya entered and closed the door, and turned around, Aryan mockingly said, “Mr. Tripathi, mene aapko, pandra minute ke aandar mere cabin mein aane ke liye bola, lekin aap toh paanch minute ke aandar, yaha aah gaye? Aap kaab seh itna responsible ho gaye?” Aditya with a curved smile said, “Mr. Rathore, hum responsible hi the, par beech mein kuch insaano ki wajah se raasta bhatak gaye the. Aab hum phirse responsible ban ke, aapne pyaar ko bapwas haasil karenge.” Imlie giving a big smile, said, “Waah, bohot bariya. Toh kaab aayega woh din?” Aditya looked at Imlie said, “Aabhi aaj woh din ho sakta hei, aagar tum chaho toh.” Aryan facepalmed, as he knew, what Imlie was going to say. Imlie raising her eyebrows, started, “Kya baat hei? Aagar hum chaiye toh, woh din aaj ho sakat hei? Bohut bariya, toh aabhi ke aabhi, aap Malini Didi ko bapwas laane jane wale hei.” Aditya in shock said, “Kya? Malini? Hum tumahe bare mein bol rahe the. Malini ko toh hum divorce paper bhej diya hei.” Imlie busted out laughing, after making a fool out of Aditya, she put her right hand on Aryan’s left shoulder, and while laughing said, “ABP, hum tohka Ghochu bulawat rahe, par laagat he, tohse bhi barhe wala ghochu iss duniya mah hei.” Aryan still covering his face with his right hand said, “Imlie, stop”, then he removed his hand from his face, and looking at Aditya, handed him a file, and said, “Mr. Tripathi, read this file, and tomorrow morning, please inform me, if you will take up on this case or not…..blah blah blah.”
After finishing work, Aryan drove his car to Rathore Mansion, while Imlie sitting in the front passengers’ seat, pulled out her dupatta, surprising him, he abruptly stopped the car at one side of the middle of the road, and turning his head towards her, he asked, “Imlie, what are you doing?” Imlie flipped on the light inside the car, and took the mangalsutra out from under her cloth, and placing it properly. Then, she took her comb, and properly placed her hair, exposing her maang with Sindoor. Aryan said, “Imlie, dupatta kyu hata rahi ho?” Imlie with a bored expression said, “Tohka dikh raha hei, hum kya pahane hue hai? Iss kurta leggings mah dupatta ka kouno zarurat nahi hei. Woh toh mangalsutra chupane ke khatir humne dupatta oahr liya tha.” Aryan opened his mouth to say something, but tracked back his thoughts, put his hands on the steering wheel and drove for home. At 8:15 p.m., they reached Rathore Mansion, the watchman opened the main front gate, Aryan drove in, parked the car in front gate of the house, he and Imlie got down, and he passed on the car keys to one of the staff to park the car at its correct spot, while the other staffs carried Imlie’s trip luggage and his office bag. Though the staffs were surprised, as well as curious, when they saw Imlie’s appearance, they dared to ask anything to her or Aryan. As all the staffs disappeared to finish their designated jobs; Aryan turned towards Imlie, and let out a loud sigh, then asked, “Ready Mrs. Imlie Aryan Singh Rathore?”, and as Imlie nodded a yes, he held her hand, and walked inside the house.
Narmada and Arpita rushed to warmly welcome and see Aryan and Imlie at the front gate, after almost 2 full days, while telling the staffs to call for Meethi, but instead of happiness, both of their jaws dropped in shock, they froze in the middle of the main hall of the house. The first thing they noticed was the Sindoor in Imlie’s maang, then the mangalsutra around her neck and lastly, Aryan and Imlie holding hands. Narmada blinked for a few times, then rubbed her eyes with her right arm, to see if what she saw in front of her was the truth; then she put her left hand on Arpita’s shoulders, then asked, “Arpi, joh mein dekh rahi hu, woh tujhe bhi dikh raha hei?” Arpita pinched on Narmada’s hand, she removed her hand from Arpita’s shoulders and shouted, “Ahhhhh…..Arpi why pinch?” Arpita answered, “Maa mene aapko pinch kiya, yeh dekhne ke liye, joh hum dono dekh rahe hei, woh saach hei, ya nahi?” Meethi came downstairs, and from behind Narmada, asked, “Kaha hei meri Gudiya aur uuh ke Boss Babu? Aap dono ek jagah jumh kyu gaye?” Narmada still frozen in her steps, said, “MeethiJi aap khud samne aake dekh lijiye”, Meethi stepped beside Narmada to her right, and she also froze in her place.
Aryan and Imlie, looked at each other, then at frozen Narmada and Arpita from the doorsteps of the house. Imlie side eyed stared at Aryan, then while staring and plasting a big smile on her face, and clenching her jaws, she whishpered, “Hum dono ne toh shaadi kar liya, par family reaction kya howat sakta hei, woh sochna bhul gaye. Aab situation dekh ke lagat raha hei, hum dono ki shaamat aawat hei.” Aryan calmly whispered, “Jungli, bolne se pahale, khud situation ko dekha karo, aapne samne dekho.” As Imlie again looked back at the two ladies, she also saw Meethi joining them, Imlie’s jaw instantly dropped at the sight of her mother, she poked Aryan with their intertwined hands, and through her clenched teethes whispered, “Nakchade Akkarbagge, tumne pahale kyu bataya nahi?” Aryan whispered back, “Kya batau, mein bhul gaya ki, mene tumhare Amma aur Dadda ko lane ke liye, khud gardi bheja tha. Aab lag raha hei, double shamat aane wale hei.” Imlie answered back, “Uhh toh dikh raha hei.” They stopped whispering, as Arpita spoke up, “Tum dono kaha se aah rahe ho? Aru tuh toh Business Trip pe gaya tha, aur Imlie tum bhi toh, saher ke bahar assignment pe gayi thi? Toh Imlie tum ase halat mein kaise?” Then, Narmada spoke up, “Aru tuh ne bola tha, Trip se bapwas aane ke baad tuh, sabko surprise gift dega? Aur, ha Imlie yeh kya hei? Tum dono ne toh, hum teeno ko surprise gift ki jagah, shock de diya.” Lastly, Meethi staring at both Aryan and Imlie, like she will any moment beat them up, said, “Imaliya, tuh do dino se humar phone nahi uthaya, aur aab jab tujhe dekhat rahe hei, tuh toh yeh halat mah humar samne aake khara ho gava. Yeh chal kya raha hei?” Narmada said, “MeethiJi, yeh dono, zarur kuch ulta seedha karke aaye hei.” Arpita started, “Maa, Kaki Maa, dekhiye dono ko, dekh ke lag raha he, business trip pe jane ki jagah, ghumne gaye the,” Now, both Narmada and Meethi looked at Arpita, and in unison said, “Matlab tum bol rahi ho, dono ne, bhag ke shaadi kar liya, aur honeymoon banake aah gaye?” Shocked Aryan and Imlie in unison, said, “Aap loog kya kuch sochne se pahale, hum dono ko ghar mein ghusne dijiye aur hume bolne denge?”
Both entered the house and, Aryan said, “Jo aap loog soch rahe hei, waisa kuch nahi hei. Hum dono ne kaal shaadi kar liya tha, aur aap sabko batane ke liye, ghar bhi aane wale the, par dono ko kaam aah gaya tha, toh hum dono ne, kaam ki wajah she bahar gaye the. Baas yeh hei puri kahani.” Arpita said, “Aru tuh kahani maat badal, dono kaam se bahar zarur gayr the, lekin uske saath saath ek din ka honeymoon bhi banake aah gaye. Yeh hai asli kahani.” Aryan and Imlie in unison rejected it, they said, “Nahi Didi. Mein/Hum batate hei, kya hua hei.”, both looked at each other and in union continued, “Main/Hum batayenge. Nahi, nahi, aab tum bata do/Nahi, nahi aab tum batao. Shut up.” Arpita pasting a big smile, asked, “Ho gaya, aap dono ka? Aru bata aab.” Aryan looked at his sister and narrated about where both of them went and why, obviously, leaving out the details of his secret and Eve’s and his conversation, as well. Now, the three women started laughing, and Arpita making a sad face, said, “Hayee, mera bechara bhai, shaadi ke baad hi, ushe kaam ke liye, biwi se dur rehena parah.” Aryan started protesting, at the scenario of the three women laughing, while Imlie was trying to imagine how to bury herself. After Narmada, Meethi and Arpita stopped laughing, Narmada said, “Aab tum dono riti riwaz se, puri duniya aur bhagawan ke samne, mandap mein shaadi karoge. Aru, nahi toh tujhe, mein ghar se, nikal dungi.” Aryan surprised with Narmada’s words said, “Maa, I will do the marriage according to rituals, toh mujhe, ghar se nikal ne ki naubat nahi aane wala hei.” Then, Imlie asked Meethi, “Amma, Dadda kaha pe hei? ABP, bata raha tha, aap dono hi aane wale the?” Meethi took Imlie’s hand, and said, “Tuh chal mere saath, tere saath humka kochu baat hei”, and took her to another place, to have a conversation with her.
……………………………
Imlie opened the wardrobe of the room, where Arpita left her, and went inside, and she let out a loud shout, whereas Aryan, who was almost outside that room, rushed inside, went straight inside the wardrobe and said, “Imlie, kya hua?” Imlie pointed her fingers, towards the cloths, and said, “Yeh kiske kapde hei?” When suddenly, the lights of the room went off and the door of the room was locked from the outside. Imlie and Aryan looked at each other in the darkness, then Imlie asked, “Yeh chal kya raha hei?”, Aryan answered, “I don’t know, there was never a power cut in my house…..”, then he took out his phone, and continued, “….and I have no idea, who locked us in this room together, today?” Arpita from outside the door shouted, “Aryan, Imlie aaj se, yeh kamra, tum dono ka. Mene pahale se, tum dono ke saare saman yaha rakhwa diye hei. Now freshen up, and enjoy. Bye, good night.” Aryan and Imlie again looked at each other and said in unison, “Kya/Ka?” They went out of the wardrobe, to get shocked and find the room, decorated with flowers and candles, while the bed of the room with flower petals. Aryan stammering in his speech while looking at shocked Imlie, said, “I-I-I…don’t……This-this-this….is Didi……I-I….Di-di….did it….I don’t know anything.” Imlie blinked for a few times, then looking at the room, said, “Hmmm….Hum janat hei”, Aryan replied, “I am sorry Imlie”, Imlie looked at Aryan, and said, “Koi problem nahi, aaj sofe pe soh jayenge. Hum change karne jawat hei”, and she went inside the wardrobe took some cloths and went to change. Aryan looked at the parallel placed couches in their room, then went and sat on one of them, and started to look at the e-mails of Rathore Groups. And, after an hour, both went to sleep.
Next dawn, after Aryan woke up, with a very faint, but, addictive smell, he felt, he was in some unfamiliar place, and slowly rubbed his eyes, while remembering the incidents before he went to sleep. He turned around to his right in his couch, and slowly opened his eyes, to witness his sleeping wife, his Jungli Imlie, on the other couch, opposite to his couch. He looked at her and felt a sudden electricity run in him, and he slowly started to breadth hard, but so soundlessly, that no one else could hear. While staring at her, he removed the sheet covering him, and then turning around, walked towards the bed, and cleaned the flower petals on it. After Aryan was done cleaning them, he walked towards sleeping Imlie, took her up, in his arms with her sheet covering her, and carried her to the bed. And then, kneeled down on the floor, and watched his sleeping wife, his heart picked up a rapid pace. As Imlie turned around, her face totally towards him, unknowing of his own actions, Aryan started stroking her soft and long untied hairs, and thought, What is it that makes me go crazy, whenever you are near me? What is it, that makes my stoned heart beat again, whenever I see you and feel your emotions? Why do I lose control of myself, whenever I see you sad? Who are you to make me feel all these? And then his hand, cupped her left cheek and he got up, rubbing her warm cheek, placed a kiss on her forehead, and went to the couch, and started doing his work.
At 6 a.m. when Imlie woke up, she slowly opened her eyes, and looked around. Then, she jumped up on the bed with a shock, and thought, I went to sleep on the couch, so how am I on the bed? And, by the way, where is Aryan Singh Rathore?, when she heard the sound of running water in the washroom, and thought, Oh he might be getting ready, for the day. She got out of the bed, drank a glass of water, and went and sat on the couch, and started working on her laptop. After some time, as Aryan came out in black shirt and dark mauve trousers, Imlie asked, “Tumne humka sofe se sote hue halat mah, utha ke, bed pe sula diya tha?”, Aryan while, wearing his waist coat replied, “Ha”, Imlie in a bored voice, said, “ABP, sote hue laardki ko chuna, buri baat hota hei”, Aryan replied, “Ha bohot aacha, aab mein bura. Bura hi sahi, lekin boss hu tumhari. Aab jao aur ready ho jao, aaj office jaldi jana hei.” Imlie closed her laptop, got up, and left for getting ready, while Aryan called one of his men, and said, “Anand, Good Morning. Please, come to my house, and open the door of the room, and also while coming, tell the chef of my house, to prepare food for, me and Imlie as soon as possible.” In 15 minutes, Imlie came out dressed in a ruffled sleeved, dark mauve and white combined kurti, with black leggings, while Aryan was fully ready, and working on his laptop. Aryan looked up, and stared at Imlie, when she irritated with wearing a bracelet, said, “Tumka humar churiya bhi kachre mah phakani thi, jab kapde waha phake?”, he just gave a small smile and said, “Ha, how can you wear it, when I feel irritated, even looking at them?” Imlie put sindoor on her maang, and started to work on her hair, to hide his sindoor, and said, “Aur kya kya kachre mein gaye hei?”, Aryan replied, “Your clothes, churis aur jute.” Imlie was ready, and she turned around, facepalmed, and about say something, when Anand came and opened the door, of their room, and said, “Sir, Good morning, I did as you said”, when he was shocked, and asked, “Imlie Ma’am, aap bhi iss kamre mein?” Aryan and Imlie looked at each other, laughed and explained the situation to Anand.
After having a breakfast, Imlie and Aryan left for Bhaskar Times, and reached there by 7:30 p.m. Imlie went and sat on her seat, and ordered for milk tea, while Aryan before entering his cabin, ordered for a black coffee, and told the peon to send Harshit and his main Secretary to his cabin, as soon as they arrive, one by one. After a while, a man wearing a formal grey office attire entered the Bhaskar Times, and was given straight access to go to Aryan’s cabin, this man was Harshit. Imlie couldn’t see anything inside Aryan’s cabin, as the cabin shutters were closed.
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Comments (4)
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Rakshanda Kulkarni @Rakshu_K
+ 3
1 years ago
When will you update next??
sonali mishra @Shivi_forever
+ 5
1 years ago
Finally you are back. Interesting update.