Chapter 19

Chapter #18

"At the very end he called me an Ice Queen, and said that no man would ever want a frigid woman like me. At first I thought he was talking nonsense and that my non-responsiveness was all just a result of my upbringing; that if we had gotten married that I would be more receptive to his advances." Naomi paused to wipe her eyes with the heels of her palms. "And then I began to wonder if maybe Abhi was actually right; that I was seriously flawed somehow. But both of our theories were wrong, and if I hadn't been so messed up considering what was wrong with me, I could have managed a better defense against this."

"Which is precisely what Naomi; you're not exactly making any sense right now."

"Falling in lust, Ra." Looking for support from her friend Naomi's eyes widened in surprise at the other woman's reaction. Grabbing the closest pillow she aimed it directly at Rachna's head, when rather than commiserating with her, her friend instead burst out laughing.

"Oh Naomi, you've been so sensible dealing with KT and me; I was truly worried that you had finally matured. It's so good to know that you're still your quirky self."

"Rachna, I'm being serious, I have a major dilemma here."

"Okay, so you're telling me that you've forsaken all modesty and are now just fixated on becoming intimate with my Sir? Fine then, go for it Naomi, you're both consenting adults. "

"Rachna Tripathi, are you mad; I couldn't just do that, not without knowing ..."

"But you're in lust, so what do you have to know?"
"It's not that simple, Ra."

"Then it's not lust, at least it's not for you." She could see the trail of her friend's thoughts and continued, "And I'm more than sure that it isn't for him either."

"Ooh, well that just makes me a bigger fool than ever. I've never been so confused before in my life. I've probably, no I've definitely wrecked any chance I had with him."

"Come on it couldn't be that bad."

"Let's see we kissed, I confessed that I was way too attracted to him, and then basically accused him of just wanting sex from me when he gave me a hug - yeah, I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm bipolar and wants nothing to do with me."

"And I'm so sure he isn't thinking anything of the sort, Naomi. However, you really need re-think that fallen in lust' stance, that's definitely not your problem, sweetie."

Rajeev entered the studio, catching Kabir unawares as he was finalizing his plans for the upcoming week.

"Kabir, I can't fault you for pulling out all the stops, but I could very well have been Rachna, and everything you've planned been found out."

"No, I was sure I had more than enough time, not when she is dealing with our Naomi."

"Ah yes, Naomi; she's proving to be very complicated young woman."

"Undoubtedly, but once you get to really know and understand her, that's when you will get to realize how very special she is." He stopped what he was doing completely and turned his full attention to the other man. "I have to confess, Rajeev, my initial invitation for you to stay here was purely selfish on my part. I still don't understand what or why it happened, but your interaction with her sparked something. It was honestly the first sign of anything we had seen in her from the moment she came back. If nothing else, we have you to thank for your part in pulling her out of such an unhappy state. But now... well let's just say you have a lot of people rooting for you. I especially, would hate it if your intentions towards her weren't true Rajeev. She's not one to be played with and if you have any thought that you won't treat her in the manner she deserves, it would be best if you walk away now."

"Kabir, I have at the eleventh hour just cancelled the furnished option clause of my sales agreement, in order to have a legitimate excuse not be able to move somewhere she isn't comfortable being yet. And I'm looking to ingratiate myself to her older brother, who by all indications is quite capable of nullifying any of my attempts to have a relationship with her with one word; no less on a day where, in her mind I've wronged her. If this doesn't speak to the nature of my intentions, I don't know what else I can do to prove my sincerity. God, the shopping alone I will now have to subject myself to is too unbearable to even think of!"

Kabir shook his head in disbelief. "Well no one can accuse you of taking a half-hearted approach to things. That's a hell of an excuse as any, but if things work out as you hope, then I'm sure she will be more than willing to help you out."

Indicating the details on Kabir's laptop, Rajeev grimaced. "Ah well, that all depends on her availability, you seem to have secured much of Naomi's time already. "

"Only the latter part of the week, and then only until noon on Saturday at the very latest. I'm just trying to make the next week as painless as possible for everyone."

"And by everyone, you mean for Rachna in particular I take it. Kabir, I know it's none of my affair, but I have to ask, is this truly a legitimate claim? I mean just from the snippets I've been privy to, it sounds as if your ex-fianc is bad news; are you certain that the child is even yours?"

" Unfortunately yes to both: Sonal has proven to be trouble, and yes testing has proved that he is mine."

"Well I'm sorry that you find yourself in this position; both you and Rachna."

"Thank you, but if nothing let the fact that my family is still intact show you that no issue is insurmountable. I really do hope everything works out for the two of as well."

Dinner was a quiet affair. After making small talk , the two couples seemed to metaphorically retreat back to their own corners. Observing them, Daadi smiled. While Nanhe and Rachna definitely seemed in a much happier place, it seemed some small hiccup had disrupted the harmony of the other pair. Of the two Rajeev seemed the more comfortable, with her young friend appearing more unsettled. She watched as Naomi cast one anxious look after another seemingly on the cusp of speaking, and shook her head. The poor dear, obviously something had occurred on her outing that had her looking and acting so pitifully.

"Naomi beta?"

"Yes Daadi?"

"I'm sorry that I didn't get to speak further to you this morning after looking at the website."

Naomi smiled down the table to the older woman. "That's okay Daadi."

"You did an excellent job Beta, but there was one thing I thought missing. Even though you added shots of the reception there was one special fairy that was nowhere to be seen in any of images. I confess to being very disappointed."

Naomi shook her head. "Daadi, it wasn't necessary to have my photo anywhere on the site, not yet anyway."

"She's absolutely right, Daadi, it's not her time yet."

"Do you have a special rotation of models planned, Rachna?"

"No, Sir."

"So when..?"

"Rajeev, would you like to see the website after dinner?"

He decided to let her way for now. Clearly she didn't want to disclose whatever arrangements that she and Rachna had for her modelling any of Rachna's designs, so he had taken her up on her offer to view the website. They had been a few minutes into it, when she stopped and turned to face him.

"Rajeev, I'm sorry I...Oh not now."

The ringtone indicating the incoming video call sounded on her computer and she looked horrified at the identity of the caller.

"It's okay Naomi, just answer it."

"He..hello?"

"Hey kid, you have been difficult to get hold of; you haven't been avoiding me have you?"

She looked everywhere but the monitor when she answered her brother. "No Stef, that isn't it at all." Unseen by her brother who was now eyeing her suspiciously, Naomi was comforted when she felt the steady grasp on her trembling hand. She took a deep breath and then faced her sibling. "Actually I'm glad you called. I do have something I want to talk to you about, Stef."

"I have booked you into The Oberoi, Mumbai for the duration of your visit. The hotel will send a car to collect you from the airport, which I will reconfirm on the day you leave. I've emailed the information to you already so you can forward to your clients, but here is a hardcopy as well so you can have on at the ready should you need. Considering that you will be exceptionally busy the first couple of days meeting with the client, I thought that perhaps Wednesday afternoon you could explore the Kalbadevi fabric wholesalers, so I have contacted a colleague who will meet you for lunch and then show you what there is to be had there or any of the other shopping areas. Of course this is totally dependent on your availability, but I just wanted you to have the option."

Rachna looked to her husband, sitting beside her on the sofa, before reaching over and kissing his cheek. "You have gone over and above Kabir Tripathi, thank you so much." She looked over the documents and then shook her head in wonder. "I think you missed you calling KT, maybe I should just hire you as my personal assistant."

She smiled when he came closer and put an arm around her shoulder. "You do realize that most employers require their assistants to travel with them for business?"

She sighed contently, "Oh that would definitely be a benefit of working for me, Mr. Trpathi. Can I expect an application to be forthcoming? It will certainly save me from missing you."

"I would love to be able to accompany you on this trip Rachna, perhaps next time."

She sat up unable to assuage her guilt with what had to appear as her indifference to his situation. "I'm so sorry KT, I haven't even asked; what is the schedule for the visitations next week?"

"There will be two afternoon visits, Monday and Wednesday, and then a longer one scheduled for Saturday. I actually arranged the Saturday visit from noon, since you will be coming back early that morning. That way you will have the opportunity to spend some time with Aryia before Sanjay arrives."

"That will be wonderful, but I hope you've included yourself in this scenario as well. I will have missed the two of you, not just our daughter."

"As will we my love, we will have missed you as well."

They tore their gazes from each other, when Naomi came and threw herself down on the armchair adjacent to them. She ranted, her hands flailing, "He asked me to leave, that I didn't need to hear what they had to talk about, and Stef agreed with him! My own brother and my...my, and that man in there, told me to leave. Like I was nothing, like I had no opinion, no say in a conversation that is about me." She looked back in the direction of the office door and then turned to look at her friends' amused expressions. "Heck guys, after the day I've had, I might as well go and start packing to go home now," she whined. Her gripe met silence and she looked at them for a response. "Guys?"

"KT, after I returned from the UK and before everything was settled, I wasn't as high-strung as this was I?" Rachna laughed aloud when KT grimaced and then held his hand out and rocked it slightly.

"Well I distinctly remember a certain someone calling me irrational Rachna, so maybe I may have been a little excitable, but come on Naomi, you have to admit that you are taking this to an entirely new level."

Unable to avoid looking back towards the offending door, Naomi answered. "Oh, shut up Ra, you're of no help."

[NOCOPY]

crtkelly2016-05-24 07:30:28