CHAPTER 18
PART III
Get 'em civilized
It had been 1 hr. and sujal had been hovering around nick attentively like the dutiful best man. The girls or rather the bride and her friends were still to grace the occasion. Sujal was feeling totally bored by now and his anxiety of being face to face with kashish again was giving him a headache now….
S –seems like sanskriti did ditch u after all… wasn't she supposed to be here hr. ago?
N –shut up! Why do u keep saying bad things like that? Did u get ditched or something? She is a woman! Women tae time getting ready. If u wan them t ready by 1 pm u tell them to be ready by 12 pm. That's the amount of time they take getting ready. Sheeesh don't tell me u don't even know that much! U have been out with so many girls….
S –well all the girls I have been out with know the value of my time.. So they don't dare to be late…. I guess u don't have that aura of importance with u…… don't worry.. As long as u are ok with waiting.. U will get along fine with sanskriti.
N –really!! what sadistic pleasure u get by pulling m leg. U really have become a psycho case.
Sam –hey u two…. Having fun waiting?
S –nick is, I am not.
Sam –get used to it Mr. Grewal one day u shall wait like this too.
S –over my dead…….-
Everyone looked around and saw the bride to be descending the stairs.
Sanskriti wore a beautiful, delicate golden lehenga….. It glittered with every step she took and shined brilliantly but not more than the joyous glow of her face. She was one happy bride to be.
Right behind sanskriti was kashish. Looking magnificent in black silver lehenga. She wasn't supposed o look better than the bride but in the eyes of some people she did look better….
Kashish looked around at the small gathering and saw her father. He looked at her dotingly she resembled her mother and ashoke cud find no other girl prettier than her… kashish looked to her father's right where nick stood- smitten by sanskriti's sight. And to nick's right stood sujal. Kashish looked at him and faltered a little in her step and looked away quickly.
One look was enough for both sujal and kashish to see what the other was wearing and feel the uneven beating of their heart.
The first thought on their minds was- how breathtaking the other looks….. Sujal in black sherwani and grey silver stole around his neck and kashish in a silver black lehenga with no ornaments save a delicate line of black pearls around her neck….
The second thought on their minds was- WE MATCH!!!
Was it fate or the intervention of the family? Both wondered but both felt embarrassed and ridiculous for wearing such complementary dresses…
***
Everything had been going fine.. Sanskriti was being introduced to every1 present at the ceremony by kashish and kaveri. While nick was also talking to people trying to get a chance to talk to his wife to be and sujal was doing his best to avoid it. Coz talking with sanskriti meant being in front of kashish and tonight his patience and endurance was thin as a spider's web. He couldn't help but stare after her whenever he was sure he wouldn't get caught staring.
Kashish to avoided taking sanskriti near nick coz sujal was there. She too had given him infinite shuttered glances. She hated herself for thinking so, but she couldn't help but feel that sujal was the most handsome, dashing and charismatic person in the house tonight not even her brother was anywhere near him in comparison.
Ashoke clapping his hands –all right!!! Everyone gathered here tonight. I thank you all for ur coming here to be present at the engagement of my youngest son nikhil with the beautiful miss sanskriti singh. Nihkil.. sanskriti… come here ..
Ashoke hugged both of them and gestured to sujal and kashish to produce the engagement rings
Kashish looked at sujal while taking out the ring and fumbled clumsily almost dropping the ring. While sujal was lost looking at kashish that he forgot to give the ring to nick who was trying to wrench the ring out of sujal's grip…
N –give me the ring man it's no time for joke!!!.... sujal!!!!!!(poking him)
S (waking from his dream like stature) –huh? yeah sorry..
Sans –kashish!!1 what r u doing don't drop it!
K –uh.. sorry.. here take it…
Nick and sanskriti exchanged rings and everyone clapped at the sight only kashish and sujal were looking at each other while clapping.
***
After the ring ceremony sanskriti was left with nick and sujal and kashish by their sides. Often while looking at each other they wud get so lost that they wud forget evry1 else's presence around them. Usually some1 wud have to yell at them to bring them back to present. While their eye locks meant completely something else to the two of them evry1 else thought that they were silently glaring each other as if promising a death duel in near future.
Ashoke called kashish to him while Sid called sujal. both said something to s and k that made them again glance again at each other and shook their heads in violent no. but Sid and ashoke were determined and soon made them agree.
Kashish went over to nick, took his hand..
K –dance wit me bhai..
And sujal led sanskriti to the dance floor. A soothing song played in the background and with the sudden change in song sujal and kashish changed partner so that sanskriti and nick danced together and kashish was in sujal's arms.
Kashish hated to admit it but the way he held her made her feel the same way when he had danced with her first on their first dinner together. Uuurgh!!! When am I gonna get over him??!!!!!
Sujal too cursed him self for enjoying holding her close to him like this. He hated himself for wanting to hold her like this and hold her closer. He hated himself for falling into temptations whenever she was concerned.
S –don't u think I am enjoying this.
K –u wud be a stupid fool if u think that I am enjoying this. I am doing it only coz dad forced me to
S –yah well I too was forced by Sid into this. I wud never volunteer to dance with some1 like u.(pulling k slightly closer. Contradicting his own statement)
K gulped and tried to bring her heart beat back to normal –well don't think it was my idea. I am only doing it to make nick happy. I don't take orders.
S –I wud cut away right hand first before acting like a slave on someone's order's. nick is my best friend and my brother. It's all for his sake.
Kashish stepped tightly on sujal's feet and sujal pulled her still closer. She had no room t misstep now. her legs moved where his guided her's. kashish looked away but saw nothing except grey black blur. Sujal concentrated on the top of her head on her silky lustrous hair. This dance was a painful punishment which he was willing to take every day every hour, he was a doomed man.
Finally the music stopped and sujal and kashish stepped away hastily, breathing hard but only after 30 secs after the song had ended. Kashish disappeared in the crowd and sujal disappeared outside on pretence of attending some important call
Kashish went to kitchen to get herself some cold water. It wud clear her head. Her head was whirling from the dance. It made no sense. It was like one more event added to the collection of 'it was just a nice dream' moments spent with sujal. kashish searched the fridge for water bottle, finally took out the ice tray and closed the door and heard –excuse me? can I have some-
Sujal was right there standing behind the fridge's door. They were alone in the dim kitchen. Both hadn't cared to switch on the light so that n one wud come looking for them here. How were they to know that it wud turn out like this….
Sujal stood blocking k's way. She was stuck b/w the fridge wall and sujal.
She took a right at the same time as sujal too left. And then in the opposite direction. It was exactly like scene from the movies only kashish and sujal didn't want it, didn't need it.
Both of them stopped and stood still. Better if only one moved. Both waited o\for the other to move first and get out of the way. Another stalement.
Kashish suddenly dropped the ice tray and broke the silence. The cold was freezing her fingers. She hadn't even remembered the ice-tray
Both bent down at the same time and bumped their heads.
S, k –ow! Watch it!
K –sorry.
S –um… no.. u.. its fine. Not ur fault.
Sujal got up and handed her the tray.
K –thanks……….. u want something?
S you. I want you –uh.. yah.. chilled water?
Kashish shook her head –there ain't any.
S –ice?
K extended the tray to s. that's when s realized that k was in the kitchen for the same reason. s took the tray and filled two glasses with ice cubes. Kashish poured water in them and then took one. Both stood silently sipping their drinks glancing at one another. Kashish felt sure that the water has turned into alcohol at his touch coz she felt drunk. Dead drunk in his presence. Ready to fall at is feet, beg his forgiveness, make things right for him.
S –I am going out of own for a week. We won't have to look at each other.
K nodded her head. That wud be best. Not to see him at all.
K –I am attending a month's camp. I'll leave at the end of this week…
S –a month's camp?!
Sujal spoke out before he cud stop himself.
K –it's a medical camp. We'll be visiting rural areas. It's a…. volunteer ship camp.
S nodded his head. A month's time ought to be enough to get over her.
Both finished their drinks and stepped out of the kitchen together with grim, controlled faces…. Perhaps the rest of the evening might end without any more hitches's and encounters like this…
***
Sam spotted s and k coming out of the dark kitchen together and nudged said to look in their direction. Sid and Sam grinned at each other and started cooing a plan in their minds. They closely observed s and k through the rest of the night. Noticed all the stolen glances, the mixture of lust and loath in their behavior, the careful avoidance of glances and clenched fists of control….
***
Sam –dad I am telling you it will work this time!
Sid –yes it will! We saw it!
Ashoke –just coz they started acting civilly in public doesn't men they are ready to be thrown together again boys. U two have to understand that those are not meant to be…
Kaveri –oh I don't now… I think we ought to give it one more try. They look super good together and it wud be so wonderful if it did happen..
Ashoke –ok if u all insist…. I'll be part of this new scheme of getting sujal and kashish together. Now does anyone have a plan?
Sam –yes we do!!!!
Sid –but we have to be really really be careful this time. If they suspect anything then it's a goner.
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