Chapter.11
The next day Kapoors signed the deal with Kumars... Priya was very happy.. now she has 2 months to dig in the mystery of so called Rajiv Sinha..
"so Mrs. Kapoor going back to the hotel??" rajiv asked to priya..
"haan Mr.Sinha yaha mera ghar toh hain nehi.." priya replied..
"areh toh ap ek private guest house kyun nehi book kar leti..?" rajiv suggested
"haan that's a good idea.. but I hardly know anyone here.."
"u know me.. I'll help you find one.. waise bhi do mahine hotel m thode hi rahengi ap??"
Priya was very delighted to hear him.. they worked all day together.. in the evening he decided to show her some houses for rent.. right when they were about to leave Nikita busted in..
"where the hell were you?? Kabse tumhara phone try kar rahi thi main.. mera phone kyun nehi uthaya tumne??" she yelled at him.
"ok ok just calm down.. itna hyper kyun ho rahi ho yaar..?? meeting mein tha phone silent tha.. whats the big deal?? Tumhe mere office ki timing pata toh hain" rajiv tried to explain.
Without even hearing or saying a 2nd word she dragged him outside the cabin through the corridor out of the office with her.. Priya stood there frozen at her place watching all this.. she didn't understand.. what got into her all of a sudden.. priya went back to the hotel tired and hopeless.. she sat on her bed trying to figure out a possible reason of Nikita's weird behavior..! just then he phone rang.. her face curved in a satisfying smile seeing the caller's name.. it was KK...
"Namastey maa" she said pressing the answering button.
"namastey beta.. kaisi hain??" KK replied.
"main thik hu.. ap kaisi hain?? Aur Natasha kaisi hain??"
"wah tujhe yaad bhi ati hain humari?? Kitne time hogaya hain tujhe gaye huye.. ek bar bhi phone nehi kiya.." kk complained like a child.
"nehi maa mujhe apki bohot yaad ati hain.. bohot miss karti hu apko maa kash ap mere paas hoti" saying that tears trickled in her eyes.. her voice choked.
"priya.. kya hua beta?? Tu thik toh hain??" a concerned KK asked
"haan main thik hu maa bas ap logo se itne din dur kabhi rahi nehi na.." priya said.
"areh toh issmein udaas hone wali kaunsi baat hain?? Mera ashirwad humesha tere sath hain.. tu acche se apna kaam khatam karke aa"
Haan maa mujhe apki ashirwad ki bohot zarurat hain iss waqt.. kash main apko bata paati ki apka beta.. apka ram zinda hain.. lekin wo toh humein pechante hi nehi.. main apko kaise batau maa ki mujh pe kya guzar rahi hain.. her heart wept continuously but she couldn't make herself to tell KK anything about her condition..
"priya... sab thik hain na beta..??" kk asked once again.
"h-haan maa sab thik hain" priya managed to tell between her sobs "main abhi chalti hu maa.. main phone karti rahungi.. aur jaldse jald wapis aungi.. ap chinta maat karna aur apna khyal rakhna.. dawai time se le na" priya concluded.
"haan baba I will.. tu chinta maat kar aur apne kaam pe dhyan de.." saying that she hung up.
Priya sobbed some more then got up to freshen up herself.. her phone rang once again.. she received.. it was rajiv
"hi mrs.kapoor.." he greeted her.
"hi.. ap itne raat gaye?? Kya baat hain??" priya asked.
"wo m sorry to bother u par main neechey lobby mein hu kya ap asakti hain??"
Priya clutched her mangalsutra.. "ap..app nichey..??" she stammered.
"haan.." he repeated.
"main.. main abhi ati hu.." priya replied.
She rushed down to the lobby almost bumping into him..
Catching her breath she asked "ap yaha.. iss waqt??"
he didn't reply instead kept gazing at her.. a drop of sweat rolled down the side of her forehead.. he suddenly felt the urge to wipe off the beads of sweat from her forehead but somehow stopped himself..
"kya hua.. chup kyun hain??" priya asked again.
"wo priya I donno what your thinking but I am really sorry about nikita's behavior earlier tonight" he said. Everything he said seemed to hv become inaudible except for her name from his mouth.. "priya!! Did he call me priya??" she asked herself.. "it never sounded so blissful.
He snapped in front of her to break her chains of thoughts.. "kaha khoyi hain ap..??" Rajiv asked..
"nehi kuch nehi.." taking a little pause she continued.. "yeh baat to ap phone pe bhi bata sakte the Mr. Sinha.. itni takleef uthane ki koi zarurat nehi thi.. and more over..." she started walking out towards the wide spread lawn in front of the hotel "... main kyun bura manungi.. yeh ap dono ki bich ki baat hain mujhe isse kuch matlab nhi hona chahiye.."
rajiv followed her to the lawn... "I know priya lekin jo kuch hua apke samne hua aur wo sahi nehi tha.. I donno what got into her.. wo kabhi aise behave nhi karti.. aj achanak pata nehi kya hogaya.." he explained.
"hota hain Mr.Sinha it's completely ok.." priya reassured.
"areh main apko priya kehke bularaha hu aur ap hain ki mujhe Mr. Sinha Sinha kar rahe hain.. u can call me Rajiv priya.." he said.
"nehi, Mr.Sinha is good enough.. rajiv doesn't sound too good.." priya retorted..
"oh..!!" came a sharp groan from him.. "ap kahe toh change karlu.." he giggled..
"haan change karli jiye na.. kyunki ap rajiv nehi hain.. ap Ram hain.. mere Ram.." she wanted to say it out loud but just couldn't make herself to do so.
They walked side by side for a while in complete silence. Finally rajiv broke the eerie silence.
"mujhe actually ek aur baat karni thi apse.."
"haan kahiye"
"I had promised u to find u a good place to stay.. but I failed.. toh maine soch hain I hv my own guest house.. just 15 mins away from our office.. so agar apko aitraaz na ho ap jab tak yaha hain mere guest house m shift ho sakti hain.." he suggested.
Priya was a little baffled.. "main?? Apke guest house mein kaise reh sakti hu Mr. Sinha.. I mean.."
He cut her in between.. "yaha lekin ki koi gunjaish hi nehi hain.. dekhiye u r working with us.. ap yaha ki native nehi hain.. technically we should be arranging a place for u to stay until the project is over.. so agar ap mere guest house mein rahengi toh problem kya hain..?? waise bhi wo humesha khali hi rehti hain and trust me aur zyada din khali raha na toh jungle baan jayega.."
Priya threw her head back laughing and agreed to his proposal.
The next morning Vikram came to Priya..
"priya mujhe aj hi Mumbai wapas jana hoga.." vik informed.
"kyun all of a sudden.. waha kuch problem huyi hain kya??". A concerned priya aksed.
"areh nehi nothing serious.. lekin waha Nats pe pressure bohot badh raha hain.. kal raat uska call aiya tha.. so aj hi nikal na hoga mujhe.. lekin priya tum yaha sambhal logi na??"
She gave him a coy smile.. "I'll try my best Vikram.. I definitely will"
He smiled back to her.. "thik hain main nikalta hu.. aur haan tum apna bhi khayal rakhna ok..?" he bid a final good bye and left for the airport.
Later that day priya went to Rajiv's guest house.. he was already there waiting for her.. she entered the house and looked around.. whoa..!! it was such a mess.. she thought.. Rajiv tried to arrange few things seeing her puzzled expression. Gazing at him priya went back to her memory lane.
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"priyaa... priyaaa..." ram screamed at the top of his lungs.
"aarahi hu baba chilla kyun rahe hain.." priya replied almost running in.. "kya hua? bataiye.." she asked.
"Areh wo khannas wali file nehi mil rahi hain mujhe.. kaha rakkhi hain tumne?" ram asked restlessly.
"ram..!!" she looked at him scornfully
"kya??" he replied more irritated
"apki files bedroom mein hoti hain kya??" she asked.
"ohho priya paheliya maat bujhao yaar mujhe der ho rahi hain.."
"areh baba study mein hogi na.."
"study mein nehi hain.. maine dekh liya.. aj presentation hain, tumhe yaad hain na.."
"aur agar main study mein se leke au toh??"
"nehi hain waha maine kaha na.."
priya walked out of the bedroom without saying another word.. and she came back with the file he was looking for.. "yeh rahi.." she handed him the file with a victorious smile.. He smiled back sheepishly.
"accha suniye aj main office nehi jarahi hu meri tabiat kuch thik nehi lagrahi hain" priya said..
"areh kya hua.. bukhar hain kya??" he checked her forehead with the backside of his plam
"areh nehi nehi.. bas shadi ki bhag daud se thak gayi hu aur upar se itna saara kaam jo daal diya hain apne.. aj ap akele hi jaiye.. main kal se rejoin karti hu.." priya assured him.
"haan thik tum aj aram karo.."
"accha main apka lunch pack kar deti hu.." saying that she left for the kitchen.. she was half way through the stars when came another piercing yell.. "priyaaa...!!"
Priya smacked her forehead with her palm and she climbed up to their bedroom again.. "ab kya hain??" she asked enraged.
"meri ghadi nehi milrahi aur meri tie kaha rakkhi hain tumne??"
Priya gave him his watch and tie.. they were right where they were supposed to be.. !
"aur mera coat??" ram complained again.. priya brought his coat from the cupboard and made him wear it..! ram picked up his briefcase with one hand and files with the other and pressing a quick peck on priya's cheeks ram rushed out of the room when she called for him.. "ram rukiye.. tie toh bandhli jiye.."
Ram laughed at himself n ran back to her.. "bandho.. mere dono hath occupied hain na.."
Priya started twisting the tie in a knot.. "mujhe samajh mein nehi ata apne itna bada empire khada kaise kiya?? U r just so messy"
As she tied the tie around his neck ram took a quiet moment out of his rush to look at his newly wedded wife.. her face had an uncanny glow.. water dripping from her wet hair from the morning shower.. her eyes twinkled brighter than the night star every time she spoke and her fragrance made him go weak on his knees.. unknowingly ram dropped the files and briefcase on the ground.. ram encircled his hand around priya's waist and pulled her closer. priya was still concentrating on the tie trying to get that one knot in place.. "here! Done" she said grinning ear to ear.. she looked up to ram who's dark chocolate eyes were transfixed at her oozing with love for her.. her grin turned into a shy smile.. "aise kya dekh rahe hain??" priya asked in a low voice..
"u make me so happy priya.." ram said in his raspy voice..
"accha??" priya asked naughtily encircling her hands around his neck. "ab apko der nehi ho rahi??"
ram leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead.. priya shut her eyes tight to devour this little moment within her soul.. then open her eyes to meet his same gaze again.. she tiptoed to reach ram's height n pecked on the tip of his nose..
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"ugh I'm so sorry I know it's so messy around here.." rajiv's voice made her bounce back to the present.
"actually.. ap aiye na andar.. yaha koi rehta nehi hain bohot time so toh saaf safai bhi nehi hoti.." he continued.
Ap bilkul nehi badle ram.. aj bhi utne hi restless aur careless hain.. she thought to herself.
"it's ok mr. sinha main yeh sab sambhal lungi.." priya replied.
"areh nehi nehi I hv called people to clean this up.. ap kyun karengi? Wo log atey hi honge.. chaliye main apko terrace dikhata hu it's a breathtaking view from there"
Evening time.. Scene Shifts to St. Vincent hospital.. Nikita entered her cabin exhausted from the days work.. she pulls the apron off her shoulders and places it on the chair. She sits on the chair closing her eyes leaning back to relax her tired nerves.. just then her phone rang.. she picked up the phone.. tension clouded over her face..
"where were u all day??" the caller demanded! "I hv been looking for u all day damn it! tumhara phone kyun switched off tha??" the caller was furious!
"look mujhe din bhar hospital mein bohot kaam hotein hain! I am doctor for god's sake!" nikita exclaimed.
"I don't care niki.. tum doctor ho ya jo bhi ho it doesn't make any difference to me.. u better know your job well until u lose your so called love..!" the caller threatened her.. "tum yaha kaam karti raho aur waha priya tumhare pyar ko udka le jayegi aur tumhe pata bhi nehi chalega..! huh!! Anyway listen.. I don't hv the time or energy to waste on u any more.. tum apna sambhal sakti ho toh sambhalo!"
"dad will announce our wedding this week.. meri baat hogayi hain unse..!" niki informed.
"good! that's like a good girl!" the caller retorted! "ab meri baat dhyan se suno... iss baar koi galti nehi honi chahiye!! Agar iss baar bhi wo mandap mein faint ho jata hain toh iss baat ka faida uthao.. zara apna dimag bhi lagao! Hosh mein aneke baad usse batao ki u r already married to him and because he fainted he doesn't remember.. as simple as that nikita..!"
"hmm.." nikita agreed.
"yeh tumhara akhri mauka hain.. Fate doesn't strike it's magic wand for everyone nikita.. agar tum ussko khona nehi chahti ho then u hv to do it.. kyun ki tum aur main dono yeh acchi tarah se jante hain ki wo Rajiv nehi Ram hain.. Priya ka Ram.. and she's here to get her love back in her life.. so think hard my dear and work fast!" those were the last words from the caller.
Nikita kept her phone aside.. the callers last words rang in her ears repeatedly.. nehi nehi wo sirf mera hain..!!! I won't let him go.. not this time.. not again!!!!
TO BE CONTINUED...
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