Chapter 5
One Evening Together... Changing Phases
Kalpana continued showing her "Anger" expression, while Raghav kept on laughing after enjoying his prank. Though prank wasn't that effective, it did bring him satisfaction of teasing her. "Now that's enough!!" Kalpana said angrily. Raghav looked at her wish huge grin and subsidising laughter... He adds, "But seriously, that was fun." Kalpana picks up her purse, "Please go away!! Stop following me now... I have loads of work to do." Saying so, she passes him.
Raghav stops there without budging, as she moves away. He sees her going away, Raghav knows she is still scared enough to walk alone and hence after a while he shouts with huge smile, "Are you sure you will be able to manage all alone? And won't be scared of wicked witches... or should I join yaa" Kalpana stops, turns back to reply with equal loud pitch, "You think you are some kind of hero? Who would just be around saving your heroines? Go wherever you want, I don't care!! " Raghav turns back to leave in other direction with smirk... sure to enough to hear her call him and... "You are sooo heartless!!!" he heard her shout..!! Which makes him turn back to see her scared face... Kalpana gulps, as she walks towards him, "You really think it is any good idea, to let a girl walk all alone on this dark road..." Raghav smiles, "Is it really good idea for you to use extra brains and reject the offer by Mr. Kapoor to use Taxi?" Kalpana feels irritated, "Yes, he had offered it for now, MORE because you had to reach your hotel, not for my safety, and tomorrow, he may again ask me for rent of using taxi off service... SO NO Thanks to him..." Kalpana looks at him, "Now ! Come we are getting late!! You can walk along till Prem's house, he will drop me home after his work." Raghav rolled his eyes... "Prem's work isn't to get data of whole universe... It's a very simple task, he will manage/ he should manage... You better go home, or else, I will be late for meeting tomorrow... he says while walking along..." Kalpana looks at him, "But any work should have been handed over sometimes back, when he had made the presentation, and not a night before meeting." Raghav stopped, "Can You please stop giving me tips on how to handle my employees, and how to work... I have been working now since last 12 years, and out of which 6 years independently." Kalpana gives him "Whatever" looks and moves ahead, "Ab chalo," (Now come on..!)... Raghav doesn't move, "Two conditions, 1. You will say Please come and help me out, and let me reach home safely... 2. You won't converse in Hindi ahead." Kalpana comes towards him, and in a challenging tone asks, "So are you scared of Hindi? Gosh.. You cannot even speak in Hindi at all, you are soo bad at it." Wish success of her plans, "I can speak Hindi and that too with proper framing, I understand it too, Got it Miss Attitude." Kalpana replies back with smile, "Cool, so condition 2 is eliminated, i will talk in the way I wish to be it, Hindi or English!" Kalpana ended with a wink. Raghav had no other option, but to agree, as she said, "Chalo, now don't waste time, you need to be up very early today..."
Raghav : "Condition 1 is still pending, You cannot bark orders to me... You need to plead me..."
Kalpana turns back: "In your dreams!"
Raghav turns back to leave, "I am going my way then..." Kalpana is shocked, "Ok fine... Please help me reach Prem's home... It's my humblest of all request to you..!!" Raghav gives Kalpana a victory smirks, while she rolls her eyes..., "Shall we now?" Raghav raises his eyebrows, Kalpana corrects herself with a fake smile, "Shall we Please go ahead now...?" Raghav and Kalpana starts walking ahead. After few minutes of their walk, Kalpana hears a ring on her phone, it was from Prem, Raghav thinks, "What a useless creature? Can't he even make ppt? Was Sammy right about Prem being too much dependent on someone... and that someone is this girl here?" Kalpana looks at Raghav as she picks up the call,
Kalpana: "Prem, wait a while, I will be there in few minutes!"
Prem: "Kalpana where have you been? Aunty had called me up as she couldn't reach you, she was worried...!! I just had lied you are with me but you phone was also not reachable and..."
Kalpana cuts him: "Prem!! Prem!! Prem!! Relax... Buddy I am fine, had to visit airport for some passenger... and I am sorry about it... I said I will reach there in a while... Chill!"
Prem heaved a sigh of relief, as he said, "You need not come here, the work is almost completed, I have few touch ups, will talk tomorrow, you go home directly!" Kalpana reconfirms the same, "Are you sure?" "Yes," Came pat answer from him. Kalpana ends the call saying, "Ok then see you tomorrow." Equally Raghav was happy, that Prem isn't as dumb as he feared few moments back, he could indeed do his work... I think she is just being too meddling in everyone's work it seems; or maybe she should let other people learn and grow as well. Kalpana turning back to him, broke his chain of thoughts, "I have to go home now." She said with smile. Both of them start walking ahead... There was silence for a while, when Raghav started the random conversation, "I am glad, you are going home directly. You know we have meeting at 11.30 to 1.00 you will have to be up at hotel by 9.30 tomorrow." Kalpana looks at him with a smile, "I know, thank you for kind reminder, but I have been soo used to this staying up whole nights before exams." Her words shocked Raghav, "Staying up during exams? You gotta be kidding me..."
Kalpana: (laughing) "No, I am serious... My days used to be soo busy, helping mom with her work, and now dad as well... while in the evening, I had to conduct tuitions... and finally get time in night to study."
Raghav: "Yet as per Mr. Sahil you managed to top... and I believe it's engineering junior to Prem."
Kalpana looks at him amazed: "Wow, Sahil Sir has told you quiet a lot about me... and you seemed to remember these things about me."
Raghav gives slight laugh: "Yes, it was kind huge blow to know that you had been pulling prank all the while... I as honestly really angry, but then, I knew what might have actually pissed you off, my comments and forming some stupid theory about you, just because you looked like typical desi girl. I am really sorry about it... And trust me I did enjoy these two days to the core..." He paused... "And yes! I still think you should be in museum."
Kalpana laughs at his words louder, "And you in the zoo, Mr. Singhaniya..." After a pause, "I was quiet hurt by the fact, people coming from other western country have similar set of mind about woman doing anything..." Kalpana says sadly. Raghav too apologises again, to which she smiles which indicates, she is ok. As they continue walking, Kalpana says, "Ummm.. I do not wish to head home for now, You can go ahead on your way, I will manage ahead, it's kind of lighted here." She says looking at street lights. Raghav was confused, "Where will you go? Won't your parents be worried?" Kalpana smiles, "No, umm.. actually Prem has anyways told them, I will be late which means, mom and dad would anyways be asleep, they take medicines which makes them drowsy, and if I am ever this late, mostly there is one empty flat in building, it belongs to old friend of dad, I take keys from watchman and be there. But today I do not feel like going there, I want to be here in some open place, there is a park nearby, Mansook kaka will be there, he will let me be in, and it's very much safe." She ended with a smile and while she had crossed her arms, with each hand caressing the upper arm indicating "feeling cold." Raghav looks at her, "Umm.. maybe you can come over to hotel ..." Kalpana gives it a thought but denies. However agrees with Raghav's constant requests. Duo walk towards his hotel, and this time... first time ever... it was silent affair, completely silent... inspite of both being together.
Kalpana's eyes widen seeing vast room, with rooms within a hotel room with open kitchen including stove, fridge and microwave... (Like Raghav had... where you can see hall from kitchen) . Hotel room was the kind of rare and unique. It was lavishly furnished, and well organized. Raghav smiled looking at her silently admiring the look of his room. "Like it," he asked, she turns back to look at him, "Yes, it's beautiful." She said, and added, "But I want to be out in open... rather than closed wall, I will stand by balcony." She requested Raghav, to be in balcony of the room. Raghav suggested to make coffee for both of them while she waited there. "There isn't a need Sahab, you can sleep, I promise you I won't steal anything here," she said with a laugh, Raghav too laughed, "It's nothing like that, I am hungry myself, as I missed my dinner." Kalpana looked at him in shock, "What?? Wait them let me cook something simple for you...!" Kalpana said heading towards kitchen area. Raghav stopped her, "Umm.. No there is no need, I just want coffee," Kalpana turns back to face him, "Are you sir?" Raghav nods in yes. "Ok, then make it... I will be outside," she said heading towards balcony. (Imagine kind of flop the person would feel, like when kalpana asked for water, and Raghav showed her kitchen to tell her to take it herself.) Raghav nods with irritation "atleast she could have offered to make that...but no.. welcome to the guest..."
Kalpana is looking at the view of beautiful city from top floor of tall standing hotel. It looked so beautiful like lighted lamps in the night. "Anyone staying in place like this could be celebrating diwali throughout the year," she thought. She turned back to realize, "however room of hotel was indeed in dark." After gazing at the sight for the while, she heard footsteps from behind, making her turn around to find Raghav with cups of coffee. He handed one of them to Kalpana, who took it from him and continued looking outside. Raghav remembers how happy was she receiving note of 500 ruppees as tip from passenger, he was now curious to know her more, "So what makes you work with Mr. Kapoor inspite of being the topper of well known intuition." Kalpana takes the sip from her coffee and starts tracing opening of mug. She wasn't sure, what to tell him. He might not really understand, but today... she was for some reason totally burdened up, better to tell a stranger who would just be guest for a week, and leave for good, then to some known person ... she thought.
Kalpana: "Well, I never would have worked anyways, had I had some say. My dad is suffering from paralysis. He had met with minor accident thanks to some bikers who hit him, while he and mom were coming from doctor's. Mom too had been suffering from asthama attacks very frequently. ..." She told him more about how Sahil had come over and demaned for services,... (Prologue chapter Page 1). Raghav heard her without a blink, feeling little bad, "You know, Sir... If I wanted I could have easily made life horrible for Sahil Sir, to remove me from job. This time, his actions wouldn't result in any loss. I could have been at home preparing for my exams... BUT the same parents who took advance from him for MY OWN studies, has taught me honesty, and the actions like those wouldn't fit in my ethics." Raghav looked at her with awe... as he asked her, "Don't you have any sibling?" Kalpana smiled looking at him excited, "Yes I do, he is in USA... He too had done engineering, and Dad had worked sooo hard to send him there... He wanted same thing for me... but seeing my brother happily settled there, I never had heart to go there leaving my parents behind. I sometimes do feel angry on Pakya for his actions... and being ignorant towards need of our parents, but I won't blame him. Yes for him, success is important... and somewhere these expectations are soo less from woman. I have a typical family, where son's success would assure parents that he is settle, and daughter's success would be when she is happily married. Just that my parents wanted to see me standing on my feet as well, cuz of increasing and seeing cases of broken marriages and suffering they have bared themselves, Mom couldn't complete her education, hence always felt guilty for not being able to help dad in his work. So I was made capable of being independent." Raghav smiles hearing her, "And parents daughter wants to achieve the world of her own?" Kalpana nods in no, "No, I want to make my parents life better. They deserve to live a life. I wish to earn only so I can treat my parents and take them abroad to meet my brother!" She said. There was soo much of seriousness in her tone, and her face looked determined as she took sip from her coffee looking at the sky. Her eyes all of sudden seemed to have soo many emotions, determinations, confusions, guilt, happiness, sadness, etc. As Raghav continued staring at her, tears rolled down from her eyes, "I will study for my entrance and prove myself... I have to do a lot, but I am just not sure for now when will I do it, one could be I want to prove that always having woman/ daughter around isn't unlucky... She is now capable of doing everything, that man can do and walk taking steps along with him." Raghav felt miserable hearing her. He wanted to hug her tight and assure her everything will be fine... He held her upper arm to make her turn and Kalpana looked at him, as he made her stand facing him, holding both her shoulder. He was just mesmerized now, she never looked so beautiful ... or he never realized in past two days, inner and outer beauty Kalpana carried, as she looked on to him in confusion. His hands went upto her face cheek, to wipe off tears, as winds blew make her hair wave along. She tried looking away, but Raghav held her making her look at him, as he started bringing his face closer to hers. Kalpana started shivering at the very thought of what he might be attempting to do as, but before she could do anything he was close enough to brush his lips near her face, when Kalpana pushed him away and "THAAD" came the slap, she watched him angrily. "What the heck are you trying to do sir? How dare you?? Didn't I just say, that I have no time for any of such nuisance like love in my life... I need to help my pare..." Raghav now looked at her with shock and anger... "What?? Love?? From where does it come from... hello.. I was just trying to assure you that everything will be fine... I am not even interested in you... or your life... it's you who..." Kalpana fires back... "It's me who? Who what??? You started it.. and you know it ... BY THE WAY... there are millions of other ways of providing reassurances then this horrible way, which you might have attempted...!" Raghav laughs mockingly, "Ha ha ha... Ok Teacher ji, tell me perfect way for speaking to people, teach me more on how to treat my employees as well... infact you should have felt lucky for the moment of attraction I felt towards you, or else who would even be interested in you?" Kalpana glares at him angrily this time, "Oh wow... I feel I am on top of the world... yayay... But sadly I feel none of it... People like you are just those who mock woman first and continue with their useless flings in name of attractions!! Did you suggest me to come here with any motive by any chance?? You might have as well thought that poor soul where would she be lying around... why don't bring her along for eve..." She stopped there... and "Horrible...!!" She said... Raghav looked at her, "You are pathetic Ms. Jadhav, and ungrateful too... just get lost... No wait.. Just stand here and continue talking to these stars, they will come and help you with all your issues right!!!" Saying so Raghav left the place as Kalpana looked at him going with anger... She turned back to look at city, with disappointment... No one can be trusted... As she just tried telling herself, that Mr. Singhaniya had no ill intention, but still wasn't sure...!
As Raghav walked towards his room, he turned around to see her still standing facing towards city. He nodded his head in disbelief, "Bhallai ka toh zamana hi nai raha" (There is never a point to be and do good for others... you will still be misunderstood.) thought Raghav.
Both had decided to maintain distance from each other from very next day, and be normal if possible...! Kalpana settled herself in the chair in balcony for some sleep, while Raghav laid on the bed, still unable to take her out of his system.
Precap: and Tiff Continues!!
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