FF *Lattie returns+D3 five years leap* - Page 21

Merra ... Mukti... Ek hi hona?...
Wen r u updating yaar dieing 2 read further..
Plzz update soon plzzz

Lattie and Manan .. this is a good twist ..

did u by any chance forget about this ff???? update kar yaar

aaawww

Meera plz update soon yaar.

Originally posted by: meery.

Hey guys, this is my new id by the way...changed it from Mukti_is_Meera.

And the thing is... SOWIEEE looong time se nahi likha I know...returned just 2 days back...writer's block ho gaya hai abhi...koi update ke ideas nahi aa rahe...😔

5

"Stop it ma," Latika warned in a slightly louder whisper this time when her mother teased her yet again; even as both of them flashed quick polite smiles at an Italian guest. They were at the Coliseum Art Gallery at Bandra, and Latika found herself constantly drifting back to the memories of Kasauli, much to her own baffle. "Ma, I am not in love with him or anything, okay!"

"When did I say you are in love?" Latika's mother smirked affectionately. "All I am saying is... Kasauli never fails to surprise you in some way each time...hai na beta?"

Latika impatiently rolled her eyes and stomped away, leaving her mother laughing behind in amusement.

It had only been two days since she had returned in Mumbai, and Latika's parents already felt alive once again. Especially her mother, owing to the closeness they shared.

"Beta, going by what you are saying," Latika's mother had remarked as she had helped Latika unpack. "I think this guy has also developed feelings for you...I mean...I can sense it."

"Oh come ON now," Latika had refuted loudly. "The poor guy has justhad such a massive heartbreak...he can never like m - " Latika had stopped just in time, right when her father had entered her room. "Dad...what's up?"

"Rinke," her father had smiled buyontly. "Let's go out for a Chinese lunch in an hour, what say?"

Latika had giggled excitedly and hugged her father, while her mother had quickly wiped off an exultant tear. It had been so long since the three of them had been together...and how much they had all had missed this.

"Sure dad...what an idea!"

"Anoop, hum Trishala, Shekhar aur Motu ko bhi saath le le?" Latika's mother asked, as she threw Latika's last dirty t-shirt into the large laundry basket.

"Hey, even better!" Latika's father chirped. "Main abhi Motu ko phone karta hoon."

Latika froze for a moment. "Uh...ma...dad...aaj...not today dad...main Swammy se...alag se ek baar milna chahti hoon...you know...aise nai..."

Both her parents immediately understood her discomfort. "Of course beta, no problem. No Shikhawats for today," Latika's father spoke jubilantly, picking his phone to book a table at her favourite Chinese restaurant. "Aaj ka din...only for Rathods!" Her father announced, as he cheerily walked out of her room.

"Gosh, that was close ma!" Latika heaved a sigh of relief. "Aap bhi na...dad ne sun liya hota toh?"

"Toh kya hota?" her mother glanced teasingly at her. "His daughter is almost in love...and he deserves to know as well, doesn't he?"

"Gosh ma, you're impossible!" Latika had stomped off exactly like she had stomped off right now in the Art gallery.

"Kya hua usey?" Latika's father joined her mother right then. "Mood off?"

"Mood on hone ka time aa gaya hai Anoop," Latika's mother spoke with a knowing smile, as she continued looking at Latika, who was now talking to a foreign guest at a distance. "Accha, Mihir aur Mitali ke kitne bete hain?"

"Do," Latika's father answered casually, sipping from his glass of champagne. "Why do you ask?"

"Nahi, nothing," Latika's mother shook her head lightly, still smiling mysteriously, much to Anoop Rathod's bewilderment. 'So Rinke could be right after all...Manan might as well turn out to be Reyansh's brother."

Mr. Chopra came looking for Latika while she stood near the central fountain built on the lines of a large ceramic lotus; speaking to a client who bought from her regularly.

"Arey Lattie baby ji," he waltzed merrily as he spoke. "Is poore gallery me...itne itne artists ke paintings me... sabse pehle aapki dono paintings...just like hot cakes...gone gone gone!"

"Slow down Chopra uncle," Latika was amused at his animation. "What happened?"

"Arey aapki dono paintings bik gayi Lattie baby ji!" he spoke in excitement. "Sold out! Kasauli in cream, aur Monsoon beej...dono!"

Latika stared at him in confusion for a moment, and broke into laughter almost immediately. "You mean... Kasauli Monsoon and Crimson Bridge...ye dono?"

"Arey, same difference baby ji," he was beyond internalizing anything right now. "More paintings, more sale...more sale, more money...arey money is honey ji!"

Just then someone tapped on her shoulders from behind. "Hey," came a familiar deep voice.

"What's up," she greeted mechanically, as she turned around...and froze immediately in disbelief as she did. It took her a full minute to regain her voice. "Manan...?"

"Memory test qualified," he smiled warmly. "So you do remember me after all..."

Latika had to laugh at his spontaneity. "What are you doing here?" she was still shocked at his sudden sight...flustered rather. "And you aresmiling...I mean...wow..."

Manan beamed again. "Yeah... I think I do owe you that in a way," he complemented as casually as he could, so that she could not read his thoughts. "I mean, you had spent off all my tears that evening."

Both of them suddenly grew slightly discomfited over the mention of that evening in Kasauli, when they had both held each other instinctively yet almost accidently.

"Anyway," he quickly brushed off the awkwardness, and spoke on. "So you weren't lying...about the art show...in your note."

Latika gave him a look of amused seriousness. "Why would I lie?"

"I don't know," Manan replied promptly, subtly reminding her of an angry remark she had made in Kasauli when Manan had gone missing late one night. "Maybe because you had had enough of your payless baby-sitter'sjob."

Latika laughed again. "Memory test qualified," she remarked, as they both laughed together. "But you...you sure have changed...Is it Mumbai...?"

"Maybe," he smiled casually, as he picked a glass of champagne the short waiter held for them. "Or maybe it's just this new found realization that's working for me... you see...someone had been able to convince me three days ago, that it wasn't my fault...and...and yeah...that I should smile more often...because apparently...my face muscles told her that...so...I am only trying to live that suggestion."

Latika was alarmed when she blushed at this, immediately conscious of the change being noticeable to Manan. 'Please dear cheeks...please don't fail me right now,' she pleaded her own skin, even as she continued smiling at him, at loss of what to say next.

"Look," Manan continued, looking around at the crowd in the room. "I know I can perhaps never fall in love again...that's like...dead now... but...but I'd just...I mean..." he closed his eyes once to focus on what he wanted to say. "I just...I want to thank you Latika...you made me...you made me smile again...and the other night...near the lake...I...I wouldn't have been around to say this if you had not arrived...I was just being...dumb...so I...thanks...really," Manan congratulated himself inside to have been able to put everything he wanted to say in words. "So Latika...can we be...uh...friends?" he brought his hand out, looking at her earnestly. "I know this is slightly old school but...can we - "

"Lattie," she warmly shook his extended palm with both her hands, something she always did with friends. "Call me Lattie...all my fr - " she stopped abruptly at the word "friends", immediately missing Swayam and the gang in a pang. "Uh...okay tell me, how did you find me?" she asked quickly, before he could notice anything. "Obviously you did not -"

"As a matter of fact, I did," Manan completed, guessing her question. "I did go the conventional way. Looked up the internet, made a few phone calls...and voila, here I am!" He spoke with a smile. "Aur waise bhi, Latika Rathod the artist, isn't too small a name you see...even I realized it this afternoon."

Latika could feel the same burning flush reappear on her cheeks. 'O God...what's wrong with me today,' she did not want to act like a fourteen-year old school girl being complemented for the first time. 'God please...'

Manan had begun looking around now, scanning the exhibited artworks. "Where are your displays at?"

"Oh...there were two...we sold them both a few minutes ago," she smiled, looking away quickly, trying to digest the sudden flutter she felt in her stomach. 'It's nothing Lattie...stop it...it's just the complements...that's all!'

"See," Manan gave her a triumphant smile. "Which means, I can trust Wikipedia henceforth...so you are the next Monet in the making, huh?"

'Oh no,' she braced herself. 'Not again cheeks!'

On the outside however, she managed a gracious smile. "Thanks Manan, now really...that was huge."

"Hey come along," Manan seemed to remember something all of a sudden. "I want you to meet someone."

"Huh...who?"

But before she could ask him anything further, he had taken her by her arm and steered her through the gallery. "Hey wait...where are you - "

That's when she stiffened. "Kriya..."

***

Swayam took a long stretch and popped his knuckles. It was 10:30 at night, and he was in his room glued on his laptop working 15 days ahead.

"Aa jaiye Shankar bhaiya," he mumbled inattentively when someone knocked on his door. "Doodh table par rakh dijiye, main baad me peeta hoon."

That's when a familiar touch shocked him beyond words. "Swammy..."

He froze for a whole minute as Latika embraced him from behind, and he immediately squeezed his eyes shut...surprised at tears that trickled down...tears which he thought had ceased to flow.

"Lattie..." he whispered, overwhelmed of the mixed emotions. Yes, he was angry, livid actually...hurt...and yet...he was ecstatic...ecstatic at having her back...so suddenly...so late...and yet just in time. "Ek call Lattie...ek call bhi nahi...? I hate you..."

"I missed you Swammy," her voice was hushed, tears flooding the hood of his trademark jumbo striped blue and white t-shirt, as she kept leaning on him from behind.

"Ek call..." he kept repeating in a tearful trance. "Just ek call... Okay, no phone call...fine...toh ek mail...? Ek reply...? Mere million mails ka at least ek reply Lattie...? Kuch toh...? But...but nothing...nothing...kya main...kya main itna bhi deserve - "

"Please Swammy..." Latika wailed, as she gripped him tighter. "I sware...I am just...I am so sorry..."

Swayam pulled her in front of him. "Bas...enough," he warned her, sobbing all the while. "No more apologies... okay... just...just pretend none of this happened," he could not help but hug her by now, like the fond old times. They had always shared this unique hug ever since they were toddlers, with him placing a palm on her head, and she wrapping both her arms around his shoulders like a baby baboon.

"Lats...ab rona band kar... please... you know I can't see you like this...come on Lats..."

"Aur tu," Latika sniffed loudly, giving him an affectionate whack on his shoulder. "Tu bhi toh..."

"Fine," he spoke in sniffs, quickly brushing his tears off, and reaching out to wipe Latika's tears as well. "Fine...main bhi nahi...see I am not crying."

He could not remember the last time he had felt as genuinely content and emotionally weightless as he did now. He felt he was actually breathing once again...that he was alive once again. 'If only...if only Sharon...' he could not help but remember her at that moment.

"Lats remember...? Ninth grade...our third Kasauli trip...our promise...the one we had made to each other when we had fought there...? Swayam Shikhwat and Latika Rathod... are never going to make each other cry...ever...? And thaaats - "

"A deal..." Latika completed their jargon, once again breaking into uncontrollable sobs on Swayam's lap.

***

"It's been a year now," Swayam related, as Latika listened wide-eyed sitting on his rocking-chair, popping Kellogg's Chocos in her mouth one after other. "Sharon aur main..."

"I heard," she remembered the conversation she had had with Kriya earlier that evening in the art gallery, much to her horror. "And iska reason kahin na kahin main hoon...right?"

Swayam got up from his bed, and approached Latika in concern. "Nahi Lats...it was not about you...kisne kaha...no...It was just...well...some misunderstanding..."

"Kyun cover up kar raha hai Swammy?" Latika looked seriously into his eyes, setting the box of Chocos aside. "Kriya ne already mujhe sab bata diya hai...Swams I don't get it...why didn't you ever call Sharon after that day...why didn't you try to -"

"Toh kya ho jaata Lattie...?" Swayam asked in a tone of resignation. "Maybe...maybe we were just never meant to be... maine hi toh...I was the one... maine hi is relationship ke liye insist kiya tha...but maybe...maybe I had been wrong about this all this time..."

"Shutup Swams!" Latika snapped before he could finish. "I think you have been working a little too hard recently...tujhe vacation chahiye," she slapped mildly on his cheek, her brows curled up in an angry scowl. Almost immediately her expression changed, and she seemed to have arrived at some unsaid decision. She quickly took her phone out of her clutch-purse. "Mujhe Sharon ka number de...abhi!"

"Wh-what...? But why...?" Swayam was suddenly hassled. "No...no way Lats...no...you are not going to - "

"Hell yes I am!" Latika announced, trying to find Swayam's phone herself, even as he tried to block her movement in vain. "Ye mujhe bahot pehle karna chahiye tha...but I was on some kind of a brooding trip. Stupid me! Par ab nahi... Sharon has a lot of explaining to do...mujhe suddenly us se bahot saari baatein karni hain...I mean...ek dumb presumption ke basis par...how can she...? NO! Main tujhe aise nahi dekh sakti Swams...mujhe abhi Sharon se baat karni hai...right now - "

"Bas!" That's when Swayam sped up and covered her mouth with his palm. " You've...you've just not changed, have you!" They both stared incredulously at each other for a few seconds, and almost immediately broke into laughter at the situation.

"Neither have you idiot," Latika tousled Swayams hair, her eyes searching craftily for his phone all the while. "You still prefer Devdas over James Bond !"

"Lats...enough now, stop looking for my phone, I know you are..." Swayam laughed, giving her a knowing glance; while she giggled at having been caught so easily. It seemed the last five years had completely failed to touch the two of them in any way.

"Dekh Swammy," Latika warned. "Mere aur tere phone ke beech me mat aa...I am going to bring Swayam and Sharanjeet back together...andthaaat's - "

"Not a deal...nope, not a deal at all," Swayam vehemently shook his head, giving her a tensed look.

That's when Latika spotted Swayam's phone, tucked away under a file on his laptop table. She jumped at it, and flashed him a victorious smile. "Wrong dialogue Swams...that IS a deal...it sure is!"

Swayam sighed in caution, while Latika hopped around in her own little celebration; not noticing she had moved close to the open door of his room. Just then she almost crashed into someone... fortunately saved by few inches of a distance.

"Shankar bhaiya...good news...aapko pata hai - " she had just begun chirruping without noticing the person too well... when she abruptly froze in her position. "Rey..."

"Lattie...?!" Rey was violently taken aback in surprise. "K-Kriya was...she had been right that means..."

"Rey...I..." Latika could feel a seeping sense of embarrassment boiling up her ears. "I just...I returned yesterday actually..." Latika spoke sheepishly, not knowing what to say.

She started to walk up to him, her head hung low in guilt, but Rey was faster than her, and reached out to give her a warm friendly hug. "You...you idiot...I had missed you so much...we had all missed you SOmuch!"

Latika laughed in relief, hugging him back, silently wiping away the remaining tears that surfaced out of the sudden overwhelm she felt out of meeting Rey after so many years. 'Rey...' Latika revelled in his presence. That hug...that warm assuring hug she had missed so much...and yet...

Yet at the same time, she also noticed that strangely enough, she was not sensing the same flutter she had once felt in his presence. Those strong, nervous stomach knots...where were they today?

"I had missed you too Rey...God, it's been -"

"Of course KG was right," another familiar voice was heard. "KG does not kid...you thought she was - "

"Manan...?" She felt the same prominent rising blush she had felt earlier that evening, as she caught his sight once again. 'Oh no...I've got to hide somewhere RIGHT now...my cheeks...'

Swayam immediately noticed the change in her tone and expression like a pro, and raised an eyebrow. 'Hmmm...What's going on in here,' he smiled within, waiting to tease Latika when they were alone later.

Manan instinctively looked at her in trance, forgetting for a moment why he had come over. Swayam coughed loudly; much to Latika's terror of having been read by her best friend... making her awkwardness grow by another score . Manan also looked away consciously at this, bizarred within of why Latika's presence had begun to affect him in such a way. 'What's wrong with you dude,' he cursed himself. 'Stop it, it's only Latika...not Charlie...why are you...'

Rey did not understand much, and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Guys...this is important...I have news...breaking news."

Latika mischievously threw a Choco at the serious Rey like their college days, making Rey shoot her a humoured glance of rage. "Detention for Lattie," he gave her a friendly wink, and spoke in parodied authority, reminding them of his St.Louise General Secretary days. "The rest of you...listen up!"

Everyone looked expectantly at him, as he continued. "Look, Sharon is back in India...and incidentally...Maybelline is throwing her a party in honour of her New York success...that will be day after...at the - "

"Taj...?" Latika asked, half curious and half confused.

"That's right Lats," Rey answered in surprise. "But tumhe kaise ...?"

"I got an invite too," Latika replied. "That was my painting she had used as her theme backdrop. Maybelline as her investors, paid for it."

"What...?" Swayam nearly spat out the water he had just begun drinking. "You...she...what...?"

"I didn't know then, Swams. I only got to know much later, after the deal had been done," she answered. "And I am guessing...Sharon ko bhi nahi pata...neither does she."

"She does not...?" Manan looked stumped.

"Well..." she said slowly. "She does not...not yet..."

Latika's expression briskly changed from curiously solemn to a mischievous one in a second... much to Swayam's alarm. "Lattie...what's going on...? Kya...kya soch rahi hai tu...?"

Latika innocently turned to face the boys at this, fixing her gaze on Swayam; a hint of smile still visible in her eyes. "Main...? Kyun...? Kuch bhi toh nahi..."

first one to comment...

had missed ur writing style so much...

this chapter rocked... u know how u showed the rising feelings...

and old friends reunion... go for it...

loved how lattie was instructing her body .. it was so lattie...

so swayam understood ki kya hai maazra...

and how u left in b/w u know not showing anything but then also mtelling everything i seriously love that style.. its the best...

so lets when everythng gets settled.. loved how best friends are plotting for the other