PART 45:1/4

[A]
SAMRAT's Cabin
As both entered the cabin, GUNJAN called up the receptionist and asked her to send the in-house doctor on duty to SAMRAT's cabin. SAMRAT was enjoying her concern for him. As he took his seat, he kept looking at his P.A. who was looking at the door, waiting for it to open and see the Doctor walk in.
He noticed her heave a sigh of relief, and he knew why... without looking at the door, as he continued to stare at GUNJAN, SAMRAT asked the Doctor to take a seat on the couch at the far end of the cabin. He then stood up and walked over to the seating corner of the cabin and sat on the chair, next to the couch. A nervous GUNJAN scurried over to where the 2 men sat and stood next to SAMRAT.
SAMRAT smiled as he saw her expressions. The Doctor was busy examining SAMRAT's injured right palm and then, as he started cleaning the wound and dressing it, GUNJAN clutched the end of her dupatta... from the corner of his eye, SAMRAT could see her reactions and he was enjoying them. She was so concerned for him and this made him feel nice, relaxed.
As the Doctor prepared the 'Tetanus' shot, GUNJAN looked at SAMRAT, who did not even bat an eyelid... made no movement as the doctor administered the shot. What ever GUNJAN had felt when SAMRAT had told her of his fear for injections was proven true.
As the doctor finished, he wrote out a prescription and advised SAMRAT how to take care of his injured palm. handing the prescription over to GUNJAN , the doctor left the cabin. GUNJAN read the prescription and then, she spoke, in her soft, sweet voice, as she looked at SAMRAT... " Main abhi kisi se keh kar yeh medicines mangwa leti hoon... aur... "
Gently, SAMRAT cut her off, as he said..." Nahin, tumhein kahin jaane ki zaroorat nahin. Main kisi se keh deta hoon. Woh le aayenge... tum baitho. Lunch ke liye jo orders diye hain, woh aata hi hoga. "
GUNJAN nodded as she moved a step back when she saw SAMRAT stand up. He looked at her as he indicated her to walk ahead of him towards the table. She quickly walked over to the table by the window and waited. SAMRAT signaled her to take her seat and after she had obeyed him, SAMRAT sat on the chair opposite her.
SAMRAT felt relaxed. GUNJAN however looked nervous. Slowly, she looked up to see him staring at her. She quickly moved her gaze away... after whatever that he had said last night, to have lunch with him again... she was very uncomfortable with this thought...
SAMRAT smiled as he thought about a topic to start a conversation... after some thought, he spoke..." Engagement to aaj hi hai na ?? "
Startled on hearing him speak, GUNJAN looked at him as replied..." Jii !! Aaj raat ko hi hai. "
SAMRAT smiled as he replied... his tone formal... " Good ! " and silence again... he looked out of the window, as he wondered how he could convey his discomfort about the engagement ceremony... he was not at all happy about the fact that GUNJAN was going to attend the party... he decided, he had to ask and so, without mincing words, SAMRAT asked... as he looked at her...
" Kya tum... ? I mean, Kya tum bhi jaaogi wahaan ?? "
GUNJAN looked at him in surprise. She did not know why he was asking this question... He did know that she had intended to come to POONA with her family for the function... and yet????? he was waiting patiently to hear her speak. She replied..." Main... main samjhi nahin ?? SUMIT bhaiyaa ki engagement main kaise miss kar sakti hoon ?? Engagement attend karne ke liye hi toh Uncle-Aunty ke saath POONA aa rahi thi... par... " she stopped speaking as she looked downwards...
SAMRAT remembered that incident and he looked away, then looking at her he spoke..." Sorry, mera woh matlab nahin tha. Maine toh bas yun hi... she looked at him as he spoke and as he looked in her eyes, he trailed off,
as he looked away...lost in his thoughts... (( What the crap ?? Aisa kya hai uss 'Engagement Party' mein jiske liye??? Rubbish !! 1 ring hi toh exchange karni hai. Kya zaroorat hai iss chhote se act ko itna hype dene ki ??
Meri aur RiCHA ki engagement party ki baat alag thi. Woh toh 2 High Class Business Group ke merger jaisa tha. Usse toh Grand hona hi tha. Par yeh log bhi?? Totally Non-sense!! )) he looked at her again as he faked a smile...
Lost in her thoughts though she was looking at him, GUNJAN returned the smile with a forced smile... and looked at the door, as she thought... (( Pata nahin, Uss Canteen waale ko kya hua... itni der ho chuki hai, aur ab tak Lunch ke order lekar bhi nahin aaya. Agar aaj time par work complete nahin kiya toh?? Yeh toh jaane bhi nahin denge. Ghar der se pahunchoongi toh aaj phir Biji ki dant sunni padegi...
She shuddered with the mere thought... as she looked at SAMRAT ... her thoughts continuing...
Pata nahin yeh chahte kya hain ?? Injection se bilkul nahin darrte, par baatein toh aise kar rahe the jaise main nahin rehti toh Injection hi nahin lete. Aur ab phir se saath mein lunch?? Kal hi toh itna kuchh kaha, aur aaj aise behave kar rahe hain jaise kuchh hua hi nahin. No way, iss tarah toh main paagal ho jaaoongi. Bas kisi tarah aaj ka din nikal jaaye. Aur... woh log mujhe pasand kar len. Phir toh sab kuchh thik ho jaayega. At least inhein meri wajah se jo bhi problems hain, woh toh khatm ho jaayengi. Kyunki main toh inhein samjh hi nahin sakti. ))
As SAMRAT looked at her,
he was getting worried... about the party that she was to attend...(( Kahin maine kal kuchh wrong toh nahin kar diya?? I mean, mujhe shayad unka offer maan lena chahiye tha. At least, hum 1 saath 1 ghar mein toh hote?? Aur aaj ki engagement Party mein bhi saath hi hote...
Waise bhi, mujhe uss old lady ke intentions kuchh thik nahin lag rahe. Woh kal kisi Family ke bhi aane ki baat kar rahi thin. Gusse mein main puri baat thik se samjh nahin paaya lekin, agar yeh waisa hi kuchh hua, jaisa main soch raha hoon ... toh?? No way.. !! Main yeh risk nahin le sakta... He sat up straight as he looked at her again...
...Kuchh toh sochna hoga... Kal ke raat ke incident ke baad yeh waise hi mujhse thodi si upset hai... kya pata apni uss stupid family ke pressure ki wajah se koi aisa decision le liya jo hamare liye thik nahin ho toh... No way SAM !! phir toh kaafi problem ho jaayegi. Mujhe kuchh karna hoga. After all itna bada Business empire handle kar sakta hoon, kya yeh 1 chhota sa matter handle nahin kar sakta??))
His thought process cut short by the knock on the cabin door, SAMRAT asked the person to enter. A canteen boy entered the cabin pushing a trolley laden with food which was ordered by SAMRAT. GUNJAN stood up as she helped the canteen boy move the plates and glasses from the trolley to the table. The the casseroles and the roti basket were laid on the table.
SAMRAT could not move his eyes from her, as he saw her helping the canteen boy in setting the table. When GUNJAN kept his plate and a bowl in front of him, she saw he made no effort to serve himself. She looked at him which resulted in SAMRAT moving his gaze away... GUNJAN wiped the plate and bowl and spoon with a tissue and was about to start serving him, when she heard him speak...in a rather casual tone.... " Tum baitho naa. Main khud se le loonga... "
GUNJAN smiled faintly
as she looked at him and took her seat. She had wanted to avoid this lunch, but there was no way that she was going to disobey her boss's orders...
SAMRAT picked up the spoon in the boondi raita bowl to serve himself, but quickly dropped it as the bandage on his hand prevented him from grasping the spoon... add to the that, the pain... and as he shook his hand, clasping it to ease the pain,
GUNJAN stood up as he asked...her concern evident in her tone..." Kya hua?? Kya aapko takleef ho rahi hai..?? Kaafi zyada dard ho raha hai?? "
SAMRAT looked at her and replied in a very normal way, as he clutched his palm ..." Haan ! woh iss bandage ki wajah se right hand use nahin kar pa raha... thoda dard bhi hai. he looked at his palm again... then, faintly smiling at her, he said...Koi baat nahin. Main kuchh fruit juice ya soup order kar deta hoon. he stood and, before walking away towards the desk to make a call to the canteen, he said... Please continue. Jab tak main order karta hoon."
GUNJAN said nothing...just kept looking at him, a small frown creasing her forehead as tension took over... she thought...
(( What?? Sirf Juice ?? Yaa soup?? Kal raat ke dinner ke baad se inhone kuchh bhi nahin liya... she looked at the wall clock... 2.20!! Oh God ! Itni der ho chuki hai... then she looked at SAMRAT... sirf juice yaa soup se kya hoga?? Kal hi Doctor ne kitna instruct kiya tha, aur aaj hi ?? aur yeh saare orders... she looked at the table...
Kitna excited ho kar yeh sab order kiya tha. Yeh definitely inka favorite food hai. Lekin main ?? Main kya karoon ?? Iss tarah?? Bachpan mein jab kabhi mera haath injured hota, toh Mom aur unke jaane ke baad Aunty apne haathon se mujhe khana khila deti thin. Lekin yahaan?? Yahaan toh inki Mom bhi nahin hain, phir??
GUNJAN looked at him...her concern for SAMRAT increasing with each thought... Iss tarah toh inki health problem aur bhi badh jayegi. Kyunki agar time par Lunch yaa Dinner nahin lenge toh phir medicines lene ka bhi koi faayda nahin hoga . Kya main?? ))
Just then she saw that he had picked up the receiver and was making a call to someone. She had to speak now and so, she moved towards him and as she reached the desk where he stood, she asked him... "Aap kise call kar rahe hain?? "
SAMRAT looked at her as he replied calmly, a smile on his face..." Abhi bataya toh tha... 'Juice' order karne ke liye... Canteen..."
Gathering the courage she would need to speak, GUNJAN cut his off, as she asked... " Kya main aapko khila doon?? Sirf spoon hi toh use karna hai... aur... "
She stopped as she saw SAMRAT looking at her, in surprise. She quickly looked away, flustered... she shut her eyes as she expected him to yell at her... she waited for his harsh words to hit her and batter her yet again... but when she did not hear him speak, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him... and she was lost in his hazel brown eyes...
as he drowned in her deep, brown eyes... both not uttering a word... till...the person on the other side spoke a little louder... bring them out of their trance. SAMRAT kept the receiver in its hook as he looked at GUNJAN and asked her...his tone gentle... " Are you sure?? Tumhein koi problem toh nahin hogi?? "
GUNJAN shook her head as she moved her gaze downwards. Elated to see her response, SAMRAT moved closer to her as he spoke, his tone soft... " Toh chalein?? Mujhe kaafi zoron ki bhookh lag rahi hai... and then, like an excited kid,
as he looked at the table, he said... Yeh 'Butter-Naan' aur 'Chicken-fry' ki khushboo mujhse aur zyada bardasht nahin ho sakti... he then looked at GUNJAN and said... and I don't think tum sirf spoon ka use kar mujhe 'Naan' khila sakti ho. Toh agar tum apne haathon ka bhi use karogi,toh bhi mujhe koi problem nahin hai... " his tone reflecting his happiness...
GUNJAN was surprised to see his excitement. She simply followed him towards the table... not understanding his behavior... as he took his seat, GUNJAN started to serve him the chicken...
As GUNJAN carefully served the Chicken-fry onto SAMRAT's plate, SAMRAT spoke... complainingly... though his eyes indicated that he was enjoying her awkwardness...

" Agar tum issi speed se Lunch khilaogi, Toh, I think, phir toh, Dinner ki bhi zaroorat nahin padegi... "
GUNJAN looked at him, startled to hear him speak and then, she stammered... " Jii !! woh... Woh... nahin... Main ... bas abhi... "
And she started to serve him some rice, when she heard a chuckle. She looked at SAMRAT who was grinning and she felt embarrassed... she picked up a spoon to serve rice when she felt SAMRAT's fingers grasp her wrist... she stopped serving him rice and looked at his fingers which had grasped her wrist and then at him. He was smiling at her as he said..." Lekin,mujhe pehle 'Butter-Naan' taste karni hai.Tum rice kyun de rahi ho?? "
GUNJAN opened her eyes wide in worry as she realised her mistake. She looked at the rice casserole and then at SAMRAT as she said... her tone worried... " Oh Sorry ! Mujhe pata nahin tha... Main confuse ho gayi thi... !! 1 minute... "
And as SAMRAT let go of her wrist, she kept the spoon away and picked up a butter naan... she placed it on the plate as she served the remaining food and then broke a piece of naan...dipping it in the gravy of chicken fry, she moved her hand towards SAMRAT's mouth.
As she fed him the bite, her soft fingers touched his lips. As he kept looking at her, SAMRAT took the first bite and relished the touch of her fingers on his lips. She quickly moved her hand away as she prepared the next bite. She was avoiding gaze as she fed him the meal. But now, SAMRAT was emotional... He remembered the days his mother would feed him as he continued playing with his toys and games. After his mother passed away, no one had so lovingly fed him as now GUNJAN was feeding him ... allowing him to relish the food he loved.
He wiped his moist eyes which made GUNJAN look at him... and she looked worried. He moved his face away as he said..." Wo... woh... yeh chicken piece thoda spicy hai toh... Toh aankhon mein paani aa gaya."
GUNJAN quickly kept the roti back in the plate as she poured him a glass of water and handed it over to him as she said... "Oh ! so sorry ! Mujhe pata nahin tha ki yeh itna spicy hai... wait... and in another bowl, she served some dal tadka and dipping the roti in the dal, she fed him the morsel. And then, when he had swallowed the morsel, she asked... " Yeh toh thik hai naa ?? "

SAMRAT was mesmarised by her innocence... he smiled as he nodded his head. For him, this was a very memorable lunch... just what he had wanted... she continued feeding him the roti and then served him some rice. Barely had she fed him a spoonful of rice mixed with some chicken when he again, shut his eyes...taking in fast breaths, because, he found the food a bit spicy.
He opened his eyes as he smiled faintly at GUNJAN, who hurriedly kept the plate down and gave him the glass of water... as she looked at him in concern, she then looked at the all the casseroles and then, kept the plate down as she filled another plate, with 'Rice' n 'Dal' and just a piece of 'Chicken', no gravy... and fed him some 'Dal n Rice'... waiting to see his reaction... unable to understand that SAMRAT was just teasing her... he was immensely enjoying the way she was fussing over him...
He continued teasing her through out the lunch... as he pretended to gulp the food fast because she fed him quickly... asking her to slow down as he coughed, pretending to get choked, forcing GUNJAN to pat his back... her touch... her gentle touch... making SAMRAT feel nice.
After SAMRAT had finished with his lunch, he requested GUNJAN to have her lunch. GUNJAN tried to avoid

by saying that she was not really hungry, or that she would rather finish the work pending, but when she heard her boss speak sternly... she knew she had no other option, but to obey. She called the 'Canteen', asking them to send a plate over to the Cabin.
When the 'Canteen Boy' did the needful, she served herself some food and ate. After she had her lunch, she called up the 'Canteen Boy' once again and asked him to clear the table. Once that was done, she started to complete the pending work.
Under the pretext of talking to Mr.WADIA, she left the Cabin.... she wanted to avoid SAMRAT. But, SAMRAT understood why she was doing so, and no way was he going to allow that to happen. after sometime, he called her up, asking for his 'Appointment Diary'. She told him where it was. And then, some time later, called her up again, informing her that he could not find it. left with no choice, GUNJAN had to head back to cabin after excusing herself.
As she entered the Cabin, she saw the desk was filled with files and so, it was obvious he could not find the Diary. She walked over to desk, he had not noticed her, or so he pretended... working on his lappy... she quietly walked over to his desk and started searching for the Diary in the files that lay strewn over the desk. From the corner of his eye, he could see her searching for the Diary.
Soon, she found it and kept it near him and turned to leave. But he asked her to stay back in the cabin, incase he needed anything else... telling her that she could ask Mr WADIA to come and talk to her here itself. GUNJAN had no option here either, but to obey. SAMRAT had been successful in keeping her close to him...

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