Monday morning Angad entered the hospital and everyone gave him flowers and cards. He was pleasantly welcomed back. Angad Khanna was the comic relief of the office. At lunch time when the staff sometimes ate together he made everyone laugh for an hour non-stop. He was loved by everyone.
When he was finished taking the flowers and cards and walked to Kripa with Amna standing beside her.
"Thank you, Kripa." When he started to hug her she placed her hand on his chest.
"Amna did this."
Guilt rushed on his face, but he quickly covered it. "I knew that, but I'm sure no one else does."
Kripa exhaled angry, "I'll see you guys later."
Why was Angad being so silly? He was in love with Amna, right? Then why was he ridiculously acting as if he were in love with Kripa?
He's not in love with me.
Angad smiled, and because no one was standing around he hugged her. "Thank you. It was a very sweet surprise."
"I'm glad you liked it." She placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you later. For lunch?"
"Of course." He kissed her back and they went their own ways.
By Wednesday of that week almost the entire city of Corona, Riverside, Orange, and L.A. knew about the ball. They sold ninety percent of the tickets by Friday that week from which they had made almost ten thousand dollars by selling to almost five-hundred people.
The Press Enterprise and L.A. Times gave them a deal that the prices will be regular for the advertisement. But for every cut-out Kiser turned in both companies would give them fifty cents each.
The rest gave them the regular prices which worked just fine.
Karan had autographed souvenirs from over thirty different singers, bands, directors, and actors. The plan had worked perfectly. Along with which Karan had managed to get donations of almost ten thousand from various people. His own company donated three thousand.
Sana had the pictures printed and Kripa and Angad were going to spend the weekend painting about twelve paintings, six each. If time permitted more.
Rishab also managed to collect donations (the most from anyone that totaled up to a good fifteen thousand) and guests to the ball.
Amna booked a D.J. and just so Angad and she could spend time together Kripa told them to look up a few different hotels, ball rooms that were candidates. And go view them personally. It worked, and they spent a lot of time together in the evenings.
The children's floor needed a few touch-ups for another two days next week and it would be done. And, Kripa knew for a fact she could pay the employees by then. She needed seventy-five thousand for them. She still had the ten Dev donated, the ten from the tickets, thirteen that Karan had collected, and the fifteen thousand that Rishab had collected.
"No!" Kripa threw her hands up. "That's only forty-eight thousand. And these seventy-five thousand doesn't include Angad's payment. God help me!"
"Kripa you shouldn't worry about Angad's payment." Karan said relaxing his hand on hers.
"No Karan, he deserves it and this is his first project. I can't be so selfish. He deserves more than just a salary; he's helped so much more." She picked up her feet and crossed them on the sofa closing the file.
"Well you can ask him what he wants." He took her glasses off her eyes and took the file. "Let's have lunch."
In exactly a week from today, next Saturday, the ball would be held. She knew it would be a success. Christmas was the Wednesday after the ball and if the labor union agreed she would pay them on Monday before Christmas. She was just hoping things would work out.
"Yeah, Angad will be arriving any minute and we have start the paintings as well. So I better eat quickly!"
By twelve that night Angad and Kripa in total had six paintings done in total. Each painting was watercolor only with absolutely no pencil tracings. And they both thought they did a quite good job mimicking the actual paintings.
Kripa changed and so did Angad before leaving. They cleaned up the room and placed each painting away from destruction. When the place was tidy they both fell on Kripa's bed and closed their eyes.
"That's the hardest I've worked since I graduated." Angad said with a self satisfying smile.
"Well I'll just say we worked really hard." She turned to her stomach and closed her eyes. "Did Amna and you finalize anything for the hotel yet?"
"Well we're sold out now, and in the end we sold to about six hundred people. So considering that I think the Hilton Hotel in L.A. would do perfect. They have a huge ballroom, if we decorate the place ourselves, and buy the center pieces and every decoration ourselves. While they provide us with the food and china the coast for just the room, food, china, tables, and chair would be five-thousand dollars. If we ask them to decorate the entire place its five-thousand five hundred. You can decide."
Kripa opened her eyes when Angad placed his hand on her cheek. "They can decorate, Amna and you can supervise." She held his hand in her and continued looking at him. "I would like to pick the tree and decorate it. Can I hug you?"
He smiled, "You don't have to ask me to hug me, Kripa." He kissed her hand and hugged her. "You're my best friend."
"Thank you for everything Angad, really. I think I would have given up a long time ago if you weren't here helping me all along. I really appreciate you for that."
"Well I'll ask for a favor when I need one."
She drew away and smiled. "Good."
"We have to paint two each still."
"Yes we do." Kripa sighed as she buried her head into the mattress. "I hate this."
"You do?" Angad made himself comfortable on the bed while clearing his confusion about her comment.
"Yes. It's so much more than what I imagined. I never thought I would face so many financial issues during the project.
"That's normal Kripa."
"I know what you're going to stay next, 'Don't worry Kripa.'"
He didn't reply, Kripa looked at him and found him sleeping. She smiled and ran a hand over his forehead. She grabbed the remote and turned the T.V. on, accidentally falling asleep beside him.
When Karan came to wake Kripa up the next morning he was surprised to see both of them carelessly sleep, cuddled together. It was only eight and the tiredness on their faces told him they were up late last night, he closed the door and left them sleeping for another few hours.
In the middle Karan had to rush for a meeting so he left them a note.
Kripa woke up with Angad's phone vibrating somewhere on the bed. Of course she didn't know it was Angad's phone. She searched the bed and when found it she picked it up. "Hello."
Amna was shocked to hear Kripa's voice. She looked at her watch it was only ten, and Kripa sounded like she was sleeping.
"Hello." She said again.
Amna didn't know how to reply so she disconnected the call.
Without a care she ended the call as well and turned to see Angad beside her. Her eyes opened wider, and then she realized she was sleeping on the same bed as Angad Khanna, she quickly took his phone and check the received calls list.
"****!" She cussed upon seeing Amna's number as the last called. "Angad."
"Hmmm?" He turned and opened his eyes before she could pour a glass of water on his head again. "What are doing in my room?"
"Angad you are in my room, and Amna just called, call her back."
"Oh!" He sat up and ran and hand thought his hair. "I will."
"Ok. I'm going to shower and don't fool around, and don't look thought my stuff. I can't trust you in my room alone."
"Why? What's hidden?"
"Your head." She slapped the back of his head and walked away.
Angad called Amna and explained everything and Kripa was glad she didn't take the wrong meaning out of the incident.
While Angad showered and then cook breakfast, Kripa painted in her room alone. By the time breakfast/lunch was done at twelve she was done with her two paintings, and now Angad had to finish his two after their brunch.
So he did, and then they went to see the Hilton Hotel's ballroom together. They sat with the manager and discussed how they wanted the center pieces, the decorations, and every detail, which Angad was good at explaining, except the tree. Kripa would talk care of that the morning of the ball next Saturday.
Because Angad and Kripa went over the details together she would be the one supervising with Angad instead of Amna. Kripa didn't like the idea one bit. She wasn't drawn to Angad which made her realize she was never falling in love with him. And lately Angad was also behaving very normally, just like a good friend. She liked her idea of keeping him and Amna together.
Kripa talked to the entire union working on the children's floor and they had no problems with when they were paid as long as they were. So in the end one more pressure had come to an end.
The ball in the end was a couple's ball. Father-Daughter. Mother-Son. Sister-Brother. Husband-Wife. Girlfriend-Boyfriend. So on and so forth. With the D.J. Amna had planned that for each couple they would hold a special dance with a special song, if one could be found for each pair.
Kripa liked the idea very much, and was pleased by how much heart she was putting into her task.
The rest of the week went by fast with the preparations. The Children's Floor's building was finished by Tuesday afternoon. They were planning to inaugurate the place during the second week of January. It gave them enough time to get the machinery and the interior painted.
Kripa had changed her mind about the pail blue walls in the end to pink and red poke-a-dotted walls with a white background. And she permitted T.V. as well. The equipment was to be picked up on Monday next week which gave them a little more to get the interior done. The painting was going to start from Wednesday and hopefully be finished by Friday night or by the following Monday night. That way the rest of the week until after Christmas the paint would dry.
The entire staff working from Tuesday thought the entire month until January got paid double as well. It was completely voluntary. Kripa had wanted to volunteer without a pay but Faith and Angad didn't allow her to do something so insane. It was her first year and she needed rest.
Angad had convinced her by saying, "There is someone else out there who needs the money more. Besides if there is an emergency you will have to go then."
Kripa had to agree.
Thursday Kripa and Angad picked out a Christmas tree for Kripa's apartment; it took some convincing, and one for the ball room. After they both were dropped off Kripa and Angad both had to shop for a matching outfit as they were a couple of Girlfriend-Boyfriend, and Fiance-Fianc. They couldn't get out of that at all.
Angad like expected gave her a hard time picking her and his outfit, and the end it matched perfectly. It was a Ball and therefore it was quite formal, and mostly everyone coming was of high class so they knew for a fact that there would be some fancy outfits that night.
After the outfits Kripa and Angad had to go pick the brooches for Kripa's wrist and a matching flower to be pinned to Angad's coat. And in the end, a tie that matched Angad's suit. However they hadn't decided if he would actually wear the tie or not. So therefore they had to buy a matching shirt as well.
After shopping for the outfits both Kripa and Angad had to do Christmas shopping for their families. This took them a good few hours to finish as well.
Kripa had got gifts for the hospital staff already so there was one less thing to worry about.
When their shopping was done they went back to the hospital to get other last minute things done. Then after everything they had to go have dinner with Football Player Matt Liner and invite him to the ball formally.
That of course went smoothly, it was a private dinner held at a fancy hotel. He was a nice man but had a slight attitude with his fans. But then he was a star and it was normal for him to carry a little pride, with ego at all times.
Friday, Faith took care of the hospital and Kripa's appointments with Amna's help while Kripa and Angad spent the day at the Hilton Hotel Ball Room decorating and helping.
Saturday came too quick and everything was a rush up to five. Kripa and Angad went to the hotel around one. Book one room where they could change as they couldn't spend any excessive money at the point. The decorations, except the little tad-bits, were done by one in the afternoon. Kripa and Angad then had a two hour conference to attend, well Kripa did but Angad was with her life expected.
After the conference they had their first bites for the day but that too in a hurry. At four they were back at the hotel and finished decorating the tree. From five that evening they had exactly three hours until the ball started.
Angad and Kripa spent the first hour relaxing, in fact sleeping for about forty-five minutes.
The next two hours they spent getting ready and talking about what to expect and what not to expect.
They both were nervous and neither one of them had worked this hard before in their lives. But, in the past three days the seventy out of seventy-two hours they had spent together, with sleepovers, shopping, decorating, press-meeting, everything they had come to know each other better than ever before.
Angad still sometimes felt stronger for Kripa than for Amna but it was too late. Nothing could be done now. And with that thought of nothing could be done, he stayed away from her. He had convinced himself that he might feel strongly for Kripa but it was only because she was definitely closer to him than Amna. But there was a difference between love and the friendship love. And something told him very well that it was Amna he shared the friendship love with and Kripa whom he shared love with.
Hey guys,
I hope you enjoyed this part. Not to special but it was a nice break! The next part will be much better I promise! 😉
Hugs and Kisses
Neha 😊
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