Parth woke up. His head was still aching. He lay on his bed, wrapped in sheets. Looking around and trying to recollect what had happened, he saw Vidushee getting dressed.
"When did you get up?" asked Parth.
"Long before you did", said Vidushee as she buttoned her shirt. She finger-combed her hair and tied a knot. Parth watched, as she got dressed.
"Listen Vidushee", he said "I hope after last night's episode..."
"Don't worry", she said looking at him. "There is a difference between me and Sanyukta. I know how to keep things professional".
"Leaving already?" he asked, getting up.
"I've to get to work in 2 hours",
"You still have time", said Parth.
"No. I have to go home and take a shower", said Vidushee.
"You can shower here".
Vidushee looked at Parth. "I thought we decided to keep things professional."
"Yeah, but you leaving like this. I don't feel good about it. I just don't want you to feel...like..."
"A prostitute?" asked Vidushee immediately.
"No...well...that is not what I meant."
Vidushee smiled and said, "Relax Parth. Relax. I can handle myself. You take an aspirin. You are clearly hung-over from last night. However, it is funny, how Sanyukta, of all people refused you."
Parth looked down. "Yeah, well, I sort of expected that. A girl like Sanyukta should probably be seeing someone she does not want anyone to know."
"She isn't", said Vidushee.
"Well," said Parth. "I don't want to talk about Sanyukta now."
Vidushee did not reply. She just kept dressing and fixing her hair. She went over to the mirror and made sure she looked okay before stepping out.
"Vidushee", said Parth. "We'll see each other again, won't we?"
Vidushee looked at Parth and merely said, "Sure Parth. Right after you get an aspirin." And saying this she went out of Parth's hotel room and closed the door behind her.
Sanyukta still had not been able to collect what had happened last night. How did things transform from a friendly rooftop Chinese dinner to a drunk all-of-a-sudden kiss?! She was confused. Sanyukta constantly checked her phone to see if Parth had left a message or had called while she was sleeping, to apologize for his erratic behavior the night before but there were none. She had assumed that maybe he was ashamed of what he had done and was trying to come up with an apology. However, it seemed that she had assumed wrong.
Kaustuki had made orange juice for her. She suggested that because Sanyukta had drunk quite a bit last night, it would be brutal if she drank anything strong like coffee that has lots of caffeine or tea. Sanyukta told Kaustuki about the dinner and the amazing restaurant they had dined at, but she did not tell her how the dinner ended. To Kaustuki, Parth was just a friend who, due to some odd turn of events, had managed to become Sanyukta's fianc, which she was not happy about.
Kaustuki was telling Sanyukta about her cousin brother who, was also engaged, and how she missed the engagement because she had work in Delhi. Sanyukta pretended to be interested but in her mind, she was still thinking about Randhir. It seems that she had correctly judged him. He was arrogant and selfish and card for no one else but himself. How could she? How could she just let a person like him kiss her? She was now ashamed of that night's event and to add to the misery, Parth too had kissed her. But she pushed Parth away even though they were friends. But why didn't she push Randhir away? She could have done so. But she did not. And that made her blame herself.
Sanyukta showered and got dressed. Kaustuki had already left for work. She locked the door and headed out. She was reluctant to go to work. All those paperwork she resented would be lying on her desk. After the Smart House project, Sanyukta was just not getting a chance to display her talents in the practical field. She loved working on the project and really hoped that another project would soon come her way. She also missed Jisggy. She prayed he'd come back soon. He was the only one in the office who was nice to her.
The elevator door opened. Sanyukta got out and she stopped. The first person she saw was Randhir. He was photocopying some papers and did not notice her. Sanyukta looked at him and she could hear her heart beat. She did not know whether she would walk towards him and demand explanations from the other night or just walk away. Randhir clearly had not seen her. Sanyukta took a deep breath and decided to talk to him. In that way, she could focus on her work and not be distracted throughout the day.
Randhir was getting many copies and was trying to arrange the pages as they came out of the machine. Some of the papers fell from the desk. He was about to bend down and pick them up but Sanyukta did that instead. Sanyukta handed them to Randhir who just looked at Randhir, who just stared at her and then snatched the paper from her hand.
"Randhir, we need to talk", said Sanyukta, sternly.
Randhir did not reply but merely kept doing what he was doing.
Sanyukta, realizing that this would ot work, grabbed his hand and shook it. "Randhir! I'm talking to you."
Randhir immediately shook her hand off and looked at her coldly, "I have ears, I am listening."
"Fine. Very well", said Sanyukta. "Why didn't you return any of my phone calls that night? Or yesterday?"
"There is not law that says you have to return a desperate person's calls", he said.
Sanyukta was shocked. "What are you saying Randhir? You do remember what happened before you left the hotel..."
"Stop!" he said. "Just stop!"
Sanyukta stopped.
"I do remember and that is, unfortunately, something I will have to live with for the rest of my life. How I got drunk and did something I'll always regret", replied Randhir.
Sanyukta was quiet. She expected a blunt reply from Randhir al along, but definitely not denial. She struggled for words.
"What are you saying?" she asked softly.
Randhir looked at her. Ofcourse he was not drunk. He had a few to drink but was not drunk. He meant for the kiss to happen. However, he clearly had no options. He had to lie to her. It was the only way to make her go away from his life. There was no place for Sanyukta or another girl in his complicated life.
"You heard me", he replied. "I was drunk, got carried away and we kissed. Things happened. Let it go".
Sanyukta was taken aback. Clearly, she did not know who to react or what to say. She merely looked at him as he assembled the printed papers form the machine. "So you are going to deny everything that you said that night as well?" she asked.
Randhir remained quiet. He did not reply, rather did not intend to. His silence was enough to tell Sanyukta everything. Her insides were burning. She did not say anything. She pouted her lips and walked away, as Randhir looked on. He kept staring at her as she walked. In anger, he threw all the papers onto the ground and knocked on the wall hard. No one was there to look. He obviously did not want to hurt Sanyukta. Ofcourse he meant everything he said that night, but his father's words kept playing in his head. His mother's betrayal. It pained him. But he had no choice.
Sanyukta kept her bag on her table. She was not going to cry. She was definitely not going to waste her tears on Randhir. She was ready to forget about the kiss and everything that happened. It was a mistake; she would explain herself as long she it would take for her to forget that night. She took one file at a time from the stack that was kept beside her table and began to work. The best way to put away unnecessary thoughts was to bury yourself in work.
The day went by as usual. Randhir and Sanyukta hardly came face to face after the conversation earlier. He hardly even got out of his office. Vardhan sir had asked him to work on a new project, alone. He was grateful that he trusted him enough to assign an individual project. He took some mechanical parts and was working on a trial design when Sahil came in.
"Randhir", he said. "I need your help".
Randhir tuned around. "Kya hua?"
"I have made a design for the auto water pump I am working on. I just need you to check on the details of the design so I could start my work," said Sahil, handing him the design he made.
Randhir saw the design. He took a pencil and corrected the design. The design had plenty of faults. Randhir was surprised that it did. Sahil was very dedicated engineer and was a passionate about building stuff just like Randhir. The fact that a bright man like him was capable of making such mistakes and overlook the most inferior details was shocking for Randhir.
"What have you done Sahil?" Randhir asked, irritated.
Randhir explained all the crucial pints to Sahil and told him to work on it again. "You look distracted." Randhir told Sahil.
Sahil looked at Randhir and asked, "Is it that visible?"
"Kya?" asked Randhir.
"Arrey kuch nahi. I just had a quarrel with my fianc. A big one."
"And that is why you are so distracted that you made such mistakes with your design? Where is your head Sahil?"
"Arrey it was a big one but the issue was petty."
Randhir leaned back on the table and said, "Teri fianc...she is a designer na?"
"Yes."
"Isiliye problem hain", said Randhir. "Two ambitious people in a relationship matlab hi problem."
"Aisa mat bolo", said Sahil.
"I am telling you the truth. Dekh, abhi teri shaadi bhi nahi huyi and you guys are fighting over silly stuff. Imagine what will happen when you do get married!"
Sahil sat down on a chair, looking worried. "We have to find a way not to ruin this relationship."
"Good luck with that bro", smirked Randhir. "I hope you don't end up getting a divorce like Mr. Patel."
"But I don't agree with your notion. Two ambitious people can be in a relationship."
Randhir looked at Sahil, expressionless. He was not going to debate with Sahil regarding this silly topic.
"I mean a relationship is all about compromise and making each other happy. And there will be choti-moti-fights, that is what keeps the relationship healthy. Every relationship should start with a solid friendship. Understanding one another. Ab humari Sanyukta ko hi dekhlo..."
Randhir froze. His wandering eyes were now fixed on Sahil. "What do you mean?" he asked, sternly.
"Arrey yesterday, I was standing in the balcony at night. And I saw Sanyukta and that architect guy, Parth Kashyap coming out of that new Chinese restaurant that ahs opened in front of our house. They were talking and laughing. At first, I thought they went to dinner as friends. But no! They kissed! I mean actually kissed!"
Randhir just kept looking at Sahil. He thought that Sahil was just messing with him to irritate him. But why would Sahil mess with him? He does not know how Randhir felt for Sanyukta and that kiss that they shared the other night. Various thoughts were spinning in his head and he was fuming. Randhir was already aware that Ankit had fixed Sanyukta's engagement with Parth. Was this an actual date? Was Sanyukta actually serious about marrying Parth?
"Acha Randhir I have to go. Need to work on this design. See you later!" said Sahil and left.
Randhir threw his pencil on the floor and dashed out of his office. He was looking for Sanyukta. He first went to her office only to find that it was empty. He then asked one of his colleagues about her whereabouts. One of them said that she saw her in front of the water-cooler on the third floor. Randhir quickly took a lift and went to the third floor. Just as the lift door opened, he saw Sanyukta, drinking water. There was no one on the floor that he could see yet. He quickly dashed towards her, took her glass, and threw it in the dustbin beside the cooler. Sanyukta was shocked.
"Randhir! What are you doing? I..." she began but Randhir interrupted her.
"First tum bolo ki what are you doing? Are you on this kissing spree or something?"
Sanyukta could not understand what was Randhir talking about. She looked at him. The silence irritated Randhir so much that he grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall and guarded her.
"Randhir! What the hell! Don't make me scream. "
"You kissed Parth?"
"What?"
"Don't you dare lie to me Sanyukta! I know you did."
"Toh? What is the problem then?"
"So this morning's conversation...were you testing me or something? Wanted to see if I am still interested in you? How many guys do you want?"
Sanyukta shook Randhir's hands off hers and raised her forefinger. "Dekho, don't talk rubbish. Don't you dare question my character!"
"Kyun? Feeling bad. The truth always make people feel bad doesn't it Sanyukta?"
"Randhir stop it. Just because I do tell you nothing does not mean I am numb. If you raise one more allegation against my name, I'll report you to the Human Resource Department. Besides, why do you care? I can kiss whomever I want, I should not be answerable to anyone" . Sanyukta could not believe she just said that.
Randhir did not reply to her question. He stepped back. He obviously should not care about anything. It was his life and he had chose to distance Sanyukta from his life. So naturally, he should not care whether Sanyukta and Parth were in an exclusive relationship. He slowly turned around and went towards the lift. He had nothing more to say.
Sanyukta returned home to find a hot cup of tea and a batch of pakodas waiting for her.
"Tumne banayi?" she asked Kaustuki.
"Just learning, " Kaustuki replied.
Sanyukta dug into the food immediately. She had an awful day in the office. It was nice to come home to such an amazing treat.
As Sanyukta ate her pakodas, she thought about what had happened in the last couple of days. First, she kisses Randhir. Then he does not answer the phone and ignores her. The she goes on a "friendship date" with Parth only to end up drinking and kissing him. Actually, he kissed her. She pushed him away. And today, in the office that pathetic confrontation with Randhir. Twice. How did her life turn out to be so upside down? Was she actually on a kissing spree like the one Randhir had said? Parth still had not called her. An entire day had gone by but no calls or text messages from him. At first, Sanyukta thought of calling him herself and asking him how things were. But she resented the idea. But Parth was descent enough guy. Better than Randhir, at least. But does that mean that she should actually consider a relationship with him. Surely, there were no boundaries holding them back from having one.
"You know what Sanyu?" said Kaustuki. "Today I saw my favourite film, Rehna Hain Tere dil Main."
"I have seen that movie. I really liked Diya Mirza. But is that your favouirte film?" asked Sanyukta, who was a film addict and have watched better love stories than the one Kaustuki claims to be her favourite.
"Yes. I just love it. Kyun? You don't like that movie?"
"No I do. But I just did not understand the concept of the story."
"It is a love story Sanyukta. There is no concept", laughed Kaustuki.
"Every story should have a concept. I just did not understand. I mean dekho, Diya Mirza was about to marry this really nice guy like Saif. He is kind, considerate, and intelligent and understands women. But Mandy, this rude, unconventional, carefree guy, comes in, lies to Diya about being someone else and hurts her. And yet, in the end, Diya choses Mandy over Saif. I mean...what was that yar?"
Kaustuki laughed loudly. "Stupid girl. That is love."
Sanyukta was still confused. It really did not make any sense to her. What was so lovely about that?
"Diya and Mandy were in love. Even though Mandy was not the ideal man for Diya, he loved her truly. In addition, yes, they did have their differences, but they still fell in love in spite f those differences. She never felt that love when she was with Saif. She liked him, yes, but she loved Mandy. And that happens really rarely. How many of us can say that we'll be happy with our presumed' love?"
Sanyukta just stared at Kaustuki. She obviously had not thought about ti like that. Every time she came across this name, Rehna Hain Tere Dil main, she thought of it as a sily love story with a good-looking female lead. But something pricked he this time. Was it the way Kaustuki explained the story to her? Or was it something completely different? Something she could not understand.
"You keep thinking about this Sanyukta. I am going to get some bread. Clearly, you have forgotten. I told you this morning", and saying this Kaustuki took her purse and went outside.
Sanyukta was finishing her pakodas when she heard a cell phone ring. It was not hers because the ring tone was not "Tere Liye" from Veer-Zaara. She looked around and saw that Kaustuki had left her phone on the table. It was still ringing. She did not answer it.
After sometime, it rang again. And again. And this happen for like 6-7 times. Sanyukta was wondering where Kaustuki go. The call must be important because it just kept coming. Finally she decided to answer it and tell the person on the other end that Kaustuki was out and will be back sometime.
The number was a private number. She answered it and was about to say "hello" when a deep male voice from the other side said, "Where were you? Anyways, I am in a hurry. Listen this is very important. The photos you sent of the project and the inauguration party, I showed it to the bosses. They did their research and your theory checks out. Vardhan Shukla is definitely laundering black money into the business. But we have to wait before we can take some serious actions. You keep doing your work. I'll call you later. Bye!" And he hung up with a confused Sanyukta on this side of the line.
NOTE:I am terribly sorry for updating this late but you guys have to understand that I am under a load of pressure from my University. I am going to be really inactive from now on but will manage to post a chapter every week. Please forgive me my dearies. Please post your comments/suggestions/criticisms below. Press the 'LIKE' button if you think I deserve it. Hopefully you'll understand my severity. Love you all!
Indian Mythology
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