Had been busy with my sister's wedding ...but now i'am back... though the updates won't still be very quick but I promise to be regular and update atleast once a week. So without any further ranting, here's the update
Chapter -11
It was almost 2 and the party showed no signs of dying down. Sandhir were seated on the same table, from where Sanyukta observed the hustle-bustle around her. Randhir who was sipping his drink (which he had accepted upon a lot of insistence by Puneet and Mr. Naik) had his gaze fixed on Sanyukta. Intermittently Sanyukta observe this and got slightly conscious.
"I think I will make a move." Sanyukta said rising up.
"I will make a move! What you mean? We came together and we will go back together." Randhir said as he kept back his empty glass on the table with a thud and stood up.
They bade good bye to their colleagues and walked together towards the parking.
"Are you fine? If you are feeling dizzy, I can drive and drop you to your hotel." Sanyukta was concerned.
Randhir who was completely steady in his walk turned around with a warm smile, "I am fine Sanyukta. I just had a single drink. I'll drive you home."
The traffic had subsided at the wee hours of night, thus it took lesser time to reach Sanyukta's apartment. Sanyukta realised on the way back home that she hadn't spent any time with Randhir out of their office in the last couple of days. And today she had felt surprisingly very comfortable with him by her side for most of the party's time.
"Ok then! Gud night." she said looking back at Randhir, who had been gawking at her since the time he had brought the car to a halt.
"Yeah! Gud night. Cya." Randhir replied making all efforts to sound very casual, even though with whatever alcohol that had got into his system his heart yearned to be with her.
Sanyukta got down the car, and just as when Randhir was about to turn on the ignition of the car, he saw her bend down and look at him through the window pane. He rolled down the glass and asked her, "What happened Sanyukta? Anything wrong?"
"Nothing wrong. Just that I was wondering that after the loud and happening new year's bash, would you mind having coffee with me at my place. Its just that tomorrow is a holiday, so I thought there might be no hurry and you've not seen my place too. So...this could be the time." Sanyukta was feeling very jittery lest he would refuse her offer.
Randhir on the other hand just dropped his hand from the ignition key. "Had I wished for something else also today, it'd have been granted. But thanks God, this should be perfectly fine for today." Randhir could feel the stars shining in his eyes.
"Sanyukta thanks for the invitation. But no thanks. I think its too late for me to get into your place." Randhir said in a very gentlemanly way. As he said this he imagined his heart poking daggers into his tongue for saying so. But his mind stood in the way to protect it, because it knew that though he had not drunk enough to be on a high or anything, but his senses were loosening out due to the affect of alcohol since the time they had left the party.
Sanyukta too was shocked at his response. Suddenly her smiling face turned into a sad one, her eyes wondering why Randhir had not accepted her proposal for coffee. But then she thought to herself "He's is right in a way. May be it really is too late." She snapped away her thoughts, "Ok then tomorrow? It's a holiday and if you don't have any plans already, come down for lunch at my place." She asked very hopefully this time.
"I would have cancelled my plans to have lunch with you, even if I had any. But its just too gud that I have nothing to do here in Mumbai tomorrow. Message me tomorrow morning by when do you want me to drop in." Randhir's smile made evident his excitement at the idea of the lunch.
"Ok! But..." Sanyukta had just begun when Randhir cut her off, "What now Sanyukta? Its late already, you should get inside immediately." he was concerned about her safety.
"I just wanted to tell you that I havn't learnt how to cook yet...so will order from outside. Will Chinese do ?" Sanyukta pouted.
"Anything madam." Randhir chuckled.
"But I will definitely make coffee. I am very gud at that." Sanyukta's face lit up like a 100 watt lamp.
"I said, anything madam. Now go and sleep." Randhir bade her good bye and kicked off the car engine to life to leave.
Randhir reached his guest house, changed into his nightwear and immediately dozed off on his bed praying to god to give him some pleasant Sanyukta dreams.
-------------Flashback--------------
Randhir had been pacing across his hostel room and would throw a punch or two at his bestie (Punching bag) now and then. He had been trying PArth's number for over an hour but to no avail. He knew very well where PArth was and what he was busy with, and that was the very reason for his nervousness. Several times during the past hour, Randhir thought that he can simply walk upto Parth and nip the source of his anxiety. But the man in him blocked his way as it repeatedly told him, "No Randhir ! The world cannot have a sight of this super freaked out Randhir!"
"But why exactly am I nervous?" he stopped in the middle of his room. Randhir walked upto the mirror at the PArth's end of the room and took a good view of himself.
"Rank No. 1 Randhir Singh Shekhawat! Aren't you confident enough? Do you have even an iota of doubt regarding this matter? I mean who will have the nerves to reject you!!!!" he exclaimed inwardly and then got back to frowning immediately. He was trying to fight an internal battle when he heard someone entering his room. As he turned around, he saw Parth rushing in, "I am so sorry yaar. I was about to call you from the Placement and Training office itself, but my phone conked off."
"Seriously Parth! Your phone has a sense of timing as bad as yours. Now tell me the crux of the matter. What happened?" Randhir looked at Parth with his eyes wide open.
Parth face suddenly changed from being apologetic to euphoric. He stood straight and crossed his hands across his chest, twisting his lips into a wide grin. As he dipped his one eye lid he broke the news, "You made it man!!!"
Randhir shook his head in impatience, "That I know idiot! Tell me the other news!" Randhir said throwing his hands up in the air.
"What other news? Oh! Sorry!" Parth changed his expressions from being euphoric to being confused and back to being euphoric in a matter of seconds. He moved towards Randhir, placed one hand on his shoulder and smirked further, "Yes man! She too made it."
Randhir unable to contain his excitement, exclaimed, "Oh Thank God!" and pulled PArth into a friendly hug.
Parth pulled himself back and gave a sarcastically dirty look to Randhir, "Don't tell me you were more nervous about Sanyukta getting selected than yourself." he said shaking his head.
"Nervous!! I wasn't nervous. I had had a phodu' interview, so there was no doubt about my selection. I was only worried about Sanyukta because she desperately wanted to intern with Hawmei Motors and if she were not selected, i only dreaded looking at a heart broken her." Randhir tried to sound as casual and careless as possible.
"Who are you lying to and about what, Randhir?' Parth now wore a very warm brotherly smile.
"Lying ? About what? About whom? Have you lost it Parth?' Randhir was flummoxed.
"We both know the answers Randhir. Ever since the days of you feeling her absence and not really missing her." Parth raised his hands and moved his fingers creating the quotes sign in the air. "Tell me bro, if I am wrong. You like her to the point of..." Parth took a pause and Randhir looked upto him tilting his head to one side, "To the point of what?" he prompted Parth to complete his statement.
"To the point of... Loving her?" PArth completed cautiously. Randhir let out a deep sigh and starting looking around as if caught red handed.
"There is nothing like Luv here." He tried to justify to Parth, but got interrupted by a call on his mobile. He pulled out the mobile phone from his pocket and checked whose call it was.
His face lit up as he answered the call, "Hi!!"..."Yes I heard the news"..."Congratulations"... "I knew you would make it"..."Yes! we will be together, interning for 2 months." Parth did not have to guess who it was on the other side, as he heard Randhir's side of the conversation.
"This definitely calls for a celebration! Meet me in the canteen in 5 mins." Randhir concluded the call and suddenly became conscious as he realised that PArth had stood through the entire duration of his phone call with Sanyukta.
"And then you say, its nothing. That she isn't special to you in anyway other than being just friends?" Parth narrowed his eyes.
"Arre yaar! Try and understand, all of you appeared for the selection process with companies on a first come first serve basis. It was only Sanyukta and me who had waited for the best that was to come at the last. It was a huge risk. So obviously the anxiety level was too high. That's it" Randhir defended himself as he realised that PArth might further corner him on this topic. That's what Parth had been doing, for the last couple of months by acting as his reality check, whenever it came to Sanyukta.
Parth decided not to press the matter any further and closed the discussion, "As you say bro. But remember one thing, the ship will never know on its own that it has to stop sailing. You have to tie it to the anchor, to keep it from going astray, away from you. I hope you are smart enough to understand what i mean." Parth moved towards his cupboard to get a night change for himself. He turned around to see a confused and dumbstruck Randhir, "What happened? Sanyukta might be waiting for you in the Canteen. Rush!!"
As Randhir walked towards the Canteen he weighed PArth's words and resolved to himself, "I will definitely do something soon. You are right PArth. Untill I tell her what I feel, I will never be able to keep her from going away from me."
----------------Flashback Ends-----------------
Randhir woke up with a beep on his mobile phone. It was Sanyukta"s message, "C U by 2. My place."
Randhir read the message and smiled. He then checked the time; it was 12. He sat up in shock "Already!" he exclaimed to himself. "I have just about enough time to have a shower and get ready." Randhir pounced out of his bed and rushed into the bathroom.
Cricket
Anupamaa
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