Posted:
Here comes another part. But before that somethings concerning the story.
Call me greedy but I am a little unsatisfied from your feedback. Don't get me wrong,as I have said earlier your comments are spoiling me. But I would appreciate if you could give me more personal feedback to improve myself. Like I am devoting a lot of writing to the emotions of the charcacters. Is it ok for you all or making the story drag?
Also I have and will be using gauri's point of view till a certain point in the story where Pratham's POV becomes equally important. That would mean that many times contradicting behavior will be shown simultaneously. It is deliberate to add to the intrigue in the story. If the intrigue is too much you will have to caution me.
Please bear with my rant as being an amateur writer I would appreciate constructive criticism at any time as my storytelling is not that perfect.
And lastly please vote for this story if you like it.
Part 6
He is here in the office. That was all Gauri could think about on her way back to her cabin, and the way he had smiled at her. Flirty, charming and interested. She knew she was overreacting at that smile. For all she knew he was a consummate flirt and that was his way of greeting any woman between the ages of eighteen to forty. Add to that the incident which occurred that night, had he been teasing her and she had misread the signs. I hope not, she thought inwardly crossing her fingers. But even as realization hit of how close to an adolescent girl she was acting, there was a new wave of adrenaline coursing through her blood veins countering any surges of sensibility. She knew she was venturing into new unfamiliar territory and she, the cautious and sensible one, was enjoying it. Sure there had been occasions before this meeting. She knew a bit about butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms and the erratic beating of heart. And she knew about the pain of unrequited crushes and the joy and headiness of stolen kisses. But this man was different, this attraction was different. It stole the thunder from all those other times, paling them in front of it. She wouldn't say that his look had stopped the time and transported her in the clouds. She was a bit pragmatic for such mushy stuff, but it did come close to eating unlimited amount of Rocky Road Ice cream without worrying about her weight, or sunny mornings with soft breezes, or for once cooking macaroni without burning it. Silly things, she knew but things which couldn't wipe the smile of her face the whole day, however bad turns things took.
But most of all it was the intuition that the feeling was returned from him, that caused a small smile to lit her face. Too bad they had to meet in the lift with the lack of privacy. Maybe if all those people weren't present he would have stopped her from exiting the lift and talked to her. But even as the thought crossed her mind, another reality closed in. She had just joined this company, her father's company where not everyone had been delighted to see her. Could she afford to be reckless enough to draw attention to herself by pursuing her interest. She let out a little laugh as she realized she didn't even know his name yet, the position he held in the company or any such particular. And just what sort of person he really was, should she take the chance to find that? And how would her father react to it all. She had been away so long that such topics had never come to the fore ever before. Her thoughts in this direction were interrupted as her intercom buzzed and she was called in the conference room. As she picked up the notes she had made after the case study, she decided it was best to leave it to fate, why worry so much about what could have been an isolated event, never to be repeated again.
Taking a deep breath before formally starting her career as the VP of the company, she pushed open the conference room door. Her first impression was that it was a small gathering. Flashing one of her brilliant smiles which spoke about confidence, even if she was shaking on inside, she made her way to the front of the room to her father. Soon she was shaking hands with the senior management of the company. Some she knew from before hand and some whom she just got acquainted to. It was a challenging task to remember the faces and the names and to commit them together in her memory. She was concentrating so hard that she did not even turn around when she heard the door open once more and they were joined by other people. Aditya Mittal's loud and ceremonial welcoming was what distracted her to turn to him. And then she saw him, yet again.
He walked towards her, his eyes holding her gaze but no smile accompanied it. He was more formal, more serious and more closed. She watched as he stopped in front of her father and as certain verbal exchanges took place. His face was akin to a mask. No signs of laughter or playfulness could be traced in it. Even when she stepped forward to meet him, no sign of recognition acquaintance showed in his eyes. Instead he presented his hand to her which she took and got the chance to feel the connection and awareness from closer quarters. The contrast was very tangible, highlighting the sudden tension inside her as she watched his calloused hands engulf her feminine ones, his strength to her fragility. And when in answer to her pleased smile and shy "Hello", all she got was an ordinary banal "Hi" and a curt smile, she knew the rules had been laid out, the barriers had been set. And she understood the reasons behind it when he introduced himself in the same dry tone. Pratham Mittal, so that was him. The son of her father's closest friend, and who could one day be her potential business partner. It was but wise to proceed with caution with someone who was already so interlinked in her life. And he did not seem very keen to further their acquaintance. She took her seat with the firm resolve to forget this whole affair but still she could not suppress a tiny twinge of disappointment in her chest.
The meeting seemed to go on for hours when in reality it could have hardly stretched more than an hour. For Gauri who was totally engrossed in trying to prove herself, this was yet another new experience, sitting absolutely still when such a passive presentation was taking place. True she had her shares of boring lectures in university, but then the restrictions accompanying them weren't so stringent. She could afford to be day dream when she wanted, lean over to her friend to talk in whispers and even occasionally bunk the classes. But today she could feel eyes on her from time to time judging her and searching for the chink in her armor, and she was determined to not let them find even a scratch. It amazed her, how much changes were occurring in her as she had come back to London. For one her sense of responsibility towards her father was a big motivating factor in monitoring her behavior. She no longer reveled in being spontaneous and gregarious; instead she opted to be tone down everything about her to a more conservative level. But she accepted that it was a part of the privileged life she had access to and wanted to give it her best.
But even the most determined have their limits of endurance tested. In Gauri's case as yet another yawn escaped her; she consciously looked around the room and found herself more relieved. After all others did not seem that enthusiastic about this presentation either, except if you happened to be either Vishal Agarwal or Pratham Mittal. She knew her father's workaholic tendencies, so wasn't the least surprised to see him unconsciously nodding at the speaker's narration. But Pratham too, she grudgingly took in his alert posture and unwavering attention to the speaker. She had racked her brains for any childhood memories together with him but had only drawn a blank. Understandably, somehow she could not picture him as a child frolicking in the pool or playing snakes and ladders, pursuits which were her favorites. He only seemed fit to belong to this room and these kinds of mind and power games. Any further inspection was lost as he turned and looked straight at her. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, she also had to yawn at the same time.
She looked down at the dark hued carpet and prayed to God to let it swallow her. Just what she had needed to undermine her authority, how would she ever look into his eyes again. Testing the waters, she raised her eyes a bit higher and found himself still in the invigilator mode, with one eyebrow perfectly arched in her direction. And then since the first time he entered the room, his lips curved into a smile. But instead of a mocking one it was a sympathetic and kind one. And she found herself returning it. And just like that the connection returned, a sense of ease crept between them. A brief look passed between them, the one which assured her "Don't worry. In no time you will be used to this." And she knew she had an ally in him. He went back to paying attention to the speaker but in that one moment he gave her a reason to be calmer.
As the meeting came to its conclusion, she got up ready to stretch her legs. She was putting the last papers in the file as she sensed him approach her. He didn't say anything but waited for her to finish stuffing the files in her bag and turn to him. But her nervousness made her fingers less nimble and she took a longer time to do so. Having waited all he wanted, he was the first to initiate the conversation.
"I am sorry." His soft apology surprised her. He didn't seem like the person going around apologizing much less for things she couldn't even recall. She left the papers and concentrated on him.
"I am sorry." she parroted back.
"You are not supposed to repeat that back. I am sorry because I was so preoccupied earlier, I guess I came across as a bit rude." He let out a sigh at the end running his hand through the hair crowding his forehead and continued.
"So how about we start again? I am Pratham." And this time those words accompanied a boyish grin on his face. She couldn't help it, she grinned too and took his outstretched hand.
"And I am Gauri. Nice to meet you Pratham."
"Your first day at work, I have been told. How has it been this far?"
She had yet not been able to answer truthfully that question to herself. It had been sort of eventful and sort of uneventful at the same time. She was in midst of formulating a politically correct answer when sensing her hesitation he chipped in.
"Hang in there, it gets better than this." His light squeezing of her hand made her realize that they had yet to let go of each other's hand. She withdrew with a little resistance but he did not protest. The handholding had come very easily.
"Really?" Even to her, her voice sounded a bit breathless and a bit euphoric, even though there was no reason to. It matched the grin on his face which had not disappeared once since he had approached her.
"Really," He confirmed and offered more information, "Want me to narrate to you my earlier experiences?" At her quick agreement, if it was possible his grin grew wider.
"But not here, Let us go down to the restaurant at the corner of the street. This could take a while and they will offer you excellent coffee to stay awake through it all."
It is just a thing between two colleagues she told herself as she let herself agree to the idea. They continued talking all through their way out. Talking came easy, words just flowed, feelings just got conveyed. And as they stepped out of the building to the noisy street with the honking cars and the screeching tires, all she could hear was the rustle of the wind as she spread her wings and soared up in the sky.
Call me greedy but I am a little unsatisfied from your feedback. Don't get me wrong,as I have said earlier your comments are spoiling me. But I would appreciate if you could give me more personal feedback to improve myself. Like I am devoting a lot of writing to the emotions of the charcacters. Is it ok for you all or making the story drag?
Also I have and will be using gauri's point of view till a certain point in the story where Pratham's POV becomes equally important. That would mean that many times contradicting behavior will be shown simultaneously. It is deliberate to add to the intrigue in the story. If the intrigue is too much you will have to caution me.
Please bear with my rant as being an amateur writer I would appreciate constructive criticism at any time as my storytelling is not that perfect.
And lastly please vote for this story if you like it.
Part 6
He is here in the office. That was all Gauri could think about on her way back to her cabin, and the way he had smiled at her. Flirty, charming and interested. She knew she was overreacting at that smile. For all she knew he was a consummate flirt and that was his way of greeting any woman between the ages of eighteen to forty. Add to that the incident which occurred that night, had he been teasing her and she had misread the signs. I hope not, she thought inwardly crossing her fingers. But even as realization hit of how close to an adolescent girl she was acting, there was a new wave of adrenaline coursing through her blood veins countering any surges of sensibility. She knew she was venturing into new unfamiliar territory and she, the cautious and sensible one, was enjoying it. Sure there had been occasions before this meeting. She knew a bit about butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms and the erratic beating of heart. And she knew about the pain of unrequited crushes and the joy and headiness of stolen kisses. But this man was different, this attraction was different. It stole the thunder from all those other times, paling them in front of it. She wouldn't say that his look had stopped the time and transported her in the clouds. She was a bit pragmatic for such mushy stuff, but it did come close to eating unlimited amount of Rocky Road Ice cream without worrying about her weight, or sunny mornings with soft breezes, or for once cooking macaroni without burning it. Silly things, she knew but things which couldn't wipe the smile of her face the whole day, however bad turns things took.
But most of all it was the intuition that the feeling was returned from him, that caused a small smile to lit her face. Too bad they had to meet in the lift with the lack of privacy. Maybe if all those people weren't present he would have stopped her from exiting the lift and talked to her. But even as the thought crossed her mind, another reality closed in. She had just joined this company, her father's company where not everyone had been delighted to see her. Could she afford to be reckless enough to draw attention to herself by pursuing her interest. She let out a little laugh as she realized she didn't even know his name yet, the position he held in the company or any such particular. And just what sort of person he really was, should she take the chance to find that? And how would her father react to it all. She had been away so long that such topics had never come to the fore ever before. Her thoughts in this direction were interrupted as her intercom buzzed and she was called in the conference room. As she picked up the notes she had made after the case study, she decided it was best to leave it to fate, why worry so much about what could have been an isolated event, never to be repeated again.
Taking a deep breath before formally starting her career as the VP of the company, she pushed open the conference room door. Her first impression was that it was a small gathering. Flashing one of her brilliant smiles which spoke about confidence, even if she was shaking on inside, she made her way to the front of the room to her father. Soon she was shaking hands with the senior management of the company. Some she knew from before hand and some whom she just got acquainted to. It was a challenging task to remember the faces and the names and to commit them together in her memory. She was concentrating so hard that she did not even turn around when she heard the door open once more and they were joined by other people. Aditya Mittal's loud and ceremonial welcoming was what distracted her to turn to him. And then she saw him, yet again.
He walked towards her, his eyes holding her gaze but no smile accompanied it. He was more formal, more serious and more closed. She watched as he stopped in front of her father and as certain verbal exchanges took place. His face was akin to a mask. No signs of laughter or playfulness could be traced in it. Even when she stepped forward to meet him, no sign of recognition acquaintance showed in his eyes. Instead he presented his hand to her which she took and got the chance to feel the connection and awareness from closer quarters. The contrast was very tangible, highlighting the sudden tension inside her as she watched his calloused hands engulf her feminine ones, his strength to her fragility. And when in answer to her pleased smile and shy "Hello", all she got was an ordinary banal "Hi" and a curt smile, she knew the rules had been laid out, the barriers had been set. And she understood the reasons behind it when he introduced himself in the same dry tone. Pratham Mittal, so that was him. The son of her father's closest friend, and who could one day be her potential business partner. It was but wise to proceed with caution with someone who was already so interlinked in her life. And he did not seem very keen to further their acquaintance. She took her seat with the firm resolve to forget this whole affair but still she could not suppress a tiny twinge of disappointment in her chest.
The meeting seemed to go on for hours when in reality it could have hardly stretched more than an hour. For Gauri who was totally engrossed in trying to prove herself, this was yet another new experience, sitting absolutely still when such a passive presentation was taking place. True she had her shares of boring lectures in university, but then the restrictions accompanying them weren't so stringent. She could afford to be day dream when she wanted, lean over to her friend to talk in whispers and even occasionally bunk the classes. But today she could feel eyes on her from time to time judging her and searching for the chink in her armor, and she was determined to not let them find even a scratch. It amazed her, how much changes were occurring in her as she had come back to London. For one her sense of responsibility towards her father was a big motivating factor in monitoring her behavior. She no longer reveled in being spontaneous and gregarious; instead she opted to be tone down everything about her to a more conservative level. But she accepted that it was a part of the privileged life she had access to and wanted to give it her best.
But even the most determined have their limits of endurance tested. In Gauri's case as yet another yawn escaped her; she consciously looked around the room and found herself more relieved. After all others did not seem that enthusiastic about this presentation either, except if you happened to be either Vishal Agarwal or Pratham Mittal. She knew her father's workaholic tendencies, so wasn't the least surprised to see him unconsciously nodding at the speaker's narration. But Pratham too, she grudgingly took in his alert posture and unwavering attention to the speaker. She had racked her brains for any childhood memories together with him but had only drawn a blank. Understandably, somehow she could not picture him as a child frolicking in the pool or playing snakes and ladders, pursuits which were her favorites. He only seemed fit to belong to this room and these kinds of mind and power games. Any further inspection was lost as he turned and looked straight at her. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, she also had to yawn at the same time.
She looked down at the dark hued carpet and prayed to God to let it swallow her. Just what she had needed to undermine her authority, how would she ever look into his eyes again. Testing the waters, she raised her eyes a bit higher and found himself still in the invigilator mode, with one eyebrow perfectly arched in her direction. And then since the first time he entered the room, his lips curved into a smile. But instead of a mocking one it was a sympathetic and kind one. And she found herself returning it. And just like that the connection returned, a sense of ease crept between them. A brief look passed between them, the one which assured her "Don't worry. In no time you will be used to this." And she knew she had an ally in him. He went back to paying attention to the speaker but in that one moment he gave her a reason to be calmer.
As the meeting came to its conclusion, she got up ready to stretch her legs. She was putting the last papers in the file as she sensed him approach her. He didn't say anything but waited for her to finish stuffing the files in her bag and turn to him. But her nervousness made her fingers less nimble and she took a longer time to do so. Having waited all he wanted, he was the first to initiate the conversation.
"I am sorry." His soft apology surprised her. He didn't seem like the person going around apologizing much less for things she couldn't even recall. She left the papers and concentrated on him.
"I am sorry." she parroted back.
"You are not supposed to repeat that back. I am sorry because I was so preoccupied earlier, I guess I came across as a bit rude." He let out a sigh at the end running his hand through the hair crowding his forehead and continued.
"So how about we start again? I am Pratham." And this time those words accompanied a boyish grin on his face. She couldn't help it, she grinned too and took his outstretched hand.
"And I am Gauri. Nice to meet you Pratham."
"Your first day at work, I have been told. How has it been this far?"
She had yet not been able to answer truthfully that question to herself. It had been sort of eventful and sort of uneventful at the same time. She was in midst of formulating a politically correct answer when sensing her hesitation he chipped in.
"Hang in there, it gets better than this." His light squeezing of her hand made her realize that they had yet to let go of each other's hand. She withdrew with a little resistance but he did not protest. The handholding had come very easily.
"Really?" Even to her, her voice sounded a bit breathless and a bit euphoric, even though there was no reason to. It matched the grin on his face which had not disappeared once since he had approached her.
"Really," He confirmed and offered more information, "Want me to narrate to you my earlier experiences?" At her quick agreement, if it was possible his grin grew wider.
"But not here, Let us go down to the restaurant at the corner of the street. This could take a while and they will offer you excellent coffee to stay awake through it all."
It is just a thing between two colleagues she told herself as she let herself agree to the idea. They continued talking all through their way out. Talking came easy, words just flowed, feelings just got conveyed. And as they stepped out of the building to the noisy street with the honking cars and the screeching tires, all she could hear was the rustle of the wind as she spread her wings and soared up in the sky.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
8