Posted:
Thanks everyone. 😊
PART 7:
Kripa sat down on the chair next to Angad's bed. As she pondered over what she had just heard about herself, Angad dialed Kartik's phone, "Kartik….Kartik…please phone uthao….where are you bro?" Angad hung up and looked at Kripa, "aise waqt par ek saala bhai tha….wo bhi nahin phone utha raha hai."
Kripa sensed the frustration in Angad's voice. She tried to reassure him, "I am sure he is busy, otherwise he would answer the phone…..where is he staying?"
"Oh……I don't know…..I don't keep track of his schedule…," he flung the phone and closed his eyes.
Angad was fast asleep, when his phone rang again. Kripa tried to wake him up, but he was in deep slumber.
"Hello!" she picked the phone, "Oh Kartik? Yes, I am Kripa….Mishti's sister…..yes Angad had surgery for appendicitis this morning….we are at the Hampton General Hospital…..Oh, the flights are cancelled because of the storm?…..Oh, well…..I am here….uh…uh….I guess I don't mind staying here…..let me give you my phone # too…." Kripa hung up after giving Kartik the details.
"Great!" she sat down on the chair, "Kartik cannot take a flight back home due to the storm in Atlanta…..Mishti is off to Miami, and here I am stuck in the hospital with someone I don't even care about!" Kripa was furious; she did not even have her bestfriend-her laptop with her- "how am I going to spend the whole day with him?"
So, Kripa spent the whole day and evening with a man she thought she could not stand or tolerate for more than a few minutes. Angad and Kripa had nothing else to do; they were forced to talk and interact with each other.
Angad broke the ice first, "so Kripa…are you still in college?"
"Hmm?" she looked up, as she was almost dozing off, "well…..I just graduated."
"Really? You look so much younger…I thought you must have just finished high school or may be 1 st year of college," Angad grinned.
Kripa was surprised, as her mom's words rang in her ears, "even I look younger than you!"
She said, "Is that a compliment or are you trying to imply that I am still a kid?" she said cynically.
"Kripa! Why are you cynical about everything? Of course it is a compliment….you think I will ever say anything else to a lady?" he laughed.
Kripa looked at him quizzically, "so you are not being honest?"
Angad rolled his eyes, "You should be a lawyer and not a writer!"
Kripa just lowered her eyes, "actually, I would have loved to be a lawyer….but…but," she paused.
"But what?" Angad was surprised, as he could not imagine her as a lawyer himself.
"Well….my mom thought I would not make a good lawyer," she said softly.
Angad was intrigued, "Oh really? Why did your mom think that way? You can be pretty attacking and shred anyone into pieces!" he teased her.
Kripa could not help smiling back, "you really think I am that vicious?"
Angad glanced at her smiling lips and thought, "nice smile….wonder how those lips would taste?" He shook his head and came back to reality, "Of course you are! I have never met a person who called the cops on me, the first time I met them!"
"What could I do? Imagine seeing a half-naked strange man in your house…what would you have done?" she asked
"First of all, let me make it clear…I would not be interested in a half-naked MAN! But if if it was a woman….hmm….or if I were a woman and I saw a man in that condition…..I would thank God from the bottom of my heart….do the hula dance and consider myself the luckiest person on the planet!" he folded his arms and glanced at Kripa with the corner of his eyes.
Kripa had a disgusted look on her face, "Men! Why are you all interested in only one thing?"
"You mean only interested in women? Of course….that is how we are wired….can't help it…..," he just shrugged his shoulders.
Kripa looked at his smug expression and thought, "I bet he has a lot of women dancing around him," for the first time she noticed how handsome he was……his unshaven and shaggy look made him look really attractive. Kripa had learnt to suppress her feminine desires over the years……she was made to believe directly or indirectly by her mother's remarks that she was unattractive and no guy would ever be interested in her…..the high school prom incident had validated her mother's fears about her younger daughter's failure as a desirable girl.
Kripa changed the subject, as she did not want to be caught staring at him, "what do you do Angad?"
"Besides dating beautiful women?" he laughed, "I make them look beautiful!"
"Is that it? Don't you have a job?" Kripa was mortified.
"Kripa….you are buddhu! I am a professional photographer…how do you think I met your sister?" Angad laughed.
"How long have you known Mishti?" she asked curiously; she was surprised at herself for asking that question as she had never enquired about any of her boyfriends before, but somehow Angad was different….was it because she had signed the consent for his surgery? She was the one who held his hand when he was panicking? She was the one entertaining him in the hospital? Did that give her more of a right on Angad than Mishti?
"Oh…may be a few weeks….but there is nothing serious between us….so technically, I am still available for dating…..dating se yaad aaya…..you have a date with the hot shot surgeon tomorrow, don't you?" he asked.
"Date? Are you crazy…I don't date men!" she said angrily
"Oh…so you date women?" he raised his eyebrows, hoping he was wrong.
"OF COURSE NOT! I am not thaaaat….you guys have a one track mind!" she exclaimed
Angad did not know why, but he was kind of relieved, 'Ok…..so you don't date! Hmmm….kya koi pyaar mohabbat ka chakkar hai? May be you have been hurt in love or something?"
"No Angad! By the way, why do you want to know?" she asked angrily
"Well….what if I want to go out on a date with you one day…I need to know my options," Angad said seriously.
Kripa was really surprised…..why would he want to go out with a girl like me? I am not his types at all.
Angad sensed her discomfort; he changed the subject, "Hey Kripa…what's up with these turtlenecks?"
Kripa frowned, 'What do you mean? I get cold easily…that is why."
"Cold? In the middle of hot Indian summer? Yeh turtleneck utaardo!" he ordered
Kripa was aghast, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I am not like your other women, who will do anything to please a guy like you!"
"Please me? For heaven sakes Kripa…..I have plenty of girls waiting in line to please me….you don't have to please me,' he became a little serious and sat up closer to her and looked into her eyes, "I am in search of a girl I want to please." Kripa was a little taken aback by his piercing gaze. She became a little conscious and got up, 'I am going to get a cup of coffee….do you need something?"
Angad looked up and said, "Yes I do!"
She turned around and raised her eyebrow quizzically.
Angad slid down and rested his head on his pillow and glanced at her, "your company!"
Kripa turned a little red and left the room. No one had ever spoken to her the way Angad just did. The way he looked into her eyes; the way he said he was searching for someone to please…..did he really enjoy her company?…..or was he just a big mouth? He was probably the latter…..he was just pretending to be friendly, just in case she left him all alone like her sister had…..he could not be serious…he was just playing games…..that is why she hated MEN! They played with women's emotions….her books always portrayed that……and no wonder so many girls and young women could relate to that…..the fan mail she received every day was proof that she was RIGHT!
Angad closed his eyes and put his hands under his head, "hmmm….Mishti's sister is indeed very different from other women I have known……kya baat hai is ladki mein? Why am I thinking about her? May be she is just a kind soul, who has helped me through this surgery….I am not used to people taking care of me….that's it! Why on earth would I have any other interest in that TURTLENECK GIRL?"
…to be contd…..
PART 7:
Kripa sat down on the chair next to Angad's bed. As she pondered over what she had just heard about herself, Angad dialed Kartik's phone, "Kartik….Kartik…please phone uthao….where are you bro?" Angad hung up and looked at Kripa, "aise waqt par ek saala bhai tha….wo bhi nahin phone utha raha hai."
Kripa sensed the frustration in Angad's voice. She tried to reassure him, "I am sure he is busy, otherwise he would answer the phone…..where is he staying?"
"Oh……I don't know…..I don't keep track of his schedule…," he flung the phone and closed his eyes.
Angad was fast asleep, when his phone rang again. Kripa tried to wake him up, but he was in deep slumber.
"Hello!" she picked the phone, "Oh Kartik? Yes, I am Kripa….Mishti's sister…..yes Angad had surgery for appendicitis this morning….we are at the Hampton General Hospital…..Oh, the flights are cancelled because of the storm?…..Oh, well…..I am here….uh…uh….I guess I don't mind staying here…..let me give you my phone # too…." Kripa hung up after giving Kartik the details.
"Great!" she sat down on the chair, "Kartik cannot take a flight back home due to the storm in Atlanta…..Mishti is off to Miami, and here I am stuck in the hospital with someone I don't even care about!" Kripa was furious; she did not even have her bestfriend-her laptop with her- "how am I going to spend the whole day with him?"
So, Kripa spent the whole day and evening with a man she thought she could not stand or tolerate for more than a few minutes. Angad and Kripa had nothing else to do; they were forced to talk and interact with each other.
Angad broke the ice first, "so Kripa…are you still in college?"
"Hmm?" she looked up, as she was almost dozing off, "well…..I just graduated."
"Really? You look so much younger…I thought you must have just finished high school or may be 1 st year of college," Angad grinned.
Kripa was surprised, as her mom's words rang in her ears, "even I look younger than you!"
She said, "Is that a compliment or are you trying to imply that I am still a kid?" she said cynically.
"Kripa! Why are you cynical about everything? Of course it is a compliment….you think I will ever say anything else to a lady?" he laughed.
Kripa looked at him quizzically, "so you are not being honest?"
Angad rolled his eyes, "You should be a lawyer and not a writer!"
Kripa just lowered her eyes, "actually, I would have loved to be a lawyer….but…but," she paused.
"But what?" Angad was surprised, as he could not imagine her as a lawyer himself.
"Well….my mom thought I would not make a good lawyer," she said softly.
Angad was intrigued, "Oh really? Why did your mom think that way? You can be pretty attacking and shred anyone into pieces!" he teased her.
Kripa could not help smiling back, "you really think I am that vicious?"
Angad glanced at her smiling lips and thought, "nice smile….wonder how those lips would taste?" He shook his head and came back to reality, "Of course you are! I have never met a person who called the cops on me, the first time I met them!"
"What could I do? Imagine seeing a half-naked strange man in your house…what would you have done?" she asked
"First of all, let me make it clear…I would not be interested in a half-naked MAN! But if if it was a woman….hmm….or if I were a woman and I saw a man in that condition…..I would thank God from the bottom of my heart….do the hula dance and consider myself the luckiest person on the planet!" he folded his arms and glanced at Kripa with the corner of his eyes.
Kripa had a disgusted look on her face, "Men! Why are you all interested in only one thing?"
"You mean only interested in women? Of course….that is how we are wired….can't help it…..," he just shrugged his shoulders.
Kripa looked at his smug expression and thought, "I bet he has a lot of women dancing around him," for the first time she noticed how handsome he was……his unshaven and shaggy look made him look really attractive. Kripa had learnt to suppress her feminine desires over the years……she was made to believe directly or indirectly by her mother's remarks that she was unattractive and no guy would ever be interested in her…..the high school prom incident had validated her mother's fears about her younger daughter's failure as a desirable girl.
Kripa changed the subject, as she did not want to be caught staring at him, "what do you do Angad?"
"Besides dating beautiful women?" he laughed, "I make them look beautiful!"
"Is that it? Don't you have a job?" Kripa was mortified.
"Kripa….you are buddhu! I am a professional photographer…how do you think I met your sister?" Angad laughed.
"How long have you known Mishti?" she asked curiously; she was surprised at herself for asking that question as she had never enquired about any of her boyfriends before, but somehow Angad was different….was it because she had signed the consent for his surgery? She was the one who held his hand when he was panicking? She was the one entertaining him in the hospital? Did that give her more of a right on Angad than Mishti?
"Oh…may be a few weeks….but there is nothing serious between us….so technically, I am still available for dating…..dating se yaad aaya…..you have a date with the hot shot surgeon tomorrow, don't you?" he asked.
"Date? Are you crazy…I don't date men!" she said angrily
"Oh…so you date women?" he raised his eyebrows, hoping he was wrong.
"OF COURSE NOT! I am not thaaaat….you guys have a one track mind!" she exclaimed
Angad did not know why, but he was kind of relieved, 'Ok…..so you don't date! Hmmm….kya koi pyaar mohabbat ka chakkar hai? May be you have been hurt in love or something?"
"No Angad! By the way, why do you want to know?" she asked angrily
"Well….what if I want to go out on a date with you one day…I need to know my options," Angad said seriously.
Kripa was really surprised…..why would he want to go out with a girl like me? I am not his types at all.
Angad sensed her discomfort; he changed the subject, "Hey Kripa…what's up with these turtlenecks?"
Kripa frowned, 'What do you mean? I get cold easily…that is why."
"Cold? In the middle of hot Indian summer? Yeh turtleneck utaardo!" he ordered
Kripa was aghast, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I am not like your other women, who will do anything to please a guy like you!"
"Please me? For heaven sakes Kripa…..I have plenty of girls waiting in line to please me….you don't have to please me,' he became a little serious and sat up closer to her and looked into her eyes, "I am in search of a girl I want to please." Kripa was a little taken aback by his piercing gaze. She became a little conscious and got up, 'I am going to get a cup of coffee….do you need something?"
Angad looked up and said, "Yes I do!"
She turned around and raised her eyebrow quizzically.
Angad slid down and rested his head on his pillow and glanced at her, "your company!"
Kripa turned a little red and left the room. No one had ever spoken to her the way Angad just did. The way he looked into her eyes; the way he said he was searching for someone to please…..did he really enjoy her company?…..or was he just a big mouth? He was probably the latter…..he was just pretending to be friendly, just in case she left him all alone like her sister had…..he could not be serious…he was just playing games…..that is why she hated MEN! They played with women's emotions….her books always portrayed that……and no wonder so many girls and young women could relate to that…..the fan mail she received every day was proof that she was RIGHT!
Angad closed his eyes and put his hands under his head, "hmmm….Mishti's sister is indeed very different from other women I have known……kya baat hai is ladki mein? Why am I thinking about her? May be she is just a kind soul, who has helped me through this surgery….I am not used to people taking care of me….that's it! Why on earth would I have any other interest in that TURTLENECK GIRL?"
…to be contd…..
Anupamaa
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