Thanks everyone 😊 😊
PART 10:
Kripa moved her work to the guest room, hoping to save on her 'commute' time between the two rooms!
She was able to get some work done while Angad checked out their family albums. It did not take too long for Angad to figure out the family dynamics in the Sharma household- obviously Kripa's mom was the Queen bee of the house-she was always in the center of all the photographs. Mishti, with an artificial model-like smile and trendy clothes was always beside her mom. Kripa and her dad were usually standing on the side, or even partially hidden by the two prominent women in the family. Angad wondered, "is Kripa a step child? Or is she just treated like one? Whatever the case might be, her strange behavior is probably a result and not the cause of the dysfunctional relationship….poor thing…..does her mom not recognize that Kripa is the one with a heart of gold and also much prettier," he looked up and glanced at Kripa buried in her laptop, "yes indeed…..Mishti tho kuch bhi nahin hai Kripa ke saamne……Kripa just needs a little packaging…..hmm…." his thoughts wandered as he flipped through the albums.
Angad, of course could not stay quiet for too long, he engaged her in some conversation or another. Kripa was surprised by herself, as she did not mind his interruptions. He was genuinely interested in her family, her education, her work…..in HER! He kept her entertained with amusing stories about his work, his travels, his girlfriends. Angad had never talked to another woman so freely before. In the past, women for him were his prey he had to captivate with his charm, looks and sexuality, but it was different with Kripa. He could be himself, say what he wanted to, pull her leg……she was just a friend!
Kripa got used to his taunts and sarcasms around her finicky behavior, her dressing style, her obsessive-compulsive traits….she had never realized before that some of her quirks were self-created to shield herself from the rest of the world.
They did not realize it was 7 in the evening till the doorbell rang.
"Kaun hoga?" Kripa got up to answer the door.
"Hi Kripa!" Prithvi was at the door with flowers, "so we have a date?" he smiled and walked in.
Kripa was shocked, "date? Oh…Prithvi …I thought we would talk before….there was no real commitment ……waise bhi tumne mere peeche ek patient ko lagaa diya hai!"
Prithvi's face fell, "koi baat nahin, kabhie aur chale jaayenge…..I can stay here with you guys….may be we can order in…..Angad kahan hai? I can check him out too!"
"Sure! Come in," Kripa said politely. What was happening in her life? She had never experienced this before…..two men wanting to spend an evening with her!! For someone who was a self-proclaimed man-hater, receiving attention from two good-looking men somehow felt good inside.
"Hello Angad! Looks like you have a great caretaker!" Prithvi entered Angad's room and sat down beside him.
"Hi Doc! What's up? So, you have a date…huh?" Angad asked with a smile.
"Well, I just said that you have a great caretaker….she does not want to leave her patient alone….so I guess there is no date for the doc…..I will just hang out here….what do you feel like eating?" Prithvi asked.
"Oh yeah?" Angad was pleasantly surprised, but he knew that she probably stayed back as she did go out on dates…..Angad was just an excuse.
"Hey…Kripa!" Angad yelled, "I will be fine…..why don't you go out with Prithvi?"
Kripa walked in and said, "I have ordered Thai food for all of us….end of story! I will get something to drink in the mean time."
Angad and Prithvi just looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.
Prithvi walked around the room and saw Kripa's papers and laptop on a chair. He could not hold himself and started reading the transcript of her new book. Angad watched Prithvi curiously, as Prithvi's eyes went through a series of expressions while reading the transcript.
Kripa walked in with some drinks, "Prithvi! What are you doing?"
Prithvi looked up with tears in his eyes, "this is beautiful…..Kripa you are so gifted….you really know men so well….we are scum!" he started sobbing loudly.
Angad's eyes popped out of his head; he looked at Kripa, "what's wrong with him?"
Prithvi sniffed and wiped his tears, "Kripa…I am sorry I read part of your new book….but it is so beautiful….mujhey kabhie kabhie sharam aati hai ki main mard kyon hoon? Women suffer so much because of us," he started sobbing again.
"Is that what you write about?" Angad asked Kripa, "how can you generalize that all men are scum? I am offended!"
Kripa was a little embarrassed; she fumbled a little, "it is just a story…..Prithvi don't take it too heart…..I never realized my books have such an effect on people."
"So, you make people cry with your books? What a great job! As if this world needs more tears…..people like you make this world more miserable!" Angad said sourly.
Kripa had tears in her eyes. She was used to criticism about her appearance, her looks, her personality, her weight…..but this was the first time someone had criticized her writing………and that too by someone whom she had just started considering a friend….a friend she had not had in a long time…..
Kripa bit her lower lip and went to answer the door. Angad's perceptive eyes noticed the sadness in her eyes. He felt bad about what he had just said; he was a very positive person and hated negativity around him, and that is why had blurted out what he felt.
"Dinner is here guys! Help yourselves in the kitchen," she said coldly
"Angad….you upset her with your comments…..how could you be so heartless….if you have not read her books, how can you be so judgmental?" Prithvi asked tearfully.
Angad rolled his eyes, "I never knew surgeons are so emotional….why do you cry at the drop of a hat? That was just my opinion….and everyone is entitled to an opinion," Angad glared at him; somehow he did not like Prithvi defending Kripa against him…..why was that fact bothering him? Did Angad have an exclusive right on this turtleneck girl? Why did he feel that he was the only one who could protect or defend her against the world…..why was he wishing that Prithvi would leave at that moment?
Prithvi left soon after a quiet dinner. Kripa barely spoke throughout dinner. Angad's words haunted her as she nibbled on the Pad Thai noodles. Angad observed her through the corner of his eyes; he could tell she was still upset-she was back to her grouchy, sullen self. He thought, "mere poore din ki mehnat bekaar gayi…..now she will be a grouch forever….I bet I will never see that smile again!"
Kripa collected her stuff from the guest room and left Angad alone, "I hope you don't need anything else tonight…..I have a lot of work to do….I will see you in the morning!"
Angad looked at her apologetically, but knew he had lost his chance; he just said, "goodnight."
"Good night," she was about to shut his door, when he stopped her, "do you have another computer? I need to check my email."
"Yes, I do….just wait there," Kripa said.
When she returned with another laptop, Angad could not resist himself, "I was so right! I knew you may not have a boyfriend, but you will surely have another laptop! I am dying to get well, so I can have something real on MY LAP TOP!" he exclaimed, hoping to get a reaction from her. She just turned on the computer and handed it to him, "make do with this LAP TOP while you are my guest!" She had no expression on her face and shut his room door before she left.
As Kripa started typing her transcript, Angad's words kept echoing in her mind- "As if this world needs more tears…..people like you make this world more miserable!"
She felt a little tear escape from her eyes again and thought, 'may be you are right Angad…..why do I write stuff which makes people cry….why can I not write something happy for a change? Your photographs make people smile, so why can't my books make other's happy? May be that would make me a happier person too? Am I spreading misery by being miserable my self?"
She stopped typing and was lost in thought, when her IM window popped up.
"So you like Thai?"
She was amused, "yes, I do….how about you?"
"I love FOOD," Angad typed back
"Are you still hungry?' she smiled as she typed
"Kind of…..you ordered too little," he typed
"What can I get you?" she was enjoying this chat session
"Pancakes! With a lot of syrup!" he typed
"See you in the kitchen…in 5….no 2 minutes," she jumped up as she loved the idea of having pancakes at this time of the night.
"CYA in 2…" he typed
They both reached the kitchen at the same time and started laughing.
Angad was pleased to see that she had forgotten her grouchiness at least for now.
"Can I help?" Angad asked.
"No, I will handle it…you know I don't like interference," she said as she mixed the batter in a bowl.
The pancakes were ready within minutes. Angad admired his neat stack of evenly cooked, even sized pancakes. He poured the syrup liberally.
"Angad…that is too much sugar!" she exclaimed.
"Yes…..i like everything SWEET! I can't stand bitter, sour and tasteless things!" he gave her a look as if hinting at something.
Kripa understood his underlying meaning and poured a few drops of syrup on her pancake.
Angad cut a juicy bite of his stack with his knife and inserted his fork in it; he held the big piece in front of Kripa's mouth, "here taste the real stuff,"
Kripa looked at him with a disgusted expression.
Angad smiled and said, "don't worry…I have not contaminated the fork yet….this is the first bite….here try it…..for my sake."
Kripa could not say no; she hesitated but opened her mouth for the big piece.
Angad stuffed her tiny mouth with the juicy piece; the syrup overflowed from her lips onto her chin. Before she could get up for a napkin, he came close to her and licked the syrup off her chin with his lips and tongue, "yum! This syrup is the sweetest syrup I have ever tasted….mmmmm."
Kripa's jaw dropped to her knees, she was stunned, shocked, startled……her head spun like she had just been thrown off a ride in a theme park……what was that?
Angad acted as if nothing had happened; he kept chewing and munching his stack of pancakes, 'what happened? Do you want more syrup?"
Kripa touched her chin with her fingers and got up to go to the basin. She turned the water on and was about to rinse the feel of his lips on her chin, but stopped. She turned the water off and came back to the table.
Angad observed her bizarre behavior, but was pleasantly surprised when she asked, 'can you pass me the syrup please?" and poured it on her pancakes….
….to be contd…
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