Indira was very excited today. She kept glancing at her watch constantly. She was distracted. Her best friend in this office & the whole country for that matter, Kathy, was getting married in two weeks & she had asked Indira to be her bridesmaid. The rest of the office was busy gossiping about the recent takeover & its possible effects on all of them, but at the moment Indira was too happy to care much about such trifles. Marriages always made her happy. They symbolized a new beginning. And she absolutely loved the hope & joy that came with any marriage.
Ricky hurried down the stairs of his home taking them two at a time & got into his convertible. He had decided to spring a surprise visit to the new office they had acquired in Chicago. He planned to meet a few key staff members before he officially joined them in a few weeks time. He put on his glares to shield his eyes against the hot afternoon sun. It would take him almost 2 hours to reach the new office. The warm air ruffled his hair. He switched on the car stereo & grimaced at the song playing on his CD player
Maine uske shehar ko choda;Uski gali mein dil ko toda
Fir bhi seene mein dhadakta hai ye dil
Maine dil se use nikal; jo na karna tha kar dala
Fir bhi yaad usiko karta hai ye dil
What a stupid song to be heard first thing in the morning. According to him love was a vastly over rated issue which brought nothing but headache to those foolish enough to fall in its trap. God! But it seemed as if Sonu Nigam was singing the above lines just for him. He gave a tight smile at the ways fate had of reminding him of his one mistake & switched over to the local radio station which was playing out some Rock music. Completely unaware of the admiring glances he was getting from the many female drivers on the highway Ricky Diwan, the younger of the two Diwan brothers & the heir to 50% of the Diwan Empire & chain of industries sped along the dusty road, lost in his own world.
Indira hurried out of her cubicle. It was 3 & she was late meeting with her friends. She had to hurry if she was to meet her friends on time. She had promised to go shopping with them. She hurried towards the elevators. She had to meet Kathy at the mall before the shops closed for the day. The elevators pinged open & she got in.
Ricky was waiting impatiently for the elevators to arrive. 4 elevators in this place & not a single one available when he needed it! Patience wasn't one of his virtues! The elevator in front of him opened up. However it was preoccupied by two guys in overalls and their huge vacuum cleaner. While he waited patiently for them to maneuver the vacuum cleaner out, the elevator at his back opened & a single woman must have got out. She was obviously popular. The fashionista who worked as the receptionist in this office was teasing her about something.
"Leaving early, are we?"
The woman who had got out of the elevator laughed. The same tinkling laughter which he had so loved'which today, he so hated! Ricky stiffened besides the still open elevator.
"Yup, me off with some friends to do some shopping! I am so excited. Catch ya later Alice"
He turned just in time to catch a flash of shiny black hair which was waist long. He need not see her to know who it was. He knew that laugh, he knew the voice, he knew those soft hair. God! But he knew more about her than he did about himself! His face tightened in distaste. No doubt the company had been going bankrupt! If it employed people who sneaked off early to go shopping he wasn't at all surprised. Well, but things would be changing here soon. Very soon! He would take care of that. He was glad he hadn't introduced himself as Ricky Diwan to Alice. Now he had some chance of observing these new employees of his! And study them thoroughly he would!
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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