Chapter 9
She was sure her thudding heart could be heard across the entire Lucknow. She let it ring, hoping against hopes that he would hang up. But that was not to happen.
"Yes Sir...?" She gulped audibly. Put it down to the past 6 months of habit, what else?
The deep laughter at the other end further resulted in colouring of her cheeks and earlobes.
"Well, Ms Aarzoo Nausheen Khan, this is Sahir Azeem Chaudhary, calling someone who is not his intern anymore. But fianc! So cut that Sir...call me Sahir instead!"
"Ok Sir!"
"Come again?"
"Ok...Sahir Sir!"
"Fine, that will do for the time being. By the time of Nikaah, that Sir should go permanently. Ok?"
"Ok Sir!"
Sahir mentally banged his head to the nearby wall. This would take time. He changed track.
"Still awake?"
"Yes Sir...I mean No Sir...I mean I couldn't sleep. Just couldn't!"
"Same here. I just wanted to ask you something. I know Ammi visited you all and for what. But I just wanted to know if you are OK with it!"
That husky voice robbed her of all sane thoughts. What was she supposed to say?
"Actually..I don't know. It all seems like a dream. Can't believe it's happening!"
"Can I convince you somehow?"
"Convince me? How?"
"Can we go out for dinner sometime?"
Aarzoo shot up in pure horror. A date? Going out with a man? And that too before the wedding? Pure sacrilege! What would Ammi say? And Dadi would yell blue murder. The mobile crackled to life, demanding attention.
"Hey...you still there?"
"Yes Sir...I mean No Sir..."
Sahir was confused. What to make out of that reply?
"Yes for what and No for what?"
"Yes for still being there. And No for the dinner, Sir!"
"Why No for dinner?"
"Sir actually Lucknow is quite conservative..." And then it stuck her square, a punch in the gut. He was in Lucknow! Had he flown in with Alvira Aunty? Or independently? A soft chuckle from the other end broke her solitude.
"So what? I am just taking my fianc out for a dinner. I am sure Nausheen Aunty won't say anything!"
Aarzoo was momentarily speechless.
"OK then, I will pick you tomorrow evening around 7. Is that OK?"
"Ok Sir" Sahir sighed inwardly. For the time being this was going to be that way.
"Good Night then. Sleep now. Or you want me to sing a lullaby?"
"Sing? You...Sing?" Nobody at Saiyyara could have imagined this. Or believed her.
"Why not? You believe your sour-puss ex-boss turned fianc can't sing? On the contrary I sound pretty decent!"
Aarzoo broke into a smile. He chuckled from the other end.
"Now that's like a good girl. Keep smiling!"
"But how...how could you..."
"I can feel it. You know, when you are sad or morose...I can perceive it. Your feelings started infecting me long back! Now go back to sleep and don't haunt me in my dreams!"
Aarzoo's response to this blatant commitment was a shy smile and a yawn. Tenderly feeling the display with her fingertips, she mumbled in a sleepy voice.
"Goodnight Sir!"
"Goodnight!"
-------
The woman was fuming in her room.
That wretch Sahir...ruined all her plans. Sarfaraz had jacked up his price and she had wired the money to him. Not a single question asked. And since then, forgetting the designs, he was not even answering his phone. Even the phone to his apartment was not being answered. The same thing was repeating with Zeenat. No contact. Where had these people suddenly disappeared? And if that was nothing, Sahir was all set to marry that small town girl.
Anam's blood boiled at the thought.
That small town girl was all set to become the daughter-in law of the house.
In the due course of time, as the wife of the CEO, she would own Saiyyara.
They would soon have children who would inherit the fortune.
And Anam would be a nobody. Her own husband, Sheeraz, was a squanderer. When she had got married to the eldest son of the family, she had automatically assumed many things.
The Chaudhary family was rich with interests in import and export. Business that had grown manyfold over the years and eventually, the eldest son would head the family empire. And she being his wife, would rule the family.
But that was not to be. It took her less than a week to realize that Sheeraz was a good for nothing fellow. His mother still retained total control on the family business. Sheeraz had started many ventures but none had struck root. On the other hand, a venture started by the second son of the family, Saiyyara was doing extremely well. And she had joined Saiyyara with an eye on the top position held by her brother-in law.
She had slogged all throughout and presented the face of Saiyyara to the clients. Consciously avoiding any risk on the figure front, she had taken enough care not to conceive. Not that her husband ever bothered in that direction: he was simply too preoccupied in his outwardly capers.
A knock from the front door brought an end to her thoughts. She cautiously opened the door with the safety chain, half expecting her husband, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
It was Farah.
--------
"Appi! See who has come!" Myra bounded in as the posh car wept into their courtyard.
"Who is it?" The quiver in her voice was a dead giveaway. As if she didn't know? Zara and Myra gave her a long knowing look.
"The postman, Appi..in the latest postal vehicle..Ouch!" Aarzoo punched her sister and ran inside. Nausheen strode forward to her future son-in law.
"Assalaam Aleikum!"
"Waleikum. So nice to have you here. Sab khairiyat to hain?"
"Everything is fine, Nausheen Aunty. Ammi has gone back to Mumbai. Actually I..." Sahir gulped hard, unsure of the appropriateness of his request. How would she take it?
"Go on, my boy. You were saying something?"
"Actually I wanted to..."
"Yes, Go on..."
"Arre, what is there to feel so shy about? You want to take Aarzoo out for dinner, right?" Daadi interjected cheerfully. It was all a day's work.
Sahir's breath whooshed audibly. Nausheen smiled indulgently.
"Zara, Myra...see what your Appi is doing. Tell her to get ready within 10 minutes!"
"High hopes, Ammi. Appi will take at least an hour. Till then..." Myra wriggled her eyebrows suggestively, "Can we have him?"
"Shameless girls! Ogling at your would be Jeeju!" Nausheen mock glared at her daughters and Daadi lapsed into helpless laughter.
"Arre forget them, Nausheen, even I am going to do that. He is so hot! The perfect body, that silky mane and the killer smile..Haye! How I wish I would have been 50 years younger..."
The emergence of Aarzoo put an end to the fantasy.
Sahir stood up abruptly in reverence to the vision before him.
A combination of magenta and baby pink coloured full sleeved salwar kameez, with small sequins and paisleys all over the kurta, growing denser as they reached the border. A rich baby pink dupatta bordered with a magenta crocheted lace that flowed freely across her shoulders, her fingers fidgeting the edge of the dupatta in pure nervousness. She looked like a freshly bloomed rose in the garden of Eden.
A shy smile from her sent his heart beat spiralling totally out of control.
"Ahem...Ahem!" a small cough from Zara broke the eyelock and Sahir cleared his throat.
"Shall we start?" Aarzoo nodded shyly, her head downcast. And soon the magnificent car glided out of their courtyard. Nausheen wiped her eyes at the retreating vehicle.
"Allah Hafiz, my child. Live your own life henceforth and leave your troubles behind!"
------
The two woman were in complete sync with each other, their eyes spitting fire.
Anam was aghast at the turn of events. How did Sahir come to know? Did someone squeal at Saiyyara? Or Aarzoo herself had confessed? The latter seemed more likely. And what happened to Zeenat? Simply sacked from Saiyyara? Or something more...?
She schooled her thoughts on the realization that Farah yet had a lot to report.
"Well, Anam Ma'm, after all this, Sahir Sir saw to it that Sarfaraz wouldn't get any work. Even those who knew us well deserted us. Our creditors started asking for the money they had given us. The bank also sent an ultimatum to repay the loans...we lost everything that we had. Nowhere to go, nowhere to live. The house in Mumbai was confiscated by the bank..."
"And you came to me. But how did you know that I was here?"
"Sarfaraz stored your number in his mobile...I heard him speak to you one day. And I saw the number and deduced..."
"Where is Sarfaraz now?" Anam had tried calling him a number of times.
Something flickered in Farah's eyes. "I don't know. A few days after giving away the house, selling all the jewellery I had, we had nothing to eat since a couple of days. On top of that, he had started seeing someone else. There was a massive showdown and I just walked off!"
So, the mobile with her number stored on it was still out in the open.
Had Sahir came to know her link with Sarfaraz? She shuddered at the thought. Sahir was not known in the business circles as a "Shark" for nothing. He believed in complete obliteration of his enemies. And Sahir was behind the trouncing of Sarfaraz, then she was also on his radar. Maybe the next one in the queue?
No. That wouldn't happen so easily. And if it were to happen, she wouldn't go alone. She would take his happiness and solace along with her. He would not rest in peace...
She padded to her desk and started penning an anonymous letter. Sahir would never be happy in his married life. She would see to it...
----
There was complete silence in the car as it glided across the streets of Lucknow. Sahir stole a glance at his co-passenger, who was obviously feeling like a fish out of water. She stared fixedly ahead, her fingers fidgeting the edge of the dupatta.
"Aarzoo..."
"Ehh?"
"Where to?"
"I...I have no idea, Sir. Never been to a hotel much..."
Sahir thought for a while.
"OK. How about the Sham-e-Awadh?"
Aarzoo snapped awake at the thought of it. It was a five star hotel and she couldn't even dream of an entry there. And she was going to have dinner there? Ya Allah...Was she even appropriately dressed for the place? Or more like a village bumpkin? Sahir was impeccably dressed, as ever. She stole a glance at him.
"You have been there earlier?"
"Well, once or twice. On a launch of a new fashion line once and then on a business meet. I loved its ambience...Ah, here it is!"
The car took a smooth turn and sailed right in the portico of one of the posh hotels of Lucknow. Sahir stepped out and handed over the key to the waiting bellboy.
"Come, let's go inside..." He offered her his arm, which she was only too glad to take. She was feeling lost already.
The interior was dimly lit and it took a while for both of them to get adjusted to it. A uniformed head waiter quickly ushered them to a corner table and disappeared after making them comfortable.
Aarzoo looked around. She had no idea how big the room was how many people were there. She could see a vague mural at the end of the room, some sort of a sculpture belonging to the Roman era and a miniature waterfall spouting from it. One end of the room was open to the terrace, and there were tables laid there also. She wondered what the view would be.
Sahir read through her thoughts.
"Is this OK? Or you want to be there?" Sahir asked, gesturing to the terrace, "the view is very panoramic, you can see the Gomti river..."
She shook her head. "No, I am fine here!"
A live band was playing in the background; a lone singer with a hand held mike crooned the latest evening melodies depicting romance. The singer occasionally accepted a wish-list, and guests who wanted to perform themselves were also encouraged to the hilt.
"Aarzoo..."
She turned to him.
"You know what...in the olden days, courtesans put a few drops of an herb in their eyes, which made their pupils grow wider, make them look more beautiful, especially in the night. That herb was called Belladonna!"
"Really? I didn't know all that!"
"The same effect can be had by a candle in a dimly lit room!"
"What?"
"Yes! It gives the same mydriatic pupils, the smoky hypnotic eyes...hallmarks of a beautiful lady!"
Aarzoo fidgeted with her dupatta, unsure of what was being conveyed to her.
"Suno..."
She looked up, ready to melt at the husky voice.
"You don't need Belladonna. Or for that matter, no mascara, no lipstick, no makeup. Be natural, and that is enough to kill me!"
Her eyes shimmered with an unnamed emotion. His hand shot up only to be controlled through a supreme effort from his side.
"What's the matter? Did I say something out of turn?"
She shook her head.
"I just wanted to ask something...if you don't mind!"
"Of course! You can ask me anything, anytime!"
"I just wanted to know...when and how...and why me...?" Words failed her as her eyes brimmed over, "In spite of me backstabbing you, you still..."
This time his hand didn't obey his brain. He cupped her face his thumb slowly wiping her tears away as she waited with a bated breath.
"Difficult to determine when. Maybe when you fell in the pool...maybe. I felt the first punch then. And then when you spent the night in jail because of Anam and walked to me with eyes full of hope, I felt guilty. Guilty of betraying you...leaving you to Anam's mercy. The vague unsettlement that I felt whenever I saw you was something I had never experienced earlier with anyone. The trip to Panchgani, we spending the night in the jungle, trusting each other...it suddenly dawned on me that we were probably meant to be together! And then when you walked out of Saiyyara, claiming the designs were yours, I felt doomed. Yet, I couldn't reach out because I was still the CEO of Saiyyara: I couldn't afford to take sides. You understand?"
Aarzoo nodded. It all made sense.
Sahir took a sip of water and continued.
"And then Zaki got me proof of your innocence. I was somehow convinced even otherwise, but still as the CEO, I needed proof. Zaki got me those and I took appropriate disciplinary action. See, the working environment in Saiyyara cannot go down the drain like this, even if it was due to a family member..."
"And you came in search of me, convinced me to stay back, citing the term of contract and so on...?"
"Yes. I had to get you back to Saiyyara, to groom you further. And you agreed, came back...I gave you additional responsibilities. But I had no idea of Sarfaraz's game then..."
Aarzoo paled at the thought. If he had known, he wouldn't have given her the chance.
Sahir read through her thoughts once again.
"No, please don't mistake me. You and your talent were too valuable to me by then to be deterred by Sarfaraz's dirty game. Only thing I regret is I couldn't protect you earlier from him!"
Her eyes brimmed over again and a tiny sob escaped her.
"I understand he is no more..." He covered her hand with his own, "And I am responsible for his downfall and ultimately demise...!"
Aarzoo shook her head amidst tears and he offered his handkerchief.
"And we all have forgiven him. So now, all that is history!"
"Sure. So now, shall we think of the present?"
Aarzoo looked at him in askance.
"How about dinner? Or are you going to survive on water alone? This is the twentieth glass!"
She put down the glass with a shy smile that was a curious admixture of relief and apprehension. Sahir turned to the waiter who had materialized by his side by then.
"Any preferences?"
She shook her head. Sahir checked the menu and ordered the chef's choice for the day.
They chatted throughout the dinner and even after that, discovering more and more about each other. Aarzoo quickly realized that Sahir as the person was totally different from Sahir the boss, and Sahir also realized that Aarzoo had a lot more hidden than what was actually visible.
It was late night when they drove back. Aarzoo had yawned suddenly and Sahir glanced at his watch. Gosh, they had spent over three hours just chatting and rediscovering each other! A block away from her house, the car came to a sudden halt and Aarzoo looked up to him in apprehension. What was he up to?
"I got something for you. Hope you like it?"
It was a large bar of chocolate. Aarzoo's eyes widened in sheer delight.
"Oooh my favourite!" She snatched it from his hands and haphazardly peeled it before popping a piece in her mouth, "I just love this one. Sometimes I buy it from my pocket money but usually I don't get it. Myra and Zara snatch it away..."
Sahir just watched her blabber away having shed all her previous inhibitions. She was so adorable! Half of the chocolate was already down the gullet and the remaining was smeared over her lips and finger tips.
"Now you have had the entire chocolate. And what about me? I also love chocolates!"
"Ooops I totally forgot!" Her fingers flew to the round O of her mouth and he neatly caught her hand. The same hand that was smeared with chocolate.
Her breath hitched and eyes widened. What did he want?
He pulled the hand towards him and she looked at him in alarm. What the heck...?
She jerked up totally as his lips closed on her fingers for the first time. Heat flooded her face as he gently sucked her fingers clean of all the chocolate, one by one. It was something she had never experienced earlier: the first touch! having heard about it, from her friends and colleagues, this was something that could never be translated into words. Strange sensations bombarded her being, clouding her entire senses, it was something akin to falling into an abyss without an end. Or was there an end to it? She just didn't want the sweet torture to end! And if it would be like this after marriage...
The clock stuck twelve and she came back to senses. She coloured to the roots on the realization about the surroundings and more by the fact that he had been observing her intently throughout. He hastily released her hand and offered her a box of tissues.
"There is still some remaining on your lips. Myra and Zara wouldn't spare you. Their Appi eating chocolate alone! Needs to be cleaned before you reach home. Or should I...?"
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