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Part 1
It was wedding season in Mumbai and this time not even the famous Walia's escaped from it.
Finally the day of the much waited engagement had come. It wasn't of the person whom's engagement most people had waited for, for such a long time, but still it was a true Walia engagement. Anu Bali was getting engaged. Granddaughter of the famous industrialist late Uday Walia and daughter of Jigyasa Bali-Walia and her husband Aditya Bali but nowadays most know for being the famous Jai Walia's niece . theirs was a close-knit family that had each other in times of despair and in times of joy.
Jai Walia was looking down on the hall from the banister of the balcony in their house that gave way to the bedrooms on the upper floor. The hall was buzzing with activities. Guests were pouring in. In a few minutes he would have to go downstairs to officially welcome the guests with a speech and start the engagement ceremony. His sister Jigyasa was already calling him down. He put his hand forward indicating that he would come down in a minute, he liked watching all the guests. Jai saw his sister follow his gaze from time to time, trying to figure out where he was looking and hoping that he would be looking at an eligible girl. How much did the entire family wish that he would finally settle down with a girl he liked and loved. Jai did want to make his family happy and settle down, but there was just one problem. He never liked any girl enough to get married. He never got attracted to a girl to a point that he could imagine spending his life with her, love was out of the question. okay he wasn't speaking the entire truth, not even to himself. There was one exception to this entire thing. Jai did like a girl he met seven years ago in his office, it was more then like. He was on the verge of falling in love with her. Falling hard for her.
Jai was already working there for six years and had proved that he was more then capable of following in his fatheris footsteps when he died. To prove to seniors at a age of 23 that he is capable of matching people well in their forties in terms of business he had to shed his youthfulness. Over the years he became more sober, more ambitious, more demanding and he shed his tact quite a bit. It made him famous inside and outside his office and Jai's self-discipline proved itself when WGI touched new heights. At the age of 29 he met her. the girl that after a long time dared to look him in his eyes and tell him the truth. She didn't care what he was and who he was even though he was her boss. He still remembered their first meeting.
*******************
Eleven years younger then Jai himself she was working on the same floor as him. She kind of rolled in to the company through one of her acquaintances who was the manager of the financial department, located on the same floor of Jai's office. She was the secretary/personal assistant/copygirl/coffeegirl/advisor of her so called 'uncle' and soon did all the same things for the rest of the people. It took Jai almost a month to realize that the most heard thing on his floor was her name 'Maya' . Jai's curiosity got the better hand of him five days later and he finally decided to venture out of his office to see what was going around and why different voices were calling just one name. Jai was casually strolling around, trying to look interested in the work of all of his employees instead of looking out for the person his employees were calling for. Jai stood there talking to his manager while keeping half an eye on his surroundings. Nothing appeared out of place to him so he decided to return back to his over pilled desk that Jai was sure of would soon collapse under the weight of papers and files.
Jai turned around to go back to his office when the most filmy thing in his life happened. As soon as he turned and took a few steps he bumped to something hard enough to make him take a few steps back and close his eyes waiting for the fall, but soft enough to strangely enjoy it. Papers were suddenly flying all around him while Jai took some time in steadying himself. In the meanwhile Jai heard a shriek of surprise and shock. 'My papers!!!'
Jai opened his eyes but found no one until he looked down at a girl who was muttering furiously under her breath while she gathered the papers on the floor.
'Aakhen hai ya button. All my papers are lying here. I worked so hard on this. Ab itni decency bhi nahin hai ki meri madat kare, pata nahin kya samajh ke rahka hai apne aap ko.'
The managers quickly intervened. 'Bani, chup raho.' He whispered.
The girl looked up and Jai saw her. Every thing around him froze. It was just her he could see looking in that moment. Her eyes were blazing fire but in his rapidly working imagination they beckoned him, her lips pursed in anger in the cold reality were asking the most intimate and inviting questions in his soothing imagination. In her anger she roughly pushed strands of her tied up hair away from her face and again Jai could imagine pulling the offending band out of her hair and running his fingers through the silky tresses that probably must reach her waist.
Jai woke up from the first daydream he had in years when he saw the manager next to him trying to join the girl on the floor and help her pick up the papers that were spread all over the floor. Jai stopped the manager with one move of his hand and kneeled down instead to help her. Jai took some papers and made a pile of them carelessly. He was simply took occupied with looking at the girl to care for the things in his hand. She was still muttering things under her breath and years later Jai still knew that they couldn't have been nice things about him.
She had already cleared most of the papers on the floor, the pile in Jai's hand was the last bit left. Glaring at him she waited for him to hand over the papers. Jai froze and sat there looking at her. With a lot of strength she pulled the pile out of his hands. Surprisingly Jai didn't get any paper cuts, not that he could care about that. He saw her stand up, still muttering things while the manager tried to nudge he to be quiet.
' I am sorry sir.' The manager apologized. 'Aap jaaiye mai iske taraf se maafi maangta hoon aapse.'
'It's okay.' Jai said with a smile, practically ogling at the girl.
Walking down his office he could hear the manager admonishing her soflty.
'Pata hai woh kaun hai Bani? He is Jai Walia. Jai Sir. Our boss. Aur tumne kya kya keh daala unko?'
'Jai Walia hai to kya huwa? I worked so hard, I made sure all the papers were in the order they had to be and he bumped and made me drop all of them. Baad me uthaaya bhi nahin. I spend more then an hour to do that Uncle. Meeting kal hai, you need it and I have other things to do also. And on top of that he didn't even bother to apologize.' She was on the verge of breaking out in tears. Jai stopped in his track, he felt guilty for bumping into her and ruining her work. Getting into his office he closed the door and dropped himself in his chair , enjoying something new he experienced.
After fifteen minutes Jai stepped out of his office, neglecting his pending work. He looked around for the girl he bumped into. Maybe he should apologize to her, although he just wanted to see her. Jai walked around the floor but alas. He looked in the office of his manager who was working on behind his desk. She wasn't there either. Jai was about to walk back to finally catch up with his work when he saw light coming out of the hall where meetings usually were conducted. As far as Jai knew there was nothing scheduled today.
He peeked inside for a while and there he saw her again. She was making different piles of the papers.
Jai knocked on the door. He heard a soft 'Come in' and stepped inside. Jai's heart sank in disappointment when she didn't look up his way.
'I'm sorry.' There he said it. Jai Walia apologized. She looked up and made a face. 'It's okay.' And turned her attention to her task again.
'Can I help?' Jai offered.
'no it's okay, you must have things to do.'
She was right there. But a few moments with her wouldn't kill anyone, could it?'
' no please. It's my fault. I insist.'
She smiled at him. Jai's heart skipped a beat. 'What can I do?'
'I'm just making a pile of each page so I can staple them without much of a hassle. You could help me sort that pile out.'
Jai followed her instructions and soon found himself busy doing this job he never thought of doing. After half an hour they were done and neither of them spoke a word. Jai was about to leave when he extended his hand.
'I haven't introduced myself. Jai Walia.'
She accepted his hand and in her soft voice she said her one name. 'Maya.'
Jai returned to his office that day with a grin on his face, neglecting his work. Like always he went home late and came in early next day, but this time because of an entire different reason.
He logged on to his computer in his office and out of the blue entered he name on the personnel register. He couldn't find anyone in his company with that name. Jai tried again for four times in vain. Suddenly he remembered something else. Jai typed something else. This time he did get a result. Bani M. Dixit ' finance department
The picture was a perfect match.
'Hey Bani.'
Jai snuck up, startling her. she turned around. Her eyes were cold.
'It's Maya, sir.'
'I thought your name is Bani Dixit.' Jai said determent.
'I don't use that name. I would prefer if you could call me Maya, sir.'
'Only if you can call me by my name and have lunch with me.'
She refused but Jai was to adamant and coaxed her. That one lunch became the first of many lunches. Jai didn't keep to his promise. He called her Bani because he thought it suited her more then Maya. Slowly she accepted that he would never listed to her. Jai wouldn't admit but he was so memorized by her. She was perfect. Her smile, her warmth, her self dependency. She was an eighteen year old student living with only her mother. She worked in WGI during the day and took classes in the night. still Jai could figure out in all these days that there was something she didn't tell him and he would never know. Jai was about to admit to fall in love with her to himself. He ordered lunch and for the first time she let him pay her bill too. Jai was watching her while she talked about her plans. All the while Jai was kicking himself mentally. 'you cant be falling for her Jai! She is eighteen.' He repeatedly told himself.
'Aap kuch kha nahin rahe hai.' She told him. at least she made sure that there were some boundaries between the two of them.
Jai just toyed around with his food. 'Everything okay?' Jai heard her ask.
Jai nodded his head. Bani/Maya quickly finished food and was about to step out of the office when Jai called her back. He got out of his seat and till date he wouldn't be able to forget her eyes that followed him intently. Without any words further he pressed her against the wall and kissed her. Jai felt her palms press against his chest, pushing him away. After a while that it stopped and she pulled him closer by tugging him by his shirt. Jai's mind was at ease after days. Even today he still could feel the euphoric feeling he felt back then.
His mouth did things he never did before to any of the girls he dated. Her lips felt so soft and he wanted to taste more of her so he used his tongue. Her response felt better then anything. She tasted sweeter then anything. She had lost herself in his touches and he knew it. slowly he moved his mouth along the length of her neck and that is when their little dream ended. She pushed him away, realizing what they were doing and ran out of his office. Jai didn't see her that day. What he did see is her resignation the next day on his desk. She returned to her full time classes, so Jai heard from her uncle a few weeks later.
*****************
Jai came down the stairs and gave a little speech to start the engagement ceremony.
Suddenly Jai felt himself being slapped on his back. there was just one person who dared to do that. His childhood friend, Tarun.
'Hey buddy! Congrats for the engagement of your niece.'
Jai hugged his friend. 'Thanks! I heard about your brother too. Congratulations. So when is his wedding?'
Tarun shrugged his shoulders. 'I don't know. They are looking for a wedding planner. My mother wants to throw a huge party, even for the engagement. My wife is also going crazy'
'I know, tell me about it. Yahan bhi wohi haalat hai, even with the wedding planner around.' Jai said like he was offering his condolences.
'do you know any planners, Jai? It would make my life easier.' Tarun asked.
'I don't know, my sister is raving about the one she hired. Maybe you could get her to do the wedding. Haven't met the woman but she is supposed to be good in her work. Although uska business doob raha hai. Didi talked me into meeting her to give her a job in WGI. Cant believe I said yes, but she is supposed to be good. Mai Didi se number maang sakta hoon.'
Tarun nodded appreciating. 'Please. Buddy, I'll own you one if you could do that for me. At least I'll be relieved of the planning for a great deal.
Jai didn't get the last part of Tarun's sentence. He was looking behind his friend. If he didn't know any better he would swear he saw the same person he was thinking about a while ago.
In a flash she was gone. Jai looked around but couldn't see anything familiar. His friend hadn't noticed anything. Jai excused himself and looked for his sister to get a number of the weddingplanner.
************
Jai was sitting in his office. he was waiting for the wedding planner who was supposed to meet him soon. Jai heard a knock on the door and told the person to come in. he held his breath when he saw the person walking in. it was her. Bani was back.
She was standing nervously in his office, waiting for a response.
Jai stood up.
'Bani come in.'
'It's still Maya.' She responded.
Jai grinned. 'Have a seat. You are the wedding planner?'
Bani sat across him and nodded.
'and you need a job?'
She nodded again. 'The company I work for is about to close.'
Maya took a deep breath. 'Listen. I didn't knew I was working for your sister because of the surname. She talked me into this meeting and I had to promise her that I would come here. It's awkward I know that but mai aapse kuch bhi expect nahin karti hoon sir. I'll leave in a moment so I can tell your sister honestly that I came to meet you.'
Maybe a bit to fast Jai stopped her. 'No, please don't go. I really like your work. Matlab engagement party me jo tumne kiya, I really liked it and Didi showed me pictures of what you have done. I really want to hire me and it will be just professional. Nothing else. I have your contract ready. You can go over it of course. I would like it if you joined the company as a senior executive. If you decide not to it will be my loss entirely.' Jai answered in all honesty. He didn't want to divulge whether he was speaking about his personal or his professional losses.
Maya looked at him. he was sincere and she was in dire need of a job. At this point in her life she couldn't even care who she worked with as long as she had some sort of income.
Maya accepted the job and signed the contract. She thanked Jai, the gratitude in her eyes were more then enough for him. Jai gave her her first project. Tarun's brother's engagement. Jai explained a few things to her and gave her the number of the would be bride and groom and of their parents to discuss their wishes. Maya was about to leave when Jai called her.
'How have you been?'
A cold glaze formed in her eyes. 'Okay, I guess.'
'And your mother?'
'She is no more.'
Maya got to her small apartment. Facing him was harder then she had thought and on top of that she would now be working for him again. at least she would be in another department. Maya looked at the file in her hand and decided to start with the initial details.
In her business, memorizing the names of the closest family members of the bride and groom was as important as not mixing up the names of the couple itself.
'Okay, lets get started. First project, I need to make a good impression.' Maya thought.
'Groom's name: Puskhar Sawant Shukla, son of Rajveer and Shakuntala Shukla. One brother named Tarun Shukla. Must be Walia Sir's friend. And he is married to Anjali Shukla. Now the bride's turn. Pia Salina Dixit. Daughter of Kiran Dixit and Nishikant omprakash Dixit and sister of Rano Dixit.'
Maya let her eyes glide over the paper again. 'Nishikant Omprakash Dixit.'
The file slipped out of her hands. 'Nishikant Omprakash Dixit.' Maya whispered into the dark night.
