SS: Waiting for you-end-part 10/epi page 28 26-09 - Page 14

Hello friends!!!
This is the next part. I am sorry (again) but I only seem to find time to update once a week with my new schedule. I only have one day during the week where I dont have classes and dont have to work and can write, but sometimes I will also have to catch up with homework and stuff. I hope you will understand if my updates are delayed.

Hope you will enjoy this part. although I dont like it one bit (but couldnt come up with anything else otherwise you would have to wait one more week), tell me your opinion.

Lots of love,
Ranjana


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Part 7

Jai looked around in the hall, decorated for the engagement. Maya had called him to do a final inspection and as he was aware of Pia and Pushkar's wished, and paying for the functions (except the wedding and the various ceremonies as that was the parents' prerogative)as a gift to them, Jai kind of was the host and had to come earlier anyway. They still had two hours till the couple and their family members would come, and looking around he saw that most of the things were ready. The workers were clearing up the mess they made while doing their jobs. The amount of light in the hall blinded Jai at first. The railings of the staircase that led up to a few rooms were decorated with small lights. Strands of small light bulbs were hanging from all the walls. The entrance had an archway that had different colours of lights. On the other side of the hall Maya ordered a stage and had put the throne like seatings for the couple on it, bright red in colour.
'Good God, what do these kids want.' Jai murmured. 'it looks like a bloody Christmas party.'

Even though Maya had tried to persuade Pia and Pushkar to decorate the entire hall in a simpler way, with less lights of course, she couldn't make them understand that they should be the centre of the party and not the lights that would blind their guests. Maya drew the line when Pia and Pushkar wanted a crystal chandelier in the centre of the hall. She called up Jai instantly and explained to him that with the amounts of lights the couple wanted, the elegant chandelier would turn into a disco ball when the other lighting would reflect on it. Jai had a hard time convincing Pia and Pushkar but eventually he managed to do that.
Jai looked at the ceiling of the hall and saw what he was looking for in the centre. Maya had ordered a frame and put real flowers on it, and it was now functioning as a chandelier. Roses, lilies, orchids and carnations in the colour of the clothes of the couple, shades of pink and white, were now attached to the frame and the technician managed to hang it in such a way that the light that was originally in the hall, was in the centre of the chandelier. It was a marvellous piece of work.

Jai saw a group of workers and walked over to them. Their conversation came to an abrupt end.

'Sab kaam ho gaya?' He asked casually.

All of them nodded simultaneously. 'Bas caterer abhi khaana bana raha hai. Baaki ho gaya.' Answered one of them. Jai looked around again and asked to make a few changes in the seating arrangements and made on of them place a sofa against the wall, away from the music so people, who were tired of the noise, could take a rest.

'Bani kahan hai?' Jai asked afterwards.
All of them looked at Jai like he was talking in a foreign language.

'Ms. Dixit.' Jai corrected himself. 'Kahan hai woh?'

One of the men pointed towards the stairs where the few storage rooms were that would function as the bride's- and the groom's changing room.

Jai hurried upstairs and opened a few doors until he found her engrossed in her job. She was placing a full length mirror against the wall and draped a flower strand around it. The room had the typical look of the room of the future-bride. She placed her hands around her waist and took a look around until she noticed the person standing at the door, looking at her. Her face lit up and she walked towards him to put her arms around his neck and kiss him on his cheek. It was surprising to Jai. She never initiated a kiss or was the first one to hug. Last night was an exception and Jai thought it was because she was scared or didn't expect him to be so honest about his fears. She would never hug Jai until he would pull her towards him, let alone kiss him.

'How do you like the arrangements downstairs?' Maya asked him and brought him down to earth.

'like an overdone Christmas tree.' He scowled.

Maya giggled. 'It's what they wanted, but don't worry. Ceremony ke waqt mai main lights of karwa dungi. Effect accha lagega. Aur dance ke waqt to diwaar ke lights hai hi. It will look nice in the dark.

'I liked the flower chandelier.' Jai commented, and he saw her smile broaden.

'Subah mujhe jagaaya kyun nahi? We could have come together.' Jai said.

'Mai cheh baje ghar se nikal gayi thi. I thought you had to go to the office in a few hours so I let you sleep. Did you have breakfast? I put everything on the table.'

'I took a few days off until Pushkar's wedding. Aur haan maine breakfast kar liya but I cant say the same about you I guess.'

A guilty smile came Jai's way. 'But I did have lunch.' She commented and removed her arms from around his neck to continue her job.
'Yahaan kya kar rahi ho?' Jai asked the most obvious thing.
'Kamra saja rahi hoon.'

'Aur bhi to log hai karne ke liye.' He said.

After a pause he heard. 'I want to do this myself.'

Jai looked around. It looked like a typical room for the future bride but he could see his Bani's stamp in the small details. He saw the thali that was prepared for the ring ceremony. The thali was filled with red rose petals. On the side there was a dia ready. The centre was empty, probably left open for the rings. On the other side Jai saw two standing yellow rosebud. It was carefully opened. The vacuum in the centre of one of the roses now contained kumkum and the other one contained rice grains, necessary for the ceremony. Jai couldn't understand why she still was making so much effort.

He walked over to her and hugged her from behind. Feeling his arms around her waist and his chest against her back Maya relaxed and leaned back.

'Choro yeh sab, koi aur kar lega.' Jai whispered in her ear.

She shook her head. 'Mai khud karungi.'

'don't torture yourself like this. Tumhe yeh sab karne ki zaroorat nahin hai. Not when they don't think of you as part of their family.'

'Unke maanne ya maanne se kya hota hai. Mai to maanti hoon. No matter how hard and how often I say that I don't have a place for Mr. Dixit in my life, woh hai to mere papa, aur mai yeh kabhi bhula nahin sakti. Woh apne farz nahin nibha sakte hai, iska matlab yeh so nahin ki mai apna farz nahin nibhaau?'

Jai grumbled and let her finish her work. She asked for his opinion afterwards but he didn't say anything about the room or her estranged family. 'oopar mera private suite hai. Chal kar thora rest kar lo. Baaki ka kaam mai dekhta hoon.'

Maya laughed. 'Sure. Company ka owner mera kaam karega. Are you nuts?'

'No I am not. I am not listening to anything.' Jai pulled her out of the room and down the stairs. Seeing one of the workers sitting idle he asked again. 'Sab kaam ho gaya?' the man nodded. 'Check on the bar and the kitchen. If everything is done and everything, until the glasses are in place you can all have a break until seven o'clock. Be here at seven, the guest will be here at eight, remember that! If anything is wrong, tell the reception, they will inform me! Jai made himself clear in his no non-sense tone, and walked out of the hall with Maya tagging along. He walked towards the reception of the hotel and asked for the key card to his suite. Dragging Maya in the lift he pushed on the button that would make them reach the floor of the suite.

Maya was speechless, she kept looking at the man who refused to let go of her wrist.

Before she knew it she was standing in a huge room. A room that would fit her apartment several times in it. The room was furnished with wooden furniture that gave the room a simple yet elegant look. The large leather sofa on the right side of the suite was as broad as her bed. Against the window was a desk placed with a computer on top. The other side of the suite had three doors, most probably the bedrooms. Jai opened one of the doors and closed it when he had almost dragged Maya inside.

'This is beautiful.' She whispered. The four-poster bed in the centre of the room was definitely larger then her bed in her apartment. it must even be larger then the height of her shower cabin.

'It's one of the perks of having your own hotel.' Jai said casually, but the pride was evident in his voice. Maya looked at him and saw him smiling at her and looking at her awestruck face.

After a moment her expressions changed. It was at moments like this that she felt so small, incapable and unworthy. She wasn't allowed to have such a man in her life.

Jai was still looking at her. He saw her expressions change. Her eyes gave her away and she knew it. She stopped looking around and lowered her gaze.

Jai took a few steps towards her and cupped her face to make her look at him.

'Why are hell bent on hurting yourself?' he asked her. 'Don't compare yourself. Not with me, not with anyone. Tum jaisi ho, waisi acchhi ho, sab se acchi. I worked for all of this and I am proud of it. I am not going to apologize for what I have, not to you not to anyone, lekin yeh sach hai ki woh tum ho jiske liye mai sab kuch chor bhi sakta hoon aur sab bana bhi sakta hoon. You are the one I want to share my everything with. Now relax and go to sleep!' Jai made her lie on the bed. After Maya kicked of her sandals, he covered her with the comforter. She didn't let go of his hand and asked him to lie down next to her. After taking of his jacket, he did and she placed her head on his chest. Again Jai was surprised for a while but he decided to savour the feeling instead of trying to pry into her thoughts.

Maya felt his breathing steady. Looking up she saw that he fell asleep before she did.

She thought back to last night.

Why was he still with her? Why didn't he leave her when he found out what her life is and was? Why did his family love her so much?

Maya hated the feeling that she couldn't completely open up to all of them. This nagging voice in the back of her mind kept mocking her, taunting her and remembering her that the life she was leading at this point was an illusion. A dream that would shatter when Jai would leave after being tired of putting up with a woman who was incapable of loving him and expressing her feelings. A woman who wasn't beautiful like the women he knew and who had a messed up life and family. A woman who had an unlucky life and would be unlucky for his family. As much as Maya had tried, that voice would not let her live in peace and just let her be. Last night made her think. Why did Jai have to live in uncertainty? Why did he had to live with the fear the she would not be with him?

'Am I not doing the same thing as my parents did to me?' She kept wondering. ' Mujhme aur unme kya fark hai? They hurt me. I know what pain is. Then why am I hurting Jai? Jai mujhse pyaar karte hai, pata nahin kyun, par karte hai. To kya mai unko woh khushiyan nahin de sakti hoon jo woh chaahte hai? I can at least be there for him as long as he wants. Agar unhone kabhi faisla kiya ki woh ab mere saath nahin rehna chaahte hai to theek hai. At least I will know that I have loved him and made him feel loved as long as we were together. Ek ghaaw ke badle me bahut saare khushiyan to mili. The wonderful dream will be ours, even when it breaks.'

It was her resolve this morning to try and express her love for him, if she couldn't do it with words, then she would do it by her actions, small gestures. Maya looked up to Jai's sleeping face. It was the right decision. Not for him or anyone else, but for her. It was time to let her barriers down. It was time to let Maya go and let Bani live again.

****

Jai woke up to the shrill sound of his ring tone. With his eyes still closed he felt for his pocket and got his mobile phone out.

'Jai.' He answered in a sleepy voice.

'Maamu, kahan hai aap?' He heard Anu's hyper voice on the other end. 'Kab se aap ko neeche dhoond rahi hoon. Aap ka suit mere paas hai, now get ready soon adhe ghante me log aa jaayenge. Aur Bani kahan hai?' She fired off.

' Kitna bolti ho.' Jai said. 'Bani so rahi hai. We are upstairs. Ask the receptionist, she will tell you. Mera suit le aana aur tum bhi yahaan Bani ke saath change kar lena. Okay. Come soon.'

After disconnecting he finally opened his eyes and saw Bani's head still on his chest. Brushing his fingers over her cheek he whispered near her ears to wake her up. When her eyes fluttered open he kissed the tip of her nose. ' Sorry, lekin Anu oopar aa rahi hai. We have to get ready.' Bani rubbed her eyes and removed her head from her comfortable cushion.

She sat up. 'Meri saree to neeche hai. I'll go and get it.'

Before she could stand up and take a step, Jai stopped her. 'I'll ask someone to bring it. Just tell me where it is.' She told him and waited for Anu and her stuff to arrive.

Jai opened the door for his niece. He whistled in appreciation. 'Hello gorgeous.' He teased, seeing her all ready in her baby blue ghaghra with silver work on it. Her jewellery matched her outfit and she must have had a busy day at the salon to get her hair, make-up and nails done. Her arms were filled with his suit, her bag and a make-up kit.

Anu looked up and down her uncle's figure, his crumpled shirt and pants and his messed up hear. ' Wish I could say the same thing about you mamu.' She answered with a wink. Jai lifted his hand and before he could do anything Anu screamed. 'Mamu don't touch my hair, or my face, or my clothes warna aap ka kaam nahin karungi!!!'

'Ssssshhhh!! Agar sun legi to jaan jaayegi and she will make every excuse not to wear that saree mai abhi bata deta hoon!'

The knock on the front door interrupted both of them. Jai opened it and took the box with Bani's saree and shoes and took his suit from Anu's hands.
'She is in that room.' Jai pointed towards it and led the way. They heard water running in the bathroom. Jai placed all the things on the bed and took his suit. ' I'll get ready in the next room. Mujhe jaldi neeche jaana hai.'

Jai got ready and left before he could see Anu's efforts on Bani.

***

Jai was busy smiling at the few guests in the hall. The Dixit family had already arrived and were in the room of the bride. Jai had not seen them yet. He received a call from Tarun and they were on their way. Jai looked at the entrance and saw his own family coming in. He walked over to them. They were all looking around in the hall and appreciating the decorations. They had not noticed him and were startled when Jai said 'Don't lie. It looks like a runway' They turned around and Jai received his first smack from Mausi. 'Aisa nahin kehte hai. Bani and her decorators must have put a lot of effort in this and Pia and Puskhar must have asked for it.'
'Main lights agar off kardoge to bahot accha lagega.' Jigyasa chipped in.

'That is what Bani said.' Jai answered.

'I'm glad she has more sense then you have.' Jigyasa said.

Jai glared at his sister and then his brother-in-law who was laughing away. Jai's wounded ego was soon nursed when he saw Bani come in, in the same saree that Mausi gave her. The beige colour of the saree and the jewellery complemented her toned skin. The maroon stones was a nice contrast. Her face had a hint of make-up. Her eyelids shimmered a bit because of the gold eye shadow Anu used on her. Her lips had a darker shade of gloss then she usually wore. Her eyes were the same, lined with kohl and a hint of eyeliner. Her face looked radiant but a bit uncomfortable.

Jai saw how she was clutching the end of the saree to her body. She walked over to Mausi and touched her feet. Mausi kissed the top of head and looked at her. She removed the pallu from Bani's grip and let it dangle next to her. It was the blouse that made her uncomfortable. A halter-neck blouse until her waist with a deep v-neckline so the necklace would be visible. Bani moved over to hug Jigyasa when Jai saw the back. The blouse was fastened with a thread, crisscross over her spinal column until her waist. Because of the tread work he could see the smooth skin of her back. Jai's eyes were fixed on Bani. She continued greeting each and every family member. Jai suddenly saw Anu stand next to Bani, looking at his reaction. Jai mouthed a 'Thank you' to his niece. She smiled and winked at him. Before he would loose his self-control in front of his family he turned around with the resolve to compliment her later. Turning around Jai saw he wasn't the only one looking at Bani. Another pair of eyes were looking her way and observing the closeness with his family. A look of jealousy it was.

Mr. Dixit was standing on top to the stairs looking at Bani.

*****

Bani was busy running around, making sure everything went well. Jai made the opening speech and the ringcermony started. Jai acted like a perfect host and make sure that the closest family members had a good time and didn't need to worry about the things they usually had to do. Every ceremony was well thought about and Bani made sure everything was in place. Jai had greeted almost every guest he knew, introduced himself to Pia and her younger sister Rano and also half-heartedly to their mother but he avoided Mr. Dixit all the time.

Mausi had noticed this and a few hours later dragged him to a corner of the hall.

'Tum unse door kyun reh rehe ho?' She asked him.

' Woh Bani ke pitaah hai.' He answered

'pata hai. Lekin woh Pushkar ke hone waale sasur bhi hai. Aur yeh party tumne Pushkar aur unke beti ke liye di hai. Shaadi ka ghar hai. Naraaz hone se kaam nahin chalega. Kuch an-ban ho gayi to baat bigar sakti hai. No one should have a reason to complain. Now go over there and greet him.'

' I'm sorry Mausi, mai kar nahin paauga. Us aadmi ko dekh kar mera khoon khaulne lagta hai. Agar mai usse baat karunga to mere muh se kuch na kuch galat to zaroor niklega. That is why I am staying away from him as far as possible.'

' Aisi thori na kaam banta hai Jai.' Mausi said. 'Maana ki tum unse naraaz ho lekin aisa bhi nahin karte.'

Jai looked at his aunt. ' Mai unse naraaz nahin hoon Mausi.' He said in a cold tone. 'Naraazgi unse hoti hai jo kareeb hote hai aur mera aur us aadmi ka koi rishta nahin hai. But it is true that I loathe him for what he did. Not so many years ago, but the last few months. Jis larki ko woh chor kar aaye the woh unke saamni khari thi kuch din pehle. Keh rahi thi ki woh kitni akeli hai ab. Usne zyaada kuch to nahin maanga tha na? bas unka thora sa waqt, kabhi kabhaar unke paas rehne ki, unse milne ki ijazat. Jis larki ko unhone chora tha woh unke saamne khari thi, unki galatiyon ko bhoola kar. Sab kuch bhoolna chaahti thi. He should have begged for forgiveness on his knees in front of her but instead he hurt her. Again! Aise aadmi se mai kya kahu? Mai us aadmi se kya kahu jisne us larki ho itni takleef di hai? Us larki ko jisse mai jaan se bhi zyaada chaahta hoon. Na chaahkar bhi mere muh se sirf badduwa hi niklegi Mausi, aur kuch nahin. I have held her in my arms when she broke down. I don't want to see that again and I don't want to say anything to the man who caused that. Kahin na kahin Bani ko yeh umeed hai ki ek na ek din uske papa aayengi, usko apnaane ke liye. I know it. I see it in her eyes. Lekin woh aadmi kai ghanto se yahaan khara hai lekin ek baar bhi usne apni beti se ek shabd bhi nahin kaha! I don't have anything to say to him. I am sorry mausi.' Jai walked away, to find Bani. He wanted to be with her right now and make sure her attention was everywhere but on her so called family. He saw her talking to a few of the workers and giving them instructions. Jai walked towards her and placed his arm around her shoulder. ' You look beautiful.' He whispered.

Before Bani could say anything, one of Jai's old friends walked up to them. Jai greeted him, but was surprised when Bani didn't introduce herself by the name she used. She introduced herself as Bani.

Maybe the barriers were indeed coming down.

***

Hours later both of them were lying in bed in the suite of the hotel. Even though Bani had to get up in the morning to get the arrangement for Pia's mehndi done at their house, she was still awake. Jai's frustration of not being able to keep Bani around him during the party, mixed with the possessiveness he felt when he saw any other man even remotely looking in her vicinity, got the better hand of him. Luckily it was almost the end of the party and Jai greeted the last guests and then helped Pushkar's family with the last things and helped them towards their cars. He then greeted Pia her mother and her sister, casually ignoring their father and asked one of the waiters to help them load their stuff in the cars. Bani was in the kitchen giving the final instructions when she felt Jai standing next to her.

' Come with me now or else I'll carry you away.' He softly groaned in her ear.

Bani continued with what she was doing and helped cleaning the kitchen.

' Mai mazaak nahin kar raha hoon.' He said. Bani knew he was serious and fully capable of doing what he was threatening her with.

Jai held her hand and walked with her out of the hall and into the lift to go to their suite.

Before he even closed the door, Jai had pulled her towards him and started placing smoldering kisses on her face and neck before finally capturing her lips.

Except the very first time, Bani always held back, afraid of being rejected and scared to let herself go in the amount of love she was receiving, but tonight she couldn't hold back and she didn't want to hold back and restrain herself. She wanted to love him, make love to him and feel loved. Feeling her response to his touches, Jai lost the tiny amount of control he had over his rational thinking. In their urgency both of them forgot about protection. It still bothered Jai and that was one of the reasons he was still awake. He didn't knew whether Bani wanted children and he didn't know whether it was the right time to ask her anything, but now it couldn't wait.

' If you get pregnant, will you abort the baby?' He asked while caressing the bare skin on her arms.

' No.' She answered. 'But you have to promise me something.' She said lifting her head from his arm and looking in his eyes.

' Kya?'

'If we have children you have to be there for them. I don't really know how this parenting thing works lekin mai ek acchi ma banna chaahti hoon. Agar hum kabhi alag huwe to tum humaare bacchon ko kabhi nahin chooroge. You will be there for them even when we aren't together and we don't live together. Promise?'

Jai whispered ' Promise' before he captured her lips again.

cute update,, bani is dropping her barriers but still talking abt him leaving her and being there for kids,, her father is jealous of bani being close to jai's family, and jai ,, that is funny,, and wonder what he would think abt jai not being abt to control himself 😆 waiting eagerly for ur next update as always

Hey ranju,

Who said this was not good!!! It was the best part so far dear!!!!

To be honest I almost lost my self-control…after reading this…I mean I am not very emotional and sentimental person…but after reading this part I felt really sad, happy, angry, very happy,…I felt everything…

I am very very very…………….glad that finally bani is living again and Maya is non-existent… finally bani shed her inhibitions… I am ecstatic she accepted her love for jai…I am so happy!!!!

Continue soon………

God bless

Dhani