FF: Separate Journeys, EPILOGUE, Page-20 - Page 2

hey dhani that was a good part

hi

Love Rano and Bani's forming relationship. They are getting along just fine. Rano is very sweet, I adore her character. I loved how Bani gave it to Pia, brought her to reality for a moment. And great to see a mention of this story's hero. And the heroin already hero worships him. Good way to turn her admiration into love. 😉 Wonder how the story is going to progress. Please continue soon. 😃

hey dhani welcom back buddy....

Nice to see that you started another FF. Interesting start. Very different...

hey dhani,

yippie a new SS!!!

I know you all want bani's admiration towards Jai turn into love but I don't think bani is someone who will just fall in love because she admires someone, he is a difficult girl who has her own mind…she admires him but certainly not attracted towards him, that will take time…

Part-3

"Jai bhaiyya…" ranveer hugged his brother…

"Veer…" jai hugged him back…

"Hey bhaiyya…" pushkar greeted him…

"How are you pushakr…?" jai patted his back…

"I still can't believe leaving us you are here, all alone…" ranveer said plopping in the sofa…

"I am hardly here veer, I roam around you know…" jai said pulling out a cigarette from his personalized cigarette case… indicating his butler cum man Friday, Tony to keep the luggage in their respective rooms…

"Smoking is not good…" veer said…

"A habit is difficult to get over…"

"Maybe a pretty bhabhi can put you in order…" pushakr joked…jai shook his head…

"Absolutely right pushakr…well not to worry bua is doing everything possible…" ranveer winked at jai…

"Not again veer…bua and her album of girls…" jai said checking the file which pushakr was showing him…

"She is hell bent this time…iss saal toh aap ghodi pe zaroor chadenge…"

"Aur usse ghodi pe baithke bhaag jaaoonga…"

"Bhaiyya…what's the problem…you need love in life…"

"It's all in the mind veer; love is nothing but a name given to our dependency on somebody… it's a nice word to use…" jai said crudely…

"Don't be a cynic… "

"If telling truth is being cynic then I can't help it…"

"No one can beat you…I give up…"

"Well, then why do you start…?" jai grinned…

"Tony…just get me a coffee… "ranveer shouted…

"The plan is good, but what about the legal issues, I think it is disputed…" jai said…

"That can be taken care if you are really interested…" pushkar said…

"This is very important to me pushkar, I don't want any hiccups…" jai said sternly…

"No worries bhaiyya…"

"You guys freshen up, then we can discuss…meanwhile I will have a smoke" jai said…

"Only one…" ranveer said

"Yes Mom…" jai made a face climbing the stairs to the terrace…some open air would be nice…

*******

A still breeze was blowing…the rhythm of which heaved and swelled like the demented waves of the sea lashed by wind…

Jai lit his cigarette and puffed out a few grey clouds of smoke into the air...he strolled around the vast open area…this house was built by his late parents whom he had lost in an accident when a teenager… though he shuttled between Mumbai and Mt. Abu but he loved to stay here, this place held sweet memories of his childhood and the togetherness of a family which was now lost… and moreover he hated the polluted, confined atmosphere of a metropolitan city… Mt. Abu was a welcome relief from the chaos of his moribund, busy life…

Suddenly his eyes feel on something, long tresses of hair was flowing in the wind… a petite girl was sitting on the boundary wall, reading a book she held in her hands…her face was unfamiliar, he was not a very social person but he knew Nishikant Dixit lived with his two daughters Rano and pia but who was this girl…his eyes peered through her who seemed to be too engrossed…snapping back out of his wayward thoughts he went down, feeling stupid that he was thinking about a stranger so seriously…

The three men discussed work and random things during dinner…

*******
"Di, I have invited pushkar and ranveer for the evening tea, I hope you don't mind…" pia said painting her nails…bani was engrossed in a book, 'The Audacity of hope' of Barrack Obama; she was really fascinated by this man…

"And I just told them to bring along Mr. Walia…just for courtesy sake, but I know that khadoos will not come…" pia said…

"Pia…how many times I have to tell you…don't call him that…" rano snapped at her…pia shut her mouth immediately…

"No come and help me prepare some snacks…" rano asked…

"Dii…" pia whined…

"You have invited them, then do some work also…"

"I can help…" bani offered…quite curious to meet Jai Walia…hoping that he would turn up though the way pia described the probability was almost nill…

"No bani…pia will help me today…"

Pia reluctantly dragged her feet towards the kitchen…

*******
"I am sorry guys…but there is an emergency… I have to run to Bangalore…" jai said apologetically…as he finished taking a call from his Bangalore office…

"Oh don't worry bhaiyya, we will be fine…at least pushakr would… "Ranveer said mischievously…

"Shut up veer…" pushakr punched his friend…

"You both will never learn…I need to rush…I will try to wrap up everything soon…" jai said as he dashed inside his room to take the required files asking tony to pack his bags…

"Have a safe flight…" they both wished him as jai whisked out…

*******
"I didn't know you both had another sister…" pushkar exclaimed seeing bani…as rano introduced her…bani was disoriented, all her hopes of meeting Jai Walia dashed…she was already feeling uninterested by the lame conversation of Pushkar and pia…

"She lived with our masi since young…" rano said…

"It's great to meet you bani…" pushkar said…bani smiled, he seemed to be a decent chap…

"Ya, I mean girls reading about Obama are rare to find…" ranveer commented casually…pointing the book in her hand…

"Well, I never knew books were only meant to be read by the esteemed men folk…" bani said acidly…ranveer kept mum taken aback…while pia and pushkar stifled their laughter, ranveer though nice had a reputation of being a bit arrogant at times…and it was pure fun to watch him tongue-tied…

"Shall we have tea…" rano interrupted easing out the tension…

"Excuse me guys…" bani got up…

Ranveer for the first time noticed Rano's silence, it was a silence which was more vocal…he had always liked the quiet girl, but seeing the three sisters together, somehow he saw rano in some other light… …

"Thanks rano…" he said softly as she handed him his cup… his heart skipped a beat as she gave him a shy hesitant smile in return…

*******
Bani wrapped the shawl around herself…the nights were really cold in Mt. Abu…after dinner she wasn't feeling sleepy and decided to take a walk…

She strolled along the narrow lane…hitting the small stones with her foot…when some hushed voices caught her attention, she sneaked near the walia house to find pia and pushkar leaning against the gulmohar tree engaged in a lip-lock whispering sweet nothings in between, bani's jaw almost fell, quickly closing her mouth she gulped down and retreated back to her villa…

That was a breaking news…pia and pushkar were a couple…Oh!! God!! How could she have missed that during the evening tea…she wondered if her father or rano knew about this secret love affair… it would be fun to tease pia…make her suffer a bit but she was even more surprised at the fact that pushkar fell for pia, she had found him to be silly but sensible, except at times external beauty could mask the inner self…

*******

"Pushkar is nice no rano di…" bani commented while putting the mats for lunch…

"Haan…" rano said unmindfully…

"Kafi decent bhi hain…" bani added, looking at pia who was turning the plate, pretending not to listen to their conversation…

"What if I ask pushkar to be my boyfriend pia di…you only said I need one…" bani asked hiding her grin…

"What???" pia jumped in her seat…

"Why not he is smart, handsome, intelligent…and seems to be rich too…a perfect boyfriend material…" rano looked at bani amused…

"Ya…I mean…ya…but he is…too…err…umm…too old for you…" pia blurted, nervous…

"Oh di…what has age got to do with it…chalta hain…"

"No…you are young…and you should concentrate on your career…" pia said in a serious tone…rano chuckled; it felt odd, pia giving career counseling

"Ya…you are right…I missed him…"

"Don't worry…you will get someone better than him…" pia said, relieved…bani controlled her urge to burst out laughing… she silenced seeing nishikant wobble towards the dining table…
*******

God bless
dhani