FF: Separate Journeys, EPILOGUE, Page-20 - Page 7

Thanks for the update. JB married on paper. What's next?

dhani,

hey dhani nice ff just read all the parts plz add me to ur pm list

wonderful parts can't wait to read how the friendship blooms

hey dhani

Part-8

"Beta…I think you better be with jai…" nishikant said as bani went about doing the normal chores…

"I can't leave you like this…" she said not looking at him…

"I am fine now…and you are just a block away…"

"I know but still…"

"I promise to take care…"

"Papa…but…"

"Beta, we should be grateful to jai that he is so understanding, but you are his wife now and you duty lies with him…"

"But…" bani looked at him…

"No ifs and buts…I am talking to jai in the evening and you will shift to walia cottage…" nishikant said going inside his room…

*******

Jai looked at bani helpless…

"It's okay uncle…bani can stay here, you are not well…" jai said fidgeting with his fingers…

"No beta…she is your wife now…as if because of me you are not going for a honeymoon…ranveer and rano, pia and pushkar both have gone…I am feeling so bad…" nishikant sighed deeply…

"Papa I will go tomorrow morning…now happy…"

"Yes beta…"

"Now, let's have dinner…I am feeling hungry…"

"Come jai…" nishikant said…

*******

Bani stood at the entrance hesitantly…staring at the huge house which was eerily silent, the silence, broken only by an occasional chirping of a distant bird and whooshing wind… all the curtains were drawn, blocking the natural sunlight…

"Come bani…" jai said putting her bag down…

"Wow…its huge…" bani said, her eyes scanning each and every part…

"Well, it is…" jai smiled…bani's surprise turned into a frown…

"But why is it so dark and gloomy…" bani said turning to see him…

"Why…I like it this way…" he said looking around…bani went near the French windows and pulled apart the curtains, she squinted her eyes as the morning sunlight came rushing in, illuminating the entire room… she turned around…

"I am not saying it should be like this…but it would be nice if it is like this…" she smiled at him… he just shrugged…

"Chose a room for yourself…" he said…

"Mmm…can I have it upstairs…?"

"Sure you can…"

"Tony…" he called out…a middle-aged butler came in dressed primly…

"Bani this is tony, the butler…and tony she is bani…"

"Hello maam…nice to meet you…" tony bowed a bit…

"Hey tony…nice to meet you too… "bani extended her hand to shake hands; tony scrupled a bit before shaking his gloved hands with her…

"Come maam I will keep your luggage in sir's room…" tony picked up the suitcase…

"Err…tony…bani will have a separate room…" jai interrupted him…

"But sir…" tony looked baffled…

"Bani you go upstairs tony will follow suit…"

"Okay…" bani climbed the stairs with a spring…jai turned to face tony…

"I know you will be disappointed but this is just a marriage of convenience, bani couldn't say no to her ailing father and I wanted to escape bua…we are not bound by matrimony…" jai said with regret, tony was a loyalist of his family since his parents time…

"Sir…destiny has its own course…" tony said leaving him behind contemplating…

*******

"Hello di…" bani said sitting by the window counter…rano has called her from Bahamas…

"Hai bani…how are you???"

"I am fine, si aapko apne pati se fursat mil gayi…" bani said teasing her…

"Bani…" rano flustered, glancing at ranveer who was soundly asleep, holding her waist, his bare back facing her… she pulled the sheets to herself tightly, feeling the chilly breeze of the air conditioner…

"Aapne toh phone bhi liya pia toh bhool hi gyai hain hume…" rano laughed softly…

"Papa kaise hain…' rano asked after a long disturbed pause…

"Papa bilkul theek hain…" bani assured her…

"I feel so guilty…dear...I am on a honeymoon and you are nursing papa…"

"Di…its okay…"

"I promise once we are back, I feel stay with papa and you and jai bhaiyya can go on a honeymoon…" bani felt like laughing out loud…'honeymoon', one of the most weirdest of things according to her where people did nothing except for 'ahem'

"Oh no di…we are fine…jai is also very busy with his new project…" bani said imagining as she saw him in the study working seriously since morning…

"Okay now…go I won't take much of your time…"

"Time hi time hain di…" bani said leaning back, looking at the sunset at a distance…

"Liar…bani…jai bhaiyya is a wonderful man, ranveer is so happy that his bhaiyya is finally settled, he was feeling guilty that he was marrying before him but now he is relieved…I hope you keep him happy…he deserves it…"

"Ya…" bani said a bit unmindfully…

*******

Jai saw bani hoping down the stairs…smiling to herself…

"You seem to be happy…" he asked, tony served them with dinner…

"Well…wanna come for a honeymoon…" bani said pulling out a chair…

"What…?"

"Di ka phone tha, she is feeling guilty that we couldn't go on a honeymoon…can you believe that now…" bani said picking up the spoon…

"The food smells so good tony…" bani said seeing the variety of food placed on her plate… jai shook his head…

"Since we have to drag this on, can't we be friends…it would be easier" bani said…

"Of course…"

"That's great…Jai Walia friends with Bani Dixit…I never imagined that in my wildest of dreams…" bani said

"Why do you hold me such highly…I am a normal person…"

"Ya, a normal person with a proverbial property, a huge house, a personal chauffer, uncountable bank balance and an enigmatic personality…" for a second she was mesmerized by his deep throaty laughter…

"You should laugh more often…you look good…" she said looking at his face which had lit up briefly and in s split-second diminished…jai refrained from saying anything…

"Now that you have become friends with me you can expect to laugh more…I am bit crazy…you know…" bani confessed…

"That I can see…" jai said in a low voice…

"Pardon…"

"No nothing…" jai stuffed his mouth with the food…

*******

Bani stifled a yawn, looking down from the window of her room, she love the room, spacious and airy and had the view of the garden…she saw jai sweating it out on the treadmill, she was too lazy to exercise and was thankful to her genes that she was moderately slim had had good metabolism rate. She decided to take a bath and go down…

"Good morning Jai…" jai heard bani's cheery wish

"Morning bani…" he replied, increasing his speed…

Bani sat on the chair and picked up the newspaper and was horrified to see her, no their photograph on the front page…

"JAI WALIA'S Secret Wedding" with an article along with their photograph, though was not very clear…

"I am on front page…" bani gasped…

"I know…" jai said…

"You invited press…I can't believe you…I didn't see them… "she said sharply…

"I don't need to invite press…" he said taking short breaths…

"These tehelka people…poking their nose everywhere…" bani said throwing the paper away…

Jai's phone buzzed in the meantime…

"Can you pick that up for me…?" jai asked her…

"It might be confidential…" bani said holding out the phone towards him…

"Might be someone calling to congratulate me…you can answer…" he said…bani answered the phone only to be hurled by congratulatory message to be passed on to Mr. Jai Walia…

"Huh…" bani let out a sigh, by now jai was seated in front of her opening his shoe-lace…

"Where have I landed myself into…" bani muttered… the cell rang again…bani got up hastily and left, jai picked up the phone smiling at her foolish antics…

*******

God bless

Dhani

Hi

Nice to see that Bani is finally at jai's place. How did the media find out about their wedding? So they have separate bedrooms but for how long? If bua or the others come back they wont be able to keep up the act if they are in diff rooms. Bani is... i dont want to say childish, but vibrant? She asked Jai if he wanted to go for their honeymoon... she is cute, maybe this experience will let her be herself without any pretenses, and grow. hopefully.

HEY dhani good part