SS: Reluctant Hearts, Last Part, PG-7 - Page 3

Wonderful part. Jai is so funny. I love him. Bani is really very sweet. Please continue soon.

Hey dhani,

(III)

Bani looked perturbed...

"Beta...abhi kya Karen..." keshubahi, one of the residents of the old age home said perplexed...the lease for the land on which the old age home was built would finish in a month and the owner was trying to sell it to make money...

"Keshu uncle...waise toh we can't do anything...the owner is not willing..."

"Iska matlab humare Basera ko tod denge..." a lady spoke up emotionally...after their children served all ties with them as if they some piece of thrash, this was a place which gave them shelter and love...it was their home...

"We can counter on humanitarian grounds...par depend karta hain..." bani said thinking of a solution...

"Manager Sir aap mujhe iss case ki saari details dijiye...main study karti hoon...let me see...aur woh company bhi jo kharidna chahti hain..."

"Ji madam...par company kaun si hain uske details abhi nahin pata hain, main pata karta hoon..." the manager nodded his head...getting the required files...

"Beta...agar paison ki zaroorat hain toh we will try...agar hum yeh land kareed le toh..." keshu suggested...

"Uncle...aisa ho sakta hain par bid karenge toh definitely woh jo bhi company hain...it will naturally bid higher, we stand no chance..." bani said sympathetically...everyone's faces fell...

"I will try my best...trust me..." bani gave them an assuring smile...

"We trust you beta...issiliye toh..."

"Acha ab main chalti hoon...I will come tomorrow..."
******
"I can't believe this paa..." jai sat flabbergasted... his father actually liked the report...he felt like dancing...

"What??" uday gave him a surprised look...

"I mean...you...of all the people you...like my project report...oh god...I have to throw a party today!!"

"I always appreciate good work jai...irrespective of who it is...seems like bani's hard-work has rubbed onto you..."

"Please... she is a walking talking computer...I am happy with my life...I work and I party..."

"Jai...I am not against partying...you should enjoy life but you shouldn't think that life is about partying only...there many more serious issues in the world...many more things to be leant , to do..."

"Yes paa..." jai said in a bored manner...

"I think the next project, I was planning to give it to pushkar, but you can handle it...that is if you get time out of your partying and girls...I will tag along pushkar with me to London, the boy has tremendous potential..."

"Oh!! Sure paa...I will take it up...bani will help me out..."

"Bani...Hmm..."

"I remember you hated her at one point when she joined..." uday arched his brow...

"Oh!!Well...I was just jealous of her because my paa was hell-bent on hiring her...I have never seen you so impressed by any other person..." jai confessed a bit embarrassed...

"She is a lovely girl...and she has the audacity to stand up to what she believes...I love it...she has this fire inside her which I always wanted to instill in you... the fire to do something...to change something..."

"Paa...Can I ask you something??" jai said suddenly sounding serious...

"Yes sonny..." uday looked at him...

"Have you ever regretted having me as your son..." jai said, his sight hovering over uday's face desperately...to his amazement uday smiled...

"No...I don't regret anything...you are my Krishna's son, our son...the symbol of our love...how can I ever regret you...?? I just wish you could have taken up more of her traits than mine..." uday chuckled...jai's eyes widened in shock...

"PAA!!! Don't tell me you were like me..." jai's face lit up...

"Of course I was like you...until I married Krishna...not as idiotic as you but still I never took things seriously... then we had a small business...something changed after she came...maybe it was love...maybe I wanted to impress her and show her that her husband was not a good-for-nothing...I started taking things seriously... I can say she was my inspiration...the way she handled the household, the entire home would be spic and span, she took care of every little thing...I was amazed... ..." uday ended with a sad smile reminiscing his dead wife... ...

"Paa... you miss mom...don't you..." jai asked remembering his mother's beautiful face...

"Oh yes I do...we are diverting...I was talking about bani...hmm so...you both can think of a future together..." uday said...jai started laughing hysterically...

"God paa...I and bani...are your nuts... we are just good friends...nothing else...and moreover I don't think bani can get anyone in her entire life...she would end up marrying a pile of books..." jai joked...

"Shut up...she is wonderful..."

"Yes she is wonderful...but in her own...different way..." jai said nodding his head...after giving a lot of pressure to his brain...

"And please take this out of your head...I and bani are very good friends...ends there..." jai got up...

"Where are you going...?"

"Bani must have returned, I have to tell her that at last my paa...has seen me in a positive light and that I am not the first black sheep of the family..." uday let out a small laugh... watching him leave...
******
"Can you believe that...?" jai exclaimed sitting on the chair, twirling around...bani smiled, leafing through the pages of her law book...

"And another thing...he thinks you and me...are..." jai dragged his words...

"Are what???" bani asked confused...

"Are a couple..." bani's face blanched as she saw him laughing...

"My jaw...its paining...I have been laughing since then...I told that bani is married to her work...and books...she is not available..." jai laughed even more...

"SHUT UP!!!!!" bani shouted, throwing a pen towards him which he ducked...

"Oh!!Bani...how is it like sleeping with books....must be very interesting..." jai said breaking into peals of laughter...

"At least I don't go about sleeping with every other person I lay my eyes on unlike some over-virile male..." bani said, obviously referring to him...

"Well...you are just plain jealous that I enjoy life and you don't...." jai said grinning impishly...

"Oh pelasee....as if that's the best thing you can do... even I can have fun..."

"OH Really..." jai arched his brow...

"Yes of course..." bani said confidently...

"Then why don't you go on a date...with Pushkar..."

"Pushkar..."

"Yes, he has been eyeing you since quite sometime...I think he likes you..."

"Really...I never noticed...how you know..." bani sounded excited...

"Because I am a man....bani..." he exaggerated...

"Well...okay just see..." bani smiled at him broadly...walking out... about few minutes later...

"I am on...going to dine with Mr. Shukla tonight..." jai gaped at her open-mouthed...

"You are R-E-A-L-L-Y going..." jai said...

"YESS Senor..." she sat in her seat...

"Well, well...nice..." jai muttered, feeling a bit askew...he didn't expect bani to take up the challenge that too so sportively...he was just pulling her leg...for reasons unknown he was feeling bad... jai shook his head vigorously...pushing away those creeping thoughts...
******

(IV)

Jai sat with a big frown...not paying any amount of attention to his female companion... his hooded eyes were set on the lady sitting afar from him, with another man who resembled the dog Goofy from the cartoon Mickey and Mini he noticed bani laughing at something...

"I can't believe her..." jai gnarled to himself...attacking the poor salad with his fork...

"Who!!!" the lady asked...

"No one rhea...leave it..." he said dismissively...but his eyes didn't leave bani...

"Why don't we go somewhere, you know less crowded..." rhea said suggestively, with a flirtatious smile...

"Err...I am not feeling too well rhea...may be some other day..." jai said calling for the bill, he hastily took out his credit card seeing bani and pushkar get up...

"Rhea...my driver will drop you...I have an urgent work bye!!!" jai almost fled form there...

"Hey bani...hey pushkar..." jai interrupted them as pushkar was about to lean and kiss bani's cheek...

"Jai...hey...you were here...I didn't see you..." pushkar said...

"Jaii...I am sorry I was so engrossed in a conversation with pushkar I just didn't see around..." bani said, her eyes dancing with mischief...

"It's okay..."jai said, not knowing what to say...

"Shall I drop you bani..." both the men said at once...bani looked amused...

"Its okay guys...I have got my car..."

"Then...I need a lift bani...I realize my car is missing..." jai fumbled with his words looking around...bani shook her head, surpassing her giggles...

"Okay then good night bani...I had a wonderful time..." pushkar extended his hand for a handshake, not wanting jai to be a witness of his peck to bani...

"I enjoyed too pushkar...after a long long time..." bani stretched the words, shaking his hand...their handshake lingering awhile...

"Bani...I am getting late...cahlen..." jai said, tugging her arm...

"Oh yes!!Sweet dreams pushkar..." bani flashed a smile at him...

"Bye!! See you in office tomorrow..." pushkar sat in his car, driving off...bani turned aside looking at jai who was trying to hide himself behind the potted plant at the entrance...

"Jai!!! What were you doing here...??" bani dragged him, searching her car keys in her purse...

"You saw me...." jai said shocked...

"I am a lawyer jai...nothing escapes my eyes..." bani said poking a finger at his chest...

Jai stuck out his tongue, going the other side, sitting inside the car... bani sat inside; putting on the seat belt...she started the engine...

"Tell me..." bani demanded...

"I was checking up on you...you know men are dogs...I was acting as a chaperon..." jai said proudly...

"Really jai...all men are not like you..." bani said...

"Oh all men are the same...and by the way I don't sleep with women on the first date...it's usually the second..."

"ARRGGHHH!! Jai...what is your problem...when I didn't have fun, you tease me, now I was trying to have fun, and you follow me like a body guard...WHAT IS YOUR GOD DAMN PROBLEM..." bani screamed, halting the car nearby...

Jai kept looking at her for sometime...she looked so gracious in the short-sleeved black dress with only chandelier earrings... and loose hair unlike her office attire, a business suit, her hair tied in a ponytail...

Not understanding what his muddled mind was thinking...he leaned forward kissing her lips, taking bani by complete surprise... that she forgot to breath...the sensuous touch of their lips was melting them...jai lifted his hand, reaching her nape, gently caressing the soft skin...as her lips opened, responding to his impromptu kiss... bani moaned as the kiss intensified...her mind went totally blank... all she could feel was jai kissing her passionately...it was quite a while that he left her, totally bemused by his action... bani gently opened her eyes...feeling a rush of emotions inside her... they both sat firmly in their seats...staring out into the darkness...the road ahead was illuminated with the dim street lights...their slow, steady, deep breaths clashing with each others...

"I am sorry...I..." jai mumbled...looking out, bani turned the keys, starting the car...the rest of the drive was enveloped in a heady silence and uneasiness...bani stopped the car before jai's mansion...

"Thanks...good night...give me a miss call after you reach home safely..." jai uttered not looking at her...getting out...bani rode away...jai stood there...thinking hard...
******
Their relationship had a quarreling start... with Bani completely loathing jai and his wayward ways of lifestyle, his fanciful world was a stark contradiction to her realistic views...if she were the leveled ground then he was the flying sky...she knew they will never be anything between them, not even friendship...Jai at first was taken aback by her seriousness towards everything...and her commitment scared the daylights out of him, he wondered how could be someone so devoted to anything...he being a gypsy kind of a person, jumping from one thing to another...he found her pretty, not his conventional type but still he flirted with her at every given opportunity just to irk her, but soon realized that she was far too intellectual than him to try and appease her...it was best he gave up his usual tricks and just be plain honest with her... It worked and they became best of friends...jai who was a loner, he had a huge social circle but emotionally he was much dethatched, suddenly bani's friendship filled that emotional vacancy in him, he shared everything with her...almost everything except the intimate details of his endless affairs which she competently guessed. Bani genuinely started liking him, ignoring certain things about him which she completely hated, because in friendship you just need to accept people as they are...she found his honesty quite endearing, at least he was downright straight about his thoughts, not maligning them or telling twisting tales...and most of all she knew all those women who hovered around him knew exactly where they were getting, he made it clear beforehand that he was not the 'serious' types at all, practically most of the world knew it...
******
Bani lay on the bed, clad in her regular pj's...the warmth of his kiss still lingering...she simply couldn't understand how to put it...jai had always been outwardly expressive in thoughts and actions, he hugged her when he felt very happy, pulled her ponytail to disturb her, blew her flying kisses when she helped him with something...but he never crossed his limit...but suddenly, he kissed her and it was far away form being platonic or just causal, it was too deep... ...

She still remembered the day when she had experienced the unexpected...and discovered a whole new side to jai...and from then she knew whatever this man was but he was true and sincere...She had lost her parents while she was still completing her studies, after then she moved in with her uncle whom she adored since childhood...it had only been a eight months that she joined Walia Group, she had shifted to Mumbai while her uncle stayed in Mt. Abu, refusing to accompany her...a frantic call had come in the midnight, it was her uncle's servant informing him that he had suffered a heart-attack... and maybe he was dying...she was hysterical, when she called up jai who arranged a private jet immediately, staying by her side all the time...till her uncle's last rites were performed... she had been touched by his gesture, he did not speak even a single word but still she had felt a soothing comfort in his unsaid silence... ...

Bani took a sharp breath, maybe it was just in the heat of the moment, he didn't mean to kiss her, sometimes it just happens...somewhere at the back of her mind she felt sad to accept that it was just a stupid thing...bani picked up her mobile giving him a missed call...
******
Jai heard the beep of his phone, it was bani's missed call...he kept the phone away... cursing himself for his idiotic action, he kissed her, he very well knew she was not that type of girl who would jump into bed with him even before he asked...she was different, a real, tough woman whom he admired, who inspired him, which he never told her not wanting to inflate her ego... for the first time in years he had got a true friend, everyone around him had always flattered him, nodded their heads blindly even if he spoke nonsense, they always sought to impress him trying to gain something... but bani she was frank, straightforward and who never pretended to be his best friend but instead she just behaved as one, always supporting him when he had doubts, encouraging him, scolding him, fighting with him, from business files to the type of clothes he should wear he was dependent on bani for everything...and today he had crossed that limit...but to his utter disbelief the first whisper that escaped his mouth after kissing her was 'wow', a part of him actually didn't feel any guilt to have kissed her... his father's words rang in his ears...was he...????Jai picked the pillow, covering his face...he yelled a big NO!!!! Humorously ending his inner turmoil with the idea that, bani was a superwoman and only a superman can tolerate her, not a mere man like him... ...
******

God bless

dhani

IMP NOTE:Hey guys, sorry to inform but I have to pack my bags and leave to my hometown tomorrow. First there were no plans but then we are going suddenly, which by the way I hate since all my 'wonderful holiday plans' will be cancelled unceremoniously. I can't paint my shakuntala; my car driving license has gone for a toss, my story-writing ideas have flopped, the only possible thing to do is reading which I will... I am so sorry, this was so sudden, we got the tickets book in tatkal. I equally hate it, I mean I wanted these holidays for myself, 'to wind up' kind of thing, but there are certain things I can't avoid, absolutely helpless, my niceness always costs me a lot. I could act stubborn and not go but that's not me and I will feel guilty later. I hope you all understand!!!

Anyways will get back and continue the story on 18^th of January!!!!!

I am very sorry!!!

Nice update👏

Have fun!!