thanks to all of you for taking out the time to read and to them who made comments. here goes the next two parts............... happy reading
Part21
Bani came back from college at evening and saahil accompanied her. After collecting much courage saahil tried to speak to bani clearly.
Saahil: "bani tum rano se mili thi? I mean kal mili thi?"
Bani: "haan bhai haan. Subah bataya tha na tumhe."
Saahil: "oh haan. Woh. Woh bani main tumse ek baat kehna chah raha tha."
Bani: "batao bhi. Purey raaste tum yahi kehte huye aaye the."
Saahil: "haan. Umm bani I likeā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦I like rano. Main usey bahut dino se hi jaanta hoon par kabhi baat aagey badhi nahi. Bani will you please help me?"
Bani: "help? For what?"
Saahil: "yahi bas humari friendship kara do."
Bani: "what if I sayā¦ā¦ā¦" she paused for a while and wondered what saahil was imagining.
Saahil: "bani please please please. Tum meri friend hona. Pleeeeeeeeeeaseā¦.."
Bani: "mujhe kehna to nahi chahiye par ok keh deti hoon. (she took a deep breath) rano also likes you."
Saahil stood bewitched. Bani shook him profusely to get him out of his trance. Saahil just smiled and then laughed and then laughed hysterically. He held bani's arms and was jumping like a kid whose wish has been fulfilled. Jay entered the house and stopped saahil.
Jay: "saahil what happened?"
Saahil gasped for breath and couldn't answer his question. Jay looked at bani.
Bani: "jay tumhe rano yaad hai."
Jay: "haan. Pia's friend right."
Bani: "right but now onwards we will call her saahil's friend." She looked at saahil.
Jay: "ok that's why he is jumping? Such a fool." Jay shook his head and with that jay left for his room.
Saahil: "what? he called me a fool?"
Bani: "forget it saahil. He doesn't understand these things."
Saahil: "hmmmā¦ā¦. tell me, why rano didn't tell me what you told me. Itni problem to nahi hoti na."
Bani: "this applies to you too."
Saahil: "thanks bani. Thanks a lot. Main abhi jaa raha hoon rano ko phone karne. Wish me luck. Bye." Saahil left in a hurry.
Next Sunday:
Jay's parents left for a world tour. Masi was called to look after the house. That day aditya's mother also accompanied masi. Both of them were busy gossiping. That week jay was a bit relieved as the work load was less. He planned to go to a long drive with bani, so he knocked the door of her room. As bani answered 'come in', jay peeped into the room to find books and copies occupying the study table completely and bani's head was found somewhere among them. Bani lifted her head and saw him.
Jay: "what's this bani?"
Bani: "don't ask me jay. It's not easy to be one of the toppers in the class. Look I have to do so many things."
Jay: "now only?"
Bani: "not now but as early as possible."
Jay: "let's go out for a long drive and then we will have dinner outside."
Bani: "jay please. Not today."
Jay: "chalo na bani." Jay continued to persuade her but bani didn't agree at all. Neither did she show any signs of that. jay wasn't happy with that.
Jay: "fine. Pehle saahil ki koi khabar nahi. Ab tumhe mere saath jaane ki fursat nahi. Don't worry I will go with neha. Have a nice time with your studies."
Bani: "wait! You are going out with her?"
Jay: "yes and bye." Jay shut the door behind him.
Jay returned late at night. He crossed bani's room and he saw the door open. He could hear masi's voice. He went inside to find bani still busy with her work. Masi was having a chat with her meanwhile. On seeing jay masi asked him to join them. Jay looked at bani. Poor girl. She was so busy. She looked tired. Bani looked at jay and immediately turned her face away from him.
Masi: "munna chalo khana kha lo." And left the room.
Jay: "bani tum ne kha liya?"
Bani(without looking at him): "haan."
Masi called jay again.
Jay: "masi main khana kha ke aaya hoon. Aap so jaiye."
Bani looked at jay who was looking at her and none of them wished to show their inquisitiveness on how the other one spent the evening. Jay left the room.
It was midnight. The walia mansion was quiet. The dim lights gave the house a different look. Jay went in the kitchen. He didn't turn on the lights still he could see some intense light near the refrigerator. Oh the door was open and someone was standing in front of it holding the door. It was not an unknown figure. He knew it was bani. He turned on the lights. Bani startled. She had a plate in her hands. The plate was half occupied with cakes. Bani closed the door of the refrigerator and stood in front of jay looking here and there.
Jay: "what are you doing here at this time?"
Bani(feebly): "I felt hungry. But what are you doing here?"
Jay crossed past bani, opened the refrigerator door and took out one more piece of cake and placed it on the plate.
Jay: "I felt hungry too."
Both of them felt uneasy. Finally while eating her share of cake bani began.
Bani: "how is it so that after having a lavish dinner tumhe aadhi raat ko bhook lag rahi hai?"
Jay(lowered his eyes): "agar lavish dinner kiya hota to na? waise bhi my friend doesn't care to even wait for me for dinner."
Bani: "jay you only said na you are going to have dinner with that 'neha'."
Jay: "tumhe kya lagta hai main gaya tha? I went to play pool with tarun."
Bani: "then why did you lie to masi?"
Jay: "mujhe gussa aa raha tha tumpar. You know me this much only. For the past one week we are having our dinner together na? toh tumne mere bagair hi dinner kar liya?"
Bani: "hmmmā¦.. it seems jay that you also don't know me well."
Jay: "means?"
Bani: "it means that I was waiting for you but when I saw you I presumed that you had your dinner. So iā¦ā¦ā¦"
Jay(excited): "matlab tumne bhi dinner nahi kiya?" bani nodded her head saying 'no'. both of them laughed and were interrupted by someone. It was dadi.
Dadi: "oye tum dono itni raat ko yahaan kya kar rahe ho?"
Bani: "woh humā¦ā¦humein bhook lagi thi."
Dadi: "waise bhook to mujhe bhi lagi thi." She took out some sweets and three of them shared their food. After finishing their midnight 'pet puja' jay and bani were planning to leave for their respective rooms but stayed back with dadi as she said that she didn't feel like sleeping. They sat on the sofa, with dadi in the middle and jay and bani beside her in the two sides. Dadi told them stories of the latest movies she had watched one after the other. Finally all of them fell asleep with dadi resting her head on the back of the sofa and jay and bani resting their heads partly on the back of the sofa and partly on dadi's shoulder.
When dadi woke up in the morning, she had no clue that the two grown up kids were sleeping beside her. As she stood up, still with some unconsciousness, she moved towards her room and there was BANG! Jay and bani's head collided and both of them screamed 'ouch'. Bani massaged her head and hit jay with a cushion in fury. Jay also straightened himself and caught the cushion. As bani left for her room she saw jay cuddled up with the cushion and revisiting his state of deep slumber.
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Part22
From Tuesday onwards the third year students were having their mid semester exams, that meant few days off for bani from college. Jay came from office all tired and found masi oiling bani's hairs. He thought that it would be a good idea if he also gets his hair oiled. He freshened up quickly and sat beside masi who was sitting on a stair and bani was sitting on the next stair.
Jay: "masi, mujhe bhi zara aap tel laga dengi?"
Masi: "arre mujhe kuch zaruri kaam karna hai iske baad. Ek kaam kar tu bhi baith ja, jab tak main bani ke sar par tel lagati hoon, woh tere sar par tel laga degi."
Jay: "nahi masi aap laga dijiye na."
Bani: "haan masi aap hi laga dijiye, god knows agar jay ke sar par juye(lice) huye toh?" she tried hard to suppress her smile.
Jay: "what? Mere sar parā¦?" he sat down on the stair next to bani's only to prove that there were no lice in his hairs.
So the total scenario was like this: masi oiling bani's hairs and bani oiling jay's hairs simultaneously. Bani didn't want to waste such an opportunity to irritate jay. She made the little curls of hair tucked well behind his ears, roll on his ears. Jay felt tingling sensations and after few such attempts got irritated.
Jay: "masi dekho na bani kya kar rahi hai. mere balo ke saath khel rahi hai."
Masi: "uff! Munna kya, kuch bhi to nahi kar rahi hai woh. Kitne dhyan se tel laga rahi hai."
Bani(suppressing her smile again): "masi mujhe lagta hai ke jay ko bahar champi karane ki aadat hai. wahan pe sar par jor jor se marte hain, tabla bhi bajate hain aur 'tel malish' gaana bhi gaate hain. Sorry jay women have other ways to make it a peaceful time."
Masi broke into a fit of laughter. She stroked bani's hairs giving the final touch and while going downstairs patted jay's shoulders. Jay looked at masi and wondered what was so funny about it. His expressions got angrier as he saw bani climbing the stairs lazily and chanting 'tel malish'. Bani stopped for a moment, looked at jay and holding her ears she said 'sorry'. All the anger evaporated in that glance, he admired bani with hairs not tied, falling loosely on her shoulders and then left with a chuckle.
Next day morning
Bani went to jay's room while he was busy with his tie. His laptop was switched on. Bani indicated jay that she is using his laptop to view the content of a cd. As jay indicated 'carry on', she sat with his laptop. After finishing her work she looked up to find jay busy with his coat now.
Bani: "jay I didn't know you are so boring."
Jay: "why? what did I do?"
Bani: "that is only the problem. You don't even change your wallpaper? See only sand and sand and that too the default one."
Jay: "so what's wrong with it? You youngsters waste so much of time downloading and changing wallpapersā¦ā¦"
Bani: "ya ya I forgot that I am talking to mister oldy. What one can expect from him?"
Jay(while leaving the room): "hey bani turn it off after you are done."
Bani(all excited): "can I change the wallpaper with your due permission mister uncool?"
Jay(shrugged his shoulders): "whatever."
Bani quickly got into some action and after changing the wallpaper she smiled and smiled and smiled with mischief written on her face.
After 30 minutes or so after jay left, aditya called at walia mansion. Bani picked up the phone. Aditya enquired if jay had already left and of course with his laptop. He sounded relieved on knowing the reply and then he told bani that actually the power point presentation he was supposed to present with jay to the board members was not opening in his laptop but jay had the file even in his laptop so there will be no problem. As soon as bani put the receiver down she was struck by a sudden realization. Oh god what if jay doesn't sees the wallpaper before the presentation? She tried to call jay but the phone was switched off. On calling in his office she came to know that he had just left for the conference room. Bani sat down and all sorts of wrong things crossed her mind. Finally she couldn't take it and thought of going to jay's office. When bani reached his office, he was still in the conference room with aditya. Bani prayed to god for everything to be fine but actually she was too scared ifā¦ā¦.. anyway jay and aditya came out of the room with serious faces, although the other board members were sharing a laugh. As the other board members left, aditya saw bani standing in front of them. He raised an eyebrow and without uttering a single word led her to jay's cabin. Jay was already in his cabin pacing the floor.
Aditya: "jay, baniā¦"
Jay banged his fist on the table and bani got really really scared. She became sure that the wallpaper had caused trouble. She tried to speak but jay's loud voice dominated.
Jay: "what a silly joke?"
Aditya: "jay jo hua bhool jao."
Bani gathered some courage and intervened.
Bani: "jay I am sorry."
Jay(sarcastically): "oh bani what for you are sorry?"
Bani: "no jay I didn't mean toā¦."
Aditya(putting his hand on bani's shoulder): "hey bani why are you feeling sorry? Let it be. Business mein it's common. Tum batao kaise aana hua?"
Bani couldn't register aditya's word and after she partially realized that jay was not angry with her she uttered 'wallpaper'.
Jay turned towards her with an inquisitive look and started to boot his laptop.
Jay(while entering the password): "bani what's wrong with you? mera wallpaper fir change karna haiā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦" he paused and continued to stare on the screen. He looked at bani and then again looked at the screen.
Jay: "bani are you mad or what? Ye kya lagaya hai tumne? Agar main ye presentation mein le jaata to...........aur ye photo........ ?"
Bani sighed with relief and sat down.
Aditya: "kya baat hai jay, aisa kya hai tumhare wallpaper mein? Woh to baad mein mera file khul gaya varna main to tumhara laptop hi lenewala tha. Maine bani ko bataya bhi tha."
Jay: "thank god! Bani tum ekdin marwaogi. Aur mujhe ye batao tum yahan kisliye aayi thi?"
Bani: "jeejaji ne phone kiya tha tohā¦.. i was scared if board members ke saamne......"
Aditya: "oh what's the fuss all about? Let me see."
While jay tried to hide the screen from aditya, he turned it towards him and aditya's face was lit up. He pulled jay's cheek and muttered repeatedly 'cho chweet'. Jay's eyes were downcast; he blushed profusely which made his face turn red. He rested his hands on the table, somehow he managed to look at bani and then in a very shy manner he again looked at the wallpaper which had the picture of jay, mouth opened to yawn till the extent he could, cuddled up with a cushion, resting his head on the back of the sofa. He wondered how is it possible for bani, who was also sleepy at that time, struck with the idea of capturing the stupid moment? Baniiiiiiiiiiiiiiā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦.. she is too much.
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