Fatima's Cozy Corner 3 - Final Update on Pg 114 :) - Page 67

Chapter 51 - The Calm Before the Storm

A waiter led Herman and Maya to their table at a restaurant.

"Outrageous!" fumed Maya. "The paltry sum that jerk was offering my client as alimony...outrageous I tell you!"

"Come on Maya," sighed Herman. "I've had a tough day at work too, and now I just want to relax and enjoy my dinner in peace. Can we please not talk about anything work related right now?"

"But Herman this is important!" cried Maya. "You should have seen his smug little face. He thinks just because he hired Jaswinder Singh to fight his case, he would scare me or my client. He actually had the gall to suggest we settle the matter out of court."

"And you declined," said Herman.

"Of course, I've never lost a case, and I'm not going to lose this one either," Maya said with narrowing eyes. "That scum bag cheated on his wife. We're going to take him to the cleaners and laugh all the way."

"Acha yeh sab chodo (Okay, let's change the topic)," said Herman. He picked up a menu and motioned to a waiter. "What do you want to eat? Their butter chicken is pretty famous."

"Butter chicken? Really Herman...," Maya rolled her eyes. "How do you expect me to keep this slvete figure if I eat butter?"

"Fine," sighed Herman. "Order whatever you want."

Maya studied the menu carefully before giving the waiter her order. The waiter made note of everything, then collected the menus. As he took Maya's menu from her, he accidentally knocked over her glass of water. Some of the water spilled on her designer purse.

"My bag!" she stood up fuming. "You idiot, tumhara dheyan kidhar hai (what were you thinking)!"

"Sorry ma'am, it was an accident, I swear," the waiter stammered.

"Accident my foot!" cried Maya. "I want to see the manager right now!"

"Ma'am please...," pleaded the waiter.

"Maya calm down, he said it was an accident," said Herman. "What do you want to do, get the poor man fired?" He motioned for the waiter to leave.

"Oh...so you're going to take his side now are you?" fumed Maya.

"It was just water for God's sake!" exclaimed Herman. "Kiska ghussa kis pe nikal rahi ho (don't you think you're misdirecting your anger)?"

Before Maya could answer, her phone rang. It was Daljeet Rampal. "Ack! It's the wicked witch," cried Maya. "I'm sure she's wants us to pin Preet down with a final wedding date. Just what I need to give me indigestion even before I eat. I swear Herman...the things I do for your family."

"My family...?" said Herman.

Maya held her hand up to silence him then put on a fake smile and answered the phone. "Good evening Mrs. Rampal."

"Do you have any idea what he did?!" Daljeet screeched on the other end. "I will make you all pay for this Maya...all of you!"

"Daljeet darling, stop screaming in my ear and tell me what happened," said Maya. She gave Herman a confused look. "Who did what to you? You don't need a divorce lawyer do you?"

"Your devar...that...that Preet!" cried Daljeet.

"What about Preet?" Maya asked worriedly. Her eyes grew wide as Daljeet told her about Preet showing up at Meher's wedding and taking her away. "What?! Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," said Daljeet. "Viren and his parents are sitting in my living room, and my daughter...my poor Ash...she's crying her heart out. If you think your family has played us for a fool Maya, you have another thing coming!"

"No...I...I mean...," tried Maya.

"Rishap and I are on our way to see Lalit," Daljeet interrupted her. "Drop whatever you're doing and get your ass over there."

"What happened?" asked Herman as he watched his wife solemnly put her away.

"Preet...," whispered Maya.

A short while later...

Heer and Maya stood nervously on one side of the room as Lalit paced the library of the Juneja mansion.

"He's not answering," Herman shook his head as he put his phone away.

"Uh...maybe he's some place where the signals aren't that good," suggested Heer. "Or...maybe his battery died. It can happen you know."

"The last time I spoke to him was this afternoon," Herman told his father. "He was on the way to the office, because he needed to send some papers to Prem. When he learned I was there, he asked me to send them instead. He said he was running late for a friend's wedding."

"Hmph! He did more than attend the wedding, he ran away with the bride!" exclaimed Daljeet.

"That good for nothing imbecile!" cried Lalit. "If any of you are trying to protect him...I swear I'll...! Heer! Did you know he was going to do this?!"

"N-No Bauji," said Heer. She wrang her hands nervously as Lalit eyed her suspiciously.

"I...I haven't spoken to Preet since breakfast either," said Maya. "I thought he was with Ashlesha."

"Oh my poor Ash!" sobbed Daljeet. "What will become of her?"

"What will happen?" Rishap spoke up. "Our daughter is one in a million. You'll see, there will be a line outside our door of eligible young men seeking her hand. But trust me Lalit..." He poked finger at Lalit's chest. "You won't find a line of investors outside yours. You're finished I tell you...finished!"

"Mr. Rampal, I will not stand here and watch you behave rudely to my father," frowned Herman.

"You think I'm behaving rudely?" Rishap turned on him. "What your brother did was a slap in his face!"

"Um...uh...let's not be rash here," said Maya. "Preet didn't get married to Meher, he just walked out with her, right? Maybe it's not too late. Let's not assume the worst, and put all our energies into finding him instead. Right Heer?"

"Uh...yeah," Heer gave her a weak smile.

Later...

Preet yawned. He had been driving for five hours and he was tired. He glanced over at Meher. The excitement of the day had caught up to her. She was fast asleep, leaning against the car window, stirring every now and then only briefly as another car whooshed by. She was still dressed in her bridal attire. Rather than being miserable as she had been earlier that day, however, her features looked relaxed and worry free. He smiled at how pretty she looked, almost like a porcelain doll.

"Mmm...are we there yet?" she mumbled in her sleep.

Preet shook his head and smiled. She had whined like a 5 year old asking that question repeatedly until he had figured out why she was being so grumpy. She was hungry. They had stopped and eaten at a dhaba before continuing on their journey, and now they had reached Kasauli. Kasauli...the place where he had spent his most memorable childhood summers. The last place where he remembered seeing his family happy together.

He slowly brought his car to a stop at the foot of a hill, then reached over gently nudged her. "Meher...wake up...we're here."

"Hmm...," Meher mumbled. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked out the window. It was cold and dark outside. Tall trees loomed over them like shadows.

"Our summer house is at the top of this hill," Preet explained as he helped her out of the car. "I'm afraid we'll have to leave the car here and walk the rest of the way. Come on."

They slowly walked up the hill until they reached a small cabin. "You're really going to love it here Meher," Preet said excitedly. "My family and I used to come up here every summer when I was younger. Some of my best childhood memories are of the time I spent here. It's been almost ten years since I last came to Kasauli, but I'm sure not a lot has changed." He tried the door knob but it was locked. Meher gave him a worried look. It was cold and she was already rubbing her arms for warmth. Preet smiled and hit the door with his elbow. A lone key fell into his hand from atop the door frame. "See...nothing's changed." He quickly unlocked the door and pushed it open, then turned around and put his arms around Meher.

"Preet!" she gasped when she saw him bend down slightly. "What do you think you are doing?"

"I'm going to carrying my bride over the threshold," grinned Preet.

"Have you lost your mind? Or did you forget that your bride is no size zero?" said Meher.

"Relax Meher," said Preet. "I got this." He attempted to lift her, but let out a loud grunt instead. "Ugh! Damn that's heavy." Meher's mouth fell open. "Uh...I meant the dress...it's making you heavier than you really are."

"Preet Juneja," Meher pursed her lips.

"Just kidding," winked Preet.

"EEEKK!" Meher cried in surprise as he suddenly scooped her up into his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Preet, I swear if you drop me..."

"Relax, I told you, I got this," Preet reassured her.

"Yeah well, don't blame me if you throw your back out," said Meher.

"Meher, if I drop you, it's not my back that will be at stake," chuckled Preet. He stepped into the cabin, and hit the light switch with his elbow. "Tan ta daaa! Huhn?" His voice suddenly went from being excited to deflated. He carefully placed Meher down and looked over the dismal state of the cabin. Cobwebs hung from every corner. Some pieces of furniture were covered with white sheets, while others had a thick layer of dust on them.

"It's...um...," Meher tried to think of something nice to say.

"Dilapidated," sighed Preet.

"Rustic...," Meher tried to sound cheerful. "I was going to say rustic."

"What happened to this place?" Preet wondered out loud.

"Nothing happened to it Preet," said Meher. "This is what happens to houses when they are abandoned. But don't you worry, a good cleaning and this place will be back to the way you remember it. In the mean time, perhaps we can do something about the cold."

"Right," said Preet. He pulled a sheet off a sofa, and patted the cushion. "Here, have a seat. There should be wood in the shed out back. I'll go get some. We'll get a fire going and this place will warm up in no time."

Meher watched him leave then took a quick tour of the cabin. There were two bedrooms, one bath, separate living and dining areas and a small kitchen. Looking outside the window, she could make out what looked like a deck or balcony. She tried to imagine what the place would have been like when Mrs. Juneja was alive. She and Preet would make new memories for themselves here, but first, she needed a change of clothes.

Just then Preet walked in with an armful of wood. He kicked the door closed with his foot, walked over to the fireplace and placed the small load down. "Woah! It's getting colder outside by the minute," he said. "If this keeps up we just may get some snow."

"Really," Meher said excitedly. "I've never seen real snow before. Acha sunno...you must be dead tired after that lengthy drive. Why don't you go freshen up and then get ready for bed? Oh and do you want this room or that one?"

"Uh...Meher...we're married now," Preet reminded her. "Why would we need separate rooms?"

"Oh yes!" said Meher, as if that reality had just struck her. "We're married now...why would we need separate rooms? Sorry Preet, I'm still getting used to the idea."

"It's okay," said Preet. "And uh...I'm fine. I made a pit stop at the last gas station I fueled up at, and you slept most of the way over here so you must be fresh too. So...uh...we can...uh...stay up all night if we wanted to."

"All night?" Meher tried to conceal her smile as she feigned ignorance. "Uh...why would we want to stay up all night?"

"Wh...why? stammered Preet. Wait, was she pulling his leg? Why do married couples stay up all night? Oh God, how should I put this so that I don't come off sounding like a hungry bear wanting to pounce on her? "So we can...uh...spend some...quality time...uh...yeah...that's it...so we can spend some quality time together."

Meher thought for a minute. "No Preet," she shook her head. "You look tired. I think you should definitely go right to sleep."

"Meher trust me, I'm fine," insisted Preet. He dropped to the floor and did several push-ups then jumped up to a standing position again. "See, I'm as fresh as a daisy. Come...I'll get the fire started and then we can..."

"We can what?" asked Meher.

He smiled, pulled her into his arms, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Preet...," blushed Meher. She shook her head and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" asked Preet.

"I'm going to see if I can find something to change into," said Meher. "I seriously need to get out of these wedding clothes."

"Getting out of clothes...already? Badi jaldi hai tumhe (you're in a hurry to do so)," grinned Preet. "Want me to help?"

"No thanks," chuckled Meher. "You keep working on that fire."

"Hai!" Preet put both hands on his heart. "And what about the fire burning in my heart?"

"Uff Preet! Filmy banna bas karo (stop being so filmy)," Meher rolled her eyes.

"Lekin Meher...," tried Preet, but she had already turned to go. "It's alright." He called out after her. "I can wait. After all...we have all night. All night Meher! Did you hear that? All night!" There was no reply. He shook his head, removed his jacket and tossed it on the sofa. He then rolled up his sleeves and sat down in front of the fireplace. "Chal Preet beta...pehle iss fire pe concentrate kar (concentrate on this fire first)."

A short while later...

Preet managed to get a good fire going. He yawned as he held his hands out over it to warm them, then walked over to the kitchen and searched through the cabinets. Not surprisingly, they were quite bare, but he did manage to find some instant coffee and sugar. Perfect, he smiled, as he set the kettle on the stove to heat some water. He then took the broom standing in one corner, and used it to clear the area around the fireplace. In the hall closet, he found a couple of sleeping bags and spread them out over the shaggy rug on the floor in front of the fireplace. He added some cushions and created a comfortable space. Just then, he remembered the water boiling on the stove. He ran back to the kitchen and soon returned with two piping hot cups of coffee. He placed them on the hearth and then stood back to look at the space he had set up. Hmm, something was still missing. He looked around and found a vase with decorative artificial flowers in it as well as some candles. A search through his jacket's pockets turned up an unopened chocolate bar. He brought these items back and placed them near the mugs of coffee. He then lit the candles, and turned off the lights. Yes! He rubbed his hands together and smiled. The fire roaring in the fireplace was beginning to heat up the small cabin nicely. And, although he didn't have much to work with, he had managed to create a nice romantic spot where he and Meher could snuggle up to each other and relax. He smiled to himself at the thought. He and Meher were finally going to be together and he was determined to make it as memorable as possible. He looked at the time on his watch and yawned. Speaking of Meher, where was she? Man, girls not only took time to get ready...they took equally long to get unready. Unready? Was that even a word? He sat down, stretched his arms out and yawned again. The cozy warmth of the room was making him feel drowsy. But he wasn't going to sleep. No siree! Not tonight of all nights. He puffed the cushions up behind him and lay down to relax as he waited for Meher.

Moments later, Meher came out of one of the bedrooms, dressed in a simple white kurta. "Sorry I took so long Preet. It took forever to get all that makeup and jewelry off. I found this in the closet. I don't know who it belonged to but..." To her surprise, she found Preet fast asleep. As she knelt down beside him, she saw the candles, flowers, chocolate, and untouched cups of coffee. He did all this for me? How sweet! She nudged him gently. "Preet...?" He was completely out of it. Everything that happened that day coupled with five hours of driving would do that to a man. Meher thought for a minute, then went to the bedroom and brought back a blanket. She placed it over them then lay down next to Preet. Using her elbow to prop herself up, she watched him sleep for some time and smiled at how at peace he looked. "I love you Preet Juneja," she whispered, before leaning over and placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

Preet stirred in his sleep. Turning towards Meher, he threw his arm around her and drew her close to him. Meher suddenly felt a swarm of emotions stir inside her just from his touch. She found herself almost wishing that he would wake up. Should she wake him? But he's so tired, wouldn't that be selfish? She blushed at the thought of what he would do if he woke up and found her in his arms. She shook the naughty thoughts from her head, then tucked her head under his chin and hugged him back. Wrapped up in his tight embrace, she soon fell asleep to the gentle rhythmic sound of his breathing.

The next morning...

Preet woke up with a start, and found himself sprawled in front of the fireplace in the living room. For a minute, he was disoriented. Where was he? The summer-house in Kasauli...of course...he and Meher had come there late last night. "Meher?" he called out.

Meher appeared from the kitchen holding two fresh cups of coffee. She was dressed in a white kurta, which was way too big for her, and what looked like a bedsheet disguised as a sarong. Her hair was wet and there was a towel around her neck. "You're up," she smiled and handed him a cup. "Here. No milk so it's black, but it has two spoons of sugar just as you like."

"Thanks," mumbled Preet. He watched her walk towards the windows and pull the curtains back. "Uh...Meher...what happened last night?"

"What do you mean?" asked Meher.

"I mean, what am I doing here on the floor?" asked Preet.

"Oh that...you fell asleep," said Meher.

"I fell asleep?" he said in surprise.

"Yeah...I went to change and when I came back you were fast asleep," explained Meher.

Unbelievable! The great Preet Juneja fell asleep on his wedding night! How the hell did that happen? "You mean I didn't...I mean...we didn't...?" he stammered.

"We didn't what?" Meher asked trying her best to conceal a smiled. Strands of her wet hair fell forward as she towel dried her hair.

Preet watched water droplets from her wet hair slowly roll down her neckline and disappear into her kurta, behind buttons that concealed...Ahem! He forced himself to focus on her face. Her cheeks looked so soft and pink. He watched as she accidentally stepped on the sheet wrapped around her waist causing it to unravel and expose her long legs.

"Oops!" said Meher, as she gathered the sheet and tied it securely around her waist again.

He had all that waiting for him and he fell asleep! "Why didn't you wake me up for heaven's sake?" he asked in a frustrated tone of voice.

"You were so tired, I didn't have the heart. Besides why would I have woken you?" Meher ruffled his hair teasingly.

Preet grabbed her wrist as she tried to pass by and pulled her down into his lap. "You know why," he grinned. He wrapped his arms around her, buried his face into the crook of her neck, and breathed in her soft lilac sent. "Mmm...you always smell so good."

"Preet!" giggled Meher. "Chodo mujhe (let me go)."

"Come on Cinderella we're married now," Preet reminded her. "Thoda morning romance to banta hai (I'm entitled to a little morning romance)."

"How can you think of romance on an empty stomach?" protested Meher.

"What?" said Preet.

"I'm hungry Preet. Not just hungry, I'm starving," said Meher. "We haven't had anything to eat since the stop we made at the dhaba last night. My stomach has been making all sorts of not so lady-like sounds, and all the cupboards here are bare...and...before you mention it, I already ate the chocolate bar you left out last night."

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I'm hungry too. Alright Mrs. Juneja, you win, we'll go get something to eat," chuckled Preet.

"And clothes," added Meher. "I can't stay in this borrowed kurta and bed sheet for long."

"I don't know...I think you look kind of cute," teased Preet.

"Preet...," frowned Meher.

"Okay okay...and clothes," said Preet. "Anything else?"

"We should pick up some supplies while we're at it," said Meher. "Just how many days can we stay here? Are you sure you're not going to be missed at the office?"

"Uh...well actually...," before Preet could say more, they were surprised by a knock on the door.

"Were you expecting someone?" asked Meher, as she quickly stood up.

Preet shook his head. "No." He tossed the blanket to one side and went to answer the door. A familiar looking old man stood outside.

"Saab Ji, is that your car parked at the foot of the hill?" the old man asked.

"Yes," said Preet.

"Ye private property hai (this is private property)," the old man said. "Aap log kon hain (who are you people)? And how did you get inside?"

Preet thought for a minute. "Ramu kaka? It's me Preet."

"Preet Baba?" the old man said in surprise. "Arey wah! I haven't seen you in ages. You're so grown up now. How is your family? And Kulraj, Prem and Herman Baba? And little Veera? I heard she got married."

"Yes she did," smiled Preet. "Everyone is just fine."

"Good. Good. It's good to see someone from the family finally come up and use this cabin," sighed Ramu Kaka. "I thought you had all but forgotten about it and old Ramu. When Gaytri Ma'am was alive, this whole place used to be full of laughter." He looked past Preet and glanced at Meher questioningly.

"Uh...this is my wife, Meher," said Preet. "Actually, we just got married."

"Acha (Really)! You too? Congratulations!" smiled Ramu Kaka.

"Namaste," smiled Meher.

"Jeeti raho (stay blessed)," Ramu Kaka raised a hand and smiled at her. "Khush raho (stay happy). Well now, this is embarrassing. Preet Baba, why didn't you let me know you were coming? I would have made sure the place was cleaned and ready for you."

"Woh...uh...it was kind of a spur of the moment decision," said Preet.

"Alright then, please tell me, how I may be of service to you both?" asked Ramu Kaka.

"Um...we'd like to go into town and do some shopping," said Preet. "We'll be gone for a couple of hours. Could you have the cabin tidied up while we're gone?"

"Consider it done," smiled Ramu Kaka. "If Dulhan Bibi will give me a list, I'll have the cabin stocked with whatever you need too."

"Excellent," smiled Preet.

"Uh...Ramu Kaka, there is one more thing you can do," said Meher. She pointed to her clothes. "I can't exactly go into town wearing this."

Ramu Kaka looked from Meher to Preet with a raised eyebrow. "You two didn't run away and get married did you?"

"Heh Heh," said Preet. "Spontaneous...remember?"

Ramu Kaka assumed he was joking. He threw his head back and laughed out loud. "Preet Baba...you haven't changed a bit." He took a bunch of keys that were hanging from his belt. "Come Dulhan Bibi, I have just the thing."

A short while later...

Lalit Juneja slammed the newspaper down on the breakfast table hard enough to make the silverware jump. His family exchanged worried glances with each other.

"Just look at that!" cried Lalit, as he got up and shoved the paper towards Herman. "Rishap Rampal has not only retracted all offers of investment, he's warning others to stay away from us as well! Our stocks have plummeted! All because of that idiotic brother of yours! Herman, get Prem on the phone right away!"

"Ji Bauji," said Herman.

"Mommy, why don't we just tell Dadu we spoke to Preet Chachu and Meher Chachee?" Chahat leaned over and whispered to Heer. "Then he'll be happy to like we are."

"Oh no Chahat," Heer whispered. "Remember what mommy explained to you. Preet Chachu wants to surprise Dadu himself. So we have to keep quiet, otherwise we'll spoil the surprise. Now hurry up and eat your cereal." Oh God! What a mess! sighed Heer. Ordinarily she wouldn't have backed down from standing up for Preet, but Bauji was seething with anger. It was best to remain quiet. At least until she got in touch with either Prem or Preet.

"What the hell is taking you so long Herman?" roared Lalit.

"Prem Bhaiya is not answering Bauji," sighed Herman.

"Heer, you try him," ordered Lalit.

"Ji...ji Bauji," stammered Heer.

Just then Lalit's phone rang. He looked at the number as if trying to recognize it. "Hello?" He stepped away from the table as he spoke to the person on the other end. He was back at the table as soon as the call ended. "That was Ramu, the old caretaker of our property in Kasauli. Preet is up there, and she's with him."

I hope you all found the chapter interesting. 😊

Please hit the like button and leave your feedback for me.
It would be greatly appreciated.
Links to lots of Meet scenes are on page 1, 5th post of this thread, so do check them out.
Take care and happy reading. 🤗

Chapter 52 Preview: Preet and Meher in Kasauli

Link to: Chapter 52

Link to Table of Contents: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/136805557

Originally posted by: mijanur

Wow awesome update.

Great to see Preet and Meher started their married life and have some romantic moment.

Lalit as usual behaving like payyar ka dushman, I hope rest of the family will give him some akal.

Originally posted by: sana.harshiti

Amazing update as always Fatima

Love it

Originally posted by: sherma

Finally read n meet married 😉

So waiting for their romance I dint even bothered to read Lalit juneja part. Y is he still there. Thanks for pm. Do continue soon. PS I might not able to leave feedback as soon as I read cause of my schedule these days😛 But pls send me pms we never. U update or write more on meet