Part 14
Arjun did not want to open his eyes. His breathing was as laboured as hers. Maybe more. He stood still, for several minutes, breathing in her familiar rosy scent, till he felt Arohi become aware of their position and surroundings, and struggle to get free. Arjun loosened his hold but did not let go of her. Arohi turned around to face him but her eyes were downcast.
"Tum thik ho?" Arjuns voice was not more than a whisper. If Arohi had not been standing so close to him then she probably would not have heard him. She lifted her eyes to meet his and nodded. Genuine concern and worry was etched on his face.
"Im sorry mom." Both of them turned to see Raj's sorrowful eyes swimming with tears. Arohi left Arjun immediately and rushed to her son and pulled him in her arms.
"No baby. Issme tumhari koi galti nahi hai. Mom ka hi dhyaan nahi tha. I shouldve been more careful." She rubbed her hand soothingly on his back, trying to calm him down.
Arjun had managed to compose himself by now. But watching the mother son bond, his throat chocked up. He suddenly felt left out. "Ok ab jaldi jaldi ye games khatam karte hain aur lunch pe chalte hain. Mujhe bohat bhook lagrahi hai." Arjun suggested walking towards them.
"Ek kaam karte hain, tum dono khelo aur mein humare liye kuch cold drinks le aati hu. Thik hai? Tum kya piyoge Raj?" Arohi asked as she saw her sons cute face break out in a smile.
Raj and Arjun looked at each other and said together "Milk on the rocks" Arohi watched stunned as both started chuckling. Raj looked so adorable when he smiled, laughed. And Arjun, he almost looked like a child himself. The tension gone from his face and with his guard down, he looked equally adorable. As Arjuns smiling eyes turned towards Arohi, she turned around quickly and dashed towards the beverages counter.
+
Rajveer was walking on the footpath. He had gone to visit the owner of a shop down the street. Since there was no parking available, he had parked his jeep two blocks away. Satisfied with the information received, he was looking around as he passed the cafe. That was when he noticed Rashi, wearing a baby pink top, sitting in the cafe booth and staring outside the window. She had a subtle smile on her face, as if she was happy or content about something. From the looks of it she looked alone. Without a second thought, Rajveer turned towards the entrance of the cafe.
She was still looking out of the window, as he entered and started walking towards her. Many people turned their heads to watch the ACP stride inside in full uniform, but she was oblivious. Her elbows were on the table with her fingers entwined under her chin. Her frilly transparent sleeves made her look like a young girl, not a married woman going through a divorce. Rajveer was busy observing her as he failed to realize that he had reached her table and she was looking at him, her eyes wide in surprise.
Rashi thought she was dreaming. Lovedeep had gone to get coffee and had returned as Rajveer? He was looking at her but clearly his mind was distracted. She darted a quick look across the cafe to warn Love about him.
"Hi Rashi... Tum yahan kaise?"
"Uhhh... Woh... Wohi sawal to mein tu se poochna chahti thi... Ki tum... Yaha kaise???"
Rajveer was lost for words. Should her tell her the truth? He should, he was never good at lying anyway.
"Woh mein kisi kaam se iss area mein aaya tha. Baahar window se tumhe dekha, socha hi kehta chalu. Kisi ka wait karrahi ho?" Rajveer answered very casually looking around.
Rashi forced herself to smile as she quickly darted a glance around and saw Lovedeep hide herself in a booth near the opposite corner. "Nahi toh... Maine suna thaa... Ki... Yaha ki coffee bohat famous hai issliye coffee peene chali aayi." She answered him as she saw him slip in the booth, on the seat opposite to hers.
"Akele???" Rajveer could not help his curiosity, nor could he stop the smile from creeping on his face. Somewhere in the corner, a tiny 'thud' could be heard when Lovedeeps jaw connected to the floor, as she watched her most sadu Bhai smile his mischievious smile towards whom, she thought, was a virtual stranger!
"Haaannn... Nahi... Mein akele nahi hu. Tum jo ho yaha?!" Rashi smiled back at him. After her accident, this was the first heart warming smile that he had seen on her face. Or rather he had observed. Whenever they had met before, she was never the focus of his attention. He had been glaring at Arjun or giving dhamkis to Mikhail. His mind had always seen her as just one of 'them'. But now that he was seeing her as an individual, he was observing things about her which made her 'her'. As he delved more he realized that he had not even met her a lot before. So then where was all this analysis coming from?
Rashi stared at Rajveer for a full minute before she snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Kaha khoye ho ACP saab?"
They both broke out into light laughter on her teasing. Lovedeep was exasperated seeing her brother and her new friend continue to bond. She looked at her watch as she took a sip of her coffee, waiting for Rajveer to leave. She kept watching them as a small smile formed on her face seeing their camarederie. Another pair of eyes was trained on them, but with much disgust and hatred.
+
The bowling was finally over and the trio headed out for lunch. Raj wanted to have pizza and hence they headed for the nearest pizza place. Arjun and Arohi were steadily avoiding arguing or even looking at each other. They were still shaken up by what had happened in the bowling parlour. Staying out of each others hair and concentrating on Raj seemed like a sensible plan for now. Raj was enjoying all the attention he was getting. His parents, for once, were focusing completely on him and not on irritating each other.
Lunch and ice cream was a silent affair. Even the shopping session for Raj was very bland. They asked him what he wanted and just bought it. No arguments or anything. Raj was getting bored now. He actually enjoyed his parents nok-jhok and constant bickering. This silence was killing him. He had to do something to make them talk to each other again.
Arjun parked his car and asked Raj and Arohi to enter the park and he will join them in a while. After returning the few missed calls that he had received, he ditched his jacket in the car and headed towards the park. He started folding his sleeves as he started thinking about the Khurana project. Billu just told him that their company had got the project. But as far as he remembered, they had not bid for it. His father was against bidding as he believed that there were people dying to work with them, and hence they need not compete with anyone. Then how had they got it? He tried to think of all the connections through which it was possible.
As he entered the gates, loud noises of children screaming in joy and running around cut short his thoughts. He tried to look for Arohi as spotting Raj in this sea of munchkins seemed impossible to him. There were children playing on slides, see saw, swings and each one had a smile on his/her face. It was so easy being this nave and young. All you had to do to make them happy was give them a small chocolate or swing them high on the swing.
He had to smile looking at a bunch of children playing in the corner, trying to run away from someone. His eyes turned to see that "someone" as he spotted Arohi, with a red cloth tied around her eyes, running around trying to catch these young souls. When she came close to catching a small boy, he squealed in delight as he ran away, as far as possible from her. Everyone was running helter-skelter around her, trying to pull her kurti or hit her arm to distract her. Arohi herself was laughing as she swung her arms desperately to catch hold of atleast one person.
Arjun loved to see Arohi laugh. Maybe he should keep her blind folded her entire life so that she doesn't know he was looking at her and she would display her emotions freely for him to adore. He was smiling, lost in his thoughts, as he saw her approaching him, and before he knew it she had crashed against him. He held her shoulders to keep her steady and the children around them started clapping in joy.
Arohi did not have to remove her blindfold to know it was Arjun. She just pulled down the piece of cloth from her eyes, looked at him, and said "Your den." The kids were completely thrilled with these two adults who were taking active interest in their games and keeping them entertained. Raj being the happiest.
Arohi went to drink water after a while when Raj turned to Arjun. "Dad mein na mom ke liye ek gift laya hoon jo gadi mein hain. Mom wapas aajaye isse pehle mein le aata hoon." Arjun nodded. He scowled as his son ran to the car, realising that Raj had not bought him any gift!
Arohi could not see Raj or Arjun when she came back to the same spot where she had left them. Looking around she spotted Arjun, whose back was facing her, talking to who looked like, the most sexiest girl in the vicinity. Arohi gritted her teeth in anger. She could not leave this man alone for one moment!!! Saari duniya ki ladkiyon ko issise kyu baat karni hai?? Didn't they know he was married??? Maybe she should make him wear a mangalsutra from tomorrow so that girls stay away from him! Stomping in anger she walked towards them.
"Mujhe Rudra uncle ne bataya ki six months ke baad tumhara divorce hone waala hai. Aur mujhe London se waapas aana hi tha, toh socha abhi aa jaau. Tumse milne ka, tumhe samajhne ka aur tumhare saath kaam karne ka chance milega." Battling her long eyelashes, she spoke to Arjun, with desire flashing clearly in her eyes. Arohi just heard this much but it was enough for her to react.
Before Arjun could respond, he felt a pair of soft hands grab his middle from behind and Arohi press her face in his back as she said, "Arrrjjjuuunnn."
Sweat broke out on his forehead. He gave a scared smile to the girl in front of him as Arohi bend sideways to look at him, without loosening her hold. "Tum kahan chale gaye they??? Maine tumhe kitna miss kiya pata hai. Aur Raj kahan hai? Usska birthday celebrate karne toh aaye haina hum." Arjun glared at her as she came around to stand next to him, her left hand still around Arjuns waist.
"Hi, Im Arohi. Arjuns wife. Aur tum?" Arohi extended her hand. The opposite girls eyes widened with shock, to be replaced by amusement as she took her hand. "Hi, Im Natasha, from London. Meri aur Arjun ki shaadi hone waali hai, after you guys get divorced."
Arohi laughed and shook her head looking at Arjun. "Arjunnn... Tumne abhi tak isse bataya nahi?" She turned towards Natasha. "Woh kya haina, humey 6 months ka period mila hai, to WORK on our marriage. Meri family toh chahti thi ki hamara divorce jald se jald ho lekin Arjun ne unke saare gande plans ko barbaad kar diya. Bichara itna roya uss din court mein judge ke samne, itna gidgidaaya ki 'please meri Arohi ko mujhse mat cheeno', ke judge sahiba bhi apne aansu rok nahi paayi! Haina Arjun?"
Arohi smiled sweetly at him as Arjun continued glaring at her. She could feel his body shaking with anger underneath her hand which was holding his waist tightly. Natasha kept looking at them both.
"Whatever. Arjun, kal office mein milke baat karte hai. Ciao." She walked away as gracefully as she could in her short, tight, red dress. The moment she was out of eyesight, Arjun pushed Arohi away.
"Pagal ladki. Dimag kharab hai tumhara??? Tumhe pata hai tumne abhi kya kiya hai! Ab Natasha jaake sab kuch dad ko bata degi. Raj ke celebration ke baare mein bhi aur tumhare iss natak ke baare mein bhi."
Arohi raised an eyebrow at him. "So??? Bechaala Aljoon apne daddy se daltaa hai???" She asked him faking a pout. The next moment her face became serious. "Aur uss din tumne jo court mein kiya woh? Tab tumhe bada mazaa aaya thaa na. Maine tumse pehle hi kaha tha, agar tumhe ye saari cheap harkate karni hai to mujhe divorce do aur jo karna hai karo. Lekin tab tak ill not let you have your cake and eat it too. Samjhey Mr Arjun Singhania!!!"
"YOU... " Arjun started towards Arohi as he noticed Raj, standing a few feet away, holding a packet in his hands, looking at his parents.
... and b***h # 2 enters! please thank moon for this development 😆
im finding it a bit difficult to write everyday as im getting caught up with work. just as a heads up, i may update every alternate day from next week. sorry for this!
Edited by cherry227 - 12 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
