A variation of the story **To tell or not to tell**PG8 update

I just started watching KRPKAB a few episodes back and I love it! I wrote a different version of the story and here's the first bit. I made a few changes as per my "creative license" 😆. I changed the heroine's name to Kasak Sheth instead of Sonakshi Bose and I also changed her from being Bengali to Guajrati. This is because I want to incorporate some more funny dialogues in our traditional Indian languages into the story. And since I'm not Bengali and I couldn't find a decent enough translator online (😭😭), I decided to change the heroine to being Gujarati since I know that language and I can write more freely. While writing, I still imagined Erica and Shaheer enacting the characters. I'm not sure whether to continue. Please let me know what you think. This is my first time writing. PS-I'm a huge Virat Kohli fan (like most other Indians) so a special hug to you if you're a Kohli fan!!

Definately continue.

Would love to see where this story goes.

I like your writing skills😊

Do continue soon

Smooth writing, keep writing !!

The next day, Kasak woke up to the birds chirping outside. Winter had finally gone and spring was here! The warm sunlight brought a smile to Kasak's face; she was tired of Delhi's frigid winter. Instead of getting up, she pulled the covers up above her head, closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. Unfortunately, this did not happen. Instead, Mr. Dixit's handsome face appeared in front of her closed eyes.

"Aa manas ahiya nathi toh pan mane haren kare che! (Even though he's not here, he's still harassing me) He doesn't even let me sleep in peace," she said although she didn't really mind visualizing Mr. Dixit the least bit. A few minutes later, she dozed off again.

The second time around, she woke up to her alarm buzzing off. This time, Kasak got off of the bed and proceeded to have breakfast. After showering and getting ready for work, she decided to visit the hospital first and then go over to Mr. Dixit's house. Even as she sat in an odd numbered rickshaw this morning, she regretted her decision to go to the hospital first because this meant that Mr. Dixit wouldn't be around by the time she reached his house. "Stop it!" she scolded herself. "He doesn't care about you that way!" Afterall, who was Kasak to him? She was just a doctor who took care of his mother. He probably had several other, more beautiful women swarming around all day in the office. And even if he didn't, he could easily find such women at other parties and social gatherings. Knowing his affinity for success, Kasak was sure Mr. Dixit wanted a girlfriend who would suit his status. She would probably be some rich business tycoon's daughter instead of a middle class girl like herself.

Yet, Kasak didn't blame herself for falling for him either. Afterall, she was a young lady and he was an exceptionally good looking young man. Perhaps if they were trapped together in a room or something, he'd be romantically inclined...

Thud! The rickshaw driver hit the brakes hard and Kasak stumbled forward in the rickshaw, directly out of her fantasy. "Pohch gaye, madam," he said. She reprimanded the driver for driving carelessly, paid him and then went into the hospital. After finishing up with the patients, she headed out again to check on Ishwari.

On her way to the Dixit Mansion, she thought of what she would do with her free time tonight. It was Friday night and she had no plans. Normally, she would have to catch up on studying some patients' files or something, but it was not the case this time since everything was going well with all of her patients. She could simply stay in her apartment and relax, but that wouldn't be exciting. Besides, the winter blues had begun to melt away and she had to enjoy the warmer weather before it got unbearably hot as it usually in India during the summer. She texted her friend Elena to see if she was free tonight. Unfortunately, Elena had her final exams in Delhi University starting on Monday.

By the time Kasak reached the Dixit mansion, it was past lunch time and Ishwari and all others had already eaten lunch. Ishwari was taking her afternoon nap so Kasak could not check her vitals. Instead, she decided to prepare Ishwari's chart for dinner tonight and the weekend. As she was preparing the chart, Kasak's phone beeped with a notification.

She grabbed it and checked for any messages. It was a message from her friend Bhoomi, who was going to see a Gujarati play tonight with her cousin who had come to Delhi from Ahmedabad for the weekend. But, Bhoomi couldn't go as she had suddenly gotten sick. She was asking all of her friends if any of them would like to have the ticket and go watch the play instead. She said that her cousin brother was new in Delhi and he was not aware of any locations. So, it would be nice if someone would accompany him.

Instead of replying to the message, Kasak decided to call Bhoomi instead.

"Hello?" came a tired voice from the other end.

"Bhoomi? Kem che ave tane? (how are you feeling now) What happened? How did you get so sick all of a sudden?" Kasak inquired.

"Are yaar...don't even ask about that. I had eaten some street food at a place that I normally don't eat at and I got food poisoning this morning," Bhoomi replied.

"Kasak, can you go to the play with my cousin? Plllease?" Bhoomi asked.

"Pan, huh (but, me)?" Kasak said.

"Yes, please go na! He'll be happy to have your company!" Bhoomi said.

"But first tell me what play is it? Is it a tragedy or a comedy? Because you know I hate tragedies," Kasak said. Bhoomi assured her it was a comedy and said that the name of the play was "Ek Selfie Sajode." (Take a selfie with me-title of the play).

"And Kasak..."
"Yes?"

"Maro cousin bahuj handsome ane interesting che. (my cousin is very handsome and good looking) So, trust me, you'll have a fun night!" Bhoomi hung up laughing.

Kasak couldn't but help smile. She still remembered how Bhoomi and Elena had teased her when they first found out that she was working for Mr. Dev Dixit. They had sincerely tried to patch her up with Mr. Dixit and run several imaginary compatibility tests on the two of them. Yet, the truth remained. And the truth was that Kasak was far, far from being in Mr. Dixit's scope of potential girlfriends given her status, values and her view on life. She didn't know Mr. Dixit much; she only knew that he valued money a lot and he worked insanely hard to make increasing amounts of money all the time. Being a Gujarati, Kasak was no stranger to an individual's affinity for economics and finance, but there had to be a limit. Kasak could very well understand, why in the modern day and age, money had become so vital to everyday life and happiness. Shah Rukh Khan's words from a recent Aap Ki Adaalat interview echoed in her ears. Irrespective of what anyone said, if money brought your family happiness, that money is important. Wise words indeed.

Kasak finished the making the chart and headed towards Ishwari's room. She checked her vitals and told her that all was fine. As she was heading downstairs, she heard her phone beep again. This time, it was a call from the hospital. One of her patients had to be dismissed and the nurse needed her permission to do so. Kasak gave her okay and gave the patient's family members basic instructions as to how to care for him for the next few days until he fully recovered.

All the while she had been talking, Kasak could observe Mr. Dixit's Mami jee making weird faces in her direction. She had learned to simply ignore the woman by now. Just as Kasak ended the call and put the phone down, it went off again. This time, however, it was an unknown number that was not saved in her phone. She picked it up and questioned: "Hello?"

"Hi. I'm Darshan!" said Bhoomi's Ahmedabadi cousin from the opposite end.

"Oh, Hi. Kem cho tame (how are you (formal you))?" Kasak responded.

*Note: Kasak and Darshan talk in formal you in Gujarati. Just like we have "aap" v/s "tum" in Hindi.*

"Actually, I just heard that you are accompanying me to a play tonight. I just wanted to say thanks and confirm where you'd like to meet up," Darshan said; he had a very friendly tone.

"I'll meet you at the coffee shop near Bhoomi's house?" Kasak asked.

"The one where they sell that horrible cappuccino?" questioned Darshan. Kasak laughed.

"Yes, that very one! Tame tya ni Cappuccino try kari? Ane shu thayu? Na bhaavi? (did you try the cappuccino from that shop? You didn't like it, huh?) "

"No, acutally mane toh aej khabar na padi ke ae Cappuccino hatu ke kadavu jhear, (actually, I couldn't understand whether it was Cappuccino or poison)" Darshan finished. "It had such a weird taste to it," Kasak laughed again as she knew how awful the quality of coffee at that coffee shop is. The shop thrived on broke college students as it sold the least expensive coffee while appearing as a somewhat trendy place to hang out at. Occasionally, when there were no other alternatives, Kasak, Bhoomi and Elena would split a coffee while in the area because none of them had the capacity to drink the full quantity of that awful drink by themselves.

"Normally, it is customary for a guy to pick up a girl. But, I really don't know my way around here," Darshan continued.

"No, it's fine," Kasak said.

"I certainly don't want to get lost and then have you rescue me. I feel like that would be against my male code of conduct," Darshan joked. Kasak burst out laughing.

"Yes, I certainly don't want to offend the traditional chauvinism of a Gujarati man," Kasak continued. Once again, she observed Mami jee staring at her from a distance. "Okay, Darshan. Listen, huh tamne paachi phone kari ne details confirm karish. (I'll call you later to confirm the details) I have to go now. I'm at work,"

She proceeded to the kitchen to explain the details of the chart to Keechu bhaiyaa. After that, she once again approached Ishwari, who was sitting with Mami jee and told her that she would have to take Vitamin D supplements from now on. Ishwari reluctantly agreed and Mami jee said, "Agar yeh vitamin hi lena tha toh Dev ne eitni mehangi doctor ko kyun rakha. Vitamin toh hum kharid ke nahi le sakate bazar se?" Kasak walked away without a word.

"Bhabhi, yeh Gujaratan na badi chalak hai. Einhe sirf paiso se matalb hai. Kuch kaam karti nahi hai aur pura time phone par apne doston se Guajrati mein gappe marti rehati hai. Aur humare bhole Dev se eitne saare paise leti hai,"

That made Kasak laugh again...Bhola Dev..my foot! That man was about as entrepreneurial genius as one could imagine. He had such a great business mind that he would recognize a bad deal immediately. And he had picked Kasak because he knew she was the best. And by handpicking her from the best hospital staff in Delhi, he knew that she would have to agree to his terms (although reluctantly so), and the price he would be paying her would not be as high as it would otherwise have been if he didn't know Dr. Singh, Kasak's boss.

Either way, little did Mami jee know that the fat salary that Kasak supposedly seized from Mr. Dixit's bank account every month was not part of her savings at all. Most of it went towards paying her student loans and the rest was spent paying for her apartment, groceries and sending some money to her parents back home to help start her brother's new business.

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Kasak waited for Darshan in the horrendous coffee shop near Bhoomi's house. She wondered how she would recognize him. Before she could contemplate anymore, someone tapped at her shoulder: "Hi, Dr. Kasak?"

She instantly shook hands with the stranger: "Darshan?"

"Yeah, that's me! Saaru thayu tame aavi gaya. Chalo, we're getting late for the play, (it's good that you're here. We're getting late for the play)" Kasak smiled and they walked out of the coffee shop. Kasak realized that Bhoomi was indeed right. Her cousin was a good looking fellow. For one, he was very tall, and had a well-built figure. He also had lean facial features and a set of deep dark eyes. His hair was strictly parted towards the right so that even a single lock of hair may transcend the boundary. Yet, he didn't appeal to Kasak in the same fashion as someone such as...say, Mr. Dixit. Nonetheless, he seemed friendly and at least, hopefully she would have a fun Friday night.

Darshan was driving Bhoomi's car, so they didn't have to go through the hassle of finding an auto rickshaw. He drove through the Delhi streets exactly as Kasak instructed. The conversation didn't proceed any farther beyond: "Left" and "Right!"

"Actually, I would also like to stay for the program after the play. It's a little interaction between the actors, the directors and the audience. And of course, there's going to be a small gathering outside the theater where the audience would get to the try the food from a new Gujarati food shop that's opening in Delhi. I'd love to try it out if you'd like to stay for that bit,"

"Sure," Kasak said.

They reached the theater fairly quickly as it was a short drive. The play itself was very funny and it was apparently a remake of a Marathi play which had been so popular that it was translated in multiple languages. As decided, Kasak followed Darshan into the garden adjacent to the theater, where they were showcasing the latest Gujarati food. However, the event was not as casual as they had expected. In fact, there was a stage set for the owners where they were announcing some stuff about the restaurant's sponsors etc.

Kasak soon realized that Darshan was a true Ahmedabadi; he loved food. While he was busy trying every single dish there was, Kasak decided to approach the stage and see what was going on. She saw a bunch of girls discussing something about someone being really hot. Maybe one of the actors of the play had come on stage to promote the restaurant?

And then, the owner of the restaurant announced: "This is my main business partner in Delhi. This is the man who has helped us set up the first chain of five star Guajrati restaurants in Delhi: Mr. Dev Dixit," Kasak couldn't believe her eyes! What the heck was Mr. Dixit doing setting up Gujarati restaurants across Delhi?

He stood there with his arms folded, smiling arrogantly like the entire world was in the palm of his hands. "Thank you, Mr. Gujral. I really appreciate the introduction. So yeah, we've set up a total of ten restaurants across Delhi and I hope you all enjoy yourselves there. Please spread the word and..." he hesitated. He had noticed Kasak standing near the stage and knitted his brows in inquiry. "And... enjoy the food here tonight," he finished. The lighting on the stage reflected directly off of his honey brown eyes. He excused himself from the owner, Mr. Gujral, and descended from the stage.

He approached Kasak and was about to say something (most probably, something derogatory) when suddenly Kasak felt someone tug at her arm from behind. It was Darshan! He was carrying a giant plate with one of each food item in it. "Kasak! Here try this. Aa kajukatri amazing che! (this kajukatri-sweet is amazing)" He said putting one in Kasak's mouth. From the corner of her eye, Kasak observed Mr. Dixit's face change his usually inanimate expression to shock. As much as Kasak wanted to talk to Mr. Dixit, especially since he had come up to her, she couldn't but help admire how delicious the kajukatri tasted. "Hmmm...Darshan, kharekhar bahuj saras che! (Darshan, it's actually really nice)" she said. Mr. Dixit's brows narrowed even further, trying to understand Gujarati.

Darshan suddenly noticed Mr. Dixit and put the plate on a nearby table. He then wiped his hands with a napkin and extended his right hand towards Mr. Dixit. "Hi. Huh Darshan. Tame aa restaurant na owner cho ne? I have to tell you: Khavanu bahuj saras che. Tamara restaurants definitely bahuj successful jaseh! (Hi, I'm Darshan. You're the owner right? The food is genuinely awesome. I'm sure these restaurants will be very successful)" Darshan said enthusiastically.

Mr. Dixit now looked absolutely furious. Kasak tugged at her nave companion's right arm gently. Mr. Dixit's honey brown eyes lowered their gaze to where Kasak was pulling at Darshan's arm and froze there. "Darshan, aa Mr. Dev Dixit che. Ane aa Gujarati nathi, (Darshan, this is Mr. Dev Dixit and he's not Gujarati)"

"Nathi? (no?)" Darshan questioned Kasak in a sincerely curious and apologetic tone.

"NATHI," Mr. Dixit confirmed from across Darshan and Kasak. Kasak could sense the fury in his tone. But she was even more shocked that he knew what "nathi" meant. Staring directly into Kasak's eyes, he said: "It means no' in Gujarati right? Aap jab mujhe Gujarati mein khari khoti sunati hai toh eitna toh mein sikh hi chukka huh,"

"Oh my...I'm so sorry, Mr. Dixit. I just thought that if you were the owner and you're opening up a chain of Gujarati restaurants across Delhi, you'd be a Gujarati man," Darshan said, clearly embarrassed.

"It's okay," Mr. Dixit said in a tone that clearly implied that it was not okay. "I'm not the owner. I'm a business partner and sponsor of the owner. Gujarati population has increased quite a bit in Delhi now a days. Besides with youngsters who travel so extensively all over India now as part of college trips or volunteering trips or whatever, they're exposed to cuisines from all the states and Gujarati food is quite popular,"

Darshan shook his head in agreement. But, Mr. Dixit hadn't quite finished yet. "I've also noticed that certain Gujaratis don't really like to relent; they stick to their opinions and values," Mr. Dixit said, fixing his eyes on Kasak once again. Was that a taunt or what? As handsome as he was, he had some nerve to stand in front of Kasak (clearly during non-working hours in a non-professional setting) and insult her.

"Darshan, let's go. It's getting quite late," Kasak said. "Bye, Mr. Dixit," Darshan made the waiter pack the rest of the food on his plate and the two headed towards the parking lot. Although Kasak didn't see it herself, she imagined Mr. Dixit would be fuming by now. But why? Was he jealous? Kasak sure hoped so, but she doubted that was the case. Again, she had to remind herself that he didn't think about her that way.

"Oh no!" Darshan said as the approached the parking spot. Kasak noticed why: Bhoomi's car had a flat tire. They couldn't even head home now.

"It's okay. I can help with that," boomed Mr. Dixit's voice from behind. He had followed them?! "Darshan, right? My driver can drop you home. Ms. Sheth can stay with me meanwhile and then I'll drop her off myself in a little bit,"

"Dr. Sheth," Kasak corrected him in her head. She wanted to do it out loud, but she didn't want to insult Mr. Dixit in front of Darshan. Why not? Afterall, he had just done so moments ago. But then again, she simply couldn't do it. On the other hand, she realized that Mr. Dixit had followed them here. So, her mind couldn't but help contemplate on the jealousy hypothesis. "Hmm...Let's make him even more jealous," Kasak thought.

"Arre, but why are you bothering? We'll manage. And you seem to know Dr. Kasak well. It's okay, really. We'll grab a cab and I can get the car tomorrow morning,"Darshan said. But, Mr. Dixit insisted that his driver drop Darshan off. Then Darshan said to Kasak: "Aamno driver mane mukavaj aavato hoy toh tame pan mari saathe j besi jao. (Since he is insisting on sending his driver, why don't you also come with me?) We'll both go to Bhoomi's together and then, you can go home from there. In fact, huh tamne rickshaw ma muki jaish, (I'll drop in a rickshaw myself)" Mr. Dixit's cheeks again got red as he observed Darshan talking in Gujarati to Kasak.

Oh, so that's what he was mad about. Maybe he felt insulted that he couldn't understand the language and they didn't let him in on the conversation. Or maybe, just maybe...he could be a little envious that he couldn't chat with Kasak with the same ease that Darshan just had.

Kasak said: "Haan, chalo. Toh aevuj kariye. (Let's do that) Mr. Dixit, we'll both go together. I guess your driver can drop us both off?" Mr. Dixit's brows once again knitted together, but this time, in fury.

"Ms. Sheth...I NEED TO DISCUSS MY MOM'S MEDICAL REPORTS WITH YOU. I FORGOT TO ASK YOU SOMETHING IMPORTANT YESTERDAY," said Mr. Dixit.

"What?!" said Darshan.

"His mother is my patient," explained Kasak. Suddenly, Darshan seemed to understand it all. Kasak decided to let him go because he had a flight back to Ahmedabad tomorrow afternoon and she didn't want him to be sleep deprived because of her. Besides, he would have to wake up early to pick up the car tomorrow anyways. She decided to bid him goodbye and thank him for the wonderful evening. "Excuse me, Mr. Dixit. One minute please," she said completely sincerely, not trying to induce jealousy or anything so that she can bye to her friend. Mr. Dixit, however, didn't even nod. As Mr. Dixit's driver brought the car and waited for Darshan, Darshan and Kasak walked towards the car and stood near it while Mr. Dixit stood near the sidewalk, observing them.

"So, Darshan. I had a great time tonight. Ane, kharekhar, bahu majja aavi tamne mali ne, (It was a pleasure meeting you)" Kasak said extending her hand. Darshan gladly shook her hand and then extended his arms to give her a hug.

"Dr. Kasak, I had a lot of fun too. I'll get your number from Bhoomi, if you don't mind. And we'll definitely stay in touch. Next time you're in Ahmedabad visiting your family or when I'm in Delhi, we'll definitely meet up again! You're an awesome girl and I'd love to hang out again," Darshan finished.

Kasak realized what he was hinting at. His method of flirting was kind of cute. And if Mr. Dixit hadn't interrupted, Darshan would've probably asked her out. She would've definitely said no, but as she stood there hugging this really affable person, she realized that guys like Darshan were her realistic potential boyfriends, not hot shot business tycoons like Mr. Dixit. Darshan then looked Mr. Dixit, gestured a "thank you" and sat in his car. Kasak observed it as it drove away. She thought about how nice Bhoomi's parents were and how Bhoomi herself talked about her cousin Darshan, whom she finally had a chance to meet tonight. While walking towards the sidewalk, Kasak couldn't help but smile thinking about how Bhoomi had spent an hour picking out a rakhi for Darshan last year, giving the shopkeeper a headache. Bhoomi was an only child, so she was naturally very attached to her cousins.

Kasak's pleasant thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Dixit's cold stare. "What?" she said.

"If you're done blushing thinking about your boyfriend, shall we?" he gestured her to go back into the garden area where the festivity still continued.