Armaan reaches Delhi as dusk is falling. He tries to call Jassi but to his dismay her phone seems "out of reach". "Network problem!" he mutters and tries again, but to no avail.
He goes to the taxi stand and after a lot of persuasion and bargaining, manages to hire a taxi that will drive him straight to Kangra instead of halting at Chandigarh. But the driver informs him, in a leisurely manner,that they won't reach there before late next morning.
Armu: Kal subah? Lekin main toh aaj raat wahaan pahunchna chahta tha!
The driver laughs heartily. "Kya baat kar rahe hai sirji…..yahaan se Chandigarh hi 4 ghante lagte hai….aur Kangra le liye 6 ghante aur….ab toh raat bhi ho chuki hai…pahaari raasta hai, dheere-dheere gaadi chalaani padegi…."
Armaan grits his teeth and agrees—he has no other choice. 😔
In her room, Jassi is lying on her bed and thinking over what Ashmit said in reply to her phone call—" Jassi ji, maine aapse pehle hi kaha tha, mere paas time nahin hai…lekin sirf aapke liye, main appointment fix kar raha hun….poora din toh main meetings mein busy hoon….haan, kal shaam aap mujhe, mere ghar par mil sakti hai….theek 4 baje!"
Jassi thinks, "Babaji, main koi galti toh nahin kar rahi? Armaan ke manaa karne ka baad bhi, main Ashmit se milne ja rahi hun…lekin main kya karu, mere paas aur koi chaara bhi toh nahin hai…agar jaldi kuch nahin hua, toh wo log apne ghar ko bachaane ke liye apni jaan bhi de denge…aur main aise hone nahin de sakti!"
She tries to call Armaan, but she gets the same message that he had got earlier in the day: Not reachable. She cuts the call and lies back on the bed, her brow furrowed in worry.
Next morning:
Armaan's taxi is taking its own sweet time clambering up the hillside. Armu reaches over and taps the driver impatiently on the shoulder. "Aap zaraa jaldi nahin chala sakte?"
Driver: (unperturbed) Sirji….zaraa raaste ki haalat toh dekho….itne tedhe-medhe mod hai….main koi risk nahin le sakta…..
Armu grits his teeth and mutters, "Damn!" under his breath.
A few metres ahead, there seems to be a blockage of traffic. The driver stops the car and yells out to a passing motorist, "Kya baat hai bhaiya? Jam kyun laga hai?"
To their dismay, they are informed that a landslide has completely blocked the way, and might take hours to clear. Armu bangs his hand on the seat and goes, "Damn, damn, damn!"
Jassi reaches Ashmit's house at precisely 4 pm. A servant shows her in and informs her that he has not reached back yet. Jassi contains her impatience and sits down, putting her briefcase containing Gulmohur-related documents on the table beside her.
Soon Ashmit enters, without a trace of apology for being late. He snaps his fingers at the servant, who enters with a tray of refreshment and sets them down on the table. Ashmit snaps his fingers again, and the servant goes out of the front door, closing the door after him.
Jassi looks extremely uncomfortable. She casts a glance around. Nobody except the two of them seems to be home.
Ashmit offers her snacks, but she waves them off and comes straight to the point: "Unn logon ko beghar na karne ke badle mein aap kya chahte hai?"
Ashmit: (looking intently at her) Aapko aisa kyun lagta hai ki mujhe aapse kuch chahiye?
Jassi: Aap business man hai…bina faayde ke koi deal nahin karte….
Ashmit laughs softly, gets up and walks around the room, stopping right behind her chair. He places both hands on the back of her chair and says, "You are a smart woman."
Jassi: Toh phir kahiye….aap Gulmohur ke saath kaunsi deal karna chahte hai?
He leaves his place and starts walking again, this time stopping so that he is face to face with her. "Mujhe Gulmohur se kuch nahin chahiye!"
Jassi: (puzzled) Toh phir….kisse chahiye?
He leans towards her, pauses and murmurs, "Tumse!"😲
Tomorrow: Jassi's answer
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
CID
