OS: That First Pizza
Aahil knew jealousy was a monster. But then, according to Sanam, so was he. Monsters get along well. Right?
Maybe we won't get along as well as Sanam and Rehaan though he thought when he saw them in the kitchen. As usual, Sanam was narrating some funny incident and Rehaan was laughing at it, looking at her lovingly. They were completely oblivious to him. He tried to eavesdrop on their conversation to see what was so interesting. Yes! Eavesdropping. That's what jealousy had reduced him to.
"I have never had a pizza you know? I have always wanted to try it and then learn to cook it myself. Italian cuisine was one of the things on my to-do list when I came to Bhopal. But the turn of events..." Sanam left her sentence hanging in the air, because it would bring back bitter sweet memories. Aahil noticed how her expression changed from happiness to the forget-it-I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it expression.
Rehaan gave an understanding smile and said," I may not be able to change the current state of events but I can definitely make sure that you eat the best pizza that is available here. What do you say? I'll leave early from work and then I can take you to the pizza joint nearby."
Sanam flashed him a pearly white smile and enthusiastically clapped her hands like a child being promised a sweet. As if that didn't show how happy she was, she found it necessary to climb up on the kitchen stool and proclaim, "That sounds like a great plan, Rehaan! I'll be ready in the evening. I can't believe it... my first pizza ever!"
It is at this point when Aahil decided that he needed to intervene. He entered the kitchen as if he hadn't heard the previous conversation at all. He looked at Sanam and said sternly," Sanam get down from that stool right now. If you need something, tell Lateef, he will get it for you."
Sanam got down quietly from the stool, her excitement over the evening already half dead by now thanks to all the butterflies that erupted in her stomach when Aahil entered.
Looking at Rehaan, he continued, "Rehaan, thank God I found you! I thought you had left for office already. You need to go to Indore today itself to close the Singhania deal. We have been delaying that for two weeks now. Stay there for night, get some rest and you can come back tomorrow. Okay?"
To say that Sanam's face fell would be a gross understatement. Even Rehaan was far from 'okay'. Maybe if he told Aahil about Sanam's wish, he could delay it for another day. "Aahil bhai, actually, Sanam has never had pizza and I was supposed to take her to have pizza in the evening. So is it possible that---"
"Rehaan, c'mon, be practical. The Singhania's are not going to wait for tomorrow. You know they still have the quotations from the other builders even though they have agreed to ours. Putting a pizza over this deal is not really our company's policy right? Besides, if she wants to have pizza, I can take her too. I'm the husband after all, right?" he looked at Rehaan giving him his you-know-I-am-right look.
At this, the butterflies in Sanam's stomach mysteriously morphed in to hamsters running on wheels. Sanam looked at Aahil completely shocked. He would take her out? For dinner? Just the two of them? She held onto the table top edge in fear that she might faint.
Rehaan was left with no other choice but to submit. He gave Sanam an apologetic look but Sanam still seemed to be in a state of shock over the sudden change of plans.
"Sure, bhai, it will be done," saying so, he left the room, leaving Sanam, Aahil and a lot of awkward silence behind.
"Are we really going tonight or you just said it for the sake of the act?" She asked, looking for some kind of confirmation.
"Be ready at 8. I won't wait for your fussiness", he said without looking at her. It's a date, he thought and he finally let his lips curve into a smile but not before he was out of her sight.
Sanam's mind was still trying to articulate words together. Somehow, she just couldn't get ahead of," I am going out for dinner with--".
She was not to blame for her so-called-husband's eccentric ways was she now?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sanam was already ready when the clock struck 7 o' clock. That's how nervous she was. She had chosen a navy blue colored suit with a white and golden dupatta and earrings which matched perfectly with it.
She checked herself one last time in the mirror. Since she had so much time on hand, she decided to go down to the kitchen and prepare dinner for the rest of the family.
As promised, Aahil was home sharp at 8 o' clock. Sanam gave Lateef a few instructions about the rest of the dinner and left in a hurry. Sanam walked up to Aahil and indicated with her eyes that she was ready to go but Aahil seemed to be in his own world. He simply couldn't take his eyes off her.
Sanam had to clear her throat loudly so that she could get his attention. Aahil snapped out of what can only be called Sanam-land and before she could suspect anything, he directed her towards the door.
He was an absolute gentleman throughout the ride surprising Sanam with every move. He held out the door of the car for her, made sure the seat belt was clicked in properly and after reaching the pizza joint, he again held the door of the car open for her and offered his hand when she climbed down.
All of this made Sanam feel like she was cherished by him. Like she really was his wife. The simplest of the gestures made her blush and there was a strange feeling at the pit of her stomach. She wanted to blame it on hunger pangs but she knew it wasn't that. She would steal glances at him to see if there was any kind of reaction but his face was absolutely nonchalant.
Over the years of his upbringing, Aahil had mastered the art of a poker face. But around Sanam, he was finding it increasingly difficult to hide what he felt. When she would smile at him, he would feel like smiling back and when she would hold his hand for support, he wouldn't want to let it go. He felt like a love struck teenager. What's worse, he didn't mind feeling like that. He was actually reveling in that feeling. The sensations around Sanam were so different from the ones that he felt in the past around other women that he was actually excited at the prospect of spending the entire evening with her. But he had to make sure she didn't know that last part. He wasn't ready for her to know that just yet that he yearned for her company.
They entered the joint and Aahil had already made a reservation, so he directly took her to their seats. He pulled the seat for her and Sanam took her seat, once again failing to hide her surprise. She smiled at him, and her dimple became even more prominent, finally eliciting an involuntary smile from Aahil.
Sanam read the menu card and half of it went over her head. She didn't understand the names of half the toppings. Jalapenos and gherkins? She didn't even know something like that existed. And who in their right mind adds pineapples to their pizza?
Aahil saw the Sanam's expression changing from confusion to clueless and he understood the problem. He beckoned the waiter and said," Bring me a small pizza of every type one by one, make the crust cheese burst and bring me two cans of Coke to go with the pizzas. Oh also, add in garlic bread with all the dips available."
Sanam and the waiter could only look at Aahil in shock. She glanced at the menu and saw that there were at least twenty varieties of pizza and he had just ordered all of them.
"Are you out of your mind? Who is going to eat so much? I admit I have a huge appetite but it's not big enough for twenty---
"Ma'am twenty four", the waiter corrected her.
She nodded at him and continued," twenty four pizzas and I'm sure neither do you! Please let's just think for a while--"
"Shut up Sanam. You are here to try the pizzas right? Let's focus on that. We can question my state of mind later", he said. He looked at the waiter, "When you bring any pizza, I want you to say the name and describe it to my wife here with the toppings, okay?"
The waiter nodded and saying, "Sure Sir", he left to get the order.
Sanam was still just staring at Aahil. She realized that he understood how clueless she felt about all the toppings and he wanted her to try each and every pizza to fulfill her cravings. She also didn't miss out on he had called her his wife.
"Thank you Aahil" was all she could say.
She looked around to see that their table was in a corner, not in a way that would make it unnoticeable but it was enough to give them a good deal of privacy.
"Do you frequent this place a lot? The people seem to know you" she asked out of curiosity.
Aahil answered recklessly, "In my late teens, I used to bring my girlfriends here. Of course later on, I found better places to take them."
No sooner did he utter those words, than he regretted them. He looked at Sanam to see that there was a moment of hurt in her eyes but immediately shielded it with indifference. Again without thinking, he took her hand which rested on table and said," Sanam, woh actually, I didn't mean it in that way. That was in the past, before I met you. I mean, you are not one of them. No, not like that. You are...different. Okay not different...you are too---"
He was going to say you are too special to be one of them but just then the waiter arrived and Sanam snatched her hand away and looked down as if nothing had transpired between them. As if she had not felt a shiver down her spine when he had taken hold of her hand suddenly.
Sanam focused her attention on the waiter who served the pizza on her plate and described it. It was difficult to follow what he was saying but it was better than looking at Aahil who was still staring at her with guilt ridden eyes. The server left them alone to get the next order.
She picked up the slice and was about to eat it when Aahil held her wrist midair. She raised an eyebrow questioningly and he said, "You haven't added oregano and chili flakes."
"What and what?" She asked, having heard them for the first time. He shook his head, picked up the sachets that had come along with the pizza. He opened one of them which looked somewhat like pepper but was much coarser and sprinkling some of it on the pizza, he said," This is called oregano. It's a kind of herb. It used to add more flavor to the pizza. Then he opens the chili flakes and sprinkling it uniformly on the slice explained, "These are chili flakes. They make the pizza spicier. You see sometimes, the cheese and the toppings are not enough. These two give a very distinct taste to the pizza. Now try it. Oh and after the first bite take a sip of the Coke."
She listened to him carefully, not wanting to miss out on a conversation where he was speaking to her humanly and not degrading her. So lost she was in her thoughts about him, that she didn't notice that he was holding out the slice of pizza for her to eat. Aahil emphatically said, "Sanam" and she finally responded by parting her lips to bite into the pizza.
From the moment she bit into the piece, she was at a loss of words to describe it. The cheese on the crust melted in her mouth and then there was the cheese in between the crust that mingled and it was a different feeling altogether. Involuntarily, her eyes fluttered shut; she sighed loudly and slumped in her seat.
Aahil had to avert his eyes from her reaction because believe it or not, the hair at the back of his neck rose when she sighed. He honestly couldn't think of anything else except get out of the place and kiss her senseless. Seeing where their relationship stood and her current fascination with the pizza, he knew that was not happening anytime soon.
She finally opened her eyes and said, "Beautiful. Just amazing. It was so delicious that I felt as if I made a trip to heaven and back. Oh wait---"
She took a sip of the coke and sighed again." You were right. It is even better with the Coke." Aahil smiled seeing her childlike antics. It was a very rare occasion when Sanam would genuinely accept that Aahil was right about something so Aahil was never going to let her forget this evening for sure.
Under a minute, Sanam managed to finish her first slice and Aahil realized that she was not joking about her appetite. She was about to take her second slice when she saw that Aahil was still looking at her with an amused expression. She frowned and asked, "Why aren't you eating? Are you dieting or something? You have a great physique, you don't need to---" She stopped herself before she dug her grave too deep.
Aahil on hearing this, raised both his eyebrows and asked," Did you just compliment my body? Have you really been observing me that closely Sanam?"
Sanam got defensive and retaliated,"Latif keeps on ranting about you the whole day so I...uh...just saw you the other day and--"
"And?"
Once again, the server or as Sanam thought, her savior arrived with the next pizza and served it to them. While Sanam listened to the waiter intently, Aahil couldn't help but smirk at having caught her. She wasn't that unaffected after all he thought. After the waiter left, he asked again to tease her, "And what Sanam?"
Sanam completely exasperated and flustered, "And I think we should concentrate on the pizzas now. Less talking, more eating."
Aahil nodded and said, "Sure, whatever you say". But one thing that stayed was his smirk. There was nothing that could wipe it off. She would meet his eyes occasionally but look away too quickly, her cheeks reddening whenever she saw that smirk on his face.
Pizzas kept on coming and Sanam would have a different reaction for every pizza and Aahil would just sit back and enjoy watching the emotions play out on her beautiful face. Their hands would brush while reaching for the ketchup or the oregano and they would withdraw it as if it was a reflex. Once when Sanam got ketchup near her mouth, Aahil offered her a tissue to clean it up. Sometimes, he would just observe her eat and saw that she knew all the basic etiquettes of eating. He felt surprised and proud of her at the same time.
By the time the server came with the ninth pizza, they were too full to get another bite in. Aahil called for the check. The server informed Aahil that since the order had already been placed, the bill had been made for the entire order and not just the nine pizzas that they had.
"Yeah. Okay, that's fine by me. Just get me the check" he said carelessly because the money had never been an issue for him. The server nodded and went to get the bill.
Sanam couldn't let him waste all that money for something that they had not even consumed! When the server came back, she enquired before Aahil could give away his credit card, "Since we have already paid for the pizzas, is it possible for you to deliver the remaining pizzas one pizza a day to our address? Also, could you add in a coke for each day?" She gave the server her most saccharine smile. Aahil had never seen her give that wide a smile to anyone till now. She does know how to get her work done he thought amusedly.
The server thought for a while and finally bowed down to that dazzling smile.
"Sure ma'am, we can arrange for that", he said as he went off to swipe the card.
"One pizza a day. Are you sure about that? I mean pizza is considered one of the unhealthiest food products in the world. Too many calories you know" he said, in a teasing voice.
"Are you implying that I will start gaining weight? If you have dated so many women, you obviously know that calling or even implying that a woman looks fat is a punishable offense" she ranted on but it had no impact on Aahil who just smiled cheekily at her. He just wanted a reaction, and Sanam never disappointed.
He got his card back and they left. It was on the drive back when he got tired of the silence and asked, "So do I get a thanks or what?"
"Thank you", she said.
"It doesn't sound very genuine", he said, trying to sound serious.
Sanam was about to retort but then the car came to a halt. They had reached home. On an impulse, Sanam took Aahil's hand. Aahil looked at her to see that she had unshed tears in her eyes.
"My grandmother doesn't like to divulge a lot about my parents. But she always she said that pizza was my mother's favorite. This was the first time I had pizza in my life. So, you have no idea how special it is for me. Thank you Aahil."
Aahil had no words to say. He didn't know that it had meant so much to her. He just gave her an understanding nod and they alighted from the car. To make things lighter, while walking back towards the house he said, "Honestly, Sanam I must tell you this otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight."
"What?"
"There are over 700 calories in a small pizza. Do you really want to take the chance?" he said, quickening his pace to get ahead of her.
"Mr. Aahil Raza Ibrahim, I am not fat and you are the rudest fake- husband ever" she shouted in annoyance.
"Whatever" came the reply followed by a wink. Doesn't change the fact that I am the only fake husband who is actually in love with his fake wife he thought to himself.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, this turned out wayyy longer than I thought. But we honestly need fluff in this forum. No really. Fluff is a fangirl's cocaine. And I am having serious withdrawal symptoms 😆. There are loads of similarities to QH1 if you'll will notice. Yes somewhere, I do miss Zoya's sass and Asad's uptightness.
Like, comment, lemme know your thoughts! Come on, get high on the fluff. 😉
DEVANSHI
Financial markets and global economy
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
