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Manhattan, New York...
Sept 27, 2014...
Kat quickly packed her stuff after her shoot and headed towards her car. If she wants everything to be ready before he comes home, she needs to hurry. She is already running behind schedule already. She beeped her white Toyoto Corolla 2013 opened and hopped in after dropping her bags in the trunk.
First, she drove over to the grocery store to pick some groceries as she knew he would like nothing better than home-made food. She could even surprise him as he had no clue that she has been learning how to make his favorite Indian dishes. She smiled thinking of his reaction.
After buying the groceries, she quickly headed towards her car parked in the parking lot. She put the groceries in the back seat and hop in again but this time for the final destination. As she drove, she checked the time on her phone. It said 9 p.m.
Mentally cursing herself for taking the photoshoot offer today even though she knew it would be bad idea, she quickly drove to his apartment. Well as fast as a human could but Manhattan's traffic really didn't help her situation. Anyhow, she got finally got to his apartment complex. It was located in the Upper East Side of New York. Super Expensive! But sweet view!
She carried all the stuff from her car to her his studio apartment. It took her two trips because there was so much stuff. Finally she unlocked the door with his spare key that he had given to her and went inside. After putting down, all the things down on the table. She slumped down on the couch panting.
She was already exhausted and she hasn't even started! She looked at the clock ahead. It says, "9: 30". Pulling her remaining energy together, she sit up. She looked around. The house was clean so she doesn't have to bother about cleaning. She only had to cook and decorate.
11:45 p.m...
It took every ounce of energy but she did it! She looked around the living room seeing hard work. She hanged some hanging paper lanterns of black and white across the ceilings.She had bought red and white balloon and put around the corner of the room: two bunch of them. She didn't want to go over board with the decoration as he was not a kid so she only did simple things like: a candle decoration, which was very romantic, and Chocolates, a lot of them and his favorite kind. Simple but sweet. Just like he likes it. She made his favorite: mutton pulao and shami kababs. The whole house was decorated. Now the only wait was for him to come.
Living Room[It is night time but all the pics are taken in daytime so just imagine night]
Hanging Paper Lanterns:
Balloons:
Candle Decoration[Imagine it on his center table]
Chocolates:
She walks into the kitchen to check her food out. She had gone all out and made this birthday his best. She smiled as she looked at the food hoping it tasted as good as it looked.
Satisfied with her work, she covers the dishes and opens the fridge. There is his mouse chocolate cake and his pepsi and in the freezer there is his favorite cookie n cream ice cream.
Chocolate Mouse Cake
Just then she heard somebody click open the main door. She quickly brings the door and closes the fridge door. The living room was dark except for the light coming from big window. Somebody with muffled steps across the living room into the master bed room. The door shuts closes. Kat quietly brings her I-phone out of her pocket and checks the time. 11:50 p.m. She nods and waiting quietly walks out to the living room.
She plugs in the hanging paper lantern making them luminate in the night. Next she sits down on the carpet and lights the candles around the rose petals and the big candle. The chocolate packages were stacked on one side. She puts the cake on the other. She stands up and checks everything one last time.
Suddenly she gets up and runs into the kitchen again. She had left her bag there. She pulls a small box which was wrapped and comes out. She puts the box beside the chocolate stack hiding it.
Just then the master bedroom's door open. A guy in black and white check pjs and black shirt walks out. He looks up surprise with the sudden brightness. He looks around at the decoration, cake, candles and then his eyes settled on Kat. He smile. First a small and then full-flash big one.
"You remembered," though it was a question it came out as a statement as he walked towards her. She also walk towards him. Then both met in front of the table. "Happy Birthday, Ranbir!" she said with a big smile. "Thank you," he said huskily as he took another step and hugged her.
After they break apart, Ranbir smile down at her. "You did all this? for me?" he ask not believing. "Abhi to kuch bhi nahi. Just wait and watch," she tells him with her trademark smile. He nods and smile. "Acha what do you want first? Cake or food?" she ask not sure. "Chocolates!" he said not picking of the options given to him as reached out to grab the box. She shakes her head and hits his hand reaching the box. "Aaa.. that hurts," Ranbir said rubbing his hand.
Kat squint her eyes and said with authority, "No sweets before dinner. Sit. I will serve the food," she said pointing to towards the dining table. It was small square table for four. Then she picked the cake and walked into the kitchen. Ranbir smile shaking his head at her antic and sits down on his chair waiting for her.
She comes out after a minute with a platter of button biryani and a platter of shami kabab. She had already sat the table. She went back and brought the pepsi bottle from the fridge and then sat down in front of him. He looked surprise. He looks at the food and then back at her. "Where did you get the food from? It smells really good," he ask casually as he pulled the mutton briyani platter towards him as he spoon some on his plate.
When Kat doesn't reply, he looks up at her. She looked nervous. He scrunched his eyebrows and asked, "No it can't be! You..?" he left his sentence incomplete motioning towards the food. Getting some confidence, she said with a smile as she slid a shami kabab on his plate, "Khao aur batao kaisa hai?" He watches quietly. He smiles and nods. Then he took the first bite.
Kat waited holding his breath as he remained expressionless and chewed on the food. His eyes were focused on the food. He looks up and found Kat looking at him intently. "So how is it?" she ask holding her hands together. He first makes a weird face making Kat's face to fell but then he reached out across the table and grabs her hand. "Bohaut acha hai," he said with a smile. She looks up at him swiftly. Finding him smiling, she smiles too.
After dinner, they sit in the living room. Kat brought out the chocolate mouse cake and cookie n' cream ice cream. "Did you make this also?" he ask as she sit down. "No!" she answered sharply, "Ab itni bhi mehnat nahi karna wali tumhare lia," she said with a smirk. He chuckle not taking it offensively. "So let's cut it together," he asked sitting up. "No. You do it. Im too tired to move," Kat sat sitting back on the couch comfortably.
"Arah! Please! It's my birthday today," he said charmingly. She rolled her eyes at his statement but still got up and went to sit beside him. He smile and offer his hand which was already holding the knife. She smile back and hold his hand from the top. They cut the cake together. Kat cuts a small piece and feeds him. He feeds her back from the same piece. "Happy Birthday once again," she said with a big smile.
"Thank you, love," he said as he hugged her again. After a while, they break after and had the cake and ice cream. Both to full to move, they slump in the couches across each other. For a while, no body said anything. Then Ranbir abruptly says looking at the hanging paper lantern, "Where is my gift?" Kat looks at from the couch opposite to him. He looks at her.
"Oh, yeah! Totally forgot about it," Kat said getting off the couch. She bend to pick the box that she earlier hid behind the stack of chocolates and give it him and then vanished into his room. A minute later, she comes back with Macbook. She hands it to him and sits back to her place.
"Go ahead open it," Kat urged him when didn't make a movement by himself. Nodding, he unwraps and a box comes out. He opens the box. There was a CD case inside. Inside the CD case, there was a CD name memories. He looks at her with questioning eyes while hers were glittering in excitement. "Go ahead," she urged again and motioned towards his Macbook. He did as he was told.
In excitement, she comes and sits beside him. He looks at her with expression of curiousness. As the CD starts, the music starts of Chotta Tera Birthday Aaya. It say shows a baby's picture with banner of Happy 32 and caption of 0 months under the picture. Then his childhood pictures starts rolling in ascending order.
He looks at her stun. She smile and nudge him to continue watching. By the ending of the video, he was in tears. With no words to express how he felt, he just turned and hugged her tightly while digging his face in her neck. She smile and hug him back. But he didn't have to say anything, she exactly knew how he felt. After a long when they finally break apart, he looks at her with love filled eyes.
"Thank you! That was the best gift ever," he tells her with a choked voice. She gives him a big smile and holds him hand as she leans and puts her head on his shoulder. He holds her hand back and puts his head on her with eyes closed. He sighed not wishing anything else.
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
CID
14