Part 4: Encounter
They had already entered the the fifth week of the avoidance game and it looked like FUGGY was winning...No..No...No...not going to happen. He never lost. Ever.
While he was coming up with plans to foil Fuggy's game, his phone rang. "Tanu, what does she want now", saying to himself he picks up the phone.
"Hain, okay, yes, I'll be there" picks his keys and wallet up from the side draw where Pragya kept them this morning and goes to meet Tanu.
As he leaves his room, he catches a glimpse of Fuggy's red chattri[Umbrella] entering dadi's room, and his heart skips a beat. He ignores it and moves on to go meet Tanu.
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When he came back from Tanu's house, it was quiet late and Ramu kaka met him at the door, telling him dadi wanted to talk to him.
A: Dadi you called? Stepping into the room. Relieved to see her all A-Okay.
D: Yes, please come in. Sit
On stepping in, his eyes instantly started looking for Fuggy, who he hadn't seen in days now. Three days to be exact. He just caught glimpses of her chatri's but not of her at all.
D: What are you looking for?
"No, nothing dadi", he says and takes a seat right opposite her and ask her, "Dadi, kiya baat hai?" / whats the matter?
D: I just called to tell you that we all have decided to go Shridi for two to three days.
A: Ok, who are we all included of?
D: Naturally not you, laughing at her own joke. All of us includes your Tayaji and his family except Akash as he's declined saying he has some other plans, and I am taking Aliyah with me ofcourse and Pragya s...
Shocked to hear Aliyah's name, interrupts dadi mid sentence. "Really Aliyah, she said yes!?!" all incredulous.
D: Not easily but she's going with us. She needs a change of scene and needs to get her mind off Purab-Bulbul, even though she has graciously accepted them. We will all be leaving early tomorrow morning, so don't get worried when you don't see us.
A: No problem, at all. I too am leaving for Delhi for a week atleast. Ad shoot and promotion.
D: Acha/okay...so...
Indu dassi entered the room interrupting them asking, "Didi did you tell him about tomorrow?"
D: Yes, yes I did
ID: Good. Lets all call it a night as we have an early day tomorrow.
They all bid each other good night.
As he was walking towards his room the thought hit him that this will be the first time he would catch Fuggy asleep.
He entered his room and saw her or more like her completely covered from head to toe in her red blanket...cheater, she had her face covered. She truly was taking this whole avoidance thing too far.
He changed and got ready to sleep. He fell asleep looking at Fuggy waiting to catch a glimpse of her covered face.
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By the time he woke up in the morning everyone had left. He too got ready to go, as on his way to the airport he had to pick Tanu, as she too was going to Delhi to visit her parents and introduce him as well.
All the way to the airport and then even in the lounge, the only thing she could talk or harp about was Chasmish this, Chasmish that or her parents.
So once on the plane, he took out his ipod, plugged in the ear phones and pretended to go to sleep citing that he was tired and had a busy schedule once he reached Delhi, just to avoid Tanu's whining and moaning, he even gave the lunch, that he had specifically ordered a skip. Thus using his whole flight time, thinking about ways to win the Avoidance game Fuggy was winning.
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Thank God for Mr. Lalwani, that he got the promotion and the ad shoot finished by today. Spending another minute or even a day in Tanu's company was getting to be unbearable.
Her parent and her trying to force him to talk to dadi about their marriage, even after knowing all was damn irritating and annoying the hell out of him.
When he wanted to get married, she refused citing her career, her modeling contract and her not believing in the institution of marriage as an excuse to reject his marriage proposal, in which he even had gotten dadi ready to accept his choice of girl as bahu (daughter-in-law)...but no..she said "No", and instead even forced him - when he came to her saying he couldn't marry someone else - to marry Pragya to fulfill Aliyah's revenge wish.
Now all of a sudden she's desperate to get married, knowing God damn well, that he wouldn't do anything to displease dadi at all, and until and unless all was right with dadi, he couldn't talk about his and Tanu's marriage or divorcing Pragya.
He told this all to Tanu and her parents, telling them it was now all up to them to decide what they all wanted, more like Tanu's decision in what she wanted really. Once she made up her mind to let him know, as truly their relationship was going nowhere, with her constant whining and emotional blackmail.
This one month break would be good for both of them really.
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Pragya enjoyed spending the whole days yesterday with her family.
Just like old days, exception her being married now and Bulbul to be married, soon.
Mom was over the moon and wanted her to stay over today as well, but she declined, giving an excuse that dadi and all would be coming today or tomorrow, thus she needed to be home.
What she really wanted to do was not lose this opportune moment that she got to use the Jacuzzi.
She had read all about them in her books, never once thinking she would ever get a chance to use one and then she got married to the "Rockstar" , who had it installed in his private bathroom, and such was her luck that till now she hadn't used it...though she sure had fallen into it...with her hubby in it...she shook her head to get rid of the image.
He was the reason why she hadn't still been able to use it..because of him and his odd timings, she had to hurry with her morning ablutions and bath, thus making shower the most convenient thing for her to use.
Today was the day.
Her Jacuzzi initiation.
She laughed at herself. She got her clothes, her towel, her book, her ipod, along with the stash of bath products that she splurged on yesterdays shopping expedition with her sisters. Scented bath oil, a bubble bath bomb and a few scented candles.
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Home Sweet Home.
He had already called Dadi on his way home and was glad to know all was well and they would all be home by tomorrow evening.
On reaching his room, he took a deep breath and felt all his tension and stress drain away, leaving him relaxed and calm. He threw his wallet, watch, mobile etc on the bed along with his T-shirt and jeans and got his towel and made his way to freshen up.
On entering, the site that greeted him, left him shocked speechless and frozen.
Fuggy...his Fuggy was in his Jacuzzi...
He couldn't stop his eyes from roaming all over her. She had her hair bundled up in a lose bun, with few tendrils kissing her naked, creamy exposed shoulders above the bubble that were covering the rest of her.
She had her chasma(specks) on, a book in hand and ear plugs on. Fuggy was so engrossed in what she was doing that she did not notice him enter and standing there.
He got out of his trance and was just silently retracing his steps out, when she moved and he ..no...was that...No...No..No..he just didn't see what he saw. In his agitation he forgot to see where he was going and bumped into a wall.
The fast movement he made or the sound of his crying out when he hurt himself, must have made her take notice, which caused more movement and ripple in the bath water, causing the bubble to move, showing him more then he wanted to see and the look on her face was of a deer caught in the headlights of a car, all wide eyed and shocked.
"App (you).." she screeched bringing her arms around herself to cover up.
"Go, get out" she said all agitated.
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He so so didn't need to see Fuggy like that, not after he was just getting the feel of her in his arms ...hands out of his system.
Damn, he was not going to think about it...no not at all. Her perfect bre...giving a violent shake to his head to get rid of what he was thinking about. He just couldn't fathom, assimilate what he had seen.
The pacing wasn't helping, so he sat down on his bed.
He tried singing a song in his head but the image of her soft, creamy, rose centered...again he gave himself a shake and started pacing.
Why didn't he knock before entering the bathroom, why did he just enter, he should have knoc...What the Hell!!! Why should he have knocked...it was a bathroom door which should have been locked...Locked from the inside...Locked by Fuggy.
All this was her fault...she on purpose left the door open to torture him.
In his rising ire and agitation he made his way towards the bathroom and crashed right into something soft, warm and wet!!
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As soon as he left, she got out of the tub, rinsed her self and and without even drying her body started pulling on her clothes, all the while muttering to herself.
He didn't see anything did he...biting her lips...No...No he didn't...ofcourse he didn't...looking down at herself and up again...of course not...she was covered in bubbles...No...he didn't...did he.
I hope to God he didn't. This was so embarrassing. How will she face him again...Oh God No...I really really hope he did not see anything.
God oh God oh God...How did she forget to lock the bathroom door. Stupid Jacuzzi...stupid excitement...stupid wish...stupid stupid Pragya.
She couldn't stay in the bathroom all day long now could she...she had to go out and face him...It was now or never...and his reaction would tell her if he did or didn't...wouldn't it...No...how could she...even look him in the eyes...why oh why did ...Wasn't he supposed to be gone for a week?...What was he doing back early?
Thinking these thoughts and gathering her courage opened the bathroom door to face her demons...and immediately crashed into a warm brick wall.
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Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
Debate Mansion
621