SS: Marrying Miss Kashyap *COMPLETED* Epilogue@pg-130 28/09/15 - Page 89

CHAPTER-12

Ronnie ushered Shreya to the PCR to give her a brief of the on-air editing, while Ananya walked out of her cubicle to the canteen, and 15 minutes later walked in Kabir's Cabin quietly, placing a box on his coffee table... Kabir had been highlighting certain reports when seeing Ananya in the cabin, put the cap of the highlighter, covering the nib, and smiled towards Ananya... She walked towards his chair and said- "Chaliye jaldi se lunch kar leejiye Kabir..."... Kabir smiled at her and then said- "Khaa leta main thodi deir baad..." Kabir excused... Ananya lifted her wrist in front of his eyes, and showed her watch- "Shaam ke 4 baj rahe hain Editor Saahab... Kahin Khaas khabrein Kabir Sharma ke saath ka 9 baje ka bulletin khatam karke lunch karne ka iraada toh nahi hain aapka?"

Kabir flashed a bright smile- "Tum ghusse mein na Khalid ki beti lagti ho... Sarcasm sits at the tip of your tongue..."... Ananya giggled, as she pulled at his hand to make him stand on his feet and ushering him to the coffee table, and opened up the box having his lunch... Serving the food on his plate, she placed it in front of Kabir... He picked a spoonful of rice and dal with curd, and brought it towards Ananya's lips... She instead held his hand- "Aap khaaiye Kabir... I had my lunch..." But Kabir still force fed her, and Ananya smiled and chewed the food in her mouth... Ananya too mixed some rice with dal and curd, and served the spoonful into his mouth... The couple smiled seeing in each other's eyes, lost in each other, when they were brought out of their little world with somebody's rude voice... Both snapped their heads towards the source of the voice... Malvika stood folding her hands on her chest, and spoke- "Kabir, I thought you were allergic to curd..."... Ananya stood up immediately trying to cover up- "No-no... Malvika... I was eating curd..." as soon as Ananya begun, Kabir held her hand in his, and gave a squeeze on it... His eyes telling her, he will deal with it, as he spoke- "Main khaa lunga khaana Ananya, you continue with your work..."... Kabir's eyes silently asking her to leave the issue on him, and on cue, Ananya smiled and left the cabin, closing the doors behind...

"Malvika, I have people now in my family to take care of my needs, what I like, what I don't... You just don't need to be worried or keep on spying on me for that... Don't try to be my wife..." Kabir seemed visibly miffed, and while he spoke the last sentence Shreya walked inside Kabir's cabin without knocking, and stood inside hearing what Kabir was saying...

If Kabir was miffed with Malvika, he got furious seeing Shreya join in too, and his anger shot up when he spoke- "Miss. Bhagat, do you think you have etiquettes enough to knock at your senior's door before entering inside?"... Shreya stood there agape, while Malvika walked off dreading another wrath from Kabir seeing him so angry... Shreya cleared her throat a moment later- "Kabir... Unh! Sir... wo main... Ronnie ne bataaya tha on air editing ke baare mein, toh I took notes about that... I wanted you to see them..." Shreya kept the sheets on his desk, and hurried out before he starts practically shouting on her... While Kabir sat back on the sofa to finish with his lunch, or his Missus will practically force feed him... He smiled to himself! No matter how the world riles him up, Ananya was a reason enough to smile again for Kabir...

Shreya walked to the cubicle she sat along with Ananya and heaved a deep breath... It was close... Had Kabir started yelling at her right on day one, the entire office would have witnessed her getting insulted, and strangely, she would have no grounds to protect herself under the hide of drama... Then suddenly something struck her mind, and she curiously turned towards Ananya, who was busy doing her own work on the computer... "Hey Ananya! You have been working in this office for years na?" Ananya looked at her and gave a purfunctionary smile and nodded in a yes, and continued working... The next question was ready by shreya, that she asked in a matter of gossip story only- "Do you have any idea ke Malvika ma'am and Kabir sir ka kuch fling hai kya?" Ananya shifted uncomfortably seeing her prodding in her personal space, talking about the man who is her husband and not hers anymore... Shreya clarified siting another statement- "Actually na main abhi PCR se apni reports dene Kabir sir ke cabin mein gayi thi... And I heard Kabir sir saying to Malvika ma'am not to act his wife..."... Though Ananya smiled a bit of a smile, but then covered up immediately, and shook her head on Shreya asking again if she knew anything... "I don't know Shreya... I don't come here to know about anybody's personal life... Your new editing assignment... Complete it before Mr. EIC blasts on you..."... Ananya closed the topic, and returned to work...

It was the next day morning, Ananya walked in the office... Driven by the cab, as she came alone today... Kabir had already been in the office since he had an early board meeting... When she was heading towards her cubicle, she found Shreya whispering something with Richa and Trisha... Ananya looked curiously at her and smiled at her two friends... All Ananya heard from Richa was- "Shreya mere khayaal se na you should concentrate on your internship for these 3 months rather than digging about your past's life... Humein kya karna Kabir sir aur Malvika ke beech kya chal raha hai... Tumhe ya humein kya farq padd raha hai..."

Ananya shook her head resigning to Shreya's curiosity, and moved to her cubicle to start her day... As soon as she sat, the peon came with a mug of coffee and placed it before her and spoke before Ananya could ask- "Saahab ne bola tha ke aapne coffee nahi pee hogi, toh laa doon aapko jaise hi aap aayein..." and he walked off, and Ananya couldn't help but smile, he knew her better than she knew he would know... He did notice that her first coffee begins with him, or else she would rather skip it, and then suffer a headache for the rest of the day... He knew so well... She looked towards the glass doors of his cabin, where he himself held a cup of his black coffee, and rose it up, as if saying- "Cheers!" and Ananya smiled bright, and held her cup and rose it up a bit blinking her eyes, and begun drinking the beverage, while switching on her computer...

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It had been more than a month since the new interns had joined KKN... Most of them were settled in the routine to learn as much as they can... Except for Shreya... Her inclination to keep on gauging over Kabir's life was now even getting on Ananya's nerves... Though Kabir had asked her to relax, and keep Shreya at an arm's distance, yet her sitting right next to herself, and keep on plunging in her personal space wasn't making Ananya comfortable either... It was another day, the day was over for all, and very few were left when Ananya asked Shreya rather casually, though it wasn't that casual in her mind- "Shreya, you have been Kabir sir's ex- wife... Do you still love him?" that one question bowled shreya right away, and she lost her colours, but then spoke cautiously- "No! No Ananya... I swear, I don't love Kabir anymore... And please don't dare say all this here... Actually I'm already engaged... My fiance Rohan, he too is an intern here... Usko agar aisa laga bhi toh he'll feel so bad yaar..."... Ananya nodded, though Shreya's answer relieved her, yet she couldn't understand why has she been so curious about Kabir then... "Toh phir why did you kept on asking about Kabir's life? I mean..."... Shreya cut her as she answered the rest of it- "It's human tendency to know about the people who you are associated with in the past... Just the curiosity... It has nothing to do with love... I was just trying to know what's up in his life ever since... Everyone does... Isn't it...?" Shreya tried answering Ananya in the best honest way she could, but was baffled seeing Ananya smile a rueful smile shaking her head in negative, as she spoke... "No shreya, it's you know is interested knowing about his life... That's not human tendency, it's yours.. To be frank, Kabir isn't even bothered to see your face let alone know about your personal life, had it not been you being his intern... It's not so natural Shreya..."

Shreya gave an embarrassed smile, and then asked- "You do know about his personal life, more than you show to me... Isn't it...?"... Ananya had been toying with the beads of the mangalsutra tucked inside her kurti, that she pulled out hearing Shreya say... Ananya nodded her head... "Yes Shreya, he has moved on... Moved really far off... Too away to even see your face again... And no, he has no fling with Malvika... That day he was reprimanding her to stay away, and not try to act his wife... Coz he already has one..." Shreya's eyes dimmed for a second... It wasn't because she thought she lost a chance, but to realise, that the man she called her once, lost for no reason, has his own life... A happy life... Marital life... Shreya tried to smile, trying to accept what the reality is, and to know the exact truth to move on... "You... Do you know Ananya who his wife is...? I mean I know she'd be lucky to have him... One doesn't so easily get such a devoted husband, and I'm sure she wouldn't be a fool like me to lose him for no reason..." shreya asked Ananya... But the answer was given by Kabir, who had been standing a few steps away from them, hearing them talk... His hands in his pockets, he walked towards them and spoke- "Yes! You are absolutely correct Shreya, she isn't that fickle... My wife's name is Ananya... Whom you know as Ananya Kashyap... We have been married for a few months now... And you don't know about the wedding because it had been a completely private affair..."... Shreya wasn't listening the rest of the conversation; she just looked blankly at Ananya...

"You... You are Kabir's wife? We sat together all along these months, and you never told..." Shreya asked earnestly... Ananya smiled- "Just like I told you on day one... I come here to work... Neither to know about anybody's personal life, nor sharing mine, except for my group of friends..."... All Shreya could was shaking her head in agreement... It's not easy understanding such a complicatedly simple couple... That is how Kabir was, and that's how probably his missus is...

Shreya was brought out of her reverie with Kabir's words- "Shreya, today neither I stand at that position of relation with you, nor I have any right to say, yet as a senior, all I will say is- "Leave what is already left behind... Me, my memories, and relations everything, since they are no longer the part of your life... Look forward... You are engaged, give time to your relation, build it carefully, nurture it, make your career, develop your own personal life... There's no point peeking in my life... It's a closed treasure... It opens for the ones who are the part of my life, they know everything... So there's no point in looking back and regretting the past, make your present better, so your future no longer has to regret it's past... Move on... No just getting in a relationship, but mentally too... Just like I did..."

Shreya shook her head in affirmation, packing her bag, while Ananya was busy adoring her husband... He has moved on a great way... Life has given them all the chances to close all the loose ends of the past, to finally fit in the missing puzzles of life... Not just did Mr. Sharma married Miss Kashyap, but vice-e-versa too... Life was complete...

Shreya was about to walk off when she stopped and looked at Ananya and asked- "One last question... It always haunted me when I was Kabir Sharma's wife... Your husband is so handsome, rich, successful, desirable... When you hear people linking him with the other women... How do you take them...?"

Ananya just smiled at Shreya and gave one single sentenced answer- "I trust him..."

Shreya's face looked awestruck, as if a bolt of light has hit her... She looked in Kabir's eyes one last time to see what huge a mistake she had made, and what makes this Miss Kashyap so right to be deserving to be called Mrs. Sharma...

Ananya tangled her arms around Kabir's arm, and leant her head on his ever so supportive shoulders, his head resting on hers... Both standing in the present so beautiful, looking for the exquisite future, with the last bits of the past moving out of the office, leaving the ever so in love Mr. And Mrs Sharma together...