Fatima's Cozy Corner 2 - Link to New Corner on Pg 152 :) - Page 61

Originally posted by: foxi

Hey Fatima,

Please update soon, cant wait :)

Chapter 6 - A Cinderella Story

A shortwhile later...

Preet sat bored out of his wits, listening to Balraj discuss details about the hotel. He smiled and nodded every now and then to give an impression of attentiveness, but after a long day, hotel business was the last thing he wanted to hear. It also didn't help that Ms. Ashlesha Rampal, the daughter of his father's biggest competitor, Rishap Rampal, sat in a chair directly opposite him staring continuously, as if she was committing every inch of him to memory.

Preet raised a brow and threw her a quizzical glance that made her gulp and look away. Then without being too obvious, he casually scanned the premises for any sign of Meher. She had all but disappeared since their little run in.

Meher...'a blessing', thought Preet. A beautiful name to go with her beautiful smile. She wasn't the maid. What a relief! And what a duffer Gaurav was to call her that! But wait a minute, she was still his manager's daughter. His employee's daughter. And no matter how intriguing she seemed, that was an excellent reason to stay away.

Suddenly, there was some noise at the kitchen door. Preet looked up just in time to see a very flustered looking Meher carrying a serving bowl of food followed by a frowning Kuljeet spouting non-stop instructions to her.

"Well don't just stand there, go and get the rest of the stuff," exclaimed Kuljeet, as she checked the plate settings.

Meher nodded and ran back into the kitchen. In just a few trips, she managed to bring everything she had prepared to the table.

"Everyone, please come to the dining table, dinner is served," Kuljeet announced.

Preet followed Balraj to the dining area and took a seat next to Gaurav. To his surprise, Ashlesha slipped into the other seat next to him.

"Are you sure you want to sit next to me?" He asked her. "After all, I might bully you into finishing your salad."

"Ha! Mr Juneja, you have such a great sense of humor!" remarked Kuljeet. "But you really must let by gones be by gones and excuse my niece's behavior earlier. She had no idea who you were. I mean, everyone makes mistakes. Life doesn't come with instructions, you know."

Just then, Meher, who was pouring water into glasses from a jug, accidently spilled some.

"Uff Ho!" exclaimed Kuljeet. "Can't you do anything right? And you're not going to serve tap water to Mr. Juneja are you? Where is that funeral water your father brought?"

"You mean mineral water Maasi," chuckled Ashlesha.

"Han han...mineral water," Kuljeet corrected herself. "Go and get the bottles of mineral water."

"Meher Beta, I'll go get them," offered Balraj. "Why don't you take a seat?"

"Hai Rabba (Oh Lord)!" cried Kuljeet. "Do you have any idea how tired I am after all the shopping we did? If she takes a seat, who will help me serve dinner?"

"It's okay Papa Ji," Meher gave him a weak smile. "I'll get them."

Preet frowned as he watched Meher rush back into the kitchen. The poor girl, he thought. Her mother is just not letting up.

Meher promptly returned with the bottled water then began helping Kuljeet serve the food. She placed a helping of aloo-gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) on Preet and Gaurav's plate and then proceeded to do the same with Ashlesha.

"Ew Meher! What did you just put on my plate?" cried Ashlesha. "I hope it's not gobi. I absolutely hate gobi! I don't want to eat little yellow trees. And potatoes, they're nothing but starch."

"Ack! Did you hear that?" cried Kuljeet. "She doesn't like gobi. Why did you have to make gobi, when we had other vegetables at home?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," said Meher.

"Nevermind," Ashlesha rolled her eyes. "Just give me some chicken instead."

Meher took Ashlesha's plate away and gave her another one with a generous helping of chicken, then looked apologetically at Preet. "You don't have to eat it either, if you don't want to. I can...I can get you another plate too."

"Actually I would like to eat it," said Preet.

"Yes, gobi is Preet's favorite sabzi," added Gaurav.

When the serving was done, Meher fixed herself a plate of food, then quietly took her seat.

"Would someone please pass me the salad?" Ashlesha spoke up. "And Maasi, where are the low-cal rice cakes I asked you get for me? What am I supposed to eat my dinner with? Not this roti I hope." She picked up her roti and looked at it in disgust. "I mean, did you see the size of this thing. The ones our chef at home makes are so petite compared to this one. It's super sized."

"Forgive me child," Kuljeet said apologetically. "We couldn't find the brand you wanted."

"I guess I can eat just half a roti and make do for tonight," sighed Ashlesha. "But I'm calling mom right after dinner and telling her to send me everything I need to maintain my diet first thing in the morning."

"Of course dear," Kuljeet gave her a weak smile. "But be sure to tell her that I tried my best."

"I don't know why young girls these days are so concerned about their weight," remarked Balraj. "Especially when they're not over-weight in the first place."

"Not all young girls are concerned about their weight Balraj," Kuljeet said sarcastically. "Just look how Meher eats."

Meher had just taken a morsel of food into her mouth. She stopped chewing and looked down at her plate. Although there was only a moderate serving of food on it, everything began to look large to her. Her face turned red as she imagined all eyes on her, and the morsel in her mouth became as hard for her to swallow as gravel.

Preet and Gaurav looked at each other then cast sympathetic glances at Meher, but she never looked up from her plate.

"Kuljeet, will you leave the poor child alone," pleaded Balraj. "She works so hard all day, at least let her eat in peace."

"What? Did I say anything wrong?" cried Kuljeet. "All I meant was that she should take a page out of Ashlesha's book and worry about what goes inside her body."

"Kuljeet...," Balraj tried again.

"I mean, she'll never be able to shed those extra pounds otherwise," continued Kuljeet.

"Kuljeet please..." Balraj tried again.

"What?" said Kuljeet. "I try to be helpful and I get made out to be like some bad guy. Why do I even bother? Go ahead and eat whatever you want and stay fat Meher."

Meher drew her hand back from her plate. Balraj sighed and shook his head.

Though the remainder of the dinner went smoothly enough, Preet could not ignore just how often Kuljeet continued to make snide remarks comparing Meher and Ashlesha's weight. Balraj tried to intervene several times by politely reminding his wife that they had guests, but she seemed to be on a mission. Meher finally gave up trying to eat in peace and offered to bring dessert out for everyone else. Preet was sure she had not eaten properly.

A shortwhile later...

"Mmm," said Gaurav, as he finished the last bite of his kheer (rice pudding). "Dinner was delicious, but this kheer is out of this world. I wouldn't mind having seconds."

"Sure," said Meher, as she filled his bowl with another serving. "Would you like some more too?" She asked Preet.

"I really shouldn't, but Gaurav is right, it really is too good to pass up," smiled Preet. "I'm sure if my Heer Bhabi was here, she'd be after you for the recipe."

Hearing his compliment, Meher smiled for what seemed like the first time that evening, and quietly began clearing the table.

"I told you my daughter was an excellent cook," Balraj said proudly. "You won't find anyone in Ludhiana that cooks better."

"Oh come on Balraj, look how you exaggerate over something as simple as kheer," said Kuljeet. "I was out today, but I'll prepare something for Mr. Juneja tomorrow and then he'll see for himself who is really a good cook."

"Uh right...tomorrow...Mr. Maan...thank you for having Gaurav and me over for dinner, but...about us staying here...," Preet said hesitantly. "...I appreciate the offer, believe me, I really do. I just don't know if it's the right thing to do. You see, if I stayed at the hotel, I could probably keep a better eye on things...and...uh..."

"Ack! He doesn't want to stay!" Kuljeet interrupted him. "Of course he's reluctant to stay! After the way your daughter treated him when he first came, who'd blame him?! Or was it the food? You know she has a tendency to over salt the food. Mr. Juneja was just being polite and ate it anyway."

"No, believe me everything was more than delicious," insisted Preet.

"Oh my Rabs! I bet he wants to fire you!" continued Kuljeet. "Oh my Rabs! I told you we shouldn't have left Meher behind to look after things. She never does anything right. How will we ever make do now?"

While her step-mother was going on and on, Meher discretely dropped one of the napkins she had collected right at Preet's feet. He met her gaze as she bent down to pick it up. "You will stay won't you?" she whispered. "Please...," she said after a brief pause. "Else I'll never hear the end of it."

Everything in his mind was telling him to say No', yet Preet could not ignore the pleading look in Meher's eyes. He thought for a minute then spoke up. "Uh...Mrs. Maan, please calm down. I was just saying that I might be better able to keep an eye on the progress of the hotel if I stayed there. However, after experiencing such...uh...warm hospitality from you and your family tonight, I...uh...would be more than happy to accept your invitation to stay. But only for a few days."

Preet glanced in Meher's direction. He could swear she had exhaled a sigh of relief.

"How wonderful of you sir!" exclaimed Balraj. "Why don't we finish up here, and then I'll show you and Gaurav Sir to the guest house. It's small but cozy, and has all the comforts of home the hotel can't offer you just yet."

"You mean like running water," joked Gaurav.

"Heh Heh...good one sir," chuckled Balraj.

Later that night...

Preet and Gaurav were getting settled into the Maan's guest house.

"Can you believe it, that rude girl from the restaurant in Ambala turned out to be none other than Rishap Rampal's daughter?" said Gaurav. "Hmph! No wonder she thinks she owns the world."

"Yeah," said Preet. "Like father like daughter."

"And considering she is also Mrs. Maan's niece, I don't suppose she'll be going away any time soon," said Gaurav.

"I guess not," said Preet. "But as long as she stays out of our way, I really don't care."

"And what about Meher?" asked Gaurav. "Can you believe, the girl you were running after turned out to be the Maan's daughter? I mean, what are the chances of that happening? One in a million."

"I wasn't running after her Gaurav," protested Preet. "She kept on popping up everywhere I went and sort of piqued my curiosity, that's all."

"Ah-huhn," teased Gaurav. "That's not the impression I got."

"Stop it Gaurav," warned Preet.

"Stop what?" said Gaurav.

"Stop reading too much into everything," said Preet.

"Oh yeah," said Gaurav. "Well, if I'm misreading your feelings, then how do you explain your decision to stay here after you specifically told me you had no intention of doing so? You only stayed because of Meher. Come on, admit it."

"It's not like you think Gaurav," sighed Preet. "Didn't you see the way her mother was coming down on her about every little thing? She didn't even let her eat properly. I didn't want to be responsible for adding to her misery. I...uh...I felt sorry for her."

"Yeah, I kind of felt bad for her too," agreed Gaurav.

"Besides," continued Preet. "She's an employee's daughter."

"So what," said Gaurav. "At least she's not the maid, but then again I guess her blood isn't blue enough to be accepted by your dad."

"I told you I don't care what my father thinks," said Preet. Hoping to change the subject, he looked around the room. "Mr. Maan was right. The place is nice and comfortable, private too. We can come and go as we please without disturbing the family in the main house. Now if only I had my pajamas and toothbrush with me."

"Allow me," smiled Gaurav. He ran out of the guesthouse, and a few minutes later was back with both of their suitcases. "Ta Da!" He exclaimed proudly.

"You brought our bags? How come?" asked Preet.

"I knew you'd give in. You're such a softie," said Gaurav. "How does Heer Bhabi put it? Oh yeah...you're sho sho shweet!" He reached out and tweaked Preet's cheek.

"Ow! Gaurav don't do that," cried Preet, as he slapped his friend's hand away.

"Well you are," chuckled Gaurav.

"Am not!" said Preet, as he threw a playful punch at his friend's arm.

"Are too!" Gaurav fought back.

Both began hitting each other in a playful manner, until Preet caught Gaurav in a headlock. "Am not!" He insisted.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Meher was standing in the doorway, with a bemused look on her face. "Hi. Uh...Preet Ji...Gaurav Ji...may I please come in?" she asked. Both Preet and Gaurav quickly stood up and straightened out their hair and clothes. "I mean, I can always come back if you're busy."

"Meher...Hi...yeah sure...come on in," smiled Preet. "We were just...uh...messing around."

"I came by to give you these," said Meher. She held up a stack of neatly folded clean towels. "I'll leave them here on the dresser."

"Thanks," said Preet.

"So...um...Preet Ji...how do you like the guesthouse?" asked Meher.

"It's nice," said Preet. "But you know you don't have to call me..."

"There are extra pillows and blankets in here if you need them," Meher interrupted him. She walked over to a large trunk in one corner of the room and opened it. "In fact, if either one of you need anything at all please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks," said Preet.

"Well...have a good night sleep," said Meher. She turned to go then turned back around suddenly. "Actually Preet Ji, I didn't come here just to give you the towels. I...uh...you're not going to fire my Papa ji are you Preet Ji?" She blurted out.

"No of course not. What made you think that?" asked Preet. "And why do you keep calling me..."

"Of course he's not going to fire your dad," Gaurav spoke up. "Mr. Maan is a great guy. And he actually did us a favor by letting us stay here. The hotel rooms are not exactly in the best condition. By the way, I'm glad you stopped by. I wanted to apologize again for mistaking you for the maid. I swear I had no idea who you were."

"That's okay," smiled Meher. "I can't really blame you. I mean, considering how I was dressed anyone would have made the same mistake."

"That's really big of you," smiled Preet. "I'm sure if it had been your cousin Ashlesha instead, she would have blown her top, not to mention our hearing with that megaphone voice of hers."

Just then Kuljeet called out Meher's name, and the smile quickly faded from her face. "Thank you for agreeing to stay here Preet Ji," she said. "Even though from the looks of things, you were hesitant to do so. It really means a lot."

"It's okay," smiled Preet. "But I wish you wouldn't call me..."

Meher heard Kuljeet scream out her name again. "I have to go finish up the dishes," she said and ran out of the guesthouse quickly.

Preet followed her to the door, then stood there watching until she disappeared into the dark outside. Gaurav joined him at the door.

"She's such a nice girl," Preet remarked almost to himself.

"Hmm," said Gaurav. "A nice, sweet, simple, honest girl? The kind one would bring home to meet their mother, perhaps?"

"Just what are you getting at?" asked Preet.

"Nothing...Preet Ji," chuckled Gaurav.

Preet frowned at his friend and reached out to grab him, but Gaurav ducked, ran into the washroom and locked the door.

Preet shook his head then looked back in the direction Meher had walked off in. He couldn't explain why, but just thinking about her brought a small smile to his lips. Of course, there could never be anything serious between him and Meher, and yet there was no harm in becoming friends. Just Friends.

The next day...

Preet got into his car and headed out of the Maan's driveway. He had meetings with events managers at 2 different malls this morning and he was already running late. The fact that it was raining cats and dogs, didn't help either. Gaurav and Balraj had left for the hotel half an hour ago. He would meet them later in the day and get an update.

Preet had not driven more than a few blocks when he passed by a bus stand. He immediately hit the brakes and looked back. Sure enough, he saw Meher standing there trying her best to shield herself from the rain with a worn out umbrella. He immediately turned his car around and stopped in front of the bus stand. "Meher," he said after rolling down the window. "What are you doing out in this lousy weather?"

"Trying to get to work," said Meher.

"Well...hop in, I'll give you a ride," Preet offered.

"Oh no Preet Ji," said Meher, "I couldn't possibly impose on you like that. I'm sure the bus will be here any minute now."

"It's no imposition trust me," insisted Preet as he got out and opened the passenger's side door for her. "Now would you please get in, we're both getting wet."

Meher thought for a minute, then nodded and quickly took a seat.

"So...where to?" asked Preet.

"The Pavillion mall," said Meher.

"You work at the Pavillion?" Preet asked in surprise.

"Yes, at Say it with flowers," explained Meher. "It's a florist shop on the main level."

Of course, thought Preet. So, he hadn't imagined anything. Meher had been at the mall yesterday.

"In fact," continued Meher. "That bouquet you brought yesterday, I was the one who put it together."

"A girl with many talents," said Preet. His remark elicited a smile from her. There was a brief moment of silence before he spoke up again. "Meher, may I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure," said Meher.

"Why is your mom always on your case?" asked Preet. "I mean, she's unrelenting at times, like she's out on a mission to get you or something."

"Kuljeet is actually my step-mother," sighed Meher. "My real mom passed away when I was 10 years old."

She looked at him for a fleeting second as she grasped the gold charm that hung around her neck. He assumed it was a momento of some sort. The pain in her eyes spoke volumes of how much she missed her mom. He thought about having lost his own mother, and understood completely.

"Oh...I'm so sorry to hear that," said Preet. "I guess that explains a lot. Ashlesha accused me of harassing her and what not and no one said anything to her. Yet your mom, I mean, Mrs. Maan came down so hard on you for every little thing you did. And your father, why doesn't he say anything?"

"He tries," said Meher. "But sometimes luck just isn't on our side."

"Luck?" asked Preet.

"You know...something happens and everything turns against you," Meher said quietly. "We used to live on a small farm in Ambala. Kuljeet never liked it out there. She came from the city and wanted my father to find a job and move to Ludhiana or Delhi. I was still grieving for my mom and didn't want to leave. Then one night, there was a real bad storm. Kuljeet was expecting. We couldn't get help in time. She lost the baby and..."

"...And she blamed you," Preet finished her sentence for her.

Meher nodded. "My father has always tried to keep a fair balance between Kuljeet and myself, but he was guilt stricken. Still is. I try not to add to his burden by running to him with every little complaint I have. It wouldn't be fair to expect him to choose between me and his wife. It's not exactly a win-win kind of situation for either one of us."

"So you take it all in stride, even though she makes you slave around the house," said Preet.

"You make it sound really awful," chuckled Meher.

"Isn't it?" asked Preet. "You cooked dinner last night, and breakfast this morning. And you were cleaning the house all by yourself yesterday while that Ashlesha was walking around with a face pack."

"Ashlesha is very near and dear to our family, but she is still a guest in our house. And we don't expect our guests to wash windows or do the dishes. I on the other hand...I'm always here," Meher shrugged her shoulders.

"You're a real live Cinderella story you know that," said Preet, as he pulled up in front of the mall.

"Yeah, a Cinderella without a fairy God-mother, glass slipper, or a prince charming waiting in the wings to rescue her," giggled Meher.

A slow admiring smile swept across Preet's features as he watched Meher laugh. He couldn't recall when he had met such a good natured person.

Meher saw the way he was looking at her and straightened up immediately. "I'm so sorry Preet Ji," she said. "I didn't mean to get all frank and lay my personal problems at your feet. Aap mere baray mein pata nahi kya soch rahein hon ge (God knows what you must think of me)."

"I think you're a wonderful person Meher. Brave too," said Preet. "But what's with the Preet Ji? Just call me Preet."

"Oh no, I couldn't do that Preet Ji," blushed Meher.

"Why not?" asked Preet.

"Because you're Papa ji's boss and...," said Meher.

"...I'm also your friend," Preet interrupted her.

"Friend?" said Meher. "But we only met yesterday."

"So what?" said Preet. "A friend is someone you enjoy being around, someone you can be completely frank with. Someone, who when you see, you go...now that's my friend. And you know what my Heer Bhabi says is one of my best qualities?"

"What?" asked Meher.

"That I have the ability to make friends easily where ever I go," said Preet. "And you know what else she says?"

"What?" smiled Meher.

"That there shouldn't be any formalities between friends," said Preet. "So no Preet Ji...No aap...just Preet."

"Aur ladka ladki kabhi dost nahin ban sakte (And a boy and girl can't ever really be friends). Maine Pyar Kiya, I've seen it too", said Meher, as she and Preet shared a laugh. There was a moment of silence before Meher reluctantly glanced at her watch. "I've got to go else I'll be late for work. Um...thanks for the ride Preet Ji...I mean...Preet."

"Anytime," said Preet. He stayed in his car and watched her walk towards the mall entrance. A genuine grin covered his face as he saw her turn around and wave at him.

A shortwhile later...

Preet walked into his office at his family's hotel in Ludhiana.

"Hey man, where were you?" asked Gaurav. "The events manager at the Wave mall just called. He said you never showed up for your meeting with him."

"Oh that's right my meeting," sighed Preet.

"Are you alright?" asked Gaurav. "You seem a bit distracted."

"I'm fine. Call him back and convey my apologies for missing the meeting," said Preet. "In fact, cancel all my meetings for this morning. We won't be looking for any more event space. I already found what I was looking for at the mall I visited yesterday."

"Are you sure? This other mall has a bigger events venue," Gaurav pointed out. "And they've hosted press conferences and meet and greet sessions with celebrties before."

"I know," said Preet. "But this one has something all the others don't."

"And what's that?" asked Gaurav.

"A Cinderella without a prince charming," smiled Preet.

Originally posted by: AASUS

Me first

Pg 79

Wow so scene starts right before dinner,

Loved the update. Dialogues are awesome. 👏

Yeah...it picks up right where we left them in chapter 5. 😊

I just love how you u crack up jokes in btw serious convos. ( I meant thru characters).

Thanku Ji 🤗

Remember...Kuljeet confusing mineral water with funeral water was an actual dialogue of hers from Kis Desh 😆

Ash is being nice to Preet 😕 according to her - her Papa is more influential and rich isn't it.

Unless she thought of becoming friends with her "kind". Whatever it was kinda funny.

This Ash reminded me of Veera in show for some reason - probably due to food discussion.

Veer was a mean one - this is mild version of her. Hm

Ash was stunned to find out that she had been messing with Preet Juneja up till now. The Rampal's are not as influential as the Junejas yet...more like up and coming...while the Junejas on the other hand are facing a financial crisis.

Kuljeet - is stupid to behave that way in front of guests. I mean it makes her look bad - not what she is hoping to prove. 😕

She's too stupid to realize that she's only making herself look bad. 😳

Meher Preet convo is lovely. Enjoyed their convo. Meher is right on point about her father.

So he is guilty and feels cz of his decision his wife lost child and let Meher takes all the bashing.

I swear - I hate this guy. 😡 Would be nice to see less of him Fatima. Hope you increase Meher Preet scene and ignore Blaraj ever exist. Ok may be you can bring him when Meet gets married for formality sake. :P

It looks like Preet selected Pavillion mall where Meher works as their venue. Cool then.

Ooh forgot - Heer popped through Preet's conversation to Meher and she smiled. I guess it's a sign Meher will meet her at some point.

Lets see next adventure.

Originally posted by: kksoap

so beautiful Fatima lovely story 👏 ❤️ thank u so much kid desh rockzzz

Originally posted by: Chit15

Wow wow it as so sweet Meetilious update

Thank you dear for lovely update👍🏼

I Loved the title of chapter it perfectly suited to scenes you wrote

Kuljeet 😡is very bad She just hurts at every point of time I hate her She is wicked and evil witch

Ash is perfect spoilt brat

Teasing of Gaurav was lovely😆

I liked where Meher made gobi sabzi accidently which was favorite of Preet

Preet felt bad for Meher and it was so sweet that on Meher's request he stayed.😛

Scene in car was really nice and sweet👍🏼

Waiting eagerly for next chapter update it soon