MehRya FF: Discovering the Magic Chapter28 pg148 (10/12) - Page 65

Chapter #17

Shaurya had taken the opportunity to greet most of the restaurant patrons when, shortly after being introduced to White Chilies' head chef, Karan, Mehek had fallen into a deep conversation with the man. Before long, the pair had quite happily excluded him from their discussion; rendering his presence obsolete. Still, as he had meandered from table to table, he had kept one eye on her, if not using the excuse of his guests bringing her appearance into their conversations, than just subconsciously on his own, as he wondered if her enthusiastic discourse with his culinary team meant that she was finding favor in what he had worked so hard to create. Why her opinion even mattered he had no clue, only recognizing that he experienced certain buoyancy in every positive response he discerned: a smile, a nod. Unknowingly mirroring her expressions, he left his reaction open to plenty of speculation by the observant patrons. Now that he was done making the rounds, he hastily returned to the restaurant's open kitchen, which Mehek had respectfully not entered, and listened to her converse spiritedly with the temperamental, yet brilliant chef on the advantages of ensuring a complete segregation of the prep spaces for veg and non-veg foods. The chef, who did not normally take to many, was readily agreeing with her. Yet another who had succumb to the magic she yielded, the unpredictable cook stood as if enchanted; smiling at her words. Eavesdropping on the conversation, Shaurya was shocked to hear the depths of opinion she was exchanging with his most senior staff-member. Clearly, she had moved far beyond the dhabba Bhai had discovered her at, and now even the idea that she had moved to specialize in confectionaries, seemed ludicrous to his way of thinking. Clearly changes in her professional life had occurred to supplement those personal ones she had had been hinting at, and never was he more eager to discover what they could be.

"Mehek,"

Shaurya knew that she had heard him, when she ended her conversation with Chef Karan. The older man had smiled regretfully and then assured her that she would have the most memorable meal, before he had nodded to his employer. When Mehek had turned away, Karan had uncharacteristcally professed his admiration when he kissed his fingertips behind her back. "Cosi Bella, Khanna Saab."

Immediately, Shaurya glanced at Mehek to gauge her reaction. Nothing would surprise him if she had understood the Italian compliment Karan had spouted, but her face was pleasantly impassive; and yes, absolutely as Karan had described. Shaurya turned back to his chef shook his head in agreement, wondering why now of all times, the scales had finally fallen off his eyes. She was indeed a beauty. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that he was being hailed, so he moved closer to Mehek with the intent of guiding her toward the staircase that would take them to the private dining area. Careful not to touch her and provide more fodder for an already speculative audience, Shaurya had leaned down and whispered their direction. She startled and turned her head towards him, appearing surprised by his closeness. Their eyes met briefly, before his strayed down to her full lips that had parted when she emitted a little gasp.

He didn't even want to think on the physical reaction that small act had caused. Instead, he swallowed hard. "Walk, Ms. Sharma: please," he practically begged, lest he gave into the temptation that suddenly kissable mouth was, in front of everyone.

**********

He studied the arrangements, using the time to regain the control, he had come so close to losing moments ago. His staff had done well in setting the room for an intimate dinner. They had moved the longer conference style table from the middle of the space to the far end, and had replaced it with a smaller table appropriate for two. It had been set elegantly, yet simply as not to give the wrong impression that their dinner was anything but what they had decided it would be. And yet, when he heard Mehek release a shaky breath, did he become aware of the disquiet she had held in all this time.

"Ms. Sharma, nothing is written in stone. We can return to the main dining room if you wish."

"Oh God, no thank you," she exclaimed. "I've had enough of feeling like I'm living in a goldfish bowl for one evening. That sigh was more for the fact that I've escaped the scrutiny."

She didn't know the half or it. If not merely speculated on, a few of the bolder guest had straight out asked the nature of his and the young woman's association. Naturally he had demurred in responding, but that would not bring a cessation to the conjecture he imagined.

"You may be used to such attention, Shaurya, but..."

"Aacha, I suspect that is not exactly true and that you may aware of your popularity by now."

She thought about it for a second before finally conceding, "Perhaps, but it's not as if my spending every night with you, is a regular occurrence Shaurya." She closed her eyes and instantly turned beet red when she realized her slip of the tongue, "I-I mean out with you," she clarified.

He laughed openly at her: not unkindly, but unmistakably finding humor in her discomfort.

"Thank you, Ms. Sharma; you cannot imagine my relief. I had truly become concerned that it was only I suffering from a loss of equilibrium around you. I'm relieved to know that I can fluster you a little bit at least."

"Let's just blame it on my low blood sugar, why don't we," she retorted unwilling to give him the last word, nor admitting that his closeness had affected her as well.

He grinned. "Fair enough. You're in luck though. From here you have the advantage, and can return the favor. The privacy the room allows one to look down on the main dining room without the danger of prying eyes reciprocating. He motioned her to come forward where she could get a bird's eye view of the restaurant. Together they observed the patrons dining, conversing; a few couples even taking advantage to a dedicated area that allowed dancing to the soothing tunes that played on the background music system.

"Your restaurant really is lovely, Shaurya. And your guests are very lucky that I am not as voyeuristic as some of them gave the impression of being," Mehek smilingly stated, before she turned her back to the scene below.

"Shaurya Sir, Ms. Sharma, some starters from Chef Karan."

Mehek had helped herself to a couple of the tid-bits when she heard the unmistakable popping of a cork.

The sight of the wine steward placing a champagne bottle into the chilled bucket next to the dining table and then approaching her with the tray holding the two flutes filled with the effervescent beverage removed any vestige of the smile on his companion's face. However, since she had the tolerance not to throw the drink that was offered in his face immediately, Shaurya spoke up.

"Non-alcoholic sparkling wine, Mehek," he explained. "I make sure that the restaurant is fully stocked, but again if you don't wish it, I will get them to remove it. It is very good though: even for the pretend stuff."

She accepted his excuse and the glass from the server, who departed with his counter-part, leaving her alone with the restaurant owner. They stood apart awkwardly, until she finally chose to close the distance between them.

"Are we going to be this uncomfortable the entire night Shaurya? Apologizing and explaining ourselves every five minutes," she asked.

"I sincerely hope not, mind you this isn't a position I would have not thought to find myself in, even last week."

"And yet here we are." She took a deep breath and raised her glass. "A toast?"

"How about, to new beginnings, or is that too cliched and presumptuous?"

Mehek offered her flute to clink with his, however rather than taking a sip, she instead raised her glass to her line of sight. "Do you honestly believe that there can actually be such thing as a good pretense, Shaurya," she asked whimsically staring at the bubbly liquid and then raising her eyes to his."

He swallowed the portion he had taken, before warily watching her. If anyone should have just cause to wonder such, it would be her.

"I mean do you think there are some charades that could be considered worthier than others?" She left him contemplating where she was going with the topic, when in place of explaining, she almost nervously took a gulp of her beverage. She smiled suddenly. "Oh, I think that I've got my answer: this is very good Shaurya. I can almost imagine it the real thing."

"Well in that case, then I guess your pondering has been satisfied. There is such a thing." He responded sagely.

"In that case, this is what I propose we toast to instead: to a worthy pretense."

**************

Halfway through his second, and her third glass of the almost-as-good-as-the-real thing faux champagne, and over the bread service they had been offered, Shaurya began his entreaty to discover what had intrigued him for days now.

"Haan Shaurya, I did leave Delhi. A most fantastic opportunity came up. One I couldn't say no to. It has been life-changing to say the least."

"For the positive, I take it."

Mehek smiled a little dreamily, "Most definitely. I've learned a lot both professionally and on the personal front as well," she hesitantly added.

The smile he had held froze in place, when she relayed that bit of information. It wasn't what he would have necessarily brought up right then, but now that she had...

"Is it serious?"

She flushed under the force of his stare, and took another sip of the very good drink. "I guess it doesn't make sense pretending I don't know what you're are asking. Intense would be the better description I think. He has a very strong personality, sometimes to the point of being overwhelming, but there's goodness in him as well. Either way, it is very hard to dismiss him."

Shaurya sneered at the thought of the overbearing man, Mehek was describing. He didn't seem a match for the woman before him, at all. Sounding like the atypical bad boy, Shaurya couldn't fathom Mehek Sharma fawning over the type, and yet it was clear that her mystery man had her enthralled. Unbidden, the image of such a man dealing with her on a one on one basis came to his mind, and he found that he had to close his eyes against the sickening vision.

"Shaurya, are you okay?"

"Don't let a man be the wherewithal of your existence, Ms. Sharma; you are way too talented..."

"You misunderstand Shaurya. No commitments have been made on either end as of yet, and trust me I know enough not to take any man's overtures at face value now. Consider it a lesson learned from our last encounter."

He dropped the topic, questioning how she could refer so benignly to the way he had treated her. More than humbled, she left him filled with self-loathing of how he had let his voracity for success lead him down a path where he could have destroyed the life of a decent young woman. His musings, which had him unable to face her, abruptly ended when in an even more selfless move than he could have ever envisioned, Mehek reached across the table to where he held the stem of his wine glass in a vice-like grip. He raised his head when she spoke.

"Don't think on it Shaurya: let bygones be just that. If I can do so, then you should as well. Besides," she continued irreverently, "Your letting me have fun at your expense, this time around is making up for how bad you were before, Mr. Khanna."

They both knew the falsehood behind her statement, but before Shaurya could speak anymore on that, another waiter arrived with their next course. It was damnable timing, as it meant that she was prompted to remove her hands from his. It bothered him that she had done so as if the touch, which had felt like a brand to him, was nothing. Never, had Shaurya cursed the efficiency he had drilled into his staff, than right at this moment.

She inhaled the aroma of the dishes placed in front of them and smiled appreciatively at the waiter, who refilled her wine glass at her request. "Can you let Chef Karan know that if this tastes anywhere as divine as it smells, that I will be calling for seconds. Oh, and please bring us another bottle: it's wonderful."

The attentive server referenced the label on the bottle and then stopped.

"Are you certain Ms. Sharma," the young man queried "Perhaps I can suggest an alternative?"

It was the last straw for a tightly wound Shaurya who wanted to see the back of all his staff for at least half an hour. He snapped his fingers arrogantly "Hello Daman, are you questioning the wishes of a guest; my special guest?"

The young man stood his ground. "Haan Shaurya Sir..."

About to go ballistic, the only thing that could have prevented him from firing the boy on the spot, transpired when Mehek reached for him a second time.

She shook her head to stop his tirade. "I don't doubt that you haven't trained your staff to an acceptable standard. Hear him out at least." She then directed his attention the young man. "Bolo, Daman, is it?"

The waiter, one of the most junior on staff, smiled gratefully to Mehek and then turned back to his boss. He held the bottle so that the label faced Shaurya. "I don't believe that this will pair as well with Chef Karan's entree as something else would, Sir. Perhaps something with citrus notes would be preferable, given Ms. Sharma's preferences." He knew exactly when his boss understood what he was trying to say when the hard man's eyes widened and his nostrils flared.

It was a colossal screw up, and Shaurya knew that he had to shoulder some of the blame for not being aware, but he would surely kill his wine steward tomorrow. What f**king part of non-alcoholic wine had he not understood. He stared across the table at Mehek who patiently waited his reaction. She was the epitome of graciousness, even if she was swaying in her seat just a little, and no wonder, since she had imbibed in almost at least half, if not more, of the bottle of champagne: the real stuff, by herself.

"I think you may be right, Daman," Shaurya conceded. "Thank you."

Mehek beamed at Shaurya after the young server departed. "See that wasn't hard was it Shaurya. And I am sure that I will enjoy whatever he comes up with. Shall we eat now?"

He readily agreed knowing that food would help counter the effects of her drinks. She didn't appear completely foxed, but there was no way he could take her back home in the condition she was.

They talked more as they ate.

"So back to this new-found assertiveness. You have yet to tell me how has emerged so suddenly."

"Well it began with you, Shaurya; you have to know that. But being away from home has brought me a greater sense of independence as well. Obviously, I have made friends amongst my coworkers, but mostly I've been fending for myself. It's been so good for me. I would have remained too sheltered had I stayed at home until such time that my family fixed an alliance for me."

"And is that on the near horizon, Ms. Sharma?"

She chuckled, a low and sultry sound deep in her throat. "I suspect that depends on who you talk to. Chachi, for instance, well I believe she already has her eyes out for someone, but I...I would rather weigh my options for now. My work is very important to me now. I would prefer of course to

offer my input into any choice when the time comes. I would hope that my recent experiences would warrant that at least my opinions would be considered."

"Those types generally do not come up to snuff, Ms. Shama. I wouldn't hedge all of my bets in that direction, if I were you."

"Noted Shaurya, but trust me I know exactly what I am doing. Nothing is set in stone, but should everything fall apart, one day I'm sure he will realize it was his loss." She drank the last of her drink, and set the glass down.

"You really need to make sure they had some of this at the ISC party, Shaurya," she said. "But before that, you really must tell my why it seems that every conversation somehow keeps leading back to my love life. Are you truly concerned about my happiness, or is it jealousy speaking? Have you thought of me as much as I, have you?"

And If that spiel wasn't shocking enough, her next action was, when she set down her cutlery and stood. Two steps was all it took for him to reach his side of the table and when she did she held out her hand "I adore this song, Shaurya. Dance with me."

Janam janam janam saath chalna yunhi

Kasam tumhe kasam aake milna yahin

Ek jaan hai bhale do badan ho judaa

Meri hoke hamesha hi rehna

Kabhi na kehna alvida

She seemed determined to control this dance, Shaurya thought, still too shell-shocked to do anything to support her when she would reach for his hand, as she encircled, touching him lightly and driving him mad with it. Once or twice she would hold his hand and twirl in to him, only to remove herself from the embrace he would captured her in.

Meri subah ho tumhi

Aur tumhi shaam ho

Tum dard ho tum hi aaraam ho

Meri duaaon se aati hai bas ye sadaa

Meri hoke hamesha hi rehna

Kabhi na kehna alvida

Aha ha ha...

She finally stepped into his arms, and allowed them to sway to the music.

"This is the only thing I wasn't sure I could forgive you for, Shaurya," she said with a small frown. "What you did to my uncles was horrible and what you made me do later even worse. But this here; well, this feels really nice."

He couldn't agree more. Having her in his arms felt like heaven.

Meri hoke hamesha hi rehna

Kabhi na kehna alvida..

He closed his eyes when she stepped even closer and rest her head on his shoulder and began singing softly along with the song. Never before, did he want there to be truth in the lyrics sweetly reaching his ears.

Teri baahon mein hai mere dono jahaan

Tu rahe jidhar meri jannat wahin

Jal rahi agan hai jo ye do tarfa

Na bujhe kabhi meri mannat yahi

Tu meri aarzu, main teri aashiqui

Tu meri shayari, main teri mausiqi

"Mehek I..."

"Hush Shaurya. The song is almost over. Just dance. There will be time for talking later, I promise."

"You mean in the next four days before you leave again?"

Talab talab talab bas teri hai mujhe

Nashon mein tu nasha banke ghulna yunhi

Meri mohabbat ka karna tu haq ye adaa

Meri hoke hamesha hi rehna

Kabhi na kehna alvida

His utterance brought her to a standstill and forgetting the music completely she stepped out of his arms. He had sounded as desperate as she felt, and then she before she knew it she felt tears pooling in her eyes. "I'm sorry. If this one big mistake, let's just chalk it up to a life lesson, or the fact that I'm a little tipsy right now. But you are right, I will be gone in four days and before I leave, I just need to know, okay Shaurya?"

"About that Mehek," Shaurya began, hoping to explain the bar mix up that somehow, she was smart to realize had occurred.

He didn't have the chance, and a minute later Shaurya learned that not only was this new and improved version a lot savvier than the old Mehek, but she was braver even more than he was, when she stepped to him and drew his head down to hers and claimed the kiss that he had been contemplating from the moment he had laid eyes on her today.

Meri subah ho tumhi

Aur tumhi shaam ho

Tum dard ho, tum hi aaraam ho

Meri duaaon se aati hai bas ye sadaa

Meri hoke hamesha hi rehna

Kabhi na kehna alvida

Chapter18