Chapter#23
...What drives you Shaurya? Why did you let me into your life when you knew that there was little chance of you being faithful to me...to any woman? Is it the thrill of the chase that is the great appeal? Is it the juggling of numerous women that makes you feel like a real man? And how does that work anyway? Somehow, I don't think letting Esha know your childhood secrets would have appealed to someone like her; so, is it a different method for every girl, Shaurya? A different overture that you know will melt her heart? Bolo Dost...if you can speak about leaving your show for Esha, what can you do for me: for the one who was supposed to be so dear to you? How far can you go...or was the thought that I could mean anything to you part of the lie too?
Shaurya had made it to the gate just before it closed, and hurried down the crowded aisle to one of the few remaining seats in rear section of the plane. A quick check led to the discovery that the overhead bins were already stuffed to capacity, so he was grateful that necessity had him travelling light. Lifting his compact leather weekender to chest level, he regrettably disturbed the passenger seated in the aisle seat, who looked to have already drifted off. Scooting past his sleepy seatmate, he took the middle chair, acknowledging the elderly woman who occupied the window seat and quickly, with a prayer, attempted to stow his bag under the seat in front of him. Thankfully it fit.
His travel agent had been practically apoplectic when he had denied going on a later flight: one that would offer the amenities that his high-profile client demanded as the norm. However, under threat of losing him as a client, he had sourced exactly what Shaurya Khanna wanted: the quickest possible way to Orlando, no later than today. In fact, the man had done one better in finding a mid-morning flight, when Shaurya imagined he would not be able to leave until that evening at the earliest, but with that, everything had been thrown into chaos. Shaurya could still hear the echoes of his mother emphatically calling after him, when he had handed her the bouquet he had ordered for Mehek, informing her that he was leaving the country, and literally abandoning her on the Sharma doorstep, after he had received the call detailing a solution to his travel request. He had less than an hour to get to the airport, so the foresight of prepacking a couple of changes of clothes had definitely worked in his favour. Still he had cut it close, and now, even as they were announcing for all electronic devices to be turned off, he narrowly had enough time to telephone Hina, informing his flabbergasted PA of his anticipated arrival time in Orlando, and the arrangements he had expected to be in place by the time he arrived there in exactly nineteen and a half hours. As to work: whatever couldn't be handed over to Bhai should be cancelled all together.
He switched to Facebook to re-read the message that had come far too late in the night where she was, pointing to MS' inability to sleep.
what can you do for me: for the one who was supposed to be so dear to you? How far can you go...
He knew when it came; when he had read what she had written, that he couldn't ignore her pain anymore; that he couldn't wait until he had the perfect plan in place to follow. He had been idle long enough: perhaps even too long. In the message, he knew he would never have received, but for the intense injustice she believed he had inflicted on her, MS had practically begged for some proof that she had meant something to him. He hadn't responded, he couldn't. The time had long past for mere words. He could do naught now, but have his actions answer for him: no matter the cost. As far he was concerned everything else: his show, his business, all of it could be damned.
"Sir, please turn of your phone, we're about to taxi."
Shuarya followed the attendant's instruction, anxious to be on his way anyway, and then placed the powered off mobile in his jacket pocket. About to close his eyes, his attention was captured by the thin feminine voice beside him.
"Aacha, when a man travels as light as you are, Beta, he is either running from something, or chasing someone. Since you come across on the television as more naughty than wicked Shaurya Khanna, can I assume that you are doing the chasing? I can't imagine your sweetheart is none too happy with you after your press conference, is she beta?"
Shaurya turned, "Nahi Aunty, she's not; not at all."
The elderly woman patted Shaurya's hand gently. "Thik hai Beta, let me give you some advice then..."
**************
Initially unnoticed, Kaurna took in the controlled chaos of her son's office. It seemed at first glance, that his staff, very much like she had been, were reeling in the aftermath of son's sudden departure. She watched as Hina: Shaurya's very dedicated PA, who had just handed a stack of paperwork to the already harried receptionist, caught sight of her, just as she was about to pivot to return in the direction of the executive offices. The PA stopped in her tracks, an ambiguous expression on her face, as she attempted to maintain calm amongst the disorder. As she approached, Hina tapped the Bluetooth headphone she wore to answer an incoming call, requesting the person on the other end to give her thirty minutes to get back to them with the requested information. Relieving Karuna of the floral arrangement she absently held, Hina placed the flowers on the edge of the receptionist's desk, before finally greeting her employer's mother.
"Namaste, Karuna Ma'am, Rajiv Sir is expecting you".
Things were not much better back here Karuna realized as she entered the senior executive's cabin. His assurances that the continuity of the new season of India's Super Cook would not suffer, sounded as if they were falling on deaf ears over the conference call he was on. With technically only two weeks' worth of episodes banked, the network was in a complete panic. However, as Rajiv indicated, until they heard otherwise from the show's creator, they could only rely on the verity of Shaurya's sensibilities which would not allow the obvious ruination of his show. Only once he had personally guaranteed the network head that Shaurya would be in touch with him, was Rajiv permitted to end the call, but only just. He sighed and held his head in his hands fleetingly before he raised it and greeted the woman, who despite being burdened by her own troubles relating to Shaurya, he needed to confer with. Beseechingly, he pushed his empty coffee cup across the table top, before belatedly standing to greet his visitor. Over his folded hands he greeted her.
"Namaste Karuana-ji; forgive my bad manners. Naturally we are in a bit of a crisis. Please sit. I'm...actually both Hina and I are very glad you've come." He suddenly called in the direction of the PA who looked about to leave the room to refill his cup of coffee. "Actually Hina, assign someone else to that task, and return as quickly as possible. I would have you here on this discussion as well."
As troubled as she was, Karuna was admittedly intrigued now, so she held her tongue until the younger woman returned to the office and took a seat. She was again prevented from speaking when Hina held up one hand, and sure enough an assistant entered the room seconds later with a tray of refreshments for the three of them. However as soon as the door closed again, the words she could no longer contain, spilled out.
"I have spent possibly the worst mornings a mother of a son can; learning that his upbringing has been a completely failure, that none of the values a mother seeks to instill in her child, seems to have stuck. However, as disheartening this is, it is a pale second to the absolute pain of an entire family whose daughter is the purported victim of your only child. That a child: a daughter has been forced to flee the safety of a place that should always be a haven for girl due to the actions of your son is something no mother wishes to learn. Compounded by the fact that you told both Shaurya and I a bold-faced lie concerning Mehek s whereabouts and her condition, Rajiv, I am left with no alternative but to face the possibility that there is some modicum of truth behind the Sharma family's belief. On the presumption that you have not sought my guidance on Shaurya's business, then I can only assume that you wish to inform me exactly what Shaurya has done to Mehek Sharma."
"Befriended her certainly...prompted her to fall in love with him: a distinct possibility."
Karuna's face, suddenly ashen, turned from Rajiv to Hina, who although silent, did nothing to rebuke this supposition. She had no alternative but face the real possibility of her son's wrong-doing.
"However, by the same token, both Hina and I share the opinion that Shaurya is also in love with Mehek: he just isn't aware of it ...yet".
"That is still no justification if he has acted dishonorably towards her..."
"Nahi, Karuna- ji...what we are trying to explain, albeit not well, is that Shaurya was firmly on his way to developing feelings for Mehek, even before she returned for ISC. As we see now, their association had been well established before then. If anything, I would say that Shaurya has been left confused by his clear attraction to Mehek, as he hasn't made the connection that is painfully obvious now to the two of us. Shaurya hasn't left the country chasing after Mehek; he has because of his online friend. However, it is Mehek that he will find."
Karuna's head was reeling, but everything fit and made perfect sense now. "She absolutely refused to have anything to do with him once he told her who he was," she mumbled aloud. Beside her, Hina shook her head in agreement. "Haan Aunty, and then she placed some major stipulations on their friendship." The young woman further explained her role in the what she could only describe as Shaurya's mission of self-discovery. And Karuna could now see how torn her son had been: confused over his feelings for his online friend, and those that had come from nowhere for the woman who had been with him for the past week. She suddenly gasped, as another thought struck. "Mehek, she must be devastated over these rumors."
"Haan, but the fact is that she left India the night before any of the news broke, so someone or something had to have reached her attention before the article was even published. There are other matters at play: some mischief targeting if not Shaurya specifically, then the pair of them," Rajiv stated. "I did not disclose what I had learned of Mehek's leaving in order to give myself the time to discover if there was any truth behind Kanta's belief that Shaurya had wronged her niece." The business man stared steadfastly at Karuna. "I have, but not enough to completely exonerate Shaurya. But then everything hit the fan, and we find ourselves at this point." He smiled ruefully. "Despite appearances, I can more than handle the business end of things stemming from Shaurya's absconding, however the fact of the matter is that it can be neither Hina nor I responsibility to determine how we manage the personal aspect of this problem. Do we lead him her or discourage discovery? Do we involve Mehek's family in any of this or not? Hina will need to have everything in place before she leaves the office, so we could really use your guidance, Karuna-ji."
Karuna, whose maternal instincts had kicked in the minute Rajiv had indicated that some foul plan was afoot against her son, and by virtue the woman he loved, sat up straighter. As long as she drew breath no one would dare to harm either of them.
"I can only hope my son is sensible enough to get over the inevitable shock to succor the woman he loves. And should he not be, then he is not worthy of her. I would not give him any unfair advantage, but I think it best to let Shaurya and Mehek settle their matter without any outside interference. What we will focus on instead is this plot; who is behind it and more importantly why."
***********
Mehek still felt like kicking herself for letting her emotions get the better of her, and sending him such a desperate message last night. Never the mind that she felt as despondent as her words portrayed: he needn't have known this. What purpose had it served, she thought when she saw that although read, he hadn't even the decency to acknowledge it in any form. It didn't matter, she said to convince herself, as she set the just signed employment contract aside. She was moving on with her life, and he: KK/ Shaurya Khanna would no longer be a factor in it. She returned to the small kitchen so that she could finish plating the sweets she had prepared to take to Mel's gathering. Hopefully it would be the first of many social occasions as she settled in the area properly. She was just finished her task when, punctual as always, her doorbell rang: it couldn't be anyone but Malik, here to drop her off the apartment complex where many of the college program participants were housed. She smiled when on opening the door, he inhaled appreciatively at the scents permeating the small suite. "That's a good sign if I've ever seen one, Mehek offered. "Come, let's get going so you can get on to whatever it was you had planned this evening, Malik."
They made one stop to the front desk, where Mehek dropped off a small tray of the ladoos she had made to the staff she had become friendly with over the past few weeks. She smiled at their excitement for the unexpected treat.
"These aren't the usual ones, Mehek"
"Nahi, but if you get the chance to peep the show, you will know why I've made them, she answered as she waved them goodbye.
After they settled in Malik's vehicle, he commented on her brighter demeanor.
"Would you rather I curl up in bed for the rest of my life? Nahi, I won't. One day at a time is how I see it, and today has been an okay one, so I figure I may as well enjoy the remainder of it."
"So reliving ISC won't affect that, you are saying?"
A little more subdued when she answered, Mehek nodded. "Perhaps, but I did a great job while I was there, and I refuse to let anyone take that from me."
Not long after they, found themselves outside the rather noisy complex ringing the door- bell. Malik grimaced at all of the activity, as he recalled Mehek relating that she may look into one of the available apartments in the same complex as a permanent residence once her initial contract finished. "Are you sure you don't want to reconsider living around here," he asked unaware that the door had opened as he had spoken. Mehek grinned as the welcoming smile fell from Mel's face. "And why shouldn't she want to live here? She's young woman with a life. No-where close to needing the rest-home, Malik Uncle," she added intimating in the sweetest of tones that perhaps he was. "Welcome guys, we are just ready for you."
Mel quickly placed the trays on a table and then dashed to the front of the common room where a bunch of young adults had gathered. "Okay everyone here, she projected over the noisy chatting. "Now I promised you all a surprise so all together, everyone say: thank you, Mel!"
"Let's see if the surprise is worth it first, Mel! "
"Oy, get out of that seat, I told you it's reserved," Mel retorted. The young woman laughed, when the boy in question followed her direction. "Thik hai. First welcome to the season 2 kick off our ISC viewing parties. To the newbies just giving this a go, you are in for some fun. So, you all know Gordon Ramsey, well over in India we have Shaurya Khanna: basically, Gordon Ramsey if he was a male model. In the first season he was positively wicked, but little did he know that the most unassuming person would get the better of him in the end. And then thanks to the eagle eyes of one of Disney's own, we managed to bring this superstar over to the US to entice us with her creations. So first off let's show our appreciation for Chef Malik, for convincing the powers to take a chance on our super special guest." She motioned the man forward and directed him to the single unoccupied chair amongst the gaming chairs and beanbag seats that filled the common room. Once the man was seated she approached him and smiled leaning into him. She activated the recliner, and smirked at him. "I wanted to make sure you were totally comfortable, Uncle. Would you like something to drink: coffee...tea...or"
"Hello Mel...get on with it".
"Come on guys, it's our responsibility to ensure our elders are taken care of," she laughed. She looked back at the man she had been questioning.
"A soft drink would be fine," Malik answered as he brought the chair back up.
"Sure, let me get Mehek settled first. She will be in the children's section with me." She returned to the front of the room. "Okay guys so you would have to be really thick if you haven't figured who I am talking about. And even if you don't, you will by the end of the show...and she's even brought us goodies, so let's welcome Mehek Sharma!"
Seated on a double beanbag, waiting for the show to start, Mehek glanced over at Malik who had surprisingly remained there, and was conversing with one of the young men closest to him. Beside her Mel sighed. The young woman spoke when Mehek faced her. "I wish I could go back to when I had never heard him speak. He was just perfect then. I would never have imagined that behind that all of that good looking would be such a chauvinist."
"He has never come across like that to me..."
"Really, so why was he acting like you couldn't think for yourself the yesterday; like he had every right over you?
Mehek smiled ruefully, "Because he cares, and he knows that I haven't been..."she cut off "Wait is that why you are be so obnoxious with the Uncle spiel...you know that isn't going down well. And he's not that old you know."
"He doesn't like it: good. That's what he gets for destroying my fantasy that he was flawless. But... if he has been acting like this because he had to...then I guess that's pretty sweet." She tapped Mehek, "But what's up anyway, are you okay...I mean you weren't due back for a couple more days and.."
Mehek stopped her by pointing towards the t.v. that hung on the wall across from them: the program had begun.
The show was well received, and Mehek's performance much appreciated as she was shown to be putting Shaurya through his paces and more than once, in his place. But while most of the attendees remained focused on the screen, two of them split their time observing the program and the chef participant in their midst, who as the episode progressed had become visibly disturbed. At one point, when Mehek had tucked her head down, and had surreptitiously dabbed one eye, Mel and Malik's eyes met in concern for the young woman.
"Should we serve these goodies now Mehek," Mel asked, as a way to remove the vulnerable woman from the watchful eyes of their companions when she looked about to break down.
"Haan lets. I'll just go to the washroom first, if that's okay."
*********
Aunty was right. The first thing he had needed to do was to have a good night's sleep and approach everything when he was fresh and alert. It had been enough to realize last night, as he stood on his balcony looking out towards a moonlight Bay Lake that MS was here in the very same building, perhaps right now, staring out on the same scenery. This allowed him to rest, which he sorely needed after the two long haul flights he had taken. The rest that had given him the clarity to guess where he probably needed to go this morning.
And now, he had found her...
She was a lot quicker than he thought she would be, once she got over the shock of them coming face-to-face. If anything, it was he, despite the solid night's sleep he had, that was slow off the mark: losing precious moments when the realization that he had so easily located her, had him rooted where he stood. She took advantage of his hesitation, and had retreated two steps backwards before turning and darting out of the kiosk. It was folly on his part to believe that she could be rushing to him, and consequently it had taken him far more effort for him to catch up with her; to grab her wrist and pull her back against him. It was clear by her stiff stance that she did not want to be there, in this moment with him. Not when she thought him a betrayer.
"Did you not think I wouldn't answer your plea, Dost? I thought you knew me better than that by now, Shaurya whispered for her ears only.
Chapter24A
Edited by crtkelly - 8 years ago
DO NOT COPY THIS POST AS THIS IS EXCLUSIVE TO INDIA FORUMS
