FF: Unnamed (chapter eight updated) - Page 2

Hearing the rustle of leaves, the young Shah turned around to see Rajveer standing behind him. "How did you get here? I mean, what are you doing here?"

"I didn't catch my bus," the wayward wedding planner replied.

"Fine," Manu said, glancing at the basket of decorations before continuing, "help me put these up."

"Woah, hold on a second. This isn't my job anymore, remember?" Rajveer chanted as if he was trying to irritate him on purpose. Manu shot him a withering glare in response. "However, I can help you if you help me find my Soniyo."

Manu blinked, a look of amusement gracing his handsome face. "Your Soniyo?" he asked with a pointed look.

"Yes, my Soniyo!" Rajveer affirmed, dramatically clutching his heart and staring off into the dark sky. "It's strange. I've seen many beautiful girls, been with many gorgeous girls-"

"I bet you have."

"-but her simplicity is making me go mad. She's special, you know what I mean?"

Upon hearing the words 'simplicity' and 'special', Manu's eyes glazed over as he clearly went off into deep thought. Rajveer kept babbling on and on about his Soniyo, only realising that his companion was no longer listening after he received no response to his request.

He waved a hand in front of the younger man's face, raising his eyebrow when said man jumped.

"You must be mistaken," Manu spoke coolly, seemingly recovering quickly from whatever trance he'd been in. "There's no such girl in this pind."

"But I saw her," Rajveer piped up, looking like a petulant child who'd just been told that his favourite sweets were sold out. "I saw her with my own two eyes at the Holi party!"

"You must have been imagining her," Manu cut in rather dryly. "After all, almost everyone seemed to be under the influence of bhaang that day."

Evidently unwilling to take no for an answer, Rajveer pulled a plain (cheap) anklet out of his pocket and dangled it in front of the Shah's face. After what seemed like a fleeting sense of recognition, Manu looked as if he was attempting to recall where he'd seen the anklet before.

"You must have a friend who'd know."

Looking away, Manu picked at the flowers on one of the flower chains he'd placed along the balcony ledge and said, "I don't have any friends. There was a friend but then he left. Then there was another friend but we drifted apart..."

"Did you ever try to find your friend?" Rajveer questioned, before hastily adding, "The one who left, I mean."

"No."

"Was he a Bajwa?"

Manu's head snapped towards Rajveer and he visibly winced from the whiplash. He pressed his lips together until they went paper white before saying, in a rather gruff voice, "Just finish decorating the balcony. I've got other things to do. Do the decorations well. It's a matter of Mummy's respect..."

Before Rajveer could speak any further, Manu left the balcony, leaving behind a visibly confused wedding planner.

~~~~~~~~~

"Preet, when did you get here?"

Preet looked up from the magazine that she was reading to see her aunt, Nimrit, poking her head around the kitchen door. "Not long ago," she replied, subtly closing the magazine and giving it a once-over. The front cover was full of mentions of the latest celebrity controversies and gossip, including the break up of a popular TV actress and her longtime boyfriend. She put it underneath the newspaper that was conveniently lying around on the coffee table before saying, "I got bored at home by myself."

"Nimrit, make us some tea!" Manjeet, Preet's uncle, ordered as he entered the house with his brother in law in tow.

"Ji," Nimrit replied quietly, disappearing back into the kitchen she hadn't even been able to step out of. Preet stayed in her seat, eyes flickering between the newspaper on the coffee table and her father and uncle. She and her father, Chetan, exchanged looks as the latter looked back at his brother in law and the two sat down.

"Preet, go inside," Chetan ordered without even looking at said sighed inwardly in defeat, glancing one last time at the newspaper before heading to the kitchen.

Preet sighed inwardly in defeat, glancing one last time at the newspaper before saying, "Ji, Papa," and heading to the kitchen.

"What did you think of him?" Manjeet asked Chetan as he lounged back into his seat.

"He's..."

Chetan's voice was drowned out by the furious muttering going on in the direction Preet was walking in. She glanced back at the men who were having an animated discussion before pausing outside the kitchen door.

"Our reputation will be in tatters because of you!" Nimrit yelled, her voice ringing loud and clear despite the thick wooden door. "You know what happened to that Pawania girl, don't you?"

"Mummy, why are you bringing her up?" Preet's cousin, Ratan, asked irately. Her voice was much quieter than her mother's but sounded just as firm. "What's she got to do with me?"

"If you don't control your behaviour soon, you'll bring shame to our family like she did to hers. You know your father would kill you if he knew what you get up to!"

"I've told you so many times that it's not like that!"

"Don't lie to me!"

"I told you nothing's going on! And what about Preet? She hangs around boys, even the nephew of Charminder Shah Ji, and you don't say a thing to her!" Preet raised an eyebrow and looked back at Chetan and Manjeet who were still busy conversing.

"Preet talks to Tekbir Babu about work," Nimrit cut in, making Preet nod to herself. "You hang around boys for another reason entirely. Don't bother denying it. I know."

Ratan mumbled something and Preet moved away from the door as heavy footsteps approached it. Nimrit threw the door open, exiting the kitchen just as Preet casually entered it. The eighteen-year-old gave her cousin a curious look, only to be met with a scowl.

"This girl will ruin our reputation!" Nimrit complained as Preet nonchalantly drank from a brass cup of water. "Lo, Ji, let's not waste any more time. Let's start looking for boys right now."

"Jijaji and I already went to see one today," Manjeet replied calmly. "We think he'll do."

"What?!" Ratan exclaimed, nervously wringing her hands. "Mummy!" Preet rolled her eyes as her cousin stormed out of the kitchen and headed for her parents.

Originally posted by: Meghateresa

Preet should end up with Raj... Make him positive... Please don't let him seduce Gunjan, that will be too disgusting for me to digest!!!! Hope to see some good romance... He should realize how good mannu is when he helps them out. Once Preet's family knows he is Raj Bajwa they will be against him as they are loyal to Amba. He can just try to break Gunjan's relationship and everyone can find out he is Raj Bajwa... Maybe Amba and Harjeet can compete about whose bahu Preet will be. Amba because of her loyalty to Pavanya clan and Harjeet because his son wants her. As he got his son after a long time and this is the first thing he asked... Harjeet might get her kidnapped and then Raj should be angry with his father and question him. Preet should fall for him after she sees his nice side. For me Mannu and Preet falling for each other seems pretty weird as for me they are same... Sorry didi, I have too many ideas about how it should have turned out and now everything is pouring out... Please go ahead with your main idea... I have a feeling that it is going to be great... Only thought ph and bh would be friends only if Rajmannu unite. Bechari Preet ki bali chadh jaayegi!!!!

Originally posted by: QueenKordeilia

Preet's family are not loyal to the Pawanias. They're neutral. You might be mixing my FF up with rani7131's.

BTW, I've already planned my FF and I doubt I'll change it.