PreeRan FF: When our paths crossed! Ch 6C updated pg 8

Chapter 5C & 6A- pg 5

Chapter 6B- pg 7 (an extra long but extremely romantic update)

Chapter 6C- pg 8

Karan entered the studio with Preeta, still unaware of her identity. He turned towards her and asked, "So is Preeta Arora your boss? How is she? I mean I have to work with her for a couple of weeks, and I like to be well prepared about who I'm going to deal with na. So I guess you'd be the best person to tell me. Don't worry, agar buraai bhi karni hai, karlo. I won't tell on you, I promise." And gave her a wink.

Laughing at his statement, Preeta said, "Aap milke khud hi decide kar lena! Main kya bataaoon!"

Karan continued, "Waise I've heard she's done up the whole studio herself. And if that is true, she definitely has an eye for details. The studio looks amazing. I think for my next Photoshoot, I'm going to request her to use her studio, if all goes well with her that is. It's gorgeous."

Preeta led the way, guiding him into her office. Smiling at him, she announced, "Welcome to my studio Mr. Karan Luthra. I'm so glad you liked my studio. I'd be more than happy to let you use my studio for your photoshoots. Feel free to buzz me whenever you need it. I think I need to wipe up that confused expression from your face. Hi, I'm Preeta Arora. Nice to meet you. And thank you so much for the lift, and helping me not break my record of never being late for work." And she winked back at him and laughed.

Karan's jaw had dropped at this introduction. He expected Preeta to be some middle-aged lady, parading around in the most expensive designer wear she could lay her hands on, maybe a little snooty. He had definitely not imagined this girl in front of him, someone who looked not more than 25, to have had a platform so large. Taking in her casual clothes, her amicable personality, her uninhibited smile, he couldn't help but get impressed with her grounded attitude. Inquisitive, he asked her, "So Preeta? I hope I can call you that BTW? Why didn't you tell me right away that you were the one I was coming to meet huh"

Preeta: "Of course you can call me by my name Mr. Luthra. Actually, woh kya hai na, I thought it would be fun to play along. Waise bhi, had I told you my identity, the conversation could have gone in any direction. But this way, at least we had a certain level of bonding before we start with the work. That will save me the added exercise of bonding with my clients. Hai na? Anyway, make yourself comfortable and tell me what you'd like to have? Coffee?"

***

Karan got a little too comfortable, and sitting at the edge of the table, while sipping on his coffee, continued, "Waise before we start, I have one condition. Please call me Karan yaar. Yeh Mr. Luthra sunke na aisa lag raha hai ki mere baal safed ho gaye hain! Pata hai mujhe toh laga tha koi auntie types hogi, strict master types, jaise woh 'The Devil wears Prada' mein dikhaya tha na. But no one here remotely resembles anything like in the movie. Kuch bhi dikhaate hain na yeh log. I definitely wasn't expecting a young, gorgeous girl like you handling this place all by yourself. Very impressive yaar!"

Preeta plopped down on the sofa and replied, "I'm not a strict task master but I do have rules and I'm serious about my work. So Karan, if you are going to work with me, thoda serious toh hona padega kaam ke waqt. Baaki time, you don't have to be serious around me. Itni bhi buri nahin hoon. You'll get to know soon. Ab chalein doosre room mein? I need to show you my designs and discuss the particulars." She got up to lead the way to the room where the clothes were kept, when she turned and said, "By the way, thanks for the compliment. Beautiful ka pata nahin but young zaroor hoon!"

Karan Luthra was losing it. How could this girl be so serious and so fun at the same time. She made him feel at ease in a matter of minutes and here he was, already following her and blabbering to her as if he's known her all his life. She had definitely caught his attention the minute he had laid his eyes on her, but getting to know her seemed even better. The day was going to be a long one and he was definitely looking forward to it.

Preeta continued showing him the chosen designs, discussing how she envisioned the whole event to go like, stopping in between to demonstrate stuff. Karan was thoroughly impressed with her professionalism. He had worked with several designers before, and he was used to their tantrums and the arguments and creative differences. But she was different. She was open to his ideas, pitching in her own ideas, reaching a middle ground, putting forth her ideas with confidence. She wasn't the kind to sugar coat what she said, not the kind who would hang on to each word of his like it were the only truth, she was definitely not into his star image despite being a toddler in the fashion industry. And Karan couldn't help but be smitten by her, no matter how much he resisted. He was known for his Playboy image, of dating a series of women, of being the favorite child of page 3 columns and the tabloid. It was only for publicity and he knew better that those women he dated fawned over him coz of his star status. It kind of irked him that Preeta didn't care if he was a superstar. All she cared about was that they were working together and she had to make sure it was a success for them both. Smiling to himself, Karan thought, "This is going to be fun. I don't know why I'm already so fond of her and it's just been 6 hours since I met her. But if she's going to be the designer, I'd give anything to endorse her designs. I am sure working with her is going to be a lot more fun!"

Preeta snapped her fingers at him to bring him back to attention. Waving a hand in front of his face, she asked, "Karan kahan kho gaye? Yeh smile kyun de rahe ho? Main paanch minute se tumhe bula rahi hoon, par tum apni hi duniya mein khoye hue ho Mr. Lost superstar. Ab batao na, yeh design pasand aaya? Ya kuch changes karne hain?"

As Karan realized he hadn't paid attention to anything but her face the whole time, he mumbled an apology and asked her to repeat it once. With a sigh, Preeta showed him the designs all over again.

Giving her a thumbs up, they started with the trials and fittings, decided upon the next appointment before calling it a day.

Karan: "Yaar itna kaam kaise kar leti ho tum? Mujhe toh bahut bhook lagi hai. Tumne bhi toh dinner nahin kiya hoga na? Let's go have dinner first na please. I'll drop you home after that. And I'm not taking a no for an answer."

Preeta: "Arre please don't bother na. Waise bhi Karan, no offence to you. I don't know how true the media is when it comes to your image, but I want to stay out of controversies at this point of time. I hope you understand. Haan, if you don't mind, then you can come to my apartment. I'll fix a quick dinner for you. And we'd not be under media scrutiny either."

Karan: "As long as I get food, I'm always happy. Ghar pe ho ya restaurant pe, ki farak penda hai! Waise ek baat batao, tumhe khaana banana aata bhi hai? Ya main experimental bakra hoon? Pehle se warning hi de do!"

Preeta laughed and reassured him, "Arre nahin yaar. Cooking toh meri hobby hai. Aur stress buster bhi. In fact maine cooking ka bhi ek course kiya hai, to learn about different cuisines. Paris mein jab main akele rehti thi toh I used to cook on my own, kyunki Punjabis ke taste bud ke baare mein toh tumhe pata hi hai. Har time woh pasta pizza kaun kha sakta hai! Ab chalo! I promise I won't kill you with food poisoning, after all you're the only ray of hope when it comes to my showstopper na! Ab chalo na" and held his arm and pulled him, while Karan continued staring at her with awe.

Karan was amused with the quick changes in her expressions, in her attitude. She switched from being demure to being professional to being shy to being careful to being funny to being casual, in a matter of minutes. There was no facade, no pretenses, no efforts to impress him. She was as she showed herself to be and the different shades of her personality left him amused.

****

The whole drive was relatively quiet, comfortably quiet to be precise. They were both tired after a long day of work, and engaged in small talk, discussing about movies and Preeta's upcoming show and Karan's modeling career. Karan decided to play some music in his car, and they didn't realize when they had started singing along. 30 minutes later, they reached her house. She welcomed Karan into her apartment, and asked him to make himself comfortable while she got everything ready, telling him not to expect a lavish dinner. She promised to show him around once she got the dinner ready. While Preeta was busy in the kitchen, Karan decided to check out her apartment. It looked comfortably cosy, warm and welcoming. He couldn't help but admire her tastefully decorated apartment. The living room was warm and cozy with white and gold wallpaper, a vintage lamp at one corner, low stools and a mattress with cushions, a bean bag at one corner, a fireplace in the center, a whole wall adorned with pictures from events of her life, hanging from the strings of fairy light. Every piece of decor had a personal touch. He could see her love for colors and lights reflected in the decor. He could hear her humming a tune while she was engrossed in cooking. He followed her voice and found himself in the kitchen. The kitchen was a marvel, reflecting her love for cooking. Everything was organized, sorted and labelled. There were mason jars filled with homemade cookies, dry cake and marmalade. Preeta smiled at him, reading his expression of awe, and nodded affirming that whenever she got some time off, she would cook and keep jars of cookies ready, to help her sustain through her busier days. She asked him to freshen up in the next room if he wanted, while she set the table ready for dinner. Karan casually walked over to the refrigerator to pour himself a glass of chilled water when his eyes fell on the plate of chocolate cake in front of him.

He exclaimed, "Wow! Chocolate cake! This looks too good to be homemade. Yeh mat bolna ki yeh bhi tumhi ne banaya hai! Can I grab a piece please?"

Preeta: "Told ya, baking is a stress buster for me. Feel free to take whatever you want Karan. Feel at home."

She laid out the dinner in her favorite corner of the house- the balcony. The balcony was her go-to place. With a comfortable low-set table and mattress, a swing, lots of flower pots hanging from the ceiling, wall lamps and an abstract painting made by her sister, mosaic lanterns placed on a tiny corner table lighting up the whole place and casting a warm glow, this place always made her feel relaxed after a long day at work. She led Karan to the balcony and sat down next to him on the mattress.

Preeta: "I'm so sorry Karan. Since there wasn't much time and you were really hungry, I just managed to cook baked vegetable casserole and some buttered mushroom spinach in garlic sauce. I am so sorry I didn't ask you about your preferences. We can have the cake for dessert. Lemme know if you want anything to drink."

Karan took in the surroundings, feeling relaxed all of a sudden. This place felt like home. He complimented Preeta's amazing taste in decor, telling her how much he loved the apartment. He said, "Yaar ek baat batao, itna kuch kar kaise leti ho? Matlab this balcony makes me want to stay here forever. This place feels like home. I'm sure you must feel so relaxed when you come back from work."

Preeta: "Thanks Karan. Start with the dinner and then we can continue with my life history. And let me know if you like the food. Be honest okay?"

Karan took a bite of the food. 10 seconds later, he had a nauseated look on his face. Preeta was worried to death, wondering what went wrong, asking Karan if he was okay. Seeing the look of horror on her face, Karan burst into a fit of laughter, glad that he had easily fooled her into believing he was unwell.

Preeta heaved a sigh of relief, but punched him lightly, annoyed at his antics. "Are you crazy or what Karan? Such a stupid prank! You scared the living daylights out of me!"

Karan: "Yaar yeh itna achha khaana khaane ke baad thodi acting toh banti hai na. Sorry! I'm so glad you invited me over for dinner. Pata nahin yahan akele kya kya banake khaati ho. Lucky you! It's better than whatever I've had in restaurants. Kitna pyaar milaya hai isme, haan bolo bolo? Ab ek baar invite kiya, but don't complain if you find me at your door every other day, begging for yummy food."

Preeta couldn't help laughing at his words.

She said, "Thanks Karan par yeh kuch zyaada nahin ho raha. And you're always welcome to join me for dinner. Waise bhi akele dinner karne mein mazaa kahan aata hai. Aur waise bhi, if you come over, we get to unwind and go over the details here itself. So that way, you wouldn't have to waste a major part of your day in my office as well."

Karan replied, "Kya yaar, tum bhi na! Kabhi chill bhi kar liya karo... Hamesha kaam ke baare mein hi sochti ho!"

Karan helped her clear the dishes and then they went back to the balcony to chill for a while with a glass of wine each.

Karan: "I can't believe I just met you. I've never been as comfortable with anyone else before you know. It feels like I've known you forever."

Preeta: "Haan I know right. Well, let's hope we'll make an awesome team together. So friends?"

Extending her hand towards Karan, she flashed a million dollar smile which had Karan melting immediately. As Karan took her hand in his, smiling, he felt an instant connection, a spark he couldn't deny, a feeling he was never aware of before this moment. Coming out of his trance, he asked her to tell him everything about herself.

Sitting right there, next to each other, enjoying the warmth of the candles and the coolness of the breeze outside, with the moon casting its silvery glow and the stars twinkling in the night sky, two tipsy souls shared instances of their lives with each other, smiling at each other, getting lost in each other's eyes once in a while.