Part 6
"This isn't working Mishti. We need to do something else"
Mishti frowned, looking over at the ideas they had written down for fundraising for an orphanage. Right now everything looked bleak, and frankly even she didn't like what they had come up with.
"Where is Abir bhaiya when you need him?" Vanita didi muttered.
"We don't need him. We can do this" Mishti snapped.
"Community dinner"
"Bhaiyaaaa" the NGO Didis shrieked in joy, rushing over to his side.
The first thing she could think was Abir was back. And he was okay. God knew her brain had come up with strange things in his absense. The next thing she could think was what an idiot! Mishti glared at the man as the girls surrounded him, gushing at him.
"A community dinner can work, but, for us to go grand scale, we need good publicity, marketing, advertising - a celebrity or something like that" she trailed off, her mind already going into overdrive with how she could make the community dinner work for the children.
"Agreed. I can take care of it with your help"
Mishti stared at him. Did he think he could just come back after a week and act like nothing had happened? She opened her mouth to say so when Sumi didi, who had been fussing over Abir said, "I don't think Mishti wants to help you, Abir bhaiya. She is very angry"
"Angry, violent, chorni" Abir muttered under his breath, looking over at the girl in question, who was standing right opposite him, looking like she wanted nothing more than to empty a cup of coffee over his head.
He lifted his hand to pat his hair, flinching as his fingers brushed over the scar on his forehead.
Mishti's eyes travelled to his forehead, "your stitches are off" she commented, looking at the scar on his forehead.
"Yeah I'm Harry Potter now" Abir commented off handedly, attempting to lighten her mood.
Mishti glared at him before muttering, " I'm going to go work over there" and turning around and walking to her desk.
Abir stared at her retreating back. Vanita and Sumi were telling him something but he didn't actually hear them. His mind was focused on the girl sitting at the table at the other end of the room. She was scribbling furiously in a notebook, her dark hair fell around her like soft veils. She stopped scribbling and bit her lip. Then suddenly she scrunched up her nose and shook her head, apparently not happy with what she wrote. Tapping at her head, she went back to writing and Abir smiled. He could stand and watch her work for hours together. He knew what she was thinking. She was going over what had to he done to make this community dinner a success, and she wasn't happy with herself on what she had come up with. That was the thing with Mishti, if she took something up, she put her heart and soul into it. That was why he admired her, and completely trusted her with his NGO. If anyone could really help the children, it was her. And he was lucky to have her.
On the team.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that.
As if on cue, she looked up at him. He quickly rearranged his features to mask the goofy grin that had spread across his face, but not before she saw it. She narrowed her eyes at him in question, pushing her glasses up. He shook his head and she nodded back in reply. Abir smiled, feeling like this was the best conversation he had with anyone.
***
"Mishti, you are amazing" Vanita beamed, looking at the papers laid out in front of them.
He couldn't agree more. Abir stood back, his hands on his hips, looking at everything Mishti had come up with in 2 hours. He glanced at Mishti, she was smiling.
No, she was beaming.
"Beautiful" he drawled, lost in thoughts. Looking at the girls giving him looks, he quickly covered up,"this. The arrangments" he said, indicating the papers with his hand.
He handed over the papers to Mishti later that evening as she was putting them in the folder. The other ladies had left and it was just them. Mishti took them from him without looking up at him. Deciding he had enough of this coldness, he asked, "Mishti what's wrong?"
He got a glare in reply. "Mujhe pata hai ki tum angry chorni ho. Par ab Kyun angry ho?" He tried again.
"Ab Kyun angry hu? What the hell, Abir?" She snapped.
Not what he had hoped but atleast she was talking to him.
Mishti couldn't believe this. He came back after a week, and did he really think that he would crack some lame jokes and everything would be okay. "You come back after a week. One whole week Abir. Nobody knows where you were. How you were. Anything could have happened to you"
Abir smiled, "you were worried about me" he stated, amazed at her concern for him.
She looked up at that, glaring daggers at him, "ofcourse I was worried about you. That's not the point. And Harry Potter? What the hell was that?"
"I thought that'd help"
"You are so clueless, Abir Rajvansh" Mishti said, shaking her head at him, "cracking lame jokes isn't going to help"
"Tell me what would?" He asked earnestly willing to do anything to earn back her friendship.
Mishti looked at him and their eyes met. She saw the genuineness on his face, and her words faltered, "tell me you won't go off like this again without telling anyone. Tell me you'll be here when we need you. " she said, her voice a whisper.
"I promise" Abir said softly, extending his hand to her. She took it, "aur mein apna promise kabhi nahi todtha"
Mishti chuckled as he repeated what he had told her when she had been unconscious. She knew Abir. She knew he took his promise seriously. She knew he took their friendship seriously and that's why she had been so angry when he had absconded like that. She had told him that she needed to know he would be here when they needed him, but truth was she needed him. She had come to rely on him and there was a bond between them that even she couldn't explain to herself. Kuhu had told her that she had been moping around - and she wasn't wrong. When Abir left, it seemed a part of her had also left.
Abir was a wanderer. He always left. That was because he felt suffocated staying in the Rajvansh house. He felt he didn't belong. But right now, and right here, his hands clasped with hers, their eyes met, he knew he belonged.
***
When he had suggested the community dinner it was just an idea, but seeing Mishti get so involved in it, he was onboard, and he really wanted this to work. For his kids, and for her, Abir thought, pressing the phone to his ear.
It had been months since he had spoken to her, and he was guilty about that.
"Heyyy superman" a chirpy voice sounded.
Abir laughed, "you still call me that" He stated, shaking his head.
"Since 6th grade when you thought you could jump from a tree unscathed " she said, laughing at the memory.
"How are you?" He asked, a wave of affection washing over him.
"I'm good. Would be so much better if I heard from my friend a lot more" she complained and Abir could just picture her, rolling her eyes to heaven.
"Listen, I need a help" he said, and proceeded to explain his work in the NGO and the plans they had for the community dinner, "so she thinks that having a celebrity on board would help, and the kids really need this. Will you help?"
"She? Who is she?"
"What?" Abir asked, confused,
"You said she thinks, and when Abir Rajvansh talks about a girl then -"
"Oho drama queen, stop it. Just a girl I'm working with. Anyway, would you help?" He asked hurriedly He was sure she had more questions, but she decided to drop it anyway, for now, "ofcourse. Anything for you"
"Thank you. I'll call back with the details"
"Great"
Just as Abir was about to cut the call, she said, "listen, I miss you, superman"
Abir smiled and nodded, before the line went dead
***
Mishti loved her work, she loved that what she was doing had a meaning and she loved to give back to the society, to those in need. She thought Abir was doing an amazing job - she didn't know many young guys doing what he did, and that increased her respect for him ten fold.
For the last week they had gone about setting everything required for the community dinner this Sunday. It was tuesday already and Mishti was excited. And that was a huge understatement.
She had got a friend who was working in advertising to help, and she was coming over to the office today to go over the nitty gritties with Abir and her. And Abir had told her that he had a friend who can help with the marketing.
Almost rubbing her hands in glee, Mishti dropped her bag on her desk.
"Mishti!"
Whirling around, she faced the one person she didn't expect to face on an early Tuesday morning, "Meenakshi aunty!"
The elder woman pranced towards her, and Mishti took a step back automatically. She didn't want to.
"Stay away from my son"
"I - I don't understand" Mishti said, her brows drawing together.
"I dont want a murderor's daughter near Abir or the good things he does"
Mishti didn't understand what the elder woman was saying. What was she talking about?
Meenakshi aunty pointed a finger at her face, "this innocent look can't fool me, Mishti Agarwal. Your father Naman Agarwal, tried to murder your uncle Naitik Singhania" she said, and proceeded to thrust a paper in her hand.
Af in a daze, Mishti looked down at the paper, it had a clipping of her father and the story read about how her dad had tried to murder her uncle in Switzerland.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but with the self pride that her badi ma and bade Papa had taught her, she said confidently, "I am not my father, aunty" pushing her glasses up and looking at the other woman square in the eye.
"No, you aren't "
Both Meenakshi aunty and Mishti turned to look at Abir who had just entered the office and had heard the exchange between the two women. As Abir sauntered inside and stood next to her, facing his mother, he passed her a small reassuring smile, encouraging her to go on.
"Whatever my dad did, doesn't reflect on what I do." She said firmly.
Meenakshi aunty opened her mouth to speak but Abir stopped her, "And we are all very proud of her. What her father did, doesn't matter to me. And it sure as hell doesn't matter to those kids either" he said with finality stunning both his mother and the girl who was standing next to him, holding his hand, looking at him in awe.
Without waiting for his mother to respond, he turned to look at her, "The orphanage kids are dying to meet you. I'm going there now. Will you come with me?" She nodded ferveny. "Please wait outside, I'll be out in a minute" he said
Wordlessly, she turned and sped outside, but not before she heard him say "ma please don't say anything to hurt her. She's very important to me, and what hurts her, hurts me"
***
Mishti ran outside, her tears finally flowing freely now.
HER DAD WAS A MURDERER
And badi ma and bade Papa kept that from her all these years. She knew they did it for her own good, but hearing the truth from Abir's mother hurt her deeply.
"Mishti" she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she whirled around to face him.
His eyes held so much pain. Her pain. That did it. She threw herself against his chest, shaking with tears. He held her against him, "whatever I said, I meant it" he said from somewhere about her head.
She nodded, "I know" she said sniffling.
They stood like that for a while, hands around each other, Abir's steady heartbeat soothing her own frantic one.
"Thank you for are always being there for me" she said, looking up at him after a while.
He smiled down at her, taking her breath away, with both the pride he held in his eyes for her, and his genuine answer, "always"
***
Author notes!!
1. This is dedicated to all of you since I was so drunk on ishq wala love. Longest part and my favourite part of this story. Tell me how you liked it.
2. The Harry Potter line is from a recent mills and boon I read, but not the context, it just fit here so I added it. No credit.
3. Any castle fans here?? If you are then hi-fi! Caskett is one of my favourite couples ever and they made "always" an epic! It was more powerful than "I love you"
Edited by mridhu - 6 years ago