I know I know, you guys are waiting for the dinner part. But blame @chinnukannu comment on Virat being an MCP, I also wanted to set the stage a bit for the dinner, and introduce a little bit of shopping that @remyavenkat wanted, just a small bit, I am hoping to write more later on that. Thank you for your love and if I get more comments on this part, I hope to post a Sunday special which will have the dinner promise!
Part 22
They are at a South Indian restaurant for lunch. As soon he enters with her, the owner who sits at the counter greets him and even though the place is packed, a corner table on the upper floor becomes available. It’s office crowd on a weekday, so people are brimming in and out.
“Toh South Indian aapki favorite hai” she peeps from above the menu card.
“Second favorite” he says casually looking around.
She watches him watching his surroundings. That’s the thing with him, he never stops being a policeman, his training just doesn’t let him, she noticed he felt under the table when he sat down, she doesn’t know whether this makes him attractive, but it does tell her that he places utmost importance to his job, it’s like in his skin, a part of him, she hopes to be like that one day. More than an attraction, it’s inspiring.
“Abb aap kaunsa station cover karenge?”
“Abhi tak sure nahi hai, lekin 5 bajje pata chalega” he says
“Phir Aapka meeting Kab khatm hoga aur hum aapke Aai Baba ke ghar kab jaayenge?” She says with a worry on her face
He replies casually, “Tum apne meeting ke baad chali jaana, main apne meeting ke baad pahunch jaunga. Iss tarah voh zyaada sawal bhi nahi karenge”
She looks at him, “Mai chupana nahi chahti lekin..”
“Sai, tum please vahi karo jo tumhe comfortable lagey” he immediately says,
She wonders whether he really means it, or he is placating her. She still needs to figure out these things about him. She is about to ask, when the waiter comes to take the order.
He orders himself an uttapam and she goes for a rava masala. While waiting for the order, an awkward silence falls over the couple. She decides to ask him random questions,
“Toh mera meeting 4 bajje tak khatm ho jaayegi aur aapki meeting 5 bajje ko hai? Aap Mujhe drop karne ke baad kya karne valle ho?”
He smiles at her childishness, “Tum suggest karo, Mujhe kya karna chahiye?”
“Hmm.. pata nahi, aapko kya karna achaa lagta hai free time mei?”
He grins, “Agar tum paas ho, toh kayi chizei”
She narrows her eyes, “Mai nahi hun na, toh batao”
“Mujhe Mehendi Hasan ke ghazal sunna pasand hai” he looks at her with a smile.
“Sach..Aap gaate ho?” She asks excitedly.
“Bus bathroom mei, aur tumhe kya pasand hai?”
“Mujhe crime novels padhna pasand hai, aur music bhi bahut pasand hai. Camp mei roj raat ko Aniket apna guitar bajake sad songs gaata tha. Voh ek ghazal bhi gaata tha, bahut hi sad aur deep, thik se yaad nahi, lekin ek line thaa phir se Mujhe chodh ke jaane ke liye aa”
“Ranjish hi sahi, dil hi dhukane ke liye aa, aa phir se Mujhe chodh ke jaane ke liye aa” he replies with confidence.
“Kitna beuatiful hai” she says giddily
“Maanaa Ke Muhabbat Kaa Chhupana Hai Muhabbat....Chupke se kissi roz jaatane ke liye aaa” he continues in his deep voice.
“Abb toh kahi bhi jaane ka Mann nahi karta, Buss aapke saath baithke yeh ghazal sunne ka Mann karta hai”
They stare at each other for a long time and both of them miss a woman who comes by their table.
“Viraaaat Dadaaa”
Virat looks up and is surprised to see Pakhi standing at their table.
“Oh hi Pakhi” he says and looks at Sai who smiles at Pakhi who is completely ignoring her.
“Omg Virat Dada, Mai kab se awaz de rahi hun.. aur aap ho ke” and she turns and looks at Sai.
“Omg Sai, maine tumhe dekha bhi nahi”
Sai smiles, “Hi Pakhi, kaisi ho?”
“I am great. Tum yaha kya kar rahi ho? Weekend ko shaadi hai na, aur tum chaar din pehle dusre city mei, wow, I admire your guts”
“Aise nonsense chizo mei sirf tumhe guts dikhte hai Pakhi” Virat says with a straight face, Sai looks at him shocked, but Pakhi is unaffected.
“Oh come on Virat Dada, aap at least now, Mujhe tease karna band kijiye, Mai aapki vahini banne vaali hun” and turns to Sai and says, “Sai, mujhe congratulations nahi kahogi?”
Sai smiles, “of course congratulations!”
Virat casually adds, “Actually Pakhi, tumhe Sai ko thank you kehna chahiye, agar voh Samrat ko ring vapas nahi karti toh tumhari shaadi nahi ho rahi hoti”
Pakhi glares at Virat, “that’s so rude Virat Dadaaa”
Virat laughs, “Arre re..come on, Itni seriously kyu le rahi ho”
Pakhi turns to Sai, “Sai Dada ko abb tumhe sambhaalna hai, he is too much”
Sai grins, “Voh chothe bache thodi hai, ki mai unhe sambhalu”
“Thank you Sai, tumhe toh Pata hai, ki mai kissi angle se chota nahi hun, lekin don’t worry Pakhi, Sai Mujhe achi tarah sambhal leti hai” Virat quips with a huge grin.
Sai presses her lips from laughing, Pakhi hits him with her handbag, and Sai stares at the childish back and forth. Pakhi storms off while the waiter comes with their food.
As they eat, Sai watches Virat who seems to be completely unaffected by what just transpired.
“Thoda jyaada nahi tha?” She asks as she tucks in a piece of dosa.
“What do you mean?”
“Main Pakhi ke comments ke baare mei baat kar rahi hun”
“Jyaada kya thaa, Main sach toh keh raha thaa”
“Voh anghuti vaali baat zaruri thaa?” She asks politely,
“I don’t get it, yeh baat sach hai ki agar tumne anghuti vapas nahi di hoti, toh aaj Samrat ki shaadi uske saath nahi, Tumhare saath ho rahi hoti”
She bites her lip and dips her spoon in the sambhar repeatedly
“Aur aapko yeh point out karna rude nahi lagta”
“Aur tumhe rude nahi laga jab usne sarcastically tumse kaha ki Usne tumhe dekha hi nahi ya ki tum usse congratulate karo? Usne Humei congratulations Kaha? Heck, we are getting married, aur unki toh sagaii bhi nahi hui hai”
Sai keeps quiet and refuses to look at him, he stares at her slightly irritated,
“Tumhe usse humdardi kyu ho rahi hai?”
“Mujhe humdardi nahi hai, lekin aapne Kabhi yeh socha hai, ki mere liye yeh sab handle karna mushkil hai, kaisa lagta agar Usne aapse yeh keh diya hota ki Virat Dada, aap ko bhi Sai ko thank you kehna chahiye, kyunki aapki shaadi nahi ho rahi hoti”
“Firstly phir Kabhi Virat Dada apne muh pe mut lana, and secondly, toh mai tumhe thank you keh detaa...in fact, you know what!?! thank you. Kyunki tum mei himmat thi ki Tumne sahi vaqt pe sahi kaam kiya, aur agar tum ussi himmat ke saath handle karogi, toh mushkil Kuch bhi nahi hai”
He stays serious and continues to eat and she stares at her food. And yet again, for the nth time since she has met him, known him, kissed him, held him, his openness, frankness and ability to give, floors her.
She moves her left hand over his and whispers, “Thank you”
He looks at her, intertwining their fingers, “it’s ok”
She smiles, “Vaise thank you aapko kehna chahiye”
He grins, “sambhar ke saath khelna khatm ho gaya ho, toh Mujhe de do, Mai kha lunga”
She giggles and passes him the sambhar.
He pays the bill and both of them leave the restaurant. Her phone pings, it’s Devyani asking her to come for dinner tonight. His phone pings around the same time, his mother ordering him to pick up Sai from the medical camp and bring her for dinner tonight, he shows her the message, she looks at him sheepishly.
“Mai jaanti hun ki aap nahi chahte ki Mai yeh baat chipau lekin Achaa nahi dikhega na”
“Sai, I don’t care. Aur sach Mano toh I don’t think anyone cares, humari shaadi hone vali hai.”
She nods but stays quiet. He doesn’t press the issue further. With Sai, he is beginning to realize the more you push, the more she pulls away.
As they walk out of the restaurant, she spots a Fab India at the end of the road where Virat is parked,
“Chaliye na, Mujhe Abba ke liye Kuch kurtei lene hai”
He hesitates, she holds his hand and drags him, he relents.
They are inside the store, she picks two pure white kurtas with slight embroidery. She sets them aside and then she walks to him and says,
“Aapka favorite color kya hai?”
“Tum apne Aaba ke liye mera favorite color choose karogi?”
“Oho, batayiye na!!”
“Tumhari favorite kya hai?” He asks sincerely
Her eyes dance with a huge smile, “Aap pe, main nahi bataa sakti”
He grins at her sharp innuendo wholeheartedly and in that moment, as they grin at each other, it’s like no one else exists, it’s almost like this attraction they have for each other is enough to brave any weather. He stands closer to her, and she raises her eyebrows at him, he smiles his sexiest smile and whispers, “Just Sai”
Just then, a shop attendant comes over and says,
“Madam, aap inke size mei puch rahe they na, yeh designs hai, lekin sirf peach aur green hai”
She holds the peach against him and nods her head vigorously and he smiles agreeing, she refuses to let him pay, teasing
“Posting pakka honey dijiye, agle hafte hum phir se aayenge”
He laughs, “wockhardt mei naukri mili toh Fab India nahi, hum designer kapde lenge”
They laugh together. It makes her supremely happy that he doesn’t distinguish between their jobs, he is absolutely aware and unaffected by the fact she will be earning more than him at this potential job, maybe because he has so much conviction about his own job, what Sai doesn’t realize yet, is that she has a rare man who truly believes in the fact that they are equal and hence wants her to be at the same point with him always.
——-
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Edited by columbia - 4 years ago
