Previously on Mumbai Blues...
Scene: A Chocolaty Sage - The Cold War
Anirudh glares at the whole scene, his eyes practically shooting laser beams at Jhanak and the man she’s talking and laughing with. His jaw tightens, and his nostrils flare as he clenches his fists.
"Kya?!!... meri chocolate par kya kante lage the?" Anirudh shouts in jealousy, grabbing onto the office blinds and smashing them in the process. A new player has just entered the game.
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Jhanak is engaged in a lively chat with the guy, both of them smiling and laughing together.
"Itani kya baate ho rahi hai? Abhi abhi to mile hai!" Anirudh mutters to himself, his curiosity piqued and jealousy bubbling.
Unable to resist, he cracks open his office door slightly, straining to eavesdrop on their conversation, his ear pressed against the gap.
"Oh, so you are new in town?" Samarth asks Jhanak, his tone warm and friendly.
"Ji...abhi abhi shift hui hoon!" Jhanak responds in a friendly manner.
"Did you find a place yet? It can be hard to find a good place in Mumbai!"
"Ye intane personal saval kyu pooch raha hai?!" Anirudh thinks, his agitation growing with each word.
"Haan, ek do din me Unity girls hostel me jagah mil jayegi!" Jhanak responds without any hesitation.
"What?! Ghar ka pata bata diya? Number bhi dedo Jhanak!!" Anirudh thinks, his eyes widening in disbelief as he watches Jhanak give out her address so easily.
"Oh cool, I have a contact if you want to try for PG also!" Samarth offers his help
"Oh, that will be so helpful!" Jhanak answers being grateful
"Can I have your number? I will share the contact with you?" Samarth asks Jhanak
"Sure!" Jhanak gives her number without any second thought.
"WHAT?!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" Anirudh mutters in frustration, gripping the door handle tightly, his knuckles white with the effort to resist storming out that second and erase that phone number from Samarth's phone.
Samarth and Jhanak exchange phone numbers, their conversation flowing effortlessly. On the other hand, Anirudh is bearly able to contain his frustration as he watches Jhanak laugh at everything Samarth says.
"Thank you Samarth!" Jhanak says sweetly.
"Thank you Samarth!!" Anirudh mocks under his breath, eyes narrowing.
"Oh please, call me Sam!", Samarth responds, bending slightly and giving Jhanak a warm smile.
"Oh wow!!" Anirudh exclaims sarcastically as he sees Samarth trying to flirt with Jhanak.
"Haha. Ok, Thank you, Sam!" Jhanak giggles.
Anirudh scoffs, "Are you kidding me?"
"By the way, Jhanak did you have lunch yet? I was heading out for lunch. Do you want to join?"
"Hmm... Sure. Muze bhi bhukh lag rahi hai. Par kaha ja rahe hai?"
Anirudh is stunned by how smoothly Samarth is setting up an impromptu lunch date with Jhanak! His hands glued to the window, he's shaking with anger, his laser-sharp glares practically making holes through the glass.
"Pass me hi ek cafe hai, coffee, a sandwich, and maybe a pastry? How does that sound?"
"Oh, I love pastries! Ek minute main apana purse le leti hoon" Jhanak answers with excitement and starts to look for her purse on her desk. Anirudh cannot contain his anger anymore and is about to open the door and go after them when his phone rings, a call that is about to change everything in his life ...
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Anirudh looks intently at his phone, contemplating whether to pick up the call or not. He knows he needs to answer. With a deep breath, he answers, "Hello..." as he shifts his gaze to the window, and he sees Jhanak has already left. His face becomes pale, but his words remain composed. As he looks at the empty desk, tears well up in his eyes, but he puts a smile on his face. His face is telling one story, while his words are telling another, leaving one watching to wonder which is the truth.
After half an hour on the call, Anirudh hangs up. His legs feel weak, and he sinks into his chair, lost in deep thought. His eyes drift to the empty chair outside the window. The phone call distracted him for just a few moments, but in those moments, he lost sight of her.
(Tanha sa dil... leke gaya mere sang sare... song for the scene... as Anirudh is drifting in his misery again)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK1_RV4elV4
The closed, dark cabin suddenly feels like a suffocating cage, while the bright world outside looks like the life he wishes to live but is unable to reach. He is trying to grab onto that bright world, but the more he tries to move forward, the more he is getting pushed back!
"What is happening to me?" Anirudh panics. That one phone call distracted him for a few moments, the few moments when he decided to look at his phone instead of Jhanak, he lost her within those few moments. But it feels like he lost her forever, because of the choice he made.
Anirudh is overwhelmed by his thoughts, "Why does it feel like, I am losing everything? Why am I suddenly feeling so suffocated? Why am I feeling like I am short of breath?"
The walls of the cabin seem to close in on him, making the space feel smaller and smaller, trying to trap him in that closed dark room more and more. He breaks into a cold sweat, his chest tightens, and his breaths become shallow and rapid. He forces himself to stand and walk, loosening the buttons of his shirt and using all his strength to move toward the bright window which seems further and further away.
His thoughts are chaotic, and he struggles to make sense of them. "What is happening to me suddenly? It was a normal call, but why am I suddenly having a panic attack!?"
(song for this scene when Anirudh sees her again and feels the light on his face.... Tum se kiran dhoop ki, Tum Se Siyaah Raat Hai, Tum Bin Main Bin Baat Ka , Tum Ho Tabhi Kuchh Baat Hai)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTRVFZVZTP8
As he nears the window, Jhanak re-enters the room outside. She is smiling and laughing to her heart's content, finally looking happy after a long time. Anirudh feels light enter his body, a weight lift from his chest, his breathing steadies, and his legs regain strength. As he watches her in front of his eyes, it's as if his soul reentered his body. Seeing her smile puts a small smile on his face, tears well up his eyes.
"Aisa kaise, Jhanak?" Anirudh mutters, tears filling his eyes. The thoughts that were running wild suddenly subsided. Everything suddenly feels okay in the world now.
He cracked open the door slightly letting little light enter the dark room he had trapped himself in.
"Aisa Kaise Jhanak, tumhare aate hi aisa lag raha hai jaise, mere ruh vapas aa gayi ho! Ye to janata tha ki tumase pyaar kar baith hoon, par meri saanse bhi ab tumase hai, ye aaj samaz aaya!" Anirudh mutters to himself as tears run down his cheeks. At that moment, he realizes what he needs to do. The doubts clouding his mind vanish as he smiles at the newfound clarity.
A regular call with Arshi, talking about the new wedding date as she has fully recovered now - just the typical conversation with her. Then why did it feel so significant today all of a sudden?
Anirudh closes the door behind him and walks back towards his desk, lost in deep thought. "How few hours in Mumbai, made me forget about everything back home? Muze yaad bhi nahi raha ki meri shaadi hone wali hai!!! Muze sun kar jaise zataka laga ho!" Anirudh scoffs in disbelief.
Once freed, it’s hard to confine the bird back in the cage. His gaze shifts to Jhanak, still engrossed in conversation with her new friend. Determination sets in his eyes as he mutters, "Mujhe pata hai, mujhe ab kya karna hai!"
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Jhanak has finally made a friend in this new city and enjoyed a light-hearted conversation after ages. Back in Kolkata, there was only Appu di who used to be her true friend and used to give her warm hugs. Today several times Appu di popped into her head when at the mention of chocolate and pastries.
"Agar appu di hoti to wo pastry kha kar badi khush hoti!" Jhanak muses, lost in thought, when Samarth gently nudges her shoulder to grab her attention.
Anirudh, watching this almost gets up from his desk, feeling an intense urge to declare the lunch break over,
"Kya soch rahi ho Jhanak?" Samarth asks with curiosity.
"Kuch nahi wo... chocolate.." Jhanak searches her desk for the chocolate.
Samarth looks at his watch "Lunch break is almost over, and I have a meeting, so I need to run! Tomorrow lunch again? Same time?"
"Yes sure, yes. Muze bhi kam hai!"
"Ok bye" Samarth extends his hand for a side hug, while Jhanak reaches out for a handshake.
Anirudh has now left his desk standing with his face inches from the window and his hand on the door handle, struggling to resist bursting out.
"Jhanak, oh come on! Now we are friends! We literally talked for a whole hour. Aaj kal handshake kaun karata hai?" Samarth exclaims.
"You are right, Sam!" Jhanak says, smiling as she goes in for a side hug. Before it can happen, Anirudh opens the door slightly and slams it shut with a forceful bang, causing a loud noise that startles everyone, including Samarth and Jhanak. The blinds on the window rattle, adding to the commotion.
"Ye kaisi aavaz thi?" Samarth is looking around confused trying to find the source of the noise.
"Pata nahi" Jhanak responds as she also looks around the office.
"Anyway, I have to go now for the meeting! See you tomorrow!" Samarth waves goodbye and hurries back to his desk, checking his watch.
Anirudh takes a deep breath, resting his forehead against the door. Banging his head on the door in frustration, muttering to himself, "Pehli hi meeting mein, ghar ka pata, phone number, lunch date, aur ek side hug? Ye ladki sach mein pagal hai!"
"Muze pata karana hoga aakhir ye ladaka hai kaun" Anirudh rushes back to his desk to dig into Samarth's background.
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After Samarth leaves, Jhanak starts looking for the chocolate on her desk again.
"Kaha gayi chocolate? Yahi to rakhi thi," she mutters, scanning her desk. "Ah... mil gayi!" Jhanak finds the chocolate. Suddenly, her phone rings.
"This is Jhanak, how may I help you?" Jhanak asks on the phone in a sweet voice.
"Main bol raha hoon. Meri cabin me aao!" Anirudh answers on the other side.
She lets out a sigh, hangs up the phone, and enters Anirudh's cabin. Anirudh hears her coming and immediately starts bombarding her with questions about the new guy, leaving her no chance to speak or greet first.
"Kaha gayi thi tum? Aur kaun hai wo ladaka? Kya naam hai usaka?"
"Aap jaan kar kya karenge?"
"Jhanak ,I am your boss. jitana pucha jaye usaka sidha sidha jawab do! Kya naam hai usaka?" Anirudh looks at Jhanak with a straight face.
"Samarth" Jhanak answers, frowning.
"Aur last name?"
"Nahi poocha!"
"Phone number exchange kar liye, ek ghante se lunch par gappe lada rahi ho, aur tumhe usaka last name nahi pata?"
"Nahi poocha. Aap last name jan kar ... ek minute aapako kaise pata humane number exchange kiya aur hum lunch par gaye the? Aap chup chup ke hamari baate sun rahe the? Aisi bachkani harakate karate hue aapako sharam nahi aait? " Jhanak inquires, eyes narrowing.
"Maine kuch nahi suna! Tum ek ghante se gayab ho, maine dekha tumhe us ladake ke sath, ye andaza lagana mushkil nahi hai ki tum log lunch par sath me gaye the" Anirudh continues with his questionnaire, "Kaun si team mai hai wo? Kaha se hai wo?"
"Aapako intana interest kyu hai?"
"It's ok. I can check employee records and find out!"
Jhanak is dumbfounded but decides to ignore Anirudh's nosiness about Samarth. She decided to divert the conversation. "Thik hai, Bus yahi kam tha?"
"Wo chocolate muze do!"
"Kya?" Jhanak exclaims with shock.
"Muze bhookh lagi hai, maine lunch nahi kiya hai, to muze wo chocolate do!" Anirudh gives clever excuses.
"Jaha tak muze yaad hai , aapake paas bhi chocolate hai ! Kha lijiye" With a sarcastic look, Jhanak storms out of the room. Anirudh, now more determined than ever, decides he won't let Jhanak eat that chocolate. To him, it's not just chocolate; it symbolizes her choosing Samarth over him.
Jhanak gets back to her desk and starts unwrapping the chocolate when her desk phone rings. She glances towards Anirudh's cabin, sighs in frustration, and picks up the call. "This is Jhanak speaking, how may I help you?" she answers in a low, frustrated voice.
"Cabin me aao!" Anirudh orders her.
"Kya kam.." Before Jhanak can ask, Anirudh disconnects the phone. Jhanak looks at the receiver and swears in her mind, she slams the phone down and stomps into his cabin, her footsteps loud and deliberate.
"Yes sir!" Jhanak says in a cool, sarcastic voice, masking her irritation.
"This Samarth Mehta, he is 1 year younger than you."
Jhanak looks at Anirudh, lifting one cheek slightly in confusion and squinting her eyes.
Anirudh looks at Jhanak and continues, "Sirf bata raha hoon. Tumhari janakari ke liye. Maine usaki social media profile check ki hai. He loves to party it seems." He turns his laptop screen towards her, displaying pictures of Samarth and his friends.
Jhanak is at a loss for words looking shockingly at the laptop screen, stunned by the absurdity of the conversation.
"Aap pagal to nahi ho gaye?" she asks, flabbergasted.
"Isame pagal jaisi kaun si baat kar di maine?" Anirudh retorts.
"To aap Sam ko social media par stalk kyu kar rahe hai?" Jhanak inquires raising her eyebrows and her hands slightly incredulously.
"Stalk? Hold on...Sam?"
"Haan... Use pyaar se log Sam bulate hai" Jhanak responds in a slightly softer voice.
"Pyaar se log bulate hai. Tumhe bulane ki kya zaroorat hai? Pura name lo! Samarth Mehta!!" Anirudh’s face reddens with irritation.
Jhanak steps forward in frustration as if she’s about to shout at Anirudh, but she controls herself, remembering the window blinds are open. She lowers her voice but irritation is evident in her , "Sir, aapaka dimag kharab ho gaya hai! Mere pas bohot kam hai. Muze Sam ke baare main pehale se sab kuch pata hai, aap ye sab kyu.."
Anirudh’s eyes widen upon hearing this. "Pehale se pata hai matlab?" Anirudh jumps out of his chair, cutting her off. "Wow... Itane se time me itani zyada jaan pehachan bana li tumane? Aur ye kya Sam Sam laga rakha hai?"
"Haan, Sam ! Acche dost ban gaye hai hum. Bohot sweet hai, accha laga muze baate karake..."
"He is what now? Sweet? Kya baate ki?"
"Aap jan kar kya karenge? Aap ko meri har baat me apani ye naak kyu ghusani hoti hai?"
Anirudh closes his eyes, taking deep, frustrated breaths.
"Agar aapaka ye Sam jasoosi upanyas khatm ho gaya ho to main jake kuch kam kar loon? Sir!!" Jhanak storms out, ignoring Anirudh’s attempt to call her back. Anirudh rubs his eyes, letting out a frustrated groan.
Back at her desk, Jhanak resumes her work and grabs the chocolate again, just as her phone rings again! Jhanak slams the chocolate on the desk, glares at Anirudh, and picks up the call, "This is Jh.."
"My cabin, now!" Anirudh orders before she can even finish her greeting.
Jhanak slowly puts down the receiver, swearing at Anirudh in her head she enters the cabin and shouts at Anirudh before he can speak this time.
"Ab kya hai? Muze aap.."
"Kam hua maine kam diya tha usaka? Vendor se baat hui? Meeting fix ki?" Anirudh cuts her off.
"Muze apani cabin me har 15 minutes me bula bula kar mera time barbad kar rahe hai, aur phir puch rahe hai ki kam hua ya nahi?" Jhanak’s eyes are practically shooting laser beams at Anirudh as she approaches his desk slowly, while Anirudh keeps his eyes on a file, avoiding eye contact.
"Ok, itana hi janana tha. Tum ja sakati ho!"
Jhanak stands in disbelief for a few moments, listening to Anirudh’s absurd response. He could have very well asked this on the phone but he called her in his cabin. She slams her hands on his desk, glaring at him in anger and frustration, while Anirudh conveniently ignores her and keeps looking at his file. She lets out a sigh of disbelief and returns to her desk.
Taking deep breaths Jhanak focuses on her work again, while Anirudh keeps his eyes peeled on the chocolate on Jhanak's desk!
After half an hour, Jhanak gets up to stretch and grabs the chocolate again. This time, she successfully opens it, but before she can take a bite, the phone rings once more!
She glares at Anirudh, hands on her hips, biting her lower lip in immense frustration. She wants to cry in frustration. The phone keeps ringing, drawing the attention of others in the office. Jhanak finally disconnects the cable from the receiver this time and heads straight to his cabin.
Jhanak has had with Anirudh today! "Aap kya office ko apana ghar samaz te hai?" Jhanak shouts as she enters, not waiting for the door to close properly.
"Ye list hai kuch files ki, store-room se le kar aao!" Anirudh slides a paper towards her without meeting her eyes, noticing the half-opened chocolate in her hand.
Jhanak lowers her head over the desk to meet his eyes, while Anirudh keeps lowering his head into the file he’s pretending to read. Frustrated, Jhanak gives up, grabs the list, and exits in haste to go to the storage room. Anirudh peeks out of the file, watching her walk away.
"Ab to maine bhi than li hai! Kuch bhi ho jaye, wo chocolate main tumhe nahi khane dunga!!" Anirudh quickly grabs the chocolate he had and follows her closely behind to the storeroom.
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To be continued...
Up Next: A Chocolaty Saga - A Hollow Victory
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I rewrote this chapter and changed my original version, so I hope you guys enjoy this one. Anirudh has made a pivotal decision after a panic attack triggered by a call from his old life. But our Ani boy is all about small victories. Will he win this chocolate war? Stay tuned to find out in the next chapter, set in the closed office store-room 😉
put a lot of thought into it! 
put a lot of thought into it!
(the Ani we knew
).
thanks for bringing some fresh air, please bless us with some romance in RuNak dryland in next chapter
CID
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
