Part 60
"Baithe baithe kya karey, karna hai kuch kaam, shuru karo antakshari, leke prabhu ka naamā¦ Ma(h)ā¦ M se kaun gaayega?? Mein hi gaati hoon!!! Mere haatonā¦ mein nau nau choodiyaan haiā¦ thoda thehro sajan majbooriyaan hainā¦ Milan hogaā¦ abhi ik raatā¦"
Arohi stopped clapping and her voice dimmed out as she realised that she was the only one singing. Sitting in the front seat, she looked behind with a frown to see Rashi Romit and Shefali stare at her in surprise but with a small grin on their face. Dadi and Lovedeep, who were seated in the middle of the SUV, were pressing their lips, trying to stop from bursting out laughing. Raj, who was seated between them, with his eyes closed, was busy listening to his chachus ipod, swinging his head to the music blasting in his ears through his headphones. Arohis head slowly turned to look at the drivers seat next to her, in which Arjun was sitting, gritting his teeth and glaring at her. The frown dropped from her face and she moved a bit back seeing her husbands monster avatar.
"Arohiā¦ kamsekam humey gate se baahar toh nikalne do? Abhi maine sirf gaadi start ki hai!!!"
Arohi heard a few snickers from the crowd behind, clearly indicating that her husbands low voice had reached their ears. "Haan tohā¦ jaldi chalo na! 9 baj gaye lekin hum abhi bhi Singhania Mansion ke parking mein hi hai. Mujhe yaha picnic nahi manani hai."
"Ye tum keh rahi ho? Subah MAINE tumhe jagayaā¦ aur tum mujhe cheat karke pehle washroom mein ghuss gayi. Fir tumne mujhe nashta bhi nahi karne diya ye kehke, ki hum late hojayenge. Fir jab humne yaha aake inn sab ko pick up kiya toh tum pata nahi kaha gayab hogayi thi! Aur ab mujhe keh rahi ho ki jaldi chalo???"
"Oh hello! Mein ek jaruri kaam se gayi thi, ok. Chaar din mein ghar mein nahi thi toh tumne hamare room ko store room bana diya hai! Jab mein andar gayi to hamare bed pe ek chuhon ki family so rahi thi. Tum insaan ho ya jaanwar? Aise koi rehta hai kyaā¦ kapde toh aise bikhre pade they jaise tsunami aagayi hoā¦ aurā¦"
Arjuns blood started boiling in anger but before he could burst like a cloud on his chattering wife, dadi interrupted her.
"Achha achha thik hai. Tum dono ka ek bhi din jhagda kiye bina shuru nahi hota kya? Har din ki shuruat achhi kiya karo toh pura din haste haste gujarta hai!"
"Wohi to karrahi thi dadi! Kitna achha gaana gaa rahi thi meinā¦ lekin aapke iss sadu pote ko gussa karne ke alaawa kuch nai aata!"
Everyone held their breath and stared, as Arjun and Arohi glared at each other. Once again Dadi came to the rescue.
"Chup karo tum dono! Abhi hamey Gauri ko bhi pick up karna hai. Jaldi chalo warna shaam yahi hojaayegiā¦"
Arjun put the car in gear and mumbled something like 'kabse chup hi hoonā¦ lekin ye baju mein baitha radio ko kaun chup karaayeā¦"
"Kya kaha tumne?" Arohi jumped at the slightest noise that came from her husband. "Tum ye mat samajhna ki maine suna nahi! Dekha dadiā¦ Aapne kaha chup rehne ke liye toh mein good girl ki tarah baith gayiā¦ lekin ye sadu monsterā¦" Arohi turned around to complain to her favourite dadi but seeing her blazing eyes, she shut her mouth and looked ahead.
After the initial awkwardness of picking up Gauri and starting a small conversation was over with, Romit and Shefali broke the ice by initiating antakshari again. Forgetting the fight, Arohi got back to her natural self and proved to be the loudest in singing songs. Even Gauri, after some encouragement from Dadi and Romit, started singing softly with a smile on her face. Arjun noticed her from the rear view mirror and smiled. There was still a trace of reluctance in her eyes but he could make out her warming up to everyone.
His gaze turned to his wife and his eyes softened. She looked the happiestā¦ singing songsā¦ yelling the loudest when someone cheatedā¦ her voice tinkling with laughter when they sang with a funny accent. Forgetting her history with Gauri, she was reminding her of their childhood memories as the antakshari progressed. The entire SUV was buzzing with noise and excitement as Arohi shared her and Gauris stories. He always knew that his wife was a naughty child but when he heard to what extent, made him realise where did Raj get his guts from!
When they parked the car in the parking lot of Sukhna lake Club house they all were hungry, as they had spend all their energy in singing. Making them all comfortable in the restaurant, Arjun excused himself to go to the washroom. He typed a message on his phone, and it rang a few moments after he send it.
"Helloā¦ haan. We've reached the club house. Everyone wants to do the water sports. Noā¦ for lunch we are picnicking in the lawns along the lake. Rock Garden is at 5pm when the sun starts coming down. You have time till 5.30pm. Noā¦ 30 mins is more than enough. I donot want to waste time and delay it. Yes I have it with meā¦ Give a missed call on Rashi Di's cell, not mine or Arohisā¦ Done. Bye"
Cutting the call, Arjun typed another quick message on his phone and stepped inside the Gents toilet.
+
"Kitne baje tak wapas aayega puttar?" DJ asked her youngest son as she served him daal.
"Late hoga. Aap mera wait mat karnaā¦ time pe dawai khaake sojaana." Rajveer checked his watch again and increased the pace of eating his lunch.
"Itne jaldi jaldi lunch karke kidhar jaraha hai puttar?" Kartar Singh Ahluwalia was surprised to see his son have his meal earlier than usual.
"Ek case ke liye jaraha hai. Aap bhi khayenge?" DJ asked her husband, who shook his head and sat besides his son.
"Mein bhi soch raha hoon kal se office join kar lu."
"Bilkul nahi!" Rajveers reaction was instant. "Jab tak doctor nahi kehte tab tak aap office nahi aayenge. Mein jaanta hoon aapko aaram karne ki aadat nahi hai, issliye maine Yadav se kaha hai, voh kal case files leke ghar aayega. Aap ghar ke office se thoda kaam shuru kar sakte hain. Lekin no stress allowed."
Kartar Singh smiled seeing his youngest son talk to him like he was a 10 year old. All his life he had taught and advised his children with a firm hand, and now his youngest one was subjecting him to the same treatment. All his sons were scared of him, except Rajveer. But still, Rajveer was the one who respected his father the most. If the anger and impulsiveness was neglected, Rajveer reminded KSA a lot of his own younger days. That's why he had always envisioned, that when the ACP in his team, mellows down a bit, he will prove to be the wisest person.
Rajveer smiled back at his father and continued eating, but Kartar Singh kept on looking. He could see the difference in his son, from the time he had been shot, till the time he had been back home. A part of him had grown, evolved. He could make out a certain sense of calm in his aura now, which as a father, he had always wished for. He did not know if this change was brought upon by the shooting incident or something else, but right now he was just thankful for it.
"Arjun Arohi kaha hai?" KSA's question made Rajveer slow down for a second.
"Dono svere svere picnic ke liye nikal gaye. Kal hi to bataya tha aapko, ki voh Gauri ko bhi saath le jaarahe hain." DJ filled in her husband with the information. She had noticed when Rajveer had stopped eating and was paying attention to their conversation.
"Arre haanā¦ mein toh bhul gaya. Waise achhi baat hai. Kaun Kaun gaya hai picnic pe?
"Arjun, Arohi, Raj, Lovedeep, Romit, Shefali, Gauriā¦ aur Teji bhi gayi hai saath." Keeping one eye on Rajveer DJ answered. She had purposely not taken Rashis name, just to enjoy watching her son squirm till she took the last name. The slight frown between his eyebrows made her giggle but a confused look from her husband quieted her down. "Aur voh bhi jaane waali thiā¦ Singhania ki beti."
If Arohi would've seen her DJ right now, then she would have kissed her. Because she was giving serious competition to Arohis nautanki avatar. After every dialogue DJ was observing her sons reactions from the corner of her eyes.
"Jaane waali thi matlab? Voh gayi nahi???" Oblivious to the undercurrents flowing, KSA questioned his wife.
"Pata nahiā¦ mera matlab haiā¦ shayad Gauri saath jaarahi hai tohā¦ usse thik nahi laga hoga. Itna sab hone ke baadā¦" Leaving her sentence hanging, DJ's eyes widened as she saw Rajveer immediately pick up his phone and started punching the keys. KSA's turned to his son too.
"Puttarā¦ khana khaate time phone pe baat nahi karte."
Mumbling a soft sorry to his father, Rajveer kept the phone down. There were not one, but two reasons why Gauris presence would affect Rashi, but when he had spoken to her, she had seemed OK with having her around. Now when the topic had come up again, it was making Rajveer a little bit nervous. Finishing his lunch in a jiffy, he rushed out of the house, completely ignorant to the questioning eyes of his father or the laughing face of his mother.
+
"Tum kabhi koi kaam seedhe nahi karsakti?"
"Agar seedha kaam chahiye toh kisi aur ko hire karo. Natasha ka apna ek andaz hai kaam karneka."
"Tumhe nahi lagtaā¦ that you're just wasting time?"
"It must be a waste of time for you Mikhail. Anyone can pump bullets in someone anytime. But the satisfaction of a job done only comes when you feed on the fear in that persons eyes. Especially when that man thinks that you're not good enough for him."
"Natasha Kapoor is making this personal? Interesting. I always believed that you should never mix personal and professional lives."
"That's where you are wrong! You should always make it personal. Because your reason becomes too strong to even allow failure to creep in. A job perfect done is not just skillā¦ but also a perfect intention. Skills are in your body but the motive is in your mind. And what the mind can achieve, skills cannot!"
"Impressive. I'd never known that hiring you was the best decision I took. But im not a man of patience. So you can play as much as you want, but I want a date. Till that day, I will not question you. Butā¦ usske baadā¦ I want to see Arjuns. dead. body."
"Two weeks. Give me exactly a fortnight and you will get what you want."
"Fine. But remember that the conditions of the contract are still valid. If you open your mouth to anyone, I willā¦"
"Ya yaā¦ Don't waste your energy Mikhail. Two weeks. Bye."
Before Mikhail could say bye, the line was disconnected. He gritted his teeth at the nerve of this woman. She reminded him of Arjun in so many ways, including the insults. Only Arjun had a heartā¦ she didn't! Before Mikhail could keep the phone back in his pocket, it rang again. He looked at the screen and stared at it in surprise. Picking up the call, he spoke as he got in to his car.
+
"We need to tell her Arjun." Arohi looked worried but Arjun tightened his hold on her hand as they walked along the lake.
"Koi jarurat nahi hai. Lets tell her 5 mins before Karan comes. She will keep thinking about it and get nervous. Aur koi gadbad hogayi toh sabko shak hojayega. It is better this way, trust me. Jab hum rock garden jaane ke liye niklenge, tab you can take her aside and brief her."
Arohi looked disapprovingly in his direction but Arjun was looking around at the children playing in the alongside park. It had been a nice day and everyone was enjoying a lot. After breakfast, they had all gone for watersports. Lunch in the lawns of the club was a hit, eating in the shade of the tree, sitting on a blanket and the picnic basket had given it a very nostalgic feel to everyone. After lunch, Dadi and Raj decided to rest under the tree, Romit and Shefali went boating and Lovedeep-Rashi had gone to check out a hotel nearby. Gauri decided to silently accompany dadi when Arjun and Arohi announced that they were going for a walk along the lake.
The trees lining next to the walkway gave them enough shade to enjoy natures beauty and the peace that had been missing from their lives recently. So Arohi decided to keep her view to herself and just trust Arjun, if he had any doubt about what he had planned then he would never be so adamant about it.
"Karan ko Rashi Di ke phone pe missed call deneko kaha hai. So keep your phone on silent, as I will tell her that my phone is dead and yours doesn't have a range."
Arohi nodded and did the same. They decided that it was time they headed back and so they went back to where they had lunch. Everyone was back and were having tea, when Arjun Arohi joined them.
When they reached the rock garden entrance, Arjun and Romit went to take the tickets for everyone.
"Excuse me?"
Arohi turned around to see a man standing behind her. "Yes?"
"Voh white SUV aapki hai?" Everyone looked at this stranger with a frown.
"Haan. Kyu?"
"Ma'm aapne ussey no parking area mein park kiya haiā¦ across the road."
Arohi frowned. "Arjun ne ki hogi. He dropped us at the entrance and went to park. Must be because the parking lot is full."
"But you cant park it on the road ma'm. We will give you space in the parking lot. If you can come with me and get the carā¦"
Arohi spared a glance in Arjuns direction, but he was almost at the counter now so she did not want to ask him to do it. "Thik hai. Chaliyeā¦"
When she started to follow the attendant, Rashi held her hand. "Rehne do Arohi, mein chali jaati hoon. Waise bhi mein Raj ki water bottle gaadi mein bhool gayi hoon."
"Achha? Ok. Tum manage kar logi?"
"Yes. Don't worry, I don't drive a lot but I can manage this." Smiling at her, Rashi followed the attendant who had already started walking towards the exit.
Arohi took this opportunity to fulfill her responsibility. "Gauriā¦ I want to go to the washroom, come with me please. Dadi aap yahi rukiyeā¦ hum abhi aate hain."
Nodding her head Gauri followed Arohi.
Dadi pulled out her phone to update her best friend about the events of the day.
"Arohi kaha gayi?" Arjun asked dadi and the others looking for his wife when he came with the tickets.
"Arohi aur Gauri washroom gaye hain." Dadi filled Arjun in, and smiled at Raj, who came with his mouth full of chocolates that Shefali and Love bought for him from the nearby stall.
"Aur Rashi Di?"
"Koi parking attendant aaya tha. Keh raha tha hamari gaadi no parking zone mein hain, road peā¦ usse andar parking lot mein park karni haiā¦ usski ke saath gayi hai." Dadi looked in the direction in which Rashi went and told Arjun.
"Kya??? Lekin maine toh gaadi parking lot mein hi lagayi haiā¦ jo uss taraf hai." Arjun said pointing in the opposite direction.
Sorry for the delay guys! im feeling like Karamchand right now with all the plotting and mysteries š i know i've kept the raj upset and arjun staring at Rajveer things still in the dark... but they will unveil soon! pls tell me your opinions, predictions, criticism... everything!
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Shiv Shakti
