FF: Pyaar in the Pink City Pt32/Pg106(Concluded) - Page 35

Part 16

Ice Queen

"If you looked down to the bottom of my soul, you would understand fully the source of my longing and pity me. Even the open, transparent lake has its unknown depths, which no divers know."
Hans Christian Andersen

Devyani turned in her sleep and gently stroked the slightly damp unruly hair on Anjali's forehead. Being a mother and a grandmother had equipped her with a unique sixth sense that alerted her when one of her children was troubled, no matter the time of the day or place. She had known the exact moment when Anjali had quietly slipped into bed next to her. It was a childhood habit of Anjali's that she was exhibiting after many, many years. Devyani had pretended to be deep in sleep till she was sure that Anjali had dozed off. "Kitni maasoom hai meri bacchi. Devi Mayya, iski raksha keejiye. Bahuta hi dukh aur dhokha sahleehai meri bacchine." She recalled how she and Viren had waited and kept an eye open for the two of them to return, trading stories of how both had sorrow disrupt their lives at a young age.

When they heard the car pull into the driveway, they had hurriedly scurried to their rooms, to give Ajay and Anjali some privacy to return to their rooms in peace. "I wonder what had transpired between the two. Anjali had her carefully composed expression back on her face but her eyes had been troubled, reflecting her agitated heart while Ajay had a confused and lost look in his eyes and a firm set to his jaws. I hope I am doing the right thing in nudging these two together. Hey Bhagwan in donon ko raah dikhana. Kya abh bhi bitiya uss Shyam ki baare mein sochat rahi hai. Aasha karten hain ki aisan baat na ho. Kuch bhi ho, jahaan pyaar hain wahaan dard bhi hain. Shaayad iss dard ki aag mein bitiya ka mann dhul kar phir se saaf ho jaye aur unko aapnan dil ki baat saaf nazar aaye", naani sighed and continued to gaze at her grand-daughter. The one who had been dealt a raw hand by fate and yet had in her own gentle, resilient way continued on, retaining her love and sweetness towards others; a unique soldier bearing emotional battle scars but refusing to surrender.

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"Hello-Hai-Bye-Bye! Ee morning, morning kiss se baat karat ho. Haein! ee pone pe bathiya ne ka taime naahi. Goes. Baby ko bath do" ordered Manorama as she saw Kamla dialing a number fervently on the phone. "Haan, bilkul. Hum abhi jaa rahe hain" mumbled the woman as she hurriedly scurried away from the scene cursing Shyam in her mind. Her covert operations in Shaantivan were getting extended each passing day. "Yeh paalna WOH WAALI nahin hain. Kamla ji. Aapko yakeen hain ki yeh ek hi paalna hain?" Shyaamji had asked in a frustrated voice when she had shown him the pictures last evening. And now she had to visit this house yet again and find out what had happened to the other cradle and also find out where had Anjali disappeared to and why? Why did he care about Anjali? Shyaamji held his cards close to his chest. He definitely must have a good reason to wonder about his ex-wife's where-about. "I have only two days left to finish my tasks before the original Dai returns from her all expenses paid Nainital trip. What a clever ruse by Shyaamji to conceal the bribe as a lucky lottery win. That man definitely has SOME brains." Kamala deliberated in her mind on her options as she massaged Aanya.

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"Hello Di, are you ok? Yep hum sab theek hain. Yeah not a bad idea. Mein kal ke liye board meeting arrange kar detaan hoon. Nitin bhi aa raha hain? Yep. Sounds like a plan. Mein aajata hoon aapko airport se lene." Arnav switched off the phone and answered Akash's inquisitive look, "Di, Nitin aur Naani aaj Delhi aa rahe hain. Di ka plan hain ki Nitin aur who kal AR group k board of Directors ko present kare future vision aur plans for project Vrindavan. Unka kahana hain ki Nitin and she are going to get the project done in two months, thaaki October end ya November tak we are operational. Kaafi aggressive timeline hai, par she sounds confident." "Accha lagraha hai Bhai, Di ko aise dekhte hue" replied Akash, quite pleased and continued "Waise NK bhi aaj shaam ghar laut raha hain. I'll pick him up, aur aap Di ko pick up karleejiye."

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Anjali chewed her lip as she looked at her reflection carefully in the mirror. No traces of last night's anxiety on her face. Thank God for make-up. She had spoken to chotte and Nitin and convinced them it was the right time to get in front of AR's board to present. That would ensure she and Nitin would be busy all morning putting together the presentation, and then they would leave for Delhi that afternoon. "You are doing what you do best aren't you Anjali? Run away." Said the voice in her head. "Oh! Chup hojayiye" muttered Anjali to her reflection with a scowl and turned around to exit her room. She had barely taken a few steps when the sight of Ajay sprawled on the stairs leading to the library arrested her attention. Clearly he had been waiting. For her. Judging by the mug of coffee and the book in his hand, he had been here for quite a while. Waiting for her to step out. "There is no escape now. Oh well! Better now than later" she thought and looked at the man who was sending her heart racing even now without even lifting a single finger.

"Morning Sugar" Ajay smiled, scrutinizing her face. "Looks like you had slept well last night" he mocked. He was not a painter for nothing. He knew exactly what pots of paint and a brush could do to cover up. But her eyes, they revealed all. They were troubled and lost and the brief spark that lighted them before she slipped on her mask gave him hope. Anjali just nodded and attempted to proceed downstairs. Ajay rose to block her and spoke in a low voice, his eyes fixed on her face, "Anjali, about last night------ I meant everything I expressed-----" Anjali raised her eyes and cut him off " Last night was very pleasant. Things went a little out of hand towards the end. But that will never happen again. Aap ne hume Rajasthan ka sair karvaane ka vada kiya, aur aapne who nibhaya. It was an amazing tour. Thank you Rathodji. Ab hume jaana hai. Nitin kissi bhi waqt aa sakta hain, hume pick karne. " And she politely smiled, attempting to side step around him.

"It was pleasant?" he drawled sarcastically repeating her words, "Oh I am touched; no, no, blown away really ------- by the compliment." He pressed his lips together, his eyes turning hard as he looked straight into hers. Anjali felt her knees knock, She knew she was lying through her teeth and he knew it. But she was not going to crumble. She would just stick to her version and soon the intensity would fizzle out. Her heart ached at the last thought, but she held her icy composure, returning his gaze, waiting for him to finish. " Aur last mein jo hua, woh kya tha? No, wait let me guess, it was the tip for the tourist guide. Right? Anjali, tum kisko bewakoof bana rahi ho? Khud tho aank band karli par muje bhi andha samajthi ho kya? Ya phir, tum humesha hi yeh karti ho, this pretense. When you are uncomfortable with the truth, you just edit out the parts that you are afraid to face and morph it in your head to suit you, suit the way you want to see it. Really?" Kya tum such mein apni aadi zindagi ek banavti duiniya mein ji rahi ho?" he finished his voice hushed and astonished.

Anjali jerked her head up at his conclusion, her eyes widened, tears threatening to flood them, and she quickly turned away; clasping her hands to stop the shivers that she could sense coursing through her system. He had no idea that he had hit the truth and now had thrown it in her face. Something no one has ever been able to do. Not even her chotte. "Hey Bhagwan! Iss Ajay ko yeh such itni saaf kaise nazar aayee. Yehi to hum zindagi bhar karte aarahen hain. Pahele papa mommy ke bare mein, humne wohi dekhna pasand kiya jo humne chaha, phir Shyaam, wohi dekha aur suna jo humare man ki tasveer se milta ta. Anyway, Yeh kaun hote hain, mujse sawaal karne wale. I don't need to justify to him. I can't leave my feelings open for everyone to see yet again. Bechari Anjali, kitni pagal hain, kitna pyaar karti thi uss se. No------ No, this won't happen again. Things don't work in my favor, they never have, and chances are they never will. Iss bhar agar kuch ulta hua, hum sah nahi paayenge. Mar jayenge hum. No, its better to hurt now, in a manner of my choosing than hurt later." When she turned to face him, her eyes were dry and her voice clear and steady. "Rathodji, Aap ko jo theek samje who aap sochiye. Par hume ab, iss waqt jaana hain. Please, may I---?" she indicated with her eyes and Ajay stepped away. He watched her in disbelief, as she walked down the stairs calling out a cheery greeting to Viren Chacha and Tashi. "Is she for real? Looking at her now, no one can tell the turmoil her mind is going through? What the hell happened in her life? Or who? She can bluff all she likes, but I did not imagine her response. I saw her last night, I felt what she felt. It was not a delusion, and I'll not let her brain-wash me into thinking it was. She wants to play the game this way, fine by me. Anjali you have no idea who you are butting heads with. I never take no, for an answer, especially when it's my heart that's at stake"

"Namaste naaniji, chachaji. Hi there doll, leaving for school? Bye! Hey Ajay, aaj tum nahin jaa rahe ho Tashi ko drop karne?" Nitin asked waving to his friend. Ajay shook his head. "Nahin aaj mujhe kuch cheezen sort out karni hai. Kya baat hai Nitin, aaj itni jaldi? And is that a suitcase? Kahin jaa rahe ho?" queried Ajay. "Yep! Anjali aur mein aaj afternoon ke flight se Delhi ja rahen hain. Kal AR group ki board meeting hain, and mera presentation hain wahan. Anjali is very driven, yeh project by end of October finish karna chahti hain. We drafted our strategy, and yeh na mumkin nahin hain. It would just be very intense for everyone involved." "Clearly! Excellent excuse to cut out any social interaction" remarked Ajay, the sarcasm lost on Nitin but hit it's mark with Anjali who did not even blink. "It will be the fastest restoration ever, Architectural digest ka scoop story hoga. What a way to hit the scene, both hospitality industry as well as the architectural circles will be talking about this for months. Brilliant! Anjie" he gushed giving her a side-way hug, his face bursting with pride and an indecipherable happiness in his eyes as he looked at Anjali.

Ajay's eyes narrowed and his mouth dropped open slightly "I'd be damned! This can't be! Could it? Is it possible that Anjali is still holding a candle for Nitin? Is that why she froze" His gaze moved involuntarily to Anjali who had correctly understood the shadow of doubt on Ajay's countenance and had mentally resolved her response. She had to build on what she had started upstairs. She needed Ajay to believe that last night was a one-off incident, not solid enough to mean anything beyond momentary madness, and she her buddy had just provided her the means of strengthening that. Would Ajay know about Radhika's feelings? May be may be not. She would just have to take the chance. Smiling a little extra sweetly at Nitin she linked her arms with his and led him to the dining table, "Chalo ab jaldi kuch break fast karlo, hume presentation ka dedh sara kaam baakhi hain", noticing from the corner of her eyes, that Ajay had settled down and had his ears attuned to their conversation, she continued "And we have unfinished business from yesterday afternoon, remember?" she winked mischievously. Ajay dropped his spoon back in the bowl of cereal and rose "See you both later. Excuse me" he drawled out looking pointedly at Anjali as he exited the room.

"Yeh hum kya dekh rahen hain? Kya humra samaj galat nikhla? Hume laga Anjali bitiya aur Nitin sirf acche dost hain. Hamesha se dost hi rahen hai. Phir achanak. Kauno baat zaroor hai. Hume pata lagane ka padi." "Viren, hume aap se kuch soch vichaar karni hain, zara baahar baitak mein chale?" Devyani suggested getting up and looking back at Virendra Rathod, who complied with her request instantly.

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