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Author's Note:
Sanam is Head Chef of "S2" the restaurant she co owns with twin sister Seher, who is a programmer. Aahil is the work hard and play harder Nawab of Bhopal. He's very close to brother Rehan. Aahil & Sanam get off on the wrong foot, but sparks fly from the moment they meet! Read on to see how Mr Arrogant and Ms Cool just can't stay away from each other!
"AASHIQ BANAYA AAPNE" - A SAHIL FF (AU)
Part 1 - "Lady In Red"
"Sanam...we have a situation at table 3". The voice close to her ear was that of Sean Winget her sous chef. It made Sanam turn in her seat towards him.
"Sean... You're the acting Head chef tonight, can't you handle it?"
"Sorry San I know you're at your friend's birthday...but this guy only wants to see the head chef".
"How does he know you're not the head chef?"
"I told him I was the acting head chef, and I'm sorry I let it slip that the Head Chef is in the restaurant, but off duty", said Sean in a contrite tone.
"SEAN"...!! groaned Sanam. "What a rude jerk, knows I am off duty, but still wants me to come to him? Some people...Arrhhh...what is his problem anyway?"
"He dosent like the way we served our Panna Cotta. You know the type? Dressed in Ralph Lauren, probably loaded, watched Masterchef and MKR (My Kitchen Rules) and thinks he knows everything about cooking?"
"One of THOSE?? God spare me from this type", said an exasperated Sanam. "I can't believe I have to leave Nat's birthday for this? This is why you should never ask your friends to celebrate their birthday at your restaurant, if you want to have a real break!"
"Nat..." Sanam called out to her friend, getting up from her seat. "I'm sorry babe, but I have some jerk of a customer trying to be a pain at table 3. I'll go deal with him and be back in a minute ok? Sorry".
"That's fine San" said Sanam's friend Natasha. "You take your time. We won't be leaving here for ages yet" she laughed, and was joined by four other friends of theirs that were at the table. They were a tight group of friends from their university days.
"Yeah but don't take too long San, coz usually we would have had Seher to keep us cracking up, but today she is out of town. Really missing her man. We need at least one of the 'S' twins at the table" said Rishi, the only guy at the table.
Sanam got up shaking her head. "You know I can't make anyone 'crack up' like Seher does Rishi! I'll be back ASAP. I'll deal with Mr Jerk and be back in a minute guys".
"Hey San... Don't be too mean to him. He might be Hot", said Rhea.
"Yeah right. Whatever" said Sanam as she followed Sean away from the table.
"This better be good Sean, coz I am in NO mood to indulge this jackass whoever he is? What does he know about making Panna Cotta?"
"Play it cool San. This guy looks like trouble".
"Oh he will be in trouble soon". Said Sanam as she walked towards the table with Sean. As they approached table 3, Sanam was standing behind Sean, and had yet not seen the man in question. He must have seen Sean, because Sanam heard a husky baritone voice ask,
"So where is the head chef?"
"I am the head chef", said Sanam, stepping from behind Sean.
Aahil looked up as he heard the husky female voice. From behind the "acting head chef" a women stepped out. His eyes followed a path from his eye level, which encountered a pair of shapely legs, and a red lace dress that started a few inches above her knees. His eyes followed a path over the red lace that clung to her shapely curves and fell on a pair of red lips. As he looked square into her face, his eyes beheld smooth caramel toned skin, with large brown eyes framed by shoulder length dark hair that was layered around her face like a cloud. She was beautiful and Aahil involuntarily drew in a sharp breath. He had not expected this.
"What is the issue sir? How can I help you?"Aahil heard the beautiful women state.
"The issue...?" Aahil repeated after her, as he continued to stare at her. He monetarily lost his train of thought and forgot why he had asked to see her.
"Yes the issue that compelled you to call me away from my private dinner, while I am off duty? May I know what that is please?" Even though Sanam knew he had an issue with his Panna Cotta, there was NO way, she was going to make it easy for this pompous ass. He was handsome, she had to concede. But that didn't mean she was going to cut him any slack).
"Tell her baby...You know what you said, about the dessert?" Said a voice that can only be described as petulant, or downright whiny. The voice belonged to the man's female companion. An attractive women who was wearing a yellow strapless dress, and had curly dark hair.
For the first time since he had laid eyes on the women who had identified herself as the 'head chef' Aahil looked towards his companion. "Simran" who he had been dating for the past 2 weeks.
"What's the matter baby? Tell her what the problem with the desert is?" Suddenly Simran's voice grated on him. How had he never noticed how petulant she sounded?
"Yes the problem" said Aahil.
"I am waiting SIR" said Sanam, and she could not quite hide the trace of sarcasm is her tone. Hearing her tone, Aahil suddenly snapped out of his trance and addressed the beautiful women in front of him.
"The problem is the Panna Cotta. It's been served in a glass? Panna Cotta is not traditionally served in a glass? The first sign of a good Panna Cotta is that it..."
"Wobbles" Sanam finished the sentence for him.
"Yes, and I can't see if your Panna Cotta wobbles because it has been served in a glass?"
"I can assure you sir; the food served in this establishment is of the highest standard. At "S2" we pride ourselves on quality. So I can guarantee that this Pana cotta will 'wobble'. Allow me to demonstrate"! She said, as she reached for the Panna Cotta that was placed in front of Aahil. She picked up the spoon and ran it around the Panna Cotta in the glass, then using one of the plates on the table she tipped the glass over onto it. She lifted the glass off and placed the plate back on the table. The Panna Cotta in fact wobbled slightly upon being placed on the table.
"As you can see, the Panna Cotta is made to precision". Said Sanam with pride.
"Yes. But it has been served in the incorrect way, which detracts from it" said Aahil arrogantly. Sanam felt her heckles rising at his tone, but told herself that she needs to 'play it cool', because if she lost her cool, this sort of guy will surely enjoy it.
"I am quite happy for the kitchen to send you two new Panna Cotta sir, this time not in a glass. Of course the meal is on the house to compensate for the inconvenience caused to you and your companion". Said Sanam, trying her best to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
"There is no need for the meal to be on the house. Replacing the desserts will do", said Aahil.
"Oh no I insist Sir. At 'S2' we want all our customers to have the best experience and if it was not the best experience, then we want to compensate for it!", said Sanam.
"Sean, please see to it that two new desserts are sent immediately, and please make sure this table is not billed". Saying this to Sean, Sanam turned towards the man and women at the table.
"Enjoy your dessert, and the rest of your evening, Sir" she said looking squarely at Aahil. "Ma'am" she said glancing at his companion.
Sanam walked away with her head held high and Sean followed her. Aahil's eyes followed them as they went further away towards the entrance to the kitchen.
"Didn't I tell you the guy was trouble?" Said Sean.
"Didn't I tell you that serving Panna Cotta in a glass was a bad idea?" Said Sanam with a smirk.
"You won this round San" said Sean smiling.
"You betcha. You owe me Sean... You got me out of my dinner party to deal with Mr Pompous and his whiny girlfriend. Did you hear her voice? What do guys see in girls like that?"
"Catty much?" Sean laughed.
"It's not catty if it's true" said Sanam laughing.
"Well as a straight man I can say, what guys see in girls like that has little to do with their IQ or reverting conversation skills, which I don't believe Mr Pompous's girlfriend is providing him. BUT... Even as a straight man, I can still see what Miss Whiny might see in him. The guy has an 'Aura' you know?"
"Aura? PLEASE Sean... Don't tell me you have come under his Ralph Lauren spell as well? Arrogant Aamirzada. Did you see his expression when I said the meal was 'On the house'? He was acting like I was insulting him in some way? I bet he is used to throwing money at everything. Serves him right we are not billing him. Don't want his money".
"Come on San! We should go after guys like that and their money", said Sean laughing.
"Better go, Nat and the others are waiting. But I won't forget what we discussed. You OWE me Sean", said Sanam. "I reserve the right to extract vengeance from you!"
"By all means Boss Lady" said Sean with mock gravity.
"Be ready" said Sanam giving him a wink. They always did this sort of thing. Sean was very happy with his fiancee Stella, and they were getting married very soon. She was friends with her too. She had known Sean for years and they always did this "fake flirting". The fact was, they really respected each other a lot. They were both laughing as Sanam moved back towards the side of the restaurant where her friends were and Sean went back towards the kitchen to order the new Panna Cotta's.
Someone else had watched this exchange from afar. The view from table 3 towards where Sanam and Sean had been standing together was pretty good. Aahil watched Sanam walk away in the opposite direction and Sean towards the doors of the kitchen. He didn't realise the expression on his face was brooding. He didn't look happy. He had watched the head chef and the acting head chef "Sean" share what can only be termed as a "moment" as they bent their heads together and discussed something in whispers, only to end up laughing periodically. They seemed to be enjoying a private joke? She seemed highly amused by whatever he was saying and they seemed to have a very easy "camaraderie" between them. She trusted him. He could tell. They cared about each other, he could tell that too. The body language suggested a certain level of intimacy. Neither seemed uncomfortable being that close to each other. But WHY was he speculating about the relationship status of two people he only just met?
"What's wrong with you Aahil?" He asked himself. "Snap out of it!"
"AAHIL...what are you thinking about?" A petulant voice snapped him out of his private thoughts.
"Non of your business Simran. We've just been dating for 2 weeks. I didn't sign a contract that says I need to share my thoughts with you as well!" Snapped Aahil with a rudeness that was not necessarily warranted for the comment she had made. But suddenly her voice and even her presence was grating on him. He was not having a good time anymore. The fact was, he had stopped having a good time around their 3rd date, but had gone out with her several more times, because she was around and he had nothing else going on at the time. Well looks like the time to call time had come. He never stuck around after he realized that there was nothing to keep him interested anymore. Fact was, she was attractive, but nothing more. Suddenly he found himself uncomfortably aware of the fact that if compared to a certain Lady In Red, she paled in comparison. Suddenly he didn't have an appetite anymore and didn't even want to wait for the Panna Cotta. But just as he was thinking of getting up to leave, he saw a waiter walking towards the table with two new desserts and Sean the Acting Head Chef was hard on his heels.
"Sir, Ma'am, here are your desserts. Please enjoy it. Just as the Head Chef said, the meal is on the house. Please forgive us any inconvenience. Enjoy the rest of your night"
With that, Sean left them with their dessert. Even with little appetite left, Aahil tried the dessert and it was delicious. He had to accept that this restaurant did have an excellent menu, and the quality of the food was amazing. The atmosphere was great, and service fast and efficient. Even his complaint was dealt with swiftly, and even though he had stated it was not necessary, they had insisted on giving him the meal on the house. Well SHE had insisted on it. He felt that she had been affronted by his complaint regarding their food, and had done it almost to spite him. He gave a small smile as he took another bite of the Panna Cotta that melted in his mouth. He remembered her self-satisfied smile when the Panna Cotta had wobbled on the plate. She obviously took great pride in the quality of her food, just as a good head chef should. Where was she now? Didn't she say that she was at a "private dinner?"Does that mean a "Date?" She was dressed for an occasion. That red lace dress had looked amazing on her, and it looked like she had taken care with her appearance. Somehow the idea of the beautiful lady in red, having dinner with another man just a few feet away, while he sat here with Simran in cool silence, felt very unpalatable to Aahil.
As soon as the dessert was over, Aahil gestured to Simran that it was time to leave. She made a face and got up to follow him. "This ends tonight" he thought to himself.
On the other side of the restaurant, Sanam and her friends were having a good time. Laughing and sharing jokes from collage etc. Some of their friends were not living in Bhopal anymore. One was in Delhi and another in Mumbai. Two of their close friends were living overseas. But those who were around, all got together when they could. Especially for birthday's and special occasions. Sanam stood up to raise a toast.
"To Nat...who turns 27 today! Hope this year is your best yet babe!"
Then Rishi who was on the other side of the table stood up."To Sanam and Seher...for opening up "S2" and providing us with the best venue in town for our party, and to Sanam for being the best damned chef in town!"
"Cheers to that!" said everyone.
"Talking of being the best, what was the issue your customer had with your more than excellent food Sanam?" Asked Natasha.
"That guy would find fault with anything I am sure. You know the type? Too rich, bimbo in tow, covered head to toe in designer, and thinks he knows everything?"
"Oh that guy again"? Laughed Aliyah, one of their other friends at the table. "Sounds like your typical spoilt rich brat Sanam!"
"Totally. His issue was with the way that we served our Panna Cotta. In a glass. Of course I told Sean it won't work, but he wanted to try it anyway. Either ways, Mr Pompous was being all hoity toitey about it, saying he couldn't see if the Panna Cotta wobbles when it's served in a glass. But I put him in his place. I turned his Panna Cotta over on a plate and showed him it does wobble' and ordered him two new ones at the same time, PLUS I told him the meal was on the house! You should have seen his expression guys! He looked so pissed. Rich douche bag"! Said Sanam laughing.
"To Sanam...who always knows how to put rich douche bags in their place!" said Aliyah raising her glass.
"To Sanam!" said everyone raising their glasses and laughing.
As Sanam laughed and took a sip of her drink she looked up to stare directly into the eyes of "Mr Pompous" AKA "Rich Douche Bag". As if alerted to Sanam's stillness, her friends looked around to see the direction of her gaze. They all saw Aahil standing close to the entrance of the restaurant and staring at Sanam. He had been about to go out the door following Simran, when the sound of a voice he recognized stopped him. He turned in the direction and had seen Sanam. He had caught the end of the conversation and very clearly heard her saying she offered someone "a meal on the house" and refer to the same person as a "rich douche bag" and her friend had made a toast in honor of her knowing how to deal with the same. Of course it didn't take much to know she was referring to him. Giving her a cold stare he stepped out of the restaurant.
As he walked past the big glass window outside,he looked in the direction of the table right on the window where Sanam and her friends were sitting. He gave her another stare as he walked away.
"Whoa Sanam...Was THAT him?" said Natasha.
"Yeah!" murmured Sanam.
"You KNOW who that was right?" said Rhea.
"NO. Who?" said Sanam.
"Even I know who that is!" said Aliyah.
"You really don't know?" Said Rhea.
"NO RHEA. Who is it?"
"Aahil Raza Ibrahim!".
The name sounded familiar, but Sanam was not sure where she had heard it.
"I think I've heard that name, but I don't know who he is?"
"Babe...he is only the son of the late Nawab of Bhopal. A true blue blood!"
"Well that explains his attitude I guess?" said Sanam.
"Well if I was royalty I would probably have an attitude too?" said Rhea. "I can't believe you were rude to him Sanam. He is SO hot!"
"Come on Rhea...being royalty doesn't mean you just act like a jerk to people. I hate his type. So he's good looking? Big deal!"
"Good looking? He's smoking hot!"
"I agree!" said Aliyah.
"Same!" said Natasha.
"Nat...you too?"
"Heck...I'm a guy, but I have to agree with the rest of the girls here San...the guy has something. You know the whole 'dark and brooding' thing?" Said Rishi.
"Oh My God...are you guys my friends or his? You know even SEAN came under his spell? I'm ashamed of you guys. See some good looking so called 'Prince' and you forget everything?"
"I'm surprised you didn't know who he was Sanam. I mean you Ahemed Khan's are pretty 'Khandani' yourselves?" said Natasha.
"Yes we are 'Khandani' Nat, but we don't go around throwing our weight around like Mr Ibrahim there. Anyway, you guys forget, Seher and I lived overseas most of our childhood and we only came here in our mid-Teens, after our parents passed away. Also, Badi Ammi never encouraged us to get too close to any of the high class Muslim families in town. We always spent all our holidays in London or Dubai anyway. I am sure that Badi Ammi knows who he is, or his family anyway. But Seher and I don't. Also, I don't think WE would be interested in spending time with his type!"Said Sanam derisively.
"You don't really know much about him, to judge him so harshly Sanam", said Rhea.
"And you do? Come on Rhea. I don't think I need to know everything about him to form an opinion. Trust me, what I have seen is enough to know the guy is a pompous ass, and he has terrible taste in women. But at least he has good taste in food, coz he came to MY restaurant"! Said Sanam smugly.
"Who is the 'pompous' one now?" Laughed Rishi.
"Look guys the cake is coming" said Sanam, and that got everyone back to concentrating on the party and soon she pushed any thoughts of Mr Pompous out of her mind. But for a moment there, for all her bravado, when their eyes met as he was leaving the restaurant, Sanam had felt a chill run down her spine. He had not looked happy. Something told Sanam, he is not the sort of guy who forgave quickly, or forgot easily.
To be continued...
Next Part - Part 2 - "Back Story"
INDEX - "AASHIQ BANAYA AAPNE"
Part 3 - "The Talented Ms Khan"
Part 4 - "Twin Torment" - Part 1
Part 5 - "Twin Torment" - Part 2
Part 7 - "Aisi Deewanagi" - Part 1
Part 8 - "Aisi Deewanagi" - Part 2
Part 9 - "Dil Yeh Bekarar Kyon Hai?"
Part 10 - "You've been ARI'd!" - Part 1
Part 11 - "You've been ARI'd!"- Part 2
Part 12 - "This Feeling Between Us!" - Part 1
Part 13 - This Feeling Between us - Part 2
Part 14 - "Just the Special One's!"
Part 15 - "Fall From The Stars!"
Part 20 - "Crazy Kiya Re!"- (Slightly Mature)
Part 21 - "Crazy In Love!"-(Slightly Mature)
Part 22 - "Beinteha!" - (Mature)
Part 23 - "The Wedding Date!" - Part 1
Part 24 - The Wedding Date - Part 2
My Qubool Hai Index
125