FF It's complicated||DISCONTINUED|| IMP NOTE-pg86 - Page 19

~CHAPTER 13~

'Shan I'm so proud of you, tune aaj dad aur muhje galat saabit kar diya, we always thought that my baby brother will never be able to do office work. Aur aaj tumhari wajah se we have landed such a big deal!'

'Thanks big brother!' Shan smile with obvious sense of accomplishment flooding over him. And somehow in that moment Khanak's image floated in his mind. She was right he thought as he remembered last night's events. Khanak ko phone karke batana chahiye ke meeting achchi gayi, afterall ussne meri itni madat jo ki thi...

'Bro mein bus ek minute mein aaya...'

Akshay nodded and went back to talking to the delegates.

Shan went near his office and pulled out his phone, he felt giddy excitement rising in him as he was going to call Khanak. Thinking about how proud she will feel and how happy she will be for him, he didn't know why but it mattered.

'Shan...'

He turned around and saw Abhi walking towards him.

'yaar tune to kamal kar diya! And the human aspect in the presentation ... mind blowing!'

Shan smiled at his friend and thanked him.

Abhi was shocked, 'Shan... mere bhai tu theek toh hai na?'

'haan Abhi mein theek hoon...'

Abhi put his hand on Shan's forehead.

'tu kya kar raha hai?'

'kuch nahi bus confirm kar raha tha...'

'par kyun?'

'kyun!? Shantanu Khanadelwal jo hamesha apni badai sune ke liye tayaar rehta hai... aaj ek compliment par sirf ek thanks kahe toh shaak toh hoga na ki teri tabiyaat kharaab hai!'

Shan smiled, ' Abhi... mein aab bacha nahi raha, now I am a mature business man...'

Abhi started laughing, ' business man tak theek tha... par mature?!'

Shan frowned, 'haan... mein mature hoon...'

Abhi laughed harder, 'stop it Shan, mein haas haas kar maar jaonga!'

'Abhi! Mera mazaak banana band kar warna!'

'warna kya?' he made a serious face, ' Mr. Mature business man...' he started laughing.

'Abhi! Just stop it ... aur bata teri meeting kaisi rahi with those gallery people...'

'maat pooch! Ah... all the photographs were uninspired! They asked me to click some new ones!'

Abhi noticed Shan fiddling with his phone, ' tujhe kissiko call karna hai kya?'

'ah... nahi aisi koi...'

'please Shan mujhse jhoot bolne ki koshish maat kar!' Abhi smiled, ' Natasha ko call karna hai na?'

'kyun?!'

'haan, i mean itni badi achievement ke baad tu Tashu ko phone kar raha hai na ... iss ke bare mein batane ke liye?'

'nahi yaar! Mein Khanak ko phone kar raha tha...'

'Khanak?'

'haan, woh... usne meri itni madaat ki thi isliye...'

'Shan! Abhi!'

They both turned and saw Akshay coming towards them.

'Shan chalo, meine tumhare favourite restaurant mein table book karva diya hai, and everyone is coming there to celebrate your success!'

Shan remembered the last time he had gone there and a smile spread across his face as he remembered Khanak saying choocolte phudge. Bro said sab aa rahe hai, dadi Khanak ko bhi zaroor layengi, wahi bataonga usse, uske expressions bhi dekhne ko milenge...

'Abhi you are also coming...'

'uh... Bhai mein nahi aa sakta... mujhe kuch kaam hai... Im really sorry Akshay bhai but this is important...'

'theek hai... par next time no excuse...' aksahy turned to Shan, ' Shan tu blush kar raha hai?!'

'uh... Bhai... nahi ... mein bus excited hoon ... aaj itni badi meeting successful gayi... isliye...'

'okay... kher ab chal bhi! Bye Abhi...'

They bid farewell to one another ...

::::

Khanak looked at the clock, it was four, everyone was out and she was immensely bored and a little irritated. 'Unhe phone karna chahiye tha! Meine unki madat ki thi, ek phone kardete batane ke liye ki kaisi gayi unki meeting toh kya ho jata!? Burdhal!' she sighed and sat on the sofa.

' meine unke liye kheer bhi banaye thi... ab jab aayenge na toh... toh mein unhe kheer ke bare mein bataongi bhi nahi!'

'Khanak tum apne aap se baat kar rahi ho?'

She turned around and saw Abhi who was on the verge of laughing.

'Abhi... nahi ... haan... woh Shantanu ki meeting kaise rahi?'

'Shantanu ki meeting bahut achchi thi ! sab bahut impressed the... uh ... mera matlaab hai... sab bahut khush the! Shan ne tumhe nahi bataya?'

Khanak frowned, 'nahi! Uss burdhal ne mujhe nahi bataya... woh toh ghar bhi nahi aaye!'

Abhi smiled, if he hadn't known better he would have thought Khanak was a jealous wife, but he knew this was, at least for now, a jealous friend talking...

'Khanak woh tumhe phone karne wala tha...'

'toh kiya kyun nahi! Mujhe aab jakar pata chala hai ki Shantanu ki meeting achchi rahi...'

' kyun? Madhvi aunty, Khushboo bhabhi aur Natasha ne tumhe bataya nahi? Woh sab Shan, aur Akshay bhai ke saath hi honge...'

Khanak got up and went to Abhi, 'haan Abhi! Mein toh bhool hi gayi thi ki bai aur Khushboo bhabhi ne mujhe bataya tha, aur phir humne ek doosre ke baal banaye aur khoob bataein ki...'

Abhi smiled at Khanak sarcasm, ' sorry... mein bhool gaya tha ki woh tumhe napasand karti hai...'

'napasand?! Abhi woh mujhse nafrat karti hai!'

Abhi laughed and Khanak laughed with him... but she couldn't help but wonder, uss burthal ne mujhe phone kyun nahi kiya?!'

::::

Shan walked towards the door of his house, it was six and he hadn't been able to call Khanak even once. The whole afternoon was a blur of meeting his family and them congratulating him, he had felt disappointment at not seeing Khanak, he could not even ask about her, so he had asked about dadi, and had gotten to know that dadi was out for some Pooja. And his mom and Khushboo bhabhi would not even consider talking to Khanak let alone invite her to celebrate Shan's achievement. His thoughts then had been interrupted by his mother who had hugged him so tight out of excitement that he had not been able to breathe ... she had then apologise in her usual abbreviation style, sorry IGCA... when everyone had asked her what it meant she had just frowned and said, 'I got carried away! Uff! Tum log bhi na...'

He had meant to call Khanak, in fact he had taken his phone out so many times but every time something or the other had happened. And then ... Natasha had finally talked to him, she had sat in his car and she had apologised, she had told him it won't happen again, because she knew that he loved her and she had told him that she loved him. They both had made up then had made out in the car, he felt so relieved that he and Natasha had sorted out their problems, but he couldn't help but think that the familiarity of her lips didn't make him stop thinking about Khanak, and how even though he was with Natasha he couldn't stop thinking about how happy Khanak would be when he would tell her about his achievement. And how the whole day, all the celebrating had felt incomplete without her and Abhi, he smiled as he climbed the last few steps to the entrance, Khanak had become a good friend in such a short time, he hadn't expected to be so comfortable with her, he hadn't expected that talking to her about things would be so easy and so natural...

He opened the door and stepped inside, and went straight to the kitchen, he knew she would be there and indeed she was. She was cooking something, and whatever it was it smelled delicious.

'hey Khanak! Kya bana rahi ho?'

Khanak looked up and frowned, 'kuch nahi!'

'really? Hmm... toh phir yeh sab,' he pointed towards the stove and the two kadhai's that were on it, ' ek bhoot aa kar rakh gaya yahan par?'

'Shantanu, aapko kuch chahiye?'

'nahi mujh....'

'toh aap yahan se jaa sakte hai.' She turned around and tried taking out something from the cabinet.

'gussa ho?'

Khanak turned around, 'nahi, aapne mujhe batana zaroori nahi samjha ke aapki meeting achchi gayi, isse mujhe gussa thodi na aa sakta hai?'

'toh tum aise baat kyun kar rahi ho?'

'kyun!? Meine aapki itni madaat ki, aapki wajah se mein sofe par soo gayi, aapko pata hai meri gardan(neck) mein itna dard hai uski wajah se!...'

'itni si baat, tumne kaha kyun nahi? Aao mein tumhari gardan daba deta hoon...'

'Shantanu! Jab dekho mazaak!' she went back to the cabinet, trying hard to take out the aata to make rotis, but with no luck.

'aarey mein mazaak nahi kar raha mein bahut achi massage deta hoon...'

'kya dete hai?' she finally got hold of the box.

Shan walked towards her, 'mein tumhari gardan daba deta hoon... phir dard nahi hogi...' he held her shoulders.

'Shantanu!'

Khanak stepped away from him without realising that the aata (wheat flour) would fall without her hold, and it did fall and all its contents fell on Shan's head.

Khanak looked at him and started laughing.

'uh! Aata! Khanak yaar tum bhaagi kyun?! Yeh sab tumhari galti hai!'

Khanak laughed harder 'Aap mere kandhe (shoulders) kyun pakad rahe the? Yeh sab aapki galti hai!'

'achcha! abhi batata hoon!' he ran after her.

'Shantanu nahi!' she ran to the hall.

He ran after her.

'Khanak bach kar kahan jaogi?'

She picked up a cushion and threw it at him, 'Shantanu sochna bhi maat!'

'Khanak tum sochne ki baat kar rahi ho ? mein karkar dekhaonga!'

Khanak ran towards their room,and he followed, both of them laughing.

As soon as she was going to enter the room Shan got hold of her and pulled her too him.

'Shantanu...'

He shaked his head in front of her and all the aata came on her face.

'Shantanu!...'

Shan laughed seeing her white face. Khanak went inside and saw herself in the mirror, her face was covered with wheat and the front of her dress was the same, she started laughing seeing her ghostly image.

Shan walked in laughing and came behind her and saw himself in the mirror.

'ab hum matching hai, pati patni ki tarah!'

Khanak laughed harder and turned to him, 'hmm... par aap ki haalat ab bhi mujhse burri hai...'

They both looked at each other and laughed.

'sorry, mein tumhe phone karne wala tha, par phir Natasha...'

'kuch nahi hota...'

'pakka?'

'hmm...'

They both smiled at each other.

'waise... meine aapke liye kheer banayi hai...'

'Kheer! My favourite kheer?'

'hmm... chawal ki... aur khoob saare badam... par...'

'par kya?'

She ran out of the room while replying him, 'jo pehle poohcha kheer uski!'

Shan ran after her, ' hey! Not fair!'

They both enjoyed kheer together, while Shan talked about the meeting and how well it had gone. Their talk however was interrupted ...

'AH BHOOT!! BHOOT !!'

They both looked up and saw Abhi shouting... they both started to laugh.

'kya hua Mr. Macho thode aate se daar gaya?'

Abhi looked at them, ' yaar don't underestimate the aata! Tum dono ko bhyanak banana mein kafi kaamyaab raha hai...'

Khanak laughed, 'Abhi! Kheer chahiye...'

'Kheer! Hmm.. kheer ke liye mein tum dono bhooto ke saath bethne ke liye tayaar hoon.'

Khanak and Shan laughed harder. And Abhi joined them with a spoon in hand. And the three friends talked for hours...