Shantanu suddenly felt his heart beating at twice the normal rate after receiving the phone call from the police guy. He took less than a minute to locate his car keys. Quickly he put his hands in his shirt's sleeves and ran down while still putting the buttons on.
He had taken the directions of the location from the guy before disconnecting.
Trying hard to think of the shortest possible route to get there, he drove calmly but still maintained a high speed.
While he drove, he threw a quick glance at his watch. It was 3.00 am.
She has met with an accident…
The thought itself made him nervous. Though he was told by the officer that she was alright, still he was not able to keep his mind stable, until he saw her safe. He had never been so worried in his life. He wanted to run to her and hold her in his arms ….wanted to comfort her and be there with her as soon as possible.
Khanak had, in the mean time, called the insurance helpline. The insurance guys told her that they would be sending their team for inspection on the accident spot.
Eventually, the crowd started dispersing and Khanak was left alone with a few cops.
"Don't worry Ma'm…..we have called at the number that you gave us. The person at the other end was really worried for you and said that he will be here in a few minutes."
"Thanks….." Khanak gave a meek smile to him.
She secretly wondered whether she could have avoided this whole mis-adventure. She knew that Shantanu would come running, if he comes to know, but she did not want him to………
She did not want his angry stares and lecture on how she could have been more careful.
And she did not want him to think once again that how idiotic and how irresponsible she had been, yet another time………..
And most of all, she did not want him to be worried…….or to be tensed………
Hope he drives carefully……he will….he is good at driving. She tried to keep herself calm while worrying about him.
She opened the rear gate of the car and reached for a black stole that she had kept with her. She took it out and wrapped around herself. She felt much confident now.
A few more minutes passed before she heard her phone ringing. While trying to locate it in her bag, she hoped that it was not from Shantanu.
She was lucky. It was from Jassi.
"Hey baby, where are you? You just disappeared from the disc after sending the message. Did you reach home safely?" Jassi spoke in a slurring voice.
"Actually not……I met with this small accident…." And Khanak narrated the whole story to her.
"Oh gosh……shall I come over?" Jassi was worried for her.
"No I am absolutely fine…..and what will you be able to do? You are so drunk. Go home and sleep."
"Yeah……..I am…… but only a bit, you know………… not much……promise."
"Jassi…….go home."
"But how will you manage alone darling?"
"I have called Shantanu."
"Oh him? Your mom's boyfriend?"
"I will kill you if you say this any more," Khanak spoke with her jaw stiffened, "He is my mom's baby boy. And it's my fate that my parents love him so much that sometimes I get confused that whether they are my parents or his."
"Oh yeahhh……………that sounds pretty cool."
"Shut------up !"
"Have a nice time……give him my love….." her voice slurred as she kept the phone down.
Khanak was engulfed with mixed emotions as she kept the phone down. She leaned at the railing near the car and recalled her childhood in Delhi and remembered times spent with Shantanu.
She wanted to talk to her dad, her mom and her brother. Everybody in her family was extremely protective of her. They did not want her to come to Mumbai and live alone. But she had insisted that she wanted to be independent and on her own. She wanted to see life and its realities, its struggles and she wanted to be settled professionally. They had to give in when she refused to budge.
Right now, she missed all of them but resisted the urge to call them.….and anyways she was never going to tell them about this horrific incident.
What if Shantanu tells them?...No, he will never do it. She shrugged the thought.
He was sensible enough to tell them about their daughter stranded on the roads due to an accident. They would be so scandalized that they would take the next flight and take her back.
She smiled to herself thinking about her family and how confident she felt about Shantanu not telling them…..
Her thoughts swayed towards him……his aloofness…….his unapproachable persona.
She couldn't reason out why she had started to hate him and earned the same feelings from him. They had always fought a lot……...on almost everything……and ended up having a verbal war…..
We just never clicked………….it seems. She sighed.
She surprised herself with her sigh as it was difficult for her to interpret why exactly she had sighed. They had neither been very close nor they had been absolutely detached ……except for one particular incident where they had come extremely close…..but that was years back.
Lost in her thoughts, she rested her head on her hand settled at the railing near her damaged car and looked at it with guilt.
"Hello, I am Shantanu Khandelwal," she was brought back to the present when she heard his voice. She turned and saw him shaking hands with the officer.
The officer introduced himself and directed him to Khanak. He looked calmer than she had imagined. It appeared as if he was intensely relieved to see her safe.
She smiled slightly as she had been really scared of him shouting at her. Instead, he rushed towards her and held her putting his hands on her shoulders.
"Are you ok?"
Khanak looked at him, totally shocked and confused.
"Thank God !" He couldn't control himself and hugged her lightly in a friendly way for a few seconds and released her slowly.
She was still speechless.
"Don't worry. I'm there with you. I'll take care of everything."
She looked at him and nodded in affirmation. Next half an hour was spent in other formalities……
Everything was taken care of by him and Khanak just sat at one chair observing him. He must have been sleeping before getting the call as he was in his black night tracks, white shirt, folded at his forearms, and chappals. His hair was not neatly done. Still, he looked extremely handsome. Any other person would have been conscious of himself in this attire but not him. He carried himself very confidently and looked good in whatever he wore. His facial features were well carved and his toned body revealed how much effort he put in the gym everyday.
She was still under the shock of seeing a 360 degrees change in him. Was he the same Shantanu who did not talk to her properly for past 2 months! Was he the same person who either ignored her mostly or was irritated with her rest of the time ! Was he the same person who remained aloof and unfriendly even after knowing her for years !
Many times, she had tried to know why he was rude to her but he had never allowed her to talk to him. He almost never responded to her.
What happened to him today?
Though she knew that he would be worried and would come running but expected a rebuke instead of this shower of affection…..but it happened exactly the opposite !
He hugged her today !
Ok……..it was a simple, friendly hug just for a few seconds…
She shrugged lightly as if to shrug the thoughts from her mind and saw him looking at her. He gestured to ask if she was fine, and she nodded in a yes.
Soon, they were allowed to leave.
Shantanu directed her towards his car and opened the front gate for her while she was still recovering from the confusion and the special treatment she was receiving.
She became all the more scared of him.
Khanak beta, this might be a silent volcano…..about to burst any time. He is soon going to bombard you with his words or kill you with his eyes.
He came to the other side and sat in the driver's seat and before putting the keys, he gave her an affectionate and concerned look. Khanak had never seen this softer side of him and she wasn't sure if she felt it correctly but he looked shaken.
"It looks like a terrible accident…..you could have been hurt….I am so glad that you are fine."
While he said this, he lifted his left hand and lightly touched her right shoulder. She was still reeling under the effect of accident or was it more because of the effect of Shaan, that she did not blink while gaping at him.
"Are you alright Shaan?"
He was surprised at her question and said,"Are you asking me?"
"Yeah………is everything fine?"
"I think I should be asking this to you?"
"You have already asked…..but now it's my turn."
"Hmm..…what happened to me?"
"I find you a little abnormal."
"I am absolutely normal, Khanak" He shrugged.
"I don't think so…..this is not the way you usually behave with me."
"Khanak………….an accident like this blurs your mind and shocks you."
"But it happened with me, then why are you so shocked?"
"I am talking about your shock silly, just because you are talking irrelevant."
He started the car and took it in reverse gear to take a turn.
"I don't talk irrelevant and I am not the least shocked."
"You were………..I saw how frightened and speechless you were."
The car was running on a smooth road now.
"Yes, I was…..definitely…. frightened and speechless, but not because of the accident. but because of you."
"Me?" he was not sure if he heard correctly, she had always confused him.
"Yes," she spoke with extreme innocence, "I was frightened because I expected you to scold me and shout at me and became speechless because you didn't."
"You were more scared of me than the accident? It sounds like a joke."
"Of course ! See what impression you have created for yourself."
"Alright ……..but don't give all the credit to me for your blank expressions then. I saw your pale face. I'm sure, you must be a little shaken by the accident."
"Look….all those expressions were one hundred percent, just for you. Regarding the accident……yes, I was terribly shocked at the moment……..but soon I became normal. I am a strong girl. These things don't bother me much."
He became a little more serious now.
"Your car is completely dented from front and top…...do you realize that you could have been badly hurt…..you could have been killed?"
"Yes, I know…….but I did not panic. In fact, I was pretty composed. The accident did not shake me that much."
"Then why did you call me?"
"Those stupid cops were not appearing very safe to be with. It was so late at night and when they saw that I was adamant on not moving from the road, they insisted on family."
"You are quite intelligent."
"Well, thanks for that...but, I would have managed all by myself if it was daytime. And I would have never called you. I am an independent girl. Actually I would have managed at night too, had it not been for those stupid cops."
"How unthankful of you Khanak? I came all the way worried that you might be hurt and you tell me that how unwanted it was."
"I never said it was unwanted…..I just said that I could have managed as I was not shocked. I called you because I did not feel safe there. Given a choice, I would have never called you as I was more scared of your fluctuating moods."
"But I did not scold you………..see, you are always on the wrong."
"There….there….there…….you started it finally. Bring it on."
"Leave it, you are a thankless soul. Unnecessarily, I came all the way for you."
"Well…thanks a lot but don't worry. For that, I will pay you back."
"How?"
"Emmm…………...by coming for you. Call me whenever you need me and I'll be there for you."
"I came for you at night…….3.00 am."
"Even I will come at 3.00 am……..at night."
"Sure?"
"Definitely."
"On one single call?"
"Yes……you just have to call once."
"But, I think, I can manage everything myself…….. why would I need you?"
"You might need me anytime……..you never know."
"And…….what can you do for me?"
"Anything……."
"Anything?"
"Yeah………..a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g means anything…..."
"Khanak, think and make promises…."
"I mean it."
"It means that if I need coffee at 3.00 am……..I can call you and you will come."
He had asked very seriously and she took a few seconds to understand what he said.
Seeing her face, he laughed hysterically at her and she started boiling with anger now.
"If I ever get a license to kill someone…….it's going to be you."
"I know that." He said while still laughing.
Khanak wanted to say more but noticed his relaxed face when he laughed, there was a distinct sparkle in his eyes; a rare glow on his cheeks and his lips twisted in a careless way. She could now relate to him…..he was the Shantanu that she had always remembered ….who had been missing all these years……who was overshadowed by someone who was not him. She kept staring at him and forgot her annoyance….. Shantanu turned towards her to give her a glance and caught her staring at him.
He gestured a question by raising his eyebrows.
She simply smiled back and nodded saying, "Nothing…."
"Tell me….."
"Do you have to pay for the each time you smile or laugh?"
"I didn't get that…."
"Why have you become such a miser in sharing a smile?"
"Because someone told me that I look hotter when I am angry or tensed."
"Who is that enemy of yours?" she jumped on her seat.
"Hey chillax…….I was joking."
"Oh My God…..you crack jokes !!!...Gosh, I never knew that !!," she said in a highly animated tone.
"Do you know how big a drama queen you are?"
"I know that…. and I would have gone hunting for that stupid person who told you not to smile often. You look so sweet and so warm when you smile."
Shantanu felt a flutter somewhere inside when Khanak praised him without realizing it….. she had always been like that…..upfront…….without any pretence……..
He didn't know what to say in an answer so he just gave some confused expressions.
Khanak became a little conscious when she saw his face…..and tried to recall what exactly she had said……to make him feel so awkward……that he kept looking in the front and found himself murmuring a simple, "Thanks….."
"Your welcome….." came an equally awkward answer.
They were near the bridge from where she normally turned for her apartment.
"Wait a minute."
"What happened?"
"How do you know?"
"What?"
"I didn't tell you the directions since we started. How do you know where I live?"
"Emm…..I had read in your Id – Card."
"When?"
He took out her I-card from his pocket.
"My card……Oh God…..where did you get it from?…..I was trying to remember where did I leave it."
"You had dropped it in my cabin 3 days back."
"Why didn't you give it to me?"
"I forgot."
"Forgot?...even when you are carrying it in your shirt pocket?"
"I was not carrying it……I just took it with me when this cop called." He lied.
She believed him and directed him towards the building. He stopped his car outside one of the metal gates as all the gates were locked.
Khanak got down and shook the door….. simultaneously calling the watchman.
There was no answer.
She banged the door again.
"It's already 4.00 am; He must be sleeping." Shaan said.
"But there are 3 watchmen……they are not supposed to sleep."
She tiptoed to see if she could have a view inside.
She shouted for the watchmen again. Still there was no answer.
"Leave it Khanak, they must be drunk."
"Ok….then…..It's a small gate……..I'll jump and go inside."
"Are you crazy? How many accidents do you want in a day?"
"I'll be fine. Don't worry."
"No Khanak……I am not going to allow you to jump this gate."
"Believe me……….I have done this before."
"Alright……you must have done it……but……," he stopped speaking while searching for a valid reason to stop her.
"But what ?"
"Mmm………..You must have done it before, but you must not be wearing a short dress then."
She realized, after a long time, that her stole that she had used to wrap herself, was now hanging leisurely on one of her shoulders barely covering her. And her short, absolutely hot dress, was hugging her at all the right places.
Her silky loose hair covered the straps on her shoulders but the length of the dress was a concern right now….. She had intended to wear this dress for the discotheque to pamper herself and to lift her spirits up. But hardly had she imagined that she would be in front of Shantanu, in this dress…..
Though, she was confident enough to wear any kind of stylish dress in front of anybody but not Shantanu …..mainly because he had seen her since the times when she was a kid, he had seen her in her teenage, and until now, he had seen her wearing either jeans-T-shirt or salwar suit, trousers and long skirts may be……..but she had never worn anything hot and sensuous whenever he was around. Right now, she felt a little embarrassed at his comment….and urgently felt the need to check herself in the mirror.
She wanted to look at his eyes to check where he exactly looked but the thought itself made her become red on her cheeks. Still, after a few seconds, she slowly checked him……he was looking at the door and the small entrance which was locked from inside.
This made her feel a little relieved.
"Then, what do I do? Shall I bang the door again?"
"Leave it Khanak……we'll go for a drive and come back later."
"Wait….…….I want to see where they are……" she spoke in a flow but stopped somewhere before finishing the sentence.
For a moment she was not sure, if she had heard him correctly.
"What did you say?...Drive…?" she repeated.
"Hmm……."
"Waise.….it's quiet dark and nobody except you is here. If you look at the other side, I can jump the wall."
"Khanak, please shut up and get inside the car."
She left the idea of jumping the wall and walked towards the other side of the car.
As she sat, her mid-thigh high dress raised a little more up. This was the first time she had become conscious of herself and for the first time she had not been able to decide whether she wanted him to pay attention to her or not. She subtly spread the stole all around to cover her bare legs without making it very obvious. Shantanu was aware of her uneasiness but tried not to make it evident that he saw the ritual. He tried to concentrate on the keys, the gear and started the engine.
Khanak wondered whether she had sat properly before……..while coming from that accident place till her apartment. Did the stole slip then? Did her legs show? Did he notice? She felt like hitting herself as she did not remember even one bit of it. She had been so busy arguing with him.
She felt her cheeks growing warm and red with embarrassment.
Maybe even he was busy arguing…..he might not have noticed….Cool down Khanak …cool down !!
Oh Cool, Beach again…..twice in one night. Quiet adventurous. She thought when they reached the beach.
…………………………………………………………………………..
Indian Idol 15
