Part Twelve: Tum Hi Toh Ho
Early morning in Manali @ Mathur Household
Manali's cold morning welcomed Khanak as she drew out her curtains and took in the dewy scent of the atmosphere. She was surprised to see the sudden change in temperature as it was significantly colder than yesterday's mild temperature. She simply loved standing by her window and allowing the chill to run through her body and senses. Khanak would have enjoyed staying like that for hours if given the option but decided to warp herself in a warm shawl before heading towards the kitchen for breakfast preparations.
Adi was already up and about as Khanak heard his shower running while she switched on the gas to brew some masala chai for the cold morning. Scrambled eggs were also being taken care of on the back burner. Khanak wondered if Shaantanu was up or if he had done breakfast…her mind wondered subconsciously thinking about him as she set the table.
"Arey Chutki tum uth gaye?" Adi came in the living room surprised to see Khanak setting up the table already.
"Jee bahiyaa main uth gaye aur naashta bhi tayaar kar diya…ajj subah mausam kitna acha hain na?" Khanak welcomed Adi with a wide smile as she pulled out a chair for him to sit at the table.
"Hmm…tumhay sardi se kitna pyaar hain yeh main bachpan see jaanta hoon…aao behto naashta saath kartey hain…" Adi instructed Khanak before starting his morning meal. Khanak joined in with her mug of tea.
"Adi Bahiyaa Mumbai mein sub kaisa gaya?"
"Theek Chutki… kuch khass nahi hua…"
"Toh kya baat nahi bani Mr.Raichand ki uss company kay saath…"
"Nahi…hum abb kuch aur sooch le gay…per tum batao kal raat Sam aur Tara kay saath kitni dair bahir rahi…?"
Khanak thinks about Adi's question for a minute as he had already concluded expectedly about her whereabouts last night. She wondered if she should let Adi know where she really was or whom she was with, for the first time she wasn't sure if she should answer Adi with complete honesty. Shaantanu's words echoed in her head as well.
"Chutki kya hua? Chup kyun hogaye…"
"Huh..? Na..nahi main yunhi…jee voh kal late hogaye main…Sorry Bahiyaa…" Khanak stammered in a guilty tone.
"Arrey iss mein "sorry" waali kuansi baat hain…maine he toh kaha tha kay akele ghar par na reha…vaise bhi tum apni dooston se university kay bahir kitna kum milti ho…acha hua kay unn kay saath kuch waqt bita liya tumne…" Adi smiled looking over at Khanak who was watching him indulge in his breakfast. She was wondering if her technical first lie to Adi would cost her something drastic in the future. Her worrisome expression didn't go unnoticed by him.
"Chutki maine kaha na koi baat nahi…itni preshaan kyun ho?"
"Nahi main bus…maine kuch sooch rahi thi…"
"Toh batao kya sooch rahi thi…?"
"Voh University mein parso Opening Festival hain…app aaye gay na?"
"Ofcourse…meri chutki contest mein compete karay aur main support karnay na aao…aisa ho he nahi sakta…bus time bata dena phir dekhna apnay Bahiyaa ko first row mein behta dekhogi stage se…"Adi assured her warmly which made her smile, feeling overwhelmed with his unconditional love.
They both continued their breakfast while talking about random things like usual. Adi had decided not to share the whole Mumbai fiasco with Khanak as it would cause her more pain to see him get hurt like that and in a way they both had justified reasoning for hiding certain details of the time that they had spent apart from one another.
Manali University
Shaantanu decided to meet with the gang for an early morning rehersal now that they had finalized the lyrics and completed the entire sequence of the song. Lucky, Sam, and Abhay were reluctant about waking up early on this cold morning for rehearsal, but Shaantanu's offer to bring along coffee and pastries for breakfast gave them some initiative to join him in his efforts. Shaantanu wanted to get his song done completely without Khanak's presence so that their act during the festival would contain elements of suprises for Khanak to see. The gang was aware of his reasoning and planned to get Khanak on stage with them as they approached the last bit of the chorus towards the end. Shaantanu was glad that Sam had brought up Khanak's secret singing talent to his attention as they felt that the last bit of the song was lacking some spunk as it was too plain. He was sure that Sam's claim about Khanak's smooth Legato style of singing would be proven true to him in time. This girl could never cease to surprise him and he loved that about her.
"Shaan vaise aggar Khanak ko yeh pata chala kay I was the one who gave you the brilliant idea of her joining in to sing the last bit toh voh mujhse bahut naraaz hogi please iss surprise mein mujhay koi credit nahi chahiyay…all blames will be on you Mr. Shaantanu…" Sam declared as they took a small break from their rigorous rehersal.
"Don't worry Sam…Miss.Lyricist ka ghussa aur naraazgi mujhay manzoor hain per yeh bhi jaanta hoon kay voh zayaada dair naraaz nahi reh sakti…" Shaantanu smiled thinking about Khanak as Sam, Lucky, and Abhay exchanged smirks after observing the twinkle in his eyes.
"Dude Khanak ka jo ghussa humne dekha hain itnay saloon se voh shayad tum ne abhi nahi dekha…it's bad…I mean really bad…" Abhay teased Shaan as he exaggerated Khanak's anger which hardly ever surfaced.
"Theek hain… toh dekh lay gay, iss mein kuansi bari baat hain… Lakin akhir ka pura chorus aur antra toh voh saath he gaaye gi…akhir Sir Shkehar ne punishment hum dono ko di thi aur voh apni lyrics ko excuse bana kar yeh punishment itni asaan nahi kar sakti…it's not fair."
Shaantanu picked up his guitar with a mischievous smile and headed back to the practice stage where they were rehearsing. Lucky, Abhay, and Sam laughed out loud and followed Shaantanu up the stage as well.
Mumbai: Khandelwal's Office
Sunil and Akshay dismissed their first meeting of the day after discussing some major issues that needed to be fixed before the opening of the new textile mill in Delhi. Khandelwal's expansive textile business was flourishing at a commendable rate, yet Sunil's distant and crude behavior remained intact with his demeanor. Akshay had intentionally distanced himself form Sunil due to their recent argument over supporting Shaantanu.
"Akshay aik miniute kay liye mere cabin mein aaogay…? I have to to talk to you." Sunil said as he watched Akshay gather up his belongings prior to his exist from the conference room.
"Jee Dad…I'll meet you in a minute…let me get this file to the Sheetal so she can fax this over to Mehta's for confirmation." Akshay agreed as he looked up at his father from across the table where he was holding on to a red file cover that held some important quotations.
"Fine…main apnay cabin mein honga..." Sunil gave him an approving look and got up to leave the conference room quiety as Akshay wondered what was going on in his father's head.
About ten minutes later Akshay entered his father's cabin and found him reading something on his desk with an unredable expression on his face.
"Dad kya baat hain…app theek toh hain na?" Akshay asked as he came forwad with a concerned look.
"Yes…I am perfectly fine..Shaantanu ki first performance hain parso…mujhay Manali University ke Dean se invitation de hain, dekho iss invite per Shaantanu ki tasveer bhi hain…" Sunil smiled slightly while handing over the invite to Askhay who was puzzled with Sunil's behavior.
"Dad aap..aap jaantey thay..?" Akshay questioned without even looking at the invite he was holding.
"Shekhar Arya ko main personally jaanta hoon… Infact, uss ke Dad ki aur meri kahaani kafi millti hain...Shaantanu ki tarah kabhi uss ne bhi apnay Dad ka ghar aur faisla thukraya tha aur ajj dus saal baad bhi kuch nahi badla…Shekhar Arya apni family kay liye kabhi nahi lauta, voh abb sirf Shekhar hain…the famous musician…the brilliant professor…" Sunil concluded calmly as Akshay tried to comprehend Sunil's prespective pertaining to Shaantanu once again. Was he afraid of Shaan's departure because of what happened to Arya's and their dysfunctional family?
"Dad kya app iss vajah se…Per Shaan aisa nahi hain Dad voh kabhi app ko ya mujhe…he could never forget us…" Akshay came closer to Sunil and assured him of Shaatanu's caring nature.
"Aaj nahi bhoola hain per waqt ke saath saath bhool jaaye ga…Shekhar ki tarah voh bhi itna agay chala jaaye ga kay vaapis ana chahay ga toh bhi nahi aasakay ga…" Sunil's sadness reflected in his tone for the first time in months. This was the first time he had expressed how much Shaantanu's absence had affected him internally.
"Iss ka matalb app apne btay ko jaan he nahi paaye Dad…app apnay chotey betay ko aik baar phir misunderstand kar gaye…kal raat ko he uss se baat kit hi maine phone per aur voh hameesha ki tarah apnay sawaloon mein aap ka pooch raha tha…naam nahi leta appka per app ka khayaal uss ki baatoon mein hameesha raha hain…app iss baat per bharoosa kyun nahi kartey..?"
"Theek keh rahay ho Akshay…shayaad main Shaan ko aik betay ki tarah dekh he nahi paaya…yeh samajh nahi saaka kay humara rishta baap or betay ka hain…aik baap ka farz adhoora raha meri taraf se…ussay cheezoon ki kabhi kami nahi honi di per shayaad pyaar ki kami ne mujhay apnay betay se durr rakha…kabhi uss ki nazar se soocha nahi aur na soochne ki kohshish ki bhi nahi ki…"
"Dad Shaantanu ko vapis le aaye…ajj jub app sub jaantey hain aur Shaantanu ko itna miss karte hain toh phir iss doorie ka kya faida…? kyun hum rishtoon ko itni asaani se toot jaane detay hain…? Mom, Daadi, Khusboo, aur main Shaantanu ko bahut yaad kartey hain aur app se achi tarah yeh koi aur nahi jaanta kay humaraha ghar pichle kuch mahino se kitna udhaas hain…Hum Shaantanu ko khud mana le gay…aur aggar app bhi saath hongay toh voh kabhi manah nahi karay ga…kabhi nahi…" Akshay held Sunil's hand and smiled at him with hopeful eyes.
"Hmm…theek hain…Shaantanu ko vapid laney ka waqt aagaya hain…lets get ready to leave for Manali for my son's first performance…Sunay mein aaya hain ke Shekhar has invited major music labels in search for new talent…Shaan has succeeded in impressing the Musician in the stubborn Shekhar Arya so I am sure kay meray betay mein kuch toh khass baat hain…" Sunil informed Akshay about what the Dean of Manali Univeristy had told him in regards to the opening festival and the opputunities it had for talented students.
"Really Dad! That's great news…vaise app apnay contacts ka khoob faida uthate hain…University kay Dean is a friend of your business partner while Arya's are considered family friends from long time…Mujhay nahi lagta koi bhi known family Khandelwals se affiliated nahi hain, especially in Mumbai…" Akshay was gald to have his fun-loving dad back in form which meant that his hopes of reviving the Khandelwal's were finally taking shape in reality.
"Ofcourse…issi liye toh main apnay contacts bana kar rakhta hoon…everyone helps one way or another…acha Khusboo aur Madhavi ko yeh baat abhi na bata na…lets surprise them…" Sunil instructed Akshay with a wide smile as he could already imagine their excited faces when he gets back home with Shaan from Manali.
"Aur Daadi? Unhay toh har baat hum sub se pehlay pata chal jaati hain…"
"I know but iss baar nahi pata chalni cahiyay…we'll make an excuse of some business trip but Manali ka nahi pata chalna cahiyay…"
"Dad voh…actually kya hain na…"
"Askhay abb kya hua…?" Sunil noticed Akshay stuttering and questioned him.
"Dad kya hum Kushboo ko plan ka part bana sakte hain please… actually she is really pushing for Shaantanu to get back home aur phir mujhay bhi Manali mein uss kay satah thora time spend karnay ko mill jaaye ga…"
"Akshay per iss tarah Madhavi aur Maa ko bhi saath…you know what lets just do it…Sub saaath chaltey hain…"
"Such Dad! Thank you so much…I'll get the tickets to the nearest airport from Manali and then book a car for us to drive in to town…Theek hain…"
"Okay jo karna hain jaldi karo…make sure we make it on time there…"
"Will do Dad…Thank you so much!..." Akshay came forward and hugged Sunil warmly before heading out to make reservations and book tickets for their journey to get his Shaantanu a.k.a Chotey back.
Manali: Univeristy Cafeteria
Shaan had called Khanak to join him for lunch once she was done finalizing her creative writing project for the Opening Festival competition. Although, she didn't own a cell phone, Sam was always helpful in making sure Shaantanu got his messages to Khanak through her cell without having any issues. She was glad that she could help the two obviously oblivious people bond and grow closer as the days went by.
"Khanak kahaan thi itni dair laga di…Main kub se yaahan behta hoon…" Shaantanu stood up complaining as Khanak showed up almost an hour later than the time he had designated for their meeting.
"Arey app itnay preshaan kyun ho rahay hain…mujhay Sir.Shekhar mill gaye thay yahaan atay huye toh unhay app ke gaanay kay barey mein bata rahi thi…details sunai bina voh vahaan se mujhay aanay nahi detay…I am so soorryyy…" Khanak explained as Shaantanu slumped down in his chair, pouting and turning his face away from Khanak. His adorable childlike behavior was distracting Khanak but she decided to paciy him first and admire him later.
"Uff abb bacho ki tarah unhi behtay rahay gay…Vaisay bhi app ko thodi dair mein dukaan per jaana hain…Bahiyaa intezaar kar rahay ho gay app ka…" Khanak kneeled next to his chair as she needed his eyes on her when she spoke and sitting in the chair in front of him would not accommodate that as his face was turned away.
"You know what theek keh rahi hoon…infact main abhi chala jaata ho shop per, atleast vahaan Adi Bahiyaa mujhay naraaz nahi karay gay…" Shaantanu wast starting to get up but Khanak stood up with him and stopped him from going any further.
"Sorry keh toh rahi hoon…abb aisi bhi kya zidd…" Khanak was holding her ears innocently while waiting for Shaantanu to give in to her child-like charm.
"Bus sirf aik lame se "sorry" se mujhay manao gi…?" Shaantanu spoke up after taking in her cute facial expressions but made sure that his smile remained hidden from her.
"Umm…baat toh app sahi keh rahay hain…toh phir bataye main aisa kya karo jis se app maan jaaye…" Khanak agreed without any argument and asked for his suggestions.
"God Khanak! Tum na zara bhi creative nahi ho…mujhay manay ka idea mujhse pooch rahi ho…where is the fun in that…" Shaantanu rolled his eyes, giving up on his intentions for spontaneity he was expecting from Khanak.
"Shaantanu main achi khasi creative ho…infact app toh pehlay se jaantey hain kay maine app ko kitni creativity kay saath app ko app ka cell phone aur app ki watch gift ki thi…yaad hain?" Khanak reminded him of one of their special moments as her defense.
"Haan yaad hain…per Khanak abb jub hum aik dosrey ki creativity ki baat kar rahay hain toh main aik baat aur clear kardo kay main aik acha khaasa expressive banda hoon…jo bhi karoga aur jub bhi karoga style mein karoonga…abb tum ussay filmi kaho ya dramatic that's up to you…" Shaantanu leaned a bit closer to her and kind of whispered the last part of his sentence and smiled as he watched Khanak's face turned to a shade of deep pink.
"Shaantanu…app...choray na yeh sub…kuch kahaya aapne?" Khanak had lost herself in moment for a while there but recovered herself by questioning Shaantanu about lunch.
"Nahi…tumharay intezaar ne bhook mita di…" Shaantanu answered as he pulled out the chair for him and gestured her to sit before taking his own seat across from her.
"Aap kabhi nahi badalne waale…chaley abb jaldi se kuch kahle phir app ko shop per jaana hain aur mujhay ghar…" Khanak reminded Shaantanu with a smile as he just looked at her and sighed upon being reminded of his duties.
"Toh theek hain main phir jaldi se kuch le ke aata ho…kuch khass laao tumharay liye..?"
"Nahi….kuch bhi..,jo app ko pasand ho.."
Shaantanu smiled sweetly as he was smitten by her wonderful nature yet again. The way she interacted with him was different, unique in every way. She was always amiable and kind to everyone she knew but the comfort zone that they shared was unlike any other social affiliations that they had. Khanak watched him from distance as he bought food from the canteen counter; her eyes were on him the entire time even as the crowd moved about the place like it always does. He knew that she was watching her; he was aware that her eyes remained on him even from distance and that is exactly what he had hoped for. He was sure that she was the one, will always be the one.
P.S: So here is the next installment...I hope you enjoy it and do comment with your thoughts...Have fun...
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