Part 29
13th February 2011, 05:00 PM
"Hi sweetheart----" Shaan's voice was his sexiest on the phone even though he was in a mild hurry.
'Hi---" Khanak said shortly, balancing her cell phone between her ear and her shoulder as she held a white dress with an expression of shock. Shaan's call had failed to distract her.
"Khanak!! " whined Shaan noticing Khanak's laid back tone. "Talk to me! Phir main busy hojaoo ga!"
Khanak frowned, now holding the cell phone with her hand as she threw the dress back on the bed. "Kyun? Aapko kya kaam hain?" she asked sternly.
"I need to go pick up your mangal sutr---" he said matter of factly. "So Mom thinks I'm doing something significant while haldi is being rubbed on you."
Khanak blushed and her mind jumped back to her revealing dress that was now strown on the bed. Thinking that it was indeed a good idea that Shaan stayed out of the house Khanak began to nod vigourously. "Haan theek hee toh hain!" she said loudly suddenly, her mind concocting a wild theory. "Aap bahir hee rahay---itnay kaam hain---aur aap toh kuch kartay hee nahi!"
"What?! Aisay bilkul nahi hain Khanak!" Shaan said annoyed at the other end. "Just because YOU don't-----" he stopped midway abruptly then lowered his tone and said "Waisay bhee aj raat hum mil rahay hain----toh socha---saray kaam pehlay say hee khatum kardoon----"
"Nahi!" Khanak said loudly. What would Shaan think of her if he saw her in such a revealing dress?! She could not allow him to meet her; not tonight. "Nahi Shaantanu----mujhay aap say nahi milna!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!" said Shaan stung by Khanak's words.
"Meray mutlub hain----"Khanak realized that she had been far too harsh in her choice of words. "Mera mutlub hain----doh din baad humari shaadi hain----aur---aur---baray buzurg kahtay hain----kah shaadi say pehlay milna---unshagun hota hainn----" she said softly.
Shaan heaved a huge sigh at the other end of the line. After a long pause Shaan said huffily "Agar nahi milna toh bata doh na directly---UBshagun kay bahanay kyun kar rahee hon!?" and saying this he hung up.
Khanak looked at the phone sadly. Shaan was mad at her but it had to be done. It was true that she felt shy having to face Shaan in the attire that Khushboo had chosen for her. But in her heart of hearts she also believed in the ubshagun bit, the belief that fate would bring about the worst if they met before the wedding. 'Laikin hum toh kitnee baar mil chukay hain' Khanak said hitting her head smiling. Her musings were interrupted with Khushboo walking in the room.
"Excuse me? You need to get dressed Khanak!! Sub aatay hee hongay!" she cried, one hand on her stomach the other making frantic gestures in the air.
Khanak looked worried and picked up the dress. "Bhabhi main YAY----"
"Haan Khanak tum yay hee pahno gee----" Khushboo interrupted. "Don't worry ther will be no guys around ofcourse---" she said politely, though Khanak saw her grit her teeth subtly.
"Bhabhi kya hua? Aap mujh saynaraz toh nahi hain na?" Khanak asked concerned.
"What?" Khusboo said surprised. "Nahi Khanak! Wohh buss---buss aj yay kuch zyada hee laatay mar rahee hain----" she said holding her stomach.
"Aap ka mutlub 'mar RAHA hain'----" Khanak giggled thinking that Khushboo who uptil now used to only get her hindi grammar wrong had now got her hindi genders mixed up too.
"Nahi Khanak! Mar RAHEE hain! It's a girl----didn't I tell you?" Khushboo said making a pained face again.
"Girl? Nahi bhabhi apka toh LARKA ho raha hain!" Khanak countered. These city people never paid attention to their doctor'a appointments did they? Khanak though rolling her eyes.
"NO Khanak! I am having a GIRL!" Khushboo said loudly and exasperatedly.
"Laikin bhabhi-----bhabhi wohh Shaantanu nay toh----Shaantanu nay toh mujhay aap ka UCG dikhaya tha---wohh toh larka tha!"
In an instant Khushboo's eyes widened in horror as she registered what Khanak was talking about. "Wohh mera nahi tha---" she said without thinking.
"Aapka nahi tha?" Khanak felt a sudden sense of foreboding. "Aapka nahi that oh kiska tha---Aapkay ilawa----"
"Wohh ----wohhh meri---dost ka tha----Sandhya----Sandhya-----wohh bhee toh pregnanat hain-----wohh----" Khushboo tried to put words together but failed miserably.
"Bhabhi---Sandhya?" Khanak said confused. "Laikin Shaantanu tohh kah rahay thay-----"
"Khanak!! Tum abhee tuk tayyar nahi huee!!" Madhvi had entered the room and Khushboo heaved a sigh of relief.
Khanak noticed Khushboo's expression. It made her even more confused. She looked at Madhvi and nodded. "Haan buss main----"
"Khushboo go and rest for a little while beta-----you don't look too well---your face is drained of all colour---tum dono aisee kya baat kar rahay thay----and why are you trembling?" Madhvi asked Khushboo seriously concerned as she held her wrist. "Khanak tayyar ho----Khushboo come with me! All this arrangement had taken a toll on your health---' and saying this she slowly led Khushboo out of the room. Khushboo was careful not to make eye contact with Khanak as she went. Khanak wondered for the millionth time what Khushboo was hiding from her. Why had all the colour drained fro her face when she had mentioned that the UCG was a boy? Why indeed?
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13th February 2011, 07:00 PM
"How does this one look?" Shaan asked Mitul handing him the mangal sutr that he had chosen for Khanak. Mitul had agreed to accompany Shaan to get the mangal sutr for Khanak since he had nothing better to do. He had already applied for his leave and was quite relaxed, looking forward to his honeymoon with Natasha after 2 days.
Mitul smiled. "It looks great----buy it---" Mitul said giving it a glance. He knew that Khanak would love the petite mangal sutr as she was a sucker for delicate jewellery. "Bhabhi will like it----"
Shaan rolled his eyes, thinking of Khanak. He had still not forgotten how rude Khanak had been with him on the phone. Or it HE who was rude? Whatever it was he remembered that the conversation had not ended on a good note. Mitul seemed to have noticed the conflict of emotions on Shaan's face but said nothing. "Not that I KNOW what her likes and dislikes are!" Shaan gumbled loudly as he motioned the shopkeeper to pack the mangal sutr.
"I am assuming you haven't told bhabhi about----" Mitul began.
"No I haven't!" Shaan interrupted Mitul shortly. Mitul did not press on the matter and remained quiet. " she doesn't even want ot MEET me---how am I supposed to tell her anyway----" Shaan said reasonably.Mitul smiled and turned his face away. "—and WHAT makes you smile like that?!" Shaan said heatedly.
"It's amusing the way you try to give yourself logical explanations for not confiding in bhabhi----finidng excuses----" Mitul said as they left the shop together and got in the car. Shaan did not start the car and looked at Mitul seriously. Taking a deep breath he asked whim what he was dying to. "Mitul---if you---if you were in my place----would you have done it?"
Mitul looked at Shaan closely again. It was the look that Shaan was used to getting from him. Shaan tried to figure out the complex conclusions Mitul's mind was reaching. He knew Mitul was going through a major conflict between his head and heart. After a long pause Mitul looked straight into Shaan's face and said, "No—" he said.
"Bingo!" Shaan said, turning the key and getting his car started. The heart of the neurosurgeon had reigned supreme.
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13th February 2011, 08:00 PM
The haldi began an hour late much to the annoyance of Khushboo. All the guests minus Sasha (the family couldn't care less to bother why she had not reached as yet and conveniently forgot tho call her too) had arrived and Shaan's female cousins were having the time of their lives rubbing haldi all over Khanak. Khanak was wearing a sleeveless white dress that hugged her body completely and fell just two inches below her knees. The girls rubbed Haldi completely on her hands and legs and after clipping her hair carelessly with a jaw clip they rubbed some more on back. Since the haldi was combined with the Mehndi, one of Shaan's cousins Megha suggested that mehndi be applied on Khanak's hands before Khanak removed the haldi from her body. Khanak vehemently shook her head, not wanting to apply mehndi on her hands because Shaan did not like it.
"Khanak!" Madhvi had said sternly to which Khanak had pouted and brought her hand forward while Megha giggled girlishly with Natasha.
"Abhee nahi bhabhi---"Megha said."Pehay theek say haldi toh laganay dain!" and saying this she took a handful of haldi and rubbed it on Khanak's face while Khanak gasped in shock and the other girls sqealed with delight. Khanak laughed and for the millionth time tried to pull her dress to reach her knees atleast.
"Khanak SPARE the dress!!" Khushboo said loudly.
"Leave her alone Didi----she's just shy----"Natasha said warmly going and sitting next to Khanak and applying haldi on her forehead while Khushboo rolled her eyes. Khanak smiled at getting some support. She vaguely wondered where Shaan was. Her face fell when she remembered he was still mad at her. "He's outside in the garden with Mitul---they are kind of having a bachelor party----" Natasah answered Khanak's unasked question.
Khanak smiled shyly and looked down. Natasha seemed to know exactly what was going on in her mind. She was loving the bond that she was beginning to share with her. She looked up at Natasha and smiled wonderingly.
"Aisay kya dekh rahee hon----you're going through what I went when I wasn't married---I know how you feel----"Natasha said warmly. "Ready to apply mehndi?"
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13th February 2011, 11:00 PM
"---AND she is going to apply mehndi which I hate!!" Shaan finished, keeping his plate of unfinished food on the table in the garden and looking at Akshay and Mitul beadily.
"Shaan if you want to meet her just MEET her! Don't eat OUR head---" Akshay said looking at the skies.it was a brilliant clear night shining with a million stars
"Nahh it's ubshagun apparently----"Shaan said rolling his eyes "Yay auratein na----ubshagun---shagun---they use it for their OWN advantage!They don't REALLY believe in it you know!"
"Tell me about it----"Mitul said wearily remembering the circumstances that encircled his wedding with Natasha. "Which reminds me---we're off for our honey moon-----day after-----right after your reception----"
"Acha----" Shaan said dismissing the information. His mind was still on Khanak refusing to meet him . The refusal made the urge stronger, like it always did.
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13th February 2011, 11:30 PM
"Jub milna nahi tha toh darwaza toh lock kar daitee----" Shaan said closing the door behind him, folding his hands and looking at the form of Khanak trying to remove haldi from her arms with difficulty. Khanal looked up shocked and gasped. She was still in the white sleeveless dress. Looking at Shaan she felt his eyes xraying her entire body, boring ino them as he stood calmly leaning against the door with a sneer on his face.
Khanak had both her mehndi filled palms in mid air as she panicked at her apparent nakedness. Gluing her legs against each othershe went and stood in the far corner of the room, as far away as it was possible to. Shaan finally moved and faced Khanak smiling.Noticing the mehndi on her hands he frowned a bit. Khanak looked at him guiltily.
"Aap abhee bhee naraz hain?" Khanak asked worriedly.
Shaan moved a step back and looked at Khanak from top to bottom. "You look beautiful----" he said.
Khanak blushed. "Yay meray sawaal ka jawaab nahi hain----" she challenged.
Shaan shook his head still smiling. "Nahi Khanak! Main naraz nahi hoon----mainay kaha tha na----kay main aj raat aoo ga-----so main agaya!"
"Haan apko shagun ubshagun ki fikar thoree hain!" Khanak said without thinking making Shaan's expression turn into an angry one. He grabbed Khanak's hands not realizing that the mehndi on them had not dried. The mehndi of one hand got smudged horribly. Khanak gasped and released her hand from Shaan's grip. "Shaantanu!" she yelled indignantly. "Yay kya kiya aapnay!?" her voice was close to tears now.
Shaan looked troubled but pretended to be calm about the whole affair. "It's just a smudge Khanak! Tum ITNA overreact kyun kar rahee ho!" he said looking at the mehndi with contempt.
"Shaantanu!! Aapka naam! Aapka naam kharaab hogaya!" she said as a tear trickled down her eye. "Mainay apka naam mehndi main dalwaya tha! Wohh kharaab hogaya!"
Shaan looked at the mess Khanak was, in shock. HOW the hell did women manage to cry at the drop of a hat like that!? But, he suddenly remembered, Khanak never cried till something was really serious. She was always the sort to face problems with a straight face. Then WHY in Gos' name was she crying now?!
"Khanak----relax----main----" Shaan started.
"Mainay kaha tha na apsay! Kaha thaa na! Kay Ubshagun hojayay ga agar hum milay gay!" she sobbed angrily. "Aap meri koi baat nahi maantay-----Ub pata nahi aur kitnay ubshagun-----"
"Enough Khanak!" Shaan said loudly though not fully angry. Khanak jumped, suddenly scared. Shaan calmed downm took a deep breath and held Khanak's arms. "Sirf mera naam hee mita hain na----main toh yaheen hoon naa----" he said bending to her height and tring to look into her eyes. "KUCH ubshagun nahi hua---aur na hi hoga-----samjhee?"
Khanak did not look back into Shaan's eyes but released herself again from Shaan's grip and went to the bathroom to fix the damagedone to her mehndi. Shaan intook a huge breath of air as he saw her go. He bit his inner lip and knew it was time to go back to the guest room. Both Shaan and Khanak's brains remained wide awake that night.
Neither of them remembered it was Valentines Day the next day.
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Ahhh just one day left for the wedding!! :D :D I am SO excited!😃
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Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
