~Friends Forever~ Part 11 - Pg 4

A ray of sunlight crept in from the bedroom window.

Shantanu opened his eyes slowly; For the first time in his entire life, he had woken up without someone calling him repeatedly. He looked around for Khanak who had already woken up and maybe had left for the daily chores, he thought.

"Hmm…..….." he stretched his arms and straightened slightly to sit on the couch that held him the whole night. Slowly the thoughts of the last evening started flowing in;

Yesterday had been a beautiful day for Shantanu.

Khanak had declared her love for him, in words, that too in front of everyone. Not that he was surprised……….He had always known of the substance in Khanak and always knew that if she had promised that she would do it in front of everyone….she meant it. And finally she did it.

He gave a goofy grin to himself and smiled……..as he felt very happy and a sense of pride filled him from all over.

"Is it because Khanak declared her love, which I always knew ?...Or because she did it in front of everyone ?...Or maybe because I am plain lucky to have Khanak in my life…….."

He noticed little droplets making their way into his eyes but stopped them before flowing.He smiled again and got up.

Almost subconsciously, thinking of Khanak, he reached for his cupboard, took out his towel and clothes and headed for the washroom.

About an hour later, Khanak entered the room with tea and newspaper. She was completely zapped by seeing the neatly folded covers and cushions in their place, well set couch and Shantanu not there on the couch. She could hear some sounds coming from the washroom and she kept the tray on the table to go near the washroom door.

She thought for a moment and knocked on the door. "Shantanu, are you inside?"

"No Khanak, I'm in the office……." he said very softly and matter of factly, as the door opened slightly and Shaan peeped from within…….. completely wet, water dripping from his wet hair all over his shoulders and face. She saw him for a second and her heart missed a beat. She wished to wipe the water droplets off his eyebrow, wanted to cup his cheeks with her palms and wanted to say how he made the room glow by simply looking out from within. And she wanted to step inside to have a look of him, hug him……

Hopelessly, she shook her head off the thoughts, gathered herself and said, "Why are you getting angry ? I am just surprised that you got up by yourself. Ok, you get ready, I am going down to prepare the breakfast."

"No, Stop. You are not going anywhere. Sit here and wait for me, I'll be out in 5 minutes."

"But, Shantanu….."

"I said – NO."…there was an authority in his voice that Khanak had always loved and he shut the door to attend to his unfinished job.

Khanak gave a small grin and sat down on the bed. She took the English newspaper from the bed and tried to read. Though she had learnt a lot of English from Shantanu, she could speak too……..but it was still very early to read the newspaper. She started flicking the pages watching the glossy pictures and was amazed at the city life she had never heard about.

Shantanu came out of the washroom wearing his trousers and vest, drying his wet hair with the towel that he had hung casually around his neck. He stopped to look at Khanak totally engrossed in the newspaper and he went near her. Khanak noticed him and became a little conscious.

"What are you reading, Khanak ?" he asked kneeling down on the floor near the bed where she was sitting as he didn't want to lose any opportunity to come closer to her.

"Look at this, I read a few words," she was excited just like a small kid.

She showed him the lines on page 1 of the newspaper, which read - 'Nation is proud of a small girl…….'

"See, I could read some small words but what does the news say??"

He glanced through the news item to have a quick overview and replied, "It seems a young girl has been selected for an international event and will be awarded with a global prize."

"Wow…..small kids know so much in Mumbai?" animatedly, she spoke in awe raising her hand in admiration, such that Shantanu could not help but laugh loudly.

"Yeah they do…………you have a lot to know about Mumbai…." he teased her.

"It's all your fault…….you never take me out, never tell me anything about this city and then tease me."

Shantanu felt a little pang of guilt with her accusation though Khanak had said in a very light tone.

He kept quiet and she sensed it immediately,"I was just saying like that….leave it. How come you are up all by yourself today?"

"It's all because of you…….you trouble me throughout the day and don't let me sleep properly at night too…." He said almost whispering while he came closer and looked into her eyes. She felt embarrassed, smiled subtly and tried to turn away, but he stopped her by holding her arms with his hands.

He turned her towards him…...he was still holding her with his hands on her upper arms just below her shoulders.

"Wait Khanak…..we have to talk," his voice was soft but firm.

She had always loved talking to him, loved him speak and had always wished to be able to listen to every thought that he had, the reason behind every step that he took ….and every emotion that passed through him.

'Yes…..please…..even I want us to' thought Khanak.

She blushed at the thought of moments spent in his parents' room last night while decorating their room……..the moments when he spread the red Odhani on her… when he had taken her in an embrace and she felt so close to him as she never had before…..

She sat down on the bed slowly, not lifting eyes off his face and he kneeled down and took her right hand in both his hands…..

As he started to speak, his eyes, for a moment, slipped on the newspaper spread on the bed and in a flash of a second, a small advertisement in the corner caught his eye.

His eyes widened and a deep pain filled them replacing his earlier emotions in a second.

Khanak immediately sensed a gap in the continuity and lifted her gaze to look into his eyes…..the same Shantanu, the same eyes and the same eyelock but she knew it said something else.

She became worried and asked, "what is it Shantanu?"

"Nothing….," he said slowly, got up and left the room.

……………………………………………………………………..

Shantanu left for the office leaving Khanak clueless…….thinking about all that happened in the morning.

After finishing off with her daily chores, she gathered courage and picked up the phone to call him.

He was in his office, on his chair………engrossed in a deep thought, toying with a pen and carelessly rotating it on the paper in front of him on his desk, when his phone rang.

"Hello……….," he spoke slowly but in a husky voice.

His voice was sensuous as ever and it was hard for her to guess whether he was upset or disturbed.

She was still trying to find some correct words that she should use and which do not upset him further, when she heard him say,"I'm waiting for you to speak, Khanak…."

"But, how did you guess that it's me ?" she asked innocently.

"My phone has a caller id and the landline number flashes in it……Harilal doesn't call me……….so, who will call me from home at this time? Obviously, it's you…..." he sounded victorious and naughty again….somehow she always brought out the kid in him.

"I just called to ask what did you want to say in the morning……"

"Oh…..Yaa……….actually I wanted to ask whether you have couches in your Dhulwaadi?" he was now completely in a mood to embarrass her and so he twisted the whole conversation.

"Couch …?" she was perplexed.

"Yeah….couch….sofa……which we have in our room and our drawing room."

"Oh that…….No, we don't have couches………. Why?" she knew that this was definitely not that he wanted to talk in the morning and presently he was up to some mischief……..but still she was not able to understand and fell in the trap.

"Really? You don't have them, there ? I was just wondering how do people manage then?"

"What manage?"

"I mean, where do husbands sleep after marriage, Khanak?"

Now she realised what he referred to, but it was too late….she felt her cheeks burning and face red with a blush that was so evident that anyone could have read it. She checked all around to make sure that no one was observing her.

Embarrassed and smiling, she paused for a moment and gathered herself back again.

"They sleep……….outside the house……in the porch ……" she teased him with an equal answer and hanged the phone, smiling to herself.

Shaan could barely control his laughter and kept the phone back on the table, still amused at her... Just then, he saw Akshay coming to his room and he straightened his posture. Akshay was delighted to see him laughing to himself.

"What happened Shaan, you look so happy?"

"Just like that bhaiya…….I feel very fresh today," he said stretching his hands above his head.

"I can see that…….and I am really happy for you. You know, this is the first time you have come to office before me and Dad…….. that too without anyone telling you to do so….."

"I know bhaiya and I promise it will be like this…..…I want to fulfill all the promises that I have made to you, dad, mom and Khanak. I want to be independent, responsible and want all of you to feel proud of me."

"Hey….what happened to you? Shaan and responsible?" his tone was so affectionate that even this sharp sentence didn't hurt Shaan one bit.

"I know bhaiya," he stood up from his chair and leaned on the desk, "I haven't given anybody reason enough to trust me but believe me when I saw mom and dad at their anniversary yesterday, I remembered all those years of hard work they put in for us……..when I see you living upto their expectations, I feel proud of you……and when I saw Khanak taking care of mom and dad and preparing for their anniversary… I felt that I should have been more involved……I mean, in everything. You all have done so much, particularly for me, that I feel - now it is the time for me to make you all feel proud of me"

"Really??...Is it really all of us?...or mainly Khanak?" Akshay said putting his hand on Shaan's shoulder, "I know very well Shaan, that who is behind these small changes in you and believe me you are one lucky man to have a wife who motivates you without being bossy…….." they both laughed at this last phrase as both knew where Akshay was coming from……..poor Khushboo was currently the victim of their mutual joke.

"Ok, read this file……..it is the one of your project. Dad wants you to go through it and prepare a strategy as to how do you want to proceed." Akshay gave a huge file to Shaan and left after patting his shoulder.

Shaan took the file, sat on his chair and buried himself deep into the file.

………………………………………….

Khanak was laying the table for dinner, when she saw Sunil and Akshay entering the house. Harilal approached them to take their briefcases and files.

"Ada….….," she wanted to ask about Shaan but was shy to ask her father-in-law.

"Beta, I know you are waiting for Shaan, he was with us till now and said that he will come late after the inspection of the factory."

Khanak nodded.

"Why don't you have your dinner with us, Shaan will have something at the site." Later at the dinner table Sunil urged Khanak to eat, but she simply sat down after laying the last dish on the table.

"You know Madhavi, you must have seen Shaan today…..he was so serious. I always thought he takes all of us and our business for granted. But he completely changed my perception today," his voice faded in the end as he smiled, imagining Shaan in the office, "Thank God !!"

"Thank Khanak," interrupted Dadi, "don't you all see, that it is Khanak who is making him do what we all could never."

"I agree," this time it was Madhavi, surprising everyone. No body had ever thought of her speaking positive for Khanak. She continued, "Being a mother, I have seen Shaan since his childhood and I always thought that my upbringing was at fault that had made him so careless. But you made me realise that he was simply a directionless ship who needed an anchor. And I am thankful to you for being that anchor."

Khanak was so surprised that she couldn't speak anything. She blushed and stayed quiet.

"And by the way, thanks for yesterday's party. Akshay told me that you were behind all the preparations." Sunil gave a proud look to Khanak.

"Your welcome……." answered Khanak and this time Madhavi smiled back.

It was almost midnight and there was no sign of Shantanu. Khanak was worried, as she repeatedly looked at the wall clock.

"12.30……."she murmured.

"Should I go to Ada or Akshay bha ?"……"Is it ok to disturb them right now?"

Several thoughts kept flowing in and out of her mind. Shaan had once told her that in Mumbai people roam around the city the whole night and there is no such thing as 'late night' here, the city is active twenty four hours.

"But in Dhulwaadi, midnight is a huge deal………. He hasn't even called."

She dialled his phone number again, and it said that the phone was switched off. This made her more anxious. Pacing to and fro in the bedroom, she was completely restless now and was trying to figure out what she should do. Her heart was beating fast like a speeding train towards a dead end…….she became increasingly nervous.

She had always been strong but waiting for someone for hours, made her nervous. It wasn't long back when she had been in an endless wait with her eyes on the door for Suraj…….ending with a terrifying news changing her life completely.

She tried to control her racing heart and erratic thoughts, streaming in all directions, going out of her control.

She almost panicked and jerked before she heard the doorbell ring.

Her immediate response was to dash downstairs and she almost ran…..

The light was dim in the staircase and the hall and the silence revealed that everyone was deep asleep. She moved swiftly towards the main door with hurried steps……with her heartbeat still high and her mind heavy with multiple thoughts rushing in and out.

She quickly opened the door and here he stood….….right in front of her.

She took a deep breath and for a moment she stood still……..speechless……. her face turned pale and a plethora of emotions flushed her chiselled features within a few seconds …..…she couldn't guess what she felt -- whether it was anger at his carefree attitude……...or was it a sense of relief on seeing him……..was it her concern for his well being……….. or her insecurities of losing something she had already lost once before……...all her thought processes froze that moment on seeing him and all that she could think of right now was that she loved this man. And she loved him deeply… more than anything and anybody on this earth.

Shaan stood at the main door with a completely unassuming look. He was surprised at Khanak opening the door and more because she was simply standing speechless in front of him without uttering even a word….…..small droplets of sweats were visibly trickling on her forehead. He had expected a lot of rambling from her and all the way he had been preparing for the answers that he would give to her never-ending questions as why he was late?... where was he?...why he did not call and what did he eat ?... etc etc…

But she confused him completely now by standing like a statue without any expressions, without any sound or movement.

"Can I come in?" he asked, still standing where he was.

She did not reply.

He stared at her, totally confused………. and then she stepped ahead and hugged him, her arms wrapped around him to hold him tight and her face buried in his chest.

Shaan was completely taken aback. At least this was not the reaction that he had expected.

He knew that she must have been worried and felt guilty for making her uneasy….. and her response moved him deeply.

"Actually……...the phone got discharged and I realised it very late. I'm so sorry," he

whispered …….bending a little, his lips touching the softness of her hair.

She moved a little, only to hug him tighter……. She felt warm, relieved and secure holding on to him and this was the moment that she wanted to hold forever. He enveloped her in his arms and drew her closer.

"If you are going to reward me like this, I might prefer coming late everyday." He murmured.

"And I'll throw you in the guest room so that you can come and go at your own convenience, without disturbing anyone," she replied trying to disengage herself ineffectually and looked up in his eyes to give him a stern look, "Just try doing that again."

"OMG…..Dhulwaadi's Khanak is back," he laughed aloud, still holding her close to him, "And now, if you permit, can I please come in?"

…….…………………………………………………………..

Once they were done with the dinner, Khanak made Shaan go the room as she knew that he was tired and he left after much cajoling, taking the promise that she would join him soon.

When she reached their room after finishing the small little chores in the kitchen, she saw the lights switched off and Shaan sleeping on the couch. She entered inside slowly, trying hard not to make any sound.

After changing into her night wear, she adjusted the covers and pillow on the bed and gave a fleeting glance to Shaan while she sat down on the bed.

His features glowed in the dim light of the night lamp. The light fell on his handsome face making him look even more adorable.

She couldn't resist herself and on an impulse got up from the bed to be near the couch, near him. She stood there for a few seconds, watching him sleep and then slowly lowered her hand to ruffle his hair above his forehead.

She wanted to carress his jawline with the back of her hand, to plant a kiss on his chin and to trace a finger down his neck..….she bowed down to let her lips touch his cheeks but stopped herself just before it……..she blushed and got up, standing straight.

As she turned back to move towards the bed, suddenly her heart started beating rapidly………….her wrist was in a strong hold……

'So he was awake' she thought.

He didn't speak and tugged at her wrist…….slowly she turned back to face him, her hand was still in his possession. He drew her closer, down to himself and whispered, "I think you should start here...,"he pointed towards his right cheek as he raised himself to sit on the couch, making place for her to sit.

She thanked her stars for the darkness as her cheeks felt the profuse gush of blood.

"I was just………."she fumbled.

"Hmm? I am listening…….…. 'just'??... 'just' what?"

"A……..actually…….I just came to check…."

"Check what? ...Look, if you want to kiss me, I have no problems…… But please don't come to check things on me in the middle of the night and that too in the dark. By the way, it is not your fault, I was termed the most Kissable Boy in the college….

I was that popular."

"I should have known," she answered softly, thankful for the lighter turn.

"You should have," he repeated in the same tone as she had said, "and if you are confused on what to do next, I can guide you."

"Will you just shut up?" she blushed.

"I'm just speaking what you were doing just now, how come it became so shameful?"

"I am going…….." she stood up.

"Wait," he dragged her back.

She fell back to sit near him.

His tone was husky and dead serious this time, "What I am saying now is important ……….. I don't recollect when I fell in love with you and even before that, I don't know when I started doing certain things, just to get a smile from you. But I know today that you have become an integral part of my life now. I am still not able to believe that you love me too……….. Why?"

"Why do you have to ask 'why'…..? There are no specific reasons that we can point out when we love someone."

"No Khanak, it is important……...at least for me. I really want to know, why do you love me? I want to make sure that you love 'me' and not some illusion, that you have of me in your mind. I want to know why you care so much for me…..…Do I really deserve it?"

"Mmm…………" she didn't know what to say.

"Please Khanak, it's important for me to have that confidence to be worthy of your love……….so that I can never fail you…..so that I can live upto your expectations and justify your faith in me."

"Ok, if it is important……..I'll try to explain…….. I love you because I have never seen anything fake in you, there is not a bit of evil in you, you are a simple person who thrives on love, you take upon yourself to make people around you happy and you know how to appreciate the goodness in others. You are reliable and very responsible."

He was quiet for a moment and then sniggered, "Are you talking about me?"

"Yeah…….." She nodded admiringly.

"I mean responsible and me? Shantanu Khandelwal has never been responsible…… everybody knows it."

"They don't know you." She looked into his eyes and spoke earnestly.

"And you do?" his tone was husky and he almost whispered.

"Trust me…….…" she whispered back, still looking at him in the dim lights while he brought her closer and her voice faded away in his kiss.

It was Khanak who woke up first. She opened her eyes to the dawn of the most beautiful day of her life. She tried to get up but couldn't due to Shaan's strong arms around her. She gave up and turned towards his side to admire his features while he slept peacefully.

Khanak tried to turn left and then right slowly but was unable to move without disturbing Shantanu. Shaan was still sleeping with his head resting on her shoulder and his hand around her……...she pressed her lips trying to lift his hand but failed.

She became increasingly restless.

It's 7.00 am, I should be up by now. She thought……I have to go down and do so much work…how do I move now?

Slowly she snuggled near him and kissed him on his forehead. Shaan gave a smile and hugged her tighter.

"Do you ever really sleep? Or is it sufficient to act like doing it?" she was surprised to see him awake.

"I was sleeping till I felt you squirming. What is it, that's bothering you so early in the morning?"

"Please move……….…..I need to go down."

"Whyyy?"he dragged the question in a frustration.

"It's already 7.00 am, don't you want to get ready?"
"No………..because I came late, so I'll go late"

"But still, I need to see the kitchen…..and also to get the tea and breakfast ready."

"Khanak, believe me…..….we used to eat….….really…… before you came into the picture, six months back."

He said in a way that it made her laugh.

"I know, but I love doing that work too." She said while getting up and adjusting her nightwear, a cream silk gown.

"But, we have ample staff for that…….I'm sure no one is going to miss you if you don't go down so early in the morning for one day." He too got up and moved the curtains away to allow the morning sunlight.

She didn't reply………… just went in front of the mirror and started making her hair.

"Can I ask something?" she asked.

"No."

"Why?" she said surprisingly.

"I'm not feeling like answering any questions."

"Please Shantanu" she turned to him with a pleading and innocent face.

"Yaar, I really don't know why you take permissions at all, when you have to do what you have already decided." He made a helpless face.

"Ok, I have 3 questions – 1^st - what did you wanted to talk yesterday morning?" she said slowly, adding carefully, "2^nd - what made you ask the reason for my feelings for you, last night, when you know it very well. I'll ask the third question when I get an answer to the above two."

"Khanak, have you ever heard about Bournvita Super Quiz?"

"Kya?...what is that?"

"Don't bother….actually I'm feeling like a contestant. 'If you answer 2 questions, you'll reach level 2'…." He imitated her while trying to control his smirk.

"I know that you are trying to evade, by diverting my attention. But if you want me to sit here with you instead of going downstairs, you have to consider answering." She was very composed.

This made him a little serious.

"Alright, come here and sit with me…. .." he took her hand and made her sit on the couch, "See, the answer to both of your questions is the same…..,"he paused as if weighing the words, "I might not be able to explain everything, but I wanted to make sure whether you trusted me…….."

"Why do you have to keep repeating it again and again? I have always said that I trust you."

"I know…...I'm sorry but till yesterday even I was not sure of myself. How could I expect everyone else to be sure of me. So it's kind of re-assuring myself."

"Shantanu…..what is going on in your mind? Tell me, what is it?"

"Like I said….…I might not be able to explain everything……till yesterday, we were trying to figure out our feelings for each other…….but today, when we are together …………I want you to know that there are many more things beyond that……there are lots of things about me and my life that you do not know at all. The most important of which is that my life is a lot more complicated than you think."

She listened patiently.

He continued, "there will be many times when I might behave irrational or unreasonable, I might act childish and senseless at times….but I promise, this will not be a regular thing and in those times you have to stand by me with your trust and understanding. Your confidence in me will convince me to move ahead. And I assure you that I will never let you down for that. Are you with me?"

Khanak was trying hard to understand what he was trying to say but was unable to.

Finally, without thinking much, she said, "Yes, I am." At least this was something she was sure about.

"Then, the first thing I am going to do is talk to dad about my project."

"Is there any problem with that? You got that textiles factory contract on your own!"

"Of course, I did ! but now, I want to go ahead with it as my own venture without any support. I mean, I have the idea and the experience, and now the contract too. But, till here, it was dad's support and his infrastructure which brought the contract. For the first time, we are venturing into apparel market. And I want to move ahead with a new business with everything achieved on my own experience….I want to have my own staff, my factory and finances……...everything that I do on my own credibility."

"I will not question you on why……… but Shantanu…..dad and Akshay bha might see it the other way and feel bad about it."

"No, they won't…….. I know they love me too much to misunderstand me." He smiled.

"How do you want me to help you?" she pressed his hand lightly to extend her support.

"Just two things, first is to be with me when I go to talk to dad. And secondly, please handover your 'empire'……, I mean your kitchen, to Harilal. I want you to be with me mostly, as I will need you more often."

"But…..how can I….?...I don't know anything, I haven't studied much also…." She expressed self doubt but at the same time, she also realised that she loved him for telling her to be with him.

"Leave that to me….." he winked.

They decided to talk to Sunil and Akshay in the office as Shaan thought that extra opinions from mom, Khushboo and dadi could be detrimental to the final decision.

……………………………………………………………………

Initially, it was difficult for Sunil to understand them, but Akshay saw the reason and explained to him, "Dad, please don't see it as a separation. Shaan is not going anywhere. Just take this as a business extension. Businessmen do that so often and their sons take care of completely different businesses…..the only difference here is that he is not even asking us to finance him."

"Yes, dad," Shaan regained the confidence with two people on his side, "You made me go to US to study business….I want to see how much I can use it to my best. Our family business is well set and taken care-of by you and bhaiya…..let me experiment with this and try to set up a system on my own."

"I am just worried beta, that's all," said Sunil, "don't get me wrong. I don't doubt you but all I think is that I worked so hard all these years to give you all a secured future. I never wanted you to see that struggle phase…….that I went through."

"But Ada….….this struggle phase is the one that makes us tough and strong enough to sail through the obstacles that life offers. I know you will be proud of Shantanu when you see him successful." It was Khanak's turn. And like always, she won him through her smiles and logic.

"Ok….but, we are there to guide you at every stage."

"Thanks dad…..I'll need that." Shaan was relaxed.

Their first mission was accomplished. Shantanu decided to use his dad's office for the time being till he finalised the site of the factory for his new project.

He was extremely happy with the way he was successful in winning over his dad for the approval of going ahead with the project as per his own experiences and decisions.

He placed a hand around Khanak while coming out of the office.

"Thank you sooo much Khanak….." he turned towards her while walking out of the office.

She looked back at him with a proud smile on her lips reaching upto her eyes, making her pretty face glow in the radiance of the warmth that came from his love and his need to keep her with him to strengthen his confidence. She was only too happy to be with him.

"Err……….what do we say…..?...Yaa…………Mention Not !!" she smiled and spoek confidently, making him smile broadly too.

"Come, let me drop you home." He offered.

"No Shantanu……. You have taken new responsibilities. I want you to work sincerely and don't waste time in dropping me home."

"But, I want to come with you."

"I'll be waiting at home…………….right now, I'm going home with the driver."

"Okay, take care………."

"I'll be going to the Siddhi Vinayak temple while going home."

"Fine………." He hugged her slightly squeezing her shoulders and immediately released her to sit inside the car and then bid her bye with an affectionate smile dancing on his naughty lips.

She instructed the driver to go to the Siddhi Vinayak temple while their way to home. She had to thank God for a lot of things……..

………………………………………………………….

She reached the Sidhi Vinayak temple before the aarti. This was among those few places in Mumbai that she had seen before. She had come here a number of times with Dadi. So she felt confident and she believed that there was nothing to worry in God's home.

She took the coconut, thali and flowers and stood in the queue for darshan.

The queue moved forward slowly…….as she reached the main premises near the Idol, she tried to take out the change to be offered……….but realised that her purse was missing. She looked all around……..here and there to see whether she had dropped it. But it was not in sight. She quickly finished the puja and ran outside looking for the purse. As she traced her path in reverse, she even tried asking a few guards on the way but to no avail. She started panicking now……

'Calm down Khanak. You are in the temple, nothing will go wrong.' She consoled herself.

Worried at losing the purse, she moved outwards, looking for it….. rushing in the direction opposite to the crowd. But the crowd was growing dense as it was a Tuesday. She was pushed by twice….but she couldn't stop.

The guards stopped her from going in reverse direction as there was a separate gate for exit. She was frustrated and she tried explaining her condition to them but they could not help her because they had to handle a large crowd. Once again, she again tried to move in the reverse direction, when a strong hand gripped her at her forearm and dragged her to one side.

"Are you crazy? Do you want to cause a stampede and die under that? Just see that…" the voice was firm but calm; He left her hand immediately while speaking and indicated in the direction from where he had pulled her.

The crowd had increased at that gate and there was a sudden rush in that area with around 15-20 boys pushing inside the gates.

"Do you realise how unsafe it is?" the stranger had command in his tone, but there was no urgency or anger.

"I am sorry……..I mean…… thank you…Actually I have lost my purse and I was trying to locate it……..."

"Like this???" Gaurav was not sure whether he was more irritated now or concerned for this unknown lady.

He hauled her to one side before the crowd increased in that side too and then led her through a separate gate to outside.

Once they were out of the main premises, he said, "I'm sorry if I was rude, but even if you dropped your purse in the temple, there are bleak chances that you will get it back again. So forget about it and go back home."

"Can't we look for it again………… just once?" she tried to see some hope.

"No Chance……….Don't you see the crowd? We are lucky that we could get out, without getting hurt."

She gave a desperate look and started thinking fast about what she should do next.

"Any problems? I think your cash was in your purse, do you want me to drop you somewhere?"

"No, actually I have a car……..but my cellphone was in the purse……...how do I call my driver now?" she started thinking aloud.

"You can use my phone to call your driver."offered Gaurav.

"I don't remember his number……..my husband had saved it in my phone and I used to simply go to letter D and locate it and call him"

Letter D ????……….how cute was that !!! He thought to himself and turned to the other side to hide his smile.

"Your husband saved it? You don't read the word 'driver'….…?" he asked, still smiling.

"I didn't know how to…… initially………..but later my husband taught me….…he is a very nice man," she started speaking proudly, thinking of Shaan.

"Hello……...I am not standing here to listen to how great your husband is," he started saying but changed the course when he saw the little disappointment on her face, "I mean ……..definitely, he must be a very nice person, after all he taught you to read, but Madam, I am a busy person too………can you please tell me how can I help you?"

Gaurav decided that he could not leave her like that……..she did not have her purse, cash or phone and clearly looked out of place in this over-smart city……….she was definitely a small towner…….new to the city.

And at this moment, he wanted to make sure that she reached home safely.

"I think I'll try to locate my car nearby………" she wondered.

"Tell me which make it is……"

"Make?"

"Oh God…….tell me the colour and driver's name….." he was sure that she was one masterpiece that he had met in his entire lifetime.

"Black…..the driver is new, his name is Shravan."

"You wait here….I'll try to see if I can get him. Don't go anywhere." He instructed her before leaving and rushed along the main road.

After around twenty five minutes, Gaurav returned. He was sweating and looked clearly exhausted…..

"I couldn't find him…..he must have parked it somewhere far away…….to avoid the rush."

Khanak had been waiting at the same place. She gave a vulnerable look.

"What next?" Gaurav really wanted to help her.

He thought it as a waste of time to ask her for her address and residential phone number.

"I'll call my husband and ask him the driver's number." Khanak suggested.

"What?" He was shocked and gave an exasperated look, "You remember his number? Then why did you send me to look for the driver?"

"It didn't strike me at that time. I remembered this just now. I'm sorry," her genuineness showed on her face.

"And for almost half an hour I am asking the name of the driver of every black car !!"

Clearly disgusted, Gaurav sat down on a stair and gave her his phone. She dialled the number.

Shantanu picked up the phone and was very worried when she told him the whole incidence. He told her to wait there and he himself wanted to pick her up. But Khanak assured him that she was safe and she would reach home with the driver.

She took the driver's number and with sign language instructed Gaurav to write it, who did it obediently…..

Once the driver got the call, he brought the car in front where Khanak had told him.

Mercedes…!!! It was a day of multiple shocks for Gaurav. He had, in fact, seen this car, but had discarded the possibility of this car belonging to this simple looking stranger. Now he felt like hitting himself…

Really……… looks can be deceptive.

"Thank you so much," Khanak turned to him, before sitting inside the car.

"Your welcome. And please take care of yourself as it seems you are new to the city. Just a thought……… if your husband's phone was switched off or you could not call him somehow, then what was your next best option ?"

"I know the area where we live, and I know my husband's office building too. I would have taken the auto and given him the money after reaching home."

"You are not as stupid as I thought." He murmured.

She ignored his statement.

"Please give me your number, my husband would like to call you to thank you."

"Your husband has my number…..….remember you just called him using my phone. I would like to meet him too……someday…… as your marriage and story must be very interesting……….. No need to thank again. I did it out of humanity."

"But I could have been hurt or lost. It could have been a bad experience. It was just a co-incidence that I met a nice person like you."

"There is no such thing as a co-incidence and we all are a part of a bigger picture. We meet only those who we are destined to meet."

"True, I agree with you……….I'm Khanak……..It was nice meeting you……."

"I'm Gaurav…...the pleasure is all mine……"

Gaurav turned around to go to his own car and smiled at this different, funny and strange experience, completely oblivious to the fact that She was Shantanu Khandelwal's wife.

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