Dohraha: Tale of Crossroads:Update&Note Pg 22 6/9 - Page 15

Perceptions, Appearances, and Escapes

Khanak held on to Darya in her arms as Shaantanu walks up with a look of uncertainty across his face. His mind could only somewhat recognize the casually dressed man standing next to his daughter's preschool teacher. Armaan Malik on the other hand had recollected the exact place and atmosphere where he had encountered the very to himself, scotch preferring man that Shaantanu Sachdev is.

"Hi, umm…Shaaawn…? Is it…?" Armaan stepped ahead extending his hand out towards Shaantanu. His Cornell sweatshirt and tracks came fully apparent to the perceptive mind of an experienced psychologist and it labels Armaan somewhat correctly as an overtly adventitious person.

"Shaan …yes…" His leather gloved right hand meets with Armaan's bare one as he corrects the most common mispronunciation of his name. He gets it all the time from his patients, colleagues, and, American friends since their accents have a natural flow at the way they say the syllables of his name out.

"Open bar, Manhattan Art Gallery show…" Armaan gave two crucial hints to where they had met with a polite smile. Khanak is just a quiet bystander along with Darya who is keenly observing her father's interaction with someone she had never seen or heard of before.

"Yeah…the tapping…" Shaantanu recalls the tapping and the annoyance it had caused him. He returns a polite smile back to him and gets Armaan's laughter in return.

"Dari issh here twooo…" The child speaks among the three adults who would have gone on to observe awkward silence if it wasn't for her cute interruption.

"Yes, you are…and Armaan this is Darya…Darya this is Armaan..." Khanak introduces the cute girl to Armaan and Dari is all smiles at the formal adult like introduction she got. Armaan reaches out and shakes her mitten covered tiny hand as well.

"Thanks for the introduction wife…" Armaan says looking out to Khanak, careless about the way he had explicitly put their relation out there for Shaantanu.

There is nothing from Shaantanu's demeanor that indicates any sort of surprise at the revelation. If there is anything that did startle him a little is the way that Khanak kept her eyes on his daughter when Armaan acknowledged him as his wife, she then turns to look up at him without any obvious facial expressions for Shaantanu to interpret.

"Come on Munchkin, let's get you inside…" Shaantanu offered to take his little girl from out of Khanak's arm so that she and Armaan can carry on with whatever they were occupied with before Darya ran up to them.

"I am headed inside, I'll take her…." Khanak suggested stepping away from Armaan.

"Okay…its nice meeting you again Armaan…"

"Same here…and you've got an adorable kid…"

"Thanks…I'll take my leave…bye Kiddo..!" Shaantanu reaches his hand out to his daughter and caresses her cheek without stepping closer towards Khanak. The adults acknowledge their good-byes as well before Shaantanu and Khanak step simultaneously away from Armaan. He watches as his wife walks towards the preschool's gate and Shaantanu farther down the street to get to his parked Lexus.

Khanak turns around to face Armaan once she inside the school's gate, she waves her good bye out to him and Darya does the same. The gesture makes Armaan smile and he returns them a wave back. He would've preferred a more intimate parting from his wife instead of the distant one that he settled for this morning.

……………………

1425 Madison Avenue Rm 4-51, 4th Floor, New York

Dr. Shaantanu Sachdev's Private Practice

It's around 1:30 in the afternoon when he wraps up a session with one of his patients and confirms with Rachael about his next appointment that had called in and cancelled for some reason that he didn't really pay attention to when Rachael was explaining over the intercom. His personal distractions had affected his attention span dramatically over past few months. Things had home with Raina kept getting worse…Dari had been a mess this morning…her health….Khanak…Khanak Malik.

His hands play around the Rubix cube that he keeps on his desk for patients that dealt with ADD and disorders of that nature. It's used for diversion so that patients can open up to him while being occupied in something that makes them feel in control. He could solve it without looking at it, it used to make him feel happy…he use to be that in Grad school…Happy.

………………

1071 Fifth Avenue New York, NY

The Guggenheim Museum

Raina is stepping out from an important lunch meeting with a fellow curator at the Guggenheim when she sees an unexpected visitor in lobby waiting for her.

Her smiles fades and she feels her feet ache with every step that she takes towards him. He hasn't changed one bit since the last time.

"Robert…"

"It used to be Robbie for you…still is…" His sparkling blue eyes held the same charm as they did almost three years ago.

"What brings you back here…?"

Robert doesn't respond to Raina's query instead he leans forward and envelopes her slim figure in his arms. If anyone could make a pencil black skirt paired with a rose pink sleeveless blouse look absolutely professional and sexy at the same time, it was Raina…Robert Chase had seen her in something even more ravishing the first time they had met in DC at an art symposium.

"I'd be lying if I said you had nothing to do with it…." He answers pulling back from the hug.

"I'd rather hear the lies…" Raina is straight with her answer, Robert's smile fades.

"I know that last time didn't…"

"If you know so well, why are you here…?" She asks and walks past him to get to elevator. Her belongings are upstairs in the conference room which she needs to collect before heading out the Guggenheim. Robert follows her lead in to the elevator that empties out on the 2^nd floor; Raina is headed up to the 14^th.

"I can see you are mad…I just…" He doesn't finish his sentence and swiftly pulls Raina toward him by her arm. An empty elevator couldn't have been more symbolic of the deceptive nature of the relationship they had shared before.

"Let go Robbie…!"

"You really want me to…?"

She doesn't answer, he takes it as an open invitation…leans in and claims Raina's painted lips in his very own…there is resistance, but then there is also reciprocation.

The elevator dings and the moment between them conclude as well…she walks out the elevator, he rides it back down. There was a familiar exchange made through their expressive eyes…she is not happy, but she is not regretful either.

………………….

47^th Street, Midtown Manhattan

@ Starbucks

"My usual, make it a tall one…and umm…a small Espresso Macchiato to go as well…Thanks…" He places his order and pays with his American Express. Chloe knows his usual order caffeine fix all too well and she smiles as she returns the card back to him.

He had called Madhavi earlier before he left his clinic, informing her of his free afternoon. She no longer needed come down to get Darya from her preschool as he could manage that on his own now. Madhavi had no qualms about the change of plans but she made Shaantanu promise to allow her to invite him and Darya over for supper before he heads back home, she had asked him to get Raina to come as well. He hasn't called her yet.

……………..

"I'll see you tomorrow Katie…Take care…!" Khanak says helping one her three year olds in to her outerwear while her mother waits by the classroom door during the dismissal.

"Buh-bye Miss.K…!" Katie gives Khanak her quick good bye hug before she rushes out towards her mother. It's another five minutes of routine good-byes and hugs before it's just her and Darya in the classroom. It's not usual for Darya's Daadi Maa to be running late like this…however, her Dad usually does…

"Daddyyy!!! Daddy is hereee…!" Darya sprints towards the door leaving her belongings in Khanak's hands as soon she spots him at the door. Khanak is surprised at his appearance, but she is glad Darya's day just got made because of it.

"Hey Munchkin…! Careful there…Daddy's got coffee in his hands…" He manages to hug her back with his left hand as she clings on to his leg and looks adorable in her act.

Khanak walks to the door with Darya's outerwear and backpack in her hand. He glances up at her, she smiles.

"Needs some help there…?"

"Yeah…if you can grab your Espresso Macchiato…." He answer, still uncertain the reasoning behind getting her coffee. Maybe it's to ward off the wind chill due to the snow that has just started outside, or maybe it isn't…he is definitely uncertain.

"Meray liye…?" Her outburst in her mother tongue makes him smile, genuinely.

"Hmm …muhje yaad raha issi liye…" Even he is generous with his warm reply in Hindi.

Khanak takes her Espresso Macchiato from the cardboard cup holder he had in his hand.

"Was she okay today…?" He questions as he watches Darya run back to her desk in the classroom to pick up her pencil bag that she would've forgotten if she hadn't seen one lying around at another empty desk.

"A bit quiet than usual…lakin lunchtime tak theek hogayi thi…"

"Her lunch…I didn't…" He remembers he didn't pack any this morning.

"Meray pass tha…infact, meri tarah Darya ko bhi Mandarins bahut pasand hain…" Khanak informs him just as Darya walks back up to them and tucks her pencil bag in backpack.

Khanak places her coffee down and helps Darya bundle up in her outerwear. They exchange some made-up handshake when she finishes securing her cute little hands in her mittens. Shaantanu observes their interaction very intently, he had hardly seen his daughter with the kind of a smile she had on at the moment.

"All done…! Abb Darya bilqual ready hain jaanay je liye…" She even talks to her in Hindi. Shaantanu had only seen Madhavi try that with her before.

"Haaan…Daddy aaye Dari ko le nay…!" She comments innocently turning away and getting a hold of Shaantanu's leg again. She just loved hugging it so much.

"Hindi lessons…? Kuch aur bhi aisa hain jo mujhe nahi pata…" He says patting his Munchkin's back.

Khanak laughs aloud at his comment, shakes her head, and assures him that there is nothing that they'd hide from him. Her coffee is back in her hands now and she indulges in its distinct taste.

"Okay then Miss.K…we should get going…Thank You once again…"

"Thank You..." She says, and he looks up at her with curious eyes.

"Coffee ke liye…itnay dino se sooch rahi thi, naam bhi poocha app se…"

Shaantanu finds her reasoning turned in to rambling interesting. She had done that in front of him before, and he wasn't expecting her to either.

"You're Welcome..." He says in a very simple manner.

Khanak nods, realizing that she was ranting a little. Shaantanu acknowledges her nod back with his soft smile as he picks up Darya, ready to head out.

"Byeee Mish. K…!" Darya exclaims waving to her over Shaantanu's shoulder.

"Bye…" Khanak waves back bidding farewell to her softly. It's not the first time she watches Shaantanu's sharply dressed tall stature walk down the corridor that leads to the exit.

………………..

Malik's Penthouse

7:45 PM

Khanak got back to the penthouse around five and fixes dinner just as she had told Armaan she would. She had found everything in the kitchen to cook up a non-veg main course for him. Her mind compares her present lifestyle with her past one. How things were back when she was in Mumbai…the apartment where her mother had taught her all that she knows about cooking now. It wasn't anything like this luxury kitchen she is standing in now…but her senses can revisit it anytime she wants, she just has to close her eyes and imagine the noise, the dirt, the grey beach…it's all there in her memory.

She has even dressed up for the evening in a very simple gold chiffon saree. It's very plain with just a few intricate sequencing on the blouse and hemline. Her efforts in light make an straightened hair are would only be obvious to someone who is an expert in such areas, but to anyone else it's just subtle and very natural. Its 8:15… she waits around the dining table.

P.S: I am am ending this part at a turning point on purpose...I would REALLY like to hear your thoughts before I carry on...especially your predictions...will he show? or wont..?? how are you liking the revelations in the storyline so far...

NOTE: I realize that the long wait you have to put up with is annoying to get an update from me... I got so caught up with holidays this year, i apologize...i am trying to be more organized this year and will try to juggle school life, work like, and virtual life...I apologize for any frustrations you gals might have had because of me.