Chapter 8 → The care.
Sudha Maasi's House.
Veer gulped, feeling nervous as he stood before the looming gates of his Parjai's Maasi's house. Well, he has been here before. That time it was a different visit and now was a different one. Bringing up his courage, he entered his car inside as the guards let him through.
As he knocked on the door, he hoped he won't be misunderstood. He knew it was nearly noon and perhaps they won't be able to host him, but Keerat was his friend. He wanted to check up on her. In case they were uncomfortable, he could use his Parjai's name.
Yeah, that would be fine, he mussed within his mind. He rang the bell, waiting patiently for it to be answered. Within a few moments, he was face-to-face with Keerat's uncle.
"Puttar aap yeha?"
Veer gave a nervous smile, "Uh, I came to visit Keerat. Parjai was worried for her."
Balwant Arora, the Monga sisters uncle smiled and welcomed him in. As they sat down on the sofa, he saw Sudha Maasi join them. The first question they asked was about his sister-in-law and that warmed his heart. He was glad his Heartistji had such warm loving people beside her. Not to mention Keerat too.
Veer did not know much about Sahiba and Keerat's family life. He knew they were ordinary people with ordinary lives. He recognized the talent that both the sisters held. It had been surprising to find Seerat as their elder sister. How was that backstabbing woman related to them, he had yet to understand.
He wasn't honestly angry at them. They had already explained their silence and actions. Neither his Parjai nor Keerat was to be blamed much given his own family had been stupid. The one to be blamed will be punished accordingly; he was sure. His Angad Paaji was back in the game. The only thing he prayed to Babaji was regarding a good start to their new life without any misunderstandings.
On speaking and answering questions of Balwant Mausaji and Sudha Maasi, he learned a lot about them. While Santosh Monga had hidden her true monetary status from them, the Arora's were actually rich.At least one thing had been truthful in the entire charade.
Balwant Arora was a textile manufacturer. He was the owner of the Arora Enterprises who provided quality cotton and various other kinds of clothes. He had his own fields where he grew cotton. The cotton was then used in their factories to make clothes and other assembles. He learned they also had a son who was in the army.
Veer was impressed with their behaviour. While not as rich as the Brar's they were still considerably humble about their wealth. It showed in the way Sudha Maasi treated her nieces with love and care; not to mention how Balwant Mausaji doted on Keerat. He watched them fuss around an annoyed Keerat, when they allowed him to enter her room. It was heartwarming to watch them softly scold her with loving looks.
"Lo puttarji, aap yeha betho aur khub saari gaal karo apne dost se. Hum kuch snacks bhijwate hai." Sudha Maasi left with those words and a soft smile. Both Keerat and Veer watched them go.
"So," Keerat raised an eyebrow, "Sahiba Di ne bheja aapko? Aur koi jhoot na mila?"
Veer gave a sheepish smile, "What else would I have said? While I am your friend, my family and I did get scammed by your sister in the morning." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously glancing at a stern faced Keerat, "I wanted to meet you."
A small, nearly invisible smile appeared on her face at his admission. A soft hue of color spattered across her face. Clearing her throat, she said, "I am happy you came." After that her entire face turned serious, "Sacchi batau mainu, Sahiba Di thik hai na waha?"
Veer's eyes softened further, "Haa." He then reiterated what happened in the morning after they arrived home. He watched how Keerat's faced changed expressions swiftly. She, then spoke of what she had noticed when she spoke with her sister on the call. Their topics of discussion diverted from their siblings to what Veer was doing on Angad's orders. Veer, even shared about the problem of designs.
Keerat grumbled, "I can't even help. I wanted to go meet Sahiba Di on the pretext of giving her art supplies. I can't even do that. Kuch ghante hue hai aur mai ghar beithe bored ho rahi hu."
"Koi na," Veer said with a twinkle in his eyes as an idea appeared on his mind, "Monga house chalogi?" Keerat's eyes widened in surprise, "Kya?"
He explained, "Kulche nu bhejne ki zaroorat na hai. Mai le jaa sakta hu Parjai ki art supplies. Iss bahane tum bhi thora room se bahar jaa sakti ho." Her face lit with a bright smile, "Aap na gazab ke dost ho, Brar sahab!"
"Wo toh mai hu!" Veer lifted his invisible collars, before they both chuckled at their excitement and antics. He offered her a hand, "Toh chale?"
Monga House
Keerat blinked at she listened in at the commotion in her house. Veer came up behind her, leaning to witness the neighbors accusing her mother.
"Kuch kahogi nehi?" Veer asked her, glancing down to meet her eyes. Seeing the grim smile on her face, a sad look crossed his own eyes. Keerat shook her head moving to enter inside the house.
"What's going on in here?" Keerat handled the matter, while Veer hid behind the door so none of the neighbors or Santosh could see him. As they left, he heard the mother-daughter duo speak. He watched with a sense of helplessness as Keerat's expression for a brief moment turned vulnerable. Yet, he watched how easily she cloaked her feelings sending her mother inside.
Keerat whispered, as she guided him inside the room, "Don't tell anything to Sahiba Di." Her eyes held a sheen of sadness, "She might be angry and disappointed but my sister does not need to worry anymore than she already had to."
Veer nodded with a reassuring smile. His eyes were wide as he watched the small corner of their house decorated with various paints and colours. With a gentleness, he had never seen in Keerat, he watched how she packed the things his Parjai would need. They quickly stuffed them in his car and left the road before anyone caught them together or even just him.
As he dropped the girl to her Maasi's house, Veer reflected on what an enigma his Parjai's younger sister was. On the outside, he found Keerat to be a tough, no-nonsense girl yet within her was a flower-like fragile heart that deserved so much more than a scheming mother and a selfish sister.
Veer smiled, waving as Keerat turned around with a smile as she stood at her doorstep. He turned the car, noticing how she watched till he left the premises on the rear-view mirror. A warmth spread within him and he had a smile on his face as he journeyed towards his home.
Brar Estate
Angad's room
Sahiba glanced around cautiously, wondering how large the room truly was. It was a suite. Slowly venturing out she came upon a huge pool and also a balcony that looked upon the garden she had seen from the storeroom window.
She shook her head, eyeing the gold and brown theme a bit distastefully. Not used to such luxurious rooms, the colours blinded her eyes. Not to mention she found the colours loud. Slowly going forward where she knew her suitcase was only to find it gone. Before she could panic she heard a voice speak from behind her.
"Your clothes have been kept in the wardrobe." As if anticipating a question from Sahiba at her angry look, he clarified further, "The staff head did it, not me."
"It would have been fine in the suitcase." Sahiba said, a bit disturbed at having random people touching her things without her permission. Angad took a seat on the bed, eyeing her with a contemplative look on his face, "I know you are not used to all these and it would take it time for you to adjust. Usually, the staff do not entire my room other than to clean. Mumma must have instructed them to place the clothes. I have nothing to do with it."
Sahiba looked up at his face at his words, admitting slowly as she approached where he sat, "I-I am not used to all these. Honestly I would prefer if no one enters the room other than ourselves. I don't like people touching my things without permission."
"Chalo, ek baat par toh hum agree kar sakte hai." He nodded, "I will inform the staff to not touch your things." She shook her head, "I think you misunderstood. I don't want them to enter to clean too."
"What?" He stood up in surprise, "Who would clean the room them?"
"I will." She was a bit amused at his dumb founded look. Approaching him with a playful smile, she met his eyes squarely, "Kya hai na, Mr. Brar, hum middle-class ordinary logo ko khud ke kam khud karne ki aadat hai." She raised a hand to stop him from protesting as she continued, "Aur agar mujhe yeh media sambhalna sikhna hoga then aapko meri ye aadatein maan ni paregi. Manzoor?"
Angad gulped, a bit irritated at her words but he gave a nod reluctantly. He countered her words with another, as he watched her move around the room, "If I have to agree with that then you have to agree with another point of mine."
"Ab kya hai?" Sahiba stopped on her way to the wardrobe at his words. She turned towards him with a raised eyebrow. Angad continuing after successfully getting her attention, "Mumma wants you to buy new clothes-" Sahiba's face expressed her immediate denial, but Angad went on, "Not to mention we always have some kind of parties or get-together that we would have to attend. So you would need to dress and look the part of a Brar bahu."
Sahiba bit the inside of her cheeks, annoyance and utter refusal burning within her at his smug look and his words. He was right since she couldn't wear her normal clothes to parties and as newlyweds they would no doubt be asked to attend. She gritted out, "Fine. But I will wear my normal clothes at home."
Angad shrugged at that, happy to have her agree to at least one of his family norms. He watched as she disappeared within his wardrobe. Shaking his head, he realized that he needed to stop thinking of the room as just his. It was hers too.
He was ready to share his home, life and family with Seerat not Sahiba. It would probably take some time to get used to Sahiba's presence. But he had to get some direct answers from Seerat regarding her flight from the wedding. From Gary he needed to know why he did what he did. If they liked each other shouldn't they have expressed it way before the wedding plans?
Hearing the 'ping' on his mobile, he opened the file that was send by his detective. At first he noticed the backstory of the Monga's. Thankfully, Sahiba hasn't lied and her words were double checked. He had learned his lesson well.
On the other hand, Seerat's deception burned. Her lies, words and even her actions were fraudulent in nature. He read through what his detectives had found, along with the various videos they had collected. While they had tracked Gary to a posh hotel in the outskirts of Ludhiana, at the moment his cousin was nowhere around that area. According to the findings, Seerat was still at the hotel.
As the wardrobe door opened, he watched Sahiba enter in a simple salwar-kameez made of cotton. Her hair was left open, the natural curls bouncing from her waist as she moved towards the dressing table.
His watched how she simply combed her hair and plaited it. Other than that she did nothing. He was a bit surprised as compared to his mother and aunts, she had no night routine of skin care.
Sahiba went towards the couch, after she took an extra pillow from the bed. Taking a seat on it, she raised an eyebrow in question to a pensive looking Angad. Her eyes flickered towards the haphazardly bandaged hand. A slight worry entered her eyes. She wondered if she should ask what had happened. Lifting her eyes from the hand, she was a bit startled to find Angad seated beside her on the couch.
Angad, who had noticed her far-away thoughtful expression, forwarded his own mobile for her to see what he had uncovered. Sahiba looked through the data and videos with wide eyes. He watched how her expressions changed from shock to anger and disappointment. She lifted her gaze to meet his own, speaking coldly, "Karna kya hai aab? Koi plan kiya hai?"
Angad smirked, as he took the mobile from her. He spoke of what he had planned in the reception tomorrow. Her eyes widenned, before another matching smile appeared on her face.
"Nice plan," She muttered, "But there a matter that has me wondering." He asked in response, "What matter?"
"If Garry is the kind of person as you told me, is it possible that he is taking advantage of Seerat's feelings?"
A thunderous expression crossed Angad's face at once, "Do not dare to make excuses for your sister."
"I am not making excuses." said Sahiba firmly, "What Seerat did, was not right. I am just wondering if there were any other facets to the truths we uncovered."
"I don't care, not any longer." Angad glanced down, eyes fixed on the brown rug on his floor. Sahiba sighed, nodding at his words and not dragging the topic further. She glanced at him asking, "Where is the first aid?"
Angad was brought out of his mind, blinking a bit at her question. Instead of showing her, he got up and opened a drawer beside the bed. He gave her the first-aid box wondering if he should ask her about her health. He was astonished when she requested to bandage his hands. He allowed her to do so, only to face a question from her.
"You know, I was wondering about one thing." She rubbed an antiseptic cream in a soothing circular motion above the inflamed broken skin that barley stung, "I understand that Seerat Di was beautiful, but why did you or your family choose her? Surely she wasn't that good of an actress to fake every single reaction or actions?!"
Angad gave a humorless smile at her words; his eyes meeting her curious ones, as she bandaged his hand properly with a waiting glance. He said, "Apparently your sister is a very good actress. She also knows how to lie convincingly." He sighed, eyes glazed with sadness tinged with anger, "She also answered all my questions in way that it impressed me and my family."
As Angad explained their interactions, the ways Seerat behaved and spoke with them, Sahiba felt her heart clench with devastation. Her elder sister had betrayed her in more ways than one.
Sahiba cannot forgive that no matter what happened in the future. She realized with a startling clarity in her mind as she listened to Angad's recollections, that she needed to stop trying to save Seerat in any way. Her sister was a selfish person not caring about her family or anyone else other than her own self. She had always turned a blind eye, but now it was far more clearer to her than it ever was in the past.
A grim look passed her eyes at the thought.
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Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
