Wheels in motion
A week went by, the fact she admitted she was attracted to him was both liberating and confining to her
When they bumped into each other at the elevator or the hallway, she felt different
When it was a secret she was able to treat him normally
Now that it was out, she was hugely uncomfortable
He was pleasant and talkative when they walked to to their floor or rode the elevator
"Did u bring Amma to Bengali market?" she asked one morning riding the elevator
""Kuch bhi Bengali nai hey baba" Gomez mocked her
She rolled her eyes "Waha ka chhola bhatura, baut sai hai" she smiled
He found her to be adorable, very child like shen she smiled, those pink juicy lower lip stretching and firming up
Her eyes danced "Second time? haa second time mai do baar khayi hai wo" she giggled
"Aap Noida bhi aqsar chholey bhature khaane jaatin hain na?" he asked
"Aq?" she asked confused
"Frequently" he chuckled
"Mere ko Hindi seekhne ka hai" she whispered
"Dhabolkar Delhi University ki Metro Rajiv Chowk se jaati hai baba" he teased
"Tujhe bhi join karne ka hai?" she mocked him back
"Meri hindi ek dum mast hai... mai french hai na, meri hindi aisech rahegi" he BSed
"Gomez? French?" Suvi mocked
They got off the elevator
"Amma ko apne ghar nahi bulayengi?" he asked softly
She blushed
"Pao bhaji banati hai mai... aur saari marathi dishes" she went on the defensive
"Amma Mumbai mein rehtin hain" he smiled
"Jaanti hai mai... but" Suvi was unusually hesitant
"U dont have to.. I was teasing" he smiled
Suvi wondered if he ever had a bad day
"Nihar ka back to school supply khareeda?" she asked
"Abhi 3.5 hafte hain" he smiled
"Mere ko laane ka hai" she said thoughtfully
"Hamare yahan chhoden aap Aadhya ko" he said eagerly
"aapko beti mast lagti hai na?" she asked
"Jee" he nodded
she didnt promise any thing abt taking her daughter over
There was no need to meet his mother
After the first fiasco of a meeting
He worked on the agency split
PR vs ads.
PR space excited him, he was great at talking, he articulated his thoughts well
He researched things extensively
Politics was his unpaid profession
He was eager to head the PR arm of McKinsey & Morrison
He was relaxed and self confident, Payal ogled him to her heart's content, lingering after every appointment
He checked on Amma at lunch time
Preet had signed Amma up for a pottery course near by
Amma couldnt talk much, he could hear the "wheels in motion"
"Hamare liye kuch bana rahin hai aap?" he asked like a child
"Arey nahi beta, hum to NIHAR ke liye bana rahe hain" she said firmly
He laughed out loud
"Kya?" he asked
"Spaceship" she said cheerfully
"Arey wah" he smiled, his coffee mug blocked the family picture he had on his desk he peered to get a good look of the Maldives picture
He paused and stared at Nupur
"Neel?" "Neel?" He had missed Amma's question
"Jee kahiye?" he said
"Kahan kho gaye... khaana kha chukey aap?" she asked fondly
"Jee Amma" "I umm... I" he said
When Amma hung up, he continued to look at it
"The longer u act like everything is normal and there is nothing abt Suvechha, the stronger u will feel abt her" Nupur said
He stood up as if he was stung
He paced his expansive room for over 20 minutes
Amma would wrap up her calss return home and call Suvechha!!!
Unable to shake Suvechha's image from his mind
The way she leaned on the elevator wall, as she teased Gomez
Extremely attractive and quite unassuming
As Delhi burst on its seams with fashionable trendy, self absorbed women, here she was, showing up to work at a leading ad agency with her face scrubbed clean every morning
Somedays her kajal was smudged too, trying to dislodge the helical springs from her eyes as she rode the Metro
"I ve just said I am attracted to her. Dont act like I am drowning and gasping for breath" he warned Nupur
"Theek hai... theek hai... abhi to tair rahe hain aap...6 mahiney aur tair paayenge?" she asked
"Why do u love analogies so much?" he asked sulking
Did she laugh in response?
He tried his best to channel her laughter he couldnt.. he grunted and shut his eyes and tried again
He walked over to the window struggled to pull the chain linked blinds apart frantically
Turned to his desk, looked at her picture and tried
He heard something faint and far away...
He sat down, stumbling on to his chair
"Phew!!" he hadnt forgotten Nupur's laugh
Payal peeked and found her boss edgy and agitated all of sudden
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