Okay, so this like rather long. I had started writing and lost my way soooo. I wanted the writings to be oneshots only so I couldn't break it neither could I deduct something. Now, Farag is a chemistry which could be explored in many ways, I couldn't encompass everything here but you might get glimpses in other one shots as well.
Consider this to be a few months later "Misunderstood"
I guess @masin gave the prompt - 'Brotherhood'
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BROTHERHOOD
"I will kill you Farhaad!"
"No you won't Anna. Doctor please continue."
"I will! Mind you! Let me get up from here once and I will fire you and get all your bones broken!"
"For that you would have to get free which will not happen unless you quieten down and let the good doctors do their job."
"Farhaad! Open these right now or else I.. I.."
"Anna, please now calm down or else I will let the doctors sedate you."
Raghav Rao's eyes widened comically at that while his secretary Farhaad looked on unfazed. He looked as if he was very serious, arms crossed against his chest standing firmly at the foot of the hospital bed where Raghav was lying.. sorry imprisoned with the help of handcuffs to the sides. The doctors hovering around the incapacitated gangster had to snort to stifle their amusement at his plight.
"You wouldn't.."
Raghav said disbelievingly and Farhaad smiled faintly which looked alien on his stoic face but pleasant in a way too.
"Try me."
Pallavi couldn't muffle her bark of laugh at that. This made the undisputed kingpin of Hyderabad scowl at her furiously from his bed. She covered her giggles with a show of putting her hand over her smile.
"Saree ka dukaan tum... don't you dare laugh at me. I hate hospitals. I am completely fine. I have to go home. These cuts are too minor to for hospitalization really! I think you all have forgotten who is the boss here ahhh.."
His angry tirade had been severely dampened by the fact that he was indeed harmless while chained to his bed and being cleaned and stitched for the various wounds on his back and the fact that one doctor had pulled in the thread a bit too tightly. Those furious eyes might have made any self preserving person take to their heels but neither Pallavi, nor Farhaad were a least bit ruffled. Pallavi who had been seated at the couch in that private chamber of the hospital he was being treated in walked closer to him and glared down at him.
"Keep still and let the doctors work Mr. Rao. No one has forgotten that you are the boss but if you do not heed to our words I have it on good authority that you will be given the highest dosage of anaesthesia right now. Lord knows we all need a respite from that constant foghorn of yours."
And as the doctors saw in amazement Raghav Rao literally cowered under her furious gaze and seemed to shrink back into the covers and mercifully let himself still for them to work upon. He looked at his smirking secretary and glared at him again.
"I hate you Farhaad."
Farhaad gave a full on grin which surprised Pallavi as much as her employer's petulant tone had. She couldn't remember if she had seen Raghav's secretary who remained like an unseen shadow behind his boss ever smile let alone show his teeth.
"I hate you too Anna. Now take some rest. I will deal with Pillai."
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Pallavi yawned tiredly and looked at her watch. It showed nine pm in the night. She had to go home. Sharda Aai had given her a dozen missed calls by now. She was in for an hour long lecture followed by another hour long pampering session. She sighed and looked at her so called boss who had finally been administered a light painkiller which mercifully made him out like the light and all of them were spared of his incessant grumbling.
Pallavi frowned again while she brushed Raghav's hair off his forehead fondly. She was still confused at the absence of any family at the hospital. It had been a rather obnoxiously loud accident. Fortunately she had been there with him at that time. They had their weekly meeting today. Since the day Raghav Rao had become the owner of Deshmukh Saree Emporium, Pallavi Deshmukh had never had an uninteresting day. At first his constant meddling and associated messes used to annoy her but now she kind of looked forward to them. She had started peeling the myriad and numerous layers of this fascinating man whose words and his eyes carried emotions so oxymoronic that it was damnably attractive to her.
He has become somewhat of a friend to her by now. They had agreed to discuss her business any one day in the week at some place of Pallavi's choice. And so their weekly meetings which comprised more of bickering and retelling of their days activities than actual business related stuff had seen convening places like chaat stalls, chai taprees and small local café shops. It was a chai tapri today and they had just about finished with their usual exchange of taunts and silly challenges and were about to reach his car when Raghav had thrown her at the side of the road jumping behind her to cover her from the back as his car exploded.
According to his gasping rambles as she frantically called an ambulance and Farhaad it most likely was a ploy to kill him by his recent business rival Sameer Pillai. Later in the hospital she had enjoyed one of the rare sights of seeing Raghav get efficiently dressed down by his supposed secretary and confidante Farhaad. It was hilarious to see the Don of Hyderabad fumble to find excuses while his secretary raged at him for an hour at most before he locked him down to the bed so that the hapless doctors could work on their rebellious patient.
From all she had gathered in Farhaad's raving Raghav had not heeded to his warnings about making an enemy out of Pillai and to have gone alone without any bodyguard after he had explicitly told him not to. Farhaad knew Pillai would try something heinous very soon and had been involved in keeping an eyes on him while tripling security for his eccentric boss who apparently had the self preservation instincts of a gnat.
She had laughed so much at that.
Imagine Raghav Rao splat on someone's windshield like a gnat!
anyways, the curious thing was she hadn't expected Raghav to actually acknowledge his secretary like that.. or even that Farhaad actually had the nerves to rage on his own boss like he was a wronged and concerned best friend.
It was weird. This relationship he shared with his employer and forgive Pallavi Deshmukh for being such a curious kitty but in her own defence she wanted to know everything about this wonderfully contradicting man. It seemed the enigma surrounding him was thickening with the closer she tried to peep into him.
As she was lost in thought Farhaad entered the room with two cups of coffee. He nudged her lightly and she jerked back into reality and noticed with no small amount of embarrassment that her hand had still been resting on Raghav's surprisingly soft hair. What the hell happens to her sometimes?
She took the cup gratefully and looked around in nervousness. Farhaad let her drink in silence and waited for her to regain her composure before speaking.
"Thank you Pallaviji for staying back.."
"Uhh.. it's completely okay. I wouldn't have been so cruel to let you deal with Mr. Ghamandi Rao alone."
She let slip her personal nickname for him without even realising it. Farhaad smiled gratefully and suggested she might leave now. It was quite late. Pallavi nodded and was about to get up but suddenly sat back down again. She looked at Farhaad and saw him getting ready to spend the night in this hospital chamber probably. She knew she was kind of prying now but somehow the urge to know both the men better trumped her embarrassment of intruding in the moment.
"Farhaad, if you don't mind can I ask you something?"
"Sure madam. Ask anything of me. This is the least bit I can do to repay your kindness."
"You.. I mean... It seems Raghav is rather fond of you as you are of him. It's a bit... I don't know how to say this without sounding presumptuous or rude but.. it's kind of weird to see the Raghav Rao behave like this with anyone.."
Farhaad smiled and Pallavi relaxed. He hadn't seemed to mind her questioning. He just looked at his semi comatose boss with something akin to an exasperated fondness in his eyes.
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Flashback (Three years ago)
"I am sorry Mr. Rao.. I tried to stop him but he.."
Raghav Rao glanced up from his diamonds to the burly man, his bodyguard who looked winded. A fact he never thought he would have to consider. Harish was never winded, let alone he makes him run all around Hyderabad twenty times a day.
"What is the matter Harish?"
He snapped irritated at the interruption yet his eyes bored into the newcomer who was standing beside Harish looking very out of place. He was increasingly nervous if the sweat lined along his forehead was of any consequence but he had admirably kept his façade of calm on his face.
Interesting...
"This man sir. He wants to talk to you but he doesn't have an appointment and I tried to stop him but.."
"You tried to stop him?"
Raghav raised an eyebrow raking over the man who looked quite gangly in comparison to Harish's massive disposition. Harish looked embarrassed. Raghav dismissed him with a flick of his hand and leaned back thoughtfully examining the man who still stood awkwardly at the centre of the room.
"You do know who I am don't you?"
"Yes sir."
"You are aware what this trespass might cost you?"
"Yes sir."
"What the hell do you want?"
He spat looking disinterested though actually he was anything but. He saw the fellow almost jump out of his skin before nervously shifting his weight from one foot to another yet the exterior of composure didn't leave his face. He was scared of him.. who wasn't? But he had the sense to appear cool in front of him. Raghav liked him.
"Sir, I am a junior accountant in your sales department. I was reviewing the billing for today and I found out a slight mistake in the accounts. I showed it to my senior but he dismissed me telling you made those accounting yourself and you never make a mistake. I bypassed my senior and went to his senior but was told the same thing. And they fired me when I tried to protest. I thought it prudent to bring it directly to your notice then."
Raghav frowned and looked at the paper he was holding. He extended his hand and the man gave it. He is Raghav Rao, he never makes mistakes. Yes, he might have made unforgivable mistakes in one sphere of his life which had in his defence and still is extending it's pound of flesh from him every single day but in maths..? Never. He was so eerily correct in his calculations and in the following economics that it was scary at best. And he never made accounting errors anyways.
He glanced through the meticulously arranged data with a single swipe and the numbers registered in his brain swiftly till he spotted the error in the fifty fourth line. He looked he had added an extra zero at the wrong side of the number thus. He gasped mentally thinking this would have cost Jayati Jewells at least a million more than it originally would have.
He looked up at the man who was fidgeting now.
"I see the error. But I don't see, why you made the admirable effort to come to me after you had been thrown out? I don't see why you missed such a golden opportunity at revenge. Jayati Jewells might have suffered a heavy loss had we gone through with this?"
The man looked at him strangely.
"I might have been kicked out of service sir but I did swore to look towards the profit of this concern which had given a chance to me to earn for my family."
Raghav tilted his head thoughtfully.
"What's your name?"
"Farhaad."
"Hmm.. Farhaad, how are your computing skills? Can you work with computers?"
"Yes sir."
"Can you do stuff without questioning too much?"
"Yes sir."
"Can you make an omelette?"
"Yes sir."
"Can you jump in front of a bullet for me?"
"Yes sir."
Raghav frowned. The man, Farhaad didn't even flinch before answering. He looked him over once properly and smiled mentally. He has finally found what he was looking for.
"Well Farhaad. Congratulations! You have just been rehired and promoted. You are my personal secretary now. Your salary is tripled and you get bonuses and a raise on effective service, free medical expenses and schooling for, if you have younger siblings. Meet me at seven in Rao Mansion. Not a second late. Now get out."
For the first time Farhaad looked fazed. He was in a proper shock as was expected. He only moved when Raghav who had gone back to his diamonds gave him a pointed glare. He had almost reached the door when Raghav called out though still being engrossed in the glittering rocks in front.
"How did you outmatch Harish?"
"I pepper sprayed him sir."
Raghav's answering guffaw of laughter stayed in Farhaad's ears long after he had left his chambers. Raghav smiled at the closed doors once before picking up the receiver on his desk.
"Those two heads of sales and accounting..? Fire them."
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To say Raghav was impressed with Farhaad was to say the least. The man could work like a machine. And was as accurate. There was no limit to how Raghav could make him run around. There was no job he couldn't do, no limits till which he couldn't be pushed, no amount of derisive comments he couldn't bear, no object in this world he couldn't bring, no limits to his contacts in every sphere of life, no limits to his patience at best. I mean really, the man had the patience of a saint.
And slowly and steadily Raghav saw he had started to depend on his secretary more than he would have liked. But it was somehow nice. Somewhere he could feel he could trust Farhaad, depend on him. Raghav never had anyone who he could depend on, not at least for he past decade.
One Tuesday though, six months later of his abrupt and surprising promotion, Farhaad had received the shock of his life. He had gotten an explosive deal and was about to give his boss the happy news who no doubt would have been ecstatic. He had seen him be a bit down from yesterday. His usual snappish behaviour becoming borderline aggressive.
"Sir! We have got the Ramani deal.. Sir!?"
He saw Raghav bent over something in his hands. He seemed to be clutching onto it for dear life. But the shocking fact was his position. He was kneeling on the floor of the forbidden room. No one knew what was inside it. The door left ajar made Farhaad see it been recreated like the inside of a lower middle class household.
He had never seen Raghav Rao kneel. It simply wasn't his position. The man seemed to be made out of unbendable rods of iron. With a icy cold demeanour which hid an explosive fiery centre he was literally a fire breathing dragon. His arrogance up to a fault and his attitude as sharp as a whip. Emotions weren't his thing. But today, it seemed someone had taken all his bones and all the residual fire out of his body.
He was shaking like a leaf caught in a thunderstorm. Wait, was he... weeping? Farhaad could see the outline of his shoulders shaking and the low breathy sobs which encompassed the cold unforgiving room. He gasped and literally back peddled walking into the opposite wall. It seemed to him he had intruded on something intimate. He wanted to walk away respecting his employer's privacy but the words which formed out of his mouth somehow rooted him to that spot.
"Seven years.. seven years Amma... I waited and waited and waited for seven years.. apologizing over and over and over again and now it seems like I myself have forgotten what I am apologizing for ... will you never forgive me?"
There was something so sad, so weak, so heart breaking, so gut wrenching in Raghav's voice, in his words, in his entire demeanour that it created a rather strong pang in Farhaad's chest. What was it that could make such a powerful man so broken? Farhaad had seen the cracks in Raghav Rao for the first time which everyone else had missed or chosen not to acknowledge. And he didn't know what to do?
Some days later he was there in his boss's office asking for a leave to attend his cousin's marriage. Raghav, though a demanding employer could be surprisingly nice when any matter of family came up. He agreed to it immediately and started asking all sorts of questions regarding his family which he was only happy to reply. Farhaad loved his family and he could talk about them for hours. He noticed a weird twinkle in his usually unemotional boss's eyes and saw a wistfulness which his body emitted.
He didn't know what overcame him and how it would be taken but he blurted it out.
"I would be honoured if you could come too.."
There was silence and Farhaad regretted his words deeply. Why would Raghav Rao attend some measly employee's cousin's wedding. As if he had nothing better to do. He was about to utter meaningless excuses and apologies when Raghav said.
"I would he honoured to attend if you would have me."
Thus Farhaad spend the night of his cousin's wedding introducing his rather large family to his boss who was for a change trailing behind him like a... excited puppy for the lack of a better word. Though he was sure he would find his head severed from his body if Raghav ever heard his analogy. But to say that Raghav was overjoyed to make acquaintaince with his humble clan would be saying less. And to say his family, specially his Ammi ambushing her youngest son's boss into everything would be saying even less.
But somehow Farhaad couldn't complain. He had witnessed such a strange yet heart warming kind of happiness in Raghav's eyes which he had never witnessed before. And he wanted to see more of it. and now he knew his one weakness. His affection for a family. Any person's family.
So Farhaad would bring anecdotes of his nieces and nephews, his mother's made biriyaanis, his sister's boyfriend troubles all in his conversation with his boss who seemed to soak it all up like a sponge still hungry for more. One day finally he found out the tragic story of Raghav's life from his own mouth as he raved like a madman under the heavy influence of a rather good brand of vodka.
Farhaad was appalled and saddened all together. Appalled at the situation, at that monster Krishna Rao and saddened by Jaya and Keerti's unquenchable desire of a misplaced sense of vengeance, their constant berating and refusal to accept forgiveness. He had put his inebriated boss to the bed and gone back to his happy family resolving never to take any affection from that day onwards for granted.
Further a year later he was seated beside Raghav's bed looking at him horrified and still suffering from the shock of it all. He couldn't believe what had transpired a few hours prior. To say Raghav had enemies would be saying a massive understatement. Sometimes Farhaad thought the man was a masochist. He went about aggravating everyone within his vicinity. Today one of his many rivals had decide to play assassin and had attacked them. Farhaad being an astute guy and already figured out about an attack and had manged to transfer Raghav to safety but unfortunately had been almost caught in the cross fire himself. He could literally count back to he seconds when he saw the man fire his glock .33 at him. He had stilled his body for the bullet which never came because his crazy boss at blocked him bodily appearing from nowhere.
Thus they were in the hospital currently with Farhaad tearing off his hair in worry and shock and what not. Why the hell would the man even do that? Has he become borderline suicidal? Should he book a psychiatrist? He questioned the same to Raghav when he had come to forgetting all decorum and station. Raghav to his credit seemed unfazed only a bit weary and stopped his angry tirade with a smile which was equal parts amusing and sad.
"Because you have something to live for...and I wouldn't let anyone harm my brother.."
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The moment stretched long enough for Pallavi to reconsider whether she had crossed some invisible line or not. But Farhaad spoke before Pallavi could announce her departure awkwardly.
"Suffice it to say Pallaviji that I call him Anna not only because of what his station demands.."
Pallavi stilled momentarily. She saw Farhaad still immersed in his own thoughts holding his Anna's hand unknowingly as the steady beeping of the ECG hooked to him reassured both of them of their boss's condition. She wondered whether Farhaad had even noticed her exiting the chamber.
As the clouds in the night sky had separated from over the full moon like a revealing shroud of mystery and the stars twinkled in mirth seeing the antics of the pair of the teasing lovers, Pallavi Deshmukh walked down the empty corridors of the hospital silently humming an old Bollywood classic and revisiting her favourite question.
Who are you Raghav Rao? And when will I understand you?
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A/N:- The meeting scene is influenced from one of my personal favorite couples. I thought it would fit quite well here. So I used it.
Edited by AnushkhaA - 2 years ago
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