Frenzied Plans
Bells attached to the store’s door handles clanked indicating a customer was entering, she realized she had sent Parveen home with papers and never locked the doors
She flushed to the roots of her hair as she held his arms to steady herself, her eyes closed and breath ragged
“Umm.. OK” she whispered hoarsely just a pretext to say something so she could find her voice
She moved sideways and realized he had undone the lower drawstrings on her blouse
She held the pallu tight with a look of horror
“Did I not even remember him undoing the knot, which world was in in?” she thought fearfully
The front door bells clanked again, she heard Tushar yell out to someone in the parking lot upfront, “Aap side se nikaal lo yaar, arey… ek second, ek second” he rushed out banging the glass doors
“You have to tie it now” she ordered scooping all her hair to her front
He did
“That’s too tight” she gasped
“Sorry!”
He undid and redid “better?” he checked
“Well I am supposed to be dead right now, but I am OK… thanks” she thought
In the 10 minutes she felt like she had lived out her entire lifetime
“Tarooooo” she heard Tushar again
Pradyut preceded her, to hide her embarrassment she pretended to just lift stacks of paper on her Papa’s side cabinet and move them around
“Hey man when did u get here?” Tushar was shocked
“Oh? Me? I got here at Noonish”
“Ghar aa jaata yaar”
“Sure” Pradyut promised
“Taroo hai?” Tushar asked HIM
“Yeah, inside”
Tushar walked in as she pretended to read something from a document she didn’t understand a word of
“Busy?” he pushed her shoulder trying to knock her over
“Bhaeee” she screeched
“Tayar kyon hue ho aap?”
“Sheesh!!, Ma wanted me to go to Punita Aunty’s daughter’s roka”
“Uski shaadi ho rahi hai?” he was shocked
“Hmm… did u have an eye on her?” she laughed
“Umm.. never mind” he shook his head
“Sharam kar lo aap, you are married”
“Achha sun”
She turned red in a guilty way
“Sorry” she mumbled
“TU kyon sorry keh rahi hai”
“Umm..”
“Waise YEH yaha kya kar raha hai?”
“I was supposed to return on Day 3 its day 6”
“You guys are crazy”
“I know… I AM” she sighed
“Gaurav is here” Tushar blurted
She dropped the stapler
“Kab?” her face paled
“He arrived at 5, Pallavi ne call kiya office mein”
“He didn’t go to our house?”
“No… Ma ne waha jaane se mana kiya hua hai, she refuses to see his face na”
“And Ma is here (Sector 33) because of me… at this house I mean in Sector 33 (Rajesh Bhushan’s house), instead of being with you guys in Sector 8 (Tushar Pallavi’s)”
He nodded grimly
“Is he going to come over?”
“No I told him no” “Mujhe nahi pata tha yeh aaya hua hai” he tilted his head sideways to indicate Pradyut
Who was strangely missing
“Where did he go?” she asked suspiciously
“He is your husband dude”
“Umm.. no” she shook her head
Her insides somersaulted
“How was the roka?”
“AB YEH jaan nah ai aapko?” she was accused
“Kya karoon some distraction… aaj kuch tamasha hone waala hai”
“I can ask him to go back to his hotel”
“OYE HOYE” Tushar laughed
“I mean” she mumbled awkwardly
“To teri itni understanding HO CHUKI?” he laughed
“No” she punched angrily “I don’t want him in Sector 33” she hissed “Gaurav bhayya aayenge to bas”
“Last time usne maara Gaurav ko?”
“Umm.. NOOO?” “Why?”
“Nahi ek chamaat laga deta” Tushar sighed
“How can you say that?” Taaruni was tearful
“Ro mat yaar… please….. dimaag khaaya hua hai isne, uski wife ne kaha hoga, jao nahi to Ma will se hataa degi” Tushar was bitter
“Bhabhi is here too?”
“Thank God nahi”
She picked up her purse and locked the safe and drawers
“Kishar hai Pradyut?”
She shrugged praying to every superior power that he had left
He showed up at that moment
“Ready to go?”
“If u mean Delhi, then no” she said bluntly
“Yes, but after dinner” he smiled
“Chal lets go eat man” Tushar changed his expression quick and shook hands again
“Sure, where to? Ur place?”
“No, I think Mom’s “
“AND Dad’s” Taaruni reminded
Tushar nodded sadly
When Tushar went to get his car from down the street (he had to run out to go park it elsewhere 20 minutes ago) she turned off the lights locked the store doors, checked the bolts
“My brother is here” she said gruffly to Pradyut
“I know I see him”
“I meant Gaurav”
Pradyut’s jaw tightened
“I want to be with my Mum”
“She can go with us”
“Ridiculous”
“Nope”
“I want to make sure she is OK”
“U can”
“Can I stay?”
“Sure, but you know the drill” (you have to borrow from February and March etc)
“Umm… we could work a compromise” she smiled sweetly flipping her hair back, making frenzied seduction plans
“Really? Taaruni Bhushan?” glint in his eyes indicating astonishment at what extent she would go to stay in Chandigarh
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