Originally posted by: mistofshadows
Four
Sheven’s Bakery!
The sight of the gleaming signboard broke her silent contemplation and a small smile flitted on her lips. It had been three days since she had finally come to Moga and from the moment she had stepped in; her sister had firmly planted herself beside her and refused to leave. Apparently, Jasmine had loads of wishes about her elder sister helping her out, cooking for her, feeding her, helping her choose clothes, go shopping with her and many things that she was finally getting the time to fulfil. And since then, Tejo had been pulled in one direction and then the other, running ragged by her sister who seemed to want to hoard her entire time.
Tejo did not mind.
Jasmine had always been a possessive girl and as a child had latched onto her elder sibling like a vine on a tree. She had refused to sleep with her mother, instead preferring to sleep next to a young Tejo and would not eat unless Tejo fed her. One day Tejo had been late from her school and Jasmine did not eat despite being hungry. Instead, she cried and cried till Tejo returned and fed the hungry child with her own hands. For a young Jasso, Tejo was her world.
When Tejo had to finally leave for her higher studies, Jasmine had kicked up a mutinous tantrum. She had stopped eating and tried to starve herself to force Tejo to come back. Tejo had panicked and had nearly booked the next plane home when Abhiraj had decided to take the matter in his hand. He had gone inside the room, Jasmine was sulking in and sat with her for an hour. What he said to her; no one knew but he had somehow managed to convince her to let Tejo go for a few years. Jasmine had come out of her stubborn mission and had finally eaten after days. To this date, neither Abhiraj nor Jasmine revealed to the family what it was, that was spoken between them. It was, apparently, their secret.
Abhiraj, she thought as a feeling of warmth and security filled up in her. Her eldest brother was a force of nature. She had never seen him bowed down or quiet. He was always in a vibrant rhythm as if continuously moving with a foot always ahead in the race. He had this dynamic quality of being able to read people really well and win even in the most impossible situations. It was a running joke in the family – even Flash would not be able to stop Abhiraj Singh Sandhu from winning the race.
She had first met him when she had been brought back home, to finally meet her baby sister. She had been huddled in the hospital chair, in the corridor; waiting for someone to take her inside. It was the first time she had been in an unfamiliar place and her fingers seemed to have glued together as she peeped around nervously. Someone had sighed and, had sat down next to her. She whipped around to look and a serious eyed older boy had met her eyes.
“You are showing everyone that you are nervous. If you do that people will think you are weak and scared and take you away,” he told her grimly.
Tejo had stiffened as panic flared in her. She did not want to be taken away and immediately, she had forcefully made her body relax, remembering the rules her Maasi had taught her and put on a smile. The boy had looked at her in approval and nodded.
“Well done. You will fit in alright, little sister.”
Tejo still remembered that meeting with a smile. Her brother had always been invested in the family’s protection. Apparently, their family has been embroiled in a long-standing dispute with another powerful family because of which they had to live with alertness. Those people were ruthless and merciless; ready to take advantage of any weakness the Sandhus showed. Because of one such weakness, Tejo had to live eight years of her life away from the parents that bore her. She had lived the major years of her childhood, away from the love of her parents. And while she was not much involved in this enmity or knew the reasons for its beginning; her own sufferings were enough to despise those Virks.
She gently opened the door and the smell of freshly baked goods wafted up to her. Her body relaxed. Jasmine had decided that she wanted her favourite cake and Tejo had taken up the mission to get her one. However, the weird combination she liked was available in only one place and Tejo had to trek through the fields to reach the bakery. She did not mind; walking around Moga was her favourite thing to do.
She walked past the table to the counter and her eyes fell on the cake.
Without haste, she drew the attention of the man behind the counter. He looked at her quickly.
“Strawberry Lemon Cake with orange Sprinkles and Chocolate Sauce,” she ordered.
“Strawberry Lemon Cake with orange Sprinkles and Chocolate Sauce,” another voice said at the same time.
Startled she turned around and her feet twisted. Her balance staggered and she nearly toppled over when a hand caught her, gripping her waist tightly as she slammed onto his chest. She opened her eyes slowly and they met those familiar orbs. A feeling of déjà vu descended onto her.
“So, you do like to fall on me, don’t you?” the Lafandar from the bus grinned at her. “I won’t mind if you fall for me either.”
Tejo wrenched out of his hold and backed away as if electricity had shot through her. “You! What are you doing here?” she barked out, her eyes narrowing. “Are you following me?”
Lafandar smirked. “Me? I have a question,” he leaned towards her, “do you want me to follow you?”
“What kind of –” she broke off and took a deep breath. “I am not talking to you.” She turned to the counter. “Bhaiya my order please.”
“My order too,” Lafandar sauntered near the counter. “Strawberry Lemon Cake with Orange Sprinkles and chocolate Sauce”, he repeated.
Tejo threw him an infuriated glare.
The man behind the counter eyed them both warily.
“Excuse me, is this one order or two separately?” he asked.
Tejo breathed heavily. “From which angle does it look like I am with him. Separate orders!”
Lafandar whistled and eyed her with a glint in his eyes. “From which angle does it look like I am with him?” he repeated her words. “Nice! Is that your subconscious speaking?”
Irritation flared up in her and she fisted her hands. All she wanted to do right now was slam her fist on his cocky face and wipe that silly grin on it. How could someone be so irritating, she wondered. He was like one of those stubborn cobwebs that stick on the skin and refuse to go away.
“I am really sorry, but there is only one cake,” the man said.
Both the customers whipped around to look at him and he swallowed.
“I will take it,” both replied at the same time.
Tejo narrowed her eyes and slowly his grin fell off too.
“Look, I came first. I will take the cake,” Tejo told him.
“Look Shadayein,” he began, “I don't mind sharing my entire life with you but this cake; I need it.”
“Lafandar, you –” she broke off and began in a softer tone. “This is my sister’s favourite cake. And I am meeting her after years. So, I need to take it. You can get one another time. Please understand.”
“I am sorry, I really am,” he told her, his eyes soft, “but I need this cake too. For someone special. Please!”
Her temper finally shot to the height and her forced calm disappeared. A red flush spread on her face and her eyes sharpened. “Are you incapable of understanding? I will take the cake.” She turned to look at the man. “Pack it!”
The man nodded hurriedly and began to pack the cake. Next to her Lafandar stiffened and the moment the packet was put on the counter, he lunged for it, only to be stopped short by an equally fast Tejo who blocked his way.
“I need that cake,” he spoke sharply.
“The cake is mine,” she retorted.
“Why the hell are you like this?” he snapped at her, his temper finally shooting up too. “I am talking to you so well, behaving politely and all you do is yell at me. That day too and today too. Do you have your forever angry mode on or something?”
“Oh hello,” she inched closer to him. “I did not tell you to behave politely or whatever you might call it. And please if that is your definition of politeness, get a goddamn dictionary. You were being a creep, flirting with me when I clearly told you to stay away. That’s what you are; a creep, who is also following me everywhere.”
“Oi Shadayein, I am not following you. And I am not a creep either,” he pursed his lips. “I may have flirted a bit but don’t build any imaginary palaces. You are so not my type.”
“Good,” she smiled thinly, “so you can go away now and leave me in peace. Bhaiya I will take the cake.”
“No,” Lafandar hollered back to the man. “I will take it. Give me.”
“No,” Tejo slammed her hand on the counter. “Give me –”
“The cake is sold,” the man whispered blinking rapidly.
“– to me. Wait…WHAT?”
“Sold? To her?” Lafandar gave a furious glare now, a vein throbbing on his temple.
“When you both were busy, a call came and placed an order for it. I sent it,” the man spoke slowly, fearing an outburst from them. Unfortunately for him, that outburst was what happened.
The door slammed shut and Fateh rushed inside. Amrik looked up startled as his brother sat down with a thump on the bed. His eyebrows were scrunched and his lips pursed so tightly that his face appeared almost white. That was enough indication for him to understand. His brother was in a towering temper.
“What happened?” Amrik asked warily.
“T-That woman,” his brother ranted. “That Shadayein….ughhhhh! She makes me so angry. You know she called me a creep. Me? A creep? Women go mad for my attention and when I pay her some, she terms me a creep. That stupid Shadayein.”
“Uhuh! What exactly did you do to make her call you a creep?” Amrik asked eyeing his frothing brother with interest.
“I just said that she likes falling on me,” Fateh replied.
“Falling on you?” Amrik repeated. “How about you start from the beginning? Where did you meet her? Bakery?”
“In the bus.”
“Bus? Fateh Veere, start from the beginning.”
And Fateh began. As he spoke, Amrik watched him with disbelief, his eyebrow going up and up; nearly disappearing into his hairline. When he finished, Amrik shook his head.
“Veere, you are such a creep.”
Fateh glared at him. “You –”
“Look Veere, not every woman likes a man to be forceful. And you were coming across as forceful. From what you told me, she was not into flirting or even responding to it. So, leave it. Don’t keep irritating her. She might have been embarrassed at falling on you. What was the need to go on with that, 'fall for you' pick up line? That was so unnecessary. Have you thought that she might have been one of those people who do not like over-friendly personalities? Your demeanour must have already put her off. And then you go with that useless cliché lines. No wonder she finally termed you a creep.”
Fateh pouted and looked away. “Fine. No more over friendly lines for her.”
Amrik bit back a smile. “So, there is going to be a next time, huh?”
He walked to his brother and sat next to him. “Do you like her? Your Shadayein?”
“She is not my Shadayein,” his brother said, avoiding the question altogether.
Amrik, grasped his shoulder and looked at him softly. “If you like her, you should go talk to her. Try to know her and show her your real personality. Not that mask you carry.” His brother immediately stiffened. “Trust me Veere, we don’t have time.”
Fateh looked back at him. Amrik swallowed.
“Once you enter the game, you will not get another chance to know her. It might be days, weeks, months and even years till we are done. She might even be married off by then. Because we cannot put our mission at risk; once we start, she is no one to you. If you like her Veere, now is the time.”
“I just met her twice,” Fateh mumbled.
“That’s what love is right? Sometimes it happens even at the first glance. Or maybe the first time you talk to them,” Amrik offered.
Fateh rolled his eyes. “You are still reading those Romances, aren’t you? I remember you sneaking them from Di’s room. Mills and Boons, right? And those Harlequin ones?”
Amrik avoided his eyes as his ears turned red.
“You are still reading them,” Fateh realized and he felt his bad mood evaporate as laughter bubbled inside him. “The cool, calm and collected dutiful Amrik loves to read Romance Novels,” he shouted out and immediately ducked as Amrik threw a fist at him.
He pushed him back and Amrik managed to throw him off the couch as he struggled to get up laughing loudly. Fateh tripped him as he lunged at him and both fell on the floor, wrestling as they tried to one-up each other. And then Amrik remembered his brother’s weakness and flexed his fingers.
“Oh no, please,” Fateh shouted as he wriggled, trying to get away from the fingers that began to tickle him on his feet. He laughed and laughed and tears began to seep out of his eyes. His breaths came in gasps and he finally surrendered.
“Fine, Fine,” he gasped. “No more teasing. Sorry! G-Got it.”
Both brothers sat side by side drinking in the sudden moment of camaraderie and fun they had; something that had woken a part of themselves they had left behind long back.
“It is not love, you know,” Fateh began. “You cannot love someone at the first glance. It's just that she confounds me. There is something about her that I cannot overlook. Almost as if it pulls me to her. Like a puzzle that I need to solve. Nothing more than that.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Amrik shrugged. “I have only read, never felt.”
“So, you believe in that stuff? Love in first sight?”
“I do,” Amrik whispered and gave a smile. “I don’t know why, but I think that stuff works. Simi Di used to –” he stopped short. His face lost all the animation on it and Fateh saw as the mask slipped back on. He sighed. His little brother was gone again.
“Amrik –” he began.
“You should think about yourself. You like someone then it is a matter of good luck for you. You know very well how all of us are in the opposite end when it comes to things like this,” Amrik murmured. “No one here has space to actually engage in any sort of liaison like this, especially after her. Papa Ji is adamant about it. But Veere, you have the blind spot necessary to engage. No one knows you and the enemy cannot take advantage of your relationship if you have one. Also, you have just some time left, before you have to go and settle with the Sandhus. So having a normal relationship would actually act as a good cover for you. You get to spend time with her and you get a good cover too. You win!”
Fateh furrowed his brows. “Should I really pursue her? What if breaking it off hurts her?”
Amrik turned to look back at him.“And yet you want to take advantage of the feelings of Jasmine Sandhu. Why this double treatment brother? Both are women, right?”
Fateh stared at him and his eyes dimmed. “I don’t want to talk about it. And if you are so unhappy about it; you should have refused to help me.”
“I am not in favour of it,” Amrik began slowly, “but that doesn’t mean that I am not on board. It is you who needs to decide. Tell me Veere, what if you falter? What if you are unable to go ahead with the plan? What if you get emotionally attached? What will you do then?”
“Nothing like that will happen,” Fateh said resolutely. “I will not get emotionally vulnerable. I will do what I have decided. And,” he looked at his brother, “you will be there, right? If I fall, fish me out?”
Amrik sighed and nodded. “I am asking you again brother. Are you sure? Absolutely sure? This is the last time I will ask. Because once it starts, there is no going back.”
“I am sure Amrik,” Fateh rolled his eyes.
Silence spread between them and Amrik slowly got up. He went to the table and reached to a package. He brought it to Fateh and gestured at him to open it. Fateh opened it and froze as his eyes fell on the Strawberry Lemon Cake with Orange Sprinkles and Chocolate Sauce.
“What? How?” he stared at his brother in shock.
“I called up the counter and paid double to get it delivered while you were busy fighting it out with your Shadayein,” Amrik said dryly. “You were not picking up my call and so I called up the counter. After all, the cake is essential to our plans. He said you were busy and was eager to tell me the details of your fight. I convinced him to sell it to me, in case you lose.”
A smile broke through his face. “You are amazing Chote! And here I thought, we will have to delay today’s work.”
“I promised you brother, I will not let you falter,” Amrik said and an unreadable look crossed his face. He slowly turned towards his open closet and his eyes fixated on the red box on the topmost shelf. “I will see this mission through Veere. Even if you falter or lose ground; I will be there to take it over.” He turned to look at his brother who had gone abruptly still.
“Amrik –”
“I have asked you again and again to reconsider. But if you are adamant to go ahead then remember one thing. You cannot go back.” He swallowed and a shadow descended on him. “I will not let you go back. Whatever be it, no matter the consequences, I will not let you stop, fall back or get out of it. Remember that!”
Fateh stiffened. “I don’t know what Di did with you but I am not her. I will not go back on my word.”
“I know you won't,” Amrik threw him a smile, that had none of the brotherly warmth. “Because I will not let you.”
He inched near him and took the cake. “I will make arrangements to send it to Jasmine Sandhu. You have timetill your part comes. It is on you how you want to spend it. Best wishes, Veere!”
Saying so, Amrik, left the room with the cake. He stepped into his study and kept it on his desk.
He opened the drawer and took out the message his brother had scribbled. Smoothening out the paper, he began drafting it in properly in a card. As he ended the barrage of admiration and love for Jasmine, a sudden feeling overtook him. Unable to stop himself, he added another line at the bottom of the message. He would often wonder why he did that. Jasmine was a dumb girl who would never understand its meaning but somehow, he felt that the line was fitting. He would realize it years later when his past would rear up against his blissful present, and he would curse the games of Fate, that none had any control of.
“I am sorry Jasso, I –” Tejo stopped short out of breath, only to realize that her sister was happily gorging on her favourite cake.
“Hey, where did you get it?” Tejo rushed to her and stopped her from eating another piece.
“Oho Tejo, let me eat na,” Jasmine whined. “I wanted to have it for so long.”
“But where did you get it from?” Tejo asked.
“Itwafotdtabl,” Jasmine said, her mouth stuffed with cake.
“What? Jasso, please,” Tejo took the package and put it away. “Where did you get it from?”
“You brought it na,” Jasso swallowed and shrugged. “It was on the table. Now give it to me,” saying so she snatched it out of her hand and danced out of Tejo’s flailing hands. As Tejo stared at her exasperated, her eyes fell on the card lying on the floor. It must have definitely come with the cake.
She picked it up and opened it. Her nose scrunched up in disgust.
“You are the most beautiful woman in the world. Since I saw you, I have never had a moment’s peace. Just like the sweetness of this cake, I plead with you to fill my life with the brightness of your smile,” Tejo read, “From Your Secret Admirer!”
She shook her head and sat down on the sofa. “Who is this idiot now? And who writes like this? Ugghh! Idiotic Roadside Romeo!” she gritted her teeth. “You think my sister is naïve, so you will send this stuff to her and she will melt. You have no idea whom you will be meeting with.” She glared at the card. “Mr Secret Admirer, once I get to you; I am going to teach you a good lesson about trying to impress girls without meeting them and sharing your identity. And no one messes with my Jasso.”
It was then that her eyes fell on another line scribbled at the bottom. She blinked and brought it closer. It was as if her brain dulled at that second, as those words seeped into her.
We are asleep until we fall in love!
Her fingers brushed on them, the meaning slowly flitting through her and an unbidden smile crossed her lips. “War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy,” she murmured as she recognized the quote. So, he might not be a completely useless fool either, unless he picked it up from the internet.
The cake was definitely brought from the same place because that was the only place in Moga that made this strange combination. When she was arguing with that Lafandar, the man behind the counter had sold it to someone over the phone. So that person would be the supposed Secret Admirer.
“Well, Mr Secret Admirer! It is time to meet you,” Tejo declared.
An hour later, after threatening the man behind the counter, of aiding a stalker and getting the phone number out of him by instilling the fear of the police; Tejo Kaur Sandhu was in possession of the number that would be the answer to all her questions.
She left the Bakery and dialled it. With a deep breath, she hit the call button and waited. It rang for some time and finally, someone picked it up.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Arjun
