Chapter 18 :: TWO first meetings!
1763 Words
Insiyaa's POV
So, we arrived at the restaurant and was looking all around for Sankalp and my Elder brother Rahat. This hotel is a finesse redefined......with a mix of Spanish, Italian and Mediterranean dishes being served at this visually aesthetic restaurant. A little pavilion covered in billowing white curtains gives this place a romantic vibe, making it the perfect place to drop by with a bae for a date night or romantic dinner.....
We found both of them and walked over to their direction and saw they were animatedly talking to someone whose back was completely towards us, so we couldn’t see that another man's face.
As we approached, Sankalp smiled at us. A something blurry dashed past us and jumped over Sankalp and started licking his face. And he started laughing loudly as well as Shawkat. They did a manly hug.
'Woof woof!' his dog, Roxy barked wiggling his tail very energetically, definitely happy......
And then continuously barking as if complaining about what his other master did this morning.
''Calm down boy'' Sankalp said in gently rubbing his neck
''What took you so long! I called but none of you were here'' He asked looking at us
"Actually we__" I was about to give my fiancee a proper answer but....
''We went out for jogging'' Shawkat cut me off efficiently
"Yes! we did! Sorry for___" My voice died down in my throat as i saw what was infront of me, or rather who was infront of me.
that eyes!
the same pair of eyes that haunted me in my dreams for years!
His beautiful bluish grey eyes!
him......
He has changed. a lot
His jaw is more shaped.......no longer lean but buffed!
Gone that long tousled hair he had, it’s been shaved maybe 2/3 weeks old!
No longer he had that lost, troubled, unsettled look i noticed years ago when i first met him,.....he looked like he knew what exactly he wanted!
But What exactly ?
He aged like fine wine!
More rugged,....
more mature,.....
more handsome.......
more deliciously hot.......
enough to make any woman swoon over.......and judging by the look women present their throwing at him, obviously they agrees my thought!
''Insu'' I heard another familiar soft voice and as i turned he pulled into a bear hug that broke me out of my trance
"R_rahat bhai!" I pulled out his hug hearing his voice, I was told he would be here too ....... but this --- A HUG i didn’t expect!
Of course I was surprised that both my big brothers and my fiance are here but it was nothing compared to ___, and.......
i was openly gawking at another man.
Damn it!
******
Narrator's POV
"Rahat bhai, aap kab aaye ?"
[ When did you come ? ] Insiyaa asked Rahat still bewildered from the encounter......
''Just this morning, with your husband!''
'Husband' as if that one word was enough to make Insiyaa's stomach drop down at her feet, suddenly that made her feel sick, she was hungry before, right now it's gone like a "poof" in the air and Blaze's hand to ball into fist.
And surprisingly no one around them noticed that slight changes in their features,.....
''would be husband! Brother Rahat. We are yet to marry'' Sankalp said
''yes, yes!....Please finalize the nearest date. Dad is very insistent recently'' Rahat said looking directly at her
''Of course'' Insiyaa muttered
''Oh! hey Raichand, remember Blaze ? from Manali trip!'' Sankalp asked
Remember !
REMEMBER ?
There is no question of remembering,....... there should be no question of remembering when she never forgot him, at all!
How could she ?
He was someone she once naively wished for.
He was the man she fell in l---
NO! NOT A WORD....... she just mentally shook her head at herself!
''Hello, Insiyaa!'' Blaze gruffly said looking at her
"Hello!" She gulped and softly replied and looked away
They ordered breakfast and talked all the time about their business and Shawkat's journalism and Insiyaa remained quite all that time and she wasn’t even looking at him, busying herself playing with her food.....
*******
Blaze's POV
sometimes all your scars slides beneath you skin just to fool you, imitating the healing you want to see in yourself, only to came up once again with the nightfall and in dreams.....which you have no control over
Oh!
for heaven's sake I just saw her and realized how wrong i was years ago,....
all that time i thought i was moving on,......
healing was just a delusion.
All the time i passed without her had nothing...everything, every effort wasted for....for how much i still wanted her!
But why is she so quite ?
She didn’t ask anything like she did once!
wasn’t she always a curious little one!
And why she wouldn't even look at me ?
What is wrong with her ?
Damn that girl!
I came all the way for h-...... business, i came here mainly for business but at least she should talk to me, right ?
I want to hear her voice......
But no! suddenly she took a..... what they say ?
Ah! Yes! MAUN VRAT or something ?
and after our late breakfast session she left for shopping with Shawkat, God knows where.
And......4 hours passed since then!
Almost passed afternoon,......!
where the hell is she!
On cue.....sound of shoes and clicking heel came in my ear, with grumbling as well
''Damn it Insu! I'm never going out on shopping with you, EVER again'' Shawkat groaned dropping those bag beside the table others sitting, waiting for them to join......my lip tilted up one side watching her rolling her eyes!
A disheveled looking Shawkat and still quite fresh looking Insiyaa came back at 5:30 p.m.
''there are at least hundreds of shopping malls around Delhi and you had to go to Chandi Chawk!'' Rahat grumbled looking at them, shaking his head
"Get over it! bhai, you are absolutely fine....it’s just few bags of sarees and day to day usable jeweleries" Insiyaa said throwing a look at Shawkat only for him to narrow his eyes at her
A FEW was actually.....at least more than 15 bags!
this little troublemaker loves to do shopping,......doesn't she ?
but which girl doesn’t loves that...!
but that wasn’t the point!
What's with that look in her eyes, as if mocking Shawkat,........
daring him ?
i wonder what got Shawkat into her bad side!
''You have enough of all of them!'' Sankalp said pointing at those bags
"Nope....i Don't, not enough at least! beside they are oxidised silver jewellery,...new collection and very beautiful ones, Ruthba wanted some too" She replied
''you could have easily got them in Jaipur,.....wait, Ruthba ? as in Ruthba Rahil ?'' Shawkat asked looking back and forth his other two sibling
''Officially joined as my secretary a year ago......'' Insiyaa answered checking everything
Rahat cut her off with his raising eyebrows....''and also was suppose to be acting as her secretary''
"you are awfully harsh toward her in this matter,...... of course she acts professionally, she just apparently loves some silver jewelries, which is absolutely fine" She retorted back squinting eyebrows at Rahat
''Of course! but make sure she knows her place from time to time'' Rahat said
''And of course you’ll be there to make sure of that, just in case she doesn’t'' Shawkat sarcastically said looking at him challengingly......Rahat didn’t even bother to answer him!
So, it was midnight, when we reached Bikaner palace, even when i insisted that i booked a room at hotel, Sankalp called and cancelled the booking and the other 3's went back to their home, Jodhpur.
*********
Narrator's POV
That same midnight,.....
Dr. Madhulika Iyer couldn’t sleep at all and it’s not because of any sort of discomfort, it’s just suddenly she was feeling claustrophobic even in this huge palace,.....
so, she just left her room to check the freeze for some sweets or chocolates in kitchen, which was on the ground floor.......
she was so busy relishing the creamy, chocolatey taste of it that she didn’t even realize that in dark she just walked past her own room and entered the next bigger one.
Half of the chocolate was already finished and with another half she hopped right on the bed,...and started tugging blanket
TUGGING blanket ????
turning her hand over the blanket she felt that the blanket was actually wrapped around someone.
''Chor"
[ thief ]
''Chor"
[ theif ] both voice screamed at the same time and Sankalp turned on the light.
And they saw each other,......eyes widened, jaw hanging!
One was wearing a matt black nightshirt, parting her hair in the middle and braided like schoolgirl......
kitty with eye mask were painted and Hibernation Mode Activated ---- it was written on her shirt.....
and another one with sleepy swollen eyes looking at this strange looking creature infront of him with open mouth smeared chocolate on both side!
probably still in shock from the fact that there was a girl in his room!
her shirt and nothing else!
where the heck is her pant ? first thing Sankalp noticed!
And for someone who was sleepy Sankalp was exceptionally attentive toward the details about this creature.
a cute thief though!
How am i suppose to hit her ? Sankalp thought
''who are you !''
''who are you ?'' both voice screamed at the same time again
''I....I'm Madhulika Iyer. Ranaji Alok Singh Rathod's physiotherapist" Madhu answered first looking flustered
''And I'm YUVRAJ SANKALP SINGH RATHOD, Ranaji Alok Singh Rathod's son'' Sankalp answered narrowing his eyes
''err...you are a Prince!''
''Yes! And you cross passed your room,...one beside mine is yours. Get out, i want to sleep''
But Madhu completely ignored whatever he was saying and....
''you don't look like a prince at all''
''Why! It should be written on my face ?'' sarcasm was very much clear in Sankalp's voice
''waking up a sleepy girl is a princely attitude ?'' She snapped cheekily
''Ah! so, coming into someone else's room, tugging his blanket..... that is a very doctorly attitude'' Sankalp retorted back smoothly
''Alright, alright! fine, it was an honest mistake, sorry! I'm going'' She turned to go back and suddenly turned around again and...
''Chocolate Yuvraj ?'' offered her half eaten chocolate
''Doctor, please get out'' He gave her a deadpanned look
''oookay''
Khadus! [ Snob ] Madhulika muttered
oops,....
her soft furry slippers were probably the reason he couldn’t hear her coming inside.
''Oddball'' He muttered under his breath when he noticed that.
- Writer
