“Where the hell is he?” Anika checked the time over her phone and looked around to spot a known face in the crowd but she got disappointed.
No scope of dialling number and asking him that where the hell is he, but she waited very patiently though freaking out at times since three long hours now.
“Did he arrived Anika di?” Rudra called the tenth time now since these three hours. Last three times he started the sentence with excitement and ended it with tension.
“No Rudra” Anika also felt bad for this poor brother who is waiting to listen to his brother’s voice since hours now and here is his elder brother who is missing, not exactly but he didn’t arrive still.
“Is there any news of bad weather Rudra?” she asked worriedly.
“No… but wait… let me check” Rudra kept the phone down and checked on his laptop, all he informed was yes, there was an hour back, at the middle of the sea.
“Maybe due to that the flight is late” she concluded and kept down the phone, though she is not satisfied with the conclusion.
One more hour passed like this and she kept staring here and there leisurely when she spotted him, at last after almost three and half hours he came out of the gate.
Her tension didn’t take much time to get changed into anger and the moment he spotted her, he fastened towards her.
“Hi…” he greeted chirpily.
“Go back to your New York, why did you come? And one second how dare you be so happy when everyone else are so tensed for you” she sounded rude and angry, but she can’t think beyond his safety and that tension helped her to form these words and then the entire complete sentence.
“Anika… yeah… I am late but just by an hour, it happens in flight” he tried to give explanation and this was another super blockbuster shock for the woman.
“One hour? Are you crazy? Or you have gifted your brain to someone over there huh? I have been waiting here since four and half hours now and you are saying you are late by just an hour? Stop playing the prank and ho to hell, don’t speak to me” she took fast steps while he ran behind her with his heavy bags, but the heaviness is nothing compared to his lady’s heavy mood.
“What? But why? I have said that right that the flight is to land around 11:30 AM IST, then why are you waiting for three and half hours now?” he asked but little did he know that what blunder he did.
“Really?” she took out her mobile and opened the message he sent her last night about informing her the flight timings.
The message read…
D…
My flight is going to take off soon now, I would be switching to aeroplane mode, sorry I couldn’t make time to talk to you today, but just think we would meet after one long month, and I am so very excited. So see you tomorrow and my flight would be landing around 8:00 AM IST or so. Bye, I missed you.
Shivay
“Ohhh shoot… am really sorry, I just mistakenly wrote the wrong timing as an old aunty was taking chance over me and I was trying to ignore her all the while typing the message, I am very sorry… D… please don’t get angry… D…” her speed just increased and he too had to run fast behind her. And mistakenly he blurted out the truth of someone taking chance over him and that too an Aunty.
She actually wanted to laugh but she have to teach him a lesson too, so she fastened her speed to hide her smile and then turn to him with the angry… I mean *fake angry* face on.
“Listen you go back to that aunty, you actually deserve an Aunty… so go away” she said and sat on driver’s seat.
“Arre yaar… how can I get pleasure that I want from an Aunty?” his stupid smirk and his grin, how could she not help but laugh now. And exactly she laughed but tried to compose herself and carry on the angry face.
He felt proud that at last he saw her laughing after so many days and that too because of him.
“Listen, you are not going to get any pleasure until you get married, so yeah… let me concentrate on driving and you call Rudra once for informing him that you reached” haha… take that SSO, she asked you not to look at any girl from then, but indirectly.
“I am going to get my wife soon, Ms. Anika Mukherjee” he decreased the distance between them and went close, she gasped loudly and looked down.
“Listen don’t look down like that whenever I say or do something romantic” he said and went back to his place and dialled Rudra’s number and informed them that he has landed safely.
She carefully noted that point down and nodded and looked back into his eyes. She waited for him to cut the call and when he did that she spoke up.
“See you made me wait for almost four long hours so you will have to make up for it now” she demandingly said.
“Okay madam, so what do you want me to do” he smilingly agreed.
“Let’s get down the car and have some chat” her weird wishes, he by now understood how much weird is the girl whom he chose to get married to.
“Okay… as you wish” she parked the car and grabbed him.
“Bhaiya ji… make the chat not so teekha/spicy and not so meetha/sweet” she ordered two plates without even asking him that whether he would love to have chat or not.
The bhaiya ji of chat stall made two plates as ordered for them and gave it to her.
“Yummm… you are awesome bhaiya ji” she happily commented relishing the taste while he was lost in staring her.
“She… she looks so amazing, her antics, her anger, her tension, her beauty everything is so perfect… the way she enjoys her life freely but always know what are her responsibilities made her so different, I don’t know the name of these feelings but one thing I can admit and that is, I am feeling very happy and special to be surrounded by you… hope our friendship lastls lifetime D… D… I love to call you by this name, don’t know why but this D makes me feel that you are mine and you won’t leave me ever in any circumstances” he was all lost in his thoughts when his D, patted him.
“Where are you lost?” she asked.
“Was thinking how weird you are” he commented only to see her fuming but then both of them broke into laughter. The chat ended soon and she uttered a yummm again just like a small girl. He admired her once more in his heart.
“Let’s go and have phuchka now” she squeled as she spotted another stall.
“What’s phuchka now?” he asked unknowingly and his expressions jumbled up to give him a confused yet cute look.
“Well… you know golgappa or panipuri right? So we call the same thing as phuchka in bengali” she explained but she knew for sure that he won’t be agreeing to have panipuri now after having a plate full of chat.
“No Anika… you have it, I will just stand over here” as expected he denied calmly, but her evil mind… hehehuhuhaha.
“Okay Mr. SSO, if you are afraid to have street foods then leave it, bhondu kumar” she mocked him knowing well that she is hitting the correct spot.
“Hey… don’t call me that” he retorted with a frown but alas!!!
“Why won’t I when you are yourself proving it” ahaannn… she so loved teaching him.
“Okay I would have” no more ways left to ignore and he took up the challenge, but wait… wait… more to come.
“Let’s compete them, we would see who eats more number of plates of panipuri” another trap for Mr. Irritated Singh Oberoi, but no escape. He unwillingly nodded yes and followed her.
“Let’s start bub…” she said and ordered single plates for both of them.
To be really frank, Anika started eating and Shivay didn’t waste time too. He too gulped down single pieces one by one.
-One plate down
-Two plates down
-Three plates… ummmm… yeah down
“I am done” Anika said after engulfing the last piece from the third plate.
“Arre? So soon? Okay fine, you rest and let me enjoy one more plate… bhaiya ji… one more plate please” Shivay happily ordered shocking her.
It was no more a challenge but something else too. Anika initially thought that he is having the panipuri only because of the challenge but this time she has already quit and he is still having another plate.
“You know what I so missed having panipuris” another statement from his side that shocked her to the core.
“You used to have them?” she questioned back.
“Yeah… during my college days, but after that circumstances changed and I had to stop having any street food” he casually answered and finished the fourth plate and decided not to have more.
“What circumstances bub?” she has unknowingly started to call him by a name that is very close to her heart, BUB.
“Nothing D… leave it, let’s go” he tried to ignore but she being she will ofcourse not let the matter go.
“Say na… I won’t tease you, I promise” she said ever so innocently.
“You are still not ready to handle it D… leave it for now” he tried to suppress the matter but she had to know.
“Please say… I would be able to handle it” she demanded.
“My heart’s condition is not that good D… it’s just that I am living on medicines and treatment, doctors said that if I consume more oily food it might get risky for me, so I always avoid these street foods and try to show everyone that I hate them” he looked down.
She didn’t know how to react and all she did was paid the bill and sat on driver’s seat silently. He understood that as he said that she wasn’t ready for this.
“I am sorry Shivay… I…” she tried to apologise when he interrupted.
“No Anika, why are you sorry? You just did what a normal person would do, but Anika I want to ask you something now… now you know about me, yeah… maybe not completely but you know a major part, so after knowing all these will you marry me?” he tugged a strand behind her ears touching her jawline and brushing his thumb over her chin.
“I will Shivay, I will marry you… and I promise that I would take care of you. I will marry you” he rested his forehead over her’s as she completed.
There relationship started with trust and friendship. He shared his secret which only his family knew to the girl believing her and she promised back to take care of his faith. Love is yet to get poured into this relation but for now what they had… they will surely treasure it.
She dropped him at Oberoi Mansion and he bid her bye. She silently went back to her house and promised to herself that be it whatever she will be by his side… always.
——————————
Thank You so much to everyone who read and voted. Hope you have enjoyed this part as well. If so then please do hit the like button and leave your comment or criticism down.
-NILANJANA