to get under his skin so quickly, but she had. There was no denying that.
'Where are you?' Arjun asked Faisal over phone.
'At my place, sir,' a slightly anxious Faisal replied.
'I'll be getting to the Ahluwalia mansion in an hour. Be there.'
'But, sir ... I was going to go to a movie with friends. The show starts in forty minutes.'
'Then you will just have to miss it, won't you?' Arjun snapped.
'Yes, sir. I will be there,' Faisal changed tracks immediately.
Arjun hung up and turned to the mirror. He was wearing a deep violet shirt under a charcoal suit. He played with a few ties and decided not to bother with any of them. He unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt and flicked his fingers through his hair. He needed a haircut, and his stubble was getting out of hand, too, but he didn't have time for that. Trying to manage his hair to make it look presentable, he grabbed his car keys and walked out of his bedroom.
By the time Arjun got to the mansion, his heart was beating rapidly in his chest. He wished he had made some friends over the years, if only to have been able to ask for their help in the situation he was in. He was like a teenager in love, only with a whole lot of baggage and reservations. His mind was in complete chaos. He did not know what to do.
He could not let Shambhavi go. But making her stay was not something he was prepared for either; that would mean commitment and he was not ready for that yet.
But when he saw her that night, all his hesitations and uncertainties vanished. And not just because she was looking resplendent in the bottle green saree she wore. It was because of the expression she wore.
She stood only a few feet away from him, but was still far away. She had a drink in her hand, which remained untouched. Her physical presence was the only proof of her being there; her mind was elsewhere. There was something going on in her head, something bothering her. She looked weak and distraught. For the first time since he had met her, she felt older than sixteen to him. And that told him that she was much more mature than he had first thought.
She was staring at a distance, alone in the crowd surrounding her. Her eyes were fixed on something he could not see, something visible only to her. Her shoulders were hunched, as if in defeat, as if she had lost a battle. She looked small and fragile, and Arjun immediately felt an urge to rush to her and protect her.
He tried to catch her attention, but she was not looking at him, even though her eyes were turned towards him. She continued gazing unseeingly at something, lost in her thoughts.
'Hi,' he went to her and said, inspecting her eyes to find a sheen of wetness in them. He was right; something was up.
'Hey,' she replied shortly, coming out of her reverie abruptly. Her smile did not stretch her lips for more than two millimetres.
'Something wrong?'
'What? Oh. No, no. Nothing's wrong. I am all right.'
'You are?' he cocked his eyebrow. He never asked her if she was okay. Something was definitely up.
'Yes. Anyway,' Shambhavi looked around, clearly searching for something to help her change the topic, 'where is Faisal? Is he not coming?'
'He is. Must be getting here any moment.'
'Tutul is not. She's down with fever-viral. I tell you, it's the worst thing ever. You have to get all kinds of stupid blood tests done over and over again and nothing comes out positive. So the doctors just prescribe every kind of medicine there is in the world, which only makes things worse. Plus it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth-you can't even enjoy eating. Imagine that.'
'Agreed. So, is that why you look sad? Because you are worried about your friend?' Arjun asked. He was not going to let go, until he got to know what was bothering her. Her nonsensical rant was a failed attempt at distracting him.
'A little. I thought you guys were not coming. And Tutul can't either. I felt like I was going to have dinner alone tonight, in the midst of so many
'Where are you?' Arjun asked Faisal over phone.
'At my place, sir,' a slightly anxious Faisal replied.
'I'll be getting to the Ahluwalia mansion in an hour. Be there.'
'But, sir ... I was going to go to a movie with friends. The show starts in forty minutes.'
'Then you will just have to miss it, won't you?' Arjun snapped.
'Yes, sir. I will be there,' Faisal changed tracks immediately.
Arjun hung up and turned to the mirror. He was wearing a deep violet shirt under a charcoal suit. He played with a few ties and decided not to bother with any of them. He unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt and flicked his fingers through his hair. He needed a haircut, and his stubble was getting out of hand, too, but he didn't have time for that. Trying to manage his hair to make it look presentable, he grabbed his car keys and walked out of his bedroom.
By the time Arjun got to the mansion, his heart was beating rapidly in his chest. He wished he had made some friends over the years, if only to have been able to ask for their help in the situation he was in. He was like a teenager in love, only with a whole lot of baggage and reservations. His mind was in complete chaos. He did not know what to do.
He could not let Shambhavi go. But making her stay was not something he was prepared for either; that would mean commitment and he was not ready for that yet.
But when he saw her that night, all his hesitations and uncertainties vanished. And not just because she was looking resplendent in the bottle green saree she wore. It was because of the expression she wore.
She stood only a few feet away from him, but was still far away. She had a drink in her hand, which remained untouched. Her physical presence was the only proof of her being there; her mind was elsewhere. There was something going on in her head, something bothering her. She looked weak and distraught. For the first time since he had met her, she felt older than sixteen to him. And that told him that she was much more mature than he had first thought.
She was staring at a distance, alone in the crowd surrounding her. Her eyes were fixed on something he could not see, something visible only to her. Her shoulders were hunched, as if in defeat, as if she had lost a battle. She looked small and fragile, and Arjun immediately felt an urge to rush to her and protect her.
He tried to catch her attention, but she was not looking at him, even though her eyes were turned towards him. She continued gazing unseeingly at something, lost in her thoughts.
'Hi,' he went to her and said, inspecting her eyes to find a sheen of wetness in them. He was right; something was up.
'Hey,' she replied shortly, coming out of her reverie abruptly. Her smile did not stretch her lips for more than two millimetres.
'Something wrong?'
'What? Oh. No, no. Nothing's wrong. I am all right.'
'You are?' he cocked his eyebrow. He never asked her if she was okay. Something was definitely up.
'Yes. Anyway,' Shambhavi looked around, clearly searching for something to help her change the topic, 'where is Faisal? Is he not coming?'
'He is. Must be getting here any moment.'
'Tutul is not. She's down with fever-viral. I tell you, it's the worst thing ever. You have to get all kinds of stupid blood tests done over and over again and nothing comes out positive. So the doctors just prescribe every kind of medicine there is in the world, which only makes things worse. Plus it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth-you can't even enjoy eating. Imagine that.'
'Agreed. So, is that why you look sad? Because you are worried about your friend?' Arjun asked. He was not going to let go, until he got to know what was bothering her. Her nonsensical rant was a failed attempt at distracting him.
'A little. I thought you guys were not coming. And Tutul can't either. I felt like I was going to have dinner alone tonight, in the midst of so many
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