DID-3

3

"Jaan kay kya keejiyega?" Khushi asked him!

( What will you do by finding out?)

His fingers tightened slightly on her throat as he said,
"Shhhhhhh! Tell me your Name!"

Khushi really got angry! He thinks every woman will pant after him like the Sultry voice he had been with? Well! He had some news!

She simply said," Kyun aap apnay sabhi aurathon ka list banathey hain kya?

( Do you make  list of all your women?)

"Interesting! Hmmmm!!! But you are not my woman are you?" He asked in the same purring voice and added lazily or "Are you propositioning me lady in... a novel way?"

Khushi felt like kicking herself! How could she be so dense! She went and put her finger into his mouth!

Well it has to be rectified! 

"I would not care even if you were the last man on the earth!" She told him with a strange firmness to her voice!

"Accha? Then you wouldn't care much if I knew your name either!" He laughed a little making her toes curl! This man was lethal! Even his laughter was sexy!

"Per... kyun ? "( But why?)She asked!

"Need to know"he said!

"Jaisay ki koi inspector hain!"( As if he is a police inspector) Khushi grumbled but said,"Hum... nahi batha sakthey!"

( I can't tell you)

"Why?" He asked.

"Er... yeh theek nahi aisay ...milna ajnabiyon say!" 

( Its not right talking to strangers you know)

What was she blabbering away like a teenager!

"But you already committed the crime MS. Prim & Prop!" He said again laughing sexily!

"Nahi! Humay jaaney deejiye"( No! Let me go!) She made to move but ran into his lithe body and gasped moving backwards...

"Naam bathao ... chod dunga!" He said very coolly!

"Nahi!"Khushi was Khushi!

He pulled her a tad closer! "Mujhey naam bathao apna!"

( Tell me your name)

"Nahi tho?" ( if not?) She asked breathing heavily...

He bent slightly and his breath fanned her lips telling her his lips were howering over her lips and simply hissed..."There is no choice babe!"

Khushi just smarted at the feel of his breath on her face and said," Aap ko naam kaisay bathaayein?"

( How can I tell you my name?)

"Kyun? Whats wrong! I am not asking your address my dear!" he said!

"Theek hain! But ek sharth per!"( Ok but on one condition) She said.

"Forget it!" He said.

"Accha tho chalthey hain!" ( Ok! Bye) Khushi made to move and was jerked back to him with a "OH No no! Nobody leaves without giving me what I want!"

"I can!" She said with the same sassiness! "I will" She said!... and made to move and the stranger caught her from behind by putting his arm round her and pulled her back saying..." No sweetheart you need to learn!"

Devi Mayya yeh koi pervert tho nahi hain! Patha chalo kal ko ki aasmaan say niklay Khajoor pey atkay"
(from pan to fire!) Khushi closed her eyes!

"Bathao!" He said his body warm against her back, his arm round her slender waist and his breath fanning the nape of her neck!

"A....aaap ka naam?"( Yours?) Khushi thuoght of it in a flash!

"Kya?"( what?)...If he was taken aback he did not show it as he laughed this time a little louder and said," HMMMMMM!!! Ok!!!!! Good! Hai kutch tho...bath tum main!"

( You do have some brains)

"Tho!..." Khushi garnered some strength and declared "Bathaayiye apna nam tho jaaniye humaara!"

( Tell me your name to know mine)

"Hmmm...Err...ehem... Abhi!" He said!

"Kya?" She did not get it!

"ABHINAV!!!!" He said taking a deep breath!

"Ab bolo!" ( Now tell me)His voice came deep and mesmerising!

"K....k.....ka....."kya bathaayein... Kaajal kahengey tho koi Raj banjaayega! Sabhi ko patha hain! Ki kaajal aur Raj Dilwale hain aur dulhaniya lei jaathey hain!"

( If I say Kajal then someone would say he is Raj! Everyone knows about DDLJ)

"Suman agar bolungi tho Prem Aajayega!" she wallowed internally!

( If I say I am Suman then He will be a Prem)

"Puja ka Vijay! Hey bhagwaan!"

Raath! Rath ko Rajini kehthein hain... haan!!! Wohi theek rahega lekin yuk... aur.... hum lungi dance mein nahi padhna chaahengay!!!!! She didn't like that name!
( I will say Rajini! Night is called Rajini ... but I do not get into a lungi dance!)

Hey Devi Mayya Jhoot bolna kitna Mushkil hain! Aap madad karien she closed her eyes and

His arm tightened slightly as he asked ," Ka ka ka kya? Kiran?"

( How difficult it is to tell a lie! Please help me)

"Nahi! K ..a.... ka... ka... ka Sharukh she spat out instead! She liked Salman!

"Excuse me?" he said thickly accented! "Are you nuts lady?"

"Accha let me try!" She said and he growled "Try? What the hell! Tell me your name not some phony one!"

Khushi raked her brains  Chi!!! Meera should have been there! Haan Meera! Yeah!

But she felt she was cheating on her best buddy by using her name! DEVI MAYYA! She then got a flash! Meera? Ok!!!!

"Ka say Krishna" Khushi blurted out!Hey Devi Mayya! Jhoot bolna paap hain! Leking inhay naam kaisay bathaayein? She moved to realise his arm was holding her!

How strange that she did not find his touch repulsive! Not like that lech's touch at all!

"Krishna?" His hand tightened on her!

"Haan! Krishna Kumari!" Khushi said in a rush as her back was seared by the heat emanating from his body!

He bent a little and said "Krishna" rolling it on his tongue and said," Hmmm!Old hain!"

"Ji? excuse me?" Khushi got angry! Ek tho itnah mushkil say naam dhoondho aur uper say... Grrrr!!! She muttered!

"Aur unisex bhi!" The stranger went on!

"HAAW!" She couldn't stop exclaiming in a huff! How very proprietal of him!

"Krishna" he again said that so full of an odd accent that Khushi thought why Amma did not name her better! How would he pronounce her name!It would be K' shi!

"Accha ji... Abhinavji hum chalthein hain..." She slowly extricated herself and felt odd! Suddenly she no longer was enveloped by that warm body which shielded her back and gave her a quiet sense of security! but it was odd that she felt like that with an absolute stranger who she knew nothing about! Correction! She knew his name!

She still did not know how he looked like or anything else about him! Only his name! ABHI!!!! ABHINAV!!!!! Hey Devi Mayya! Yeh ho kya raha hain hum ko she touched her forehead and his voice whispered... 

"Krishna..."

"Ji?" She said against her own volition...

"What will you do about that %$^#?" He asked!

"Hum...er..." she was lost actually!

"Oh! So you will still go after his money isn't it!" he said sarcasm dripping out of every word.

"Abhinavji Ek minute! Don't jump to conclusions!" Khushi said with conviction.

"Then tell me!" He asked.

The nerve of him she thought! But he helped her and well she owed it to him! She simply said," "Amma ko bathayengay!"( I shall inform mom)

"Then?" he asked...

"Then..." She could not think beyond...

"If he stalks you again what will you do?" that was a valid question he asked.

She shivered as cold fear gripped her!"Hum...er....!"

He simply put one card in her hand and said... "Just keep this you will know where to get help from!"

Before she even knew what happened he simply said "Bye Krishna All the best!", and was gone. 

...and then she realised, there was a group of people who was walking towards the Gazebo which she did not notice and he did and retreated before people thought they were up to something in the dark!

He was strange but very affable.

Rude but thoughtful.

Arrogant yet concerned.

Harsh yet strangely comforting! What was this man!

Hey Devi Mayya! Yeh kya pareeksha hain! She just looked at the card in her hand! Bloody visiting card and she suddenly remembered that lady in their first encounter! He must be thinking she will run into his arms for a quickie! Well Mr.Abhi! You are not going to ever see me using this she scrunched it and threw it away!

Then she walked away!

"Suniye..." a very pleasant voice called her and she turned back asking "ji?"

"Aapkay purse mein say shaayad gir gayaa hain" the lady gave it to her and Khushi squirmed and took it before she said 'no its not mine' to the sweet lady! She just dumped the crumpled piece of paper into her hand bad and said," Shukriya and walked towards the reception hall!

A Dialogue in the Dark

He was out in a jiffy coz if Di saw him talking to a woman that too in such a condition he would be in his reception few hours from then- married to the woman-Krishna! What a name!! He looked at his hand and opened his fist to see something and switched on the car lights and said,"What the!$%%^"

It was a pom pom! Oh god! Arnav singh Raizada having a dark encounter with a woman named as ancient as Krishna and who wore a pom pom on her sleeve?

His lips twitched inspite of everything and he liked one thing about this... this... dark woman of his strange encounters... 
She was like a breath of fresh air! 
She was sassy... 
she was meek... 
she was very old fashoined, yet she was quite the tomorrow's woman.... spirited like a wild horse but above all she made him smile... which was absolutely a strange phenomenon!

He carefully put the pompom into his purse and as Anjali joined him saying" Chaliye chotey ghar chalein?" 
( Shall we go home?)Said "As you wish Di" and started driving home!

A Dialogue In the Dark

Khushi finally realised she had to go home and as she was getting down the auto she could hear Buaji scolding Garima and when she entered, she found Preetam sitting with a cup of tea and Buaji and Garima standing before him like prisoners of War!

"Lou Babua...Aa gayi Mysore ki Maha Rani"( Here comes the Maharani of Mysore) Buaji welcomed her!

"Khushi yeh Damaadji kya kehath rahein hain?" Khushi squirmed at her amma already calling him Damaad ji!

( what is this that he is saying about you?)

"Kya amma?"( What mom)She asked feebly looking at Preetam who was beaming at her victoriously!

"Yahi ki thum nay unko Mall mein chod kay kisi aur kay sath chali gayi!! Oo kithnay acchey hain ki tum ghar pahunchi ya nahi dekhnay ghar aagaye!" Garima wailed!

(That you left him at the Mall to go away with someone! He is so responsible that he came back here to see if you have gotten back on time!)

"Kya?"Khushi stared at all of them in shock as Preetam smiled with his eyes narrowed that only Khushi could notice!

A dialogue in the Dark

Arnav singh Raizada looked at the night sky sitting by the pool side at his home Shanthivan! He was tierd! A very hectic day had come to an end and the next day he was supposed to sit with the auditors! That meant a more hectic time awaited him! But he liked it that way! That was life for him and he thrived on creating and savouring chaos!

His life was now on track and precise in the next three years he would expand into media and automobiles and that would make him the No.1 in Indian business arena. 

Life was clear and absolutely flowing with his Di settled happily and everything in its place! He actually could retire that day but for his dream! He would still not miss anything as strangely life had taught him to be untouched by any thing! Money, fame, admiration, hatred or competition! He had seen everything! 

Nothing matched his zeal to outwit!

'Whom?' The media always asked and he always quipped some thing very humourous and evaded the question!

But he knew the answer for that question! It was self! He could not outwit his own self! The exterior was absolutely in stark contrast with the interior! He did not acknowledge his own self as he was far removed from it in his dealings!

Only smartness, slick cut throat insensitive dealings worked with today's world! None wanted a straight, and simple man! They needed artificiality which he showed them in oodles and so he punished them with the ruthless exterior!

Nothing mattered these days as wearing the mask 24 hours had made him partially cynical and very thick skinned to life and its fairer side! HA! But life was unfair all the time with him! He closed his eyes and immediately the shilhoutte of a lady floated in front of him!

She was different! He could not put his finger on anything, but she... was... way off from the people he met and continue to meet! She had that child like innocence in her and  a ring to her voice that proclaimed she was righteous! Who was she? Why did she have to meet him and made him think? He stopped doing that long back!

A smile appeared on his lips... he grimaced... there it goes! She brought that on to him which he had forgotten totally...

Hmmmm... KRISHNA he rolled her name on his tongue! Interesting but... there was no chance he would ever meet her coz well... two chance meetings were one too many! so ASR be happy you met a nice little fluttery butterfly soul that filled your black and white life with some colours his self chided him and he smiled again and thats how Anjali his Di found him and was shocked... 

Coz her Chotey never ever smiled from his heart which he was doing right then!

END OF CHAPTER-3