PART 12

Aakey teri baahon mein
Har shaam lagey sindoori
Mere man ko mehkaaye
Tere man ki Kastoori!

Kripa woke up an hour later with a throbbing head, dry lips, a blurry vision…….she looked around the untidy little room, scattered with clothes, art supplies and empty beer cans and bottles. She tried to sit up but she was still dizzy and fell back weakly. She could hear Angad's voice in the next room talking to someone. She tried to get up, propped on her elbows and called out to Angad in a shaky voice.
Angad heard her at once, came rushing in and sat down on the bed…..he helped her sit up, propping her up against the pillows, holding her arms and shoulders.
He said: Abhi uthney ki koshish mat karna…..tum abhi tak bahut kamzor ho!
Stalin entered the room and stood there watching Angad-Kripa on his bed with an amused face, arms crossed over his chest!
Kripa asked Angad: Kya main behosh ho gayi thi? Kya yeh Stalin ka ghar hai?
Angad: Yes, Kripa, I am sorry! Meri wajah se tum behosh ho gayi…..I shouldn't have given you that Feni! He looked really crestfallen.
Kripa put her hand on his and said: Nahin Angad, ismey tumhari koi galti nahin, mainey hi jaldi se pee li thi isliye…..
Stalin interrupted them: Now if you two have finished blaming yourselves……Angad can u introduce me to this lovely lady?
Angad laughed and introduced Kripa to Stalin, who came forward and shook hands with Kripa. She smiled shyly and greeted him, looking wonderingly at his Bohemian looks and clothes! She couldn't help smiling.
But she self-consciously covered herself with her dupatta as she saw him staring at her with some fascination!

Angad: Thehro Kripa, main tumharey liye lemonade lekar aata hoon, nasha chhootney ka sabsey achhi dawa hai…
He got her a tall, chilled glass of lemonade that he had already made for her to cure the effects of her hangover.
Kripa sipped the whole glass sitting in the bed with Angad looking on like a concerned guardian!
After finishing the lemonade she said : Thanks, Angad! I feel much better now!
Angad: Good, I am glad! Tumney toh mujhey dara hi diya tha…..he patted her cheek tenderly and smiled.
Kripa finally got up and asked Stalin if she could see his paintings.
Stalin: Sure, Why Not? Angad ne mujhey bataya ke tum bhi ek artist ho…..(after hearing that his attitude towards Kripa had changed, now he wasn't just checking her out as a babe or as a model, she was a fellow-artist now)

He took Kripa to an adjoining room that was his studio…..there were a dozen paintings scattered there…..some finished, some incomplete, paint splattered on walls and furniture…..very much a Bohemian Artist's room! There were some good paintings of the sea , views of the village, regular portraits as well as nude paintings! Kripa blushed a little at the nudes but she took it in her stride as an artist herself, admiring his brush strokes, shading, depth and imagery! Stalin stood beside her, displaying his art and answering her questions as they both discussed his paintings from the P.O.V. of 2 artists!

Angad looked on with a slight irritation and twinges of jealousy at the easy familiarity with which they talked about the paintings. Finally, when Stalin went too close to Kripa while showing her something, he couldn't stand it anymore…..he cleared his throat, came forward and put a possessive arm around Kripa's shoulders and said: Mere khayal se humein abhi chalna chahiye! Shaam honey wali hai....
Kripa suddenly became aware of the time: Oh GOD! Chaar baj gaye!! Mishti mujhey maar dalegi….sunset se pehley ghar lautna hai….she panicked!
Angad: Cool down, Baby-----yeh lo tumhara mobile (he was holding it for Kripa in his pocket) ….Mishti ko phone lagao aur bol do ke hum shaam se pehley hi resort pahunch jayengey!
Kripa called Mishti and informed her, they took leave of Stalin and walked back to Martha's Bistro where Angad's bike was parked. Angad and Kripa both said goodbye to Martha who was relieved to see Kripa feeling better.

Kripa got up on the bike behind Angad, hugged his waist and rested her weary head on his broad back! They roared off into the faint colors of approaching dusk! On the way, they saw the brilliant colors of the setting sun over the Arabian Sea! Kripa made Angad stop the bike and took pictures of the spectacular sunset! Angad smiled indulgently, admiring the way the glowing colors of the setting sun colored her already flushed cheeks a deeper pink!
He suddenly leaned forward and kissed one pink cheek …..she looked at him, taken by surprise but then she smiled, reached up on her tiptoes, held his shoulders and kissed him on his cheek.
She said softly: Thank You for a Perfect Day!
Angad was delighted but being wickedly unstoppable, he said: Buss? Only one kiss?
Kripa: Aur trips per le chalogey to aur milengey (she teased him)
Angad: Phir to main har roz tumhey trips per le jaaoonga! But next time NO FENI for SURE!
Both laughed at that, then they got up on the bike again and roared back to the resort as the daylight dimmed over the darkening sea!

That night, Kripa and Mishti went to dinner with their parents at the Italian restaurant Il Camino and dined on pasta and garlic bread! Naina and Dilip wanted to dine with their daughters as both were too busy with their own friends and activities to meet the girls for dinner anyday! Dilip told them about his golf games with Mr. Mehra and others. Naina, who had spent the whole day at the Holistic Spa at the resort tried unsuccessfully to persuade the girls to join her in the spa for some beauty treatments. Both declined as Mishti was more interested in her own shopping and parasailing(which she had taken up in Kripa's absence)…… and Kripa of course just sat there miserably munching garlic bread and thinking about Angad and wondering what song he was singing at the Morisco that night!

Suddenly Kripa remembered about getting dance lesson permission from her parents! She told Naina rather hesitantly that she wanted to take dance classes from Simone at the Dance Studio there! Naina was delighted to see her shy little daughter taking an interest in dancing….she enthusiastically agreed and asked questions abt Simone and the class…..Kripa replied to all her queries, carefully keeping mention of Angad's name out of it! Mishti noticed this and smirked knowingly! Her little sister was finally learning the ropes, she thought!

Later at night when they were back in their rooms, Kripa got a call on her mobile! It was Angad! Now that Angad had her mobile number he wasn't going to let the chance of talking to her go to waste.
He said in a deep, loving tone: Heyyy Kripa, how are you feeling now?
Kripa: I am okay (she said rather sadly)
Angad: I missed you tonight at the Morisco….
Kripa: I missed you too …..what songs did u sing tonight?
Angad: Tumharey bina mera sangeet adhoora lag raha tha, isliye mainey sirf ek gaana gaya ….who bhi yeh gaana: tere bin ….bardasht nahin kar sakta aur door nahin reh sakta ek din….
Kripa laughed and said: Yeh sab chalta raha toh tumhari naukri chali jaayegi
Angad: Chali jaaye, aisi naukri kis kaam ki jo mujhey tumsey milney na de…..
Kripa : Miley to the, poora din ek saath the
Angad: Kitni bhi baar miley per aisey milan se jee nahin bharta…..zindagi bhar ke liye mil jaao tum…
Kripa: Sochna padega… (she teased back)
Angad: Soch lo, soch lo, I will wait for u……aur haan, kal theek time per dance studio pahunch jaana, mein bhi wahan aa raha hoon, Best of Luck, Baby! Good Night!
He gave a kiss into the phone, Kripa blushed at the mobile and shyly said : Good night Angad!
Angad: Aur mera Kiss?? Kripa: Khaatey mein likh dena…..she giggled and switched off the mobile!

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Pallavi