Chapter 10
A/N: I'm writing about the 2006-07 season (EPL&FA), the scores are real,
Chelsea and ManU drew at the Bridge (the League), ManU won the League
of course and Chelsea went on to win the FA Cup at the new Wembley.
And here's where I have tweaked things and crave your indulgence. I've
stretched the time line, the FA Cup was played in the week after the
League match (on a Sunday) but for the purposes of this story, the FA
Cup final was played weeks after the League match, four or five weeks, I
think (on a Friday). Thanks. And while we're talking about football, I mean
no offence to any ManU or Chelsea fans. Everything said about Frank
Lampard is just in fun. Did not mean to offend his fans.
I hope you are not too disappointed with this chapter. It was quite
difficult to come up with anything good, considering the current track.
But a very big thank you to all the contributors on the thread 'Adi-
Maithili Niche 2', it was really you guys who helped me to hope and to
keep writing this. I dedicate this chapter to all of you. Thanks guys?
And last but not the least, I haven't run a final edit check this time, so
please bear with any grammatical errors.
Some weeks later:
Maithili was seated by the window in her room, reading a book when her
hand phone rang. She stretched out her hand and picked up her phone,
glancing at the flashing caller id. She smirked, "Yes, what was that poem
again, Something red, something blue…who's got the blues now huh?"
"You won only because you guys cheated, so shut up."
"Sour grapes huh Adi?"
"Well, if you can be happy when your mediocre team cheats their way
through a match and…"
"Oi, excuse me Vikram Aditya Mehra, the only mediocre team playing
yesterday was wearing Red okay."
"Yeah right! At least get your facts right."
"The facts, Mr. Mehra, seem to be speaking for themselves. The ribbons
around the trophy are Blue and not Red. Or maybe you forgot. Let me
refresh your memory. It was just last night after all. Well, it happened like
this, first…"
"That was bloody cheating okay Maithili, that was a goal by Giggs. Bloody
Cech had crossed the line. All cheaters, the linesman, the referee, bloody
Steve Bennett, all in the payroll of bloody Roman. Let me tell you, my dear
Maithili, that…." Adi interrupted hotly.
"Mind your language Vikram Aditya Mehra," she snapped back, feeling her
temper rise, "and don't you call my team cheats or I hang up right now."
"How like a girl. First of all, you only like Chelsea because of bloody
Michael Ballack (how do you say it, Meeshayel, huh?)", Adi drawled,
imitating the way she used to say his name the german way.
"You're just jealous of Ballack because he is so good looking."
"Rubbish, utter…"
"Besides," she continued quickly, "that's so not true. I was a supporter of
Chelsea even before Ballack joined the club. And you're shooting off a
tangent anyway. Chelsea won yesterday Adi and that's all that matters."
"Rubbish!"
"And what the hell do you mean by 'how like a girl'?" she asked sharply.
"Because, you don't even watch the game for the game. Just looking at all
the guys taking off their shirts after the match. I saw you last night,
drooling over shirtless Fat Lamps."
"I was not! And how dare you call him Fat. He. Is. Not. Fat! Do. You.
Understand?"
"Is Fat! Fatty! Fatty Lamps!" he snickered.
Now she was getting really angry. "If he is fat, you are fatter than a cross-
breed between a really overweight rampaging African bush elephant and
a mammoth brown bear."
"Now you're being amusing. There's no such thing. Besides, I happen to
be in supreme shape. Didn't know you were so keen to have a look
though? Hmmm…Interesting"
"Oh! Go fry your face in oil," she said exasperated.
"I live to serve you, my dear Maithili." he said solicitously.
"And take your sarcasm with you."
"You wound me Maithili," he said sounding mournful suddenly.
"I'll do more than that if you continue with this," she warned him, "Can't
you sportingly accept defeat? Whatever happened to good
sportsmanship?"
"It's not about sportsmanship actually. He just needs to get on a proper
diet. Or rather, just lay off the fish and chips for a bit and you know cut
down on the drinking sessions."
She tried to think of something cutting she could say in response but
drew a blank. She was furious.
"It'll do him a world of good," he continued cheerily, "And who knows,
maybe if he looses weight, he'll actually be able to connect to the ball and
wonder of wonders, score a goal! But when, I wonder? The Season's over
after all!"
"That does it!" She hung up on him fuming, mentally thinking of several
things she ought to have thrown at him about his bloody team.
He
really was impossible! Ever since they had watched the match together the last evening, Adi had
been sounding like a broken record. He really couldn't get it into his head
that ManU had lost the FA Cup this year.
Idiot! She thought of the match they had watched together a few weeks earlier,
the Premier league game at the Bridge. That had ended in a draw and
although she had been disappointed that Chelsea hadn't won that game,
she had had to admit
only to herself of course that inspite of having
fielded a second string team for that game, ManU had been the better
team in that encounter.
She suddenly couldn't help the little smile that tweaked her lips. Adi was
so funny! She recalled with a grin how he had sulked and sulked because
they hadn't thought about the eventuality of a draw that time. In fact, it
was suprising that neither of them had thought about a draw. League
matches, after all, could end in draws, there was no extra time or penalty
shootouts.
This time, he'd approached her before the FA Cup final with a smug grin
and had looked at her speculatively, "So, Ms. Rai, game for another test of
your Poor Languishing Blues?" he had asked her, raising one eyebrow
arrogantly.
"I'm sure I don't understand what you mean Mr. Mehra," she had
answered him airily.
"Ha Ha, so you say, so you say" he had answered cheekily. "Anyway, as
this time there will definitely be a result, how about another go? If you
have the stomach for it basically," he'd added snidely.
He had been so confident of victory that she had been goaded into
accepting.
And am I glad I accepted! Her attention was caught by the steady buzzing of her phone and she
grinned, taking her time picking it up.
"Okay, okay, before you flare up again, listen, I'm calling about the bet,
how about I take you out for dinner today?" he asked her before she
could say anything.
"Okay, dinner then….but are you sure? I mean you must be upset right
now and we can always do dinner later," she told him, tongue-in-cheek.
"Of course, I'm sure. Vikram Aditya Mehra never goes back on his word. A
promise is a promise!" he told her grandly.
"Very impressed, I'm sure!" she said breezily and then frowned at his next
words.
"After all, 'we' are celebrating Chelski's win, aren't 'we'?"
"If you're being sarcastic Mr. Mehra, you can take yourself for dinner,
understand," she said crossly, "and stop saying Chelski, how many times
must I say it before it sinks into your thick head."
Adi grinned. "Cross my heart," he replied in his most earnest voice,
thankful she could not see the grin on his face and ignoring the 'Chelski'
comment. "I'm absolutely serious, I only meant that we should be
celebrating and…"
"Adi, just shut up okay, I can actually 'hear' the insufferable grin which is
plastered onto your face right now." The grin faded.
Girls! "Oh! Come on Maithili," he replied in a hurt tone, "here, I'm actually trying
to celebrate your club's victory over mine, it's difficult for me, you know.
You might try to be nicer to me."
Maithili shook her head wryly
Boys! "Enough of the dramatics
Vikram Aditya Mehra," she said slowly, sarcasm drenching every syllable,
"you might be interested to know that I overheard the conversation
between Dhruv and you last night."
She mimicked Adi's deep voice, "Dhruvvie, so what if Chelsea won the FA
Cup, they've anyway lost the League. They've lost the chance to equal
ManU's hat trick of Premier League Titles. So, this bet, I don't even feel
like I've lost, so, I'll just keep her happy, finish this dinner and then you
and I can go out and celebrate the true win of the Champions."
There was a sudden silence.
"Gosh Maithili! I just remembered. Guess what? I just downloaded a DVD
quality video of the match, superb quality, captures all the action, it's
brilliant, especially Drogba's goal. Shall I send it to you?" he said
hurriedly, hoping she couldn't see his grin this time.
"Wow! Really Adi? I've just been seeing that goal every two minutes since
yesterday. Seriously, wasn't it great! And what a silly question? Of course,
send it to me." She paused, grinned and then continued, "And now stop
changing the topic."
"Don't know what you're on about," he told her airily, "listen, I gotta go
right now, pick you up at 7:30 ish this evening, okay."
"Since you're telling me more than asking me, can I say anything but just
meekly assent."
"You know this is why I like you so much Maithili, sarcasm just becomes
you so much."
"If that's your idea of a compliment, you are loosing your touch Mr.
Mehra. Anyway, bye for now."
Now "Hey! Just a minute, sweetheart," he said softly, "I fully meant
you to overhear my conversation with Dhruv. I knew you'd react the way
you did. Just so you know. And I said 'Chelski' by the way. Ciao"
He hung up, laughing softly at the sudden silence at the other end,
thinking that she would have probably thrown something at him if he had
been anywhere near her. He turned his attention back to his laptop.
She looked at the phone in her hand and smiled softly. The endearment
affected her more than she would like to admit at the moment. No one's
ever called me sweetheart before, she thought smiling. She leaned
against the window dreamily.
She sighed, feeling a large grin threaten to split her face apart. You little
idiot, this is Vikram Aditya Mehra, Casanova Extraordinaire! He probably
calls every girl sweetheart.
But he makes me feel like it's just me! Maithili, you are such an idiot! Just read your book stupid! Don't analyse
anything! But he just confused her so much these days! What worried her
was that she was enjoying every moment of it.
Hell! I've never felt so
good before! ………..
"Adi, I met this chick Trisha last evening. She told me that she knows you.
Do you?"
Adi looked up from his laptop to see his cousin Shravan settle into the
couch beside him, munching on an apple.
"Shravvie, you dog! Where were you last evening huh? Dhruv told me that
Abhi and you had some hot date on."
Shravan grinned, trying to peek at the laptop screen. 'So what's your
score like Adi? Season's over isn't it?'
"Trisha, hmmm….well, the name sounds familiar but I can't place her.
And never mind about my fantasy football scores."
Shravan grinned "Touchy! Touchy! So sad ManU lost…" Adi glared fiercely
at him.
"Okay, okay, cool down brother mine, no need to be nasty. So, basically,
Abhi took me to this really neat joint called Oyster Bay."
"Should have guessed," muttered Adi, "Abhi loves that place. Dhruv tells
me he's always draped in there." [A/N: Abhinav is Dhruv's younger
brother]
"So, Abhi's date Muskaan is Trisha's friend and Abhi arranged for me to
meet Trisha. Oh boy! Adi, she really blew me away. Whew! She is so
goddamn hot."
Adi grinned at that, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Shravan grinned
back mischeviously and mock punched his arm.
"And, oh, I forgot, she mentioned that her sister sees you quite a bit, is
in your class or something. Sasha, no…… Natasha, I think" Shravan told
him brightly.
"Oh ho! Now I get it. Well, if she looks anything like her sister, then I'm
sure you'll be happy in the looks department", Adi clapped Shravan on
the shoulder.
Shravan looked smug, "Yeah, well, so, I'm meeting her tonight and was
wondering if I could borrow your red merc. My car's still not finalized.
And I've noticed that girls tend to go crazy about that car of yours."
"Yeah, sure Shravvie, go right ahead, have fun huh." Adi looked up with a
smile. "But it's not the car, my child, you've got a lot to learn!……..tsk
tsk..!"
"Oh right! The charisma of Adi Mehra, huh?"
"Well, you know, don't you, that the car is known as Vikram Aditya
Mehra's car?" Adi smirked.
Shravan rolled his eyes "Show Off!"
"Merely stating a fact little brother."
"Whom are you calling little?"
"Touchy! Touchy! Who's older?"
"Adi! A few months don't count."
"And taller, never forget! Now, don't disturb me, I'm in the middle of
something important."
"Yeah! Checking fantasy football scores! Very important indeed!"
"Do you want the key or not?"
"Just kidding big brother, just kidding. Never say you took offence."
They laughed and high-fived each other. "I'm so glad you're here
Shravvie," said Adi. He was very fond of Shravan.
"Not half as glad as I am bro. You're the best!"
Adi pulled out a key from his pocket and handed it over to Shravan.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't!"
"Ha Ha! Thanks Adi, I owe you one," said Shravan affectionately, "so bro,
what plans for tonight?"
"Adi, Shravan, guess who is coming tomorrow?" Adi turned to see his
grandmother walk in accompanied by his mother. "Your Nimisha Chachi
is coming to stay at my express invitation," his grandmother continued
without letting them speak.
"Oh! So Kartik's coming, that's great," piped in Adi, looking carefully at
Shravan.
Shravan grimaced and stood up, "Dad's not gonna be too thrilled about
this. Why is she coming here?"
"Nonsense, Shravan, that's no way to speak about your mother,"
admonished his grandmother swiftly, "remember that she's my
goddaughter first and then your mother."
"She's no mother of mine," retorted Shravan angrily, "I hate her."
"Shravvie, she's your Mom, don't say you hate her," Adi stood and looked
at Shravan quietly.
"Adi, you don't know the half of it, she's…"
"Shravan Mehra, if you can't keep a civil tongue in your head, leave the
room right now," his grandmother said coldly. "In any case your opinion
doesn't matter here at all. Nimisha and Kartik arrive tomorrow morning
and they are going to be staying with us."
"Well, you cannot make me be civil to them. Try your worst." Shravan
flung rudely at her as he strode out of the room.
Adi started to walk after his cousin but was stopped by his grandmother.
"Adi, my dear child," his grandmother said sweetly,
This sounds like
trouble! "I would like you to go to the airport tomorrow to receive
them. Nimisha will be very pleased, she has been asking so much about
you."
Adi frowned and looked at his mother.
Why should I go? Hell and
Damnation! "Please Adi," his mother entreated. Adi sighed and gave in.
Great! What
a waste of a Sunday morning! But he couldn't refuse his mother
anything. He would do anything for her.
"And yes. Adi, Nimisha's sister Niharika is also coming with her husband
and children for a couple of months while Neeraj (her husband) explores
some business deal in a joint venture with us. Your Daadu is very excited
about this opportunity and if it works out properly, it will mean
unprecedented profits for us. So, Adi, please explain to Shravan that he is
not to spoil the atmosphere while Nimisha and Niharika are here."
Adi nodded absently, his eyes on his laptop screen (he was analysing his
scores for each week of last season's games)
Yellow card for Ronaldo in
that game, that's why minus 3 and Rooney did not play, so no points,
shucks! "Adi, sweetheart, don't look so glum, I'll accompany you tomorrow
morning," his mother blew him a kiss.
He looked across at his mother and smiled. "Thanks Ma."
Maybe I
should have picked Drogba that week, two goals and three assists! If
Maithili could read my mind, how she'd go on and on about it! He
grinned. The best highlight of the match last night had been the hug he'd
enfolded her in as she'd whooped about in a victory dance at the end of
extra time.
It had lasted just a moment but the feeling still stayed on….
She had been jumping with joy and her enthusiasm had been so
infectious, before he knew it, he'd lifted her into the air and twirled her
around, her tinkling laugh echoing in his ears.
'Adi, Adi, ha ha ha! Put me down silly, Adi!' She had been so delicate
in his arms, it was like clutching at gossamer and fairy wings!
Before
you even knew it, they disappeared! Her perfume still lingered in his nostrils though, light and delightful,
flowery and spicy.
Oh! You have so lost it Adi! Her face swam before
his eyes and he drank it in, closing his eyes…delicately arched brows,
huge honey brown eyes that always seemed to sparkle, that little tip tilted
nose, sweetly curved lips and that dainty heart shaped chin.
She was
just adorable! His grandmother was still saying something, he realized absently, but his
mind had wandered back to that day at the Mandir…..the day he had
realized the extent of his preoccupation with Maithili.
Some days earlier….
"Mamma, don't torture me please," Adi looked at his mother out of one
partially opened eye and groaned, "it's Saturday and I deserve to be able
to sleep in on Saturdays."
"Adi, shut up and get up this instant," she told him sternly, "I'd told you
last week itself that you've got to come with me to the Mandir today.
Come on, wake up."
"Mamma, please, not this time, I'll come the next time, please, I'm so
tired, I had such a late night, please Mamma," he cajoled as he pulled the
covers smoothly over his head.
He felt the covers being pulled away forcefully and turned to bury his face
into his pillow with a groan.
I wanna sleep! Leave me alone! "Adi, really you have become a complete brat. You don't listen to me, you
don't listen to your dad and you just do exactly what you please
nowadays." His mother sounded tired and he sighed.
"Mamma, please," he turned over and looked at her with sleepy eyes, "my
head is aching. Why are you shouting at me so much?"
"Adi, I had told you about this pooja that I'm doing for you at the Mandir
today," his mother told him, looking very stern.
He sighed
I forgot! "Adi, Adi," his mother reached down and shook him sharply, "you're not
even listening to me! Oh God! What do I do with this boy? Adi, I want you
to get up, shower and get dressed in the next fifteen minutes. No
arguments. And if you're not ready by then, wait and watch. As it is, I'm
thinking of grounding you, no more going out with friends for the next
month."
Adi shot up like a rocket, looking very shocked, every vestige of sleep
disappearing immediately. "No way," he yelled, "Mamma, ManU plays
Chelsea next week at the new Wembley and they're gonna cream Chelsea
this time. FA Cup Final Ma, c'mon, I have to watch it. We've been planning
this since the finals were announced."
And I'm going with Maithili She turned and looked at him, looking unperturbed at this outburst, "And
I've planned this Pooja for the last three weeks, so better get ready in
fourteen minutes or else….", she told him ominously, leaving the threat
hanging in the air.
Shit! As they were driving to the Mandir, he could feel his mother's gaze on
him. "The sulky look doesn't suit you, my dear. Snap out of it."
He looked at her sullenly, "I can't miss that match," he told her, "I just
can't."
"Well, then, we just have to set a couple of Rules, don't we? All the time
I've been ill, you have been given too much of a free hand and the result
is before me," she told him.
Uh Oh! Lecture mode "I received your quarterly report from Law School yesterday and though
the report is quite good, Adi, I feel you can do so much better. If I hardly
see you studying and you still score good grades, then just think what
you can achieve if you really put some effort into it."
Why is this Mandir
so far away? And couldn't we have had breakfast before we left! "Adi, your Daadu and your Dad work so very hard so that you can have a
wonderful life. And look at you, you have everything! Anything you desire,
your Daadu or your father just run and get you."
She reached out and smoothed his hair. "Adi, Life is not so easy for
everybody. All this going out everyday, drinking, smoking, yes, I know
everything, I'm your mother, I know when you're up to something."
"But Mamma, I.."
"Please Adi, I love you so much, my dearest! All I ask is that you take
things more seriously. I don't tell you to stop drinking or stop smoking or
stop going out in the nights or anything, do I? I don't restrict or regulate
you and do you know why?" Adi looked at his mom silently. He hated
seeing his mother getting upset. And here, he was the cause.
Because I trust you, more than anything, I know you can draw your own
limits and I trust you to always do the right thing."
Adi bent his head slightly, feeling guilty for having made his mother
upset. 'It was true, he had so much, he was so blessed and he just took it
all for granted.' "Mamma, I'm sorry," he told her softly, putting his arm
around her, "I would do anything to keep you from being upset"
His mother smiled at him, tweaking his ear, "Lets see! You made me
spend half an hour just trying to wake you up this morning."
"Aww…Mamma, you know I'm not a morning person," he mumbled,
dropping his head onto her shoulder.
She was the best mother in the
world and he was so lucky to have her! As they walked towards the Mandir, he watched his mother cover her
head with her saree, "Mamma, you look so beautiful like that," he told her.
She smiled at him, ruffling his hair, "And you look so good when you're
smiling."
When you smile, you have the cutest dimple I have ever seen!
At least breathe a couple of minutes without thinking of her, he told
himself as he walked up the stairs with his mother.
"Adi," his mother suddenly asked, "isn't that the same girl whom we were
talking about that night, I forgot her name, the girl who…." "Yes," he said
slowly looking up to see Maithili standing in a corner arranging
something on a plate in her hand, "that is the same girl."
His mother glanced at him, "Adi, I would like to meet her," she told him.
"Mamma, maybe she's busy, let's not disturb…" He didn't know why he
felt so reluctant to introduce them suddenly. He couldn't fathom why.
"What's her name Adi?", his mother interrupted him. "Maithili", he
answered and to his surprise, his mother walked right up to Maithili, who
was arranging something in a plate on her hand, the pooja plate or
whatever that thing was called.
"Maithili," his mother addressed her and she looked at her with surprise,
then at Adi walking towards them. Her face broke into a sweet smile,
"Hello Mrs. Mehra, Hello Adi" She turned to his mother and apologized to
her, "I've been meaning to speak to you about my horrible behaviour the
first time we met. Forgive me please."
"Oh no! It wasn't your fault, my dear," he heard his mother tell her, "it is I
who must thank you. Adi told me you hurt yourself when you helped me
that day. It must have hurt so much."
Maithili blushed.
At the drop of a hat! Tears in her eyes and Roses in
her cheeks! "No," she mumbled, "that was nothing, really, don't
mention it."
"Mamma," Adi interrupted, eager to get away from Maithili suddenly
before he succumbed to his urge to hug her or something.
She looked
so adorable in white and red! "Don't you want to go in?"
Mayuri looked at him surprised, "Yes, of course, come on," She turned to
Maithili with a smile, "He wasn't so keen to come to the temple this
morning and now look at him…"
"Mamma, stop it," he grumbled softly.
Mom! Maithili smiled, "Mrs. Mehra, it was a pleasure meeting you. I need to get
another diya, this one is already leaking."
"What's the hurry Adi?" his mother asked him as Maithili walked away.
"You didn't even let me speak to her properly."
"Mamma, I'm feeling hungry," he said plaintively, "the sooner we finish,
the sooner we can go home and have breakfast. Yummy Gobi Ke Paranthe
with lots of butter!"
His mother laughed, "Okay, come on then!"
The pooja commenced and Adi groaned silently, Too many shlokas and all
that ghee, and whatever it was that they were burning, the incense, he
could feel his eyes watering. He turned to wipe his eyes and saw her.
She was offering flowers at the feet of the idol in the next enclosure. He
watched as a little child walked up to her and stretched her hand out,
asking her for something. She smiled at the child and placed something
in the child's hand. As she straightened, she caught him looking and met
his gaze steadily, raising her eyebrows with amusement. She signaled to
him that he should focus on the Pooja in front of him and he glared at
her. She laughed and moved away from his line of sight.
Busybody! Finally, the Pooja was over and he heaved a sigh of relief. He could hear
his stomach growling.
At least three fat paranthas for me! He
grimaced. His mother looked at him and smiled, "Adi, I'll get the Prasad.
Why don't you go and stretch your legs. You must be cramped."
He smiled gratefully and walked out, wondering whether he would see
Maithili again.
One track mind Adi! "I'm impressed," a soft voice said behind him. "Mandir on a Saturday
morning!" she raised her eyebrows, "not your kind of thing, I would have
thought!"
"I'm so happy to have impressed you," he informed her sarcastically.
"Tsk..Tsk..Temper Temper," she laughed up at him, "Somebody didn't get
enough sleep, I think!"
"Since you know all the answers Ms. Know-It-All, why bother asking," he
growled at her, still feeling rattled at how happy he'd been to see her
there. And how lovely she was looking with the red chunri covering her
hair. And how radiant her smile was.
Adi, get a grip! Her smile faded slightly
Oh hell! "Actually, I really didn't get too much sleep, so I'm feeling very irritated
with the world at large," he told her, wondering why he felt this need to
explain anything to her.
Her smile brightened and he felt better. "By the way, what did you give
that child just now?" he asked her curiously.
A sudden breeze wafted across and the chunri covering her hair slid
slowly from her head. His hands moved automatically to pull it back over
her head while she simultaneously picked up a sweet and held it against
his lips. They both stopped and stared at each other and froze. Silent as
statues.
He realized his fingers were still holding on to the chunri on each side of
her face and she was looking up at him, her honey brown eyes opened
wide.
She looked so pretty, the red gauzy chunri on her head absorbing all the
light from the morning skies and transferring some of the brightness
onto her cheeks. As his eyes moved softly over her face, lingering
loverlike on every feature, he thought she looked lovelier than anything
he had ever seen.
If he just bent a little, he could kiss her, he thought suddenly. He could
cup her face in the palm of his hand to see if her skin was as soft and
flawless as it looked…
Adi! Mandir! Mamma! What the hell is wrong with
you? He moved back slightly, feeling shaken and disturbed by the intensity of
feeling that this girl was able to release in him so easily. He slowly drew
his hands away from her face and watched as realization slowly dawned
in her eyes.
He saw her look at her hand with horror; it was still raised to his mouth.
He couldn't help himself. As she moved to draw her hand back, he caught
her hand, drew it slowly towards his mouth and slowly bit into the sweet
she was holding out.
"Thanks," he told her, watching with delight as her cheeks flamed.
She stammered something in response and tried to pull her hand away
but he didn't let go. He held on to her hand until he had eaten the entire
sweet that she had held out, holding her gaze captive as he did so.
As he finished eating, he slowly brushed his lips against the tips of her
fingers watching her eyes grow wider, her face immobile.
"Adi," she whispered softly, "what are you doing?"
I've no clue.
Honestly! He raised her fingers to his lips again but before he could repeat his
action, she snatched her hand away hastily, turned and walked away.
Before he could analyse his reaction or even think properly, he found
himself swerving quickly to intercept her, his arm sliding smoothly around
her waist as he turned her around to face him.
"Not so fast Maithili?" he told her softly.
"Adi, have you gone insane, what are you doing?" she asked him
breathlessly, trying to squirm out of his grip with one hand and holding
on to her pooja thali with the other.
"Let go of me Adi, let go"
"Adi, someone will notice."
"I don't give a damn."
"Adi, what madness is this? Let go."
Her protests only brought her closer to Adi, who leisurely tilted her chin
upwards slightly.
"Adi, please let go"
In answer, he tightened his arm about her waist, pulling her slightly
closer. She opened her mouth to say something and suddenly stiffened,
her eyes focusing on something beyond his shoulder.
"Mrs. Meh…Mehra…," she stammered, looking horrified. Adi jumped back
as if punched, his eyes reflecting his dismay.
He slowly turned around, wondering how he was going to explain this to
his mother, only to hear Maithili's light laughter as she ran up the steps,
turned and laughed down at him merrily.
He looked at her feeling curiously lost for words.
She shook her head at him, tilted her head slightly, laughed lightly, waved
at him cheekily, then turned and walked away.
"I'll get you for that someday sweetheart," he whispered softly and
watched her go, a little slip of a girl, acknowledging to himself that he
was utterly and totally besotted with Maithili and that she had completely
succeeded somehow in getting under his skin and shattering all his
defenses.
She made him feel completely out of depth
All the time! and that
was something that had never ever happened with him. He was Vikram
Aditya Mehra! What was it the papers kept referring to him as: The
playboy grandson of Suyash Mehra!
That was an exaggeration of
course, but still! Simply put, he was used to girls of all kinds. Girls pursued him all the
time! He was so used to it that he'd just accepted it as a way of life. Of
course, he knew perfectly well that his family's wealth and power had a lot
to do with the popularity he enjoyed with the feminine sex but he wasn't
complaining!
No Sir! And he was confident he could handle all of it; the flirtations, the come
hither looks, the propositions, girls looking for a good time, every trick in
the book basically! And it wasn't like he was new to physical attraction or
raging hormones or the rest….. He'd been with some totally stunning
girls, some even older than him and very sophisticated and he'd been
attracted to all of them. And it had been fun, while it lasted!
Which it
never did for long! Always, he'd been firmly in control, he was so used to writing the Rules
of the game.
It had always been a game, hadn't it? His heart had
never even come close to being touched. Not once.
Until now! It confused him. Terribly! And delighted him. Utterly! But try as he might,
he couldn't understand this! Sure, he thought Maithili was very pretty but
that couldn't be it. After all, he'd been with some really beautiful girls and
he'd never been even half as affected. Her pretty face filled his vison
suddenly and he sighed.
He thought about her all the time; everywhere he looked these days, he
could find something that reminded him of her and instantly he could
conjure her up. Smiling at him; the smile where her eyes lit up like golden
honey and her lips curved in the most delicious manner. That smile…!
True, he was strongly attracted to her but that didn't explain his need to
just look at her all the time, in between classes, before college, after
college, he just wanted to see her all the time.
Weekends were the
worst! Didn't explain his need to always see a smile on her face. All
the time!
Adi, you've got it bad, real bad! He was recalled to the present by a sharp tap on his shoulder, "Adi, son,
what's with you? I've been trying to get your attention for the last couple
of minutes."
Adi blinked, feeling his cheeks redden slightly, "Uh..hh! Dad, Daadu,
sorry, guess I didn't get too much sleep last night," he mumbled softly.
"You bet, what with that horrible loss!" his father grimaced. "I lost a bet to
Anand Raichand. Mind you, the referee was totally partial to Chelsea, that
was definitely a goal for Giggs."
Yeah! Tell me about it Dad! Wish
Maithili…Adi snap out of it! "Come on you two, that was just the FA Cup, we've won at least a dozen
of those. What's more important is that ManU still wins the league this
season. Stopped Chelsea from getting a hat-trick of titles, didn't we?
That's reason enough to celebrate," his grandfather ruffled his hair
affectionately. Adi grinned at them.
Finally, someone who understands!
"Well, if we can have some normal serious talk other than football," his
grandmother pouted, "then maybe someone will listen to me."
"Rajeshwari, when you want to say something, I don't think even a
volcanic eruption can stop you. And since when has the presence or
absence of a receptive audience bothered you? Why, you know I've
stopped listening to you for ages; doesn't seem to stop you though," his
grandfather said tonelessly and Adi grinned, hiding his face behind his
laptop screen.
Of course, as usual the sarcasm just flew over his grandmother's head as
she looked into her little mirror to correct her makeup. "Yes, so as I was
saying, Nimisha, Karthik, and the Bajaj family are arriving tomorrow. Adi
and Mayuri are going to receive them. I think it would be nice if either
Shikar or you go as well. Nikhil has already told me he will not go and
Shravan is in the middle of a tantrum."
"Pulling out all the stops, are you Mum?" his Dad was smiling, "No
worries, I'll go as well. In any case Neeraj's a dear friend, so it'll be a
pleasure. Tell you what though, Mayuri and I'll go, Adi can stay back, it's
probably way too early for him anyway."
Yessss! Daddy cool! "What rot Shikhar, you know I wish Adi to go. It's not too early at all, the
flight lands at 8:00 in the morning and if Adi gets home early one
Saturday night, it will do him a world of good.
Oh God! Don't let
Mamma start now! "But Mom, Adi'll get bored."
Give it up Dad! This is Daadi remember!
"Of course he won't get bored. Shikhar, don't be so tiring! Haven't I
explained all to you already."
"Huh!" His Dad sounded slightly lost.
"Shikhar, how many times do I have to tell you?" Adi grinned at the
exasperation in his grandmother's voice. "Niharika's son and daughter
are also coming along and they'll be happy to meet Adi, Adi can take care
of them."
Adi looked up sharply, suddenly wary. His grandmother was upto
something.
"Oh! Right! Right! I forgot. Sorry Adi, you gotta come, I guess," his Dad
winked at him.
His grandmother laughed.
This is fishy! "Actually Adi, you won't be sorry. Garima is about your age, Ranbir a
couple of years older. I met them the last time I was in New York.
Garima's a beautiful girl, very smart and your kind of girl completely," his
Dad added mischeviously and everyone laughed.
Adi felt irritated. "Dad, please, what's all this. You know I don't like being
manipulated like this. Remember last time when Daadi had invited that
silly Deeya and her aunt for a holiday. You promised..."
"Adi…"
"No, you promised. Dad! And Daadi, how many times do I have to tell you
that there's absolutely no need to matchmake for me. I am perfectly
capable of getting a girl without any help from any of you."
"Yeah! But we have to make sure she's the right girl, don't we?" his
grandmother snapped at him.
"And what does that mean?" Adi retorted, angry now.
"Mom, Adi, come on, no need to flare up over this," his father said
soothingly, "Mom, let me handle this please. Adi, what is wrong with you?
No one's forcing you to do anything. Can't you take a joke?"
"Adi," his mother came and sat next to him, putting her arm around him,
"sweetheart, don't worry, if you don't want to, you don't have to go to the
airport. Your father and I will go. Okay."
She leaned over and dropped a kiss on the top of his head. "Okay, Adi?"
He nodded. "Now apologise to your Daadi, you shouldn't speak to her like
that."
"Mamma!"
Why should I say sorry! It's Daadi's fault in the first place He sighed at the look his Mom gave him. "Sorry Daadi," he said anyway,
knowing that he sounded petulant, but looking directly at her. He didn't
like the way she did things but she was his grandmother and he loved
her. She blew him a kiss.
"If this deal works through Dad," his father was saying, ("I'm sure it will
Shikhar," said his grandmother, sniffing at her nails) "we will finally gain a
strong foothold in the chemical industry. Haven't you always wanted this
Dad?"
His grandfather grinned boyishly, "Absolutely Shikhar, this is going to be
a great venture, I can feel it in my bones."
"I'm really looking forward to working on this. And Neeraj tells me that
Ranbir's going to be involved in the Implementation phase."
"Which reminds me, Shikhar," his grandfather broke off to look at him and
he looked back, curious, "Adi, I'd like you to be involved in this project as
well."
His heart sank like a stone. "Me! Daadu, but…but…I...I… mean, college
and.."
"Okay, okay, don't worry, there's no rush, think about it alright."
He nodded quietly, wishing he didn't have to see that brief flash of
disappointment in his grandfather's eyes. There was nothing in the world
he hated more than disappointing his grandfather (and his mother, of
course) but…. ….
"However, Adi," his grandfather continued and he looked up, "I'd really
like you to take some part in this. Young ideas mean a lot and you can
see what aspects interest you, okay."
"Yeah, Daadu, I'll think about it." He stood up, laptop in hand and looked
around. "I'm meeting Dhruv for lunch, so I'll see you later, okay" He
slipped out quietly.
Edited by queenpersephone - 16 years ago
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