Astha was being dragged by her college friends. "C'mon now, how long are you going to stay like this?" Astha was the book worm of her class. She hardly went out and definitely did not have a boy friend. Astha was half the time tired just balancing her part time job and her studies. She longed for the day when she will complete her masters and get a full time, better paying job.
By nature she was a very positive and cheerful person. She didn't complain. Astha knew it was far worse for so many people. But now her close friends, a gang of four girls, had decided to pull her into a pub for some fun and dance. Despite Astha's protest, the girls had dragged her and made her change into one of their outfits.
It was a short skirt and a cute t shirt. Astha felt extremely uncomfortable but her friends would hear none of it. "You can't go in a suit Astha. C'mon!" Preeti, the prettiest and the funkiest in her group, was just exasperated with Astha's acute shyness. "Astha everyone is gonna be dressed like this. Nobody will stare at you. Now please, can we make a move?"
"Not if I can" Astha muttered under her breath. It had been three days since her meeting with Shlok Agnihotri. Unfortunately he was in her thoughts every waking second. It had almost become like a disease. Astha who had no problems shunning unwanted thoughts previously, now found it very difficult to take away her thoughts from Shlok Agnihotri.
The article had come out very well and the photographer for the magazine had given her some images. Astha had stared for long at his images. She thought the images did not do justice to his charisma and his vitality. It had been Sunday and she had been lazing around. Astha was plagued with his thoughts as usual. She felt irritated and wanted to get out to get out of this insane obsession.
Her friends had come right at that moment and called her for the birthday celebrations of one of them in the gang. This time the other four wanted to go to a pub. And with no other choice, Astha had to tag along. She went into the place and found it so difficult to stay amongst the noise and the smell of cigarettes.
Astha didn't feel like really dancing. Someone thrust a drink in her hand even before she could tell them she didn't drink. Astha just nursed the drink in her hand to prevent someone else from giving her anything else. She had no intentions of drinking or dancing.
But her friends wouldn't listen to her. They placed her drink on the counter and pulled her into the dance floor. Astha swayed to the music like a good sport. She didn't want to be a ninny and spoil the girl's outing. After nearly five or ten minutes, she felt the same strange prickling in her neck. Her heart raced immediately.
How can it be possible? He's a very busy man. Why should he come here of all the places? I should just stop thinking about him and get on with my life, she thought to herself. She turned and started dancing with Tanya, one of them in the girl gang, when she met that jet black eyes. Her breath stopped in her throat and she abruptly stopped dancing.
Shlok Agnihotri was very much there and he was staring right at her. Shlok was leaning against the wall and having a drink. His eyes did not go off hers even for a macro second. When she stopped dancing and came out of the dancing floor, he started walking towards her.
Astha was even more perturbed. Why was he coming towards her? She stopped near the counter and deliberately turned away from him. But he immediately came next to her. Astha started breathing in short gasps. She went to take a drink when he caught her wrists. Astha turned in surprise at him. She almost gasped seeing the fury on his face.
Shlok caught her wrists and nearly dragged her out of the noisy pub. Astha started protesting "Mr Agnihotri, please. Please leave me. You're hurting me." His hands only tightened and his long legs refused to stop. She turned towards her friends who were too busy dancing that they didn't notice her being dragged.
Soon both of them came out into the fresh air. He dragged her towards a huge tree behind the pub. The noise had come down considerably. "What the hell are you doing here?" He ground out in a low, threatening voice. Astha got scared listening to him. She sensed the rage vibrating from him.
"And why should I answer you?" Astha refused to give in to the timidity.
"For the things that you do I feel like just...!" He stopped mid way and she never knew what he was going to say.
"What the hell has got into you? Why are you dressed like a tart? And dancing in such a place!" His tone suggested he was utterly disgusted with her and Astha had the same feeling of standing in front of her principal. She was shocked and angered at his words. Of her own violation, her hand raised to slap him, but Shlok was too fast for her. He caught her wrists and pushed her back towards the tree trunk.
Shlok's face was very close to hers. "Astha Kirloskar, I am saying this one last time. And you better listen to me. Don't ever attempt to do this again. If you even think of it, so help me, I will lock you in my apartment and never let you out."
Astha felt like giggling at his insane threat but seeing his serious face, she realized with horror, that he meant every single word that he had uttered. Astha gulped in fear. She knew this wasn't the time to fight back. There was no one in the vicinity and she was no match against his superior strength.
As if he felt her fear, Shlok loosened his grip and moved away slightly. "Tell your friends you're leaving. Not one word!" He silenced her even before she could attempt a retort. Astha's gang was worried if she was sick, but Astha assured them she was fine. "I just have a slight headache. " They parted with her in reluctance and asked her to call once she reached her hostel.
Shlok was waiting for her in the entrance. He caught her hands again and held it tight. As if she was going to run, and as if he would allow that, she thought. They reached his car. He opened the passenger door for her. She was surprised at his courtesy after that angered behavior. What a contradiction, she thought to herself.
Astha sat with him and to her surprise, he exactly drove to her hostel. Shlok drove swiftly and steadily. The car halted with a screech in front of her hostel. Astha looked at him "How do you know where I live?"
"I know everything. And tomorrow, meet me at my office after college."
"B.but I need to go to work."
"We shall talk about that too. But first you meet me an hour after college. And if you think you can go to work, rest assured I will bodily carry you out from work Astha." His words scared her more.
"Mr Agnihotri..."
"Shlok"
"What?" Her voice was astounded.
"It is Shlok for you. Not Mr Agnihotri." With that, he released her seat belt and opened her door. Astha had no option but to stop the conversation and get out. He waited till she got inside the building before driving on.
Astha was utterly confused by what was happening. She felt out of depth and scared. No one had ever spoken to her like that or behaved with her like that. She didn't know what had got into Shlok Agnihotri. Though their was an undercurrent of something between them, he had never attempted to hug her or kiss her. Strange, she thought.
Maybe it was all because of her gay question. Her stupid mouth, she should have just shut up while she still had had some sense. Astha was inwardly cursing herself. She was also scared of the upcoming meeting with Shlok the next day.
Shlok was meanwhile driving back with his thoughts full of Astha Kirloskar. He had almost lost it when he saw her dancing in that skimpy dress in front of a whole crowd. His hand tightened on the steering wheel thinking about her luscious body in that tiny skirt. Shlok should have shown her what such provocation would bring. But he wanted to be safe. He wanted all the logistics sorted out before he took on Astha Kirloskar.
Her file pretty much had all the details about her. She was twenty two, orphaned, working part time in a woman's magazine, now doing her masters, a brilliant student, no boyfriend found. Right from her passport number to her shoe size, he had all the details. Let me see how it goes Ms Kirloskar, Shlok thought to himself.
Hindi TV Shows
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
324