IshRa FF Strangers Chapter 22-27 Page 94-95 *Completed* (3/3/15) - Page 17

Chapter 8

"I think I know who it is. I'm keeping an eye out."

"What do you mean you think?"

"The most likely. I only saw one glance."

"You called to tell me your hunch? Please go ahead and discuss all the nitty gritty with me. That's what I am here for, right? Listen, I paid you to do one thing. Kill the guy. You screwed up so you've got to fix it! How? I don't know and I don't care as long as there aren't any more unnecessary dead bodies. Kill them and call me after the work is done!"

***

She really shouldn't care. He was an arrogant, selfish, self-centered, egoistic, chauvinistic mad man! And she shouldn't let anything a person like that says get to her. Defective piece! She wanted to stomp her foot in anger. Tears started to cloud her vision and she blinked angrily. He'd called her a defective piece. And why? Because she didn't know cooking? It was the height of sexism. Just because she was a woman she had to know cooking and if she didn't, she was a defective piece? She angrily brushed away the tears that had started to escape from her eyes. But why was she so angry and mad? Why should it matter to her what he thought of her? She knew, deep within her heart she knew the reason for her rage, it was that term he'd used, defective piece. That term that had unlocked so much within her that she'd so painstakingly locked away. She closed her eyes as tears escaped and plopped onto the yellowed pages of the book she'd been trying to read for the past hour in the library. Get a grip on yourself Ishita! He knows nothing about you! He doesn't know you. He makes all kinds of smart ass comments. How would he know you'd take offence to this? Her sensible side tried to reason with her. But it was still not okay. Why was she even thinking about him? She'd decided last night that she would have nothing to do with him. No interactions, no talking, nothing. And yet she'd spent a whole hour thinking about how much she hated him and how angry she was with him. She closed the book in hand and went over to the bookshelves to see if they had any books on "How to live with the most irritating arrogant guy on the planet without killing him". She found none and someday, she decided, when she got out of here, she was going to write that book. She picked up a book on Anger management instead and sat down to read it.

***

How on earth did people survive here? Raman wondered as he stared at the TV screen. The only two channels the TV had were Doordarshan and Doordarshan metro. Currently, one of them had devotional songs playing because some former minister died and the other one had a show where an overly made up mother-in-law was making her no make-up daughter-in-law scrub the floor. He switched the TV off and paced the living room when his eyes went to the clock. It was almost lunch time and Ishita wasn't back yet. Surely she didn't intend to spend the whole day avoiding him? Wait, what if she was in some kind of trouble? There was only one constable with her. What if? No, he didn't want to complete the thought. He quickly pulled on a sweater and ran out the door.

He stopped running only when he reached the library. He peaked in through the large stained glass windows of the library and let out a huge sigh of relief when he spotted her in a corner, engrossed in her book. He backed away from the window and squatted to catch his breath. Once he'd stopped panting, out of curiosity, he moved closer to the window again and tried to read the title of the book she was reading. When he figured it out, he burst out laughing. Anger management! The Jhansi ki Rani was reading a book on Anger Management! The way her forehead creased, her eyebrows knitted closer and her mouth formed a thin lined pout told him that she was actually, seriously reading the book! He couldn't help but admit that she made an adorable picture! And that thought brought a genuine smile to his face. A man passing by looked at him weirdly and Raman realized he probably looked like a fool laughing and smiling to himself. He reached for the door of the library but then an idea struck him and he changed his mind.

***

As Ishita walked towards their cottage later that evening after spending the whole day in the library, she reminded herself the all the things she'd learnt about anger management. She could do this, she assured herself as she opened the front door. Surprisingly, the house was very quiet. There was no sign of Raman. Maybe he'd gone out too. But the constable had gone with her. Had he gone out all alone? When had he left? Where had he gone? Ishita forgot all about being angry with him as worry took over. She wondered if she should go over to the Singhs and ask. It would get dark soon. And he probably wouldn't have eaten anything all day too. Maybe she'd taken this too far. She shouldn't have overreacted. Ishita paced the room nervously as she wondered what to do and who to go to. She was about to send the constable to go look for him when she heard footsteps on the driveway. She peeked through the curtains and saw Raman. Along with relief at knowing he was safe, Ishita felt her anger return too. She closed the curtains and went into the bathroom to freshen up.

***

When Ishita stepped out of the bathroom, the wonderful aroma of food greeted her. Her stomach grumbled reminding her that she'd skipped breakfast and lunch too in her anger. Had Raavan Kumar cooked? She wondered. Even if he had, she wasn't going to go check and hear his smart ass comments again, she thought. She went towards the cupboard when she found a note there.

Remember I told you I don't say please often?

I almost never say sorry..

The note was written in impressive smooth, bold strokes but the contents made Ishita even angrier. She crumpled the note and was about to throw it away when she noticed another note on the dresser.

Hey! I said I almost never say sorry.. Not never!

She couldn't help but smile. The next note was stuck to the door along with a single long stemmed white rose.

So Ms. Jhansi ki Rani, I am sorry. I went overboard yesterday. Please forgive me!

Ishita felt her anger melt away and she was genuinely touched by his efforts. She found the next note stuck on the wall of the hallway leading towards the dining room.

Now, since you've forgiven me, please join me for dinner in the dining room.

How typical of him to assume that she'd forgive him, she thought. She had half a mind to pretend that she was still angry with him but then decided to let it go. She'd spent the whole day pouring over Anger Management books. It would be a shame if she did not let it go, she thought as she headed towards the dining room.

"You couldn't have made all of this in ten minutes!" she exclaimed when she saw the sumptuous spread of food on the table. Raman grinned widely when he realized his plan had worked. "Of course I did not. Its from the restaurant," he told her as he pulled out a chair for her at the table. As soon as she sat down, the power went out. "Oh crap!" Raman swore. "Stay right here, don't move. Let me go check," he instructed her. He looked out the window and saw that the power seemed to had gone out in the whole area. "Looks like the whole area's power is out. You sit right where you are, I'll bring the candles," he told Ishita and headed to the kitchen.

"So, do you really not know how to cook anything else?" Raman asked a couple of minutes later. Raman had lit a couple of candles and they had both attacked the food voraciously. Ishita narrowed her eyes in mock anger, "Mr. Bhalla, you are treading on slippery ground here. I haven't forgiven you for last night." "Of course you have! Or you wouldn't be sitting here, dining with me," Raman replied. "So sure of yourself, are you?" she asked. "How else would I be the CEO of the year?" he quipped right back. CEO of the year, she had heard that very recently somewhere, Ishita thought. "Stop dodging the question, Ms. Jhansi ki rani. Do you know how to cook anything else other than rasam?" Raman's question cut into her thoughts. "You want to hear the truth?" she asked. Raman nodded his head. "The truth is, I don't even know how to make rasam. Whatever I'd been making was my own experimentation," Ishita confessed slyly. Raman choked on his food and stared at her incredulously, "WHAT?!!" Ishita nodded her head. The look of absolute horror on Raman's face was priceless. "But I thought you said you were cooking sambhar when you supposedly met me?" Raman questioned. The huge grin she had on her face faded in an instant to be replaced by something more somber that Raman did not fail to notice. "That was just a made up story," Ishita replied, trying to sound casual but her voice and her expression spoke otherwise. "So there is no sambhar guy?" Raman persisted once more. "No. There is no sambhar guy," Ishita said with finality.

An awkward silence followed Ishita's statement. She was busy pushing the food around on her plate and Raman was studying her in the golden glow cast upon her from the candle flames. She was lying. Raman had absolutely no doubt about that. She was a terrible liar. Not that it should be any of his concern. But the way her eyes instantly lost their spark as soon as he mentioned the sambhar guy, Raman wondered what on earth that guy must have done to hurt her so badly? Why would he have ditched her? She was good looking - not the super model types but the kind whose innocence, honesty and simplicity was their beauty. She was educated and a working woman. Sensible enough. Smart and witty. Then why? Maybe it was her sambhar after all, he thought amusedly and chuckled to himself.

Ishita looked up from her plate when he chuckled. "Whats so funny?" she asked. Knowing this subject was touch for her, he decided it would be better not to tell her what he had been thinking. So, he changed topics instead. "You know what, I have been thinking about something," he started. Ishita raised her eyebrows at him questioningly. "Since we are going to be stuck here for God knows how long, how about we make our lives easier by becoming friends?" he suggested. "And you find that notion funny?" Ishita asked him. "Don't you think the visual of Raavan and Jhansi ki Rani shaking hands and becoming friends is hilarious?" he asked in return. "How do you know I call you Raavan Kumar behind your back?" she was genuinely surprised. "Because I have been with you in this cottage, day in and day out for more than a week now and I've heard you referring to me by that name quite a few times when you thought I wasn't listening. Now if you are done interrogating me.. friends?" he asked extending his hand towards her across the table. Ishita hesitated only a second before she placed her hand in his and shook hands with him. "Friends," she confirmed smiling. His handshake was firm, she noted. Her Appa always said that a firm handshake was a sign of a strong character.

"We've become friends. I haven't given you my hand in marriage Madam. Let go of my hand," Raman commented and Ishita quickly let go of his hand. "I'd rather stay single all my life than ever marry you. And as it is, it's the girl's hand that is given to a boy in marriage, not the other way round," Ishita corrected him. "When the girl is a Jhansi ki Rani, you never know, things might have to happen the other way round," Raman replied. "Ha ha ha" Ishita laughed sarcastically before returning her attention to her food.

"So, do you have a family or are you married to your sarcasm?" Ishita asked Raman a few seconds later. "Married to my sarcasm eh? That was a good one. You are learning from me," Raman replied smiling. "As much as I would rather be married to my sarcasm, I do have a family - a rather nosy, noisy and crazy Punjabi one at that," he told her. "You Punjabis do tend to be a noisy bunch," Ishita replied. "Ha! Wait till you meet my mother. She is the quintessential Punjabi mother - from her dialect to her attire to her thinking," Raman quipped. Ishita smiled. "Dad is a lot more reserved and level-headed. I am amazed how they manage to get along with each other. Maybe the fact that they are polar opposites by nature balances them out," Raman continued. "Then there is my sister, Simmi. She takes after my mother in her theatrics. Romy, my younger brother, he is the apple of everyone's eye. The problem is he knows that and knows how to use it very well too. He is the laziest lad ever but he is a good guy at heart. And then, there is Mih.." Raman's voice was cut off by a bright flash of lightning and a loud rumble of thunder that had Ishita literally jumping out of her seat. "Aiyo Amma," she yelled as she covered her ears. "I guess there is a storm coming. Better close all the windows," Raman said as he rushed to close the windows in the bedroom and the kitchen. When he returned, he found Ishita frozen in her chair. "Are you scared of thunder?" he asked her amused, stand next to her. "No.. No.. Why.. Why would I be scared of thunder.. Its such a silly thing.. I mean.. Its all noise and nothing else.. But its kind of loud and.." Ishita started blabbering. Just then another flash of lightning streaked the sky and a loud clap of thunder sounded. Ishita sprang out of her chair and hugged Raman tight, screaming Aiyo!

***