PART 13:
Zaib sang a few more songs as the crowd cheered and clapped for him. He noticed Tanya enjoying all the attention from the staff of the club, as she was Zaib's 'date.' Tanya tapped her feet and clapped along with the others in the club. Zaib was amazed to see this aspect of her personality; somehow he missed his shy and coy 'Tanya' who always stood in a corner with a dupatta covering her head and face. He missed those big, fearful, innocent, expressive and soulful eyes…..kahan chup gayi wo aankhein?
Zaib interrupted his performance with a few extra drinks that night; the ambience in the club was more buoyant unlike his sedate and romantic performances in the last few shows. Tonight, Tanya was evoking a different emotion from him; his songs reflected the change. Instead of the usual romantic and passionate numbers, he was singing and playing cheerful and bubbly numbers.
Zaib and Tanya danced together on a few numbers, till Zaib decided to call it a night around 2 in the morning.
"Let's go Tanya…..tumhey ghar ke liye der ho jaayegi," he pulled her away from the crowd and put his arm around her, "I didn't realize it is 2 in the morning."
Tanya smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, "don't worry…..gharwaale sab so gaye honge."
Zaib was a little puzzled, but dismissed his concerns to may be a little too much alcohol that evening.
Tanya was in seventh heaven that night; she enjoyed being in the limelight as her 'superhero's girl.' She was neither tired nor worn out that night. As Zaib halted his car outside her apartment complex, he was stunned when Tanya came close to him and kissed his cheek, "Thanks Angad……I had a great time!"
Before Zaib realized what she had just said, Tanya had vanished through the gates of the complex.
Zaib touched his cheek and mumbled, "ANGAD?" Suddenly, a gush of anger filled his senses. He revved the engine of his sports car and sped away as fast as he could. He hung on to the steering wheel tightly; the pulse on his temples was throbbing in rage…..how could she do that to him……she was double timing him? His Tanya……that innocent petite girl who melted the moment he touched her….she could not even remember his name that night….she called him Angad?.......there was something wrong with that picture……his ringtone interrupted his thoughts, "Anwar? Haan aa raha hoon yaar! YES, I AM IN A BAD MOOD DA** IT! Kabhie kabhie mujhey mere haal par bhi chhod diya kar!" Zaib hung up and threw his phone on the floor of the car in frustration.
NEXT MORNING:
Tanya ignored her alarm and slept in the next morning. Kripa was up early, as she had to meet her new music teacher that morning.
Angad reached work early, as he still had unfinished work from the day before. Even though, he had locked himself in his office after lunch with Tanya, he had not been able to focus on his work. He had another restless night and this morning he was regretting losing his temper with her yesterday- akhir uski galti thode hi hai……pehle bhi kai log mujhey uss Zaib se confuse kar chuke hain……I wonder who the hell this guy is……I guess he is famous and popular with women…..maybe I should check his photograph one day….I should apologize to Kripa. He walked over to her cabin, but was disappointed to not see her there, "maybe she is upset about yesterday," he walked back to his office and looked up her home number on the computer data.
"Mama…..main sham ko wapas aaoongi!" Kripa picked her bag and was about to leave, when the home phone rang. She was getting late, but decided to answer the call as she knew Tanya was still asleep and Gayatri was busy in the kitchen.
"Hello," she said softly.
"Kripa?" the deep voice on the other line gave her butterflies.
"Oh aap?" Kripa's heart leaped as she mistook Angad' voice for Zaib's. She was shocked as he had just called her 'KRIPA.' So he knew her name now.
"I am sorry Kripa….I hope I was not too harsh with you," Angad apologized profusely, "sometimes I get carried away."
Kripa blushed as she remembered Zaib's passionate kiss the other night. She figured that Zaib was probably a little hesitant after that night, and that is why he probably never called her before.
Kripa held the phone close to her ears and whispered, "yeh tho aapka haq hai."
"Haq? Nahin nahin…..i should not take advantage of my position…..you are still new at this…..well…..I hope I will see you soon….bye," he hung up. Kripa smiled at the phone and hung up.
She was surprised that he had called her on the home line instead of her mobile, and he knew her real name too! She shrugged her shoulders and picked her bag again, "tho kya unhey mere baare mein sab sach maaloom ho gaya hai?" she bit her lip and blushed as she remembered their kiss at the beach. She was even more stirred by Zaib now….he was so respectful of her feelings and emotions…..he really cared for her……..Zaib main aapko bol tho nahin paayi, lekin mera dil jaanta hai ki main bhi aapsey utna hi pyaar karti hoon jitna aap mujhsey karte hain……mera dil aapse milne ko bahut bechain hai aaj….kaash main aapse mil sakti…..dekh sakti aapko…..mehsoos kar sakti phir se.
Tanya almost fell off her bed when she finally got up at 10 in the morning. She took a quick shower and dashed out of the house, as Gayatri kept pleading her to eat some breakfast.
Tanya arrived at work, all flustered and breathless. She would hate to be fired as she had already broken the punctuality rule, but then she remembered her date with Zaib last night. "Nahin Angad mujhey kuch nahin kahega….aakhir kal raat uski wajah se hi tho der huyi thi," she reasoned with herself as she poured a cup of coffee. She peeked into Angad's office, but was disappointed to not see him there. She was told he was at an offsite meeting.
After meeting her new music teacher, Kripa decided to go to the mall for a change. She went to a department store to buy something for Zaib. She looked at several things, but finally decided to buy a shirt for Zaib.
It so happened, Angad had purchased a suit from the same store a few days ago, but the suit needed some alterations. He decided to pick his suit on his way back to work from his offsite meeting. He walked into the Men's department and as he was waiting for his altered suit at the counter, he thought he saw Kripa's reflection in the mirror next to him. He walked closer to the mirror and yes it was her…..but in a beautiful lilac churidaar suit with her head covered as it had been in the mandir with a matching dupatta. He tip toed closer to where she was standing and hid behind some shelves.
"Haan…wo laal waali shirt….haan yahi waali," she pointed to the sales woman.
"Kya size hai unka?" the sales woman asked
"Uh…wo shayad 6 feet ke hain…..and broad shoulders," Kripa hesitated as she tried to recall Zaib's dimensions.
Angad blushed a little as he thought, she was probably buying the shirt for him…..the dimensions were perfect as per her estimation! "Lekin kyon? Shayad Kripa ko pataa chal gaya hain ki kuch hi dinon mein mera birthday hai…office mein kuch khabar secret nahin rehti."
"Sir…aapka suit…please try kar lee jiye pehle," another saleswoman came up to Angad with his suit. Angad thanked her and walked towards the unisex fitting room. He glanced one more time at Kripa, before he left.
Kripa purchased a red shirt for Zaib and then, for a change, decided to buy a salwaar suit for herself. Her mother usually shopped for her clothes, but now after meeting Zaib, she had a desire to select clothes for herself. She picked a few suits from the shelves in the adjacent women's aisle, and walked into a fitting room. Her fitting room was right next to Angad's fitting room. She took off her dupatta and hung it on the partition between the two fitting rooms. Angad was buttoning his collar and looked up at the lilac colored fabric hanging from the partition, separating the two rooms. He recognized the dupatta as Kripa's.
Angad paused and came closer to the dupatta. He touched the fabric gently with his fingers and smiled. The translucent fabric captivated his senses. He was about to inhale the fragrance of the dupatta, when it suddenly slid off the separating wall, leaving just an impression of the texture in his hands. He was disappointed, but shook his head, "yeh mujhey kya ho raha hai? Why am I getting intrigued be her? After all, she can be so irritating and she is the one who declined the marriage proposal….tho main kyon uske baare mein aisa soch raha hoon?" he buttoned up and came out with the suit.
"It fits just fine," he told the sales woman outside the fitting room. He paid for his suit and walked away. Just as he left the store, he looked back and gave a quick glance at Kripa. She was paying for her purchases and turned around to leave herself. She looked up momentarily and lowered her eyes as she usually did…wait a minute…..she thought. Did she just see him? She looked around, but he was gone. Angad sensed that Kripa had caught him staring at her. He darted out of the department store as fast as he could….that was the last thing he wanted…..for Kripa to think he was even remotely interested in her!
Kripa was baffled….kya Zaib sach much yahan tha? It was such a fleeting glance of him that she was not sure whether she actually saw him, "shayad mera bhram tha….Zaib yahan kyon aayenge? Main bhi unke liye pagal hoti jaa rahi hoon," she walked out with her bags as her dupatta flowed in the air.
Dupatta teri chunari kaa,
Lipat kar tujh se rehataa hai,
Meri pyaasi nigaahon par,
hameshaa hansataa rehataa hai.
Kabhi udataa hawaaon mein,
Simatataa teri baahon mein
Kabhi kaandhe pe bekaaboo,
Sirakataa firataa rehataa hai.
….to be contd….
