PART 5
She had slapped him!! He couldn't believe it……he pushed his hands through his hair. He knew he deserved the slap but for the life of him he couldn't fathom what had possessed him to kiss her. He closed his eyes and relived the kiss and then shook his head. He needed to stop this.
He ran behind her and asked the people working around where the girl was.
"What girl?" the manager asked, shocked at having the recluse Mr. Saxena ask him about a girl.
"Umm….she was going to ride Bijli" he explained and then understanding dawned in the manager's eyes.
"Oh you mean Damini Mam?" he asked.
Damini…..bijli….beautiful. The name suited her. She was like lightning he smiled to himself.
"Sir?" the manager inquired and Prithvi snapped his attention back to him.
"Yeah….yeah her…..do you know where she went?" he asked him.
"To the parking lot" he told her. Prithvi thanked him and told him that he would appreciate it if the manager could ask a stable hand to rub down Bijli as he was rushing.
Prithvi jogged into the parking lot and looked at the number of cars standing in the lot and decided that there was no way he was going to find her and there was a high possibility that she must have left. He shrugged his shoulders and decided to head towards his car. He decided to apologize when and if he saw her next.
As he walked towards his car he heard a frustrated yell near him. He turned to look around but couldn't see anyone and walked closer to his car. He heard the irritated rant clearly now and it was coming from close to his car. He decided to investigate and went to look around the car next to him and found Damini trying to change the tire of her car. It was pretty obvious that it wasn't her cup of tea. She was ranting and cursing and trying to move the spanner but to no avail.
Prithvi cleared his throat and Damini jumped at the noise.
"Y…You?" he could almost see a look of fear entering her beautiful eyes.
"Can I help?" he asked.
"By doing what?" she asked, taking a step back and he noticed her bending and getting the spanner out and holding it in front of her like a weapon. Prithvi raised his hands in submission.
"I am just offering to change your tire Damini……nothing more" he said and her eyes widened in surprise. He had not only had the audacity to kiss her but he somehow knew her name too.
"A…Are ..are you s..st..stalking me?" she asked, raising the spanner as if ready to hit him.
"Hey calm down…..why would I stalk you….please calm down…..I was only trying to help" he says standing in the very place as he was sure that if he dared to take a step closer to her she wouldn't hesitate to throw the spanner at him.
"H…How do you know my name?" she asked and looked around, hoping that someone would come around and there would be someone else other than her and him in this parking lot.
"Oh that…..I asked the manager….I wanted to apologize…..so he told me" he shrugged but he still held his hands out so she wouldn't react to any of his sudden movements.
"That stupid manager….I will make sure that I get him fired….why does he have to tell his stable hands the name of the guests here….I will never come to this stupid place again" Damini rants passionately and Prithvi notices the color rise in her cheek. She looked breathtaking angry too. Shoot…he needed to stop doing that….concentrate…he ordered himself.
"Dam…Damini…..I am not an emp" he started telling her but she raised the spanner as if she was going to hit him.
"Don't…..don't come near me….stay away" she warned.
"Fine….I get it….look……calm down….don't you want this tire fixed?" he tried to divert her attention to the flat tire and she looked at him confused and torn.
"Look….it will take five minutes…..just pick up something else as I will need the spanner to fix the tire" he prompted her.
"Fine" she agreed finally. He could see the deliberation on her face when she was trying to make up her mind.
Damini picked out the pepper spray from her bag and handed him the spanner, watching him like a hawk as he fixed it. Once done, Prithvi got up shaking the dirt off his hand and gave her a hint of a smile.
"All done….and once again…I am sorry" he apologized and turned to go away.
"You….you are not forgiven" he heard her say a little softly and turned back.
"What will it take for you to forgive me?" he asked folding his hands in front of him and waiting to hear the answer.
"Nothing…..I won't ever stable boy" she threw at him and got into her car and drove of leaving just dust for him to stare into.
"Crazy….her and me …both" Prithvi smiled to himself and headed home.
It was a pleasure to go home these days for Prithvi. His mother waited for them and it felt like it was old times….almost. The three brothers had dinner with their mother and discussed work and Sameer reminded Prithvi that they had a meeting with Inder Malhotra the next day.
"What does he want from us….he has been persistently calling us to meet us?" Prithvi asked Sameer, his brows furrowed.
"Don't know Bhai….he won't tell….says he will talk when we meet with him….and also there is going to be an associate with him tomorrow" Sameer shrugged and Prithvi nodded.
"Fine….well I am going to catch some sleep….what are your plans?" Prithvi asks getting upfrom his comfortable recliner and taking in Sameer's casually dressed form.
"Am off to the disco" came his pat reply and Prithvi shook his head, smiling at his younger brother.
"With who?" Prithi questioned.
"Varun and I" he replies.
"Fine….but you two better be back in time and better be ready for the meeting tomorrow….got it" he ordered, once again taking the stance of the protective elder brother.
"Of course bhaiya……errr….do you want to join?" Sameer asks slowly and Prithvi declines and heads to his room.
"Di please….lets go na" Roshni pleads with Damini.
"Princess, sorry yaa….I have a big meeting tomorrow and a presentation which I want to be ready for……else I would have accompanied you……why don't you ask Avni" Damini replied in answer to Roshni's intense attempts to make her go with her to the opening of the new hot spot in town called Fire & Ice.
"Avni Di…..she will shoot me down at the suggestion of going to a disc….you know how she is" Roshni makes a face.
"Well at least try ….you know it is very difficult for her to say no to you….please princess….just not today" Damini cups her face lovingly.
"Ok….I do understand….I wish I could have gone to Goa with my friends….but had to remain in town for the shoot" she muses and then walks out of Damini's room to Avni's and goes in softly and hugs Avni, who is sitting reading a book.
"What do you want Princess" Avni asks her naughty sibling.
"You will say no Avni Di but I wish you would go with me to this new disc today….I know…I know" Roshni halts her with a lift of her hand as soon as she sees her opening her mouth, " you hate that stuff but Di….damini Di is busy and all my friends are out of town" she makes a sad face.
Avni's heart melts. She loved her sisters too much to see even a tinge of sadness on their face.
"Fine…I will go with you…Ok" she agrees and sees Roshni jump with excitement on the bed and they burst out in peals of laughter.
"Ok Di….I will dress you up…..and no you can't go in a salwaar….after all you are the supermodel Roshni's sister" Roshni cuts Avni's protests and drags her to her room. Avni finally gives in to her pleadings of getting dressed in a dress instead of a regular salwaar kameez. She smiles to herself. This was the biggest experiment or adventure she was going to do and for once she wanted to take the risk.
"I won't wear red" Avni shouts when she sees the dress Roshni had picked out for her, "and it is off shouldered" she stared at it dumfounded.
"You will look beautiful in it Di" Roshni tried to explain but Avni was having none of it and finally Roshni lets her choose the dress she wanted to wear. Avni chooses a pale blue simple dress and accompanied her sister to the new club, praying for strength to get through the evening for Roshni's sake.
Roshni drags Avni by the arm to meet her friends and asks her to dance in their group.
"Rosh….I am fine….I'll just sit…you go ahead and dance" she tries to protest but to no avail. She dances with Roshni and her friends and then pleads thirst and takes the corner seat in the lounge, watching people and hoping for the time to fly.
Sameer was getting bored with the crowd he was hanging out with today. Varun also had disappeared to meet Roshni, the supermodel, with whom he had danced a few days ago, till his eyes fell on the ethereal beauty sitting in the corner, all by herself, tapping her feet to music. A smile curved his handsome face and he decides to go and talk to her.
"Hey" Sameer smiles his most charming smile and sits next to Avni. Avni looks at him and turns her face away, shifting away a little too.
"Hello…..Miss…I said hey" Sameer gently taps her shoulders.
"I don't talk to strangers" Avni tells him a little softly and tries to get up when Sameer gently grabs her wrist and she looks at him fearfully.
"If we introduce ourselves…… then we won't be strangers anymore" Sameer looks into her beautiful albeit fearful eyes.
"Leave me" Avni whispers, her hand tingling by his gentle touch and Sameer lets go.
Avni rushes to the dance floor and finds Roshni, who is contently dancing in Varun's arms.
"Excuse me…..Rosh….lets go please" Avni wrings her hands, looking behind her, fearing that the guy would have followed her. She is right about her feeling when she sees Sameer walking towards her with a smile on his face.
"What happened Di?" Roshni asks concerned.
"This…this guy…he …he" Avni points towards Sameer, who had come to a stop near the three.
"Ho Bhai" Varun greets him warmly and Avni's eyes widen in surprise.
"Bhai?" she looks at Varun who nods and introduces Sameer to the sisters. Roshni shakes his extended hand, whereas Avni chooses to ignore him. Roshni jabs Avni in the ribs, indicating her to shake hands and finally Avni sullenly shakes hands with him.
"Now we are strangers no more" he winks and then takes Avni's hand and pulls her in his arms and starts dancing, leaving Avni's mouth agape.
Anupamaa
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Fan Fictions
