My Mills and Boons Story

Chapter 4

Thoreau's Law:
If you see a man approaching you with the obvious intention of doing you good, you should run for your life.

The thing is probably I'm not telling this well. Coz I am now realizing that I'm coming across as a very selfish and ungrateful person. But I'm not. I maybe selfish to some extent but I am not ungrateful. But Mrs. Arya is really hard to like. And so is Ritu. For example, before leaving for college, Ritu locks up all her bath stuff in her closet. Because according to her the staff members are such thieves that they can not leave her toiletry, of all things, alone. And then whenever the lycra in her favourite tops and dresses expands and the cloth becomes shapeless, she always glowers at everybody, like its our fault that she has been lending it to all her weightier friends, thus resulting in the lost elasticity.

So anyway, I place the call after the decision is made and SAR, predictably, has Saare Jahaan Se Accha as his hello tune. As he picks up, I start to say hello but I am interrupted by a long bout of coughing. I wait patiently for it to end before I begin to tell him about my decision.

"It is going to be very easy, Inaya. Let me congratulate you once again on the very wise decision you've taken." SAR is saying earnestly half an hour later.
Perched on the windowsill, checking the household accounts with one hand and holding my phone with another, I didn't feel exceptionally wise now. SAR had been full of plans and instructions, like he had been planning this for a long, long time and was sure of my cooperation long before I was. It was very annoying to be thought so predictable. By the time he was finished, I had a very good idea of what I was getting myself into it was making me feel deeply uneasy. I gloomily looked around for good luck sign.
The first thing I see is the very sharp knife, sharpened conscientiously once in every 6 months by the auxiliary cook, Sonali. She is young thing, living in the nearby slums. She goes to school in the morning and works in the evening. Having Sonali around is like having my sister I left behind in Kasauli. I glance impatiently at the watch-4 o clock. I am momentarily distracted by the vision of Mrs. Arya chasing me with the aforementioned knife if she found out that I am planning to find proof to put her husband behind the bars. But the image of the lazy, lackadaisical Mrs. Arya being able to do anything so energetic puts a wry smile on my face. Probably, she'll ask one of her servants to do it for while she sits on the armchair and glares at me.
It is while I am thinking this and getting slightly hysterical that I notice a pair of Nike shoes. Feeling slightly cheered by the logo and the line accompanying it (just do it!), I looked up to see a pair of coffee brown eyes appraising me. His gaze was steady and he stood with his hands crossed in front of him, leaning against the wall. He was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans with frayed edges along with a brown jacket. He was tall, in fact the first person in this house whom I had to look up to.
He made no move to introduce himself or to ask me what I was doing there.
After 2 minutes, the kitchen door opens with a loud bang and I start and jump while he merely looks towards the door, features still immobile which changes as soon as Ritu walks in and breaks into a smile.
"Veer" Ritu screams and throws herself at him "You're here."
While at any other time, I would have gasped with astonishment at the display of such blatant adoration from the oh so-sophisticated Ritu, I don't then. I am transfixed by his smile. His face which had looked brooding was transformed by the smile. Now he looks boyish and gorgeous. Hot, I think at first followed by Aaaarrrgh......
Because by then I have made the discovery: this guy was Virat Arya, the long- awaited and apparently beloved son of the family.