Hello, Mr. Major General (1)

Chapter 51: Search

Parth looked at Shehnaaz. He smiled easily, and said, “If she agrees, I’ll get started on the paperwork, right away.”

Shehnaaz laughed, and changed the subject. “Little Temptress, shouldn’t you be at the food counter? I hear they have your favorite today, bitter melon with scrambled eggs. If you don’t hurry, it’ll be all sold out…”

Little Temptress had unique tastes; this dish was, indeed, her favorite.
She gave a little shriek and ran to the nearest counter.

Parth looked at Shehnaaz, who was blushing at Little Temptress’s joke. He found her naiveté particularly
charming.

His school mates would never believe him if he told them, but the truth was, he and Shehnaaz had only ever held
hands in the past month, after officially becoming a couple.

He hadn’t even kissed her cheek yet.
For the other students, a couple wasn’t really a couple unless they’d already had sex. That was their golden
standard for what counted as an “official relationship”.

So were the two of them really in a romantic relationship? Or were they something more than friends – but not quite lovers?

Parth was not in a hurry. He smiled and led Shehnaaz to a window seat on the second floor of the cafeteria. He
hung his school bag over the back of a chair, and placed his phone on the table. “Sit here. I’ll go get our lunch.”

Shehnaaz nodded. At this very
moment, her phone began to ring. She saw at once that it was Sidharth’s
number, and immediately took the call with a swipe of her finger.

“Uncle Sid!” cried Shehnaaz joyfully. Her small, exquisite face instantly brightened; it was as though there was a light shining from within her.

It didn’t matter what she told herself – she just couldn’t resist a call from Sidharth. She was a believer who could not shake off her faith.

At this very moment, Shehnaaz was like a flower that had suddenly opened up into a full bloom; her loveliness dazzled Parth, swept him off his feet. He had to turn his head slightly and avert his gaze as he quickly made for the food counter.

He did not see Shehnaaz’s face fall the very next instant, when Sidharth’s Personal Secretary, Deepak Rathi,
spoke to her from the other end of the line.

Deepak held Sidharth’s phone in his hand; he was feeling very guilty, and had to force himself to say, with a wry smile on his face, “Sana, this is Brother Deepak speaking. Mr. Shukla has been very busy recently. He’s about to go on a business trip, so he won’t be able to call you for quite some time.”

“Oh. I understand,” said Shehnaaz in a small voice. She had already recovered from her disappointment.

At this very moment, Deepak was standing on the balcony of the Andheri Precinct penthouse. Several orderlies
were packing Sidharth’s belongings.

“Sana, Sid said to tell you, you’re all grown up now, you can do whatever you want. You don’t have to keep asking him for his opinion.” Deepak  kept a watchful eye over the orderlies as they searched the apartment. He
turned from the balcony, and went to the gym on the second floor.

Sidharth was checking the fitness equipment inside the gym.

Deepak’s words sounded like a farewell speech.

Shehnaaz felt as though she was walking on a tightrope; buffeted by the wind, her feet swayed in mid-air, trapped between the sky above and the ground below.

It was noon; the cafeteria was full of sunlight, people, and the sound of talking and laughter. But Shehnaaz felt like she had suddenly been transported to a barren wilderness.

Shehnaaz had to bite her lip to suppress the extreme panic that was bubbling within her.

It was as though she was back in the burning car: she was crying, shouting, but no one answered her.

The fire had cut off all exits, separating her from her past and her future. Everyone that had showed up in her life had proved to be no more than a passing traveler. She was
alone. Again Even Sidharth was leaving her…

“Sana? Sana? Are you still there?”

Deepak waited for a long moment, but did not hear a response from Shehnaaz. Something seemed off; he could not help but cover the mouthpiece and say to Sidharth, who was busy turning a screw, in a low voice, “Sir, Sana doesn’t seem
happy.”

Sidharth ignored him. His hands moved methodically, precise and efficient.

Deepak grinned, and walked out of the gym with the phone in his hand.

On the other end of the line, Shehnaaz finally recollected her wits. She forced herself to smile as she said, “…I’m
here, I hear you. I understand.”

Deepak breathed a sigh of relief. His voice was light and easy now. “Great. Okay, if something comes up, look for
Rohit. Mr. Shukla and I will be going on a business trip, so we won’t be seeing you for a while. You be sure to take care of yourself.”

Shehnaaz was in a panic now. She quickly said, “Brother Deepak, don’t hang up! When… when will the two of you be back? Can I see Uncle Sid before he leaves?”

Her voice was loud over the phone; anyone nearby could hear her.

Deepak was about to agree to her request, when he saw that Sidharth had come out of the gym. His dark,
inky eyes were inscrutable as he gave Deepak a small shake of his head.

Deepak was forced to say, “No time to talk, you know how it is… okay, I’m hanging up, we have to go now, see
you!”

Deepak hung up the phone, his brow drenched in sweat. He turned to Sidharth and said, resentfully, “Sir, did you have to go so far? Sana practically grew up under our noses. How could you?”

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I hope you enjoy reading it.
Love you all.