Not everyday of your life you get thrown into a green room full of long-legged Super Models high on protein-shakes and green-y (read yucky) vegetables and accidentally get mistaken for one of them!
Lehangas, Stilettos, Backless Blouses and Doris!
A...
All was not fine in Annika Land. Today marks the First Anniversary of her family's death and understandably the girl was quite depressed. Her gloomy mood could really put down the happy sun as well, if it would strike a conversation with her. She's such a Downer Dharmendra!
Annika's life took a one-eighty degree this day.
Just a year back, she had a mom, who loved her unconditionally; a dad, who pampered her as though she was the princess of Maharashtra; a sister, with whom she shared all her little secrets; a family, happily settled in the wayward middle class life; a bracelet, holding all the charm, luck and gold in her life together; a scooty, which was doing a better job back then; a house, to call hers; happiness, that she owned.
Now, she had none of the above just as they were.
Her family was crushed, to put it bluntly, in a car accident which Annika, her stars aligned right, missed due to a friend's birthday party. She never talked to that friend ever again.
Her house, shabbily placed in the narrows of Honey Chawl (a tacky name, she's aware), to be auctioned off in a week.
Her Champa, the scooty mentioned, was a shit show. She has to check for leak eight times a day and begin kick-starting one hour prior, to be punctual.
That gold bracelet is just an ornament now, lifelessly hanging around her left hand. Could potentially slip off her fingers just like everything else in her sunny life.
Annika has been stressing her mind the whole month as to find ways to save her only shelter from being auctioned. Her salary from her daily job could be written off the list for good. The mess she is supervising in does not run as smoothly as the dahi (curd) they serve. Her wages from there allows her only to be able to pay the electric bill and meals, for every second day. She is quite honestly fucked. She has been borrowing drinking water from the aunty next door for the past three months, for God's sake!
If only Champa was an Ambassador Car. Albeit, her luck would still not allow a proper working condition, at least she could learn to hot-wire and sleep in it. It's just her 2 Rupees kismet! She just has no way out.
So, on this beautiful day, even though she was regretting her own existence more than ever and wanted nothing more than to curl up in her tilting bed and cry, she set out in the sun in her Champa to attend an interview and post off her resume to some more of wedding planning and catering companies.
It was noon, now. The sun was ruthless with it's happy yet harsh rays and Annika was sweating down her top through her jeans and Chameli.
She was crying out all the money for petrol going of waste as she couldn't afford to create another Champa-Comotion on the main road. The city police have already warned of twice and she had to talk their ears off both times.
She was stuck in this stupid traffic for about fifteen minutes now. She wiped off the sweat on her forehead through her helmet with her left hand.
As one would due to human nature, or maybe it's just Annika being extra, she shook off the sweat vigorously from her left hand and...
ZARRRRRR
She looked at to her left side, and there it was, a long wriggly, scratch across the shiny black car's door.
She panicked and cursed her luck, and that Ganpati Bappa who always selectively ignores her prayers. (How many more petitions should she put to the temples for him to listen to her!? Even bribery with laddoos don't seem to work anymore!)
Annika wanted to fall in a ditch and die. She would definitely prefer that over verbal abuse and a street-long bill from the Hi-Fi Bandha (dude), who was most definitely fuming at her in the car.
And for a minute it was like God actually listened to her, the traffic cleared up and a chantomai (cunningly clever, would not be as accurate) idea came to her brain.
Now, you run away, Annika. Any dude who can afford this car can also afford to pay for it's repairs. It's ok. It's just your two rupees kismet. You live with this guilt all your life now. Deal with it, beta. You can maybe send a money order to his house after you figure out the situation.
She quickly raced down the road to the resident lanes, after memorizing the numberplate with the help of a weird song (it involved her neighbor, his dog and the dog's girlfriend) and breathed a sigh of relief when nobody tailed her. It was all against her morals, hence the obvious paranoia.
Suddenly, she gasped and put her brakes on time when an all too familiar black car, smoothly overtook and cut her off from going further.
What a show off!
It didn't quite hit her that she actually owed this guy, and when it did, panic set in and anxiety sweats slithered down her body.
A very handsome guy, with expensive looking shades stepped out dramatically, putting his expensive looking, polished shoes forward, making way for his fit (AF) body to stand in his- let's just establish that everything about this Munda (dude) screamed expensive- tailored black suit.
Annika could smell the stench of money on him from where he stood and was annoyed that he didn't let her off the hook for such a small mistake.
It was a beautiful day, indeed.
For God knows what reason, she wondered how this guy actually managed to tick off all the boxes in the list she had made for the mysterious car owner. All except one, the rich Munda was short. Taller than her by few inches but what's the use?
"Well, you will not believe this, when I imagined the person in the car it was exactly someone like you!" She babbled on, either due to panic or Annika being herself, it's a stupid idea either way. "Same to same. So cool, hai-na? But only problem is I imagined someone taller-"
"Fhat the wuck?!"
Arey, wah! Voice too! Just as guttural as she expected!
He removed his glasses to glare at her. As though, his eyes would scorch her down to earthy ashes.
And that's when she noticed his eyes.
Chi! Kanji Aankon!
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***
Pyaar ek dhoखा hai, guys! For all the "not-so-singles", "it's complicated", "we're getting married" and "we're pregnant!?": Happy Valentine's. And keep the PDA on low. Some of us are still pathetic to feel michmichi cause of y'all.
So here's the first official chapter.
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Also please comment. I love hearing from all of you. Please share your reviews!!
