YEH TERI GALIYAN (Avinash Mishra and Marlene Favela)

Chapter twenty five

'Ouu! What was that for?' Shaan cries after Paula presses on his injured leg.
'That serves you right. Who told you to be so careless and not watch where you were going? You know that accident could have been worse. You're lucky it only injured one leg!' She hisses, hitting that leg again. Shaan cries again.
'But nothing happened because God was watching over me. I still have a lot to live for. I have a purpose that I have to accomplish. A goal, Paula. And for as long as that is incomplete I'm not going to die,' Shaan says, sitting up on his bed. Paula stares at him with a warm smile.
'Why are you looking at me like that?'
'I sometimes think about how... please, don't get mad. But you're the most eligible bachelor in Mumbai. Girls are crazy for you. You're so... beautiful. Yet, you're so humble about it. You don't use your beauty with the wrong intentions. And considering everything I put you through. How I tried to seduce you etc. Not once, Shaan, not even one time did I see even a two second surrender from your part. You've remained faithful to your God. So much so that you make me want to... to meet him. I want to meet your God,  Shantanu. I want to be like you,' she says.

Everyone in the house has left to perform mountain prayers, leaving Paula taking care of Shaan and his injured leg.

'You want to meet the God and father of my Lord Jesus Christ?'

Shaan spends the whole morning and afternoon sharing and explaining the word of truth to Paula. She struggles to understand some things, but Shaan motivates her and explains further until she completely understands. He then plays her the movie of Jesus. Halfway through the movie of Jesus, Shaan realizes that Paula has fallen asleep. He smiles at her sudden interest and will in and to  following Christ. He can tell that she wasn't just doing it in order to have more in common with him. He slowly places a pillow under her head as she sleeps on the sofa. Standing up he slowly limps to answer the door. Opening it he sees Putchki standing there.
'Hey, I figured that you'd be all alone. So, I came to pay you a little visit,' she smiles.
'That's really nice of you, Putchki.'
'Are you busy?'
'Uhm, I guess not. But we should probably go to the lounge.'
Putchki tries to help him walk to the lounge, but he insists on walking on his own.

'Are you hungry? I brought you something I specifically made for you. Take a look.' Putchki shows Shaan the dishes she brought him in a bag.
'You like okra, don't  you?' Putchki asks him, making him realize that Paula also prepared him the exact same thing. She wanted to have dinner with him. As if she knew that Putchki would show up like this. He remembers her telling him not to have dinner without him.
'Wait till you taste it. I haven't cooked in such a long while. But you see what you make me do, Shatu? Anyways, we'll have dinner together, right?' Putchki smiles.
'Uhm, Paula is still sleeping, don't  you think we should wait for her so we can have dinner together?' Shaan asks her.
'But I'm so hungry, Shatu. I'm starving,' she complains.
'I told her that I'd have dinner with her, Putchki. Please, understand.'
'Fine, I'll go wake her up. Where is she?' She stands up from the chair she sat on.
'She's in my room,' Shaan says, making Paula raise a brow.
'We were just watching a movie, Putchki,' Shaan explains.
'Of course. I'm so silly, right? I know you, Shaan. You wouldn't even think of her like that. But it's her I don't trust. She gives me a bad vibe,' she confesses.
'As I said, she's in my room,' Shaan says.
'Right.' She goes towards Shaan's room, then stops halfway to think.

Shaan sits alone in the lounge and closes his eyes for a while.
'I don't think she's feeling too well, maybe we should let her sleep. She said we should go on and have dinner,' Putchki announces to Shaan.
'She's not feeling well? I'll go check on...' Putchki holds her hands out to him, making him sit back down on the chair.
'Don't bother her. If she said so, then she really must not be feeling well. You sit right here and I'll set the table. Okay?' She asks and Shaan nods. Yet, he still feels weird inside. A sudden strange feeling of concern for Paula. A part of him wants to go check up on her, but he decides to take Putchki's advice.

'Shaan? There was a pot of okra in the kitchen. I... I'm really sorry. I accidentally spilled everything on the floor,' Putchki's voice announces.
'But Paula made that.'
'Really? I'm so sorry.'
'It's okay. Don't worry about it.'

After dinner Shaan walks Putchki to her car and waves her off after she, for some unexpected reason, plants a soft lingering kiss on his cheek. One that made him feel uncomfortable. But knowing Putchki, he decides to ignore it. It was just a friendly kiss, he supposes.

Paula walks around the kitchen and dining area in confusion. But soon realizes that Shaan was with someone else in the house. And it isn't so hard for her to crack that it was Putchki. But she sets her jealousy aside when she sees Shaan approaching her.
'Hey, are you okay?' He asks her.
'No, I'm starving, Shaan. I can't wait to sink into that okra. I've been dying to eat it. Come, let's go have dinner.' She takes Shaan's hand.
'I'm sorry, paula. Putchki accidentally spilled the whole pot on the floor.'
'Putchki?' She pretends to be surprised.
'Yeah. I'm not sure what happened but she spilled all of it. I'm sure it was just an accident.'
'Okay, don't worry. I'll warm us something else.'
'No, just... just warm something for yourself. I'm not hungry.'
'You had dinner with her, didn't you?'
'Yeah, you said we should. You weren't feeling well.'
'When did I say that?'
'Putchki...'
'Of course. See, I told you that girl likes you. She lied to you just so she can have dinner with you.'
'Putchki wouldn't...'
'So, now I'm lying?'
'Maybe she just misunderstood.'
'She didn't even meet me once, Shaan. Anyways, she's your friend. You'll obviously believe her.'
'Paula, you don't have to make a mountain out of a mole hill. It's nothing.'
'It's only nothing because Putchki did it. But if it was Paula that did it then you...'
'Paula, please. Stop it! I don't get why you're so mad.'
'I'm mad because you don't understand. You don't understand me and my emotions. I get so insecure whenever Putchki's involved. I... I don't know why.'
'You just feel angry because you wanted to have dinner with me but didn't get to because of her.'
'She's such an...'