"Namaste Aunty! Aaiye.." Shehnaaz opened the door to the Shukla family on a pretty Sunday afternoon.
"Namaste beta, namaste!" Rita Ma entered with a basket of fruits in her hands.
Shehnaaz quickly introduced Preeti and Ajay to her mother, her eyes looked around for Sidharth and a tint of disappointment took over when she realized that he didn't come.
"Adi aur Sidharth, uske apartment me hain. Do din pehle bulaya tha plumber ko, ab ja ke aaya." Preeti told her, when Shehnaaz was looking at the door expectantly.
"Oh. Thik hai, maine socha itna sara khana bana liya aur sab aaye hi nahi." Shehnaaz joked, masking her expressions.
"Nahi nahi, sab aaj yahi khana khane ke mood se aaye hain!" Ajay replied and she smiled back at him.
"Baithiye aap log, mai chai banati hu." Shehnaaz said, gesturing them to take a seat in the living area.
"Mai aati hu tere sath.." Preeti followed her into the kitchen.
"Sab ache se set ho gaya?" She asked, leaning against the kitchen island.
"Ha di, ab toh lagbhag do weeks ho gaye humko shift huye. Ho gaye settle." Shehnaaz nodded, pouring milk into a saucepan.
"Aunty thik hain.. I mean, how's she doing now?" Preeti calmly asked.
"Thik hai di.." Shehnaaz lowered the flame and replied, turning back to talk.
"Aur tu?" Preeti further asked.
"Mai bhi thik hi hu. Pehle na aisa tha.. ke mera aur Mummy ka poora poora attention Papa pe hota tha. Lekin abhi.. unke jane ke baad hum ko aisa lagta hai ke humare pass aur koi kaam nahi hai karne ko." Shehnaaz replied. Preeti kept her hand behind her back lovingly.
"We'll be fine." Shehnaaz blinked her eyes in assurance, focusing on the tea back again.
"Yeah, time helps a lot." Preeti replied. She had been at Shehnaaz's place, gone through some similar stuff and made it out of that.
Along with the tea, they joined the rest of the people in the living area. Sidharth and Advait had arrived by then. Shehnaaz smiled at the two of them and served them as well.
"Hi Sidharth." She smiled at the man in a black tshirt and a plain pair of denims. His hair was slightly wet, he looked and smelled freshly showered.
"Hey. Thanks." Sidharth replied, picking a cup of tea for himself.
"Hello di. Baitho na." Advait greeted her, gesturing to her to sit next to him.
"Hii Adi. Kaisa hai tu?" She replied, cradling her cup of tea in her palm.
"Oye, tere yaha kaan pe blue blue ho gaya hai." She pointed out when she noticed suddenly.
"Holi ka colour nahi utra hai abhi tak." He chuckled, embarrassed.
"Aww! Arey hum bhi itni gandi Holi khelte the pehle, college me. Mai aur Sheena, baad dono ka face purple reh jata tha!" She replied and the two chuckled.
"Ha!? Aap dono best friends ho na." He mentioned and she nodded, sipping her tea.
"Ghar pe kuch repair ho raha tha?" She turned to ask Sidharth. She had felt his eyes on them for a few minutes now.
"Ha, actually bathroom me shower ka issue tha. Plumber ko bulaya tha maine." Sidharth replied.
"Okay. By the way, kisi electrician ka number hai kya? Mere room me lights badalni hai." She asked him.
"Ha, I know one. Bhejta hu." He nodded. Though he wondered why she didn't ask him about the electrician beforehand and rather decided to wait for two long weeks. Why was she hesitating to talk to him? Why didn't she want to take his help until it was necessary?
"Mickey bol rahi thi ayegi toh milegi, phir last moment me jaldi chali gayi?" He asked her.
"Arey ha, kya hua na.. Guru ko calls bohot aa rahe the office se. Isliye unlog jaldi chale gaye, same day actually." Shehnaaz replied.
"Oh." He nodded. He was also busy last week with work, he couldn't text Sheena either.
"Flat sahi hai aapka, bada hai kafi." Advait mentioned looking around.
"It's just a 2BHK. Aur sirf basic saman hai, na koi plants, photo frames, mujhe decorate karne ka time hi nahi mila." Shehnaaz replied looking at the empty walls.
"Ha beta, bas parde lagaye hai filhal. Baki toh kuch kiya nahi." Madhu shrugged. A house without Jagjit wasn't worth decorating, both of them were still mourning and going through the loss.
"Koi nahi, aise bhi acha lag raha hai. Sadgi hai isme bhi." Rita Ma replied. She could understand their plight.
"Varna Sana ko kuch na kuch chahiye sajane ke liye. Uske room me humesha ek side pe wall papers hota hai, ceiling pe fluorescent stickers nahi toh balcony me lights." Madhu chuckled, talking about her daughter's preferences.
"Wo toh pehle college ke time ki baat hai." Shehnaaz hesitantly replied, not wanting to be laughed at.
Sidharth however recalled the room Shehnaaz and Sheena shared, back in Delhi. It was just as Madhu had described, it was colourful, had a soft and girlish fragrance and lights. There was a soft smile on his face and upon turning to Shehnaaz, he found her already looking at him. She uncomfortably looked away when he raised his brows at her.
Madhu and Shehnaaz set the table for lunch soon. There was Punjabi-style chicken curry, naan, biryani, raita and salad on the side.
"Aise toh maine makke ki roti aur sarso ka saag expect kiya tha, you know typical Punjabis type, lekin khushboo itni achi aa rahi hai ke I'm not at all disappointed." Advait whispered into Sidharth's ears.
"Kuch chahiye kya Adi?" Shehnaaz asked him.
"Isko sarso ka saag chahiye tha?" Sidharth told her, his voice low enough to reach her ears.
"Huh?" She looked at them surprised with the request.
"Arey nahi didi. Mama toh kuch bhi bolte hain." Advait immediately shook his head and she chuckled at them.
"Aap biryani loge Sidharth?" She moved towards him, with a bowl in her hands ready to serve.
He gave a side eye in response, when did they get back to 'aap'?
She gestured towards his family around them to answer his unasked question. How else was she supposed to address him infront of everybody? He's older than her! Well, yeah it felt odd to her as well.
He simply shifted back to let her serve, the 4 seater dining table was quite small for the amount of guests. They had added an extra chair to accomodate the 5th person, deciding that Shehnaaz and Madhu would ea after.
Shehnaaz's hand brushed with Sidharth's while she served him the biryani and she acted as if it didn't happen and so did he.
"Khana bohot hi mast bana hai Aunty. Sana, thodi curry aur dedo." Ajay said.
"Thank you, curry maine banayi hai." She replied, serving him as much as he wanted.
"Sana toh khana acha banati hai. Humne Delhi me iske hath ki sabzi khai hai. Haina, Montu?" Rita Ma complimented her.
"Ha." Sidharth nodded, she was indeed an amazing cook. His mother's words reminded him of his trip to Delhi on the occasion of Sheena's wedding and the time he got to spend with Shehnaaz, including those makeout.
A little did he know, Shehnaaz's mind rolled down the memory lane as well when she had cooked lunch along with Anju when Sidharth and his friends visited them after Sheena's birthday and bachelorette party and then again for her wedding. The banter, the back and forth mindless flirting and then the few extremely amazing kisses they shared. God, that has been one heck of a scandalous secret that she had managed to keep from her best friend.
"Phirni Mummy ne banayi hai. Humare me kheer ko bolte hai, almost same hi hoti hai." Shehnaaz said.
"Tu bhi baith na, sath me kha lenge phirni. Sab ka almost ho gaya hai, ab serve nahi karna padega." Preeti told her.
Upon looking at Madhu, Shehnaaz brought an extra chair and adjusted herself in the dinner table as well. She had been in the kitchen for a few hours before the guests arrived and was quite hungry by now.
"Office kaisa chal raha hai?" Preeti initiated a conversation again.
"Acha chal raha hai. Abhi new hu na, sare co-operate karte hain aur office pass bhi hai, late bhi nahi hota mostly." Shehnaaz replied.
"Kaise jati hai by the way?" Preeti asked.
"Yahi pass me ek bus stand hai, like hardly a few minutes away." Shehnaaz answered.
"Chal acha hai." Preeti nodded.
Everybody had dessert made by Madhu before they left, the lunch felt like a long affair for the families who quite liked each other's company together. Rita Ma asked Shehnaaz to visit them and have lunch or dinner with them, whatever was convenient, the next week.
In the coming days, Shehnaaz ran into Sidharth in the building often. Their office timings were quite similar, she'd mostly see him in the evening. But today, she was in just a tshirt and shorts, walking out of the building to dump garbage.
"Hii!" She smiled at him, he looked like he had plans for the evening.
"Hey." He smiled back. It had been a while since he saw her like this, she was always in her formal wear.
"Woh electrican aaya tha?" He inquired.
"Ha, next day aaya tha." She replied, nodding.
The elevator opened on the 5th floor and a group of middle aged men got in. One of them smiled at Shehnaaz and she smiled back, there were a few people who just wouldn't let it go without a small talk especially when you run into them often.
Out of courtesy the uncle smiled at Sidharth as well and so did Sidharth.
"Log kuch zyada hi ache hai yaha, waha Delhi me koi aise dekh ke smile karta toh chhed raha hai bol deti." She joked, once the uncle was gone and they were in the lobby.
"Yeah, right. Wait until he makes the small talk." He chuckled and shook his head.
"Kya matlab? Wo uncle toh sirf Hi-Hello hi karta hain." She asked him, slightly confused.
"Phir wo sirf Hi-Hello nahi hai, Shehnaaz." He replied, wondering how she didn't get that thing.
"Sachi me? Do baccho ka baap hai wo uncle, ek din apni dono ladko ko board exams ke liye leke ja rahe the. Oh God!" She mentioned. That uncle didn't look creepy until Sidharth pointed it out to her. Well, he wasn't exactly the bollywood kind of creepy but just someone who'd always smile when they're around you.
"I guess it's fine, jab tak wo uncle lift me hi mile." Sidharth shrugged.
"Yeah, even I think so." She mumbled and then wondered if he was getting late because of her.
"Chal thik hai. I'll see you around." She told him, parting her way out.
"Yeah." He replied, waving his hand to her and getting into his car. Being cordial with her wasn't so hard after all, was it? In the beginning, he felt like she would initiate small conversations and he felt as if she actually wanted to talk about something serious but that wasn't the case. He realized, she just wanted to be in touch with him like a friend in the same building and he was fine with it.
He made his way towards Vardhan's place and picked him up, they were just going out to check on the restaurant they were recently working on. Since Mira was out, the boys had also planned something for themselves. Just some drinks over the IPL match for the night back at his place with a couple of friends.
"Tan- tana!!" Vardhan opened the boot of his friend's car instead of the passenger side and kept a carton.
"Kal office bhi jana hai na?" Sidharth chuckled, asking his friend.
"Kahe ka office, itne dino baad toh Mira ek hafte ke liye ghar gayi hai! Behenchod, mazey hi mazey hai bhaiii! Roz piyenge tere ghar pe." Vardhan excitedly replied.
Sidharth shook his head, igniting the engine and pulling the car into the road.
"Sunday kahi gaye the tumlog? Tu bol raha tha busy tha?" Vardhan asked his friend.
"Ha woh, ek friend ke ghar lunch pe." Sidharth replied dismissively.
"Aisa konsa dost hai bey, tujhe bulaya mujhe nahi?" Vardha inquired.
"Abey idhar ke nahi hai unlog, wo Delhi-" Sidharth was answering when his friend interrupted again.
"Humare circle ke alawa bhi tere AUR dost hain?!?!" Vardhan's question had Sidharth annoyed.
"Chup be! Nautanki saaley. Sun le poori baat!" Sidharth snapped at him.
"Sheena ki dost hai, jiske father abhi expire ho gaye, bataya tha tujhe. Wo idhar shift huyi hai." He informed.
"Oooh.. ladki.. hain? Dost toh Sheena ki hai, tujhe kyu lunch pe bula rahi hai?" Vardhan continued to tease his friend.
"Tere ko peene ke pehle hi chad gayi kya?!" Sidharth rolled his eyes at his friend and refused to talk to him further about it.
"Mazak kar raha hu bey. Chidta kyu hai?" Vardhan chuckled and sighed when his friend didn't respond.
"Bas itna dekh lena, Delhi ki ladkiya bohot tez hoti hai." He warned his friend and laughed when he was again ignored.
The guys got the ceiling actually repaired before going ahead with their false ceiling. The work was still under progress and the festival in between had delayed the process by a few days.
Back at Sidharth's place, the boys were drinking around and screaming at the TV screen every time their team hit a boundary and every time their team didn't. They were sprawled all over the furniture and the ones who couldn't were sitting on the floor.
"Abey yeh Dhoni ki batting dekhne milegi ke nahi behenchod?!" One of the guys, Ajit, said and the others laughed.
Sidharth got up from the floor, stretched his limbs a little and walked around while there was a drinks break in the match. As he walked into his balcony, pulled a cigarette in between his lips and lit them. His eyes fell on the adjacent balcony, a floor beneath his balcony where Shehnaaz was working on her laptop and busy working.
She had tied her hair in a messy bun and sat cross legged on a bean bag. As much as he could see, she looked side to side in order to stretch her neck and then her arms. And before he knew, she saw him and waved at him.
"Hi!" Her read her lips, obviously she wasn't gonna shout at 10 in the night from her balcony.
He raised his glass in response and she smiled with an impressive smirk on her face when she understood that he must be having a get together up there.
"Enjoy!" She replied, giving him a thumbs up and then her smile faltered a little when she looked at his right.
"Oh-ho! Yahi hai wo Delhi wali?" Vardhan asked him, looping an arm around him and raising his glass in Shehnaaz's direction as well.
"Bye. Good night." Shehnaaz said something like that when she gestured that she was going back in and Sidharth nodded with a smile.
How he wished Vardhan wouldn't have interrupted the moment. His drunk might have made her leave!
"Chal andar!" He scowled at his friend, walking back in.
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Hello everyone! I hope you're having a nice Sunday!
Quickly tell me how this chapter was? Best part? Worst part, if any?
What do you think is now going on in Sidharth's mind?
How about the Shehnaaz situation? What do you think she's gonna do?