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Video Attached: Unplugged version of 'Ek Din Teri Raahon Mein' by Javed Ali. It is a kind of proposal that goes deeper than mundane infatuations.
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10. How'd he confront her now...?
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Krishna parked his giant vehicle in the parking lot and eyed the rate card for parking, which read fifty rupees for a four-wheeler. He reached for the small cabinet attached in front of the passenger seat and grabbed a hundred rupee note from there, lying just below the insurance papers of the jeep, and passed it to Xavier, saying to pay it to the valet and keep the change. Unlocking the safety system, he motioned for others to move out but didn't move from his place.
He could feel her gaze on him, silently inquiring about him. But he kept quiet, he didn't want to scare her by expressing the words from his heart. He heard her anklets silencing as they moved far from him and he sighed.
After everyone had left, his right hand reached for his breast pocket and his fingers caught the crisp paper which he had always kept with him, always near to his heart. His eyes twinkled when he saw the cash in front of him. It was a ten rupee note, thick like starched cotton fabric, and folded safely.
My love's first gift to me.
The smile that had been plastered for the last one and half hours, during their journey to Municipal Corporation, grew into a wide grin and he shook his head.
Adjusting the rearview mirror- which he'd deliberately manipulated to look at her, sitting in the backseat like the stubborn lady she was- he placed the money back in his breast pocket, near to his heart, again. Love stayed near to him, always.
Someone lightly banged on the door on his side and he turned his head but there was no one in his visibility range, no one's reflection peeping across the glass. He again heard the light banging but the person in inquisition was still invisible. He slowly opened the door, his stance was ready to attack whoever his enemy was as he'd already made, if not thousands then at least hundreds of criminals his foe.
"Paba!", a small boy squealed as he opened the door. The cuteness in his face scrunched in disappointment after scanning the jeep, and Krishna at once relaxed. The kid squinted his small almond-brown eyes and extended his petite arms forward, reminding Krishna that he was just a kid and he should have been sitting in someone's lap.
Heartily laughing, "My little boy!", he took that cute toddler in his arms and adjusted him over his hip as he got out of his vehicle. The security system of the jeep beeped twice, assuring him that his precious possession was now safe.
"So here comes our Chauffeur-wala Dharoga.", a feminine voice sang behind him and he groaned.
"As soon as you landed in Nagpur, you decided to kill me with your mockery?", he continued, "And come on, you know why I was acting chauffeur.", he said while taking out the chocolate bar he'd brought.
Turning to look at the woman behind him- who teased him like anything- he dangled the chocolate in front of the kid, "Here's the yummy chocolate. Does my Ansh want it, huh?" he said in a sing-song voice and raised his eyebrow to the woman, to which she rolled her eyes.
"It's called teasing, my lovely Krishna.", she paused for a second before snatching the chocolate from his hands, "Enough of pampering! You will spoil my son."
They started walking toward the main office where the bride, the groom, and everyone else were waiting for the officer to call them, to finally tie two people into a matrimonial relationship. The lady's teasing continued with each step they took.
In between their banter, Ansh felt as if he was being ignored by the adults and started to babble baby gibberish. He moved his little hands toward his mother, "Maa, maa, oohm!", he leaped eagerly and drooled his favorite saliva all over Krishna's shirt.
"Look, what have you done!", the lady said while wiping his tiny triangular chin and chubby cheeks with a tissue, "Here...", she extended her hand, "...or he will spoil your shirt.", she ordered Krishna to let her take her son from him.
He retorted, "So what?", he kissed both sides of Ansh's cheeks and nuzzled his tummy, "My boy can do anything.", he cooed to Ansh.
Ansh happily giggled.
"So that if your shirt gets spoiled, you can order me to clean it, huh?", she snorted, pulling her son out of his arms and placing him on her hip, "No chance, Krish darling... That'll be my Devrani's part to do.", she teased, again.
Krishna detested the fact that this lady could make him blush like a teenager.
"And by the way, when are you getting married? Don't you dare to fool me, you handsome old man, I have so many things to talk about you to my Devrani.", she winked and he, listening to her excitement about his imaginary wife, nervously chuckled.
"Subhadra is getting married in a few hours, so from now on, I have no one for my company to bitch about these bloody relatives of your Singh bloodline. Oh God! Keep still for a second.", she chided Ansh and removed her hair from his firm clutch.
Shaking his head in annoyance Krishna's eyes caught an image of someone, someone being a gorgeous woman in pink and white, standing near the stairs of the office, staring at him with her impossibly beautiful doe eyes.
Is this the right time to talk to her? Is it okay to tell her what he felt about her? Is one encounter enough to feel this much? Is it valid to confess his love for her after five years?
Each question crossed his mind with lightning speed and even after so many confusing words; he couldn't help his heart as it was struck by the gaze of a single lady and he drank each beautiful feature within a few glances.
That moment when her eyes met his, again, he felt his world changing, his heart falling for her again and again.
Oh, my heart!
Sharply inhaling he swiftly turned to face his teasing partner, "Well Nishita, where is Bhaiyya?", he enquired, "I had seen him earlier in the morning but after that, he vanished."
Nishita Jagdish Singh -who just a second before was busy playing with her son -narrowed her eyes, "Number one- I am your Bhabhi, so don't call me by name, my dear Devar. And number two- Your brother aka Mr. Workaholic has converted himself into an Invisible Man after choosing that Mrishita Case.", she sighed, "Looks like he is working hard to fight against his mentor."
"Why do I have a feeling that he is not going to attend this?", he flattened his palm and directed it to the small gathering ahead.
She raised her trimmed eyebrows, "He'll not be able to make it to the marriage here but yeah, he'll be surely there in reception. For all the money and work in the world, he loves you both too much to miss your special moments. Ansh! Stop patting on my cheeks, they are not tabla!"
Hearing her frustrated cries, he laughed. "Come on, champ. Let us leave your Maa to get busy amongst gossipmongers and meet some new friends.", he took Ansh, hugged his sister-in-law, and motioned her to mingle with their relatives there.
Playing with his nephew had always been his favorite job. Nearly one year ago, when the little boy had entered their life, he had made sure to be everyone's star. He looked a total Xerox of his grandfather, same almond eyes- which Krishna too carried- though they were of dark brown shade like his grandmother and father. Everything, from his hair color to his skin complexion proved Veer Singh's blood. Except for his sharp small nose that the kid got from his stubborn mother, who being a scholar had cleared the CA exam on the second attempt, with a baby in her hand.
He dropped the boy down and took baby steps behind him, slowly following him to see where his cute nephew wanted to go.
With his tottering steps the kid stumbled down, falling into someone's arms, "Oh! You should be careful dear.", the woman chided, the same woman whom the kid's uncle had given his heart and everything. He observed as Samiksha leaned down and picked the round chubby boy, "What's the name of this handsome? Huh?" she asked him while combing his hair with her fine fingers, and the kid gurgled.
"Ashh!", he said in an attempt to reply to the beautiful angel holding him.
"What?", she hushed, pecking on his cheeks and Krishna decided to make his presence visible to her, "Ansh. His name is Ansh.", he replied to the question asked to the third person there.
"Oh!", he heard her say.
Smiling, "Right, my boy?" he questioned Ansh, turning to watch his beautiful love, and was welcomed with a confused expression from her.
Blinking rapidly, "Hmm...", she hummed in slight agreement, "She is beautiful.", he eyed the direction where she pointed.
It exactly gestured toward Nishita, who was now talking animatedly with his mother. He nodded his head, "Yes, she is."
He observed her. She was leaning against the wall and her face was expressing a sudden change of mood, a sour feeling overtaking her beauty.
Why does she look worried?
He cleared his throat, "Actually, I wanted to talk about something to y--"
"Iksha, here you are! And who is this cutie kid here?"
Krishna facepalmed, trying to calm himself from the interruption.
It's a fucking wrong time, you little friend of my Samiksha! his inner voice screamed.
That girl had irritated him like anything, while traveling she had continuously chattered like a non-stop music channel on the radio. And even now, she was making all kinds of pesky faces in front of his nephew.
After a few minutes, the kid got triggered and started crying, "Let me have him.", he said as he carried him from Alisha, surely the kid had felt tortured by her.
"Aww, okay kiddo, we'll meet you later.", and with that, she gripped Samiksha's wrist and dragged her to accompany her.
No, fuck no!
Krishna glared, shooting daggers in Alisha's way, slaughtering her mentally.
How'd he confront her now...?