Abhi's pov
"After her father demise ,sarla and pragya left from this village .sarla raised pragya with a lot of difficulty .seeing her mother's struggles ,pragya excelled in studies.you know she got state rank in high school.In college,she got placed in international company . She left the job after working in the company for three years and came here.do you know why she is staying in this village, leaving the job which pays more a lakh per month?" dadi stopped and looked at me.
"Because she wants to help the farmers.she didn't want any farmer to go through the same which her father undergone.she didn't want any other child to lose their father like her.I am not giving the land for free rather she won't accept it without a payment.she buying the land to give it to the farmers,where she is building the houses for them" Dadi said .
"All the persons are not sly abhi, like you see in your business.so, stop judging that all are money-minded" she said sharply which made me to feel ashamed about my thinking.
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I came out from my car as I saw pragya watching the site where the construction work for the houses is going on.it's very easy abhi .you can do it. I encouraged myself. I walked towards her and stood behind her nervously . I cleared my throat,she turned around hearing the sound and looked at me confusedly.
"I want .....to say..... something" I said.seriously abhi,when did you started asking permission to say anything I wondered of my behaviour.she nodded her head.
"I ....I .....a...." I stammered.oh god I never have been this nervous .come on abhi you can do it.
"I am sorry for shouting at you on that day . I also apologize for offending you at the clinic and thank you for saving tanu's life" I said quickly in a breath closing my eyes.
Opening my eyes I saw her staring at me. "Okay .I forgive you".she said in a cold tone.
"Really" I asked.
"Hmm. but on one condition please don't insult other workers like you did to me". i felt like i have been slapped.
Though I have angry issue , I don't show at the workers unless they make a mistake. But with her I let out my anger on her without a reason.i don't why .Whenever I shout at her,she keeps quiet.her silence do something to me.i suppressed that feeling by showing the anger on her.
"So you are a civil engineer" hearing her voice I came back from my thoughts.after a moment of silence,I asked "how do you know?".
"Your dadi told me" she said looking back at the site.
"Yes....I should have known by now. did she said that only" I muttered.
"What" she asked not hearing what I have said.
"Nothing". We both stood there in a silence for few minutes.
"this is very awkward" I started.
"What" she ask in confusion.
"This formal conversion is awkward.this quietness of not knowing what to talk" I said .
"What are trying to say" .
"Will you be my friend" I asked.
"Okay.what will I get if I accept your friendship" she asked with a smile.first time i am seeing her smiling. A beautiful smile.
"Anything" I said. "Then build these houses under Mehra construction without profit" .
"What!!" .
"oh my god look at your face.it is so priceless" she laughed.her smile brought a smile in my face.
"It was a joke.i will be your friend" she said.
"If you say,I will build it for free also" I muttered.
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I looked at pragya who is eating the lunch with the farmers.janki maa,one of the farmer, feeding her.
"Rani...." I called her.she turned her head immediately in my direction and looks at me with a glint in her eyes.after seeing me for a moment,her face became dull.i waved at her.she stood up and walked towards me.
eversince we have become friends.i have this urge to call her Rani.i don't know where did that name comes into my mind.may be I got it because she is looking beautiful like a Rani.i was hesitant to call her with this name thinking that she may not like it.but now I said it absentmindedly.
She was silently looking down while walking with me. "you are looking beautiful in traditional dresses Rani" I said .
"stop calling me Rani" she snapped at me.
"Why!...Rani name suits you" .
"I don't like that name" she again becomes silent. I don't know why she often snaps at me or become mute when I say something.
"Why are you eating with the farmers" I asked to change the topic.she looked up at me.seeing her eyes ,I feel like she is holding up her tears. "You have a big heart pragya.you are thinking about others and helping them" I said what ever comes in my mind.i don't want to see her upset.i want to divert her.so I started blabbering . however,it is truth that she is a big-hearted person.
Chuckling,she says that "I am not that much kind like you think .In fact I am very selfish".I looked at her confusedly not understanding what she is saying.seeing my look,she continues "while giving something to them,I feel like I am giving to my papa.while seeing the smile on their face,I feel like my papa is smiling...." Her eyes were welling up with tears.oh my god what you have done abhi.rather than diverting her, you asked her the things which make her more upset.think...think abhi...do something.
"You can call me papa" I said quickly.
"WHAT!!!".
"yes .if you want ,you can call me papa"
"Are you crazy abhi" she asked.
"Yes....chee..No...".
"Seriously abhi, you have gone mad" she laughed.
Pouting at her,I said "But one condition".
"Now what".
"don't call me papa infront of the girls then they will think I am an old man with dyed hair"
"I will not call you papa.i will not call anyone papa other than my papa" she declared.
"Thank god!" I sighed . "I got scared that you will really call me papa.i just said to lighten up your mood" she looked at me puzzled.
"I don't want to become father for a beautiful girl like you. I only want to become father of beautiful girl's kids" I said laughingly.
"Abhi!...." she hitted my shoulder ."hmm". "go and flirt with some other girl".
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I was hiding behind the banyan tree, watching pragya who is working in the farmland.now-a-days she is becoming very beautiful.i can't take off my eyes from Rani.eventhough she told me not to call her with this name.sometimes it comes out of my mouth unknowingly.
A car horn sound broke my thoughts.i turned my head towards the car,which has stopped now.A man came out from the car and his eyes started scanning the entire field. After few moments, his eyes stopped on my Rani.
"Pragya" he shouted .
I turned my head towards her as she looked up and seeing him,she started smiling from ear to ear.did she ever smiled like this seeing me.she ran towards him like a kid, who has seen an ice cream vehicle, and threw herself at him.SHE HUGGED HIM.when i hold her hand ,she takes out it immediately from my hold.here she is happily hugging him. I thought feeling anger on him.
coming out of my thoughts,I saw her getting inside the car and they left from here.i walked to the place where she hugged him and looked at the direction where the car was gone.
"Abhi Bhai.when did you come here?" I turned hearing Disha's voice.i forgot to say disha had started calling me Bhai after I and Rani became friends.at first she was angry on me for treating pragya like that.after hundreds of sorry and pleading finally she forgiven me. "Who is he" I asked furiously.she looked at me and her face turned serious sensing my anger.
"who" she asked.
"Rani....I mean pragya hu......gone with someone in the car.i am asking about him" I said controlling my rage as i got the images him hugging Rani.
"Oh...you are asking about purab khanna". When she saw my confused face,she continues to say "he is industrialist Ram khanna's son .he is pragya's best friend cum business partner.they both studied together later they have started a business. he help us a lot .he comes here often and.... they....".
"Disha...." her maa called."maa..is calling me.i will tell the rest afterwards.bye Bhai" Saying this,she run to her mother.
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At mid night
Currently I am climbing the pipe of pragya's house.i can't sit at home ,the images of them hugging flashing inside my mind.if I wait untill tomorrow to see her,I will become mad thinking of her .
thank god this is village . otherwise if any media see me like this,then the next day news will be 'The famous business magnate Abhishek Mehra is barging into a girl's room at midnight' I chuckled thinking of it.
I sighed after jumping into the balcony which is connected to her room.i see her typing something in laptop through a narrow opening of balcony door.she is awake at this time I thought.
"pragya....pragya" someone knocked at her door.i saw her getting up.my breath got hitched seeing her in sleeveless top and shorts that reaches till her knees.she opened the door revealing the person to me,purab.they both started talking.i couldn't control my jealousy seeing her with him.
"when she is near him, she is wearing short dresses.but when she is near me,she is covering herself with layers of clothes.This not fair Rani" I complained murmuring to myself .i couldn't listen to them as my concentration fully on my Rani.
After he left the room, i thought to leave from here.i shoved the flower pot near to my leg,as i moved to go down without seeing it .hearing the sound,she walks towards the balcony.In a panic,I started looking for a place to hide.
"Abhi..." she looked shocked opening the balcony door ."what are you doing here" she asked .
"I want to say something" I said.i don't know what I am doing now.
"At this time? you could have called me or tell me tomorrow" . "I couldn't wait untill tomorrow.i want to say it right now".my mind was all messed up .so,I let my heart to guide me in this moment.
"First time, I saw you pragya, your eyes...... that intense black eyes, which express your feelings more than yourself , had stirred something in me.when tanu called me which brings me out of the magical pull from your eyes,at that time only it hits me that i am engaged and what I am doing is wrong.at first I did treated you badly for no reason . I myself doesn't know why i behaved like that with you.i only wanted you to be away from me" Her eyebrows drew together in bewilderment.
"I haven't asked any girl for a friendship before.i haven't flirted with any girl before.i haven't climbed the pipe of someone house at midnight before (i chuckled).it was you Ra..... pragya .when it comes to you,I do things which i don't even thought of.when I am with you,I find myself as a different man not a Abhishek Mehra ,whom the world knows" i paused for a moment and closing my eyes i said "I love you".
I opened my eyes see her looking at me blankly.
"I realized my feeling today only when I saw you hugging purab.I know that he is your friend.i couldn't help feeling jealous of him..." .
"Abhi..." she interrupted.
"Hmm".
"do you know who is Purab" she asked.
smilingly, "your friend hey na" I said with doubt.. my heart started beating fast hoping that she will say the same .
"He is my Fiance. we are going to engage in next week".
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By
Shakthipriya ☺️