part0020

Sumer was going through the final deed of the chain of resort construction contract which Avish had signed ten days back. He had rushed back from Karan’s engagement to finalize this particular deal. The court formalities were completed today.

Avish smiled, for the sake of it. He was standing leaning his back on the edge of huge mahogany desk with his hands in his trouser pockets, clad in grey trousers and white shirt with sleeves rolled up till elbows, looking tired. Sumer sat on one of the chairs of the study lit by lamps in four corners. They were having their routine after-dinner discussions.

“I had Aman on Randhawa’s builder’s trail since you expressed your wish to foray into hotel construction and do business with Randhawa. Turns out his builder is not very inclined towards fair business practices and did not cover his tracks properly either. I found the dirt. Then I figured that it would be nice to earn a few favors that could be called upon in future from City Planning officials by being helpful to them,” his voice was neutral, not betraying the sharp lines of his face.

“And you made him sign such a huge contract on our terms?” he closed the file and smiled. His son has done it for him, to fulfill his aspiration. Sumer was beyond happy from inside.

“Something’s gotta give. He was incurring losses each passing day at a halted construction site while his builder was being investigated. Besides, I had made sure that we were the only firm around with the kind of liquid funds required to handle a project of this magnitude.”

“Trust my son to get his way anyhow,” Sumer laughed. He had always admired Avish’s guts and acumen when it came to business.

An instant memory flashed in Avish’s impassive eyes. “It’s probably in my... DNA. Manipulation was her forte,” he wryly pointed out.

Sumer’s laughter died. He immediately stood up to put a comforting hand on his son’s shoulder. “This is business beta. You just created an opportunity for yourself, that’s all”.

Avish gave his father a tight smile.

“Promise me you won’t think all that rubbish,” Sumer insisted.

“Sujata is gone and with her, all her deeds too. Forget the past beta. We have come a long way, don’t go back there again. You are my pride and don’t you ever forget that my child” Sumer smiled benevolently.

“How about we call it a day?” Sumer asked.

“Umm...dad,” Avish stood up straight, his hands out of his pocket and folded on his chest now. “Did you think over what I said?”

“About that USA project?” Sumer frowned.

“I don’t want you to shift back to America. I want you to live with me. Here,” he answered.

“Think over it again dad. It is a very profitable opportunity,” Avish argued.

“I don’t care about the money. I care about you,” Sumer said adamantly.

“It would be good for our firm... and for me as well,” the spurt of agitation in his stance was not concealed.

“I don’t understand how living all alone would be good for you?” Sumer questioned. He wanted to give his son the life and love he deserved, do right by him after wronging him terribly in the past. He would not let go of his boy at any cost, he had decided the moment Avish had brought up this USA project a two days ago. There was nothing to think about in it. Nothing .

“Dad I told you I don’t like it here. India is not suiting me. I don’t think I am adjusting well here,” he said, very well aware of what was not suiting him these days.

“Why? Professionally you are doing great. Health-wise touchwood you are not falling sick here. Then what is wrong? You were adjusting fine until a few days back. Is something wrong beta? Tell me,” his father questioned.

And Avish did not know what to say to that.

“Khush accept it. Your Avishji does not like me,” Rishabh shrugged.

“It’s nothing like that,” she dismissed.

“Whatever. Here take these files. There are pre-wedding ceremonies at the house for next nine days non-stop starting tomorrow and relatives have started arriving too. Di will be very busy. That makes you the in-charge of the NGO for next twenty days now till di comes back from her honeymoon,” he gave her files he had just taken out from his car.

“Okie. But tell Riya di I will be calling her a lot. It’s my first time managing all this,” Khushi smiled.

“You are new. She expects that and she won’t mind. NGO is her baby whom she will not ignore even for her wedding,” Rishabh agreed smilingly.

“Won’t you come inside?” she questioned. They were standing in the porch of Raizada Mansion, after yet another wedding shopping spree for Rishabh who didn’t seem to run out of things to buy for his sister’s wedding always requiring Khushi’s help and dinner that inevitably followed such outings, like they have been doing for the last week.

“So that Sumer uncle’s son can be a little more cold towards me and pretend some more that I do not exist in the room. No Thank you,” Rishabh retorted.

“He does nothing of that sort Rishabh. He talks less by default. It took him almost two months to start talking even with me and buaji you know and we live in the same house,” Khushi tried to plead Avish’s case.

“Don’t defend him. A week is more than enough to establish that he clearly dislikes me for some reason and I just had an awesome day which I am not going to spoil by coming inside,” he declared.

“Listen if you want I will talk to Avishji. But I am sure it’s nothing. He is by nature very quiet and takes time to open up to people. Look how he talks so normally to me now,” she pointed out.

“Oh please. Stop deluding yourself. He does not talk to you either. At least I have never seen you two talk,” Rishabh countered.

Khushi frowned. Not at his insinuation, but because he was right. Avishji was avoiding her these days.

“Anyways. Chal I’ll leave. There is a Ganesh pooja early morning, then lunch and all. I need my beauty sleep so that I can slave beautifully tomorrow,” he grinned, changing the subject.

“Okie, I shall try and drop by in morning,” she diverted her attention as well.

“What drop by? You are coming for lunch. Whole ‘janta’ will be there. Tauji’s family has arrived too,” he gave her a side hug.

“Btw it is said that a guy who works at ‘shaadi ka ghar’ with all his heart, gets a beautiful bride,” she teased.

“OOO… is it? All the more incentive. I’ll be tagged as a responsible loving brother and then shall get a beautiful bride too... not bad at all,” he winked and earned a cute giggle from his almost lady-love.

Rishabh bid her a good bye, already planning mentally the big surprise he wanted to give her on his di’s wedding, nine days away. It came to his mind while they were hatching plans to steal Neelesh jiju’s shoes during pheras. He has side by side started working on how he will put Khushi on a fake treasure hunt like trail to find the shoes that night, shoes which he would have already stolen and hidden safely, which will lead her to his love declaration under a flowered canopy in the fountain garden of their farmhouse where the wedding was supposed to take place.

Closely observing her in the last week had cleared one thing, that she was too innocent to pick on hints that he wanted more than friendship from her. They have shopped, watched movies, dined together so many times and it gave him ample time to conclude that she might not be inclined towards a romantic relationship right now, but she liked him a lot and might give him a chance if he comes clean with his feelings. His idea to create an ambience for ‘the talk’ also looked better each passing day. And, so now he can’t wait for his di’s wedding, for it was a big day for him, in every sense.

Avish massaged his forehead and shook his head in denial. ”I miss New York,” he managed to say.

“And me? What about me? You won’t miss me? What about your buaji? And Laddoo? America is more important than us?” he asked.

“No dad,” Avish sighed. “I... I ...gimme sometime. I need to think a few things through.”

His dad was right. Where did he figure in his misery? What fault is he at? Avish did not think from that angle. And his father’s Laddoo? She was one thing he did not want to think about. And yet she was the only thing he thought about these days , he irritably realized.

“You are not happy here?” Sumer refused to let go of his boy.

“I am,” and he was, till a few days back.

“Then?” his father persisted.

“Nothing dad. Nothing. I am fine. But I need to get out of India for a while. I think I’ll oversee Dubai project for a while,” he proposed an amicable solution.

“That’s perfectly alright with me,” Sumer heaved a sigh of relief. His son will stay with him and he did not want anything else.

“Okay, so when do I go?” Avish asked.

“You hand over your restoration project to Aman. I’ll run you through our Dubai staff and project progress in next week or so. By then this Randhawa project will start as well. After that you go to Dubai for a month or two. Rejuvenate yourself. I can also come to Dubai whenever I like. America is very far off,” Sumer happily planned.

Avish smiled at seeing his dad’s happy face. Both bid each other good night, and while Sumer went off to sleep, Avish pulled out Dubai file from the locker to study it. He needed to get away from this place as soon as possible.

Khushi had just bid her bade papa a good night, whom she chanced upon in the living room while he was going to his room. They chatted for a while, he asked about her shopping with Rishabh and asked her to sleep and take rest now that she will be the sole in-charge of the NGO for a while. But sleep was the last thing on her mind, specially after her conversation with Rishabh. He was right. Avishji was not talking to her like he used to until recently.

Infact, bluntly put, he was avoiding her like plague since a few days.

When his knocking on her door in mornings had stopped, she should have taken the hint. Her breakfast table conversations too always met with short nods or single syllable answers from him these days. And Rishabh was right, Avishji did not speak beyond two or three sentences with him when he had joined them for breakfast that day. With Rishabh back in Delhi, Riya di’s upcoming wedding and her NGO work-load she has not gotten a single minute to sit and talk with Avishji. And he had aided this stretch of non-communication by making himself absolutely unavailable and unapproachable. Worry lines were marring her beautiful face as she turned into the corridor where her and Avishji’s rooms were.

It was not work-stress related behavior she knew now, as just now bade papa mentioned that how happy he is at the huge deal Avishji has bagged. So it was something she has done. But what? She had no clue what she did wrong to warrant such behavior from her friend. He was fine till chachu’s engagement, even flew down to Mumbai on her insistence. Then what happened? She did pester him to come along with her to Riya di’s engagement party. Did he mind that? Because other than that she did not remember talking at length with him on anything else. If she has done something to piss him off, she was more than fine to apologize, if only he tells him what is it that she has done that is bothering him. As for being cold towards Rishabh, she was sure that it’s either that he did not know him well or is hesitating to mingle with her friend when he is pissed with her. Once she sorts out her issue with Avishji, he will be fine towards Rishabh as well she knew. By God, Avishji could be a so moody at times, she swore.

“Avishji ….. Avishji,” she knocked on the open door and peeped inside. She had decided to talk it out with him today itself, before going to sleep. The room was vacant, nobody was at the poolside either. ‘Study ’ it clicked her.

She walked towards the study, lost in her thoughts. Why is he not talking to her? Is he angry? Should she talk with him right now, or wait for him to come around himself? No. Right now is the time, she told herself. She won’t take his aloofness and silence lying down . Yeah. He has to talk with her and be normal again. If she will wait for him to come and resolve whatever it is that the issue is, then she might as well buy some hair-dyes and anti-wrinkle creams so that he can recognize her when he decides to come to her and speak up, fifty years later that is. Him and his silence! huh! Never the one to let issues linger on unsorted for long, especially when it involved as dear a friend like Avishji, she took a deep breath and opened the heavy wooden door of study. He was standing there in the middle of the room, with his back towards the door, engrossed in the file in his hand.

Avish’s head snapped up. His body stiffened, in fact his whole being stiffened at that voice. Wasn’t she supposed to be out with that Raichand lad? Has she come home early today? Usually she does not come home till late, he thought bitterly. People try to keep a track of person of their interest in order to catch them. Avish was doing it in order to avoid her. And it has led him to the conclusion that when he had once thought that this house is big enough for him to avoid her, when he had just come to India ten months back, he was so wrong. This house was not big enough for him to avoid her. To be truthful, now this whole world would not be big enough for him to avoid the girl who occupies his thoughts day and night. But he was seriously working towards putting some physical distance between them and she was supposed to not ruin that at least. There is only so much he can let go . He was trying hard to not get carried away and interfere in her life. Like he was tempted to. Then why is she here? What does she want now? Why can’t she just leave him alone? He closed his eyes in desperation.