Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters from India Box Set (The Malhotra Bride; Meghna; The Runaway Bridegroom)

by Sundari Venkatraman

  Chanda shook her head as she replied, “Nope! I’ve been to very few places in Delhi for a meal.” She didn’t elaborate as she felt that Ranveer might not be interested in hearing more.

  “Okay, I keep forgetting that you’re not from here. So, how long have you been here?”

  “Almost three years, since I joined college.”

  “And do you like it here?” he asked.

  “Hmm—yes, the bit I have seen of it. I love the metro.” Chanda’s face became animated and Ranveer had a tough time concentrating on his driving. “It’s simply awesome. I’ve been doing some sightseeing whenever I get time. There’s so much of history attached to this place.”

  The history of the place had always got to Ranveer too. In fact, he had so got used to Delhi that he felt that he could never live anywhere else now.

  Ranveer parked the car not far from the restaurant and they walked the short distance before going up to the first floor.

  The restaurant was almost full but luckily they got a table for two. Ranveer dragged Chanda over to the Italian buffet on display. They checked out the items as Chanda exclaimed, “I don’t think I’ll be able to do justice to that, Ranveer. There are just too many items.”

  Ranveer smiled indulgently at her. “Why don’t you have a small bite of everything? Or we can have a la carte. Only their portions are huge. If you’re okay with that—”

  “No, no,” interrupted Chanda, in alarm. “In that case, let’s do the buffet.”

  They got plates and bowls from the waiter before helping themselves to the many dishes.

  Back at the table, the conversation flowed comfortably as Chanda spoke to Ranveer about her life in Jaipur, her friends and her family. It was obvious that her heart was back in Jaipur and that she hadn’t formed any ties here, not even amongst her classmates.

  Ranveer spoke about his life after meeting Dave and Jane. No one could be mistaken for thinking that he had no recall of his life before that.

  Time flew on wings and Chanda had the shock of her life when she looked at her watch as she reached the washroom. It was almost 6 pm. What now? Time to go back to her hostel, of course! Chanda looked up at the mirror to see her glowing face. She had had the time of her life.

  Ranveer also looked at his watch in surprise. He hadn’t expected the time to move so fast, while he had enjoyed every minute of the day. He surreptitiously covered his mouth as a yawn took him by surprise. Oh yeah, he had barely slept a wink last night.

  Ranveer lifted the bill to check it before paying as Chanda walked back to the table.

  “Let it be my treat, Ranveer,” she said, hesitantly, unsure of herself.

  Ranveer’s eyebrows went up. “Are you crazy? Of course not,” he said.

  “But that’s not right. You paid for the movie tickets too. Let’s split the expenses,” said Chanda. She didn’t want to feel beholden to him.

  “Let’s do one thing. Today it’s my treat. You can invite me another time and I’ll let you pick the tab then,” said Ranveer jokingly, his eyes crinkling with humour.

  Chanda stared. That was the first time she had caught Ranveer smiling with his eyes. Usually, he smiled with his lips, the cheer never touching his eyes.

  “What’s it?” asked Ranveer, catching her look. “Do I’ve spaghetti sticking to my chin or what?” This time his grin was wider, making him look very young.

  Chanda giggled as she shook her head, not able to stop herself. “Of course not.”

  Ranveer moved closer to her, bending down and looking at her eye-to-eye. Chanda caught her breath as her heart beat double-time. She swallowed hard, her face blanching.

  “So what’s funny?” asked Ranveer, trying to read the expression in her eyes. His voice was gentle enough.

  Chanda felt a mite uneasy. Could she tell him what was in her mind? While they had spent most of the last twenty four hours together, she still didn’t know him all that well.

  Ranveer caught her shoulder in a light grip, his stance non-threatening. But he wouldn’t allow her to look away from his gaze. “Tell me.”

  Chanda decided to be truthful. “I’ve never seen you smile.” Before he could interrupt, she continued, “I mean, really smile with the cheer touching your eyes. I’m not talking about the lip service one does for marketing.”

  There, she had said what was on her mind. That’s how Chanda was, innately honest. On her eldest brother Ram’s advice, she very rarely gave her opinion about anything or anyone as she tended to be brutally honest.

  Ranveer’s hand dropped abruptly from her shoulder as he moved away and began walking towards the lift. He was amazed at her observation skills. Oh my God! He knew he wasn’t obvious as no one had noticed that quality about him before. At least, he was sure nobody had. And how had this young lady whom he barely knew, become aware of it?

  Chanda saw Ranveer’s tense shoulders as she followed him. She and her big mouth! Couldn’t she have kept quiet? For one thing, Ranveer was her boss and for another, he was someone she felt attracted to. Chanda saw a quick scene in her mind’s eye - the two of them parting ways. It was definitely not to her liking. Should she apologise?

  Without realising the impact of his silence, Ranveer was back in his shell. He continued to walk towards the car, barely aware of Chanda following him.

  Eighteen

  Ranveer reached the car and while opening the door, he turned to look at Chanda. She was walking towards him, her head bowed, shoulders slouched, a kind of sadness in her gait. He suddenly realised that he must be the cause of it.

  Ranveer put out his hand in invitation as Chanda moved closer. She placed her hand hesitantly in his, but was scared of looking up at him.

  “I’m sorry, Chanda. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that I was surprised to hear you say what you did.” It was the truth and that’s why it had rocked him to the core. But Ranveer didn’t want to put that into words. Suffice to just apologise. He couldn’t condemn Chanda for being so observant.

  Chanda stared at Ranveer in amazement. That was the second time he had surprised her today - in the span of fifteen minutes - first the endearing smile and now the apology. She was impressed and Chanda realised that she liked him all the more for it.

  “I’m sorry too Ranveer. Ram always keeps warning me about my wayward tongue. I didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just—”

  Ranveer stopped her with a raised hand. “Don’t bother to apologise, Chanda. You were right. I was just surprised to see that you noticed. And I’d rather that you’re honest with me always.” He smiled again, quite naturally, his eyes smiling along with his lips.

  Seeing that, Chanda realised that he meant every word that he said and relaxed.

  “What’s your deadline to reach the hostel?” he asked while they settled into the car.

  “11 pm as its Saturday night,” replied Chanda, not too keen on returning to the hostel.

  “Would you like to go for a long ride? I can drop you at the hostel later.”

  Would wonders never cease? It looked like the day with Ranveer was not to end, yet. Chanda nodded her head, quite tongue-tied with joy.

  The BMW took off at a great speed. Chanda didn’t bother to ask where they were going nor did Ranveer tell her. Soft music played in the background and the two of them didn’t utter a word for the next couple of hours as Ranveer drove around Delhi and the suburbs, with no specific destination in mind.

  THE NEXT MORNING, Chanda woke up to check her cell phone. That’s when she noticed at least twenty missed calls. Her phone had been on silent while they were watching the film and she had forgotten to turn it loud.

  All the calls were from home - her parents and brothers. Tch! That had been stupid. Chanda called her home number immediately.

  The phone was lifted on the first ring as her mother asked anxiously on seeing the caller ID, “Chanda? Is that you? You’re okay nah? We—”

  “I’m so sorry, Mamma. My phone was on silent. I was out the whole of yesterday and f
orgot to change it. I hope you weren’t worried,” said Chanda, hearing the anxiety in her mother’s voice.

  “Not now, Chanda. But we were before,” said Meera, relieved.

  All of them took turns talking to the baby of the family as she explained every time how she had gone out to watch a film.

  Chanda was smiling as she put the cell phone down on the side table. She loved her family and how she missed them! She didn’t mind their asking her again and again about not taking their phone calls. They were obviously concerned. She was glad that she would be back home in three months.

  A small shadow crossed Chanda’s beautiful features as she thought of Ranveer. This time round, she would be returning to Jaipur for good. Would she ever meet Ranveer again?

  Think of the devil! Chanda’s phone rang and she saw that it was Ranveer.

  “Hi!”

  “Hi Chanda! Do you have any projects to complete today?” asked Ranveer, coming straight to the point.

  “Er—no. The main project during the final year is the job we’re doing at your company. There’s no other project left.”

  “That’s great. Then you can meet your boss this Sunday and earn extra marks,” he said, tongue-in-cheek.

  Chanda laughed loudly. This was fun! “Hey, that’d be awesome. What do you want to do?”

  “Name a place in Delhi that you’ve wanted to visit but never had the chance,” suggested Ranveer.

  “Hmm—actually, I’d love to go to Dilli Haat. I’ve heard a lot about it, but never got around to going.”

  “Then Dilli Haat it is. Can you be ready in half-an-hour?”

  That fast! Oh my god! She hadn’t even brushed her teeth. Chanda checked the time on her bedside alarm clock. It was just 8.30 am. A smile lit her features as she said, “Yeah, sure!”

  “Great, see you at nine,” said Ranveer before disconnecting the line.

  Chanda got up in a hurry and rushed to the bathroom. Luckily, being Sunday, there was no rush there. She had never got ready so fast in her life before. She wore her favourite red-coloured sleeveless top over knee-length harem pants in black. She rubbed some cream to her face before brushing her hair. It fell in dark waves below her shoulders. She was ready to leave.

  Chanda picked up her handbag before stepping out of her room. She ran down the stairs to go to the garden as she had decided to wait there for Ranveer. As she walked down, she saw Ranveer’s BMW at the gate and rushed to meet him.

  As Chanda got into the car, Ranveer commented with a wide smile, “I truly appreciate a woman who keeps time.”

  Chanda noticed that he smiled more naturally that morning.

  SHIKHA WAS RESTLESS. She hadn’t left in the cab Abhimanyu had ordered for her after the party. She had hung around in the car park, smoking like a chimney. That’s how she noticed Ranveer and Chanda leaving together and kept wondering where they had gone. She had pumped some information from Megha and found out that they couldn’t return to their hostel after 10 pm. So, where was Chanda staying?

  She put two and two together and arrived at an exact four. Shikha had drunk her way through the night and finally it was Abhi who dropped her at home at 4 am.

  Did she feel gratitude for that? Of course not! Shikha didn’t care for Abhimanyu. It was Ranveer who was her target. Shikha paced her small apartment, walking back and forth, her mind working furiously. Saturday was a holiday and there was no way she could contact Ranveer. And she didn’t have that bitch’s phone number. Yeah, Chanda was a bitch, of course. How could she just walk in and take Ranveer away right from under Shikha’s nose?

  Shikha tossed the cheap whisky-on-the-rocks down her throat, not even bothering to taste it. Her hands were shaking slightly, not that she was aware of it. Shikha was oblivious that she had a drinking problem. She believed that she was a social drinker. But two whiskies down already at 12 noon on Saturday was definitely a hazard.

  Her cell phone rang. She went to pick it up eagerly only to see Abhimanyu’s number on it. A scowl marred her features as she took the call and asked, “What’s up Abhi? Did you want something?” Shikha revelled in her rudeness. She so needed a punching bag.

  “Hi Shikha!” said Abhi, his voice soft and polite. “I just wanted to check that you’re alright.”

  “Well, what if I’m not? What do you intend doing about it?” asked Shikha, ruder than ever.

  “I can come over and keep you company,” suggested Abhimanyu, quite serious and meaning every word.

  The moron was ready to come over and spend time with her. What’s wrong with him? Didn’t he have any pride? She had always treated him like a nobody. But here he was, offering to come over. Shikha didn’t know whether to be amazed or angry.

  “You’re joking, right?” she asked.

  Abhimanyu continued in a soothing tone, “I’m quite serious Shikha. You’re quite sloshed yesterday and I was kind of worried. I’ll come over and—”

  Shikha interrupted him with a rude laugh. “Ha ha ha! Very funny! Why do you bother?”

  “Because I care,” said Abhi firmly.

  Abhi cared - for what, for whom? Was he bothered that his favourite boss Ranveer would lose his secretary? Maybe if she fell sick, Abhimanyu would have to do her work too and he was bothered about that. Shikha couldn’t believe that he could genuinely care what happened to her. No one had bothered about her personally, only what they could get out of her.

  “Look here, if you don’t have anything better to do, you can come over here. You don’t have to convince me that you care for me. And don’t you worry that I’ll not turn up for work on Monday,” said Shikha before disconnecting the call.

  Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang. Shikha couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw Abhi standing outside her apartment.

  Nineteen

  Not having been left with a choice, Shikha allowed Abhimanyu into her apartment with great reluctance. She moved away from him, not wanting him to smell the alcohol on her breath. But she had forgotten to consider his intelligence and observation skills. He wasn’t the second-in-command of such a big software company for nothing.

  Abhimanyu caught on immediately that Shikha had been imbibing. He didn’t comment on it as he sat down on the single sofa in the room on realising that he would have to wait forever for an invitation from the woman in front of him. She was beautiful, he could see that. But her looks were shadowed by her terrible habits. There was hardly a day that he had seen her sober and she smoked a couple of packets of cigarettes every day. Over and above all that, she constantly bitched about someone or another.

  Then why was Abhi attracted to her? He didn’t understand it but it was definitely there. He could empathise with her and her insecurities were very obvious to him.

  “Have you had breakfast?” asked Abhimanyu, noticing the empty whisky glass on the table in front of him.

  “Mommy Mommy, why don’t you mind your own business Mommy?” mocked Shikha, a sneer on her face.

  Abhimanyu was unfazed and refused to budge. “I’m planning to have lunch at Nysha Bar & Grill.” He pretended to look at his watch, giving her a surreptitious look, trying to gauge her moves. “I have a table booked for 2 pm and you’re welcome to join me.”

  Shikha’s stomach growled much to her annoyance. But then, she hadn’t eaten much in the past 24 hours. She had, in fact, been suffering from heart burn thinking of Ranveer and Chanda together.

  Abhimanyu got up, “That settles it. You’re hungry and so am I. Let’s go.”

  Shikha wasn’t going to give in so easily, especially as she didn’t even like Abhimanyu. He had some guts, just coming in and trying to run her life. She glared daggers at him and said, “You must go on, Abhi. I have to do some cleaning up as it’s the weekend.” She pointed to the door as she said this.

  Abhimanyu walked towards her, much to Shikha’s irritation. “Come on Shikha, you still have tomorrow off. You can do your cleaning up then. Let’s just have some lunch and I’ll bring you back home straightaway.”


  “Can’t you get it into your thick head that I don’t want to go with you?” said Shikha rudely. Anger and frustration vied with each other as she so wanted to be a part of Ranveer’s life and that wasn’t working out. And over and above that, this old man, Ranveer’s right hand, wanted to go out with her. Why should she settle for second best?

  In the end, the calm and quiet Abhimanyu had his own way. He didn’t give Shikha a choice but to go with him. Coming to the conclusion that she would probably be able to get rid of him only if she had lunch with him, Shikha decided to accept his invitation.

  Shikha was on her worst behaviour and drank her way through lunch. She didn’t care what Abhimanyu thought of her. She wasn’t out to impress him and it wasn’t her fault that they were having lunch together. ‘That should teach him a lesson to force her to go out with him,’ thought Shikha as her empty glass rolled across the table and fell down with a crash. Abhimanyu was stoic through the whole scene and calmly called a cleaner over to clear up the mess.

  And after that, he had the unmitigated gall to go ahead and order a huge lunch. And did he consult her? Of course not! But she wasn’t surprised at his behaviour. She knew that he had no manners, he had no—Shikha’s mind buzzed as her stomach protested against the abuse. She did her best to resist the food but got too tempted and had her share. Abhimanyu watched on with a twinkle in his intelligent eyes, quite confident that Shikha’s bark was worse than her bite.

  He didn’t realise that just because he found Shikha attractive didn’t automatically stop her from being the mean person that she was.

  MONDAY MORNING SAW SHIKHA in her office cabin quite early. She waited eagerly to meet Ranveer. She was sure she would be able to know the way the wind blew on meeting him.

  She was shaken when she saw the Ranveer who walked into his office. He was smiling and that in itself was a rarity. Walking into his cabin to greet him, Shikha was amazed to hear him whistling a tune. Her face darkened as she guessed the reason for his cheerful mood. Doing her best to wipe out the anger on her face, Shikha gave him a shaky smile as Ranveer looked up.