Kismat Connection Part 4

chaahe ya na chaahe''tumhe iss poore tour mein mere saath hi rehna hoga, mere wife Mrs Riya Malhotra bankhar!! Tumme convince karke mere paas waapas laana hi hai''..I have enough time sweetheart!!

 Riya opened her eyes with a startle..."did he just call me???" She had just closed her eyes and was in a sweet trance and she felt as if he lovingly woke her up from that trance.......telepathy or intuition, whatever that was, she heard him talk lovingly and endearingly to her......she looked up at his direction to find that he was gazing at her too.......their eyes locked for a couple of seconds...........She had never ever seen him look at her this way.....something was different.....unique and distinct! not just attraction, but something even more intense......those eyes and that romantic look was more than enough to make her fall  flat!......a slight blush creeped up her dimpled chin and she turned away!

"not so easily Sir" she muttered to herself and sported one of her cute naughty smiles....

Shree was standing just behind her and was witness to all this romantic eye lock and her subsequent smiles....

Riya: Shreeeee tum kab aayen??

Shree: helloooo dreamy queen......main kab gaya aane keliye.......main toh yahi tumaare paas wali chair mein tha......par mere khayaal se tum yahaan hokhar bhi nahi thi!

Riya: [staring] kya matlab?

Shree: woh chodo.....yeh bataao, yeh tumaare aur Arjun SIR ke beech mein kya chal raha hai?? Yeh aankhon se khelna.....tumaare rootna, unka manaana....i mean manaanae ki khoshish.....kya chakhar hai boss???

Riya: [shrugging] pati patni hai....tho kuch na kuch tho chalega hi na???......[smiles cheekily at him].

Shree: ohhhhhhhhhhh..toh yeh sab pati patni ka funda hai!!! isliye Arjun sir ne kal raat mujhe call kiya.....ab sab kuch clear hogaya.....haaye haaye kitna romantic hai!!!

Riya looks at him enquiringly and Shree tells her about the phone call....Riya is happy that Arjun is trying to take his first step towards her.......she is convinced that her plan would definitely succeed.......

 Riya: [snapping out] accha Shree mujhe aaj na jaldi jaana hai.....kuch shopping bhi karni hai......tumaara kya plan hai??

 Shree: shopping tho mujhe bhi karna hai.....chalo sameer sir se poochthe hai......

 [they get permission and leave.....Shree is a bit confused that Riya never once told that she was leaving to Arjun.....as soon as they reach the parking area]

 Shree: tum apne "sanjhe ya samjhaavum" se nahi kahogi......

 Riya: main message kar loongi....tum bike nikhaalo.....

 Shree: zaroor kar dena....warna meri band bajaa dega!! [laughs and they leave together]

 [Arjun, who was busy in his cabin didnt know that Riya left office.....He searches for her and then gets to know from Sameer that she left early.......He is really furious that she didnt inform him about it......He walks back to his cabin.....completes some of his pending work which was required for the Ooty case...........then he leaves.....

 he comes to an empty home which he finds rather disturbing.....where the hell was Riya?? she had left office almost 3 hours back and wasnt home yet.......He didnt want to call her and give her an impression that he was controlling her......So he decided to wait.......

 He changed into his tracks and decided to spend time in the terrace garden.........He didnt know when he slipped into a nap sitting on the garden swing........he snapped back to his senses when his mobile buzzed.....It was a message from Riya.....

"aap kahaan ho Sir??"]

 [In an impulse, he replied back "tum kahaan ho RIYA?"]

 He immediately came down to his flat knowing well that she was back........As she was typing the message, he came in......she immediately stopped and cancelled the message

 Riya: [ignoring his angry face] main shopping pe gayi thi.....kal jaana hai na....toh maine socha ke kuch gharam kapde le loom...

 Arjun: [glaring at her] tum mujhe keh khar jaa sakthi thi!! [it wasnt a question but an angry accusation and Riya could read his mind well]

 Riya: maine Sameer sir se poocha tha.....meraa kaam bhi complete hogayi thi.....aur phir Shree bhi saath tha....tho [Arjun snapped her short]

 Arjun: tho????tho kya Riya??? tumne socha ke isse kyun bataavum, right???

 Riya: nahi aisi baat nahi.....main message karne hi waali thi....par pathaa nahi kaise dimaag se nikhal gaya......sorry!

 Arjun: [angrily] kitni aasaan hai.....galthi karo aur phir ek sorry kehdho.....sab kuch teek hogaya na??

 Arjun walks to his room without waiting for her reply....Riya speechlessly stands staring at him thinking in her mind......."sir, kaash aap apne dil ki baat keh paathe! kaash aap keh paathe ke pati hoom teraa, jaan ne ka hakh hai meraa"

 After about half an hour, he doesnt come out of his room.....so she decides to bow down......she goes to his room

Meanwhile, he has cooled down a bit too......

 Riya: dinner ready hai.....

 Arjun looks up at her....but before he could say something, she interrupts him "sir , plzz....gussa khaane par matth nikhaaliye!"

 Seeing her mellowed down and talking to him, he also mellows down...Afterall he also wishes  that everything becomes normal between them......So he gets up and walks to the table.....

 Riya: zyaadha kuch mujhe aatha nahi par....i hope you like it.....

 Arjun looks at the dinner table....after Roshni, this table usually remained empty......nobody cooked or served at the table......

 So memories of Roshni serving his favorite food to him flashes before his eyes.......a lone tear appears at the end of his eyes.......

 Riya: kya hua Sir??......I know ke aapko yeh sab accha nahi lagega......but aapka favor mujhe waapas karna bhi tha na??? [Arjun looked at her not knowing what she meant....she continued to explain] kal aapne mere liye sandwich banaaya tha....tho maine socha......[shows the dinner and blinks her eyes....]

  Arjun : [sarcastically] oh....FAVOR huh!!....[those words from her had hurt him somewhere......she was again trying to keep up a distance and that hurt.......he didnt show it out.....his ego prevented him from going to her and saying that "tum meri patni ho....tho favor kaisa??"......he couldnt tell her what he felt......instead, he sat down......served himself and ate in silence.....]

 Before they parted for the day....

 Arjun: khaana bohat accha thaa.....thanks Riya!

 Riya: [overjoyed] YOU ARE WELCOME sir! [thats dedicated to Saturday’s episode!!]

 Riya: Sir, main apni bags pack karne waali hoom.....aapki kuch help karoom???

 Arjun: nahi.....tum jaao.....main kar loonga!

 The rest of the night was uneventful.....He watched some english movie for a long time......She was awake all along....but refrained from going and watching it with him......Instead, she packed her bags....she packed her bags carefully picking clothes that suited her role.....she was going there as a newly wedded wife.....and not a cop......So her dress code had to match up with that.....She wondered if Arjun sir remembers that and packs accordingly......but she didnt dare to remind him of that......]

 Next morning brought with it a fresh ray of light.....both had left behind the previous night's tension....the fight and the anger seemed to have evaporated with the sleep....

 Both were ready as usual.....they had a flight in the afternoon.....So it was decided that they would get ready and assemble in office in the morning......

 Riya was dressed in a maroon and half white churidhar suit.....she was sporting the glow of a new bride.....and Arjun wasnt complaning.....he couldnt take his eyes off her...She looked gorgeous in that traditional outfit.......He looked as if he was preparing himself for the husband role too.....

a fully dedicated and romantic husband.....Riya on the other hand, was having a strange turmoil within her about how she would ignore him when he was going to be close to her 24*7........she knew that she was going to have a tough time.......she would definitely be between hell and heaven.....on one side, she was happy that Arjun would be with her and on another side, she would be struggling to remain grounded and firm to her decisions.....She didnt want to float her emotions high and then fall back disappointed.......She had taken enough steps towards him...now the turn was his....only his......

 Arjun heard Chotu and Shree commenting top class at Riya.....They were all praises for her beauty and style......

 Airport was no exception.....All heads turned seeing her walk in.....Arjun was stealing glances of her.......but she didnt seem to notice anyone...not even him for that matter.......She was busy chatting away with Shree and Chotu...Arjun was a bit irritated by the attention she was getting from the other guys around........"Irritated" would be a wrong word to use......It was jealousy....yeah that was the term though Arjun hated to admit it........

 Soon, they boarded the flight.......All were seated except Riya.....Riya stood pleading with Chotu to exchange places......

 Riya: plzz chotu.....udhar Arjun sir ke saath beto na???

 Chotu: tumhe aadat si hogayi apne friends ko marwane ki......Arjun sir ko dekhaa.......kaise ghur rahe teh.......agar chance miley toh mujhe aur Shree ko kacccha khaa jaayenge.......nahi baba nahi.....mujhe toh apni jaan pyari hai.....agar mujhe kuch hogayaa toh phir mere 11:30 waali ka kya hoga??..[Riya looked at Shree with pleading eyes......]

 Shree: [understanding what she wanted] naaaah.......tum jaao aur apni patidev ki saath beto.....

 Arjun was restlessly swifting in his seats.....his hands urged to pull Riya to the seat next to him....

“yeh kitne baatein karthi hai”.....Without any further thoughts......he stood up "Riyaaaaa" [he called her rightfully like a husband and as she turned to him] "zara idhar aana plzzz.."

 Shree: dekho ab unki bulaava bhi aagaya.....ab jaao meri maa....[The airhostess also came and requested her to take her seat as the flight was preparing for take off]

 Without a choice, Riya walked to her seat and settled besides Arjun......

Arjun tilted his head towards her and whispered into her ears "tum teenon ki baatein katham hi nahi hoti"

 Riya was surprised by his casual talk........also the sudden closeness and the feel of his breath on her face had left her baffled....She shook herself up and recovered "main seats exchange karne ki khoshish kar rahi thi"

 Arjun: [annoyed] kyun??? mere paas baetnae se darr lagtha hai kya?

 Riya: nahi nahi......yahaan bore ho jaavungi.....wahaan pe Shree ya chotu ke saath baat tho kar sakthi hoom......

 Arjun: [in a spur of the moment, true words from his heart comes out] thodi baatein mujhse bhi karlo.......[soon he added] warna baaki log kya sochenge......

 Riya: [sarcastically] acchaaaaaa....aur aap ko kabse baaki logon se matlab hogayi??

 Arjun: jabse tum meri life mein aayi ho Riya.....sab kuch badhal sa gayaa hai [it was the moment of love for both but soon he snapped out and corrected] i mean, jabse Arjun malhotra banaa hoom, sab kuch badhal gaya na???......aur waise bhi meri duty se tho matlab hai mujhe.......pati, patni bankhar jaa rahe hain......

 Riya: ohhh yeah......main tho bhool hi gayi thi......humhe honeymoon couple ke tharaa act karna hai, right SIR??? [she caught hold of his upper arm and dragged him closer to herself] itna close rahein tho chalega??? ya aur paas aana hai???? [her sudden action brought a whole new sensation within him.......He never expected that......but she had done it in a sarcastic way and so she moved away in the same speed.......both became silent after that......he grinned and tried concentrating at the air hostess who was giving away instructions for emergency situations.......]

 [Arjun remembered their previous flight together........even then, they were forced to sit together and as the flight took off,she had closed her eyes in fear and gripped his hands tightly........he was mad at her for hurting his hand with her long nails.....

 This time around, he was prepared for that.......but she didnt hold him......Instead, she just closed her eyes and sent a quick prayer..........It looked as if she was consciously making an attempt not to touch him at all…..

 He smiled at her efforts and took her hands in his.......She opened her eyes with a startle and tried to free her hands but he forcefully kept her hand on the arm rest and placed his hand on hers.......she kept looking at him like a hypnotized puppet and didnt know when the flight took off.....Nothing affected her.......the jerks, the shrill sounds, the rattle.......absolutely nothing.....She felt secure.......

 Her logical mind argued “get a grip on your emotions Riya…..you cant slip away just like that”

But her heart fought back….”arrey chill yaar……meri dry life mein thodi si greenery aayi hai…..tho iss pal ko tho jeebar ke jee loom….phir sab kuch control karloongi” ….. she silenced her mind and refrained from thinking further……

 she smiled to herself and rested her head on the head rest......The hands remained entwined for the rest of the journey........both were enjoying the silent bliss.......neither did she protest nor did he free her hands......

 Shree and Chotu were enjoying the romantic scenes from the diagonally opposite row.......Sonali and Sameer were happy and nodded to each other seeing Arjun and Riya together like this......

Sameer told Sonali..."this trip would be successful in more than one ways!!"

 Sonali replied with a wink "successfull and memorable Sameer!!"

 She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulders........it was after a very long time that they were spending quality time together......it was their long delayed honeymoon as per Sonali......

 The thud of the landing brought our couple back to reality…Riya withdrew her hand from his and composed herself…..

 The flight landed at Coimbatore around 4 PM in the evening.......They were supposed to join a tourist bus which would start around 4:30 -5 PM.....A group of around 25-30 people…..most of them were newly married couples…..there were 2-3 families with kids and elders too…..Chotu and Shree were supposed to be posing as bachelors (colleagues from the same software firm) on a long vacation….

 There were no confusions regarding the seats in the bus……Riya and Arjun had to sit together like any other couple…….

 The bus started its journey…Romantic tamil and hindi songs kept playing to meet up the mood of the tourists……Riya sat near the window and was enjoying the greenery………

Soon the bus started climbing up to the hill top……there were sharp hair pin bends and steep ascents……..The driver slowly and carefully steered the bus……

 Suddenly……..Riya stood up and shouted “STOP THE BUS!!”

 Arjun who had dozed off for a few seconds jumped up “kya hua Riya??”

 RIya: [closed her mouth and asked him to move out of her way…he moved away as she commanded] water bottle lekhar mere saath chalo……

 [The bus stopped immediately and Riya rushed outside……She was feeling sick due to the climb and having a vomit sensation…….She vomited the snacks she had at Coimbatore…….Arjun was standing behind her and rubbing her back to comfort her……..She washed her face and mouth with the water he gave…….then he brought her back to the bus……All the passengers including the ETF team were worried and concerned for her…….She gestured to them that she was fine and just needed to rest……An old lady who was sitting on the other side of the same row passed her a lemon and asked her to keep smelling it when she felt uneasy………the bus started off again…..]

 Arjun: ab kaisa feel kar rahi ho??

 Riya: behthar hoom…….sorry, aap sab ko pareshani hui…..i don’t know why?? Isse pehle aise travel sickness nahi hui hai……

 Arjun: No problem Riya……..high ranges mein hota hai kabhi kabhi…….tum thodi dher so jaao…..aaraam milega……

Just then, the old woman leaned sideways and whispered something into Arjun’s ears…….Arjun fiercely shook his head in disagreement….the lady just smiled and went back to her position…….

 Arjun started smiling after that……..Riya was confused by the whole thing……She couldn’t control her curiosity to know what was happening…..

 Riya: kya hua sir??? Itna smile?? Uss aunty ne kuch joke kahaa kya?

 Arjun: kuch nahi…..bas aise hi……

 Riya: but then why are you smiling???

 Arjun: main bathaa doonga phir kyun bathaaya, yeh math poochna??

 Riya: nahi poochoongi…..aap bathaayiye……

 Arjun: woh pooch rahi thi kaunsa maheena hai????                                               

 Riya: tho iss mein itna smile karne waali kya baat hai…SIR??

 Arjun: main bhi kis bevakoof ko bathaa rahaa hoom??? RIYAAA…..woh samjhi ki tum pregnant ho…..ab samjhi ya samjhaavum…..

 [Riya blushes profusely and turns away]

 Riya was smiling all the way along….it was an awkward moment for both of them.....but it was a cute romantic moment and both felt an unique comfort level settling between them……..

 Precap: Sterling resorts…..honeymoon cottages…….Arjun and Riya sharing the same room…..few tiffs between them…..Arjun’s little attempts in making her feel at ease!!

 [To be continued]