AROUND YOU ✔️

Chapter 21

He is here..!!

"Hey! Kaisi ho??", he smiles at her and sits beside her on the bench leaving a decently little distance.

With a blue slightly ripped jeans and white t-shirt and blue shirt, he was looking charmingly handsome as forever.

"I thought ki salary bhi de aaun aur tabiyat bhi puchh loon. Suna tha bahot tez fever tha.", he says casually as brings out his wallet and looks for cash.

"Kya matlab? Kaisi salary?", she stammers, getting anxious.

"Kya matlab kaisi salary? Dadi Maa ki poore do hafte care ki hai tumne uski salary aur kya?", Mahir innocently asks her back and seeks into her eyes. Those eyes glinting with so many shades of mischief.

Bela quickly turns her eyes.

"I think aapko koi misunderstanding hui hai. Na hi main aapke ghar gayi hoon aur na hi kisi ki care ki hai..", she says pretending to be offended.

She never thought that he would talk to her on this topic as soon as he came.

"Oh very sorry! Mujhe shayad galatfehmi hui hai. Jaise tumhe haveli mein pehle dekha ho. Ho jaati hai kabhi kabhi itni similarities, nahi?!!", he says and asks her back frowning casually.

"Well! It's so amazing that girl Sanam just looked like you. Lekin thi bahot stupid aur unmannered. Jaise dekho na job chhodte waqt na hi woh kisi ko bata kar aayi, na kisi se mili aur na hi salary li. Mom bhi keh rahi thi ki agar woh ladki dubara mili toh bahot class lengi uski..", he looks at her hung head with a smile.

"Achcha! Woh manners nahi jaanti thi aur khud kya hain?? Saari raat bukhar mein padi thi aur aapne kamre mein jhaank kar bhi nahi dekha ki kis haal mein hoon...

Waise toh 'saare jahan ka dard humare dil mein' ka poster bane phirte hain aur ek bechari ladki beemar thi uski khabar nahi li. Saari hamdardi jhoot aur dikhawa. Saare bhalai wala program ek drama..", she accuses back outrageously.

Mahir looks at her for some moments then laughs out loud - "Oh my Sweetheart!! Mujhe uske agle din hi yahan Bangalore aana tha. Mujhe khabar hi nahi hui ki tumhari tabiyat itni kharab hai. Warna program hi cancel kar deta."

He tells her and then whispers in her ear - "Aur wahin ruk jaata.. Tumhare paas..."

He observes her changing expressions, the face that was heating with angers, was now heating in something else.

He notices a slight tint of red on her cheeks as she bit her lips to restrain herself from smiling.

"Mujhe nahi pata tum haveli kis maqsad ke liye aayi thi par main jaanta tha ki tum Uday Uncle ki beti ko jo meri hamsafar banne wali hai. Jise pehli baar dekhte hi main dil haar gaya tha...", he confesses seriously as the words directly comes out from his heart.

Bela's heartbeats increase and she and she whispers - "Kab? Haveli mein dekhte hi??"

"Nahi! Ooty ki haseen waadiyon mein..", he waves her card before her, bringing out of his pocket.

"Yeh!! Aapko mera card kahan se mila..?", she quickly takes her card.

"Jab aap wahan behosh padi mili thi tab yeh wahi reh gaya tha.."

"Toh kya aapne hi Vishakha ko inform kiya tha??", she looks at him with surprised eyes.

He nods his head sheepishly and chuckles.

"Lagta hai aapki hifazat ki poori zimmedari upar waale ne humare zimme hi likhi hai..."

He sobers up in a second - "Aur main yeh zimmedari poori honesty ke saath zindagi bhar nibhane ka waada karta hoon.", he holds her soft hands and says with pure honesty.

Bela looks at him and he looks at her.  They lost themselves in each others' eyes. There was something new, something pure. Their gaze locks and everything becomes oblivious.

The kick-start of a new journey in the morning with beautiful feelings, locked eyes and entwined hands.

Bela breaks the eye lock first as she reflexes her eyes and Mahir smiled seeing her shyness.

"Erm..! Woh..", Bela closes her eyes with a deep breath and narrates him about everything. How she was unhappy of this proposal. How much wrong she was about his lifestyle and how she wanted to reject him.

"Magar yaar!! Iss poore maamle mein yeh toh kahin malum nahi ho raha ki tumne haan kyun kari??"

Bela blushes to the root of her hairs, pondering what to answer him.

She has been an ambivert. But when it comes to say about what goes in her heart, she closes her heart and become a complete introvert. She is someone who never opens about her feelings and what she is going through.

So how can she tell him why she said yes even when she's unsure about everything?

"Actually.. Erm.. I.. I..", she stammers and the colours' of her face fades.

Mahir heart goes bewildered watching at her changing expressions. Understanding her inner battle, he quickly changes the topic.

"Waise, you noticed?? We are twinning yet again."

Bela looks at him and nods, "Yeah!"

"Bahot khoobsurat lag rahi ho..", he whispers and turns his face to the other side as this words slip out of his tongue. Bela's heart do somersault as she feels all the blood rush to her cheeks.

"Aap bhi..", she murmured.

"What??? Main khoobsurat?", he exclaims in shock.

"Noooooooo!", Bela hurls, her eyes go wide.

"It's.. it's just I.. I.. meant.. hand... handsome..", she says with utter difficulty.

Mahir laughs and says, "Thank you! Erm.. Let's go in. Sab wait kar rahe honge..", he stands up shoving his hand in the pocket of his jeans.

"Lekin.. Sab mujhe pehchan lenge aur... Main.. main kaise? ", she asks in incoherent words. She confessed everything before him because somehow she was comfortable with him but how to tell them who are here to meet Bela. Won't they think wrong about her?

"Heyy! Why are you getting worked up..? Don't worry.. Main sab sambhal lunga.. Waada kiya hai na maine tumse aur main usse nibhaunga..", Mahir reassures her firmly and gives her hand to her.

After a while, Bela holds his hands and they walks towards the living room with tiny steps.

"Bela! Yeh toh tumne bataya hi nahi ki unn paison ka kya karna hai? Tumhari salary?", he asks holding her hands tight.

"Usse Mrinal Raichand ko donate kar dijiye..", she says in utter jealousy and he laughs out loud.

His jovial laughing sound goes till far.

Bela looks at him with affection dripping off her eyes. He senses her eyes on him and moves his head in gesture of asking 'what happened'. Bela shrugs her head in negative and says looking into his eyes deeply as he smiles at her.

"Mahir..! Everything is alright..
Around You"..

******

THE END!