Phoenix Love

Part 1

"Sunscreen?" 

"Check."

"Towels?"

"Check"

"First aid?"

"Bani, tum naagin ho. Woh cheel hai, first aid kit is not necessary. You guys have supernatural healing anyway"

"Rakh lo na." 

"Bani, bekaar ka saman pack kar rahi ho, dumbo." 

For the past three and a half hours, Bani and Vanshika had been checking and re-checking all the bags packed to make sure they didn't leave behind anything. 

"Bani, mujhe na ek baat samajh hi nahi aa rahi hai ki tu itna samaan pack kar hi kyu rahi hai? It is just a week trip. Ek week ke kiye tujhe itni saari cheezein kyu chahiye?" Meera asked, exasperated. 

"Meera di, kuch bekaar ka saaman nahi hai." Bani argued. 

"Mujhe toh sirf ek hi cheez se fark padta hai. Bas mere kabab mein haddi banne wale bhai kahin dikhayi na de ek hafte ke liye." Veer commented to Meera. She laughed at that. 

"Abh dekho Tapish aur Sam ki guarantee hai ki tumhari holiday kharab na kare but Ponky aur Daksh ka pata nahi." Meera pointed out. 

"Bas wahi do toh hai jo kabab mein haddi ban jaate hai." Veer worried. 

"Abh tum apne bhaiyo se deal karo." 

"Come on. Aap toh Meera bhabhi hai. Aap bolo toh kuch." 

"Mujhe iss sabh mein nahi padna. Bohot pak gayi hun tumhare bhaiyo ki harkaton se. Mere office na aaye toh badi baat hai mere liye. Pata chala tumhe bachane ke chakkar mein apne sar mushkil utha li." 

Meera held up her hands in surrender. Tapish entered the room. "Veer, sun. Maine unhe call karke specifications de di hai. It should be done by the time you're there. Airport se tum dono ko lene hotel ki car aa jaayegi. Toh uss sabh ka tension nahi hai." Tapish handed over the itinerary to Veer. 

"Thank you but dono bandaro ka bhi kuch kar do." Veer told him. 

"Teri kismat acchi hui toh theek warna meri problem nahi hai." 

Vanshika, Meera and Tapish existed the room. Vanshika winked at Veer. Veer raised an eyebrow at her. "Surprise milega tujhe." Veer knew to trust Vanshika's place. The viper knew how to get people into traps. "Aur dono bandaro ko main handle kar lungi." 

"Par karogi kya?" 

"Well, ghar baithe baithe jhak maare isse accha hai ki mera kaam kar le. Daksh ko toh office ke kaam mein laga dungi. Ponky ke liye dursa kaam hai. But the result would depend ki uski phate nahi." 

Veer started to get doubtful. "Ek minute do you plan to take him down the snake hole? Bechare ki jaan haath mein aa jaayegi." 

"Itna pyaar hai toh le jaa apne saath." Vanshika offered. 

"On second thoughts, I don't care. Bas zinda wapas le aana." 

Veer and Vanshika laughed. 

"Oh, hello, jokes maarne ho gaye ho toh please remember what I have told you. Do not mess up anything. Kaafi mushkil se sabh control mein aa raha hai Naaglok mein. Waise toh maine Bela se keh rakha hai but please... careful." Bani told her. 

"Kuch karo iska. Jab wapas aaye toh mujhe ek refreshed Bani chahiye." Vanshika told Veer. 

"Itna refreshment hoga ki Bani ko fursat nahi hogi tujhe call karke puchne mein." Veer winked. The two laughed and gave each other a hi-five. 

"Sam?" Vanshika asked. It came softly, almost making no eye contact with Veer. 

"Phone kahan leke gaya hai? Jab sir ka man kareka tabh call karega. Warna koi khabar nahi." Veer answered her. Bani looked at Veer and Vanshika and realized they were talking about Sam. 

"Anyway, guys, enjoy. Bani, mere liye gift le aana. Also, tu saari tension ghar chodke jaa." Vanshika gave a grin to Bani. 

"Jab mauka tha, tabh kuch kiya nahi aur abh nahi hai toh uske baar mein hi puch rahi hai." Bani commented. 

"Kaha bhi na jaaye aur raha bhi na jaaye. Jo humare dil ki baat jaan lete the woh humari khamoshi na padh paaye." Vanshika commented. Veer laughed at her. 

"Yeh shayari pehle di hoti toh abhi akele na hote." He teased her. 

"Tu meri chod. Tu enjoy kar bas. I'll anyway be really busy. 7 clients ka deal close karna hai. Hardly have any time for anything else." 

Bani remembered the day she heard Sam's plan. Only Veer and Tapish knew of it before her. 

"Zaroorat hi kya hai?" Veer asked him. 

"Veer bhai, aapko bhi pata hai ki main ghar sirf isiliye aaya kyuki mujhe laga ki mushkilein hai. Abh sabh theek hai toh I think I'll return back to my old life. Yahan rehke konsa jhande gaadh rahe hai?" 

"V?" 

"Veer bhai, woh na tabh keh paayi aur na aaj keh paayegi. Baat zubaan tak aate aate ruk jaati hai uske. Baad ki baat baad mein dekhenge." 

"Tum jaa rahe ho?" Bani asked walking in. She grabbed the bag from him. 

"Bhabhi, bag do na. Yahan rehke kya kar lun? Ghar pe baithke bore ho jaaunga." Sam exclaimed. 

"Toh mere saath tu office chal lena." 

"Bhabhi, kya baccho waali harketein kar rahe ho. Bag do." 

The two started running around the room. Veer stopped Bani, took the bag from her and gave it to Sam. He could look at his face and know what he feels. 

"Bani, jaane do. Koi baat khaaye jaa rahi hai use. Jab theek lagega toh aa jaayega." Veer told her. 

"Veeranshu, aise kaise? This is not fair." 

"Sweetheart, life fair nahi hoti. Ya toh idhar ho ya udhar ho. Beech mein phaske rahe toh matlab nahi." 

"I can't believe ki tum use support kar rahe ho. Use rokne ki jagah use jaane de rahe ho." 

"Pata tha ki aap bhi dad ki tarah react karoge isiliye Veer bhai aur Tapish bhai ko hi batake jaane waala tha." Sam groaned. 

"Haan toh ismein galat bhi kya hai? Yeh koi hotel hai kya? Jab marzi aaye jab marzi chale gaye?"

"Pinjra bhi toh nahi hai na ki zabardasti baithe rahe?"

Sam and Bani got into an argument. Bani assumed that because she was angry, he might stay back but the morning she got up, he was already gone. She was still angry at him for leaving like that but after a while the anger settled down and only worry was left behind. 

Brushing aside all of that, Veer and Bani prepared for their holiday trip. She had anyway tried to move ahead. It has already been 5 months since he was gone. Pawan got used to it. Balwant got used to it. Daksh and Ponky anyway didn't care much because they knew Sam doesn't like being caged. A free bird doesn't enjoy living in closed walls without any encouragement to stay.

"Bani, tum Sam ke baare mein mat socho. He's going to be fine. Uski life thodi alag hai. Main nahi keh sakta ki exactly kya hai but Sam gets agitated quickly. Bohot samajhdaar hai but still insecure bhi hai. Ya toh iss taraf ho ya uss taraf. He doesn't like to be stuck in the middle."

"I know par iss tarah problem se bhaagne se thodi na solution nikal aayega?"

"Sweetheart, Sam khud ko sambhal lega. Can we focus on ourselves? Sabh issues ko apne speed se handle karte hai. It's only fair to let them do it their way." Veer put an arm around her shoulder.

Bani sighed. Veer did have a point. There was no point in getting hyper about Sam. Surely he'll be fine.

'Bholenath, bas use safe rehne dena. Bas itni hi request hai.'