CBG#8 LOVE ON THE LINE

Chp:-4 Story For Another Time

ABHISHEK SINGH RAIZAADA

After my meeting with the judges of, 'Food Frenzy India,' I headed to the, 'Fifty Five East' restaurant in the Grand Hyatt Mumbai where Kashish had asked me to meet her.

As I entered the restaurant, I looked around and spotted Kashish at the far end of the room. She looked stunning in her black dress, but something seemed off. As I approached her, I could hear Kashish speaking in an irritated tone to the waiter who had accidentally spilled wine on her dress.

"What is wrong with you? Can't you be more careful?" Kashish snapped at the waiter.

I immediately stepped in, "It was just an accident, Kashish. He didn't mean to do it."

Kashish turned her attention towards me, "I know it was an accident, but it's so frustrating. Look at my dress!"

I apologized to the waiter on Kashish's behalf and assured him and the manager that everything was okay. Finally, Kashish calmed down, and we were shown to our table.

After settling in and ordering our food, I asked Kashish about her day.

"It was fine, nothing special. What about you?" Kashish replied.

I recounted my day, and then eventually finally gathered the courage to ask Kashish about our high school party night. "Kashish, I know this is a touchy subject, but can you tell me what happened between you, Rahul, and Dakshita?"

Kashish looked uneasy and fumbled a bit before answering, "Nothing you don't know, Rahul and Dakshita used to bully me. They were always teasing me and making fun of me in front of everyone."

My blood boiled with hatred towards Rahul and Dakshita, but deep down, I still felt like there was something more to it. I persisted, "Is that all there is to it? Did anything else happen?"

Kashish quickly changed the topic, "Abhishek, let's not talk about this now. I don't want to spoil our evening."

I knew that I wasn't going to get any answers from Kashish for now. So, I decided to let it go and enjoy the evening with her.

We talked about other things, caught up with each other's lives, and enjoyed our food. However, in the back of my mind mind, I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to the story than what Kashish had told me. And it felt like I can seek all answers from one person only, Dakshita Raichand.

DAKSHITA RAICHAND

After I came back from the sets of the show, me and Samaira di went to our maternal uncle, Deepak mamu's house to have dinner with Pranav bhai and his wife Priya bhabhi. Mamu and Mami were in Toronto, visiting everyone. Abhinav Hinduja, a member of the CBG gang, our family friend and Sammy di and Dev bhaiya's best friend, is also here with us. Abhinav happens to be Priya bhabhi's rakhi brother. Their moms are childhood bestfriends that is how they became close and developed that bond.

Pranav bhaiya said, "Hey Dakshita, good to see you! You're looking all fancy. Are you going to judge us on our cooking too?"

I said, "Haha, nope. Just here to enjoy the food and the company. Priya bhabhi is a great cook I know that."

Priya bhabhi chuckled and said, "Thank you Chef. Well, we've prepared a feast for you guys. And I heard you're a big shot judge on that cooking show. How's that going?"

I said, "It's going great, actually. The contestants seem to be really talented and passionate. And I can't wait to taste all kinds of amazing dishes."

Abhinav said, "Ah, yes. The Food Frenzy India, right? That show is blowing up already before going air. And I hear our boy Abhishek is the sponsor."

I said, "Yeah, Abhishek has been a great support. And seems like he's always been passionate about food and hospitality despite being a businessman, so it's a natural fit for him."

Samaira di said, "Don't tell me you two are in cahoots now. Is he your new BFF or something?"

I took a deep breath and looked down at my plate, trying to steady myself before speaking. "You know, Abhishek may be a great businessman and all, but he's a real jerk when it comes to me," I said, looking up at my family.

Samaira di raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

I let out a sigh. "He's always putting up this facade of being nice to me in front of everyone, but he's actually really rude to me. He treats me like I'm some sort of bully, or a criminal thanks to the high school days. like I'm always out to get him or something. He thinks I bullied Kashish back in school along with Rahul. He always hated Rahul."

Pranav bhai chuckled. "Maybe he's just intimidated by you, Dakshita. You are one of the judges on his show, after all."

I shook my head. "No, it's not that. It's like he's got this weird vendetta against me or something. And it's not just that, he's also been acting really strange lately."

Abhinav leaned forward. "What do you mean, strange?"

I took a deep breath and launched into the story of the embarrassing face-off I had with Abhishek at Soham and Aashi's wedding reception. "He was being his usual rude self, calling me names and taunting me. And I just... I don't know what came over me, I just started babbling about Rahul Sabbharwal and my ex-boyfriend, trying to piss him off. And then he kissed me, wildly and I slapped him, and he called me a slut and accused me of throwing myself at him. I slapped him again and walked off..."

My voice trailed off as I looked down feeling ashamed and embarrassed all over again.

There was a moment of stunned silence before Priya bhabhi spoke up. "What a jerk! I can't believe he would do something like that!"

Pranav bhai nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's really not okay. Have you talked to him about it?"

I shook my head. "No, I haven't. I don't even know how to bring it up. I haven't seen him or spoke to him since Soham Bhai's wedding. And besides, it's not just that incident. He's just been... different, lately. Like he's not himself."

Abhinav leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You know, I've noticed that too. He's been really distant lately, and he seems to be getting more and more involved with Kashish."

Samaira di rolled her eyes. "Ugh, don't even get me started on her. She's such a fake bitch."

Pranav bhaiya nodded. "Yeah, I don't know what Abhishek sees in her. But the point is, Dakshita, it's not about you. It's about him. He's the one with the problem, not you."

I nodded slowly, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. "Yeah, you're right. I just... I don't know. I don't understand why he hates me so much, what did I do so wrong. It's hard not to take it personally, you know? Besides that, Abhishek and I had a very good rapport, we were real good friends you know and out of the blue things went south I don't know why and how. His coldness is infuriating. I miss him."

Abhinav gave me a warm smile. "I know, I know. But trust me, it's not about you. And besides, we all love you, no matter what."

Samaira di reached over and squeezed Dakshita's hand. "Yeah, don't ever forget that."

I smiled, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. "Thanks, you guys. I really appreciate it."

"Dakshi, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly had happened in the unofficial Holi/Ecole Mondiale party night? I know you aren't the kind of person who'll let anyone bully yourself, so who was the person Rahul and you were protecting and why?" Abhinav sighed and asked. I froze on the spot.

(A:N - Ecole Mondiale is the school in Juhu, Mumbai where most of the members of the CBG have studied.)

Pranav bhai, Priya bhabhi and Sammy di looked surprised by his question. I didn't expect him to ask this to me. I felt extremely uncomfortable at this point to say or discuss anything about this. My phone rang and it was Rajveer. Absolute saviour.

I said, "I...uh...that's a story for another time. Excuse me please. " I took Rajveer's call.

ABHISHEK RAIZAADA WHEN WILL YOU COME AROUND?........................