Aboli

Part 65

 Randhir had spent the better part of the morning trying to gather his wits and to reach Sanyukta on the phone. When he woke up in his room it was nine in the morning and his head was throbbing. The events of the night were a blur and he struggled to remember, trying to piece them together. He could clearly recall the passionate kiss he had shared with Sanyukta before leaving her in Tanya's room and heading back to his own room for the meeting.

The meeting had  left him feeling powerless, stressed and conflicted. While his parents continued to chat with their business partner he had swigged some shots of vodka from the half empty bottle lying on the side table, trying to come to terms with the challenging new situation. He was used to handling his alcohol and had never lost control. But based on how he was feeling something was surely amiss. He wondered if someone had slipped something into the vodka because as much as he tried he could not recall what had happened afterwards and how he ended up sprawled on the bed dressed only in his boxers. His clothes lay strewn on the luggage rack. 

Mercifully his phone lay next to him on the bed. He tried calling both Sanyukta and Tanya but their phones were switched off. He took a few minutes in the bathroom and put on a set of fresh clothes. When he went across to Tanya's room the housekeeping crew were servicing the room and informed him that the guest had checked out earlier in the morning. He could not stomach the idea of trying Vishad's phone or his room so he returned to his own room and started to pack, continuing to try Sanyukta's number continuously. It was still switched off.

Finally he tried Parth's phone and a sleepy voice answered. Neither Parth nor Vidushi had any clue about Sanyukta's or Tanya's whereabouts but Parth mentioned that their parents had left the resort as soon as the meeting was over. After a brief conversation Parth had gone back to sleep. The young couple had had a tiring day followed by a long night. After a moment's hesitation Randhir called on Anju's number and was disappointed to know that that it was unreachable. Randhir hopped over to the coffee shop to grab some black coffee and breakfast. He downed an aspirin with some orange juice and forced himself to have a little buttered toast with his coffee. After what seemed like an eternity his phone screen came alive, it was a reply from Sanyukta. 

"Hi Randhir, sorry I left early!" The words flashed.

  "What's wrong with you, Mowgli? I've been trying your number all morning! You left abruptly without telling me, I've been so worried!" He was both relieved and agitated at the same time.

"I am fine, I got home safely!" The words seemed innocuous yet something about them made him feel uncomfortable.

"Perhaps it is my fault. Mowgli, I  am sorry I about last night, the meeting just went on and on. The next thing I remember is waking up in bed in that room." Randhir's words 

"I heard about someone called Nicole and you. Is it true?" Sanyukta's hand trembled as the words formed on the screen while she typed. It was agonising to be told about it from a third party.

"Who told you this?" Her heart sank a little more at Randhir's reply. She was expecting an emphatic denial.

"A very reliable source did! Now please tell me, Randhir! Is it true?" She was hoping against hope.

"After I left you in Tanya's room I had a meeting with my parents and Rakesh Garg, our business partner. Nicole is his daughter, younger sister to his son Rohan. Our parents want us to get hitched to cement our business relationship. They have discussed it for some time now but they brought it up just yesterday." Randhir struggled to find words to get the message across. He could not reveal how eager his mother had been to obtain his consent the previous night. 

"And have you agreed to the match?" Sanyukta had to know the answer after what had happened yesterday.

"I have asked for time to mull over the matter!" His reply was brief but for Sanyukta it felt as if her world had come crashing down. Her presence around him was as insignificant as the little magic that had recently experienced. Maybe she had read too much into his eagerness.