The Deodar House

Chapter 2

Hey there. 👋 Hope you all are well. Presenting you the chapter 2 in this new experiment. This story is a bit of a slow burner. There's lots that would happen but usse pehle, let's just all relax and enjoy the leisurely paced life of Shimla and get to know the characters in this story. Those readers who want action straight away may be a bit disappointed. I'm sorry for that 😅 but the story writes itself, I'm just a medium.

To anyone who has questions regarding the setting of the story or if anyone has difficulty understanding any words, you are welcome to leave a comment and I'll reply as soon as I can. Without further ado, let's get this started then. 🙂

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Rashami sipped at her chai, her fingers wrapped tightly around the warm glass tumbler. She hadn't been to Sita-Ram for years but unlike the other cafes and tea joints in the town, it didn't look any different. Somehow the place had escaped the notice of the large corporates; it hadn't been bedecked with pristine walls and there weren't TVs blaring anywhere.  It was, as it had always been, a place to have the best conversation around.

Sid placed a plate of chhole bhature and a plate of steaming samosas on the table. "Bhookh lagi hai?," he said, reaching for a samosa as he sat down in the opposite chair. "Mujhe toh lagi hai. I haven't eaten since I got off the plane." He hesitated. "Ham dinner saath mein kar sakte hain... if you like."

She didn't like. "I'm sorry, I've already got plans for this evening aur main late nahi hona chahti," she replied stiffly, glancing at her watch to further showcase the lie. "So can we just come to the point? What exactly.. kya baat karni thi tumhe?"

Sid sighed, putting down the samosa . "Rash--"

"Rashami."

"Fine--Rashami, whatever." He shook his head, a flash of impatience clouding his dark eyes. "We've got a funeral to arrange."

She frowned. "Terahvi, not a funeral. Aur tumne suna nahi? There's nothing to arrange. Anu Chachu left very detailed instructions. Everything's already been done."

"Okay. Where is the terahvi lunch then?"

"Bhoj kehte hain usey," she corrected, irritated. "Wo bhi mandir mein hi hoga. As I said, everything's been done."

"No, it hasn't. Tune kaha tu pandit ji se milne jaegi. Kahan aur kab?"

Damn. She swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry. "10 baje. Up at the farm." She picked up the glass and took another nervous sip.

"Right--thank you. Main pahaunch jaunga." Sid eyed her thoughtfully for another few seconds then leaned back and took a swig of his chai, squeezing his eyes closed as he swallowed. "Main bata nahi sakta ye chai kitni achchi hai." He released another huge sigh. "You just can't get this stuff in Toronto."

"What on earth were you doing out there anyway? India mein tumhe kaam nahi mil raha tha kya?"

His eyes snapped open again. "I'm working on a project for a Mumbai-based pharmaceuticals company," he said, the sharpness in his tone alerting Rashami to the fact that this time she'd irritated him. "Abhi Toronto mein hoon kyunki company ko North America mein ek naya regional office open karna hai. We're in the building phase now."

"Oh." Once again, she found herself wanting to look away. That stare was just too frank. "Phir toh jaldi khatam ho jaega kaam?"

He shook his head. "I wish. Nahi, mera kaam tab tak khatam nahi hoga jab tak puri building ready na ho. Aur uske liye abhi aur 4-5 mahine lagenge, as long as everything goes to plan. If it doesn't..." He shrugged.