Opposite Poles..Part 82

Part 82

“JIJI!” Khushi sat up in the bed.  She switched on the lights.

“Khushi….!” Payal blurted irritably.

“Jiji, wake up!” Khushi shook her vigorously.

“What is it, Khushi? Look at the time!” Payal opened her eyes with efforts. 

“Jiji… when you called me to know where I was…!” she paced furiously.  Payal gaped at her.

“What?” she asked thoroughly confused.

“Jiji…YEH  BAAT  KHCH   HAZAM  NAHI  HUI…! It’s difficult to believe, jiji that it was a coincidence that Regi sir had a meeting with that Monster in the same hotel…!” she was switching off the light and switching it on again and again. 

“KUCH  TOH  GADBAD  HAI!  Something is fishy” She was thinking hard.

“Khushi… sooo Jao!” Payal hit the bed again.

“No, Jiji!” Khushi was blurting out her doubts.

“If you look at that hotel… it was ordinary… ASR Sir would never enter that hotel…!” She paced back and forth..” No.. I am missing something…!” she muttered furiously. 

“No… Wait…!” she stopped from pacing abruptly.  “Regi and ASR are friends…Its between them…!” She remembered Rekha’s words. 

“I got it! I got it, Jiji!” she again woke Payal up.

“Khushi.. Please..! It was so stressful, yesterday… Soney Do Naa!” Payal urged.  Khushi left her.  She was pacing again restlessly.

“You… you sent Regi Sir… Mr. SIR!.. You stalked me…! On a holiday…! “ She couldn’t control her Temper.   She banged on the table forcefully.  “Ouch!.. Awaa!” She winced in pain with a hurt fist. 

“You… you!” she again strangled him in the air. 

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Sham woke up with a start! “Thank God! It was only a nightmare..!” he wiped off sweat.  His saale saab was strangling him in his dream. 

“Hmm… I narrowly escaped this time.   I told Buwaji that I went there to meet one of my clients.. and she believed.!” He thought.  But he was not sure about Khushi.  “Before she gets suspicious about my intentions I should act.  I must …!” He paced the room restlessly for his rapid action. 

“I know, you will do anything for your family…! Hmm… !” he smiled.  “I will… find out about Gomti Nivas… I must get it at any cost… Rattan Saab is breathing on my neck for that property…! Hmm.. I have to visit Lucknow! Once I get the details… the simplest work is… Eliminate this stupid old Halawai… Shashi Gupta..! … Rattan Saab, You will get what you want and I will get…!” he turned smiling and froze.  Anjali was looking at him suspiciously.

“What you will get?” she asked surprised. 

“Umm… nothing!.. I was just thinking aloud about a contested case. Raani Saheba… the complexities are bugging me..!” he put his arm around her sleeping beside and pulled her closer. She snuggled in his arms.  He patted her.

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“Beep…!” ASR’s phone buzzed.  He woke up from a deep sleep.  He looked at the message..

“What?” he was puzzled at the text.

“What the hell is this?” he couldn’t comprehend.  He rubbed his eyes.  Looked at the number and threw the cell aside switching it off,  slumbering again on the bed!

It was seven in the morning and he switched on his cell.  His inbox was flooded with the status updates…!  He frowned and deleted all the messages.

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“KHUSHI….!” He screamed and Khushi got up from her seat.  She came to his cabin ready to be grabbed by him in anger.

“What’s the point in sending all those messages?” he asked her in a deadly voice.  He had changed his war strategies, so had she.

“Status updates, Sir!” she said politely.

“What do you mean…!” he asked taking a step ahead but still in a low tone.  She looked at his feet and said in a very polite tone…

“My location updates Sir..!” she didn’t look at him and was playing with her mobile, to his irritation.

“Why?” he asked her and to his surprise got a message again.

“I am in ASR Sir’s cabin..!” he threw the phone in frustration.

“Khushi?” he was angry … she sensed it.  “Instead of you keeping an eye on me, I am sending you the updated Sir!” she said calmly looking down.  She had an urge to look up at his frustrated, constipated face.   She had sent twenty messages every hour from Three in the night..!!!

“Five minute update..!” she was texting in her phone…!  He couldn’t control his temper.  He came on to her and grabbing her shoulders yelled.

“Stop it!” she looked up at him angrily and retorted

“Stop stalking me!” she clenched her fists in anger.

“What?” he asked releasing her.

“You sent Regi sir, yesterday…!” she whipped.

“I had a meeting with him..!” he said calmly.

“In that down-market hotel? Whom are you kidding, Sir?” she flared up.  He took a step back.

“I am not a fool…!” she took a step forward aggressively.

“I will not spare you…!” she lost her control in rage..!

He came on and tried to snatch her phone.

“No!”  she held his hand.., determined this time to confront him. He looked at her face and next moment pulled her closer to snatch the phone from her hand behind.

“No!” she resisted trying to push him.  His grip tightened.  He reached up to her hand behind and caught her wrist.  Her cell fell down from her hand.  They both leapt to grab it and bumped their heads.  She was quicker and he was powerful.  She picked it up first and he snatched it from her.

“Give my mobile back.  Its Babuji’s mobile..!” she said holding out her hand. 

“Stop messaging me!” he said holding it above his head.

“Stop stalking me!” She retorted.  He stared at her.  She tried to jump to reach up to his hand.  He smirked.  He was enjoying her childlike struggle…!

“Why are you doing this?” she asked him in anguish, taking a step back!

“Because you are involved in a scam and I don’t want to lose my money..!” he brought out his old trump card to hurt her more.  She looked down with fallen face.  His heart ached.  He gave her mobile back.

“Now, go back to your work and stop messaging me!” he ordered her.  She went down without a word.

“Strange!” he muttered at her subdued reaction. 

 “You will repent for this… Mr. Snatcher…!” she was determined to teach him a lesson.  He sat back on his chair to resume his work.  

The invitations with gifts were getting distributed.  Mamaji visited the office to invite key senior people. 

“Aree…Where is Khushi bitiya?” he asked Aakash.  Aakash shrugged looking around.  Arnav’s eyes searched for her.  She had disappeared.  He looked around.  It was lunch time.  He took a sigh of relief. 

“Khushi…!” he yelled from his cabin.  His voice reverberated in the office.  No trace of Khushi…! He grew worried.  He barged into Lavanya’s cabin.

“Lavanya, where is she?” he asked.

“How do I know?” she asked back.

“She is your assistant, Damn it!” he yelled.

“Yeah! But you have the control…!” she pointed out.  He came back frustrated.  Khushi didn’t return to her cubical. 

His phone buzzed.  He got a thank you message from Regi, for the invitation.  He smiled.  Khushi still was missing.  His phone buzzed again.  “It was Aman to thank him for the invitation..!” he wrote back.. “Welcome..!”.  He looked down at her cubical.. empty!  His phone buzzed again.. He raised his eyebrow.  It was his security officer messaging, thanking him for the invitation.  “Strange..!” This was the first time people were thanking him for the invitation in these six years.  He grew suspicious, when his cell buzzed again…! And then his inbox started getting flooded with messages from all the persons whom he, Aakash and Mamaji had invited ..! His head spun when he thought of numerous people he had invited.

“KHUSHI….!”  He yelled at the top of his voice.  He knew, who instigated all of them to send him the “Thank you!” message.  “You silly girl!” he clenched his fists..!

 “Where is she?.. Phir Say Bhaag To Nahi Gai?” his anger stopped him from thinking straight.  He moved around in the office frantically searching for her.  No trace of her!  He came back to his cabin.

“Khushi Kumari Gupta!  you will pay for this..~” He dug his nails in his palms.  His cell never stopped buzzing and getting the “Thank you” messages..!

“where is she?” he barged into Regi’s room.  Regi looked at him.  “Thank you ASR for the invitation!” he said smiling broadly.  ASR saw a mischief in his eyes.  “Toh  Yeh  Sub  Usanay  kiya  hain..!” he concluded. 

“What?” asked Regi.  “Never mind! Where is she?” he asked looking around.  He was sure she was hiding in Regi’s cabin, to save her skin.

“Oh! She is not here!” Regi said looking at ASR’s searching eyes.  He paused and then said..

“Stop searching, ASR! She is not here! She is in the studio, tiding it up!” he disclosed.  Next moment ASR had vanished from his cabin.  He picked up the intercom.

“Hello?” Khushi answered.  “ASR!” he gave her the hind and she jumped in fright.

“What do I do? Hide or Run?” She muttered biting her nails.

“Either is not going to  work!” came a voice and she shuddered.  He stood before her.

“What are you doing,  Khushi?” he asked folding his hands.

“Cleaning the studio..!” she said avoiding his gaze.

“I am asking about this..S..S  ..Sir!” he held out his still buzzing cell phone.

“What?” she looked puzzled.  He raised his eyebrow!

“Sir I didn’t message you, S..Sir!” she said innocently pinching the skin under her chin.  ASR gaped at her.  She was sliding away from him inch by inch.  He leapt forward and the next moment she was pinned against the wall.  She looked frightened. 

“You told them..!” he accused.

“Whom? What?” she still stood her ground.

“You..!” he pressed her against the wall.  “SSS.. it hurts!” she winced in pain.  He stared at her.  She was staring back at him… with pain, defiance, glint, smile and a shade of mischief.  He brought his gaze down on her cheek.  They were growing pink.. her unblemished creamy skin was glowing.  Her earlobes grew red… He could sense her uneven breath with her chest rising and falling… her lips parted, quivering slightly.. her nostrils flared up to catch up her breath…

Their proximity played magic… they both forgot why were they fighting, gaping at each other.  His grip on her shoulders loosened .. she didn’t attempt to break free from him.  His hands slid from her shoulders to her elbows… he inched forward to close the nonexistent gap between them, clutching her elbows…And his phone buzzed again..!It broke their trance.  They broke apart in haste…!

“Damn it!” he was frustrated, he did not know why? He turned his back and strode out of the studio.  Khushi sat on the stool with gaping mouth and heavy breath. 

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