The Runaway Bridegroom (13 page)

   Chanda felt pity for Shikha. Obviously, Shikha had no clue that Ranveer had spent
Saturday and Sunday with Chanda. Somehow, Chanda wasn’t too surprised at the way the woman spun a yarn. She had seen her for what she was - an absolute humbug. She could only pity her.

   Shikha got quite irritated when Chanda showed no reaction. She had expected the younger woman to appear shocked if not heartbroken. Why was she so stoic? Could it be that she wasn’t bothered? Maybe Shikha had imagined that Chanda was interested in Ranveer. Shikha felt a sense of solace stealing over. She had finally arrived at the right conclusion or so she believed. Ranveer had tried to show some interest in Chanda, the girl hadn’t returned the compliment and hence he had withdrawn.

   Shikha smiled at her own logic and was free of anxiety. How she came about this conclusion was truly a mystery. That very morning she had got irritated with Ranveer’s cheerful mood. She had sat and pondered for more than an hour before reaching the conclusion that even if Ranveer had taken Chanda home to his house on Friday, she must have returned to her hostel first thing on Saturday morning. That’s when she decided to spin Chanda a story to make sure that the girl believed that Ranveer was keen on Shikha and none else. She liked Chanda’s indifferent reaction. The young lady wasn’t interested in Ranveer, obviously. Shikha’s smile widened as she could now act benevolently towards Chanda as she didn’t see her as competition.

   “So, little Chanda, do tell me. Do you’ve a boyfriend?” asked Shikha, pretending a friendship she didn’t feel.

   Chanda couldn’t control the frown that formed on her forehead. She gave Shikha a penetrating look before saying, “No, I don’t.”

   “Hey, I’m sure you must like someone here at work. There’re some good looking young guys around. You know, closer to your age.” She gave Chanda a sly look. “What about Parth? You do spend a lot of time with him seeing that he’s your supervisor. Would you like me to set him up with you?”

   What? Chanda gave Shikha a disgusted look. What was she trying to do now? Immediately Chanda realised that Shikha probably wanted to ensure that Chanda left Ranveer alone. A tiny smile lifted the corners of her lips. She hid it in a hurry. With a straight face Chanda said, “Actually Shikha, there are but a few months before my final exams. I’m not keen to tie myself down with any guy just now. So—” she shrugged, “thank you for being so kind. But I’m sure you understand.” 

   Shikha nodded her head wisely, her permed locks bouncing around her face. “That’s my girl. You should take your studies seriously. All the best!” She smiled widely, only this time it was the most natural smile that Chanda had seen on her face.

   A relieved Chanda managed to get out of the washroom in one piece. Whew! That had been close. She needed to be more careful not to visit the washroom alone.

AT ABOUT 6 PM, the chat icon popped up on Chanda’s screen. “Shall we play TT if you’re done for the day?”

   Chanda wondered how they were going to get away with playing TT in the gym room with Shikha present in the office. But then, she was just Ranveer’s secretary and not Chanda’s keeper. The chat screen flickered again as Ranveer said, “Chanda!”

   “Yeah, I’m done. Let’s go.”

   “See you at the gym in ten minutes.” The chat went off. He was obviously a man of few words.

   Chanda packed her bag and went to the gym on the floor below. She had managed to find out the location during lunch. She kept her fingers crossed that she wouldn’t meet Shikha. She needn’t have worried. Shikha and games didn’t go hand in hand. Ranveer arrived there a couple of minutes later. There were a few others at the sports facility, playing games and using the two treadmills. The gym was large and quite classy. While it was enclosed completely with the heater turned on mildly, the long windows of plain glass gave a wonderful view of the garden below with a number of trees that reached up to the level of the fourth floor.

   Ranveer placed his backpack next to Chanda’s bag on the long bench that was provided for that purpose. “So,” he said, “all set?” His brown eyes turned velvety with the smile that sent a glow to Chanda’s heart. Her answering smile was just as enthusiastic as she nodded, her ponytail bouncing at her nape. She had tied up her hair as she intended to play hard. Ranveer’s smile turned into a grin seeing the determined expression on her face. It seemed that Chanda never did anything in half measures - whether it was watching a movie, checking out the counters at Dilli Haat or playing a game of table tennis.

   Ranveer wondered if and when she would pay him that kind of dedication.

   The next couple of hours were the best in Ranveer’s life. Chanda was a quick learner and she kept him on his toes. He enjoyed teaching her and now they were playing a tough game. She moved around like quicksilver and Ranveer almost drooled at her moves. The attraction he felt towards her was too powerful. He wondered whether she felt anything for him at all. A small sigh escaped him as he missed yet another serve that Chanda sent his way. He was obviously distracted.

   Chanda looked at him in concern. Was he bored playing with a novice? She checked her watch to see that it was almost 8 pm. It was time she left. She looked at Ranveer and said, “I think it’s better I left, Ranveer. The curfew is 10 pm on weekdays.”

   “Have dinner with me,” said Ranveer. He just didn’t have the heart to part with her.

   Chanda nodded her head but insisted, “If you’ll let me buy the meal.”

   Ranveer smiled at the innocent face in front of him. She was really a baby. He wondered whether she w
ould ever notice the attraction he felt for her. He decided to let her get away with it this time round and said, “Okay, your treat.”

   Chanda smiled as she excused herself to go into the washroom. She was sure that she wouldn’t be plagued with Shikha’s company just then.

   But where was the woman? It was a wonder that she hadn’t turned up as Ranveer had been here at the gym for quite a while. Chanda didn’t know that Ranveer had pretended to leave the office and made sure that Shikha left the premises before stepping into the gym. He was quite tuned into his secretary’s malicious nature and he didn’t want Chanda tainted by that.

   Chanda had a quick wash and applied some light makeup before stepping out. Ranveer was waiting for her and they left the building to go find dinner. 

Twenty-t
wo

   Ranveer dropped Chanda at her hostel just a couple of minutes before 10 pm. She watched him driving away and felt a sense of being abandoned. She went up to her room and was glad that it was one of those rare times when all her roommates were already fast asleep.

   She had a wash and quickly changed into her pajamas. She quietly let herself out into the balcony and closed the door gently behind her. The weather was quite cold. But Chanda felt soothed by it as her body felt hot. She realised that her attraction to Ranveer had multiplied many times over and her body craved his touch.

   Chanda tucked her arms around herself as she felt her nipples tighten as she thought of Ranveer. They had sat quite close to each other at the crowded restaurant, his thigh resting against hers. He hadn’t appeared to be all that disturbed by her nearness. She had been so conscious that swallowing her dinner had been a difficult task. She had taken small bites of her portion, pretending to eat and listening to him talk. Not that he had said much, but then, that was typically Ranveer. She didn’t mind his silences and she knew that he was very much with her mentally. Chanda was the chatterbox, but tonight, her brain had totally scrambled and she couldn’t form the sentences that would have made any kind of sense.

   Chanda stared at the sky, not quite seeing the waxing moon or the stars. She could see Ranveer’s handsome countenance in her mind’s eye. What made him tick? It was apparent that he was single. It was also very obvious that he liked being with her. But did that mean that he would be interested in her for the long haul? Did it matter? She had been married to Veerendra at the age of eight and that was supposed to have been until death had parted them. And see what had happened!

   All these years, Chanda hadn’t gone out with men on dates, had thought it was wrong to feel attracted to someone and had never got very close physically to any male other than her family members. But now that she had spent time with Ranveer and got to know him a little more every day, she couldn’t help dreaming of a future with him. Would that be possible?

   A deep sigh shook Chanda’s very being. It had been barely an hour since they parted company and she already missed him. She couldn’t wait for the morning when she w
ould be seeing him at work. She wondered how it would feel to be kissed by Ranveer. She had noticed that his lips were dark, those of a smoker. While it was obvious that he smoked, he hadn’t done so in her presence. What would it be like to feel those masculine lips on hers? Chanda felt goose-bumps all over her body.

   Tch! She wished she had a little more experience when it came to dealing with men. How could she show Ranveer that she was attracted to him and she would like to be kissed? Chanda didn’t sleep very well that night as her mind went through many scenarios where Ranveer held her close and kissed her.

RANVEER REACHED HIS ROWHOUSE
and parked the car on the portico. Dinner had been good only he hadn’t tasted much of it. There had been a space crunch at the crowded restaurant and he had been forced to sit extremely close to Chanda, their bodies touching. Ranveer had had a difficult time concentrating on his food. Surprisingly, the usually effervescent Chanda had been very quiet. Had she been upset with the seating arrangement?

   Ranveer was totally attracted to Chanda and was keen to take their relationship a step further, only he didn’t know how. The couple of women he had dated had known the score. They had been closer to him in age and had been on the lookout for some fun. Chanda was different from them. For one, she was very young and innocent. She probably would want to enter a relationship for keeps. But was he ready for it? And there was his marriage - true that it had happened when he had been barely thirteen and will not hold up in a court of law. But there was the moral commitment. He had married that kid in a religious ceremony. That needed to be nullified before he got into a serious relationship with someone else. What a snarl!

   While the physical chemistry with his former girlfriends had been good, the way he vibed with Chanda was a class apart. They got along so well mentally and he so enjoyed her enthusiasm for life. More than anything was her honesty. That definitely was a rarity these days. She tended to speak her mind. While Ranveer had been shocked in the beginning, he had got so used to it now and looked forward to her comments. He could trust her and that hadn’t happened since Dave and Jane.

   Ranveer turned around restlessly on his huge double bed. Sleep had become elusive since Chanda came into his life and it was high time he did something about it.

MOHAN HAD FINALLY MANAGED
to convince Choudhry
ji
that he should send Surendra over to Jaipur. A couple of days later, Mohan went to the station to pick up his daughter’s father-in-law. Surendra had visited Jaipur just once and that had been many years back. He very rarely left his village.

   He was astounded to see Mohan’s bungalow. It appeared like a luxurious palace to him. Mohan’s sons had all grown up so much. The respect they showed Surendra brought tears to his eyes. He had expected them to be hostile after the way Veerendra had treated their sister. But the boys were all so generous and nice. Surendra’s eyes searched the surroundings for his daughter-in-law. She had been a lovely child and he was sure she must have grown up into a beautiful young woman. But he couldn’t see her anywhere. And he felt that he didn’t have the right to enquire about her.

   Meera was extremely forthcoming. She explained to Surendra that Chanda lived in a hostel in Delhi and studied there. Surendra was amazed. Mohan’s family appeared to have progressed so much. Veerendra had had no education and leaving home had kept him away from the farm that belonged to the family. The boy wasn’t trained to make a living. Surendra’s lips drooped. He was worried that Veera would be no match for his educated wife now. He wondered how an astrologer would be of help at this point. When Mohan gave them so much hope when he visited their home, Surendra was all pepped up and looking forward to some kind of a breakthrough. But now, seeing how Chanda’s family lived an altogether different lifestyle, Surendra wasn’t so sure.