The Promise (13 page)

He could not let Shambhavi go. But making her stay was not something he was prepared for either; that would mean commitment and he was not ready for that yet.

But when he saw her that night, all his hesitations and uncertainties vanished. And not just because she was looking resplendent in the bottle green saree she wore. It was because of the expression she wore.

She stood only a few feet away from him, but was still far away. She had a drink in her hand, which remained untouched. Her physical presence was the only proof of her being there; her mind was elsewhere. There was something going on in her head, something bothering her. She looked weak and distraught. For the first time since he had met her, she felt older than sixteen to him. And that told him that she was much more mature than he had first thought.

She was staring at a distance, alone in the crowd surrounding her. Her eyes were fixed on something he could not see, something visible only to her. Her shoulders were hunched, as if in defeat, as if she had lost a battle. She looked small and fragile, and Arjun immediately felt an urge to rush to her and protect her.

He tried to catch her attention, but she was not looking at him, even though her eyes were turned towards him. She continued gazing unseeingly at something, lost in her thoughts.

'Hi,' he went to her and said, inspecting her eyes to find a sheen of wetness in them. He was right; something was up.

'Hey,' she replied shortly, coming out of her reverie abruptly. Her smile did not stretch her lips for more than two millimetres.

'Something wrong?'

'What? Oh. No, no. Nothing's wrong. I am all right.'

'You are?' he cocked his eyebrow. He never asked her if she was okay. Something was definitely up.

'Yes. Anyway,' Shambhavi looked around, clearly searching for something to help her change the topic, 'where is Faisal? Is he not coming?'

'He is. Must be getting here any moment.'

'Tutul is not. She's down with fever-viral. I tell you, it's the worst thing ever. You have to get all kinds of stupid blood tests done over and over again and nothing comes out positive. So the doctors just prescribe every kind of medicine there is in the world, which only makes things worse. Plus it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth-you can't even enjoy eating. Imagine that.'

'Agreed. So, is that why you look sad? Because you are worried about your friend?' Arjun asked. He was not going to let go, until he got to know what was bothering her. Her nonsensical rant was a failed attempt at distracting him.

'A little. I thought you guys were not coming. And Tutul can't either. I felt like I was going to have dinner alone tonight, in the midst of so many strangers,' she said. 'Oh, look. There's Faisal.'

Soon after, Faisal joined them and they did not get a chance to spend any time alone. Arjun just kept feeling like Shambhavi was extremely sad inside. He tried to get it out of her, but with Faisal around, he could not prod. Also, he feared that she would tell him that he had no right to know ... no right over her. So he kept shut. He regretted having forced Faisal to come. He would have preferred his assistant watching a movie with his friends' circle, after all.

He wanted to ask Faisal to give them privacy, but he could not do that without giving Shambhavi the wrong idea. He had done that before, and it had not ended well. He knew better than doing that again.

So he just kept stealing glances at Shambhavi, trying to figure out her problem. Every time she found him staring at her, she smiled politely and turned away, resuming her dinner. She chatted fake-happily with Faisal, about everything under the sun, while Arjun's heart sank lower and lower, as he realized that it was probably the last time he was seeing her.

Three months had passed since he had last seen her. There had not been a single day when he had not thought of her and missed her, in his own convoluted way. He had decided what needed to be done. He wanted her back. He wanted to give themselves-and any relationship which could ensue between them-a chance.

Other than that, there was another reason why he was willing to take a leap of faith-had she been a gold-digger, she would not have gone out of his life so easily and completely. She would have done something to have another shot at him. But she had not. Not once in the three months had she tried to contact him in any way. That gave him a little something to build some faith on.

He promised himself that he would be careful. He knew she probably was not after his wealth. But she was in need of money ... that much he was sure about. She had been working tirelessly on the Ahluwalias' assignment for the paycheckshe admitted that herself. She liked to paint; interior designing was to make a living.

After telling himself for the hundredth time to tread carefully, he picked up his phone and called her number. He got a busy tone. He tried again, with the same outcome.

It was in the evening, when he was engaged in polishing his latest article of furniture-a teak wood dresser-that his phone rang. His thoughts went to her immediately. And sure enough, it was Shambhavi's cell number, which was displayed on his phone's screen.

'Hello?' he answered the call.

'Hi. Arjun?' she asked.

'Yes, Shambhavi. How are you?'

'I'm good. How are you? Long time. It's the craziest thing ever-I was just thinking about you. And I check my phone and find your missed calls.'

'Is that so? And why would you be thinking about me?' Arjun asked, pleasantly surprised.

'I was just in one of your showrooms and saw a few new designs. That maple wood chest, I tell you, it was beautiful. So ... perfect. I mean, the texture, the design, the detailingeverything.'

'Thank you. I am glad you liked it.'

'Liked it? Loved it. I told the salesman that I personally know you and have worked with you, but I don't think he believed me. He just eyed me from head to toe and shrugged,' Shambhavi said. Arjun could almost imagine her making a face and crinkling her nose at the other end of the phone. He had really missed that, he suddenly realized.

'There might have been some other reason for that, you know-the eyeing from head to toe,' he said, tongue-in-cheek. It was tough to be with Shambhavi and not get into the same light mood as hers. She was almost contagious.

'Ahh! I see your humour has developed over the last, what, two months? Three?'

'Three.'

'Phew. Long time, really. I thought you must have forgotten me, seeing as you do not make friends, just business acquaintances,' Shambhavi said. 'I must say-your call came as a surprise.'

'I had expected it to be so.'

'Hmm. So, what is going on?'

'I called you just to ... see if we could catch up sometime, maybe?' He was suddenly nervous.

'Sure. Dinner tomorrow?'

'Sounds great.'

'But may I ask why the sudden interest in me?' Shambhavi asked.

'No reason.' Actually, I have wanted to get back in touch since a long time, but was not sure whether or not it would be appropriate. Because the last time, I ended it abruptly after the first date ... so I was worried you would not be willing to give me a second chance after that kind of behaviour from me. Also, I was making sure you weren't after my wealth, so I stayed away from you to find out whether you would try to get in touch. Now the test is over and you have passed. He felt slightly disgusted at himself for having those kinds of thoughts.

'Okay. Never mind. See you tomorrow then?'

'Yes. Tomorrow,' Arjun replied shortly.

'Text me the address; I will be there.'

'No. You don't have to come. I mean-I'll come to pick you up from your place.'

'You do know that that would make it a date, don't you?' Shambhavi asked, surprise evident in her tone.

'I do. It was intentional.'

'Oh.'

After they hung up, Arjun got back to his polishing. He appraised his most recent creations-a rocking chair and the dresser he had been working on. He wondered what Shambhavi would have to say about it. Maybe she would like the dresser. But maybe not the rocking chair; the colour was a bit too dark for her taste. He had come to know these things about her over the weeks they had worked together.

Suddenly, he was hit by another idea-to build a similar armchair, in a slightly smaller size and a lighter shade. He might even keep the carving a little delicate. The two chairs together would complement each other beautifully-the dark and the fair, together. Perfect. That, he was sure, she would love. He looked forward to showing them to her, casually, and asking for her opinion.

He was already excited about it. Her excitement was definitely contagious.

He immediately got to work.

Life doesn't give too many options. One is to trust, to try, despite one's reservations. The other is to never know what could've been.

ellow suited her, he thought, as soon as he laid his eyes on her. Standing at her door, one hand holding the door open for him and the other putting back an escaped curl behind her ear, she was a sight. However, he did not let her know that.

'Ready?' he asked, instead.

'Yes, just let me get my handbag,' Shambhavi said, and rushed to her room. When she got back, he noticed that her lipstick was a shade darker. 'I like your jacket,' she said.

'Thank you. Shall we?'

'Yeah. Do you have a place in mind?'

'Why? What is wrong with Radisson?' Arjun asked, a little surprised that she would want to go someplace else.

'Everything. I feel old there. Everyone is so silent and sombre, sitting under the high ceilings and expensive chandeliers. It's like being rich drained all the fun out of them. No offence.'

'A little taken.'

'Sorry,' Shambhavi grinned sheepishly.

'So, where do you suggest we go?'

'To a movie? Have you seen Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi? All my friends have watched it. And I'm still waiting for someone to give me company ... Mili is not fun anymore. Ever since her boyfriend left for the US, she has stopped going out and stuff. She says this is her chance to relax and laze around at home and look ugly, since Vikaas-that's her guy's name-isn't here to see and she has no one to impress.'

'Umm ... so you want to see a movie with me?' Arjun asked. Shambhavi always tended to give him too much information, and often got off track, which confused him.