Chapter 36

"If I do not see you in the office in thirty minutes......"

"Go to hell and take that bitch with you"

HALF AN HOUR AGO

The drive from the apartment to Jaypore House felt like eons. Her anger simmered slowly and it took great effort on her end to keep her from marching into Taurus and giving him a piece of her mind. She was blinded by anger that she hadn't even listened to what Vrushali was trying to say and had marched upstairs stomping all the way leaving the entire staff wondering what had happened to the princess. Now back in her room, she brooded on the despicable woman's words. Was she really close to Abhimanyu? Did they really share intimate details? The question hounded her making her feeling nauseous. She could not believe that Abhimanyu would creep down to such a level. For a man who wanted the best of everything in life, why would he settle for someone from the lower rung of society?

Come to think of it why wouldn't he? His ancestors had many women in their harem so why cant he have a little fling or flings whenever he wanted.

"I don't care in the least" she yelled in irritation and taking hold of the downy pillow threw it with all her might. The pillow landed at the foot of her bed and that irritated her more. Sighing she fell back on the plush bed and bit her lower lip. Her mind took this as a cue and immediately opened the dusty box of memories that she had shut with a firm lock and key and deposited in the far corner of somewhere in her being. The first picture that her head conjured was the movie night at Jaypore Palace. The clarity of the picture astounded her. She raised her left hand and stared at her slender fingers for a long time. Her skin was tingling as it had done at that time when Abhimanyu's fingers touched hers over the armrest of the leather chair. She had tried to move it away shocked by something electric that passed between them but he had persisted and held on to hers. Time had stopped and the movie and participants long forgotten. His eyes had held hers captive and for the first time she felt the language it spoke. He had asked her through his eyes if she would love him for all eternity and she had replied through her eyes that she would. How they escaped others notice was still a mystery.

Nandini got up quickly but she did not dispel the thoughts like she usually did. Strangely she dwelled on the finer details of that moment wondering what their relation could have been. Though she did not bother much about what Roopa had said earlier yet she felt a sting in her heart like the biting of a thousand fire ants. Did he really bring her to Mumbai for private reasons?

Roopa had the audacity to say some things that were quite true. Abhimanyu wanted revenge, but how could she have known unless he told her!

This made Nandini angry, humiliated and deceived.

How could he do this to me?

Why not? Her inner voice countered. You are no one to him! He hates you remember!

"Does he?" she asked out aloud but received no answer from the empty room. In a bid to escape the dreadful feeling brewing in her, she got up and rushed quickly to the balcony and gazed toward the rows of frangipani plants in the west side of the grounds. How she wished she could go back to Jaypore palace, and her little haven amidst the blooming roses. She needed that tranquility now.

As she mulled further on it, the shrill sound of her cell phone ringing brought her back to reality. She turned to face the room, her eyes falling on the square object that was kept on the dressing table. She felt a strange chill on her body and she stood still knowing well who was it that was calling. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest  and her palms felt clammy but yet the practiced poise of many years helped her gain tiny control. The ringing stopped abruptly. Nandini let out a short breath and was about to turn back when it started ringing again.

It might be father or Uday or Vikram! she reasoned with her heart in a bid to stop its mad dash. She reached the dressing table in few strides and tentatively picked the phone.

"WHERE ARE YOU?" the livid voice of Abhimanyu rang in her ears.

She closed her eyes and leaned on the wall to support herself.

One.....two.....O God!......Three......please give me strength......four......five......

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU NANDINI?" he shouted making her flinch.

"I am where I should be" came the reply and the other end went silent.

"What are you doing there? I think I told you that you are not allowed to......"

She cut in, "We don't have any such agreement besides I think I told you to get that trash out of the apartment?"

Abhimanyu leaned back on the chair and propped his shoe clad feet on the table. There was something in her voice akin to jealousy and he found that amusing. "That is not possible. She will remain where she is as ....."  "Then I will remain where I am," finished Nandini. " . . . as...she is very important to me" he continued trying to rile her further.

The tactic worked as the ants returned to gnaw at her heart. "If she is so important to you then why don't you marry her and leave me alone!"

"That is for me to decide. For now I wish for her to stay at the apartment and you need to get back there as well" a small smile played on his lips as he imagined Nandini's angry face.

"That is not possible hukum. I have done all that you have told me so far but ...."

"You will do this as well"

"No" Nandini braced herself for what was coming

Silence ensued....and few seconds seemed like hours.

"If I do not see you in the office in thirty minutes......"

"Go to hell and take that bitch with you"

Nandini hung up and the ants from her heart slowly crawled to her veins spreading throughout her body.

The anger returned but she understand why she was feeling miserable. Her throat seemed clogged as if she couldn't breathe. Her chest rose and fell in quick succession, blurring her eyes with a watery mist.

"Abhi is going to hell! Who is accompanying him?" Uday's amused voice floated to her ears. Nandini slammed the phone on the dresser and rushed out into the balcony for much needed air. Uday sighed and followed her. She leaned her back on the railings and looked sideways lost in thought. Abhimanyu's words reverberated throughout her body constricting her airways like a boa. So she did really mean something to him. Or else he would not have said that! But why? She had no answer to that question. What irked her more was that things like this mattered to her, why should it matter first of all? She did not have any feelings for him, nor did he. If they get married, it will be a marriage of convenience, to honour the wishes of their parents especially their mothers'. She could not understand the pain in her heart, the knot in her stomach that made her want to curl up somewhere, alone. Nandini parted her lips and felt something salty on her tongue. Bringing her fingers she touched her cheek and felt the wetness.

Great! Me crying for ..........

"Are you crying?" asked Uday and walked to her with concern on his face. All this while he was standing near the door watching the emotions flitting on her face. He had heard part of the conversation and deduced that she was talking to Abhi. He had smiled listening to the words she had used but now her face was scrunched in agony. He pressed his lips into a thin line resting his back on the railings and blocking her line of sight.

"Its funny" she finally spoke in a strange tone.

Uday tilted his head lightly "What is?" he asked slowly not wanting to cause her more distress.

Nandini brushed away the single drop of tear. "I do not understand the meaning of this" she held her wet fingers for him to see.

"What happened?" Uday coaxed her gently.

Nandini walked over to one of the cane chairs and sat on it. "The girl from Vilaspore, the one we saw at the palace, she stays with me," she said absently.

Uday lurched forward from his position in surprise. "She is here?.....at JH? What the....."

It was then Nandini realized she had made a mistake of revealing what she had decided to keep secret. But she couldn't hide it anymore, especially when Uday was helping her with lots of things. "Not here,"

"Then?"

"In another apartment, the one for the employees of Taurus"

Uday shook his head, "You are not making sense sweetheart. What apartment?" he questioned squatting down to her level.

Nandini looked at him hoping that he wouldn't cause too much of trouble. "Abhimanyu not only wanted me to work for him but also to stay in some flat with other girls. I was staying there when last night Roopa Sharma appeared. I told him i want her removed but he did not listen. And then we had a small alteration. I slapped her for stepping out of line and came here. He has given me an ultimatum to come back in thirty minutes or else..."

As soon as Nandini finished talking Uday got up and stormed out. Alarmed by the sudden change in his demeanor Nandini rushed after him and caught him by his arm.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Uday released his arm from her grip and pushed her aside. "This has gone too far Nandini. He is becoming irrational day by day. I will go and talk to him. You don't worry, just stay here okay."

Nandini quickly moved to block his way and stretched out her hands in a bid to stop him. "Right now I am not important. Bringing bhai sa back is. If you go to him you will sabotage everything. Please just listen," she pleaded.

Uday held her by her arms and moved her roughly. "He is out of his mind Nandini and someone needs to tell him that. If Vikram comes to know of this he will not spare Abhi.....nor me. Lets just not cause unnecessary bloodshed. I will try to reason with him and even then if he doesn't listen I am going to tell uncle Virendra."

At this Nandini ran to the door and blocked it with her body. "I can't let you go for this reason and I can't let you tell father either. You will have to trust me on this please.....please Uday bhai sa,"

Uday's eyes widened. Though Vikram and he were of the same age, yet Nandini had never called him bhai sa. It was always more of an invisible bond. He dropped his shoulders in defeat.

"Trust me, I will handle him. As soon as Vikram bhai sa comes back, I will leave for Jaypore immediately no matter what. I don't plan to stay here for long," Nandini looked determined once again. For that I need to go back and endure whatever obstacles he throws at me.

Uday paced to and fro in agitation. "Anywhere other than JH is not safe for you. Mumbai is unknown and you are staying at some god-forbidden place without any security. Do you know what will happen if word gets out? If the press comes to know, they will have a field day" He stopped pacing, "You can even get kidnapped Nandini!" he exclaimed with concern.

Nandini sagged her body letting it rest on the door. "You don't worry about any of that. No body there knows about me. I mean, I was hardly in the country these past years," she said in a feeble voice.

"Fine, do whatever you want. So will you go to the doctor with me?"

Nandini shook her head. "I need to head back to Taurus. What about evening? I will get out by five is it okay?"

"Let me confirm," he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. Nandini watched him talk to the doctor. Uday was silent for most of the time. Finally he hung up and turned to her. "He said nine-thirty today. His clinic will be empty. We don't want trouble Nandini. He just wants to talk to you explain some stuff and then we will decide what to do further. How does that sound?"

Nandini nodded. "That sounds good. Just give me the address and I....."

Uday held up his hand. "No, I will pick you up, just tell me where you live."

Nandini reluctantly gave him the address. She knew pretty well that he was going to inspect the flat to see if she was in any danger and well she couldn't blame him. They headed down together to the hall and stood talking for few minutes more. After Uday left, Nandini remembered Vrushali and summoned her. Vrushali, who was hiding in the store room pretending to take stock of the ingredients caused the cook a tentative amount of irritation and disapproval as he considered the kitchen his dominion. Vrushali quietly walked to the hall making sure that the guest had left. Only when she saw Nandini standing alone looking at her phone did she feel relieved.

"You summoned ma'am," she squeaked.

Nandini lifted her head at that, her brows knit in confusion. "What's wrong with your voice? and why are you sweating so badly?" she asked with concern.

"Nothing ma'am. I was in the store house taking stock and it is awfully hot there," she said rubbing the sweat off with her palms.

Nandini looked surprised. "You don't need to do such things Vrushali. That is the cook's job,"

"I don't mind ma'am," she said and quickly changed the subject, "You are leaving so soon?"

Nandini sighed. "Yes I have to, just manage as you have being doing, okay?"

Vrushali plopped on the sofa and let out a huge breath. She had a close call today. All hell would have broken loose if Uday would have seen her. She immediately fished the cell phone from her skirt and punched in a number. The call was answered on the second ring. A muffled voice sounded and Vrushali smiled.

"Your boyfriend came to Jaypore House today," she said in a half-serious tone playing with a lock of her silky hair.

On hearing it Uttara went utterly still. After a short silence she finally spoke. "Why is Uday in Mumbai?" she asked more to herself than to Vrushali.

Vrushali tapped a well manicured finger on her chin. "I don't know. He narrowly missed seeing me. If he is going to stay in Mumbai then I'm sure there are going to be many other visits. You better come out of hiding and call him back to Jaypore," she said shifting attention to her nails.

There was few seconds of silence.

"I can't"

"Well, why not"

"Because he broke up with me"

*****************************************************

Abhimanyu watched the bustling traffic from the window of his office. Normally the hustle bustle calmed him providing a distraction from problems and people alike but today he wanted to be alone, wanted to escape to Vilaspore, lock himself in a room and brood. Usually after a call with Nandini his anger levels mounted but now, he felt strangely numb. If Nandini would have behaved like this a few weeks back, he would have rushed over to JH and dragged her back. But......

Today was different, he was confused. He felt he detected a hint of jealousy in her voice. Was he mistaken? He was not sure of anything anymore. Could he forgive her? Start afresh?

The beast in him growled. Can you forgive her for taking your mother away from you? Can you forgive her for manipulating? For driving your friends away from you?

I can.....try.....

The beast roared in anger. Abhimanyu turned sharply hitting his fisted hands into the glass covering the top of the huge table and watched as it cracked under the strength. Bhim rushed forward to assess the damage but a single raised hand stopped him in his tracks. Abhimanyu sighed disregarding the thin trickle of blood flowing from the grazed knuckles. He took a tissue and absently dabbed on it and then crumpled the tissue and threw it into the dustbin with fine precision. He couldn't believe that such a thought had crossed his mind. That incensed his rage and he picked up his phone to call her again, to punish her, to.....

There was a brisk knock on the door. Before Bhim could reach it, the door opened and Nandini walked in. Bhim gasped "Rajkumari sa?" he said in astonishment. Nandini glanced over to the beefy looking man on her right. She remembered him from Vilaspore palace. He was the one who offered her apologizes for not recognizing her at first.

She nodded then looked at Abhimanyu who stood with slightly gaping mouth unable to be believe his eyes. He slowly put down the phone not taking his eyes from her flushed face.

"Leave us alone Bhim" he said gruffly. Bhim bowed and walked to the door closing it softly behind him.

There was absolute silence. Abhimanyu's eyes held hers as he walked to where she stood. Nandini raised her head in defiance, goading him. The eerie chill that had accompanied her till the office vanished all of a sudden. A slow warmth spread throughout her body. It felt like the warmth of a soft quilt on a stormy winter night. Something was different, something had changed. The anger had miraculously dissipated and in its place a new feeling took charge. Her forehead creased as she tried to recall when the change had occurred. It was there yesterday in the morning, in the afternoon even in the evening and late night.

Abhimanyu ignored the beast that was growling inside. He felt joy, like the twinkling of a thousand lights. His spirits lifted immeasurably and soared high like an eagle.

They stood opposite to each other confused at the emotions washing over them. A strange fragrance filled the air around cocooning them. She knew the sweet smell that filled her nose and clouded her senses. Memories came flooding into her mind.

A moonlit night.....a figure.....the same fragrance leading her into a dark room.....She recognized it or was her mind playing its usual tricks on her.

"I...." Abhimanyu started to speak, his voice soft and low. "I ......N-Nandini...." His voice hummed in her ears like the sound of a bell. It was the first time he had said her name with so much feeling. His voice was heavy with longing and she did not imagine that.

Nandini unconsciously inched herself closer to hear what he wanted to say. The pull between them was so strong and she was fearfully in a position to fall into his arms. His eyes dropped down to her delectable lips and his head titled off its own accord. The power between them pushed stronger and even stronger was the repelling force.

Finally the devil in him won. Abhimanyu stormed out the door leaving her humiliated and aghast at what could've happened. Nandini slumped on to the floor her body shaking, her hands ice cold. Silence descended once again in the room. The connection was broken but the fragrance still hung in the air. It was only later that Nandini recognized the smell of jasmine flowers, the very same smell that hung from a certain balcony of the Vilaspore palace.

*********************************

Uday tapped lightly on the steering wheel. His face dark and brooding.

"How could he do that to her? How could he let her stay in some apartment?"

Abhimanyu was beyond reason. If he could understand the gravity of what he had done and why we acted as we did. But he would never believe anyone, unless.......unless

Uday's eyes brightened all of a sudden. Yes, that is definitely a way. He needs to know the truth. With new determination Uday started the car and drove in the direction of the clinic.

A/N

Hey my dearies.....thank you so much for all your wishes and love. I missed writing the story as much as you all missed reading it. Hmmm can you guess what is cooking in Uday's brilliant head??