Chapter 146

She smiled at her accomplishment and turned the next page and her smile withered away as a rose petal by the end of the day. The next article was about brain tumor and the picture which triggered her memory about Akshar was a before picture of a guy before his brain surgery and she could see Pryag in the picture.

She literally froze unable to comprehend the reality that she has been dragged into and struggled really hard to fight her tears from touching her cheeks. She proceeded to read the article but she couldn’t concentrate and all she could think of was Pryag and how he was going to be after his surgery.

Monday, the day that might be a turning point in all of their lives, Chari’s family, her and Pryag. She turned the light off, and pulled the comforter on and slowly slumped into the bed hoping that these upsetting thoughts would go away and Pryag will be fine. She hated the magazine for putting up a before and after picture and all she could see was Pryag with circled black eyes, with skin stretched over his bones and a bald head, as if he were a skeleton brought to life

Chapter 145

By the time she got to her home it was quiet late and directly went to bed but couldn’t sleep. She felt that she shouldn’t have had the coffee at their house, but it would have been too impolite to refuse. Now all the caffeine had wired up and was not letting her sleep. She tried closing her eyes, turned off the night light but that didn’t help.

She grabbed a magazine from the night stand and started reading. The article was interesting and when she had finished the first one and turned the page to move on to the second one she saw the advertisement with a guy in French beard and that reminded her about the evening.

She was proud of herself planning everything for the evening and everything had gone according to plan and she knew that he was quiet impressed about her meticulous planning. Even though she had gotten most of the things by hiring someone, it had turned out to be a delightful evening.

Chapter 144

On his drive back home, all the discussions and topics they had discussed that night came to his mind. It had been more than a pleasant evening. He had gone out on dates before, met pretty and interesting women and have had nice conversations and some even gone on a second date, but somehow in the end he had felt either bored, or realized that the other person was trying to impress him or even found himself trying to impress someone.

He had always felt a little tense or a bit conscious or agitated. Even though it is in his nature to be never relaxed, somehow today he had been relaxed, so relaxed that it didn’t matter what he did or she did, even when he noticed that she really liked him. Usually if he senses that, which he almost does every time, his blue eyes and his French beard and his charming words does attract the opposite sex.

This time the evening had turned to be too pleasant which even made him question what was different about her. She almost dominated most of the conversations, she was gracious, intelligent and charming, which is not new to him, since he has dated women like that before. There was something he quiet couldn’t put his finger on it that was intriguing.

Chapter 143

She kept thinking, forty years they have spent their life together and still in love. She wondered how gracefully they have grown old and how much they were still in love with each other. She was quiet fascinated by them and admired them, and wondered if her parents were both alive maybe she would have seen them like it.

She thought about Chari and his wife, she had known them closely for years and their commitment and sometimes Chari didn’t have to even finish his sentence she would know what he was saying. Sometimes just looking at her he would find out what she wants or what was she thinking. She has always wondered if there was some magical connection between them.

She though about her brother, the one who used to get in her way, well she knew he loved her and that’s why he did what he did, has changed after Kathy came into his life. She saw something in the two of them. Even though both of them came from two different worlds, she could see their love and wondered if they would grow old like this couple.

Chapter 142

It was the old lady she was speaking with earlier and she had overheard her conversation and asked her if she would like to join them since they all live in the same neighborhood. She didn’t want to get a free ride and be indebted to them and a burden to them. They insisted that it would be nice to have her along and they haven’t been out at night in a long time and promised it would be a pleasant drive.

He added that she can make sure that they don’t get lost and that either of them doesn’t fall asleep on their way back. Akshar seemed to agree that it would be a better option than taking a cab home. She reluctantly agreed to their request, since they were a very nice couple and she felt it would be a better option under the given circumstances.

Akshar thanked her for a nice evening and thanked the couple for offering to give her a ride and shook hands with the old man and took off. She enquired how come they were here, a long drive and pretty late in the evening. The couple replied that it was their fortieth wedding anniversary and they wanted to celebrate and their children had arranged for a nice evening all paid for.

Chapter 141

While she waited for him to get the car, someone called out her name and turned around and she was surprised to see the elderly couple from her neighborhood. She enquired how they were and it seemed that they were equally happy to see her and remarked why she never attends the association meetings.

He was bald and short, with wrinkles covering his face, well dressed in a black suit and seemed content. She looked fragile but her age couldn’t hide her beauty, she was dressed in an elegant skirt and a blouse with an emerald pendant hanging from her neck. She didn’t notice when Akshar walked behind her until he smiled at the couple.

They exchanged good byes and she turned to Akshar, insisting that he doesn’t have to drop her and she could take a cab, since it would be quiet a long drive for him. He shook his head indicating no accompanied with a smile, she heard someone tap her shoulder and turned around.

Chapter 140

She explained to him that her car is in the auto body shop and they had promised that she will be getting it by the end of the day, but it didn’t happen as she had planned. She suggested that she could take a cab since it would be along way for him to drop her off and get back to his since it was at least an hours drive to her home.

From their earlier conversation she figured that the restaurant was an hour’s drive from his and he lived in the opposite direction from hers. Since it would take almost three hours for him to get back to his place she didn’t want him to drop her and be a hassle to him in any way, after all she was the one who invited him for dinner and it would be very much impolite to impose upon him.

He seemed stubborn in his decision and she had a tough time trying to talk him out of it. He argued that it was quiet late at night and wouldn’t be safe for her to take a cab alone and he explained that she would not be a hassle in any way and he would be more than happy to do that for her. After quiet an argument, even though she wanted to take a cab, she did understand his sincerity and reluctantly admitted that he had a point regarding her safety and agreed to his request.

Chapter 139

It was pretty late and was time for them to leave and she waved her hand to indicate that she would like the check. While they were waiting for the check, he enquired how Pryag was and there was an instant change in her face that he couldn’t miss. She mentioned about his surgery the following Monday and the tension and the pressure that everyone was under which made him feel quiet bad for enquiring about him.

Her face had turned a bit sad and she couldn’t really hide it. He could see how genuine her affection was for him and how much she cared about him. He felt bad for the both of them, wished that everything would turn out fine. He placed his right hand on her left from across the table, assuring her that Pryag is very young and he will recover completely out of it, even though he was not sure about that himself.

She gave an acknowledging partial smile and was interrupted by the waiter with the check. She requested if he could arrange for a cab and Akshar interrupted indicating that it won’t be necessary and he shall be dropping her off; the waiter obliged by shaking his head and left them at the table.

Chapter 138

Even though their paths have crossed each other, this was the first time they were actually getting to know each other. There were enjoying their meal, relishing every bit of it, and probably eating more they normally would, but the environment was too pleasant, neither of them realized it, if they did then didn’t bother about it.

She appreciated his bouquet very much, for purple is a color associated with royalty, creativity, and mystery. The bouquet was an all-purple arrangement of flowers with daisy poms, mini carnations, monte casino and was not a usual one that she would receive and it also did tell her that he did put enough thought into it and didn’t pick something up on his way.

The music note changed into a slow music and they could see couples joining the dancing floor. He didn’t know whether she liked to dance or not, and he felt it would be inappropriate to ask her since this was not a date but more of a friendly acquaintance. If this were a date, probably he might have thought about it.

Chapter 137

It was a wonderful evening, and she was very pleased that her restaurant of choice that evening seems to have impressed him. He seemed to enjoy the wine that she had chosen and looked around and appreciated the surroundings and the intricate details and seemed to be very much fascinated by the surroundings.

She was elated by his remarks and comments about the place and remarked, “I hope you like Italian food as much as you like the place?” He smiled with an acknowledgement and they looked at the menu and placed their order. The music that was played on the background was quiet soothing and added serenity to the environment.

While they were waiting for the food to be server, he kept the conversation light and going but to her, with his ruby red lips, clear blue eyes and poetic wavy hair, it became very difficult to concentrate on what he was saying!

Chapter 136

She had a table reserved in the corner, more private, just like she usually does for any business meeting. As soon as she walked in, someone in there in a black suit and a red stripped tie did recognized her and walked her to her table and she requested Primitivo Salento to be served as soon as her company arrived.

He looked so pleasing and dignified it was hard for any young women in the room to resist looking at him. Some smiled at him and a young attendant volunteered to take him to his table determined to keep the conversation going until he gets to his table.

It seemed as if, almost everyone in the room wanted to know who they were and who they were with. He walked over and greeted her with a warm smile, which was worth a thousand bouquets even though he did have one for her. He graciously presented her the bouquet and took a seat right across her. He looked at her for a whole minute without saying a word, which almost made her blush and complimented her on how stunning she looked that evening.

Chapter 135

The Crumbling stone walls, intricate wrought iron accessories, marble flooring and sturdy hardwood furniture were just some of the wonderful elements of the decorating style. Because almost anyone can visualize for themselves in such a peaceful setting, it's no wonder it was one of the finest most popular restaurants right from the heart of Tuscany where the appeal lies in its simplicity that made it warm and inviting and was her obvious choice for the evening.

A real stunner, crafted in an earthy linen/rayon blend, embroidered front light blue shirt with point collar, clean placket and button cuff with round hem. His hip adorned a Kenneth Cole Waldorf Reversible modern, tasteful belt in shiny leather with a cut-away with a nice brushed-metal buckle.

He wore a double-pleat sharkskin dress pant with an intriguing texture, On-seam pockets, cuffed hem and a rich look that would dress up any day. His Sterling Silver "Grey" Cuff Links, featuring various shades of gray-colored enamel set in sterling silver and the beauty was all in the details. All was revealed when he took his full length raincoat that did blend seamlessly with his casual but dressier ensembles.

Chapter 134

She walked in wearing an embellished satin Jacket dress in bone. The chic jacket in textured crepe featuring tonal stain flap collar and the princess seaming brought out her elegant silhouette. The dress was in the same textured crepe, with a tonal satin inset at the bust and scattered beads along the seams with a pretty U-shaped neckline and wider, shaped straps with the flattering A-line skirt just below the knee.

The red quilted shoulder bag featuring contrast stitching details, a turnkey closure, and a metal chain strap with imitation tortoiseshell links with a eight inch handle perfectly complemented her Open-Toe satin shoes with upper and sequin detail combine for screen siren glamour.

Heads turned when she walked in. She can’t be included in the most beautiful women’s list, but she had a charisma, a personality, a charm that no one could miss, that made heads turn, especially men, and some women did feel a little jealous, since she had the glamour even some pretty looking women lacked!

Chapter 133

She didn’t realize it was already Saturday morning until the weekend specials roared on the television. She remembered that she will be meeting Akshar today evening for dinner and she also remembered that she had completely forgotten about the gifts she had wanted to send his sister and his friend for helping her.

She picked up the phone and called in her usual delivery guy, who delivers flowers and gifts for her business and asked him to deliver a nice bouquet of flowers, fruit basket and a hand crafted artwork to Akshar’s sister’s house and a bottle of wine with some nice assorted gift basket to his friends.

She was not sure what, is that she should be getting for Akshar is, she wanted to give him something as a thanks, but had difficulty thinking of something. She wanted it to say thanks, yet be useful and not something that everyone would give it. She though about a tie, a shirt, a watch and after a long thought decided to do some shopping online.

Chapter 132

The kiss from Pryag was clear enough to tell her how worried, mad and concerned he had been about her. She was more surprised to see the reaction on Chari’s face when Pryag had kissed her as soon as she had walked in. There was no reaction; that was what puzzled her more; as if he knew this was going to happen.

Everybody and everything looked normal, but she felt that Pryag must have told Chari something or Chari’s wife, the thought of it gave her the chills. She was glad that it was over and she was fine, and everything was fine. Even Chari’s sister had toned down a little bit, but Pryag’s kiss had shocked her a little which she couldn’t hide from her face.

The day went fine and everything seemed the way it was supposed to be, but for the occasional tiredness that Pryag encountered, reminded everyone about his surgery that Monday. She explained to Pryag that she will be there, with him, every step of the way until his full recovery and took off to get back to her home to get some official and personal work done. All she really wanted to do was get into her bed and fall asleep.

Chapter 131

He was cute and she was gorgeous. The way Akshar hugged the boy, looked as if he were his own; he demonstrated so much affection and was engaged in a deep conversation about soccer and all other kid stuff, completely forgetting about Diya. She stepped up and he kissed her on her cheek and turned around and introduced Diya to the both of them.

It looked as if Akshar were expecting them there; he wasn’t surprised, but very happy to see them. He turned around and said his good byes to her and waited for her to leave and went inside with his hands rubbing the boy’s hair as if a big brother would do.

The boy seemed to have Akshar’s eyes, the same Mickey Blue eyes; he was cute and energetic and had a very attractive personality. He guessed that she should be his mother and she wondered if he were his son and for some reason they were not together anymore. She saw a pharmacy and pulled over into the parking lot and walked into the shop.

Chapter 130

She was surprised to see that her car already had its tire changed and of course nothing could be done about the dent, which was much clearer in the day and under a clear sky. She roughly estimated the damage and knew she had a detectable and she had to pay from her pocket. It was not too bad and was not much to worry about.

She stepped into his house and thanked his friends and after spending a few minutes she was all ready to return back. Akshar walked her to her car and she thanked him one more time and asked him if he was free that Saturday evening. “I know this is not much, but for all the things you have done, the least I could do is maybe, buy you dinner?”

Unable to succeed in his argument with her that is really wasn’t necessary; he finally gave in and agreed to her request. When she was about to leave, a seven year old boy and a pretty young woman approached them and in a blink of an eye, the boy came and hugged Akshar, this time leaving her wonder who he was?

Chapter 129

After thanking his sister they were off to his friend’s house to check out her car. On their way she noted down his sister’s address and also his friend’s. She told him that she would like to thank then by sending them a nice gift, even though he insisted that it wasn’t necessary, she was not ready to listen to him.

She was glad that she met him and wanted to thank him in a special way, but was not sure it would suffice if she just buys him a gift, a token of gratitude. She felt that may not be enough, for his timely help and for being a gentleman. She felt a little jealous that he had really nice friends and she couldn’t really thing of any friends currently in her life.

She decided that maybe she should take him out to one of the finest restaurants and she felt very grateful to him. When she looked through the window she noticed a couple of convenient stores and she realized that she might have to stop at a pharmacy. The fact that she got her periods, made her sigh of relief and she wondered why it had been delayed this time and maybe she though it was all due to stress.

Chapter 128

He just stood there, watching her move around and unable to understand what had just happened and what he was supposed to make out of it. She went on getting ready, merrily, humming a tune and he had totally forgotten for a minute why he was there. She opened up the curtains and looked out to see and started commenting how nice the weather was outside today and continued talking about the beautiful weather out there.

He was not sure if she had mistaken what had happened in the car last night to be more than what it was, or she was just happy that she was doing fine, or it was supposed to be a good morning with just a peck on the cheek which unexpectedly ended up a bit strong, or it was just her way of saying thank you for everything.

He turned towards her and everything seemed fine, except she seemed extremely happy. He didn’t know what to make out of it and decided that it didn’t mean anything, and felt a little relieved, but he was quiet curious to find out what had brought out this great excitement in her, but he knew it would not be right to ask her that and decided to let it go.

Chapter 127

He walked towards her room in order to wake her up. He knew that she had to get going and her car needs to get back in shape. He had already spoken to his friend and both of them need to get there and take care of her car. He was glad the weather outside was quiet good compared to what it was the previous night. There were a couple of roads that were blocked due to the eventful night.

He had been watching TV along with his brother in law and was aware of the roads that were blocked and the detours and the traffic. He anticipated some delay and wanted to be at his friend’s house within an hour since he was expecting to meet someone over there. He also wanted to know if she was doing fine, since she had suffered quiet a shock from the cold the previous day.

She didn’t hear him knock the door since her mind was somewhere else. She realized that they had ran out of tissue and searched for it and found some in the cabinet. She didn’t hear him come in after a couple of knocks, since she was extremely happy due to some turn of events for which now she knew that nothing in her life was going to change. She was elated and overjoyed and relieved all at the same time. She couldn’t contain her happiness and was singing. He stood there puzzled looking at her and she walked over to him and kissed him and walked passed leaving him totally baffled.

Chapter 126

She was finally up and felt quiet tired and it took her a couple of seconds to feel where she really was. She got up and went to the bathroom to continue on with her usual morning routine. Even though she was physically present, her mind was totally somewhere else, thinking about how she is going to handle the situation if it were positive.

She knew she had to know, she had to know today, she stepped out and checked her calendar from her bag and knew that there was still a small window of possibility that things will turn in her favor. If that is not the case, she needs to take steps on what she has to do. She had thought about it all night, she knew if it were positive she had to tell Pryag, he deserved to know.

By the time she was done brushing her teeth, she had made up her mind in the event if it turned out in the way that she didn’t want it to be. She decided that she will make the decision and not Pryag and weather to tell him or not was something she will revisit after he is surgery and what she is going to do, will solely be her decision and no one, no matter what will have a say in it.

Chapter 125

The golden rays emerging from the sky seemed to indicate that the dark clouds had exhausted their energy and had retired after an eventful evening. It seemed as if the droplets that were sleeping on the green grass, were startled by the jumping of the squirrels and the rabbits that were forced out of their homes with enthusiasm celebrating the mark of dawn.

The streets were slowly getting crowded, as if everyone over there were just waiting for the sun to come up. The birds cuckooed as if they were singing the rhythm of the rainbow; the trees moved and shake their leaves attuned to their rhythm. The road was still wet and cold and the stop sign by the end of the street was looking at the opposite direction.

He couldn’t sleep as much as he would like to; when the whole family is up and are in the family room, he didn’t have much choice; he got up and walked upstairs to clean himself up before a cup of coffee and when we tried to open the door it wouldn’t and it just occurred to him that Diya was in there

Chapter 124

The peaceful sleep that she was planning for didn’t last long, in spite of her being so tiered. She started to toss and turn in her sleep and was struggling to get a hold thing not knowing weather it was real or a dream. Her dreams brought forth what was disturbing her from last night. Not knowing how everything is going to turn out, not knowing what she was going to do if the result was what Chari’s wife had proposed.

The thought of Pryag, brought in more frustration and fear and how much she wanted not to think about it and yet it was there in her subconscious, slowly crawling into her dreams and changing them into a nightmare and she struggled to escape from it with every effort of consciousness from her sub consciousness and finally gave in.

It was so disturbing even thought she was sleeping, she was restless and completely traumatized. She was having a dream and a nightmare at the same time and somehow it all dissolved in the background and she slowly dosed back into a deep slumber and cuddled the pillow next to her looked like a baby curling in its womb.