“WHO is involving local NGOs to sustainably carry on this project. Aur idea ye hai ki in NGOs ko fundraising mein bhi help ki jaaye.” Armaan explained over breakfast on Sunday morning.

“That’s why the black tie dinner and all?” Ashutosh asked.

“Haan! And Ashu. I am counting on you to come and lead the donations,” Armaan grinned.

“Jaana to padega hi. Donations ka nahin pata,” Ashutosh laughed good humouredly, “Tum chalogi, Nidhi?”

“Main wahan kya karoongi? Na to main black tie pahan sakti hoon, na hi donate kar sakti hoon?” Nidhi smiled.

“Donation ki fikr mat karo. Armaan will exempt you,” Ashutosh replied jokingly, “Aur black tie ka substitute ek nice, formal dress hai. Chalo. Let’s buy one for you.”

“Kya? Aise…”

“Aur kaise? Dress to khareed kar hi laate hain, nahin?”

Nidhi smiled. He wanted to take her shopping. Why not?

—

They bought a black, formal dress for Nidhi and then started looking at other dresses. Nidhi was surprised at how involved Ashutosh was shopping for her dresses.

“Ye dekho Nidhi. Ye color tum par bahut suit karta hai,” he picked up a top and showed it to her, “What color is this? Something between green and blue?”

“Sea green,” she said, “Aapko pasand hai?”

“Tum try kar ke dekh lo. Tumhein pasand aaye tabhi…”

“Try to main kar loongi, lekin hum kitni dresses khareedne waale hain?”

“Itni kahan khareedi hain?”

“Chaar dresses, teen tops aur ek salwaar-kameez already hain is shopping bag mein.”

“To tum kyon pareshaan ho rahi ho? Carry to main kar raha hoon na,” Ashutosh quipped.

Nidhi shook her head smiling and did not say anything. She took the top from him and made to go to the trial room.

“Ek minute Nidhi,” he stopped her and took something out from the shopping bag, “Ye bhi try kar ke dekho?” Bundled in his hand was something made of lacy cloth.

“Ye kya hai?”

“Try kar ke dekho,” he did not unbundle it and handed it as it was to her.

Her face colored, when she looked at it in the trial room. It was a beautiful babydoll negligee, made of sheer cloth with laces at the hems and straps. If their age difference was going to negatively affect anything in their life at all, it certainly wasn’t going to be the romance. She felt so aroused that she would have ran out directly into his arms, if it wasn’t practically impossible given where they were.

—

“Ab billing karwa lete hain,” she came out with the top as well as the negligee and pushed them inside the shopping bag he was carrying. She wasn’t meeting his eyes. Ashutosh knew that she was very bold. So, when he managed to make her feel so shy, he particularly enjoyed it. It was like pushing the boundaries!

“Sure. Tumhein kuchh aur nahin chahiye?”

“Nahin.”

Ashutosh smiled, but did not try to tease her. Nidhi asked for an extra bag during the billing. Ashutosh was curious, but did not ask her the reason. But he found out as soon as they reached their car after shopping. Nidhi fished around the bag of her new clothes, took out the negligee, stuffed it in the extra bag and put it inside her handbag. Although Ashutosh did not ask, she explained her curious action, “Siddhi itni saari shopping dekhegi to jaate hi toot padegi aur sab dekhna chahegi.”

And she was right! Siddhi was all over the dresses they had bought exclaiming how chic something looked, or how something would have been nicer in a different color. Ashutosh left the sisters to themselves and went to his room to change.

“Kya hua Di?” Siddhi asked after a while, “Tum to bilkul bhi excited nahin lag rahi ho?”

“Nahin to…”

“Dr. Ashutosh ne kuchh kaha kya?”

“Nahin Siddhi. Woh kyon kuchh kahenge. Bas… Sun. Tujhe agar ismein se kuchh pasand aaye to rakh le.”

“Pahli baat to mujhe ye fit nahin aayengi. Doosre agar aati bhi to main kyon rakhoon? Tumhein pasand nahin hain kya?”

“Pagal hai kya Siddhi? Main kya apni napasand ki cheezein tujhe doongi?”

“Pagal hamesha mujhe kahti ho. Pagal to tum ho gayi ho. Khair ye batao – aaj shaam ye pahanne waali ho?” Siddhi picked up the black dress and asked her.

“Haan. Khair. Main nahane ja rahi hoon. Lunch ka time ho raha hai,” Nidhi got up looking rather lost. She didn’t notice that Ashutosh had come back after changing and was listening to their conversation standing slightly afar. He came to Siddhi after Nidhi had left and whispered something in her ears. Siddhi’s eyes shone and she nodded in agreement to whatever he had suggested.

—

“Kya hungama kar rahe ho tum log?” Nidhi heard Rahul’s and Siddhi’s excited voices on entering the room after taking a bath.

“Di! Dekho Dr. Ashutosh mere liye kya laaye hain?”

“Kya?”

“Wii!!”

“Are… Lekin…”

“Tum bhi khel sakti ho Di! Aao…”

“Nahin. Tum log khelo. Main dekhti hoon lunch ready hua ya nahin.”

As she turned towards the door to leave, she saw Ashutosh standing there smiling. They came out of the room together.

“Life ko itna complicated banane ki zaroorat nahin hai Nidhi.”

“Ji?”

“Siddhi jab tumhari dresses dekh rahi thi to tum itna pareshaan kyon ho gayi thi?”

She looked at him surprised. How did he know?

“Nidhi! Tum khud ko indulge karne ke liye guilty feel kar rahi thi?”

He had figured it out. So, Nidhi confessed, “Haan – maine Siddhi ko kabhi aise indulge nahin kiya hai… Aur suddenly apne liye… Khareedte waqt socha nahin. Lekin jab use itna excited dekha to…”

“Agar main tumhein indulge kar sakta hoon Nidhi, to Siddhi ko bhi kar sakta hoon.”

“Woh to dekha maine. Aapko kaise pata chala ki use Wii chahiye tha?”

“Thankfully woh tumhari tarah chhoti-chhoti baaton ko complicate nahin karti hai. Usne mention kiya tha…”

“Aapko tang karne ke maamle mein bahut comfortable ho gayi hai woh.”

“To achchha hi hai na?”

Nidhi smiled and nodded.

—

“Dr. Ashutosh. Dr. Nidhi,” Nidhi and Ashutosh were caught unawares when they ran into Ramesh Singhal at the fundraiser.

“Mr. Singhal. Hello. How are you?” Ashutosh greeted him courteously even as Nidhi stiffened. She just forced a smile to acknowledge him.

“I am fine. And you look very fine too, Dr. Ashutosh. Nice to see you again Dr. Nidhi.”

“Same here,” Nidhi found it difficult to be civil to Ramesh. But she remembered her conversation with Ashutosh after their last encounter and curbed her rudeness.

“Nidhi. Why don’t you pick up a drink or something. I will join you later,” Ashutosh suggested relieving Nidhi of Ramesh’ company. Although she hadn’t left Ashutosh’ side throughout the evening, she accepted this suggestion.

“It is very nice of you Dr. Ashutosh to take care of her,” Ramesh said once Nidhi left.

“Excuse me?”

“Youngsters, especially girls, are prone to making mistakes in life. When they do not have elders to guide them, or when they refuse to listen to them.”

“I see…” Ashutosh wondered if he should ignore him or get into a debate with him.

“She reminds me of my sister. She made some bad decisions when young. It didn’t end well for her.”

“I’m sorry about that, Mr. Singhal. But I don’t think that any one person’s experience applies to all. Dr. Nidhi is very mature and independent. I don’t go around telling her what to do and what not to. And that’s what I would suggest to anyone interacting with her,” Ashutosh spoke with a smile, but very firmly.

“You are very close to her, obviously?”

“Yes. But I have to ask. Why are you so curious about her?”

“Just… feel some connection.”

“I see,” Ramesh had given a very odd reply and Ashutosh wasn’t sure what to tell him, “Anyway. Excuse me. I have to catch up with some other people.”

“Sure. Dr. Ashutosh. See you later.”

“Nidhi. Is there any chance ki Mr. Singhal tumhein pahle se jaante ho?” Ashutosh asked Nidhi as soon as he found her.

“Main to unse pahle kabhi nahin mili. Kyon?”

“I don’t know. His curiosity about you is getting on my nerves too.”

“Kya poochh rahe the?”

“Rahne do. Maine taal diya.”

—

Ashutosh was thoughtful when he got off the phone.

“Kaun tha Dr. Ashutosh?” Nidhi entered his room just then.

“Dr. Surana. Tum jaanti ho?”

“Dr. Harshvardhan Surana?”

“Haan.”

“Of course. The famous orthpedic surgeon. Kotnis ke board mein bhi hai na?”

“Haan. He has been a mentor to me. Always guided me.”

“Wow. Mujhe nahin pata tha. Lekin… Koi problem hai kya? Aap pareshaan dikh rahe hain?”

“Dr. Ashutosh. Aap yahan baithe hain? Hiraman Kaka ne kaha hai ki Orion Palace Hotel se aapke liye phone aaya tha. Woh log aapka mobile number try kar rahe the, lekin woh busy aa raha tha.”

“Oh! Right. Main abhi unhein wapas call karta hoon. Hamein number of guests confirm karne the. Don’t worry. Tumhari birthday party mein koi problem nahin hogi. Tumne apne saare friends ko invite to kar liya hai na?”

“Haan. Sab aa bhi jaayenge. Preeti ko chhod kar.”

“Kyon? Preeti ko kya problem hai?” Nidhi asked.

“Uski family ajeeb hai Di. 18th century mein rahte hain woh log. Use schhol ke baad kahin aana-jaane ki permission nahin hai.”

“Are?”

“Maine kaha bhi ki driver to rahega hi.Woh hamesha car se aati-jaati hai, lekin phir bhi taiyaar nahin hui.”

“I can’t say, I am surprised though,” Nidhi mumbled.

“I pity her, Di. Pata hai – use dance ka bahut shauk hai. Seekha bhi hai usne. Lekin stage par perform karne ki permission nahin hai use. Log uska bahut mazaak udaate hain. Kuchh din pahle kuchh ladkon ne use chidhane ke liye uski seat par ek burqua rakh diya tha, ki use to burque mein rhana chahiye. Uski aankhon mein aansoo aa gaye the.”

“Oh!” Nidhi exclaimed, but could not say anything else.

“Siddhi. You should try this. Tum use ghar par invite karo to use aane ki permission mil jaye. Bahar hotel mein party hai. Iski wajah se kuchh parents zyada paranoid ho jaate hain,” Ashutosh suggested, “Birthday par to party planned hai hi. Lekin tum use kabhi aur invite kar sakti ho.”

“Try karoongi. But I really doubt. Aur Di. Tumhein tumhara promise yaad hai na?”

Nidhi sighed, “Haan. Yaad hai. Chal abhi hi jaate hain. Kal party ki preparations mein time mile na mile.” Nidhi had promised Siddhi that she would take her to parlour for complete beauty treatment before her fourteenth birthday. She had never allowed her anything other than a hair cut in the parlour earlier.

“Okay. Main taiyaar ho jaati hoon.”

“Dr. Ashutosh. Koi problem hai kya?” Nidhi resumed their conversation after Siddhi left.

“Nahin. Kuchh khaas baat nahin hai,” Ashutosh avoided replying to her, “Tum Siddhi ke saath jao.”

He sank down on a chair after she left. What Dr. Surana had warned him about had left him with a bad taste. He was glad to be left alone. Else he might have reacted inappropriately before Nidhi.

—

To be continued