Ashutosh was happy. Being in love and knowing that his love was respected and reciprocated was enough to elate him. The future worries could be kept aside. At least for the time being. Happiness could go away. But today he didn’t want to be bothered about that. Today he wanted to be happy. He called Kaka.

“Kya baat hai beta.”

“Kaka – ye phool…” he pointed towards the bouquet Nidhi had brought.

Kaka sighed. He thought he would again have to throw them away.

“Inhein ek flower vase mein daal dijiye. Paani dal kar, taki murjhayen nahin jaldi,” Ashutosh surprised Kaka with his request. But it was a pleasant surprise. Kaka went out of the room grinning.

Rahul and her mother Rohini, whom Ashutosh had given the job of cook at his house, were there in the hall. Rohini saw Kaka and asked, “Kya baat hai Kaka? Bahut khush lag rahe hain?”

“Khush hone ki to baat hi hai. Aaj pata nahin kitne dinon baad Ashutosh ne phool phenke nahin, balki unhein phooldaan mein lagane ko kaha, taki murjhaye nahin.”

“Ye to wahi phool hain jo Dr. Nidhi le kar aayi thi.”

“Dr. Nidhi?”

“Haan. Woh Dr. Ashutosh ke saath kaam karti hain na aspataal mein.”

“Achchha! Phir to use aksar ghar bulana padega.”

—

Ashutosh took out some old records of Ghazals. He tried to play one of them, but it got stuck. He thought for a moment, then called Nidhi up, “Dr. Nidhi. Aapne kaha tha na ki aapne apni Mummy ka collection digitize kar rakha hai.”

“Ji.”

“Aap mujhe CDs par de sakti hain.”

“Zaroor. Main le aaungi.”

“Aapko pareshaan hone ki zaroorat nahin hai. Aap hospital se kissi ke haathon bhijwa sakti hain.”

“Kya main aapse milne nahin aa sakti aapke ghar?”

Damn! He had hurt her. “Nahin Nidhi. Mera aisa koi matlab nahin tha.”

“Phir main aa rahi hoon,” she gave her decision and disconnected the call.

Wow! She was ordering him around. Ashutosh laughed out loud.

“Confirmed!” Armaan walked into his room.

“Kya confirmed?” Ashutosh was surprised, but was still laughing.

“Ki pyaar mein achchhe achchhe pagal ho jaate hain. Akele mein baithe baithe kyon hans rahe ho dost?”

“Aise hi Armaan. Kuchh funny si baat yaad aa gayi thi. Tumhein aaj jaana nahin hai kaam par?”

“Nahin. Aaj maine apni chhutti kar rakhi hai. Socha ki aise to tum milte nahin ho. Beemaari ke bahane ghar par ho to thoda time bitaya jaye.”

“Achchha socha tumne.”

—

“Ji aap?” Hiraman Kaka opened the door in the evening.

“Main Nidhi. Dr. Ashutosh ke under kaam karti hoon. Unse milna hai.”

“Oh Dr. Nidhi? Aaiye na. Main abhi Ashutosh ko batata hoon.”

“Nahin, nahin. Aap mat bataiye. Main unhein surprise deti hoon. Woh mujhe abhi expect nahin kar rahe honge.”

“Theek hai,” her bubbliness and infectious smile warmed Kaka’s heart too.

—

“Dr. Ashutosh,” Nidhi peeped in standing at his bedroom door. Armaan and Ashutosh were there in the room.

“Dr. Nidhi. Aap? Is waqt?” Ashutosh was really surprised.

“May I come in?”

“Haan. Haan. Aaiye na.”

“Aapke kamre mein CD player hai?”

“Nahin to. Kyon?”

“Achcha aapka laptop to hoga?”

“Haan.”

“Dijiye mujhe,” Nidhi took the laptop and started inserting a CD into it.

“Ye CD?”

“Jo aapne mangwayi thi.”

“Lekin maine to aaj hi din mein aapse kaha tha. Aapne CD kab bana li?”

“CD to bahut pahle se bana rakhi thi. Lekin aapne kabhi maangi hi nahin.”

Ashutosh looked at Armaan in surprise. Armaan was giving him an amused smile.

None of them said anything while Nidhi inserted the CD, opened the media player and started playing the songs. She adjusted the volume so that it could play in the background and they could talk.

“Haan. Ab bataiye. Aapki tabiyat kaisi hai?”

“Subah hi to aap dekh kar gayi thi?”

“Dr. Armaan. Aap kaise hain?” Nidhi was completely at home, Ashutosh thought and smiled inwardly.

“Main badhiya hoon Dr. Nidhi. Ashutosh ke saath main bhi chhutti maar raha hoon.”

“Aap inke dost hain aur agar aap bhi inki tarah hi kaam karte hain to chhutti maarne ka poora haq hai aapko.”

Armaaan laughed, “Nahin, nahin Dr. Nidhi. Ashutosh ki tarah koi aur kaam nahin kar sakta.”

“Waise Sir. Ye flower vase kis zamane ka hai? Ek to itna crude aur showy design hai, us par se ganda sa ho rakha hai,” Nidhi pointed towards the vase holding the flowers she had brought in the morning.

Ashutoh was speechless for a moment. For the first time he realized what her Baba had meant when he had said that she is “betakalluf”. Armaan’s chuckle made him realize that he was staring at Nidhi in shock.

“Haan… Woh… Dr. Nidhi. Darasal kaafee dinon se ghar mein flower vase use nahin hua tha. To jo purana pada tha Kaka ne wahi nikaal diya.”

“Phir to naya khareedne ki zaroorat hai. Waise aapke kamre ke parde bhi bahut dull se hain. Inhein badal denge to aap jaldi theek ho jayenge,” Nidhi went towards the window.

Ashutosh was so taken aback that he didn’t know how to react. Armaan laughed out loud and said, “Aap log home redecoration ke plan banaiye. Main thodee der kuchh kaam nibta loon.” He left the room.

Ashutosh relaxed once he was left with her alone. Now, he could enjoy her antics without being conscious of anyone else’s reaction.

“To aur kya kya badalne ka plan kar liya aapne meri zindagi mein?” he asked Nidhi, “Waise main khud bhi kaafii dull insaan hoon.”

It was Nidhi’s turn to be embarrassed. She figured that she was being too imposing, “I… I am sorry.”

“Sorry?” Ashutosh smiled, “Us din is sawaal ka jawaab nahin diya tha tumne. Ye formalities zaroori hain kya?”

All the nervousness that she hadn’t felt all these days, not even since the morning when she had overheard Ashutosh’ conversation with Armaan, suddenly enveloped hai.

Her face flushed and she stammered, “Pa… Pata nahin. Main… Main chalti hoon.”

“Thodi der ruk jao Nidhi,” his heavy, intimate voice stopped her, “Baitho yahan,” he indicated to the edge of the bed.

Nidhi walked to the bed and sat there gingerly.

“Itna ghabra kyon gayi achanak?”

“Aisa kuchh nahin hai,” she said, but her voice said otherwise.

“Nidhi. Tumhein mujhse ya apni feelings se ghabrane ki koi zaroorat nahin hai.”

“Main samjhi nahin.”

“Achchha. Sach, sach batao. Kya tum mujhe lekar confusion, insecurity, uncertainty nahin feel karti?”

She nodded.

“Main bhi feel karta hoon. Aur ye feelings jaate-jaate hi jayengi. Samay lagega. Tab tak tumhari koi obligation nahin hai, tumhein koi decision nahin lena hai. Explore these feelings aur jab confusions sort out ho jayen, tab decide karna.”

“Aur aap?”

“Mujhe bas ye assurance chahiye ki tumne soch samajh kar, apne future ke liye sahi decision liya hai. Koi jaldbaazi nahin ki hai. Phir jo bhi tumhara decision hoga, usmein main tumhare saath rahunga.”

Nidhi was overwhelmed. She wanted to tell him her decision right there. If she had someone who cared so much for her, what decision could she take? But she did not say anything. He needed the assurance that she had decided it with cool mind. And she would give him that assurance.

She nodded and asked innocently, “To kya main ye ghastly vase change kar sakti hoon?”

Ashutosh laughed out loud, “Haan. Tum jo chahe kar sakti ho. Aur change karne ke baad iski ek achchi si photo bhi apne camera se le kar rakh lena. Phool to murjha jayenge aaj nahin to kal. Photo mein hi nishani rahegi.”

She smiled happily.

“Achcha batao chai piyogi ya coffee.”

“Chai. Aur kuchh snacks bhi chahiye. Bhookh lagi hai.”

Ashutosh smiled with amusement. She was back to her carefree self, “Main Hiraman Kaka ko bulata hoon.”

“Rahne dijiye. Main khud jaa kar unhein bol aati hoon.”

“Okay.”

—

Nidhi took sometime to come back. When she came, she came with the tea and snacks in a plate.

“Aap kyon le aayin ye sab? Kaka ko bas bol deti.”

“Aap chai pijiye aur bataiye ki kaisi bani hai?” she kept the tray on the table near the bed.

“Kaka ki banayi chai main to roz peeta hoon. Aap bataiye…” Ashutosh stopped. Of course, she wouldn’t ask him to taste it if it was made by Kaka. “To aap aaj button daba kar chai nahin layi hain. Lekin aapke Baba ne to kaha tha ki aapko sirf coffee banani aati hai.”

“Haan. Pahli baar chai banayi hai,” she handed him a cup, “Lekin aap ghabraiye nahin. Kaka se poochh poochh kar banayi hai. Zyada buri nahin hogi.”

“Bahut achchhi bani hai,” Ashutosh sipped and smiled.

—

To be continued