“Hey Richa!” Ananya called her friend, “Yahan hain hum.”

“Wow, Ananya! New dress, eh? Achcha to ye hain teri dost…” Richa’s voice drowned as she took in Shreya’s face, “Ananya ye…”

“Shreya. Shreya, ye hai Richa. Meri bachpan ki dost aur ab colleague bhi.”

“Hi Richa,” Shreya offered her hands, “Nice to meet you.” Richa took her hand and shook it weakly. Her face had gone pale.

“Ananya. Ek minute, tujhse baat karni hai.”

“Kya hua?”

“Please mere saath aa. Akele mein baat karni hai tujhse,” Richa dragged her.

“Are Richa. Wait. Dekh Kabir idhar aa rahe hain. Mujhe bas ek minute de…”

She shook herself free and went back.

“Kabir!”

Kabir shot her a lovelorn look and came closer. “Not bad, Ms. Kashyap,” he whispered in her ears, “I could eat you up right now.”

She gently pushed him away reminding, “Hum office party mein hain.”

When no rejoinder came she looked up to find him looking stiff and pale. She followed his eyes and found Shreya just behind them.

“Are haan. Kabir ye–”

“Tum! Tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?” Kabir ignored Ananya and growled at Shreya.

Confused, Ananya looked from one to the other.

“Kabir!” Shreya barely managed to whisper.

“Aap dono ek-doosre ko jaante hain?”

“Haan,” Kabir looked at Ananya angrily, “And I am not happy ki main ise jaanta hoon. Tum is party mein kya kar rahi ho, Shreya.”

“Kabir, please! Ye meri guest hain.”

“Tumhari?” Kabir was shocked.

Ananya hadn’t realized that Richa had followed her until she heard her whispering in her ear from behind, “Yahi bata rahi thi main tujhe. Shreya Kabir Sir ki ex-wife hai. Isse kahan mili tu?”

All color drained out of Ananya’s face on hearing that.

“Kabir! Kya kar rahe ho tum? Go and make your speech,” Malvika barged in.

“Malvika. Thodi der–”

“Bahur der ho chuki hai, Kabir. Plesae. Main kab se tumhein dhoondh rahi hoon.”

Glaring more at Ananya than Shreya, Kabir left.

Malvika noticed Shreya then.

“Shreya Sharma?” Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Shreya Bhagat,” Ananya said absently.

“I reverted to my maiden name,” Shreya muttered to Ananya, “I’m sorry, Ananya. I had no idea Kabir was your boss.”

Ananya was too bewildered to respond. But Malvika was not going to let go of an opportunity to take her to the task.

“Tum layi ho ise yahan? Ananya? Tumne logon ko outrage karne ka theka le rakha hai kya? What does it mean to invite your boss’ ex-wife to the office party?”

Ananya didn’t feel like explaining anything to Malvika. She tried to focus on Kabir addressing the gathering, congratulating the team of the channel achieving number one position, exhorting them to let their hair down for the party, but to get back to work the next day. But his words were blurred in the party noise. She was too far from him.

“Ananya,” she came to herself on hearing Shreya’s voice, “Main nikalti hoon. I am really sorry.”

“If this doesn’t opens Kabir’s eyes,” Malvika said threateningly, “I don’t know what will.” Then she walked away.

“Ananya!” Richa pressed her shoulders.

“Richa. Yaar maine kuchh jaan-boojh kar thode hi na kiya. Aur itni badi bhi kya baat ho gayi. Woh log divorced hain. Apne-apne raaste par ja rahe hain. Aamne-saamne aa jaana koi gunaah thode hi na hai.”

“Tu Kabir Sir se baat kar le ek baar. Achanak se dekha hoga unhone to–”

Kabir had finished speaking and Ananya saw him stepping out. She rushed after him.

“Kabir!”

“Kya professional life ke khatre tumhare liye kaafi nahin hain, Ananya. Jo ab tum dost bhi aise logon ko banane lagi ho? Bina unke baare mein kuchh jaane?”

“Aap please mujh par chillana band karenge? Mujhe nahin maaloon tha–”

“Aur woh tumhare ghar ja chuki hai? Kissi ko bhi ghar le jaogi tum? Kabhi kuchh poochha usse ki kaun hai woh?”

“Mujhe maaloon tha ki woh divorcee hain, lekin ab kya main har kissi se ye poochhti phiroon ki aap Kabir Sharma ki ex-wife hain kya?”

“Na to tumhein apne doston ke baare mein kuchh pata hota hai, na hi mere baare mein.”

“Kabir, please! Aapne kya mujhe photo dikhayi thi? Main tabloids follow nahin kar rahi thi aapke divorce ke samay. Jitna aapne bataya hai apne baare mein utna mujhe pata hai.”

“Good. To ab please door raho us naagin se.”

Ananya herself knew that her friendship with Shreya could not continue. But the way Kabir demanded it made her flare up.

“Main khud decide karoongi ki kisse door rahna hai mujhe aur kisse nahin. Aur aapne kya mujhe sab sach sach bataya tha? Bola tha na maine aapse ki aapki responsibilities ke raaste mein nahin aaungi. To aapne kyon nahin bataya mujhe ki Shreya aur aapka ek beta hai.”

“What? Ye kya bakwaas hai? Hamara koi bachchha nahin hai.”

“Mujhe nahin pata ki aap mujhse jhooth bol rahe hain ya khud se. Shreya divorce ke samay preganant thi.”

“Ye usne bola tumse?”

“To?”

“To ye ki main uski rag-rag se waakif hoon. Woh tumhare saath mess up kar rahi hai.”

“Use pata bhi nahin hai ki hamara rishta kya hai. Abhi bhi woh yahi samajhti thi ki aap mere boss hain, bas. Woh mere saath mess up kyon karegi?”

“Use kya pata hai, kya nahin, ye tum kaise jaanti ho?”

“Is paranoia ka koi jawaab nahin hai.”

“Main ek baar us aurat se deal kar chuka hoon, Ananya. Agar tum bhi usi ki zubaan bolna shuru kar dogi to main tumse deal nahin kar paunga.”

“Theek hai, phir. Koi zaroorat nahin hai aapko mujhse deal karne ki.”

She left in a huff.

—

“Ananya? Beta tu theek hai? Maine kitni baar phone kiya tujhe?” Mrs. Kashyap looked worried when she opened the door for her daughter.

“Phone silent tha, Ma. Kya hua? Tum aise kyon poochh rahi ho?”

“Ananya!”

Shreya was waiting for her in the hall.

“Aap?”

“I’m so, so sorry, Ananya,” she came to her and gave her a hug, “Mujhe koi idea nahin tha ki Kabir was your boss. Aur abhi-abhi Auntie se pata chala ki you and Kabir… Main bas yahan sorry kahne aayi thi. And if there is anything I can do to clear the air–”

“It’s okay. Thank you, Shreya. Aapki galti nahin thi.”

“Will you be fine, Ananya?”

“Yes.”

“Main chalti hoon.”

Mrs. Kashyap bolted the door after Shreya and turned to her daughter. “Jo Shreya kah rahi hai woh sach hai kya, Ananya? Woh Kabir ki ex-wife hai?”

“Usne aapse is baare mein baat ki?”

“Woh bahut pareshaan thi. Maine use baat karne par majboor kiya, Ananya. Aur mere liye bhi to ye sab janna zaroori hai.”

“Haan to theek hai na, Ma. Kya farq padta hai ki Shreya unki ex-wife hai ya koi aur…”

“But she is a wonderful woman. Usne jo mujhe bataya uske divorce ka reason, mujhe laga ki woh sach kah rahi thi.”

“Ma–”

“Aur uska beta?”

“Ma. Main bahut thaki hui hoon. Kal baat karein, please?”

“Ananya. Bas ek baat. Main is baat se inkaar nahin kar rahi ki Kabir ne hamare liye bahut kuchh kiya hai. Lekin ek jeevan saathi mein professional competence se zyada important hota hai uska personal moral. Ye dhyaan rakhna, Ananya.”

She nodded non-commitally and locked herself in her room.

Kabir was right about Shreya, she realized. She had come straight to her home and had blabbered everything before her mother. What was she hoping for if not to drive a rift between them? Ananya still had difficulty believing that it could all be a part of a plan, but as she realized that she was utterly wrong in accusing Kabir, a cold fear gripped her. Till now she was occupied with her anger towards him, but now she wondered what Kabir’s reaction would be. It was bad enough that he had come face to face with Shreya so unexpectedly. To top that she herself had accused him of lying instead of supporting and believing him.

“I’m sorry, Kabir,” she broken down and sobbed.  How disappointed he must be in her. After all he had done for her. All their happy moments played like a movie before her eyes. Kabir’s first day in the office, Kabir challenging her, Kabir complementing her, Kabir offering to drop her home, Kabir blurting that he loved her, Kabir proposing her on his knees, Kabir taking her for dinners and to the farmhouse, Kabir insisting on buying her a new dress and now…

—

To be continued