Somewhere there is someone looking for the strange you are
~ Atticus

***

"Bhabhi guess what!" Devika barges inside the room and stops when she sees that Hriday has already arrived home.

He's started coming early nowadays.

"I'm borrowing bhabhi for a minute ha" she says to him and pulls me out of the room. I can see Hriday from here but we're out of hearing distance.

Uff ab kya baat ho gayi?

"Rahul ko police ne arrest kar liya" she whisper yells at me.

"What! Kab!?" I ask in complete shock.

"Aaj shaam ko. I don't know, somehow the police came to know that he does drugs and uske ghar ki talaashi li gayi. Vo fass gaya buri tarah. He'll be obviously out on bail but maine sunaa hai ke usse rehabilitation centre me bheja jaayega" she says.

"That's great Devika. He's getting what he deserves" I grin widely.

"I know!" She jumps up and down. "But I wonder who told the police. Must be a really big personality because his father is some big government officer and you know how corrupt the inside system is" she says.

The face of Hriday flashes before my eyes.

I turn my head to look at him and his eyes are already on us. He quickly looks away when I catch him.

Oh boy! Toh ye hai big personality.

"Kya pata kon hoga" I say shaking my head.

"This calls in for a celebration!" She squeals and enters back inside the room.

"Bhai chalo movie dekhne jaate hai. Bhabhi ready ho jaao" she says.

I already know the reply he'll give to this. And if what I think is wrong, then I'll shave one eyebrow of mine.

Mujhe kaam hai.

"Mujhe kaam hai Devika. I can't" he says.

Ha! Bach gaya eyebrow.

"Bhai please" she whines.

"I seriously can't, Devika. Office ke side wale building ka renovation shuru hai and there's a lot of noise there because of heavy construction work. Isliye I come home early. I'm already behind my schedule" he says. "Shravni ko le jaao".

"No.. sorry Devika" I say quickly. "I don't like watching movies".

"What? Movies nahi pasand?" She asks with her eyes wide.

I feel Hriday's eyes burning holes into the back of my head.

"Hmm" I say.

"Kya yaar bhabhi. Agar mera mood achha nahi hota abhi toh I'd throw a tantrum. But I'm letting you off this time" she says and walks away.

"So..." I say looking at Hriday.

"So?" He raises an eyebrow.

Playing innocent then? Aapki marzi. Let's play it your way.

"Devika ko jo ladka pareshaan kar raha tha usse jail ho gayi" I say trying to gauge his reaction. His face gives nothing away.

"Good" he says indifferently as he scrolls through the phone.

"Kisi ne uske baare me complain ki that he consumes drugs" I say.

"Achha?" He asks without looking up.

"Haa na. Pata nahi konse mand insaan ne aisa kiya" I say.

"What?" He finally looks up at me. "Mand kaise?"

"Bichara ladka. Ladka bhi nahi, abhi toh bass chhota bachha tha vo. Kuch logo ko apne rozi roti ke liye galat kaam karne padte hai. Mai bhi toh thi charas gaanja ki dealer. Remember?" I ask referring to my resume.

"Supplier. Charas gaanja supplier" he says and I can't help but smile.

He remembers!

"Ha toh mai toh bass charas gaanja supply karti thi, khud consume nahi ki kabhi. Vo kya hai na gareebi me karna padta hai. I was not getting any job. Uski bhi shayad same haalat hogi" I say sadly like I really feel bad for him.

"How can you say that? He was harassing my sister. Also, vo drugs consume karta tha. Aur ye baat uske medical reports me bhi prove hogi. Paiso ki kami nahi hai usse, his dad is some big and extremely corrupt officer in the PWD department!" He snaps at me.

"Achha? Aapko kaise pata? Aap lawyer ke saath saath antaryami bhi ho? Side business?" I ask, stroking my chin.

He opens his mouth to say something and closes it again. Again opens it and closes it again.

Hriday Rajput at a lost for words. Wow. This is a first.

"Ye kya pehna hai tumne, god! Mere office ke peon bhi tumse jyada achhe kapde pehente hai" he says suddenly.

I think my jaw touches the floor.

"Kuch bhi mat boliye. You're just trying to change the topic. You did it right? How did you even come to know?" I ask, pushing the spotlight on him again.

"I don't know what you're talking about" he says.

"Aahaaha naatak toh dekho. Mai aapke jitna padhi nahi hu but that doesn't mean I'm stupid. I tell you about Devika and two days later this happens. Coincidence? I think the hell not!" I say putting my hands on my hips.

"I have my sources Shravni. I'm a criminal lawyer. Mujhe kaha se kaise khabar nikaalni hai pata hai" he says and I see a proud glint in his eyes.

"I didn't even tell you his name! How did you find him?" I ask again.

"Will you stop shouting? Fatte hue speaker jaise lag rahi hai tumhari aawaz. Mere kaan fatt rahe hai" he makes a face.

That's when I realise my voice was getting louder and more shrill by the second.

My mouth falls open again.

He removes his wallet and produces a nice shiny card from it.

"Please go and buy something. Throw away all your clothes. They are shit. This thing that you're wearing is hurting my vision" he says and looks away.

I look down at my outfit. A red kurti and black leggings. This is my favourite outfit of all the clothes I own. There are not many I own but I thought I looked the best when I wore this.

Everytime I wore this, Neelima aunty complimented me. Aur aaj toh subah Devika ne bhi taarif ki thi. She'll be going into the fashion world so I thought maybe I really do look good.

I was so wrong. I look at his credit card for a moment and then without saying anything, leave the room slamming the door behind me.

I go downstairs and outside the house and sit on the grass in the lawn. My mood turns completely gloomy as I start pulling out the grass randomly.

I know I'm not model looking or ekdum beautiful. I have wavy hair. Straight bhi nahi, curly bhi nahi.. aur subah uthti hu tab they look like a ghosla. My skin is somewhat honey coloured. Fair and lovely wala gorapan bhi nahi hai. Plain brown aankhe, chhoti si naak aur usual se lips.

There's nothing extraordinary or appealing about me. I'm just an average looking girl with self esteem issues. Issues because of people like Hriday who judge people on their appearances.

Only on their appearances.

Something pokes me in the arm and I frown to see Hriday standing behind me with a stick in his hand. A branch like stick.

Ab haath lagane me bhi ghin aa rahi hai?

I don't say anything and turn my face away and start pulling the grass again.

"You have no regard for lawn maintenance" he says and I clench my teeth but I don't reply.

He pokes me in the arm again.

And again. This time a little harshly.

I look back and glare at him.

"Khana khane bulaa rahi hai chachi. Chalo" he says.

I stand up and barge past him ekdum tashan me. Inse baat hi nahi karungi. Samjhte kya hai ye apne aap ko. Meri insult karte rahenge aur mai seh ke lungi? Inhe toh-

I trip and fall.

Seriously? Now? Pura tashan ka kachumbar ho gaya..

I glare at my legs. Ye hi kabhi mera saath nahi dete.. duniya se kya ummeed rakhu?

Hriday is in no time beside me and when he offers his hand to pull me up, I stand on my own.

"Yaha kuch seedhiya ya pathhar ya uneven rasta aisa kuch bhi nahi hai. Simple grass. Yaha kaise girr sakta hai koi" he shakes his head and I see a amused glint in his eyes.

If I was not so angry, I'd be happy to see him amused.

I start dusting my ghatiya vision-hurting kurta and straighten it.

Inhone jarur mujhe mann me gaali di hogi. Isliye giri mai.

"Wait a minute. Tum khud ke hi per ke wajah se trip ho ke giri?" He asks with his eyes a little wide.

"Wow Shravni! Chalna bhi nahi aata? Dekho aisa chalte hai. One leg and then the other. See?" He says and walks, taking a slow circle around me.

I groan in frustration and while leaving, bump my shoulder hard into his arm. Unke shoulder tak pahochne se rahi.

I go and sit on my place after washing my hands, where everybody is already present.

Everyone's eyes fall on me and then Hriday when he sits beside me. The food is served and I see Hriday going through his emails in his phone while eating.

Aise bhi koi karta hai? So disrespectful!

"Hriday phone rakho. Kitni baar samjhana padega" his mom scolds him.

"Do minute mom, this is important" he says.

Of course it is.

Everyone stops and looks at me and that's when I realise I said it out aloud.

Wow. All my body parts are going to betray me today. First legs and now mouth.

"Waise mai batana bhul gayi, mera bhai hai na Jodhpur wala, uske pote ki shaadi hai. Hum sab ke liye nimantran aaya hai. Jaayenge sab ha" daadi says to change the topic. It's effective.

Haashh..

"Mere work commitments hai daadi, I don't think I'll be able to make it" Hriday says.

Ye insaan nahi ho sakte. Alien. Pakka alien.

"Ha toh shaadi ke din chale jaayenge na maa. Shaadi ko toh abhi ek hafta hai" Hriday's mom tells her.

"Aise kaise sirf shaadi me. Bahot kharcha kiya hai mere bhai ne" she says looking pointedly at daadu and I have an urge to laugh. They're so cute. "Hum sab ko pure saat din jaana chahiye"

"Sorry maa mujhe bahot kaam hai office me. Mujhe do din ke liye Bangalore bhi jaana hai aur my visit can't be cancelled" Chachi says.

"Same here maa. Sorry" chacha says.

"Meri exams hai but mai aane ke liye tayyar hu" Chanchal says with a grin and Chacha laughs, kissing her hair and Chachi rolls her eyes.

"Aur daadi mere bhi preliminary exams shuru hai warna aa jaati mai" Devika says with a sad face.

"Kaise bachhe ho tum. Baghban se kuch seekha nahi kya!" she says.

"Daadi!"

"Maa!"

Everyone says in unison and I smile. So this is how the arguments between family members feel like. They feel so.. warm.

Nothing like the heated arguments I had with my mom.

Daadi's eyes fall on me and then Hriday and I see the mischievous glint in her eyes. I can literally hear the gears in her brain working at something that I'm not going to like at all.

"Hriday.."

No. Please no. Don't daadi. I look at her pleadingly.

"Tum aur Shravni chale jaao" she says dropping the bomb.

The whole table becomes quite. Pin drop silence wala quite.

"Daadi I just told you that it's impossible for me to come. Aap isse le jaao" he says giving me an expression which a person gives when a fly keeps buzzing in his ears and he can't wait to get rid of it.

I feel like making him swallow the spoon that I'm holding.

"Tumhe hamesha hi kaam rehta hai. Mujhe nahi pata, tum jaaoge" daadi says firmly.

"Toh mai hi kyu. Chacha Chachi ko bhi bolo na" he says acting like a student who's caught for talking in class but the others who were talking are not.

"Oye. Hume mat ghaseet" chachu says.

"This is not fair" Hriday whines.

I've never heard him whining. And to be honest, it's kinda adorable.

"Hriday hum sab toh fir bhi jaate rehte hai. Tum hi nahi gaye ho bahot saal se. Jaa ke aao na" daadi says.

"Ha toh aap bhi chalo, fir mai chalta hu" he says.

Daadi seems at a lost for words but her recovery is quick. "Mujhe abhi yaad aaya ke waha toh ye dino bahot thand hogi aur tumhe toh pata hai ke mujhe thand nahi bardaasht hoti. Mai bimaar pad jaaungi" she explains.

This woman is a pro.

"Aur mom?" He asks.

Before his mom can speak, daadi answers for her.

"Kya mom? Mugdha toh humare saath yaha rukegi. Warna hum dono buddhe logo ka khayal kon rakhega" she says.

Agar ye bomb mujhpe nahi fatt raha hota toh mai chair pe khade reh ke daadi ke liye taaliya bajaati. Wow. Just wow.

"Daadi.. yaar koi samjaao daadi ko" Hriday says looking at everyone.

"I think daadi is right" Devika says and I send her a death glare.

Achha silaa diya tune mere pyaar ka.

"Same. You should go Hriday. Avni ko thoda ghumaa laao" Chachi says and then winks at me.

She has the audacity to wink!

Chacha shrugs and his mom doesn't feel the need to reply. She knows it's not going to matter anyway.

"Kamaal hai!" Hriday says in exasperation.

"Hum sab shaadi wale din aayenge. Pakka" daadu says finally. "Pakka?" He asks looking at everyone on the table.

"Pakka" they all say.

I sigh as daadi's eyes fall on me.

I try to push down the bubble of excitement rising inside me.

Jodhpur! Oh my god so many movies have been shot there and I've always wanted to go there.

But I don't want to go with him. Not at all.

Please say no.

Please say yes.

"Fine" he says finally. "We'll go tomorrow".

***

The next chapter you'll get after 16th because I'm going out of town. Tab tak enjoy this one. I personally liked it a lot. Hope y'all did too.. ok bye ily :)