Mitali Jain

"This morning I was not scheduled to meet you right?" I asked the petite looking secretary of my boss. We kind of always had a platonic behavior towards each other, none of us really tried to meddle into each other's work.

I guess it was right when people said be good friends with boss's secretaries... they get you brownie points.

But I had another theory... 'Beware of these secretaries... they are the main source to the building grapevine in the office.'

Ms. Mehra as she preferred to be called smiled at me. Her eyes wrinkling under her perfect cat eye like frames as she said, "ohh no, actually boss is expecting you...the head boss is here studying the reports of last exhibition."

"ohh... um, did you caught any of theirs expressions?"

"The head boss is difficult to crack, more like I don't know him but the boss seemed happy, my bet is on a new project."

I let out a huge huff and shook my head as I stood up and said, "And mine is on a huge lecture and then may be some good news."

Ms. Mehra's eyebrows scrunched in confusion as I nodded at her in an assuring manner and walked towards the door and opened it for us

"What do you mean?" she asked, her hand holding onto her diary that she carried along with her everywhere.

I smiled at her and said.

*****

"This project is yours Mitali, but no element of surprises for us, we can't accept that... yes last time was great thing, we were lucky but not always." My boss warned me as I nodded my head still unconvinced.

"So when do you want to get this on the show?"

"I was thinking it would be a great thing if we do it right after the second week of April. Think of it, the theme is especially for the kids, and the PR is trying to contact schools and colleges to come and contact you... as in you being the head of this exhibition."

And as my boss's boss kept on talking about how I would be the whole and sole of this thing, it seemed I was seeing my dream come true. Nothing was more perfect than this.

My own shows... mine to design, work on and channelize.

"Alright sir, I will start working on it, and it's a request... can we take freshers for this project... I will look into the whole hiring thing; I just want fresh new minds all of us are just like those x-ray machines I want to know what they have to say on different thing.

The two of them along with the whole team of 12 managers from different departments kept on staring at me and then at each other, and right after painful agonizing moments as if they were enjoying the torture I was in my boss shrugged his shoulders and said, "you are the boss... just keep us posted with whatever it is that you want to do. "

And just like that I was handed over the first project of the calendar year 2009.

"Vohh you were right about the warning thing." Ms, Mehra sneaked out on me for a minute as I smiled at her, with she and many other people congratulating me about this project as they moved out of the small meeting room.

Once I was through with this all congratulations and best wishes, I made my way back in my cabin, and once seated I pulled out the note pad and wrote down a few words.

"The Art and its evolution"

Curated by curator Mitali Jain.

There was this rush within me, I remembered the time when I would dance around when I were to go on an exhibition, the time when it was my birthday, the time when my voice would just get another octave as I would scream around in excitement and have the whole house on a different trip.

But there seated on the chair of my office, reading those words again and again, I felt my voice was missing, my toes though were jumpy, I felt as light as feather.

It was as if some kind of weight was lifted off my shoulders... what was this?

A smile spread across my face and it was then I realized it had been just seconds before that I was smiling... and here I was at it all over again.

My hands moved on their own, as I fetched my cell phone in a daze and dialed some number.

The ring kept on going once ... twice, thrice, but none answered as soon it was once again led me to the voice mail.

Pulling off the phone from my ears I looked at the screen and let out the huff as read the name.

'Daksh Chauhan'

He wouldn't pick up my phone again.

But before I could wallow in it, my phone rang again; once again bring up the smile on my face.

"Jai, you wouldn't believe what happened!"

"Well till the time you won't tell me, I guess I wouldn't really know as well."

The two of us chuckled as I continued with the story.

"So today Ms. Mehra personally came to call me for a meeting with my boss, the owner of the gallery and all the managers of different department, and it was found that since my immediate boss is wanting to get transferred to another branch he wants me to take over his place, and handle the first big project of the year."

There seemed a pin drop silence for a minute or two as none of spoke anything. With saying things out loud I realized how great this whole thing was.

I was assigned as the art curator at Jahangir art gallery right within the year that I was joined in, and all because of my knowledge and craze for my work.

"Mitali... I am coming there, this call out for celebration."

And just like that the call of hung up.

******

"To all your hard work, and that brilliant ass of your boss!!" Naveen rasied a toast as the rest cheered while I glared at him.

My boss wasn't an ass.

Or maybe he was?

I shook my head and smiled as everyone, and when I say everyone it did included the Kapadias' and the Jains'.

I didn't really knew Jai could be this fast at spreading the news or planning out something like a small mini party at my place – for a change, and getting everyone that really mattered to me.

But though there were exceptions, for the three people who were the most important to me, plus the extraordinary Prince or Royal whom I had met was here.

It seemed everything was perfect, yet it wasn't.

How stupid we humans could as well be right, when we really have the most and a reason to be happy for, we always think of what we don't have; and again does that makes us greedy?

"Mitali !" My mom called out to me as she walked towards me and gave me a tight hug. It wasn't always that I was awarded with one.

It was once in a blue moon, my mom didn't hug me much, it just wasn't the trend or say may be a habit of ours.

We had those proud pats on the back, or the awkward smile, but there would be this shine in her eyes every time she would talk about me or my brother to anyone... that included me, my brother and dad as well – and may be that showed how proud she was.

And then there were extra miles like these.

"I am so proud of you." she then let go off me and smiled at me, her eyes were almost at the brink of tears that she tried to hold in.

"Are you happy?"

"Very much, I finally got what I wanted.... You ?"

"Me too." And that was that, the first time we had this weird accepting and expressing our feelings session, which was broken by my boyfriend as he walked towards us and called out to me.

His suited self was all sweaty, worried and fidgety, and somehow for a moment though many times I had things going on around my head after a glance at him I wondered – wasn't there a lot of firsts today?

"Mitali I wanted to talk to you." Jai said, as he wiped his hands on the back of his pants and gave my mom a small smile as she nodded at the two of us and walked back to the other end where everyone was talking about.

And did I mention how beautiful our house looked with so many people and small balloons that Vansh and Vanshika had managed to put up in the one or so time that they had?

Well it did.

"You wanted to talk to me." I said turning back to Jai, looking right into his eyes. But once again he surprised me the way he looked back into mine and took a deep breath. It worried me but she took hold of my hand and said,

"Umm, I don't know what should I say, the first time I did it was just worst...and you know... I mean you know how this is the first time I am doing this...okay yes, I mean yours is as well the first time... are you getting what I am trying to say?" he asked, and though I wanted to let out a chuckle it made me worried what was he up to.

"I don't, and nor will I till the moment you will say it aloud and clear."

Taking a deep breath once again, he said.

"Mitali, through these months that we have started out as friends, to being just trial boy friend girlfriend, to now being in a complete official couple, I realized, how wrong I was to judge you on the stories that your brother said, I had fallen in love with the cute girl who was crazy for art, I thought I knew what would be the best thing to do for you... but you made me realize, me falling for your brothers sister was wrong."

He took hold of my right hand and began descending as he sat down on his knees all the while snatching away not just my breath but as well as everyone's who stood there in that room.

"and with each moment that we were talking, I would look at you, hear you speak, walk, behave I realized, I had fallen out of love with Naveen's sister but had began loving Mitali Jain, the girl who believed Art was a magic, the girl who didn't had much friends but cherished the two that she had, the girl who though wasn't that into reading preferred reading because that was what her friend liked. "

"I fell in love with the girl, who understood me, observed me, and took an initiative to stand up and face the situation rather than walking away... I love the idea of doing this again and again for eternity, I love the thought of fighting with you and making up with our cuddles, I love to see that nonstop yapping of yours about your day..."

"I love the idea of you not being just my lover and Girlfriend, rather my life partner and because I know how much these people matter to you, in presence of theirs I would like to ask you like the man that you deserve to be with... Mitali, will you like to go on a beautiful road of exasperated form of ritual planned by our moms and get married to me, and live the rest of your life as my wife... my better half?"

 with the smooth words that pored, he pulled out a beautiful platinum band studded with a diamond, just the way I had once told Shakti I would love to have as my engagement ring, he held it out to me, as everyone waited, their breaths held in, Jai's smile wavering with every seconds that passed, and me... a huge tornado of feelings were swarming right inside of me.   

A/N

Bask in this beautiful moment, but once you all are out of it do tell me... 

 what do you think might be the story ahead... and we are yet about 20 or so chapters away for the story to end. 

will be waiting for your comments, be darlings and please vote and comment on the chapters. your supports makes me motivated to write ahead. 

Yadni Bagwe