10: The art of hosting parties
Vani gets stuck in Karan and Tara's chaotic party planning, making her ponder over their relationship more. She later meets someone unexpected at the party.

"These?"

"No"

"Then these?"

"Nope"

"What about these?"

"Over my dead body,"

"Vani, these are just flowers, choose them in a second, I am out of patience now. Also, how many times have we talked about calling yourself dead?" Karan asked.

"I'm sorry old man, but this needs to perfect," she said, picking out three different bunches of fake flowers."

"Fine," he said, "Is this final?" He asked reaching out to his wallet.

She gestured to him with her palm, forwarding his her card.

"Seriously?" He asked, pulling his card out.

"Why not?" She asked. The cashier waited patiently, knowing the drill.

"My house, my vase, my flowers only if I pay"

"Gift from me!" She offered.

"Wait- I bought a house, this is my first house and you're just going to give me these flowers?" He asked, giving his card to the cashier.

She rolled her eyes but said yes nonetheless.

"You bought a house and spent loads of money for it- that doesn't bind me to buy you an expensive gift," she said.

"No way! You're Karan Desai-ing me?" He asked, in awe.

"Yes," she said with a smile.

Vani paid and the two went away. The florist's shop was just opposite to the apartment building.

"Wait, let's call Tara and ask her if we have to buy anything else"

"Yeah" Karan said, and Vani took out her phone and dialled Tara.

Tara had taken full charge of the preparations- making a list of everything they would need, the decorations and everything. She was in the party planning mode and Karan-Vani thought that she resembled Amy Santiago from the sitcom Brooklyn nine-nine: a scary person when it came to event planning.

"Are you sure you don't need anything else?" Vani double checked, much to her friend's annoyance.

"For the last time- yes. Now get your asses up here and help me out!" She yelled. Scared to burn due to their friend's fury, the two rushed back.

-

It was almost 1:30 p.m. Vani was given the duty of changing the curtains, pillow cases, into something fancier; while Tara and Karan were making brownies.

Tara and Karan's culinary skills were equally surprising for the other person. But despite the newfound mutual admiration, the two kept on bickering, disagreeing on every little thing and trying to boss the other person around.

Vani was annoyed at the noisy duo and was listening to songs with her noise cancelling earphones while she did her chores. In approximately thirty minutes, she was done with the work- with keeping the old curtains and covers after folding them neatly in the cupboard.

She let out a relived sigh on finishing the work, but dreaded as she realised that she would have to go and help her idiotic friends who were busy nurturing their egos (and baking brownies).

"Hey, I am done," she informed the two.

"Heart or rectangle?" Tara asked and Vani furrowed her brow.

"What?" She questioned Karan sighed tiredly.

"Favourite shape?"

"A heart"

Tara smirked victoriously and Karan huffed.

"Are you stupid?" He said and Vani looked confused.

"What did I do?"

"Not you, this idiot- Tara. She wants to make heart shaped brownies! How childish can you get?" He asked, clearly annoyed.

"Wait, seriously Tara? Are you crazy? Just make normal shaped brownies" Vani said.

"Who decided that rectangles are normal shaped?" Tara asked and the two looked at her in disbelief.

"Okay, would it kill you to listen to others?" Karan asked.

"No. But it would kill me to listen to you!" She said, rolling her eyes and pointing her finger at him.

Karan walked away, without saying anything.

"Aye, where are you going? Do you think I am going to do this alone or something? It's your par"

"Stop blabbering. I am going to the washroom" he said.

As Karan disappeared, Vani looked at Tara with a serious face.

"Do you have to pull his leg and trouble him today? He is already stressed, grow up"

"I...I, don't tell me what to do, I am not trying to trouble him. It's him and his ego issues" Tara said angrily.

"Can you calm down? You two are pressed over the shape of a brownie!" Vani tried to knock some sense to her best friend.

But the reasoning was thrown towards deaf ears who ignored her. Tara opened her mouth to say something but decided against it, but Vani noticed it.

She got thinking. What's going on with this girl?

Karan returned, scrolling on his phone. Tara quickly glanced at the wall clock.

"Kar"

"Yeah I know" he intereupted her as soon as she started talking. He went and switched on the television, and Vani looked at him curiously.

Tara came out of the kitchen, cleaning her hands with a napkin. She sat on the sofa as the duo watched the tv show with complete interest.

"What are you two doing?"

"Are you stupid?" Karan asked and pointed at the television. "We're clearly watching Master chef. It airs on Saturdays and Sundays at 2" he said and she nodded.

"Cool,"

Karan's phone rang but he was too immersed in 'MasterChef' to notice and receive the call.

"Karan, phone"

"Uchal na" (Receive it) he said mindlessly.

Manav Limaye.

"Hello?" She said but didn't hear anything on the other side.

-

"Hello?"

In a non creepy way, this was one of the most beautiful voices I had every heard.

But why is a woman answering Karan's phone?

Oh my God, must be his girlfriend!

Manav, say something.

"Hello?" She said again.

"Uh...Karan?"

"He...he's a little...busy? I'm sorry who is this?"

"I'm Manav, we...we work together."

"Okay give me a second!"

-

Vani forgot the mute herself and shouted at Karan.

"Dumbass, some Manav guy from your office has called. Talk to him!"

"Tell him to call me later"

"Stop watching Master Chef and talk to him now!" Vani said.

Karan clicked his tongue and got up to take the phone from Vani's hands.

"Kya hai?" (What happened?) he asked, annoyed.

Vani glared at him and mouthed, be polite. He nodded at her and turned away.

"Do you like tulips?"

"I am not going to go out with you,"

"Karan, please. How are you always so delusional? It's embarrassing how big of a crush you have on me!" Manav retorted.

"Maa says that flowers symbolise beauty and prosperity, so when someone buys a new house, you should give them flowers" he added.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but a friend of mine- the girl who was on the phone, just bought me fake flowers to keep in all the flower pots I have. You are late to buy me flowers,"

"This is so annoying, what gift should I buy you now?"

"Use that rotten head of yours sometime" Karan snickered.

"You decided to spend your savings on a house, why should I give you a gift? Make it make sense," Manav said.

"Why is everyone pulling a Karan Desai on me today?"

Manav, whose intention was to pull a Karan Desai on Karan Desai was confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing" Karan said.

"Alright, I'll see you tonight!"

-

Vani was dressed in a white dress, which was Tara's. She had worn a silver necklace with an American diamond cut in a circle with matching ad studs. Tara, who was wearing a beige shirt and black trousers, saw her friend and smiled.

"You look gorgeous in this dress," she said.

"Thank you Taraaa! I had my eyes on this dress since you wore it at Ahana's cocktail party!" She giggled and Tara laughed.

"I know!"

"Tara, can you go and check the dining table please?" Vani asked and Tara raised a brow.

"Why are you being so...polite?" She asked and Vani chuckled. "Did you break something?" Tara asked as she made her way to the table.

"What's in the box?" She asked, eyeing the jewellery box which was coated in velvet.

"Open it!" Vani shouted from the room as she applied a lipstick.

Tara opened the box and saw a pair of beautiful earrings.

"They're beautiful but do you think Karan will wear them?" Tara said.

Vani came out of the room, a dejected look on her face.

"They're for you" she stated blankly.

"For me?" Tara asked, surprised.

"I...I remember you told me that you liked them when we had gone with my mom to the jeweller, so I thought I'd gift them to you, I got this bonus and all...do you not like them anymore?" Vani asked nervously, her smile fading.

"Oh wait, I remembered these" Tara said, a smile forming on her lips as she recollected that day. "I had forgotten that I wanted to buy them" she said, overwhelmed at the gift.

"You always forget," Vani muttered. Tara stepped forward and pulled her friend in a warm embrace.

"I love you, Vani"

"I love you too, Tara"

-

The party had started. People were talking to one another and songs played in a low voice in the background. Despite inviting only a few close people, Karan had gotten a little tired as everyone wanted to talk to him. He didn't hate it, just repeating the details about the previous owner, then how he decided that he wanted to buy this house, et cetera had gotten boring and repetitive quickly.

As Manav reached the seventh floor, a foreign feeling crept up in his heart. An excitement and weirdly, fear? As if something significant was going to happen in his life.

It is literally just a party. What are you thinking about?

The door was opened by a woman Manav didn't know.

"Hello" he greeted her and she nodded, smiling at him.

"Hey!"

"Manav? Hi" Karan said with a huge smile on his face. The two had a handshake and a quick (0.1 seconds) hug.

"Looks like you have met Tara," Karan said and Tara was confused by his comment.

"Oh, she's the one who lives in front of you, right?" Manav asked and Tara nodded.

"Oh, it's great to meet you! How did you tolerate this guy for so many years?" He asked and Tara laughed heartily.

"Even I don't know," she said in between laughs.

Karan just stared at them blankly but smiled when they turned to face him.

"Why don't you guys have a separate party at your house, Tara?" He asked.

"Are you...kicking us out?" Manav asked suspiciously.

"Absolutely"

"You can't even be a decent host" Manav replied, clicking his tongue.

Vani saw the three laughing and talking together from the kitchen.

Is that...the bus guy?

-

Vani kept on glancing at Manav. Something about him made her heart race, could be his magnetic smile or the fact that his face was just...extremely good to look at, he was laughing and smiling with everyone, drawing her more to him. He had talked to all of her friends which are her go crazy. Why can't I just go and have a normal conversation with him?

"What's going on?" Tara asked, sipping on a cold drink, sneaking up on Vani.

"Ahhh, you scared me!" Vani shrieked.

"Loser"

"Go away,"

"No but seriously, kay jhala Vani?"(No but seriously, what happened Vani?) she asked warmly and Vani let out a sigh.

"That guy- the black shirt one, he...he"

"What, is he the bus guy?" Tara joked (did she though?)

"...Yes, how do you know? Did he recognise me or something? He told you? Oh my god, Tara how do you know?" Vani showered questions of the poor girl who thought she was 'just kidding'.

"Wait, are you sure? Your memory might be a little hazy,"

"It's not, I am sure it's him!"

"Really? Wow, who would have that the bus guy is one of Karan's good friends," Tara muttered and looked at her friend's face.

"Introduce me to him, please!" She requested.

"Sure," Tara said with a smile and Vani panicked.

"Are you crazy? What are you going to say? Hey Manav, remember me? Yeah we don't know each other a lot but this is my friend who thinks you're attractive, talk to her,"

"I...I was just saying that you could go and introduce yourself to him under the pretext of talking to Karan as they're together right now" Tara pointed and Vani who looked at her anxiously, turned to see the duo talk to a third person.

"Oh yeah, that makes a lot of sense,"

"What's cooking?" Ahana asked suspiciously and before Tara could say something Vani flashed her a nervous smile.

"Nothing, nothing at all,"

"You're going to lie to me, Joshi?" Ahana asked, raising her brow and Vani gave up on lying.

"Whatever, tell her" she said.

"See that black shirt guy with Karan?" Ahana non-suspiciously turned to look at him.

"Mhmm-mhmm, go on"

"He's Vani's bus guy!" Tara said, excitement laced in her voice.

"Whoa, go get it, girl" Ahana said and Tara and Vani looked at her weirdly to which she gave an awkward laugh.

"I was with a niece today" she started and inched closer to her friends, her facing turning serious.

"Teenagers actually talk like that," she informed them.

"Really?" Tara asked, a weird expression on her face.

"Ew"

-

"Karan, hey!" Vani greeted her friend who was talking to the bus guy.

"What's wrong with you?" Karan asked suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" She faked laugh.

"Why are you greeting me or whatever"

Manav, on the other hand was in a complete daze.

no fucking way.

That's the girl from the bus. And I think, she's also the girl who received his call. She's like...my dream girl.

Karan smiled at Vani, as he put his hand on our shoulder.

"What are you up to? Don't do embarrassing shit, I'm warning you" he whispered in her ear.

The déjà vu. I saw them together in that dream. Is she his girlfriend? They seem close.

"Manav by the way, this is my friend Vani," Karan introduced.

"And this is my coworker, Manav"

A/N: sorry for the delay, I wanted this chapter to be perfect honestly, I am not sure it is. Lemme know❤️ no way im writing a story in which my leads met in the tenth chapter lmao