Next day

Meera is in her cabin with a file in her hands, but her mind can’t help but think about the events that occurred the night before. From Haider’s song to their dancing together, to all the embarrassing things she had said to Haider. And... their new friendship that had just begun...

Bani enters

Bani – Good morning Meera!

Meera – Good morning Bani, tu kahaan thi kal puri raat?!

Bani- Umm...Meera woh actually...main Veer ke saath thi...

Meera- Veer ke saath as in...(Meera asks in a teasing manner and winks)

Bani- Nahi Meera I didn’t mean it like that. Actually, he was really drunk and I just helped him out.

Meera- I see. (Meera gives her a teasing smile)

Bani- Meeraaa!

Meera- Accha baba...thik hein. (she chuckles)

Meera-  Bani on a serious note, I wanted to have a meeting with our staff today for the upcoming project that the Singhanias and Sangeet are collaborating on. I know tu thodi upset hogi cause I went ahead with Veer’s idea but Bani...

Bani- You don’t have to give me any explanation Meera. I know whatever you do is for Sangeet. Aur tu Sangeet ke liye koi galat decision kabhi le hi nahi sakti. And honestly speaking Veer’s idea was not bad.

(Meera hugs Bani)

Meera- Thanks Bani.

Mujhe pata tha ki tu samajh legi.

Bani – Hum dosto mein itni formality kabse hone lagi yaar. Relax it’s all good.

Meera- Waise... ek raat mein tera Veer par jo opinion tha who kaafi change hogaya hein nahi? (she teases her again)

Bani- Meera I swear I will kill you.

Meera starts laughing. Payal enters.

Payal- Good morning maam. Aapne mujhe bulaaya.

Meera- Good morning Payal. Haan. I want you to fix a meeting for today with all our staff. Aaj ke liye meri jo bhi baaki meetings thi woh reschedule kardo. I want all hands only on the Singhania project for today.

Payal- Okay maam.

While Meera was speaking to Payal, Bani spots a bag on Meera’s table. She sees that it’s unzipped and a shirt is flowing out of it. Although, the shirt seemed a bit oversized for Meera.

Payal leaves.

Bani- Meera ye shirt?? (she says picking it up)

Meera – Woh...woh Haider ki hai.

Bani-What??? Mr. Haider ki shirt tere pass kya kar rahi hein?? And wait a minute, Ms. Etiquette ne Mr. Haider ko bas Haider bulaya huh. (she looks at her side-eyed)

Meera- Bani tu phir shuru hogayi. Dekh kal raat ko I got drunk and Haider just helped me out. That’s it. Aur kuch nahi hua.

Bani- Accha

(Bani says with one of eyebrows raised and a smile on her face)

Bani- Ek raat mein sach mein lagta hein bohot kuch badal gaya.

Meera- Banii!

*** 

Haider walks into Sangeet and spots Veer just about to step into the lift.

Haider- Veer!!

Veer- Haider mere bhai, good morning!

Haider-Good morning ke bache! pehele mujhe ye bata ki tu kal kaha tha?? Tune meri poori performance miss kardi.

Veer- Maine kal tera gaana suna Haider. Par kal Bani ke saath meri ladai hogayi thi...

Haider -Abb tune kya kiya Veer? Bani maam bohot acchi ladki hein, I swear agar tune kuch bewakoofi ka kaam kiya hoga...

Veer-Baba Haider...shaant hojaye. Also tu meri side hein ya uski.

Haider- Obviously Bhabhi ki! (Haider said chuckling)

(Veer loved how Haider referred to Bani as  bhabhi but couldn’t show it on his face)

Veer – Dekhli teri dosti Haider.
(Haider laughs)

Veer-Tu bata. Teri boss tujhse impress huyi ya nahi?

Haider- Meera ne mujhe maaf kardiya.

Veer- Uff ho! Ms. Kapoor se direct Meera. (Veer elbows Haider and winks)  Teri Story mein itni improvement hui hein ye toh mujhe pata hi nahi tha.

Haider- Woh isiliye kyunki tu apni khudki kahani mein busy tha.
(Both laugh)

***

Meera is seated in the conference room with Bani. All the staff enters one by one. But, for the first time, she was waiting for a particular someone. Haider entered along with Veer. Meera and Haider make eye contact and exchange smiles. While Veer looks at Bani and winks.

Meera- Alright guys. If you are not aware of the reason for this meeting let me inform you. We now have to start working on our project with the Singhania’s which is why I wanted all of you to give your inputs and ideas towards it. Firstly, what do you guys think should be the location we start with.

Mr. Ahulia- Maam hum yahin Mumbai se start karen toh? I am pretty sure ki yahan talent ki koi kami nah hai.

(As Meera is about to respond to Mr. Ahulia, Haider raises his hand)

Meera- Yes Hai...Mr. Haider?

(Haider smiles a little and then continues)

Haider- Maam can I suggest something?

Meera- Yeah sure Mr Haider. Go ahead.

Haider – Maam i don’t think yahaan baat sirf best talents chunne ki hein. Balki yahaan baat unn logon ki hein jin mein talent toh hein lekin unke halaton ki wajah se woh apne sangeet se chah kar bhi jud nahi paa rahe hai.

Veer-I agree with Haider, Meera. I think humme Mumbai ke paas koi aisi jagah chun ni chahiye jahaan logon ko hamari sakht zarurat ho.

Haider- I think we should consider DAHANU.

Meera-Why Dahanu Mr. Haider?

Haider- Maam, Dahanu is a coastal town and a favorite spot for social entrepreneurs. There is a lot of tribal youth in Dahanu. I think we can explore and discover a lot of young talented artists there.

Bani-That’s a great idea, Mr. Haider! I support this idea too.

Meera- Alright it’s decided then. We will start the hunt from Dahanu. Since this project is very important for Sangeet and its success is crucial, I have also decided that I will be directly involved in it.

Meera- (Looking directly at Haider) Mr. Haider you seem to have significant knowledge about Dahanu and since you suggested it, I would like you to assist me in this project.

Haider- Sure maam. It will be my pleasure. (Haider smiles)

Meera- (turning to Bani) Bani I would like you to handle all the crucial matters of Sangeet during my absence. And Veer can assist you too. It will help him brush up his skills in finance and will train him alongside too. Is that good for you Veer?

( Meera winks lightly at Bani and Bani tries to hide her grin)

Veer- Fantastic for me Meera! It will be an experience indeed to be trained by swee...Ms. Bani.

(Veer’s happiness is pretty evident as he doesn’t make a single attempt to hide it).

Meera- Alright then. Payal will be forwarding you guys the list of the final names of the core team of this project shortly.

(Payal starts typing vigorously on her laptop)

That’s all for now, Thank you all for joining me. You guys can leave for now. Good night.

Everybody starts leaving.

Meera- Mr. Haider. I would like you to stay back. We need to discuss some details about this project.

Haider- Sure maam.

(Haider stays back)

(At last as Bani approaches the door)

Bani- Thike Meera. I’ll also leave now. Make sure you discuss each and every detail thik se okay?

(Bani grins and winks at Meera pointing to Haider and making a heart with her hands)

Meera- Thanks Bani. Byee!!!( Meera raises her eyebrows at Bani and tries to hide her laugh)

Meera- Haider

Haider- Ji Meera.

Meera- Firstly, aapki shirt and once again thank you so much!

( Meera pulls out his shirt from her bag and hands it to him)

Haider- Meera you don’t have to thank me. Dosti mein no sorry and no thank you. Alright?

Meera – Alright Haider (she smiles). Also, one more thing.

Haider- Ji boliye.

Meera- (she opens the drawer behind her and pulls out a piece of paper with Sangeet’s letterhead on it)

Yeh li jiye. Yeh hai aapka offer letter. I would officially like to offer you the position of assistant Artist & Repertoire Representative of Sangeet. I really hope you accept it Haider cause after listening to your voice that day, it will truly be an honor to have you work for Sangeet.

(She hands him the letter with both her hands)

(Haider extends his hands to take the letter from Meera and their fingers brush gently)

Haider- Meera aapne meri kuch zyada hi tareef kardi. But thank you so much for believing in me and considering me for this position. It will be my honor to work for Sangeet and for its truly amazing CEO.

(He smiles at her and his heart flutters just by the look of happiness on her face.)

Meera- That is great!!

(Meera gives him a wide smile. Something in her heart just feels the happiest it has ever felt in a long time)

Welcome to Sangeet Mr. Haider Ali Khan.

(She extends her hand towards him)

(Haider shakes her hand tightly)

Haider- Thank you, Ms. Meera Kapoor. It is truly a pleasure.

(They both stop shaking each other’s hands but still don’t let go. Some spell keeps them from breaking away from each other as their eyes fix on each other) 

(Meera’s phone rings and they are both pulled back to their senses. They immediately let go of each other’s hands. Haider smiles awkwardly and turns around to leave)

(Meera attends her call)

Meera-(on the phone)  Nahi Manoramji. Aaj raat office mein hi rukna padega. Bohot kaam bacha hai. Aap mere liye khana mat lagana. Aap kha li jiye. Mein kal directly breakfast ke liye aaungi. Ji thike. Bye.

(Haider listens to this and turns around again)

HAIDER – Aap ghar nahi ja rahi hein Meera?

Meera- Nahi Haider. Mujhe Dahanu project pe abhi kaam karna padega. I have to finish preparing this file so that I can speak with the investors tomorrow.

Haider- Kya main aapki help kar sakta hu?

Meera – You don’t have to Haider. Anyways sab jaa chuke hein. Aap bhi thak gaye honge. You can go.

Haider- Meera main apni boss ki nahi apni friend ki help karna chahta hu. So... can I? pleaseee??

(He raises his eyebrows in a suggestive yet pleading manner)

Meera – Okay Haider. I give in. (she smiles)

They start discussing the project. Meera gets very impressed by Haider. She always appreciated hardworking people and Haider was a perfect example of it.

They chat for a long time and exchange ideas. Soon they come to the end of the file.

Haider- So as I was saying Meera ...

That’s when Haider notices that Meera had dozed off on his shoulder. He smiles seeing the look of innocence on her face. He notices a lock of her hair on her cheek and gently brushes it behind her ear. He holds her face in his palms lightly.

Haider(in mind)- Itni pyaara koi kaise lag sakta hai. Meera aap thoda toh taras khaiye mere is dil pe.

(He smiles and rests his head back on hers. He shuts his eyes and gets lost in the moment)

***
Veer and Bani reach their cabin.

Bani starts going through the files and their latest stats. Veer suddenly hugs her from the back, resting his face on her shoulder. 

Veer- Hello sweetheart. (He whispers into her ear)

Bani- Mr. Singhania aap shayad bhool rahe hein ki abhi hum office mein hai. Aur mujhe yeh file check karke kal tak Meera ko saare updates dene hai.

Veer- Ms. Bani Sharma. Mujhe laga tha aap mere pyaar ki kadr karti hai. Aap toh aisi baaten bol kar mera dil baar baar thod deti hain.

(He turns her towards him. Both of them facing each other. He acts like he has been stabbed and hold his chest)

Veer- Uff. Itna dard mein kaise sahunga.

(He puts his hand on his forehead, acting to be in pain)

Bani- (starts laughing) Are you sure tumhe ek company mein hi kaam karna hai? Itna drama karte ho ki koi bhi film mein sign ho sakte ho.

(She hits him on his hand gently)

Bani- Yahan kaam karke apna acting career barbaad mat karo tum.

Veer- Haan haan sweetheart. (He holds Bani’s waist and pulls her closer to him. (Their faces inches apart)

Movie ki heroine tum hogi toh ek kya 100 filmein kar loonga mein. Tum milo toh sahi.

(He lifts her chin with his index finger and thumb and starts pulling her face closer to his’)

(She runs her hands through his soft hair)

( As much as she knows she should be working, she doesn’t have it in herself to pull away from him)

Bani- Kaash jaise movies mein hota hai, usi ki tarah hum yeh time bhi rok sakte

.(They both smile. They felt each other’s warm breath on their faces. As they move closer the world around them seems to fade away.)

(As they shut their eyes and are about to kiss, someone knocks on the cabin’s door)

Aman- Maam! may I come in?

(Bani immediately pulls away and goes to her seat. She notices the disappointment on Veer’s face and starts laughing as he remains standing beside her table)

Bani- Itni jaldi nahi Mr. Singhania. Thoda toh wait karne padega.(She winks at him)
Yes, Aman. Come in!

(Aman enters with a couple of files in his hands)

Aman- Maam inn sab pe aapke urgent signatures chahiye. Aap please inhe examine karke sign kar di jiye.

Veer- Kya yaar Aman! Tujhe bhi yahi time mila tha. Thodi der baad aata na. Hum pata hai kitna zaroori kaam kar rahe the. (He slaps Aman gently on his back)

Aman- Sorry sir. I didn’t mean to disturb. Aap kuch bohot important discuss kar rahe the kya?

Aman looks at Veer looking genuinely worried and apologetic)

Bani- Arre nahi Aman. Mr. Sighanaia ki toh aadat hai mazak karne ki. Tumne kisi ko disturb nahi kiya. (Bani eyes Veer to stop)

Yeh lo. Maine check kar liya hai aur sign bhi. It’s all good.

(She hands him the files back).

Abhi aur kya kaam bacha hai?

Aman- Maam bas final registrations karne hai. Baaki mostly ho chuka hai.

Bani- Accha thike. Do one thing. Mr. Singhania ko bhi le jaao. He can also help you. Aise inka bhi kaam mein thoda man lagega aur kaam bhi jaldi khatam ho jaayega. He needs the training anyway. Haina Mr. Singhania?

(She turns to Veer and lightly winks, hiding her smile).

Veer- UGGHHHHH! (He looks at Bani with an annoyed look)

Okay, Ms. Sharma. Aap jaisa kahen. Chalo Aman bohot kaam hai. Jaldi kahatam karte hai. I have other peop...I mean things to work on too.

(He eyes Bani in a teasing manner and gives her a charming smile)

Veer- Byyeee Ms. Sharma! Hero ke bina bore mat ho jaaiyega. Kaam pe dhyaan dena okay??

(Aman looks at both of them confused with the whole conversation)

(Bani smiles back and waves them off. Shaking her head she goes back to her files).

***

Ye barish ki boonden jab bhi
Mujhe chu jati hein
Aksar na jane kyun
Ye unki yaad dilati hein.

So guys how was the chapter?
Meera aur haider ki nazdeekiyan badh rahi hein!
Vani ke cute nok jhoks:)
Do you guys like haider and veer's friendship?
Do you guys like bani and meera's bond?
Also dahanu mein abb kya hone wale hein!?
Vani is gonna take charge of sangeet!
Stay tuned ;)