Strangers

This one is a collaboration OS by me and Garima and has no other parts; it is a creation of our midnight chats and random thoughts! Hope you enjoy and review it!

The London Heathrow Airport was buzzing with commuters on a hectic Wednesday morning, as the lounge looked overly crowded. In a pair of leather pants, heavy boots, and a white lace top, teamed with her leather jacket, sunglasses, handbag and a trolley in tow, she looked around the place with a frown. Taking off her glare, her almond-shaped kohl-clad eyes were searching across the lounge for a comfortable seat. 

Two back-to-back flight announcements came to her rescue as she smiled at many commuters, running towards the gates, leaving the place comfortably empty. She sat in one of the chairs, overlooking the glass panes where the planes were in sight. She placed her handbag carefully beside her on the empty seat and swept her locks away from her face. With a sigh, she took out “ Pride and Prejudice”,  opened the bookmarked page of the book and began reading. She had arrived well before the time for the flight.

A man in his late forties frowned at her bag and then at her. “My lady.” He adjusted his specs, making her look up, “Could you please …”

“Actually, I…” She began as she heard a voice behind the man, “Ajabdeh Punwar??”

“Ven?” She frowned, surprised. “Ven!” She smiled as the man dodged the one asking to hug her, smiling, “What a surprise!”

“I will take this seat, thank you!” Ven promptly gave her bag back and took the seat, making the other man frown some more and leave to find another seat.

“So?” Ven asked with a smile “, What brings you here?”

“Work, actually.” She smiled. “I'm leaving.”

“This is really so unfair, Ajab. You knew I lived here, and now you are leaving. Where to?”

“Amsterdam.” She smiled. “There is a flight in two hours.” She shrugged.

“Shit.” Ven looked uninterested in his phone, “God knows when this is dead.” He searched his bag for a power bank and plugged the plugin, and smiled, “My flight is in three hours, so enough time to relive some old memories with an old friend.” Ajabdeh checked her watch; no check-ins before the next hour, which was quite a lot of time to be bored.

She shrugged happily, “Sure.”

“So, how is work?” He started bringing them a coffee each from Starbucks.

“Work is… interesting, I am happy with how the NGOs have shaped up, we have all worked hard for it!” She smiled.

“Yes, if you ask me, they should make you a partner, the kind of work you put in as an employee…”

“No, Ven, they offered, but I… I like to work at the grass root level, AC offices are not for me.” She shrugged and stopped at an announcement that prompted the person they sat opposite to pick up her luggage and leave. In a few seconds, the seat was occupied by a man in a long coat and an aviator, who kept down his bag and removed his glasses.

“Holy Shit! Pratap!!” Ven’s shout almost made half the lounge stare as he hugged his friend. A clueless Ajabdeh, however, remained seated. “I guess today is my lucky day to meet Kunwar Pratap Singh after ages!” Ven received a hug and a smile back with a soft “How are you?”

“I am fine… I… what brought you here? Why didn’t you meet me?” Ven frowned.

“Batata hoon, batata hoon, sit down.” His friend let out a chuckle.

“Ohh am sorry.” Ven apologised, “I should introduce you two.” Made the strangers stare at each other “Ajabdeh, this is Kunwar Pratap Singh, Prince of Surajgarh, and my college friend. Pratap, this is Ajabdeh Punwar, my schoolmate, who works for an NGO at Udaipur.”

“ Maharana Foundations. Hello.” She extended her hand as he took it with a firm shake and a smile, “Hi.”

“This is so great! “ Ven smiled again “I am so happy to see you guys.”

“So, how is your business?” Pratap’s question made Ven give a satisfying smile, “Pretty good actually.”

“Getting married soon?” Ajabdeh’s question made him look serious.

“I actually had a breakup! In fact, that is why I am going to New York, hoping to convince her to come back ”

“Ohh, all the best.” Ajabdeh frowned and smiled, “I am sure things will be fine!”

“Thank you.” Ven turned to Pratap. 

“What about you?” They both gave a glance at Ajabdeh, who got back to the pages of her book again.

“What about me?” Pratap frowned at him.

“Getting married any time soon?” Pratap chuckled at his question. “Who knows, Ven, one day you might just know I'm married.”

“So koi hai Nazar mein ya I can help you?” Ven asked eagerly.

 “ Well, hai koi.” He smiled, “But I won’t tell till it's official. You know how news channels there are…”

“Yes, yes! Kunwar Pratap, the local celebrity.” Ven folded his hands “Of course, but how is she?” Ven smiled, “Yeh toh koi secret nahi haina?”

“She is like a fresh breath of air! Someone who shows me a side of me, even I didn’t know existed.”

“Whoa!” Ajabdeh stared wide-eyed, impressed as Ven laughed, “Quite a poet you are, Mr Singh!”

“He is the most generous guy I've ever met, too!” Ven smiled, “In fact!” He thought a little, “Why don’t you give him your number, and he can help your foundation too?”

“If he wants to…” Ajabdeh stared at Pratap and back at Ven.

“Of course, Miss…”

“Punwar.” She searched her purse for a card “Here are the details.”

“Donate generously! You are my recommendation, Pratap!” Ven smiled eagerly as Pratap nodded.

“So Miss… Punwar, tell me what your NGO does.” His question made her put her book aside. Ven looked eager. “ Well, Mr Singh, we help orphans and the needy mostly. We also have an old age home, and we currently plan to set up a help centre for Indians here.”

“That is why you are here?” Ven asked as she smiled.

“She is a hard-working, independent girl!” Ven added to his friend.

“I prefer to use my life for something useful to society, Ven. I think we all should.”

“Yes, absolutely.” Pratap agreed.

“So Ajabdeh, how is your life?” Ven smiled.

“Pretty good.” She shrugged, sweeping her hair backwards to tie it with a clutch, “I have no complaints.”

The part of her forehead and hairline caught Ven’s attention as he frowned, “You are married?”

“What?” She stared at him for a second to realise he had noticed the vermilion. She laughed, “Hawk eyes, huh? Yes, I am married!”

“But to…whom…?” Ven raised his eyebrows, but his question was cut short by the announcement of Ajabdeh’s flight.

“There, my flight!” She got up, taking her things. 

Hugging Ven, she smiled, “It was nice to see you!” and walked away with her luggage towards the check-ins. 

Ven sat down staring at Pratap, who looked at his watch and got up as well at the next flight announcement “I am leaving for Spain, will catch up with you once I am back.” He hugged his friend, “You go get your girl.”

“Best of luck with yours!” Ven smiled.

“Ahh! I need it!” He shrugged and left with a smile after a firm handshake.

Ven sat down, staring at the empty seats, then sighed. He had lied to his friends. The truth was that he had a bad financial year, and she had left him to get married to someone else. He was travelling to New York to be with his parents and do away with the lost hope. On life and love. Somewhere, in his friend’s successful career, he was jealous. He shook off the thoughts.

“Love doesn’t exist; if it did, I would have seen a true love by now! People see money and statuses, not souls.” He spoke aloud in his thoughts. He took out his phone from the bag; it now showed 50%charging. He unplugged it and switched it on. There were notifications from his parents, pages, social network, and everything, but one notification caught his eye. His school friend Bhagwati had texted him a link with Do you remember Ajabdeh?

He was about to reply I met her…. Then stopped to click on the sent link, it was a video of some Hindi news channel. He put his earphones on.

“ Rajkumar Ko Pasand Ayi Commoner”

“Dono bhaage Udai Singh ke na bolne per”

“Suna ja raha hai ke last dono Dubai mein dikhe.”

“ Kunwar Pratap ne kiya bhagke shaadi”

"Kunwar Pratap walked out on his family for a girl"

“Exclusively on Entertainment Masala, we bring you pictures of the bride.”

Ven inhaled as the screen popped up with the photo of Ajabdeh Punwar.

“NGO work se hua pyaar. Kunwar Pratap ne kia sadharan ladki se shadi” 

Ven removed his earplugs and, without a thought, picked up his bag and rushed towards the gates. He looked around there was no one in sight. 

He ran to the desk “Please tell me, was there any Mr Pratap Singh on the flight to Spain?”

“Sir, you are?” The man asked, surprised.

“I… am a friend… It’s urgent.”

“We are sorry. We cannot give you any information.” 

He stopped looking around rather frantically. He was about to reply to Bhagwati, “I saw them at the…” he stopped. Using the backspace, he smiled a silly smile. 

“It exists.” He said aloud to the clueless man at the desk.

“Pardon, sir?” He asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Love.” Ven shook his head and searched Google for more news.

Somewhere on a flight, some hours later,

She stared out of the window, unmindful, looking at the clouds that made paintings in the sky. The Sun was playing hide and seek with them. She got back her senses when she felt his hand tighten on hers. They now wore matching platinum bands, he had ordered with their names on them.

“Pratap?” She sounded worried “ Where are we going?”

“How does it matter?” he smiled at her eyes. 

His brown eyes had that twinkle of love that always made her heart beat faster.

“I…” she cleared her throat. “ We should go back and apologise to the families and…”

“Hush!” His hand was on her mouth as she stared at him and stopped. “Let’s not talk about what we will do when we go back," She nodded her head and forced a smile.

He smiled, “Poor Ven, I felt sorry lying to him.”

“But we couldn’t risk it, right?” Ajabdeh sighed.

“Yes, we couldn’t. He will understand.” His hand tightened on hers. 

“Now you! Stop worrying, Mrs Ajabdeh Pratap Singh.”

“That’s Kunwaraniji to you!” She narrowed her eyes at his lingering smile.

“Ji Kunwarani Ji.” He kissed her hand. “Happy honeymoon!”

“But… Kaha jaa rahe hum?” She frowned.

“The world is a large place, Ajabdeh!” He shrugged, amused at her face.

“But there is none like home, Pratap!” She looked lost again.

“Every place in the world is home, as long as we are together, and you are with me.” He kissed her forehead as she smiled.

The flight was their flight, towards an unknown destination, an uncertain future, a journey of a lifetime, but a happy one, together!