"C'mon Ajabdeh." Rukaiya frowned at her "The hotel buffet will end in half an hour. Let's grab lunch and get back to work." She shook Ajabdeh by her shoulder. "You need the energy to work."
Rukaiya was fed up with reminding Ajabdeh to eat. They were accommodated at Jodhpur for the wedding of the Mishras. They were supposed to stay here for one month until the wedding. Two months had passed swiftly since the marriage on two smaller projects closer to home. But this was something they were looking forward to for a long time.
The hotel buffets didn’t stay all day and most days she would miss it. Rukaiya understood Ajabdeh was overworked on the Mishra project. She supervised everything first-hand and wanted everything to be perfect. It was important for her, both personally and professionally. Rukaiya didn’t push her yet she was concerned. Even Heer’s scoldings on the video calls were duly ignored. Jodhpur was a perfect wedding destination and the project was huge, but Rukaiya felt alarmed at how Ajabdeh ignored her health.
"Go on. I will be there after I finish these." She spoke pointing at the half-done placard designs. There was a unique personalized one for each event. The designer had sent in the samples. Ajabdeh was scrutinizing each one of them.
"This will take you another hour. The buffet will run out of food. I am going." Rukaiya frowned at the lack of response on her part and left the conference room they had been allotted on the hotel premises to work in.
It was almost evening when Ajabdeh stretched in her chair and felt her headache. "Shoot. I forgot to have lunch again." She almost rebuked herself and searched her handbag for painkillers.
" Ajabdeh Punwar?" A delivery boy knocked at her door. She raised her hand to ask him what he wanted. "Parcel for you ma'am."
"What? Me? But I didn't order…" the man had left the wrapped-up packet on the other end of the table. She opened the brown paper wrapping and a note fell out. Immediately the smell of freshly baked muffins filled the room. Ajabdeh bent down to pick the note up.
"I gathered you must have forgotten to eat lunch and will eventually skip dinner. This friend of mine runs a business that supplies made-to-order cookies and muffins. The cookies will reach you tomorrow. Work hard. All the best. P."
A smile curved Ajabdeh's lips. He must have heard of this habit from Heer. But what was appreciable was that he remembered. She took out a muffin and took a bite. It melted in her mouth and the choco chips complimented the flavour.
"Ah." Ajabdeh sat down on her chair realising she was hungry. She ate three. And put the rest away neatly in her bag before Rukaiya arrived back from a site inspection.
She sat staring at her phone thinking about whether to call him or leave a text. But the moment her team arrived back she forgot about it and kept her phone away as she opened the laptop.
Pratap checked his phone for the umpteenth time making Udai stare at him from across the table. Udai was looking up interested investors in the textile department extension and wanted his suggestions but Pratap looked preoccupied with something else.
“Are you expecting a call from someone?” He asked at last.
“What?” Pratap jolted and kept his phone promptly back in his pocket. “No. No. I am attentive.”
“No, you are not.” Udai shook his head “Go back to work. We will discuss this later.”
“I can…” Pratap stopped at his father’s warning glare and got up.
“Has Ajabdeh reached safely?” His father’s words made his hands stop before picking up the file.
“I…. I…. I don't know.” Pratap cursed himself for stammering. A smile formed on Udai’s lips.
“Call her then. She is your wife. Don’t overthink it.” Pratap stood unable to comprehend for a moment. It looked like his father was imparting marital advice. Something he never visioned his father doing.
“She is busy and…” Pratap cleared his throat.
“She must be expecting you to call.” Udai spoke sincerely “Trust me she is. When your Ranima went for Pakfera after the wedding, we had landlines back then. So I found it odd to call her every day.” he smiled at the memories “She was so mad when she came back home, she didn’t talk to me for two days.”
“Dad.” Pratap interrupted feeling uneasy in the conversation “Your relationship was different. We are not…”
“Every relationship is different, son.” Udai agreed “But some elements of it remain the same. It is love. And that is built on care, concern, loyalty and responsibility. All that makes love what it is.”
Pratap looked a little pale at the mention of that word. For the last few years, he had dreaded it. He was sure that after the hurt he had suffered, he was unable to love. He briskly walked away from his father and the conversation.
“She must be expecting…” His father’s voice kept ringing in his ears as he checked his phone again. “Shouldn’t she be calling me? Or perhaps making a courtesy text if she received the parcel?” Pratap frowned a little. Then in a flash, he remembered Ajabdeh at work. At the office parties, weddings, and on the anniversary of his parents. She was so sincere and hardworking that she forgot her meals. How could he expect her to remember to drop him a text?
It was around 1 AM when Rukaiya retired for the night, leaving Ajabdeh in her hotel room with a pile of work. She would again stay awake the entire night. Making some coffee from the counter in her room, Ajabdeh sat down on the floor and searched her handbag. The brown packet popped out and she took out the remaining muffins. After taking the first bite she remembered she hadn’t thanked him. But her hand stopped at the lock screen of her phone seeing the time. It would be awkward to call him at such odd hours. Instead, she left a text.
“Thank you for the muffins.” Her phone rang with his name on it almost immediately.
Ajabdeh’s heart made a funny leap as she picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Did you reach safely?” He asked.
“Oh yes, I did.” She smiled “I forgot to text about the muffins.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t call because I figured you would be busy.”
A silence followed. They could feel each other's breath over the call.
“How was your day?”It came almost in unison followed by “Good.” and they shared a small laughter.
“Dad seems to be on your side,” Pratap spoke making coffee for himself. He took out two cups almost like a habit and smiled “Look I mistakenly made coffee for two here.”
She smiled. He somehow knew she did.
“The preparations are going great. The clients will come for an inspection tomorrow.”
“Chakrapani is not a very finicky young man. I don’t know about his fiancee.” Pratap spoke. “I have to call him to RSVP myself.”
“You told him you were not coming?” Ajabdeh asked.
“That was six months back.” He clarified.
“Umm…. remember not to mention that you know me?” Ajabdeh reminded. Pratap’s eyes narrowed at that “I thought the deal was not to mention the nuptials.”
“I don’t want Ranisa to feel like I am using even my business contacts with you or Jalal.” She reminded him.
“So you want me to act like total strangers then?” He asked, surprised.
“Yes.” She said firmly.
“Fine, what do I get in return?” He asked.
“What? You are making deals now?” Ajabdeh asked, a little taken aback.
“Of course if you want an Oscar-winning performance.” He chuckled.
“Fine, you get a room of your choice. We do it on a lottery basis as the guests arrive, but if you choose a room, I will keep the keys aside. Will that do?”
“Yes, that sounds nice.”
“So you can look up the hotel website and inform…”
“I will take the one besides yours.” Ajabdeh stopped at his words. “Does it have a connecting door for a midnight coffee service?”
“It does but that means Rukaiya has to shift to another room.” She explained.
“That’s not my headache. What is the wedding planner there for?” He reminded her with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Besides she will get a month’s supply of food.”
“Deal.” Ajabdeh agreed “I will wait for the cookies.”
“I will call you tomorrow.” Pratap added “Goodnight.”
A few days later Pratap came home tired from work and it was almost 2AM when he locked the door to his room and freshened up. He was too tired to make something to eat or even move. He checked through the texts and stumbled upon hers.
“I guess you are having some late nights, in case you get home hungry, there are some snacks in jars on the shelf of my room. Help yourself.” He smiled as he read the text. It was sent around two hours back. Was she expecting him to call? He picked his tired body up from the couch and peeped into her well-made room. Things were just where she left them. He entered her room and looked for the snacks. He found some comparatively healthier ones to munch on and sat down on the chair of her desk, turning on the fairy lights. There was a picture on her desk. Of her parents and Heer. And another perhaps of her childhood with her grandparents on the lawn of the Bijoliya palace. The familiar look of the place took him back to the night of their conversation. The mansion was finally ready to be used. He had to tell her that.
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