******
Mrs. Anjali, Sanchi’s sweet and hyper mummy also insisted that he stay back. He had not tasted any of her Andhra specials and she too had not got an opportunity of extending her hospitality to him. Sunny promised that both of them would have a blast and he would show all of Didi’s albums to him with a naughty wink at his Big Sis who started chasing him angrily with a rolling pin in her hand, “You’ve started talking beyond your years, Sunny ke bachche! Wait till I catch you.” Kabir thought to himself that after so much persuasion, he could not refuse to stay back.
Sanchi’s mother put a full stop to this quarrel of Little Bro and Big Sis, banishing Sanchi to the front entrance of the house asking her to draw a coloured and floral Rangoli pattern in front of their house. She grudgingly accepted her mother’s words and went about drawing the Rangoli and colouring it. Kabir settled himself right in front of her on a chair in the garden pretending as though he was reading the newspaper while he was staring at her in reality. She looked so beautiful with the early morning sun’s rays which were falling across her face lighting it up. The wind was blowing softly and her hair kept coming in front of her eyes and falling into her face. Sanchi kept pushing it aside from time to time. Suddenly a speck of the Rangoli colour went into her eyes and she twitched.
Kabir immediately ran to her and tried blowing out the speck. He cupped her face in his palms and blew a hot breath of air into her face. He blew once more but the speck would not budge. Their breathing became strained and they were very much aware of their physical proximity to each other while they became lost to the rest of the world around them. He put the fingers near her eyelids trying to take out the speck when she cried in pain. The speck was hurting her a lot and it hurt him to see her in pain like this. He led her by the hand to the hosepipe in the garden and turned on the tap splashing water on her face. He then asked her, “Is it better now? …What the hell are you doing?”
Sanchi had snatched the hosepipe from him and turned it towards him. He was shouting, “Are you mad? See all my clothes are getting wet. Your family…will misunderstand…Stop! I said stop! …Now this will teach you a lesson…Ha! Ha! Ha!” Kabir had snatched it from her and was directing the water from the pipe towards her as she continued running round the garden to escape him. Both of them did not observe that in all this water play, they were trampling Dr. Reddy favourite flowers.
Sunny who came outside hearing all this noise immediately understood that there was something more to his Big Sis and Kabir’s relationship than he could directly see. Then he gave a horrified look at what they had done to his Papa’s favourite flowers. He immediately ran to them and snatched the pipe from Kabir’s hands and sent both of them off the back door entrance to change their wet clothes before they could be caught by anyone else.
Sunny himself took the pipe in his hand poured water all over himself and stood there for the tornado to blow over him with a fatalistic grin on his face. Kabir and Sanchi were thanking their stars that both of them had a luck escape from the Kalapani saza which was sure to fall on them if Dr. Reddy knew that they had done all this to his garden, when they heard him furiously scolding Sunny, “I still can’t believe my eyes that you caused all that destruction all alone. It’s a miracle I must say to run so amuck like a mad bull. You are grounded until you re-groom my flower garden to what it originally was. No going outside alone except with family, no fooling around with friends, no movies, no shopping, no computer, no mobile phone, and your quota of four pooris for today’s breakfast are also cut! And lastly you will not participate in your inter-collegiate cricket competition.”
Kabir was blaming Sanchi while Sanchi was blaming Kabir for Sunny being grounded when Sunny himself stealthily came behind both of them and said, “Since both of you got me grounded by Dr. Reddy, you’d better make up by telling me the whole story in detail, Jijaji and Big Sis!” Sanchi blabbered, “What are you telling? He’s not your Jijaji!” Sunny said, “Ok, he’s not, but he could become, isn’t it? I know a fire when I see one! Don’t think I’m small and you two can fool me with your words.”
Kabir tried to say, “We’re friends you know…” Sunny replied, “I saw what kind of friends you are. And which friend comes running behind another friend literally into the lion’s mouth, I mean Dr. Reddy. Which friend braves even a media scandal for the sake of another friend? And which friend takes the risk of getting complained in the TV Actors Association for irresponsible behaviour by the Director of his show? You’d better tell me the truth, or else…”
It was only then Kabir realized that Veer would be very angry with him for coming to Sanchi’s place giving him a false excuse. He also remembered that he had not called back Veer after he had seen the TV segment. Moreover his coming here had caused a huge media scandal and speculations were rife in the media about him and Sanchi being a couple. This would irritate and irk Veer even more.
Sanchi interrupted Sunny and asked, “Did Veer call me? What did he say?” Sunny continued, “What you heard just now! You were drawing the Rangoli when Veer Bhaiyya called. I picked up your phone and was about to tell that you’d call him back when he started speaking thinking it was you. He told that he was going to complain against Kabir Bhaiyya, (with a wicked wink at Kabir) I mean Jijaji. I asked him to wait and not take any decision without speaking to you. So if you leave my ear now, you could go and sort out the matters!”
Sanchi understood the seriousness of the situation. If Veer got Kabir blacklisted, it would permanently destroy his career. She had to prevent it at all costs. She called him up, “Veer, don’t get angry! Just listen to me! I know that Kabir was wrong in coming here on a false excuse. And I also know that the outlandish twist he convinced you to give on the show was also not right. But he came only to help me out. This whole issue was blown out of proportion by the media because of Nikhil. Ever since I came here, I’ve not had a single peaceful day. Nikhil took the house opposite ours and started stalking me. Papa’s health condition got worse because of this. Sunny was arrested on false charges when he went to question Nikhil’s actions. I did not call Kabir or tell him anything. He understood on his own that I needed him. So please forgive him and don’t get him blacklisted because…because…because…I love him still!”
Veer angrily retorted, “You’re not telling me something new! I always knew that you loved him. But I still think that he does not deserve you. But then it’s your life; so who am I to tell whom you should marry or whom you should not? Leave that aside! What about our show now? It will go to the dogs! It was your dream project and Kabir literally blew it with his stupid idea. I too should have known better than listen to his words. How are you going to bring the story back to track? I’m going to sue him…”
Sanchi said, “You believe in me Veer, don’t you? I’ll somehow cover up for the mistakes both you and Kabir have done. This is my dream project too. So it is important for me also. If the three of us are together in this, there is nothing we cannot manage! Please forgive, Kabir for the sake of you BFF. Your consent to our marriage is as important as that of my parents. Please, Veer! For my sake! My everything begins and ends with Kabir, faulty and cranky as he sometimes is! If I’m meant for love and marriage at all, it will only be with Kabir! If I’m meant for friendship and life-long loyalty, it will be with you alone!”
Veer shrugged his shoulders and unwillingly said, “You surely know how to convince me. Veer can stand in the path between KG and Sanchi but not in the path of his BFF’s happiness in life. All the best for your future, Sanchi! Let me know when you and Kabir are planning to come back. There’s a lot to be done to our show!” Sanchi turned to an apprehensive Kabir and said, “Veer maan gaya! Ab bacha Dr. Reddy, ex- principal Ramakrishna Group of Educational Institutions!”