Girl Friday

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

Arav

As I climbed down the stairs, I was greeted by a bunch of kids in the living room. Yes, kids. Because, by the amount of noise and chatter I hear, I believe they are not adults. Rohan and Riya bhabhi were sitting on either side of Daadi in the couch. Yash and Anjali were sitting on a two seater with Yash’s hand carelessly thrown over Anjali’s shoulder and she was laughing at something he said. God! Will he ever stop hitting on her?

“Hello! Mr.Artist.” Greeted Yash as he began to walk towards me with a smile. “Ready for date?”

“It is not a date, Yash.” I said glaring at him

“Arav, very bad, huh! Instead of you picking up Anjali, you are making her pick you up on a date.” Bhabhi teased smiling

“Bhabhi, it is not a date, just dinner. And she is not here to pick me up. I will be taking her there in my car. “I said making everyone snicker. (So, it is technically....” I saw them all smiling at me. What is so funny?

Anjali stood up and beamed at me. “Boss, I am trying to tell them that it is not a date, but dinner. They are not listening to me.”

I smiled the fakest smile I can manage and she returned it with a similar fake smile.

“Will someone tell me what a date is?” asked Daadi. Ah! My daadi, old in age and young at heart.

“Daadi, I will explain.” Yash happily offered as he knelt down beside her. “Daadi, a boy and a girl go for dinner and eat.”

“So! It is a dinner only.” Daadi asked confused

“It is dinner till then Daadi, but what happens after that makes it date.” He said grinning

“What happens next?” asked Daadi innocently.

“Well, daadi...”

“Yash, shut up.” Chorused me and Rohan.

Was he seriously going to explain all that to Daadi? Guess, god decided to give baby Malhotra only baby’s brain. Yash made a face at me and Rohan as he stood on his legs and looked at bhabhi pouting.

“Why are you both shouting at my favourite brother in law?” she admonished

“Guys, if you all are done with whatever you are trying to do can I go? I have a reservation.”

“Sure, Arav we don’t want to make you late for your date.” Said Rohan giving Hi 5 to Riya bhabhi.

I shook my head disapprovingly at my family, as I walked out and Anjali followed me giggling.

“I will drive.” I told the driver as I signalled him to throw the keys.

As soon as we sat in the car, I played music in order to save myself from her stupid chatting. But, damn me for thinking anything could stop her from talking.

“Boss, when was the last time you went on a date?” she asked

“Anjali, this is not...”

“A date, I know.” She said completing my sentence. “I am just making conversation with you.”

I rolled my eyes as I changed gear.

“Tell me, boss.” She insisted

“When I was with Manisha.” I said shrugging

“Cool, so what do you generally do on a date?” she asked

“Really! You want to know that? Don’t you think it is personal?” I asked looking at her

“Yeah? But I don’t have any problem about sharing details of my date. When I went on my first date ever with Rajeev, we had great fun visiting the Fun Factory Park.”

“Fun Factory Park???” I asked bemused. “Who goes there for a date?”

“Why!! It was fun.” She said offended.

“Exactly how old were you then, Anjali?”

“Fourteen, why?”

Silly!!! Just extremely silly. Why do I even waste my time talking to her?

“Boss, tell me...”

“Anjali, please can you not talk? You are giving me a head ache.” I pleaded genuinely

Her mouth widened with a gasp and her nose flared with anger. I even heard her mumble “How mean.” But, Ms.Sharma just folded her hand and turned to the other side looking out of windows with angry pout. Good. Let her better be angry than chatty.

As I walked inside the restaurant along with Anjali, I counted four in my mind looking at a guy checking out Anjali. What is wrong with men, like seriously? Just a minute between the parking and where we were, four men already checked her out. One man even had the audacity to nod at her. Well, the fact that she was oblivious to all this is entirely different story. However, knowing Anjali I think she is just pretending to be oblivious.

“Hello Sir, Mam.” The waiter greeted as Anjali and I sat on a table for two on a corner of the restaurant. “I will be your waiter for tonight. I will let you both decide your menu and get back here in a bit.”

“Bossss....” called Anjali in a screechy voice as I was looking at the menu. “Ummm” I answered.

“The count is six, boss.” She said

What count is she talking about? Did she notice the men who were checking her out or the fact that I was keeping a count?

“Six?” I asked faking ignorance. “What six?”

“Totally six women have checked you out since we walked in.” She said with a stupid grin.

An inadvertent chuckle escaped my lips at the way she said it. “Anjali, who keeps count of this?” I asked and my mind immediately accused me of being a hypocrite

“I do, why? It is a very entertaining activity. I do it often. So far the highest is twenty three in a day.” She said. “It was when we attended that exhibition at MPP gallery.”

“You are mad.” I said making her shrug and shifted my concentration to the menu but the smile pasted on my lips didn’t leave for a while.

After a while, when we both were enjoying Italian delicacy, I, casually, asked, “So, lots of girls check me out, huh?”

“Yeah!!” she nodded chewing her food. “A lot, boss. But, you always pretend to not notice anyone.” She said almost in a complaining voice.

“How do you know I pretend?” I asked

“Who fails to notice appreciative eyes on them?’” she asked in a matter of fact voice.

“Like how you were pretending just now?” I asked referring to earlier when we entered the restaurant

“What?” she asked clueless propping food in her mouth

Is she really oblivious to the looks she gets from men? Come on, nowhere it is possible that a girl is unaware how beautiful she is. Even in this simple green asymmetrical knee length top and ridiculously oversized off white palazzo, she looked beautiful. Her long hair with curls and light make up only ascended her beauty. Anjali is very natural. Is she really unaware of her effect on men?

“Anjali, tell me one thing, you told the other day Rohan is the most good looking Malhotra, then how come women here are checking me out. I thought I am the average Malhotra.“

“What are you talking about??” she sounded appalled. “Tall, impeccable hair in a pony tail, well built body neither too muscular nor too thin and well dressed. Who wouldn’t look at you?”

This girl is one of her kind. Is she defending my looks to me?

“So I am better than Rohan and Yash?” I asked trying to sound less curious than I am

“Well...” she said making a thoughtful face. “Rohan is typical with stereotypic millionaire attitude like they show in TV shows and Yash is all muscles good old bollywood type. Their styles are so yesterday.” She said tapping her chin.

“And me?’” I asked and I couldn’t help myself but move forward in my seat to know her answer.

“You have got this mysterious aura. Very intense, matured and sexy.” My eyes almost popped at the last word. Does Anjali think that I am sexy? “And then you have a very secretive smile like you have many things hidden inside you and a girl wants to explore every secret layer by layer.” She said so lost in her own thoughts. I wondered if she forgot that she is talking to me and describing me, not so subtly, to me. “Every girl wants to drown deep in your eyes to see where she is taken. To know if there is a shore aside somewhere or is it just unfathomably deep. To know if the man found inside is as passionate as the artist you proclaim. To know if you can paint her life as colourful as your paintings or sculpt her life as meticulous as your sculptures.” She continued talking as if she was discussing about the most passionate discovery of hers. “You are like a modern day knight. Chivalrous at the same time never fail to treat a woman equally. There is no girl who can resist a challenge and you are a total package of it.”

Our eyes met and for the first time I noticed the woman beneath my personal assistant. No doubt that her words were genuine. Is this what Anjali Sharma thinks about me? I never thought that light-hearted and childlike Anjali will hold such deep idea about me. I had already accepted the idea that I am the least sought out among the Malhotra brothers, be it family or media. My own father is disappointed with me often and this girl thinks that I am a high end mystery worth lives of uncovering.

Suddenly the moment of our eye lock felt very intimate and I had to do something to break it, something so hard to strike on this new connection that was weaving around us.

“Is that why I am a one night stand material?” I blurted out of nowhere.

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