My Destined One

Forced Invitation

Aarsh's POV

   We waited for Deepak patiently for one whole hour. We ordered some drinks and little bit of edibles. Both of us were equally exhausted and hungry. The way Meera ate drumsticks, was quite a view. Clearly the girl enjoys food more than anything else. I was so contained looking at the way she was eating, I offered her my portions too. She was not ready to eat, but still we shared. By the end of our meal, a waiter came and said Deepak Rana has come and wants to join us. I reluctantly said him to bring him here. Within seconds he came in and sat with us after a handshake.

  "Meera, Aarsh, how have you been guys? You guys just stopped attending the meeting altogether. What, A-star doesn't interest you anymore?" He asked cheerfully, trying to act cool. "Well, am the CEO of Sharma Industries. I have to focus and show my interest in all the projects. Surely I just can't keep myself to one of them, right? So when I saw things are going as per it should, I decided to shift myself on other projects and hand over this project to someone who will treat it with the same importance as I had. And as I had to move, Meera moved with me. After all she is my PA, what I do, she has to follow me without any other choice. That's all. Now shall we proceed?"

  "Ya man sure. I never expected you to explain it to me, but am thankful." "Am explaining cause my company is now investing in your company. You are the company CEO, if some of my actions are questionable to you, go ahead ask me, am answerable. But don't expect me to change my decisions." "Ya man I got it. Of course Sharma Industries is huge. Still, I thank you. So now lets begin?" After that we finally begin our meeting.

  The meeting went on for more than one and a half hour. It clearly looked that Deepak did a good job in the project and is quite serious about the collaboration. I hardly expected him to attend the meetings, expected him to just play around. But he completely proved me wrong. He is good at what he does, whether playing with people's hearts or a professional work. He is serious at it. I really am impressed with his insights and ideas of the projects. No wonder he got opportunities in top educational institutes. It was really hard for me to stop praising him. Nonetheless, I somehow controlled myself. After having two glasses of whiskey and some snacks each, all of us got quite tired, lets not bring the fact that Meera and I were already tired since before the meeting. After we concluded the meeting, I asked the waiter to bring in the bill. 

  "So Aarsh, its true that you are finally tying the knot with Sana?" Of course I should have guessed that at one point he will ask it out. Why does it matter to him what's going on in my life? With whom am getting married too? Well, not to be rude, I just nodded to answer his question. "Why after so long bro? When I came back, I thought that Sana would be already Mrs. Sana Aarsh Sharma, but to my surprise it wasn't. Why did you wait for so long buddy?" Ok, now he is getting too personal than my limitation. "Why does it matter to you? Its my decision when I will get married. After all Sana is my girlfriend for last 6-7 years. Why can't you mind your own business Deepak?" Finally I blurted out. It doesn't matter how excellent you are at your work, he clearly doesn't know when and where to keep his mouth shut. 

  "No no you got me all wrong buddy. I was just asking generally. You do remember that I know you for a very long time, before we entered in our professional lives, right? Although we met each other personally later, but if truth be told, we know each other since our college days. Think of that, am asking on that basis." "If you are asking on that basis, then I think I don't need to stay here any longer. Our meeting is already done, let's not bore and later try to rip off each others throat." I said with a forced tight smile. "Chill dude, I was just trying to be a friend. Listen, I know we started with a wrong step, but we can change the things between us. We work together now, but we had a past, doesn't matter how it was, but we had a past. We have some similarities, some differences. Some common choices but different perspective. Lets be friends, what say?" With these words he pulled out his hand.

"Aarsh please calm down, be a bit gentle," Meera whispered in my ears. I looked at his hand once more, then looked up to his eyes. "I know, we had a past, and I would really like to leave that behind. But am not a very social person you see, so lets keep the relation what we have now for the time being." He looked at me for some time, took his hand back, gave a cheesy smile and said, "Well, I will take that. But at least lets initiate to be friends. Lets take baby steps towards our friendship, what do you say?" "Of course, why not? What step do you like me to take Deepak?" "Well, for the starters, why don't you invite me to your pre-wedding cocktail party Aarsh? There is going to be one just 2 weeks prior to the wedding, right? Why don't you invite me?" 

   What the hell! Isn't he listening what exactly he is asking for? "Well, you see, I can't invite just any one. I need to consult this with my fiance." "Really Aarsh? I asked you to start afresh, not to forget our entire past. If Sana comes to know this, she won't allow you to invite me. Moreover, I will be your guest. Am pretty sure, you can invite 1-2 people without taking Sana's permission." "I know I can, but I don't want to." "Why? Are you scared of your would be? Well, I guess I know how it feels to be dominated by her! She is quite feisty." Well that was definitely the last straw for me. By this time, I was completely enraged, seeing everything red. I was about to take a step and hit him hard, when I felt two small hands were holding my right hand tightly. I looked who it was, and it was Meera. She just mouthed please and nodded her head in right left position. I understood by the look on her face that she was begging me to stop what ever I was trying to do. I calmed down looking at her scared and sad face.

  "You know what, you can come to my cocktail party. Meera, on Monday, after coming to the office, the first thing you will do is send an invitation to Deepak. I hope you come with your family. And if our relation goes deeper, I will think about inviting you to my wedding too. What say, is this enough steps for me to initiate our friendship?" "Absolutely Aarsh, its more than enough. And regarding the family part, I can't say anything about them, but I will come, for sure." With that we shook our hands and went to our cars. The whole way to our car from the lift, Meera walked behind me, without speaking a word to me. But her expression said, she wants to ask so many things, she was quite angry. Well, I guess everyone will be, after hearing my decision. Honestly, what the f**k was I even thinking!

  We got in the car, fasten our seat belts. The moment I was about to ignite my car, Meera turned to me, and asked, "What is wrong with you, Aarsh? Why do you do the dumbest thing when the matters come to Deepak? Its ok if Sana starts acting strange, cause she was Deepak's girlfriend at one point of her life, but what is it with you? Why do you take rash decisions? What the f**k were you even thinking while telling me to invite that sick person to your cocktail party? Don't just sit quietly, answer me! And don't you give me the answer that am your PA and you don't need to answer me, cause am not taking that s**t. We all sacrificed something or the other to keep Sana from Deepak's approach, then why the f**k would you mess that up just before your wedding? Answer me goddamn it! Your cat caught your tongue!" 

  "Enough! Stop hitting me like a mad woman, and stop interrogating me as if I am a criminal" "Well, yes you are a criminal, well not completely, you are trying to be. And if you think am acting like a mad woman just cause am hitting you, wait for Varsha, Maithili and Riya. Lets not imagine just what Sana and Shagun will do to you. And I bet you boy, the way they will kick your ass, you will forget this mad woman," she said pointing her finger to her. "Listen, I know what I did was rash, even I didn't want to invite him to the part-" "If you really didn't want to invite him, then you wouldn't have invited him  Aarsh. No one had forced you there. And if you say Deepak instigated you, why didn't you keep your calm? We all know how the hell he is, can't you be little bit more patient?" "Listen, what's done is done. Lets not waste our time in thinking how do we undo it, cause we can't. Its better we start thinking about how we will keep Sana away from Deepak. Ok?"

  She calmed down a bit, started thinking seriously. I was intrigued the way she shifted her focus from the problem me suddenly inviting Deepak to the cocktail party to the plan that needs to be decided to keep the two exes away. "You know right that the moment Sana will see him, she will snap out?" "Don't worry about that. I will talk to her, make her understand it was necessary." "Do you think she will agree easily?" "No, not easily, but you know, how long we will keep her under us? She has to overcome it one day or the other. I will make everyone understand it was my decision to invite him." "Aarsh, what if he does something? Something to Sana? Or Shagun?" "He can't touch them, I know that. Sana will have people around her all the time. Her brother, our friends, me. Everyone will be there to keep an eye on her. If it scares you too much, I will personally talk to Varsha and Maithili. They are the best we have." "And what about Shagun? She was too his ex." "I know you are scared for your bestie. But doesn't she have you? Meera, you can protect her, from everyone. You have protected her from us when she needed soem one the most. You protected her single handedly, can't you protect her from one single person?"

  "Yes I can, and I will. I will not let Deepak touch or rather bother Shagun at all. She is safe around me." "That's my brave girl." I said and ruffled her hair. She just slapped my hand away for doing that to her. She is the bravest girl I have ever seen. With powers or without powers, she is my champion. But one thing was still worrying me. Meera, herself. I know she can't feel it, but I can. I am a man, I know how the hell Deepak eye f***s her. Not all the time, but still there were moments when I say him looking at her like an eagle eyeing on its only prey. And to be honest, I didn't like that even a single bit. When ever anyone eyes Meera inappropriately, I don't like that feeling. But when Deepak does that, I just can't watch that. Only I know how I restrain myself from ripping off his eyes. This is something that I can't tell to Meera either, if I tell it to her, she will be hell scared. I don't want that.

  Sighing, I started the car. "Aarsh, what happened? Don't you feel confident about our plan and arrangements? Trust me, they will be a little bit angry on you, but I will make them understand. Trust me every thing will be fine. Nothing will happen to Sana." Silly girl, she is still worried about Sana. How can I tell her that its not Sana am worried anymore, its her am scared right now. "Am not scared about Sana anymore, its someone else." Listening to my words, she became confused and little frowns appeared on her forehead. "I am worried about you, Meera." "Me? Why? What will happen to me?" "I don't know, but promise me one thing," I said taking her right palm in my both palms. "Promise me, you will keep yourself safe. When you sense danger, you will come to me, call me, or anyone. It doesn't matter what, you will seek help. And you will keep yourself away from that bastard, along with Shagun. Do you get me?" "Yes, I get you, but you don't have to worry about me. Deepak never harmed me. Even after his and Shagun's break up, we chat for a few months properly. I don't remember any one of us behaving badly with the other person. He won't do anything to me."

  I hope she is right. I hope am just overthinking. I hope am wrong. Its just my possessiveness that I can't shrug off about Meera and nothing else. "Fine I believe you. But you have to promise me." "Ok boy, I promise you. I promise you no matter what, if I am in danger or I sense danger, I will call for help, either you or anyone else, no matter what, ok?" And this time she ruffled my hair. I just smiled and shifted to drive away from the parking finally. I know what I did was absolutely idiotic, but I just hope my idiotic decision doesn't cause any problems or worse any harm to any one. I won't be able to bear that at any cost. I will do anything to keep my girls safe and sound. Deepak can't harm them, rather touch them.