Parineeta

Ms. stranger and Mr. Rude

It had been an hour since Navya left me outside the party hall after she caught a hold of Fab 5 before they could meet Manik. She took all of us outside and then asked to speak to them separately, specifically asking me to not go inside.
"Hum tumhare iss plan ke setting karke aate hai" she had told me before vanishing into the corridors of the resort and since then I'd been pacing like a pendulum let loose outside the hall. I couldn't decide if I should go in or wait here till I hear something from Navya.
I'd already had enough of people staring at me like I was some alien, or worse the bride-to-be itself as some of them mistook me for Alya and congratulated me on the wedding and told me how lucky I was to have such a loving husband who arranged such a big ceremony slash cocktail party for me. I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that half the people invited to this wedding didn't even know who the bride and groom were, and half, from what I noticed, didn't even care about as long as they got free food, booze and a reason to party. I wondered why Manik had invited these people at all. I also kind of had an answer to that. Manik treated Fab5 like his own family and so his family and friends were the family for each member of Fab5 especially when it came to Dhruv. And when it came to Dhruv and Alya, all of Fab5 had invited their respective families to make the couple feel like they belonged with every person who was attending the ceremonies and wedding. Fab5 made sure the whole thing was as grand as it would've been for any of them and especially Manik.
I was getting impatient by minute but I had no idea how to go about the plan that I had so smartly devised. Part of me, I can say was nervous about going inside and that probably was also the reason why I was stalling entering the hall. Even though I had decided that it was gonna be a fresh start, I knew at one point I will come to face him and I wouldn't have nothing to do or say then. I couldn't decide what should be my next step so instead I decided to resumed my pacing around which was interrupted shortly as I recieved a call.

Manik:
It's almost an hour past the time that the party was supposed to start but I haven't been able to catch one glimpse of either Fab5 or Navya or mom and anybody. I dialled Cabir' number for the hundredth time, quite literally, hoping he will pick it up finally.
"Hello" so he did.
"Saale marr gaye ho kya tum saare?"I couldn't control it any longer.
"Yaha mai party hall mei khada hu Amongst these weird party hawkers, I don't even know half these people, aur zara bahar niklo toh ladkia aise ghurti hai jaise mai chocolate cake hu aur vo saalo se bhooki hai" I blasted at him.
"Baby tu unke liye chocolate cake hi hai! Arey hum aa rahe hai, vo Navya ki ek friend aayi hai New york se toh usse lobby mei milne aaye the bas hum sab aa rahe hai.. aur vaise mostly galti humare dulha dulhan ki hai taiyar hi nai ho rahe the" he slyly remarked and I've never wanted to smack him harder.
"Inn ladkio ko dekhke mujhe bura lagta hai, agar Medha bhi bade hokar aise kisi ko ghuregi toh mai pata nai kya karunga.." I muttered before I went on to the next thing that caught my attention in his sly remark.
"Navya ki dost? New York se?" I asked.
"Haan sun milke baat karte hai.. aa raha hu!"he said and abruptly disconnected the call. Really?
Who friend? Was it her? Are we starting from the very beginning? It all added up. It was most definitely her plan. So that is how it is gonna go!
"Fine, that's how it'll be then!" I muttered as I looked around. The attention that a man could grab without doing anything was equally proportionate to what women could, and I can say I felt just as harrassed and exploited as any woman would when she's put in a room full of men with sick mentality.
"Hence proved, it's never about the victim, eh?"I muttered annoyed at the eyes that were glued to me. It was almost like hawks watching their prey, if only it had been the old Manik, those girls wouldn't have given a second thought before jumping on him.

.....

I paced beside the stage as I waited for Navya, "her friend from New York, and my friends to grace the party I'd taken so much pain to organise. There's honestly not one thing I understand about this wedding though. We could have easily had an intimate wedding with the closed ones and the best one, like Alya initially wanted. God knows what popped inside her that she wanted to make it a Destination wedding, at this destination that's so far from the city with people half of us barely know. But it was their day and a once in a lifetime opportunity for them. Because obviously Dhruv wasn't a thick headed idiot, like myself, who'd ruin something so pure that he has, so it definitely will be his once in a lifetime opportunity and he wanted to make it as big and memorable for Alya as he could.
One last round towards the stage and i spotted Cabir tearing through the crowd of restless people waiting to see the bride and groom to be and also the girls desperately eyeing me.
"Kabse phone kar raha hu, phone kaha hai tera?" He asked as soon as he reached and I looked at him irritated while also surprised at his audacity.
"Tu kabse phone kar raha hai? Mai kabse phone kar raha hu? Ek baar utha ke boldiya aa rahe hai phir? Aadha ghanta aur gayab?"I retorted at the irony.
"Haan toh mai tera hi dialogue bol raha tha"he laughed amd I rolled my eyes.
"Achha chal..  tujhe Navya ki dost se milvata hu.. bahar hai vo.. sab uss hi ke saath hai.." he said and I narrowed my eyes trying to understand what was going on.
"Kyu? Vo koi VIP hai..sab uss ke saath hai.. jiska function hai unhe toh yaha hona chahiye.. vo uske saath bahar kya kar rahe hai.. infact sabko yaha hona chahiye.. introduction toh andar bhi ho sakta hai.." I remarked. If this was what I thought it was, and how it was gonna happen and if this was the beginning of what we had decided then I had to be prepared, look prepared and sound prepared. I had to be myself, who I am now, the Manik Malhotra. "aur tu anyways jaanta hai mujhe koi interest nai hai kisi se milne mei.. Madhubala ki dost se milne mei toh bilkul nai.."
"Arey ek baar mil toh le... Vaise bhi yaha ladkiyon ko dekh ke lag raha hai kabhi bhi tere pe jhapatta maar degi.. isse better hai you have someone by your side to dodge these beautiful blood sucking vampire looking creatures" he chortled as he dragged me out of the hall.

We walked over to Fab 5 at a far end of the corridor that led to the hall where the cocktail party was organised as I buttoned my jacket and looked over to see who was getting so much attention that my friends left me waiting, for more than an hour.
I was quite a bit annoyed and the businessman in me was highly disappointed with the wasting of time when there was a crowd inside waiting to meet the bride and groom and "get the party started" as if it hadn't already.
To be honest, the businessman in me was actually always irritated and annoyed by everything and everyone except his daughter, his family and friends and it often got out of hand. And today his friends were kind of testing his patience when he was left waiting for so long. Manik Malhotra hated waiting.
"Hm? What's up? What's so important that it couldn't be done inside? Introduction? Hey I'm Manik Malhotra, host of the party that... is going on over there.." I said sarcastically pointing towards the hall behind me as I glanced back at the small circle of my Friends, Navya and her "friend from New York.
A fine looking, actually no, a gorgeous lady, her face like an innocent kid, her eyes doe shaped as she looked at me with a frown on her forehead, probably wondering what my problem was. She was wearing a shimmery blue dress that fit perfectly to her body like it was made only for her and I, for a moment, appreciated the person who designed the dress. The dress had a slit on the left side that ended mid thigh. Her toned legs shining under the dim orange light of the corridor. There was a golden belt on her waist, defining her perfect curves. Her hair open in a messy yet elegant style, I hate to admit that, even though, for just a second, I was so sure I was oggling at her but I couldn't help it. She was definitely the most beautiful girl I'd ever laid eyes on, and I have, on various beautiful women before.
"Hey, looks like we're wasting your friend's time here!" She remarked as she rolled her eyes at me while I stared at her, or more like checked her out.
"What?" She further asked, breaking my trance and I looked away trying not to make it too obvious, nonetheless the damage was done.
"Yeah.. I mean if we're gonna stand here all night.. because time is money.. and every second we waste is a delay of what is planned next.."damage control. Damage control. I maintained myself as I would've in front of anyone and it seemed like she was caught off guard as she looked at Navya.
"So how about we go in and do the introductory part inside, Ms. stranger.." I turned away towards the hall without waiting.
"Sure thing, Mr. Rude" I heard her mumble. A small smile crept on my lips as I began walking back towards the hall but not before making sure that everybody followed me inside, along with her.