Ishqana Dil

Part 2

It was already past lunch time and he still hadn't made a move. She huffed. Why did she even care? Amaya was just about to put her hands back on the keyboard but stopped. Her heart was thudding too painfully for her bear anymore. What if he was already gone?

Feeling nauseous, she jumped off her seat and tore into his work area, expecting it to be empty but there he was, fixing something in a CPU. She slumped against the door frame and allowed relief to wash over her. He had seen her too and he left whatever he had been doing to stand up and look at her.

"You are still here," she stated blankly.

Mantu shrugged. "I still have work and... I can't decide on what to do..."

She nodded. She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to go and wrap in in a hug so tight and not have to worry about yesterday or tomorrow. But it didn't mean she could do that... "What if I have an idea?"

A small smile played on his lips. "Tell me."

"Hmm," she snatched her gaze from his mouth and stared at the floor to concentrate on what she had to say instead. "Are you allowed to take both jobs?"

"Amaya? I am no machine, you know?"

He looked terribly shocked but he also had a huge smile on his face. A giggle tumbled from her lips. "Wait, Mantu! Listen to me. I have done a course in disaster management, okay? We are going to be just fine!"

"We?"

She felt blood rush up her face. She knew he could not have meant it that way but the way he had said it... "Well... I was thinking... you could take up both jobs and we both finish at five, so instead of staying late, we could both go to your place and do the other job? I mean, I know that I don't know your stuff but you could teach me or I could take care of the house and Chiklu and help you here and there. That way, the three of us, Chiklu, you and me, we'll be happy. I mean, we will all get what we want... Right?"

***

It was no wonder Mahadev had chosen this girl for him. And her last words had just started incredible fireworks in his mind. He could see her in his house, spoiling his little brother, trying to cook and failing funnily in the beginning but then he would teach her and she would learn, he could see her getting irritated with his inability to keep the house tidy, he could see her praying in his little puja ghar by his side while demanding to be taught the mantras and their meanings, he could see her running around the house after little children that would be theirs, he could imagine his parents approving of her...

"Itna bura hai kya mera idea... ke tumhaari bolti hi band hogayi?"

He snapped out of his dreams and looked at her. She was staring at him with such a dismayed face he had to plant his feet firmly on the floor to stop himself from crossing the distance between them and putting his arms around her to comfort her.

Mantu shook his head. "I was only thinking why I didn't get that idea..."

"Voh issliye kyunki tum buddhu ho!" she retorted bitterly.

He shot a smile at her. "Gussa abhi bhi thanda nahin hua?" Just like a petulant child she shook her head and tried to hide a smile at the same time. "Achha theek hai," he took a few steps forward. "Hum uthak-baithak karte hain, usske baad maaf karogi na humein?"

***

She didn't even get the time to process what he had just said and he was already holing his ears and starting to crouch. Amaya yelped and skidded towards him to stop. "What are you doing, Mantu? Pagal hogaye ho kya?" She locked her hands around his wrists, pulled him up and forced them to his sides. "Isski koyi zaroorat nahin hai, Mantu!"