THE NEIGHBOURHOOD ROMANCE

Chapter 6

Chapter – 6

            Pakhi was really feeling uncomfortable in that dress. Every man, single or mingle, had at least glanced twice at her. But the glance of a pair of blue eyes from the VIP lounge disturbed her the most. She had noticed him as he had entered the pub. Ira, Astha, Raghav and Gourav were discussing several things when the announcement was made. Pakhi couldn’t manage to look up at the lounge and the bearer of that dangerous voice that had followed after the announcement. “Who is this lover boy?” Ira asked. “There is only one famous lover boy I know, who visits this pub” Pakhi answered. “Who?” Raghav asked. “A –“ Pakhi opened her mouth but there conversation was interrupted by a sudden ‘hi’ from Binita. She was wearing a little black dress. She was Pakhi’s co-worker in Romantic Veil before Astha joined. Everyone was surprised to see her as she had left after getting married to a wealthy builder from Delhi and was not in touch since. “When did you come back from Delhi?” Ira asked abruptly showing her forever dislike towards Binita. Gourav and Raghav were hiding their grins. An uninvited Binita took the empty sit beside Pakhi. “Oh! Two months ago I returned after finally getting a divorce from my ex-husband.” Binita said in a very casual tone. Now that was Binita, her ex-husband was her tenth boyfriend or rather bed partner, she had married him for money, in short she was a gold-digger who only targeted the rich and when her plans failed she simply moved on to the next. Pakhi noticed that Binita was staring at her with that forever streak of jealousy in her eyes, “I can’t believe it’s you Pakhi. You look great.” Binita smiled at her.

“Great? Pakhi is looking like a true bombshell. Every single man here wants to be with her tonight.” Astha had chosen to take Ira’s side and thus the comment.

“Really? But I am sure not every single man. There are some impossible men here who are hard to tame.” Binita glared at Astha.

“No not tonight. Among all these girls here Pakhi is an exception. She looks like an angel.” Ira joined in. Pakhi looked helpless. She shifted glances between her three friends. It looked as if a war of words was going on and the subject herself was not allowed to participate. Her eyes begged for help from Raghav and Gourav. But they also put up their hands.

“Fine! Then let’s give her a bet.” Binita said with a sly smile. Pakhi knew Binita’s silly habit of involving people in outrageous bets but before she could protest Astha asked, “What bet?” Binita looked directly at Pakhi and scanned her from head to toe and declared “If she is the bombshell you claim then I am sure she could tame any man I select for her.” Pakhi swallowed a lump. No way, she can’t tame anyone. “Select” Ira asked. Pakhi’s eyes widened, she glared at Ira but she ignored it. Binita was scanning the pub. Gourav whispered to Pakhi, “Come on angel, be like the feisty heroine of your dramas. Show Binita, she is nothing compared to you.” But his words didn’t register into her head. Rather than protesting, for she knew Binita would never listen to her, Pakhi was looking around the pub thinking who Binita will select and then she would make a fool out of herself in front of the whole pub. Her eyes stopped in tracks at the bar counter. Her blood boiled. Her lips lost its moisture and her throat became dry. There in a black tux over wine coloured shirt was standing the one guy she wanted to avoid the whole evening. She had seen him coming down from the lounge but lost him in the crowd. She had seen him before, looking like the handsome devil many times, but she was also aware that today the birthday boy looked every bit the model straight out from the pages of the playboy magazine. His brown hairs were perfectly gelled and his blue eyes were sparkling and looking at her. Oh god! Aryan was looking at her. She broke the eye contact and shifted her concentration on Binita’s selection. Pakhi closed her eyes and prayed. ‘Anyone, but not the man in the black tux. Please God not him. Not the man in the black tux. Not the man in the black tux. No please NO. Not him. Not him. Not him anyone but not him,’ Pakhi went on chanting.