Hum Aapke Hain Kaun?

4. Purana Dost

'Bane chahe dushman zamana hamara, salamat rahe dostana hamara'

Prem was in his own little world as he walked the halls of the lodge in search of his kaka, having left his older brother in their rooms before he'd bumped into the girl currently occupying his thoughts.

So lost is he in his own head that he's forgotten what it is he's supposed to be doing, hardly paying attention to the faces of the people around him. He's wondering pretty much aimlessly until he passes a room with the doors thrown open and hears his name being called. His head turns automatically, thoughts of the mystery girl disappearing as he spots his kaka. 'There you are!' his uncle exclaims, coming over and putting a hand on his arm, guiding him over to the room. 'Tumhara bhaiya kahan?' (Where's your brother?)

'Voh abhi aa raha hoga,' (He's on his way) Prem tells his uncle, 'he wanted to freshen up a bit.' His kaka nods and then turns to the two people in the room he's just guided his nephew into.

'Prem, I'd like you to meet my old friends, Sidharth and his wife Jaya. Sidharth, Jaya, mera chota bhateeja, Prem,' (my younger nephew,) the man introduces.

Immediately, Prem moves away from his uncle, greeting the two people he was just introduced to, leaning down to touch their feet, taking their blessings.

After he straightens, they all take a seat, a girl coming out of the kitchen with a tray of drinks and snacks, setting the plates and cups on the coffee table. 'Yeh meri badi betiPooja,' (This is my older daughter,) Sidharth introduces. Prem watches he with a small smile, recognising her from the picture his mama had shown them. She smiles at them before picking up the tray and retreating to the kitchen. 'Aur meri choti beti idhaar-udhaar hogi-' he continues before cutting off and standing up as a figure approaches the room. 'Nisha beti, tum agaye,' (dear, you've come) he says with a smile, putting an arm around his daughter – something made difficult by the bags hanging off of her. The girl smiles at her father but the gesture doesn't quite reach her eyes. 'No luck?' he asks, getting a dejected shake of the head. 'Koi baat nai, there's always tomorrow.' Nisha nods but still says nothing. 'Come, there's someone I want you to meet.' Nisha looks like meeting someone is last on the list of things she wants to do at that moment but allows her father to guide her to the sitting room all the same.

Prem's kaka stands with a smile, reaching out a hand to tap Prem – who had frozen the second he laid eyes on Nisha – to tell him to do the same. Shaking his head clear (for the fifth time in an hour, he sure does seem to be getting lost in his thoughts a lot today) Prem rises too, putting a smile on. 'Yeh meri choti beti, Nisha. Nisha, yeh hai mera purana dost, Khailaashnaath.' (This is my younger daughter... This is my old friend.)

'Namaste uncle,' she greets, stepping forward and leaning down to take his blessings.

'Aur yeh uska bhateeja, Prem,' (And his nephew) her father says as she straightens. She turns to the boy her father is gesturing to, greeting dying on her lips. As she finds herself facing the boy she'd run into earlier – the reason she'd failed to make it outside in time to get any half-way decent pictures today.

'Tum!' (You!) she exclaims after a moment of staring at him.

'Mein,' (Me,) he replies with a smirk that can only be described as cocky.

She narrows her eyes at him and his smirk widens. 'Have you two met?' Nisha's mother asks, looking between them with a small smile; there's just something about the way the two are looking at each other that makes her think perhaps her chocolate-lime juice loving, no time for boys daughter has found a distraction.

'I wouldn't say met exactly aunty. More like bumped in to each other,' Prem tells her, his smirk immediately transforming into a charming smile.

'Not funny,' Nisha mutters.

'Beti, is something wrong?' her dad asks with a concerned look.

'No papa,' she mumbles, determinedly looking anywhere but at Prem. Her dad gives her a questioning look but she just shrugs and changes the subject, asking where her sister is before going to join her in the kitchen. Prem watches her go with a smirk, only just realising that everyone had retaken their seats in time to retake his own seat without looking like he's distracted again.

'So, Khailashnaath, do you come here every year?' Sidharth asks, the two men shifting slightly as they settle in again.

'Nahi,' Prem's kaka denies with a small smile and shake of the head, 'actually, we've come for a special purpose this year.'

'Special purpose?'

'We're looking for a girl for my older nephew, Rajesh.'

'What a coincidence. We've been looking for a boy for Pooja too,' the girl's mum says, looking more than a little interested at the prospect of a union between the two.

'Actually, that's why we're here,' Khailashnaath admits. 'My brother-in-law is a professor, he mentioned that he'd met you at a conference a few weeks back. And he said he met Pooja as well, that she's a sweet, simple, well-mannered girl – and, of course, with parents like you, I wouldn't expect anything else.' The friends share a smile at that and quiet settles over them for a minute, a silence filled with nostalgic looks.

'So,' Sidharth says after a long moment, breaking the three adults out of their reverie. 'Did Rajesh come with you? I'd like to meet him and the kids should meet, talk to each other.'

'Haan, bilkul. Prem, bhaiya ko bulalo.'

'Matlab..?' Prem questions excitedly, wondering if he's followed the conversation well enough.

'Haan, ja na!' his kaka encourages. Prem all but runs off, more than excited about the plans that are now fully underway.

As he runs past the window to the kitchen, he fails to notice that the Chaudry sisters are both looking out of it, Nisha's eyes following him far longer than Pooja's. Pooja however doesn't fail to notice where her sister's attention is, teasing her about finally seeing a boy. 'Aisa kuch nahi hai didi,' Nisha refutes. 'He's annoying and he made me miss my shot today. I was just wondering what got him so excited; I mean it can't be anything good.' Pooja just smiles at her, a knowing look that makes Nisha grit her teeth and stubbornly ignore her older sister. 

A/N: I'm late but HAPPY KALANK DAY!

This was supposed to be up hours ago but studies and then I went to see Kalank and well... I have a lot of feels right now so I'm just gonna leave this here and say hope you enjoyed and I'll see you all next time