As the aircraft touched down, Maahi started winding up her long chain of thoughts, as long as this flight from Zurich to Delhi. And what thoughts they had been! It was like she had relived her whole life in her mind in those scant hours. Having just left her brother permanently at a facility in Switzerland had left her feeling rather poignant. The feeling, she guessed, similar to when one left their parents at an old age home.
Tiredly, she collected her hand baggage and stood up to deplane. Luckily this time there was no extra security check-in her honor. Vaghela name had lost almost all its steam in the past year. It was a brief respite, she knew, for she was going to get a new surname soon, the one that was all the rage these days in power corridors. Jagtap.
And sure enough, her future husband was waiting for her as she exited the airport. Patiently waiting next to his car, emitting a strong fuck-off vibe to four very wary policemen standing a few
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?"The large gathering inside the lavish banquet hall of a seven-star hotel of Mumbai gradually turned to face the stage at Samar Jagtap's courteous request. This was one of the few highly sought parties of the season and the elite of the Mumbai business community was present tonight here. It was no secret that people hadn't always clamored for an invite for a Jagtap do. In fact, in the distant past, an invite from Jagtaps instated fear rather than prestige in the recipient's heart. But gone was that era and these days Jagtap's name was synonymous with success, respectability, and philanthropy. They had their profitable fingers dipped in every conceivable pie - property development, manufacturing, trading, and so on; and they generously passed their fortune on to the less fortunate ones. The only business that reminded people of Samar Jagtap's murky past was his extremely
The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry ~ Robert BurnsAs the aircraft speedily floated downwards to touch the ground, Maahi stared outside seeing nothing, clutching the armrests of her first-class window seat with dear life. When, after an eternity, her flight landed on the airstrip with a muted thud and a slight jerk to her person, she sagged back in relief. Thanking God for landing safely, she instinctively turned her head to check on her brother. He was smiling at her from across the aisle, shaking his head. He always found her fear of flying amusing. Maahi grinned back trying to hide her unease. He did not know that while she hated flying, she hated airp
In the darkness, muffled moans pierced the silence of the room. Samar looked at the body that writhed beneath him without a trace of emotion on his taut face. He got no satisfaction from this, but he couldn't possibly avoid it too. As a bead of sweat trickled down his face, to his neck, into his undervest, he increased the pressure. The resulting scream, and a rush of uninhibited words, however, were pleasurable to his ears. Slowly he pulled off his booted foot from windpipe he was choking in the strong room under his club. The man who lay bound and bloodied on the floor lost consciousness. "Make sure he does not die," picking a small towel draped on the back of the lone wooden chair in the room he instructed his two men who were standing in the shadows before leaving.Outside, in a bare ante-room with a small table and chair, laid his shirt, cotton blazer, mobile, wallet and gun holster. Wiping the sweat off his face and blo
Saved by the bell. Truer words have never been said.Samar's threatening step towards the maddening girl halted when her cell phone rang loudly.Maahi seemed to figure her good luck as well because the relief that dawned on her face rivaled the light that dawns on the sky at daybreak. But it was a little short-lived. Looking at the name blinking on her phone Maahi looked torn, then looked at the surly man standing in front of her, only to stare back at her phone. After a split second of deliberation, with a defiant expression, pressed the green button."Hey sweetheart," she said turning around for some privacy.Earth dropped away from below Samar's feet.Sweetheart?"I was just going to call you," Maahi said as sh
As Samar stopped the car in the premises of the apartment complex where Jayant lived, his neck automatically craned up. His eyes zeroed down on the illuminated window of the corner flat on the third floor in the third building. Jayant's house. Samar knew exactly which flat to look at because the flat above that one, on the fourth floor, was where he used to live with his mother. The flat was still his, thanks to Ranjan uncle, but it was locked now. He seldom opened it, unable to face the memories of his kind and loving mother. After what he has become in life, after what all he has done, after what all he plans to do, his mother wouldn't approve. He knew."Is that Kaki?" shrugging off the gloom he asked Jayant, who had rounded towards the driver's side to take his leave, pointing towards the figure pacing in the small un-lit balcony of Jayant's flat. Jayant looked up too."Is she up waiting for you?"Jayant scratched the back of his head. "Umm... yeah."S
Happiness.The singular embodiment of this word for Kunal for the last twenty-four years had been his baby sister, named Maahi, by his not-so-happy parents. His midget, his Gudiya. He had fallen in love with that little life from the very day she was brought home from the hospital. He cannot explain his attachment to the tiny soul, but whatever it was, it was instantaneous. She looked up to him from her crib with her wide hazel eyes, and he fell in love with the drooling wrinkly pink infant on the spot. He had felt so important whenever he'd been allowed to hold her milk bottle while she sucked on it.When she grew up, she took to following him around the house like a shadow and trusted him above everyone else in the house to come and share her troubles with. Her faith in him to solve all her problems
Old habits die hard.Nothing else could explain the foolish urge that Maahi had to pull out another one of her tried and tested excuse from her arsenal, making a run from this conversation staring her in the eyes. So busy was her frantic mind in devising a strategy to get out of this situation that she gave no heed to the lavish manly room around her. Or to the owner of that room who was now standing barely a foot away from her, his hands folded on his chest."Maahi."She looked up, startled as her heart leaped up in her chest. Instinctively, she moved a few paces back, away from the heat and threat his body was emanating.God, of other things she didn't know but they should really talk about respecting personal spaces. Anyway, showtime! She smiled brightly. A stubborn fake it till you make it smile. Getting ready to deflect the upcoming chit-chat on her stupidity. She was an e
"You. love. me?"Unease coiled around her heart.Why is his tone so mocking?"Are you f**king kidding me?"Now hergut twisted a little too. Kidding?? No, she wasn't. All she had done was voice her feelings for the boy she has known all her life."I never imagined you would try to trick me, Maahi. Why dammit? What have I not done for you? WHAT? Hell, I took the f**king bullets for you! And this is how you repay me? By playing games? If you think I'll believe the crap you have dished out even for a second, then you don't know me at all. I am not that stupid trusting boy your family abused for years. You people don't come to anyone's doorstep to spit without a hidden agenda and you want me to believe that su