Chapter Three

A woman's heart/soul is a maze;The more you try to unravel the more you get lost. But there is a way to find your place in the maze. Through her eyes. They are the most secretive yet most vulnerable gateway to the place where her secrets lie and your answers.

Sometimes it is not in your hand to control your thoughts, which is almost always... you think about the things which you may not have thought of thinking anytime but as soon the thoughts enter your mind they make you think and think again.

She is just another girl but when I looked into her eyes for the first time there were so many different emotions... I bet there saw pain and confusion, anger and blankness yet her eyes twinkled for some reason. When she realized that she was been observed she lowered her eyes as if trying to hide them from me to read...  She is involved in everything yet she is aloof from all... her eyes speak a lot and that is her minus point. All she tries to hide, her eyes give away... She was hiding something desperately this morning from me but I saw a glimpse of those papers... it was some old news scanned and printed... old news... the picture on that news looked familiar but she was fast in hiding... she has secrets and why do I feel they are connected to me...  it  is just my sleepless mind playing tricks or there is really something she is hiding...

"Chotey..." the call broke Arnav's chain of thought.

Arnav looked up to find Anjali, his Di, standing before him with a smile on her face. 

Her smile, the light of his light.

After his mother, she was the next person who was akin to the mother figure in his life along with his Nani. But he was alway a little extra protective of hers and that was why he was here in India, A place where he never wanted to return yet he here he was, sitting in the back garden of Anjali's small bungalow in the heart of the national capital city of the same country.

**

Anjali had met Shyam in UK in a common friends wedding, who had temporarily moved there from India for work back then. He was the friend of  the groom and she was the distant relative. It was a love at first sight which only strengthen after few meets and heart to heart talk. They got married soon after with the blessing of Anjali's family members as Shaym was an orphan and had no one other than a few friends from work in UK.

Everything was fine thereafter until Shyam's time to return to India came as his job got finished in UK. 

Anjali being the loving dutiful wife never thought twice before following him to India much to Arnav's disagreement and disappointment, who was too skeptical to send his precious sister back to the place where they had only bad memories. 

ASR had offered Shyam to join his business and requested him to stay with them in a bid to keep Anjali near him, but Shyam had very politely refused the offer stating that he had enough to take care of Anjali with all the luxury she was used to and also his self-respect would never allow him to take favors from his in-laws. 

Arnav in one side was proud of his Di's choice but his protective brother side did not let him sit back and let his sister go to a land where his family's destruction started. 

Therefore, he decided to follow his sister with an excuse of expanding his business in India too. 

He had bought Desire and a mansion near to Shyam's bungalow so that he could live near his Di most of the time though he would have to travel  to UK and back frequently. 

**

Anjali sat on the couch next to Arnav. "what are you thinking so deeply ?" She enquired smiling softly.

"Nothing DI... Work"pat came the usual answer. 

Even though she knew his brother rarely shared what he thought but Anjali didn't mind. He was always like this. Reserved type. And she had given up trying to get things  out of him often but only until she thought the matter was ignorable. 

"Come Chotey lunch is ready. Akash and Shyam are waiting for you." Anjali told him for what she had come to call him.

"Hmm, they must be waiting because you won't let them eat until I go and I am sure right now they are cursing me in their mind for keeping them away from your prepared food." Arnav let out a chuckle followed by Anjali at his comment.

"I am sure Shyam is not as desperate as Akash, because he has the golden luck of testing my cooking every day. But I am sure Akash already has sent you to hell and back after waiting since morning  for you to show up"

Arnav shook his head but his fond smiled said it all that how much he loved his brother. 

**

"Di are you happy?" Arnav asked suddenly while walking back to the house from the garden.

Understanding his brother's concern Anjali looked at him with a glowing smile that gave his answer even before she said the word, "Very..."

She was about say something more when Akash's voice came floating from the dining area "...  I tell you jijaji, DI is always a little partial towards her Chotey. See how she is ignoring both of our hunger just for him. How long it takes to call Bhai from the backyard... I am sure they have started chit-chatting there itself forgetting that two poor souls who are dying to eat... Arrey, if Bhai doesn't feel sleepy or hungry in the whole day then why they are troubling us? She should call a doctor for Bhai you know..."

Shyam who had been laughing silently over his Chotey Saale sahib's continuous rant, who was very much irritated and sulking over the fact that he had been made to wait till Arnav joined them before he could touch his Di's handmade yummy foods. He coughed to cover his chuckle and asked curiously "Why? I mean why your Di should consult a doctor for Arnav?"

"Why not? ..." Akash said getting irked over the rumbling sound of his stomach, "... he is not normal... the remark sure made Arnav frown and utter "What the...?" with Anjali, who had her hands on her hips and was scowling at her small brother. 

Akash, who was oblivious of their presence behind him shook his head not in a mood to talk. But Shyam who had already seen his wife's and Arnav's not so happy faces purposefully urged Akash to elaborate naughtily. In his frustration Akash too fell prey in his hand unaware of the outcome. 

"...he is an alien, who eats only 2 times a day that too as if he is doing some favor to the food and drinks black coffee as water, doesn't sleep at night like an owl but unlike he doesn't even sleep in the daytime too. I haven't seen him sleeping since he has come and these things affirm that he has some disorder and in need of some serious consultation or else how can he be so normal after doing so much abnormal things..."Akash huffed after finishing his tirade in a breath. 

By the time, Anjali's glare had been shifted to ASR from Akash's back, who was spitting fire through his eyes towards a very ignorant Akash for spilling the beans. In between he had chanced upon one look towards Anjali and was very much aware of the heat emitting from her.  

Boy, for this fool he was about to get an earful from Di for not taking care of himself and in a not so polite way. 

**

"OU...OU...Ouch...!" Akash shrieked as Anjali held one of his ears in her tight grip and twisted it  hard,  "Di leave ... leave... let go or it will come out of its socket..."

"Rani Sahiba pleases leave him... it doesn't look good a Salha is getting assaulted by your wife in front of the Jija..." Shyam tried to rescue Akash from his wife's clutches but one look from his wife settled him back in his chair smiling obediently. 

Arnav took the seat next to his jijaji and watched with satisfaction the scene before his eyes.

"I am partial huh...I am partial?!? Who saved you all the time from your girlfriends' fathers and the complaints from the poor principal of your college by hiding them from Nani and Mami and talked with them as your guardian ... I didn't even let Chotey find out and you are saying I am partial?" Anjali hissed.

Both Jija and Bada Sala shared an amused look grinning at each other.

"Di ou... ouch... You are letting it out now and I am sorry, please Di let go or I will never be able to hear from this ear in my life." Akash pleaded.

 "That would be better... serves you right..." Arnav snarled.

 "and YOU.." Anjali left Akash's ear who caressed his throbbing ear pouting like a kid to his brother and sister. 

Arnav, who was now the point of Anjali's attention closed his eyes to summon endurance before looking up to his sister's angry eyes smiling as innocent as he could. 

Shyam looked shocked at the pitch of Anjali's voice, and Akash shrunk low in his chair cursing himself for opening his mouth. 

 "...I will talk to you after lunch..." Anjali stated sternly.

Arna tried his luck "but Di I have to go to the office immediately after lunch..." but he couldn't even finish as Anjali talked to Akash still holding his gaze, "Akash give me your mobile..."

Akash couldn't understand why Anjali was asking for his phone and only managed a, "huh!!" like a dumb.

"GIVE. ME. YOUR. DAMN. PHONE..." Anjali chewed every word conveying exactly how pissed she was making Akash jump on his seat. He fumbled with his phone which was lying innocently beside his plate while handling it to Anjali, who looked a reincarnation of Devi Ma at this moment. 

Shyam only started at his wife eyed seeing clear similarities between the siblings for the first time. He opted to stay shut but not before giving a I- didn't- know- this- side- of- her' look to Arnav who looked little um... disturb see his Di's this side after a long but still managed to assure his jijaji by blinking his eyes as if to say that this will pass very soon.

Anjali had already punched the required command in Akash's phone to call Arnav's secretary and waited impatiently to get the call answered while keeping her glare intact on her brothers. In this entire ordeal, poor Shyam without a reason becomes a victim of her heated glare too.

They come to know that the other person had picked up the call when they heard Anjali talking no scratch that, barking to be precise, over the phone.

"Cancel all meetings and appointment of ASR today", she ordered.

Though they couldn't hear the other person but can easily predict what she was saying hearing Anjali's reply.

"I said cancel everything means CANCEL... no question."

(Pause as the other person said something)

"I am ANJALI SINGH RAIZADA HIS ELDER SISTER. NOW YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO CANCEL HIS COMMITMENTS ON HIS BEHALF..."

(Pause)

"GOOD YOU UNDERSTOOD...  NOW DO THAT." And Anjali cut the call with quite a force making the spectators gulp in nervousness. 

She gave the phone back to a quaking Akash and did a breathing routine to cool herself down. She didn't even realize that in her rage she had called herself a Raizada, not Jha. But Shyam did not mind at all till he was not the victim of her wrath.

No one dared to speak a word after that and quietly started their lunch with different thoughts in their mind...  

Shyam, how can I forget she was an ASR too before marriage... *sigh*... now I have to be cautious every time to not to push her this far... 

Akash, God let me go from here alive, I promise I will not show up here anytime soon... anyways Bhai is going to make my life hell in the office and RM. 

ASR, What the...? What the...? What the hell? As Anjali sat glaring at him continuously.

**

On the other hand, Khushi stared at the desk phone in disbelief... her left ear was still buzzing...

No doubt she is an ASR too...

She shook her head to come out of the trance and started dialing a number to start with her next job in hand...

**
ASR lay in the guest room of Anjali's house having no other choice as Anjali had hijacked his laptop and phone after lunch and had sent him here to take rest. When he had tried to talk her out of it, she had used her much useful weapon, emotional blackmailing, much to his annoyance and Shyam's amusement but lucky bastard Akash had left the house at the first the chance.

But all these thoughts didn't bother him much as the much-needed sleep took over his mind soon enough.

**