Sanya didn’t wait to say goodbye to Ansh and went on to settle in her new apartment. The place was minuscule by any standards but seemed even more so after living in Panorama. She shrugged her shoulders as she realised that it would probably be only a place to sleep.
It was over the next few days that the truth of her thoughts really hit Sanya.
17
Ansh got home early as usual, eager to spend time with Sanya. She must have gone to meet the chef at the hotel. He knew that she must have got the trainee’s job but had felt a bit disappointed that she hadn’t called or messaged him.
He gave a mental shrug. Well, she had been in a disturbed state of mind, both yesterday evening and today morning. He could wait.
“Sanya,” he called out, walking into her bedroom. Deepa gave him a startled look as she was giving the room a thorough clean up.
“Saab, memsaab chali gayi,” said the maid with a sad look on her face.
“Kidhar?” asked Ansh, a dark frown on his face.
“She’s shifted to her new house near the hotel she’s working at.” Deepa sniffed, close to tears. Sanya had piled her with gifts and money too. She had been so sweet.
Ansh took an about turn and left the room, going in search of his mother. He found Ratna in the dining room, arranging the table for dinner. Yeah, she was very particular about that even if it was only the family having a meal.
“Mom, where’s Sanya? Deepa says that she’s gone.”
Ratna turned to look at her younger son, giving him a small nod. “Yes Ansh. Didn’t Sanya call you? She got the trainee job and has to join tomorrow itself. Her duty begins pretty early in the morning. She decided to save the travel time by shifting closer to the hotel.” She sighed, unable to stop herself. It had been so nice having Sanya around.
“But Mom, how the hell did she move so fast? We don’t even know if that locality is safe for a young woman who’s on her own.” Ansh shook his head, thoroughly irritated. “Do you have an address?”
Ratna nodded. “Let me forward it to you on WhatsApp.”
Ansh had a difficult time holding on to his temper. Sanya had made the effort to message her address to his mother, but not to him. He checked his phone when it pinged. It was an address in Bandra.
“I’ll see you in some time, Mom,” he said, turning to go.
“Why don’t you have dinner before you leave Ansh? Dad’s on his way home too.”
Ansh shook his head. “Sorry Mom. You go ahead. Ask Jaya aunty to leave me a plate in the microwave. I’ll help myself.” He rushed out of the main door. His car was still on the portico. He got into it and roared away, his temper simmering.
Okay, she had been upset. He could accept that. She didn’t love him. He knew that too. But he had worked so hard at convincing her that he wasn’t the tormenting teenager he used to be. And only last evening she had promised to be his friend. Didn’t he even deserve a goodbye?
Ansh entered the apartment complex to see that it was well lit and had a lot of people around even at eight in the evening. Well, it was good to know that the place was well-populated with decent folk. It had a huge compound and a garden too. That was one weight off his mind. So far, so good!
He signed in a notebook given to him by the security guard at the gate, mentioning the apartment he was visiting. He was glad that they hadn’t insisted on calling her. He was worried that she might refuse to see him.
Taking the lift, he reached the eighth floor and turned right to ring the doorbell of 807.
Sanya had just showered and changed into a pair of tiny shorts and figure hugging t-shirt, planning to relax with a glass of wine and a book. Who could it be, ringing her bell? She didn’t even know anyone in the complex.
Looking through the peephole in the door, Sanya felt hot colour seeping up her cheeks when she saw Ansh outside. She opened both the doors and stood at the entrance, staring at him. He looked incredibly handsome, a dark fuzz on his cheeks, his grey eyes stormy. Yeah, the green seemed to have completely disappeared. “Ansh...”
Ansh pushed his way inside, shutting both the doors firmly behind him. He glared at her, his right eyebrow up, almost touching the lock of hair that flopped on his forehead. He almost gulped when he noticed her attire. He’d never seen her in such brief shorts before. Her bare legs were long and sexy.
But no, he wasn’t going to be distracted. He was too angry.
“Will you have some wine?” offered Sanya, turning away from him, not wanting to meet his eyes. Her body zinged from his proximity and she hadn’t missed his heated gaze on her legs. Was she so weak a person? Till yesterday, she had been in love with Arth. How could she be attracted to Ansh so soon? Sanya forgot that her body had always craved Ansh’s touch, right from the day she arrived in Mumbai. It was she who had refused to acknowledge her desire.
“Sanya.” Ansh’s voice was a growl. “You didn’t tell me you were moving out. And so fast too.”
She turned to look at him. “But Ansh, I had to. I’ll be working from eight tomorrow morning. It made sense to shift today...”
He placed his hands on her slender shoulders, shaking her. “That’s not the point Sanya. You didn’t tell me. I thought we agreed to be friends only last evening.” He felt hurt more than anything.
Sanya stared into his eyes, her brown eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She could see that she had hurt him. But right now, she hated herself—her body that refused to be controlled, the desire she felt for Ansh, especially in his nearness. “Ansh...” Sanya buried her face on his chest, yielding to her clamouring need. “I’m sorry. I...”
He put a hand on her chin to raise her face to his, pressing hot lips to hers. When he felt her respond with a sigh, Ansh gathered her close in his arms, his anger forgotten. He kissed Sanya as if there was no tomorrow, his tongue pushing against her soft lips for entry into her mouth. When she gave in, he drank thirstily from her lips, like the desperate man that he was. His hands moved restlessly on her waist before moving down to her taut bottom, reaching the hem of her shorts. He shuddered when his hands found the bare skin of her thighs, caressing them feverishly, even as he pulled her closer to his aroused body. “Sanya...” he whispered. “I want you to be mine, sweetheart.”
Sanya pushed him away to go sit on the bed. Her hand shook as she lifted her wine glass to take a swallow, her throat parched. She was shaken by the way she had responded to his kiss. She wanted Ansh as she had never wanted any other man in her life. Not even Arth. Whenever she had thought of Arth, it had been his gentleness and affection that he had shown her. But what she felt for Ansh was raw passion. Just now, she wanted to tear his clothes off him and make violent love. She felt suffocated by the drum roll that was her heartbeat. Her breasts ached, her nipples taut with tension as they craved his touch.
And then she realised what he had said. Ansh wanted her to be his. Could that mean he wanted her physically? Or something more than that? Oh my God! What a mess.
She gave him a stricken look. “Ansh, I...”
Ansh took her glass and drank the rest of the wine in a single gulp, studying her from the corner of his eyes. She looked gorgeous, all red and thoroughly kissed. She had simply blown him away with her response. That she desired him was pretty obvious. Ansh smiled for the first time after he heard that Sanya had moved from his home. He had felt her body respond to him, the tips of her breasts nudging his chest. He went and sat next to her on the bed, careful not to touch her. Right now, she was skittish. She was probably more shocked than him by her reaction.
“Sanya...”
“No, listen. This is all too much for me, Ansh. I can’t take any more. It was only yesterday that I realised that I don’t...that I can’t love Arth. And today I am kissing you fervently.” Yeah, it was best to face the truth. “Looks like I’m a slut Ansh,” said Sanya with a mirthless chuckle, “and it’s best you stay away from me.”
Ansh grinned, unable to stop himself. He would have let himself laugh if he hadn’t been sure
that she would throw him out the very next second. “Sweetheart, don’t be so hard on yourself.” He raised a hand to cup her cheek. “You only thought you were in love with Arth. You...”
Sanya shook her head, pulling his hand away from her. “Please Ansh. I need my space. Please understand. I don’t dislike you and I definitely could use a friend. But then, that’s what I have been doing all along—using people. Just now, I want to be left alone.” She looked up at him, her eyes pleading.
The smile disappeared from Ansh’s face as he saw how terribly upset she was. He could understand that she wanted space. But it wasn’t easy to accept that she didn’t want him to be in touch with her, at all. At least, not for some time. A huge sigh pushed its way out of his chest. Standing up, Ansh said, “Promise to remain in touch on phone.”
Sanya nodded, a look of relief on her face. She didn’t realise how much that look pained him. “I promise, though my schedule will be hectic,” she warned.
Ansh nodded. “Wish you luck, sweetheart,” he said, walking out of her apartment, his step heavy.
Sanya stared at the closed door, feeling lost and all alone.
18
Sanya reported for work at 7.50 am the next morning, at the back entrance to the hotel as instructed by Head Chef Pritam. She was allowed inside after a thorough security check and was instructed to meet the HR at 11 am before she was pointed towards the kitchen.
She entered the cavernous area, all granite and stainless steel that shone in the bright daylight. There were a couple of people already there who had donned their aprons that had the hotel’s logo along with their first names printed on them.
“Hello,” called out the man. “Are you Sanya?”
Sanya nodded, a small smile on her face. “Hello.”
“I’m Bryce and this is Tina,” he introduced the woman too, shaking her hand warmly.
“Hello,” said Sanya, smiling at Tina. “Have you been here long?”
“Six months,” answered Tina even as Bryce said, “Fourteen months.”
Bryce took her to what looked like a small mountain of salad vegetables. He was obviously the one in charge. “The first task in the morning is to have the veggies peeled and chopped into exact measurements, the quantities divided as per requirement.” He set about showing Sanya how it needed to be done and left her to her chore.
Sanya looked at the pile in horror. At the Sharmas’ residence, it was her job to put together the stuff that was already ready. Between Jaya and Deepa, they had got the veggies cut and diced. With a small sigh, she set out to work.
Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
Sanya reminded herself of that many times as she wielded her knife. It was pretty awkward at first as she chipped her nails again and again in the process. But she was careful enough not to cut her fingers as she worked her way through the veggies slowly.
Tina popped by after half an hour, carrying two cups of much needed tea. “Here you go. You deserve a break after all that hard work,” smiled the other girl, handing her a cup. They chatted for exactly two minutes, as they drank the tea. “Are you trained for this?” asked Tina.
Sanya looked up at her, shaking her head slowly. “Not really. I’ve learned to cook meals. But someone’s always done the preliminary work.”
Tina grinned. “You are used to playing Head Chef. But now, you are here to train as the Junior-most Chef.”
Sanya grinned back, feeling lighter after almost two miserable days. “I suppose.”
“Right, let me leave you to your veggies. By the way, you’re doing pretty well for a beginner,” said Tina, walking towards her station.
Sanya went back to work, cheered up by the tea and conversation with her colleague. It was past nine when she was done with the veggies. She suddenly became aware of a lot of noise as many other people had come in and had begun to work on dishes.
Bryce walked to her as if he knew that she was done with her work. “Good going, Sanya. Now let me introduce you the fruits in our kitchen,” he said, guiding her towards another stainless steel table, his hand on her elbow.
Sanya’s eyes went round with shock while she swallowed a groan as she eyed the pile of fruits in front of her.
Bryce grinned widely, seeing her expression. “I know. Believe me, it does get better.” He speedily showed her the shapes he wanted the watermelons, papayas, pineapples, apples and the other fruits to be cut, before leaving her to her job.
It was ten when Tina insisted they take a break and they went to the staff kitchen to have breakfast. Sanya got to meet a few more of the kitchen staff. There were also some more people from the other departments of the hotel. But they really didn’t have the time to interact too much as they munched on an egg omelette and two slices of bread. Sanya was glad to have her appetite back as she polished off her breakfast in record time.
Sanya was glad to take a break from the peelers and knives as she removed her apron to go meet the HR department at eleven. She produced her passport and filled up some forms before they gave her an electronic ID card with her photograph on it. She was instructed to pick up her uniform every morning before going to work. She was to return the uniform before leaving the hotel for it to be sent to the cleaners. She was instructed to go to the relevant section to be measured for the right size. All the hotel staff was pretty fast and efficient and Sanya found herself back in the kitchen in barely half an hour.
The day flew by on wings as she arranged crockery, folded napkins and helped fill the dishwasher repeatedly. Before she knew it, it was past midnight and Sanya realised that she was dead tired. She had spent almost the whole day standing on her feet. But she had no complaints as she felt fulfilled for the first time in years.
19
Sanya’s mother Bindiya was disgusted when she found out that her daughter had taken a job. “Diwakar,” she yelled at her husband when he came home from work that day. “I told you it wasn’t a good idea to send Sanya to India. Now see what’s happened.” Her face was red with temper as she glared at her husband who was calmly pouring himself a glass of brandy. She had comfortably forgotten that she had been all for it when her husband had suggested that Sanya spend time in Mumbai for a few weeks.
“What happened?” asked Diwakar, sipping from his glass.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know. I always knew that your friends, the Sharmas, were low class people. See what they have done now. They have sent our daughter to work in a hotel. How stupid can they be? We are millionaires, living such a prestigious life in London. Why should our Sanya go to work like a menial? I knew this was a bad idea. That Ratna...”
Diwakar raised a hand to stop his wife’s tirade. “Bindiya, what’s wrong in good, honest, hard work?”
“Are you mad? Our Sanya is a child and hasn’t done a day’s work. I always wanted her to live like a princess. And isn’t it time to get her married? Once she marries, she’s going to live as a rich man’s queen. Where’s the need for her to learn to work?” She had been fuming from the afternoon when she had got to know of her daughter’s plans. When she tried to talk Sanya out of it, the younger woman had disconnected the call pleading a meeting. Bindiya had wanted to scream and yell at someone. But Diwakar had strict instructions that she wasn’t to call him while at work. That’s the reason why she had begun her rant the moment he entered their home.
“Bindiya,” Diwakar sighed, “if Sanya is old enough to be married, she can’t be a child, right?” He looked at her, a brow raised as his eyes glinted mischievously. It was a wonder that the man had maintained a sense of humour despite his wife’s nagging nature. But Diwakar truly loved his wife and accepted her nature for what it was. She was a worrier and not having work to do just added to the condition. That’s why, despite his riches, Diwakar had refused to employ a cook, insisting that he loved her creations the best. Which was but the truth! Bindiya was an excellent cook and did her best to be creative in her kitchen.
“Diwakar,” grumbled Bindiya, “you
aren’t getting what I said. I...”
“No, I’m not. So tell me. Why don’t you come here and sit down instead of pacing the floor like a she-lion?”
Bindiya softened towards her husband without meaning to as she went to sit on the sofa next to him. He handed her a glass of chilled lemon juice with a little dash of gin, just the way she liked it. “Here, calm down and have your drink slowly,” he ordered.
She gave a small sigh as she sipped her drink, her honey brown eyes, exactly the shade as her daughter’s, looking up at him, the anger slowly seeping away. “I don’t know Diwakar. I don’t like Sanya working.”
Diwakar nodded. “You are right from your end, Bindiya. But have you looked at the world today? Every girl has a career. I, for one, am glad that Sanya has found her calling. She’s going to become the world’s best cook, she told me today. At the end of the day, she’s taken after her mother. Aren’t you happy about that?” he smiled gently.
Bindiya tried her best to glare at her husband. But somehow, he always had a calming influence on her. And, she sighed, it did seem as if Sanya had turned out to be like her mother. “But I never allowed Sanya into my kitchen for a reason. I didn’t want her to end up cooking for her family throughout her life.” Bindiya’s lips drooped again.
“You never did tell me that you hated doing that for us, Bindiya.” Diwakar gave his wife a shocked look. “I would never have forced you to do something you didn’t want to.”
Bindiya shook her head. “Arre, you didn’t get me right. I love to cook and I’m happy doing it. But I wanted more for my daughter.”
“What? A life of a lotus-eater? You didn’t want Sanya to learn cooking for whatever reasons and you don’t want her to follow any other career. Then what do you want her to be? A bored housewife?” Diwakar shook his head at his wife. “That’s not fair, Bindiya.”
Bindiya kept her empty glass on a side table with a thud. “I don’t like it, Diwakar. I know no one listens to me in this house. But I just want to make my stand clear.”
Flaming Sun Collection 3: Perfect Twins Find Anya (Box Set with 3 novellas) Page 8