An official matter episode 7
An official matter, episode 7
#Nameofstory: #AnofficialMatterepisode7
#ConcludingEpisode
#Author: #RhituparnaChakraborty
#Disclaimer: This is an original work of fiction. Any relation to any person or organism living or dead is purely coincidental. This story cannot be published, copied or reproduced elsewhere without the consent of the author Rhituparna Chakraborty. This is a work of imagination with no intention to hurt anyone.
Ruhi looked at Kirti perplexed and said, ‘ What surprise?’. Kirti smiled and said, ‘ You will know soon. By the way, where were you?’ Ruhi said without any expression, ‘ In the washroom.’ ‘ Oh okay!’, said Kirti.
Just then Kirti saw something and shrieked, ‘ Shobhit is here, Shobhit is here.’ Ruhi said in an irritating tone, ‘ What’s there to be excited about?’. Kirti giggled and said, ‘ What’s there? You will know soon. Look up there on the stage.’ Ruhi looked at the stage. Shobhit was there talking to Vishaaka Khatri aka Vikram Kumar. Ruhi looked at them spellbound. ‘Shobhit knows Vishaaka Khatri?’, thought Ruhi. Ruhi looked wide eyed at both of them. Kirti then nudged Ruhi and said, ‘ Surprised?’. Ruhi groped for words and said, ‘ I..I don’t understand. He never told me he knew Vishaaka Khatri.’ Kirti smiled mischievously and said, ‘ He never knew her. It’s just that he made efforts to contact her and know her.’ Ruhi, still confused, said, ‘ Really? But why?’. Kirti giggled and said, ‘ Because he needed to know more about a fan of Vikram Kumar aka Vishaaka Khatri.’ Ruhi looked nonplussed at Kirti and said, ‘ I still don’t understand.’ Before Kirti could say anything, someone said, ‘ Let me explain.’ Ruhi turned around. It was Shobhit. Shobhit sat beside Ruhi and with an ambrosial smile on his face, said, ‘ I was never an avid reader. My life was all about gadgets, parties, friends and of course work. I was someone who found happiness in real world, not in the world of books. Even now, I am not an avid reader. But, I started reading Vikram Kumar because that was one way, I could know you.’ Ruhi listened. She had no clue what was coming. Shobhit continued, ‘ I don’t know Ruhi, but I wanted to impress you. Yes, it may sound silly. However, you are one girl, who I felt could not be impressed with gifts or chocolates or flowers. You are someone with whom I wanted to spend time. I looked forward to meet you, talk to you and even chat with you after office hours. There was no way other than Vikram Kumar’s books to initiate a conversation. I followed Vikram Kumar’s page on social media. I can’t tell you what all hurdles I crossed to meet Vikram Kumar aka Vishaaka Khatri, just to know about your fan mails and messages you had sent her regarding her books. I did this because you barely talked to me or anyone else after office hours. This was one way to chat with you before drifting off to sleep at night.’ Ruhi listened. She did not know what to say. She was quiet through out. Shobhit then said, ‘ Well, let me come to the point now. Kirti knows about it. What can be a better occasion than this to tell you about what I feel. Ruhi, I love you.’ Ruhi gasped. She was at a loss of words. Kirti smiled warmly at Ruhi and said, ‘ Yes Ruhi, this was the surprise I was talking about.’ Ruhi looked at Shobhit with confused eyes and then she looked at Kirti and then she tried to gather words to say something, but before she could say something, there was an announcement and everyone looked at the stage ahead. The host welcomed Vishaaka Khatri aka Vikram Kumar to talk about the book she was to release today. Vishaaka Khatri came to the dias, took the microphone and said, ‘ It’s a very special day for all the fans of Vikram Kumar.’ The audience clapped before she could say anything. She then continued, ‘ This day is also very special for me for another reason. Before I go ahead with the book release, I would like to welcome some beautiful people on stage here.’ Everyone clapped. She then said, ‘ May I call upon stage Ms. Ragini Jain!’ Kirti was shocked. She had not seen Ragini at the venue and Ruhi never told her that Ragini was here. Kirti whispered to Ruhi ‘ What is she doing here?’ Ruhi replied nonchalantly, ‘ She is getting engaged today!’. Kirti gasped and said, ‘ Wh… what? Really? Who told you? How do you know?’. Ruhi tried to control her tears and said, ‘ She was sitting right beside me. She was so excited and happy, she told me all about it.’ Kirti said with an amazed note, ‘ Aha! Wow! That’s news. By the way, whom is she going to get engaged to?’ With a choked voice, Ruhi said, ‘ Ofcourse her boyfriend Mohit, who else?’. Kirti said with an utter surprised note, ‘ What? Really? Why is she getting engaged in this event? And, Mohit is really her boyfriend? Wow! That’s news!’ Ruhi looked shockingly at Kirti. She stood up oblivious of the fact that so many people started staring at her including everyone on the dias and yelled, ‘ YOU HAD TOLD ME THAT RAGINI WAS MOHIT’S GIRLFRIEND. DIDN’T YOU?’ Kirti pulled Ruhi’s wrist and made her sit down and said softly, grinding her teeth, ‘ Why the hell are you shouting? Everyone is looking at us. Look at the stage. So many things happened while we were talking. Even Mohit is there looking at us and, surprisingly, he is smiling.’ Embarrassed, Ruhi sat quietly still shivering with anger. Kirti tried to calm her down. Ruhi whispered, ‘ Stay away from me Kirti.’ Shobhit was startled at Ruhi’s behaviour. Kirti whispered, ‘ What did I do? I just guessed Ragini was Mohit’s girlfriend. Mohit never talked about her to anyone in office. It was just a wild guess. I am happy my guess turned out true. She is his girl friend. Look both of them are on the stage.’ There was one more gentleman on the stage along with Mohit. Because of Ruhi’s scream, the audience sure was astonished for a moment, but after sometime, things became normal and Vishaaka Khatri started her speech. Pointing to the gentleman standing beside Ragini, Vishaaka Khatri said, ‘ Ladies and gentleman, my son Ashmit has always been my spine. Because of him, I am here today. I have been an ardent admirer of books and authors and I loved writing. I had been in the sphere of proofreading and editing books for years now. Thanks to Ashmit and Ragini, I got the opportunity to know Vikram Kumar and work for him.’ The entire crowd looked at Vishaaka Khatri with questions in their eyes. Vishaaka Khatri continued, ‘ Yes. I am not Vikram Kumar. Before I introduce Vikram Kumar to all of you, I would like all of you to bestow your blessings on my son Ashmit and my daughter in law to be, Ragini. They are going to exchange rings here. What could be a better occasion than this for this beautiful ritual.’ The entire crowd clapped. Ashmit and Ragini exchanged rings. Everyone showered thundering applause on the couple. Then Vishaaka Khatri continued, ‘ Now, coming to the book. Let me call Mr. Vikram Kumar to tell you all about it. Ladies and Gentleman, please put your hands together for Mr. Mohit Agarwal aka Vikram Kumar.’ The crowd went crazy clapping. Mohit came near Vishaaka Khatri. Vishaaka Khatri gave Mohit the microphone. Ruhi sat there frozen. She was numb. Mohit looked at the entire audience, then looked at Kirti, Ruhi and Shobhit, smiled at them and said, ‘ When I started writing I never knew Vikram Kumar will become so famous.’ He paused for a while and then continued, ‘ Being an introvert, I started writing with a pen name. I eventually started receiving accolades and tons of fan mails. I realised I had to make a public appearance and I was not ready. Towards my later phase of writing, I felt the need of an editor and proofreader. That’s when I met Vishaaka Maám . She was a strong pillar of support for my books.I was introduced to her by my little sister Ragini. Ragini is my cousin. My mom and her dad are siblings. I and Ragini are more like siblings than cousins.’ Ruhi looked at Kirti, slapped her shoulder like an angry baby and whispered again, ‘ Ragini is Mohit’s girlfriend. That’s what you had told me. Right??’ Kirti rubbed her shoulder and said like a kid, ‘ Ouch! I told you, I had guessed. I was never sure.’
Mohit could see all that was happening between Ruhi and Kirti. He then smiled to himself and continued, ‘ I requested Vishaaka Ma’am to make a public appearance and tell my fans that she was Vikram Kumar.’ The crowd clapped loudly. Mohit then said, ‘All fan mails were special. But, one fan of mine seemed to live with the characters of my book. That fan of mine knew the characters of my stories more than I did. I longed to meet that fan. They say if you wish for something from the bottom of your heart you get that. Yes. I got an opportunity not only to meet my fan but to spend time for atleast 8 to 9 hours everyday. The book releasing today is dedicated to that fan of mine who is very close to my heart.’ Ruhi, Kirti, Shobhit, all of them were flabbergasted. Mohit then took the remote of the projector and switched it on to show the name and cover page of his new book. Ruhi stared at the projector without winking even once. Mohit then looked at Ruhi and then addressing the entire crowd, said, ‘ Yes, here you go. This is my new book, named, “Khadoos’’. Mohit then looked at Ruhi and winked. Ruhi’s heart skipped a beat. Shobhit sat there with a dazed look. Kirti’s mouth was wide open. Mohit then said, ‘ So, now, let me announce the name of that fan of mine, with whom I would like to go on a dinner date.’ The crowd cheered with immense enthusiasm. Mohit then said, ‘ Well, the name of that fan of mine is Ms. Ruhi, the lady sitting in the front row in light pink chiffon salwar suit.’ Ruhi sat there frozen. Kirti shook Ruhi’s shoulder and said, ‘ Ruhi, go.’ The crowd cheered and there was thunderous applause. Ruhi was still in shock. She somehow got up. Seeing Ruhi in a dazed state, Mohit got down from the stage, walked up to Ruhi, held her hand and helped her walk to the stage. Mohit’s smile had a twinkle which Ruhi had never seen otherwise. He then took the microphone and said, ‘ Ruhi, I am sorry for being “Khadoos’’ through out. However, I had to be khadoos to write this book.’ The crowd laughed. Ruhi blushed and sobbed at the same time. Mohit then took out a ring from his pocket, went down on his knees, looked at Ruhi and said, ‘ We have known each other through books, mails and messages for years now and we know each other personally for a year now. I assure you, I am not a khadoos in real life and I will keep you happy. This is my promise and everyone here is witness to this promise. Will you marry me Ruhi? ’ Ruhi sobbed like a baby, extended her hand and said, ‘Yes’. Mohit slipped the ring into Ruhi’s slender ring finger, and hugged her tight. Ruhi hid her head in his arms and cried. The crowd went crazy and clapped profusely. Kirti was in a mixed state of emotions. She was very happy to see her best friend happy, but, in that, her buddy Shobhit was hurt. Shobhit sat there, looking at the ring he had carried in pocket. A drop of tear fell on that ring. Kirti came near him, hugged him tight. Shobhit said nothing but he could not stop his tears.
The evening flew by. Two hearts came together and a broken heart went home trying to join the pieces, with a hope to heal someday.
