WILD HEARTS

Chapter 13

The next day Sidharth woke up uncharacteristically late and feeling lazy but the prospect of seeing Shehnaaz again in a few hours pulled him out of bed promptly. Before he got ready for gym he was about to send her a message, only to realise there was one from her waiting for him. He smiled as he read it.

Shehnaaz

"Good morning Sidharth! Hope you slept well and dreamt of only me 😉 Just wanted to say last night was Incredible...almost like a dream... and I can't wait to see you again. Sending you kisses 💋💋"

Sidharth

"Good morning baby. Feels great to wake up to these kisses. Albeit virtual. But that's ok coz I'll probably get the real ones soon anyway. And yes, last night was truly incredible. As were you. See you in a few hours."

Shehnaaz blushed like crazy as she read the message. Then quickly looked at the cashier to see if he noticed. She was at an upscale salad bar picking up food ordered by her Simi aunty who was hosting a small brunch at their house that afternoon. She was getting what was called an 'exclusive' order which was not on the menu, that cost a bomb, and you had to pick it up yourself.

Making a mental check of the things she had pending she felt she would be done by 2.45 pm leaving her ample time to be picked up by Sidharth. To save time she had already changed into her desired outfit which, today, was a printed green summer dress and white block heels. She kept her make up minimal and left her hair loose. She had even called Khala first thing in the morning. She was a little worried as Khala sounded a little sick, coughing constantly on the phone, but was assured that it was just a viral that would pass soon. All in all Shehnaaz felt happy and in a good mood.

Things were not so great at the Shukla household though. Sidharth returned from gym to find his mother and sister sitting in the living room. It was as if they were waiting for him to return. He raised a brow looking at their expectant faces.

"What?" he asked, knowing they were up to something.

"Just listen calmly and don't react, ok?" said Preeti which immediately put Sidharth's guards up.

" You are going to have lunch with Sonia and her parents today at the club. We will also be there of course," she said in a rush.

"Absolutely not."

"Sidharth, please. Don't be difficult. It's just a lunch and will be over in a few hours. You can't say no."

"Kya chhota bachha samjha hai kya mereko jo main har baat manunga?? I said no, it's not happening."

"Sidharth! Yaar mummy, why is everything always so difficult with him? Tu chal raha hai bas!"

"No means no bola na. Main nahi jaunga because I have a prior commitment that I cannot break under any circumstances. And agar nahi bhi hota toh tab bhi nahi jata. You guys are forcing things that have no business to be together. Sonia aur main-"

"The Kapoors have agreed to invest in the Swadeshi start-up." This time it was Rita who spoke up.

Sidharth froze. "What? Are you serious?"

Rita nodded. "And they were the ones who volunteered. Hum ne kuch nahi bola. Maya said how she loved the whole idea and wished to be a part of something so noble. And she made the offer along with her husband. You need to be there. This is a once in a blue moon opportunity."

Sidharth looked at his mother, becoming serious, and then left the room.

"Mummy, if he doesn't agree, then? asked a worried Preeti.

"Woh manega. Swadeshi is too big for him. He is very emotional about it. He will go." said Rita.

Back in his room Sidharht lit a cigarette as he sat shaking his legs. He was feeling a myriad of emotions. Swadeshi had been a pipe dream for Sidharth for the last 8 years. It was an agrotech startup that aimed at sustainable farming and irrigation processes in villages across India. One of its aims was to set up better irrigation infrastructure particularly for smaller scale farmers. But the magnitude of the project and with no immediate returns seemed to scare off investors. Not to mention the not-for-profit category. People also scoffed at the over ambitiousness of the project claiming it would be highly unrealistic to expect something like that to succeed in a country that still was not used to technology. Others questioned what a construction guy knew about agriculture and farming. All in all he had repeatedly failed to secure investment causing him to put the project on the back burner. However, with the Kapoors coming in, it could change things. But at what cost? Sidharth was no fool. He knew what was being expected of him. And if he went into this, he would be getting into a situation from which backing out would be near impossible. And the price? Shehnaaz. His fingers slightly shook as he puffed on. See, I told you. You needed to stay away from her. You are not good for her. For your own ambition and greed you would sacrifice her? His mind pounced on him. No, I can't lose her. She has started to mean too much. I'll find a way. Selfish. You want the cake and eat it too. His mind sneered again.