What's your age?

Reena and Rocky were having their coffee in living room. Maya was also present there sipping her green tea but a little far from them. Vikram came rushing there.

" Mam, I have something to tell you. I'm trying to say it since my return."

"What's that? Is it about our company? What happened?" Reena asked.

" No no nothing like that."

"Then" Rocky jumped into the conversation.

"It is about me. That.."

Vikram lowered his head passing a shy smile.

"That?" It was Reena.

"That?" Rocky is excited too.

"That I'm going to get married."Vikram said it one go.

"Oh my god. Is it?" Reena was so happy for her secretary cum friend.

"Hmm" Vikram nodded.

" It was fixed when I went to our village last week." He said.

" What's her name?"

"Meenakshi" Vikram answered with a shy face.

"Oh!!" Reena teased him.

"When is the marriage?"

"It is 4th of next month."

"See Shona even this punk is getting married, when will I??" Rocky spoke exotically.

"Sir!!" Vikram got offended by the name he is given by his boss's...

don't know what.

"Oh!! you are feeling so bad for that. Fathima amma" she turned to Fathima who reached there just now.

" Search a bride for your emperor, he is so desperate to get married." Reena mocked.

Maya kept watching the morning drama.

Fathima couldn't control her laugh and just nodded at the joke cracked by the most fierce lady she had ever seen.

Maya presented her town plan in Rocky's office. He was quite impressed by her plan, it consisted of everything he wanted. Reena was also present there.

"How is this?" Maya broke the silence as Reena frowned her brows.

"It's perfect. I think this should be implemented." Rocky said scrutinizing the sketch.

"But What's this?" It was Reena pointing to the houses in the sketch.

" They are the residential place for the people as you can see." Maya answered arrogantly.

" I know that but my question is why are they just beside the mines?" Reena raised her voice.

"Because most of the people here work in the mines so it would be accessible to them."

" Accessible!! The pollution from the mines is hazardous to the people."

Rocky soon noticed that he missed this point.

"But miss Reena the residential zone is enough far from the mines that they wouldn't get attacked by something in short term."

" But the air through breath does it gradually with time and leads to chronic conditions. Isn't it?"

"Oh!! come on. They are already habituated to this atmosphere. If they are going to face something hazardous in future then they already have got it inside. Now, what's the use of taking the precautions?" Maya had anger all over her face.

" May be that can be the thing. But what about the new lives sprouting in this dark place. I don't want my people to face this anymore." Rocky declared and Reena is happy that he understood her point.

" Be sure that the zoning is done in the correct way by tomorrow. I'm not finalizing this plan." He continued.

"Sure." Maya answered in low voice and Rocky left to mines.

" It should be your first and last time to degrade the people working here. Be aware of that." Reena warned Maya showing her index finger.

" So now the emperor's keep is judging my work." Maya gave a disgusting look to Reena.

" Maya!!

Mind your tongue. I'm not any keep and it's none of your business." Reena shouted on top of her voice.

" Oh!! Is it? But you keep on poking in my business."

" It may be a mere business deal for you but it's my LIFE and I own the every bloody right to question on it."

"And who gave you the rights?" Maya questioned.

" Rocky." came a quick answer from Reena with a proud smile.

Maya couldn't see her smile for more time and left from there.

Reena entered Rocky's room as she was so happy with the way he stood on her side in morning meet but she couldn't see him, she saw him entering the mansion previously.

Then she saw him in the balcony gripping the railings in his tracks he seemed like engrossed in some deep thoughts.

"What do you think all the time?" Reena said as she circled his arm by her hands.

" Nothing" rocky smiled.

" If it is about the town plan don't worry Maya may look like a shrew but is good as an architect." Reena said.

It's a truth. You shouldn't stop praising someone's good work just because you don't like them.

"How do you know her?"

"We are from the same college." Reena replied in low voice.

She suddenly wanted to change the topic and got the most interesting topic she almost forgot, His age.

"Rocky!"she called out his name.

He just hummed looking at his vast empire.

"What's your age?" Reena blurted out. While Rocky was a little surprised by her sudden question.

"Why?" He purposely questioned her groundless question.

"Nothing. It's just to know eachother better." Reena grinned feeling uncomfortable by the topic.

"But I too don't know you ." Rocky smirked facing her.

"Ok. Ok." She hung her hands in air.

" I turned twenty four last month.Now tell me yours." Reena asked.

" YOU ARE TWENTY FOUR.." Rocky's eyes popped out.

"Yes" Reena said it casually.

"But I thought you were a good twenty six old." Rocky mumbled, still digesting the fact.

" Ah!! If that was my age then I would have been changing diapers of my baby while packing the lunch box for another one according to my family." Reena said.

" What!?" Rocky is still more confused with her words.

"According to our Desai family a girl should be married before twenty two and have a child at twenty three and again have second child at twenty five that's a rule." Rocky looked at her astounded

'they live according to a time table'

he thought.

"But I broke the rule due to my passion in jwellery designing."

" Don't worry. You can still have two kids at twenty six." He notoriously winked at her. But she was expecting an answer to her question he understood it.

" I'm twenty nine." He said sternly.

" TWENTY NINE!!" Reena freaked out.

" I'm a panther." She seemed shocked.

"I know that." Rocky said implying the wild cat.

"And you were twenty three when I proposed you?" Rocky widening his eyes.

Reena kept silent lowering her head.

"Twenty two." She mumbled in almost inaudible voice.

"Ah!?" He couldn't catch it.

" I was twenty two." She said lifting her head.

Rocky face palmed hearing her.

"You know what!! it's all your fault. You were swimming in alcohol and thought me TWENTY SIX like seriously, did you forget your eyes in the bar back then or do I look that old to you??"

She looked daggers at him.

"Or maybe you were so used to the ladies of that age in your Bombay that you thought me as one. Isn't it?" She gritted her teeth while Rocky silently heard all her accusations.

" Shona..

If I wasn't drunk that day you would have missed this gem standing in front of you today." Rocky spoke. Reena is busy in thinking some other thing.

"Oh!! Now tell me you are Twenty nine and still don't have any marriage thoughts. Are you planning to live like a hermit or what?" Reena scowled.

"I always talked to you about it and you would give me death threats everytime." He said sulking.

" It's your fault, Shona..

No. No. I think it would be better to call you kiddo than Shona." He laughed at her.

" You are a kiddo." He added.

Reena beats his shoulders and kept hitting him as he continues.

"What's this? You shouldn't hit elders. This is what you learnt from the great Desai family?" He spoke in between her hits.

She started dragging him into the room. And pushed him onto the bed continued with her leaning on him, her chest crashed with his.

She spoke fuming at him.

"Listen!! I'm done with this talk. I don't want you bring it up again.

Drink your favourite brand tonight and forget this matter by tomorrow. Orelse I will kill you with my bare hands."

Rocky hung his mouth open, widening his eyes dramatically as if he is terrified with her warnings.

"Dramebaaz" she mumbled.

He then switched their places heeding that he won't crash his weight on her.

"Ok kiddo." He said controlling his laugh.

"Ah!!" Reena screamed in frustration and he bursted into laughter.

Reena stopped in her tracks as she saw him laughing this hard for first time. His laugh, it felt musical to her. She just want to keep hearing to that through out her life.