She walked down. Like an angel walking down from the clouds and coming to earth. Like the blossoming of the first rose in the early morning and spreading its fragrance all around. In the red sari that I had given her in that package she looked a swan swimming in the lake, its beauty over shadowing everything else in that lake. Like a peacock with its wings opened and dancing in the rain. There were collective sighs from everyone as she walked down the stairs like a princess walking down the stairs in a ball room full of potential suitors. But I didn’t hear the sighs and the gasps; all I saw was this ethereal beauty in front of me, dressed in a red sari which to me epitomized everything that was beautiful in this world. Everything that could be beautiful in this world was in front of me. As if all the beauty in the world had collected in that girl dressed in a red sari walking down the stairs.
“You are falling in love with her all over again, aren’t you?” Sheetal asked me from behind as I kept looking at Anjali.
“Yeah,” I replied nonchalantly.
“Yeah-don’t blame you,” Anjali said. “Half the girls in this corridor are falling in love with her right now.”
“I know,” I replied still looking at Anjali. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Neither could anyone else.
“And you gifted her that sari, right?” Anjali asked.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“I had no idea you could be this romantic Rahul,” she commented.
“Neither did I,” I replied.
Anjali was two stairs away from coming down now. I extended my hand as she reached the last of the stairs. She took my hand without any hesitation and I led her down the stairs. More ooohhhs and aaaahhhhs followed.
“Thanks,” Anjali said.
“For what?” I asked though I knew what the thanks was for.
“For the sari,” she replied. “It’s beautiful.”
“No,” I said. “Thank you. For wearing it and making it look beautiful. For the sari couldn't look any more beautiful than it does now.”
More ooohhhss from the girls. Anjali turned another brighter shade of scarlet. All of a sudden behind me, Virat fell down on the ground. Everyone turned to look around at this cause of distraction. Virat was laid out on the ground, sideways, his body completely still as if he had just fainted.
The girls went to attend to him, slapping him a few times but Virat didn’t get up. Then one of the girls kissed him on the cheek and Virat opened his eyes drowsily as if he had just come back to consciousness. He was acting, we all knew that. What I feared was what he might do next.
“Huh!” Virat said responding to the kiss. “Where am I? Who are you?” he said looking at the girl who had just kissed him while Sheetal watched seething.
“Whoever you are, you are an angel,” he said.
He then turned towards Sheetal who was probably thinking of breaking his head into pieces right now.
“Sheetal sweetheart,” he said. “I am seriously sorry but I am breaking up with you. I…have no choice.”
“What?” Sheetal said gaping at him. I was stunned too. This had to be a joke.
“Sorry sweetheart, but I love someone else now,” he said a very serious expression on his face.
Now I knew this was a joke. The question was how far was he going to go with it.
“What Virat?” Sheetal said. I hope she too thought this was a joke. Taking Virat seriously could mean a lot of demons in your head. “Who?” she asked. So maybe she was taking him seriously.
He looked at Anjali, his mouth pouting. ‘Oh great!’ I thought. ‘I should have expected this.’ He walked over to Anjali, dumb faced, his tongue almost hanging out like a dog and said, “Anjali, have you ever noticed how closely your name resembles to angel? That’s because you are an angel. And Anjali, Shakespeare has said-‘what’s in a name.’ Rahul, Virat-they are all the same. Wow! That actually rhymes. Thing is-forget Rahul. He’s a jerk. Whatever he has planned I can go one better. In fact I am ready to marry you right now if you are ready. I will find a pandit, get a sherwani, you are already looking like a bride in this dress, we’ll break some chairs like old Hindi film styles, put them in the centre of the college, burn them and take the pheras around them. The entire college can watch and then we can run off for a honeymoon in the Bahamas. So will you marry me?”
The laughter that echoed at the end of that speech was unparalleled. Anjali was just speechless. She didn’t know what to say. She looked at me as if asking for some clue. I just winked at her and kept quiet. Virat was still on his knees waiting for an answer to his sudden marriage proposal. “Ummm….no,” she finally said.
Virat looked heartbroken. “Why not?” he asked clutching his heart.
“I’ll tell you why not Virat Mathur,” Sheetal said taking angry strides towards Virat. Virat ran for his life as Sheetal chased him around the corridor while all of us laughed at the on going chase.
“Wait till I get my hands on you,” Sheetal shouted as she chased Virat. “Honeymoon in Bahamas is it? You just wait.”
“I am sorry, I am sorry,” Virat answered back as he hid behind any of the girls he could to fend off Sheetal. “We won’t have honeymoon in the Bahamas. How does Seychelles sound?”
More laughter as Sheetal intensified her chase. “Bahamas, Seychelles, you have any other favorite destination Virat Mathur which you might like to visit before I kill you.”
“Ok, ok,” Virat said panting and stopping near me. “I am seriously sorry. I didn’t mean any of it.”
Sheetal stopped a few feet short of Virat. “You didn’t?”
“No, I didn’t,” he said smiling at her. ‘I loooouuuvvvvv you.”
Now it was Sheetal’s turn to blush. She turned a bright shade of scarlet and then hugging Virat said, “Oh what the hell. I forgive you.”
“Thanks,” Virat said embracing her. They hugged for two minutes before Virat asked, “Sheetal?”
“Yes?” Sheetal said very sweetly.
“How does a honey moon in Switzerland sound with Anjali?” he said. Sheetal immediately withdrew from him and gaped at him for a few seconds before her hands flung out and Virat again made a run for it.
“Alright guys-cut it out,” I said after a while. Virat and Sheetal stopped in their tracks. “If you have done playing Tom and Jerry,” I told them, “I think we should leave before we get caught. Lest anyone has forgotten, we are still in a girl’s hostel and still face rustication from college if caught here.”
“Damn,” Virat said. “You had to say that Rahul, didn’t you? I was having so much fun. If only we could get a room here.”
“Wishful thinking,Virat. But we should seriously get going.”
“Anjali?” I said looking at her and extending my hand.
“Let’s go.” She took my hand and I led her to the lift.
“Rahul,” Sheetal called out.
“What?” I asked.
“Come here, I have a question to ask,” she said waving her hand at me.
“What is it?” I asked going up to her.
“Why didn’t you bring that sari along with you? Why did you leave it with Rishabh to get it later?” she asked me.
I smiled at her before answering, “because in love sweetheart, timing is everything.”
"I'll try and remember that," Sheetal said as I walked back to Anjali.
I left with Anjali after telling Virat to be ready to play his part in tonight’s plan. We headed for the exit of the 13th block with some of the girls still gaping at a guy walking with a girl dressed in a red sari at 1 in the night in the girl’s hostel compound. We kept laughing as we saw the open mouths of the girls as we walked out.
“So where are you taking me at 1 in the morning?” Anjali asked as we went out the 13th block. The guard still wasn’t back. God knows where Rishabh had sent him.
“You will see,” I said as I led her to my bike parked near 1st block.
“What’s with the surprises Rahul?” she asked me as I geared the bike again.
“It’s your birthday Anjali. That should explain everything,” I said smiling at her.
Anjali stood still for a moment not saying anything. “What is it?” I asked.
“I don’t know Rahul,” she answered thoughtfully; “sometimes you need to hear the reason and not just understand the hidden meaning behind people’s actions.”
“Do you really need a reason?” I asked carefully.
She didn’t answer for a while, keeping quite as if wondering what to speak next or whether to speak at all. Then smiling, she said, “No, I don’t need a reason.”
“I don’t know Rahul,” she answered thoughtfully; “sometimes you need to hear the reason and not just understand the hidden meaning behind people’s actions.”
“Do you really need a reason?” I asked carefully.
She didn’t answer for a while, keeping quite as if wondering what to speak next or whether to speak at all. Then smiling, she said, “No, I don’t need a reason.”
“Not now anyways,” she added a little later.
There was so much meaning in those words. So many expectations. So many hopes. Of life. Of love. Of a future that we both dreamt of but were unsure if that future was indeed a part of our destiny. Yet I refused to say anything. Still biding my time. Looking for something. For the right moment. For a sign that would say that this is it. That the moment has finally arrived for me to be with her, for me to hold her in my arms, to caress her beauty, to kiss her sumptuous lips. Just a sign. Just the right moment.
Good,” I said avoiding her gaze and looking at the pillion seat of the bike indicating for her to come and sit. She duly did so, giving me a smile as she walked past me and sat behind me on the bike. She didn’t hold the support at the back of the bike this time. She had a habit of doing that but this time her hands came across my chest and she held herself against me. Her touch mesmerized me sending me into a thousand frenzied thoughts immediately. I had to snap myself back to reality.
“Ready?” I said after recovering from the touch of her hands across my chest.
“Ready as always,” she replied smiling.
I started the bike and left off a trail of smoke into the sky as we headed across to the destination where I hoped I would be able to give Anjali the best birthday of her life. Irrespective of my hesitation to confess what has been obvious to us as well as those around us, the truth though remained unchanged-I loved her. And that’s the only thing that mattered in this world.
“Good,” I said avoiding her gaze and looking at the pillion seat of the bike indicating for her to come and sit. She duly did so, giving me a smile as she walked past me and sat behind me on the bike. She didn’t hold the support at the back of the bike this time. She had a habit of doing that but this time her hands came across my chest and she held herself against me. Her touch mesmerized me sending me into a thousand frenzied thoughts immediately. I had to snap myself back to reality.
“Ready?” I said after recovering from the touch of her hands across my chest.
“Ready as always,” she replied smiling.
I started the bike and left off a trail of smoke into the sky as we headed across to the destination where I hoped I would be able to give Anjali the best birthday of her life. Irrespective of my hesitation to confess what has been obvious to us as well as those around us, the truth though remained unchanged-I loved her. And that’s the only thing that mattered in this world.
“Anyways,” she said slapping me lightly at the back again. “Give me a hint at least as to where you are taking me.”
“You can guess if you want,” I offered.
“You are falling in love with her all over again, aren’t you?” Sheetal asked me from behind as I kept looking at Anjali.
“Yeah,” I replied nonchalantly.
“Yeah-don’t blame you,” Anjali said. “Half the girls in this corridor are falling in love with her right now.”
“I know,” I replied still looking at Anjali. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Neither could anyone else.
“And you gifted her that sari, right?” Anjali asked.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“I had no idea you could be this romantic Rahul,” she commented.
“Neither did I,” I replied.
Anjali was two stairs away from coming down now. I extended my hand as she reached the last of the stairs. She took my hand without any hesitation and I led her down the stairs. More ooohhhs and aaaahhhhs followed.
“Thanks,” Anjali said.
“For what?” I asked though I knew what the thanks was for.
“For the sari,” she replied. “It’s beautiful.”
“No,” I said. “Thank you. For wearing it and making it look beautiful. For the sari couldn't look any more beautiful than it does now.”
More ooohhhss from the girls. Anjali turned another brighter shade of scarlet. All of a sudden behind me, Virat fell down on the ground. Everyone turned to look around at this cause of distraction. Virat was laid out on the ground, sideways, his body completely still as if he had just fainted.
The girls went to attend to him, slapping him a few times but Virat didn’t get up. Then one of the girls kissed him on the cheek and Virat opened his eyes drowsily as if he had just come back to consciousness. He was acting, we all knew that. What I feared was what he might do next.
“Huh!” Virat said responding to the kiss. “Where am I? Who are you?” he said looking at the girl who had just kissed him while Sheetal watched seething.
“Whoever you are, you are an angel,” he said.
He then turned towards Sheetal who was probably thinking of breaking his head into pieces right now.
“Sheetal sweetheart,” he said. “I am seriously sorry but I am breaking up with you. I…have no choice.”
“What?” Sheetal said gaping at him. I was stunned too. This had to be a joke.
“Sorry sweetheart, but I love someone else now,” he said a very serious expression on his face.
Now I knew this was a joke. The question was how far was he going to go with it.
“What Virat?” Sheetal said. I hope she too thought this was a joke. Taking Virat seriously could mean a lot of demons in your head. “Who?” she asked. So maybe she was taking him seriously.
He looked at Anjali, his mouth pouting. ‘Oh great!’ I thought. ‘I should have expected this.’ He walked over to Anjali, dumb faced, his tongue almost hanging out like a dog and said, “Anjali, have you ever noticed how closely your name resembles to angel? That’s because you are an angel. And Anjali, Shakespeare has said-‘what’s in a name.’ Rahul, Virat-they are all the same. Wow! That actually rhymes. Thing is-forget Rahul. He’s a jerk. Whatever he has planned I can go one better. In fact I am ready to marry you right now if you are ready. I will find a pandit, get a sherwani, you are already looking like a bride in this dress, we’ll break some chairs like old Hindi film styles, put them in the centre of the college, burn them and take the pheras around them. The entire college can watch and then we can run off for a honeymoon in the Bahamas. So will you marry me?”
The laughter that echoed at the end of that speech was unparalleled. Anjali was just speechless. She didn’t know what to say. She looked at me as if asking for some clue. I just winked at her and kept quiet. Virat was still on his knees waiting for an answer to his sudden marriage proposal. “Ummm….no,” she finally said.
Virat looked heartbroken. “Why not?” he asked clutching his heart.
“I’ll tell you why not Virat Mathur,” Sheetal said taking angry strides towards Virat. Virat ran for his life as Sheetal chased him around the corridor while all of us laughed at the on going chase.
“Wait till I get my hands on you,” Sheetal shouted as she chased Virat. “Honeymoon in Bahamas is it? You just wait.”
“I am sorry, I am sorry,” Virat answered back as he hid behind any of the girls he could to fend off Sheetal. “We won’t have honeymoon in the Bahamas. How does Seychelles sound?”
More laughter as Sheetal intensified her chase. “Bahamas, Seychelles, you have any other favorite destination Virat Mathur which you might like to visit before I kill you.”
“Ok, ok,” Virat said panting and stopping near me. “I am seriously sorry. I didn’t mean any of it.”
Sheetal stopped a few feet short of Virat. “You didn’t?”
“No, I didn’t,” he said smiling at her. ‘I loooouuuvvvvv you.”
Now it was Sheetal’s turn to blush. She turned a bright shade of scarlet and then hugging Virat said, “Oh what the hell. I forgive you.”
“Thanks,” Virat said embracing her. They hugged for two minutes before Virat asked, “Sheetal?”
“Yes?” Sheetal said very sweetly.
“How does a honey moon in Switzerland sound with Anjali?” he said. Sheetal immediately withdrew from him and gaped at him for a few seconds before her hands flung out and Virat again made a run for it.
“Alright guys-cut it out,” I said after a while. Virat and Sheetal stopped in their tracks. “If you have done playing Tom and Jerry,” I told them, “I think we should leave before we get caught. Lest anyone has forgotten, we are still in a girl’s hostel and still face rustication from college if caught here.”
“Damn,” Virat said. “You had to say that Rahul, didn’t you? I was having so much fun. If only we could get a room here.”
“Wishful thinking,Virat. But we should seriously get going.”
“Anjali?” I said looking at her and extending my hand.
“Let’s go.” She took my hand and I led her to the lift.
“Rahul,” Sheetal called out.
“What?” I asked.
“Come here, I have a question to ask,” she said waving her hand at me.
“What is it?” I asked going up to her.
“Why didn’t you bring that sari along with you? Why did you leave it with Rishabh to get it later?” she asked me.
I smiled at her before answering, “because in love sweetheart, timing is everything.”
"I'll try and remember that," Sheetal said as I walked back to Anjali.
I left with Anjali after telling Virat to be ready to play his part in tonight’s plan. We headed for the exit of the 13th block with some of the girls still gaping at a guy walking with a girl dressed in a red sari at 1 in the night in the girl’s hostel compound. We kept laughing as we saw the open mouths of the girls as we walked out.
“So where are you taking me at 1 in the morning?” Anjali asked as we went out the 13th block. The guard still wasn’t back. God knows where Rishabh had sent him.
“You will see,” I said as I led her to my bike parked near 1st block.
“What’s with the surprises Rahul?” she asked me as I geared the bike again.
“It’s your birthday Anjali. That should explain everything,” I said smiling at her.
Anjali stood still for a moment not saying anything. “What is it?” I asked.
“I don’t know Rahul,” she answered thoughtfully; “sometimes you need to hear the reason and not just understand the hidden meaning behind people’s actions.”
“Do you really need a reason?” I asked carefully.
She didn’t answer for a while, keeping quite as if wondering what to speak next or whether to speak at all. Then smiling, she said, “No, I don’t need a reason.”
“I don’t know Rahul,” she answered thoughtfully; “sometimes you need to hear the reason and not just understand the hidden meaning behind people’s actions.”
“Do you really need a reason?” I asked carefully.
She didn’t answer for a while, keeping quite as if wondering what to speak next or whether to speak at all. Then smiling, she said, “No, I don’t need a reason.”
“Not now anyways,” she added a little later.
There was so much meaning in those words. So many expectations. So many hopes. Of life. Of love. Of a future that we both dreamt of but were unsure if that future was indeed a part of our destiny. Yet I refused to say anything. Still biding my time. Looking for something. For the right moment. For a sign that would say that this is it. That the moment has finally arrived for me to be with her, for me to hold her in my arms, to caress her beauty, to kiss her sumptuous lips. Just a sign. Just the right moment.
Good,” I said avoiding her gaze and looking at the pillion seat of the bike indicating for her to come and sit. She duly did so, giving me a smile as she walked past me and sat behind me on the bike. She didn’t hold the support at the back of the bike this time. She had a habit of doing that but this time her hands came across my chest and she held herself against me. Her touch mesmerized me sending me into a thousand frenzied thoughts immediately. I had to snap myself back to reality.
“Ready?” I said after recovering from the touch of her hands across my chest.
“Ready as always,” she replied smiling.
I started the bike and left off a trail of smoke into the sky as we headed across to the destination where I hoped I would be able to give Anjali the best birthday of her life. Irrespective of my hesitation to confess what has been obvious to us as well as those around us, the truth though remained unchanged-I loved her. And that’s the only thing that mattered in this world.
“Good,” I said avoiding her gaze and looking at the pillion seat of the bike indicating for her to come and sit. She duly did so, giving me a smile as she walked past me and sat behind me on the bike. She didn’t hold the support at the back of the bike this time. She had a habit of doing that but this time her hands came across my chest and she held herself against me. Her touch mesmerized me sending me into a thousand frenzied thoughts immediately. I had to snap myself back to reality.
“Ready?” I said after recovering from the touch of her hands across my chest.
“Ready as always,” she replied smiling.
I started the bike and left off a trail of smoke into the sky as we headed across to the destination where I hoped I would be able to give Anjali the best birthday of her life. Irrespective of my hesitation to confess what has been obvious to us as well as those around us, the truth though remained unchanged-I loved her. And that’s the only thing that mattered in this world.
“Anyways,” she said slapping me lightly at the back again. “Give me a hint at least as to where you are taking me.”
“You can guess if you want,” I offered.
“You are not planning to marry me are you?” she said suddenly. I had to hit the brakes to avoid running into a ditch. She clanged on tighter to me. My forehead started sweating.
“What?” I asked my throats dry as I speeded the bike again.
“You know, you give me a red sari and then say you are taking me out for a surprise date, I am just hoping you are not planning to marry me without telling me,” she said.
“Yeah, sure,” I said laughing nervously, “the least I can do is tell you that I am marrying you.” My throats were still dry.
“So you are intending to marry me are you?” she asked. Why did I get the feeling that this wasn’t exactly a joke?
“Why?” I asked carrying on as if this was a joke. “Would you marry me if I asked you to?”
“Would depend on your proposal,” she quipped.
We reached our destination-KMC Greens the place where we had shared that memorable walk so long ago now. And many after that. I stopped the bike near road which led to the main university building. “We are here,” I announced.
She was still holding me as I tried to get off the bike as if not wanting to let go off me. Her head was resting on my shoulders. “Ummm…Anjali,” I said trying to get her back to reality. “Yeah?” she said in a dreamy voice.
“We are here,” I told her.
“Oh,” she said getting up. She got off the bike slowly without saying anything. “Anjali,” I said a bit worried about the way she was behaving, “You alright?”
“Yeah,” Anjali said, “I am fine.”
I started to walk ahead after getting the reply. But she held me back by holding my hands with hers. As I was leaving, her palms interlocked with mine, holding me back, and their touch so soft that my hands could have melted in their warmth. I looked at her unsure of this gesture.
“Propose,” she said simply.
“What?” I asked astonished.
“Propose,” she said again. “Propose marriage to me. Right now.”
“Right now?” I said feeling a lump in my throat.
“Yes Rahul,” she said still piercing my eyes with hers, not letting go off my hand or my eyes. “I want to see how you you are going to propose marriage to the girl you love. So propose.”
I smiled at her. ‘You are the girl I love,’ I thought to myself. ‘And if this is how you want it to be, if this how you want me to lay my heart bare to you, if this is how you want to know how I feel about you, about how much my heart loves you and how not seeing you even for a single day makes me feel, then so be it. In this moment Anjali, in this small moment, I will try and live the rest of my life.’
She had closed her eyes in expectation. Of a moment that would be the most surreal of our lives. Yet nothing could be more realistic than this. Her hands still held mine but this time I didn’t try to let go. I held her hand just as firmly she had held mine. Slowly, inch by inch I walked closer to her, stopping when our faces were at touching distance. I smiled looking at her closed eyes, her innocent face radiant as ever. I took her other hand in mine as well and holding both her hands firmly I raised them to my chest so that there was almost nothing between us but our hands which were bonded together in a relationship that few people in this world could really understand the depth of.
“Anjali,” I whispered to her, almost feeling the air that she was breathing, “I have thought of this moment so many times, for so long, for so many days, weeks and months that even I have forgotten how many times I have wished that this moment would come. All I remember is wishing-wishing for this moment, wishing to be standing with you under this moonlit sky and letting you know how I feel, letting you know that ever since the first time I saw you, drunk and unable to walk, I knew that there was something between us,” she opened her eyes as I said this and I could see that there were tears forming in her eyes. “I wasn’t sure if it was love or just plain attraction, but I know that it wasn’t just the vodka that night that made me kiss you.” We both laughed as I said this, our hands clenching tighter in our grasps, our passion increasing by the moment, our emotions embroiling in a heated bond as we both tried to hold each other from making the ultimate confession. ‘This was just an act’ I tried to remind myself. “
“There was something there, something that I knew existed but didn’t know what it was. That something somehow made me unable to stop thinking of you or that incident even though it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. That something,” I said looking at her eyes as small teary droplets formed in them, “somehow convinced me to continue trying to seek your forgiveness even though you kept embarrassing me one incident after another. That something made me jump out from a classroom,” I said as she smiled at the thought of it, “that something made me talk to a voice from within me and hence making me thing that I was going crazy.” Two straight line of tears now covered both her cheeks as she was unable to hold back her emotions. So was I. This wasn’t an act anymore. This was real. This was how we both felt.
“And you know what Anjali?” I said slowly leaving her one hand and bringing my right hand up to her cheeks to wipe her tears. “What Rahul?” her lips quivered in a husky voice as her lips came closer to me. “I was going crazy,” I said bringing my lips closer to hers. “Crazy for a girl who had changed my world. Crazy for a girl who saw the man beneath the exterior and made me realize that maybe I wasn’t as bad as I had thought myself to be. Crazy for a girl who had managed to somehow change how I felt, how my heart felt about everything in this world. Crazy about a girl who convinced me that this world wasn’t as dark or dreary a place as they made it out to be. Crazy about a girl who convinced me,” I said standing up to my full height now and drawing my lips closer to hers, “that despite all the highs and lows, despite all the bad that ever happens in this world, that despite the difficulties we have to face-life…is beautiful.”
“Anjali,” I said now holding her face in my hands, our lips inches away from indulging in a passion that can only be brought about by the most beautiful of emotions, “I am crazy…crazy in THAT THING CALLED LOVE. Love for you Babu... continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment