by Atul Todi
He felt stupid for having said that, but Precious was not even listening. Slipping her hands down, she rubbed it over his crotch and grabbed him down there. Taken aback, he froze in his shoes and swallowed hard. Looking back into her mischievous eyes, he wondered what she had going on in that crazy head of hers.
He was attracted to her but was not expecting her to be that straightforward. A hot girl like her, about whom he had only fantasized, was suddenly coming onto him. Standing there, suddenly he felt sober. Standing still, he wondered how he got that lucky.
While he stood there, a little taken back, she popped a white pill she was carrying in her ring into her mouth. Opening her mouth, with the pill still on her tongue, she closed in for a kiss.
It was a cocaine pill and she wanted Abhay to share it with her. There was no stepping back. He was in the game she had going on, and there was no getting away. He had to play by her rules if he wanted her.
Just when he was about to kiss her, he heard a loud noise of someone falling on the tiled floor. Stopping what he was doing, he looked in the direction the sound came from.
A girl had fallen on the floor, her face first. She had tripped next to the entrance and was trying to get back up. As she pushed away the hair that covered her face, he realised that it was Tia.
Looking for her glasses, she tried to adjust the tight dress she was wearing. She was clearly not used to walking around in the six-inch heels she had on.
Leaving Precious hanging, he went to pick her up. Stretching his hand in front of her, he said, "Do you always fall wherever you go? You are such a wreck."
Not amused by his comment, she refused his help and said, "You should go and continue doing what you were doing. Don't let me be a ‘kabab me haddi'."
Laughing at what she said, he helped her get up and handed the glasses to her. Smiling at her, he said, "Is someone jealous, I can smell something burning."
Adjusting her hair and putting on her glasses, she said, "You wish! The only thing burning is you." Pointing towards the bar, she told Abhay to look behind.
With a shocked look on his face, Abhay looked back at what was happening. Within minutes, Precious was making out with another guy who was standing next to her at the bar. She was definitely not in her senses, or clearly didn't care who she made out with at that moment. Abhay was just another guy in the bar for her; he was no one special.
He felt shattered for a minute; shocked by what had happened.
Looking back at Tia, who just could not stop laughing, he blamed her for it. It was all going so perfectly for him moments before she came. He had dreamt of kissing Precious and making love to her; it was all about to happen.
He didn't care if she was indifferent about who the guy she made love to. He didn't care if he had to do cocaine to be with her, at least not at that moment. He wanted to go back and take his spot; turn back the clock by just a couple of minutes.
Tia spoilt everything and was very proud of it. There was no ounce of apology on her face. Looking at her helplessly, he was not impressed.
"Don't feel so bad. Let me buy you a drink. I am sure you will find another girl in this ocean of beautiful women. After all, you are such a charming guy. Look at you, looking all suave in your black tuxedo." Being sarcastic, she was clearly rubbing salt on his burning heart.
Abhay asked Tia if she was going to go stop her friend; Tia just said, “I have seen it many times. She will be fine.”
Abhay could not stand watching Precious making out with another guy and hearing Tia make fun of him. So he decided to get out of there, and Tia followed.
Walking out of the ‘Penthouse', they went to the ‘Underground'. A nightclub, inside Club La Vela, it was located below the ‘Thunderdome.' Lit with neon lights, ‘Underground' looked like a high-end New York Club in the middle of Panama City. With blood red walls and black couches, the place had an electrifying atmosphere.
Tia bought him a drink at the bar, as he stood there looking around, a little upset about what had happened.
Snapping at him, Tia asked: "Why are you looking like that? Cheer up! Trust me you did not miss out on much. I know she is my roommate, but she is not worth your time. At least not with all those pills."
Tia knew that Precious was doing drugs, but she could do nothing about it. She had tried in the past, and it did not end up too well.
Looking down at her heels, changing the topic, he said, "I was actually wondering why you gotta wear those when you are uncoordinated like an ostrich. Please tell me…"
He was trying to be funny, but she stared back at him like he had just stabbed her.
After thinking about a good comeback, she said, "Ouch! That one was quite mean. But for your information, an ostrich is not uncoordinated at all. If you were referring to their burying their heads in the sand when attacked, I want you to know that it is not true. Couldn't you think of anything better? I thought you were smart."
Taking his comment too seriously, she fought back like a nerd. Unable to stop himself, he laughed at her being cynical. She had over-analyzed his comment.
Irritated by his laughing at her expense, she fought back: "If you were calling me an ostrich because of my big eyes, that’s really mean. You know what, you are an ugly bug, Mr. Bakshi. You should be stomped and squished.”
Cracking up at her innocent comment, he almost fell down on the floor. He had not even thought about the ostrich's eye comparison. She on the other hand took the conversation a step further and called him a bug because his last name was Bakshi.
Screaming out loud, she called him ‘you bloody Bugsy'. Angry with him, she said, “I am going to call you Bugsy from now on, you mean-little-blood-sucking bug.”
At that point of time, he thought it was childish of her to call him that; he had no clue what role that name was going to play in his life.
That evening was the first time he was called that name, and she was the one who gave it to him. She was the only one who called him that and it became their little secret.
Signaling to the bartender to pour them some tequila shots, he looked back at her. Not laughing any more, he just kept looking. Staring at her with his intense eyes, he said nothing and made her very uncomfortable.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Stop it Bugsy. Please stop, or I am going to leave."
She was not used to people looking at her like that. Staying away from the limelight, usually in the shadow of Precious and her other friends, she never realised how beautiful she was.
She was clearly out of her comfort zone. With Abhay looking at her with deep intentions that she could not comprehend, she wondered out loud, “what's going on in that dirty bug mind of yours”.
Continuing to call him Bugsy, she begged him to look away.
He had not looked at her closely till then. The girl in baggy track-pants and hoody was gone.
Wearing a long glittery red dress that revealed her curves and matching high-heels, she had put effort into getting ready for the night. With rosy blush on her dusky cheeks, dark black eyeliner and mascara, and red lipstick, suddenly she had transformed from an awkward ostrich into a flirty peacock. Accessorized with big golden earrings and nose-ring, colourful bangles on her hand and cute anklet around her feet, she stood out in that club of short skirts and trashy jeans. Her blend of western fashion infused with a touch of Asian accessories made her look chic with a dash of exotic flavor. Her wavy pitch-black hair, going wild all around her shoulder and covering the side of her face, made her look extremely mysterious.
It was quite a transformation from the nerdy girl Abhay met in the library few days back. Like an unpolished diamond, she was a raw beauty. While he admired her, she was clearly not too comfortable in what she was wearing and was feeling too conscious with the attention she was getting.
Adjusting her dress, fixing her hair, twitching in her heels and looking at her face in every reflecting surface she could find, she was clearly out of place. It seemed like she had been duped into getting al
l dressed-up by her friends, and she had no idea how to carry her transformed self around. Worrying about smudging her lipstick, messing up the makeup on her face, and showing too much skin, she wanted to go find a quiet corner to hide.
Being a jerk, Abhay teased her and pulled her leg. He found out that Miranda and Sophie had forced her to get all dressed up for the night. Abhay could not have been more thankful; they had really transformed her that night and made her look striking.
Finally, when she stopped fighting his provocation, he had no option left but to be nice. Pushing her hair away from her face and tucking it softly behind her ear, he held out a tequila shot in front of her. Without saying a word, with the look in his eyes he told her to relax and breathe. He told her that she looked just fine, and no one was there to judge her.
Allowing a glimpse of a smile to take over her face, she closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and exhaled. Toasting to good times, they took a round of tequila shots.
Tia tried skipping any more alcohol shots and wanted to just stick to her glass of wine. Sensing that she was restraining herself from having fun, Abhay told her, "You know I will take care of you ostrich, you can be yourself around me. Just have fun and let go of your fear. I will get you home safe."
"Who said I am letting you take me home. Don't get your hopes so high Bugsy." The feisty Tia was back.
She was a bag full of surprises: from falling face-first a few minutes back, in no time she transformed into a lioness ready to pounce. With her squinted eyes, she looked at Abhay as if to judge his character and pouted her lips, making him wonder what she really wanted.
Tia was a Pandora's box, filled with mystery.
Taking her by surprise, he pulled her a step closer. Looking at her with unwavering eyes, he removed her glasses. Pushing her curvy hair behind her shoulder, he exposed the deep neckline of her sultry dress. Running his fingers down her cheek, feeling her soft skin, he glided them down her neck in slow motion.
The touch of his finger made her shiver. She stood there shocked but did not protest. She had no clue what was going on or why he was touching her like that. With her eyes wide open and a tingling feeling all over her body, she anticipated what he was going to do next.
The tequila shot was already affecting her, but it was a good feeling.
Coming close to her ears, he whispered, "Where have you been hiding this lioness all this while?" He added a roaring sound to make what he said feel a lot more real.
Playfully pushing him back, she responded back, "Don't you want to go back to your pretty lady? She must be done by now and waiting for her lucky man. As for me, I am just a nerdy looking ostrich you know, clearly not your type."
She was now laughing and in high spirit. The sarcasm in her voice was evident and the special effects on her face when she said those words were a riot. She was turning out to be a lot funnier than Abhay had imagined and seeing that side of her was a pleasant surprise.
Pretending to be arrogant, she continued to be mean to Abhay, and he surprisingly loved it. He could clearly tell that she was trying hard to be rude and appear a little pompous, but it was all in good spirit; he encouraged her. It was like he wanted her to feel more comfortable around him and be herself.
Adjusting her dress that clung tightly to her body and fighting to stand in her heels, she was fidgety. Seeing her struggle in those high heels, he bent down on his knees, and took off her heels. Embarrassed, she pleaded in vain, asking him to stop.
He told her to breathe and be comfortable. There was no reason for her to do things to please others.
Sitting down on a bar stool by the bar, they awkwardly looked around and made small talks. Waiting on the other people from their group to join them, they spoke about the usual boring stuff. In the middle of the most happening club in America, they talked about where they both were from, what they wanted to do in life and plans after college.
Sipping on her red wine, Tia told him about herself. She said that her parents moved to the US when she was just five years old. Before that, they lived in old Delhi, in the heart of ‘Daryaganj', one of the oldest areas of Delhi. They still had an old family house back there, where her grandparents lived. They only visited India once every few years to meet their extended family.
She missed little things about India and her simple childhood. Abhay, on the other hand, didn't know if he missed anything from his past; he just wanted to create new experiences. Without imposing his thoughts on her, he patiently listened to her.
Remembering her childhood days, she told Abhay that on ‘Holi', the festival of colours, they had a big social get-together in their house and all the relatives came over to play with colours and celebrate. On ‘Diwali', the festival of lights, she would burn crackers on the streets and play around with fire sparks. Her favorite was the ‘anaar', a fire-cracker that created a fountain of light once it was ignited.
She really missed the small things she did there as a toddler: Binging on the street food that Delhi was popular for, riding the hand-rickshaw, climbing the mango trees and playing in the alleys around her house when it rained. Those were some of the things she cherished from her childhood days in India.
Unnerved by the sincerity with which Abhay listened to her, she blabbered whatever came to her mind. She felt compelled to tell him everything about herself and he continued to say, “Tell me more.”
She told Abhay that her father was a Punjabi who was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan and her mother was a Bengali from Kolkata. They fell in love during their college days in Delhi, and when her grandparents found out, they got involved and made their marriage look like it was arranged. She had a very loving family.
She had one elder sibling, Raunak; he was engaged to a French girl, and was going to get married in a few months. They were a close-knit family and her family meant everything to her.
Abhay quietly listened to her. Assuming that he was interested in knowing more about her family, she continued. She told him that her father was an engineer and ran a company that made parts for the automobile industry. Her mother taught in a school for special kids, and her brother was a doctor, who specialised in heart surgery.
The simplicity with which Tia talked about her family and what they did made him smile. Finally he asked her about what she did. With a spark in her eyes and a smile on her face, she told him that she was studying optometry and had three years left before she could get her practicing license.
The reason she wanted to be an eye doctor was very noble. She believed that to be able to see the world was one of the best gift God had given humans. The world was colourful and full of surprises and everyone had the right to see it. According to her, to be able to see was enough reason to feel alive every day.
She did not want too much from life; small things made her happy. Her plan was to move to California and live somewhere near a beach once she was done with her education. She wanted a little condo and two beautiful furry golden retriever dogs for company. Besides that she just wanted to travel the world and own a little vineyard where she could make her own wine someday.
That night, Abhay could not help but admire her plans; she knew exactly what she wanted, unlike him. They both were as different as night and day in their beliefs and how they viewed life: she appreciated life as it came while he ran after big dreams. Family came first for her, while success meant everything to him. She believed in destiny while he wanted to create his own.
They had nothing in common.
Admiring her clarity about what she wanted from life, he told her his part of the story. He told her that once he was done with his MBA he planned to start his own company. Like the guys at Google, he wanted to be part of the technology revolution that was happening all around the world. His mind was full of new and innovative ideas, and he was just waiting to get done with college, so he could start something of his own.
Telling Tia about his plans, he told her that he didn't know where he was going be few years down the line, but he k
new that he wanted to make a lot of money. He wanted to own a private yacht and have a mansion in Manhattan. He was chasing dreams, and nothing meant more to him than to make it big in life.
He wanted it all: name, fame, power, and money. That was his definition of happiness.
She did not argue with him; it was his dream and she respected that. Not being judgmental she told him that when he starts making a lot of money, he should try and enjoy the journey. Being rich was not everything. Telling him to keep his eyes open, she said that small things that happened on a daily basis were more precious than the final destination he had planned to reach. Materialistic life, according to her, only looked good from the outside.
As the conversation got more serious, she asked him about his family. Reluctantly, he spoke about it.
Not expecting her to understand his take on life, he told her about his family back in India. They all lived in the city of Ludhiana, Punjab. His father ran a small garments manufacturing company, and his mother was a traditional housewife. Once upon a time, when he was just a little kid, they used to be very rich. Due to some bad business decisions, family disputes and dirty politics, his family lost all the money and properties. Still, while they had enough to get by, his parents aspired to become wealthy as they were before.