You're the Password to My Life
Page 3
‘Are you serious?’ Mehak asked.
‘Yes, all the students who haven’t finished the assignment have come up with a brilliant plan. So just relax and don’t worry about the unfinished assignment,’ Virat consoled her.
After the first lecture got over, some of the students left the class and went to the washroom. A few minutes later they returned with a sly smile on their faces.
‘All set!’ they screamed in unison.
Everyone was anxiously waiting to see what they had planned. Virat, Mahek, and Kavya stared at each other, waiting for the big reveal. A few seconds later, there came a loud sound from the washroom. No one could mistake that sound—it was the sound of firecrackers burning! They had successfully trapped the professor in the washroom before he could come in for the next class. They knew he’d pay tribute to the ‘Washroom Baba’ before beginning the lecture. That’s why they had named it ‘baba’ as it always came to their rescue in times of need. The caretaker ultimately helped the professor out who immediately rushed to the principal’s room to complain about them. But by the time the principal could do something about it, the entire gang had run away. There was no other way to get hold of them. The submission of the assignment was forgotten in the entire process and Mehak sighed in relief.
Kavya had to leave early that day so Virat got an opportunity to spend some time alone with Mahek. They went to Mocha’s for coffee where Virat shared his past with her—his family, past relationships—while Mahek told him about her ambitions in life. While Virat was perfectly comfortable talking to her about everything under the sun, he wasn’t sure if Mehak was making small talk or if she too liked his company.
‘So dancing is your passion?’ Virat asked looking straight into her eyes. She silently nodded and turned her gaze away from him, breaking the temporary spell.
After a few seconds of silence, Virat added, ‘Do you know I have no knowledge of salsa? I joined because…’
Virat was about to complete his sentence when Mehak took his hand in hers and assured him that she would teach him everything she knew about salsa. He too tightened the grip on her hands and they looked straight into each other’s eyes. Mahek immediately moved her hand away.
There’s a famous saying that goes ‘Don’t try to understand a girl completely. If you do, then either you’ll go mad or you’ll start loving her.’ Virat had started loving Mahek. She had stolen his heart before he could do something about it.
Shortly afterwards, Virat dropped her home and left for his apartment.
Once he reached the apartment, he sent her a message:
I had a great time with you. You’re the reason I smile these days and I think I have found that someone who can make me have faith in love all again. Someone who can make me believe that even if things are hard in life, I don’t have to worry as I have found that someone who can help me make it through. Someone who fills an empty space in my mind and heart. Someone who makes me feel complete. Someone who’s enough for me. Someone who can accept me the way I am. Someone who is not insecure. I have been hurt so many times in the past that it takes a lot for me to trust someone now. The first time I saw you, I had this gut feeling that you and I were going to be together for a very long time. I hope I’m not irritating you with my silly talk, but I need to tell you that you are special. Thank you so much for coming into my life.
Once he sent the message, he kept the phone next to his laptop, waiting for her reply. But no message came. He scrolled through the pictures he had of her on his phone since he was missing every moment he had spent with her. He transferred them to his laptop and logged in to Gtalk. His chat-friend Rohan was online. It had been a few months since they first connected and both of them had become really good friends. Though Virat and Rohan had met only once, they talked with each other like they were childhood friends.
Virat: ‘Hey. What’s up? I need to tell you something.’
Rohan: ‘Hi. Nothing much. Just sitting idle.’
Virat: ‘Why, what happened? You know you can share anything with me.’
Rohan: ‘Chuck it. You were going to tell me something…’
Virat: ‘Dude, I think I am in love. I mean, I’ve never felt like this before. I just feel like gazing at her for hours. I sent a flirty message to her a few minutes back and am still waiting for her reply.’
Rohan: ‘That’s awesome, dude. So you’ve finally found the girl of your dreams after trying your luck with a dozen others.’
Virat: ‘Ha ha! Fingers crossed. I hope it works out. How is life at your end? Anything troubling you? You don’t seem your jolly self.’
Rohan: ‘Nothing, yaar. My girlfriend is worried about our marriage and so we’ve been fighting every night.’
Virat: ‘The couple that fights the most is the one most deeply in love. It shows that you care enough to notice that the other one screwed up, and care enough to mention it too.’
Rohan: ‘It’s not easy, beta. Now that you have fallen in love, you will realize it.’
Virat: ‘Lol. I will resolve the fight in no time by being the first one to say sorry. Simple.’
Virat never shared things that were too personal with Rohan and it was the first time he had mustered the courage to tell him about what was happening in his love life. But before Rohan could respond to his message, his cousin entered the room and disconnected the internet. Virat too switched off his laptop and checked his mobile one last time before calling it a day. His eyes lit up seeing one message from Mahek.
‘I love your company too. Kavya and you are full of life. See you tomorrow. Miss you.’
Virat started jumping on the bed with glee when he read the last two words—‘Miss you’. Though the message was not overtly romantic or anything, he was happy because at least she had replied. He had never thought that he would meet someone as special as her. True love is a constant battle between the heart and the mind. Only when both are in sync with each other that true love comes into being. And Virat’s mind and heart were both shouting only one name in chorus. He lay on the couch trying to imagine her next to him. He was so excited that he was unable to figure out what to do next. If Kavya wouldn’t have warned him, he would have asked her out right away. He wanted to tell Kavya about the message but it was quite late and she would be asleep by then. He switched his laptop back on to check whether Rohan was online or not. He wasn’t either. He went to sleep that night with a smile on his face.
Dhuaa
Rohan was chatting with Virat casually in his room while also thinking about his own complicated love life. He was about to take a sip of his coffee when I opened the door to his bedroom.
‘Hey buddy,’ I shouted.
‘Aditya, when did you come?’ Rohan asked.
‘This evening with Mom. She had some work here, so we finished that and came straight to your place. Mom is outside discussing something with Aunty. Hurry up. Let’s go out.’
‘Just give me a minute. I’m chatting with my friend Virat,’ Rohan stated.
Before he could chat again, I removed the internet plug and switched off his computer.
‘What is this? I have come to fucking meet you and you are on the internet. Let’s go to our favourite spot,’ I said pulling him from his chair.
‘You wanna go to Anna? Have you taken permission?’ asked.
I nodded and shut down his laptop before he could start again. Though it was drizzling a bit, Rohan raced his bike towards Anna. Anna was our favourite tea stall where we’d catch up over steaming hot cups of tea and pakoras.
Rohan was a shy and reserved boy who kept mostly to himself. His family was the orthodox kinds and not very outgoing. The one thing Rohan did love was going to the gym. He was a typical gym freak who worked hard day and night to get great biceps. He was well mannered and was always very well turned out. This made him a favourite among girls who liked silent, brooding type of men. He was very bad at telling a lie because the innocence in his eyes would give the lie away. He was extremely caring and
believed that not displaying affection openly showed that you are ashamed of who you’re with. Inspired by Bollywood movies, he was overtly romantic and loved to go out for candlelight dinners with his girlfriend. He was slightly superstitious and used to wear precious stone rings on his fingers to ward off evil and control his temper. More importantly, he was focused on achieving his goals and was confident about achieving his dreams, one of them being helping orphan kids.
‘Here comes your cup of tea. Do you want a smoke too?’ I asked Rohan taking out a ciggie from my pocket and lighting it.
‘No, it’s ok,’ he replied.
‘Don’t you get bored typing so much on Gtalk?’ I asked him out of curiosity. I personally hated it.
‘I don’t talk much. It’s just that my friend Virat was online and he was telling me about his love-life, so I couldn’t log off,’ Rohan added.
‘Oh, cool. Who is he?’
Rohan told me how he and Virat were online friends who met each other through a blogger’s site some time back and then added each other on Gtalk. They had met once when Virat wanted some information regarding a particular orphanage. Rohan had all the details about the orphanage as it was his dream to work for them and thus he had met Virat to help him. Though Rohan was an introvert and shied away from making friends online, he was never wrong at judging people’s intentions. He found Virat to be very genuine and decided to help him out. They’ve been friends ever since.
‘At this age, guys go online to make girlfriends and here you have found a guy online. You are on the right track brother,’ I laughed.
‘Shut up, Adi.’
‘I mean it, seriously. One of my friends is dating a girl he has never met. At least you’ve met your guy once,’ I added teasingly.
‘Trust me. He is a nice guy. We are not that close, but we’re good friends.’
‘Ok, boss. I trust you. So, how’s life in Pune?’ I asked.
‘Just routine. You know what, I’m lucky to have a brother like you. In today’s time we can manage to make good friends with whom we can go out and have fun, but it is difficult to have a brother who can understand you and really sit down and listen to you. I love you, Adi,’ Rohan said sounding senti all of a sudden.
‘Are you sure you’re drinking tea or it is it bhaang?’
‘Fuck off, yaar. I’m serious,’ he said getting annoyed.
Rohan was my cousin who stayed in Pune at NIBM and we were friends more than brothers. There was nothing hidden between us and he was the only one in the family who knew everything about me. Similarly, even he never kept any secrets from me. I had many relatives in Pune and Rohan was one of them. Whenever I got a chance to visit Pune, I’d make sure I meet him. I always felt comfortable with him and Rohan too liked discussing his life with me alone, though he had other cousins too. He never liked talking about personal stuff with other members of his family.
‘How is Zoya? Is everything all right now between you two?’ I asked. The last I spoke with him, he had told me about the issues he was facing with his current girlfriend.
‘Things are getting worse. I have planned something for her to surprise her but don’t know if it’ll work. I should have realized that inter-caste relationships are not easy.’
‘Don’t worry. Chill. And how is your sexy French teacher? Are you still taking classes from her?’
‘Yes, we are more like friends and she knows about my love life as well. She is the one I share everything with in your absence,’ he answered.
‘Does she still show interest in you?’ I asked with curiosity. Rohan had mentioned once that she liked him.
Rohan had completed his BA from Wadia College and had joined a reputed company recently. He had a passion to learn French and wanted to Major in the language. Thus he had decided to take special classes in his free time to learn French which is where he met the teacher who took a sudden liking to him.
‘I think so. She is a couple of years older than me. How does it matter anyway? I love Zoya,’ Rohan replied.
‘You are seriously lucky. An older woman lusting after you. Gosh, I have always fantasized about my teachers having a crush on me, but they always threw me out of their classes instead,’ I winked.
After talking for some time, we left and went back home. Everyone always asks me how Rohan and I gel so well with each other, and I say to them ‘We just understand each other.’ There were times when we both wouldn’t say anything to each other but knew what we needed. We would talk every night on the phone and my mom would end up asking how we always had so much to say to each other. I’d always tell her ‘We are best friends, not brothers.’ Family has nothing to do with blood. Family is the people you love and the people who count on you and love you right back. I loved Rohan and he counted on me.
I decided to stay back in Pune for a few days. I needed a change from my hectic life. Rohan and I ended up missing a family function just to hang out together. We needed a reason to skip it anyway, and hanging out together seemed like the best one. So, we decided to chill and enjoy our time together at ‘Dhuaa’. The place served one of the best hookahs in the city. It had an amazing ambience and the beautiful rooftop view of the city was utter perfection. We ordered ‘Jannat Hookah’ that had a special base of vodka and whiskey.
‘You want to order starters?’ I asked Rohan once our Hookah was served.
‘Let’s order some Pattaya?’
Pattaya was his favourite dish—a Malaysian dish made by wrapping chicken fried rice in fried egg. Rohan inhaled the drags of smoke one after the other, excitedly, and felt a little tipsy after sometime because of the alcohol base of the hookah.
‘You are acting like a guy who, upon seeing a naked girl after years, pounces on her instantly and climaxes within minutes. You’re only human, Rohan, so enjoy the foreplay, the flavour,’ I teased snatching the pipe from him.
‘I am just bit upset because of Zoya. I’m confused if I should let her go or hold on to her,’ he added.
‘Let time decide. You don’t have to think about it. Nothing’s in our hands. Ultimately the person who is meant to be with you will stay and the rest will leave, in their own time,’ I said trying to console him.
‘I hope the surprise date that I have planned for her changes her decision of moving on.’
‘Take it easy, Rohan. I mean, go slow on the hookah. It will be difficult to handle you later,’ I joked to lighten up his mood. We soon left for Rohan’s house.
Due to the family get together, everyone had gone to our farmhouse in Baner, so there’d be only the two of us in his house at night. I was partially happy about that since I would not have to worry about getting Rohan home so drunk, even though Rohan was having difficulty to walk even a few metres by himself.
Somehow I managed to drag Rohan out of Dhuaa in his intoxicated state. We searched for an auto as we had no other mode of conveyance. His parents had taken the car with them, and he had left his bike at the service centre. I had always hated public transport facilities in Pune and that night was no different. No one was ready to come to NIBM area and with no options left, we started walking to his home. Rohan kept his hands around my shoulder and was walking with my support. Suddenly, a gang of girls on bikes slowed down near us and started passing lewd comments.
‘Champu, are you both gay?’ one of the girls shouted.
I couldn’t see their faces as they had scarves covering it—typical Punekar biker style. When I turned towards Rohan, I realized why they were teasing us. Rohan was leaning on my shoulder, and it almost looked like he was kissing me. By the time I shifted Rohan’s weight on my other shoulder, an auto stopped beside us. Without telling him where to go, we both sat inside and told the driver to drive straight. The girls disappeared after a few seconds.
‘Rohan yaar. You embarrassed me in front of the hot chicks! Behave, you asshole,’ I shouted.
‘What did I do? I was just resting my head because of the terrible headache I have,’ Rohan muttered.
Dammi
t. Do you realize how hot they were? Your drunkenness has cost me a chance to score with them. They looked so ravishing in those tiny shorts. We could have…’
I was about to complete my statement when the gang appeared again and started passing the same comments. Rohan was again leaning on my shoulder the way a girlfriend leans on her boyfriend.
‘You both look like you’re made for each other. You can continue romancing. We are not looking at you,’ one of them shouted and they all started laughing loudly.
Rohan looked at them but didn’t react.
‘If they’re so interested in our love-life, ask them to join us and we can have a group-some! ‘ I whispered in Rohan’s ears.
Rohan, clearly not in his senses, asked them if they were interested in joining us.
‘No, we’re not gay like you,’ one girl in teeny-tiny shorts replied.
I couldn’t control my laughter any longer. I knew they would tease him more and that’s why I provoked him to tease them as well. The trick worked and soon the girls left us to our misery. Rohan started insisting I drop him off at his French tutor’s house. I tried to calm him down and change his mind, but he kept insisting, saying that he would be back in an hour. I took the house keys from him and dropped him at his tutor’s apartment which was not that far from his place. I waited in the auto till Rohan entered her apartment. Once he did, I left.
Her apartment was on the second floor. Rohan rang the bell to her apartment a couple of times.
‘Riddhima, it’s me, Rohan. Open the door.’
‘Coming! Just hold on for a second,’ Riddhima shouted from the kitchen.
After completing her education in Pune, Riddhima had chosen to stay in the city that she had grown to love over the years. She taught French in her free time. She was short, with a wheatish complexion and sharp, bright eyes. With her amazing way of speaking and great presence of mind, she could win anyone’s heart. She always lived for the moment and believed ‘Unplanned moments are always better than planned ones’. Her short hair suited her personality and her perfect curves made her look amazing, no matter what she wore. She had a tattoo on her upper back that give her an edgy look. She was an independent girl who would spend hours wearing makeup. She also loved wearing junk jewellery. She had been teaching Rohan for quite some time now and since they belonged to the same age group, they just clicked. She treated Rohan more as a friend than a student. Somewhere in the corner of her heart, she had developed feelings for Rohan despite knowing that he loved Zoya. However, she kept her hopes up as she was also aware of the complications in Rohan and Zoya’s relationship.