Vikrant was stunned. Such a cold reaction from his dream girl? The one who looked so cute and innocent? Looking at her, no one could predict she would be so rude with a stranger who was talking to her for the first time. Or maybe not! A thought struck him. Why did Anamika say that she knew her? Did the two have a connection?
‘I want to talk to you. May I? If you permit,’ Anamika added.
‘Tell me fast. I don’t have time,’ she replied again in the same rude tone.
Vikrant was hearing his dream girl’s voice for the first time but somehow he didn’t like the tone.
‘Look, I know that you are aware of everything. But you are taking things the wrong way. He is not serious about this relationship,’ Anamika stated and looked at Vikrant.
‘What the fuck!’ Vikrant muttered.
‘Sssh. Let me talk,’ Anamika interrupted and continued, ‘Believe me, he is not serious about this relationship and nor can he get serious with anyone. He just wants… Leave it. I am here to talk about something else,’ Anamika said in a husky voice.
Anamika had left Vikrant completely speechless, clueless, and motionless. What was happening was beyond him.
‘Please, can you be a little quick? I don’t have so much time,’ she muttered again.
Her rudeness was getting on Vikrant’s nerves and he finally broke the silence. He knew that if he did not speak at that moment, she would think he was a coward and would never take him seriously.
‘Actually, I wanted to have a word with you. Can we be friends? Or slightly more than that? Don’t take this the wrong way,’ Vikrant stammered.
She understood what Anamika and Vikrant were trying to say. It really pissed her off and she remained silent for a minute. This silence was probably an indication of something horrible coming Vikrant’s way. After a lot of hesitation, she finally spoke. Rather pounced on her.
‘Look Anamika. Whatever you have done is enough. Now I don’t want your sympathy. Please leave me alone. There is no need to introduce me to strangers showing you care. I am not so desperate that I will go around sleeping with the first boy I meet. As you know, I have already faced a lot because of you. Now I don’t want any more trouble. So please stay out of my way,’ she shouted.
‘You are misunderstanding me. Please…’ Anamika replied but was interrupted in between.
‘I told you to stay away. Do you get that or not? It’s because of you that I got insulted so badly. Because of you that bastard slapped me. If you would not have come in between us, Anamika, I would have still been Anurag’s girlfriend. It was all because of you, you bitch. Don’t try to play these mind games with me. Did Anurag send you saying Sanaya is hurt and please look for some decent guy for him? You thought that you would introduce me to this guy who is popular because of your band and I would readily say yes? Oh please! I am not as cheap as you. So STAY AWAY!’
As she tried to run away, Anamika held her hand and pulled her back. The other people in the metro were having a good time at their expense. After a long list of accusations and blame games, they parted ways. Moments later, their station arrived and both Anamika and Vikrant got down. Her name hit him hard. Sanaya. He had heard it from Yuvi. He didn’t expect Sanaya to be the girl in the metro! All his dreams were shattered in a second.
Sanaya! Sanaya! Sanaya! Anurag’s Ex-Girlfriend. He kept repeating those words over and over again. The picture was now clear. How badly he wished to be there in the canteen when Yuvi had met Anurag’s Ex-girlfriend Sanaya. That very moment he would have known his dream girl was none other than Sanaya! Firstly, Anamika had decided to move on from Anurag and now if Vikrant would have approached Sanaya, Anurag would have lost it. How unfair was destiny. There is a saying ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ But that did not hold true for Sanaya. His dream girl was out of his sight, but he couldn’t get her out of his mind. He had started loving her and erasing all those dreams in a day was impossible for him.
Anamika was caught in between all the mess. She felt that because of her, Vikrant’s love story had ended even without beginning. She ended hers with Anurag on her own will. Sanaya unnecessarily cursed her without knowing the reality. If Anurag was violent with Sanaya then he was violent with Anamika too. It’s her luck she managed to escape in time! Her relationship with Anurag had become a barrier for Vikrant.
One moment is all it takes for your world to collapse, crash, and then burn. Happiness is a whore. It lures you in and before you know it, you’re spreading your legs for her. And it fucks you. Leaves you hurt and devastated.
Mia Bella
15th September, 2013, Around 3.30 am
‘Oh gosh! That metro girl was Sanaya! You had absolutely no clue she was from your college? I mean you had never seen her in the college premises?’ I asked him with a look of surprise.
‘I know it’s strange. But I never paid attention to anyone in college apart from my band group and a few classmates. So knowing about her was next to impossible. We had so many students in our batch itself that I never interacted with and Sanaya was from our senior batch. So there was no possibility of me knowing her,’ Vikrant added.
‘But Yuvi never told you?’ Sakshi questioned.
‘We never discussed this topic in detail. Rather, I never told them about it. The only time I discussed her with them was when I had walked out on the performance before the show to follow her and had to justify my sudden departure to them later. They were not even aware that I loved some girl they knew about,’ Vikrant replied taking the last sip of his drink.
The three of them were experiencing so many things in such a short space of time that the listeners were bowled over.
Every decision that we take leads us down a different road. Every decision has some significant impact on our life. Vikrant didn’t have any choice. He had to make a decision whether to proceed ahead in his love story or apply breaks to it. He had to be sure about his decision as it would have a deep impact on their lives.
We cannot beg someone to stay if they want to leave. Love doesn’t give us the license to own a person. When a relationship of love is developed, a bond of trust is formed. There is an unspoken agreement that the two are committed to each other and will not cheat. So when one of them chooses to be intimate with another person, they break all the bonds of trust. Sanaya felt the same as Anurag had cheated on her with Anamika. Within no time he had switched over to someone else, like he was just waiting for their relationship to end. Did he find something in Anamika that was missing in Sanaya? Sanaya had even moved on but thinking of the memories still hurt. She was not yet aware that Anurag had tried to hurt Anamika.
‘You did not approach Sanaya after that?’ Sakshi asked.
‘I thought we would land in a big mess if I approached her. I still loved her and wanted her to be mine even after knowing that she was my senior and Anurag’s ex-girlfriend. I was ready to accept her the way she was because I knew that she was hurt and had gone through a lot at that time. I thought about her situation and realized she wasn’t to be blamed for it. Anyone else would have reacted the same way.’
‘You are one strong champ. To accept the things as they are is never easy. You still craved for Sanaya’s love. I respect such people in my life as I know how it feels when your loved ones walk away from your life,’ I said getting sentimental.
We are made up of different personas and to show your real self to the world is always difficult. To accept reality is a challenge. But life brings you to a stage where you need to accept the hardest of truths and move on for those who still love you and want you in their lives. Vikrant was one of them. He knew that Sanaya was Anurag’s girlfriend and taking a chance on her would be risky for the entire band. He decided to take a back seat but didn’t erase her thoughts completely from his mind.
‘Did Anamika break up with Anurag that night?’ Sakshi asked Vikrant.
‘Anamika didn’t like the way Anurag treated her. She was not a sex toy, God dammit. He had tried to get physical with her against her wi
ll. Now that’s not the right way to prove your manhood or treat your girlfriend. He later on claimed that he truly loved Anamika and was sorry for that night but Anamika didn’t give a fuck.’
‘You mean he approached her later?’ I asked curiously.
‘Yes. He did. Not the next day. Anamika expected him to approach her the next day but that didn’t happen. In fact on Monday, 27th August, we met Sanaya in the metro as I told you before. I knew things would get worse. Anamika had unknowingly disclosed to Sanaya that she never wanted a long-term relationship. Sanaya wanted an opportunity to show her superiority over Anurag and she got that.’
‘How bitchy is that. Why the hell did she tell Anurag about it when she hardly cared?’ I shouted.
‘Girls will be girls, after all,’ he smiled and continued, ‘Ask Sakshi what she would have done in case she would have got to know that her ex-boyfriend was dating a girl who never loved him but just used him as a protective shield? She would have told him he was a loser. Sanaya did the same.’
I still wondered what Sanaya was going to gain from it. I guessed that this would be the only reason that the band performance got screwed. I was curious to know Anurag’s reaction.
‘Then what happened? Did Anurag hit…’ I asked but Vikrant interrupted.
‘No. He tried to. As he got to know the dark reality behind their relationship, he approached Anamika the next day with his group of friends. He abused her badly and tried to pounce on her. Yuvi was unavailable that time in college but luckily I was present. There were some blows exchanged and before the situation could get worse, some students stopped both parties. Anurag left the place and didn’t come in her way again. Anamika didn’t react to the entire scenario but was worried about how Yuvi would react once he came to know about it.’
‘Oh yes. He had already warned her many times,’ Sakshi said.
‘I think Yuvi and Kashish were the luckiest. They had a smooth relationship and everything was going well. Isn’t it?’ I smiled.
‘Yes. You are right. They were one such couple whom you could look up to. Kashish stood by him whenever he needed her and that is what you expect from your love,’ Vikrant added.
Taking care of a man is not a tough job. All you need to do is pamper him and stay by him when he needs you. No other special gifts are needed. However, taking care of a woman is a challenging job. This is especially true if you are her boyfriend and trying to figure out what she wants. Yuvi had managed to do that for a long period. Anamika wished for someone like Yuvi who could lighten her life. Vikrant craved for his love Sanaya to walk into his life and make his life worth living. Sanaya had moved on but was not ready to accept Vikrant’s proposal. Anurag was suffering the same pain of betrayal that he had given to other girls in the past. Now when he had really started loving Anamika, he had got a slap on his face. The sound of that slap echoed so loudly that it hurt his ego.
None of us knew whether they would really be together or end upalone. If they did meet, then what would be the outcome?
‘Vikrant, tell me one thing. Did all this affect your band? What happened later?’
‘Yes it did. It not only affected us, it ripped us apart.’ He closed his eyes and I could see tears rolling down.
From ‘Love You’ to ‘Fuck You’
Have you ever wondered why we always think we will look back at our tears and laugh but never think we will look back at our laughter and cry? Vikrant wanted Sanaya to at least give him a chance to express himself. He was not like those guys who would stamp on her heart and walk away. If someone had looked inside his heart, he would have seen the wounds she had left behind. But rejection had only made him stronger and he waited for the right moment to strike a conversation with her.
A person who rips your heart into pieces by playing with your feelings forgets that there could be a person who could tear him apart too. Anurag was heartbroken and wanted to prove his love to Anamika even though his ego was badly hurt. He somehow kept a check on his anger and decided to approach Anamika once.
Yuvi too came to know about Anamika’s break up but didn’t really raise the topic with her or with anyone else. Was it because of his fear of getting attracted to Anamika? Or because of her increasing popularity which made him a bit jealous? He never showed any disrespect towards her and preferred to keep a safe distance from her as he knew the sacrifices Kashish had made for him.
As the days passed, their college life sailed on smoothly with college tests, fests, and dhamaal masti. VAYU was gaining popularity all over the city. Vikrant, Anamika, and Yuvi had become the favourites of the entire university and their fan pages on social networking sites gained popularity rapidly. Their wall was full of fan posts and Anamika’s wall was full of comments like ‘I love you’, ‘How cute’, and ‘Sexy lady, wanna go out on a date with me?’. Yuvi envied her for this though it helped in the band’s popularity.
‘Anamika, let me drop you. It’s getting dark,’ Yuvi offered.
It was around 9 pm and both Anamika and Yuvi had stayed back in the college for some work. Yuvi offered to drop Anamika home as he thought it was not safe for her to go back alone at such a late hour. Anamika agreed and got into the car.
‘Thanks,’ she said with a smile on her face.
‘Don’t be so formal. You think I was going to let you travel alone so late, especially in a place like Delhi?’ He looked at her when he spoke and opened the door of his car to let her in.
‘So are you ready for the music competition? I hope we bring home the trophy this year,’ Yuvi said.
‘Yes. I know we will do it. We just need to give our best shot. It will be an important day for us.’
In the coming week, they had to give a live performance at a music festival and on the basis of that, the best band would win the trophy. Rajhans College wanted to win the trophy that year anyhow and they were banking on VAYU for it. It was cold outside and Yuvi had switched on the heater in the car. Once it got warm, Anamika removed her coat and kept it on the back seat. Yuvi turned to look at Anamika. She was wearing skin-fit denims and a red tube top. Her red highlights sparkled under the lights. Yuvi looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.
‘Why are you staring at me?’ asked Anamika.
Yuvi just smiled and said, ‘What happened between you and Anurag? Even though you didn’t mention anything to me, Vikrant told me everything.’
‘Yes, I just told him that it didn’t last long. Anyway, chuck it. It was anyhow not supposed to last that long,’ Anamika replied casually.
‘You really think so? Actually it lasted longer than I expected. I thought it will get over in a fortnight,’ Yuvi replied.
Yuvi realized he shouldn’t have said it but he breathed a sigh of relief when Anamika started laughing loudly.
‘That is also true. That’s a positive way of looking at things,’ she continued laughing.
They reached her locality after a few minutes and upon Anamika’s insistence, Yuvi stopped the car on the main road itself, a few feet away from her apartment.
Anamika took her coat and was about to get down when Yuvi said, ‘Anamika, remember I wanted to tell you something when you were going to Anurag’s house?’
Anamika nodded. Soft music played in the background. Anamika’s heart was pounding and her palms sweating even in the cold. She had been anxious since the day Yuvi had told her he wanted to say something. She thought the moment had come. She always felt Yuvi would never really make an attempt to share his life with her, maybe because they hadn’t spent time alone as she had with Vikrant. This was just the second time Yuvi had shown her how he felt.
‘You were going to tell me something,’ Anamika reminded him breaking the silence.
‘Nothing. It’s getting late. You should leave,’ Yuvi whispered.
Anamika just smiled and left. Yuvi waved at her and sped away. What did Yuvi want to say? She walked alone on the street towards her apartment. Thinking about her past, she cursed herself for being with Anurag
. She kept thinking what the relationship meant to the both of them. Though she had a motive behind the relationship, she was a girl who craved for true love, for appreciation, and for someone to show her the right way. Someone who cared for her and understood her. Anurag was certainly not the one!
She kept walking on the empty street when she heard footsteps behind her. At this hour, normally there is no one walking around. She feared turning back. She kept walking and increased her speed. The footsteps were getting louder. She was sure there was someone following her. In a fraction of a second, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat. ‘Anamika. It’s me. I need to talk to you.’
The voice sounded familiar. She turned around and came face to face with her worst nightmare. It was Anurag!
Was he bloody following me for the whole day? Why is he here? Does he want to hurt me? Will he be violent once again?
‘Why are you here at this hour? Go away; I don’t want to talk to you,’ she shouted.
Anurag was hurt, broken and felt betrayed. Every playboy or Casanova needs that one girl in his life who can make him realize what true love is. For Anurag, that girl was Anamika.
‘I admit I made a mistake and crossed the boundary with you. I know it’s hard for you to forgive me. I insulted you and your self-respect. But I didn’t mean to hurt you. I am sorry yet again for causing you pain which was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I don’t know what you think about me, but don’t you agree that everyone has a past? I hope you listen and see it in my eyes. I am sorry Anamika. I apologize for my mistakes sincerely.’
He went on and on until Anamika interrupted him.
‘Look Anurag, Sanaya had told you everything, right? So why are you creating a scene all over again? I know you will get over it easily by dating some other chick who will allow you to do all those things that you wanted in a relationship. Come on, even you know that guys like you can never change.’
The more intimately you are involved with another person, the more difficult it becomes to say I’m sorry. Anurag was certainly involved with Anamika but his treatment was wrong. It is very easy in the heat of the battle to hurt your partner in a very sensitive place. But to repair those wounds is never easy. No wonder Anamika didn’t listen to any of his apologies or promises as they all sounded fake. Anurag tried to hug her, kiss her, and get hold of her in every possible way but that didn’t work. Anamika didn’t want to entertain him anymore and just walked into her apartment. Anurag’s ego and his love were shattered one more time. He couldn’t take it anymore. It was unbearable for him to get hurt repeatedly by a girl whom he wanted in his life. He texted Anamika before leaving:
Sorry, You're not my Type Page 8