You're the Password to My Life Read online

  SUDEEP NAGARKAR

  You’re the password to my Life

  RANDOM HOUSE INDIA

  Contents

  A Note on the Author

  Prologue

  A Slightly Insane Friendship

  More Than ‘Just Friends’

  Dhuaa

  It’s Hard to Let Go

  Life is Not Always Fair

  Your Flaws Are Perfect

  Were We Never Meant to Be?

  Dreaming of You

  Yes, I Cared…

  Unofficially Yours

  You Gave Me a Hangover

  A Different Kind of Pain

  Trust Me, I’m Freaking Serious!

  Candy Crush My Heart!

  There Can Never Be Another You

  Dreams Are For Real

  Everything Happens For a Reason

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  Follow Random House

  Copyright

  A Note on the Author

  Sudeep Nagarkar is a popular contemporary Indian writer and has authored four bestselling novels –Few Things Left Unsaid (2011), That’s the Way We Met (2012), It Started With a Friend Request (2013), and Sorry You’re Not My Type (2014).

  All his books continue to top the bestseller charts since their release. He is the recipient of the 2013 Youth Achievers’ Award.

  After completing his Engineering from Mumbai, he pursued management studies from Welingkar Institute of Mangement and now also writes for television. He has given guest lectures in various renowned institutes and organizations. For more information about Sudeep, you can visit www.sudeepnagarkar.in or get in touch with Sudeep via his:

  Facebook fan page: facebook.com/sudeepnagarkar.official.fanpage

  Facebook profile: facebook.com/sudeep.nagarkar

  Twitter handle: sudeep_nagarkar

  Email: [email protected]

  Also by Sudeep Nagarkar

  Sorry, You’re Not My Type

  It Started With a Friend Request

  That’s the Way We Met

  Few Things Left Unsaid

  To the eternal bond that Virat and Kavya share

  Zindagi ko badalne me waqt nahi lagta,

  Par kabhi kabhi waqt ko badalne me zindagi lag jati hai!!

  Prologue

  We all have that one person in our lives in whose absence our existence seems utterly meaningless. For some people, that person is a friend—a family you choose instead of being forced into liking. No matter how much you argue with your friends over little things, ultimately you love them for exactly who they are. None of those petty, expensive gifts or sweet words mean anything if one can’t appreciate the little things that matter.

  Rohan was lucky enough to have the best of both: a friend to live for and a love to die for. A friend who would confidently lie to his parents just to go out with him and a girlfriend who was slowly and discreetly penetrating his heart and soul.

  It was the evening of Rohan’s relationship anniversary. Rohan had left for his girlfriend Riddhima’s place and his friend Virat, too, was on his way. Rohan had made all the preparations for a perfect evening. As he took out his mobile phone from his pocket, he scrolled through Riddhima’s pictures in his gallery for a while, then read the text message he had received, and started typing a reply:

  You will look ravishing covered in my kisses. You always ask me whether you are better than my ex or not, so let me tell you the truth today—no one can be compared to you, my love. I love you so much and I wonder to myself why? You know what they say—when you know why you like someone, it’s a crush and when you can’t think of a reason or explanation, it’s love.

  He read the message once again before pressing the send button. He then thought of deleting the text message from his phone. After all, it had only been a day since they started seeing each other. He feared what Riddhima would think about him. But the best conversations are those that never take place, like the messages that we never send.

  Rohan reached Riddhima’s house and knocked on the door. She let him inside, though something had changed this time; earlier he used to visit her to learn French while now he was here to teach her how to French kiss, if the stars favoured him. He called Virat to ask him where he was and how long he’d take to reach.

  ‘I am on my way. Will reach in half an hour. Extremely sorry, buddy. I am still stuck in traffic,’ Virat lied.

  He was not struck in traffic but caught up in another meeting—one with his best friend. A girl can be your best friend, your worst enemy, or your worst nightmare. It all depends upon how you treat her. Virat treated her like a princess but always asked her when would she start looking for a guy to fall in love with to which she would reply, ‘I don’t need someone so mature that I can’t act immaturely around him. What I need is someone who adores my immaturity and maturely understands me.’ They’d end up fighting over issues like these and would stop talking to each other for days.

  She was supposed to travel back to her hometown that night, all by herself. He never liked the fact that she travelled alone. But she loved adventures and it was beyond Virat’s control to win an argument with her.

  Virat was about to reach Rohan’s place when suddenly he took a U-turn in high speed. The other cars came to a halt the moment Virat took the sudden turn and sped away. While he was waiting for the signal to turn green, he received a message. He immediately called on the unknown number and before the person on the other end could explain the whole thing, he ended the call. Suddenly, he felt numb—like his whole world had come crashing down. He couldn’t believe his ears. It was, by far, the worst news of his life.

  His hands shivered as he accelerated the car. After a few minutes, he got a call from Rohan again.

  ‘Where are you? Stop following girls and come here right away.’

  ‘Rohan, I’m not coming. I am extremely sorry but I need to see someone urgently. Please don’t take this the wrong way,’ Virat said with a heavy voice.

  ‘What happened?’ Rohan asked sensing the gravity of the situation.

  Without uttering a word, Virat disconnected the call and parked his car. He got out and started walking when he realized that he’d forgotten to lock the car, yet again.

  ‘How many times do I need to tell you to check whether the doors have been locked properly or not? You are so careless, Virat. This is unacceptable.’ He remembered her chiding him and a tear rolled down his eyes.

  All the crazy moments that they had spent together came rushing back like a flashback in front of his eyes. He remembered their long drives and the way she tickled him sitting beside him in the car. An empty smile, unspoken words, and a broken heart; it was killing him. Their relationship did not flourish as intended. Perhaps, it would go somewhere better. All the good memories and the precious moments they had shared with each other had been scattered in a fraction of a second.

  Sometimes we play with our lives, but when the time comes for us to get serious, life plays with us. Rohan was expecting Virat to celebrate his newfound happiness with him, but now even Rohan was worried for Virat. Riddhima was confused by the way Rohan was acting and wanted to know what had happened.

  Whenever he faced a difficult time, she would be the first person to be by his side. Now he was missing that support of hers. Virat was missing the support of his best friend, Kavya.

  A Slightly Insane Friendship

  Mid July, 2009

  ‘Kavya, what are you doing here at this hour? You act like my mom. She also had this habit of waking me up early in the morning for no reason whatsoever. It’s so annoying!’ Virat muttered still half-asleep. Kavya was kicking his butt in an attempt to wake him up.

 
Virat and Kavya were both students at Biosis College, Pune.

  I wanna make up right now, na na…wish we never broke up right now, na na…

  The song was playing on repeat on the stereo and Virat slept without a care in the world. Kavya kept a duplicate key of his room with her precisely for situations like these.

  If it were up to Virat, he would sleep all through the day.

  ‘You can never get up on your own, can you? You should throw away your alarm clock. It’s of no use,’ Kavya complained shaking him up.

  Kavya was a tomboy, completely extrovert in nature. She made friends easily unlike Virat and loved playing sports and riding a bike. Although slightly plump, she carried herself with grace and was always full of energy. She never wore anything that would make her look like a slut. She was a hardcore foodie at heart and loved to experiment with her taste buds. Her favourite hobby was teasing boys and she didn’t spare Virat whenever she got a chance.

  Kavya stayed in Kothrud, Pune. She was extremely bold and forthright, and did not care if people took her the wrong way.

  ‘How can you kick me in my own house?’ Virat looked annoyingly at Kavya with his eyes half open.

  ‘Oh please! This is not your house. This wouldn’t even classify as a “house”. Look at that dirty underwear of yours hanging on the rope. It’s so old it’s covered in holes! And those socks of yours? They stink so bad that I need to carry a room freshener with me every time I come to your house,’ Kavya said with an expression of disgust on her face.

  He barely made note of her complaints and went back to sleep, asking her not to disturb him for another 15 minutes.

  Virat was a smart and witty boy, with an extremely good sense of humour. His only vice was that he was extremely lazy. Kavya would try her best to talk him out of sleeping so late, but he wouldn’t listen. He always wore a stubble on his fair skinned face and the style helped him woo girls. Like Kavya, he would never bother himself with what people thought about him and was never ashamed to express what he felt. Though he would take his time to befriend people, he was never outrightly rude to anyone. He feared getting into a serious relationship as the early demise of his parents had scarred him forever. He knew how to charm everyone in his presence and could talk to anyone with ease. He stayed with his aunt in Mumbai during his school days and later, when he started going to Boisis College to study Commerce, he took up a flat on rent near his college.

  He met Kavya in the same college and they hit it off instantly. She tolerated him and adored him while he had her back, always. All the other girls? Well, they were friends. Friends with ‘benefits’.

  ‘Get up, you kumbhkaran. Look at how late it is. I hope you remember we were supposed to go shopping today,’ Kavya said and went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

  By the time she entered the bedroom, Virat had taken a bath and was getting ready.

  ‘That is so sweet of you. That’s why I call you my best friend,’ she said pulling his cheeks.

  ‘Stop sugarcoating me. I said I’ll come and I always live up to my promise. So let’s go,’ he said adjusting the collar of his t-shirt.

  ‘Wear your pants, at least,’ Kavya said pointing to the towel wrapped around his waist.

  ‘Stop instructing me on the proper dress code when you aren’t dressed in salwar kameez either,’ he laughed looking at the skirt she was wearing.

  ‘Who do you think you are, a stud?’ Kavya asked.

  Virat ignored the question and grabbed a comb from the dressing table, eating his breakfast simultaneously. This annoyed Kavya. To set him straight, Kavya knew just what to do. Virat had a few oversized shirts in his wardrobe that he had never worn before.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Virat asked her when she picked up one of the oversized shirts and went to the washroom to change.

  ‘You’ll see in a minute,’ Kavya replied cheekily as she closed the door of the bathroom. What excited Kavya was a nightmare to Virat. When she came out, she was wearing nothing but an XXL size shirt with a waist belt. The shirt barely covered her thighs.

  ‘Have you lost your mind?’ he screamed.

  ‘If you can wear those tiny boxers of yours and roam around freely in the house, why can’t I go out shopping like this? Doesn’t it look sexy?’ Kavya asked checking herself out in the mirror.

  ‘I am not coming with you if you are going out wearing that. Tell me, you are kidding, right?’ Virat was completely baffled.

  ‘Don’t you dare challenge me. If you lose, tonight’s drinks are on you.’

  Saying so, Kavya pulled Virat by the hand and took him downstairs. She refused to go via his car and ignited her scooty. Virat was completely embarrassed. He looked around to see if anyone was watching them. Kavya was enjoying Virat’s embarrassment and couldn’t control her laughter. While driving, Kavya’s shirt would slide up a bit, and Virat would try and pull it down for her, much to Kavya’s amusement. Whenever the scooty would halt due to heavy traffic, they would become the centre of attraction as all eyes would be fixed on them. All Virat could do was hide his face under the helmet.

  ‘Kavya, this is not done. Can’t we just go back to our room?’ Virat pleaded.

  Kavya was in no mood to listen and continued to drive until they reached SGS mall on MG Road. Even the person who handled their parking ticket in the mall took his own time to check out Kavya.

  ‘You son of a bitch…’ Virat was unable to control his anger but calmed down when Kavya pinched his thigh.

  He had never witnessed such an embarrassing situation before in his entire life and decided not to wear his tiny boxers, not even at home. Theirs was a crazy relationship where nothing was off limits.

  ‘It’s not over yet. We still have to go shopping inside the mall,’ Kavya winked at Virat.

  Virat had no other option than to comply with her wishes. From the security guards to each and every person in SGS mall, everyone stared at them, probably because she looked weird to them or because they wondered why Virat was on the verge of crying even when he was with a sexy-looking girl. Kavya was enjoying herself to the fullest. She was happy that she had won the bet and that Virat would now have to foot the bill. They shopped for her and unsurprisingly, Virat took a keen interest in selecting her outfit so she couldn’t humiliate him again.

  ‘Are you enjoying, darling?’ Kavya said pulling his cheeks as they stood by the billing counter of Westside.

  ‘I will respond suitably when the odds are in my favour,’ he replied as Kavya smiled looking at him.

  They left the mall and rushed back to Virat’s apartment. This was not the first time that Kavya had messed around with him. She could do so repeatedly because they shared such a strong bond with each other. Isn’t this what true friendship is all about? Doing all those crazy things that you can’t do with anyone else? Once they entered his flat, Virat and Kavya burst into laughter. They were completely crazy and loved being with each other. Virat and Kavya’s connection was above time and space.

  ‘Kavya, tell me something…didn’t you feel awkward this morning when you went out in that outfit?’ Virat asked.

  ‘I did feel awkward, but that’s fine. Paagalpanti is the trademark of our relationship. Moreover, I could only do so because you were there with me in your boxers,’ Kavya winked.

  They were both enjoying drinks at the Swig lounge in Koregaon Park. Virat had lost a challenge he had never accepted in the first place. But you can’t win an argument with girls, can you? Swig was one of the coolest places in Pune where you could just lose yourself in the crowd. With an amazing ambience in the evening, the place was an attraction to youngsters and the college-going crowd of the city. It had a prominent bar right at the centre, with wooden tables and chairs, and beautiful stained glass lamps that hung above each table, creating an ambiance of warmth. Virat and Kavya loved coming to this place, especially on Tuesdays when most drinks were served at discounted prices during ‘Happy Hours’.

  ‘Cheers!’ Virat said raising a toast t
o their friendship. It was his fourth glass of the evening.

  ‘Tell me seriously, who was that girl you were talking to yesterday? I’ve never seen you with her before,’ Kavya said giving him an odd look.

  ‘Are you talking about the girl who was wearing a blue dress?’ he asked trying to recall.

  ‘Oh, so you even remember the colour of her dress! You were getting so close with her that I thought…you know…’

  ‘Oh, shut up. I spoke to her for the first time yesterday. I had my reasons. Her name is Mahek. And anyway, I have decided to be serious now. I mean not with her but…you know…I want to be in a committed relationship now. No hanky panky,’ Virat stammered.

  ‘Oh really? Is it you talking or the bottle?’ Kavya laughed.

  ‘I am serious, Kavya. I was talking to her to confirm whether she would be joining Salsa classes or not.’

  ‘Ok, so then?’

  ‘Then what? She is joining. She is an expert at dance and you know how pathetic I am. So I thought maybe she could teach me?’

  Kavya couldn’t stop laughing at the thought of Virat and Mehak as dance partners. She didn’t know if she was imagining things due to the effect of alcohol or was Virat seriously in love. Virat had never been serious about a relationship before although he had dated many girls in the past. So it was quite strange for Kavya to hear from Virat that he was actually getting serious about love. The only serious relationship he had was with Kavya. But it was pure friendship. She decided to ignore his ramblings till he sobered up. She was a bit high as well and decided to leave the matter be. Generally, friends get serious about something or someone in a drunken state. Virat was no different. She called for the waiter.

  ‘Can I get you anything, ma’am?’ the waiter asked politely.

  ‘Ma’am my foot. Tell me, are you giving birth to the chicken? It’s been more than an hour since we ordered the dish. Where is it?’