That's The Way We Met Page 4

  ‘What is it?’ she asked curiously, slowly unwrapping the gift. It was a greeting card on the envelope of which I had meticulously stuck rose petals.

  ‘Oh my God, Aditya. It’s beautiful,’ she said hugging me.

  ‘Wait till you see what’s on the inside,’ I told her.

  She carefully opened the envelope and brought out the card. There she saw a small collage of our photographs pasted on the front cover with an accompanying note inside which said:

  ‘I am so lucky to have found you, Riya. I feel such joy when we sit on the couch and talk. My heart is at peace when we lie down on the floor and cuddle. I get immense pleasure from gently touching your face and feel tremendous passion when I touch your lips. I love holding your hand across the table at a restaurant or while walking together.

  Our love has been assaulted many times and I am convinced that it is true because the longer I am away from you, the greater is my yearning to be with you once again. You are my enchanted Princess, and I am your devoted Prince.

  You honour the man I am, rather than trying to make me someone I am not. I love you because you appreciate me, complete me.

  She stood there stunned for a while, trying to take it all in. But her eyes said everything. Then she gave me a big hug. The crowd was gawking at our public display of affection but we couldn’t have bothered less. Today, she didn’t care at all.

  ‘Why are you staring at me? Kiss me, you fool,’ said Riya puckering up in full public view.

  And what a kiss it was! We stood there embarrassed afterwards, feeling a bit tipsy from the long kiss.

  My mind raced back to the time when I had first proposed to her. I asked her if she had any memory of it.

  ‘How can I forget that, Aadi? That was one of the best moments of my life and I’ll cherish it forever,’ said Riya.

  We then decided to go to the rain dance section. They had a professional DJ who was belting out the latest hits, perfect for us to dance on. We got onto the dance floor as the lights dimmed and added to the romantic ambience. Riya took my hands and locked them around her tiny waist. As we swirled, I lifted her up from the ground—liberating two souls in love.

  The DJ was now entertaining requests for specific songs, so I climbed onto the dais to dedicate one to Riya. Taking the mic from his hand, I said, ‘I love you Riya and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I want to apologize for all the times that I have hurt you. Trust me, it wasn’t done intentionally. What I love about you the most is your spirit of generosity and forgiveness. You never take offence at anything that I say or do and I love you for that. It will take me a lifetime just to tell you how much you mean to me. Your eyes speak volumes. They have so much depth in them. In fact, I find everything admirable about you and thank God everyday for bringing you into my life. Sorry guys for holding up the party here. Coming to the point, Riya I wish to dedicate a song to you to let you know that I will need you till my last dying breath.’

  The DJ played the track I had requested and I started singing the song along with the rest of the crowd.

  Soniyo, O Soniyo, Tumhe dekhta hun toh sochta hun bas yahi,

  Tu de de mera saath, tham le haath, chahe jo bhi baat,

  Tu bas, de de mera saath.

  ‘And all this while, I was thinking you were a bathroom singer. Those were some pretty decent vocals, Aditya. I must say I’m impressed,’ said Riya.

  ‘Ha! My voice is pathetic! Don’t tell me I can sing well,’ I replied.

  ‘Shut up. I know you better than you do. So don’t argue with me. If I say you’re a good singer, then you are. No further discussions on it,’ said Riya.

  ‘Point taken, Madam,’ I replied.

  Once the song ended, everyone cheered for us and gave us a resounding applause.

  Riya told me I was being particularly mushy that day and checked if I was fine.

  Holding her hand in mine, I said, ‘Riya, what is life without passion? The feeling of a shared experience—of waiting to be caressed, wanting to explode—like a wild sensation of fulfilment. When you look into my eyes, it is a feeling that I can’t ignore. You give me all the reasons in the world to believe that you won’t hurt me in anyway. If I ever lose you, I don’t know what I would do. You probably think that I am crazy, but it’s my love for you that makes me behave like one.’

  With that, our day at the water park came to an end.

  While returning home, I was once again preoccupied with thoughts of Mohit and Sonam. I told Riya about my wish to set them up together so that they could get an opportunity to come close.

  ‘Even if Sonam did love Mohit, she won’t speak her heart out. Mohit should instead take the initiative and speak to her.’

  ‘Since Mohit doesn’t have any other friends in Mumbai, the onus of setting them up lies on us too. I will talk to him tomorrow about this in office. You do the same with Sonam and we’ll take it from there,’ I said.

  ‘Yes, that’s a good idea.’ Riya seemed quite excited about the whole thing.

  We reached Riya’s apartment. It had been a great weekend. Riya got down and gave me one last tight hug before retiring for the day.

  Once home, I gave Mohit a call. He told me he had added Sonam on Facebook and that they had been incessantly chatting for the last two hours. I asked him if the conversation drifted towards their feelings for each other. But he told me he didn’t want to risk his friendship with Sonam by expressing his feelings for her since he wasn’t sure she would respond with equal zeal. I decided to have a long talk with Mohit tomorrow in the office.

  Next morning, I called up Riya to remind her that she had to discuss things over with Sonam. I reached the office and went straight to Mohit’s cabin, but he wasn’t in. So I turned on my system and went to the cafeteria for a quick snack.

  Mohit called me and said he would reach in ten minutes. I completed all my pending work and once Mohit arrived, we went to the smoking zone to talk.

  I lit a cigarette and asked Mohit, ‘Whatever you told me yesterday, was it true or were you kidding? I mean are you serious about her?’

  ‘Of course I am. Why do you think I have been spending so much time with her since the past couple of days? I am trying to build a base here, my friend. You think I am faking it or that my intentions are bad? I could have a million girls queued up outside my house, but it is only Sonam that I have truly lost my heart to. I have fallen in love with her, goddammit!

  I had never seen him like this before. He seemed totally smitten by Sonam!

  ‘What kind of questions did you ask her? Does she have a boyfriend?’ I asked curiously.

  ‘No. She is single. Her last relationship was in college three years back. She told me that the reason she broke up with her boyfriend was owing to the fact that he was getting increasingly possessive about her and it was getting difficult for her to handle that. She says she has moved on in life and doesn’t think too much about her failed relationship—I really admire her for that, Aadi. I admit I know very little about her, but I also know that if I were to get married one day, I’d want a life partner like Sonam,’ said Mohit with an honesty that is hard to define.

  ‘That says a lot, my boy. One date and you are thinking of marriage? Neat. You seem to know quite a lot about her. I just hope she likes you as much as you do,’ I replied.

  ‘I think she does. She seemed very eager to get acquainted with me and I can tell she was looking for excuses to call me up,’ said Mohit.

  ‘Dumbass, then why didn’t you propose to her? You should have at least given her a hint that you like her. Do it before she finds someone else,’ I said.

  ‘I fear rejection, Aadi. You don’t understand. I don’t want to lose her even as a friend. Only time will tell what course our friendship takes,’ said Mohit with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

  Soon after, I called Riya and told her about my conversation with Mohit. She told me she had spoken to Sonam who sort of gave her a hint that she too liked Mohit.

  Howeve
r, she is waiting for Mohit to take the first step,’ said Riya.

  ‘Let’s meet today after our respective shifts are over. We’ll chalk out a plan of action to bring them closer,’ I told her.

  I met Riya after the shift as decided. Sonam had left for home by the time I reached. Riya sat on my bike and we cruised comfortably on the road, discussing mission Mohit-Sonam.

  ‘I think we should all meet after our shift tomorrow and go out somewhere. If they spend some more time together, sooner or later they are bound to express their feelings for each other. What do you think?’ I asked Riya.

  ‘Yes, that may work. Tomorrow, there is a wonderful play being staged in Navi Mumbai. My friend gave me for free passes of the same as she handles the stage equipment. She was highly recommending it. The play is a romantic drama and I’ve heard that it is definitely worth watching.’

  ‘Great. I hope it works. However, let them sit separately from us and watch the act. That way, they can have a bit of privacy. Remember when we went to watch our first movie together? Even though the movie was horrible, we failed to notice it since we were so engrossed in each other,’ I smiled.

  ‘I remember very well. You were all over the place. I mean over me,’ she winked.

  ‘So tomorrow it is then,’ said Riya.

  When you fall in love, nothing can change the way you feel. Your heart starts beating like a train on a track. You fail to notice anything around you except for your loved one’s face that keeps looming large over your head. Things like food and sleep become secondary. You don’t even realize that you haven’t eaten all day. You can’t sleep thinking about them and when you are with them, you can barely speak. Mohit was going through the same ordeal. I don’t remember him eating anything during lunch break. If his behaviour for the past two days is anything to go by, love is definitely in the air.

  Hooked and Booked

  We met outside the theatre in Navi Mumbai. The play was called Love is a Losing Game. Various posters had been put up on the bulletin board and walls of the theatre right upto the first floor where the play was going to be staged. We took our tickets and went inside. Once in, we saw that a few people were already seated, patiently waiting for the show to begin. It was a mixed crowd of people across all age groups. But it wasn’t as crowded as I had expected it to be. Riya and I didn’t speak much as we were busy observing Mohit and Sonam who had settled down on their seats two rows ahead of us. The seemed to be having a good time even before the play had started! Riya poked my arm and looked at me in disdain for peeping into their seats. We settled into our seats and the play commenced.

  The narrator’s voice boomed out describing the initial plot to the audience. The two lead characters— Aman and Ananya—had been close friends since school, but this friendship never culminated into anything more.

  As the curtains drew open, the first scene enfolded. It was that of a class trip and showed the lead characters sitting together in a garden gazing into the sky. Ananya expresses her frustration and boredom to Aman, wishing she had a boyfriend with whom she could spend her time. Aman tells her that he feels the same way and thinks they are the only ones in their friend circle who are without a partner. Everbody else seems to have found their perfect ‘other’. They decide to play a game in which both of them will date each other for eighty days to see if they are compatible enough to be together for the rest of their lives.

  How ingenious, I thought to myself.

  Then a stage boy passed by from one end of the stage to the other with a placard saying ‘Day 1’ to indicate the passage of time.

  On their first date, both are shown standing outside a concert hall. Aman gifts Ananya a star-shaped keychain before the show begins. Their awkwardness is quite evident as it is their first date.

  ‘I must say their acting is spot on,’ I mumbled to Riya who nodded in agreement.

  On Day 3, both are shown having a good time at a friend’s birthday party which also marks the first time they hug one another.

  On day 7, the characters are sitting together by the beach, watching the sun go down. As the evening turns into night the snuggled couple gaze at the canopy of stars above. Ananya spots a shooting star and closes her eyes to make a secret wish. Even on constant prodding to reveal what she had wished for, she keeps it to herself, saying to Aman that the divulgence of the wish would only reduce the chance of it coming true.

  On day 18, they spend time at the annual city fair. Aman takes Ananya to the House of Horror where she grabs someone else’s hand by mistake. When she realizes this, both break into laughter.

  On day 50, they kiss for the first time after watching a movie. They pass by a fortune teller who advises them to treasure every moment from now on. Thinking it to be a madman’s mumbo jumbo, both take it lightly and move ahead.

  Day 65 is another day at the beach where they end up getting intimate in the company of the setting sun—a picture perfect moment.

  On day 79, they decide to go on a picnic to the park. While basking in the sun, Ananya requests Aman to get her a bottle of apple juice. Aman says he will be back in no time and walks off to look for a street vendor, making a hurried exit from the stage. Time passes by but there is no sign of Aman, adding to Ananya’s worries. She paces up and down the length of the stage, waiting for him to show up. Then she sees a man walking towards her. He asks her if her name is Ananya. Fearing the worst, she slowly nods her head in agreement. He tells her that he was walking down the street when out of nowhere came this big truck that mowed down a young guy who was crossing the road. He then tells Ananya that he went charging towards the boy who was lying in a pool of blood. That’s when he heard the boy shout Ananya’s name, making him come and look for her.

  Ananya runs over to the spot with the stranger and sees Aman lying injured on the road. Ananya notices that he is still holding onto the juice with a shivering hand. Semi-conscious, he tries to hand over the drink to her. She can’t hold back her tears any further and breaks into hysterical sobs. By that time, a sizeable crowd has gathered around them and one of them hurriedly calls for an ambulance. On reaching the hospital, Aman is carried straight to the emergency room. All Ananya can do at this point is sit outside and wait—for eight long hours.

  The scene changes to a night later. At 11.40 pm, the doctor comes out of the emergency room and says, ‘I am sorry but we did the best we could. His injuries are so grave that he only has a few minutes to live. Here, we found a letter in his pocket. You might want to take a look at it.’

  The doctor hands over the letter to Ananya after which she goes into the room to see Aman. He looks weak, but peaceful. Ananya reads the letter and bursts into tears. The letter says:

  Ananya,

  Our eighty days are almost over and I must say I have spent my life’s best moments with you. I don’t know whether I will be able to tell you how much I love you after all this is over. Maybe that is why I am writing this letter in the first place. Now that I am nearing the end, I want to tell you that the game was a mere ploy to get you to spend time with me. The truth is I have been in love with you since school days but could not get myself to reveal my true feelings. I have and will always love you. I have nothing much to ask for, but just wish that I could extend our time together by another day. I want to be yours forever. I love you, Ananya, and I am sorry for not expressing my feelings before. Hope you will be mine, always.

  Ananya holds Aman’s hand and says, ‘Do you know what I wished for the night I saw the shooting star? I asked God to never let our eighty days together come to an end. You can’t leave me alone like this. I love you. Please come back to me. I really love you, Aman, and have done so since school days but never had the courage to express my feelings.’

  As the clock strikes twelve, Aman’s heart stops beating. His death marks the end of their eightieth day together.

  With this the play came to an end after which the lead protagonists came and stood at the centre of the stage, took a bow to a rapturous applause, an
d graciously departed.

  As I got up from my seat to head towards the exit, I noticed that there was not a single dry eye in the theatre. I heard a few ladies discussing the plot ending, wishing aloud how Aman should have expressed his feelings to Ananya while he was still alive. Their thoughts exactly echoed my own sentiments. But then if one could predict the tragic end, one would refrain from getting into that relationship in the first place, I thought to myself.

  Riya was right. This play was definitely worth watching. The last hospital scene sent shivers down my spine. We went outside the theatre where Mohit and Sonam were patiently waiting for us. All four of agreed that the play was really good. Sitting in the hall for two hours had jammed our legs, so we decided to walk for sometime. Mohit and Sonam were silently walking a few steps ahead of us. It was ultimately Mohit who broke the ice.

  ‘Did you like the play?’ Mohit asked.

  ‘Yes, very much. It made me cry,’ replied Sonam.

  Their conversation ended here. Mohit took out his cell phone from his pocket and started writing a text message. Sonam heard her phone beep.

  Taking out her mobile phone from her bag, she asked, ‘You sent me a message?’

  ‘Just read it, please,’ Mohit replied.

  She read the message out aloud:

  It’s lucky to love someone,

  It’s your fortune to love the one who loves you,

  But it’s a miracle to love a person who can’t love anyone except you

  Seeing the play’s tragic end, I decided to propose to you. I do not want to suffer like Aditya nor keep my feelings to myself. I want to do this before it’s too late. I love you Sonam, ever since our double date with Aditya and Riya. If you love me too, just hold my hand and kiss me on my cheek.

  Mohit was walking straight without looking sideways—too afraid to look at Sonam in the eye. Sonam didn’t react for some time, which made Mohit all the more anxious. I could tell that he was probably rethinking his decision because he had spoken about his feelings in front of all of us. Sonam was walking ahead of him without giving any sort of reaction to the message. Before he could say anything, Sonam held his hand and planted a kiss on his cheek. Mohit was astounded for a moment. He looked above and closed his eyes. Her reaction had left him speechless.