A Night changes everything7
That
conversation was a little lost in the din of the celebrations of JD and Usha’s
25th wedding anniversary, which was a big party, with all their
friends and relatives invited. The Colonel came with his family, Raj came as a
colleague, and Sameer had also invited Sonia.
J.D. had a large and beautiful house. The
party was held in the back garden of JD.’s house. Music and a mild breeze
greeted the guests. People chatted in small groups. Everyone seemed extremely happy.
Anjali,
looking as beautiful as ever, was the apple of two eyes today. Sameer wanted to
spend time with Anjali, but he was busy welcoming guests. As soon as Sonia
entered, Raj saw his opportunity.
“Hello, ladies. You both look beautiful tonight.”
“Thank
you.” Anjali kept it short and curt. She still didn’t know how to handle
attention like this. “Sonia, can you get me a drink?”
Sonia had
no choice but to leave, which left Raj and Anjali alone. Just then, a waiter
walked by. “Would you like one?”
“I don’t
drink. Thank you.”
“Some juice
then?”
Anjali
accepted it and stood there, sipping her drink and waiting for Sonia to come
back. Raj was a smooth talker and soon had Anjali laughing at his jokes, when
Sameer entered. Anjali introduced the two. Anjali excused herself and began
talking to Sameer. Raj, happy with his progress, waited for Sonia and enjoyed
his drink. Just then, Sameer left again to attend to other guests. “Meet me before you leave, Anjali.”
Sonia soon
returned, and the three spent the rest of the evening together. When they were
about to leave, Raj asked Anjali. “Will you have coffee with me tomorrow
evening? If you’re free.”
“Yes, why
not?”
Anjali
didn’t suspect it to be a date. She thought of Raj as a friend, and the evening
had been livened up by his presence.
When they met the next day, Raj was his usual charming self. They got along
well, and Anjali was glad she had come and glad to have found a friend like
him.
“So I just
purchased a piece of land, I want you to come look at it.” Raj expressed his
reason. Raj pretended that he actually wanted to spend more time with Anjali.
“Why me? I am no expert.”
“Yes, but I
need a friendly opinion. I don’t want an expert’s commentary. Will you help me
decide what I can do with it?”
“I really
don’t think I am qualified for this. Ask me about the trends and the fashions
of today, and I will have opinions. I don’t know how can possibly comment on
land acquisitions.”Anjali was studying to be a fashion designer and did not
know anything about land. She told Raj just that.
“Well, just
come. Tomorrow evening suits you?” Anyhow, Raj wanted to spend time with
Anjali.
“Raj,
you’re mad. But okay, it should work.”
Raj didn’t
reply; he only smiled because he had gotten an opportunity again to woo her.
***********
As Anjali
was getting ready, she heard the honk of a car and rushed to open the door.
Sameer entered.
“Oh, it’s
you!”
“Who else
were you expecting?”
“Well, Raj
was supposed to come by. He wants to show me this piece of land he got.”She
told him everything.
Sameer’s
senses were suddenly alert. “Raj. Why would he show you his land? What are you
now, a land expert?”
“No, I’m not a land expert. I told him the same thing. But he insisted, and I couldn’t say no.”
“Oh.”
“Tell me,
how come you are here?”
“I thought
we could catch the latest film.”
“But you
could’ve called. Now we can go tomorrow.”
“I did call,
you didn’t answer.”
“Aha. My
bad. Sorry.”
“But it’s
the first day of Salman’s new film. How can you miss it? Tell him you can’t
make it, there’s an emergency.”
Anjali was a big fan of Salman Khan; she always watched Salman’s films on the first day. She was
now confused. She couldn’t say no to either of the boys, and she just stood
there, wondering how to deal with this.
“Listen,
it’s all right if you say no. Got see his land tomorrow. It’s not going
anywhere.”
Just as Anjali and Sameer were
walking towards his car, Raj spotted them. Perplexed, he called Anjali. She
apologized for the change. “Sorry, Raj, I am going for a movie with Sameer. Can
we go see the land tomorrow?”
“Okay.”
Raj was defeated today. He
didn’t like it, and more than that, he didn’t like Sameer.
**************
The next day turned out to
be better. Anjali was ready when he came, and the two drove to the site. It was
a splendid spot of geography and Anjali was visibly wowed. Secluded, lush with
trees, and a silent stream running at a little distance, this was a perfect
hideaway.
“I plan to build a factory
on part of this land.”
“Why? No.”
“What do you mean, no?”
“Don’t ruin this
perfection. Build a house here. Somewhere, you can close your eyes and relax. “A
factory will ruin this place,” Anjali said, honestly.
“You think so? Let me
think about it.” Anjali walked around barefoot, jumping and hopping over stones
and smiling at the splendor of it all. Raj couldn’t see that smile destroyed
because of a factory. That could be built anywhere. They drove home after
sunset, with a smiling Anjali, an elated Raj and a happy day.
The confrontation
“Hello Sameer. Coffee? Sure.
Come over, I’ll whip it up for you.”
“No, no, that’s boring. Let’s go
out. I will be able to talk more freely outside.”
Anjali was reading a book, one
of her favourite hobbies (watching films was another), and now, comfortable in
her pyjamas, she didn’t quite want to get out of her house. It had been some
time since she had got the peace and quiet to be by herself. She didn’t want to
give it up. But Sameer was persistent. For the millionth time in her time, she
wished she could say no firmly.
“No no, let’s go to the café in
your lane.”
Reluctantly, she got out and
met him. “Let’s go for a drive, there’s something I want to tell you.”
“Will you
talk now?”
Sameer
didn’t answer anything, but the impatience to get out of the traffic showed on
his
Once in the
outskirts, he was a little relaxed and ready to talk.
“So, I
don’t know where to start. Hear me out though, I will try and make sense. You
know, you’re an amazing friend of mine. I really care about our friendship. But
these last few days, my feelings have changed.”
Anjali
stared at him, her heart racing. Her mind was already flipping between yes and
no, and she hoped Sameer would say more because her head wasn’t clear yet.
“These last
few days…”
He was
looking at Anjali now. He leaning in, gently taking her face in his hands and
planted a kiss on her lips, which she responded with equal heat. He let his
hands drop a little lower, gently and then pulled away.
“I love
you. Will you marry me?”
Anjali was
not ready yet with her answer. The whole drive had been a shock and now this.
She didn’t move, her lips trembled a little from the kiss, her eyes blinked,
but she stayed still.
Sameer took
her hands in his. “See, I won’t lie to you. I have had my share of
relationships. But I have never felt this way about anyone.”
A hot red
colour spread throughout her face. Sameer liked to see her blush. But then, she
snatched her hand away.
“Sameer,
did you just drive me out here for a good fuck. You asshole.”
“What? No, no, why would you think that?”
“You just
felt me up. You think I don’t know where this leads?”
“Oh no, no,
that was just in the moment. I swear, I won’t touch you if you don’t like it.”
“It’s not
that. You tricked me. I would’ve never come had I known you had this planned
all along. Take me home, now.”
“You’re
getting me wrong. I am asking you to marry me. Marry, forever. You and I, do you understand?”
“I do.
Okay, sorry. I think I am just a little overwhelmed. I need time to think about
this.”
They drove
home in an uncomfortable silence, and Anjali rushed home without so much as a
goodbye. Sameer just rested his hand on the steering wheel, hoping that this
could somehow be repaired, this fiasco of a proposal.
************
Anjali
locked herself after the date. Why did all love stories have to begin in bed?
Sameer, of all people, deeply disappointed her. Was he like all the other guys? Was
his only intent to get in her pants? Was there anybody who would love, without
constantly thinking about sex? She didn’t trust his proposal at this point. She
needed time to think over this. For the next few days, she ignored him. She
needed both time and space, and talking to him was giving her neither.
************
The next
few days were very restless for Sameer. He continued going to the park, hoping
to catch her, but she avoided the place. He fed the pigeons in her absence,
hoping her friends would pass on a good word for him. One day, on his way to
work, he bumped into Sonia.
“Thank God.
Sonia, can I speak with you for a bit?”
He told her everything.
Sonia, of course, knew everything from Anjali, but she pretended like she
didn’t and heard him out.
“I don’t know, I can try
to help. The most I can do, though, is ask her to speak to you. You convince her
of your innocence.”
“That is more than enough.
Thank you so much.”
That evening, Sonia went
to Anjali's house. Her best friend was lying desolate and lost in front of the
TV, her hands changing the channels, but her eyes fixed on some point beyond.
Her pajamas and ruffled hair gave her a depressed look.
“I met Sameer today.” She
sat next to her friend, took her head in her lap, and patted her. “Have you
thought about his proposal yet? You cannot ignore him forever. Poor guy looks
worse than you.”
“Did he tell you that his
proposal was just a sham, and his only intention was to get in my pants?”
“He told me what happened, Anjali. And he really regrets it, but moments often take over your senses. I
truly believe he loves you and his love is sincere. It’s not like he forced
you. He stopped the moment you said no, didn’t he?” Sonia tried to explain.
“So what? His intentions
were doubtful.” Anjali was still angry.
“Well, it would not be
quite normal for a person in love to not be attracted. Tell me, did you enjoy
the kiss?”
“I don’t know. I was too angry.”
“Well then,
think about it. Don’t push him away. He’s a good guy, he’s a good friend, and he
loves you. Now figure out if you love him too. I am leaving now.”
Anjali played and replayed
the scene in the car a million times that night. Had she liked the kiss?
Hadn’t she kissed him back too? For the first time, she began to picture them
as a couple – the things they’d do, the places they’d go. It wasn’t so
difficult. But would she be happy with him? A whole lifetime together, how
could she know? She needed more time and even some perspective, but she knew it
wasn’t right to keep him in the dark. She had to at least talk to him.
9
THE LOVE & THE LOSS
Raj sat
browsing through the blueprints his architect had created to develop the new
land. His younger brother Rahul sat with him. “But why have you decided to not
build a factory, suddenly? I thought we both agreed to it.”
Raj ignored
him and continued looking at the blueprints. The suggested structure was two
floors and the architect explained the layout in detail. The stream would flow
in the backyard, there would be ample space to stroll around, and he wanted his
bedroom to overlook the valley.
Rahul
interrupted them again.
Raj asked
the architect to leave and then pulled his brother a little closer. “I know I
haven’t had the time to be with you a lot. But tell me, Have you ever loved
someone?”
Rahul
blushed at this. He had always looked at his brother as a father figure and had
never spoken about his love life.
“No dada,
you know I was always far too involved in my studies.”
“And I have
always been super proud of it. But here’s a piece of advice. Nothing brings as
much happiness as being in love. Don’t get so lost going forward, in this
business of life. This whole change from factory to bungalow, is a result of
that same drug – love.” He went ahead to tell him the story of his love for
Anjali and how it had been her suggestion to build a home here and not a
factory.
“Ek the
Shah Jahanjisne Taj Mehal banwaya, aur ek hain aap,doosra Taj Mehal banwana
chate hai…….” Rahul laughed and walked away.
Raj
couldn’t wait to share the news with Anjali and immediately called her.
“Raj, I am
at the mall and very tired. Can we please meet tomorrow?” Anjali said.
“Please,
just one coffee. I’ll pick you up in ten minutes.”
And he did.
When he reached the mall,
she was already waiting at the sidewalk. “This better be important, it’s
already too late to get home.” She got in the car and they drove to the nearest
coffee shop. ‘So here’s the thing. Remember that piece of land we went to? Well,
I have decided that your suggestion was better – a bungalow would be perfect
there. And the first blueprints came in, I really wanted to share them with
you, since this whole thing was your idea.” Anjali didn’t know how to reply,
but the thought made her smile. Raj truly made her feel special, and she enjoyed
it. Raj showed her the many designs that the architect had left with him. One
by one, he explained their features to Anjali and noticed how each made her
expressions change – her nose scrunched up if she didn’t like a design, her
eyes widened if she liked them.
While the two were
engrossed in discussing this, Sameer, who had followed them from the entrance,
sat at a distant table. He was furious. He could sense Raj’s intentions from
afar, although he couldn’t hear what they were talking about. After all the
ignoring, here she was, laughing happily with Raj while he waited for his
answer. He walked out before they spotted him, but he was truly hurt today.
If Raj knew of this, he
would have silently hurrayed at his timing. He had been laying one brick at a
time for his proposal to Anjali, and had he known Sameer had already done it,
he wouldn’t have waited longer. But that’s not what happened.
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