Is love blind? .......Oh yes it is!! - Episode 9

Rangon ke festival Holi aayi………dekhthen hai hamare kahaani mein kya rang laathi hai!!
Holi, the festival of colors is expected to bring happiness to all….It is the best time to forget and forgive…..

Holi party is organized in the college by the students association….All students are excited and in a very joyous mood…..A whole day of celebration is planned….

Anjali was high on spirit…..All these years, she used to celebrate holi with all her friends…Till last year, they would plan the celebration in one of their homes…..They would do a lot of masti and try out lots of pranks on other people……Last year, Aashu, Sheetal and Deepak had come home early in the morning and woke her up with colored water……that remained fresh in her memory…..She was fully drenched and looked like a multi-colored wet hen…..brought a smile in her face even now…..

The holi celebration in college was a much expected event for all of them….They wanted to have maximum fun that year….but all that was before the tiff……

Yet, Anjali hoped that everything will become normal after this celebration……Her hopes were high…..After all Aashu can’t ignore her on holi…..She thought this as the right opportunity to patch up……..

That morning, she tried calling up Aashu…..She wanted to wish her…….Aashu didn’t pick the call….She left it thinking that Aashu might be busy getting ready…..

Her eyes fell on the album which had the memories of the previous year……She picked it up immediately and browsed the pages one by one…..They had laughed so much that day…..The fun and laughter were such that it brought pain all over their body…..

Those memories made her eyes wet.....Tears rolled down from her eyes…..”kaash iss saal bhi aisa hi ho”
She hoped for the best and set off to college…..

She didn’t find her gang in the class room and canteen……
After a small walk, she found them near their favorite hangout…..they weren’t drenched in colors….so she took some powder and went near them quietly……

She first smeared it on Aashu….”Bura na maano…..Holi hai…..Happy Holi dear!!!!”…

Excitement and Happiness spilling in every single word she said….…She expected the same kind of response from her but Aashu responded in a cold manner and in a not so excited voice……” Happy Holi”

Same was the response from Deepak……Sheetal showed a little more excitement but certainly not her normal self…..

Anjali was sure disappointed and heart-broken…..She turned away from them and walked slowly…..Aashu badly felt a urge to call her back, hug her and then of course drench her in colors…..but she didn’t……Deepak tried to convince her “aisi bhi kya naaraz hona….usse bulaao Aashu….”

Aashu was silent…….but was worried and within her mind she was thinking “na jaane woh kahaan jaa rahi hai…..”

When Anjali didn’t return even after a long time, Aashu was worried…

Aashu: kahaan gayi hogi?? Ab tak nahi aayi….

Deepak: kahin ghar toh nahi chali gayi…

Sheetal: usse khudh hi bagaa diya aur ab pareshaan ho rahe ho…..aap log bhi bade kamaal ke ho!!!

Deepak: aur tumne kya kiya?? Usse kyun jaane diya??

Aashu: [irritated] guys plzz….

Deepak: ok ok….kuch sochtha hoom….

Sheetal: socho socho….uss waqt toh tumaara muh bandh tha…

Deepak: [sarcastic] accha….toh phir tum socho…..

Aashu: [she tries Anjali’s phone …but it says “UNREACHABLE”] uski phone bhi nahi lag rahi….chalo..uske ghar chalte hai…

Deepak: [looking to some direction….] uski koyi zaroorat nahi….dekho…woh aa rahi hai….
[All become silent and look in that direction….A light smile brightens up in Aashu’s face…but she hides it when Anjali nears them……]

Anjali appears and behaves differently…..

Anjali: [different overwhelming tone] HELLOOOOOOOO……..sab aise kyun dekh rahe ho???kya main joker ke thara dikthi hoom?

Deepak: tumme kya hua?? Aisi beheky beheky baat kyun kar rahe ho?

Anjali: [rolling her eyes…] mujhe….mujhe kya hua hai??[Looks at herself…] teek taak toh hoom….accha main chalthi hoom…..sab mera wait kar rahe honge…..

Deepak: suno….kahaan aur kaun wait kar raha hai??

[Anjali doesn’t stop…..she walks away…..]

Aashu: Anjali Anjali…. [But she has gone already]

Aashu: yeh kahaan jaa rahi hai??? Deepak, usse rokho plz….
[They go behind her….she goes and mingle with everyone in the ground…..and then start to dance…]

Deepak: zaroor usse Kisi ne bhang pilaya hai….

Aashu and Sheetal: [shocked and shouts together] BHANG!!!!

Deepak: haan….usko dekh kar aisa hi lag raha hai!!

[A song is played……She starts dancing and somebody from behind pushes Siddharth forward to dance with her……She is first embarrassed first but shedding all inhibitions, she starts to dance with him…..As expected, he is more than happy to dance……..]

SONG:
[dhoom taana ta dhoom ta ta na na na , dhoom taana dhir na dhir na
kaise naino se naian milaon sajna, kaise mein aise na ghabrau sajna
kaise aaye aise mohe laaj sajna, chuna na dekho mohe aaj sajna
dhoom taana ta dhoom ta ta na na na , dhoom taana dhir na dhir na
mriganaini tu na jaane, prem kitna mere mann mein hai
yeh bechaini maangti hai, roop jo tere yowan mein hai……

[Aashu, Deepak and Sheetal are not so happy seeing this….They are surprised to see Anjali dancing like this….Few more couples are dancing along with them…..the rest of the students are standing around and seeing the dance…..A romantic atmosphere sets in….Sid is drooling at her while dancing and his mind is bubbling in her love….She is oblivious to all this and is dancing to the tunes happily….She grabs his hand and runs, circles him as part of a dance step…..He is mesmerized by her touch and his hopes soars the sky….]

tera phool sa hai ang, tere ang mein hai rang
tere rang ke main sang goriye
tere rang mein hai roop, tere roop mein hai dhoop
teri dhoop hai anoop goriye
sajna se kahe aaye laaj sajani, choone de ang mohe aaj sajani
dhoom taana ta dhoom ta ta na na na , dhoom taana dhir na dhir na ………]


[At a distance is Kripa…she is also confused at Anjali’s behavior]

Aashu: Yeh Anjali kya kar rahi hai??

Deepak: Aashu, woh hosh mein nahi hai!!

Sheetal: [dreamily] pyar mein aksar aisi hi hota hai……Hosh kho jaati hai!!

[Both Deepak and Aashu glare at her…..The song and dance is over……They see Siddharth trying to talk with Anjali..But they don’t hear what they talk with each other]

Siddharth: [mind voice: yahi mauka hai….mujhe usse baat karna chahiye]

[Anjali is walking away from there when Sid catches her]

Sid: Rukkho Anjali….mujhe tumse kuch kehana hai…

Anjali mujse….kaho….

Sid: Anjali…… [Hesitates….but then when he starts speaking, the loud music and the loud sound of the crowd make his voice inaudible]

Anjali: mujhe kuch sunayi nahi deh raha!!! Zor se bolo….

Sid: [pointing to a lonely place] wahaan chal kar baat karthe hai…..yahaa bohat shor hai….

Anjali: accha….chalo…

[They move out to the far off place. Aashu, Deepak and Sheetal follow them]

Aashu: aao…unke peeche chalte hai….na jaane uss Sid ka kya iraada hai….

Sheetal: Love birds ko disturb karne jaa rahe ho!!! WOW....Bohat mazaa aayega…jaldi chalo….

[Aashu and Deepak get angry but ignore her for the time being….]

Anjali: ab bolo….kya kehana hai?

[Siddharth is nervous but starts talking slowly…]

Siddharth: Anjali…..woh….woh

Anjali: [gets impatient] woh woh kya….jaldi batao….

Siddharth: [mind voice: ab main kya kahoon Anjali…..mera dil ka haal tumme kyun nahi dhik raha!! …pehle kabhi aisi ajeeb si feeling nahi tha….itna nervous bhi nahi hua….mere aankhon mein dekhthi tho saaf dhiktha!!!] 

Anjali: ab bologe ya phir main chalthi hoom…..

[She starts to leave but her leg hits a stone and is about to fall…..Sid catches her before she falls….He holds her tightly and her eyes are forced to meet his…..His hands snake around her body passionately......

Aashu comes in between and pulls back Anjali from him]

Deepak: [angrily pushes him away from Anjali] BACK OFF!!

Aashu: [loudly and in an angry tone] WHAT ARE YOU UPTO ANJALI?  Come with me right now!

Sid: hey hey…..hold on……I need to talk to her in private… 

Deepak: [pushing him away] you have already done your part…..now just shut up and get lost!

Aashu: [glaring at Sid] what do you want to talk?? Tell whatever you want in front of us….

Sid: plzz Aashima….I just need 5 minutes

Aashu: I am sorry Sid….that’s not possible….She is not in her senses and we cannot leave her alone with you in that state….

Deepak: [irritated by Aashu's explanations] why are you giving him reasons??Who the hell is he??? [Turns to Sid] Just get lost!!

[Aashu and Deepak leave dragging Anjali along….Sheetal follows them silently….Sid is angry and irritated to the core of having lost an opportunity to open his heart to Anjali…..]

[After a little walk……]
Anjali: [forcefully frees her hand from Aashu] Aashu, Leave my hand!!

Aashu: Shut up and come with me!!

[They reach the wash area……]

[Aashu takes a bucket full of water and pour it on Anjali…..]

Anjali: [shaking her head and body when the water splashes her] Hey…. what are you doing?

Aashu: tumme hosh mein la rahi hoom!!!

Anjali: oh.....toh mere liye badi fikar ho rahi hai!!! Kyun??

Aashu: [irritated] kyun matlab?? Main teri dhost hoom aur tumme iss haal mein nahi chod sakthi!!

Anjali: accha…dhost ho!!!mujh se baat thak nahi karthi….ab aagayi dhost banne..

Aashu: thodi naraaz kya hogayi, tumne tho paraaya hi banaadiya!! Naraazgi uski jagaa….dhosti aur fikar uski jagaa!!!

Deepak: Anjali, pehle yeh bataao….tumne bhang kyun pi???

Aashu: yeah…..I forgot it… [Angry] tumme itni himmat aayi kaise??...aur phir uss Sid ke saat dance!! saara college dekh raha tha….yeh sab kyun??? tumaare akal toh teek taak hai na??? ya kuch nut loose hogayi hai???

[Anjali winks at her……and smiles naughtily]

Aashu: [shocked at her reaction, looks at Deepak and Sheetal] matlab.....you were just acting!!! 

Anjali: oh yes….Do you think that I will drink and dance with that idiot just like that??

Aashu: [smiling] Anjali…..knowing you well, I should have guessed that….shame on me!!![grins]

Anjali: it was just a trick to make you all talk to me….I knew that you wouldn’t leave me alone in that condition!! Uss Sid ke kaaran, hum sab ke beech jagda hua….iss liye, maine usse hi iss plan ke liye use kiya!!

Deepak: [laughs] I must say that you acted well…all of us were really scared!!!

Aashu: yeah…that’s true…. [Grins] you dance well too….”Hats off to Deepika of our college”

[All laugh at this when they spot Sid standing at a distance…..He had heard every word spoken by Anjali]

Sid: [mind voice: usne mujhe use kiya…..mere feelings ke saat khela…..aur main paagalon ke thara uske saat naach raha tha!!]

[He walks away from there….Anjali feels sorry for him…The reason for that is unknown to her as well…..but she decides to talk to him and console him….]

Anjali: Aashu, main abi aayi…. 

Aashu: Anjali…suno…where are you going?

[She doesn’t stop to listen to Aashu…..She runs behind Sid and catches up with him]

(To be continued.........)

Is love blind? .......Oh yes it is!! - Episode 8

Days rolled into weeks and weeks into a month but the rumor didn’t die out….instead it spread like forest fire….The rumor mills worked over time and cooked up fresh stories about their non-existent love affair (it was non-existent at least for Anjali) and their virtual dates…..

Now, wherever Anjali went, she was referred as Sid’s girl friend…..”GIRL FRIEND” my foot….she would say…..She was tired of clarifying and explaining…..nowadays she didn’t bother and ignored such gossips…..

All this acted as catalyst and added oil to the burning misunderstanding between friends…..Anjali was quite worried that even her best friend didn’t believe her….

Aashu didn’t behave the same with Anjali….It was a greater tiff that all had imagined…..They talk with each other but there is still a emotional wall between them…..After some trials, Anjali felt it is pointless to even try…..She thought that giving time is the best way to solve the differences…she waited patiently for the right opportunity to win Aashu back….

Meanwhile, let’s see what happened in Kripa’s life??

<<Rewind to the day when Kripa went to Deepak’s house
Kripa’s POV:
What I heard from Deepak shattered me to pieces…..I was feeling awful and the mud beneath me swept away…..Anjali and Deepak saw and called me in but I was in no mood for a chat with them…I just gave a false smile and left……I know they would be wondering why I came there and why I left without a word……I returned home and locked myself in my room….My hunger and thirst had died down……

"Rabba Mere Ishq Kisi Ko
Aise Na Tadpaye... Hoy
Dil Ki Baat Rahe Is Dil Mein,
Hothon Tak Na Aaye, Na Aaye..."

When I didn’t turn up for dinner, Amma came to call me….But I wasn’t feeling hungry….So I told her that I had some heavy snacks from my friend’s home and so I wasn’t hungry……Poor amma, believes whatever I told her…..She was used to being confined within the four walls of the house and her entire life spent on obeying my baba and upbringing me and my sister……her world revolved around us…..an obedient wife and a loving mother, that’s what she is…….She wasn’t aware of the world outside the house….but she was a strong person and wanted me and my sister to study well and become independent….

[Her little sister Kavya….she is doing her 10th….She is a naughty prankster….Kripa and Kavya love to be in each other company…..Kavya used to be Kripa’s only close companion before Kripa joined college…..Kavya finds out whatever Kripa has in mind..So her love for Deepak was known to Kavya…..]

Having told her a lie, I was feeling very guilty….but I can’t tell her the truth as well…I can’t say that I loved a guy but he loves someone else…..sounds filmy…..moreover love was a forbidden thing in my family…..my amma would freak out if she knows this……"mera dil ka haal woh kabhi nahi samajhegi"…..Anyways, it was all over now….So I was better off hiding it…..

After a while, I decided that I won’t make my grief known to anyone around me…..So I wiped my tears….and got up…..I was determined to wipe out him and his memories as well…..
I took my diary and my scrap book……tore all the pages where I wrote about Deepak…..my day wouldn’t get complete without writing about him and my chats with him…… hmmmm so all the pages I wrote after meeting him had his name on it…..

I took the pages in my hand and looked at them for one last time…..I tore it into 2 and was about to put it in the dust bin……but I couldn’t…....So I pushed them into an unused corner of my shelf……

Once while browsing through his b’day party album, I had sneaked one of his photos quietly from it.....I treasured it inside my personal diary…..

Now that treasure had become a past thing to me…..I took it out from the diary and started tearing it to pieces but stopped…..After all Deepak didn’t do anything wrong to me....I had loved him and he isn’t even aware of it…..I took a look at his face…..He looked cute…..”I love you” I said before throwing it to a corner….

"Khata Ho Gayi Mujhse
Kaha Kuch Nahin Tumse
Ikrar Jo Tum Kar Paate
To Dhoor Kabhi Na Jaate
Koi Samjhe Na Peer Parayee
Koi Samjhe Na Peer Parayee
Kisi Se Ab Kya Kehna"

All these actions were to put a full stop to my failed love……But will these move him away from my heart?? Never…..woh mera pehla pyar hai….adhura hai toh kya hua….woh kabhi nahi mitega!!

I will bury it in the darkest corner of my mind…….and will never allow it to come out from there…..

"Tujhe Yaad Na Meri Aayee
Kisi Se Ab Kya Kehna
Dil Roya Ki Ankh Bhar Aayee Dil Roya Ki Ankh Bhar Aayee
Kisi Se Ab Kya Kehna"

As a step towards it, I will have to refrain myself from my friends….till the wound and pain within me healed…….else they will sense it from my eyes and read it from my face……
So that was the reason why Kripa curled back into her shell and avoided Anjali, Aashu, Sheetal and Deepak…..She was afraid that they would find it out…..

Present day……

Kripa’s POV regarding Anjali-Sid matter…..

Today I heard a rumor about Anjali….I wonder if its true….She and Sid….No way…..But how can I be so sure? Love changes everything….then why not Anjali and Sid??

Only time can answer this..

Anjali’s POV:

We sat together always, during free hours, during lunch…….but we never spoke whole heartedly….

Sheetal, regardless of the situation, used to entertain or rather irritate us with her lovey dovey stories…..but one day she started talking about a new guy in her life…we were all quite surprised…...All day she used to tell about him….

Some Jeeth or something like that….Never did she tell about his identity clearly…We didn’t know who he was or where he was……She told that he didn’t propose her yet and as of now he was just a friend…..But I felt that she was slowly falling for him…..and somewhere down the lane, I felt that I was the reason for the growing closeness…..because after that day’s incident, my advises used to fall into deaf ears……

Previously my scolding and advises scared her enough that she restricted herself to an extend…Also she used to be in our company most of the time…..and she didn’t have the time to meet anyone else but now she had lots of time and had the license too…the license to love…..

She behaved like a kid who got the forbidden fruit all at once…..Aashu tried to stop her but it went vain…..the point was that she wasn’t scared of anyone else except me…..and now, it was as though I set an example for her……

The other day, during lunch…..

Sheetal: He said “I am too sweet”

Anjali: HE!!! Who???

Sheetal: Jithu……who else?

[Sheetal usse pyar se Jithu bulaathi thi]

Aashu: you met him again, huh??

Sheetal: [little hesitation] hmmm….kal….

Anjali: hum ne manaa kiya na….phir bhi….

[At this, Deepak and Aashu gave me a glare meaning “yeh tum keh rahe ho”….I fell silent while they continued to drill Sheetal]

Deepak: Sheetal, tum kabhi nahi sudharoge……accha bataao woh kaun hai?

Sheetal: [dreamily] Jeeth….mere Jithu…..

Aashu: woh hum jaante hai…..uske baare meh aur kuch bataao….kaun hai? Kahaan hai? Kya kartha hai??? 

[Aashu went on piling questions one after another…I was a silent listener…..Sheetal replied dreamily]

Sheetal: woh Jeeth hai.…..mere dil mein hai aur mujhe pyar kartha hai…

Deepak: [irritated] sab bakwaas!!!!

[Sheetal was undeterred and went on and on….]

Sheetal: mere dil ko jeeth kar mujhe apna banaakar……..

Aashu: shut up you idiot….

Deepak: no use asking her……

[Sheetal closed her eyes and put her head down on the table……]

Anjali: [I had to open my mouth now] humme hi kuch karna padega…..Jeeth keh baare mein hum pathaa karenge…..

[I don’t know if they listened to me but both Aashu and Deepak nodded silently……I was happy that something I told made sense to them……I wished that they hear what I had to say about Sid too the same way….but anyways something was better than nothing…..

The first step towards patch up was done……but the day for the final step was coming soon]

Sid’s POV:
I had already done enough damage that I didn’t dare to aggravate it further……So I opted not to try and talk to her for a few days……But I couldn’t resist the urge to see her, of course from a distance…..

I spent all my free hours waiting in places where she frequented…..I wouldn’t say that she never noticed me…She should be blind not to notice me….…but I didn’t try to catch her attention even once…….

She would turn to my direction at times but when our eyes met, she would turn away in an unfriendly manner….Days passed by like seconds….. 

There was a whole lot of changes in me….I wasn’t bad in academics but I used to bunk a lot of classes……but now, I attended classes regularly…..I didn’t venture into fights…after all I had to repair my image and get into her good books….…

My friends didn’t fail to notice it…They kept pestering me always…..

One day I was waiting for her near the college canteen……It was a break time…..so I knew she would come surely…..My friends were with me…..

They were making fun of me and my one sided love……Sam was the leader of the fun making team….She came and that brought a smile to my face finally….

She wore a white salwar with golden embroidery done all over….she looked cute in it...like an angel who had just landed from heaven!….

The fact is that all dresses and all colors suited her……She wore high heeled sandals which matched her dress…..long earrings and a simple chain with a pearl studded pendant……her long straight hair was let loose…it reached till her waist….

Oh god, this girl makes me crazy each time I see her…..I have never observed and noticed a girl so closely…..I couldn’t take my eyes off her…… 

Sam: [grinning at Sid’s impatient look] kisse dekh rahe ho??

Sid: [without moving the eyes off her] usse aur kisse…..

Sam: usse matlab kaun???

Tushar: Anjali….yeh bhi koyi poochne ki baat hai!!

Sam: boss, yeh aap ko kya hogaya hai? Uss ladki ne aapko paagal banadiya hai!!

Sid: pehle paagal tha….ab uska deewana hoom… [Winks at them…..and then a slight grin]

Tushar: [smiling] u know what Siddharth….we always used to think that you and Shweta will make a good couple….

Sam: wahi tho……

Sid: [irritated]kya wahi tho???

Sam: Shweta is the most sought after girl in the college….she is the dream girl of every guy….all want to make her their girl friend…..and she is the most beautiful too…..

Sid: So what??

Tushar: and she is crazy about you and would do anything to make you her boy friend……but the tragedy is that you reject her and cling on to a girl who is least interested in you….she doesn’t even look at you yaar…..

Sam: look at her….. [Sid stares at him…so he pauses and changes his statement] I mean she is cute but doesn’t reach anywhere near Shweta’s beauty…..

Sid: Come on guys, give me a break….What does physical beauty got to do with love?? waise bhi, mujhe usse apni girl friend banaani hai…koyi model ya bollywood mein heroine nahi!!For me, she is the most beautiful girl in this world…..usse accha koyi nahi hai!!

Sam: O Oh Sid,woh tumme mind nahi karti yaar…..phir tum kyun uski peeche peeche jaa rahe ho…

Sid: wahi baat usko khaas aur sabse alag banaati hai….tum log nahi samjoge…

Sam: humme samajna bhi nahi…..

Sid: [sternly] one more thing.....don't ever link my name to any other girl!! I don't like it...

[In between all this conversation, Sid takes out his mobile and secretly takes a snap of his girl….]

Sam: teek hai teek hai....par ek baat sun lo....woh hamaari junior hai....hum usse bhabi nahi bulaayenge!!!

Tushar: haan....woh toh hai!!! [Hi5s Sam!]

[Sid looks at them and starts smiling.....then all 3 start laughing at the comment!!!]

[To be continued.........]

Is love blind? .......Oh yes it is!! - Episode 7

Sid’s POV:
I couldn’t take my eyes off her…..I waited to see if she turned to see me at least once……She never turned …..”woh din bhi jaldi hi aayega...wait kar dude!” **sighs**.

My thoughts were interrupted by the peon’s call……”tumaari cell phone andar thaa”. I turned to him….In one look I figured out that it was Anjali’s phone…..When the phone went dead in the morning, she put it on the table in anger with a “BANG”…..

But I took it from him…..”waise bhi yeh bhi apna hi hai” (a light naughty smile adorned his face while he said this)

I drove as quickly as possible…..My smile vanished when my mom’s angry face crossed my mind…..Neither did I call her nor did I pick her phone…..She will be real furious….I know….I have to cook up some story to convince her……I took lesser time than usual owing to the scanty traffic during the morning hours……As expected my mom was sitting in the living room with a grim face…Dad would have left for a business tour the previous night…..Thank god I escaped from his temper…..

My mom looked up at me as I entered the room but she turned away almost immediately….I went straight and hugged her…..that was my usual trick to console her…she was aware of it too but she loved my antics…...After that I rested my head on her lap and comfortably lay on the sofa……My mom tried to push my head away but as always I won or I should say my mom gave up for me.…hmm…..she loved me so much!!!She is the best…..

I took my mom’s hand and placed it on my hair……her fingers glided my hair….I loved that feel…….I had a light headache, a resultant of the night’s ordeal……The headache vanished when my mom’s hand touched my head…..

Suddenly something struck me…I realized why I started liking Anjali…..Though modern in her outlook, she was more like my mom….She was the kind of girl whom I could bring home and introduce to my parents…..

I quickly realized what I was thinking “Oh god, what am I thinking? Aren’t all these far off things?? Main bhil kul paagal ho gaya hoom!!!” 

I smiled to myself but my mom caught a glimpse of that…..After all she is my mom….she had noticed the new twinkle in my eyes

Mom: kya hua?

Sid: Kya???kuch nahi…..

Mom: [in a curious tone] SID…..main tumaari Ma hoom…..tumme dekh kar bataa sakthi hoom….kuch toh zaroor hai……ek nahi chamak dhik raha hai….. [Grins widely]

Sid: aap bhi ma….kuch bhi bolte rahete ho….maine kaha na kuch nahi…..

Mom: accha teek hai….main kuch nahi poochoongi…par yeh toh bataa…kal raat kahaa tha?

I was trying to avoid this question but she caught me right there……I told some reason for my not coming home…..I felt that she wasn’t convinced with my reply…..and she knew that I was lying but she didn’t question me further…..May be she strongly believed that I wouldn’t do anything wrong….

I took the coffee she gave me and went to my room……The first thing I did was put Anjali’s phone to get charged….Then quickly finished my coffee and proceeded to have a warm bath quite needed after the tiresome yet memorable day…..

Ten minutes later, I found myself digging into my wardrobe…..…

Afterall it was my first day in college after cupid struck me…..and I had to look the best…..

I took out various T-shirts, shirts, formals, casuals…I held each one of them in front of my mirror….various queries popped in my mind “does this suit me? Will she like this combination?” I felt all these actions strange but I chose to ignore that feeling….I was doing all these for the first time in life……

I felt a little awkward and looked around to make sure nobody was watching it…..especially my mom, at times she acted like a spy….. If she sees this, she will in a jiffy guess all that is going on in my mind……

I brushed away these thoughts and continued with the dress selection……and settled down for a purple t-shirt and black jeans……one of my favorites and hoped that Anjali will like it too…..

I wished that she was here and told me that…..
The next moment, I saw something which my eyes refused to believe….I saw her reflection on my mirror…..Was I dreaming? I knew I was but I chose not to break that sweet dream…….She started off with a cute smile…..”Missing me already huh??” 

I replied “miss you….never!! you are always near me”…..She blushed….her cheeks turned pink…….”awww so cute”……I wished to kiss her cheeks….

I called her nearer…..”paas aao na”….She obliged…..”aur paas”…………”aur paas”…..I kept calling her and she obeyed…..Just an inch separated me from her cheeks when a knock on the door disturbed us……

It was Raju khaka, our cook calling me for breakfast..….

I turned to the door and replied “ek minute main aata hoom”…….I came back to continue my dream but unfortunately the dream was over and Anjali disappeared…..I hated khaka for this!!!!

I thought “I have become crazy” and patted on my head…..when my eyes fell on her cell phone…..

I took the phone in my hand……touched the key pad….i could feel her soft fingers…..

I imagined the way she talked…..and did the same…..I could sense the smell of her lipstick on the speaker’s side……I gave a slight kiss to the phone when a beep sound startled me.......

I snapped out of my imagination and checked what it was…..it was the indication a new message…….I was tempted to see who the sender was……

I knew it was not right to check someone else’s message……I was double minded but I gave way to my curiosity…I opened the message..It was someone called “Rohit”…….
The message read……
Measured By Miles You Are Far From Me,
Measured By Thoughts You Are Closer To Me,
Measured By Closed Eyes You Are With Me, &
Measured By Heart You Are In Me...
Loads of Love
Rohit

I browsed through her inbox.....there were several messages from Rohit.....but i didn't probe further...I closed the inbox.

Several thought processes ran in my mind…..
Mind voice1: Now who is this fellow? How dare he sends her such a message? Is he her boyfriend? No no…she can’t have a boy friend!!!

Mind voice2: Why?? You don’t know anything about her….maybe she has a boy friend…..and maybe that’s Rohit

Mind voice1: A villain for my love……No way!!!!That message is just a friendly one…he must be some close friend….you are exaggerating….

Mind voice2: Exactly my point too……you are going overboard….She is not even your friend and you are already posing like a protective, possessive and obsessed lover……

Mind voice1: Just shut up, ok!!! What if she is not a friend, she will become one soon….

I cut short the debate but one point was crystal clear……I was feeling jealous…………and I felt that I was madly in love with her….
I wondered if this was sheer madness or pure love or a combination of both……….

*************************************** 

Anjali’s POV:

Mom and Aashu’s conversation saved me from a verbal war….my mom didn’t question me about it……I breathed sigh of relief and hurried to my room……My whole body was aching…..I just wanted to sleep but I was dying to meet Aashu and tell her everything…..It was too much of a burden for me to handle alone…..

“I will go in late…..maybe I will miss few sessions, but that’s ok”…… I decided to take a quick nap for 10 minutes but before that I will call Aashu and ask her to start to college……

I searched for my phone…soon I realized that I missed it somewhere…..”Oops my mobile is missing….where is it???”[After a moment of thinking, I realized] “I would have left it in the library…..God, I just hope I get it back….”

After calling Aashu from the landline and a 10 minute rest…..I took a refreshing shower, got ready, a hot toast for breakfast……and rushed off leaving no space for mom’s interrogation……

The third session had just started when I reached college…..It was Vibha maam’s class…..I didn’t want to interrupt the class and get a piece of her mind…..So I went straight to the library to search my mobile…… 

On the way, I was feeling a bit strange….Few students were looking at me as if I were from some other planet…..Few were smiling and talking at my back too…..but I didn’t understand what was going on…..I just ignored them and walked further…..The sight of the library brought me horrid memories of the previous night…….

Fortunately, there were very less students in there and they were quite absorbed into their books….I started searching but I didn’t find it anywhere there…I headed to the librarian to check…..He sported a blank look when I asked him about it.…..

I lost hope of finding it when I heard a voice “searching for this, huh??” 

I turned to find Sid standing just behind me……he held out my mobile when he asked that…..
I just nodded and tried to take the mobile from him but he withdrew his hand before that…..I was damm irritated by his action…..

Anjali: “Give that to me Sid”…


Sid: I will but not here…..


[Anjali didn’t understand what he was up to and chose to remain silent…..but her question was loud and clear on her face….so he continued further]

Sid: Canteen!!.... [After a moment’s hesitation] “Have coffee with me??”

Anjali: Have u gone nuts?? Just give back my mobile…..right now!!
[Her voice became louder even without her knowledge…..Anger and irritation was clearly visible in her voice….]

Sid: No way…You got to come with me!!

[His voice had a tinge of naughtiness…he was acting like an adamant kid yearning for chocolates]

She looked around and saw that their conversation was drawing attention…She didn’t want to create a scene…..So she decided to obey him…..but for some reason she didn’t want to walk alongside him….

Anjali: [fed up of his antics] ok fine…. [Paused for a moment] tum chalo….main thodi dher mein aati hoom….

Sid: [looks at her with a doubt] okie…..as you wish…..I will wait for you at the canteen……come soon!!


Anjali: hmmmm……..

[He proceeded to the canteen…..She looked at her watch….The next session will begin in another 5-10 minutes.....

Her mind voice: I will miss the class if I went to the canteen…...My friends would search for me too but I didn’t have an option but to do what Sid said….I needed my mobile back…..Even one percent of me was not willing to go…I had no clue as to what was in his mind…kal jaisa koyi paagal pan naa karen….

Without knowing what was in store for her, she slowly, very slowly followed Sid…


Anjali's POV:
As I neared the canteen, I saw him playing with my mobile……I just wanted to snatch the mobile and get away from there but he saw me coming and put the mobile in his pocket…..He smiled at me sweetly…..I was puzzled at his change of attitude towards me…..His actions confused me…..But I was in no mood to analyze about that fellow……

Canteen was empty except for one table….A guy and a girl, seeming to be a couple from their activities occupied that table……Both of them were digging into one ice cream cup…..That sight irritated me like hell…..”Gosh….don’t they have money to buy 2 cups?”

I turned away from them and approached Sid’s table…..he got up and offered me that chair…”Beto”…. [I thought “na jaane iss ladke ko kya hua hai??”]
He sat opposite to me….

Sid: class nahi hai???yaa phir bunk kiya hai?? [He grinned while asking this….I knew that he was making fun of me] 

Anjali: late ho gayi….iss liye….. [He cut me short...]

Sid: Oh yeah…..mera bhi wahi haal hai…. [Smiled at me]


[She wasn’t interested in his chat and that disinterest was evident in her face…..]

Sid: kya hua? Are you ok?


Anjali: kuch nahi…. [Keeping the fingers on the forehead] a slight headache…


Sid: [concerned] kuch medicine logi?? I will get you a saridon. [He stood up]

Anjali: No thanks... it’s ok….


Sid: accha teek hai….ek coffee tho le sakthi ho…..trust me…a hot coffee will give you relief….. 

Anjali: just come to the point…..Give back my…..…. [I started coughing as my throat got dried up….He offered me a class of water…….But I plainly rejected it and took the other glass of water and gulped all of it……then finished my sentence] phone….

Sid: [mind voice: that was my glass sweetheart…..I had sipped it once…..sab kismat ka khel hai…..hamaara milna toh hokar hi rahega!!!] [A smile appeared on his face on this thought]

Anjali: [mind voice: why is this fellow smiling without reason??zaroor paagal hogaya hai!!] Did I crack some joke or what????aise kyun smile kar rahe ho? Kya hua??

Anjali's POV: He didn’t utter a word…After looking at me for a moment, he brought 2 steaming coffees and offered me one……I knew there wasn’t much use arguing with him….so I started sipping the coffee…..I wanted to finish both the coffee and the conversation soon…. ….I didn’t look at him…I concentrated on the coffee mug…..

Sid: samaal ke piyo….bohat garam hai…..

[Sid was trying his best to get Anjali talking but she avoided it totally….One more sip and the coffee would be over and not one word from her…….Sid was pissed off at her silence]

Sid: fight karthe samay tumaara mooh bandh hi nahi hota tha…..ab kya hua?? [he waited for her speak for a moment but she didn't...so he added] kuch to bolo…. itni chup kyun ho??

Anjali: [slowly raising her eyes from the coffee] kya sunna chaathe ho??yeh sab kyun kar rahe ho?

Sid: [Sid placed his hand on hers and started to reply.......]Anjali.... [but before he could continue, some girls and boys entered the canteen….and they stopped to look at Sid and Anjali……That interrupted his reply]

Girl 1: woh dekho Sid uss ladki ke saath betaa hai…..


Girl 2: yeh wahi ladki hai na? Anjali….


Boy 1: haan haan wahi hai….


Girl1: jaanti ho….yeh saari raath Sid ke saath library mei thi…. 

Boy 2: [sarcastic tone] dono jagadthey rahete teh…….ab kya hua??

Girl 1: [grinning] pyar hua ikraar hua……. [Starts singing….and all around there start laughing]


[The conversation is loud enough to be heard by Anjali and Sid]

[Meanwhile, since the last class in the morning session is left free, Aashu, Deepak and Sheetal proceed to the canteen….They have also heard this news and are confused as to what happened in reality…They are concerned about Anjali and are worried where she is....They step into the canteen hearing this conversation….. They see Anjali and Sid together and flare up……They come directly to their table]

Aashu: What the hell is happening Anjali? We are all concerned for you and you are here with this guy!!

Anjali: [pulls out her hand from his] let me explain…

Deepak: is there anything else to be explained??? I guess everything is clear now…. We have seen it with our own eyes…..


Anjali: wait a minute Deepak…..[turning to Aashu] tum galat samajh rahe ho Aashu


Aashu: agar kisi aur ne bataaya hota, main vishwas nahi karthi…..par ab… [Stops in between and looks at Sid and then at Anjali]


Deepak: yahi sab karna tha tho itna badaa drama karne ki zaroorat kya thi?


[Sid is a silent listener to all this tamaasha]

Aashu: [hurt that Anjali hid this from her] tum dono ke beech kuch chal raha tha aur mujhe pataa hi nahi chala….mujhe se chupaayi!! ……..To hide this, you made me tell a lie to your mom…..

Sid: [concerned about Anjali’s state of mind] All of you are exaggerating!!! aisa kuch bhi nahi hai….[He knew that if her friends broke up with her, she would be all the more angry on him]


Deepak: Just stay out of this….. [Sid closes his mouth……quite opposite to his normal self….]


[Anjali maintains silence and just listens to them]

Aashu: I didn’t expect this from you Anjali…..


Sheetal: oh toh yeh baat hai…. That’s why you asked me to leave yesterday……isse milne ke plan thi!! Mujhe advice deh kar khud hi….. [Stops and sarcastically smiles]

Deepak: advice dhena bohat aasaan hai na…..


[Aashu leaves….Sheetal and Deepak follow her…..Anjali is fuming inside and obviously Sid is the reason for all this]


Anjali: [angry and screaming] dekh liya tumaare paagal pan ka nateeja!!! Sab mujhe hi dhosh deh rehe hai…..


Sid: suno….main sab kuch teek kardoonga….tum gussa math karo…. [Hesitates and proceeds slowly]…waise bhi college mein aisi link ups and gossips tho hote rehete hai…..itni choti baat ke liye tension math lo…..


Anjali: oh shut up….tumaare liye choti baat hogi…mere liye nahi…..main ek seeda saada simple ladki hoom…..aur mujhe yeh sab bilkul pasand nahi…..tumaare saath aur aage peeche bohat Hi-Fi ladkiyan baagti reheti hai na….yeh sab mazaag unse karna….mujhe akela chod dho….


Sid: But… [Anjali breaks in and continues further]


Anjali: Didn’t you understand what I just told?? Keep me out of such nonsense!!!!


[She leaves…..but after a few steps, she turns back to him and….]


Anjali: [sternly] Give back my mobile right now…


[Sid understands that there is no use talking to her now...since it will only worsen things.....and silently gives the mobile to her]


[To be continued]