Is love blind? .......Oh yes it is!! - Episode 13

Deepak’s POV contd:
But will confessing my love to her spoil our friendship….What if she can’t even think of such a relationship??What if she misunderstands me and breaks her friendship with me?? Woh gussey mein kisi bhi haq tak jaa sakthi hai!!!

I have to make sure that she also thinks the same as I do before I put my heart across to her….But how will I do that? How will I make sure that she loves me too?[thinks for a while]

Anjali can help me out in this….Afterall they are best friends!!!
I will call Anjali and talk to her…..I think she knows to a certain extent…..
He starts to dial her number and thinks if it’s too late to call her…but decides to call anyway

Anjali picks it up after 2 rings…….

Anjali: hi Deepak…….main tumme hi phone karne waali thi……was in a dilemma since it was late……

Deepak: accha…kya baat hai??

Anjali: tum bolo…..tumne kaise phone kiya?

Deepak: [hesitates and starts] Aashu ke baare mein…… [Anjali breaks in]

Anjali: Haan main bhi wahi pooch na chahthi thi……tumne Aashu se kya kaha??

Deepak: [eagerly and cautiously] maine kuch nahi kaha!!!

Anjali: kyun nahi kaha????

Deepak: [confused] matlab??tumne kya sochaa???main usse aisi achaanak confess karoonga…..

Anjali: CONFESS???? [laughs out] tho finally tumne maan liya ke tumme Aashu se pyar hai!!!

Deepak: tumme nahi pathaa???

Anjali: ab tak sirf shaq tha….but ab confirm hogaya…..tum tho bade chupe rustam nikhle…..

Deepak: [embarrassed and smiling] mujhe bhi abi abi pathaa chala….isiliye…..[starts blushing]

Anjali: teek hai teek hai…..samajgayi…..

Deepak: tum toh samaj gayi…par jisko samajna chahiye woh tho…. [Stops]

Anjali: Uss keliye bhi tum hi responsible ho…..tum kahoge nahi toh woh samjegi kaise??? Bohat mushkil se aaj tum dono ko akele choda tha…..aur tumne kya kiya?? [rolling her eyes] Usse teek se baat thak nahi ki…..poorey plan fail hogayi!!!

Deepak: [worried] hmmm…..kya woh mujhse naaraz hai?

Anjali: naaraz nahi…….[pauses] bohat naaraz hai!!!

Deepak: actually I was scared that my feelings for her will come out without my knowledge…..

Anjali: let it come out….aakir Aashu ko bhi pathaa ho na chahiye…..

Deepak: no no……I want her to know only if she too has the same kind of feelings for me……otherwise, my love will remain within me forever……!!! Agar uske mann mein mere liye friendship ke seva kuch bhi nahi hai toh woh bura maan jayegi…..aur hamara dhosti katham hojayega!!!

Anjali: [without much thought] but Deepak…… [He interrupts]

Deepak: no yaar…..I can’t even think of losing her friendship!!!

Anjali: [thinks] hmmm I think you are right……so, what are you going to do now??

Deepak: not only me……We!!! I need your help….

Anjali: hmmmm…anything for my friends…..[pauses] tum dono ko milaane keliye main toh puri koshish karungi…..par pyar ka pehla kadham tumme hi utaana hai!!!

Deepak: [feeling lost] hmmmm yeah…..

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Another Day in college

Anjali came in quite early that day……. Aashu’s scooty had a flat tyre and her papa sent it to the mechanic……..Aashu called up Anjali and checked if she could pick her up…….Anjali knew that if she refused, then Aashu will take Deepak’s lift………issiliye lab ke bahaana banaa ke college jaldi aagayi……Aashu ko shaq zaroor hogaya hoga…..Anjali aur akele lab meh, aise ab tak kabhi nahi hua…..

Aa toh gayi par Aashu ke bina bohat bore hogayi…….

She leaves the lab and comes to the canteen………She chooses a hard to notice table and sits there silently over a cup of coffee and a romantic novel!!! She is soo very engrossed in the book that she fails to notice Sid’s arrival……

Sid came in noiselessly and sat opposite to her……He didn’t want to disturb her…..She was lost in the book….or was she lost in some dream??? God only knows……Whatever it was, she was near him…..that was the only thing that mattered to him…..

After some time, She sleepily yawns and closes her book……that’s when she noticed him just opposite to her and looking at her intently…..She was shocked by his gesture….She wasn’t sure why he came there…..

Anjali: Sid….tum????

Sid: haan main…..kya main college nahi aa saktha??

Anjali: of course you can…I meant so early in college!!!

Sid: hmmmm…..i couldn’t sleep the whole night…….subah hone keliye wait kartha raha……
Anjali: [smiling naughtily…his SMSs comes to her mind] hmmmm hamesha dreams main hi ho, right??Tumaare sapnon ki rani, kayaalon ki mallika nahi aayi???

Sid: aayi hai na!!usi ko dekhne keliye itni jaldi aagaya!!

Anjali: [looking around] accha….kahaan hai??? Mujhse nahi milaaoge??

Sid: [low voice: tumse kya milaana…..tum hi tho ho]

Anjali: kya kaha?? Maine suna nahi….

Sid: kuch nahi….woh bohat sharmaathi hai…aur darthi bhi hai…..phir kabhi milaaunga!!!

Anjali: [concerned] haan…darr toh hoga….pyar hai toh side by side darr bhi hoga…..

Sid: [doubtfully] is it??? Lagta hai ke tumme pyar ke baare mein bohat information hai!!! [False smile…..he doubts if Anjali already loves someone….]

Anjali: haan….hai…..ab dekho Deepak Aashu se kitna dartha hai!!!

[Anjali had spilled it out in a flow of words….she never meant to share it with anyone else….]

Sid: [relieved to some extent] ohhhhh…..aisi baat hai!! [To hide his relieved expression, he continues to ask about Deepak] so, Deepak and Aashu are in love!!!

Anjali: [wants to hide it from him...hesitates and then speaks] no no…..i didn’t mean it…. [Pauses…She is confused about what to tell him] actually I meant….. [Sid understands that she is searching for words and interrupts]

Sid: Its ok….you don’t have to explain…I understand……[pauses for a second and then continues] I am not so close a friend to you that you tell me everything, right??[His voice reflects his disappointment….his rejected feeling….]

Anjali: [places her hand on his just to console him….She could see that he is hurt] no Sid, it’s not what you think…. [Thinks for a second and then speaks] The fact is that Deepak loves her….i mean its one sided……I don’t know if Aashu feels the same way….. Deepak is a good guy…..Aashu would be very happy with him…...If Aashu likes him, then I want them together……I don’t want Deepak’s fear or Aashu’s ego to come in between them…….As a friend, I want to help them sort this out at the earliest…..

[She removes her hand from his and breathes a sigh of relief…..She is glad that she finally found someone to talk about it…..She poured out what was in her mind for so long……]
[Sid feels very happy that she spoke to him so openly and thought him worthy to share her secrets….It was quite evident that she considered him a very close friend]

Sid: [talks after thinking for a second] you know what??? The only thing you need to do is to give them some private space…..Their feeling will come out easily……

Anjali: [nodding] I know…..I am trying to do it!!

Sid: but…..do you know what that means?? It also means that you will be left alone…..If two of your best friends become a couple, then you lose your freedom on them……Don’t feel hurt when you come face to face with that feeling……

Anjali: [seriously] hmmm…..par kabhi na kabhi hum sab ko aise situations ka saamna karna padega na……sabke zindagi mein aisa ek mod aatha hai……..

[She is indeed sad about the fact that she and Aashu will no longer remain the closest to each other…..She will have give away that “closest” tag to Deepak or for that matter someone else...some day…Afterall friendship takes a backseat when love begins……As always, that thought brings a sad look to her face……She snaps out of her thoughts and winks at him to lighten the situation] 

Sid: [mind voice: I am in love with that….wink and….that naughty smile!!]

Anjali: waise bhi, main kahaan akeli hogi….tum honge na mere saath!!! [She adds on playfully]

Sid: [low voice: hamesha hamesha ke liye] hmmmm…..always….. [His mind is also lost in some
thoughts…he feels very happy that she has a special place for him….else she wouldn’t be saying that]

Anjali: woh sab chodo…..tumaare baare mein batao…….tumaari best friends kaun hai?? Aur tumaare mallika….. [Stops and smiles at Sid who sports a confused look] I will call her mallika since I don’t know her real name…..usse tumaare friendship se koyi problem hai kya???

Sid: [mind voice: tum bhi na Anjali…..Pyar ke baare mein badi badi baaten karthi ho…..aur mere mann ke baat nahi samaj paa rahi ho…..kya mere aankhon mein tumme tumaara chehra nazar nahi aatha??]

Anjali: [snaps her fingers] tumme kya hua?? Tum bhi kamaal karthe ho….baaton baaton mein uski sapne dekh ne lagthe ho……bohat pyar karthe ho na usse??[Anjali is visualizing Shweta as his lover when she speaks all this…..College mein sab log jaante teh ki Shweta Sid ke peeche paagal hai!!! So she assumes that he loves Shweta too]

Sid: bohat se bhi bohat!!!! [His love beaming in his eyes and words]

Anjali: She is lucky……. [Sighs]

Sid: [wants to come out of that topic…so he picks up the novel she is reading] Love story!!! Hmmm toh tumme romance mein interest hai…… [Corrects his sentence realizing the mistake] I mean romantic books mein interest hai??

Anjali: sirf romantic books hi nahi……padhne layak ho toh kuch hi padh lethi hoom…..haan…par romantic books zaada pasand hai!!

Sid: how is this book? Is it good?

Anjali: hmmm it’s a good story but I guess it’s a tragic one….title aur prologue se aisa hi lagtha hai!!!

Sid: phir toh mujhe nahi chahiye…..[serious look]… I hate tragedies especially in love….

Anjali: chill Sid….it’s just a book….you are taking it way too seriously…..

Sid: [still seriously] book ho ya life…..finally pyar hi jeethna chahiye!!!

Anjali: [sensing the tense situation, decides to leave] accha ab main chalthi hoom…..and…… [Pauses]….thanks!!!

[Sid breaks away from his thoughts and listens to her…….His facial expression shows a question mark!!.....So Anjali explains]

Anjali: I mean thanks for the time…..I feel so less burdened after talking to you……

Sid: anytime dear!! [That brings a light frown in her face but she hides it quickly and smiles at him…… He tells it unknowingly and he didn’t intend to address her like that…..]

Anjali: catch you later….bye…..

Sid: see ya….bye….take care!!

(To be continued)