Saturday 28 November 2009

A crush, a kiss, a story

The results were out. My name was right at the bottom of the list. At least I had made it!

A game of truth and dare, I chose dare. "Ask him (pointing at the smartest guy in school) to give you a lift home." As school ended, the entire class was looking at me, sure that I would fail, yet again. I bit my nails during the last class, biting too much, and the pain slowly filling me.

"Abhishek!" He stopped his two wheeler. "Ummm.. I uh, I was wondering.." He looked on, that patient look that I see only on my dad's face. "You want a lift?" I was stunned. How did he know? Those asses of the boys in my class must've told him! "Well, ya, only if it is ok with you, I mean I could go in the bus, but these guys asked me to, you know, well, I.." (He let out a slight laughter)

"Come on, these people do this to almost every new girl". So I wasn't the only one they had done this to? Did this mean the bike of his had seen many other girls getting a lift? All those daydreams I had of him dropping me home, him getting mesmerized, inviting me for a cup of coffee in the evening were shattered. For some reason, he did not seem so appealing anymore.

I went on and sat behind him. The ride was silent, with the occassional honking and two of my class guys following us to see where we end up. Finally they gave up their chase, I was home. "You're rather quiet." "Yes, I guess. I really do not talk to strangers much" He was slightly taken aback, probably because he expected me to go all shy and say well..hmm..ya..(I was so annoyed!)

Auditions for a play and I was selected. So was he, but his was a major role. I was just one of the many who had two lines to say, towards the end of the play. Everyday I would wait for my turn, wait, get irritated, speak, and go home. Someone spread the rumour that I could sing, and I was out of the minor role and doing the singing! I was paranoid. What would everyone think? I sang only for my ears.

Abhishek came up to me on the final day of rehearsal (I had been avoiding him every day). "Why do you run away the moment I come? Have I done or said anything wrong?" Everything you've done is wrong! You broke that "amazing first crush in a new school" image that I had harboured since it was decided that I would go into a new school!

"Uh? no. Not really" "I love it when you sing" "Thank you" (I was blushing like a maniac). "How about a cup of coffee?" What? after six months? "Ok"

We started dating. He told me of the six months he spent wondering what he'd said wrong that first 'lift' day. From what he told me, he had never given a new girl a lift on his vehicle for a dare.

The second thing I would dream about, after getting the guy on whom you have the "amazing first crush in a new school" to ask me out, was the first kiss.
My parents were out, and had left me alone for the first time. I picked up the phone and the quintessential "Umm, My parents are out.. Do you want to come over??..."

I closed my eyes, the first kiss had to be magical. Otherwise I would end up hating every romantic movie I had seen. We kissed. Am I doing it right? Should I keep my lips closed, or open it a little? Should I hold his hands? Ah maybe like this. Three seconds and it was all over. The questions took ten seconds and the kiss a mere three. I was numb, wanting to kill myself for ruining the first kiss. He was smiling like a new born who had been just tickled to death, pulled me close to him and kissed again. My mind went blank, the bell rang.

I was in my shortest shorts that day, hoping to give Abhishek a chance to admire my legs. And as I opened the door, my dad stood. He'd left something important and had come home. "Thanks for the notes, Shreya" He vanished! My dad was quiet, took his 'important stuff' and went away.

This continued, stolen glances, holding hands while lunch-ing, playing footsie.
And this footsie got me into a fix. One day as I went on with the usual ritual of looking at him shyly, and pulling up my chair closer to the table so that my feet would find his, I got the wrong guy. Anirudh looked at me. I was oblivious and I continued. Abhishek was smiling that wicked smile of his and I knew something was amiss. Anirudh kept calling me each day, his mother was the chemistry teacher and I couldn't not take his calls. Abhishek did not like it much.

Boards, and everything went haywire. Abhishek's mom banned him from meeting his friends, mine forbade me to go for tuitions without my brother doing a check on where I go, who I interact with..

For days we would not talk and my crush-turned-love-affair was crushed.

A new college, a new beginning? I met many guys, but they had that I am a dilli wala, 'I am a stud' aura which I detested. And two years later I got a mail. This is how it read.

Dear Shreya

How are you? Things are going good for me. I am in NIT Trichy, third year and having an amazing college life. I heard your parents shifted to Chennai, and I assume you would be coming home sometime during your breaks. I hope you do. I will be interning at a media firm this summer, so if you do come, we could meet up, that is, if it's ok with you.

Regards

Abhishek

Two years, and he remembers me now? I will not meet him, for sure.

"So, how's college life" "It's decent" "How's Delhi" "It's decent" "Ok, how's the love life?" "It's decent" "What about you, Abhishek?" "I don't have any" "Oh, I lied too" "Why" "Just.." "Ok" "Ok"....

He professed the 'deep rooted love' he had for me, and I said I was never in love with him, and I was merely using him in school to get the other females jealous. I had always meant to dump him, humiliate him, and dump him...

Well, no, I did not say any of that.

"I wish to kiss you, may I?" My goodness, why was he being such a super gentleman and getting me all nervous? But I was ready this time. Three articles on "how to be a good kisser" and one "things not to do when you kiss" and I was ready. A friend's place in Chennai, with the friend out to get some stuff to eat, this was the best chance. My eyes closed and I waited. Nothing. "Hello" (AAARRRGHH that irritating phone call!) Rashi came back. I was upset. The next day I went out with him and gave him the cold "I will answer only in monosyllables" attitude.

We sat on the beach, Rashi uttering nonsense about some arbit movie she had recently seen. "Look, that lighthouse, something's wrong" Abhishek pointed. Rashi turned the other way to look. Abhishek turned my face towards his, and kissed....

"What Abhishek, there's nothing there" I was blushing like crazy! Finally that kiss, the kiss I had been waiting for all my life

Thus, the story ends. The Kiss, and happiness ever after...


(This work is entirely fictitious. Any resemblances whatsoever to any person living or dead is coincidental)

5 comments:

Abhishek Madan said...

I shall sue you for using my name and contorting a rather simple love story into a movie! Or you could just buy me food.

blank_confusion said...

Ok, you can sue

Anonymous said...

Shrey..... Simply amazing... Loved each and evry line of it.

Sanober said...

Hahaha! I was in splits. Shreya I LOVE the poems, they require a lot of analysing considering the deep content and infinite meanings behind them. But this one got me rolling on the floor laughing! Aww sweetie, I wish both of you all the best. Pray I find someone too! :(

raghu said...

One of the better ending love-stories of the few ones that I've read so far.. barring Chetan Bhagat's novels of course!