CHAPTER 2
I muttered something under my breath and his dark brown eyes gazed at me. There's just something about men having dark eyes which take you to a dive deeper than the Pacific Ocean. His eyes..... They were trying to tell me to put a stop to everything around us and just to live in the moment. And I immediately understood this because that is all I wanted. In this fast paced world, especially in a city like Bangalore everything runs at 2X speed making it very rare to enjoy such raw moments of pure joy.
I excused myself and went to a secluded corner near the well of stairs. I didnt want want this new cute guy to think that im still a 21 year old whose parents still lecture her. Also, you can never trust Indian parents with what they have to say, You never know what can come out from their big mouths.
I picked up the call. Well... Appa asked me what I was doing on the terrace and I told him about how exhausted I was after taking classes for the last 5 hours.
Well, I had a very big lecture(that's already by-heart) Which i have already listened to like fifty times ever since I started my Dance classes after college .I enjoy dance. It is my way to unwind and relax.
"Why do you have to work so much when we are already sending you the money every month?" they ask. "It is my break guys ...... I enjoy teaching and learning it. Every single time I listen to music there is some nerve in my body that pulsates... I cannot stop myself from dancing. It is pretty involuntary at this point. And I enjoy this soreness after dancing my heart out. You guys need to stop lecturing me like a five-year old kid every time we talk. We have already had a talk on this. It is not about the money it is about the sheer joy I get after learning something new or teaching my students something new. The joy and happiness on their faces........ That is my biggest reward at the end of the day. Please let's avoid talking about it !" I said, annoyed as usual.
"Ok Ok..... Do whatever you want alright? Just dont exhaust yourself too much and take care of your health." Said appa trying to speak before amma could bring another topic to 'mom' me.
"We only say it out of your concern beta.. Anyways- Did you have dinner?" Asked amma. "No, it's only 9:30 , I'll go home and cook in sometime. I have some work ,I will wrap that up and go home and have dinner. What about you guys?"
"We cooked your favourite Pav bhaji...." she said showing their plates
"Arreyy yarrr...!!! I miss your Pav Bhaji... Next month when I come to Delhi , I want it!..... Now I feel like having Pav Bhaji..."Dont get me wrong, I miss home..... But I want to live independently and live life on my own terms which is kind of hard to manage when you live with your family. I love my folks.
"Yes, I will cook all your favourite meals when you come next month" said amma
"Accha... Chalo.. Good night guys... Take your meds on time Appa " I said
"Goodnight beta" they said.....
Just as I finished my conversation I again felt something flip down in my stomach. It was his dark gaze that was doing things to me...... Things beyond my control. I was so embarrassed ! "How long have you been eavesdropping on me huh?" I asked him teasingly. "Just long enough to know about your love for dance." "I'm sorry i didnt mean to eavesdrop on your conversation, I just realised i was late for some work so I had to leave but you were um.... Kinda in the middle of something. So didnt disturb you."
I dont know why I felt like asking him to stay for a bit longer.Usually I would have hated it if anybody joined me in my solitude's bliss. After a tiring day I just need some silence, but him.... His presence, his warmth made this solitude seem extra special. Should I ask him to stay? What should I say?
Just as I was contemplating if I should continue the conversation he said" I really wish I could stay longer ,...... I really enjoyed your company"
"Me too... What's your name? We spoke for so long but we dont know each other's name...."
"Let's go around from the start... Hey I'm Anjali.... "
He smiled... His eyes lit up when he said " Hi I'm Rahul... Naam toh suna hoga"
"Ohhooo Bollywood reference huh? I've been a huge bollywood geek since my childhood" I said excitedly.
"Haha me too. We should really catch up sometime."
Just as he was leaving I felt his dark brown eyes gaze at me . Oh. My. God. I swear!!
His eyes.... They just leave me weak in my knees..... Gets my heart flipping...
"What happened? What are you looking at?" His words caught me off guard..
All I could manage to say was "Oh nothing I just got lost in my thoughts" like a kid who was caught doing something forbidden.
"Why did you ask ?... What do you mean?" I asked him
"Nothing, I was just curious."
"Curious about what?" I asked him. "Nothing." He said.. "Nothing?" I asked.
"Nothing." He said flashing at me his most appealing smile ever.
Maybe Nothing will be our forever?
Our eyes caught each other staring at each other. A second later both of us were laughing at our silly "nothing battle" which obviously had nothing sensible.
"Goodnight Rahul" I said to him .... Absolutely loving how this evening turned out to be. "Goodnight Anjali."
Bye- Im done-... My name sounds so much better in his voice.Oh lord!.... This guy.. He's doing things to me.Things beyond my control.. I sit there replaying our conversation and smiling like a tenager in love.....
I hate it... I hate the fact that this is making me feel 'Deja'vu' . I hate the fact that this is out of my control. My stupid brain cannot fall in love again.
I get my speaker down from the studio and connect it to my phone. I play the same playlist which I have been listening to the past whole week and get lost to the beats of the music just in perfect synchrony with the hushing winds which touched my bare feet trying to forget about this evening.
