Aman + Anjali

Pyaar Dosti Hai

So, it turns out I don't know how to write in a linear fashion, so theoretically there is another post that should come between this and the dance of passion. To that one reader out there, bear with me please lol

" 'Pyaar dosti hai; agar woh meri sab se achchi dost nahin ban sakti, to main usse kabhi pyaar kar hi nahi sakta'. That's what you said right? That day in Ms. Braganza's class?"

Anjali's question surprised him.

It was the summer's brightest day, and the camp took an outdoor field trip to the meadows. If heaven were on Earth, this would surely be it as everyone, young and old, melted in nature's embrace.

Rahul and Anjali walked a mile in silence as the kids played with Aman in the meadows. Anjali approached him, hesitant and awkward, asking for a moment alone. He'd seen her hesitant before. When they reunited at the camp, both were tentative and stunned by the other's presence. He was flustered like a schoolboy meeting his crush, in awe of her new Indian attire. He couldn't quite place who it reminded him off. Maybe a model, he thought. Maybe your wife, his conscience guilted him, but he shoved that thought aside and rushed to meet her. Anjali's presence always boosted his confidence, for she looked at him as if he placed the stars in the sky and could do anything. Even his daughter didn't look up to him with such adoration. It took a while to fall into that familiar routine of teasing, gentle touches, and competition. But today was different. She looked as if she were trapped in a chair while the door to her freedom was ajar; she looked confined, anxious, the twinkle in her eyes gone.

"Yes," Rahul said.

"How do you know if what you feel for someone is more than friendship alone?" Rahul's heart fluttered with hope as she went on. Was she alluding to me? He wondered.

"When your heart, albeit filled with despair, harmonizes with their infectious smile, even if just for a moment." Anjali thought back to her engagement when she stood atop the stairs, lost in memories of a failed love. She wiped her tears before anyone could see her; societal functions weren't the place for vulnerability. She wasn't artful, though, for Aman and her mom noticed. While her mom immersed herself in work, Aman took it upon himself to enthrall her with the music, dance, and banter. It didn't take much on his part, for a part of her always smiled in his company. She smeared the red powder on his cheeks and giggled as she ran away. She felt like a kid, unabashedly mischievous yet soft. Forgotten were those worries as Aman spun her around the room. 

"When a crowd can't appease the void left in their absence."

Anjali shuddered, thinking of her plight the day before - drenched in Rahul's arms but her mind longing for Aman. It's an odd predicament Anjali is in. She spent years thinking about Rahul but was she thinking of him or stories of her one-sided love? The moments she remembered were of how she felt, not who Rahul was. Was I any different than those girls I mocked in college for fawning over Rahul? She asked herself. With Aman, she remembered both. Aman's like the graham cracker base in a cheesecake; he holds the world together, though he never takes credit. She loves to watch him interact with everyone; his presence was exhilarating yet soothing to all.

"It's the person you're not afraid to be-" Rahul stopped himself midway as an epiphany shook him.

"Rahul?"

"Haan?"

"You were saying 'it's the person you're not afraid to be-"

"-vulnerable with," Rahul completed as he was transported to that day in the Mandir with Tina. He'd never told anyone that secret, not even Anjali. But with Tina, he hadn't thought twice about his image. He instinctively knew he could trust her, and at that moment, he knew she wasn't going to be some Pooja or Rani for him. She'd be irreplaceable, and she is, he thought as his heart beamed at her memory. Pyaar sirf ek hi baar hota hai. He turned to his left and caught Anjali gazing at Aman with the same heart eyes he reserved for Tina's photo.

"You should go to him," he said, snapping her out of the gaze. The conversation was between them in name only, for Aman and Tina would never leave their minds.

"Huh?" She could feel the heat emanating off her as the blood rushed to her cheeks. She blushed profusely. 

Aman stood by the food and drinks table, trying to decide what drink he wanted. Anjali would tease me mercilessly if she knew I was here, baffled at the thought of choosing between Coca-Cola and Pepsi, he thought. "They're both the same," she'd mocked before pouring him a glass of Fanta. Sly fox she is, he smiled.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Anjali's voice broke him out of his trance. She wrapped an arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

They soaked in this moment of togetherness before she peeped up again.

"If you're here because of this Coca-Cola vs Pepsi battle, I swear I'll find another fiance. I can't marry a kid."

"Nahi!" He shrieked, garnering everyone's attention. Anjali giggled as he tried to compose himself.

"Then what were you thinking?" Aman missed the warmth of her arm around his body since she folded her arms together with a knowing smirk.

"Main." He paused between his words as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "tumhare baare mein soch raha tha (I was thinking about you)."

She encouraged him to go on.

"Tum, yahan, ek yellow sari mein. It feels like we're in a Yash Chopra movie, and you're my Chandni."

Her head rested in the crook of his neck as he went on. "Sirf ek cheez ki kaami hai."

"Kya?" She looked up at him.

"Baarish."

As she snuggled into him, an idea popped into her head. She waited a moment for him to let down his guard and be defenceless before she pounced into action. She grabbed the glass of water on the table and splashed him. "Ab toh sab perfect hai nah?"

Aman was dumbstruck. Before he could retaliate, she fled the scene. As their chase went on, Rahul watched as they were back in their own orbit. This vibrancy was uncanny of Ms. Anjali, but it wasn't long before the kids joined in the games.

"How would they clean up a food fight in a meadow" Mrs. Khanna watched on the sidelines until Almeida's cake landed on her gorgeous sari. "Almeida!"