Silently Falling in Love: Race (THE EDITED VERSION)

Chapter 31 - Prosecco and Town Cars

Anjali – February 1995

I was comfortably curled up on my bed reading a book and the phone was out of arm's reach. I debated whether I should let it ring, but given the time, it was probably Arjun and he would call back in fifteen minutes. I sighed and reluctantly moved out of the most comfortable spot ever and answered the phone.

"Hello,"

"Hey, it's me."

"Hey you. How's it going?"

"Brutal as always. Do you think dental school is easier than med school? Do you think it's too late to switch?"

"Arjun not this conversation again. We all tried to warn you!"

"Such a supportive best friend! What do you think I should do? Build buildings with you?"

"I think you should be in Hollywood directing the next blockbuster film. That's what I think!"

"That would have meant I should have gone to USC for college, in which case I would never have met you. Wouldn't that be tragic?"

"I believe in destiny, Arjun. Our lives were meant to cross. Even if you had gone to USC, you would have come to Stanford to visit your friends and we would have met and then you would have been compelled to cast me in one of your movies and I would be a movie star instead of an architect. Why didn't you go to USC?"

"You really think we would have met even if I didn't go to Stanford?" Arjun asked seriously.

"Yeah, I do. I think some people's lives intersect and no matter what happens they will cross paths."

"By that definition we could have just bumped into each other in a parking lot for two minutes and that would be the first and last of our conversations. That's not the same as being my best friend."

"I didn't say we would have the exact relationship if you didn't go to Stanford, I just said we would have met. Maybe I would have met you through Alex."

"He went to MIT! How is that possible, and he's a couple of years older than you?"

"Hello! We might have met on the racetracks and gotten to be friends and then he would have introduced me to his famous brother who had made such a name for himself at an early age in Hollywood, completely unheard of, and then you would take one look at me and ask me to choreograph all of your dances in your movies and give me a few important roles too. It would all be so serendipitous."

"You're making me wish I went to USC which is crazy because I didn't even apply to USC because I didn't like USC. Now that you're telling me if I had gone, I would be a famous movie director. I'm wishing I had applied. Can I have a do over?"

"Sorry too late for that, you're stuck with Cell Biology!"

"Wait one more question, why would I need a choreographer for my movies?"

"Because of your extensive knowledge of Bollywood movies, you would bring musicals to Hollywood and make them popular once again! You would revive the days of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, with more hip action and some nice dhol to mix it up a bit."

"You have an active imagination. Do you ever live in reality?"

"Every day from 8 to 6! I'm kind of wishing I'd applied to USC," Anjali sighed.

"Well staying in fantasy land for a little longer, I can't believe Katherine and Andrew are engaged! I knew it would happen, just didn't realize it would happen so soon. You know I've never been to Tennessee."