A Coffee at Dawn

Chapter 16 : Mess-ponsibility!

"How are you?" Nishanth shook hands and gave a hug.

"Wet! definitely" he answered looking at me. "You can not be seperated from your filmy side. Never." He smacked my head.

"You will fall sick Mithu". Payal dragged the last word to irritate me. For her dismay I did not get irritatated. She noticed the change in me and became stern. I gave her a blank smile and looked at Nishanth.

"I am hungry, Nishi lets eat something." Payal held his hand. He nodded and we moved into Socials. We took a table for three and sat waiting for the steward.

"Why do you look so dull? Anything else bothering you?" Payal asked me after a lot of silence which prevailed.

"Anything else? Meaning?" I cross questioned her.

"We all know, how disturbed you are ever since Tani is not in good terms with you Mayank. Don't pretend." Nishanth folded his hands on the table as our orders arrived.

I sat silent and listened to him speak.

"Listen carefully, I have told you this before, and I telling it over again. There is tenurity for people in life. For some its eternity and for the rest its momentary. I am not asking you to finalise on him, I know there will come a day when you both will be back to your madness. How is it right, if you are spoiling your present days because of that? Don't hold on so much." Nishanth's entire talk put me in a fix. That fix was visible on my face. 

"I am not asking you to give up on him. I know for a fact that, even if The Almighty comes and ask you to do, you wouldn't. What I meant was, not to keep thinking over it. You miss him alot, those days come by as a flash, i agree. Dont forget he also is a true friend, he misses you equally, but he is masked by his anger. " He spoke as he sipped the mocktail he had ordered.

I sat there nodding my head, looking down. I did not blindly agree to what he said, he was logically correct. No wonder I had named him the big daddy amongst us. With the thought of big-daddy, i chuckled. Payal caught me, looked perplexed for few seconds and chuckled too. Looking at both of us, Nishanth laughed as well. The environment had gone pretty light with the chain of chuckles.

"Next time, I am not going to join when you guys are meeting. You people are so boring." Payal exclaimed. Nishanth and I took it slightly personal and gave her stares.

"Oh please! keep those stares with you. Look at the discussion that happened, we have met after a long time, we should be focusing on the fun part and not boring lectures." she bored into Nishanth's eyes. He had no choice but to put his head down in submission. 

we boys will never have a say in front of our girls. Do we?

I chuckled again, for which Nishanth kicked me from beneath.

"Aah! that hurt!" I threw the fork at his way. He dodged it and the fork well in between him and her.

"Seriously? Pre-final year students and fighting with forks like kindergarten kids! I am amazed by the company." A sarcastic queen she was.

After some silent hogging, Payal broke out.

"So..?" she tapped at my plate so that I lifted my gaze. I saw her teasing side on and Nishanth was giggling.

"what so??"

"Don't what me!" She raised her eye brow. I raised mine in return. 

"I pity Aarti." She sighed.

"Aah!" I choked on hearing it. 

"What else interesting thing is preaviling in your life now other than her?" She questioned.

"ohh!" and i smiled to look down.

"ohh? is that even a response?" this time she poked with her fork.

"Ouch! both of you have planned to dismantel me is it?" I retreated my hand.

"If she doesn't get her answers, she will definitely." Nishanth showed me thumbs up wishing me luck. I gave a stare in return to him.

"Okay, ignore dud-head. I meant what's up with Aarti? How are things going on? " She winked at the end of her question.

Without much ado, my thoughts flew down to her house, where a few hours back, we were intimately close. That thought brought back the tinge and a strange, innate smile on my face. I heard them laugh at me. I lifted my head up to see the two control thier kaughter which eventually they failed to.

"I had told , this day would come when I would catch you in this position. " She started to brag.

"yeah yeah"  nodded and smiled back.

"On a serious note, tell me."

"Well, on a serioius note, If she had not been around, I would not have been this strong as well. With days, the attachment has grown and I feel responsible for everything about her. " both of them had a smile on hearing it.

"So you see no problem in setting your future with her?" Payal wanted to know. I swiflty nodded my head which meant I saw no problems.

"Well, she was tensed that at her place, things might go really fast on finishing up of the degree. She was upset that she might go unheard at her place. " I gave them the summary of what Aarti had told me.

Payal sighed. The story holds good at every girls place. I saw her face drop down. Nishanth held her hand tight. I realised then, that a girl's life in a country like ours has a very small span. Most of them give up to the family cry and let go of their lives, and the few who strive to crave a path for themselves are judged. Judged to the extent of certifying their character. A country could never be a developed one, unless they allow the women of the country to live liberally in her terms with out the fear of judgement.

We left the place after a while. I felt relaxed on meeting the two. They bid a bye and before leaving, Nishanth gave a tight hug which spoke more than the lectur he had given me a while back. 

A tight hug which said how important I still was for him, A hug which showed how much he had missed me. A hug that said, he shall be there no matter what. With that, my eyes had got filled. I had really gone weak with time. He brushed my hair and left with Payal. Taking a deep breath I moved towards my bike.

My cell buzzed.

"You are the best thing that has happened to me in life till date. I am definitely blessed and the most luckiest to have you honey! But, I am sorry. "

Aarti sent a text message. That message brought a lot of happiness which was needed. I knew why she was apologizing as well. 

" I don't want to have a competition in this as well. Its not you, Its me who is the luckiest. You need not be sorry. Your worries are always more important to me than mine. I Love you!. " I sent and kick started the bike to move home.

I knew what to do for the future. I had to plan in a proper way to get her in life. I was still the same as before, but one add-on responsibilty. 

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mynote : happy reading. key in your comments and votes if you liked :)