Reyansh Khanna
After bickering for a lot of time we settled on the sand and she kept staring at the waves while I kept staring at her.
There is some magic in her eyes,
In her lively smile,
Something that doesn't allow me to take my eyes off her.
I was snapped out of my world when her phone started ringing,
"Shreyaaa...!" She squealed answering the call with a wide grin.
"Don't tell me you have called me for that?" She asked rolling her eyes.
"My mom could go to hell for all I care! I am not giving in this time." She said huffing and hung up very aggressively.
"Who talks like that about their mom?" I asked with an incredulous expression.
"Me." She said pointing at her and I could see how irritated was she.
"Did you come here running away from your parents because you felt suffocated with them? Or because they were trying to force for pursuing some specific career or something?" I asked because I was really confused as to why would she want freedom so badly that she came here to her grandparents leaving everything behind.
She just chuckled and said,
"I wish my life was that simple. But I am not here to runaway from my parents. I am here so that I could feel like myself. I could be whatever I want and not what someone else wants me to be." She said staring at the moon.
"But is running away an option? You've left that life back and came here but someday you have to go back to your parents, to your life in mumbai." I tried to explain her.
"Are you not ever tired of your life? Of everyone's expectations from you? Of your responsibilities?" She asked turning towards me and I chuckled.
"I do not have the option to be tired. My whole family of 7 people rely on me, look up to me. I can't fail them." I said and looked into her eyes and I had no way out of it.
"What about you? What about not failing yourself?" She asked in a mere whisper and that question took me off guard.
I have never gave it a thought.
"When everyone of them is happy, I know I haven't failed myself." I said shrugging.
"You know? There was a point where even I thought like you do. Making my parents proud and doing whatever they want was my only goal." She said with a dry chuckle and I could see tears surfacing in her eyes.
I just held her palm and gave a light squeeze to it.
"Everything gets better with time. You're too young to cry over anything." I said and she chuckled with tears in her eyes.
"Nothing gets better. We just get used to it with time. And, I don't want to get used to anything that I don't want in my life now." She said.
Such a stubborn woman!
But, I adore her attitude.
"You stay with your parents?" I asked and she nodded in a no.
"So, you stay alone?" I asked and she again nodded in a no.
"Friend?" I asked and she just rolled her eyes.
Don't tell me she has a boyfriend who she lives with!
"Boyfriend?" I asked hesitantly and she looked at me.
Please say no..!
"Why are you so interested?" She asked and I just sat there not knowing what to answer.
Obviously!
What was I going to say?
"It is better if we don't go down that lane. My relationship status is a bit uhhh complicated." She said and I sat there with wide eyes.
"It's getting late. We should leave." She said and I nodded getting up.
My relationship status is a bit complicated!
I remembered her words.
So, she does have a relationship status!
I sat behind her on the bike and she again sped up. I held her waist immeditately to prevent myself from falling and looked at the side mirror.
She had a very serene expression and a small smile on her face.
Mere paas aisi ladki hoti na,
Main to usko akele itne dur bhaagne hi nahi deta.
Reality check!
Tere paas nahi hai aisi bandi!
My conscience mocked.
And for the first fucking time,
I was regretting not meeting someone like her any sooner,
Not having someone like her beside me,
Not having someone whose smile would lit me up like hers did.
Or maybe not having her?
I told her the directions to my penthouse and when we reached there I got down the bike.
"Good night." She said with a smile.
The smile which gave me this fuzzy feeling in my pit.
Gone was the girl who was whining about her life a few moments ago.
"Good night." I said with a micro smile.
"Hasega to paise nahi mangungi main. Mr. Khadoos!" She said rolling her eyes.
"Go safely. And, thoda dheere chala. Kahi gir gayi toh kal mujhe kaun goa ke kisi aur beach pe kaun leke jayega?" I asked and she narrowed her eyes.
"Tumhare paas hai apna driver. Jao uske sath. And why are you suddenly interested in roaming Goa now?" She asked.
I am suddenly interested in you.
I wanted to say.
I just shrugged and she left with her bike.
I just stood there looking at her bike from afar with my hands in my pockets.
In all these years, I got one girl who managed getting my attention!
And she says,
My relationship status is complicated!
Kitna kharab ho sakta hai kisika naseeb?
I just walked towards my room and my phone started ringing,
It was group video call from Neena,
the eldest sister of mine.
"Hello." I heard her chirpy voice the moment I answered her call.
"What is it that you remembered me for at this time?" I asked.
"This is the reason you don't have a girlfriend. You're soo rude!" Kriti said who is the youngest of all. She is just 17 year old and is a handful most of the times.
"I wanted to tell you about this stupid sister of yours. She is been bunking her lectures for a week straight." Neena complained smacking her head.
"Kriti. I have warned you last time only. I'll cut off your monthly allowance." I said glaring at her.
"Bhai! Just chill. I can't keep on attending lectures and mugging up things like Preeti." She said rolling her eyes.
Preeti, is her twin and is absolutely opposite to her.
While Kriti is bold and dominating, Preeti is shy and doesn't like to get involved in anyone's business.
"We'll see about that when you're not been given money for a month." I said sternly and she glared at me.
"Why did you have to complain to him? It was just about a week right?" She said glaring at Neena and walked away throwing a tantrum.
"Once you get back here you are going to have a nice chat with her. Because, she is getting out of our hands. She yelled at mom today and threw the food that was served to her." She said and I sighed.
"I'll see after I get back." I said.
"Where are my other girls?" I asked.
"Already slept. You know without you I really don't know how to handle these girls. Everyone is so diffrent and energy consuming." She said and I laughed.
"They don't even listen to Mom & Dad. I don't know how to handle them." She said shaking her head.
"It will be fine. Don't stress. And did you meet the guy who proposed marriage for you to mom?" I asked and she rolled her eyes.
"Arrgghh! Don't get me started. He was annoying." She said and I laughed.
"Why can't they understand that I don't want to get married to some rich spoilt kid!" She whined.
"I can relate. They set me up on blind dates with worst possible girls!" I said rolling my eyes and now she laughed.
"Guess, we'll have to live through it." She said shrugging and after saying bye she hung up.
What about not failing yourself?
Her question started roaming around my mind as I laid my head on the pillow.
Arrrghh!
This girl is messing with my mind soo hard!