Siddharth
Everything seemed messy. Payal made my heart beat once again like my younger self. Seven years... it's been seven years since that day but still, that day stays fresh in my memory.
I sometimes hope how great it would be to forget those memories. Then, at times, I feel glad that I didn't completely forget those times; the times when I was so in love, happy to watch her from afar.
It wasn't all bad. I had found my love. First love.
The day remains vivid in my memory. Our college was located in the middle of the city. The boys' dorms were a hundred metres away from the girls and our hostel meal provider would bring us the meal.
Hostel food wasn't preferable at all. That same roti and sabji dish would be repeated and if we complained, they would change it to rice, dal and half-boiled eggs. On Sundays however, we were free to choose our favourite meal out of three combinations.
"Man, I am ordering chicken today!" Abhiraj shouted, jumping up on the bed with excitement.
"And I am not paying for that!" I announced, slumping back in my chair. "I... don't have money." I buried my head inside my books, waiting for the accountancy book to just take me into their world. I didn't know why I wished for that terrible nightmare.
"Ah... your dad really cancelled your card? Wow, you should make up with him already." He threw his hands up in the air.
I just sighed when Sanjay looked up from his copy. "My treat guys. Let's get chicken!"
Sanjay was in a good mood after scoring the best mark in the semester. At last, we dialled up the number to order our dinner. "Chicken meal— three."
"What?" The man shouted from the other side.
"Three chicken meals — Hostel B, room 306," Abhiraj screamed just to make sure he heard.
While we sat in our room, waiting for our dinner, the doorbell rang. Abhiraj ran to the door, excited to get his chicken order. I swear he could go crazy over food.
He picked up the food packet, somewhat giving an odd look at the packet then turning to us, he said, "What is this? It's not chicken." Sanjay and I rose from our seats. We opened the packet to find two paneer dishes with one egg meal.
It felt like we just got cheated. It was like we had been biting on a luscious fruit and suddenly discovered it to be a water balloon, exploding over our faces, only to leave us drenched like clowns. The cheating felt on a personal level.
"What a joke!" Abhiraj exploded. He heard the phone ring and ran across it, fully sure to explode on the dialer. But he never did that.
"...Oh really? Gosh, it's okay. Yeah okay. You are coming? Oh, you are sending your friend. Okay, thank you so much. Ah, thanks." His voice softened as he chirped goodbye to the caller happily.
"Such a sweet girl," he murmured, giggling like a stupid fool. He noticed our confused, questioning glances and replied, "Ah, our food got swapped. A girl from Hostel A will be coming..." he paused when he realised. "A girl is coming!" He shouted.
Girls aren't supposed to be in the boy's hostel. Something that need not be told to anyone. Soon enough, the bell rang. Abhiraj and Sanjay were fast enough to put on a decent shirt.
I opened the door to meet my eyes with the most beautiful girl. Her entrance, of course, brought about chaos— the hostel had turned into a whirlwind of spilt drinks, mismatched socks, curious peeks and door slams. They were all gathered to see the water angel amid the desert.
Her deep chocolate eyes drowned me in her when she spoke, catching my entire attention. "Here's your meal box." She handed me the box, pushing her loose hair strands behind her ear.
That was the moment I knew I loved her.
Yes, that love at first sight. That magical feeling which I thought would disappear as easily as it came. But it didn't. That feeling stayed on and on with me. That's when I felt that it wasn't a mere attraction, I had fallen for her.
"Sid, where is your laptop?" Ankit knocked on the door, sneaking his face through the half-opened door. He is the youngest in our family. Youngest means the most lovable and most spoiled.
He gets the entire attention of the family from the very childhood till now and he will forever get this attention. "Why do you need my laptop?"
He rushed his fingers across his hair, "My laptop crashed and I have a meeting.... Argh, just give me yours okay?"
"Hey, are you going to keep disrespecting me like this?" I raised my voice a little over the nominal range. If I raise it a little more, I am sure this brat would scream and bring my big brother.
"I am taking your laptop. If you want to help me, I am not stopping you." He shrugged his shoulders as he carried my laptop, leaving my room.
"What? I can't believe him. Hey..." I walked out of my room and followed him when I was stopped by Gourabh, my big brother. He is the eldest one and the most loved one by our father, of course, because he handles the entire business.
"Don't argue with your brother." Gourabh stood firmly, his stern voice reaching my brain as I stopped in my tracks. "You should focus on your work instead of running after Ankit."
I hung my head low, rubbing the back of my neck. "You know I am still adapting to it—"
"Stop it. You must handle the marketing business. Dad wants you to start from the Pegasus Plaza now. You must learn from there."
I rolled my eyes as I said, "That market is messed up. I don't want to go there. All our married employees are getting transferred there. And this weird superstition is hilarious. Does it make sense?"
"You are talking about sense?" I looked at him at his remark as he continued in a monotonous tone. "Just go there tomorrow and check it. Anyway, you are not getting transferred there till you get married. That market gives us profits. That's what matters. And remember to check the files." Gourabh walked away, leaving me behind with a load of burden to carry.
I was done with that market already. The weird rules of only married employees were outrageous enough. Now, I am supposed to even check after it. They might as well transfer me there if I get married. Well, that is out of the question for now.
I walked inside my room, sitting on my bed when I heard my phone ring. Abhiraj. "Want to watch a movie with me?"
I sighed. "What's wrong with you again?"
"My girlfriend cancelled the date on me. I already bought the tickets. And I was sure you were not busy. So..." He, unfortunately, was my best friend.
"Who— told you I am free?" I asked, offended at his words. But who was I kidding? I am sitting like a couch potato with no work on hand. "Well, okay. I am free. Whose movie is it by the way?"
"Alia!" There, I was booked. In two minutes, I was in my car and in the next few minutes, I reached the theatre.
Standing near the stalls, I witnessed the crowd moving inside the hall. "Man, you came faster than I thought." His voice boomed near my ear when I turned to meet him.
As we walked towards the security check where we had to go through a metal detector frame, I heard a scream as something emerged from behind. "Surprise, you had no idea—"
I hardly managed to not fall when I saw her face. Her eyes went wide in recognition. "Shruti!" She stumbled behind, putting on the bag in front of her face while I turned to see Abhiraj standing with his popcorn all over his body. He slowly turned his face towards me, picking up the popcorn from his shirt collar. "Umm... Hi."
★★★
"Sorry, I was just about to tell you." Abhiraj finished narrating his love story.
I sat with the two of them sitting right in front of me. We didn't get to watch the movie and right now, we were sitting in the food court, without ordering proper food. But seriously, I have other things to care about. My friend has been seeing Payal's friend for the last seven years and I had no idea.
"How can you both—" I tried to calm down my anger. "Leave this guy, he was always like this but even you, Shruti? At least you shouldn't have been like this. How would Payal feel to know this now?"
She scanned her boyfriend's face who sat with no expression whatsoever. "But Payal knows it." Her voice was low but enough. My angry eyes met him as he nudged Shruti to stop talking about it.
"It's okay, Siddharth. Don't feel like you are the last man to know. Even our parents have no idea who we are dating with." I sighed at her attempt of making me feel at comfort.
"How can you do this as a friend?" I turned to Abhiraj. I didn't have a problem with him dating. But this was messed up. How can he date Payal's friend, Payal who I crushed on and never got over?
"But aren't you over her now?" Abhiraj spoke out when Shruti squeezed his hand in an attempt so he would stop his running mouth.
"Siddharth, do you know something? Payal has been single all her life and is still waiting for the man of her life. Do you know what that means?"
I was taken aback at first. Payal is still single?
I shook my head, not knowing what to answer. "You fool! That means you have a chance."
"What are you—" Abhiraj was trying to speak just to get a punch in his stomach. He winced out in pain but soon composed himself. "Shut up!" He sat quietly at her command.
"Take this opportunity. I will help you, okay?"
~•~
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