It was 8am the next day and I woke up afresh. I was full of enthusiasm and my mind felt very light. Yesterday when I talked to Shlok, his words really changed me. Maybe that's what Rishi wanted. If he wanted it, that means I wanted it. I didn't feel such a kind of energy go through my veins. This was something different and pure. It felt so clean. Each moment was blossoming in my stomach.
But before starting off with the day, I had to have some coffee. Today's coffee was for a new beginning. I spent some time at night thinking about what Shlok said. And it really really helped me. I then decided that I didn't want to know who Arush was and thus who was Piyu's ex.
I sat on the sofa comfortably after a long time and that spotlight which I told you with everything else around me turning dark came again. But this time, an orchestra started surrounding me. This was the best experience of my life. Finally I had left the life of an overthinker. With those hot and aromatic sips of coffee, I planned out few things for the day. I had to go to college for some work, otherwise I was bunking that day. So before going to college, I decided to meet Shefali.
* * * * * * * *
I called her at Crossword book store. Where on the top floor, it was filled with books but there were hardly few people there to read them.
She was sitting on the carpet floor in a corner with a book in her hand and she was totally into it.
I stood beside her and I found a book on a bookshelf. I purposely dropped that book in front of her. She noticed the book and gave me, that's when she saw me. But obviously, she didn't utter a single word. I took the book and showed it to her. She read the title, which was 'Sorry'. And I smiled.
"What's this?" she asked.
"My words for day before yesterday." and I sat beside her.
"Sorry by Zoran Drvenkar?" she said.
"Well not the actual book, but the title."
"Okay, but what is the book about?" she asked.
"I don't know, it's about some four friends." I said. She flipped the book and read.
"It's a suspense thriller." She said.
"That's why I said, only the title." She smiled. "I'm sorry for that day Shef. My senses were not in place. That day was hard." I said.
"It's okay. But the way you behaved was so strange and scary."
"Yes, I couldn't even imagine."
"Yeah. By the way, who's Rishi?" That question which I was expecting.
"Sorry Shef, but I'll rather talk about him some another time." She saw the seriousness in my eyes and luckily agreed.
"By the way, yesterday everyone met at Shlok's place right, what happened there?" I said.
"Ohh yeah. I didn't go." She said.
"Why?"
"I was all bored to go there. Again the same things of talking about someone and all would've started."
"Gossip you mean?"
"Yeah, sort of."
"Okay. That's good."
"What are your plans for today?" she asked.
"Well, from here I have to go to college. And then I might meet Dev."
"Oh okay."
"You wanted to hangout?"
"Yeah like if you were free, but it's okay." She said. And I suspected something here. Even if my way of apologizing was innocent, she smoothly digested that behaviour of mine that day. She even accepted to skip upon the fact that I denied talking about Rishi. More to this, for the first time she asked me to spend some time with her. I knew she would never fall for me, so it only had to be something which she wanted to put out so desperately, that just by asking her, she would let you know what it was.
"What happened Shefali? Do you have something to tell me?"
"Umm...no."
"Come on, tell me. I can see it in your eyes that there's something. And that something is actually good."
"Yeah, it's good, but..."
"Seriously Shef? You are trying so hard to not to tell me."
"Okay fine. I can't hold this any longer."
"Good."
"Well then, what happened is, yesterday, Tammany called me up. And he started talking so sweetly and you know so lovingly that ultimately he came upon a point where he kinda asked me out."
"Woah!! That's so cool! So what did you say?"
"I said okay, like I don't mind."
"Wow! That's really very good news. I'm so happy for you. You just made my day even better." I said and I hugged her.
I wasn't surprised at all. He always had a secretive crush on her. Only thing is I never told you this. You remember that day when he went over to her in the party to ask about what she had written for him, since that day I hinted that he felt something for her.
"It feels good to you see like this." I said.
"Like this as in?" she asked.
"As in, I actually know about your breakup. And that now, you are taking hold of your life and moving on."
"You knew about my..." she said.
"Yes, I did."
"How?"
"I'm sorry, but, I stalked you. I tried to get as much information about you."
"You used me?" she said and her forehead got wrinkles.
"Yes, initially. That's why I called you here to apologize and to tell you that I'll never want to lose you, and our friendship."
"How should I believe that?" she said.
"Because, I'm confessing to you now. I know, words wont make you believe, but maybe you'd be able to sense what that I'm actually being honest to you right now." I said. she didn't say anything. She only took a while to comprehend what I said. And maybe she really trusted me, so she accepted my apology.
* * * * * * * *
I had to leave because I had some work in college. So I came out of the rickshaw and entered the college. It was afternoon by then and I liked that people were attending college whereas few were down there in the canteen. I went to the lab and did my work. After an hour I roamed in my college in those silent lobbies. The lobby ended at the lift. I was roaming there and someone came out of the lift. And that same time, my head started paining so severely that I mourned in pain and fell on my knees. There was a girl who came out from the lift and she helped me balance myself. She took me to the stairs and she splashed few drops of water on my face. In sometime I felt good and I saw her. She happened to be Naina. And I don't know why, but for once I felt good that I met her.
"Naina?" I said but she didn't even look me into eye.
"Thank you for helping me." I said, in some hope that she might listen.
"And I'm happy that it was you helped me."
She froze. She looked at me and said,
"What did you say?"
We sat on the stairs and I told her about my suspicion. That I doubted her over a lot of things and so I read her. I analysed each and every move of her. Her words, her sentences, and also her social feed.
"Wow. You know me better than all my boyfriends combined." She said.
"Haha...come on, there would be at least one?"
"Yeah, there was. But he's no longer there with me."
I didn't say anything, because I knew this wasn't the time.
"So what did you read about me?" I asked.
"What?"
"See, I know you aren't dumb. You are that smart person who projects to the world that you are a gossip girl, but there are some different plans which you have." I said.
"You've thought about me a lot." She said.
"So tell me something about me." I said.
"Well, okay. So you know that even I read you. I always thought that you are a very strange guy and that you have a good heart but you were not able to understand that and so you always got entangled on those things which you should've not think of."
"Well, nice actually. I liked that."
"And I remember that I got a feeling about you liking Priyanka."
"Oh my god, only this was left to fall on my ears." I said.
"Don't tell me you never felt about her in that way."
"No I didn't! I never did!"
"Well...it's okay if you don't want to agree to that." She said.
"You know Naina, I'm very sorry that I doubted you."
"About what?"
"I actually thought that you might know who Priyanka's ex was." I said. Her face fell the one like Shlok's had.
"I need to go." She said.
"What happened?" I asked.
"It's my lecture time." She said and got up. She turned and said, "You are a good human being Manav." and she left.
I got many questions because that was that one moment when I couldn't tell what was she up to. But I thought, did it really matter for me now? I didn't think so.