"Ugh, God. Do we really have to go?"
"C'mon Deepika. How can we not? It's our reunion for chrissake! We HAVE to go!"
"Darn, okay, whatever."
Art school was ages ago. And she didn't particularly like the idea of revisiting those awful school mates. It's not that she hated school, but meeting all her classmates so many years later made her flinch a little. She didn't have too many friends back then either, and very few managed to transcend from schoolmates to her "friends". She took things like that very seriously. To her, friends were for life. And if she wanted someone in her life, it was for a lifetime. Casual friendships and relationships were practically a nonexistent theory for her.
She didn't even remember most people from art class so she was naturally hesitant.
But her friend Mona wanted her to come and she knew it meant a great deal to her. She was organising. And she just couldn't say no to her.
She was going to be in town around that time anyway. She was to go to Mumbai to visit a family friend on the 2nd of January. She planned to leave on the 6th. Now that the reunion was scheduled for the 3rd, she didn't have much choice.
She'd reached Mumbai early on the morning of 1st January. She went home. She hadn't been home in ages. Mumbai wasn't always home. But it had been for a very long time. It will always be home, no matter how far and wide she travelled and journeyed, how distant she lived, how ever long she stayed. Mumbai was what defined her and it shall always be home.
Her family was absolutely thrilled to see her in so long. She'd missed them, and strangely, it was their presence that made her realise how much she missed them. She spent the rest of the day chatting with her family, looking at old albums, laughing.
"Look here, you look so adorable!"
"Ugh nooo I don't."
It was a picture of her covered in paint. She was trying to paint something and in the process she ended up having more paint on her person than the canvas.
"Ahaha and look here, there's your art class. You're having a reunion I heard."
"So you know too?"
"Yeah, I met Mona the other day. She told me."
"And you told her I'd be in town didn't you?"
"Oops."
Then there was the whole talk about how she didn't want to go and her sister persuading her to. Although she was the elder of the two, she always relied on her younger sister for advice every once in a while.
They whiled away the time chatting and then it was dinner time soon. They went downstairs, and after dinner, she went upstairs to the terrace, watching the sky sparkle.
"Hey."
She turned around to see her mom there, and she walked up to her, hugging her briefly.
"We really missed you."
"I missed you all too."
They got talking about various things. One of which was her heartbreak.
"Ma, I'm over him. I've told you that so many times! And I'm NOT upset, trust me. I'm sorry I haven't visited often and I don't speak for long, but that's because I'm busy. I'm sorry."
"Beta I'm just trying to help. Look, it's natural to feel that way. If you feel low, it's okay. I just want you to be happy. We all do. And we think how your remain aloof these days, it's going to affect you. Meet some people. That's another reason why I want you to go to the reunion. It's good to meet old friends."
"Ma, they aren't my friends."
"Oh don't say that beta. Why don't you give it a try. Mona would be there at least meet her!"
This went on for sometime. But her mother could eventually persuade her to go to the reunion.
3rd January came sooner than she thought it would. As much as she dreaded the evening, she knew that it could be a potentially good night.
She went anyway, driving to the venue which was this disco. It had their art class's name and batch on a little board out front. Mona was around and she walked in with her.
They played music really loud. She stood around while Mona went about greeting everyone. She didn't much know what to do and she didn't much know anyone around so she kept thinking of excuses. That's when someone tapped on her shoulder. She turned towards her left and someone said a "hi" from her right. She turned the other way then to see this guy, tall with deep brown hair and dressed in a semi formal suit, smiling at her.
Puberty can certainly work like magic on some people, she thought.
She didn't remember anyone even remotely cute in all those years at her art class and she just kept wondering who this stunning man was.
But she then realised, at that very moment, that he'd greeted her so she said a quick "hi" back, smiling.
"I'm sure you don't remember me and you're probably just wondering - "who is this freak and why is he greeting me?" so I'll just introduce myself. I'm Ranbir. We were in art class together which is kind of obvious since this is a reunion for that very class. It's good seeing you, Deepika."
"I'm so sorry Ranbir, I just-"
"Don't worry about it." He said, smiling and laying his palm on her shoulder, ever so lightly.
They then walked towards the other end of the room to get themselves drinks.
"So what do you do?"
"I, err, make films."
"OHMYGOSH WAIT. You're Ranbir Kapoor! Your film was showcased at Cannes this year! I've been DYING to meet you!"
"Ermmmm. Yes, I-"
"I thought your film was absolutely BRILLIANT. Like how do you even come up with something like that?! I love how you portrayed the lead, it's not, you know, something people would like. There's a risk involved and you took it and everyone"
"Uhh-"
"LOVED IT! All the critics were bowled over! How do you do it?!"
"Well thank-"
"It is SOOO MESMERISING. It's a brilliant film, absolutely brilliant, I can go on about it FOR EVER AND EVER AND-"
"Deepika!"
"What?"
"Can we do this later, please?"
"Oh. Yeah sure, sorry."
"No, thank you. It means a lot to me, especially since it's coming from a bestselling author, and one such as yourself. I really need an autographed copy of your next."
"Well I'm flattered to say the least. I-"
They were interrupted by Mona and some others who she'd brought along. It was a reunion after all.
She met a lot of people, some of whom she actually remembered.
It truly was a night of fun, despite the really loud music and the not-so-great band playing. She met people, they laughed, danced, ate, laughed some more and she really felt not so much like herself for sometime. And that change was something she really liked. Was she glad she decided to come.
And Ranbir. Ranbir turned out to be a lot of fun. She still couldn't figure out how she hadn't remembered him.
Ranbir was leaving just when she was, so he walked down stairs to the lobby with her.
"Hey, do you mind walking some blocks down the road with me? There's a place you'd really like."
"Umm"
"Please?"
She couldn't say no, in general. And she couldn't say know to that sweet face.
They walked in the dark, with the dim street lights, two old friends (erm not quite) talking.
She then told him why she loves his film so much. It wasn't a romantic movie per se, but it did have a romantic angle to it.
She told him how she was going through a break up and how, most of all, it was this film that helped her cope with the grief. She'd been dumped by someone she trusted and she couldn't get herself to trust people that easy, thereafter. She told him how she related to a character in the film particularly, and how she could relate to her so much and how this film had changed her so much. She said that it was the best film she'd ever watched.
"Well there's at least something I made that you liked."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Uh, nothing really. Maybe later. First let's go... here."
It was an old building, but it was lit. They walked the creaky stairs up when they reached a door on the right. When he opened it, they both looked in. He felt his hand along the wall for the switchboard and turned a switch on, instantly lighting the place up.
It was their art class.
"Oh my God... It's like... I remember everything all of a sudden. I don't know how this..."
She saw that he wasn't around. She looked around and walked further inwards when she saw him kneeling near this cabinet.
"Look" he said.
He pulled out some crumpled but still well preserved sheets of paper and they were all her drawings. He looked at them fondly and she looked on, still surprised how he recognised her drawings.
"You know, this one. This was an assignment where we were asked to draw what we liked most in our present surroundings. You said you wanted to draw a butterfly that had just flown in from the window. But you couldn't draw it since it kept flying."
They looked at the drawing together. It was quite childlike, although a good one for a child aged 7. They looked at the others in the stack. She looked around to see if his drawings were and she found a stack in a corner. She kept flipping through them and whilst, she asked him what he drew on that day.
He hesitated. She kept flipping and saw a picture he had drawn. The dates on her picture and his were the same. He had drawn a girl. A girl with brunette pigtails. She wore a pink dress with white flowers. He even drew the little flowers with great detail. She sat at a table and she was drawing what seemed to be a butterfly. And there was a little yellow butterfly too, hovering over her.
She understood his hesitation.
She put the stack away, and he put hers away, and they looked around a while at all the drawings on the walls and walked out, soon after.
They walked out, and she asked him
"How is it that... you remember me and I don't remember you."
He opened his mouth to say something when she cut him off
"Don't blame it on my memory, it's pretty good." And they laughed.
"Well... what do I say. I just... remember you. I don't know why. And I don't know why you don't remember me, or for that matter, anyone else. I just do. You know some people... some people are such that you just remember them. You like them even if you don't know them. You just do."
"We were friends, so far as I remember. I mean, not BFFs, but we were friends. But... it's just different. Why did you draw me? Look, it's something you don't wanna talk about and I get it. But... why did you even pick me as your favourite thing/ person to draw in the surroundings? Why would you do that?"
"Like I said, I liked you. You were a... nice person. I still do. That's all."
That wasn't all. She knew there was something he hid from her and she didn't know what. But something. But she didn't want to press any further.
They spoke a little more, and nothing about the art class. He offered to drop her home but she said she had her car. He hugged her goodbye, albeit briefly, and then he walked away into the night.
She watched him for a while. She saw him, as he walked in the night, and thanked all the twinkling stars above, for Mona, for her family, especially her mom for persuading her, and definitely him, for just being.
She woke up the next morning feeling a little better than she did every previous morning, for a long time.
She went straight to an art shop and got herself some canvas boards and paints and went home, spending almost the whole day painting. She thought hard about what she'd paint and she stayed up late, very late, too late for her parents. Her sister disapproved just as her parents did, but she was firm, and she said she'd stay up till she finished it.
Eventually her sister dozed off, and she stayed up, still painting.
At about midnight, she felt a light flash through the window. She walked out to the balcony to see what was causing it.
She saw him again.
"What are you doing here?!" She said, half in panic and half amused, to see him there.
"Would you come down?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Please?"
She could see his face even from the distance.
Still hard to say no.
She went. She had to. She wanted to.
"Okay WHAT are you doing here? I could get killed! Do you know how-"
"Happy Birthday!" He said, smiling and hugged her, in one of those long, warm, lingering hugs. She loved how his strong hands held her, how his body felt against hers, how his lips felt on her neck, and his head slightly atop hers. And when he pulled away, she held on, so he hugged her back.
"Thank you."
Her voice shook. She just felt this sudden surge of emotions, and feelings, and all things mushy that she'd never felt. Not in her previous relationship, not ever. She held on to him for very long.
"I sense something. What's the matter?"
"No, nothing really."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"Just tell me if there's-"
"Shhhh."
And they stayed like that for several minutes. And neither wanted to pull away. And when they did, he asked her if she'd come with him, and he promised that he wouldn't let her get into any sort of trouble.
They were in his car and whilst he drove, he turned the stereo on, and Let Her Go by Passenger played.
"Hey this is my-"
"Favourite song."
"How... did you know?"
"Just did."
"Now c'mon, you've to tell me how you know so much about me. How do you know even little things like this?"
"When a person really matters to you, you tend to know little things about them.... okay we're here."
"Now where are you taking me?"
"Someplace."
They walked outside and he asked her to shut her eyes. She did so, although she kept asking if she could open them while he held her hand and they walked.
Then after sometime, he said she could and then she opened her eyes, awestruck, stunned, elated and totally swept off her feet by what she saw.
It was this hilltop, more like a cliff, but there were trees around. And she could see the sky and the stars so much better, and the moon seemed so much closer.
The thing that she actually loved most was this little place, there were wooden posts and a sheer white drape over them, and little yellow lights all over. It was right in the middle, and it was the sweetest little most romantic place she'd ever seen.
And it was in the movie. His movie.
The character that she related to, Deanna, she would visit this place often and spent many nights here. And on one such trips to the place, her S.O. in the movie builds her this as a gift.
She thought it might've been a set. And she never thought she'd actually see it. And here it was. Right in front of her eyes. Right there.
He held her hand still, and they walked in, and she was so mesmerised by it all, she didn't know what to say. So she didn't. She just looked around, walked around and tried to take it all in.
And eventually, she realised she needed to thank the person who made it all possible.
Still holding his hand, she turned to him, her eyes moist, and thanked him and he smiled at her, giving her palm a slight squeeze.
"Why... why'd you bother doing so much for... someone who doesn't even remember you?"
"Because you matter."
"Why?!" She said, at the verge of tears.
She felt terribly guilty for not having remembered the person who cared so much about her. She felt awful that she hadn't known him all this while. She just wished she could've reciprocated, and she knew she couldn't.
"Why don't we just-"
"Please tell me."
He knew she felt guilty and he also knew that if he spoke to her, told her everything, she'd feel even worse. And he didn't want that.
"Look. It doesn't matter. Okay? I'm doing this because I want to. And I want you to be happy. Please don't ruin this."
"Okay, okay, I understand."
She calmed down soon enough and they lay down stargazing. She really liked the sky and she really liked him. And she wished this'd never end. She eventually got him to tell her, and he knew she wouldn't let this go until he did.
"Well I've always liked you. I guess it was even more than just liking. And you. Well, you liked your school friends and you didn't really bond with a lot of us, at art class. And I could just never tell you how much I liked you. And I knew you wouldn't really care.
And, well, then this once, I made the err drawing, the one you saw. And I tried to give it to you. It was your birthday party and your mother had invited us too. I got you flowers and the drawing and you umm, I guess you didn't like them and that's okay err..."
"Tell me"
"You threw the flowers in the trash and walked away before I could say anything. And you said you hated my art. So I walked away and never showed you the drawing."
She cried. A little. And he comforted her. She told him how sorry she was and how she didn't mean any of it. He said he knew and that she shouldn't worry about it. And then it was time for them to go. He drove her home and when they reached, she hugged him and thanked him for everything. He said he was glad. She gave him a peck on the cheek and it was the last she'd ever see of him. He drove away and she wished he didn't.
The next morning, she woke up still feeling a little low. Her family tried to cheer her up. It was her birthday. But it didn't feel like it. It was like her birthday ended the moment he drove away. Her sister later showed her the picture that Mona sent. It was the reunion picture. He was standing next to her. She showed her the other picture from when she was seven, and she saw that he was standing next to her in the picture too.
"Oh such a sweet kid. He's all grown up now! He was a really sweet child. I still speak to his mother sometimes. He's a brilliant filmmaker now, beta. You must've heard." Her mother said, and her father agreed.
She didn't want to hear it. The rest of the day went okay, and she began packing her bags. Her sister walked in and she asked her about the previous night.
"What?"
"Don't lie, I know you sneaked out. Who was it."
"... Ranbir."
"Ranbir?! Cool. What'd you guys do?"
She told her everything and almost broke down doing it. Her sister comforted her and told her how she knew he liked her. She told her that she saw him sometimes and he'd ask after her.
"He really cares."
"I know" she said, wiping a tear.
"But he's going away to Florence this evening. In fact, he might even be on his way to the airport."
"Oh. Hey, how do you know this?"
"We've common friends. He's a busy man. He's shooting for his next. Well, actually, I was a little curious since there was this thing in the newspapers. They said Josh Duhamel might be a part of his next. JOSH DUHAMEL do you believe that?! So cool right?!!! So yeah I kinda-"
"Wait, you said Florence, right? Do you know his flight timings?"
"How am I supposed to-"
She rushed down, with her bags and then looked up flights from Mumbai to Florence. There was only one at 23:45. It was 17:15 now.
She ran through, after she'd checked in and looked around. She saw a bunch of people gathered and she knew that might be him. And there he was. He signed some autographs and spoke to a couple of people and then they left.
She didn't know how to do this. But she knew she had to. She walked up to him and he seemed stunned to see her there.
"Hey, what are you d-"
"I need to talk to you. In private."
They went to a private lounge and it was just the two of them then, and she knew she had to do it.
"Okay, okay, I don't really know how to go about this, but I'll try. I've had one terrible, horrible relationship that just made me want to live my life all alone. I didn't think I had it in me to be able to be in a relationship with another person ever again. I was too... scared. And too miserable. And I guess a lot of good did come out of that because... I met you" tears rolled down her cheeks "and... it's the best thing that has happened to me in a very long time. In forever. And I'm so grateful for everything, and I'm so happy, and I'm such a better version of me, I never thought I could be anything but miserable and lonely, but thank you so much Ranbir, for being an angel. I love you with all my heart. And thank you for giving me the courage to live, to love, and to strive to be a better person. I don't know if you love me, and I understand if you don't, but I just needed to tell you-"
She couldn't finish her sentence. He held her face in the most gentle a hold, and kissed her, their lips caressing each other's. She loved how his lips felt against hers, warm, gentle, immensely comforting.
"Spoke like a bestselling author."
She laughed and kissed him again, and later told him that she'd be coming to Florence with him.
"It's your birthday but I seem to have gotten the best gift I could've asked for."
"Spoke like a filmmaker. No wonder you go to Cannes." And they kissed some more.
En Fin.
The End.