April 1992
Pune
"God, my fingers look like a big ugly spider clinging to the neck of this thing, Kabs!" Khushi shrieked as she looked at her fingers holding the neck of the guitar to strum the chord Kabir had just taught her.
"Well done! You got the F minor chord, Khush, and this is just the beginning, mere dost!" Kabir winked as he knelt in front of her near the two-seater sofa she was seated on.
"This is serious effort Kabs! It seems so simple when someone is playing it."
"It is indeed, but worth it once you get the hang of it. Tu yeh sab chhod. Chal, sing something. I'll try to accompany you." Kabir took the guitar from her and sat down on the rug. "Sing a peppy number or else as you can see, everyone here is going to nod off any moment after gorging on that delicious halwa!" He said, looking at everyone yawning and slowly getting comfortable in their seats.
It was a lazy hot Sunday afternoon for everyone as they relaxed in Akash's room on the third floor of his house. Akash's bedroom was on the top floor looking out onto a vast terrace, which had been a witness to many birthday parties and boys-sleepovers throughout these years. The gang always met up at his place every Sunday after lunch, catching up on the weekly events and happenings in their life. They would make elaborate plans for the Sunday afternoons every week —plans to do something together indoors or outdoors and then eventually sit for hours in the room or the terrace, coffee after coffee, pondering over which plan to go for first. Usually, by the time they were done discussing it, it would be time to go home. The planning part of it had also become a routine in their lives, and even if the plans were not implemented, no one ever complained.
"Kabs, let me have a look. I want to see how a beauty like this feels in my arms!" Akash said as he sat down next to Kabir.
"O Bhai mere! No, no one is touching this thing! Duur baith! And you should know this feeling. You already have a beauty in your arms all the time!" Kabir winked, and everyone burst into laughter.
"Besharm!" Payal chided him, as she threw a cushion at Kabir and blushed to the roots of her hair.
"So Mr Smart-Ass, are we supposed to ignore the special consideration given to Khush?" Akash asked Kabir, making Khushi giggle.
"She understands the value of it, Akky, unlike you all!" Kabir grinned at Khushi.
Arnav raised his head from where he was sprawled out — on a huge sofa in one corner of the room. Everyone had overeaten on the halwa made by Chef Chacha, and it had been very tempting to give in to a snooze after that kind of overeating.
"Kabir, I'll value it more than my life. Can I give it a go?" Arnav smirked.
"Dada Muni! No one is getting this thing, bola na! You are not the exception to the rule, she is!" Kabir dismissed Arnav and started strumming a chord to a rhythm.
"Teri toh main...!" Arnav shot up from his position and was about to get up when Khushi started singing.
"Oooo... naya dard hain yeh toh
Nayi pyaas hain...
Jawaani ka pehlaa...ehsaaas hain..
Mohabbat ka dil pe ..nasha chha gaya..
Kuchh bhi ho jaanam ..mazaa aa gaya ...."
Arnav got back into his seat, staring at her. Her melodious voice floated all around him while she played with the bracelet on her left wrist with her nimble fingers. He could see the smile twinkling in her eyes as she sang the lines and observed how her eyes closed every time she hit a top note. The muscles of her throat strained at times, and she moved her arm gracefully with every wave she rode, especially when she added a murki in those lines. Her hair was tied back into her signature ponytail, and the pink hues on her face and neck were because of the beautiful pink kurti she was wearing right now, making her look ethereal. How long was his heart going to listen to his mind, he wondered.
"Ke ab dil sambhaale na..
Sambhalta hain.....ho..."
Arnav sang the last two lines making everyone turn their heads towards him in shock. Kabir lost the grip on his guitar, and Akash whistled loudly as this was one of the rarest moments of their life hearing Arnav sing, as rare as the sighting of a comet. Everyone kept staring at him as he smirked coyly looking down at the floor, flashing his dimples. The only person who sat still without a reaction was Khushi. She looked at Arnav at the same time he looked at her, and they both looked away immediately. Everyone joined in as they sang the remaining lines of the song in chorus, finishing it on claps and whistles.
****
"Where is Anjali and her Nikhil Srivastav? They should have been here by now." Payal took a mug from a tray full of mugs of steaming coffee which Khushi was carrying in her hands.
"I am wondering too. I am hoping her Maasi hasn't made other plans for her." Khushi said as she took the tray to Akash.
"Is she still going strong with that guy, Khush? Kabs, how is this Nikhil dude? You know him, right?" Akash said, taking the mug from the tray.
"He is alright, bahot bade baap ka beta! But poor thing, he doesn't know what he has signed up for yet. You know how our phuljhhadi is! No man would dare live with that ticking bomb! Don't know how he is managing!" Kabir chuckled and regretted it instantly seeing Khushi frown at him.
"She is a man's dream, and that is precisely why Nikhil chased her for over a year. Your brain is too young to get the point, Kabs. You don't know her as much as we girls do. So, shut up!" Khushi snapped at Kabir, as she took the tray with the last mug to Arnav.
Arnav was looking at her as she held the tray in her hands in front of him. "What are we waiting for mister? Christmas?" Khushi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Where is your coffee?" Arnav asked her, looking at the tray.
"In the kitchen downstairs. I'll get it."
"You have this one. I'll go get the other one." Arnav got to his feet and was about to leave when Khushi stopped him.
"Listen, this —this is the last one. Woh....I don't want coffee." Khushi said sheepishly.
"I'll get an empty mug. We are sharing this one."
"No, I don't —"
"Nope. I know you never say no to coffee. I'll be back in a jiffy." Arnav said with a smile and went downstairs without sparing her a glance.
Akash and Payal exchanged a look and smiled.
"Dekha hain pehli baar.....saajan ki aakhon mein pyaar.....!" Akash sang aloud with a grin.
Kabir was busy eyeing the tea cake which Payal was cutting into slices for everyone. "Moti, akeli khaayegi? Enough cutting! Pass it to me now!"
"Coffee is excellent Khush!" Payal said with a smile.
"It's alright." Arnav added with a smirk on his face.
"Best coffee ever! Khush makes the best coffee in town!" Kabir said as he had another sip of it. "Akash, you should send your parents and chef chacha away like today on every Sunday afternoon so that Madam Khush makes this fantastic coffee for us!"
"You guys need to stop praising each other's tail all the time! It's nauseating! "Arnav said in an annoyed tone.
Khushi and Kabir high-fived and burst into laughter. The doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of Anjali and Nikhil and the girls ran downstairs. The only thing everyone could hear for the first few seconds were squeals from the girls, and the boys looked at each other and shook their head with smiles on their faces.
"You did not cut your hair! Why would you do that, Anj?! That's like a tonne off your weight!" Payal screamed as the trio walked into the room along with Nikhil.
"Jelly with a hair cut! Kaisi hain tu? How are you, Nikhil?" Akash got up and hugged Anjali and shook hands with Nikhil.
"I am good, happy to see you all here after a long time," Nikhil said with a smile on his face.
"I am going to kill that rickshaw waala! He could've knocked us off the road at that speed!" Anjali sat down on the sofa, throwing her bag on it. "Haraami kahin ka!"
"Did you note the rickshaw number?" Kabir hugged her and then Nikhil.
"Nahi. And even if I did, I won't give it to you, guunde!" Anjali smiled at him and leaned in to whisper to him "I would deal with him myself!" She winked, and Kabir laughed.
"Says a Guundi!" Arnav chuckled as he walked up to where she was sitting and hugged her. "How are you Jelly? All good?" Arnav asked as he watched Khushi talking to Nikhil, giggling over something he had said.
"All good, Arnav. Mumbai sucks, but I am beginning to warm up to the sultry weather." Anjali smiled as she sat back on the sofa with Nikhil.
"So Nikhil, you both have any plans for the evening or do you want to join us in our exciting plan of doing nothing today?" Akash asked Nikhil as he went and sat near Payal.
"Whatever Madam wishes!" Nikhil said with a grin.
"Coffee?" Khushi offered, smiling at Nikhil and Anjali.
"If you are making it, yes please." Anjali smiled "I'll come downstairs with you."
It all happened very quickly within the next few minutes when Khushi had just turned towards the door that led to the kitchen downstairs, next to the window.
While everyone was relaxing on the couches and the large rug in the centre of the room — a stone, the size of a cricket ball, came crashing through the window where Khushi was standing, cracking the glass of the window on its way, startling everyone. Shards of glass flew in all directions, one of which hit Khushi square on her forehead, making her hiss in pain. A smaller one with a paper-wrapped to it by a rubber band followed a second later, getting through the broken glass of the window easily and fell near Anjali, just missing her leg.
The girls screamed and ran towards Khushi along with Arnav, Nikhil and Akash. Kabir rushed towards the window and peeped out to check if he could spot anyone.
Anjali had one look at Khushi's forehead, and a string of expletives flew out of her mouth. Payal ran downstairs to fetch the first aid box. Arnav held Khushi's shaking frame with his arms and made her sit on the couch. He saw a small cut above her left brow as the blood trickled down her forehead, and their eyes met for a second. She smiled assuring him she was alright and Arnav relaxed, letting out the breath he had held inside him. The girls cleaned up the wound, and applied bandage.
Relieved that it wasn't a deep wound, everyone's attention was now directed towards Arnav, who was still looking at Khushi. It took some time for everyone to understand what had happened. Akash was the first one to recover fully from the shock. He picked up the stone, pulled out the note attached to it and read the words scribbled on it.
Kabir, some wounds don't heal easy. Come downstairs. We need to settle things.
PS: I miss Khushi.
Arnav snatched the paper from him, his jaws clenched and his nostrils flared as he read it. He turned to look at Kabir and found him staring at him while he read it. He folded the paper into his fist and lunged towards him. He caught hold of his arm and pulled him outside onto the terrace. The boys followed him, and Akash locked the terrace door from the outside.
"Please tell me this is not Aman." Arnav spoke to Kabir in a hushed tone, trying to appear as calm and composed as he could.
"He laid a hand on Khush without her consent." Kabir replied in a flat tone that shook Arnav up.
"How do you know about this?" Arnav asked, caught unaware by the knowledge that Kabir knew what had transpired between Khushi and Aman.
"I heard. I have my sources."
"What did you do to him?" Arnav asked, his voice still very low as he looked into Kabir's eyes.
"I just let him know that he can't do that to her. No one can and should do that to her." Kabir spoke with a feral glint in his eyes.
"Maara usey?"
"Haan."
"How bad?"
"He will remember it for life."
"When did you—"
"Two weeks ago."
Arnav kept staring at him, not knowing how to react. Kabir seemed utterly unfazed by what had just happened, the unapologetic eyes staring back at Arnav.
"Show me the note." Kabir bent forward, trying to take the note from Arnav.
"No!" Arnav pulled his arm away.
"Show me the bloody note!" Kabir bellowed and snatched the note from Arnav's hand while pushing him away with all his might. He read the note hurriedly and his entire demeanour changed within seconds. His eyes narrowed, cold and rigid. Unable to reign in the fury, his fists rolled as he looked at Arnav and then at the terrace door. "Son of a fuckin —" He turned and ran towards the door.
Arnav, Akash and Nikhil ran after him and stopped him.
"I'll go talk to him, and you will stay here." Arnav breathed in silent fury. "If you don't, I'll have to break your ankles first to ensure that you don't move for the next few weeks. Do you get me?" He barked, his breaths laboured trying to tame the anger inside him.
"Did you not see what he wrote about her?" Kabir asked, staring at him in the eye.
"Stay here. Let me go talk to him."
"He won't let you speak! He might harm you. He is a bastard of the — you still want to talk to him after what he has just done?" Kabir asked in a tone of disbelief.
"He did nothing. You started it, and we are paying for it. So, shut the fuck up!"
"I started it?" Kabir's eyes widened. "What did you want me to do? Sit on my ass while he did that to her? Like a wimp? Can you hear yourself? You sound like a fucking wuss right now!"
Kabir felt a hard slap across his cheeks before he finished his words. It was a loud smack, and it stung him, leaving an imprint on his cheek. Arnav stood staring at him, shaking in anger, blood boiling enough to make him finally lose control over his emotions. "Do you want me to do what you did to him two weeks ago, you fuckin' idiot? What if he had complained to the police? You have beaten him to a pulp Kabir — do you even understand how reckless you've acted? He could have had you behind bars right now, you fool! What the fuck were you thinking? Do you not see things clearly? Will we always live in the fear that someday you will land yourself into some big shit because of your impulsive behaviour and uncontrollable anger?" They kept glaring at each other while their breaths came in gasps. "Were you drunk when this happened? Was this the night when you stayed over at Aarav's place?"
"Yes, I was. Pissed drunk." Kabir deadpanned.
Arnav was about to leap towards him again, but Akash and Nikhil held him back. He turned around and walked towards the parapet of the terrace and stood there, trying to control his breathing and calm himself down. After a couple of minutes, he walked towards Kabir again and held his face in his hands.
"What are you doing to yourself? And why? This is the time to study, be serious about life. We have fun too, but not this kind, Kabir. Drinking with friends and gundagardi is not fun! It will land you and your loved ones into trouble, just like today. You saw Khush! Her forehead is bleeding and probably needs immediate attention of a doctor because of what you did two weeks ago in a fit of fury! Can you not see this?" Arnav asked helplessly.
"Pravachan nahin chahiye!" Kabir sneered. "It's always easy for you to advice because you are bright! You touch anything, and it turns to fuckin' gold! God, it makes me sick sometimes! I am not cut out for this perfect-boy bullshit okay?" Kabir shoved his hands away.
"I am not asking you to be a perfect boy because no one is! Neither am I asking you to top the University. Just get through it without such hiccups, Kabir. You have a penchant for music, you will—"
"I said pravachan nahin chahiye!" Kabir roared, a nerve ticking in his temple. "I don't meddle in your life, so please don't interfere with mine. And yes, I don't do this for everyone. I don't pick random fights. I am not a fuckin' imbecile. I got into it because a couple of guys were talking about Khush and Aman in her college — our Khush! I couldn't let that bastard get away with it! So I nailed him in his area that evening, and I did what I had to. Remember yourself attacking Aman on the street one evening? Same logic! Where was this gyaan of your's then, may I ask?"
"That was—"
"—Fine? Was it fine because you did it? Look at the double standards! Who the hell are you decide everything about her? Jaagir hain tumhari?" Kabir asked him, his eyes spitting fire at him.
"Kabir, it was her —"
Arnav tried to speak, but Kabir was beyond listening. "Yes! Exactly! It was 'her' in question, right? Our Khush! That pretty much gave you the licence to do what you did, right? You didn't think about this long lecture of right and wrong in life then, did you?" Kabir asked in mocking tone.
"Kabir." Akash kept a hand over his shoulder, trying to calm him down.
"I'll kill the man who touches her without her permission, get that into your bloody Einstein brain, alright? I'll crack every single bone in the body of the man who hurts her or who causes her harm. My mouth will not talk like your's, my legs and arms will!" Leaning in towards Arnav, Kabir looked at him in the eye and said "This is between Khush and me. Me and her. Us. You stay out of it because it doesn't concern you, you get that Mr Perfection?