I have all the measures of what she likes or not, from everything to everything but what is the use of it when I can't express anything for my love after having every knowledge of her preferences. I am too messed up with work, or I would have created several surprise dates for her. I could not even ask her in detail of how her workmate's little son is doing in hospital now, whom Zee went along with her workmate to get him admitted to a nearby hospital. As Zee's house is closer to the spot where her son fainted, she called up my girlfriend for help. I am proud of my girl for her kind accompaniments to others. I want to excusively give her something very beautiful as a credit of such a kind help. She did not consider our date more than someone's life. Well, today I will give all my blood into the computer and however late it may be, I will do the best preparations for her. And this should be a bonus one, of her return from Hong Kong and yesterday's great work of help too!
I call up The Crusty's Meal, to book a corner in their grand caféteria for us. I request them for something which they first blabber hundreds of things to be done and their exaggerated cost, but when I say that I have to date my girlfriend, the manager of their café chortles on that and says, "We never forbid lovers here. Anything for mam then, gentleman", to which I add with a polite curt, "And for me, too, Mr. Khanna". His laughs tell me that the people of his restaurant would be very amicable and since I have never changed the ratings of their food ever I visited them, they treated me perfectly. More to it, Zee does not know about this place. We have been to several restaurants but because this restaurant has a small area, I never thought I should take her here. But now I have learnt that happiness is greater in these small things, or you may say now I am quite consious about my budget and this Crusty serves the best muffins and Pomplet dishes that are Zee's favourite forever. That too in low cost. Things are too perfect in my life, no?
It's surprising I have less work today, or may be more thoughts of Ziana in my mind than anything else. The excitement to kiss her after so long is keeping that smile constant on my face. Some are just staring at me and wondering what I might be watching on my screen that is making me smile so much.
"You should now get married", Pravin Jha says from his cubicle, munching on his biscuits. I swivel my chair to him and raise a brow at him.
"Why, any problem with this perfect life of mine?", I smirk. Pravin would obviously take it as a joke. We have been friends since long and he's been helpful in my troubles many times. Once he picked up Ziana from a mall when the idiot cabbie left without telling her and I was stuck in a meeting. Also, on my 25th birthday, he first saw my girlfriend and behaved very well with her, unlike others who flirted all the time. We only have occasional contacts, but here I have a perfect friend too I'd say. I can't tell Pravin that Ziana isn't ready yet to marry me, even after ten years of our live-in, but I understand she always needs time for such huge decisions in life. And though I accept this that I am growing old, I can't proceed until the queen commands me to be her king. Also, I can't ill-repute Ziana in front of my best friend.
"No dude, but I have never seen a boyfriend so obsessed with his love", saying this, he makes me blush a lot but before my thanks, he continues, "Even I left my two years past girlfriend when I was enough fed up of her dramas". I coughed at that and laughed.
"Oh, you had a girlfriend. It never seemed so...", I say and turn around my chair to my desk. He quickly throws a Britania cube at me angrily. I catch it before it could hurt me and tear the packet to have some crunches out of it. We then have a conversation of our whereabouts and the ususal stuff men talk about. Of course, talking about ladies are a part of it. However, I decline my lunch tea with him at our office canteen for I have to go and check out the decoration at Crusty's Meal.
* * *
I have not called Ziana since morning because I want her to feel today that I just don't care about her, when indeed I would give her the best surprise of her return tonight. But more surprising is that even she hasn't called me too, and she is still online on Truecaller. Whom might she be chatting with so late? The first suggestion that comes in my mind is my own self, weird! But who can it be except the workmate whom Zee helped last night? I am sure she is still worried about her kid. Oh love, do you want a kid too? I guess Pravin was suggesting me right. Anyway!
I have been very poor at organizing dates but much that I have learnt from books, sites, Ziana and my own little imagination, I guess I am not that bad a boyfriend. Zee calls me the best boyfriend ever, I don't find that true though. I have literally skipped my lunch this afternoon just to finish my work off and quickly head to the restaurant. I check off with the preparations, select dishes for dinner to be prepared with the toppest ratings, and a lovely fragrant bunch with floating mini-candles on our table. Rest for a present, I don't really consider a beautiful dress for her because she herself has refused for the already stacked up bundle in her wardrobe. So may be a pair of burgundy velvet heels would do. May be the same wine too, as I've heard a lot about it!
A surprise date at our flat was better, but Ziana would not move away from there for a second. And I can't shoo my own girlfriend saying that I have to do the preparations so you go stay somewhere else till the evening. That's why I chose a hotel. Thinking about the workmate's son, I have another good idea. I am sitting in my bedroom and surfing my phone, when Ziana calls out to me from the hall.
"Come out of that burrow, Raaz! You netizard", on her such a lovely call, I run up to her and hug her tightly. I see some delicious snacks prepared for me on the table.
"Oh wow", I exclaim as I taste one of the pakodas made by her. And I really don't get up until I lick the whole plate off.
"Would have been better if there was chilli sauce beside....", I say as I rub my hands, chewing the last pakoda in my mouth.
"You ate up all and you say this now?", she says, her cute eyes round and big. I smile.
As we are done with all the domestic chores, I finally bring up the thing to take her out but before that, an idea pops in my head.
"Ziana, how is your workmate's son now?", I ask as she is busy in her phone and I am watching the television. May be really it's the television's mistake that she could not hear. I mute the volume and ask her again. "Huh, did you say something?", she gets shocked as if I just turned the volume up to maximum instead of muting it.
"Yeah, he is now better....", she says. Was she just pretending to unhear my words? Well, I am supposed to do this to make her feel ignored but see, I ended up raising her to the skies with the compliments on her scrumptious pakodas. But I guess I should drop the idea of ignoring her. It's literally so difficult to ignore someone you love or want attention from every moment. I anyway execute my plan as I check the timing on the clock which is quarter to 11.
"Discharged yet?", I ask. She is a little confused on this question. Ziana is not as quick and witty as she used to be before she went to Hong Kong. She has become oblivious now. And she ignores me more, I feel. But why am I thinking so negative on our romance date tonight? I should be more lovable to her and make this a memorable night for her.
"Oh, I thought we could visit her in the hospital once", I say and at this moment Ziana is quite a lot paying attention to my question. Did I say something that would scare her? But why would she be so white-faced on this? I guess she feels I don't believe her or so, but I genuinely have this feeling to meet someone whose son got saved by my girlfriend.
"He's discharged", she says and turns away her head, pretending to look into her phone.
"But I still met her, just a minute ago", I say, but that's ridiculous of me because I don't even know the name of the worker.
"What? Where? I mean.....she did not tell me this?", she suddenly raises in shock and her pupils are too minimized.
"You wanna meet her too?", I ask her.
She seems to be taking heavy breathes and staring at me unobstructed. I raise my eyebrows but she has nothing to say.
"What....did....she....she....tell....you?", she stutters with weird expressions.
"That I love you a lot", I smirk at her.
"Oh, come on. Tell me", she insists.
"Uh, usual stuff. Her son is fine now, etc., etc., and yeah, God bless your Ziana", I smile widely on my last sentence, meaning it actually and not just a speech of her workmate, but that does not light her face.
Is something is terribly wrong with her?
I jump down our bed and start taking out my nice clothes from my cupboard.
"Anyway, get ready up", I say to her while I wrap out some suits. I don't know how I would convince her to go out with me.
"Why, were are we going?",
"Have you made dinner already?",
"What's that Raaz, answer me",
"Beni hasn't come, that means no. Good", I then open Ziana's cupboard and fish out a purple dress from there. I don't know what is it called, may be.....a gown? No, a mini-gown? What the fuck is that now?
"Well, why that?", she asks looking at the dresses on the bed.
"Oh, I chose the perfect dress? I know", I try at my best to ignore her questions.
But this soon melts when I see her a little fuming. I don't want to push her away, I want to bring her closer to me. Still, I will mildly ignore her.
"To a restaurant baby, I am bored of home-made foods", I say and tie my collar button. She frowns on that and taking the dress, goes away inside the washroom.
□
We are midway to Crusty's, and it seems like I have made Ziana too much angry on me. But a moment more, she will soon have tears in her eyes, which would flow the love in her heart for me. Oh, I am having tears of our love before her only!
We reach Crusty's where only a few people are sitting inside, the manager could not ignore them for his sake or may they too are couples whom he 'could never forbid'. I am a little shy in proposing my girlfriend in front of others but they all seem teenagers who wander in empty cafés at late nights. I hope they will appreciate us, and good of Mr. Khanna to accept only couples inside their restaurant for tonight. He must have planned to turn our date into a public party time, but that'd be fun.
I hold her hand and we step inside together. Ziana looks around the restaurant that looks very spacious due to the wide tables been removed and beautifully decorated round tables for us. Three tables are at the corner where three couples are sitting at their respective tables. They keep staring at us. I guess they are Mr. Khanna's hired couples, lol. Anyway, I pull a chair for her and let her sit. With an ambient smile on my face, I sit opposite to Zee. She looks around the restaurant and I call the waiter for us.
"So, how do you like this?", I ask her.
"Yah good, peaceful and grandeur decorations. But why are such large curtains over the walls? Are they not painted yet?", she asks and I mindly chuckle at her innocence of her ignorance of the aesthetic decorations Mr. Khanna has worked, on my plans.
"May be. It's an old restaurant, sorry. But the food is good here", I say and she turns silent, wondering why would I bring her in an old place which does not even have it's walls painted. Yeah, I am an idiotic lover for her, and I can't wait for the praises she might give me when she sees it afterwards.
I look at my watch and see the timing - 11:45 p.m., perfect. Five minutes more and she will get the best surprise of the night. Excitement literally makes me hug and kiss Mr. Khanna for I've already seen the decorations and am just waiting to strike it five. I check the couples out at the corners. They all look like dummies, the hefty man at the last table extraordinarily weird. I don't know why is he staring at us as if I am dating his girlfriend and not mine, but I will later complain to the manager to not keep such weird people when I visit for a date over here. I once look at Ziana and catch her staring at me. I go silent on words. She is looking goddamn gorgeous in just a simple purple dress till her knees and that pretty heart-cutout on her chest. Also, I can't keep myself from staring at the dark shade of lipstick she has put on her lips. They look like the tastiest juicy fruit I would love to suck on, and no comments on her kohl-covered round eyes which are warning me to not stare at her and her slender nose like the shape of the Niagra. In the dimness of the yellow LEDs on the ceiling, her skin appears golden and her purple dress glitters, as if she is a fairy.
She rests her chin on her palm and blush at me. I confidently move forward and keep my hand close to her, our finger tips touching and sending the most sensitive feelings of love rushing through us. I bet I can still look at her moony eyes when it would go dark. And as soon as she keeps her beautiful hand on mine, giving me a skip of beat, the lights suddenly go off tin the restaurant. It's all dark now, and nothing is visible. My heart pounds loudly.
I hear Zee squeal in confusion and fear in the dark, but I clasp her hand to comfort her that I am still here with her. I hope the lights to get fixed soon and hear the dummies doing their own drama of pretence. Perhaps they are putting up the curtains and meanwhile, I need to hold Zee tightly for I feel a bit scared too in this dark. But suddenly.......Ziana leaves my hand. She jerks my hand away and I can't see her in the dark now. I go at her place but she is not there. I muffle out her name but she does not speak a word, nowhere. What just suddenly happened to her? I turn on the flashlight of my phone and search around. She isn't anywhere......
Streaks of cold sweat run down my face.
I call her name loudly and suddenly the lights come to life again, and it feels like we have suddenly appeared in heaven. I see Ziana before admiring the decorations, at the corner most table where a girl is standing alone and surprised as to why this madam is at her table. I call her out again, for she is much interested in that lady than me. She looks at me and suddenly, her eyes get stuck at the decorations around the cafèteria. Her jaw drops as she looks at the huge banner of 'Raaz Loves Ziana' in the middle of the largest wall of the café, and the lovely pink, white and blue balloons at the corner of the banner and around the hall, and many more that can just be seen in a palace. Mr. Khanna and his staff then steps out with broad smiles while the boys behind him giggle and blush as everyone looks at the shocked face of Ziana. I start getting emotional when I see her so surprised and smiling. She cups her mouth and looks at me, after looking at every detail of the decorations for a whole minute. She is speechless, completely.
"Hey, don't forget me now", I give a lovely smirk at her and she comes running to me. Her body collides with me but I hold on my balance. I hug her tightly and give a sweet peck on her cheeks.
"All....this.....for.....me?", she says, her eyes twinkling with me reflecting in them. I nod.
"And meet the crew behind this!", I turn her sight to Mr. Khanna and his boys, who were feeling ignored by my girlfriend.
She greets them by joining her hands and they accept her gratitude with a smile, but Mr. Khanna over-grinning.
"Wow, excellent arrangements!", she exclaims, forgetting me again and falling in love with the decorations.
"Okay, I didn't expect it to be this perfect. But well, you wanna know why I have done this all?", I say. Ziana looks amused.
I bend on my knees and present her a beautiful bouquet of fresh and large roses, total twelve in them. It's written My Zee on the flowers with silver glitter. Her cheeks turn pinker than the roses and she holds them so delicately, as if it is my heart in her hands. She hugs me again, and the lipstick she pastes on my cheek makes everyone present there laugh. I am happy she is totally giving attention to me. A helper then brings a gift-wrapped box and when she opens it, she slaps her forehead on seeing the beautiful pair of plump velvet heels from Shuberry.
"Omg, why so much for me Raaz?",
"You're the only one in my life. These are still less precious than you, my love", I kiss her hand and give a shoulder tap to my self in my mind, at the audacity of doing that in front of the pot-bellied Khanna grinning non-stop, and though his crew's gone, he's still standing there and groping at us.
We are next presented by lovely Pomplet fries, cheesecakes and muffims filled with fresh cocoa. Then a shining white plate with chicken grilled with butter and veggies dancing around it, arrives. We gobble on everything, with several chunks of calimocho for lesser effect on us and chew fennels when we are done. I thank the manager for a making our date wonderful.
"Oh, please do come after your marriage too with your kids here", he says. We smile on that and while I have a little chit-chat with the manager, I notice Ziana staring at the corner table where no one is sitting. But there was someone a few minutes ago....and I don't remember whom I saw.
While I and Ziana step out of the restaurant, she still stares at the table through the transparent glass doors. I pull her hand when she stops suddenly in our way towards the parking area.
"What happened?", I ask.
"Did you see a man at the last table? A minute ago....", she says.
"I don't remember who was there, man or woman. Why, someone you know?",
"No......nothing", she turns silent.