Featured Story: Hum Tum
Dear Girls,
What will you do if you find a guy
who loves you with his life?
He drives 30 kms down your place just to see you once,
He plays guitar, sings and records those songs and send you on Whatsapp
He scolds you for driving with headphones
He likes and comments on all your posts on FB
He never misses to give you chocolate whenever he meets
He never complains when you keep him waiting for hours
He always asks about your family when he calls you
He is bad at poetry but still he writes poems for you
He calls you Hottie
He picks your call even during INDvPAK matches
He has over a hundred pics of yours in his cell phone.
He calls your best friend if your phone is switched off for few hours
P.S.: He is of your caste, well settled, nice and good looking.
Those lines on her newsfeed hurt her, she thought to ignore but then clicked on
the comments. More than thirty comments were posted which was above par
for a post by a guy. Incidentally, all were from girls and they all have the same
opinion- MARRY HIM.
She quickly closed Facebook and stretched herself on her bed. Why he always
does that? He loves me, I don’t love him! Can’t he accept that? Why he makes
me feel guilty always? Most importantly, what makes him love me so much? She
cursed her miseries. Over the days, he had forced himself in her life which had
only made her to start hating him. She had always appreciated his unconditional
love towards her but then somehow she couldn’t feel differently for him. If for
him, she was the love of his life but for her she was just another random friend.
She checked her phone, there were already messages from him. Yeah! He starts
his day messaging her good morning and only sleeps when he had wished
her good night. Wasn’t he just irritating? She wondered. But then, she knew
he genuinely cared for her so she would reply him back but that day, she was
determined not to reply him at all and he kept messaging him. She finally burst
in anger.
‘What you want?’ She messaged him.
‘Call me. I’m missing you.’
‘No.’
‘Please! Urgent kaam hai!’
Uff, this guy! Reluctantly, she dialled his number and then waited for him to
pick the call. He almost picked the call on the first ring itself, he was sure that
she would call.
‘Hello!’
‘Hi!’
‘What were you doing?’
‘None of your business! Say what the urgent work is?’
‘Ummm… You’re very pretty.’
‘Is this your urgent work?’
‘Pari! Why you always talk like this?’
‘Because I hate you.’
‘Hate me for what? For loving you?’
‘Don’t start it again!’
‘Did I start it? Fuck! Pari! Why you hate me so much?’
‘God! How could you even ask me that question?’
‘I love you Pari!’
‘Don’t say that! It scares me off.’
‘Baby! Don’t say like that.’
‘I have to go. I am hanging up.’
‘Hottie! Talk to me. Please.’
‘Say. Fast.’
‘How are you?’
‘I’m fine.’
‘What you’re wearing?’
‘Aru! Don’t make things difficult for me.’
‘Pari!’
‘Bye.’ She hung up.
He wasn’t finished yet, he thought to call her again but he already knew what
would be her reaction, either she would not pick his call or even if she did, she
would shout at him. He walked up to the smoking area, lit a fag to calm down
his mind. But it had never helped him, smoke can make your head tipsy for
some time but it could never flush out your memories, bad or good doesn’t
matters. Perhaps, it’s amazing how quickly your mood change, how deep your
heart can sink and how much one person can affect you.
It wasn’t like that she hated him always. Once, they were amazing together. He
thought that was love while for her, it was just friendship. They argued over it
many times but there was never any outcome, they always ended up blaming
each other for their glooms. But then, they never went apart from each other,
he found one or other way to stick with her because she was everything he had
ever wished for, while from her side even though she denied but she did care for
her awesome friend with whom she could share all her problems, gossips and
stories, he would listen to them no matter he is tired, hungry or busy.
A week later…
‘C’mon Pari! You’re coming home. We can meet right?’ He tried to reason with
her.
‘Listen Aru! I am coming home for just few hours. Next morning I’m going to
Tirupati with my family.’
‘Are you serious?’ He smirked.
‘I’m hanging up!’ She blasted.
‘Ok! Listen, I will come to pick you up from station.’
‘Are you mad? You think I’m allowed to travel alone. Dad is coming tomorrow
to pick me up.’
‘Ok then! There is an idea. I’m missing you a lot. I want to see you no matter
what. So, I’m coming to station. We will see each other, we won’t talk not even
smile and you go home with your dad.’
‘Are you crazy?’
‘Yes! For you.’
His cheesy lines irritates her to hell. ‘You’re just impossible… I hate…’
‘I hate you… I hate you…’ He cut her. ‘I know that very well, anything else.’
‘Go to hell.’ She hung up again.
Aru’s weird ways had always scared her like a nightmare, it wasn’t like that he
would have hurt her. She knew a little sneeze on her side and he wouldn’t sleep
that night but then that’s where the fear was, she could just see the obsession
but beyond that was an innocent love and strangely, she had knowingly ignored
that. You see, we don’t really care for things that we get easily in life. Life
always needs to be served hot.
For the next two days, they didn’t talk at all, not on phone or chat; they didn’t
even exchanged a message. Though Pari wanted to believe that Aru had actually
forgotten about it but she was aware that this was mere silence before the
storm. On other end, Aru would endlessly waiting for her ping and his wait
would always be actually endless. For his all high expectation, Pari had always
disappointed him more than Yuvraj’s innings in the final. Finally, few hours
before her train, he lost his patience and he called her. She didn’t pick.
‘Dad with me.’ She messaged.
‘Great! Happy journey. TC.’
‘Listen! Aru! I’m not feeling bad about you coming to the station.’
‘Did I say a word about that?’
‘So, you’re coming?’
‘Did you tell me which train? Which coach no.?’
‘That’s not funny!’
‘What you want?’
‘I want you to stay home.’
‘Train details please?’
‘BYE.’
She was offline in a moment. His messages didn’t get a double tick, they didn’t
reach and that was indeed a serious bye. He was now in double mind whether
to go or not. Two hours in the crowded local train after office and that also
just to see her, she wouldn’t even talk, might be not even smile, was it worth?
Anyway, on a reality check, would really he be analysing such stupid thoughts.
When it came to Pari, it was always game on and the only thing that was
worrying him was how he would convince his boss to let him leave early. And
just then his phone beeped.
‘Duronto, 9.35 pm, B-4.’
‘Nautanki!’ He replied back.
It was all set.
Work? Completed!
Report? Send!
Bag? Packed!
Workstation? Locked!
Local train timings? Checked!
By his calculation he was to reach more than an hour before, he didn’t want
to take any chance considering the erratic Mumbai traffic both rail and road.
Moreover, he had always loved waiting for her. Actually, she had never reached
on time and had always kept him waiting for hours but he never complained but
rather he had found a strange happiness in it. In fact, he enjoyed that rush in his
blood, his thoughts which would keep predicting about her dress, shoes, hair
clips. Ok! Not hairclips, no mystery in them. She only wore pink clips.
It’s actually amazing feeling to search her among the crowd passing, every
time someone familiar to her passed, his heart would sink and he would almost
jump of his seat only to be disappointed, it just went till the show stopper finally
arrived. Actually, his whole world stops when she comes. He had the same
mirth in eyes every time like he had for the first time they met. Her along curly
hair mesmerized him, those big eyes blocked his senses, her steps skipped his
heart beats but he admired her nose most, had she ever noticed that every time
they met, he would naughtily pull her nose.
‘Aru!’ His boss came to his desk.
‘Yes Sir!’
‘We have this meeting with the Product Owner. I want you there.’
Aru frowned. ‘Sir! I told I have to go. I have some work.’
‘Well, I guess your work can wait for fifteen minutes, I hope it’s not that
important.’ That wasn’t just a statement but an order.
He trudged to the conference room and the meeting started soon but it wasn’t to
end that soon. You see, a meeting of fifteen minutes in corporate is a big joke.
He kept on checking his phone for the time, he was to reach an hour before and
now he was wondering whether he would be able see her. His bewildered look
conveyed the frustration in him, if he had it his way, he would have slaughtered
his boss in two but then such is life dearies.
‘Let’s take a break.’
Fuck!! It was already 7 pm, probably his last chance to make it but his boss just
declares a break. He wasn’t upset, he was heart-broken, he would not be able
to see her for next two months straight. But there wasn’t anything he could do
about it, in today’s world client meetings are more important than true love.
His mobile battery was dying, so he messaged her that he wasn’t coming and
switched off his phone. He walked to smoking area for his so called BREAK.
‘Hey Aru!’ Product Owner followed him.
‘Hello Shruty!’ He smiled. He had to.
‘You seemed lost in the meeting, any problem?’
‘Ummm… No not really?’ He shrugged.
‘She is coming?’
‘Who?’
‘Your #ISoDamnLoveHer!’ She blushed.
‘What? How do you know?’
‘Well… May be, I am a client in office but I am also your friend in Facebook. I
read all your posts, they are amazing. Boy! You so damn love her.’
‘Umm…’ He looked sheepishly.
‘When is she coming?’
‘9.30 but in Mumbai Central.’
‘Hey man! If you really wish to catch her up then you must leave now.’
‘But meeting?’
‘I don’t think so your boss will question his Client. I’ll handle it. You now run.’
She gave him a high five.
What sucks about travelling is the fluctuating network and on the top the
charging points in her compartment weren’t functioning, so she kept her
phone away most of the time. But those monotonous view outside window and
irritating co passengers, she was mentally drained. At last, she dropped her idea
to save battery and picked her phone. There were many messages, she always
has them whenever she checked her phone and among those messages there
would always be one message from Aru. Generally, his message would be read
last but that day she tapped on his message first.
‘I’m stuck in office. I can’t come. L’
Fuck!! Did she read it well? She read again, he wasn’t coming. How was that
possible? Pari was coming to Mumbai and he said he was not coming to meet.
She could believe once that Uday Chopra won an Oscar but Aru not coming,
can’t be true. She hoped that wasn’t a prank and only way to know that was to
play it cool.
‘Ok!’ She messaged but there was just one tick which meant he was actually
busy for his phone. He was possibly not coming.
‘That’s good. Anyway, I didn’t want you to come. TC.’ She messaged again
after sometime, it wasn’t delivered again. She threw her phone in the bag and
looked outside angrily. She wondered was she really that upset about it, maybe
not. As if she cares about him, she consoled herself.
On other side, Aru didn’t get a rickshaw to the station and had to run a mile,
by his calculation, he could still reach her if he got the 7.30 train. It was to be
hectic for him, he needed to change train thrice, Nerul-Kurla-Dadar and that
also in peak hours. But then, God was testing him that day, all trains were
running 15 minutes late. By the time, he was reaching Kurla, he was squashed
like a banana in the crowd, with his huge bag and laptop in it, he was like a
tortoise on two feet and to his dismay, he couldn’t get down in Kurla. Going
back to his route was a big risk but then did have another option, yes! Taxi from
Sandhurst Road but can Mumbai traffic be trusted? He trusted his love.
When he reached Sandhurst, he checked his watch he still had half an hour but
there wasn’t a single Taxi and even if any came, they refused to go to Mumbai
Central. 10 minutes gone and he was now panicking, finally he saw one and he
jumped inside. The driver refused to go and he threatened to complain against
him which led to a heated argument.
‘Excuse me!’
He looked outside, a young lady was standing outside. ‘Yes.’
‘My dad is admitted to Jaslok hospital. I am in hurry, I want this Cab.’ She
requested.
That Taxi was his last hope but wasn’t more important than someone’s dad. He
happily left the Taxi as the lady got it in.
‘Thanks.’ She said.
He smiled.
‘By the way, I heard that you are going to Mumbai Central, it’s on way, I will
drop you.’ She offered.
‘Really?’
‘Come in.’
So he finally reached Mumbai Central station and he was late by some 15
minutes but then Pari’s train had yet not arrived. He was overjoyed. He bought a
chocolate for her and waited anxiously for the train to come on platform no. 2.
On her side, she had reasoned herself in many ways but she still couldn’t get
over the fact that he wasn’t coming. She hated him more, how could he? This
is what he meant when he said he loved her with his love. True love? Ghanta!!!
All boys are same, he must be hanging around with some chick from his office,
Pari was distraught.
‘Pari! Take your bag, we are reaching.’ Her dad said.
‘Hmm…’ She moved lazily.
As the train light appeared from a distance, Aru’s heart beat sprinted to its best.
He felt restless now, though he almost spend two hours reaching there but those
few minutes seemed eternity. As the train scooted in the platform, he searched
for B4 impatiently. Why do trains are so long? He thought and when the train
stopped, why do so many people travel in train? He cursed as he found himself
lost in the crowd.
Her dad scolded her twice as she moved with a pace of a snail. She was lost in
her thoughts, suddenly she had started to miss him. May be she would argue
that she didn’t love him but she admired his love. May be she didn’t want him
to take so much stress but now she was missing. If he was craving for her smile,
she was dying to see him. Upset with in yet consoling that it didn’t matter to her
anyway, she pulled her trolley bag.
And then…
He was standing just few yards in front of her. She was shocked and
automatically, her steps slowed. Was he for real? Of course, told you before,
it was impossible that he wouldn’t come and she very well knew that yet
somehow she couldn’t even smile back. Her heart sank as he walked towards
her, Dad was still beside her. She stopped just a foot before him, she was now
scared but he was still smiling and moved on, clutching her hands for a second
as he passed by. She sighed and then smiled as she noticed a chocolate in her
hands.
She turned and winked at him.
Love is really innocent.
Credits: If It's Not Forever! It's not love.
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