Chapter 83
A/N: Hey there everyone! :D :D Here is the next update! :D :D
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14th February, 2007:
Valentine's Day is here!
Well, it's no use really since I won't be able to attend the college prom. Just like my luck would have it, I got my hand fractured at the time when I was looking forward to one event... one! I am not like those typical girls who look forward to all of these gooey days for celebrating them with their boyfriend and to expect all sorts of gifts and romance and whatnots. Seriously, either there's something wrong with people or with me.
Why can't Valentine's Day simply be about two people who care for each other a lot and are thankful for having each other in their lives rather than this "glamourized" version of love and romance that only a couple in "love" can share with all sorts of awkward PDA in public? And as much as I know that the whole prom would be filled with this idiotic kind of "love", I was still looking forward to it.
It's not like I want a boyfriend or a relationship or any of this wishy-washy nonsense. Quite the contrary, actually. But that doesn't mean that I'm not a girl. Even I have fantasies about the day and like being treated like a girl for once rather than some kind of Sunny Deol. It doesn't hurt to know that somebody does love you now, does it? Ranveer has no sense in things like these and seems on the top of the world happy that my prom date got cancelled. He says that I'd have fractured the guy's feet by trodding upon them all the time. Idiot.
Well, you can't expect me to go to a prom with a bump on my head and a sling in my arm now, can you? So I called my "prom date" and told him that I'd met with an accident and wouldn't be able to make it. Aditya sounded disappointed, but he didn't make a huge deal out of it atleast. He understood and told me to take care of myself and even sent me a bouquet of flowers since he couldn't personally visit me at home. I don't know what makes Ranveer so happy about the whole situation but okay, whatever. Aditya is a really nice guy - not like those obnoxious morons or those dorks. He's simple, sweet and down to earth.
God knows what got Ranveer's bees in a bonnet but ever since I'd told him about the prom dance last month and about Aditya asking me out to be his prom date, he's got all squiggly about it. He hasn't told me anything out of the way and was rather encouraging too, but I could see it in his eyes. They just... lost that twinkle. And then, there were moments when I'd talk about Aditya and his face would get all weird and pale, and he'd abruptly change the topic. Or else, he'd just listen to me with a stoic face until he'd crack some joke and we'd laugh and then he'd start crying out of nowhere as though I might have stabbed him.
He'd either laugh while crying or cry while laughing.
Boys are really, really weird, I swear. What's to be so uncomfortable about that, I don't understand. Such kind of proms are there even in his college. But just because he doesn't go for them, what can I do? And it's not like I even have a boyfriend or anything - I've never felt like that for anyone before and neither am I interested in things like this. I wonder whether Ranveer was being jealous or possessive, though... He shouldn't be so, really. I'll always be his best friend first. No one else's.
Naah, I'm being stupid. He isn't like that. I, uh, will admit being jealous and possessive of him though, but only with you. I've been a little more so than usual these days, it seems and he's been teasing me a lot about it this whole week with that stupid bobbing bandage on his nose. Am I that obvious? But I can't help it! I don't know what Disha is up to! She keeps roaming around him like an irritating fly all day, caring for him as though her life depends upon him! It's not like I don't want people to care for him. I do, but this weird obsession kind of attention is just stupid and irritating and makes me want to slap her.
What is she trying to prove, really?
You're just 10, young woman! Behave like your age! All my other cousins also take care of him but they aren't sticking to him like leeches now, are they? When I told Disha to keep her distance, she just called me jealous because I saw Ranveer as some kind of personal property of my own, which he isn't. How could she say stuff to me like that? I would have slapped her, I swear, had Baa not walked in. Unless I wanted my other arm broken too, I would have done the deed for certain. Disha doesn't give a damn to how I am doing, but wants to go gaga, goo-goo and giggles behind Ranveer.
Argh, everything is frustrating me! The failed date, this stupid home arrest in the name of bed rest and Ranveer being unable to sneak me out since he's stuck for a whole month in a rut. He's getting even antsier than me, but he's atleast utilizing his good time working upon that thesis paper of his along with his upcoming exams. I know that even I'm supposed to do that, but I just don't feel like it.
Just like all the other days, this one's gone down the drain too. And it's just two in the afternoon. Everybody is going out in the evening to celebrate the occasion, everyone except me and Ranveer, ofcourse. Insensitive jerks, all of them. I don't mean to be rude, but the ghostly atmosphere of the house is really suffocating. No wonder Ranveer went mad during his three-month paralysis. Anybody would, and with good cause.
I was supposed to wear that pretty black and white dress of mine to the prom today and wait for Aditya to pick me up. Maybe with a bouquet or a corsage or a box of chocolates or even a card or a gift. Then we'd have had a decent drive in the night sky to the prom, with the snacks and the dancing and the music and the whole... feel, of being loved and the whole la-di-da-di-da hullabaloo that people make about how Valentine's Day is about someone making you feel special. The whole codswallop.
Oh my God, I'm turning into a girl! Yikes, no! This is my nightmare coming true!
It's time to leave planet Earth... *faints*
Yeah okay, enough drama done. But hey, none of the PDAing or the... the... you know, "that". I'd slap him if he even tried to kiss my cheek or my forehead. I don't like any of this crappy saga in general, but I don't know what's wrong with me. Hormones, I guess. But still, I'm pretty orthodox with things like that. I find all of this rather inappropriate and I'm just not amongst those kind of people of prefer freely indulging into it. I have my limits and boundaries, and this goes against my morals and principals in general. Maybe I'm just being stupid; maybe not. But that's how I feel about this right now and I'm sure in the future as well.
But all things aside, for me this is going to be the worst Valentine's Day ever.
Ishaani slapped the diary shut just as Ranveer entered the room, his nose looking as resolutely funny as ever.
"What happened?"
"I'm tired of the thesis paper. I need a break," he replied tiredly, looking downcast. Ishaani cocked her eyebrow at him.
"Well, I would have offered going on a nice long drive to Marine Lines, but seeing as neither of us can, let's sit in our rooms and meditate."
"There's no need to be so sour about that now," retorted Ranveer, who sensed the bitterness in her tone. "They're doing this for our good."
"I don't see the good in it honestly because I think that I'll need to be checked into an asylum at the end of three weeks," argued Ishaani, looking as resolutely unconvinced as always. Ranveer sat beside her and patted her free arm awkwardly.
"Atleast Baa has fallen silent again."
"Yeah, because that's the miracle of my life that will make everything become alright in a jiffy," remarked Ishaani sarcastically and both of them laughed in spite of themselves. They always knew how to make each other laugh. The moment they sobered down, however, Ranveer looked at her seriously.
"You're this sore about the prom?
"I just wanted to feel like a girl for once, you know! It doesn't hurt to be surprised and genuinely have fun once in a while," she complained while Ranveer remained deep in thought.
"I thought you hated being like a girl and especially parties and proms," commented Ranveer absent-mindedly. Ishaani noticed that his eyes were staring away blankly at the painting as though he was hit by some kind of brainstorm or was formulating a plan in his mind.
She cleared her throat irritably and continued.
"I thought so too, but I don't know... I was really looking forward to having a real Valentine's Day, you know... All my friends keep saying how it's worth it all and how much fun it is and it's not all that girly as it is made out to be. I just wanted to feel that way... I wanted someone to make me feel special, you know? Not just like a pushover or a leftover or an ordinary girl with a whole baggage of her past. I just wanted someone to see me for... me. Is having one day of your life like that too much to ask for?"
Ranveer looked at her sympathetically but remained silent. Ishaani stared at his still-blank expressions for a couple of minutes before she saw the life returning back into them. She wondered why she was so patient or what fun it was staring at his face, but it was oddly calming. Finally snapping out from his apparently long train of thoughts, Ranveer looked at her, his eyes now twinkling.
"When are everybody leaving today?"
"In another two hours."
"Alright, be ready at five then," he asserted, now standing up. Ishaani wrinkled her brows in confusion.
"Be ready for what?"
"Just put on your new dress."
"But why?"
"Woman, are you capable of trusting me for once without asking me anything?" retorted Ranveer, now looking annoyed. Ishaani rolled her eyes at him.
"Alright, alright, fine. I don't see what you are going to do anyway but fine," she replied half-heartedly. "I'll be 'ready', since I have nothing better to do, really. Might as well sit and admire my dress and dance with myself."
"Suit yourself," said Ranveer as he sighed at her dramatics, not forgetting to shut the door behind him.
-x-
Ishaani stood in front of the mirror, admiring her reflection. The dress looked as though it was just made for her, really. If only the stupid sling wasn't there on her arm and the band-aid on her forehead. Atleast the sling was black, which matched her dress. Her dress was a simple, strapless black and white tulle gown that was a floor-length princess prom dress. Her father had gifted her it to her as an early birthday present as well as for her upcoming prom. She'd fallen in love with the dress ever since she had laid eyes upon it.
Had she been okay, she might have even tried perming her hair for the occasion. But well, what was the point of regret now? What had to happen, happened. Maybe she was not destined to go for the prom.
Who knows, something better might come out of it! Always think positive. Whatever happens, happens for our own good. Everything happens for the best.
How easy for Ranveer to preach, really, she grumbled to herself as she stared in the mirror with a bubbling remorse in her heart.
It took her half an hour to convince her older cousin to get her ready into her prom dress just for the heck of it. If she couldn't go to the prom, then she'd put on the dress and sit home admiring it. Gauri finally agreed out of pity upon the poor girl and helped her into the dress. Gauri had pulled her hair into a simply ponytail that fell upon her right shoulder while she left some stray strands upon her face. Her long, wavy hair was natural enough to compliment her dress without any additional hair-styling. She had such a good hair day too today. What was God trying to tell her? She'd left her face devoid of any make-up except her eye-liner and lip gloss and that was it.
Well, she didn't mind standing like that in front of the mirror to the end of eternity and admiring herself.
A knock at the door snapped her out from her thoughts and she looked towards the direction of the noise, confused. Who was it at this time when the house was empty? Even the servants were given an off today. She looked at the clock and saw the time - 5PM. It was Ranveer! She'd forgotten the reason why she'd put on the dress in the first place and now that she realized it, she flushed dully. She had half a mind to tell him to go away and leave her alone, but another series of rapping knocks killed the retort. Quickly racing towards the door as fast as her three-inch stilettos could carry her, she swung open the door and nearly fainted.
Ranveer stood before her in a simple black three-piece suit, smiling at her softly. The suit was a body fit, nicely ironed and as crisp as though he was going to play at a casino. He'd even gone a step ahead and worn a blue tie upon the snowy white shirt underneath his blazer with a matching blue silk-linen handkerchief popping out from his coat pocket, making the combination even more elevated. Ishaani noticed that he'd taken off the bandage from underneath his nose and the heavy plaster upon it and had replaced it with a simply square band-aid that made him look human once again.
She realized that this was the same outfit he'd gotten stitched for the dual purpose of his college farewell party and his convocation as well.
Ishaani stared at him dumbly as she took in his attire with surprise. For the first time in the eleven years that she knew him for, she realized just how handsome he was capable of looking if he was given the chance to dress well. He'd still left his customary stubble on and had gelled his hair slightly, but somehow it only made him look more... sexy. Finally deciding that it was time to meet eyes with him, she raised her head and saw the same, mirrored, dumbstruck look in his eyes. He looked as though somebody had knocked the breath out of him at her sight as he stared at her, awe-struck.
But the moment their eyes met, everything was obliterated except their whole world that the other was the beholder of. The spell of the moment grew stronger until all that was left were the broadest and shiest of smiles. Snapping out of their silent reverie, Ranveer grinned at her sheepishly as he handed out a bouquet of flowers along with a card on top of it. Her favourite blue-purple orchids. She took the bouquet from his hand and smiled at him coyly.
"Wow, you look... brilliant!" remarked Ranveer, still looking as though somebody had knocked his senses out of the park.
"Same goes for you too. Wow... Ranveer, uh, sorry, I'm just ogling at you," stuttered Ishaani as she blushed, guilty at having being caught so off-guard.
She had expected Ranveer to make fun of her dress and call her a silly idiot when he'd told her to get dressed, but there was clearly something else going on over here. Something much more than met her eye. She rubbed her nose, a customary trait, to let the silliness of her actions pass off.
"No, it's alright... I look rather silly in this, I know," said Ranveer uncertainly, rubbing his nose too with instinct that made Ishaani giggle like always. Looking more at unease, he checked his wardrobe and face to see whether something was out of place that was making Ishaani stare at him like that.
"You look... uh, amazing," she remarked finally when she regained her access of words. Ranveer blushed, hard.
"Gee thanks..." he replied, now looking slightly awkward as he ran his right hand through his hair. Ishaani suddenly noticed that his left one was behind his back. When Ranveer noticed Ishaani's line of sight, her coughed slowly.
"Er, here's something more for you too." Ranveer pulled out a black and white flowered corsage from behind his back and slipped it upon Ishaani's empty wrist. She admired the elegant accessory and sighed.
"This is the corsage I wanted to buy at the display that day..." she remarked, now touched. How did he remember so much about her likes and dislikes and her wants and needs and desires? How did he even know that this was the kind of Valentine's she wanted, anyway? She hadn't mentioned it to anyone, and her diary was out-of-bounds, especially after the incident with him two years back.
"Your wish is my command," he replied gracefully, bowing slightly. Ishaani shook her head at his antics just as he straightened his posture and looked at her eagerly.
"So, any more surprises?" asked Ishaani, now unable to keep the curiosity out from her voice. What was in store for her?
"What's your hurry? The evening has just begun, m'lady," replied Ranveer smoothly, a charming confidence now exuding from his eyes. Ishaani let another broad smile cross her features.
"Are you flirting with me?" she asked playfully, and Ranveer looked embarrassed suddenly.
"What? I... I was just-" he muttered, trying to find the right set of words but Ishaani saved him the trouble.
"Are you asking me out on a date?" Ranveer gave her a flabbergasted look but remained silent, as though too mortified too speak. Ishaani waited patiently for a reply, but none came. Finally snapping her fingers at him, she prompted him to speak.
"Maybe I am," replied Ranveer hesitantly, his eyes now petrified in spite of the easy smile upon his face. The master of facades.
"Maybe I'd say yes if I got a more definite answer," helped Ishaani, winking at him.
She loved tormenting him like that; there was a pleasure in it that she couldn't explain. It was as though she had the right upon him to do so. After eleven years, you were bound to feel so about each other and it was something that came by default. And it was just not in her case, but she could say that about Ranveer as well when it came to her.
Ranveer chuckled uneasily before he got down on one knee.
"Ishaani Parekh, will you be my Valentine?"
"I'd have to be the stupidest girl alive to say no to you," replied Ishaani as she pulled him up to his feet with her free hand.
Ranveer looked like he could faint with relief or happiness, but Ishaani couldn't decide which. Taking the initiative again since Ranveer looked too lost for words, Ishaani cleared her throat and asked joyfully.
"So, um, Mr. Hotshot Date of mine, where are we off to now?" Ranveer blushed at her remark again, but didn't let the nervousness get to him this time. Now that she'd said yes...
"Well, if you'd follow me..."
Ranveer stuck out his left arm and Ishaani happy accepted it by slipping her hand into his. Leaving the bouquet behind in her room, she followed Ranveer excitedly as he led her across the corridor carefully, making sure that she didn't trip upon her dress. Ranveer came to a halt as he made Ishaani enter Disha's room, now doused in darkness. Ishaani entered inside before she felt something hit her feet and she yelped in fright.
Ranveer switched on the lights and Ishaani gasped. The whole room had balloons strewn all over the place in a princess-y fell as the lights remained dim, making it all appear much more magical. Ishaani lost her ability to speak for several more minutes just as Ranveer came and stood next to her, admiring the stupefied look on her face.
"How did you even..." began Ishaani but trailed off as no words could describe the way she felt in that moment. Ranveer understood her question and plunged into an explanation.
"Well, these were the ones we were planning to use on your birthday. But well... all this happened so we didn't get the chance to use them," began Ranveer, while Ishaani now sat upon her sister's much comfortable bed.
Well, she had all the comforts anyway so they didn't mind sneaking into her room and taking the additional benefits in her absence. This wasn't their first time doing this anyway. Ranveer walked towards the shelf on the walls beside the TV and continued, his back towards her.
"So today morning, Disha found them in the store room and made everyone blow them for her, including the elders. Turned out to be 300 balloons easy until her room was flooded and we didn't know what to do with it. So I thought I might as well put them to good use over here. I managed to tackle half of them and keep the remaining half over here because Disha wanted her room to be 'balloony'. And since you were emotional enough to not leave your room today..." trailed off Ranveer, the rest of the story now obvious. Ishaani smiled at Ranveer radiantly, her happiness now knowing no bounds.
How did he always manage to do that?
"You're such a plotter," was all she could say, and Ranveer chuckled. Ishaani looked around the cozy atmosphere of the room and asked Ranveer, bewildered.
"So what are we doing here?"
"Watching a movie, ofcourse! She's the only one with the big fancy TV now, isn't she?"
"Hehe, sounds like fun. I love sneaking around the house," remarked Ishaani, while Ranveer walked up to her now with several CDs in his hand. Ishaani gasped just as he took a seat beside her.
"The party has just begun, missy. So tell me, which movie do you want to watch?" he asked as he put out twelves CD packets of SRK's biggest hits in front of her.
Ishaani never watched a movie unless it wasn't his anyway, so there wouldn't be a better movie for Valentine's Day than his. And being the King of Romance, the odds were in his favour.
"I have an option?" asked Ishaani, now sounding like a giddy school girl as she quickly read through the names off the packets.
"This is your day. Choose."
"Oh my God, I could watch all of them. Uh, uh... okay. Take them all off, except, uh... okay, Kal Ho Na Ho!" she exclaimed at the top of her voice as though she was answering a timer Q&A session. Ranveer gave her an exasperated look.
"Seriously, who watches a movie like Kal Ho Na Ho on Valentine's Day?"
"Argh! There's too many options!" whined Ishaani with the same pitch after clicking her tongue in disapproval. She flipped a little more before she decided again. "Um, um, um, Baazigar!"
"No wonder nobody takes you out on dates," remarked Ranveer, rolling his eyes at her. Ishaani threw a balloon at him.
"Ranveer!"
"Okay, okay, decide quickly!" exclaimed Ranveer quickly before Ishaani could hit him with another balloon.
"Fine... put on DDLJ," she said finally. This was to be her golden jubilee watch of the movie. Ranveer shook his head at her, amused.
"The CD is already inside. I knew you'd choose that."
"Idiot," she muttered under her breath as Ranveer switched on the TV and loaded the CD. He quickly jogged and came to sit beside her before bringing out a box of her favourite chocolates, whispering into her ears mischievously.
"Well, the idiot has brought you chocolates too."
Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D
Next chapter:
Epistle 69
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