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Part Seven: Dream or Reality?
It started raining hard again as soon as they reached her place.
"What a nice and cozy place!" Sharad exclaimed as they entered her house. "Elegant, yet inviting, comfy and warm—matches your personality Divya." He said smiling.
"Thanks Sharad. Have a seat. I will be back in a sec." She went inside and got a towel and some of her dad's clothes for Sharad.
"Here you go, you better change before catching a cold. The restroom's that way." she said softly as she handed him the clothes.
"Aw..Thanks Divz." He went off whistling some old Hindi song tune that Divya couldn't place.
She changed into a very simple green churidaar and made coffee for them and warmed whatever food she had in her refrigerator.
He came whistling that same tune and asked if she needed any help. She smiled at him nodding. He looked nice even in her dad's old white kurta! "Do you want the coffee right now, or want to eat something first?"
"Yummm…it smells good. You even know how to cook, apart from turning out be a dazzling beauty. Nice! Nice! Your mom must have bought a handgun to stop all those matchmaking aunties queuing in front of your house!!" He laughed at his own joke. Divya had to join him for his hilarious facial expression of the matchmaking aunties! "Lets eat first, now I realize I am starving!" he added.
They started eating. "You live here alone? I don't see a ring or a husband." He winks. "It's such a big house for one person" Sharad continued.
"No, No..My parents went to India for the summer. They will be back next week. They moved here from Seattle when I got my job here." Divya explained.
"Oh ok. What do you do? I hope I am not being too nosy!"
"I work for the UNDP (united nations development prog). I work on a project that provides Dengue vaccination to children in South Asia and Africa. You?"
"Wow..thats neat! I am in investment banking! Nothing exciting!" He smiled and added, "You remember Amar right? He is also working on something like this, Dengue or Cholera, I don't remember. He is a big shot scientist and a philanthropist now! And he has a project in India too." He ended with a hint of pride in his voice for his friend!
Something happened to Divya when she heard Amar's name, a smile brightened her face as if a sweet memory came back to reign her mind for a second.
"That's nice." is all she murmured.
Sharad's cell rang at that moment. He excused himself and went to receive the call. Divya couldn't make out what he said but it was evident that he was pretty mad at the caller.
She cleaned up the table and poured coffee in two cups. Sharad came back to the kitchen again.
"Bad news. The tow truck wouldn't come 'cos of this heavy rain. There have been many accidents tonight and they are struggling to keep up. I better call a cab. Where is your yellowbook?"
Sharad tried for 30 minutes and called all the cab companies but in vain. Divya didn't know what to do. It was raining so hard that it would be unwise for her to give him a ride. She is still shaky from the accident!
"If you don't mind why don't you stay here tonight? We have two guest rooms."
"No thanks Divya. That would be taxing your hospitability too much." He smiled.
"No, a-a..This is the only solution at this point. And what's a little tax between old friends." She smiled back.
He shrugged his shoulder realizing the truth in Divya words. They finished coffee in almost silence with Sharad sometimes trying to fill the void with some jokes about their high school teachers.
It was quite late. She showed him to his room. And went to bed herself soon after, as she was totally exhausted.
But she couldn't sleep. She smiled thinking Sharad--Sharad Malhotra is sleeping downstairs. Surprisingly she could take that information quite
nonchalantly. Her heart did not squirm for once, pulses didn't rage, thinking he is under the same roof with her! "I have grown up then" she thought! "It was funny how I used to day dream about Sharad back in Seattle and wished everyday he would just smile at me once to make my day shine brighter! How silly I was! He is still good looking, even more dashing-- I must say -- and funny and energetic as before, but is it me or did he lose that magical spell he used to have on me! And it is even funnier he totally forgot he stood me up at my prom night." She smiled thinking.
"That night" she sighed, "that night was one of the fondest memories I have, and also the worst memories of all time"…She sighed again! "Amar came as my knight, when you left me deserted Sharad, ---quiet and calm, and wonderfully warm and friendly knight to help me out of my distress, without even making me self-conscious for once.
"Amar is a big shot scientist and a philanthropist now" Sharad's voice echoed in her head. "Amar" she murmured softly and absentmindedly.
"I knew he would do something special. How does he look now? Does he still wear glasses? She thought about his deep, thoughtful, caring eyes behind his glasses. He was like a sponge that soaked out all of my sadness and insult…I was such stupid to think he came to pity me because Sharad decided not to waste his prom night with an ugly dance partner…Amar…I wonder if he is still the same soft spoken, intelligent sponge—who introduce me to Andromeda!! She smiled to herself as she drifted into sleep!
She opened her eyes at the middle of the night around three as the clock on the wall suggested. She had the most vivid dream—the most romantic dream she ever had. She looked around her room, felt a little disappointed that the dream ended! She smiled to herself and blushed crimson red…but it felt so right and so good to think about it…she felt content and happy and silly at the same time…
She saw she was in a meadow, with a hill on one side and a tarn
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tarn_hows_view.JPG to help your imagination, hehehhe) on the other. She was with a tall handsome man but she couldn't see his face. She was walking holding his hand and he was whistling one of her favorite songs. Suddenly she slipped and he caught her, close to his chest…she could smell his cologne, hear his heart beat..she felt his lips on her closed eyelids, and on her cheeks. She shivered as he slid his nose down along her neck and died out of ecstasy when he brushed his lips along her collar bone and then kissed her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see her love, but woke up alone in her bed!
"Divya stop being silly and stop smiling you stupid girl! You didn't even see his face!" She frowned at herself. But she felt happy for some unknown reason and couldn't wipe out the smile in the corner of her lips as she tried to go back to sleep, may be to find her prince again!
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Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
Bindi
