Chapter 4
"I watched Kuch Kuch Hota hain Y'day" Tara chirped.
"Hmm" grunted Myra, flipping the page of her novel.
They were sitting in their college lawn, waiting for the third musketeer of their lot to arrive. Myra was reading a novel to keep herself busy whereas Tara was trying hard to indulge Myra in a conversation.
As her irritation reached to its peak, Tara pulled the offending novel from Myra's grasp and flipped it beside her.
"What the –" Myra started only to get cut off by Tara.
"Ah-ha! No usage of abuses please" Tara said giving a smirk to Myra.
"Give the book back" Myra ordered, getting on her knees, trying to grab the book but Tara took it in her hands and held it behind her back, preventing Myra to grab hold of it.
Irritated and tired, Myra growled "What do you want?"
"Your attention! I was talking to myself like a mad girl for so long and your senses were totally focused on this darned book" Tara shot back.
Stopping her efforts to win back the book, Myra looked at Tara and said irritably "Just because you can't do multitasking it doesn't mean no one is capable of that. I did hear you saying about watching a movie"
"It's not any other movie. It's Kuch Kuch Hota hain" Tara exclaimed.
"Don't you think you've watched it for a thousand times already? How is it a news?" Myra asked falling back on the soft grass, sitting with her legs crossed.
"Well, I can watch it for another million times you know" Tara said dreamily making Myra to roll her eyes.
"Alright. I get it. Can I have my book back?"
"No. Not until I've a payback"
"Payback? For what? For snatching MY book from MY hands?"
"No. For not paying attention to MY Shah Rukh's Kuch kuch hota hain"
Myra rubbed her temples in sheer irritation. She knew Tara better and hence she knew it's better to agree to her in spite of arguing with her, as the latter would only fetch you a head-ache.
"Alright. What do you want?"
"We'll play The Neelam Show"
Myra groaned. "Tara Please. We are not ten years old"
"Forget about your book then"
"Ugh! You win. Go on"
Tara grinned. She cleared her throat as she shot her first question
"Sport"
"Cricket"
"Precious"
"Diamonds"
"Sweet"
"Honey"
"Crazy"
"You"
"Crush"
"Yash"
Myra stopped abruptly as the words slipped off from her mouth. She blinked uncertainly and her breathing hitched. Before Tara could speak a word, she uttered an incomprehensible 'Excuse me' and ran away towards the college building.
* * *
Six months. 214 Days. 5136 Hours . 308160 Minutes. 18489600 Seconds.
Alright I sound like a gone case now. In simple terms, I had known Myra and Tara for six months now. It would be surprising for a third person to see how well I got along with them. . . at least with Tara. Myra and I shared a decent bond. However our bond is nothing like Tara-Myra's or my-Tara's. Considering the chirpy nature of Tara, one would think it may be in her to make friends quickly. As I agree to the point, I also feel that my and Myra's bond isn't that strong not only because of Myra's nature of not opening up totally. Somewhere I always felt she isn't what she seems. As if she is holding back deliberately. There were times when she would smile and laugh her heart out but the moment would be short lived as, the moment she realizes it, she would stop smiling and would go back into her inner shell. While Tara always called Myra as Ice queen, I somewhere know there's something more to it. . . maybe there was a reason. . . maybe this was not the real Myra.
For reasons unknown I always liked Myra more. The girl had beautiful large eyes which held some mystery. . . some melancholy which would squeeze your heart at times.
I sighed as I clutched my bag and walked into the lawns of my college. I behave as if I am interested in Myra at times. Don't I? I am very much straight. Mind you. Otherwise, how can I love Shah rukh khan and blow kisses to him whenever he makes an entry in the movies? Of course I did get caught by my dad once and all I wanted is the earth to part and swallow me. Lord! I am crazy and random.
Shaking my head at my silliness, I walked into the lawn, searching for my buddies Tara and Myra and spotted them sitting in the grass at some distance. I approached them but they could not notice me as their backs were facing me. The unintelligible mutterings of my two friends had become much more clearer but they were not making any sense, except that they're playing some game. Definitely Tara's idea, I concluded.
"Crush" Tara said
"Yash" Myra replied.
I looked surprised and before I could announce my arrival, two things happened.
One. Myra and Tara froze suddenly stopping their game.
Two. Myra got up and ran towards the main block leaving me perplexed.
* * *
"I'm an ass" Tara said for the nth time.
"Calm down Tara." I assured placing an arm on her shoulder. "She'd be back"
"No. No. I'd hurt her" Tara said once again with guilt written all over her face.
This was the case with her ever since Myra left the place. It's been a whole of twenty minutes and Myra was nowhere to be seen. After waiting for her return for fifteen minutes, both of us; me and Tara had set off in search of Myra.
" Myra isn't the one who'd take every small thing seriously. You know that better"
"I know but—" Tara trailed off giving a shrug.
I was surprised. The ever cheerful Tara was guilty so this should be something big. "What's wrong?" I asked Tara and she looked at me directly.
Reframing my question, I asked her this time "Who's Yash?"
* * *
"Yash. . . Yash Singh Khurana, Myra's senior at school and. . ." Tara paused ". . . her first crush"
"WHAT" I suddenly realized I screamed.
"Yes, her first crush" Tara nodded filling me with the details now.
"She was in her ninth standard then. When I moved to a new school, I was apprehensive first. It being a new town was adding to my nervousness. I took the first bench and sat down passing a glance nervously to my classmates who are busy eyeing the new girl. Just then I saw her entering the class and she plopped herself beside me and introduced herself. I smiled and introduced myself to her. I was surprised to see her introduce herself to everyone around us and I was shocked to find out that it was her first day to school as well."
Tara paused reminiscing their first meet.
"Myra was cheerful and made friends quickly. After warming up to her, I became more like her. The Myra you see now isn't the one I knew" she said drawing a deep breathe.
"She changed after all that. . . after he came into her life. Yash Singh Khurana"
"Yash, our senior in school. School topper, head boy, teacher's pet and the best student of the school naturally had female following which he never paid any heed to. At first when Myra said she liked him, I didn't take it seriously but then after what she did just to talk to him, I have to agree that she did like him."
"You know how lazy Myra is. She never participated in a single sport just because she was too lazy even to think of one but she stood in elections and was elected as sports captain. You know why? Because the head boy would present the sports captain badge and would also assign the works of Sports captain"
"When she was elected as Sports captain, Yash came to her and congratulated her with a warm smile. I still remember how she looked at her right hand all day, with which she shook hands with him."
"Days rolled on and Myra had become friends with him. It was surprising to see that the boy who never paid attention to his own classmates who are ready to throw themselves on him was hanging out with his junior a lot. He even took Myra to his home and introduced her to his family and she'd soon become a part of their family. Everything was fine until our ninth grade but after that Yash left the school for joining junior college. He moved to another city but was still in touch with her. They talked in phone frequently but the change in Yash's behavior also created several fights between them ultimately leading to a major altercation, after which both of them aren't on talking terms"
"She always shows that she forgot about Yash but I know it well that she couldn't. Today I reminded her of him and. . ." Tara trailed off.
I encircled her shoulder with my arm and spoke gently "You didn't do it purposefully"
"I know" Tara said and hung her head "But still. . "
"Chodo na" I requested and trying to divert the topic I asked "How was this Yash like?"
"Fair, grey eyes, cute smile, short hair, well built physique, handsome in every sense"
Shaking my head, I tried again "How is he like. . . I mean his nature?"
"I never interacted with him. By what I know from Myra he was fun loving in the beginning but when he shifted to another city for his junior college, he transformed totally, adolescence age effect I guess. The boy who never gave two hoots about the attention he got, had become a flirt"
I pressed my lips thinking and analyzing everything.
"Wait a minute you never interacted with him?"
"Nope. In fact he never knew a girl named Tara existed. Not only me, he didn't know most of the girls of his class, let alone his juniors"
"Yet he was so close to Myra. Is this just a friendship?"
"It seems so. He never knew about Myra's feelings so he couldn't be blamed. In fact it was the major reason for their break up. He used to fill Myra up with all the crushes he'd at his new college and he used to tell about the girls out there. No wonder her blood boiled"
"Why didn't she tell him anything then?"
"What would she tell him? That she loved him? It's not as simple as it seems. How could she say anything to him when he considered her as a kid? He called her as 'Kiddo' you know? Moreover she can't risk the only bond they shared. . . friendship; because of her feelings"
"It seems complicated"
"It is indeed." Tara sighed. "Where's this girl gone?" she mused once again.
By the time we reached the girls' washroom, we saw Myra emerging from the washrooms.
Myra and Tara didn't exchange a word and to break the awkward silence I greeted Myra.
"Hey Myra"
"Hey" she said her eyes darting to me.
"Um let's go to canteen?" I asked.
"Yeah sure" Myra smiled and walked forward while I and Tara tailed behind.
"See she's fine. You're unnecessarily worrying about her" I whispered to Tara.
"She seems to have practiced her infamous method of calming herself down- locking herself up in washroom for good fifteen minutes" Tara whispered back.
"Oh I see" I thought solemnly
"Suno" Tara whispered again "Don't take the name of Yash before her even by mistake. Don't even let her know ever that you know about him" Tara told me.
"Sure. My lips are sealed" I said pulling back an invisible zip on my mouth.
"Where are you guys?" Myra's voice shot through the corridor showing that we were lagging way too behind.
"Coming" we shouted as we ran to catch up with her.
* * *
Throughout the entire update, her mouth was covered with her palms and she looked at the screen with disbelief. It was sheer impulsiveness of her to check the thread within two hours. It was surprising, however to find the next update. What was more surprising was the status of the thread, which said another update is on the way. Not that she had a problem but somewhere deep down she was concerned about her friend. Is it normal? She should have assumed it to be Geet's eagerness to write more but somewhere deep down the line she had a teeny weeny thought if it was not that case. She knew Geet that much. If this wasn't enough, the content of the update made her edgy. While she felt her heart squeeze re-reading the concern they had for her, she also felt like finding out where Nayan was at the moment. She missed her so much. And Geet. . . she felt the clouds are clearing slowly, making her see what Geet really is. The little she and Geet shared went out of the window after whatever happened between Geet-Yash and Rocky. She had this gut feeling this story is leading her there. . . from the moment she'd read chapter one. Even though she did know what happened remotely, it is different, however, to read her perspective.
Closing her eyes, she pressed her palms atop her eyes.
"Ahem"
The clearing of throat made her jump out of her skin.
Turning around, she came face to face with a grinning Preeti, her Di.
Meera blinked, placing a hand atop her racing heart.
"Sorry. I thought it was my sister. I think I am at wrong home" said Preeti as she began to walk off.
"Di?" Meera asked confused.
Facing back Meera, Preetii exclaimed "God! Is it really you? I thought am at wrong place after all you didn't pounce on me the moment I dared try to scare you"
Meera rolled her eyes "Was it a joke Di?"
"Of course chutki"
"Di don't call me that" Meera whined.
"Okay now I am sure that I am at right place and speaking with the right person"
After a moment of pause, and no comeback from Meera, Preeti looked at her sister, who was more interested in the floor pattern. Furrowing her eyebrows, she asked "What's wrong?"
Meera pressed her lips trying to explain her Di but could not find her voice. Finally making up her mind, she replied "Di, I want you to read something"
* * *
"What's bothering you chutki?"
"You read the story"
"Hmm" Preeti replied, as the character names stirred in her mind. Yash and Myra seemed far more familiar.
"You know who the author is?" Meera asked and Preeti furrowed her eyebrows.
"Geet" Meera replied.
"Geet?" Preeti asked quite surprised.
Slumping her shoulders, Meera replied "Di, I don't think it's a mere story"
"I figured that chutki. Are you angry on Geet about her including your story without your permission? Is it what's bothering you?"
"No Di. Not that" Meera replied truthfully "I don't care about that part. It was my past and am no way bothered about it. However, I am scared about Geet. . . that's the reason I ended up stalking this story at the first place. Di, something is wrong. Geet is not fine and Nayan, I think there's more to her disappearance. Moreover. . ." Meera paused not knowing how to continue.
"Bolo chutki"
"Di this story has something to do with Rocky and Yash. Believe me"
"But Geet never knew them. You studied in Delhi. And Geet in Chandigarh. You met her here. So how come she knew them?"
"She knew them Di" Meera replied closing her eyes.
"She knew them and that's what bothers me"
Preeti didn't reply for sometime.
"When's the next update?" she asked out of the blue.
"The thread's status says, within three hours, in the midnight"
"Alright, we'd discuss it after the next update. I feel that things would be more clearer after the next update. For the time being, let's wait for the next update. Okay? Now give me a smile" Preeti said giving Meera a side hug.
Meera gave a small smile, feeling assured in her Di's embrace and hoping that the edgy feeling fades off and that Geet should be fine, despite of her instincts, which said another story altogether"
* * *
Edited by Cloud9. - 13 years ago
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