Chapter 8
Muddled Rhapsodies
1
"How dare you!" were the first words that Sharon spoke when she dialled Swayam's number after much debate. She had had five vodka martinis, some three tequila shots, one long island iced tea, and was now dilly dallying with a sangria.
"What do you think you're doing up there all the time?"
"Huh! What? Where?" asked a genuinely concerned Swayam.
"Inside my head! It's like all the f**king time... my head feels like a spinning top and I cant seem to stop it and I'm nauseous and I can't go home and it's all cuz of you... Shekhawat..."
"Sharon, where are you?" Swayam understood it was perhaps a club with Afrojack being played in the background.
"And my friends don't care," Sharon continued in garbled words, "it's okay Sharon, it doesn't matter Sharon, take it easy Sharon... I hate you... you bloody Shekhawat!"
"Sharon, you're drunk."
"Stop moral policing me! Jerrk. Yes I'm drunk. I'm allowed."
"Okay okay I'm sorry. Sharon, please tell me where are you."
"Nope."
"Please Sharon. Okay pass the phone to someone else. Umm, who is there with you?" and as Swayam had guessed Sharon, was alone, completely wasted, in a club, at almost 11 in the night. "Sharon... Sharon, listen to me..."
"Shhh... wait! Bartender, bartenderrr..." she yelled. "Okay, here's the jerk, talk to him," she handed over her phone to the guy who had been serving her drinks, since 8 pm.
Swayam drove like a maniac for the first time in his life. He never detested the traffic situation in Bombay more than he did now. He even swore a couple of times. In another 20 minutes he reached Carpe Diem, flung his car keys at the valet and stormed inside.
"Sir, we don't allow stag entry post 11 pm. Sorry Sir." The man at the counter stopped Swayam.
"Look my friend is in there... she needs help." An agitated Swayam tried to explain.
"Sir please, rules are rules. We can't make an exception for you." The man remained adamant.
"You have to make an exception cuz I'm not going anywhere," Swayam was shouting now. "My friend is inside, she is not in a condition to travel alone and I'm here to take her home."
The counter guy discussed something with another man for a minute or two and then decided to let Swayam in. Swayam impatiently paid the charges as the man put a stamp on his wrist.
Sharon sat on one of the bar stools with her head drooped.
"Sharon... Sharon..."
She heard the faint sound of a voice call her name but she wasn't sure if she heard it right or it was simply one of those voices inside her head. She was surrounded by zillions of unfamiliar sounds with the exception of one, and she heard it again. This time she managed to look up. Swayam stood before her with an anxious face.
The DJ played Black Eyed Peas' version of the Time of My Life.
Sharon didn't know what made Swayam appear there, was it her drinks, if she was hallucinating, but she felt good to see him. In fact, she was grateful. She smiled at him and gave him her hand.
"Sharon!" Swayam heaved a sigh of relief as he held her hand and then touched her cheek with right hand. She seemed to get conscious by his touch and he removed his hand.
"Ghar jana hai..." said Sharon in a voice that reminded Swayam of RDX Sir's party. She had the same innocence in her eyes then and her voice was slightly hoarse.
Swayam helped her stand up. Sharon's arms were on his shoulders now. She could barely keep her eyes open as she dreamily looked at him. Her smile didn't disappear.
"Swayam" she took his name once, and before Swayam knew it, SRP was hugging him, her head on his chest. Swayam's heart palpitated and he took a deep breath. He put his arms around her and felt her shudder a little. The bartender smiled at him.
The DJ spinning his discs, the people on the dancefloor tapping their feet, the men serving drinks at the bar, the bouncers giving stink eyes to supposed troublemakers, the women scurrying to the washroom, the frequent flickering of lighters, the smoke emitting from the colourful hookas- everything came to a standstill in that one moment as Sharon closed her eyes. The only sounds that she could hear were that of her heart beating along with that of Swayam's. Swayam too closed his eyes as he braced his fluttering heart.
Swayam collected her belongings, picked her up in his arms and walked out of the collective madness. His car was near the exit and the valet helped him open the door. He gestured the man to leave as he seated Sharon inside. She still held his hand firmly. He cherished the look on her face for a moment before pulling his hand away.
"I feel sick."
Swayam was about to the close the door when he heard the three feeble words and stopped. Sharon drew one look upon him, and in the very next moment she was throwing up, all over Swayam's shoes. For a second, Swayam didn't know how to react. It wasn't his first rendezvous with a drunk woman. But it was his first encounter with such projectile vomiting post-drinking, and he was indeed appalled. He looked around to see if anyone was around. When he was sure Sharon was done, he quickly took tissues from the car and wiped her mouth.
"Hey let me do that..." someone said from behind. "I guess she had too much to drink."
Swayam turned. "Tum? Tum yahaan?" He was confused.
"Yeah we came together but I had to leave for a while and..."
Swayam didn't let Shivam finish. "How could you leave her like that and go? What if something happened to her? What if she fell really sick?"
"Hey chill, when I left she was fine. In fact she sent me to get her chocolates. See." Shivam showed a box of chocolates to Swayam. "Mixing drinks is never a good idea. Anyway, thanks buddy. I'll take care of her I promise." Shivam held out his hand but Swayam was in no mood to shake hands with him. "I'm here now and I'll drop her," he declared.
"Hey please... I said I'll take care of her. Trust me buddy. She was here with me and I will drop her home. Please..." Shivam insisted. Swayam knew he couldn't argue with that. Moreover he didn't know how Sharon would react once she is back in her senses.
"You better drop her home," said Swayam pointing his index finger at Shivam and he awkwardly smiled.
Shivam helped a tipsy Sharon sit in his car and soon they sped away. Swayam looked at his feet and smiled at his own pathetic existence. He wiped himself clean with tissues. He was about to start the car when an afterthought occurred to him and he walked back inside the club. It was so noisy inside that he couldn't hear his own thoughts.
When you gonna stop breaking my heart... the line recurrently played on. The DJ was now playing a remix of Stereo Love. The bartender quizzically looked at him.
"One vodka with lime cordial," ordered Swayam.
2
Morning/ Rehearsal Hall
"One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four..."
Sharon entered and she was surprised to see a strange lady in red supervise the rehearsal. She was tall, slender and had a fine frame. Sharon couldn't say she was very impressed with the visage, but her posture said that she was a trained dancer. All the boys and girls were paired up as they practiced waltz- Rey with Simmi, Vicky with Rinni, Nilesh and Vishakha, Bharat and Kriya, Amar and Neha. Sharon's eyes searched for Swayam. He was sitting in one corner scribbling in his little notebook as he observed the others dance.
"Swayam, come here and join me... come on..." the lady called out. Sharon watched in astonishment as Swayam complied. He got up and walked up to her. She urged him to hold her waist, and with much embarrassment, he placed his hand on her waist. Sharon remembered how Swayam had asked her for a dance and placed his hands on her waist and how he had pulled her closer.
Kriya who was impatiently waiting for Sharon saw her standing at the door. "Arrey Sharon, aap aa gayi!" she let out an exhilarated cry. The lady looked at Sharon and said, "So you're Miss Sharon RaiPrakash, the cultural secretary. By the way, you're late. Now come on, join us. Oh and I'm Nicole, your new dance instructor," she smiled.
"Good morning ma'am. And I'm sorry I'm late. I wasn't keeping very well." Sharon said as she entered the hall. She took off her shades exposing her rather red eyes.
"Okay you don't look too well. May be you should rest," said Nicole. Sharon was relieved as she wanted the same. She had a bad hangover and she was still unable to recall everything that transpired the previous night. She remembered meeting Shivam at the pub and in order to avoid interacting with him, she sent him off to bring her chocolates. She also recalled having an elaborate dream sequence featuring Swayam and it was possible that she may have dialled Swayam's number and spoken to him. Her call list showed that she had both dialled Swayam's number and had a few missed calls from him. She also remembered saying certain things to Shivam mistaking him for Swayam. Usually she retains her senses even in utter inebriation, but the previous night was a haze and she badly wanted to erase it all. It was a terrible idea to go to a pub alone. I have noclue what all I said to Shivam. Worse still, what the heck did I say to Swayam! OMG. What was that dream all about? Ah! This headache!
Swayam looked at Sharon. She looked confused. As usual, she doesn't remember anything about last night, or perhaps she does and she is embarrassed. Swayam knew that nothing had changed in his life and he should not encourage any such thought as it would only serve to hurt him further.
"Swayam, hold me tight. Yes, tighter. Come on, don't loosen your grip," said Nicole. "In ballroom, the women need to be graceful while the men must be firm. Chin up, and look straight into my eyes."
Sharon was uneasy. She realized that she was not fond of Nicole and in that moment, she wished she was telekinetic. She could not find any logical explanation of her aversion towards Nicole, except one may be but as soon as it occurred to her, she brushed it aside. She has a long nose; it looks weird on her face thought Sharon. Other than that, I like her. I have no reason to not like her. Also the short dress looks awful on her long legs. Actually she is a fashion disaster, concluded Sharon. And who wears those shoes with that dress!
"Eye contact with your partner is very important," continued Nicole as she demonstrated to the class with Swayam as her partner. "And the most important ingredient is passion guys. You must be passionate about what you do."
"Ma'am we are all very passionate here," commented Nilesh.
"I'm sure you are. But remember this is a partner dance and the chemistry between two people is very important. It is your chemistry with your partner that'll be noticed by everyone," said Nicole.
Kriya who was observing Sharon, immediately said, "Ma'am, Swayam aur aapki chemistry bhi bahat achhi hai." Sharon was restless. Nicole smiled and said, "That's because Swayam is fantastic dancer. Swayam you must dance with me once at the fest."
"Of course maam," Swayam was embarrassed. Nilesh threw murderous looks at Swayam.
Okay it was official. She hated Nicole. Be it the way she wears her hair or the way she talks, the way she moves, the shade of her nail polish to the brand of her perfume, Sharon despised everything about her. Her headache increased. She couldn't bear to stand in the rehearsal hall any longer.
"Ma'am I need to go to the restroom." A tormented Sharon ran out of the room.
Edited by bleu98 - 11 years ago
