Chapter 2
'This is the second time I am here in Delhi. This time not for studying but for working. We are at our office.I love being here.It helps me to distract my mind from the unwelcoming thoughts. I work in the account section, and Avantika's work is to attract the customers towards the products, our company sells. We still share the same house which we used to share when we were college students. Sitting on my desk, after completing my work, I sip my coffee from the cup.'
Why suddenly my life has become a mess? He doesn't turn to look at me that means I don't effect him. So why is he affecting me that much? We all are sitting in the cafeteria - Me, Avantika, Saransh, Karan, Arnav, Siya. Well talking about Arnav, Arnav Gupta, he likes to speak less, he is introvert. Karan Kapoor on the other hand is sweet, he likes making friends, photography is his passion. Saransh Malhotra, is my best buddy. Siya Bansal has a craze for songs. Classical or Indian she loves all. She just needs music to melt her heart if she is angry. She is a doll and I so love her. And Avantika she is the reason of my smile.
'The graduation picture of all of us distracts me. I pick it up. Even today Saransh is the first person I call, when I need help."Hey Saransh is here lets go. He is waiting outside" Avantika says. We head towards the main door of the office. The security guard pulls the door and we let ourselves out. As we step out we find Saransh waiting for us. "Hey how are you guys? It's so long since we last met. Well I hope I am not late?" Saransh inquires and we stand in front of him silently. As he halts, and waits for us to answer, we both burst out into laugh. "So at last we are permitted to answer, right Saransh?" I ask and give him a warm hug, Avantika follows me and embraces him into a hug. "I missed you Saransh. How are you?" she asks. "Hey I am fine, let's go and hangout somewhere" he says. We both agree. Saransh looks dazzling in his white full sleeves shirt and grey trousers. Hair neatly combed. The silver watch he is wearing on his left wrist, shines brightly in the day light. Then gesturing us to move forth, he tiptoes after us towards his car, a Honda City, sparkling silver in color. We let ourselves in. Saransh sits on the driving seat, next to her Avantika seats herself.
I find a newspaper on the rear seat of Saransh's car, kept behind me. I take the newspaper and start looking at the pictures randomly. Meanwhile Avantika and Saransh busy themselves by discussing about their respective work.
As I scan the newspaper, a picture distracts me, picture of a sleeping girl and the article attached to the picture. The picture and the article drifts me to the day when we all were in college.'
We all are sitting in cafeteria. Suddenly Arnav distracts me, may be I should say it is not Arnav but it is what he is reading 'a newspaper'. The opposite side of the side he is reading, faces me. There I see a picture of a sleeping girl. I have an urge of reading the article. I grab the paper from Arnav's hands, he doesn't mind. May be he doesn't even notice, because he is too busy in talking with Karan. I faintly could hear their conversation,may be planning for some movie or something.
I am too busy in reading the article. It reads that it turns true sometimes, the things that we dream while sleeping. And the people whose dream turns into reality more often are gifted people. And as I am thinking about this article, someone whispers in my ear ''Stop Dreaming Now''.
'It feels like he is with me again. His voice jerks me back into the reality. I find myself dreaming his voice. I feel relieved that it was just a dream, a DREAM nothing else.Then I again go back to the place where I was before encountering 'his' voice.'
Avantika throws a question on me, "When is your last class? Are we leaving together?" No that's not fair it's not one question, it's two and that means I'll have to distract my mind from my thoughts for much longer time than I want to. But any how I am trapped now. "Oh yeah I'll leave with you just one more class left."
' The horn of the car unlocks the cage of my dream.'
'We reach our destination. Viewing the hall from outside I can say it's a grand hall. I check myself in the rear view mirror of the car before letting my self out of the car. I am wearing a white sari,white long earrings and bunch of white bangles on each hand, and Avantika is wearing a red sleeveless dress, hair left untied, looking gorgeous as ever. Grabbing his grey court from the car, Saransh follows us. As we are about to climb the seven stairs covered with red carpet, on our left we see the golden board, 'ARNAV GUPTA WELCOMES YOU TO THE GRAND OPENING OF HIS HOTEL ** THE GOLDEN STAR** ' .
My heart swells on reading the board. We three smile looking at each other, feeling happy that our friend has achieved his desired success.
As we reach the last stair, a pair of golden door welcomes us. The doorkeepers dressed in red court and black trouser, black tie, bow in front of us and drag the giant doors, and we let ourselves in. As we get in, we search for Arnav and find that he is busy with his guests, but soon his eyes meet us and he excuses himself from others and usher towards us. He is wearing a golden kurta perfectly matching the theme of the hotel. He embraces Saransh into a hug. Next he shakes hand with me and then with Avantika. After the warm welcome. We seat ourselves on the chairs being placed in the hall. I can see that Saransh and Avantika are enjoying the party.This is the last thing I notice before I get back into my other world.'
Then I turn back to answer him but he is not there! What the hell! I wanna talk to him. Then I turn back to face my friends and notice that no one has noticed him being here. We return to our home. Returning back,I change my dress to a pink night dress. Oh! It's so girly. Avantika changes her dress as well. Now she is in a red night dress. Hair as always perfectly tied up. Well I am glad mine is also not messed up. After this I hurry towards the computer, switching it on,I use the net to collect information about the relation between realities and dreams. I get many options on the Google page regarding this topic. I click the first topic and as the page is about to show up, my phone buzzes. Well I know it can only be my mother "Mummy kamon acho tumi?" "Ami ekhane bhalo achi" "Papa kamon achey?" "Hain ami onek bhalo korey settle hoye gaichi ekhane." Suddenly my brother is on the other end of the call now. "Hi Sahil kamon achish tui?" "Theek hai main Hindi mein baat karti hun." "Tujhey pata hai meri friend Avantika, she is very co-operative." "I miss you too." "Now stop getting emotional and hand over the receiver to Papa, my kiddo brother." "Oh yeah yeah, you are a grown up and that too a police officer. But you must know, you'll always remain my kid brother. Love you Sahil. When are you going back for your work?" "Alright do stay in contact. Please handover the receiver to Papa now. Hi Papa how are you? I am fine here."
I notice a tension in his voice, may be he is worried about my safety. But soon he realizes that I am far okay here. I can feel the sigh of relaxation in his voice. I am happy at least my family is out of the messed life of mine. I don't want them to panic or fear about me, I want them to feel that I am safe here. And I think I succeed in it. Soon after ending the call, I know now it's time to answer the row of questions of my sweet friend. And as I am always correct about her so here she goes...
"I want to know everything in detail because I don't know what they said to you, of course because they were on the other end of the call. Secondly, you were speaking in Bengali. Everything went over my head and I am curious to know everything." So as a very patient friend I narrated everything to her from the beginning. "Mummy kamon acho tumi" means "How are you Mummy?" "I am fine how are you?" was her reply. "Papa kamon achey?" means "How is Dad?" "He is also fine. Have you settled there comfortably?" she asked. "Hain ami onek bhalo korey settle hoye gaichi ekhane." means "I have settled here very well." "Hi Sahil kamon achish?" means "Hi Sahil how are you?" "And rest other things I hope you have understood because they were spoken in Hindi."
Now that I am done with Avantika's questions, I relax myself. Then she resumes to her work which she was doing prior to the phone call. She resumes to her reading, as she is addicted to reading. She has a huge collection of books, name any writer and you'll find at least a single book of that writer in her collection. Talking about me I love reading too but not like her I suppose.
'The sound of the applaud and cheers distracts me. How long have I been thinking? I have no idea. Saransh calls us for dance. We reach the dance floor. We chat and laugh over the song.
"The arrangements are very nice Saransh" I tell him or rather I shout to make it audible over the loud music. Even though he is dancing with us, close enough to hear, but the loud music is numbing our ears. "I tried to take care of everything, I hope I didn't lack in anything. You know I have been here since two of the afternoon, just to make it sure that everything is managed and is under control" he tells me. "God Saransh! You have some major problem with punctuality and management" I scold him mildly. "Oh yes that I have. I am amazed you noticed that!", laughs Saransh. I beat him playfully on his upper arm, on listening to his comment. "Well I guess your beating will surely be good lesson for him Adhishree", laughs Avantika. Her comment makes Saransh to blush. Her comment and his blush make me to laugh.
We dance on many beautiful tracks. Enjoying ourselves thoroughly. He gets a call and excuses himself, I leave the dance floor and follow him towards a corner table, I hear him saying over the phone "Okay I'll check it on my computer and will give you the print outs as soon as possible." And the word 'Computer' drags my attention. I excuse myself while Avantika joins the other group of girls, permitting me to leave, with a smile. As I reach a vacant chair I start remembering the day...'
Getting back to my computer, I resume my surfing. What I find is not a shock but is it possible?An article read 'there are people who dream and it changes to reality quite often.' But what about my dreams?
Another article read, few children who are twins can lead similar life. If not same but similar. "TWINS" no not possible. I know I just have one brother and that's it. And if I have a sister - a twin, so why would my mother hide it from me? And if that's true so where is she? NO! NO! NO! What am I thinking? Why am I even thinking this? This is wrong. This is so wrong. It feels like soon my mind will burst if I think about it more. This is it, I am sleeping now. I cannot manage it.
Shutting my computer I throw myself on my bed, it is only seven in the evening but I am too tired to keep myself awake. I go to my unconscious world soon.Though by now I am afraid of seeing dreams but how can I resist my sleep?
I am dreaming again. And today I am hearing THAT VOICE again! Oh please! I want to see you, come and show me your face. No more hide and seek please. I want to see you today, I want to see you now. And suddenly the alarm clock buzzes and I am awake I am searching his face but it's over MY DREAM IS OVER.
Waking up and sitting on my cozy bed I wonder what is his connection with my dreams? Even though I haven't seen his face but I can feel it, it's HIM. I haven't even talked to him for once. How can he be that important to me, that he is coming in my dreams? I was thinking about all these things,when my phone rings. "STOP DREAMING" he says as soon as I press the answering button. Damn! how does he know my number?
"Adhishree I am getting distracted will you stop it now?" he shouts. What the hell? He knows my name? What all is going on here? "How can I? It's not something I can control. Besides, trust me I want to control but I am helpless. How can someone whom I have never talked to is becoming so important for me? And wait from whom have you got my number? I wanna meet you now." And before I can say something further, I hear the beep. What the hell he has ended the call without even answering me! Trying to forget my anger I relax myself.Oh God! So many questions were running through my mind that I forgot to ask him the main question - HOW DOES HE KNOW THAT I WAS DREAMING ABOUT HIM?
Edited by RNpoint1857 - 9 years ago
