SS: A Bend in the Road [Wattpad link-P.126] - Page 37

"Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?

Nainatara blinked at the question. The awkwardness still didn't dissipate and she tried to control the color that's climbing up her neck.

Don't overthink this.

That's the mantra in her head. She was glad she took the question first.

At least she wouldn't have time to overthink.

"Hugh grant

He didn't see that coming of course.

"Hugh grant? He asked.

"There was a time I had a thing for voices and I then had a huge crush on him.

Dev leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees as he looked at her interested.

"On top of it, he has British accent he said nudging her further into the conversation, although biting a smile.

"Exactly she says not catching that it's a bait to make her more comfortable.

"Do you still have a crush on him?

"Not particularly she said "But you know once a person is a crush, they would eternally earn a soft spot

"Whom would you invite? She asked him now.

He relaxed in his seat, his fingers pressing the bridge of his nose from either side, his classic position when he's deep in thought.

"There was this girl in college he told her. "She was very silent. The poster girl for a quiet nerd. Very sweet and very polite. College kids are ruthless, they made fun of everyone in vicinity. And she wasn't an exception. I wasn't exactly a great guy back then. Most of the times I didn't participate in the prank business but one day, it was a dare so someone asked me to go propose to her as a joke. I did

Dev pushed his glasses over the bridge of his nose. "She didn't say anything for a moment and she hesitated before taking the rose I was holding. Then everyone broke into laughter, who were hiding behind the pillars. She looked up then and there wasn't disgust. There was hurt for placing faith in the wrong person.

"I am sorry, I told her then. She shook her head, without any malice and said; No, I'm sorry for believing you're different

"Wow Tara said. "Do you know her whereabouts?

"Don't know. But I think she falls in my long list of people to whom I own an apology. If I ever find her, I owe her a dinner and an apology

"And a rose Tara told him.

Dev smiled at her.

"And a rose

The next set of questions were easy. At least they weren't peeling off the layers of each other like first one did.

They alternated in reading out the question from her mobile and answering it.

"Would you like to be famous? In what way?" He read.

He had guessed it and he wasn't wrong indeed. She dreamt of being a world renowned painter as a child. He had seen them before but it's been years since he had seen her work on one. Maybe he had a knack of killing good things in life.

Tara was surprised to know Dev had wanted to be a cricketer as a child. He religiously followed the sport and had so much knowledge about it, she was aware. She wasn't blind to how he bought examples of moments from matches played decades back and related it with real life examples. But she wasn't aware he was a state level player.

"Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?" She asked him.

He wouldn't. She expected that much from him. If there was one thing she was sure of, it's that he is easy with words.

Dev was surprised to know she did in fact rehearses before making a call.

"Why would you do that?" He asked.

What would she tell him? She was confident in her skin. It isn't that she needed to prep herself up before a conversation. However she had to draw a line, to tone down anything that would term as an invitation to men. She had learnt that beauty is a bane at a very young age.

"I do it to sound as ice-queen-ish as possible" she said and although Dev looked interested, he didn't push.

"What would constitute a "perfect day for you?" He asked her.

"Painting a portrait"

"I have never seen you paint portraits"

"I don't do them often"

"Why?"

"I usually paint portraits when my feelings go extreme which is hardly ever"

"I'm suspecting there's a portrait painting of Hugh grant"

She laughed, suddenly making him understand how radiantly beautiful she was.

"No there isn't. I paint when I want to put the person completely out of my mind, when I need closure."

"Still holding on to poor Grant?"

"Soft spot forever, I told you"

"Will it give closure?" Dev asked quietly.

Tara's smile dimmed. "It doesn't. But at least after I look at it post all the hard work I put in, in trying to make the picture come alive, I see how my eyes see the person, only a beautiful memory. Not the person in itself. That's my way of trying to have the last resounding memory of that person to be a good one"

"What's your perfect day?" She asks him before he could ask further.

"When we were little, we lived in a cozy home, before we moved to the huge mansion that was never ours." Dev told now. "I liked the old home so much. There was a large mango tree and I liked to chase the monkeys away with the catapult, something my maternal grandfather taught me. I liked doing my homework there the most."

Tara now understood his liking towards this tree in the garden. Aren't they both so similar yet different? If she tried running away from memories of her childhood, he tried to hold on to them.

"Is the old home still there?"

"I think it was sold. I wish it was at least there and not be demolished to raise an apartment"

"When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?" She asked him.

"To myself, this morning. To others," he hesitated. "When I was cheesily in love"

"You were in love?"

"Once"

"You can't stop there" she said with a hand cupping her face, interested.

"She was a literature student and had a weird liking to songs from languages she didn't understand. Especially those which are remade in Hindi"

"Why?" Tara asked her curiosity piqued.

"She said that's because there's a familiarity in the tune but an unfamiliarity in the words so she would feel home and would also not get bored of it".

"The women in your stories are very interesting." Tara said.

"I have an eye for the very best" he smiled.

And Tara was taken back to the first time they met, in her painting exhibition.

Maybe if she hadn't been such a snob back then, they would at least have had become friends. Maybe then she wouldn't feel the pinch in the heart now thinking how wrong he was. That she wasn't among the best women in his life.

"You didn't mention what song you sang for her"

"It's a Tamil song" he said. "Do you know this song Tu hi re from Bombay? It's the original rendition of it."

She was almost tempted to ask him to sing a couple of lines for her.

She was glad with relief when he asked her to answer the question instead.

"To myself never, to others never"

"Wow. That sounds fun" Dev rebuked.

"I don't think I'm a good singer"

"You don't even hum?"

"Well..."

"Come on"

"I don't do it. It just feels very awkward"

"Says a person who had a thing for voices"

"Good, deep, sexy voices"

"Who says your voice isn't sexy"

"I do"

"Then Tara, I got to tell you that you can't be more wrong" he said looking at her straight in the eye that oddly made her nervous yet lighter.

"If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?"

Dev opted for former saying he would want to see the whole world. Tara laughed calling him vain and that she knew he wanted to flirt with younger women. Dev said something that was a touchy topic between them.

"Not anymore young girls. I've enough guilt to carry toll my grave"

The silence between them suddenly felt too harsh. Dev was grateful that Tara didn't pursue the topic further and answered the question instead.

"I'll go for the latter"

"You'd retain the mind"

"It's more of not choosing the body than choosing the mind"

"You don't want to look like this?" Dev asked gently.

"I'd do anything to look any different than this"