I collapse on a bench and almost jump out at the chilliness. I love going on walks especially after having dinners. I love to walk under stars and keep my gaze up. As a child I and my friend used to do that in our lane, and since our parents used to sit out making a small talk and were ready to save us from bumping into inanimate objects, keeping our blasted vision up, it has become a favorite hobby.
That was all back in childhood. Now, however things are different since my walking partner is my new room mate Divya. There are certain things you have to be clear about before you decide to go on a walk with her.
One, you can't look up or any where else because she distracts you with many things. Like for instance, she calculates the time we could spend walking and talking so that we can't be late to our hostel. Okay screw it, she even counts at what time we need to turn back, at what time we should reach our hostel, at what time we need to sit on the bench outside our room, and pass comments on various girls like us, and finally at what time we can fall asleep. I won't be surprised if she comes with a time table of at what times and how many times we can pee.
It is irritating. I don't want to know at what time our hostel shuts the doors on our face or that how many mosquitoes will bite us if we are out for a long time.
I just wanted to walk, and enjoy it, not turn suddenly as if we are asked to "about turn" by our senior officer.
I kept my hands on the now warm bench and think about my home, my family.
I miss my Papa. It's not like I don't miss others but I miss him the most.
Once I and Papa were sitting on terrace and watched two women, a mother daughter duo walk on their terrace. At first I didn't understand why they were practicing ramp walk on their terrace, turning exactly at same time when they reached one end.
But then my papa explained that probably they were too shy to go for walking on roads, and liked doing instant walking on their terrace. It was some of the weight lose shit, we concurred.
As we sat watching them, Papa said about turn when they reached one end and they turned at the exact moment though they had no idea that their moves are synchronized by their beloved neighbor who is all set to make them look demented.
Anyway long story short we gave them background music until our stomachs hurt and we were called by mom for snacks.
I hear my stomach grumble and touch it. Now, I miss my mother.
"Hungry?" I hear a voice that startles me.
I turn to stare at the brown eyes that I am accustomed to stare into by now. Of course in my dreams, mostly, and of course he might not know this.
My friendly neighborhood senior who seem to be around when he is least expected, looks at me raising his brow.
The first time I met him was quite filmy and embarrassing.
I have met my roommate Divya back in my city when the list of roommates was announced, and got to know her through the facebook group we had for the college we were joining in. Though a little different from me, she seemed quite alright and we became sort of friends. We had hence synchronized our travel plans.
On the day we have reached the city, I have, like a true blue queen of embarrassment told Divya I would communicate with the auto driver about how much we would pay them since the auto driver and us don't speak the same language, and I believe myself to possess a little knowledge about the language he speaks.
This was all going well until he took us inside the university and demanded we pay extra.
When we were struggling to communicate, had this guy, who was walking by, stopped by us and asked what the matter was. He looked tall, fair and handsome, and I already heard a little "Ooohh" by Divya who despite the soup we are in, is all set to admire beauty.
As he approached us and asked what the problem was, I tell him everything and he talks to the auto driver, almost convincing him, and finally heaves a sigh.
And to my horror said, I have in fact agreed to pay him 50 rupees per person and not 50 rupees in entirety, according to the auto driver. I feel stupid for making a wrong impression on my new roommate, who frankly didn't seem bothered by any of it and only taken by the handsome dude in our company.
Anyway, grudgingly I agree to pay the rest of the amount, and the auto driver, who seemed to take pity on me, apologizes for the misunderstanding and leaves, while I stand awkwardly, facing the dude and thank in a small voice.
"It is alright" he grins at me in a friendly manner "Don't take it to heart. Almost all auto drivers are a bit of rogues here" he say.
"Maan. Third year student, Mechanical" he says stretching his hand, and I take it slowly.
"Geet, First year, computer science" I tell him, in a small voice.
He smiles a disarming smile at me, and I find my manners and introduce Divya, who smiles sultrily at him.
"You have any problem, don't forget I am around" he said politely and left.
Ever since, he really was there but at times as I said, least expected him to be.
Divya still harbored a crush on him, and so does half of the girls in mechanical, and as I see him smiling at me now, I know why.
He was handsome, in a classic way. With the cleft jaw, aquiline nose and beautiful brown kind eyes, he was cute.
"A penny for your thoughts?" he ask as he takes a seat beside me.
I smile weakly at him.
"So at the cost of repeating myself, I had to ask, are you hungry?"
"Nope" I lie.
We stare at the sky in relative silence before I am interrupted again.
"Missing family?"
If I were in a relatively better mood, I might have cried bingo! But I am not. Neither I will be, I think.
I stare at my shoes stupidly as if I am sitting in principal's office, and I feel warmth on my skin and see his huge hand covering mine.
Eek! My hands look unimaginably small compared to his. Is he an alien or am I a dwarf?
Before I get down judging his hands and mine, the grip on my hands tightens making me look at him.
I see his eyes soften, and no I am not kidding, eyes do express feelings. I never bought that when I read books but you see when you look directly into one's eyes, you tend to notice some smaller shifts.
If you can't then I am sorry you certainly do not belong to a gender called female which is born with powers like reading eyes.
"Talked to them?" he asks and I search in my mind what was he talking, about, oh yeah, missing my family. Wait. What the hell, how did he know that?
"How do you know?"
I see his eyebrows scrunch.
"That you talked to them?"
"No, that I am missing them"
I see him pause for a beat before smiling. Of course it is worth laughing, that someone would be so slow in answering simple questions.
"I am not wrong I guess then"
Lo! I don't come fast to the point, he doesn't come straight to the point. We will hit it off well I think.
"You aren't" I say tired and bow my head going back to look at my shoes.
It surprises me hence when his hand comes down to my chin to raise it so that now I look at him.
"What happened?" he asked slowly "I thought you said you liked this city"
I did? Yeah, I did when I bumped into him in the library and he asked how I was finding my stay, and how I was liking the city. Of course, I can't say I find the city super humid and the stay super irritating. I had to reply politely, so I might have mumbled the usual, I like the city, thank you line.
"I was mad then" I say agitated as I feel all the pent up frustration coming out.
"I was excited then, but I no longer like this city. I hate humidity, and I can't wear my favorite jacket. I am not used to sleep without a blanket before okay? Now I can't even dream of a blanket. I don't want to be a roasted chicken by the next morning. And I hate everything, this language which I don't understand, this food which is served at same time, same place and same varieties every day, and this bloody walk which is time limited." I say as I suddenly pull my hand away from his hold to close my face.
"Imissmyfamily" I whisper.
"What"
"I miss my family" I admit as I suddenly feel sick in the stomach. May be I shouldn't have stuffed the Dal in. I knew it was bad.
As I clutch my stomach, I feel suddenly warm and when I raise my eyes I see he had moved closer and encircled his arm around my shoulder.
"We have winter in two months so I think you can wear your favorite jacket then, we can go out on weekends to have tasty food, and as for the language, I will teach you"
My ears perk up and I look at him expectantly.
"You will?"
I see him stare at me for a moment before his hands touched my cheek slowly, pushing a strand off my face.
"You look so cute with your expectant eyes that I can't resist..." he averts his eyes as he trail off, while I stare at him as if someone just yelled "Statue!" at me.
"...that I can't resist..." he says as he touches the back of his hand to my cheek softly.
"...saying no to anything you ask..."
With that, he leaned in forward and touched his lips to the corner of my lips, startling me.
And I, what did I do? Glad you asked. I, like a proverbial mouse had got up and ran away to the hostel before mumbling something about closing time in hostel.
As I reach the room, with Divya lying on her back, I fear maybe she knew somehow, and go straight to the washroom to scrub myself clean, several times until Divya notices my weird behavior and asks "What bit you?" causing me to blabber nonstop.
"No one bit me. It is not a bite. And why will anybody bite me to begin with?"
"Oooh a human touch is it? Interesting" Divya says, her eyes aglow with a new thing to tease me with and I come to my bed, bury my face in the pillow and pretend to not listen to her.
Late into the night, when she were asleep, however, I see my mobile buzz with a message, and with a thudding heart realize it is from him.
"I can't promise for the weather but if reports are to be believed, it would be chilly tomorrow, a perfect time to go out. Also, I had found a new place which serves awesome chicken. And if you want to give me a chance, and forgive me for scaring you like that, I would wait for you by the same place, 7 pm"
I didn't know what to reply, and when I finally do, I somehow know he would smile the moment he would receive it.
"We will get chicken tikka there?" was the message, and of course I was right. He grinned right at the mobile, before pumping his hand through the air, and I, of course bury my face in the pillow, now smiling, dreaming once again about Mr. Brown eyes.
Kumkum Bhagya
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