"Di! I'm sitting in the window seat. Move." Gauri gently pushed me aside and went and sat down. I was glaring at her when she smiled innocently and motioned me to come and sit beside in the middle seat.
I rummaged through the magazines kept in front of me and started going through one when someone place a bag in the seat next to mine.
I looked up to see the same kanji aakhon wala guy keeping his bag in the above compartment. He then looked down at me, I could see that he too was surprised but then smiled. I smiled back but didn't look away. He settled down and then looked at me.
"Still trying to figure out the color of my eyes." He said amused.
I laughed, and looked away. Gauri who was looking at this exchange very intently raised her eyebrow at me. I shook my head and motioned her to look outside the window.
The aircraft was about to take off and I started to panic. Even though I had air travelled a couple of times before I was still scared of the taking off part. I thought of talking to Gauri but then saw how much she was enjoying looking outside the window.
I closed my eyes shut and held the armrest tightly. I could hear the engine heating up and the aircraft lurched forward. As it picked up speed, the grip of my hand on the armrest tightened when I felt someone's warm hand on mine. I dared not open my eyes because I was still scared. Once the aircraft was safe in the air I slowly opened my eyes. I turned to see the kanji aakhon wala guy engrossed in some file, his hand still on mine. As if feeling my gaze on him he turned to me, "You okay?" I simply nodded. He nodded back and got to reading his file, his hand still on mine.
~"Phail gaya raita." I muttered as I dropped the coffee on the kanji aakhon wala.
"God. You're so clumsy." He got up and went to the washroom to clean up before I could apologise.
"I'm so so so sorry." I said when he sat down. "I didn't mean to."
"You didn't mean too? So you intentionally drop coffee on some people?" He asked as he opened up his snack box and took out the sandwich.
"No. I mean sometimes." He looked at me surprised.
And just like that Gauri, the kanji aakhon wala and me had a little conversation through the rest of the journey.
I then realised that I didn't know his name. And I thought I'll never know.
~Just as we had entered the house, we heard, "Anika! Gauri!" Saumya ran towards us and pulled us into a bear hug.
"Sumo. We. Can't. Breathe." Gauri struggled and I laughed.
"You're looking so pretty, Saumya." I told her and she smiled.
We were seeing her after 2 years.
After Saumya had finished her engineering she had left for Delhi with her parents. We talked through skype every other day. It was last month that she had given us the news that she was getting married. We still didn't know who the guy was. She had kept it as a surprise.
"Jiju kahan hai. Zara hum bhi toh dekhe woh kaise dikhte hai." Gauri searched for him as if she'd identify him.
"Di. Woh." She grabbed my hand and motioned me see something. "3 o'clock."
I followed her gaze and understood what she meant. That kanji aakhon wala was standing there talking to someone.
Saumya had grabbed her hands and was taking us to meet her fiance. But I hadn't taken my eyes of them. I realised we were going towards them when we were almost face to face.
"Rudra!" Saumya exclaimed, faking anger as he had pounced on the kanji aakhon wala and the guy with long hair who was talking to him, sending them both crashing down. They all were lying on the floor laughing their heart out. The kanji aakhon wala sat up and caught my eye, a look of surprise on his face.
He got up saying, "Tum? Are you stalking me?" His eyes twinkled.
"I can say the same thing, Mr. Kanji aakhon wale." He laughed.
"Is that what you call me in your head?"
"Yeah. Kind of."
"So, you still don't know my name?"
"What do you mean? Are Shah Rukh Khan or something that I'm supposed to know your name without you telling me?" I asked him amused.
"Di. Di." Gauri had started jumping as if she remembered his name. "Kya hua Gauri?"
"Anika, Gauri. This is Rudra, my fiance." Rudra flashed a huge smile and said, "I've heard so much about you all." I smiled and we shook hands.
"And these two are Rudra's brothers. Omkara and - " And? I was eagerly waiting for Saumya to introduce us, so that I'd know his name but before she could complete her mom came and took her with her.
I looked at him expecting him to introduce himself but he looked at me a playful smile on his lips.
I shook my head and turned around to leave when he followed me, "So you don't want to know my name?"
"If you're not going to tell me your name, what can I do Billuji?" I sighed.
"Billuji? Is that what you're going to call me now?" He looked slightly annoyed but mostly amused.
"Yes, billuji." I grabbed a glass of orange juice and he took a glass of pineapple juice.
"Okay. Then I'm going to call you billi-ji." I looked at him wide eyed.
"Billi? On what basis? I don't have cat eyes like you." I knew he knows my name cause Gauri had taken my name a million times on the plane and Saumya too had called me by my name in front of him. But he hadn't used it even once till now.
"Yes, but billi suits you well." Like what even? He was calling me a cat! Was I like a cat?!
Book Talk
Anupamaa
