CHAPTER 2
2 days later...
It was a bright sunny day with birds chirping. Last night it had drizzled a bit and it had made the weather even more pleasant. Abeer was getting ready for Academy. No, he is not a student in some academy, but a teacher, actually a music teacher since last 6 months in a renowned acting and music school in Mumbai. Even he doesn't believe that he finally made it to this in a city like Mumbai, but yeah, he has! It has been around 9 months since he left his home in Delhi and came to Mumbai, for chasing his dreams. His passion... his only true love... MUSIC.
It had been around a year since she left him...a year to their breakup, but sometimes he feels that he is one of those lifeless musical instruments that lay still in the music room in his academy rather than a man full of life. He feels as if someone would come and would blow life in him just like he blows life in his instruments just by a mere touch. Now he knows that why people say that first love is like intoxication, like a bug. Although after a year the intoxication has died down a lot but still sometimes the bug goes up in his head and then he is thrown back in the past and when he comes crawling back he just ends up wasting his whole time reliving the now-bitter-but-then-sweet-memories that he and Anjali had created months back. Whatever, he finished the coffee in his cup as he gathered his guitar bag and cell phone before clambering down the stairs, starting his bike and then rushing off to the hospital.
The entire day passed by him helping the students in learning guitar and piano, correcting their rythm and tones and composing the music for his song that he would be presenting in the fresher's party held about a week later. A new batch of freshers was coming a few days later and he was requested to present a song as a welcome token for them. As the evening approached with the lobby of institution attaining an orange-yellowish mist. His tummy grumbled with hunger as he had not eaten anything since morning but just had munched on a sandwich with a cup of coffee in the noon in the canteen itself. Even his head was aching badly by fulfilling the schedule of a busy day and he really needed a change. Anyways his work was over too and most of the atudents had moved out. So he moved out of the building entrance. There was a cafe nearby and he thought to go there for munching onto something and gulping down a big and hot mug of coffee for energizing his now-tired-down self. He put on his helmet as per his habit before he started his bike and zoomed off.
~~~~
Meher had just finished her coffee when her cell phone buzzed. She smiled seeing the caller ID telling it is her her bua. She picked up the call as she got up to leave when she bumped into someone. Her phone slipped from her hand and the next moment it shattered in two pieces. She quickly picked it up without even looking at the culprit who broke her dear cell phone.
"My phone... It's broken!" she said as she raised her eyes to look at the culprit.
"You..." was the only word she could utter as she saw Abeer in front of him.
"Yes... Kyu main yaha nahi aa sakta kya?" he said as he raised his one brow in his typical style.
"Aa to sakte hain. Kyu nahi aa sakte but har baar mera koi loss karna zaroori nahi hai naa." She said with sarcasm dripping from her tone.
"Agar aap gaur kare to this time it was your mistake... you were so immersed in your phone that you didn't see me coming and bumped into me...Vaise bhi lagta hai khane-peene ki chheezo ka aur khaane peene ki jagaho ka aapki aur meri behes ka koi connection hai." he said as he moved a hand through his hair.
"Oh really... mana ke mai dekh kar nahi chal rahi thi par aap toh dekh sakte hai naa... you could have walked properly if not me." She retorted not willing to back out from the arguement.
"See Miss...Purohit, right... I am very much tired and not at all in a mood to argue with you or anyone. So please... I think we should hold on this argument here and continue some other time. Aap ke phone ko theek main karva dunga. Waise bhi aap mere ghar ke bagal mein hi rehti hai... jab chahe aa jaiyegaa ladai continue karne ke liye. I'll be ready." He said and again ran a tired hand through his hair. Meher was at a loss of words. He uttered those words with so much truth; she could see the tinge of tiredness in his eyes and his appearance. The sleeves of his T-shirt were pulled up till his elbows and the blazer he wore upon it was hanging on his right forearm. His hair were dishevelled and his face looked tired. He looked dead tired and worn out and his eyes were slightly red as if he had not slept properly since a long time.
"Now if you excuse me, I would like to move from here and go home. Please..." Meher came out of her trance hearing him utter those words. She mentally chided herself for again noticing his features and averted her eyes.
"Okay... aur mere phone ki repairing ka zimma aapko lene ki zarurat nahi hai. I can do that myself. And yes don't you think that I am forgiving you. Meri bua ne mujhe yeh phone gift kiya tha so it's very dear to me. I am letting the matter go just because it was a mistake and you too seem disturbed." She said and moved out of the cafe. Abeer shook his head disbelievingly the moment she moved past him and then he too moved out.
This girl iis behaving as if she has done a favour to me by closing the topic, Abeer thought.
He sat on his bike and was about to start it when he saw Meher struggling to stop a cab. He just hung his helmet on the handle and placed his thumb and forefinger on his chin to see if she is able to do that. After a few minutes he smiled as he put on his helmet and started his bike and stopped it in front of her.
"Phone todne ke badle I think I can gave you a lift till your apartment as compensation. Meher saw Abeer in front of her offering a lift and she didn't like the idea of taking a lift from a man who just broke her cell and she had fought with him on the sane matter too.
"No thanks... By the way we both live in the same building so aap mujhe sirf mere apartment' tak lift denge aur khud kahan jaayenge. Have you decided to leave the apartment just now." She replied back sarcastically.
"Actually 'hamari building' thoda ajeeb ho jata...nahi... isiliye... by the way it's close to night and you should not go alone at this time and that too in a place like Mumbai. This is what my common sense says. What does yours say?" he asked. Meher pondered over his words for a whole minute before agreeing. She moved forward and took her place behind him on his bike. He started the vehicle and they moved on. The road was not very crowded with traffic but still he didn't speed up his bike. Although his not speeding up the bike was not intentional but purely inadvertent.
"If you don't mind...can I ask you a question?" he asked a few minutes later.
"Hmm... sure." She agreed.
"Aapko dar nahi lag raha... I meanyou are taking a lift from a person you hardly know and that too in a completely new place to you. Aap mujhse sirf do baar mili hai and both the meetings were disastrous enough that you think at least once before you come along with me..." he asked her in a mock serious tone as turned the bike to the left. The turning of the bike unbalanced her posture on the bike and she slipped a bit near to him and clutched on his shoulder to stop herself from falling.
"Drive properly..." she said as she removed her hand from on his shoulder.
"Shayad aapko Newton's second law yaad hoga... inertia se aisa hi hota hai Ms. Purohit. Anyways you didn't answer my question..." he further said.
"Well as an answer to your question... Don't you worry Mr. Abeer... right...? I know judo-karate and I am a brown belt in martial arts so..." she trailed off saying this in an exact copy of his tone. Abeer
smiled at her statement. Even Meher pondered over the thought that why did she trust himwhen she barely knows him but didn't ler her thoughts reflect on her face.
"Oh...! Martial arts... then I better shut my mouth and drive quietly."
"Why? Kya aapko dar lag raha hai that you are giving lift to a girl you hardly know and who knows martial arts and whom you have just met twicw. Aur un dono mulakato mein hi... you have given her enough reasons either by eating her pizza or by breaking her cell, to show you her martial skills." She replied contributing in the healthy banter. Abeer laughed hearing her words, a carefree laugh after a long time.
"Must say Ms. Purohit... you have an impeccable sense of humor and a good presence of mind too." He couldn't stop himself from complimenting on her witty replies. A small controlled smile split on Meher's face and she looked away not letting him see that but the mirror on his bikel allowed Abeer to see her small smile.
The bike came to a halt in front of their building.
"So Ms. Purohit... here we are. Hamari building aa gayi." Meher smiled at Abeer's words as she got down and moved towards the entrance of the building.
"Ms. Purohit aapke yaha thank you bolne ka riwaaz nahi hain kya? You know... after someone gives you a lift. And don't you add anything after 'Ms' and before' Purohit'?" Abeer asked when Meher reached near the gate. She turned on hearing this.
"Thank you ka riwaaz toh hain par kaha isiliye nahi kyuki aap hi ne kaha tha ke you are offering me the lift as a compensation... and ek ajnabee ki jankaari ke liye mujhe lagta hai Ms. Purohit hai kaafi hai." She replied to his question, smiled and again turned to go. Abeer just shrugged his shoulders watching her retreating back and was about to start his bike to go and park it when he heard his name being called.
"Abeer... Thank you for the lift aur haan mai 'Ms' ke baad aur 'Purohit' ke pehle Meher lagati hoon. Ms. Meher Purohit..." she turned after unlocking the gate and moving in and replied to him before she vanished quickly rushing towards the stairs.
"Meher... Ms. Meher Purohit..." he uttered after she was gone and a smile stretched on his lips before he moved to park his bike.
Hi... sorry for the delay... was busy with my exams. Have a happy read and don't for get to hit like and give your invaluable feedback...
Love you all
Amreen
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