Serenity - A collection of short stories

Gayab Premi - Part 2

Song - Humraah from movie 'Malang'

Edited on 10/04/24

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"Vo me ... Akki ... Yr aise mat dekho na. Me phone karne hi wala tha."  ("A-actually ... Akki ... Hey, don't look at me like that. I was going to call you.") The scared bf said in a soft tone , aiming to coax his angry as hell gf. 

"Haan , haan. Bilkul janab. Aap to sab kaam time par karte h. To bataiye , aaj phone karte ya muhurat niklwa rahe the?" ("Right , absolutely , you do everything prompt. So tell me were you going to call back today itself or was there a special time fixed.") Akansha taunted him. Knowing her for more than 6 years and being in a relationship for 5 years , he could still not escape her with his charm. Despite being an year younger to him , she was a straightforward person who always liked answers to questions asked.

"Aur ye kya h? Jai ne kaha ki aap kaam pr h. Didn't you resign? Kab karoge ? Meri aunty se baat hui thi jab last Sunday unhone kaha ki Saturday hi resign kar Diya tha aapne? You even had a farewell. The pics ... What in the world is happening? Btaoge bhi aap? Ya fir-" . ("And what's this? Jai said you're working. Didn't you resign? When will you? I had a talk with your mother last sunday , she said you had resigned. You even had that farewell in cafe. The pics? What in the world is happening? Will you say something? Or-") 

The long speech of hers was interrupted in middle. "Are meri maa. Bolne to do." ("Oh God , let me speak atleast.") Anirudh said with wide eyes and raised hands. His abrupt reaction drew attention from a few nearby seaters. She still didn't stop glaring at him. He could clearly see the concerned look in her angry stare. His eyes softened. Anirudh softly took her hand in both of his. 

Seeing the gesture , Aakansha looked down at the table. Thoughtfully , she said " Aap kuchh chhupa to nahi rahe ho na. I mean ... Matlab did I like disturb you or something. Vaise bhi aaj Saturday hai ... Were you with your friends? "  ("You ain't hiding something right? I mean ... Did I disturb you? It's weekend. Were you with your friends?"). Saying this , she gasped and looked at him. 

Thinking about the blunder she might have made , she added " Aree ... oh my god ... Aap ... Last time ki vajah se gussa ho kya? Vo to last time ghar pe pooja thi to ... Vo toh mumma chahti thi ki aap aao. T-Toh isliye mene mana kiya tha ki aap party me na jao. Sachi. I did not want to come off as controlling ... Shit ... I am r-really sorry Ani. Me t-" . ("Oh my God ... Y-You ... Are you crossed about last time? We had pooja that day ... And mumma wanted you to come. T-that's why I asked you to not attend the party. Really. I did not want to come off as controlling ... Shit ... I am r-really sorry Ani. I just-") 

"Asha ! Relax." Listening the firm voice of Anirudh , she looked at him with her eyebrows frowned. To Anirudh , she looked so cute right now with some hair strands flying on her face , flushed cheeks. She was a sight for him always , his 'Asha' , literally too.

Despite being the 'mama bear' among the two , listening her man's firm voice , she obediently sat back. They always tried to have an understanding relationship. She never tried to invade his personal time. To ease her , Anirudh said "Aisa kuchh nahi hai Akki. Me kabhi tumse naraz nahi ho sakta especially when I know that it's just your concern. Agar mujhe lagega that you're being too much to me khud hi tok dunga , na to bhagunga tumse aur na hi MIA hounga. We'll talk. We'll  always talk."  ( "There's nothing like that. I can never be angry at you especially when you were just concerned. If I ever feel that your concern is being too much for me to handle, then I'll tell you myself. We'll talk. We'll always talk." )

There was not a single day when she didn't feel grateful to have this human in her life. He was there to understand her, always." Achaa ye chhodo ... I have a good news for us."  (" Leave it ... I have a good news for us.") He gave her a melting grin at last. 

"But I am not pregnant." Aakansha blurted on hearing the word 'good news'.  Anirudh looked her with a slightly open mouth. She looked like a dear caught in headlights. 'Kya pagalo jaisi batein karti h tu?" Her brain chided. "Won't I know? Uske liye vo sab karna padta hai Akki. Sabar rakho usme abhi time hai."  (" Won't I know? We have to do IT for the results Akki. There's still some time left in doing IT") He patiently said those as if talking to a child and she blushed furiously. " S-shut up."  She said. 

'Fir kya news hai? Is he breaking up? Vo toh fir ye inke khud ke liye good news hoti stupid, not for both. He's our life' ('Is he breaking up? But that would have been a good news for him only , not for you. He's our life') She had a talk with her inner self. "Close your eyes!" He commanded her , but she looked at him funny. "Ani no funny pranks , really. We need to talk." She needed answers quickly. 

"Akki promise , koi mazak nahi hai. Please pehle tum aakhein band karo."  ("I promise , there are no pranks. Just close your eyes please.") As soon as she obliged , he stood up and came back 3 minutes later. Being her impatient self , she opened her eyes. There in front of her was a 'knife'. Yes! A knife , but a plastic one.

 'Aayein? Kiski supari de rahe hai tujhe? Plastic se to ye khud hi mar sakte hai , aapki aakhon me dekhte huye .' ('He wants you to kill someone? Well, it's plastic , so you can murder him only , as he'll readily die being mesmerized by your eyes.') Her Evil brain wondered haughtily.

 She looked at him who was standing with a chocolate truffle cake. Her stomach growled. She quickly put a hand on her stomach and remembered that she was starving since 10:00 am , when she had her breakfast. Anirudh smiled at the cute pout she had.

"Yeh?"  ("This?") She voiced out her confusion. Anirudh gave a triumphant smile as if he had won something huge. 'Bas hume to 1 crore chahiye , saath me jeevan vyapan ke liye.' ('Yeah , we only need a crore to live together peacefully.') Her brain interjected amongst her sane thoughts , again . 'I am bipolar' She thought . 

"I got the PPO." As soon as he said those words , her eyes widened , she gasped with surprise. Cupping her mouth with her hands , she muttered , "No way! NO WAY!" . "Really?" She confirmed her bf , who nodded his head. He was soon engulfed in a bone crushing hug. Their first hug after more than 48 hours. He held her tight. Freeing herself from his warm embrace , she jumped up and down , unaware of the attention they were drawing. For her , right now just his happiness mattered , which was radiating off of him in waves.

The Pre-placement offer he got was everything he was working so hard for. During his 2nd semester , he had tried hard to grab an internship in 'Boston Consulting Co.' He strived tirelessly to create the best portfolio and his skills got him a 4-weeks internship as financial analyst and now a job before he even completed his degree. He needed this job to gain the required experience to establish his own data firm in the near future. They had dreamt about it together. His hard work and her support. What else was needed? 

Aakansha and Anirudh settled down on their respective seats. The table seemed to a 'third wheel' right now. "Kab?"  ("When?) She enquired. "Yesterday , late at night I received the email."  Hearing that she frowned , "Aapne to btaya hi nahi."  ("You didn't tell.) "Yeah." He murmured . 'Yeah? yEah? YEAH? Bs yeah' Her inner self panicked. She took a deep breath and prepared to confront him about his weird behavior. But the lights in the cafe suddenly went out.

"Ani" she muttered hastily. The lights came back , but Anirudh was not on the table's seat. 

           ***

Ab kya ?

'Bhaag gaya?'😲
'Well , Missing Boyfriend.'