WILD HEARTS

CHAPTER 19

Siddharth was smoking with Kushal out on the office terrace. Ashing his cigarette, Kushal looked at his best friend.

"So? Kabse you're seeing this girl?"

Taking a drag, Siddharth replied "2.5 months."

"2.5 months! Matlab...since the Noir party?"

"Haan."

"She is gorgeous, manna toh padega." Then after a few seconds' silence he continued, "But bro, she seemed too young. How old is this girl?"

"'This girl' has a name and it's Shehnaaz."

"Ok, sorry. So how old is Shehnaaz?"

"22."

"Fuckkkkk. Bro you are out of your mind!" Kushal exclaimed, putting his hands behind his head, looking away. "Anyway, whatever this is jaldi se khatam kar before things get messy."

Siddharth turned around to face his friend, his expression serious. "Kushal, she is not some casual fuck for me. In fact we've not even gotten physical."

"Are you serious? Siddharth Sh has been with a girl for 2.5 months and has not scored yet!" His eyes were as big as saucers.

"Shut up Kushal! Just shut the fuck up," he growled taking another smoke out of his pack. "Don't speak like that about her, please." Siddharth closed his eyes and opened them again to speak.

"I don't feel the need to give you any explanation whatsoever about what she means to me or what exactly is our equation, but because you are like a brother I'm going to tell you this once. I don't know what I have going on with Shehnaaz. All I know is that in this short period of time I've grown immensely fond of her. I've never felt this way for any other woman before. And I'm aware of how young she is. Trust me, I know. But honestly I've never felt this age gap affect our...situation. What I feel for her I can't explain. She is the best part of my day. Even on the ones that I don't get to see her and can only message or call her. I have- I have feelings for her yaar...all I know is that I need to have her in my life. I can't think of a situation otherwise. Woh mujhe sunti hai samajh ti hai. For once I've met someone who truly listens to what I have to say. Not just because of who I am or how much money I have. She cares for what I want. And she needs me too. Woh batati nahi hain because she is a proud young girl but I know that somewhere, she needs me just the way I do. There's this- this pull, everytime we meet. I can't explain so tujhe filmy lag sakta hai yeh sab but there's something that just overpowers us when we are together. Aisa lagta hai bas isi ke liye I've been around. Samjha nahi sakta main."

He stubbed the cigarette before continuing, "She is very young and so I'm absolutely ok with taking things slow. Let her dictate when she wants to take this further. But for once I don't care about the sex. Bas woh paas rahe that's all I care."

To say that Kushal was taken aback was an understatement. In all the decades of knowing his friend he has never heard him react like this. That too for a girl. These words almost sounded alien coming from him. But he knew this much that his friend sounded absolutely genuine. His whole face, body language seemed to change when talking about her. Part of Kushal wanted to rejoice, because his friend has finally caught feelings, but another part of him was scared for the future. He knew where things stood in reality. Theirs was a different world. A world of business and very high stakes where money dictated everything. Would Shehnaaz be able to survive or would she become the sacrificial lamb? And Siddharth? Suddenly, the intensity of his words scared him.

"And what about the Kapoors and Sonia? Tera Swadeshi?"

He didn't respond but continued staring at the sunset.