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Aditya's Pov
9:50 pm.
9:50 pm.
9:51 pm.
9:52 pm.
9:52 pm.
What the hell?
I looked at the wall clock umpteenth time in the last ten minutes. There was certainly some issue with this circular device as the time was moving at a pace slower than a sloth itself. Every single time my gaze had darted toward the wall clock, it was nowhere ten.
Damn Adi, you need to divert your mind.
Shaking my head to shoo away all the distractive thoughts, I scanned my pending emails, jotting down the relevant changes I needed to make in my ongoing projects.
A few seconds later when after my gaze traversed to the wall, it was already fifteen minutes past ten.
Woah.
When I was giving full attention to the time, it was busy displaying its arrogance to me, and as soon as I neglected it for a few seconds, it came sprinting behind me.
Such a Humanly Trait.
Isn't this what we humans do to each other today? Ignore those who give us undivided attention, and crave their attention as soon as they stop making efforts.
Stupid clock. Wasted my fifteen precious minutes.
In a way, though, it was good because if I had messaged her at precisely 10:00, my desperation would have been apparent.
Not willing to waste a second more, I sent her a message, silently praying for an uninterrupted conversation tonight. To my surprise, her reply came instantaneously.
Hey.
Hey.
Free?
Hanji. Just now.
Dinner?
Done. You?
Done.
Acha sun...Can we talk over the call?
Messaging is a bit difficult.
Only if you are comfortable with it.
Hanji.
I can't even think what we would have talked about if we had kept messaging each other. Things were still awkward and unfamiliar, especially considering how new our relationship was. If nothing else, conversing on the phone could help us think of random topics for discussion.
With my heart thumping in anticipation, I pressed the dial button. She was quick to revert, picking up the call on the second ring itself.
"Hello." Her soft, mellifluous voice reached my ears, eliciting a smile to beguile on my lips.
"Hey." I thumped my body over the mattress, suddenly giddy.
Alas, my giddiness and her shyness resulted in silence.
Why is it so difficult for us to talk?
"Uh, If you are tired, we can talk tomorrow?" I initiated after contemplating for a while. Please say no.
"Nahi nahi. I am not tired." I pressed my lips thin to suppress my chuckle at her haste reply.
"Okay." I murmured gingerly, my elbow settled below my head, my eyes shutting to compose the jitters crawling my skin.
*************
Riya's Pov
"So what were you doing?" He posed and I rolled to my side, gazing in the distance.
"Nothing much, Just came from Bhai-Bhabhi's room. Was playing with Avyukth."
"Lucky you, he plays with you. He only snorts at me." He let out a complaint, clearly agitated by Avyu's aloofness to him.
I giggled, suddenly feeling at ease, "He will come around, don't worry. You know, what he was doing today? He has been trying to flick everyone's noses after you flicked his nose yesterday. And each time, he did so, he would giggle and jump in happiness."
Laughter echoed from the other end of the call, "That would have been a sight to watch. Next time, video bhejna."
"Pakka." I gushed, my eyes twinkling at the thought of my troublemaker, "He turns into a cute, little and hyperactive monster at night, and wants everyone around to play with him. And then he leisurely sleeps through the next day while we all roam around like sleep-deprived zombies."
He let loose his chuckles, "At least he is a child. And here, Isha is almost twenty-one, but whenever she is having trouble sleeping, she'll wake all of us up, announcing that if she can't get her beauty sleep, then we also cannot have some." I smiled at the mention of Isha being Isha.
"What do you all do then?' I wondered.
"Fir kya, she will force Kunal and me to watch Netflix with her until she doze off. Later on, this satan would slumber through the entire next day, leaving us to wander like zombies." He grumped, presumably, shaking his head.
"Is it? Because here, when I have trouble sleeping, all I do is overthink till my mind can't take it anymore." I chuckled, fiddling with my scrunchie.
Quietude filled the air for a few seconds before his gentle voice resonated through the phone, "Don't worry, when you will come here, you can wake me up and I will accompany you. We'll watch something together."
My lips puckered up in dismay, "But I don't watch Netflix."
"Fir kya hua, we will talk then."
My heart smiled, a pitter-patter soaring in my stomach at his words, "Talk about?"
He took his sweet time to respond, whispering in his silken voice, "Talk about you and me. Talk about us. Our life. Our future." Overwhelmedness engulfed me, the thought of me being there, beside him, prompting a sense of anticipation and longing to fill me.
"Riya?"
"Hanji?" My trance broke.
"Where are you lost?"
I stuttered, struggling to figure out an answer, "Uh, I was thinking of all the movies and series that I'll let you watch with me when I will come there."
"Oi, that means you would also wake me up?" He gasped, worry evident in his tone.
I rolled on my position, amused by his horrified reaction, "I was just pulling your leg."
"Thank God." He let out a sigh of relief., "Nevertheless, even if you were serious, I would have had no problem spending my whole night, watching Netflix with you. I would have loved it in fact." He whispered the last part, effortlessly making my cheeks turn scarlet.
I shut my eyes, struggling to form an answer amidst the jitters dancing in my stomach. When I didn't reply anything for the next few seconds, his teasing voice reverberated,
"I wonder how easily you turn crimson and speechless at my words." My eyes widened at his frivolous remark, "Otherwise when we were asked to talk to each other at your home, your series of questions for once made me feel that I was an interviewee and you were the interviewer. And, we were at some rapid-fire interview round."
I facepalmed, astounded by his words. A defensive stance overpowered and I fired his words at him,
"Someone over there said that if I had any doubts or questions, I could freely ask. This will be a lifelong decision. Go ahead, I won't judge. Aur ab yahan interviewer-interviewee? Bolo. Bolo ab? Kisne bola tha yeh sab?" I huffed, strokes of annoyance smearing over my face.
He chortled heartily, and I could vividly imagine his dimples gracing his cheeks while doing so.
"Finally." A relieved, elongated sigh escaped him, confounding me, "That's what I wanted to hear. To Spitfire-Spontaneous Riya, instead of this Silent and Sharmili Riya."
My eyes jolted in astonishment. Incredulous by his comment, I gasped, "You were intentionally teasing me?"
"Ji bilkul." My cheeks. Damn you, why are you blazing with bashfulness.
"You are so cruel." I exclaimed, a feigned frown marring my face.
"We both know, I am not." God, this man. So smug.
I snorted playfully, not regarding him with my answer. He chuckled.
Never in my dreams, I thought I would let a man tease me like this with me being happy and satiated instead of angry and annoyed.
"Acha listen, I want to ask you something." My tone balanced at the question.
"Arey, abhi bhi questions rehte hai?" He let out a dramatic gasp.
"Aditya!" I whined.
He laughed huskily, "Acha acha sorry, go ahead."
I huffed, nevertheless gave in to my temptation to ask, "So, tell me why and on what basis you said yes to me?"
My eyes darted to the ceiling at her unexpected question. My mind time and again settling on the moment yesterday when I noticed his eyes signaling his affirmation to his parents.
Silence presumed for a few beats, unnerving me.
"Is it so difficult to answer?" I murmured, perplexed.
His gentle breathing echoed, "Little bit." He answered truthfully, nevertheless continued after a few beats, "You know Riya, all the eleven women I met earlier, I couldn't allow myself to foresee a future with them. The interactions were uncomfortable rather than awkward. There were more me and mine, instead of us and we when I talked to them about our future." His voice turned serious before he resumed,
"While with you, it was awkward, yes. But not uncomfortable. Even though you took time to answer, you had your expectations clear about your partner. And your and mine expectations inclined well, it didn't feel one-sided. So, that made me say yes."
"You, you met eleven girls earlier? Does that mean I was the twelfth? I asked appalled. And unknowingly, a deep scowl made its way onto my face.
"Out of all that I spoke, you heard only this?" He vocalized, sounding bewildered.
I shrugged in defense and later slapped my forehead, realizing he couldn't see me.
"Of course. Aur haan, in contrast to the eleven women you met, you were only the third man I interacted with, and said yes to." A sense of pride hit me for absolutely no reason at all.
"Good things and people take time, spitfire. Patience is bliss." He retorted and I turned red at the last word.
"You seem quite sure of my goodness isn't it?" I teased, enjoying the progression of our conversation.
"Very sure." A brazen whisper left him and my face gleamed with coyness.
A lapse of silence loomed over the phone. Neither the quieteness felt awkward, nor uncomfortable. Our soft breathings echoed, cutting through the silence of the night. I bit my lips, suddenly at a loss of words. He was awaiting my reply, something along the lines of tease and bashfulness. But it never came. It was new. So new for a woman like me who never had much interaction with the opposite gender.
"Uh, It's late now, let's sleep? You have college tomorrow as well." He worded, sounding breathy.
"Hanji. Good night Aditya." I forced the words out, not wanting to end this conversation.
"Good night Riya." He whispered gently before disconnecting the call.
My fingers absentmindedly fiddled with the phone. My gaze fitted towards the space between the room's window, my mind replaying our conversation.
Disoriented with the lack of sleep, I unlocked the phone and stared at his name, a thousand thoughts trespassing my senses.
Would it be wrong to confess that I desired to have a prolonged conversation with him?
I had so much to ask, so much to say and so much to share. To ask at what time he goes to the office. What happened to that fussy client of his? To ask about his day, his sleep schedules, and his likes and dislikes. About him and his life. To share all about mine.
Alas, my silence towards the end might have given innumerable impressions. Tremors crawled through my skin fearing that he thought I was not interested in conversing anymore or was sleepy, or probably this whole conversation was getting too much for me. Isn't it?
With rounds of introspection, loads of rebukes, and an hour of overthinking kept me awake till the middle of the night.
As sleep begun to engulf me, I made a silent promise to myself.
To participate more in knowing him in and out. Look through him, like no one had ever been able to.
To let him see through me like no one has ever wished to.
To be as transparent as water is. Bare. Lucid. Crystalline.
To take a step ahead to unravel each other's every unseen, unrecognized, untouched layer, which we had successfully managed to conceal from this corrupt mundane world.
Most importantly,
To be his confidant and simultaneously confide in him, leaving all the apprehensions, and doubts behind.
*************
My fingers worked through the statistics answer sheets, my eyes swiftly scanning through the content written by our students. A burst of laughter erupted when a student explained the probable error in statistics as the most dangerous error.
I shook my head, quickly assigning a zero to him and moving on to the next answer sheet. These students are of a poor misconception that teachers merely skim through the headings and not the content.
Now, how can I tell them that we read everything they write, which at times becomes the reason for a session of laughter amongst us faculty members.
I was halfway through the answer sheets when Maa's booming voice called for my attention,
"Riya, Vishal's mother has come. She wants to meet you." She briefed.
"Haanji, coming." I answer back, loud enough for her to hear from the downstairs.
Vishal is one of my tuition students, a bright mind but requires constant push and encouragement to reach his maximum potential.
Descending downstairs, I made my way towards the living room. A polite smile perked upon my lips at the sight of Vishal's mother.
"Namastey Aunty"
"Namastey Beta." She reciprocated.
Curiosity brimmed my insides as it was the first time Vishal's family had paid a visit to our home.
Contemplation drowned in her features. Hesitatance laced her tone, as she initiated, "I am so sorry Beta to waste your time on a Sunday."
I shook my head, refusing her assumption, Arey nahi Aunty, I was anyway working." I ended with a courteous smile.
She nodded tenderly, "Actually, it's about Vishal." I nodded, all ears, "His class 12th exams are near. And with this, there's a lot of stress at our place regarding his future and career." Vulnerability shone in her eyes,
"Ji Aunty." I acquiesced, "Not only students, but this stage is crucial and equally decisive, for both the child and the parent."
"Absolutely. Since last week, there have been discussions going on at our place about what career line Vishal should choose. But, it's all so complicated as of now. Everyone has one or the other career option to suggest."
"It's okay Aunty, there is still some time. Let him take his exams first, then you all can patiently decide upon his future plans." I reasoned, passing the teacup in her direction.
She took hold of the cup, sipping on the tea, "But Vishal has been trying to convince us about letting him do CA for the past week." She revealed the real reason behind her presence today.
Reluctance marred her lips while I peered at her in confusion, not understanding her intention, "I just wanted to request that if you could convince him to choose some other line apart from CA." My brows furrowed at her remark.
Her words did not seem to align with my thoughts.
"I didn't get it, Aunty." I probed, drawing my brows together.
She exhaled exhaustively, "He respects you a lot, Beta. He will surely consider to your advice if you try to persuade him." She eyed me expectantly while I furrowed my eyebrows, appalled at her words.
"I am sorry, Aunty but I didn't get why you would not him pursue CA." My lips parted, unable to figure out what should I say next, "Moreover, he seems pretty sure about pursuing this line." I finally added, concealing the edge in my tone with a tight-lipped smile.
"He's pretty sure about going into this line, but we are not." Urgency and distrust dripped her words, "Both, Vishal's father and I are apprehensive about it. We know that he will never be able to complete CA." Finality reflected her voice and so does the doubt in her eyes, "And we've been repeating the same thing again and again from the last week, but he's firm in his decision."
Flabbergasted by her words and her thought process, I allowed myself to take a deep breath. Composing my stature, I questioned politely,
"If you could please let me know why do you feel that he will be unable to do CA?"
"Because CA is for toppers." An unwavering resolution reverberated from her tone, "One needs to study for hours to achieve this position. And neither my child is a topper, nor he can give enough sitting for this. He will certainly fail."
Wow.
"Aunty..," I initiated after a deep pause, "Vishal is a bright student. He is hardworking and ambitious. While I acknowledge that he cannot sit at stretch to study, I also know that whenever the time comes, and the need arises, he puts his best efforts into everything. He may not study extremely well on a regular basis, but his concepts are clear always. I genuinely feel that he wants to go for CA, he should."
"But Riya we know that he'll not be able to do it." She argued, clearly not understanding my explanation.
"That's the issue, Aunty." The utensils clinked in the background as Maa picked up the half-empty tea-cups,
"You are yourself not trusting your child and his caliber. If his own parents keep on drumming You cannot do it every single second, then for sure he will never succeed in doing it. No matter how capable he is, he'll never be able to achieve anything, let alone CA. If there would have been any problem regarding his dedication and efforts, I would have informed you about it. But your child is sincere and ambitious, he knows his interests and understands the need for a stable future. As parents, he needs your motivation and support. Trust me, he can do wonders."
I spoke in one breath, having enough of her demoralizing words about her ward.
"Constantly doubting his capabilities will ultimately cause unnecessary stress, self-doubt, and anxiety within him." i let my heart out,
"Consequently, either he will lose interest in studies due to lack of self-confidence, or he will become defiant and stubborn-headed. He would unabashedly start disobeying everyone, not consulting anybody for his choices, especially his own parents. Both situations are disastrous and destructive for any child of this age, Aunty. Children at this phase of life are like clay. They will mold into the way we'll mold them. We as parents need to shape their future, by trusting them and guiding them. Not by disrupting their future by forcing them as per your will or constantly sowing the seeds of self- doubting within them".
"But if he failed." She drawled. I so wanted to smack my head in the wall right now.
"Let him then." I retorted with urgency, "We cannot stop things from happening, Aunty. The fear of failure is present in every field. It's evident in every single career option. There is no guaranteed success in any line we choose. Moreover, just because of our preconceived notions, we cannot alter somebody's interest by coercing them."
She squirmed on her position, evidently uncomfortable by the reality. Softening my tone, I scooted closer, "Let him sit for the CPT exam, Aunty. If he doesn't clear it, then you all can collectively think something and decide upon his future. But please don't end his hopes just because you are not confident about his capabilities. Even if he doesn't perform well, there will be no regret in him that he was never given a chance."
A layer of sheen concealed her eyes, looking away. Exhaling inaudibly, I resumed, "Taking the CPT will give clarity, both to him and you all." I peered at her contemplation laden face.
"Baaki, this was just my view Aunty. Rest you are elder than me and his parent, you are in a much better position to know what's best for your child." I ended with a strained smile.
Having nothing else to say or argue, she sat there for a couple of minutes, silently musing.
Change was never easy. Perspectives are far more rooted than we assume them to be. My words, they were a mere initiation toward a progressive change and I could only hope, the conversation resulted in a positive note with Vishal not only sitting for the CPT but also clearing it with flying colors.
"I'll be taking your leave now." Her somber voice reached my ears and she passed an apologetic glance toward me. I nodded in reply, passing a civil smile in her direction.
****************
Heya Dear Ones!
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